This week's guest judge is the lovely Karen from The Graphics Fairy! If you have never heard of The Graphics Fairy -- go there and follow her -- then come back here. Karen's site is full of gorgeous FREE graphics for use in your home decor and craft projects. 2300 images to be exact!
Every Monday Karen hosts here Brag Monday party and you can link up any project that contains her images. There is tons of inspiring links every Monday so be sure to stop by.
Since this is Christmas crafts week here on One Month To Win It -- let's look at a few Christmas images from the Graphic's Fairy.
All those plus so much more can be found on The Graphics Fairy. Now for the fun part! We asked Karen to answer a few questions for us so we could get to know her better.
What is your favorite crafting tool?
Hands down it would have to be my printer!! I love using Vintage Images in my crafts (obviously!) so my printer is my best friend when it comes to crafting. My printer has waterproof ink too, which is really nice!
Where do you craft/create?
I have a large space in my finished basement that I work in. I love it because I can be as messy or as neat as I want to be and nobody will see it but me!
Who or what inspires you?
I'm really inspired by my readers. Every Monday, on my blog, they link up amazing projects that they made with my images, I wish I had time to recreate them all!!!
Thanks so much Karen for guest judging this week! There is still time to vote for your favorite craft in our finals. Head on over and pick your favorite! Come back Friday to find out who is the champion!
It’s hard to believe we’ve come to the end of season 6! All of the contestants were amazing and it has been an honor to have them join us. It’s our last round of voting. This week’s theme is Christmas and the three finalists did not let us down! They are all fabulous projects! It’s going to be tough to choose a winner.
Voting is at the end of this post…..
Number 1: Santa Stops Here: Street Address Sign
I’m so excited to have made it to the final three! What a fun contest it has been, thank you to everyone who has voted! Now, to get in gear for Christmas.
Every kid wants to be sure Santa doesn’t miss their home on Christmas Eve!
Here’s a cute, inexpensive, easy, and completely unique sign to let Santa know exactly where you are.
Here’s how to make your own.
Gather supplies. I cut a piece of scrap wood for the sign part, and purchased an inexpensive spindle and a finial from Home Depot. I attached these to each other with screws. I also purchased precut wooden numbers from JoAnn’s. If you don’t have scrap wood for the sign, you can purchase precut pieces in a variety of sizes a shapes at your local craft shop.
Using leftover Krylon spray paint, I painted the entire sign red. Once that was dry, I painted out more detailed parts in white.
Next, I used paint pens to add even smaller details. Green polka dots on the top finial and a wavy line border around the sign. A red pen to write the words "Santa Stops Here". I used a small flat brush with red craft paint to paint the candy-cane stripe border.
Using green craft paint, I painted my pre-cut numbers. I attached them to the sign with Elmer's wood glue.
For good measure, and because I knew I’d be putting the sign outside, I added a coat of Minwax Polycrylic clear sealer.
For the final touch, I added a store bought red bow (because I’m terrible at tying cute bows).
I staked my sign directly into the ground, but you could also stake it into a flower pot leftover from Summer to add a bit of whimsy and height.
Merry Christmas!
Number 2: Snowball Tree Skirt
Christmas is such a broad theme. This was the only week I didn't know what I was going to do. After much thinking and sleeping- I get my best ideas when I am sleeping, I came up with the snowball tree skirt!
I bought a white dollar store tree skirt and used the back. My mom used to decorate for weddings, and had yards and yards of tulle left over. I cut the tulle into 3 inch wide strips, rolled them into rosettes, and sewed across them. I continued to do this, until I had a few long chains of rosettes. Then I took the chains of rosettes, and hot glued them to the back of tree skirt.
After I had sewed on all the rosettes, I used Krylon's Glitter Blast to glitterize it!
To finish it off, I put white Christmas lights underneath it. I love the soft, snowy glow!
Number 3: Block Nativity
First off, congratulations to the other two ladies in the finales!
It has been so fun getting to know you both over this past month,
& it's an honor to be here in the finales with you!
{I still want to pinch myself...I can't believe I'm here! Yay!}
Originally when I saw the schedule & saw that Week 4 was Christmas
my first thought was: "Whew! That will be easy!"
Buuuut it turned out to be the hardest week for me
because, if you are like me, you've got
TONS of Christmas ideas & projects in the works
& it was super hard to decide on THE ONE I'd like to share!
I ended up deciding on my {handmade} Nativity!
It was super easy & best of all, didn't cost me a thing! Wahoo!
You gotta love that around Christmas time!
I just used scraps of wood from our shed,
and a few craft supplies that I already had on hand! :)
I'll share more of the "how to" on my blog on Friday.
I'll let you know all the sizes that my wood was cut,
& I've got a TON more pictures to share, too.
It was so hard narrowing it down to just these pictures!
Here's the {easy} tutorial on how I painted my blocks.
To make each piece:
I just got my block of wood.
Painted the face of it a creamy white. Let it dry.
