Keep Calm Sign -- Trends Challenge

Tonight I am participating in the Crafterminds Trends Challenge.  What is that you ask??  Use as many current blog "trends" in one project as possible.  We all know about blog trends right?  I mean how many chevron projects have you seen?  (Yes I added that too!)  I thought the challenge sounded like fun so I jumped on board.  Are you ready for it?  My oh so trendy sign....

Let me start by listing the trends I used in this one:

• sheet music
• dictionary pages
• maps
• chevron
• bunting banner
• keep calm and carry on
• antlers
• ombre
• brackets (in the watermark cause that is important too!)

I started by layering tons of different ephemera on a spare board.  Since I have YET to use antlers in a project, I just had to add TWO to this one!

I printed out the "Keep Calm and Carry On" with an ombre feel.  It did not photograph as well as I had hoped.  But it goes from gray to white. 

Chevron AND a bunting banner??  Oh yes!  I did....

Lots of paper and mod podge later, I had myself one very trendy sign!

What else will be linked up at the Crafterminds Trends Challenge?  How many trends can one girl use in ONE project?  Come on over and find out.  There is sure to be some hilarious projects linked up!

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~

The Country Chic Cottage

Read More

Valentines Day Love Banner

This week is Buntings and Banners week over at One Month To Win It.  The contestant projects will be up for vote in the morning.  I thought I would take tonight and show off my latest banner.

I used some vintage paper ephemera plus some scrapbook paper to make my LOVE banner...

The largest hearts are from a vintage Harper magazine.  The middle pink hearts are from some scrapbooking paper.  The smallest hears are vintage sheet music.  The letters are actually from the Target dollar spot.

I assembled the hearts using some scrapbooking glue then attached them to some pink ric rac using hot glue.

All that was left was to tie it one my DIY tobacco basket....

I have some more posts all about this vignette...so stay tuned!

 Posted at Get Your Craft On on Today's Creative Blog.

Posted at Take a Look Tuesday on Sugar Bee Craft Edition.

Posted at Tip Me Tuesday on Tip Junkie.

Posted at Tutorials and Tips on The Stories of A to Z.
Posted at the V-day party on Hoosier Homemade.
~Thanks for stopping by!~
~Angie~
The Country Chic Cottage  

Read More

Paper Ephemera Feathers #aleenesrocks @ilovetocreate

 I really love to craft with paper.  This time I made a ton of paper feathers while sitting and watching a movie.  Gorgeous sheet music, maps, and more became feathers.  Ready to make some yourself?  My tutorial will show you the easy process (oh so easy!)...

Paper feathers??  Feathers made of paper??  Oh yes!  I first saw the idea here via pinterest (my newest addiction -- follow me here). 

Then before I could make my pin come to life I also saw that Beth with The Stories of A to Z made some also....

I was so ready to see my inspiration come to life!  The great folks with Aleene's sent me some of their dry adhesives.  This was the perfect supply to make some feathers.  So I gathered up tons of ephemera, popped in a movie, and got to work.

Take 2 rectangles of ephemera and make a sandwich.  One sheet paper, a line of dry adhesive up the middle, a piece of floral wire, a line of dry adhesive on top of the wire, then the other sheet of paper.

Cut your ephemera into a feather like shape...

Then cut into the paper towards the middle.  Stop when you hit the wire.  Go up and down both sides.  Get your cuts as close as you can to one another so your feather turns out better.

Take more dry adhesive and a strip of paper and cover the end of the wire if you wish...

So like I said....I made lots...got a little carried away but that is okay!  The dry adhesive was perfect for this project.  Frankly I am hooked.  This is a great alternative when hot glue is not necessary.  Can't wait to make even more projects with my dry adhesive.
  I also took some sheet music and printed christmas phrases on it.  Then made the feathers...

I used tons of different sheet music.  Different sizes, colors, etc.

I think these would look amazing displayed for Christmas or anytime...

And yes I had to take a map and make one with Tennessee on it....

But I didn't stop there.  I started thinking of a way to make more realistic feathers.  I printed this image from the Graphics Fairy.  Once the correct way and once mirrored.

Just cut out the same feather from both the original and the mirrored version.  Then glue them together in the same manner.

Gorgeous feathers that almost look like the real thing....

So now I have a feather collection for decor this holiday season and beyond.  What about you?  Have you ever made feathers from paper?

Many thanks to Aleene's for sending me the product to try out.  All opinions expressed and the project are all mine.  Aleene's dry adhesives are available at Michael's stores or online at Ilovetocreate.com.

 Posted at Transformation Thursday on The Shabby Chic Cottage.

Posted at Show off your Stuff Party at Fireflies and Jellybeans.

Posted at the under $100 party on Beyond the Picket Fence.

Posted at the Open House Party on No Minimalist Here.
Posted at SNS on Funky Junk Interiors.
Posted at the Weekend Wrapup on Tatertots and Jello.
Posted at Sunday Showcase on Under the Table and Dreaming.
~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~
The Country Chic Cottage

Need more great ideas using dry adhesives??  Check out these great blogs...
 

