How to make a Duck Tape Christmas tree shower curtain decoration

Looking for a super easy and BIG decoration? I have just the thing. Make yourself a Duck Tape Christmas tree shower curtain using holiday themed Duck Tape and a technique from the new book Crazy-Cool Duct Tape Projects by Marisa Pawelka.

First up I hung the shower curtain and made 2 small marks as to the top and bottom of where I wanted my tree to be. Then I used the point making technique in Crazy-Cool Duct Tape Projects. I did modify it a bit by making my points a bit longer and random sizes.
 
I layered up the points starting from the outside working my way in toward the center.

 Starting from the top I placed random strips of Duck Tape each a bit longer down the shower curtain.

 I didn't try to keep them perfectly straight. I angled them slightly. If you are like me and like working with Duck Tape you are in luck there are 2 chances to win two prize packs full of Duck Tape, scissors and books over at Craft Gossip and Craftside.

How to make a Thanksgiving place setting

This Thanksgiving place setting was inspired by my almost complete lack of fall colored home decor. I was flipping through the new book Super-cute Felt and the squirrel coaster just screamed cute (go figure!) and perfect for Thanksgiving. I have a "new" old vintage Formica table and I didn't want to cover it with a table cloth so placemats needed to be made. One of my only Thanksgiving decorations is my recycled wool felted sweater turkey you see in the background.

 
So first up I traced the super cute squirrel in the pattern section of Super-cute Felt. Cut out the pattern pieces and then cut 2 of each squirrel and 2 mirror images from a fuzzy felt.

Then I glued each pair together with Tacky Glue leaving the bottom area free of glue so I could put a weight in the bottom. I ended up using 2 floral marbles. For the acorns I cut one acorn body and 2 lids. I glued them together sandwiching the bottom between the lids.

To make the pumpkin placemats I grabbed a large piece of tracing paper and one of my plates to sketch out the size of the pumpkin so it would look nice with the size of my plates.

 After I sketched the pumpkin out on the paper I cut it out and then pinned the pattern to the felt.

After I cut out the pumpkin I used a Sharpie to draw in the inner lines and the parameter. I also added a green stem. Pretty darn easy and fast!

More about  Super-cute Felt from Cico Books:

 Super-cute Felt
by
 Laura Howard

"With 35 simple yet striking projects, Super-cute Felting is a must-have book for anyone with an appreciation of adorable, hand-crafted objects. Start with the 'Accessories' chapter, packed with pretty brooches, necklaces and scarves to keep you warm and snug - try the cute kitty purse that is sure to delight any little girl. 'Gifts' is next, with plenty of inspirational ideas, such as the fruity pincushion that any keen crafter will use again and again. In 'Homewares', you will find coasters, tea cosies and hot water bottle covers, all with a touch of vintage glamour. Finally, 'Celebrations' has unique decorating ideas for all the holidays, including Christmas, Halloween and Easter. There are projects for all skill levels, so you don't have to be an old hand in order to create something really special. Every design comes complete with clear step-by-step instructions and illustrations to guide you through each step. And at the back is a helpful techniques section explaining all the stitches and skills required, plus tips and tricks to make your creations really stand out."

Thanksgiving "Be Thankful" banner

I am most assuredly on the banner bandwagon. Here is my latest creation. It is made from scraps of fall colored felt. Feel free to download the letter template that spells out "Be Thankful" and make one yourself!

For the triangle pennants I folded a piece of felt in half lengthwise and cut it from the bottom fold point to the outside top corner.
Enlarge the letters to be about 6.5 inches.
Trace letters and cut them out of contrasting felt.
I used Tacky Glue to stick them on the pennants.

Toy soldier army men Christmas tree

In honor of Veterans Day I thought it would be appropriate to share my first Christmas tree of 2012. I scored these super sized army men at the 99 cents only store and I thought them being green and all they would make a great Christmas tree. I've made a lot of things with the standard size army men but this is my first with these big ones. All I did was stack a few cake plates and a candle stick and arrange them on each level.

Thanks again to all who've served!

Altered book page silhouette inspired by the new book Journal It!

The new book Journal It! Perspectives in Creative Journaling by Jenny Doh is so filled with inspiration I just had a blast flipping through and getting excited about making something. This page from Journal It! is all about creating a reverse silhouette but I wanted to do a little work in one of my altered books so I took the idea of a large silhouette and simply did it more on the traditional style but with a similar cool glitter pink print paper.

 Here is my final page with my pink glitter silhouette.

 First I took down a photo of me that just happened to look a lot like the one in Journal It!. I imagine most of us sported little pig tails at one point or another...right?

 I traced the photo and then scanned in the tracing.

I enlarged it as big as I could and printed it out. Then cut out the large outline. I then traced the outline on the backside of the pink glitter paper (I flipped over the outline too).
Then I cut out the pink glitter paper and found a page in the book I was altering that I thought looked good and the writing worked. I have to say I love the large scale of the silhouette, they tend to be little.

If you like experimenting with different styles in your journaling, mixed-media, or altered books I bet you will love:

 Journal It! Perspectives in Creative Journaling
by
Jenny Doh

More about the book from the publisher Lark Crafts:

"Book arts, journaling, and collage come together in Journal It!, where 19 mixed-media artists showcase their signature techniques, tips, and creativity boosters. The featured work ranges from lettering expert Jill K. Berry's beautifully calligraphied travel journals to Jeannette Sclar's whimsical gardening books, and the techniques include everything from toner-based transfer to stitching with fabric and paper. With over 200 inspirational photos to guide them, even beginners can create works of art right from the start."