Pretty Decoupaged Ribbon Picture Frame

   First, I painted my frame this pretty green color. I actually combined 2 colors to achieve this shade. The colors I used were Soft Apple(Folk Art) and Citrus(Anita's).  I painted 2 coats, mostly paying attention to the inner and outer edge since I knew the ribbon would cover the remainder of the frame.

   Once the paint was dry, I then had to cut the ribbon to the appropriate lengths to fit the frame. I used scotch tape to temporarily hold this into place. Since this still left a little too much uncovered space on the frame, I decided to take this pretty sheer fuschia colored ribbon around the inner edges. About half of this ribbon is actually covered by the wider ribbon. I angled the ends of the ribbon to "meet" at each corner. Getting the correct length and angle was actually the trickiest part of the entire project. Next time I will use a protractor and cut the ends of the ribbon at a 45 degree angle for to create the corners. That should make this step much easier.

   Since I got some of the green paint on the backing of the frame, I decided to combine Soft Apple and Deep Ocean Blue (both are Folk Art Brand) and go ahead and paint it a color that also coordinated with the ribbon. It will now be pretty to look at even before it has a picture in it. :)
   Ok, this step was the next tricky part. I turned the ribbon over (still taped in the shape of the frame) and used Mod Podge to glue my other ribbon into place with about half of the width on the underside of the wider ribbon. Any tape that was used on that side, I then removed. Next time I am going to try sewing the corners together. This is the first time I have Mod Podged a frame with ribbon like this, so I just want to let you all know of any steps that I believe could have made this a little easier and less time-consuming. :)

   Once that awful part was finished (ok it really wasn't that bad, it just helped teach me a little patience which definitely is not my strongest virture :)), I place the ribbon onto the frame and straightened it into place. I then place a piece of scotch tape on one end to hold it into place. On the opposite end as the tape, I painted a coat of Mod Podge(which I am becoming SO addicted to!) to the first few inches. I did this a little at a time across the entire frame and then just removed my piece of tape.

 

   At this point, my frame could have been completely finished, it was beautiful by the way. I wanted to see how it looked with a couple of coats of Mod Podge over the top of the ribbon. This step is entirely up to you :). I am very please with the completed results, although I am not sure if I should have apply the last coats of Mod Podge when using the sheer ribbon. If made it bubble just a little. This is barely noticeable and gives it a handmade look, so it still turned out quite lovely if I may say so myself! Overall, this was an easy and fun project and looks so pretty for Spring and Easter. I think I will give it to my sweet niece, Anna Grace. :) Now, I want to go out on this beautiful day and buy lots of pretty ribbon so I can make more! :)



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No-Sew Rosette~ Fabric Flower

   You will not believe how easy these little flowers are to make! The original tutorial came from sweet Bev over at Flamingo Toes and this is just my version...  You can put them on anything! Picture frames, shoes, scarves, hats, notebooks... the possibilities are endless!

          Start with a strip of fabric about 1 1/2″ to 2″ wide. Make a small knot in one end.

   Now, just hold the knot in your left hand and with your right hand, begin twisting the strip and wrapping it around around the knot.

   Continue wrapping and twisting, using your left hand to hold the rose in place as you go. Depending on the size of your flower, you may want to use a little fabric glue or your hot glue gun as you go, to hold it together a little better.

   Clip your fabric when you get the rose the size you want and tuck the end underneath. Glue the rose to a felt circle slightly smaller than the rose. This will hold all the folds in place.

You can leave them as-is, or you can dress them up a little with buttons or beads...

Candle Scented Pine Cones~ Perfect gift for friends who have a fireplace or wood-burning stove!

  

 This is what I found when I went to the attic a few weeks ago to bring down my Christmas decor. This one and many more just like it. I know I can't be the first person this has ever happen to, but I definitely learned my lesson!

** Tip of the day: NEVER store your candles in an area that may become very warm in the summertime(or any time for that matter)! :)
  
  Anyways, I just hated having to throw all of my candles away, so I decided to put what was left of  these candles to good use. (You can also use old candles that have a wick that is already burned or new candles.) I decided to melt this wax and dip pine cones for a great-smelling addition to a cozy fire!
   
So here is what you need to do to make these:

• Gather up (or purchase) lots of pine cones. You also need wax paper.

• Put the candle into a boiler and melt it on low heat. Be sure to remove any decorative accents  on the candle.

• Dip the pine cones into the candle wax (with tongs) and place them on wax paper to dry. I let the first coat dry and then dipped them once more.

• Give them about 15 minutes to dry. You can add a festive touch and sprinkle them with glitter while they are still wet.  

   Now wasn't this a much better idea than just throwing all of those old or "ruined" candles away! The next time you build a cozy fire in the fireplace, throw in a couple of your wonderful dipped pine cones and enjoy the wonderful fragrances! These also make the perfect gift for those friends who already have it all! :)

I hope all of you fabulous homemakers have a wonderful, cozy evening!

~Crysta :)

Here is the link for these oh-so-cute gloves I was wearing in my last post!

http://littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com/2008/11/not-your-mamas-rubber-gloves.html