Bunny Love Wall Art

Although we only have the one rabbit, there's no question that I'm a Crazy Bunny Lady. (That's an affiliate link for a shirt I NEED. There are more links throughout this post. That means I get a commission if you make a purchase through a link, at no extra cost to you.) This was the first thing I made with the Model Magic shapes I cut with cookie cutters. You did know that you can paint Model Magic, right? 

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Bunny Love Wall Art

Materials:

• Model Magic shapes - I, heart, bunny
• Folk Art paint - Gray (or whatever color your bunny is)
• embroidery hoop
• fabric (I used denim from jeans with holes in the knees)
• scissors
• Supertite glue
• ribbon
• hay (two flavors from Trouble's "Hay Buffet")

Steps:

Paint the embroidery hoop, the letter I, and the bunny gray. When the paint is dry, put the fabric in the hoop. 

Trim away the excess fabric, then use the Supertite to glue the edges down against the hoop. 

Glue the Model Magic pieces to the front of the fabric. 

Gather a bundle of hay and tie it with ribbon. Glue it to the top of the embroidery hoop, then add a second piece of ribbon as a hanger. 

I really do love bunnies. So much personality in such a small package!

Model Magic + Cookie Cutters = So Many Possibilities

When I made my King Cake necklace, I had some extra white Model Magic left. While opened Model Magic will stay soft if carefully wrapped properly, I'm not a 'carefully wrapped properly' type of person. I'd much rather play with the extra clay to see what I can make now than risk coming back to it later and finding that it wasn't wrapped as well as I'd thought.

First, I made bunnies.

I got a new bunny cookie cutter for Christmas (affiliate link here and throughout the post) and this was the perfect chance to give it a test run. I rolled out the leftover Model Magic on a sheet of wax paper, then started cutting out rabbit after rabbit. 

When I had a fluffle of bunnies, I set them aside on a piece of wax paper to dry overnight. Then I made hearts. 

I combined bits of white and red Model Magic, kneading until they were marbled. Then I rolled out each piece and cut out hearts. Obviously, you could use any shape you want. I did a quick search and discovered that there so many adorable cookie cutters out there! Check out these dinosaurs! This woodland set is awesome. Look, California! And tools! Oooh, llamas and cacti! And fruit! I hear lemons are trending. 

(I can't stop looking at cookie cutters. Send help.)

ANYWAY, I mixed all the scraps together with the last bits of red and used them to make a rose. It's really easy. 

Start by rolling a bunch of little balls. Flatten them with your thumb. They don't need to be the same size; in fact, your rose is more realistic if they aren't. 

Take one petal and roll it to make the center of the rose. Then wrap another petal around the outside. Keep adding petals on opposite sides until the rose is the size you want. Rest the finished rose on loosely balled foil. This will allow it to keep its shape as it dries. If you just set it down on the table, it will slump. 

I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with my rose, but I have plans for the bunnies and hearts. I'll show you those soon.

Framed Diamond Art Baseball Glove

When I saw that Leisure Arts had a Diamond Art baseball design, I knew it would make a great gift for my dad. The sparkly art is fantastic, but it really came together when I framed it. Actually, that's not technically a frame - read on to learn what I did! Affiliate links below. 

Framed Diamond Art Baseball Glove

Materials:

• Leisure Arts Diamond Art Baseball in Glove
• microtip scissors
• Plaid 12" x 12" Square Panel
• Folk Art Teddy Bear Brown acrylic paint
• Beacon FabriTac
• black cardstock

Steps:

Complete the Diamond Art, then carefully trim away the excess fabric.

Thin down the paint with water. You want a runny, ink-like consistency. Use a paper towel to rub the paint on the square panel, covering all surfaces. Let it dry. If you want a deeper color, repeat.

Cut the cardstock to fit inside the panel. Spread a thin coat of FabriTac on the inside of the frame and press the cardstock in place. Let it dry.

Spread a thin coat of FabrTac to the back of the Diamond Art. Center it on the cardstock.

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You can do this same thing with any of Leisure Arts' fabulous Diamond Art designs. I'm working on a similar project using one of their NFL designs. If you haven't tried Diamond Art yet, give it a try. It's definitely addictive!

King Cake Mardi Gras Necklace

The inspiration for today's craft is no mystery! I loved our time in New Orleans and couldn't wait to design something inspired by the colors and glitz of Mardi Gras. I'm really happy with my new necklace. It's super lightweight and comfy to wear. Can you tell what I used to make it? Affiliate links below. 

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King Cake Mardi Gras Necklace

Materials:

• Model Magic
• Folk Art Camel and Harvest Gold acrylic paint
• white gesso
• Stickles - yellow, green, and purple
• jewelry bail
• Ninja Supergrip glue

Steps:

Create three ropes of white Model Magic and place them side by side. 

