Spotted Canary Blog

It seems like everyone owns a pair of jeans. Children grow out of them, holes appear in the knees, and some pairs just lay dormant because they don’t ever fit quite right. Jeans are a crafter’s commodity. One pair of worn-out jeans can create many one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry. Grab a pair of jeans, a favorite patch, and some chains. Create a necklace that your girlfriends will be begging for.

Cut your favorite, worn-out jeans into a shape smaller than your hand.

•  A star shape works well for a patriotic necklace, a heart shape for a rock star necklace, or even your first initial could make a great pendant for a necklace.
• The shape you choose will help you portray the theme of the necklace.
• Don’t forget that shapes like circles, rectangles, squares, and shields work well too!

You will need to purchase an iron-on patch to go with your theme.

• There are so many choices in patches.
• You can find some that are decorated with rhinestones, some that look like tattoos, and in thrift stores you may even find some vintage patches sewn on jackets or shirts for a reasonable price.
• The patch I purchased came with two buttons and was $2.99.
• The patch was my only purchase for the necklace which made my total cost only $2.99.

Chains are what the denim shape hangs from.

• I used chains from broken necklaces that I just couldn’t toss out.
• Look in your local second-hand store or thrift store for jewelry.
• I have found jars of broken jewelry for $1.00.
• Belts in used clothing stores also make great chains for jewelry making.
• The hardware store is another place where you may find a chain or two for your necklace.
• Mixing and matching different colors, sizes, and types of chains will work well with this style of necklace.

Use items you may already have at home to decorate your denim shape.

• Embroidery floss is perfect for an outline or for stitching a word onto your shape.
• Beads from a broken necklace become sewn-on embellishments.
• Buttons, bottle caps, keys, old earrings, pins, and favorite memorabilia are perfect pieces to personalize your necklace.
• You may even want to print a photo onto fabric paper to capture a loved one onto your necklace.
  
  Denim is lightweight, durable, and comfortable to wear. It is the perfect source for jewelry making. Up cycle that pair of worn-out jeans into gifts for your dear friends, a teacher “thank you,” or a unique piece of jewelry for a special occasion. Take pride in the fact that you spent very little and created something beautiful to be proud of.
  
  

~ Kara (Studio Pink)

I’m going to have to say, one of the biggest factors of inspiration for me is nature. Yes, just plain nature! I consider myself to be a strong spiritual person and am very often finding myself in awe of the natural beauty of the earth and each season. I have titled this post “True Inspiration – Part 1” so that as the seasons change and each one presents its many splendors, I can share with you my “seasonal” inspirations!
 
Let’s talk summer… ahh, the warm sun, the smell of fresh cut grass, the melodious chorus of birds singing, barbecuing in the back yard. I love summer and all that it brings, especially the warmth, because I hate to be cold! I love the flowers of summer… they may be the flowers that were planted in the spring, but they are full-grown, thriving and constantly in bloom. It’s as if the earth has been splattered with vibrant colors of paint - colors so rich you couldn’t even begin to duplicate them with real paint. 

 
 

 

It is safe to say I have a ribbon fetish. I pick it up anytime it is on sale. I dig for it in the dollar bins, and I save every scrap of my delicious ribbon for ties around birthday presents to embellishments on scrapbook pages. Ribbon is a crafter’s commodity.

Storing your precious ribbon stash can be challenging to say the least. I have ribbon on rolls and ribbon scraps that are loose in bins. I am always adding to my stash and having to dispose of empty rolls.

I will be sharing smart ribbon storage for any space, using everyday items that you may already own.

In my studio, I have a bookcase that is the home for my cookie jars. Each one, as you can see, is filled to the brim with ribbon. I sort my ribbon scraps by color to make it easy to find what I am looking for. I am happy with the ribbon loose in a jar, and I don’t mind a quick dig for a particular color. This may drive some crafters crazy, so if you need tidy ribbon storage, sort your ribbon in jars by color and wrap each ribbon around a clothespin. This will neaten the look of your jars and not eat up your budget. Clothespins are inexpensive, and jars are available at thrift stores in all sizes and shapes. I have tons of ribbon, so I went with large cookie jars from a discount store. I did combine colors in the jars like orange and yellow, ivory and white, and black and gray. They store nicely on a bookcase or in a closet. What I like best is they look like candy! I see them and use up all my scraps. When my embellishments are out of sight, I forget to use them.

I am fortunate to have a space dedicated to my crafts. The children outgrew their toy room, so I inherited the space. For ten years I used the kitchen table. I needed storage that I could carry with me to crops and I could store in a cabinet at home. I used recycled paper towel rolls and spun my ribbon scraps around them. I used a pin to keep them from unraveling and would store the ribbon rolls in large zip-lock baggies to make them easy to take to crops. I then took over a closet at home and used my husband’s pant hangers. They worked perfect for storing ribbon rolls. When I moved into my new studio, I found a bar table that had side pockets for holding glasses. I didn’t want to put holes in my new table, so I used spring tension rods for curtains and placed my ribbon rolls on the rods. They cost about $2.00 each and could be used in any space with 2 walls, like a bookshelf. The width of the rod is as small as I could get it, so it would go through the holes in ribbon rolls. I made sure to get tension rods with the rubber stoppers on the ends, instead of the ones with the fancy tips. Like I said, I didn’t want holes. The only drawback to this method of storage is that when a roll is empty, I have to take off several rolls to get the cardboard roll off the rod.

Other methods of ribbon storage are using a hand-towel holder to store ribbon rolls. It will work well on a desk top, and it looks pretty as well. I have seen shoeboxes with holes along the sides for pulling a piece of the ribbon through it. The shoe boxes could be covered with pretty patterned paper to match your work space. I have also seen shoe holders for the back of doors or closets with ribbon stored in the pockets. Wherever your creative space is, think about function, accessibility, and using something you already own for storage. Think outside the box, and the ideas are endless.
 
