Upcycle Blog Hop

This has been one of my most favorite hops that I've been a part of. I LOVE upcycling projects! What better way to push and test your creativity and try new things? I had so many ideas for this one that I had to narrow it down to a few. For this post, at least. I'll post the other projects I did over the next few days.

If you came here from Tanya's blog, http://www.ScrappyScavenger.wordpress.com/,  then you're in the right place. If not, go there and start there. Mine is the second blog in the hop. :D

I apologize in advance for the poor quality of photography! I was hoping for a sunny day to use the natural light, but it was SO overcast and rainy, so I just had to suck it up and make do. The lighting in my apartment is TRULY horrible, it hurts my photographer heart. ;)

So the first project is one I've been wanting to try for a while, but haven't had the guts to. My mom bought me a china plate from the thrift store a few months ago, specifically for this project. But it just goes against the grain to BREAK something like a china plate. So it's taken me until now to work it up to take a hammer to it.

As a plate, it really wasn't all that great, so I don't know what my problem was. lol!! Not my style for China.

I took some adhesive backed copper foil and wrapped it around the edges:

 

Paint the copper with flux. Then take a coil of solder and a soldering iron. Heat the end of the solder coil with the iron tip. A dob of solder will melt onto the tip. Paint it along the copper like a paintbrush. Hold the china piece with clamps, to avoid burns. Then, once you've soldered all the way around, apply flux to one side of two jump rings. Paint a little more flux onto the spots you want to attach the jump rings. Grab some more solder with your iron and holding the jump ring with another clamp next to where you painted the solder onto the china piece, apply the solder to the jump ring. The flux tells the solder where to go. Solder will only apply to where there is flux. 

Once it's cooled, wipe off the flux and polish the solder with a soft cloth. Then, to add a little decoration to it (and to cover the funny bottom corner), I adhered two flower cabachons with some Glossy Accents.

Then just add a chain and you have a fun, truly unique jewelry piece!


My next project was a little more simple. I've been wanting to make something to hold the kids artwork. I hate having things cluttered on the fridge with magnets, but I definitely wanted to be able to display their creativity. Believe me, they have it in bounds! I found 4 clipboards at the thrift store for 50¢ each. I had some leftover paper from My Mind's Eye's Stella & Rose collection. Seriously one of my favorites of theirs!

I used a strip showing the backside of each paper to cover the space at the bottom that didn't get covered by the first piece I glued down. All I did was cut the paper 9" across. It was leftover paper from another project. I'm not sure what the length was. lol! But it left about an inch and a half at the bottom of the clipboards. I just cut a notch out of the top to accomodate the clippy part of the clipboard and Mod Podged it to the board. Can't wait to add some of the kids' artwork to it!

I'm really excited about my last project! I wanted to create a little reading nook for my daughter in her room. My older brother describes her perfectly when he says she's like a Disney Princess, and when you meet her you expect to see woodland creatures following her around doing her bidding. lol! She needs some type of canopy in her room! She has a 4 post bed, but it's not built for a canopy. SO. I found an old lampshade at the thrift store and thought it would make the perfect base for this canopy! Now, this is a NO SEW project! It's all hot glue my friends. You're welcome. ;)

I took 1.5 yards of linen and hot glued it in pleats around the top of the lampshade. Then I took the quatrefoil patterned fabric and glued it in pleats down the front. Glue the linen to cover the rough edges of the quatrefoil. I cut strips of black netting and gathered it around the top and the base where the linen fabric left an opening and glued it down.

Then I cut a "starter cut" randomly around the bottom edges of the linen and ripped it up to the base of the lampshade. I liked the wild, rough, unfinished look this gave it. I think it made it more whimsical. I took strips of coordinating brocade, polka dot and striped fabric and tied them randomly around the linen strips for some color and more whimsical fun. It's hard to see in the badly lit photos, but I also glued a floor length of shiny, glittery cream netting that will hang down around a comfy chair.

Now I just need to hit the thrift store again and find the perfect comfy chair! I've always wanted to try my hand at refinishing a chair! :D

I can't wait to post my other projects I've been working on!!

