It is closing in on the month of love so I am going to share a series of Valentine’s related posts. I made this necklace to celebrate the season. It is made using Sculpey and Cuttlebug embossing folders and hot pink craft wire.

Click here for the tutorial: Heart Necklace How To

Happy month of love – xoxo  Lovely Lula

I made this great gift for a guy friend who did some barter work for me and he loves music. I filled a flash drive with MP3′s of music and then made a gift container out of embossed paper and a mini plastic paint container that I got at the craft store. To emboss the paper I used my Cuttlebug and the Country Life Embossing Folder and I cut the guitars and cassette tape out on my Cricut using the Indie Art Cartridge. All paper was from Bazzil Basics. I loved this little goody and almost hated giving it up!

Click here for the tutorial: Flash Drive How To

Happy crafting xoxo Lovely Lula

The short one’s hair is finally getting long enough to put a ponytail holder in it to make pig tails. She is a drama girl who likes to pretend she is a rock star.  Gramma got her a rock and roll guitar for Christmas so she needed the accessories to complete the look. I used my Cuttlebug to emboss metal stars for the center and and neon yellow felt for the outer flower shape. I made two of these, one for each side of her pig tails.

To make a rock star ponytail click here for the tutorial: Rock Star Ponytail How To

Happy Crafting xoxo Lovely Lula

When I hit the after Christmas sales I ran into a purse hanger at Old Navy for just a couple of bucks. It was super ugly but my creative side knew instantly that I could switch it up and make it my own.

I busted out the goofy gem stone with a hammer and filled it with a piece of baked Sculpey Polymer clay pressed into the  Country Life Cuttlebug Embossing Folder. I love that sewing machine – so cute! For the complete tutorial click here: Purse Holder

Happy Crafting xoxo Lovely Lula

It’s shopping season friends and the last thing you want to do when you are running from local handmade shops to craft fairs to holiday trunk shows is lug your purse. So why not whip up a simple pouch purse the you can place over your shoulder or across your chest. This design is perfect for just carrying the essentials including your keys, ID and credit card. Leave all that other stuff at home when you are out power shopping. With a little bit of sewing and your trusty Cuttlebug you too can make one of these little gems.

Supplies:

Cuttlebug

Cuttlebug Flower Dies

Fabric, four different kinds

Felt, four different colors

Webbing

Tacky Glue

Sewing machine and thread

Straight Pins

To Make This Project Click Here:Power Shopping Pouch

Happy Crafting xoxo LL

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas and that means home decoration is not complete without a Holiday Advent
Calendar. I made this one using the Cuttlebug.

Supplies:
Advent cupboard
White paint
Glue Stick
Modge Podge
Tacky Glue
Pink and Green cardstock
Cuttlebug
Letter Dies for the Cuttlebug
Cardboard Tree Form
Green teeshirt yarn
Pearl top pins
Pink novelty ribbon

For the complete tutorial click here: Advent Calendar How To

Now run off and make a great advent calendar to decorate your home. Happy Crafting xoxo Lovely Lula

I have been working a lot porcelain ceramics this past month. My collection of Cuttlebug Embossing folders is the the perfect match for clay jewelry.

To make this I used Coleman porcelain and cone 06 glazes in a mini electric kiln that plugs into a regular 110 outlet in your home. FYI – you could also easily make this necklace by using Sculpey or Fimo.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Ready the clay by kneading it a bit to soften it. Roll it into a ball.

2. Place the ball of clay on top of the embossing folder of your choice. To make this key I used the Cuttlebug Vintage Collage embossing folder. Press the clay by hand on to the embossing folder until flat, with the palm of your hand about a 1/4 inch thick. If you want your piece to be a necklace make a hole now using a straw.

3. Lift the clay and place it off to the side on a piece of parchment paper. Now cut around the shape, with a craft knife, removing excess and overflow pieces of clay to get the shape you desire. Smooth edges with a small amount of water if needed. NOTE: Never use too much water when working with clay because it will just melt and fall apart.

4. Repeat the method in numbers 1 and 2 to make as many pieces as you are interested in making.

5. Once all of the pieces are made transfer them to a board or tray covered in newspaper. With all the pieces resting on top of the newspaper, cover the entire thing in dry cleaner plastic for several days so that the pieces dry slowly. NOTE: drying ceramics too quickly will cause them to crack.

6. Remove the plastic and allow them to dry for another day or two. NOTE: Never put wet ceramics into a kiln they will just blow into pieces.

7. Place the dry ceramics (called greenware) onto kiln shelves and/or kiln furniture

8. Close the lid, set the dials according to the manufacturers directions, place the firing cone and let it run it’s course for 24 hours.

9. Once it is completely cool, open the kiln. Some popping and pinging noises will occur – this is normal. Your pieces will now be “bisqued” – this means fired pottery that is unglazed. Pull them out and set them on a table .

10. Pull out your glaze colors and a small paint brush. Cover the pieces in the glazes. Once the glazes are dry coat them all over with a clear glaze if you want them to come out shiny.

11. To glaze fire repeat steps 7, 8 and 9.

12. Now use string, yarn and t-shirt yarn braided together to make the necklace “chain” part of your piece, tie it at the top with long enough strings so it slips over the head.

Give, wear and enjoy! Happy crafting xoxo Lovely Lula

When thinking about fall my mind traveled to canning jars and I thought why not decorate an old, vintage, glass, canning jar to create a tea lite.

I made the halo over top of the jar with my Cuttlebug, copper and Sculpey clay. I added in a few beads and some glass marbles inside of the jar and it is ready to place a tea lite in and go! For the complete tutorial click here: Glass Jar How To

I have been playing with porcelain a lot lately — more of that to come. For this Halloween inspired necklace I made a ball of porcelain and then pressed it into a Cuttlebug Halloween embossing folder. I bisqued it to cone 06 and then glazed it with black glaze from Duncan. I covered a necklace finding in black enamel paint and then glued it to the back using E-6000 glue. I made the necklace part out of what else? Tee-shirt yarn!

To purchase one of my T-shirt Yarn Kits click HERE

Working with the Cuttlebug Embossing folders and Scupley is such an easy combination. You don’t have to run the Sculpey through the Cuttlebug machine you just press it into the folder by hand – it make a clean impression and is easy to clean up.

For the complete Tutorial Click here: Sculpey Halloween Jewelry