Hazel and Ruby Do What You Love

Handmade projects don't have to be complicated to be impressive! Join us through out the month of April for ideas that are easy DIY, that will satisfy your desire to create, and will wow your family and friends!


You will love Hazel & Ruby's new stencils and tissue paper now at Craft Warehouse stores! You can use the stencils over and over again to make different quotes or phrases on any surface! See how to make this wood board canvas below!

Supplies:

• 12x12 Wood Panel Board
• Mod Podge Matte Finish
• Hazel and Ruby Handmade Tissue Paper
• Hazel and Ruby Handmade Mask Stencils Brooklyn Alpha & Boutique Alpha
• Acrylic Paint (in photo Americana Sea Glass color and Dark Turquois below)
• Foam Brush
• Baby Wipes (clean off stencil masks)
• Optional : sequins & mini glue dots from All night Media



 Directions:

1. Start with cutting your tissue to fit your surface and around the edges of your wood board.
2. Glue tissue to the board using Mod Podge.
3. Wrap the tissue paper around the sides and square off the corners like a present.
4.  Add a top coat of Mod Podge and let dry.

     5.  Place mask letters on to board.

       6. Paint over the entire surface with acrylic paint.

      7. Peel off the letters while paint is still wet.

        8. Clean off mask stencils with baby wipes.

        9. Add sequins using mini glue dots!

DIY Jewelry by Craft Warehouse Design Team Member Katie Stilwater

I love jewelry...a lot. And while it's easy to run to the mall and grab something cute, I much prefer to make things myself and customize them exactly as I like. Especially if I'm looking for a specific color - enter my favorite product - spray paint! I'll show you how I made this adorable, customized bracelet (hint - it's SO easy!)



Supplies

• Spray paint (Montana Gold - Malachite)
• Chunky silver chain
• Silver jump rings
• Thin silver chain (for adding length to the bracelet)
• Silver lobster clasp
• Round nose pliers (or other tool for opening chain) - not pictured

The first step is to separate the section of chunky chain that you are going to spray paint. Insert the round nose pliers between one of the links and carefully open it and slide it off from the rest of the chain. I used slightly more than half of the chain.


The next step is to spray paint the chain. Make sure to lots of thin layers (with plenty of drying time between each) instead of one thick layer. This will help the paint stick to the metal chain thoroughly.
 
While that is drying, prepare the other half of the bracelet. Using the round nose pliers, carefully open a jump ring by twisting the ends of it away from each other. Do not pull it straight apart as this may distort the shape of the jump ring.


Slip the thin chain over the jump ring and attach it to the chunky chain by twisting the jump ring closed.


Once the painted side is completely dry, reattach the two pieces of chunky chain simply by looping them together and closing the link.


The final step is to add a jump ring and lobster clasp to the painted side of the chain and you're done! Now you have an adorable bracelet that you can paint to match any outfit!


- Katie

Craft Warehouse Guest Designer Spotlight Katie Stilwater

 Katie Stilwater is actually one of our very own Craft Warehouse customers and dear friend! We value Katie's creative talents so much we asked her if we could display some of her amazing work in our Gresham Craft Warehouse. You can see some of her beautiful jewelry pieces on her Instagram feed at @starburststudio! We also love that Katie scrapbooks and isn't afraid of a good DIY!



How long have you been crafting?

I’m a crafty mama living in Portland, OR with my wonderful husband and our four little boys. I have the privilege of homeschooling my sons but with any free time I have, I’m always creating something.

I have been creative my whole life. (I remember telling my mom bedroom floor wasn’t messy, it was a collage of clothes! Lol!) But my real crafting journey started about 12 years ago when I fell in love with a hand stamped card and thought, “I have to make that!” I was at Craft Warehouse, actually, and saw a simple yet stunning wedding card featuring a local stamp company. I bought everything to make the card, went home, copied it EXACTLY and was totally hooked from then on! I started with stamping cards and then moved on to just about every other craft out there – scrapbooking, knitting, sewing, jewelry making, etc. I’ve tried almost everything! And while my first love will always be card making and paper crafts, I now focus my time on designing jewelry.

 What inspires you to be creative?

This is a bit of cliché but I really do find inspiration all around me and I never know when it is going to strike. But one thing I’ve learned is I can’t force it. If I’m working on a project and it’s not going smoothly and the ideas aren’t flowing, I always step back and take a break. It seems like just when I forget about it and stop stressing, then something will pop into my head. I also find a huge amount of inspiration from – you guessed it – Pinterest. I love to browse ideas that have nothing to do with what I’m working on – like looking at living rooms for a scrapbook page inspiration, or my fashion board to get ideas for a card I’m making. My other biggest inspiration is color! I love a unique color scheme but adore trendy ones too! (My current fave is coral, mint, navy, gold and white together.)

What Craft Warehouse products do you love to use?

Ooh! I love Craft Warehouse and it’s very hard to narrow it down. But I use A LOT of spray paint from there (they have the best colors!), washi tape (again – such a good selection!) and patterned paper (I’m a sucker for a good floral print.)

How can you encourage others reading this column?

Be yourself! The world needs your specific creative point of view. For me, I used to really struggle with “I’m not good enough. Her stuff is cuter. Everything I make is hideous!” (I can be a bit of a drama queen.) But over the years, I’ve learned that truly, there really is room for all of us in this creative community. Your work is important! Keep doing what YOU are called to do. Also, not every project has to “rock the crafting world” as like to tell myself, lol! Sometimes just making something that’s pretty cute is just fine.

Join Katie tomorrow as she shares a TRENDY DIY Bracelet, perfect for our DIY month! In the meantime, visit Katie on her blog, Facebook, and Instagram! 

