craft Archives - Look What Mom Found

Skeleton Key Shadow Box Craft

October 8, 2014 by Melissa

There was a time recently that I had a little obsession with skeleton keys. Rob got me a really pretty necklace a couple years ago through Etsy and I started collecting them from vintage shops and flea markets. So I had a collection of keys. Now what. I wanted to display them, show them off, admire their tarnished and rusty appearance. So this Skeleton Key Shadow Box was made.

I bought the shadow box frame for a few dollars from Ikea I believe. Everything there is so cheap it definitely wasn’t a wallet buster. The keys were bought over many shopping trips but I would estimate I spent $15 on the all of the keys. The scrapbook paper came as part of a gift from ACMoore so that was free.

I spent more time arranging the keys in than anything else. The shadowbox came together quickly.

Supplies

Shadow Box or Frame without glass

Scrapbook paper, old map or music paper

Skeleton keys

Adhesive ( I used E-6000)

Directions

Start playing with the placement of your keys. I had way to many to fit in the shadowbox but was able to fit a good amount in the small space. Play with sizes and direction to get something that is pleasing to the eye. Then play with different backgrounds. Arranging your keys on the glass and sliding different papers underneath makes this step super simple.

I went with a 6X6 map with a vintage feel. It fit the area that I planned on hanging this and to me felt like the best fit. Wedding music or a favorite poem would be great choices too.

Take a picture of your arrangement then using a quick drying glue start placing your keys in their spot on the paper. Let the keys set for 1 hour then put your frame back together and hang.

I love old thing but I have to find ways to incorporate them into my cookie cutter home. This shadow box can be done with anything you’re collecting.

Paper Bag Birds Nest #kidsinthekitchen

April 4, 2014 by Melissa

The weather has finally changed for the better. No snow for almost 2 weeks now, that might be longest run we’ve had for the last 4-5 months. We’re noticing the birds making nests in the trees so why make our own Paper Bag Birds Nest to celebrate the great weather we’re experiencing and the new feathered friends taking over the neighborhood.

A simple lunch bag and some jelly beans makes an adorable little nest.

Supplies
paper bag
school glue or glue stick (shae used both)
jelly beans

Directions
Cut open your paper bag so it lays flat. From it cut 4 circles, 2 of them about 4 or 5″ across and 2 of them 3″ across.

Cut the larger circles into a spiral.

Starting from the middle of the spiral create a flat-ish base and wrap the spiral of paper around the OUTSIDE of itself. Add drops of glue as you go to keep it in place.

Crumple your spiral before wrapping for a more rustic look.

Glue your smaller circle on the bottom of your nest. This gives it more support and closes up any holes so the “eggs” don’t fall through.

Set aside your nest to dry for 20-30 minutes then add eggs.
These would be cute placecards for the Easter dinner.

To make this more permanent go ahead and glue your jelly beans into the nest or make eggs from clay.

Come join me and my co-hosts, Sarah of Play to Learn with Sarah, Paula at Frosted Fingers and Sara at Sensibly Sara, each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

preparing healthy snacks
having a tea party
counting skills with m&ms
pouring from measuring cups
discovering a local restaurant that your kids love
creating new family friendly recipes

You’ll find so many more ideas on the #KidsintheKitchen Pinterest Board.

Follow Melinda Babiak’s board #KidsintheKitchen on Pinterest.

An InLinkz Link-up

DIY Necklace and Pendant Upcycle #craft #jewelry

February 5, 2014 by Melissa

I love love love jewelry. I especially love necklaces. My earrings are diamond studs Rob got me a few years ago that I never take out. My wedding band stays in place with the occasional fashion ring on the other hand. But necklaces get changed often dependent on my mood. I have some favorites like this Lisa Leonard Lots of Love pendant and necklace. I was shopping last week and rummaging through a clearance section in the craft aisle and found a pendant. I knew it was missing something but knew immediately I could rescue it and upcycle it into something adorable.

I had a broken silver necklace at home so I knew I could resurrect it into something pretty.

I started by fixing the necklace with a heavy gauge jump ring and then cutting the chain right in the center.

Then I added the same heavy gauge jump rings to the pendant and attached it to the necklace. This is an instructional video on how to work with jump rings correctly. Using a heavy/thick ring will lessen the chance of it coming apart while wearing. There is always the soldering option but I’m not there yet.

The empty nest needed eggs. Blue is a my favorite color so I knew a couple Robin’s eggs would look like they belonged. Rolling out the clay into the right shape took the longest time; making sure to tap the ends to get it round but not flat. After getting 2 almost identical eggs I was ready to bake. It just takes 20 minutes in a 225° oven and they are hard like little pebbles.

I have a glaze that gives the clay a shine after baking but clear nail polish would work just fine.

Using a couple dabs of glue I placed the eggs in the nest and let it set for a couple hours. This glue dries completely clear.

Don’t throw away broken jewelry. Give it a new life with the purchase of a $2 pendant or create your own pendant with buttons, clay, earrings or beads.

Framed Key to My Heart Valentine’s Craft

January 15, 2014 by Melissa

Our home decor stays pretty static most of the year. Halloween and Christmas are the holidays where we decorate but I’m realizing that celebrating even the small ones we’d probably enjoy them more. I consider Valentine’s Day a “Hallmark” holiday. A holiday hyped up to sell cheesy greeting cards, expensive candy and boring roses. This year I’m starting early with this Framed Key to My Heart art.

I like frames. They cover my walls and shelves filled with photographs of my family and friends but I’m seeing that they make great vessels for crafty art. I can interchange frames to suit the season or holiday.

I had the perfect spot on a table that I knew needed a little something

Materials Needed

Frame, size and color your choice, paint if you need to

Cardstock or scrapbook paper, color and pattern of your choice

Coordinating ribbon, skinny and wide

Embellishments, I used paper & felt heart cut outs

Stamps, markers or printed message

Key, I used a decorative skeleton key

Glue & tape

Directions

Remove the glass from your frame and cut your cardstock to fit the opening. I layered a pattern and a coordinating solid with a valentine’s theme but not overdoing it.

I played with the wording and tried my best to hand write it but my writing is terrible so I taped my cardstock onto a sheet of paper and ran it through the printer after figuring out the right placement. Go ahead and write or stamp if you prefer.

Play around with the embellishments you choose to use like rhinestones, lace, raffia or buttons.

I used a piece of thin black grosgrain ribbon to hang my key and wider ribbon to seperate the different papers.

I added dimension to my paper hearts with a little ink. Using a black sharpie and scrap felt I rubbed the edges of the hearts to ink them.

I layered the key over a felt heart for a pop of texture and color and added the entire craft to the frame.

It’s sitting on a small end table where it can be seen for the season.

Valentine Felt Envelope Craft

January 14, 2014 by Melissa

For Valentine’s Day I like to tuck little notes in the kid’s lunchbox or next to Rob’s night stand. Doing this gives them a little surprise just letting them know how much I love them. This year I’m taking it a step further by using these Handmade Felt Envelopes to hold my love notes.

I made these using a sewing machine but a good ole needle and thread would work just fine too. These don’t have to be for just Valentine’s Day either. I’m thinking pretty blues, greens and pinks for spring time or to even celebrate birthdays and anniversaries.

Materials Needed

Felt
button
needle & thread or sewing machine
glue

Directions

Cut your felt into a long rectangle with a triangle at the top. You can easily go wide to fit sheets of paper but make sure it’s tall enough to fold then also have enough for the fold over flap. I didn’t make mine any particular measurement.

Use a decorative button so you’ll be able to close your envelope. Velcro or snaps would work too but buttons work for me. Use straight pins or safety pins or even binder clips to get your folds in the right spot. Do this before sewing your envelope together.

Choose a contrasting thread and sew the sides and bottom of your envelope shape. I used a zig zag pattern with my sewing machine but a wide running would look great too if you had to sew by hand. Cute a small hole in your flap for the button hole.

School glue is the simplest way to adhere your “stamps”. Sewing these down would look great too. Pink shears would’ve given these stamps an endearing quality but I don’t have a pair.

Once the glue has dried they are ready to use for notes, candy hearts or favorite valentine chocolates.

If you want to make these with children just skip the sewing step and go with fabric glue to hold the sides together. Decorate with glitter glue, buttons or rhinestones to make it a true gift from your child.

Paper Heart Chandelier #craft #heart

January 13, 2014 by Melissa

With Valentine’s Day just a few short weeks away I’m going to ~~bombard~~ share with you some great Valentine themed crafts & activities for the next 5 days. These will all be simple enough that anyone can make them. Even with simple adjustments they can be done with the kids. I’m starting off with making this colorful Paper Heart Chandelier. I’ve been wanting to make one for a long time and finally got around to doing it.

Making this is a charming way to dress up a dinner for two or for the whole family. Valentine’s Day is the best excuse to shower your loved ones with extra kisses, hugs and symbols of how much they mean.

This heart chandelier is going to end up in Shae’s room. She’s a collector of mementos and notes and trinkets from her family and friends. Since this isn’t overly pink and red it’ll fit into her room just fine for a long time.

Making a chandelier of your own is very simple, using simple materials. The most time is spent attaching your hearts to your thread.

Materials Needed

embroidery hoop
jewelry thread
scrapbook paper
heart punch
school glue
paint
glue gun
finishing ribbon

Directions

Paint your embroidery hoop your preferred color and set aside to dry.

Start punching hearts from your scrapbook paper. I needed 98 hearts because I was making 7 strands of double sided hearts, one strand with 9 hearts, one with 8 hearts, one with 7 hearts, etc till the shortest strand with 3 hearts.

Starting at the bottom of a long piece of string add a heart with glue and attach the 2nd heart and hold till it bonds. Move 1-2 inches up and add another heart with glue onto the string and another heart shape. Repeat until you have all of your strands complete.

Make sure you leave excess string at the top of your strands so they can be attached to your hoop.

Tie your strands in the order you prefer and knot them so they don’t come undone as you finish all of the heart strands. Arrange them neatly and put the outer ring of the embroidery hoop on tightly. This keeps the strands in place.

Using a pretty ribbon cut 3 or 4 long pieces to act as the hanger. Figure out where you want your ribbons and make a small loop around the embroidery hoop and hot glue it closed. Pull the ribbons together at the top, arrange them so the chandelier is straight, make a loop and hang.

Substitute supplies for things you have on hand. Hearts can be made from wrapping paper, felt, comic strips or book pages. If invisible jewelry wire isn’t available use yarn or twine. Make the craft work for and your personal preferences.

Heart Embroidered Map

December 3, 2013 by Melissa

Creating art and decor pieces for the house has become a little bit of a hobby for me. Currently I have about 3-4 projects in the works but I want to show you this very personalized heart embroidered map that’s been hanging in our house.

This project was very simple. The only thing I needed to find special was a shadow box but feel free to use a regular frame with or without the glass.

Determine what you want to outline on the map. Is it your honeymoon spot? The city where you met? How about multiple hearts for everywhere you’ve traveled together? I chose the area where we live and spend most of our days, the place where we call home.

I found this vintage atlas at the thrift store and knew it was going to be a source of lots of crafts! I love the coloring, the country flags and the variety of maps included.

Materials

Straight Pin
Hand Sewing Needle
Embroidery Thread-color of choice
Map-original or photocopy
Tape
Frame of choice

Directions

Make sure your map size fits into your frame or mat.

Decide what shape you want to outline and lightly draw that on the map. I used a heart shape cut out and traced that onto my map.

Using a straight pin poke holes along your trace line about 1/4 inches apart. As you come close to corners or curves make your hole a touch closer so your thread can make that shape. If your paper is thin I would suggest adhering it to another sheet of paper or running strips of tape along the back to give it strength. You don’t want the paper to rip as your are pulling your thread through.

Thread your sewing needle with more thread than you think you’ll need. Pull in through from behind the map and tape the end to the back of your paper/map.

Using a back stitch start filling in your shape with your thread. This video will show you how to do the back stitch on paper, starting around the 3:30 mark. It’s not hard at all and this kind of stitch will fill your lines rather than leaving spaces leaving people wondering what your shape is. If you prefer a running stitch that is fine too. It’s all about personal preference.

Finish with another piece of tape holding your thread down in the back. Frame and hang.

A sentimental variation on this would be tracing a long road trip or relocation with a heart at the final destination.

Book Page Wreath Tutorial

February 14, 2013 by Melissa

Back in the Fall I stumbled onto a blog post that featured this beautiful book page wreath over shutters. I’m not one to copy a design but I was completely in love with it. I bookmarked it, showed it to Rob and made it my mission to get that look in my house.

I knew where I wanted it, I knew what I wanted to go along with it and that was it, my mind was made up. I found someone selling 20 year old louvered doors for $15. I got those and Rob and I worked on stripping layer upon layer of paint off of them. It wasn’t working so well so it was decided to clean them up as best as we could and just paint over the half done shutters. Honestly I loved the look. They look old. That was the point. This process took the longest. Months to be honest thanks to an early winter.

Rob did an amazing job finishing them and hanging them, surprising me one day while I was out. Next step was to get that wreath done. I knew it would be tedious but didn’t expect it to take the 4-5 hours it did. Was it worth it? Yes. I love it that much.

For the whole look you need 2 shutters, painted in the color you choose. We chose a Stealth Jet, not quite black but close; think wet chalkboard. Rob hung them with simple D rings and picture anchors. He also attached them together with 2 T shaped brackets. Hanging on the wall by itself, it looked GOOD.

The paper wreath takes more creativity. You have to decide what you want to use for paper. I thought sheet music would look good but didn’t know where to get any really cheap. I went for a novel that was stuffed in a swag bag from an event. It wasn’t a book I was ever going to read so I didn’t feel that bad. I did get an old atlas from the thrift store and thought that might work but the more I looked at paper crafts using maps the more I realized that wasn’t the look I wanted.

