Designer Craft Connection/Smoothfoam™ - Holiday Ball Decorations

The countdown to Christmas has begun - decorations are going up, there is tree lighting, card writing, cookie baking, planning and shopping going on.  Each holiday season I tell myself there is no need for any new decorations but there always seems to something new being created.

Here is a cute ornament idea using a Smoothfoam™ ball.  To make this ornament, punch the primitive heart shape using a decorative punch and several solid and printed papers. Cut a length of ribbon for hanger and knot the cut ends.  Drop a small bead of glue to the center of the ball, press the knotted end of the ribbon hanger onto the glue, press a straight pin into the knot and into the ball to secure.  Dipping just the bottom tip of the punched hearts into a white glue, place the heart shapes around the ball.  Start at the top and continue to work around in rows until the ball is completely covered.  Add a bow to the top of the ornament.  NOTE: Use other small punch shapes like a holly leaf that can be glued on in the same fashion or a snowflake that could be attached with pins.

Do you have an ball ornament to share?  If you do add it to the link along with all the others. See other ideas here with this link: Inlinkz  or the Smoothfoam™ blog.

Designer Craft Connection September Edition - Vintage

 Happy to be back and posting for another edition of this groups monthly blog.  It would have been fun to participate in the last two creative projects, but I really needed to take a little break.  It was still fun to hop through all the great ideas that follow designers created for July and August's editions.

Here we are with a new theme - "Vintage", crafting with old stuff.  It was tough to decide on just what to create and what vintage items from my stash to use.  It's a little different way to show off a photo and and create a keepsake.

After digging through supplies on hand, I chose to construct a  three dimensional frame, embellished with several vintage finds.  Two different size wooden frames, with the same size opening, were painted with both Ranger Adirondack Acrylic Paints and Distress Paints.  I went through my collection of old vintage postcards and chose one to use for a background image.  There are many interesting things that I collect and keep on hand.  I like little containers, tins, boxes, jars and such.  Here I used part of a small plastic heart shaped container to hold a photo of my youngest granddaughter.  To add embellishments to the frame, bits and pieces of old tatting, made by my grandmother was were used along with a small crocheted doily.  I constructed a paper rose using "Paper Blossom" punches by McGill.  All the embellishments were lightly glued in place with Beacon Gem Tac or Beacon 3-in-1 adhesive and then everything was coated with several coats of Beacon Liquid Laminate.  To finish off the frame, several "mother of pearl" buttons were added and a stamped verse on a strip of canvas fabric.

Details:stamped verse, doily, tatting

Details: photo frame, tatted edging, buttons, paper rose

There is also a manufacture challenge with a "Give Away" from Crafty KT, that you may be interested in.  It is running from September 8th through September 18th.  There are 12 designers participating.  To win sign up for the newsletter using this link:
         http://craftykt.com/suscribe-to-newsletter

NOTE: You only need to enter once.  Only those with a mainland USA shipping address are eligible to win the giveaway.  See the photo here of the Kool Tak™ products you could win.

Now get to hopping on through the blogs by following the Designer Craft Connection button on the upper right.