Thank you SO MUCH for stopping by! I really appreciate having you here! Next up is Janice at http://www.cricutconfessions.com/ Have so much fun!! And check out the other hop I am a part of this weekend, the 50 States Blog Hop. There are some fun projects and fantastic prizes up for winning!

-Brie

50 States Blog Hop - UTAH!

Welcome to the 50 States Blog Hop!!

Welcome to the 50 States Blog Hop! This hop was inspired by our host Shawnee's journey across the United States as she traveled with her family to their new home, and I am SO excited to be a part of such an incredible hop. The work that has gone into coordinating this hop is just beyond my comprehension, and I feel honored to be a part of it.

If you've hopped along from WYOMING, with Theresa, then you are in the right place!! If you are just joining me from your dashboard or happened along from somewhere else, please be sure to CLICK HERE to start with the first state in the union, Delaware, because you won't want to miss out on any of the fun (or any of the blog candy!!)...

There is an AMAZING Grand Prize Package for one LUCKY hopper (winner chosen by Rafflecopter)!!  To be entered to win, please do the following:

• Visit each state and leave a comment on each project (simply follow the links provided below)
• Like Blessed on the Bright Side and Handmade By Lisa FB Pages.

So what's the Grand Prize???
Cricut Cartridge - Destinations, beautiful handmade flowers from Shannon at Creative Chaos Flowers, and a $20 Gift Certificate to Scraptastical Kreations.
Now on to my state and my project....

Now, on to the project I created to represent UTAH.

Utah is known for a great many things. I've lived here my whole 27 years, and have found so many things to love about it. 4 very distinct seasons, you can travel an hour or two in any direction and get a completely different landscape from the mountains, to lakes, to desert to strange rock formations, such as Goblin Valley. But, the one thing we're most known for (aside from Mormonism, and no, polygamy is not a part of Mormonism LOL) is our SNOW! It's even on our license plates:

GREATEST SNOW ON EARTH.

So I thought about a project I could do involving snow. I'm not one for cheesy, seasonal decorations. So I knew whatever I did had to be a mix of contemporary and vintage design, probably geared more towards the holidays. (Christmas snow is the BEST!) I was perusing Pinterest the other day instead of doing something I probably should have been doing and came across some little Christmas trees made from book paper.

Done. Found my project! I, of course, expanded upon it to give it my own personal touch.

It's SUPER easy. The book I used is one I found at our local thrift store, Deseret Industries. It was a 1965 edition of Shakespeare's tragedies. LOVE me some Shakespeare!

I took the book to the FedEx Office where I used to work. Fortunately, I used to work there, because no one there dared to cut the spine off the book. So they let me do it instead. This gave me a nice, clean edge.

First, take a page and fold in diagonally.

Then fold it diagonally again. Kind of like a paper airplane.

I apologize for the poor lighting in the photos. The lighting in my apartment is horrible! :S

Next, fold the little triangular piece at the bottom up into the page, tucking it in. 

Make a BUNCH of these. I took one page and rolled it into a tube about 1/4" wide. I used this as my "base" to glue the triangular pieces to. Using hot glue, I attached the triangular pieces to the tube, all around the tube.

 

Top View:

Bottom View:

Now here's where I added my own "Brie" touch. I figure, if it's not glittery, then it's not Christmas. Am I right? ;) I rolled the top part into a pool of Mod Podge, letting it drip down the pages and run unevenly. I wanted no uniformity in this.

Then, I sprinkled some aqua/teal-y glitter onto it. (Teal/Aqua are SO my colors right now!)

I probably COULD have stopped there. But it felt . . . like it still needed something. Which, I just happened to have some blue buttons sitting in front of me for another project I was working on. So I hot glued them right onto the papers. I really love the extra touch they added!

So that's my project! Christmas > Snow > UTAH! I want to make a few more, in different sizes, and make a little "forest" to display on my table. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you're having an amazing time hopping through the country!

Now you can hop to the NEXT STATE IN THE UNION!!  Remember to leave a comment on each state to be eligible for the GRAND PRIZE!!









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Royal Purple Blog Hop

I am so honored to be a part of this blog hop! This is definitely a worthwhile cause, and I'm happy to support it in any way possible. As Vintage 53, I donated some fun jewelry and products from my Etsy store to be part of the grand prize giveaway on Faith's blog. And as Roberts Crafts, I was thrilled to be able to donate scrapbooking supplies to Faith as well. (Including the purple 12x12 leather WeR Memory Keepers album, 4 Cricut cartridges and a ton of other fun scrapbook supplies!) We had a stash of kids art supplies in the Roberts office that I was able to send to pass along to the Bradley House.

Before I get to my card that I created, I wanted to include the text from the other blogs in the hop, for you to see the statistics, and to see what we are doing as part of this  hop. The goal is to raise money to send to the Bradley house to help the families there. 

About 4.8 million intimate partner-related physical assaults and rapes occur every year while many more assaults and rapes go unreported entirely. Over 3 million children witness violence in their home each year and those who see and hear violence in the home suffer physically and emotionally. These statistics are sad and overwhelming, but help IS out there for those that choose to break the silence.

Together we can make a difference! Help us instill some hope where very little probably exists and give 24 families a chance at recovery when we are able to donate $1000 dollars to the Bradley Angle House.  Your purple themed card(s) with a hope filled message inside could make all the difference, not to mention give YOU a chance to win the grand prize for this hop. 

Want more chances to win the grand prize?  Additional entries will be given for each $1 donation you include with your card.  Cards must be postmarked by June 30th for inclusion in basket drawings and can be mailed to the following address:

Royal Purple Hop

c/o Vicki Smith

P.O. Box 1496

Millbrook, NY 12545

To start at the beginning of the hop, or see all the blog candy being offered be sure to check out Faith's Blog. Next in the lineup is Erin. 

For my card, I wanted to include not only a handwritten note inside from me, but a strong message of hope on the front, as part of the design. I was walking through the Roberts Crafts store where my office is, and I found this paper with raindrops on it and a saying came to me:


"Through the storm hope will grow"


I thought it was the perfect message that I wanted to convey. That no matter what any of us goes through, no matter what trial, it will only make us stronger and more beautiful at the end of it. Stars shine brighter in the clear sky after a storm. Flowers grow after the rains fall. A candle flame shines brighter through the darkness. There is hope following trials. There is strength in overcoming obstacles. And there is love no matter what. 

(Forgive the bad lighting in the pictures. Normally I photograph in natural light, but I wasn't able to get the pictures done until after dark. The lighting in my room is horrible!)

Here is the message I wrote inside:

Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you are able to send in a card, not only to enter the seriously incredible giveaways going on at Faith's blog, but to send a message of hope to one of our sisters. And if you have a blog of your own, please use the button on the right sidebar that has all the information about the fundraiser we have going on. (Scroll down a little bit, and you'll see it.) Have an amazing day everyone!

In case you get lost along the way, here is the complete lineup:

Faith: http://faithfulecreations.com/
Raven: http://love4stamps.blogspot.com/
Linda: www.thefruitofmyhands.blogspot.com
Brie: http://vintage53.blogspot.com/  <-----YOU ARE HERE
Erin: http://www.spantastikreations.blogspot.com/
Tanya: http://www.ScrappyScavenger.blogspot.com/
Amanda: http://www.scrapanddash.com/
Kimmare: http://kimmarieskorner.blogspot.com/
Jackie: http://jackrabbitscrappin.blogspot.com/
Lori A: http://www.scrappinmystressaway.blogspot.com/
Gina: http://californiascrappin-gcinderella21.blogspot.com/
Monica: http://scraps2treasure.blogspot.com/
Anita: http://anitaandbugs.blogspot.com/
Sue: http://susanascorner.blogspot.com/
Gaby: www.gabycreates.com
Debbie W: http://craftydeb-ddscrafts.blogspot.com/
Jen R. http:/www.memorieswithjen.blogspot.com/
Deborah http://www.scrappingmamma.net/
Ellen: http://www.cardmonkey-business.blogspot.com/
Gill: http://creationsbygillm.blogspot.com/
Lori: http://lorisartsyobsession.blogspot.com/
Krista: http://www.kristaspapercafe.com/
Carol: http://www.cardstockscissorsandglue.blogspot.com/
Nancy: http://fancywithnancy.blogspot.com/
Vicki: http://paperandprims.blogspot.com/
Emily: http://www.createserendipity.net/
Kristal:  http://gettingcricky.com/
Amy:  http://amychomas.blogspot.com/

Blingity Bling! Ribbon & Rhinestones Blog Hop Day 2

Day 2.

