Kentucky Derby Easter Egg in Food Network Magazine

How do you represent Kentucky with an Easter egg? With a Kentucky Derby Chick, of course!

I was extremely honored to be invited to contribute the Kentucky egg for Food Network Magazine's United States of Easter Eggs feature in their April 2018 issue. 

Kentucky is many great things, of course, but I have traveled many places and know for sure that Kentucky is definitely one great thing to almost all across America and beyond: horses and the iconic Kentucky Derby. I created this little egg as a representation of that beloved culture.

To create the Kentucky Derby Chick, I enlisted the help of my crafty better half, Craft E Magee, and we experimented with a few techniques to give us the perfect hat shape and size for an egg. Then, we did on a smaller scale what we've done together many times on a larger scale. we created the derby flair with feathers, silk flowers, and tulle. You can see the full tutorial on making the hat here: DIY Mini Kentucky Derby Hat.

Look at all of these fabulous eggs representing The United States! I am astounded by the creativity of fellow craft bloggers. You can see each egg with links to all participating designers at foodnetwork.com/eastereggs.



Which state egg is your favorite? It's hard for me to have a clear favorite when there are so many great designs!

Happy egg creating, DIY'ers!

~julee~

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DIY Mini Kentucky Derby Hat

Sure, Kentucky Derby hats are notoriously big and loud, and perhaps (with all due respect), a tad bit ostentatious. If you're in the stands at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby day, your hat better be blocking someone else's view of the track or you're doing it wrong.

So, if that's the case, you're probably wondering why you would ever need to make a mini Kentucky Derby hat. Well, I have a few ideas. For a doll, maybe, or even say, to top an Easter egg. Maybe you just like cute mini sized things. Whatever your reason, I'm going to show you how easy it is to make your own extravagant hat in a small size package.

For the hat itself, you'll need to gather some supplies: cardboard (I used a shirt box), a round glass or other object as a template, cotton stuffing or cotton balls, pencil, scissors, and a glue gun.

The circle size for the hat brim will depend on what size hat you want to make. Using the glass, trace a circle on the cardboard. Cut the circle, and then make a slit to cut a small circle from the center.

Overlap and glue the slits together on the brim piece to create a curve for the brim. (The bigger the overlap, the bigger the curve, or wave.)

Cut a half-inch wide strip of cardboard long enough to fit the center circle cutout. Glue the strip to the center cutout. Now you will have the two pieces of the hat and you will cover each of these with fabric separately.



For the brim, cut a circle of fabric large enough to cover the entire cardboard piece. Pull the fabric up tight and glue around as you go. Unless you use a stretchy fabric, you will create a pleated look. If you don't want a pleated look, use a stretchy fabric.

For the hat top, glue the cotton to the flat top piece and then cover with fabric the same way as you covered the brim: pull up tight and glue to the inside center.

Now, glue the top and brim pieces together. If it doesn't look perfect, don't stress. We're going to use embellishments to create a flawless look.

Now that you've got a complete hat, it's time to decorate. Kentucky Derby hats are traditionally decorated with lots of big colorful flowers and feathers. There's no right or wrong when it comes to embellishments, and the more, the better! I've chosen to use tulle, a silk flower, and a variety of feathers.

I used the tulle to create a band around the hat. (Hint, this also hides any unsightly flaws created when gluing the top and brim together.) Play around with your flowers and feathers until you get the look you want and use hot glue to secure everything in place.

That's it! A small Kentucky Derby hat big on traditional revelry!

Happy hat making, DIY'ers!

~julee~

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DIY Mason Jar Photo Holder

It's not too late to craft some last minute gifts this Christmas. These Ball jar photo holders come together quick. Seriously, you make four of these in an hour or two. That, and they're cute and can be personalized with photos and gift cards. Win, win, win.

Supplies needed: 4oz mason jar, craft snow, small bottlebrush trees, wire (I used 18 gauge). You'll also need a small nail, hammer, wire cutter, pliers, and hot glue. It'll be helpful to find something round to wind your wire around to help it take shape - I used a thread spool.

(I found the 4oz Ball jars at Walmart and Kroger. They come in a 4-pack.)

Start by creating the photo holder in the lid of the mason jar. Using a small nail, hammer a hole in the center just large enough for the wire to slip through. Create two loops with the wire (twisting around a round object makes this easier). Create a long tail at the end of the wire loop. Thread this through the hole in the lid and then bend a 90-degree angle on the underside of the lid. Use hot glue or similar to secure the wire underneath.

