Fabric-Covered Orbs

Our kitchen has a sort of French Country-meets-bistro style that includes bright red cabinets, old and new furniture, and Provencal fabrics. I made chair covers, a valance, and small pillows from the fabrics, but I wanted to make sure I used every scrap of the pretty prints. I came up with these fabric-covered orbs that are simple, inexpensive versions of the decorative balls you can find in home design stores.

When I say that anyone can do this project, I really mean it. Just cut long, straight strips from fabric that are about 1/2" to 3/4" wide, and then use straight pins to attach them to smooth Styrofoam balls. I used pins with colored heads that blend in with the colors of my fabrics. Pin the end of one strip to the ball to start and then wrap it around the ball, adding pins as you go. The goal is to cover all of the foam with fabric strips, using as few pins as possible. When one strip ends, attach another and continue working around the ball. You may have to readjust the strips and pins as you work so the fabric lays flat, but that's all there is to it.

When your fabric-covered orbs are finished, you can display them on a shelf or in a bowl or basket. Just make sure keep them away from children; those pins can be dangerous in the wrong hands.

Mad Men-Inspired Coasters

"Mad Men" is back--finally--for its last seven episodes (six, after last night). I've been following the adventures of Don Draper, Peggy Olson, and the rest of the characters since the first season, but I could never predict where the story was going to go each season. I have no idea what will happen in these final episodes, but I suspect that more than a few cocktails will be consumed. So for this week's blog project, I made some retro coasters as a tribute to the end of the "Mad Men" era. 

The coasters are a super-simple project. You only need mat board or very heavy cardboard, clear adhesive-backed paper, felt, and some retro images. My pictures are from an old design book from a library sale and a 1967 "McCall's" pattern catalog that belonged to my grandmother. You can use images from old magazines or printouts from the Internet.

The first step is cutting the coasters from the mat board. I simplified this process by using a coaster I already had (it's about 3½" square) as a template and tracing it onto the cardboard. Cut out a cardboard square for each coaster you're making (I made eight), and then cut out matching squares from the retro pictures. 

To attach a picture to each coaster, cut a square from the adhesive-backed paper that's about an inch larger all around than the cardboard square. Place a picture on a cardboard square, peel the backing off the adhesive paper and press it over the picture. Flip the coaster over, trim the corners of the clear paper, and fold it onto the back of the coaster. You can smooth bubbles on the front of the coaster with a small ruler.

Use tacky craft glue to attach a felt square to the back of each coaster. I placed mine between sheets of waxed paper and weighted them under heavy books so they dried flat.

I've been using my coasters for a few weeks, and they're holding up quite well. They should definitely get me through the next six weeks so I can find out what happens to Don Draper.

More Spring Crafts . . . and Happy Blog Birthday!

Today is my blog's first birthday! I can't believe I've been writing these weekly posts (and a few extras, here and there) for a year. It has been a real learning experience, and I can't wait to get started on another year of crafting and blogging.

When I first starting posting, I did very little promotion. I wanted to make sure I could come up with a project each week--and write about it--before I went "public." My strategy worked, sort of, but it also kept some of my early projects from being seen. So, to celebrate the blog's birthday, I'm re-sharing a few crafts that appeared on the blog last March and April. Just click on the link below each picture and it will take you to the original page and directions. Enjoy!

Sweet Easter Egg Ornaments

Stamped Spring Gift Tags

Garden Party Place Cards

Button-Covered Easter Egg

I've used buttons to decorate everything from ornaments to purses to pillows. So when I was trying to think of a crafty Easter egg project, I thought why not cover an egg in buttons? As you can see from the pictures here, I had quite a stash of red, aqua and purple buttons on hand. You can use any buttons you have, as long as they're flat and fairly small. If the buttons are too big, they won't fit on the curves of the egg. 

The directions for this project are pretty simple. I  just glued the buttons to the egg with craft glue.  I set the egg on a bottle caps to it them steady and glued on the buttons, working on one section of the egg at a time. Getting the buttons to fit together tightly is like putting together a puzzle, so it's good to have buttons in a variety of sizes. When the egg is dry, use it only for Easter decorating--not for Easter snacking.