Project. Super bling jewelry.

Objective. WOW 'em with bling!

First of all, I want to extend a HUGE welcome to all the new followers! I am SO excited you are all here, and can't wait to show off some more fun things. I have a lot of exciting projects in the works! Second, a GIGANTIC Happy Birthday to Stacey, our host for this blog hop. I am truly honored to be included in this hop, and to count myself among so many talented women. I hope you've had a chance to check out all their blogs and projects. And good luck to you in all the giveaways!! So much fun blog candy! If you started with my blog and want to start at the beginning of the hop, check out Stacey's  blog at http://CreatingACraftyLife.blogspot.com/

Here is the complete lineup:

1. Stacey ~  http://CreatingACraftyLife.blogspot.com/
2. Kim ~ http://rickettscricuts.blogspot.com/
3. Gina ~ http://californiascrappin-gcinderella21.blogspot.com/
4. Janet ~ http://createatdreamscrapbooks.blogspot.com/
5. Tanya ~  http://ScrappyScavenger.blogspot.com/

6. Brie~ http://vintage53.blogspot.com/ <---You are HERE! :D
7. Cathie~ http://cathiescafe-scraphappy.blogspot.com/
8. Nicole ~ http://creationsbymommy.com/
9. Kristy ~ http://www.scraptasticalkreations.blogspot.com/
10. Martha~ http://pattisscrapingtime.blogspot.com/
11. Haidee~ http://created2bunique.blogspot.com/
12. Zoe ~ http://www.CraftyX.blogspot.com/
13. Kristal~ http://www.gettingcricky.com/
14. Raven~ http://www.love4stamps.blogspot.com/
15. Jess~ http://www.kinderstampo.com/
16.Deb~ http://craftydeb-ddscrafts.blogspot.com/
17. Esmeralda ~ http://noahsarktwobytwo.blogspot.com/
18. Karle ~ http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1890631198460&set=a.1890626638346.104027.1621905895&type=1&theater

Now on to my project! Which is also my giveaway. :D

I'm really excited about this necklace! Now I know it doesn't have ribbon or rhinestones in it, but it sure sparkles like rhinestones! And you can always weave a ribbon through the chain for some added fun. :) I love all the bright colors in here, it's the PERFECT unique summery/springy accessory. And one of you readers gets to WIN IT!

For the rest of you who don't win it, I will have it available on my Etsy site. AND I'm giving everyone who goes there a coupon code for 15% off your order! Use the code: BLOGHOP15 at checkout.

For those of you who'd like to make this for yourself, keep reading! I've got step by step picture instructions.

These are really the only tools I use for all my beading: needle nose pliers, flat nose pliers and wire cutters. You can also buy these with padding things on the pliers, to protect the metals you work with from getting kinks in them:

Here are the things you'll need for your bead charms: 1-3 beads, including a silver spacer bead (you don't have to use a silver on EVERY charm you do, but they look really nice spaced out among them), an eyepin and a jump ring. The other supplies you'll need for the rest of your necklace: a length of chain & a lobster claw, or whichever type of clasp you prefer.

First, measure your length of chain. I always just put it around my neck and figure out where I want it to fall, then I add a link or two. Attach a lobster claw with a strong jump ring. I actually used a link from a smaller chain to attach my lobster claw.

Then this is all you do for the rest of the necklace. Just repeat these steps a bunch of times, until you have as many beads and charms as you want on there.

String a combination of beads onto your eyepin. If the hole of the bead is too big for the eyepin and it slips off, add a smaller bead or a silver spacer bead first to keep your larger bead on.

Take your needlenose pliers and clamp onto the stem of the eyepin 1/8"-1/4" away from your top bead. Wrap the stem over the pliers until it is parallel to itself. (This is why I take pictures. It's easier to see sometimes. lol!)

With your flatnose pliers, wrap the stem around itself.

Continue to do so until it's wrapped several times around. This takes a little bit of coordination, it took me a few tries to get it done smoothly myself when I first started doing this. If the wire is too long, clip it with the wire cutters.

