Day 7 - Altered frame

Today's Valentine project is a beautiful altered picture frame by TST's Kristin - why not make one of these and pop in a photo of you and your loved one? A gorgeous gift and a lovely keepsake :)

Supplies for the frame:- Michaels- $1.00 frame with heart shape, Mod Podge to attach papers and for clear coat, Bo Bunny 'A gift of love' papers

Supplies for the right corner embellishment:- Autumn Leaves heart-shaped journaling stamp with black StazOn and K&Co. Marcella line pink glitter letters in the word "Love"

Supplies for the heart embellishments:- UTEE (ultra thick embossing enamel), UTEE-FLEX additive, magenta color additive - all by Suze Weinberg and Ranger

"I tore the papers and attached them with Mod Podge, wrapping them around the edge of the frame. Adding a distress "red brick" ink around the outside edges of the frame to fill in for color.

I melted the UTEE and flex, added the magenta color and used heart shaped to dip into the UTEE. Once the stamp was covered in UTEE, stamp a non stick surface with pressure and wait till cooled. Once cooled, separate the stamp from the UTEE and use as desired. I ended up cutting the inside heart of the stamp and placed the excess back into the melting pot to melt and reuse.

*Rubber stamps are recommended, acrylic can melt*

Once I had the hearts cut out, I used a quickie glue pen to glue the inside of the heart and added Martha Stewart glitter for shimmer. I simply attached the hearts to the frame with Aleene's quick dry tacky glue.

Last step, ink the inside of the heart of the frame to even out the color and to cover up any places missed by paper."

Add a picture and you're done! Thanks Kristin for sharing your project as well as a new technique - I certainly want to give UTEE a go now!

Today is the last day to order yourself a Scrappy Tree candygram in time for Valentine's, so if you want one grab it today while you can! We can add a personalised message and send straight to your Valentine, or if you prefer send directly to you for you to add your own message. Click here to go straight to our Etsy shop.

We'll be back tomorrow with Julie's inspiration challenge, which will run from Monday to Friday of this week,so remember to call in if you want to play along! Thanks for looking :) don't worry, be scrappy!

Day 5 - Trinket boxes

It's day 5 of February fun (try saying that quickly!) and today we have for your perusal these darling little trinket boxes! These make a great gift wrap with a difference, or you could even give them as a gift in their own right - beautiful job Julie!
Supplies used for jewellery trinket box: box from Hobby Lobby, Crackle paint, Colorbox ink, lace from personal supply, jewellery brooch from personal stash, pearls from Kaisercraft

Supplies used for flower trinket box: box from Hobby Lobby, Crackle paint, Colorbox ink, 7 Gypsies tag, Prima flower

'To make the jewellery trinket box I simply painted the plain box from Hobby Lobby and allowed it to dry before adhering anything to it. Then I inked the edges of the box once the paint was dry. I used a hot glue gun to adhere the small lace trim and then applied to pearls to it. I bunched the lace haphazardly and pinned the broach to it. I glued a sheer ribbon on top of the box before gluing the lace and brooch on.

The flower trinket box was decorated in a similar way.

This is a simple, yet pretty way to make a little treasure box for someone special!'

Thanks for joining us for another day of February fun! We've got another 9 days lined up so hopefully there will be a little inspiration for everyone :) And don't forget to pick up a candy gram by Sunday for your Valentine! :)

Gayle

Day 4 - Keyrings

Day 4 of our Valentine gift ideas! Why not give your loved one a Valentine gift to keep all year round? These cute little keyrings are really simple to make!

1. stamp a heart shaped image onto grungeboard using StazOn ink and cut out, and repeat.
2. colour in with Fired Brick Distress ink and stick the two pieces back to back using a strong glue like Glossy Accents (it can help to press this inside an old book to keep it flat while it dries).
3. go around the edges of the heart with a Sharpie (red or black) to cover any edges showing
4. paint all over with sparkle mod podge
5. punch a hole in one corner and thread through a swivel key chain - voila!