Once your lid is finished, create your winter scene inside the mason jar. Use hot glue to adhere the bottle brush trees and then sprinkle in the craft snow. 

Screw the lid back on and add your photos or cards and you're done! Easy, cute, and personalized!

What last minute crafts are you making?

Happy holiday crafting, DIY'ers!

~julee~

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Candy Filled Paper Mache Eggs

What’s your favorite Easter treat?  I have a firm belief that all Easter eggs should be filled with chocolate.  These cute paper mache Easter eggs can be filled with small chocolates, jelly beans and fun trinkets.
Due the drying time on these, you’ll need to plan accordingly.  However, they have a good getting-your-hands-gooey vibe that kids love.  Plus, you have to rip them open to get to the goods inside.



Supplies Needed:  Water balloons, liquid starch, tissue paper.  Also, candy or trinkets to place inside.
Start by cutting your colored tissue paper into 1 or 2-inch squares.  If you’d like to add polka dots to your eggs, use several sheets of paper at once through a paper punch.



Inflate a balloon to your desired size.  Brush on liquid starch.  Leaving the balloon’s tie uncovered, wrap a solid sheet of tissue paper cut to size around the balloon to give it a solid base.  Brush on the liquid starch as needed to keep the paper on the balloon.  Then, add the squares of paper one by one around the balloon, again, brushing on the starch as needed to keep the paper down.  Do not brush hard or the paper will rip.  You’ll only need enough starch to affix the paper.  The more starch you use, the longer it will take to dry.



Once the paper is fully dry, use a pin to poke the balloon, holding on to the tie as it deflates.  The balloon should pull out easily.  From the hole in the top, cut a small slit in the balloon just large enough to place your treats.  Cover the slit with a small piece of tissue paper, and affix it with the liquid starch. 



To remove the treats inside, the paper on the egg must be torn.  Fun!



Happy Easter crafting, DIY’ers!

~julee~

Watch the video as I demo how to make paper mache eggs on WDRB in the Morning:

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Egg Carton Easter Chick

A little egg carton chick to hide some chocolate Easter eggs = Cuteness overload.  Seriously.  And while these egg carton Easter chicks are perfect for kids to put together, adults will have just as much fun helping – at least I did.  And the best part of all is that you probably already have all of the supplies needed for this one.




Supplies Needed:  Paper egg carton, yellow paint, tape, colored paper, feathers (optional), black marker.
1) Cut two egg holder pieces (do these have a technical name?) from the carton.  2) Paint.  3)  Attach the two pieces together with a piece of tape to create a hinge.  4)  Use colored paper to make the beak, feet, and wings (or use feathers for wings, as shown).  5)  Draw on a pair of eyes. 6)  Fill with candy and give to your best peep.



Happy Easter crafting, DIY’ers!

~julee~

Watch the video as I demo how to make recycled egg carton chicks on WDRB in the Morning:

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Gold Dipped Wine Glasses

When planning for my Oscar Party, I knew it was the perfect time to jump on the gold painted wine glass bandwagon and create some fancy-pants glasses for the occasion.  I found these affordable stemless wine glasses at Ross Dress for Less that were perfect for the look I wanted.

Pinterest is full of some really great ideas, but my favorite look (and seemingly most popular pin) was Martha Stewart’s gilded glasses.  Dipping the glasses creates an easy, smooth finish that’s hard to recreate with a brush or sponge.  Only, to create Martha’s dipped look, she instructed you to use heavy-duty clamps, and some sort of hanging contraption so the excess paint will drip off of the glass flawlessly.  Now, I don’t know about you, but even as a crafty gal with a room full of crafty hoard, I don’t own either of these things.  And I had no desire to buy or build them, either.

So here is my alternative method for creating a similar look, without the need to hang the glasses for drip-drying.



Gold Dipped Wine Glasses



Supplies needed: Wine glasses, gold glass paint, washi or painters tape, exacto knife, bowl or container that will accommodate the wine glass (I used a paper bowl), and a drying rack or small items to sit the glasses on while they drip dry (I used tealight tins turned upside down).  You’ll also want some newspaper to cover your workspace.



