DIY - Decorative Jute Twine Balls

Back in November when we did that remodel / redecorate project, I decided it was time to attempt a few DIY home decor ideas.  I'm always drawn to anything made from burlap or jute twine.  I have seen these cute decorative balls all over the place for $$$ that I just couldn't bring myself to spend.  They seemed easy enough to recreate.  Why not give it a try.

I googled and checked pinterest.  I came across a few tutorials and they all seemed to be the same concept.  This was a pretty simple one to follow HERE.

Gather supplies:

• Glue (something that dries clear.  I used Modge Podge since it was what I had on hand.)  The tutorial I linked says to use fabric stiffener.  I tried that, and yes, it works but the rope didn't feel as stiff after it dried.
• Twine, jute rope, yarn.  Whatever tickles your fancy.
• Small balloons
• A bowl.
• Paper Towels
• Scissors
• Parchment Paper (so the balls don't stick to a surface while drying)

I didn't take pictures of the entire process since my hands were covered in glue.  I'll try to update this post later with photos when I make these again.

1. Blow up your balloons to the size you want your decorative balls to be.
2. Pour 1 part glue and 1 part water into a bowl.
3. Soak your rope in the glue.  I chose not to cut before wrapping because I didn't know how much wrapping I was going to like.  I did a quick dry wrap before soaking so I had an idea how much I might use.
4. Begin wrapping your balloon with the glue soaked rope.
5. Once you are happy with the results, cut the rope and tuck the end under another piece.
6. Place your finished balloon wrap on parchment paper to dry.

Here is what they should look like.

The 2 darker ones in the front were made using fabric stiffener.  The 4 in the back were made with modge podge.

It was suggested to allow them to dry for 24 hours.  I will tell you that mine took 3 full days to dry completely.  I think it may have been humid those days.  I turned my balloons a few times a day to make sure every part had adequate air to try.  I occasionally wiped up any excess glue from the parchment paper.

Once your balloon wraps are dry, take a sharp knife or a pair of scissors and pop the balloon.  You will here a lot of cracking, snapping and popping.  Don't worry, this is perfectly normal.  Pull the balloon pieces out.  You now have a beautiful home decor piece to place in a decorative pot, bowl, or plate, etc.

And there is the finished project.  Don't they look ah-mazing?  I love them!  This project was super easy and a bit messy, but well worth the outcome.  And the cost... dirt cheap!  I hope to make a few more in different colors for our dining room.

Until next time.

Handmade Sock Snowmen Tutorial

Last year I had pinned a tutorial to my Pinterest board for making these really cute sock snowmen.  They were simply adorable, easy, and looked like they would make wonderful gifts for the kid's teachers.  Like usual, life got busy and I found myself running to the Hallmark store for gifts.  This year, I'm on top of it!

Suzanne triggered my memory of last years good intentions by posting a brief tutorial on her blog.  Since I'm still laid up at home, having something fun to do is a MUST!  I called my sister, we went for coffee and stopped at the Dollar General and Rite Aid for supplies.  I wasn't using old socks for these since they are gifts.

A few friends on facebook had asked me how I made their cute little hats and scarves.  I had offered to do a tutorial on them and then figured, I may as well share the entire process from start to finish.  So, here goes... another Sock Snowman Tutorial.  This could be the longest post I have ever written to date.

Supplies you will need:

Crew socks (new or old) 

  Fabric, old clothes, ribbon, sweaters or other socks for hats and scarves  

Rice (only $3.00 for a 5lb bag)
Scissors
Rubber bands
Buttons, and embellishments from your crafty stash

Making the Sock Snowman Body.

Cut your sock about 1/2" from below the ribbed part of the neck.  This will be the body of your snowman.

Tie your rubber band tightly around the top of your sock.  I recommend this side because you will need to trim the other side and all that fabric is a bugger to cut.  TIP:  I turn my sock inside out first, then tied the rubber band on.  I found it easier to get that band right up to the edge of the stitching.

Now turn your sock right-side in so the rubber band is on the inside of the sock.

Suzanne suggested a glass to fill your sock, and believe me, I understand why.  LOL!  Place your sock over a glass filled with rice.  Hold on to that sock tightly and flip the glass over to fill the sock.  Just jam the rice in there.  It will fit.

After squishing it down, it all fit.

Tightly tie another rubber band to the top.

