crafts – Page 2 – Melodrama

DIY 4th of July Sparkler Cupcake Toppers

Published on July 1, 2016July 1, 2016 by KrysLeave a comment

I love the 4th of July. It’s probably my third favorite holiday, and definitely my favorite summer holiday. I love everything about it.I can’t think of a better way to spend a hot summer night than eating hamburgers and blowing things up in the street. It’s just so…American.

The main requirement of Independence Day is that you use as much red, white, and blue themed things as possible. Even foods must be adorned with American flags or patriotic flair or you are doing it wrong. Here’s a fun, easy, and inexpensive little embellishment for your food flair needs.

All you need are a few dollar store items:

White, white, or blue tinsel garland
Double stick tape
Skewers or toothpicks

All you have to do is cut a piece of tape and wrap it around one end of your skewer or toothpick. Then cut 2 inch piece of garland and wrap it around the taped end. Fluff it up so it looks like a firework or a sparkler! (Except this one doesn’t result in 2nd degree burns.)

Stick it on a cupcake or something equally as delicious for ultra Americana cuteness.

Happy 4th of July!

Fabric Decoupaged Portable Record Player \\#fearnomess

Published on May 6, 2016May 7, 2016 by Krys7 Comments

Oh man, I’m so excited to show you guys this project! I have to admit that I’ve had this idea for awhile but was hesitant to go through with it. Decoupage can get messy and sometimes I’m just not in the mood for the daunting task of cleaning up. But thanks to method’s #fearnomess campaign I was inspired to get down and dirty and tackle this decor project that I’ve been putting off for months! I can honestly say I love method and have been using their products for years to help me with prep and clean-up for even my messiest projects, so I jumped at the opportunity to team up with them to inspire you to do the same. Plus the fact that the products are safe, biodegradable, AND smell fantastic can make us feel even better about cleaning up. Did I mention they’re super cute and colorful too?

Now let’s get to the project! I’ve had this white and gold portable record player for a couple of years and although it’s beautiful just as it is, I thought it needed a little makeover to stand out against my white walls. I love colorful patterns and thought this fabric would look amaaaaazing on it…

…and I was right!

Here’s how I did it:

First I cleaned off any dust and grime with my method all-purpose cleaner.

Next, took off any removable hardware and used a brush to apply a layer of fabric decoupage medium.

Then I applied a piece of fabric that was cut to size and laid it evenly on the decoupage medium. I smoothed out any wrinkles and bubbles, pulling the fabric tight around the edges. For the corners I basically used the “hospital corners” technique (like when you’re making a bed).

The metal corner plates weren’t removable so I used an exact I knife to trim around the edges and tucked any excess fabric under the plate. This gave it a nice finish. Plus the decoupage deters any fraying of the fabric and leaves edges looking tidy. Don’t worry about getting the medium on those areas, they clean up well with a spritz of cleaner.

After the lid was done, I repeated the same steps for the bottom (trimming around any other non-removable pieces).

I carefully removed the turntable platter base and tucked the fabric inside, then replaced the panel. Next I cut around the front speakers with an exacto knife and tucked the raw edge in around the speakers. These steps gave it a really clean, finished look.

All that was left was to do was apply a piece of fabric to finish the underside of the lid and to replace any hardware that was removed.

I gave everything a quick wipe down with some cleaner and done!

Cute right??? I’m IN LOVE and so glad I decided to #fearnomess. Now it’s your turn!

This post was sponsored by method products.

DIY Valentine Heart Pins

Published on February 4, 2016February 4, 2016 by Krys1 Comment

Ah, yes, Valentine’s Day. There are those who love it and those who despise it. I personally don’t feel strongly either way, but I think hearts are really cute and I like candy, so V-Day is ok with me. Whether you’re planning on being showered with gifts and candy by your love, or perhaps sitting at home feeling wretched about your love life with your Galentines, these DIY Valentine pins are for you. They’re the perfect way to express your feelings about love, and also make really cute personalized gifts! After all, you have to keep your #pingamestrong.

They’re super easy to make. Here’s how you do it.

You’ll need:

Oven-bake Clay (like Sculpy)
Heart Cookie Cutters (small, various sizes)
Embossing Letters (I used these)
Craft Paint and a fine brush
A gloss sealer like Mod-Podge
Heavy-duty craft/jewelry making adhesive
Pin Backs or Tie Tacks

First you’re going to roll out your clay to about 1/4 inch thick. Then use a small cookie cutter of your choice to cut out a heart shape.

Then you’re going to press your messages into the clay using embossing letters. Bake the stamped shapes according to your clay’s directions.

After the clay is hardened and cooled, use craft paint and a fine brush to outline the letters. You can skip this step, but I like the way it makes the letters pop more and gives them more of a conversation heart look.

Now you’re going to use heavy-duty jewelry making glue to adhere a pin to the back of your heart. Let dry completely before handling.

Once everything is dry you can finish it off with a coat of glossy sealer. I used Mod Podge. It gives a nice finished look.That’s it! Done.

Show me what messages you come up with by tagging @melodramablog on Instagram.

DIY Thanksgiving Wish Bone Plates #12monthsofmartha

DIY Painted Wish Bone Thanksgiving Plates | 12 Months of Martha

Published on November 17, 2015November 18, 2015 by Krys4 Comments

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and it’s time to get cracking on finalizing your table setting details. For me Thanksgiving is the one time, besides weddings I guess, where a proper table setting is an absolute must have. I mean think about it, the entire holiday basically revolves around food and gathering around a dinner table. Your dishes need to be on point.

If you want to add some flair to your holiday table, but don’t want to go out and spend loads of cash on new plates, here’s a fun project for you.

Painted wish bone plates!

You’ll need:
Printer and paper
Basic clear glass plates (I used 7 3/4 inch dessert plates)
Craft Paint (I like Martha Stewart Crafts, it’s oven curable)
Gloss Finish Decoupage Medium

Here’s what you do:

First you need your wish bone shape. You can print the ones I used here. This is scaled to fit 7 3/4 inch dessert plates, but if you want to do larger plates, just scale the image to your desired size. Print and cut out the wish bone shape and use decoupage medium to adhere it to the back of your plate. Cover with another thin layer of decoupage and let dry.

Next, paint over the wish bone and the entire back of the plate. Do a few layers, letting dry between coats. To cure the paint, bake plates at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Turn your oven off and let the plate cool inside of the oven before removing it.

Lastly, to get everything really sealed in, cover the entire back of the plate with gloss decoupage medium and let dry for several hours.

Now you have adorable, custom plates that are safe to eat on and totally washable!

DIY Mini Pumpkin Pie Thanksgiving Drink Stirrers

Published on November 10, 2015November 11, 2015 by Krys4 Comments

There’s nothing I love more than kitschy holiday decorations and cocktail accessories are no exception. What do you think of when you think of Thanksgiving? Pumpkin pie, right? Me too. That’s why I made these adorable mini pumpkin pie drink stirrers for all of the autumnal cocktails I’ve been drinking (specifically this spiced pumpkin pie nog cocktail).

I love making miniature things out of clay. It’s so…therapeutic. These mini pumpkin pies were particularly easy and fun. Here’s how I did it.

What You Need:
Oven-bake Clay (orange, brown or tan, and white)

Plain 6 inch Drink Stirrers

First I cut out triangles out of orange clay. The easiest way to do this was to use a small, sharp knife to cut a 7cm think piece of clay to a 25cm x 20cm rectangle. Then cut it into a triangle.

Mix some brown clay with a little white to get your desired shade of brown for the pie crust. Roll it into a ball and press it out into a 3cm thick disc. Place the orange triangle onto the disc.

Pull up and flute the clay to create the crust.

Then cut the remaining clay off.

Roll white clay into snake-like shapes and spiral it onto itself to make a dollop of whipped cream.

Next, use a cocktail stir to make a hole on the bottom of the clay pie.

Remove the stick and bake at 275 degrees fahrenheit. Using a little super glue, replace the cocktail stick into the pre-made hole.

And that’s it! Adorable, right? I got carried away and made a bunch of these as gifts. Happy drinking!

DIY: Stamped Metal Decanter Tags | 12 Months of Martha

Published on September 22, 2015September 22, 2015 by KrysLeave a comment

I’ve always loved the look of bars with fancy liquor decanters adorned with pretty tags naming what liquors they contain. They always remind me of scenes in TV shows and movies where someone grabs a bottle and aggressively pours a shot of some sort of brown liquor into a glass. Then they either shoot it down or just sort of roll it around in their hands while looking very pensive. It’s very dramatic, and I’m all about drama. It’s also super classy and vintage and I’m all about that too. What I’m trying to say is I like decanters with tags and I wanted to add some of that flair to my bar at home.
I always see decanter tags at flea markets, but I never seem to snatch them up. Probably because they’re either too expensive or they’re not the right style. Recently I added some shelves and revamped my bar, so I picked up some new liquor decanters and decided to DIY some decanter tags using my new Martha Stewart Crafts metalworking tools.

Here’s all you have to do. It’s super simple and it took me less than 20 minutes.

Tools I Used-

Martha Stewart Crafts Metalworking Metallic Sheets
Martha Stewart Crafts Metalworking Alphabets Stamp Kit
Martha Stewart Crafts Metalworking Tool Kit
Martha Stewart Crafts Metalworking Awl

All you have to do is just cut a piece of metal to your desired dimensions and shape. I did a simple rectangle shape. I wanted my piece to be a little thicker, so I simply cut it to twice my desired height. That way I could fold it over and the metal would be doubled for more heft.

Then I simply stamped my letters right into the metal. I used the awl to make the holes for my cord and to deepen any letters that didn’t get stamped deep enough. You can also use the awl to add more detail or filigree if you want.

Simple! Done! Think of all the things you can use this technique for. Gift tags, food labels, etc, etc, etc.

Be sure to check out my other 12 Months of Martha projects and keep up with me and the rest of the #12MonthsofMartha bloggers on Instagram!