1) Tape off the bottom of the glasses.  2) Use the exacto knife to cut off the excess tape so that only the bottom is covered. 3) Dip the glasses in the gold paint, coming up the sides to create the look you want.  Shake off as much excess paint as you can for at least 30-seconds.  4) Set the glasses on your drying piece(s). 5) Let dry before removing the tape from the bottom.  6) If you still have globs of paint on the bottom, use a scraping to tool to smooth.  7) Refer to the directions on your paint for curing time and procedures.

If you want more paint on the bottom or other side of the glass, you can do that.  If you want a more uniform look to each glass, use painters tape to create those lines. 



Have you attempted to paint or dip wine glasses?  What are your best tricks for getting a smooth finish?  I’d love to hear your tips and see your pics!

Happy glass painting, DIY’ers!

~julee~

Watch me demo this project on WDRB in the Morning:

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DIY Mardi Gras Mask

It’s true, my little family loves Mardi Gras.  We travel to Louisiana every year to visit and celebrate Mardi Gras (family friendly style) with dear friends and it might be our favorite trip of the year.  This year, I’m making a special mask to match the beads that I’ll be receiving (at the very family friendly parades, people). 

Making your own Mardi Gras mask is easy and you can customize it however you like.  I chose the traditional purple, green, and gold of Mardi Gras fare, but there is an abundance of colored feathers at craft stores for you to choose from if you’re wanting to create something similar for a masquerade or Halloween.

 DIY Mardi Gras Mask

Supplies needed:  Plain mask, glitter, glue, sponge or brush, feathers, decorative trim and embellishments, small piece of felt, hot glue.  Optional:  wooden dowel or skewer, ribbon.

My masks came with an elastic band.  I wanted to hold my mask rather than wear it, so I removed the elastic.  This is your preference. 

DIY Instructions:  To start, brush glue over the entire surface of your mask.  Do not miss any spots.  If your glue is too thick to spread easily, slightly dampen your sponge or brush.  But don’t add too much water, or you might not get a good glue coverage – I learned this the hard way.  You can hold your mask up to the light from behind to check for any missed spots.

Once you have a good solid coverage of glue, add your glitter.  This is the messy and fun part.  I use two sheets of paper so I can catch and reuse (re-sprinkle?) the glitter that doesn’t adhere.  Once you have a fully glittered mask, step away while it dries.  Step.Away.  Maybe 20-30 minutes or more.

After the glue and glitter have dried, add your trim.   If you want to add jewels or other embellishments, now’s the time to do that, too.  This sequence trim is sold by the roll and you may need to look near the fabric notions at your craft store.  It is perfect for this project because it will bend around the curves of the mask more easily than ribbon.  I used tacky glue to adhere it.

Now for adding feathers.  You can just glue the feathers to the back of the mask.  Be careful if you’re using hot glue since these plastic masks may melt with the heat.  However, I created my entire feather piece separate by first gluing the feathers to a small piece of felt.  This gives you more control of the feather placement.  Then, you can add the entire feather piece to the back of the mask. 

To make the mask handle, I wrapped ribbon around a wooden dowel, and used hot glue to affix it to the back of the mask. 

Laissez les bons temps rouler, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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DIY Valentine Bunting

Creating a sweet Valentine bunting is easy and you’ll only need a few supplies to create your own lovely pennant.  Doilies are the perfect accessory to add romance to your Valentine’s Day décor, but instead of using them directly on the bunting, I’m using the pattern in the doily to create a stencil effect on the paper.  So much more fun to use paint!

Supply list: Cardstock, craft paint, brush/sponge, doily, hole punch, string, embellishments, and glue (optional). 

To make: Cut the cardstock to your preferred size.  Use the doily as a stencil and dab the paint on to the cardstock.  To get clean lines, make sure to dab up and down instead of painting in strokes.  Once the paint dries, affix your embellishments.  My letters had an adhesive backing and were easy to attach.  Make holes in the corners of each flag, and thread your string through.  Next, hang and enjoy!

Happy Valentine crafting, DIY’ers!

~julee

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Washi Tape Tealight Candles

Here’s a cute little thing to do with those zillion rolls of washi tape you have lying around: use it to decorate inexpensive tealight candles.  Most washi tape is the perfect size to wrap about the tealight (although some rolls are too wide, just so you know).  Wouldn’t the heart candles be perfect for a Valentine’s Day dinner?

Happy washi crafting, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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