Next, you're going to attach a jump ring to the loop you've just made. Remember, always open a jump ring by separating it away from and towards you, like pictured above. Never open it by spreading it apart the other way.

Before you close the jump ring, attach it to the chain. Just repeat that over and over, with different bead combinations until you fill your necklace up to your liking. :)

Here are some close up shots of how I clustered the beads on this necklace:

I attached most of them to the chain itself, but there were a few that I attached to the loops of the other bead charms, just to give it added depth.

And the shot of the final project again:

Want to win it? Yes? Here's how:

• Enter a comment to be counted for your first entry.

For additional entries:

• Be a follower of this blog - leave a comment on this post telling me you are a follower.

• Go and "Like" Vintage 53 on facbook. Click HERE to go to the facebook page. Leave a comment on this blog post, letting me know you are following me there.

• Share this giveaway on your own facebook pages. Leave a comment on this post letting me know you shared.

• Share this giveaway on your blog. Leave a comment on this post letting me know you shared.

• Tweet about this giveaway. Leave a comment on this post letting me know you tweeted.

So you'll have 6 chances to enter! Remember to leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry. I'll pick a winner on Tuesday of next week, which is the 24th.

Thank you all for the support and for sharing the page! I really appreciate it and am grateful for each of you. :) Have an amazing day everyone! And good luck!

Ribbon & Rhinestones Birthday Blog Hop

Day 1.

Project. Card.

Objective. Awesomeness!

I was SO excited when Stacy, the Ribbon DIVA, invited me to participate in this blog hop. What could any girl love more than ribbon and rhinestones? Answer? Nothing. ;) So HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Stacy!! I hope you are having the most amazing birthday!!!

Now I'll admit, I'm not much of a card maker. So I've been "forcing" myself lately, to get more into it. I've learned all kinds of things about stamps and border punches! This may have been a bad thing. haha!

First of all, if you started off on my blog and want to start at the beginning of the hop, check out Stacy's blog here, and we'll see ya when you get back to my blog.

Ok. So here's the card I created. The color palette I went with is black, and shades of pink and teal. The one ribbon is an olive-y green. The picture makes it look yellow. :S I'm pretty much obsessed with teals/aquas/turquoise right now. SUCH a fun color, and perfect for the spring/summertime!

I had a lot of fun playing with dimension in this one! The main card is made from core'dinations cardstock, the rest of the paper is from Echo Park. Love them. LOVE. THEM.

The card itself is 5x7. I cut the background paper at about 4.5-ish x5. I didn't actually measure it, I just laid out the circles on my card, and estimated a little extra room for the border punch and ribbon. Then cut my paper at that estimated length. (I'm very precise and technical when I craft, can you tell? lol!) The circles were all on a 12x12 paper from Echo Park, ("Script Polka Dot" from the Be Mine collection. The background is just the reverse side of the polka dots) and I just cut out 20 of them, then inked the edges, and adhered them to my background paper using foam dots, to raise them up. In between the circles, I used a rhinestone from My Mind's Eye "Lush" collection in the teal.

The ribbon came from American Craft's "Dear Lizzy" line. It's just two ribbons, layered together using Tacky Tape. The border punch was from EK Success, which I inked once I punched it out. Inking is just fun!

Confession. I don't own a Cricut. Or any die cutting machine. Haven't been able to buy one, and I haven't decided which I want when I finally DO buy one. Definitely not a Cricut. I refuse to be limited to cartridges. I'm leaning toward a Pazzle. Thoughts? I made the Happy Birthday tag in Adobe Illustrator. I created the shape by putting two of these: {} together in a cute font, then "welded" them together. Then I used the font American Typewriter. Then it was just print and cut. I used foam dots again, for dimension. The patterned paper behind it is also from the Be Mine collection from Echo Park. (Have I mentioned I love their paper? No? I LOVE THEM. lol)

Thank you for stopping by my blog while making the rounds! Come back tomorrow, and I'll have another project. Now that we have a birthday card, we need a fun present to go with it! ;) The next stop on the hop is over with Cathy at http://cathiescafe-scraphappy.blogspot.com/. Have so much fun, and we'll see you back here tomorrow! I'll have some fun blog candy to go along with the present project post. :D You won't want to miss it!