DIY: Patrón Bottle Cantina Lights | The Art of Patrón

Published on July 7, 2015August 4, 2015 by Krys3 Comments

Alright, guys. Here’s my last Art of Patrón bottle art contest project. This time I used mini bottles!

All you need for this is a strand of standard string lights and as many mini Patrón bottles as you can muster. Just buy a bunch and keep drinking them until you have enough. It’s a hard job, but somebody has to do it.

Drill a hole straight through the top of the cork, making it just big enough to fit the light through snuggly.

Feed the lights through the cork so only the bulb part is sticking out.

Then just place the cork back in the bottle. These corks are snug as a bug so it should hold nicely.

I didn’t need to use any glue or anything, but feel free if you’re worried about the cork slipping out.

That’s it! Patrón cantina lights perfect for taco night or bar decor.

Feeling inspired to create something with your Patrón bottles? Time is almost up, so if you’re going to enter you better get on it quick! The deadline for entries is July 17th. One lucky winner will win $10,000 and nine runners up will win $1,000! Click here to enter. If you need more inspo and want to see what else I’ve made using my Patrón bottles, click here.

This project was sponsored and made possible by Patrón.

DIY: Paper French Fry Holders | 12 Months of Martha

Published on July 3, 2015August 4, 2015 by Krys1 Comment

So you know those paper french fry holders you get at like every fast food place ever? Is it just me or do they somehow make the fries taste better? In any case, I wanted some to hold fries for our BBQ pool parties and realized the pillow box maker tool I got for 12 Months of Martha would be perfect. Using this tool made it so easy. I just followed the directions as I would to make a pillow box, but made a minor adjustment. I used heavy duty paper to print a design I found on Shutterstock.

See that one side where I used an exacto knife to cut out the curve? That’s it. Then fold it up as usual and fill it with delicious greasy fries.

They’re so cute and fun. You can do this with onion rings and other delicious foods. These are perfect for BBQs and cookouts or picnics or whatever really. Who needs a reason other than they’re cute and they hold delicious food? Not meeee.

DIY: Patron Bottle Cake Stand | Art of Patrón

Published on May 27, 2015August 4, 2015 by KrysLeave a comment

Remember how I told you about The Art of Patron bottle art contest and how Patrón wants you to repurpose their bottles into a piece of art for the chance to win $10,000? Remember how I also told you about me working with them to create a few bottle projects of my own? Well here’s another one of those projects!

This one was actually inspired by a recipe I was working on for coconut lime tequila cake. I always like to decorate and stage my cakes with things that give a hint to what flavors are in them, for instance coconut flakes and lime zest give a hint to some of the flavors in this cake, but what about the tequila? Do I put a shot glass on top? Other than literally sitting a bottle of tequila next to it, I had no idea. Then I thought incorporating the bottle wasn’t such a bad idea at all. I mean these bottles ARE pretty enough to be showcased.

That’s when I had the idea of using a Patròn bottle as the base of a cake stand. I figured the shape is perfect and sturdy enough for it to work, so all I needed was a top. I used a round glass serving plate that I found at Target for $10.

Unlike my last project, this one requires no special tools or cutting. Just some heavy duty glass glue.

All you have to do is glue the plate to the bottle’s top and let it dry. Really the hardest part about it is getting the top to be perfectly center, but pre-marking the center of the plate makes it a snap. That’s all there is to it. You can even fill the bottle with things or paint the inside to add some color if you want.

This stand doesn’t have to be limited to cakes. It also works nicely as an elevated cheese plate, fruit platter, and drink tray.

Inspired yet? Be sure to enter your Patrón bottle art before July 17th. Find out how to enter here.

This project was sponsored by and made possible by Patrón.

DIY: Custom Print DIY Pillow Gift Boxes | 12 Months of Martha

Published on May 21, 2015August 4, 2015 by Krys4 Comments

As you all know by now, I’m participating in Martha Stewart’s “12 Months of Martha” this year. Martha Stewart Living sends me and a handful of other bloggers the latest tools and products from the Martha Stewart Crafts line. We then use those tools to create a new project every month. See what we’re all up to with the hashtag #12monthsofmartha.

This month they sent over the new gift box maker and I LOVE IT. Do you know how many times I’ve needed a random little box for something? Now I can whip one up in seconds. Game changer. There are three sizes in one tool which is also super genius. Bravo MSL, bravo.

I have found that this tool works best with thicker paper and light weight cardboard. Luckily, I always keep a stash of heavier weight printer paper on hand. That way I can print the patterns of my choice without having to go out and buy paper. I told you this is a game changer.

You can find adorable patterns on stock image sites like I did, or you can create your own, and simply print them out on your heavy weight printer paper. The small and medium box templates work perfectly fine with standard letter sized paper.

This tool is really simple to use. You just trace with the stylus to create the fold lines.

Then use the blade to cut out the shape.

Fold it on the scored lines and use double stick tape or glue to seal the edge.

What you end up with are custom DIY pillow boxes that cost pennies to make.

To finish the boxes I used pieces of palm leaves as ribbon and I made paper flowers with left over tissue paper.

These pillow boxes can also be used for things other than gifts. I’m thinking treats, party favors, storage, and more!

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