Crystallized Hearts

Over Christmas I saw these snowflakes here among many other various sites. So I thought...why not make hearts? So, here is my version of crystallized shapes... Valentines style.

*First you have to create your desired shape (heart) with pipe cleaners.
(You can used colored pipe cleaners, or you can add a drop or two of food coloring to the borax if you only have white pipe cleaners.) I used white and pink pipe cleaners.

*Tie a string around it and hang it in a wide mouth glass jar with a pencil. Be sure that it will be free hanging and can be covered completely with the borax solution.

*Boil water. Add the borax to water:
3 T Borax for each 1 cup boiling water

*Stir until dissolved.

*Pour solution into jars until your pipe cleaner shapes are covered.
*Let sit overnight in a place that will be undisturbed.

This was just after a couple hours:

As you can see each one progresses differently. And a little side note, don't worry if your jars start crystallizing, just rinse them with HOT water when you are done and dissolve the crystals!

While we wait, here's an explanation as to why this all happens (courtesy wikipedia):

Borax is a material that grows into a crystal naturally. Just like snowflakes are crystals that form when warmer water in the clouds cools enough a borax solution will cool into crystals. The reason we use hot water to make borax crystals is because borax will disolve into water. Hot water can hold more borax than cold water can. So when the borax is stirred into the hot water until no more will fit, it is called supersaturated. As it cools, it cannot hold as much borax in each water molecule, so it realeases some of the borax into it's natural repeating mineral shape. It's just like a sugar crystal or a salt crystal. They will do the same thing as the borax when disolved in hot water, only they take a lot longer to crystalize.

About 6-8 hours later...Hellooooo Gorgeous!

Chirp. Chirp.

I still haven't really done a whole lot on my Cricut machine. So last night after the kids were in bed, I played around with some hearts and Valentine things...
Not quite sure what I'm going to do with them.... stay tuned for that.

I also bought a big white board and used vinyl to make a calendar grid. So to pretty it up, I also started making the months for that on my cricut. I'll have to post my calendar when it's all done.

Button Heart Ornaments

I have bags of buttons I've accumulated over the past few years. So I pulled out my RED bag and some RED wire and started stringing different reds and pinks along the wire (ouch)... the wire should have been a more pliable gauge..... *note to self for next time*

I just bent them into heart shapes, and tied a red ribbon on them!

Anyways, Besides my sore fingers, I love how they turned out!

Like them? They are available in my etsy shop! In white too!

Sweetheart Kissing Ball Tutorial

I've been making kissing balls a few years now, and I'm always looking for different things to make them with. I started making them for Christmas time, and made them out of mini ornaments, bells, holly, and poinsettias. I have hung them in doorways, on trees, in bowls, and this year I even put them along my garland above my door. I got so many compliments!!!
With Valentine's Day soon approaching, I wanted to make some with that theme in mind. What more appropriate time to have "kissing" balls then on Valentine's Day!

Here is a little tutorial for you to use if you want to try to make them yourself! Or, they will also be available for purchase in my Etsy Shop!

Yummy Cuppy Crafts

First, you will need some supplies...

Styrofoam ball

paint

paintbrush

gluegun

gluesticks

crazy yarn (optional)

I like to paint the styrofoam balls before covering them because sometimes you can see the white underneath. It just gives it a cleaner look! So, there is step one.

1) Paint styrofoam ball a similar color as the balls/toppings you are going to cover it with.

I found these foam balls in packs of 6 on sale at Michaels for cheaper than one true styrofoam ball at Wal-Mart! They come in a few different sizes. They have one little hole in them that work great for sticking the end of a paint brush in to let them dry.

2) Start glueing your "toppings" on the styrofoam ball. I got these mini colored styrofoam balls at Ben Franklin in Hawaii months ago. They weigh absolutely NOTHING. Be creative, you can use almost ANYTHING on these.

I like to start near the top and work my way around and down. Don't worry if you aren't covering every little inch of the foam ball, if you painted first, you won't even know when you are done. And, if you finish with yarn, it covers it up even more. (read on)

*Side note: If you are snacking on popcorn while crafting, make sure you are eating out of the right bowl. And just to be clear, I never ate the mini styro balls, but will admit, I came close a time or two!

3) Once the glue has cooled and dried, you can stop here... OR, you can continue to embellish the kissing ball with crazy yarn.

Stick a little dab of glue and string the beginning of your yarn in it to anchor it. Then wrap it between the mini styro balls until you feel you've reached your look!

Here is what they look like after the yarn. Two different sizes. From here, you can stop... and throw them in a bowl, basket, vase, whatever. OR... you can continue on and add other embellishments and a loop of ribbon to hang them!

Here are some examples of other kissing balls I have made.

The LOVE Shelf

Remember my SANTA shelf? You can see it HERE. Now that Christmas is over, it was time to replace my 5 letter word with another... well, how about a 4 letter word + a heart?! I just cut our 3x3 inch squares of scrapbook paper and used my handy dandy Cricut machine for the word LOVE and the heart. I {heart} my LOVE shelf!

Valentine Topiary

I've been scouring the internet looking for ideas to decorate my home after Christmas. Valentine ideas are popping up all over. I also want to find crafts that I already have the supplies for. When I came across this adorable topiary idea, I couldn't wait to get started.

MY ALTERATIONS: Instead of a wooden dowel, I used a tall cinnamon stick (that way you don't have to paint it! And instead of pinning each circle, I used my glue gun! I am thrilled with how it turned out! I think I'll try to make more!

Find the tutorial at THE IDEA ROOM HERE.

Forget-Me-Nots & Burning Love

I got these mini flower pot kits at Target just after Christmas in the Dollar Spot bins. They had Forget-Me-Nots and Burning Love. So I got two of each. I thought it would be fun for my kids to 'take care of'. I have such a black thumb its not even funny, but we'll see how long these survive!

My 2 year old assisted me with the first two.

It comes with a pot, seeds, and a 'magic' soil pellet.

Drop the soil pellet in 1/6 cup of water and watch it go from this:

to this in literally 3 seconds:

Throw in 10 seeds, and some topsoil, and your done!

Then stick it in a window, keep it moist, and watch it grow!