Now I tried taking photos from every angle to show how sparkly these came out... but the photos just don't cut it so try it yourself! :)

And if you love home made gifts, you'll love these handmade candy grams for Valentine's day! Check them out here - order by Sunday for delivery in time for Valentine's Day.

Gayle

Day 2 - Peppermint hearts

Day 2 of your Valentine's projects - peppermint hearts! This is a peppermint creme recipe slightly modified to make it a little bit Valentine's; they're scrummy anyways so give them a try! Easy to make and no baking required.


So here's the recipe!

450g/1lb icing sugar
50g/2oz butter, melted
2 tablespoons lukewarm milk
1 teaspoon peppermint essence
1 teaspoon red food colouring
extra sifted icing sugar (for rolling out)


1. Sift icing sugar into a bowl.
2. Combine melted butter with milk, peppermint essence and red food colouring
3. Add milk mixture gradually to icing sugar and mix well. Turn out onto board dusted with sifted icing sugar. Roll out to about 1/4cm / 1/8inch thickness
4. Cut into heart shapes using a small heart shaped biscuit cutter
5. Leave in the cool until firm

These remind me of making sweets with my mum when I was little! They've been different shapes and colours over the years - have fun making them! They can make a sweet dish of candies to share, or dress them up by putting a few into a small box or cellophane bag and decorate with ribbon for a cute and simple gift.


Don't forget that The Scrappy Tree candygrams are only available until Sunday this week (to allow time for shipping), so if you want to say happy Valentine's with a handmade gift from the heart, check out our Etsy shop today!


Thanks for looking :)


Gayle

14 days til Valentine's! Day 1 - Valentine's cards

Firstly, thank you to everyone who called in to see us here at TST over the 25 days of Christmas projects - we had so much fun doing it and it was great to get comments that let us know that everyone was enjoying looking too!

For the next fourteen days we will be posting one project a day to get you in the mood for Feb 14th - Valentine's day! There will also be a little inspiration challenge in there next Monday, so look out for that and play along with us!

Valentine's is the day to let someone you know you care about them; and what says that better than a home-made gift?

We're hoping that you'll find something over the next two weeks that will inspire you to make something from the heart for your loved one - partner, friend, child; you choose! To get us started, Julie from TST shared these beautiful cards.

"It's time to start thinking about Valentines' Day and the special people in your life that you'd like to send a special greeting to. I made this card for my sweet daughter Debbie."

Supplies used: SEI papers including journaling spot, Vintage Jiffy pattern, lace trims, Hero Arts stamp, Hero Arts large flower, Melissa Frances chipboard glitter heart, Martha Stewart border punch, vintage sheet music, Glimmer Mist, Delish Designs jeweled brad, Hero Arts metallic gemstones.

And this second card, different style but just as beautiful!

Supplies used: Cosmo Cricket paper, Webster's Pages paper, Hero Arts stamp, Creative Memories heart punch, Marvy scalloped circle punch, Thickers, tag, Prima and Kaisercraft flowers, Basic Grey brad, Martha Stewart's baker's twine, sewing machine.

Thanks for sharing with us Julie - join us again tomorrow for another fun Valentine's project idea! If you'd like to give a handmade gift to your loved one this year, why not order a candy gram from The Scrappy Tree? Visit our Etsy shop here for more details.

Remember, don't worry - be scrappy!

Gayle

February fun!

Coming soon with The Scrappy Tree!

After taking a slower pace to begin the New Year after the hustle and bustle of Christmas, February brings a whole new range of homemade project ideas from The Scrappy Tree Team!

Starting February 1st - check back to the blog to find out :)

And don't forget, from now until the 7th Feb you can order a homemade Valentine's candy gram for your loved one from our Etsy shop here. Prices quoted are for the US only but please contact us at thescrappytree.hotmail.com for details of shipping outside the US.

Remember, don't worry, be scrappy!