Please share your ribbon storing tips and help a fellow crafter get organized!
 
~ Kara Ward (Studio Pink)

My daughter loves movies, and I think she likes popcorn just about as much.  So when we were planning her third birthday party, I knew that a movie night would be the perfect theme!
 
I started out with the idea of a popcorn bucket invitation.  I brainstormed a bit and realized that a flower punch was just about the right shape for a piece of popcorn.  After a bit of experimentation, I figured out how to use chalk markers to turn that punch into a piece of buttered popcorn!  Check out the video for this technique here.
 

 
I also knew that I wanted a star-studded hanging banner for the party.  At first I planned to spell out my daughter's name, but because the Movie Night theme is so versatile, I decided to use "PARTY" instead.  Now I can reuse this adorable banner any time I host a Movie Night!
 
My inspiration for the banner came from a star-shaped chipboard album that I found in the dollar bin at a large craft chain.  Each star had a single hole punched in one tip and the album was held together by a binder ring.  I decided to punch an extra hole in each star to string the banner together.  I love how it turned out!
 
 
 
The littlest guests all donned their favorite Princess gowns for the party, and watched movies while they munched on popcorn and hot dogs.  We bought movie-themed paper plates and napkins at the party store to add to the theme.
 

 
For the icing on the cake, we served cupcakes sprinkled with yellow Sparkling Sugar to make them look like yummy buttered popcorn.
 

 
I made cupcake toppers to round out the party theme.  I just glued toothpicks on the backs of a few coordinating embellishments and voila - instant cupcake picks!
 

 
I hope that these ideas inspire you to craft a Movie Night theme party of your own.  The theme works for guests of any age and parties of any type.  This would be a great party idea for teens or tweens; you could get the kids involved in the creativity too!  Or combine the movie embellishments with a few spooky touches for a creative Monster Movie Night.  The options are limitless.  Use your creativity and show us what great Movie Night Party ideas YOU can come up with!
 
~ Jessica (Crafty Canary)

Dollar stores and dollar sections in discount stores help crafters stretch their crafting supply budget. Frames are a fabulous find! For only $1.00, crafters have a way to showcase their art. Sometimes the frames come in poor colors or brassy backgrounds. An inexpensive solution to this problem is spray paint. Make sure to purchase spray paint that is appropriate for the type of material you are painting. Check to make sure you don’t already have paint in the garage before heading to buy some. Most of the frames are wood, metal or plastic. Krylon paint works well on most of these surfaces. Spray paint in a well ventilated area, and cover your workspace or you may end up with a hot pink patio table. If your girlfriend’s favorite color is blue, spray paint a small frame black and stamp her initials in blue on a piece of cardstock for the frame. It will make a nice, personal gift at a low cost.
 
  
 
Larger dollar store frames are perfect for displaying collages, ATC cards or miniature scrapbook pages. Hang three frames together with ribbon to create a Christmas Décor spelling out the word “Joy.” Frame a name for a bedroom or a special handmade gift.
 
 

When frequenting the dollar store or aisle at your favorite discount store, make sure to check out the picture frames. Look past the color, and imagine what you can create!

~ Kara (Studio Pink)

The recycle bin is an endless treasure trove of crafting and storage solutions. Let’s explore ordinary household items found in many recycling bins around the world and share ways to make the treasures we find into something useful and extraordinary. Cardboard boxes fill up our landfills. Yet, they are a crafter’s best friend. Cardboard can be used behind a sticker to give it support when raised up on a scrapbooking layout as a dimensional embellishment. It can be die-cut into words, titles and embellishments for crafting, or covered with patterned paper to create an eye catching sign. But one of the best uses for cardboard boxes is storage. Organizing supplies will save you time and money. When your crafting supplies are organized, you are less likely to repurchase something you already own. Organizing scrap paper can be a chore, but with a few cardboard boxes and a little know-how, you can clean up your clutter, organize your stash of pretty papers, and make them available for amazing projects. Here is how to make a scrap paper organizer using a Kashi cereal box, Milk-Bone dog treat box and a Wasa cracker box.
 

 

1. Use a pencil and a ruler to mark a line 4 inches from the bottom of the largest cereal box. Mark a 3 inch line from the bottom of the dog treat box and a 2 inch line from the bottom of the cracker box.
2. Create two diagonal lines coming from the 4 inch mark on each side of the box as shown.
3. Use a craft knife or scissors to cut away the top section of the box.
4. Cover the box in pretty papers or paint it to match your creative space.

Tip: Don’t buy anything to cover your boxes. Use supplies you already have. Wrapping paper, spray paint, contact paper, scrapbooking cardstock or patterned paper work well for covering the outside of the boxes.
 
 


 
Now, it is time to organize your scrap paper. First sort your scrap paper by size. Place large paper, medium sized paper, and small paper into three different piles. From there you will sort again. Sort each pile by color. All the reds together, yellows together, etc. Once the paper is sorted by size and color you are ready to place it into zip-lock baggies. You can put more than one color in a baggie but don’t make them too full or it is hard to find what you need. When you are finished sorting and bagging the scraps, you can place the bags into the scrap paper organizer that best fits your paper. Large baggies go in the large box and small baggies go in the small box. Leave this organizer on top of your workspace if at all possible. This will keep your scraps tidy but in plain sight so you will be more likely to reach for a scrap rather than cut into a whole piece of paper.
 


Cardboard boxes also make great magazine holders, drawer organizers and gift bags. Head to your recycle bin and repurpose a cardboard box. You are not only helping the environment, but you are also recouping some of the original cost of buying that cardboard box!
 
~ Kara (Studio Pink)