Mother's Day Card with Detachable Flower Brooch

Mother's Day is coming up, and you know what that means - breakfast in bed, massages, no dishes to clean, and an afternoon of sewing all to myself without someone whining for a snack! At least, that's what I want for Mother's Day. That and a cover stitch machine. A girl can dream, right?

This month's Michael's Makers post is all about celebrations, and I chose to celebrate Mothers. Mother's Day is a wonderful time to give special recognition to the women in our lives with love and appreciation for all that they do, and traditionally that involves giving Mother's Day cards, so I wanted to come up with a card that is more than it seems.

I'm actually not at all a card person at all. I never buy them. I appreciate the gesture, but I personally don't like to buy something that I know will get thrown away almost immediately. This card is different though - it has a detachable brooch that Mom can wear! I love that I am able to give a card that says all the wonderful things I want to say to my Mom, but has the bonus of something she can wear to show my love too.

SUPPLIES: cardstock in 2 colors (one for the card and one for the rose), vellum paper, jewelry pin, foam adhesive craft circles, paper trimmer, scissors, hot glue, craft glue.

Making The Rose:

ONE: first, use a bowl or something else circular to trace and cut out a circle from your pink card stock.
TWO: you can draw a swirl on your circle or just freehand it like I did. Start on the outer edge and cut a swirl until you reach the middle.
THREE: leave a little circle in the middle of your rose (we will use this to apply glue to hold your rose in place later.)
FOUR: here's what your rose should look like so far!

FIVE: starting at the outside edge, begin to tightly roll your rose.
SIX: keep rolling...
SEVEN: when you reach the center of your rose, it should look like this.
EIGHT: poke your pin through the center of your rose as shown.
NINE: cut a small circle from your card stock and apply it over the base of your pin. Secure with hot glue over the flat part of your pin.
TEN: allow your rose to uncoil slightly. Put a generous amount of hot glue at the center of your rose to secure in place.

Assembling the Card:

ONE: cut a piece of vellum to size. I made mine as long as my card, but left a couple of inches at the top and bottom.
TWO: secure the vellum to your card using crafting glue (don't go crazy with the glue or you will get lots of wrinkles! Trust me on that one ;) Allow your card to dry.

THREE: poke a hole through the top layer of your card using another pin (or something similar) where your rose will go. 
FOUR: insert your rose through your card and secure on the inside with the back of your pin.



FIVE: cut out your M's (I used my Silhouette Cameo for this, but you can buy or cut your letters by hand.) Place your foam adhesive dots on the back of your letter.
SIX: peel off the backing and attach your M's on either side of your rose.

SEVEN: finally, I tied a piece of ribbon in a bow and hot glued it to the front to complete the card.

Now fill your card with lots of love about Mom...

...and on top of your sweet words in your handmade card, Mom will have a detachable brooch that she can wear with pride on Mother's Day! That's my kind of card.

I hope you enjoy! The rose is so easy to make, you could even get the kids into it and make a card for Grandma. Happy Mother's Day!

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Easy Tassel Necklace

I love simple necklaces - the danglier the better! It really doesn't take much to add a pop of color to an outfit, and it doesn't have to be complicated. You can keep your chunky statement necklaces, I'll take a simple suede tassel necklace like this one any day (especially when they're this easy to make!)
 
I love the look of leather tassel necklaces like this one at Anthropologie, but I don't love the price tag. I had a bunch of suede leftover from my knotted suede bracelet project, so I decided to whip up a tassel necklace with some of the leftover. These are easier than most leather necklaces I've seen (since you're basically just stuffing a bunch of suede in a cap end) so you have no excuse not to make one. And, if you're looking for a gift for Mom on Mother's Day, this would be perfect!

 

SUPPLIES: I found most of my supplies at Wal-Mart and Hobby Lobby, but Etsy is also a great resource for craft supplies. You will also need chain, a small jump ring, scissors, wire cutters and round nose pliers for this project.

ONE: cut 5 strands of suede cord (or more depending on the size of end cap you have) 5 inches long and bunch together as shown in the picture above.

TWO: fill your end cap with E-600 glue and insert the folded parts of your cording into the cap securely. Let dry according to the instructions on the tube.

THREE: insert 1 seed bead on your eye pin, then add a decorative bead followed by a second seed bead.

FOUR: Loop the end of your eye pin over the nose of your pliers close to your seed bead, then wrap the wire around a couple of times and snip off any extra. (Not shown) open the other side of your eyepin some and thread on your end cap. Use a jump ring to attach the other end to your chain.

And that's it. Classy, and SO easy to make. I just love mine and can't wait to make more in different colors.

CRAFT: Artsy Mini Tote

I have another fun Mother's Day/teacher gift for you today that's SO simple and endlessly customizable! If you read my previous project for The Little Things Purse, I'm not into big, bulky purses. In fact, I carried my wallet, phone, and other essentials around with me in my pockets until just a few years ago - it wasn't pretty. I broke down and gave into the fact that purses are not only essential for carrying valuables, they're really pretty too!

This mini tote is made of canvas and leather and is unlined (but it could be lined easily.) By using transfer paper and pictures of some famous masterpieces, I was able to take this bag from blah to beautiful! I made 2 - one for my mom and another for my mother-in-law - and now I'm really wishing I would've made one for myself (didn't I learn anything from our Made It for Me series??)

Grab some supplies and make some for your mom, grandmother, mother-in-law or treat yourself to a new bag!

SUPPLIES: fabric transfer paper (I used Transfer Magic, which I found in Hobby Lobby I think?), two 9x11.5in pieces of canvas fabric or other heavy fabric, two 17x1in strips of 5-7oz leather + scraps, printer, sewing machine and heavy duty needle, pinking shears.

Preparation:

ONE: first, cut out your pieces. You'll need to cut out 2 straps for your leather measuring 1 inch wide by 17 inches long. Also cut out 4 small pieces of leather big enough to cover the raw edges of your straps.
TWO: find images of famous masterpieces online that you like (Google is good for this!) I chose 2 paintings by Monet: "Woman with the Parasol" and "Water Lilies." Use paint, Photoshop, or a similar photo editing program to make your images 8.5 inches across by 11 inches wide (the size of a standard sheet of paper.) Make sure to mirror your image so when you transfer them to your canvas they won't be backwards (I forgot to do this with the "Woman with the Parasol" image above. Follow the instructions on your transfer paper to iron them onto your canvas, leaving 1/2 inch borders around the edges for seam allowance.

Assembling Your Bag:

ONE: first, fold your long leather strips in half wrong sides together (wst) and finger press down the middle.
TWO: measure one inch down (this is where you will begin sewing.)
THREE: make sure you switch to a heavy duty needle for your leather straps, and sew down the bottom edge of your straps (wst), stopping 1 inch before the end. Repeat for second strap.
FOUR: measure over approximately 1 inch down and 1 inch from the side of your purse and mark. Place the raw edge of your leather strap to the front of your bag according to your measurement, and stitch down to secure.
FIVE: here is how your bag should look so far with your straps sewn to the front.
SIX: repeat steps 4 and 5 to attach your second handle to the back panel of your bag.
SEVEN: now to hem the top of your bag, fold down 1/4 inch, then fold down another 1/4 inch and pin. Do not iron! This will melt your image.) Using a regular needle and thread, sew across the top to hem. Repeat to hem the top of the back panel.
EIGHT: switch back to your heavy duty needle and place your small leather scraps over the raw edge of each of your strap ends. Sew all the way around to secure.
NINE: place the front and back panels of your purse right sides together and sew the sides and bottom. Clip corners and use pinking shears to cut excess fabric around the sides and bottom, then turn inside out.

Admire your beautiful mini tote bag! I think the Water Lilies is my favorite; I just love all the beautiful colors (and hopefully my mother-in-law does too :)

The bag is perfect for carrying your essentials, as well as a few extra things. And, coincidentally, the bag is the perfect size for toting around an iPad or small laptop (just make sure to line and pad it and add a snap.)

I hope your loved ones like their new bags too :) If you make one, I'd love to see a picture!