Supplies
6-8 inch round cardboard circle
Book, atlas or music sheets (thrift store find would be great here)
box cutter
Hot glue gun & lots of glue sticks
Wide Ribbon of choice to hang wreath, 18-24″
decorative flower, brooch or other ornament to place in center of wreath

Directions
I started with taking a damp tea bag and lightly rubbing the sides of the book. I wanted a very light color variation, not vintage but just a touch of contrast. A marker would work too.

Break the binding of the book as much as you can. Taking a sharp box cutter or exacto knife cut out the sheets as cleanly as possible. I used about 80-90 sheets for the wreath but had many mess ups so I cut out about 125.

Determine the direction you will be rolling and the direction of your paper. This was my biggest mistake in the beginning and led to lots of paper in the recycling bin. I used the bottom right corner as my point and the top right corner ended on top of the cone. Doing this every time gave me a more uniform look even though they weren’t all perfect.

I rolled and rolled and rolled for 2-3 hours, hot gluing each sheet closed. Tape would work but would show. School glue would work but takes too long to set. The hot glue dries fast and holds tight.

Before you start gluing your cones take your cardboard circle make an inner circle about halfway from the center. This line gives you a guide as to where to start your 1st layer of paper cones. Then attach your ribbon with staples or hot glue. I didn’t do this before glue and had a mini disaster on my hands.

When it’s time to start gluing your 1st layer start in small sections so you get good spacing. If you try to focus on getting all the points together you’ll end up with a lopsided wreath. The focus should be getting good even coverage on the part that is showing. The second layer is the same as the first just this time you at gluing the points closer to the center of the circle.

When it’s completed pick it up and shake to find loose cones.

At this point attach your centerpiece. I made a flower from black linen; 8-10 circles in varying sizes, sewn together in a haphazard way with some tucks and a tiny middle embellishment.

I then stapled the ribbon to the back of the shutter and it was done. Attach your ribbon before glueing the paper cones on your cardboard Again, I truly love this and thank Denise of The Painted Home for the inspiration.

Kids Craft #PinterestFail

January 24, 2013 by Melissa

I use Pinterest almost daily to get inspiration for new meal ideas, kids activities and crafts and DIY projects around the house.

This particular craft I’ve seen floating around for about 2 years. Celery Heart Flowers. It’s supposed to be a simple but cute gift giving craft that just requires a couple supplies and a celery root/core.

I was breaking down the produce while Shae was in the kitchen and remembered to save the celery piece. Shae was excited. She knew who she was going to give her card to and what it was going to say and how many flowers she was going to fit on her paper.

The prep took seconds but it was an instant fail. The blob of paint on the paper looked nothing like a flower. Neither did any of the other attempts. Pinterest failed us. It hasn’t been the first time and it definitely won’t be the last.

Shae wasn’t going to let that stop her. She ended up painting the paper plate with the left over paint.

Toilet Paper Roll Gift Box #craft

January 11, 2013 by Melissa

There is never a shortage of toilet paper rolls in this house. 5 people, 3 bathrooms there is always a holder that needs to be filled. I’m usually the one replacing them so imagine how a crafty mom’s mind does flips when she’s holding this simple cardboard tube that’s begging for some flair. If you’re looking for ideas to put into your gift box, check out Gift Glide.

This Toilet Paper Roll Gift Boxes are perfect for candies, play jewelry or other small gifts. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and I thought I would put some of my stash to good use.

Supplies
toilet paper rolls, cleaned of all tissue pieces
paper, paint, ribbon, glue, glitter, buttons, paper or foam shapes, raffia, the list goes on and on

Red Gift Box
Using poster paint I applied an even coat and set it aside to dry for 2 hours. I circled double-sided tape around the tube once. Then, over a paper towel (or sheet of paper) I sprinkled silver glitter on the tape, tapping it on every once in a while. This is much easier and less messy than glue. Using this awesome bow tying fork technique I made a tiny bow from a thin organza ribbon, adhered it with glue and the box was done.

Ribbon Gift Box
Even simpler. I left the tube naked, and neatly wrapped ribbon around it and tied it in a nice bow. I tucked a note under the ribbon and it’s ready to give as a gift.

Each tube held about 6-8 starburst candies but hershey kisses or sweetheart candies would be very appropriate too.

Covering in a pretty lightweight scrapbook paper is a great way to personalize and customize for any holiday or occasion. I wouldn’t recommend heavyweight cardstock though.

Letting a child decorate their own gift box is an adventure. Break out the stickers, paints, markers and everything else you can find to let them be as creative as possible. Don’t have any stickers? Why not make a sticker using this site?

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