Hazel and Ruby Handmade Painted Plaque

Handmade projects don't have to be complicated to be impressive! Join us through out the month of April for ideas that are easy DIY, that will satisfy your desire to create, and will wow your family and friends!


You will have fun with Hazel & Ruby stencils and tissue paper over and over again! See how fun it can be to make this hanging plaque!

Se

Supplies:

• Slat Board Plaque on sale for $11.99 till April 30th
• Mod Podge matte or gloss finish
• Gray Acrylic Paint
• Hazel & Ruby Rolled Paper or Tissue
• Hazel and Ruby Handmade Mask ( Blindside Alpha, Boutique Alpha, Everyday Words and Central Park Alpha)
• Foam Brush

                                                                       

Hazel and Ruby Handmade (Blindside Alpha)

Hazel and Ruby Handmade (Boutique Alpha)

Hazel and Ruby Handmade (Everyday Words)

 

Hazel and Ruby Handmade (Central Park Alpha)

Directions:

1. Paint surface on the back and each side of your slat board.
2. Once dry cut paper or tissue to fit each slat then glue down with Mod Podge.
3. Let completely dry then place another coat of Mod Podge over the top of the paper & let dry.
4. Place words or shaped masks on to your paper, then completely cover surface with paint.
5. Peal off mask before acrylic paint dries and wipe down letters with baby wipes to clean off.
6. Let paint dry, add an embellishment if you would like and you are finished!
   
   
   Watch the video below to see how easy it is to make this!

Hazel and Ruby Handmade "Always Be A Unicorn"

Handmade projects don't have to be complicated to be impressive! Join us through out the month of April for ideas that are easy DIY, that will satisfy your desire to create, and will wow your family and friends!

Supplies:

• Wood Panel Board 18"x24"
• Hazel and Ruby Handmade Mask Stencils (Blindside Alpha, Central Park Alpha and Dear Ruby Alpha)
• Americana Navy Blue Acrylic Paint and Metallic Silver Paint
• Blue watercolor pencil
• Large ruler 
• Foam Brush
• Baby Wipes (for cleaning the mask off)
• Unicorn Vinyl from Decorating Your Life.

Directions:

1. Start by measuring your board to create lines to follow when placing your mask on the wood board. Here are the measurements:

• Start from the bottom of your board and measure the first Horizontal line 1" from the bottom.
• From line 1 measure up 2.25" and draw a horizontal line.
• Line 2 measure up 2.25"
• Line 3 measure up 2.25"
• Line 4 measure up 1.75"
• Line 5 measure up 2.25"
• Line 6 measure up 2.25"
• Line 7 measure up 1.75"

 After line 8 is created you should have a space above for the unicorn vinyl.

       2.   Place the word "Unicorn" on the bottom line 1 (Dear Ruby Alphabet)

       3.   Place "be a" on line 2 (Dear Ruby Alphabet)

       4.   Line 3 "THEN ALWAYS" (Blindside Alphabet)

       5.   Line 4 " Unicorn" (Central Park Alphabet)

       6.   Line 5 "be a" (Dear Ruby Alphabet)

       7.   Line 6 "unless you can" (Dear Ruby Alphabet)

       8.   Line 7 "Yourself" (Central Park)

       9.   Line 8 "Always Be" (Blindside Alphabet)

   

    10.   Once all your letters are in place paint wood board with Navy Blue Acrylic paint.

    11.   Slowly peal off letters while paint is wet and wipe letters off with baby wipes, then place back on the packaging it came on.

    12.   After paint has dried paint the edges of your wood board with silver paint.

    13.   Sand the top of your wood board lightly. Then dust off and add the vinyl unicorn.

To learn how to apply vinyl watch this short video!

Trendy Wood Board Arrow Art

Handmade projects don't have to be complicated to be impressive! Join us through out the month of April for ideas that are easy DIY, that will satisfy your desire to create, and will wow your family and friends!

One of Craft Warehouse's new favorite vinyls from Decorating Your Life is now in stores! These arrows come in white and gold! Swoon! This wood board is the same as the Stag Art we shared yesterday but, oh so fun with the arrows!

Supplies:

Wood canvas board 

Wood Stain Walnut Finish

Montana Gold Spray Paint in Shock White

Vinyl Arrows by Decorating Your Life

Directions:

Use a cloth and stain your wood board. 

Let completely dry for about 12 hours.

Place vinyl arrows in the position you would like them to be on your wood board and follow directions on the vinyl packaging.

Spray paint the entire board with Montana Gold Paint in Shock White, allowing the paint to dry between coats. Repeat this step 2-3 times.

Once paint is dry peel off the vinyl arrows. 

You should have the image of the arrows in the walnut finish surrounded by white.

Watch this video by Decorating Your Life to see how easy it is to apply vinyl! 

Stag Art

Handmade projects don't have to be complicated to be impressive! Join us through out the month of April for ideas that are easy DIY, that will satisfy your desire to create, and will wow your family and friends!

Once you start making these Stag pieces of art, you won't want to stop! This project can can quickly be done in less than an hour!

Supplies:

Deep  Canvas Board 18x24

Wood Stain Walnut Finish

Montana Gold Spray Paint in Shock White

Vinyl Stag by Decirating Your Life

Directions:

Use a cloth and stain your wood board. 

Let completely dry for about 12 hours.

Place vinyl stag in the position you would like it to be on your wood board and follow directions on the vinyl packaging.

Spray paint the entire board with Montana Gold Paint in Shock White, allowing the paint to dry between coats. Repeat this step 2-3 times.

Once paint is dry peel off the vinyl stag. 

You should have the image of the stag in the walnut finish surrounded by white.