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CRAFT: Faux Stamped Necklaces (Using Vinyl)

**Edited 11/4/13: I've had some requests for the Silhouette file I used to get the sizing of the names right. I've included a link for the downloadable Silhouette Studio file HERE (only available in Silhouette Studio format.) These are the dimensions that worked for me. If you have different size washers than the ones I specified below, you may need to resize the circles and wording.**

When my daughter was born, I wanted to buy a cute personalized necklace to celebrate her birth. I loved all the stamped necklaces out there, but I felt like I could probably make something similar for less. The problem was, I don't own a metal stamping kit (although it's still on my list of wants!) Instead, I broke out my Silhouette Cameo and vinyl and came up with these cute faux stamped pendants!

These necklaces have the look of the expensive stamped jewelry, but they can be personalized however you want - and they make a great Mother's Day gift! (Think about how special it would be to give Grandma a personalized necklace with the names of her grandchildren on it.) You need a craft cutter (like the Cameo or Silhouette), a few jewelry findings and other supplies but believe me, it's worth it. This project is a go-to gift for grandparents, first time parents and everyone in between.

SUPPLIES: 2 sizes of washers found at any hardware store: 1 fender washer 1/4x1inch, 1 flat washer 1/2 cpack (these were the names and dimensions of the ones at my hardware store, but you can use whatever size you prefer), round nose pliers, wire cutters (not shown), Silhouette or Cameo craft cutter, black adhesive vinyl and transfer paper, thin chain (the smaller the better), findings: jump ring, head pins, and closure, crystals, Diamond Glaze.

Before You Begin:
First, you'll need to measure your washers to determine how big your wording needs to be. Open the Silhouette Studio, and create 2 circles slightly smaller than the size of your washers.

ONE: choose the type tool and type out the names that you want on your pendants (names of the parents or grandparents will go on the large washer and the names of the children on the small washer.) Stick to a simple font and type in caps for ease of cutting (I used Arial.) Also, you can use a small heart shape to separate the names of the children like I did.
TWO: as you type, you'll see a little circle with a plus in it to the left of the text (see picture above.) Click on the circle and drag the wording into the circle. The text will conform to the shape of the circle.
THREE: repeat for larger circle.

Creating Your Vinyl Wording:

ONE: use your Silhouette to cut out your wording on the black vinyl.
TWO: place your transfer paper on top of your black vinyl and press well. Peel your transfer paper upward to lift your letters. Note: you could peel up the vinyl to expose the letters first, but I found this method to be easier since the letters are so tiny and they tend to stick to the vinyl when peeled.
THREE: after you've transferred your wording to the transfer paper, use tweezers or your hook tool to weed out any small pieces of vinyl in your lettering.
FOUR: very carefully place your transfer paper on top of your washer (make sure they're clean first!) and press down evenly. Remove your transfer paper to see your transferred wording. If needed, you can use tweezers to adjust your letters some if they're a little wonky.
FIVE: seal your pendant with a coat of Diamond Glaze. Outline the washer on the outside and inside hole, then fill in with additional glaze. If there are any bubbles, put a lighter close to the surface of the glaze and they will pop. Let dry according to the directions on the bottle.
SIX: after your washers have dried, measure out the length you want your necklace to be and cut your chain to length. Stack your smaller washer on top of the larger one, then fold your chain in half and insert the loop through your washers as shown above. Lace the tails through the loop, then attach your closure at the ends of your chain.

Making Your Charms:
The charms are optional, but they add an extra special detail to the necklace by indicating the gender of the children on the pendants. Plus, they add a little bling :)

ONE: insert a crystal onto a head pin.
TWO: grasp the head pin a few millimeters above your crystal and make a loop by wrapping the wire around the side of your round nose pliers. Use your fingers to wrap the tail of the wire several times around your charm. Clip excess with your wire cutters, and attach to your necklace with a medium jump ring.

And now you have a beautiful, personalized necklace! This one below was made to celebrate the birth of my brother's first baby.

And of course I had to make one for myself. Now I have the special necklace that I've always wanted to celebrate my children! I've already made several of these for friends and family and they love them.

Have fun making one for your mother (or yourself!)
P.S. Thanks to the folks at the Silhouette blog for previewing this project!

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