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January 12, 2011

Valentine Heart Garland: Good Living Magazine Project 1


Bam...and then...Smack!
Yep...that was me falling out of my chair because not only am I posting twice in one week but I actually have a crafty one for ya.  Just shocking. But Valentines Day is approaching and in the last few years this has become one of my absolute favorite crafty holidays.  It may just be because I have 2 girls and maybe a smidge of a romantic heart.

But I can get wordy (as you know) and I got a LOT of photos here so I am going to stop being chatty and tell you about this fun garland which is one of the projects I did for the January/February issue of Good Living Magazine. It has been so fun being the Craft Writer for a local magazine I really love and support.
This garland is an upcycled wonder of goodness made from cereal boxes, old sweaters, scrap fabric, and even a pair of snuggly socks. It is pretty easy to do and you can get crazy resourceful with different materials.  As a lot of you know, I like to use what I have on hand and not lose coin on all my crafty endeavors.
Here's how I did it...
I used a cookie cutter as my template and cut out about 15 hearts from a cereal box.
I roughly cut out another heart slightly larger than my template with the plain cardboard side facing down.
I then pulled the fabric (in this case an old sweater) taught and hot glued it around as I went. Now I have to tell you I use hot glue for everything because it is fast... but I burn myself constantly.  
Fabric glue like Fabritac works great but it dries FAST so you gotta work quickly.
This is what they look like done.  Here I used burlap, an old sweater, and some red ticking.
Sooo pretty and I love the different textures!
I glued a length of twine that I pre-measured beforehand to the length of all my hearts leaving excess on either end for hanging.
If I was thinking, I would have glued these higher across the widest part of the heart so that they would not flip when you hung them.  I plan on hanging them against a door or wall so I am not too worried about it.
I then cut our several hearts from felt using the same cookie cutter as a template but cutting them out slightly smaller.
I glued them to the backs to cover up all the ugly stuff. :)
And there you have a pretty garland.

There you have it!
I will post about the other 2 projects that are simple and appropriate for your sweetie, a family member or a good friend.

L.O.V.E. and Hugs to you all!
XOXOXOXOXO!

crafty links

29 comments:

  1. Love it Jess! Especially the using what you've got around bit. :)

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  2. This is darling--as usual! You have great ideas!

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  3. LOVE it!!! You little Martha Stewart! The textures are so cool! Finally...a good purpose for colored socks :) I can imagine how cozy those little hearts look in your home! I hope I get time to make some!

    Hope you guys arehaving some fun today!

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  4. Valentines has become one of my favorite crafty holidays too! You can't have too much pink or too many hearts! Super cute!

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  5. Wow. L-O-V-E that idea!!
    You have such a fabulous way about taking something that seems like it would be impossible to do and breaking it down in a way that I feel like I could do it too!! Thank you!!

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  6. Very cute!! Love seeing another Festive Soul. :)

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  7. Jessica!
    Love. It.
    I was looking for something valentine-y. You inspired me. I made one tonight - a bit different than yours. I blogged about it and linked to you. :) http://holadayshappyhearts.blogspot.com/

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  8. So cute and so resourceful. And I always feel like I need to go out and buy everything without looking around the house for what I could use and already own. Thank you! You're such a good example!!!

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  9. SO cute! thanks for another wonderful craft idea. i have a cookie cutter burning a hole in my kitchen drawer!

    thanks also for the lovely comment you left for me. not too preachy at all! and you made a very valid point. it gave me some perspective. hope you continue to read!

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  10. Thank you so much for your sweet feedback to my snack post. :)
    My boys have never minded almond butter. Could you 1/2 and 1/2 it to start?
    My guys (especially Noah) aren't always thrilled with the dinners we have here but they're pretty much good with all of the snack options.
    There are brands out there (like Annie's) that carry healthier versions of traditional "kid food" like fruit snacks, a version of teddy grahams, cookies, etc. Maybe that would be a good transitional place to start?

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  11. So cute! I have to laugh because I constantly burn myself when using a hot glue gun too...it's a real love/hate relationship! Love your blog design also. :-)

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  12. So cute! I may have to try this! Love the glue gun! :)

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  13. very pretty and sweet! I love transforming leftovers into nice little somethings too.

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  14. Hi! Stopping by from C.R.A.F.T. MMM Party! I love love love this idea, how cute is it:) I might just try it tomorrow. I am so glad I found your blog, your too cute and I love Jesus too, LOTS! So looking forward to following and learning:)

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  15. I've been looking for the perfect V-day garland. I love that this one is made from things around the house! Yeah for up-cycling.

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  16. What an adorable idea, and what a great way to use up fabric scraps! Thanks for this awesome tutorial!

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  17. This is soooo adorable! The textures are just lovely!

    www.poppiesandpoetry.blogspot.com

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  18. What a cool idea. I love that you use what you have on hand. Did I ever tell you I have the copy of the magazine in my living room and I show it to everyone? I do!

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  19. Cute! I love how you've upcycled, too!

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  20. These are soo cute!! I love anything to do with hearts and the upcycled fabric you used works so well together - love it! :)

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  21. I featured you on Love Get Crafty today!

    http://www.redtedart.com/2011/02/01/love-get-crafty/

    Maggy

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  22. I might have to make a string of hearts with the boatload of red felt I have left over from Christmas. Thanks!

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  23. So 2 things.
    1. Not only have you not posted but I just realized it's been a full month since I read any blogs. And
    2. My cousin gave me a bracelet made of felt and if I had not seen all the cute things you have done with felt, I would still think felt is tacky. But it's not. Because you can do cute things with it! And now I am making several more! I just might take some pics and do my own post!

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  24. I cant wait to do this adorable garland for this Valentines day!!! So cute!

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