Read More

Sheet Music Christmas Tree

First of all -- the Season 7 auditions for One Month To Win It are up!  So if you want to compete in January -- head on over and link up a project!
Now for a project I worked on over the weekend.  My sheet music Christmas tree...I am a sucker for sheet music -- y'all probably already know that!  So I am in love with this tree...

 

I found this great picture on pinterest and it inspired me to make this one.  Originally from Ready Made.

 I started with my little pedestal bowl turned upside down.  I just used hot glue and can remove the tree later if I want.  You just need some sort of base to build your tree on.

I gathered up tons of sheet music.  Began rolling my pages up into cones.  I started with two cones...

Then 4 cones...

Then I just kept layering them on.  Different sizes, colors, music....

But they all came together beautifully!  See you can still see my pedestal bowl base...

I needed a "skirt" to hide the rest of the base.  So I took a circle of muslin cut to size.  Then hot glued on muslin strips in ruffles...

The cones are in layers but are not perfect by any means.  But they don't need to be perfect...

Make sure the tops sort of come to a point and it will look like a tree...

My tree is TALL.  I didn't measure but I would say over 2 feet tall.

Stay tuned to see where I put this in my home.  I am already working on it and love it!  Have you made any sheet music trees?

Posted at Show and Tell on Blue Cricket Design.

Posted at Whatever Goes Wednesday on Someday Crafts.
Posted at What I Whipped Up Wednesday on Sugar and Dots.
Posted at Good Life Wednesdays on A Beach Cottage.
Posted at the party on Organize and Decorate Everything. 
Posted at DIY Under $5 on A Little Tipsy.
~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~
The Country Chic Cottage

Read More

Doily Christmas Tree

   Time to make that doily tree I showed y'all last week...

It is so super simple!  Gather up your doilies.  I found some cardboard cones at a thrift store.  They look like maybe empty thread spools...

If you can't find anything like that, rolled up kraft paper into cones works just fine...or even roll kraft paper around a styrofoam cone.

 Depending on the size of your cone and doilies, it might take a whole doily or a half doily...

Just wrap the doily around and secure with hot glue or tape....so easy!  Then cut off the excess at the bottom. 

 A thirty second project that you will love.

These have found their way to my mantle.  Which I will be sharing with y'all in a bit.  So stay tuned!

Posted on Met Monday on Between Naps on the Porch.

Posted at Just Something I Whipped up on The Girl Creative.
Posted at the Sunday Showcase on Under the Table and Dreaming.
Since Poinesttias are my fave thing for holiday decor I am going to link these up with the Nester.

~Thanks for stopping by!~
~Angie~
The Country Chic Cottage

Read More

Styrofoam Stak Tree with Sheet Music

This week is Styrofoam week over at One Month To Win It!  Y'all head on over -- there is still time to vote for your favorite project!  So I am taking a time out from my handmade gift series to bring y'all a Styrofoam craft!  Styrofoam has a wonderful stak tree product that is amazing!  It stacks up to be a great big 18 inch high tree.  Wanna see what I did with mine....

Here is a picture of the product in a little bitty box!  Dow Chemical makes Styrofoam and they actually sent me the tree so I could try it out.  That itty bitty box transforms into a tree in a few minutes.

Here are my rings all spread out.  I took silver tissue paper and cut it into wide strips.  I then mod podged it onto each ring.

I used tooth picks to hold up the rings while the mod podge dries...  The tissue paper gets all wrinkly but that was part of my plan...promise!

After all the pieces were covered and dried, just stack them up and you have a tree.  I then sprayed my entire tree with a light coat of Glitter Blast spray paint that Krylon sent me.  Then it was time to decorate. 

I took sheet music and cut it into triangles.  I then sewed them together using my sewing machine.  Making a large long bunting to wrap around my tree.  I used hot glue in a few places to secure it.

On the base, I layed a piece of fuzzy white sweater.  The red bird I got at the dollar tree and the trees were from clearance last year.

For the top, I cut out three stars from sheet music.  Using hot glue, I secured them to the top. 

I got this done, took it outside, took pictures, stood back, looked at it....I think I could have covered this one in aluminum foil and gotten the same effect.  If someone tries that, pretty please send me links or pictures!

Now that I am finished with this project, I am soooo ready to decorate for Christmas!  Ideas are swimming in my head y'all!  I need to get through next week and I will be ready to begin!  What about y'all?  Have you started?  Ready to start but holding off?

Have y'all checked out all the Styrofoam projects on One Month To Win It??  There are some really great projects!  Be sure to click on over!

 Posted at Transformation Thursday on The Shabby Chic Cottage.

Posted at Show off your Stuff Party at Fireflies and Jellybeans.

Posted at the under $100 party on Beyond the Picket Fence.

Posted at the Open House Party on No Minimalist Here.
Posted at SNS on Funky Junk Interiors.
Posted at the Weekend Wrapup on Tatertots and Jello.
Posted at Sunday Showcase on Under the Table and Dreaming.

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~
The Country Chic Cottage

Read More