Friday, December 30, 2011

Tutorial: Simple Paper Stars

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas...
With the New Year just around the corner, I thought I would post a tutorial on how to make some super simple paper stars, that you can hang around as New Years decorations! These stars are so simple to make, but add a bit of New Years festivity and sparkle to any room!


Scrap booking paper
Pencil
 Scissors
Glue
 String 


Time: 10 to 15 minutes

Take a piece of scrap booking paper and fold it as shown by the picture above...

Fold your piece of paper in a triangle like the picture above. Do this twice so that when you unfold it, it looks like the picture below...

Mark with a pencil a little less from the edge of your paper to the middle. Do this on all four sides.

Cut with your scissors from the edge to your pencil mark on all four sides.
Fold down the sides on all four sides, and then glue every other side like the picture below...

Then pull the unglued side over the glued side...

One side of your star is now complete! Repeat previous steps to complete the second star...

Glue as shown...then place the star with glue on it, on top of the other star like so...
Let it dry. Then attach a piece of string to the back and as simple as that you have a stunning star to add a bit of New Years cheer to any room!


You can get really creative with these simple stars! Smaller stars can be made by using origami paper. Glitter can be added for an extra sparkle. You may use different color but coordinating paper to make the front and back of the star. This will add personality and give a whimsical touch to each star! Really the possibilities are endless...

I hope you enjoyed this simple star tutorial! If you have any questions, comments or ideas on how to make these stars, leave a comment in the comment box. Thanks!

Micaela

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Clay Bird Tutorial

Polymer clay
Wire
Acrylic paint
Paint brush
Small letter stamps
Ribbon

Time:hour and a half (give or take)
After the clay has cooled from baking in the oven, paint it any way you want and add ribbon or string through the hole made by the pin so you can hang your adorable ornament! I painted this one pink and added beads and glitter to the bottom...

Micaela

Monday, December 19, 2011

Six days until Christmas!

Six days until Christmas and my room is covered in ribbon, boxes, wrapping paper, bows, tape...ect.! I have been busy wrapping presents all day, listening to Christmas music ( Michael Buble`'s Christmas CD is amazing) and my family and I just got back from looking at our neighborhood Christmas lights!
As I was wrapping presents today I thought I would take a few pictures and post a few ways I've found to top a gift with a bow in a new and different way!

To this four bowed gift I added a name tag that I made from scrabble pieces that doubles as an ornament (the girl I'm giving it to really loves scrabble)!

For this bow, just wrap ribbon around your hand and then take another piece of ribbon and tie a knot in the middle of the ribbon that was wrapped around your hand. Fluff the sides and attach it to the top of your gift!



This last gift is topped with a bow (made in the same fashion as the gift box bow tutorial I recently posted) and an origami heart ornament that I'm doubling as a gift tag!

Micaela

Thursday, December 15, 2011

How To Make- A Gift Box Bow


I love ribbon and whenever I have an excuse to use one of the many rolls in my growing collection, I take it! So today, I decided, with Christmas just around the corner, I would make, and show you how to make a gift box bow. I bought the ribbon that I'm using today at Michaels for $1.99. Thank you Michaels for your wonderful sales! This pattern is simple and easy and requires very little time.


You will need:
ribbon
 hot glue gun
stapler
ruler
scissors

Time: Five minutes (give or take)

Step ONE

Cut three strips of ribbon 12 inches long,
Cut another three strips of ribbon 11inches long,
Cut two strips of ribbon 10 inches long,
and cut the last strip of ribbon 3 1/2 inches long.

Step TWO


Twist each strip into loops that make a figure eight and staple in the center.
Shape the last, smallest strip into a circle and secure with a staple.

Step THREE

Layer the first three longest pieces on top of each other, spacing them evenly and securing them with a dot of glue from a hot glue gun. Add the next two groups of pieces, doing the same. Finally, stick the loop in the center, with the stapled end at the bottom.
So there you have it, a beautiful gift box bow, made by your very own hands! Enjoy!
Micaela

Monday, December 12, 2011

How To Make- Origami Heart Ornament


My first craft post! I'm so excited, and since it's December, the month for crafting, crafting, crafting (that is if your a procrastinator like myself ) other wise you probably would have started in October and are pretty much finshed with your Christmas gifts!:). I will be posting a lot!
So, in preparation for Christmas I have been working on these cute little paper origami heart ornaments, that I'm also doubling as gift tags for some gifts! 
These beautiful heart ornaments are pretty easy and don't require too much time to make!

