Friday, September 30, 2011

Alphabet Set


Alphabet sets are fun ways to teach kids their letters, and learn to spell words. Our design team member Mae Armstrong created an alphabet set for her niece for Christmas. Impressively, Mae makes all her family's Christmas gifts! Here's a step-by-step on how to create this adorable and useful project. 


Here is what you need:





  1. PSA Essentials "Vanilla" Peel and Stick Stamp Set
  2. PSA Essentials Stamp Tool
  3. PSA Essentials Stamp Setter
  4. PSA Essentials Black Stamp Pad
  5. 1-3/8 " Circle Puncher
  6. 1 1/2" Wooden Disc (26)
  7. Card Stock Paper (Used orange to match my retro fabric)
  8. Modge Podge Glue & Brush
  9. Natural Twine
  10. Retro Fabric (Amy Butler)

Mae suggests stamp each letter as a set to minimize confusion. It makes organizing much simpler when you do it that way.   
Use the 1-3/8" circle punch and center each letter inside the hole and punch away. 



Here's the first set:



Keep going and complete the second and third sets. Mount each card on the 1 1/2" wooden disc. Lay them out before applying the glue.






Brush the back of your card stock with glue and place it on top of the wooden disc. Then brush a light coating to secure. This step also adds a nice matte finish on top of each letter. Let it dry for a few hours.





Mae made a simple drawstring bag to hold the letters in. She used the cute retro fabric (from Amy Butler's fabric line) and natural twine (Target find from last year). She used laser jet friendly fabric sheets and typed up "Cate's Alphabet Set", trimmed and sewed all the sides down. 





This was linked up to Transformation Thursdays at The Shabby Creek Cottage! 

The Shabby Creek Cottage


Thursday, September 29, 2011

Chalk Board Calendar DIY Tutorial


If you are like me or our new design team member Angie Holden, you like to be organized. But organization isn't always fun, which is why it's great to make it fun! Angie created this magnetic chalkboard calendar using a little imagination and PSA Essentials Peel & Stick stamps. Here's how to go about doing it!


Materials Needed (for calendar):
  • Frame
  • Sheet of metal cut to size for your frame (example is 20 inches by 24 inches)
  • Metal Cleaner
  • Metal Primer
  • Chalkboard Paint
  • Spray Paint for frame
  • Chalk Markers

Let's walk through it, step-by-step:

1)  First take your metal piece and clean it really well.  Engine cleaner for cars work well or anything that is made to clean metal.  Rinse it really well and follow all package directions.


2)  Next paint one side of your metal piece with one coat of primer plus two to three coats of chalkboard paint.  Again follow all directions on your paint.  Chalkboard paint generally has to cure for 24 hours before use so please be aware of that.


3)  The frame can be new or from a thrift store.  Example uses a spray primer plus paint in one in Sky Blue.  Paint whatever color you choose.  You can use a brush and regular paint instead if that is what you have.

4)  After the chalkboard paint has cured, be sure to follow the directions on the paint for conditioning it.  Generally you rub chalk all over your surface and clean it back off.

5)  Find chalk markers at your local craft store - they come in white or fluorescent colors.  Chalk markers only come off when they get wet.  This makes them perfect for a calendar.   


6)  Used a ruler or another straight edge for your lines.  Calculate so that your calendar is roughly centered and the squares are all the same size.  Be sure your magnets will fit inside your squares.  Leave an area for your month and days of the week.  Plus add your numbers to the squares.  Remember at the end of the month, you just use water to wipe off and you can draw on a new month.



 
Materials needed (for magnets):
  • 1 1/2 inch wood circles or metal washers (pictures of both below)
  • Paint (craft paint or spray paint)
  • Scrapbook paper
  • Mod Podge
  • PSA Essentials stamps and ink
  • Self adhesive magnets

A combination of the PSA Mom's Calendar and the PSA Date Night Peel & Stick stamps were used.  For the first set of magnets, we are going to use the wood circles.  This is an example of a pack from the craft store.


1)  Paint the edges of your wood circles with craft paint (you could also just spray paint the entire circle).  Use paint colors that match the scrapbook paper you are going to use.


2)  Trace your circles onto the craft paper and cut out.


3)  Using various colors of ink, stamp your paper circles with your PSA stamps.  Again matching your paper to the paint used on the circles.


4)  Layer on a few coats of mod podge.


5)  Once dry, add your magnet to the back using the self adhesive provided with the magnet.
 The Dare to Dream set can also be used for magnets.


Metal washers from the hardware store were used and spray painted yellow.


Then just follow the steps up above to make your magnets...
Magnetic clips were added to the chalk board to hold chalk.  Chalk can be used to write on the calendar during the month without disturbing the chalk marker lines.


Ta-da! You have a great magnetic chalk board!



  What fun!  This post was posted to Mad In Crafts: Mad Skills Party



Also posted to Hope Studios






 

 

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

DIY Mommy Cards Tutorial


Earlier this month, I showed ideas for mommy calling cards. I polled our readers and the response to this trend was a majority in favor! So here's a step-by-step tutorial to create them.  