I used vinyl nativity pieces as stencils. I cut these using my vinyl cutter & software.
I applied my vinyl to my block of wood & then painted over it.
It took about 2-3 coats of paint depending on the color I was using.
Then I let it dry completely & then carefully removed the vinyl.
Touched up any areas the paint might of bled through with a fine tipped paint brush.
Sanded the edges with sand paper to give my blocks a worn appearance.
Then I went over the entire block with some light wood stain.
I removed any excess stain with a rag. That was it! Super easy!
It would be an honor to have YOU vote for me!
Thank you to all the ladies from OMTWI & to all of YOU for making this such a fun experience!
We are taking this week off from the competition so our judges and contestants can get some well deserved time with family. In the meantime, we are now accepting sponsorship for season 7. If you are interested in a spot, please drop us a line at omtwinit@gmail.com. We would be happy to discuss options with you! Season 7 will start next month with posts and the competition will start up in January. Yes you get 2 months of sponsorship when you sponsor one season. Send us an email for more details!
See y'all next week for the finals for Season 6! Can't wait to see those projects!!
I can’t believe we are already announcing the finalists for season 6! These women have done some incredible projects and we are so sad to see any of them go.
The winner this week is Styrofoam Picture Puzzle by Kate at A Piece of Kate’s.
There is still time for vote for your favorite Styrofoam craft from our contestants -- head on over there now! Come back tomorrow to see who is continuing on to our finals!
Remember we will be taking next week off to spend with family. The finals will be the week after Thanksgiving. Come back to see what these ladies have in store for us.
Now it is time to see what our judge's have for Styrofoam inspiration.
This week's guest judge is also a sponsor! The fabulous Andrea from The Cottage Market!
Be sure to follow the lovely Andrea for all sorts of DIY tips and tricks, recipes, shabby cottage decor, plus oh so much more!
We had Andrea answer a few questions for us...
1) What tool you couldn't live without?
Well I hate to be cliche but I have to go with glue gun! I mean it always seems to be there when you need it and never fails you but I might have to say that it is a tie with a paint brush : )
2) Where do you craft?
I have a studio that is dedicated to my crafting. An 8 foot desk that just never seems to be large enough! Tons of shelves and a big couch (for the dogs : ), chair and TV so everyone comes in to see me! Then there is a separate section for my computer, printer...etc. We also converted another bedroom into a craft/storage area...getting organized has never been my forte but I now have a 14 foot wall that holds over 300 Ball Jars filled with fun supplies and another wall that holds my 100's of dishes, candle sticks, vintage dishes and more! There just seems to be supplies everywhere but I have made a promise to me and my family that they never go into the living room : ) I hope to be organized in the next let's say decade!
3) Who/what inspires you?
Everything inspires me. My family is always my support and then just everything around me gets my brain moving. I am an art major and have always been someone that appreciated art if I personally enjoy it or not. I am a very visual person and just kind of soak everything in for future use! I think creating with a purpose is always something that totally inspires me. Making something for someone special or for a charity really gives things purpose! Of course it is always fun knowing that what you make will make someone smile!
All these words describe these faux stainless steel letters. It's not always easy to find personalized room decor that boys will like, but these look great in my sons bedroom, and he loves them.
This is how to make your own.
Print your word of choice in any font you'd like onto cardstock and cut out the letters
Trace the letters onto your sheet of Styrofoam
Using a hot Styrofoam cutter (or a knife if you don't have one of those), patiently cut each letter from the foam
For the look of textured steel, I used bubblewrap. Simply trace the paper letters, just a tiny bit smaller than the original, onto bubble wrap and cut them out
Spray paint the Styrofoam letters and bubblewrap letters with a metalic spray paint. There are lots of brands and colors available to choose from
Attach the bubblewrap letters to the foam ones, using a low temp hot glue gun
To give the edges of the letters a nice finished edge, outline the edges with an all purpose caulk. I felt like I was icing cupcakes at this step.
When the caulk is completely dry, give the letters one final coat of the metallic spray paint. Voila! You're finished!
To hang, I simply used small finishing nails, and stuck the foam right onto them. These letters are lightweight, and easy to handle. You can make them as large or as small as you'd like. I printed mine in 550 size font, and cut them from a large 2 inch wide Styrofoam sheet. There are many width options available in these sheets.
These faux steel letters would work well in a contemporary nursery, playroom, and even kitchen. The sky is the limit as to what words, sizes, and colors you can create!
Number 2: Styrofoam Picture Puzzle
Thanks for all the votes! Wow! Round 3!
So Styrofoam had endless possibilities...but I looked all around at craft stores, Wal-Mart, then ended up at Lowe's, where I found this giant 4'X8' sheet of Styrofoam. I have always wanted some big wall art, and I love to take pictures, so I combined the two. I had Office Depot print off a black and white engineering copy as big as they could. My husband (using a jig saw) helped me cut puzzle pieces out of cardboard, then we traced them onto the Styrofoam. Next, using the jig saw again, we cut the Styrofoam (fyi- it was soooo much easier than cutting the cardboard), then traced the pieces onto the picture. We cut the picture out. Finally, using spray glue, we glued the pictures onto the Styrofoam.
The final picture is 4ft X 3ft. I used some blue Ticky-tack to hold it up, along with a few tacks!
I love the final result! The styrofoam was superlight, and easy to work with. I would use it again for other projects.
Number 3: Foam Deer Head Plaque and Gallery Wall
I am not going to lie this project was by far the most challenging for me. I have never used Styrofoam before, but I knew what I wanted to attempt to do with it. My gallery wall in my study was on my to do list to completely do over. This was the perfect time! I took two rectangular pieces of styrofoam and glued them together. I then cut out a plaque shape.
I then drew an outline of a deer head with antlers. I also taped four pieces of faux wood scrapbook paper together and cut it out in the shape of plaque. I then hot glued all pieces on foam plaque and added a ribbon trim around the edge. I also used the ribbon to hang the plaque with. Since styrofoam is so light, it only took glue to keep the ribbon in place.
The empty frame is going to be filled with a family picture (didn't want to give myself away ;). I drew the tree picture with pastels. I framed fabric in two frames and cut out an ampersand to put on top of one of the fabric pieces. I hot glued scrap paper onto the S and also painted the chevron underneath the S. Finally, I used wallpaper to do the script matting on one of the frames.
I absolutely LOVE how this turned out! Don't you just love the deer head trend right now?! It looks perfect in my study!
Number 4: Santa and Neve
A long time ago, when Santa was young,
(Before the days of Facebook and Twitter),
he was making all the toys himself,
but he was not a quitter.
As Christmas Eve drew nearer and nearer still,
Santa knew he needed an aid.
He looked high and low for the perfect person,
until finally, he was dismayed.
Then along came Neve, the kindly elf,
whose name means "snow" in Italian.
Santa was surely grateful
and displayed his satisfaction.
Santa and Neve became close friends,
of that, I am sure.
Now this rhyme is over,
so I'll no longer be a bore.
Some Styrofoam balls, felt, pipe cleaners, and pom poms were all it took to make these little guys. (Full tutorial to follow on my blog after this week's winners are announced!)
I think all of my family and friends will be getting a set of their very own this year. They were too fun to make!
Number 5: Coffee Filter Wreath
I made it to Round 3! Oh my goodness! Unbelievable! Yay!
I'm so honored to be in this competition with such talented ladies,
& to make it this far in the competition is truly humbling! Thank you!
When I heard that Round 3 was Styrofoam Crafts I was extremely nervous.
I have NEVER used Styrofoam before {well...besides sipping my hot chocolate in!}
I know seriously... and can YOU believe I actually have a craft blog, too??!! Crazy! :)
I have ALWAYS wanted to use coffee filters to make a wreath!
I think they are so pretty! So here's how I made mine! :)
{WARNING: I have never attempted this kind of craft before
so if my instructions are totally not what anyone else would do...that's why! ;)}
What you need:
Styrofoam wreath
2 packages of coffee filters
stick pins (use the ones with the little colored balls on the ends)
ribbon
How I did it:
I laid my Styrofoam wreath form on the table.
Then I stuck my stick pin right through the middle of one coffee filter,
folded my coffee filter up around it & made a "coffee filter dart" in a way. :)
Then I stuck that into my Styrofoam wreath. Kept doing that over & over again.
I tried to stick them as close together as possible.
I did that about 300-400 more times until I had gone all the way around.
FYI: I left the back of my wreath empty so my wreath would lay flat against the wall.
Then I tied a ribbon loosely around the top of my wreath,
& I hung it up on the wall in our master bathroom.
{Love how it turned out!}
It would be an honor to have YOU vote for me!
Good luck to everyone! You are all amazing! :)
Number 6: Biscuit Pop Stands and Holly Pomanders
You've heard of cake pops, right?
Have you heard of biscuit pops?
Perhaps not!
Here is my take on the "everything on a stick trend" ...the biscuit pop!
Now, y'all know that once you have anything on a stick, you have no way to display your creations unless you utilize some styrofoam, right? Right. So I created stands using circular styrofoam pieces to display my biscuit pops on. I used a strong scrapbook paper to cover the styrofoam and then trimmed out the edges with ribbon. The display needed a little green, so I also made accents by utilizing some more styrofoam and creating holly pomanders.
Vote for me and find out my simple technique for inserting the pops into the styrofoam without damaging the paper cover,
and a simple technique for those little ribbon ruffles along with the recipes for:
Lavender, Allspice and Sea Salt Biscuit Pops with Lavender Butter
Cheddar Biscuit Pops with Paprika and Cayenne Butter
Ginger and Pepper Biscuit Pops with White Pepper and Ginger and Nutmeg Butter
These projects are all incredible! How can you pick just one?!
