On the docket: pom poms, paper cranes and chalkboards!
The lazy day of sunday crafting begins as all good lazy sundays do, with a hot pot of earl grey tea.
Project One!
Inspired by this previous post, I wanted to try out the string of fabric flowers. But after scouring my local craft/home store, there were not any fabric scraps/leftovers to be found. There were, however, squares of felt. A few test colours were bought and taken home for trail runs.
Following the instructions laid out here, I cut out the circles from the felt (though not having a standard american size spool of thread as shown in the pictures, I used one of my miniature glass bowls. Thank you IKEA) and folded and threaded them together. I initially also threaded the "petals" together, but found since the felt is much thicker and stiffer than regular fabric, they did not need that extra step to keep the sought after shape. (though, granted, these do end up looking more like pom poms, and less like the flowers of the original project. The felt tends to fill out a whole sphere, rather than a half one that creates the flower.)
But let me tell you, the second I discovered that I could cut my sewing (which is horrendous and is best hid under layers and poofs of fabric/felt) in half, I was over the moon joyous. Though I do intend to procure some neat patterned fabric and try it the way it was intended sometime soon. I have a feeling the fabric ones will look a lot more delicate and floral-like that the felt ones, which really are for all intents and purposes pom poms. (which, by the way, can be pelted at your fiance with no adverse effects to either felt poof or fiance. They held their own [and shape!] through many many living room wars. I'm telling you, the things are indestructible.)
After the success of the trial felt poof run, we went back to the craft store and got many many more colours. Also tried some multi-coloured poofs, but I wasn't thrilled with the way they came out. Ben didn't mind them as much, but I think the spheres are just too small (and only made up of 6 or 7 bits of felt, depending on the thickness of said felt) to really pull off more than one colour. I think monochrome is the way to go here.
Tried for some smaller poofs, using a smaller circle template (loose use of the term) to cut out the initial circles.
And viola! Slightly smaller poofs!
Along with Ben's ever decreasing in size family of paper cranes. (see project two)
The first pom poms strung up as a garland. We really liked how they came out. They are cheap, colourful and very easy to make. We will eventually get around to stringing up the other ones we made, and then they will be hung up all around the living room.
We think these will definitely make an appearance at our wedding in some form or another.
Project Two!
Ben's mom sent us a cut-out from a magazine of a whole bunch of paper cranes attached to thin sticks and arranged in a vintage-looking tin like flowers. We both really liked it and so decided to try it out. Step one, Ben folding a lot of paper cranes.
Which then turned into seeing how small a paper crane could he fold.
They got pretty small...
So we still haven't gotten around to replicating the arrangement portion of the paper crane craft project, but will post photos when we do.
Project Three!
Canvas! Chalkboard paint! A way to organize our finances and to-do list (hopefully)!
(Saw this project on somebody's blog, but for the life of me I cannot recall or find said blog. Apologies to the original creator.)
Hanging up in the kitchen with it's first handiwork.
Also took a bit of chalkboard paint to a beat up old student chalkboard. It is now revitalized! (and a bit messy round the edges...)
Really had to resist the urge to start painting everything in the flat with the chalkboard paint after this one.
Don't know if this project will show up in our wedding, but it is fabulous for the home!
Thus ends Ben and Bethany's first attempt at being crafty for their wedding.
A few stray splatters of chalkboard paint, some papercuts and the living room being transformed into a poof ball sniper range, but overall we considered this a success!
