Cardboard fireplace, faux fireplace, DIY fireplace, apartment fireplace

Oh my it's been a while since I posted!! So I have been busy with school and every second I have free I'm just crafting away! Here is my latest, biggest, and probably most expensive project!!

I made this from eight 16x12x12 card board boxes, about 30 priority mail small boxes (the size of Vhs tapes), fabric, joint compound, moulding, a panel of fake brick, and a pine slab. I could have defiantly made it cheaper if I had found any of the supplies on sale or at second hand stores, but I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. I love it and don't plan on ever getting rid of it!!

Here are the pics!

I spray painted the boxes with some spray paint I had on hand to water proof them a bit, this was actually my second attempt as the first boxes warped very badly and couldn't be used. The paint gave them a bit of water resistance, but anything you do that will make the cardboard damp should be done with extreme caution because you don't notice the effects until about 16 hours after putty, mache, paint etc. has been applied.

Here you can see the priority mail boxes that make up the bottom (these are free from the post office, don't tell them I used them for this!)

The fabric was the easiest part - believe it or not. I used plain school white elmers glue for it and painted a section with a paint brush and laid the fabric on top pulling it tight. It went on easy and it isn't coming off!! I tested atleast 3-4 different glues on scrap cardboard to find the best solution and the white glue seeps into the cardboard and really adhears to the fabric as well.

Of course this project took me two weeks to complete due to having to lay it down at different angles and setting heavy things on to allow glue to set and dry. The joint compound took three applications to get it how I wanted it and that is a day drying in between. 

I love this project now even in my tiny apartment in Vegas where fireplaces are practically non existent, I can sit by my candle lit fireplace and crochet, hang stockings at Christmas, and decorate for each season!!

Hope you enjoy!

Paper mache yarn bowls...maybe?

So I'm trying my hand at some paper mâché, trying to make some yarn bowls to keep my yarn orderly while I crochet. I found that even children can do it and I still manage to mess it all up!! I tried a flour paste yesterday and dipped the strips and it was messy and I found drops of the paste over 5 feet away from my work space. That one is still not dry and looks like a child did it! Today I did a mix of glue and water and used a paint brush and had such an improvement it is uncanny!! Here are the pics. The one on the left is the one I just finished with glue paste and the left is flour paste. Will update more when they are complete!

Polymer clay journal covers

Over the past few days I have been working on these journal covers. Omg can I tell you how hard it is to get a flat clean piece of clay that is big enough to fit a whole journal cover!! Gotta work on that technique!! Anyway these are my first journal covers and they were fun and challenging to create!

I made book marks for both of them, but can't find the voodoo one right now as I have been taking that journal back and forth to school myself :)

Results of salt dough trials!

So the other day I did some trials with salt dough and a white dough recepie. I found that they both look much better when allowed to air dry! The salt dough is darker and the white dough is just pristine and my fave!!

Here is the salt dough, on the right are the baked specimens. The baked ones don't look too bad, but the air dried ones are superior as far as not being discolored on the back and a cleaner color all around.

These are the white dough tags, they are so white!! The baked ones are on the right, it is obvious that I will never put them in the oven again!! They came out cracked, misshaped, and discolored. The air dry ones are beautiful and hold the colored stamps so well!!

Both oven batches were done for 3 hours at 200' as that is the lowest setting on my home stove.

Thanks for reading!

Tinkering in the kitchen!!

Today I mostly spent the day experimenting in the kitchen to find a good homemade 'clay' that I can use for tags and other stuff.

First I made salt dough, it was cool in its own rights, rugged and textured on its own. The tan color it ends up being is endearing for some projects I have in mind, especially antique-like ones.

Then I made some whiter homemade dough. This one I like more. It's a nice crisp white and holds ink and stamps very well. 

Then I made homemade Cold Porcelin, so far I LOVE THIS STUFF!! It's soft and so white and easy to color and draw on.  I see myself making a batch a week of this stuff!! I made a few little figurines tonight even though you are supposed to wait 24 hours before using it to let it rest. I couldn't stop myself and it had been almost 8 hours!! :)

The little blue guy will be a sheep, once he is dry I'll paint on his face!

Then last I did some polymer clay work . I was playing with flowers :) practicing and trying to get some creative juices going!

It was a very interesting and enlightening day!! Once I get the hang of these new homemade clays and doughs I'll make tutorials!

Happy night to all!

Halloween clay desk sets

Made these over the last two days! They are desk sets and each includes a pen, bookmark, 4 paperclips and 4 push pins. They are in the style of bat, ghost, vampire lips, and skull. All have some glow-in-the-dark incorporated with the design :)

clay bookmarks on paperclips

I made these up in the last two days. The black squirrel with a white tail is a Kaibab Squirrel from the north rim of the Grand Canyon where we just got home from. The rest are just ideas. I get a lot of inspiration and tutorials from ACupOfCakeTV on YouTube.

Mini Hama designs playing around

Playing around with my new Hama beads. This is the first little project I made with these new beads I had shipped from the UK! 

Mini Hama beads! Gator!

I Made this guy for my boyfriend as he is an avid Florida Gators fan. It is my first 'large' mini bead project. 

I call it large because it would have taken 4 boards in regular Hama (or Pearler) beads. 

I love the look of these beads!!

Before fusing:

After fusing:

Blogging about my crafts....is this another kick?

So my whole life I always have this hobby, or that... I have done every 'hobby' or 'craft' you can think of. If the materials can be found in Jo-Ann's, Michael's, or Wal-Mart, then I have tried it. I have the skills (and materials) to cross stitch, embroider, crochet, knit, scrapbook, paint, make jewelry, perler (melty beads), dog groom, wood work, clay crafts, glass paint, marble mosaic, do every and all kinds of puzzles (including 3-D), models, the list goes on and on... My boyfriend calls them my 'Kicks'. I love all of these hobbies, I do them for a while and put them down only to pick them back up a year (or five years later). As a matter of fact this is my 5th blog :) So I started Perler beading and LOVE IT! I am thinking about trying to sell my creations at our local art fair in a couple of months. I have started this blog to have a focused place to post all of my art work, mainly Perler beads now, but anything as my life goes on and I pick up old (or maybe new) crafts. It all depends on where my kicks take me! A little about me: I am in my early 30s, a nursing student at UNLV, and a phlebotomist at a local hospital here in Las Vegas. My passions are hiking and swimming and a love of the outdoors but I am very busy and love Perler beading right now because it's something that people love to receive as gifts, they are quick (relatively) to make, and can be used as decoration in many rooms in a home :)