And Then - Craft Day

*disclaimer* Beer was involved in the writing of this post.

I am a craft nerd.  That is all.  Ok, it's totally not all.  

I love crafts.  All crafts.  But mostly those which allow me to celebrate: fandoms, family, books, 90's, or my childhood.     

Several times a year I meet with a fellow craft nerd, fangirl, and bookie extraordinaire, and WE CRAFT! (use battle cry voice for that last bit)

Craft 1 - Holiday Ornaments

Needed: glass/plastic ornament, something to stuff in it

These are super easy and (I think) a fantastic way to save and display otherwise tricky items.  You can get the glass or plastic ornaments at a hobby store (I love Hobby Lobby) for just a few dollars a piece.  The tops pop off, and they can be stuffed with just about anything.  Pinterest is your friend for ideas (this is a universal truth, actually).

The first is smaller and contains my wedding invitation and envelope.  I cut it into strips and curled the pieces using the flat side of a scissor blade.  Then I just shoved it in bit by bit, shake, done!  Eventually I'll add a ribbon for a hanger but I didn't get that far.  

I did find that the pieces that went in first stayed on the outside, so I wish I'd picked the prime pieces for that.  I also found that curling some pieces tighter than others looked better.

The larger is the one I'm most excited about, and was ridiculously easy.  It has the hospital hat of my youngest son, and the bracelets of each of my three kids.  I've kept these for years, too attached to get rid of them, but honestly - what can you do with a hospital bracelet? Problem solved!

Craft 2 - Harry Potter Book Monogram

Needed: used book pages, base to apply pages to (wooden or cardboard letters), spray paint,  elmers tacky craft glue,  scissors, toothpick or skewer.

First - SQUEE!!

I am so insanely happy with how this turned out.  Before anyone freaks out on me for destroying a book, let me explain.  I purchased this book from a bar in Seattle.  Yea ... bookstore bar.  You go in, you drink, you read, you buy.  All the books are $5.  I am not even kidding.  Anyway, I got off track ...

This was a (very) used library book with missing pages.  I had to buy it because Harry Potter.  But until now, I wasn't sure what to do with it.  This book made my monogram and my friend monogram AND there are pages left for a future craft.  I can think of no better afterlife for a mostly unreadable library book.

First I purchase a wooden letter from a hobby store.  Any material would work, but I wanted to paint it first and I though wood would work best.  It actually didn't turn out great because the rough edges weren't covered with the spray paint.  I would probably try cardboard if I was to do this again.

Using the width of the letter as a guide, I cut strips of paper.  I then used the skewer to roll the paper into a tight roll and secured with the glue.  Using the tacky glue really helped because I didn't have to hold the paper down for long before moving on to the next row.

I discovered quickly how to end the roll on a word I liked, so each row has a special word (or two) included.  After you get the hang of it, it goes really quickly.

Then I just added a ribbon, hot glued on the back, and added a burlap flower because, pretty.

Voila!  Amazeballs, right?!


Craft 3 - Tie-dye Shirts

Ok yeah, so maybe I was sheltered as a kid but I NEVER DID THIS!  It's insanely fun, easy and ... come on!  I will say, I underestimated the mess though.  Next time I might lay out more towels.

I won't explain these.  I just followed the package instructions.  Not exactly art, but SO fun.  So - do it.

 That's all folks.  Next time I talk about my Harry Potter Reading Room ... because that's a real thing.  And it's happening ...