I was in charge of a craft day called Super Saturday and I needed some ideas for crafts. I found this really great Glass Etched Nativity on the web, actually I saw it on several web sites, with the instuctions on how to make it. The patterns and instructions  all said it would take alot of time to cut out the intricut pattern, and then use the etching chemical. We just didn’t have that kind of time at this class so I came up with a better idea. I have a friend that has one of those cool vinyl cutters, the professional kind, she does store windows and stuff and she suggested we use a vinyl that looks just like etched glass.  It is so awesome, it DOES looks just like etched glass, and only took about 15 or 20 minutes to complete. The hardest part, which really wasn’t hard, was getting it lined up and even on all sides. You can’t tell it is vinyl, after I completed the sample one, I showed some of my friends and didn’t tell them it wasn’t etched, they were amazed at how great it looked. 

I love different types of crafts and really enjoy the ideas at Craft Tutorials, thanks everyone!

http://www.chandlercreations.com

Thanks for everyone who commented on my post about How To Make A Scrabble Tile Pendant.  The winner of the free pendant is kzoriginals!  Kz, please visit my shop to select your free pendant!

I whipped these up for my son when he was tiny still, with the intention of making more for friends as they had their kids. Though I actually made my own pattern, which I`ll describe below, you could also just download and print this one.

You`ll need two colors of felt for this project, a small piece of Velcro and embroidery thread in a complimentary color (though I`ve also used bright yellow with dark blue with great results).

Making Your Own Pattern

It`s really not that difficult, if you have a baby on hand, to make up your own pattern. Basically, you`ll need to trace around the baby`s foot and then add half an inch all round, smoothing it out until you have something that looks like a lopsided egg, with the wide part being the toe area. This is your sole. You`ll need  to cut two from the felt.

That`s the easy bit. Next, take a string and measure around the entire perimeter of the sole. Add a half inch or so and cut the string. This will help you create your main shoe pattern. Lay the string on a piece of paper, curving it into a U shape. When you have a shape that pleases you, trace it with a pen and then mark up 1.5″ and draw another U. In the bottom of the curve, you`ll need to create the tongue of the shoe, which will be about 2 inches long. At this point, you should have something that roughly resembles this:

Decorating

Cut two of these shoe parts out of the felt, as well. You can cut your design out of contrasting felt. I used stars, but you could easily make this a heart or fish, car, just about any simple design you can think of.

Stitch the design onto the center of the toe, leaving room for the embroidered words.

To make sure your words turn out right, it`s a good idea to write them in disappearing ink on the felt before stitching. I didn`t do this for these shoes and you can see how that worked out! Use a simple backstitch to embroider the words. You could also embroider little flowers or anything your heart desires.

Construction

Start at the toe and pin the top part of the shoe to the sole, all the way around. The seam will be facing outwards, like in the top picture. Make sure you pin the heel seam, as well, since this tends to pull apart as you go.

Using a blanket stitch, stitch the top of the shoe to the sole, then up the heel. Presto, a shoe! Now you just need to fold over the tongue and sew in place with an X to form the loop in front. Use the blanket stitch to decorate and finish the raw edges.

For the fastener, simply cut two strips of felt, 3 inches by half an inch and use the blanket stitche to finish. Sew to the side of the shoe that will face in, thread through the tongue loop. Sew the Velcro to the appropriate places on the fastener and the shoe and you`ve got a soft little bootie for any baby.

If you`re interested in turning your crafts into a business, check out my blog for tips and ideas.

Scrabble Tile Pendants are charming pendants made from recycled scrabble tiles and decorative paper. They are fun and easy to make. You can see a variety of these charming pendants for sale in my Etsy shop, Peachy Pendants, (where you can also purchase A Make Your Own Scrabble Tile Pendants Kit), or you can follow the instructions below and make one of your own!

I will also be giving away a free Scrabble Tile Pendant to one lucky Craft Tutorials reader. For a chance to win, leave a comment on this post by Saturday, September 20th at midnight. One winner will be randomly selected and announced on Monday, September 22nd. The winner will get one free pendant of their choice from my shop.

Good luck and happy pendant making!

To begin making your own Scrabble Tile Pendant you will need the following supplies:

- Scrabble Tile (from an old game or eBay)

- Silver Plated Bail (called aanraku bail)

- Decorative Paper (scrapbooking paper)

- Diamond Glaze (craft store)

- E6000 Jewelry Adhesive (craft store)

- Scissors

- Pen or Pencil

- Paint Brush (optional)

Step 1: Select the paper you would like to use for your pendant. You could use scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, or even a greeting card. Simply trace around one of the Scrabble tiles and cut out, making sure to cut the paper just slightly larger than the tile.

Step 2: Next spread a small drop of Diamond Glaze adhesive onto the blank side of a Scrabble tile. You can use a paint brush or just spread the glaze around with the tip of the bottle. Then place your cut out paper onto the tile. (Make sure the letter on the back isn’t upside down.) Let it dry for 10 to 20 minutes.

Step 3: Once the adhesive is dry, hold the Scrabble tile so the letter faces you and the paper is on the other side. Use scissors to carefully trim the excess paper off so that the paper fits the tile exactly.

Step 4: Next, apply a generous coat of Diamond Glaze to seal the paper and give your pendant a glossy glass like shine. It’s best not to use a paint brush for this step but to just spread the glaze with the tip of the bottle. If any bubbles form just pop them with the back of your paint brush or slide them off of the tile. Now let it dry for at least 4 hours.

Step 5: Apply a few drops of E6000 Jewelry Adhesive to the silver bail and attach it to the back (letter side) of your Scrabble tile. Make sure that the bail is exactly centered.

Let the bail dry for a couple of hours and you are ready to enjoy your handmade Scrabble Tile Pendant!

Hi Everyone

We have seen a number of users have ETSY stores and would like to place their stores on their blogs using a widget.  Currently it’s a real pain to do this and requires you to edit code and even then isn’t really ideal.

We have decided that Crafttutorials would like to take on the challenge of designing a widget that people can use within their blogs. The widget will be released for free!

The only thing we need is a volunteer that would be willing to allow us play with their ETSY account J

Please send us a mail if you’re interested: info[@]crafttutorials.net  

Thanks

Craft Tutorials