Shape your rice filled sock.  Yes, it will hold it's shape.

Then wrap the another rubber band around the shape you made.  You will also want to trim the excess material from the top of your snowman so the hat sits on well.

You can use the other half of the sock as a hat and waste nothing.  Use it this way, or turn it inside out for a different texture.

Place the hat on top of your snowman's head.  Viola!

Now lets move onto the fun part...

Dressing your Sock Snowman

These were $1.00 at Rite Aid.  You can dress 2 snowmen with one pair.

Cut your sock as shown.  The heal will be extra material.  I'm sure I can still find another use for it.

Start with the first 2 pieces.

The top of the sock is perfect for the neck.  It has elastic in it that fits snug around your snowman.

Next, cut the next piece.  Pull it through the as shown.

Tie a knot.  You can trim this piece if you want.

Take the foot part of the sock.

Fold over the open side for the brim of the hat.

Place it on top of  your snowman's head.

Use a hot glue gun or fabric glue to attach a pom pom to the toe of the sock.

I used self adhesive pearls for eyes.  I ran out of black.  It's an easy fix.  Grab a sharpie marker to change any color pearl to black.

See, it worked on the pink ones too.  Be sure to let them dry so they don't smudge.

Attached the eyes and start adding embellishments.  These leaves were from a very old collection of Prima Flower sets.

Add a few buttons.

How easy was that!  There is absolutely no sewing, they are totally adorable, and you get to use up lots of embellishments that you probably would have thrown away.  I went back later on and hot glued a few spots on the hat to make sure they stay in place.  You will also want to have a lint brush handy to remove the extra fuzzies from your snowman.

Here are some more examples of ones we have made so far.

 I hope you have fun making your own snowman family.  :)

Until next time.

How to Print Your Instagram Photos With MS Word

Hello there Sweet Peeps.  Over at the Smash*aholics FB Group, I had mentioned that I would do a tutorial on how I print my Instragram and Photobooth pics from my computer using MS Word and Photoshop Elements.  Today I am going to show how to prep 8.5" x 11 page document full of pictures for printing using MS Word.  PSE is a bit more complicated, but if you have some editing to do (ie removing red eye, changing balance), it's worth not having to take a few extra steps.  I will cover PSE in the near future.

I love taking pics with my iPhone.  There are tons and tons of apps in the Apple store for making great photo layouts and adding special effects.  The 3 that I use the most are Instagram, Photobooth Plus and Pic Jointer.  When you create your Pic from your phone, or other devise, make sure that you have your setting to "Save to Camera Roll".  Photos taken directly off your phone are of much better quality than saving them from the webstagram site.

To get you photos off your devise either plug your phone into your computer and import them to a new folder, or you can email them to yourself.   If you are connected to a home network, you may be able to auto sync, but I haven't figured that out yet - LOL.

Once you have your pics on your computer, open MS WORD and CREATE A NEW DOCUMENT.

Next, you want to change your margins.  Go to PAGE LAYOUT - CUSTOM MARGINS as shown below.

I'm going to make my margins 0.25" all the way around like this...

Click okay.

Now we are going to import our first picture.  Select Insert - Picture.  Locate the photo on your computer and select it.

With your photo in your document, you will now RIGHT CLICK to bring up the photo options.  We need to change how the photo fits on the document.

RIGHT CLICK - select TEXT WRAPPING - select TIGHT.

Now we need to resize the photo.  I personally like to print my photos between 3" and 4" inches. RIGHT CLICK - select SIZE.  Enter the size you would like your photo to be.

Once you've resized your photo, it should appear in the upper left corner of your document.

Let's go ahead and import another picture.  Repeat the same process for importing.  This time I am going to change the size of my photo first.  Once again, I will RIGHT CLICK - select SIZE and enter the desired size of my photo.

We are going to change the Text wrapping again.  RIGHT CLICK - select TEXT WRAPPING - select TIGHT.

Continue doing this for all of your pictures.  Once your page is full, you are ready to print.

Make sure when you print, you change the properties of your printer.  I have changed mine to print "BEST QUALITY" and I was able to change the type of paper I use.  In my case, I'm using HP Premium Plus Photo Paper.

There you have it.  I hope all of that made sense.  If you have any questions, please feel free to find me on the Smash*aholics FB Group, or contact me via email.

Until next time...