Pretty Posies and a Flop

Yikes! I'm a little late with this "Friday" tutorial. Maybe it is still Friday somewhere in the world? Heehee...

I do have a good excuse. My project was a dud. Total flop. I had planned on making some pretty little ribbon flowers... and they just didn't turn out as I had hoped. They just were not working with me at all. Maybe I procrastinated too long? Or I just wasn't in the crafty mood yesterday. I'm not sure what happened.

So this week's tutorial isn't really a tutorial. More of just an idea. A little bit of inspiration.

I scooped up these beautiful flowers at one of my favorite farm stands and thought it would be fun to embellish them a little.

I first wrapped the bouquet in a large sheet of vintage newspaper. Then I added a strip of vintage wallpaper around the stems and tied it with some pretty ribbons.

The final touch was a vintage rhinestone pin. A really easy and super-quick project.
Great for a last minute gift... or a last minute tutorial! :)

Thank you so much for the wonderful comments and feedback for Speckled Egg's Birthday and for these tutorials! I've had a lot of fun doing them and am so happy that you liked them!

The winner of the final $25 gift certificate to Speckled Egg is:

GLORIA B!!!!

I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday weekend!
xoxox

Sweet Party Favors Tutorial

My Little One LOVES arts and crafts. She is always up to something. Cutting, pasting, beading, painting... she is so creative! She is off to kindergarten in a week and a half. Which has been the main reason for my absence from blogging this month. We've been spending LOTS of family time together... and LOVING every minute of it! I will most definitely get back into the swing of things in a couple of weeks. I promise.

Here is a fun and quick (kid friendly) project that was originally created with Play-Doh!
The Little One did most of the work in creating this project.
I just basically changed the materials.
We thought these little magnets would make fun party favors or little gifties for teachers.

"Candy" Magnet Supplies:
Sculpey Clay (2 or 3 different colors)
Cellophane
Ribbon
Round Magnets
Tacky Glue

1. Break off a small piece of the clay. We used 1/12 of the bar.
Knead the clay and roll it into a snake about 5" long. Repeat with your other colors.


2. Twist the different colored snakes together.


3. Roll this bumpy snake between your hands to make it nice and smooth.


4. Coil this snake into a wheel to form a candy.


5. Follow the directions on the Sculpey package to harden the clay in the oven.
After baking, allow to cool.

6. Cut a piece of cellophane to wrap around the candy. Be sure to cut it large enough to leave excess on the ends. Put a dab of tacky glue on the back of the candy and wrap the piece in the cellophane. Twist the ends to resemble a real wrapped candy. Glue a magnet to the back.

Easy peasy. And sooo cute!

More ideas:
Package a bunch in a clear bag with a cute topper.
Coat the candies in a shiny clear gloss before wrapping, for a more realistic effect.
Add a stick to the coiled clay before baking to make lollipops.
Add a hanger to them instead of a magnet for sweet ornaments.
Be sure to try them in holiday colors too!

How about one more quick little activity?
All you need is:

CANDY!!!
(Gummies, gumdrops, and hollow licorice work best. Or you could use Cheerios, raisins, and other dried fruit? Nahhhhh.)
You'll also need a needle and waxed dental floss.

Simply string the candies onto the floss to create a unique (and yummy) necklace.
Note: The needle can get pretty sticky and be a little tricky... be sure to help young children with the stringing part. Or give them a licorice whip and let them string on lifesavers or other candies with holes, and skip the needle part all together.

AND... the winner of this week'd $25 gift certificate to Speckled Egg is:

JULIE W.!

I'll be back next Friday with another fun tutorial and $25 gift certificate winner.
To enter the drawing, just leave a comment on any post for the month of August.
(Each purchase made on the website enters you in the giveaway as well.)
All the details of Speckled Egg's 4th Birthday Celebration can be found here.

Have a great weekend!!!

Decorative Cake Pedestal Tutorial

I'm so excited to share this little project with you!
I really LOVE making these, and hope you will too!
They are perfect to display a special little treasure... or a single yummy dessert!


Supplies:
A paper mache box lid (round or square works best)
A candlestick (these glass ones were found at the dollar store)
Pretty wallpaper or scrapbook paper to cover the box lid and/or paint
Ribbons, lace, pom pom trim, etc
Scissors
Glue stick, hot glue gun, and E6000 glue
Additional embellishments: buttons, flowers, velvet leaves, nests, glitter etc

1. First, we need to cover the box lid. I chose to use vintage wallpaper. Simply trace the lid onto the wallpaper, cut out, and glue to the top of the box. You may also choose to paint the inside and edge of the box for a more finished look. Let dry.

2. Use a hot glue gun to adhere ribbons, lace, or other pretty trims around the outer edge of the box.


3. Flip the lid of the box over and use E6000 glue (or similar) to attach candlestick to the center.

4. Easy peasy! You now have a very pretty pedestal. Leave it as is, or add some additional embellishments, like buttons, flowers, or a pretty nest.