You will need:
paper
scissors
a dollar bill
paper clips
card stock
ribbon
single whole punch
Time: about five to seven minutes


To make your origami heart template, take a dollar bill and place it on a piece of card stock.
Secure your dollar bill with paper clips. Cut along the sides of the dollar bill until it is released from the extra card stock. Unfasten paper clips and remove the dollar bill from your rectangular piece of card stock. Take a pen and write "Origami Heart Template" on the card stock. This will be your template for all of your origami heart ornaments.


Place your "Origami Heart Template" on a piece of paper of your choosing, fastening with paper clips. Cut along the edges of template until it is released from the paper. Unfasten paper clips and remove template.


Lay your paper in front of you so that you have the longest length of the rectangle vertical to you. Take the top of the right corner and fold it until it touches the left side of your paper. Run you finger over the right side edge to make a crease, and unfold it to it's original rectangular shape. Then take the left corner and fold it until it touches the right side of your paper. Run your finger over the left side edge to make a crease, and unfold it to it's original rectangular shape.



Take your  creased rectangle and find the center near the top where all your creases meet. Look and you will see two "triangles" that were made by the creases on the left and right side. Take the right side triangle at the bottom and lightly fold or push down with your thumb. Do the same with the left and push and crease the edges until you get a triangle that pops up like the picture above.

Turn your rectangle to the end that does not have the pop up triangle on it and repeat steps two and three.You will now have something that looks like the picture above.
Now take one of the triangles and bend it back to the back and make a crease.


Return triangle back to diamond shape and repeat process to the other triangle side.


Take the right side of your diamond and pull the triangle so that it is touching the left triangles edge like the picture above. Push down and make a crease along the skinny rectangular flap in the back.

 Turn your diamond so that a point of one of the triangles is pointing towards you like the first picture on the left at the top. Lift up the top triangles right bottom flap and fold it up to the triangles top point. Then lift up the top triangles left bottom flap and fold it up to the triangles top point like the middle picture at the top. Now flip your diamond so that the triangle you just worked on is pointing towards you and the triangle that was pointing towards you is at the top and repeat the folding technique that you just did. You should now have something that looks like the last picture at the top on the right.


Now for step seven. It will be very easy to figure it out by the pictures above. You just simply take one of the triangular flaps that you folded in step six and open them up and push them down.



Step eight is very similar to step six. Once you have all your triangles push down into diamonds in step seven, you just take the right or left corner of that diamond and fold it in half like the picture on the left up top. Then open the little flaps like you did in step seven and push down only this time the pushed down part will look like the picture on the right above.
Take the right and left corners and bend them back just far enough so that there not pointy anymore.

Flip your paper where the funny little rectangle in the back is on the right. Turn over your paper and pull this rectangle until it looks like the picture on the left above and crease it. Turn your paper back over and tuck the rest of the rectangle that now looks like a triangle in the back. And there you have it! A heart that you now can turn into an ornament with a simple punch from a hole-punch in the back near the top and a piece of ribbon to slip through the hole with a simple tie of a knot! Enjoy...

Micaela
Hoped you found this tutorial useful!  Let me know if you have any trouble with it in the comments and I'll try to help you out...

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Welcome to Micaela's Craft Blog


One word to describe "Micaela's Craft Blog" would probably be (and no it is not in the English language)...Meraki! Meraki is Greek for doing something with creativity and love...
Welcome to "Micaela's Craft Blog"! Hi, I'm Micaela and this is my craft blog, hence the name"Micaela's Craft Blog" (Names are one thing I'm not very creative with. :) )! Love of creativity is what this blog is all about! Most everyone who knows me already knows that I have a love of crafts, painting and anything I can do with my hands. I enjoy teaching others this gift as well and this is one of the reasons I've started this blog. My desires for this blog are first to honor Christ and second to be able to share my latest crafts, along with how you too can make them. I'm looking forward to what lies ahead and hope you will enjoy crafting as much as I do!

Micaela

P.S.  I will post my first craft post in a few days, so be sure to check back soon!