Heart Paper Chain

This "heart paper chain" i made for our wedding paper anniversary. Its super easy, you can use the old scrapbooks paper that we usually have at home or be more creative and use different kinds of paper. What i like about this idea is that you can use just imagination and do wherever you want, and use like a decoration for your celebrations.

Basically you'll need:

• Paper strips or felt ( about 5cm )
•  Ruler
• Scissors
• Stapler
• Fabric ribbon (to hang the chain somewhere or just help to decorate)

Align the strips forming a heart, before stapling put the the tips of the next heart to staple them together.
Repeat the step by step to form a chain with hearts, adding more strips of paper as many times as you need.

Be creative!!!

Seasonal Wood Blocks- AUTUMN

Seasonal Wood Blocks- AUTUMN

After visiting autumn craft fairs and drooling over Autumn, Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations, I came to the conclusion that my home was sadly under-dressed. Personally, I prefer to have items that I can change in and out with the seasons (or when I get bored!) so this Seasonal Wood Block- AUTUMN set is perfect for this time of year.

Craft Ingredients:

* (6) Six 2" x 4" wood blocks CUT to size of your choice and SANDED
* (6) Six fall-colored decorative PAPERS cut to fit blocks
* (3) Three 1.5' RIBBONS for embellishment
* (1) AUTUMN vinyl sticker decal PHRASE in BEIGE (or any other light color)
* Paint. I suggest Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch, SATIN finish, in CINNAMON (see picture)
* Decoupage Glue & Sealer. I suggest Martha Stewart Crafts Decoupage Glue & Sealer (see picture)

Wood, Decorative Paper, Ribbon, Decoupage Glue & Sealer, Paint

Directions:

Paint your sanded blocks of wood with the paint color of your choice. Wait about two hours to be sure that your paint is dry if you're not using a fast-drying paint.

Painted Wood & Decorative Paper Cut to Size

During this wait time you can choose and cut the decorative papers you will use as your block back-drop. I like to cut my papers smaller than the actual size of the block, thus allowing a border of paint color to show around the paper. If you're like my sister, who did this project with me, she did not prefer to see a paint border. Thus, she cut her papers to the exact size of the blocks. This is a personal choice, so make it your own!  

Once the paint is dry, brush the decoupage glue and sealer over one side of the block and adhere your choice of paper. Brush on a second coat of decoupage glue to seal the paper in place. Let dry over night.

Block with Paper & Vinyl Letter 'A'

When the block and paper are dry (& smooth!) to the touch, you can now apply your vinyl sticker letters. Typically, the letters are purchased as words. Cut each letter out of the word and apply to each block individually. Smooth the letter onto the block and paper, and then peel off the mask tape.

Now you may begin embellishing your blocks! This is my favorite part :) Tie your ribbons around your blocks any way you see fit, and then trim to size.

Viola! You just brought a little bit of the outdoors in by declaring how much you enjoy this Autumn/ Fall season!

PS- A great place to buy the Seasonal Wood Blocks- AUTUMN ingredients (if you don't have the time to shop but still want to make it) is: Write@Home



**DON'T FORGET** to share your photos and experience if you give this project a try!

About Us: The Crafty Betties

Crafty Betties are hobby hotties who love to craft, decorate & design. We started as a group of friends who were sharing ideas amongst ourselves and then decided to share our crafts, recipes, and other fun decorating and design tips with everyone. We hope our ideas help inspire you with your family and home!

Joana

Joana is from Brazil, and has learned a lot since she moved to the United States in 2010 about how talented the people are. She very grateful because she discovered that she also has a talent: copying talents of others! Joana loves learning what other people do very well, and reproducing the great ideas on a budget.

Joana's husband is a student and they doing everything they can to pay for his studies, so she can not spend a lot of money on craft and home organization projects. You will find that Joana's projects are things that can be made with few resources and materials that we already have at home. Hope you enjoy following Joana's simple ideas!

Click here to see what Joana's been up to on Crafty Betties.

Rebecca

A self-proclaimed tom-boy, sports & exercise enthusiast, Rebecca has NEVER been able to suppress her creative side. 

As with many new moms, the birth of her daughter drove her head first into a scrapbooking/papercrafting passion and she quickly found herself teaching others at workshops and parties the joys of beautifully archiving memories, and how much money you really can save making your own beautiful greeting cards! 

And after a few lessons about creating her own jewelery, Rebecca was hooked, quickly making more of a supply than she would ever use herself.  But an addiction was developed and the jewellery crafting continued!

When she's not playing soccer, out for a run, kickboxing, or chililng with her family you can find Rebecca leading local papercrafters through projects, or selling her beautiful one-of-a-kind jewellery pieces at a local craft fair. Her websites are rking.myctmh.com and www.leifayre.ca .  Or check out her other blog, redlovestomove.blogspot.com for the ins and outs of day-to-day life. 

Click here to see what Rebecca's been up to on Crafty Betties.

Rachel

Rachel is a married mother of two.  She has one child with an autism spectrum disorder, which means she is super busy!  Rachel LOVES to be creative when time allows. She has a great sense of design, and a love of food, which lead her into making cakes. Rachel says she is still new to this venture but am developing a real love for this medium.  Art you can eat; who doesn't like that!

When not at home caring for her children and being a cake specialist, Rachel is also a full time student and works part time at a restaurant.  She loves to have fun and explore new ways to do things, so be sure to follow Rachel's tips here at Crafty Betties!

Click here to see what Rachel's been up to at Crafty Betties.

Kristen

Kristen is a self-labeled Domestic Diva. As the oldest of six children, Kristen was always her mother's right-hand gal for keeping house and cooking fantastic meals.

Even as a young girl Kristen loved beautiful things, but her first love has always been to MAKE beautiful things. Her favorite style is her own Contemporary Farmhouse Chic. Kristen accomplishes this through upcycling things she finds at garage sales and in scary basements, and then adds something new to it to create a clean/ refresh look.

When she is not running, reading or caring for her three children and super-busy husband, Kristen is the creative genius behind the Etsy shop Write@Home and is a family-food blogger. Thanks for following!

Click here to see what Kristen's been up to on Crafty Betties.

Tamie

From creating unique décor for your home or an uber-awesome meal Tamie is all about the simplicity of it all.
Hailing from the great state of Colorado; Tamie is the mom of 3 boys and hence must create the “girl” herself.

Who doesn’t like a little simplicity in their life? Raise your hand – yes you do! 

Tamie attempts to create simplicity in her life through organization, meal planning, or re-creating something that she’s seen online (usually other blogs and Pinterest).It is all about simplicity. 

She also loves to create lasting memories for her gaggle of boys and other families through her photographic efforts. You can follow Tamie on facebook at Tamie Peterson Photography or her blog at http://tamiesphotos.blogspot.com/

Click here to see what Tamie's been up to on Crafty Betties.