How to Make Christmas Crackers

Dear Chicago House,

When I was in the UK a few weeks back I saw loads of boxes of Christmas Crackers..sadly they were too bulky for me to carry back to the US. They are traditionally used as a festive table favor..you choose a partner to pull your cracker, the winner is left with a trinket, paper hat and lame joke!

You can occasionally find them in stores here...but this year I have not had the time to hunt them down...so...I thought I'd have a stab at making my own.

How to make Christmas Crackers.

What you need 

• Nice thick festive paper. I used scrap booking paper which was the perfect size to produce 2 crackers
• Toilet roll
• Double sided tape
• Scissors
• Ribbon
• Small gift to place inside cracker

Start by cutting your paper to size. Each cracker requires a piece of paper 12" by 6"

Fold as illustrated above .
Your paper will now look like this.

Fold the paper in on itself and  carefully snip triangle shapes as shown.

 Do both sides

Using double sided tape stick paper to a toilet roll, starting at one edge.

Add more tape to finish the ends

Add you gift, joke, paper hat or what ever takes your fancy and seal ends with some pretty ribbon. I curled my ribbon with scissors.

Merry Chritmas!

Love from

Creative in Chicago

XX

Categories: Christmas, Craft Projects, Crafts Project, DIY, How to, How to's

Easy Pistachio Shell Art

Dear Chicago House,

Tasty and nutritious, what's not to love about pistachio nuts. If you needed an extra incentive to munch down on their loveliness you can now  re-cycle those shells into a piece of pretty artwork too! 

This is easy and fun to do

What you will need

• Washed pistachio shell halves
• Sharpie Markers
• Stiff card
• Glue

Simply color in about a quarter of each shell with a sharpie. Each flower will require 5-6 shell halves. Arrange each flower on your card as you go and once you have filled it up and are happy with your design break out the glue.

Frame it up and you are good to go!

Enjoy!

Love from

Creative in Chicago

XX

Categories: Art, How to, How to's, Tutorials, wall art

Take One Plain Envelope!

Dear Chicago House,
I can be a real sucker for beautiful things.

During a month long trip to the UK this summer, I visited Convent Garden in London. It is a vibrant place with lots of fabulous street entertainment ( more about that another day!) and a fantastic boutique market.

My pounds came out to play when I came across this stall selling gorgeous little stamp blocks... I was quite reserved to buy just one!

My beautiful little celtic swirl stamp is perfect for tarting up a plain envelope!

but I took it a little further that just inking it up..I added an embossing powder for a bit more panache.

You can make this too!

What you need 

• Plain envelopes
• A pretty stamp block
• Stamping ink
• Embossing powder ( I bought mine on Amazon)
• Heat source (e.g a heat gun)
• Piece of foam board

1.  Open your envelope and slip your foam board underneath it- mine is blue in this photo. Ink up your stamp and print.
   
    
   
2. Sprinkle the embossing powder on the ink before it dries
   
   You don't need very much powder at all, tap the excess back into the container. Now give your coated print a blast with your heat source. this can be anything from a heat gun but I got a bit creative and used the warming lamps on my cooktop!
   
    
   
   Here is the print  after the heat treatment.

Pretty, pretty oh so pretty!

Love from

Creative in Chicago

XX

Categories: Crafts Project, How to, How to's, Pretty, Tutorials

Tutorial: Sea Glass Sea Horse

Dear Chicago House,

I have been a bit quiet of late, having spent the last month in the UK touring around universities with Miss Chicago teen.

It was quite an exhausting trip but we managed to cram loads in, including a trip to the beautiful Gower peninsular in Wales, where on a tiny patch of shale I found a bumper crop of sea glass. This was my haul after only a minute or so!

Quick as a flash Miss Chicago teen worked her magic and turned it into a spectacular sea glass sea horse.

Using Elmers glue (or any school type glue) the glass was stuck onto a good card stock... the green and clear glass for the body and brown glass for the fins and eye.

Here it is framed and ready to hang on the wall.

There is something quite special about a piece of art that can be made from free beach treasure.


Lots of Love

Creative in Chicago

XX

Categories: Art, Beachy, Crafts Project, How to, How to's, teenager, Tutorials, wall art

DIY Good Luck Gift

Dear Chicago House,
Exam season is in full force and I have to say I am so glad my exam taking days are over! Miss Chicago teen seems to have had a whole year of tests from the ACT and SAT and more recently completed a whole batch of AP exams. She now just has a couple of school finals left before those lazy days of summer are on her.
Last year I made THIS little good luck gift and this year stepped it up a bit.

Meet  Mr Good Luck Mouse and his teddy!

My major inspiration was this pin - leads to a pattern you can buy but I just bodged it.

To make it yourself here is what you need

• Altoid tin
• Felt peices
• a scrap piece of cotton fabric for the pillow
• embroidery thread
• sewing machine

Hopefully you can work out how to construct it by looking at the photos...it is a very easy sewing project! You could embroider anything you like on the blanket, a name, Happy Birthday, Well Done!, Congrats..the list is endless. I thought it would also be a good little gift for any kids going off to camp this summer.

Now lets hope Mr good luck Mouse and his teddy did their job!

Love from

Creative in Chicago

XX

Categories: Craft Projects, Crafts Project, Gifts, How to, How to's, Sewing, teenager, Tutorials

DIY Coastal Art: A Fun Octopus

Dear Chicago House,

I watched a video the other day about an octopus that has been taught how to take photographs ( check it out here)

It inspired a sudden desire to draw an octopus but I took it a little further.

Want to make one of these yourself?..read on!

DIY Coastal Art: A Fun Octopus.

You will need

• A piece of stiff cardboard - used the back cover of a notebook 
• School glue- I used Elmers
• Heavy duty foil
• Shoe polish
• Oil Pastel sticks ( optional)

1. Start by sketching out a basic octopus shape...I kept things simple
   
2. Squeeze the glue straight from the bottle onto your design. Some of my dots bled but I thought it added to the design.
   
3. Let to glue dry completely, I left mine overnight. The take a piece of heavy duty foil and stick into onto your cardboard. I used a glue stick but any glue would work.
   
   
   Now you need to really work the foil around your design elements. I used a q-tip and my fingers. Once you are happy wrap the foil edges around the board.
   
   
4. Next apply several layers of black shoe polish using a soft rag
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   I also added a bit of subtle color using oil pastel stick..here it is before I blended it it.
   
   
   

It made a nice addition to the coastal theme shelf I have in my home office

Enjoy!

Love from Creative in Chicago

XX

Categories: Art, Arty Farty Friday, Beachy, DIY, How to, How to's, Tutorials

Getting Creative with Sharpies

Dear Chicago House,

I have been doing some house keeping on Creative in Chicago this week, and it seems only when looking back on past posts themes pop up. In the past we have had coastal decor projects, string and rope projects, to name just a couple.

One of my more recent obsessions have been using sharpies, so today here is a fun round up.

Make your Own Fabric

I have not one but two tutorials on how to make your own fabric, with a handy deign chart. Check them HERE and HERE

Create a Driftwood Fish

This fun little fish was made using a paint sharpie, lots of ideas for different fish HERE

Cool Zentangle Coasters

Full instructions on how to make these colorful coasters HERE

Pretty Sharpie Shells

Even dull boring shells can look stunning with a bit of Sharpie action >> HERE

Free Greeting Card

Download this greetings card...suitable for anyone and whenever!

Categories: Craft Projects, Crafts Project, Holiday Projects, How to's