Twist the bundle of ropes several times, then join the ends together to form a rough circle. If you're not happy with it, try again! Don't aim for perfection though - the irregularities make it look more authentic. 

Set your King Cake aside and let it dry for at least 24 hours. Flip it upside down and let it dry another 24 hours. 

Paint the King Cake with the Camel paint, then add highlights of Harvest Gold in the twists and on top to mimic the look of baked goods. When the paint is dry, use a Q-tip to glob white gesso on the top. Be sure to leave plenty of the 'cake' exposed beneath the 'frosting.'

When the gesso is dry, add Stickles. Alternate between green, yellow, and purple. Make the sections  different sizes like they’d be if you were dropping colored sugar on a real King Cake. 

Let the Stickles dry overnight. Glue the bail onto the back of the King Cake. When it is dry, add a chain and your King Cake is ready to wear!

If you want the real thing, you can make it yourself from scratch. Or, use a handy box mix that comes with everything you need, including the filling, frosting, and baby. This year, Mardi Gras falls on February 25, so you have plenty of time to prepare!

Craft Room Paint Storage

Steve gave me the best Christmas gift, something I've been wanting... no, needing.... for a long time. He built me paint storage for the craft room!

It looks so pretty with all the paints lined up. But more importantly, it takes two seconds to find the shade I need. I used to store my paints in tubs in the closet and this is a million times better. 

Before:

After:

 Before and after:

    

Moving the paints out of the closet freed up a bunch of room to store other things in there. I even have space to display some of my artwork! I can't believe how much space I gained. Thanks, Steve! You're the best.

Creativation 2020 - Trends

One of my favorite things to do at Creativation is to go on the hunt for the latest trends. The year 2017 was all about cacti, hot air balloons, flamingoes, pineapple, adult coloring, and dreamcatchers. 2018 brought us llamas, mermaids, unicorns, narwhals, sugar skulls, teapots, and hand lettering. 2019 was the year of avocados, 'yay', diamond art, sloths, tacos, toucans, and french fries. Some of those are still around and going strong. 

But what does 2020 have in store for us that's new and fresh? Topping the list: lemons. 

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Lemons / "Squeeze the Day"

Sure, lemons (and fruit in general) are timeless motifs, but this goes way beyond that. Lemons on patterned paper. Lemon booth decor. Lemon stickers, stamps, cards, journals, and everything else. I lost count how many times I saw "Squeeze the Day" or "Main Squeeze" or "Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy" on products. By the way, puns are still going strong.  

Bees

Bees were everywhere at Creativation this year. Not actual bees; bee MOTIFS were everywhere. Did you spot one amongst the lemon photos above?

Girl Power

2020 is clearly the year of Girl Power, particularly in scrapbooking and paper crafts. I was happy to see that some of the designers are using a variety of skin tones and hair colors on their products; this showed up most obviously on patterned paper.

Shaker Cards / Polymer Clay Sprinkles

Shaker cards aren't new, but they've exploded in 2020. And this year, we'll be filling them with polymer clay sprinkles (versus the sequins, seed beads, and glitter from shaker cards of years past). I'm in love with the sprinkles that look like slices of fruit - and yes, there were lemons. 

   

Glow in the Dark / Neon

I've been seeing glow parties on the rise (and attended one on NYE!) and was suspicious that it would cross over into crafts as a trend. Indeed it has. Manufacturers were displaying paints, foils, inks, markers and more in neon and glow-in-the-dark colors. There was even glow-in-the-dark yarn!

The Eiffel Tower

I expect to see the Eiffel Tower on travel-related papers and stamps. That's not a trend. It's not unexpected for the Eiffel Tower to show up in a love-themed collection. But when I keep seeing it over and over across many different styles and beyond the expected, it's a trend. Check out the first photo: Eiffel Tower + lemons = trendy, for sure. 

This completely baffled me. It's from a collection called "Capri" and the paper is called "Sorrento" and features Italian writing. Why exactly is the Eiffel Tower there? Perhaps because it's trending?

Mushrooms (with and without gnomes)

I saw mushrooms and I saw gnomes. I saw more mushrooms without gnomes than gnomes without mushrooms, so I'm declaring that mushrooms are the actual trend and the gnomes are along for the ride. 

So what else was big? Paint (and resin) pouring are still going strong, as are vinyl and foil. Expect to see plenty of buffalo plaid, stencils, and upcycling. There were a lot of zodiac-inspired things. I also saw a good number of rabbits beyond the expected Easter- and baby-themed stuff. 

What do you think? Are you all about the bee? Lemons or mushrooms catch your eye? Any trends that are a definite no? Tell me in the comments!