Thursday 15 August 2013

A Sneak Peak of More Tutorials Coming Soon!

Over the next few months I will be adding more tutorials of the craft we have done
at our previous Ladies Craft Nights and Ladies Retreats at our church.  There isn't any order
to the way I will be posting the craft tutorials, so if you see one that really interests you,
make sure to comment and let me know.  Give us a shout out if you like what you see!!
 
Check out the following pictures for a sneak peak of what tutorials will be added (plus many more):
 
Claypot Scarecrows


Claypot Windchimes




Easter Bunny Candy Dish




Egg Hunt Here Sign




Elf Christmas Ornaments




Hanging Note Board




 



Stamped Candles




Stamped Canvas Photo Holder




Wooden Snowman Family




XOXO Valentine's Sign
 









 

 
 
 
 
 

Pop Bottle Bird Feeders


These Pop Bottle Bird Feeders are super cute and super fun to make!  The color possibilities are endless and it was such fun to see what the ladies came up.  The finished pictures above were our demos that we made up to promote the craft at church. 

 

Supplies Needed:

- 2 Litre Coke Bottles (we found the Coke bottle worked the best, it had the perfect hourglass shape)
- Acrylic Paint (we used the bottles from the dollar store)
- Paint Brushes
- 1" Foam Brushes
- Sharp Scissors
- Brads (the type they use for cardmaking)
- Single Hole Punch
- Raffia
- Accents (we used heart shaped buttons)
- Twine
- Can of waterproof paint sealer spray (we used the Krylon brand)
- Glue Gun
- Drill and drill bit

How To:

1.  Using your scissors cut away the middle section of the pop bottle.  See picture below for the approximate amount to cut away.  It does not have to be exact, if you want a shorter feeder than cut more out and if you want a taller feeder than cut less out.





2. Drill a small hole through the middle of the bottle cap.  The hole needs to be big enough for the twine to fit through, but not too big because you need to know the twine and not have it pull through the hole.

3. In the bottom section of the bottle, cut an opening as big or as small as you'd like for the door of the feeder.  Using your foam brush, paint the bottom part of the feeder.  The amount of layers you need to paint on will depend on the color you choose.  The pink we chose only needed two layers, but the blue needed four layers to cover the streaks.  Make sure to let each layer completely dry before adding another layer.  Next paint the top part of the bottle...don't forget to paint the bottle cap!



4.  Once the paint for the bottom of the bottle is completely dry, take your hole punch a punch a hole at the top of the bottle bottom, about 2" in on each side of the door opening (see picture below).  Now take the top part of your bird feeder and place it on the bottom.  Mark a spot on the top of the feeder so that you can punch it with the hole punch.  Make sure you mark it properly so that it lines up with the holes you punched in the bottom of the feeder.



5.  Take your twine (roughly a 3' long piece) and thread one end into the inside of the bottom section of the pop bottle and tie in a double knot.  With the same end of your twine, "stitch" it through the top section of the pop bottle.  Run your twine through the top and stitch the other side together and fasten it with a double knot.  Now take your twine and push it through the top of the bird feeder, through the bottle cap.  The long loop that is sticking out is your hanger.  This was incredibly hard to explain, I hope the pictures below better explain it!







 
6.  Take your hole punch tool and punch holes on each side of the door opening and at the back of the feeder.  Thread your brads through and spread them apart to tighten them up.  These are an extra way to reinforce the feeder and nice a decorative touch depending on the type of brad you use.  The brads we used were about a 1/4" circles.





7.  Once the brads are in place and you have finished adding all your decorative paint touches, take it outside and give it three good coats of spray with your can of waterproof sealer.  This spray is pretty potent, so definitely do this part outdoors.

8.  Now you can add your raffia and any embellishments you wish to add.

9.  Fill it with birdseed and hang it outside for the birds to enjoy!

Side Note:  After we completed these we thought that next time we made them, we would add a wooden dowel through it (just drill a hole the size of the dowel you choose under the door and through the back).  The dowel would make a great perch for the birdies!!

 


BEST FRIENDS AND A CRAFTY IDEA!

 Welcome to our new blog: Creative Craft Nights!

 
We are Tania & Tina and we've been best friends for 14 years!  We have been crafting together for nearly all of those years.  We also attend the same church.  Four years ago we had an idea of starting a Ladies Craft Night at our church as a way to bring ladies together, where they could relax, chat with other ladies and of course...CRAFT! 
 
Our church was small at the time, roughly 60 people a Sunday.  We planned like crazy for our first craft night!  We decided to make a Thanksgiving Candle Centerpiece.  It would be on a Saturday afternoon and we had over 20 people sign up to say they would be coming.  We were EXCITED!!  We bought all the supplies, prepped the kits, bought yummy desserts and when Saturday afternoon came we waited at the church for our crafters.  Only two ladies showed up.  We were discouraged after all that hard work getting prepared.  Well, we held our heads up high and decided we will try it one more time with a entirely different strategy.  Guess what?!  That new strategy worked and our Ladies Craft Night has become a big success!!  We will be kicking off our 5th year of craft nights in September 2014.  In the past 4 years we have seen over 150 different women attend craft nights, made over 20 different craft and developed many new, incredible friendships.
 
This blog is a way for us to share with others who are looking for ideas of crafts to do with groups of ladies.  We will write about each craft we have done, with step by step instructions and pictures to help you with your craft night!  We will also explain how we organize each night and share with you what has and has not worked for us.