Tips and other ideas:
Some of the paper mache boxes that I saw at the craft store were warped, so try to select one with a box top that is pretty level. Same goes for the candlestick.

Drill holes around the edge of the box lid and dangle beads or chandelier crystals.

Use a wooden candlestick for the base and cover it in glass glitter. Or, why not cover the WHOLE pedestal in glass glitter?!?!

Make several pedestals using different sized box lids and candlesticks, place them on top of each other for a tiered display.

AND... the winner of this week'd $25 gift certificate to Speckled Egg is:

CATHY NASH!

I'll be back next Friday with another fun tutorial and $25 gift certificate winner.
To enter the drawing, just leave a comment on any post for the month of August.
(Each purchase made on the website enters you in the giveaway as well.)
All the details of Speckled Egg's 4th Birthday Celebration can be found here.

Have a great weekend!!!

Flower Garland Tutorial

Here is the first of 4 party-themed tutorials, to celebrate Speckled Egg's 4th Birthday!!!

The original idea for this project came from Lisa, who was my partner last year in Artsy Mama's Sweet & Sinister Swap. She made me a beautiful Halloween themed garland that I adore!
I tweaked her idea a bit, and wanted to share with you what I came up with. This is going to be a decoration at my daughter's upcoming fairy party.


First of all you will need some supplies:
A string of lights (I used a set with 100 lights, which is REALLY long.)
Silk Flowers and Butterflies (one for each light)
Lots of assorted ribbons, tulle, and tinsel garland.
Scissors

1. Spread your light set across the floor. Pull the lights so they straighten out, and secure each end with a weight (like a book).


2. Choose your ribbons and roll them out across the floor to the same length as the lights. Cut to size and place ends under weights. (I used 1 strand of tinsel garland, 2 shades of tulle, plus 1 strand of ribbon.)


3. From your remaining ribbon, you will need to cut several 5-6" pieces. Bundle 3 pieces together and use these to tie the light strand and ribbons together. Start at one end and work your way to the other end, spacing the ties about every 8 inches.

4. Once you are done, gather your silk flowers and remove all the heads from the wire stems. They should just pop right off with a little tug.


5. Choose a flower and remove and discard the plastic pieces to separate the petals. Layer the petals back together and use your scissors to slightly enlarge the hole in the center.

6. Carefully, slide the flower over a light bulb on the garland to the plastic base. Repeat this process until all of the lights have a flower on them. Add some butterflies too if you like!

It is really pretty when it's lit up! Especially the lighter colored flowers. Draped around a doorway, maybe? Just be sure not to leave it unattended... these lights don't usually get hot at all, but you never know!

Also, the winner of this week's $25 gift certificate giveaway is:
Andrea T.
Congrats!!!

Hope you liked this project! I'll have another one next Friday!!! And another $25 giveaway winner too! All of the details for the giveaways can be found on the previous post.

Speckled Egg's 4th Birthday Celebration!

This August marks Speckled Egg's 4th birthday!

So, let's celebrate all month long!!!

First, a new swap! This will be a Vintage Birthday Tag Book Swap.
***THIS SWAP IS NOW FULL***

Here are the details:
This will be a collaborative project. You will create 20 tags with a Vintage Birthday theme. Each tag should be decorated on the front and back. Think colorful fun and frills! Tags can be all originals or embellished copies. Tags should be about 2" wide and 4" tall (average shipping tag size). Measurements do not have to be exact, just be sure there is an empty hole at the top. Be sure to sign your tags and add any contact info that you'd like to share on the backs. Once all of the tags have been received, I will bind them into a tag book with rings. Include $5.00 for return Priority postage and cost of binding supplies. All players will also receive a free goodie bag from Speckled Egg. Due to me by September 1st.

The tag book swaps have been very popular in the past and fill up quickly. You can see the completed projects from some of the past swaps here and here.


What's a party without favors???
All orders placed at Speckled Egg for the month of August will receive a bunch of these yellow vintage posies FREE!!!

For each of the next 4 Fridays, I will be posting a fun party-related tutorial, using simple items that you probably already have. Stop by next week (August 8th) for instructions to make a flowery lighted garland!

I will also be giving away a $25 Speckled Egg gift certificate each week!
Winners will be announced each Friday, starting next week.
To be entered to win, just leave a comment on any post throughout the month.
All orders placed on the website will also be entered in the weekly drawing.

And as always, thank YOU so much for making my little shop so successful for these past several years!

Here's to many more!

(Edit: Thank you all for the warm wishes!!! I just wanted to make sure that I was clear that this is the 4th birthday of Speckled Egg (my shop), and not this blog. I've only been blogging for the past year and a half... we'll have to have another party for my blog's next birthday too!!! :)