My Valentine's Day Table Display

Now that Valentine's Day is a week away, I am ready!

The breakdown, from left to right:
My 100 Rosette Sphere, on an upside down candle holder from Dollar Tree
Heart Doilies, just like in my $2 Doiley Window Display line the bottom of the tray, from Dollar Tree
Tray from Goodwill ($1.99)
XOXO Frame was made with my Silhouette Cameo. It was so easy, it doesn't deserve a tutorial! Frame from my stash
My Clay Conversation Hearts are in a heart glass bowl I got from Goodwill for 99 cents.

I thought it was a fun little display that doesn't go overboard. How did you decorate? Or do you want to skip this holiday all together ;)

Clay Conversation Hearts

A few years ago, I decorated for Valentine's Day by filling a vase with with conversation hearts. I loved the way it looked but it seemed a little wasteful as neither me nor my husband like conversation hearts. This year I decided I wanted to make some hearts that would last and I wouldn't feel guilty about not eating.

 

Materials:

White Polymer Clay (Like Sculpey)
Heart mold (I used a chocolate mold, it was 40% off)
Paint

Tools:
Toothpicks
Steel Letter Stamping Set
Paint
Paint brush

Start by kneading the clay for 2 minutes, don't over-knead it. Then press the clay into the mold. You want to over fill it just a little on one side, to use it to pull the heart out.

Cut the excess off with a toothpick, or you know, an actual sculpey tool. Next, gently press the letters into the clay. Not too hard, or you'll get a circle around the letter, but not too soft either. Experiment. 

Next, bake for about 20 minutes at 275.

Let the hearts cool and then sand the edges to make them smooth. I used a nail file. 

Now paint. If you got colored clay, skip this part. Let the paint completely dry, using two coats if needed.

Next, take a tooth pick and dip it into the red paint. Smear over the letters.

Wipe off with a damp paper towel, leaving paint just in the letters.

Magically it will change into a new heart =)

I made one with our anniversary on it too.

Ta-Da!

Christmas in July- Gift Tags

Similar to my mom I love to give gifts. There is something magical when you have thought of the perfect gift for someone you love. You purchase it and have to keep the secret. You select special wrapping paper and you make sure it has a beautiful ribbon and of course your need an amazing gift tag!

I got an idea for gift tags made out of polymer clay (Sculpey) from this tutorial and I thought it would be cute to do holiday tags. I think the variations on this are endless. Here are a couple ideas that I had.

First pick the color you want and knead the clay to make it warm. You can roll it out with a small rolling pin (as shown in the picture) but I used my "clay conditioner" (similar to a pasta maker). I put it through the largest setting then when I moved it to a smaller setting I put it through width wise to widen it. Make sure your clay is warm or it won't go through. My gift tags are 1/4" thick. I wouldn't suggest going any thinner because they will be fragile.

Next pick a shape. I cut mine for a Christmas tree. You can use cookie cutters in this step as well. Make sure you cut a hole to tie them onto the package. I used a mini set of stamps to stamp in the "to:" and "from:"

Last bake them, put them on your package, and impress people. After I baked mine I used permanent marker to fill in the letters so you could read them. You can also use acrylic paints.

What variations can you think of?

Handmade Sculpey Buttons

Hello and welcome to Wayward Girls' Crafts! I'm so excited you are here. Here's a little bit about myself:

I began scrapbooking in 2006 with a mini album for my husband. Now I have scrapped over 200 layouts. My work is defined with hand-cut embellishments, bright colors, and witty titles. I've found so much inspiration from crafting blogs and want to put it to work! I'm interested in thrifting, decorating, cooking solutions, photography, and papercrafting.

Now on to my craft:

Who didn't love to play with Play-Doh as a kid? All the Wayward Girls certainly did:

Me and Brooke, circa 1991

And I'll let you in on a little secret, I love to play with Play-Doh with my nephew now!

I equate Sculpey to an adult's version of Play-Doh. It was so fun to mess around with for an hour. I decided a few years ago I wanted to make my own buttons and bought some Sculpey for the project. I brought it with me across the country and finally, 2.5 years later, I made some buttons:

For my first time making buttons, I think they turned out great! They may have been a little overcooked so next time I will check them more often. I experimented with a bunch of different household items to cut the circles for the buttons, including a tablespoon measuring spoon, the lid to my facial soap, and the my toothpaste lid. (I ran all of that stuff through the dishwasher and then put it back on) I'd recommend putting paper (not newspaper) on your work area otherwise you'll end up with a colored table, and I'm not sure how easy that is to clean up. Also, try mixing the colors together. I loved the effect I got.

Here's how they look in action:

Isn't my nephew cute?

So now you have some buttons, now what? You can use them on home decor items, scrapbook pages and other papercrafts, accessories and clothing. Go crazy!

This giveaway has ended. The winner is announced here.

Do you want some of your own buttons without actually having to make them? You can win them! You can enter for this giveaway too! It is separate from yesterday's so if you became a follower yesterday, you can enter for that today (or anything else on the list).

You get:

• One entry for commenting on this blog post.
• One entry for becoming a follower of our blog, and commenting on this blog post to tell me about it.
• One entry for following us on Twitter, and commenting on this blog post to tell me about it. (even if you started following us yesterday, you can comment today for an entry)
  
• One entry for Liking us on Facebook, and commenting on this blog post to tell me about it. (Even if you liked us yesterday, you can comment today for an entry)
  
• One entry for blogging about our new blog, and commenting on this blog post to tell me about it (with a link to your post!).
• One entry for asking us a question about ourselves, new blog, crazy dreams, whatever.

Keep checking back to meet the rest of my sisters and my mom, to see what else we're giving away, and to see if you're a winner! The sculpey button winner will be announced next Tuesday!

Also, we're linking up to Tip Me Tuesday: