Nothing of Note

I've been staying busy it's just that nothing has quite seemed blog-worthy.

I've been doing a lot of trial and error...

I've been firmly encamped in Wedding land.  I've got 2 weddings coming up, of course one they're only a week apart.  I've been helping one commitment-phobe bride decide on decor while gently directing another bride's cabal of helpers with planning.

 

I have a sneaking suspicion this stamp won't make the final cut as part of a favor idea...

I've added a crafty touch to a baby gift.

Yea, I realize that a bib with a tie isn't very practical...but it's cute damn-it!

A birthday gift has received a Royal make-over.

Then there are the work related projects that I seem to find.

I'm the company's Blood Drive sponsor which means I coordinate getting people signed up and keeping track.  So I've decided to use themes for each drive.

I send out a quirky e-mail so the employees at least look at it before deleting it...
And then I create thank you gifts for the employees that donate as a way to keep them coming back!  The theme helps keep me on track ... and makes someone realize why there is an egg cookie and a rubber chicken on their desk!

This month's theme was 'I'm No Chicken, I Donated!' which I pulled from the Blood Alliance's Newsletter celebrating their 70th year in operation.  

The thank-you gift was an egg-shaped sugar cookie adorned with a tiny rubber chicken.

 I'll be off for a few days so hopefully I'll have something fun to report soon!

Dollar Store = True Love

So Iron Craft Challenge #4 has continued to escape me since it has rained or been ridiculously windy every weekend and I have to spray paint as part of my project.

But with challenge # 5 I knew exactly what I wanted to do!

I had just come across these sparklies at the Dollar Tree.

A friend of mine gave me a little owl plaque for a wedding gift.  For Valentine's I hung that on my front door.
It also gave me the idea for Iron Craft Challenge #5.  St. Paddy's day decidedly needed some dressing up too. 

I did not just want to slap those shamrocks on a wreath, it needed something a little different.  I dug around for some ideas and then it hit me.  A claddagh ring seemed like a nice fit for my St. Patrick's day wreath.  Those fancy shamrocks would give my ring some bling!

Here Is What I used:

1 willow wreath - from the dollar store
1-2 spools of wide white ribbon - from the dollar store or on hand (Amount depends on the size of your wreath)
2 packages of foam shamrocks - from the dollar store (more if you have a large wreath)
1 package of foam sheets - from the dollar store

or
1 Sheet of Yellow Foam, 1 Sheet of Tan or Brown Foam, 1 Sheet of Green
Glue - either on hand or from the dollar store

Tape (optional) to help hold the small pieces together
Ribbon to hang the wreath (I used curling ribbon) - on hand or from the dollar store
An overhead projector sheet or a piece of cardboard/cardstock

How I Built the Claddagh Wreath:

I wrapped my wreath in the white ribbon.  I cut pieces for the Claddagh itself from the foam after drawing out a template on paper.  Which ended up being a good plan as I had to finesse some of the sizes to make sure the pieces fit each other.

Once I fitted the Claddagh foam pieces together, I realized I couldn't just attach each piece and expect it to hold shape.  I taped them in the configuration I was looking for with masking tape first.  That wasn't gonna do it on it's own.

So after some brainstorming I decided to glue the pieces in the configuration to an overhead transparency.  If you cannot find a transparency (try a copy store or a college bookstore to buy individual transparency sheets), then you can use cardstock or cardboard and cut around the foam pieces leaving a backing to give it support.

While the Claddagh piece was drying, I laid out my shamrocks in a few posible layouts.  Now that my wreath is done, I liked an earlier layout more because I used more shamrocks.  But it was pointed out that the shamrocks lost their shape when there were too many layered together.  So lay everything out first before you break out the glue!

I used sticky back velcro to stick the shamrocks and the claddagh to the wreath just in case I want to use the plain white wreath for something else.  After I lined everything up I tied on the green curling ribbon to hang the wreath by.

There you have it a St. Patrick's Day Claddagh Wreath 'ala the Dollar Store!