Our designer Mae Armstrong is a new proud mom of twins who are entering the toddler phase. As the boys get older, Mae spends a good bit of time as their playdate booking agent. Because she's crafty and on board with this new trend, she created playdate cards using PSA Rocket Peel & Stick Stamps! She started here using these supplies:



  1. PSA Essentials "Rocket" Peel and Stick Stamp Set
  2. PSA Essentials Stamper
  3. PSA Essentials Alignment tool
  4. PSA Essentials Black Ink Pad
  5. 1-3/8 " Circle Puncher
  6. Tag Puncher
  7. Coordinating Card Stock Paper
  8. Aqua Divine Twine
  9. Embroidery Needle (to thread the twine through the paper accents)


Step 1: Use a MicrosoftWord business card template to enter the information. (Click here for one: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT010104309.aspx) Play with your fonts to make it really creative. Print them out and set aside.



Step 2: Stamp away! Stamp a few from your stamper,  making sure you have enough for the number of cards you want to create. For this one, Mae used 4 stamps per card.





Step 3: Use the 1-3/8 " circle puncher and center the artwork and punch out six designs. Use the tag puncher to add holes on each side of the circle and pull twine through using a embroidery needle or you can eye ball it if you like.





Step 4: Remove the middle design and use the outer circle and stamp randomly around the card.




Step 5: Attach the circles in the middle of the card suspended like a tiny banner






Step 6: Once all six designs are complete, punch two holes on the card and pull the tails through the card hole. Secure all six circles and arrange them before you secure your twine in the back of the card. The circle pieces might not lay flat - no worries use a craft tape to secure your design.



And the finished product:






How fun is that? Simple to do and you're sure to make a crafty impression!




Don't forget to checkout Blooming Babies this week, as we share ideas for Mom's and kids all week long! Get 10% off all PSA Essentials including custom stamps which are already on sale. This makes Blooming Babies THE place to buy your custom stamp right now. Enter code psabloghop1 and this offer is good until 10/6.





You can also win $25 worth of Usborne Books – great educational books for kids! Here's how: Like Blooming Babies on Facebook and leave a comment. http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Blooming-Babies/117544064989612. For an additional entry, follow Blooming Babies on Twitter. http://twitter.com/#!/usbornebooksmom

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Memory Game for Kids


Molly received a memory game for her birthday and it will be great for her in a few months. There are all types on the market but for all those crafty ones, how about a DIY project instead of buying one? Try this adorable one using PSA Essentials Little Bunny Peel & Stick stamps, wooden scrap blocks, and colored pencils by our contributor Jamie Smith for C.R.A.F.T.






Jamie started by stamping various characters from Little Bunny – the adorable elephant, the dog, the bunny…. I love them all. (See the entire pack: http://www.psaessentials.com/psaoriginals.htm) Then she colored them up and shaded them to give them dimension. She used her 2" inch circle punch and adhered to wooden blocks.


When they are all done, lay them out on the table and start playing!






It's a fun project for kids and adults alike and it is super simple to create! Tada!





This week we are sharing ideas geared towards kids and families – something that our retailer, Blooming Babies is all about. Blooming Babies sells educational toys and books, gear for mealtime, playtime, clothing and stuff for mom's – including PSA Essentials. This week, get 10% off all PSA Essentials including custom stamps which are already on sale. This makes Blooming Babies THE place to buy your custom stamp right now. Enter code psabloghop1 and this offer is good until 10/6.




You can also win $25 worth of Usborne Books – great educational books for kids! Here's how: 
  1.  Like Blooming Babies on Facebook and leave a comment.  
  2.  For an additional entry, follow Blooming Babies on Twitter. 


 

Monday, September 26, 2011

1st Birthday Party


My god daughter Owsley Gammon turns 1 tomorrow, and to celebrate this milestone, her mom and PSA Stamp Camp design team member Susan DeLano crafted their hearts out and threw an amazing party! The party was held at the Sandbox Children's Museum on Hilton Head. With 12 kids under the age of 3 with their parents in attendance, it was madness – but a total blast!





Susan designed and sewed a nautical flag banner that spells "Owsley" (Tutorial coming next week). She also sewed together blue and white streamers, which they hung from the ceiling. I love how when sewn together, they ruffle! They are so festive and added a whole new dimension to the room.




Using a combination of Owsley's personalized PSA Essentials stamp, Anchors Aweigh and Vanilla Peel & Stick stamps, Ashley and Susan created sailor party hats, favor bags, and CD's. The CD is a mix for the parents – adult songs that remind Ashley and Rick of Owsley. It's a great mix! And we love the party favors – they are personalized Orbitz bottle/sippy cup labels. No more mixing up cups at play dates and at school!





The kids played in all the exhibits of the museum for an hour or so, then it was time to sing! Owsley devoured her giant sandcastle cake (though not as agressively as her sister did at her first birthday!) Don't you think Owsley is a perfect mixture of Ashley & Rick? Happy 1st Birthday Owsley! 




This was posted to 30 Handmade Days Link Party! 

30 Handmade Days