Friday, December 30, 2016

Christmas Pin Cushion in a tea cup & Funky Shabby Xmas Tree

Hello my dear friends,
Many blessings to you and your loved once...
Today I would like to share with you few more Xmas projects (I am late on the very important date as usual - Alice in me... LOL).
I shared with you a Funky Xmas tree with legs and boots the other day. I am absolutely and madly in love with those....
So this one was made in Shabby Chic style, because it was a gift for a very shabby girl!





So next item is very functional and I absolutely LOVE when I can achieve that in my projects...
I had a Christmas tea cup with beautiful printed word JOY on it for already several years... It's probably was gifted to me by someone, who I just can't recall and though while its brand new, it would be a wonderful base for my Shabby Chic scenery pincushion...
So I made separate from tea cup pincushion, so recipient can use both items separately, if she wants to or as displayed together.. love options and possibilities...
 Some items came from NSK, some from my personal stash....
For example those flatback pearls are NSK product and large doily as well

 layers of doilies with the last layer of Xmas crochet poinsettia... just beautiful..
 As for the scenery on top of the pincushion I choose shabby image of girl, tiny cardboard house and couple white Xmas trees...
 After decorating Xmas tree with Hobby Lobby tiny ornaments and scraps of ribbon & lace I added two doves that are hovering over the nest....
 By adding ceramic roses with a pearl spray I created a space for dove to lend w/o putting it into the nest....
 The image of shabby little girl I backed up with another paper and adhered it under layers of ribbons and laces...
 Using pieces/scraps of ribbons, netting, laces can give much fuller look to your project just by tucking it in along the whole project - here and there...
 The little cardboard house came from Xmas 2015 at Michaels ( I still have few left). Those are absolutely darling.... To spice that cookie, I added layers of lace to create a shingles look to the roof....
 came out absolutely adorable....
 sprinkling glitter or fake snow along the edges brings in that Christmasy snowy look and feel to the project...
 Here is another great dimensional element to the project: dangling lace - product of NSK ( we caring those in different colors)
 and here is another example of tucked scraps...

 Decorating Xmas trees with mini ornaments and resin flowers is almost as fun as decorating your real Christmas tree during holiday season...

I hope you enjoyed these couple Christmas projects and maybe will mark this post on your next Christmas to do list...
I am off to celebrate New Year and Russian orthodox Christmas on January 7th!
Many blessings, Natasha
To see time-lapse video of assembling pincushion please click here..

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Xmas gifts from my dear friends NEW YTbers & Secret Santa

My first gingerbread house using gingerbread Wilton kit

Hello my crafty friends...
Today I would like to share my Xmas project..
Yes, after dinner with my family I wanted to finish my baking (oh running so late with everything), so I squeezed in few loads of cookies... which we put in a cookie trays and immediately  went and gave it all to our wonderful neighbors (we have several lonely people on our block)....
And I had this Wilton kit sitting on my kitchen counter, staring at me...
I never made a gingerbread house, but wanted to make one so bad....
And I said to myself, its still Xmas and New Year is coming, you have time and you still can gift it to someone (we don't like gingerbread cookies)...
And here I sat and started my assembly....
Luckily for me, I picked up few extra eatable decorations (which were on sale) at Jo-Anns...
W/o farther due...
Ta-Da.... my first ever Gingerbread House....


 Santa and gifts are from extra eatable kit. Red door is a fondant that came with original kit and stencil imprint as well...
 Xmas tree and candy cane column for the house is from extra eatable kit....

 The sleigh and deer came in extra kit with Santa and gift packages....
 The roof made using all original Wilton kit items: icing on the roof, let it sit for a bit to freeze, stencil on a print by gently pushing on it and carefully pilling it off; red spots/shingles made out of red fondant - just roll it thing and press stencil in it; with the small knife cut out individual shingles; apply some water on the back and put in desirable place on the roof...
To attach colorful candy balls I used a tap of icing...

 for the icicles dangling from the roof edge I used candies from the original kit: just apply a line of icing and start sticking in those candies, following your color pattern...

 Around the house I displayed a small candy barriers and Xmas trees attaching it with icing and going around those one more time to create a look of snow...





this side of the roof in strictly patches of fondant and candies, luckily for me it redistributed almost equally covering some imperfections in original icing...


In all I think it was a success and I am very pleased with the result...
Now that I have done it, Gingerbread House making is off of my ToDo list...
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Xo-Xo-Xo, Natasha

Monday, December 26, 2016

Nickname sign Mixed Media project

Hello my friends, today I am coming to you with a project, which I absolutely LOVE and wanted to make for a long time
It is a name sign, well nickname....
I wanted to make one for a long time, because Janet has been crackalackin those for forever and I wanted to make one so bad...
I guess each project has its time... Well this once time just came...
Nickname of my dear friend Diana (sparemarbles2012 on YT) is "Pink Sharpie"... LOL
I am not going to get into details.... Each nick name has its own history or story...
Well, I wanted this project to be in Victorian style and of course to be practical...
So this name plaque holds a pen, pencil or Sharpie
 So I uses wooden scrabble tile holder to lay out different tiles and pieces....
Fen and cameo is a set of buttons from JoAnns or Hobby Lobby; tiles all were gifted to me by Janet over the years of thrifting; plastic trim on top of letter P now sold out, but you can find those at NSK; tiny plastic bow is NSK product and there are a loads of varieties of those on the website; ceramic rose; royal heart earring...... 
 for an "i" I used cork wrapped with Venice lace and topped with leather flower and pink seam binding and crystal bobble - all are product of NSK
 the golden rose is a button, but you definitely can use flat back cabochon roses from NSK; for "N" I used chipboard piece backed up on bling wring/buckle (recycled product) and last but not list is tile "k" from my stash topped with pink metal flower
 for a holder of pink sharpie I used wooden cloth clips
 Glue choices: E6000, Glossy Accents, Hot glue
For paints: Ranger Vintaj Patina set for all metal (quartz, marine, amethyst) - Hobby Lobby jewelry section (look at Vintaj section)


I absolutely LOVE how this project came out, so shabby and sweet!
Happy New Year everyone!
Have fun and be safe!
Xo-XO-Xo, Natasha