Thursday, February 27, 2014

BFF Open House Link Party #146

The Answer Is Chocolate

Happy Friday Eve all! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your creativity here at The Answer Is Chocolate once again. I cannot believe that Saturday is March 1st. How can that be? It seems like it was just Valentine's Day if we blink St. Patrick's Day will be here. 

Here are just a few ideas from last week's party to inspire you. 



Spring is the perfect time for a new look. Visit Jenna at 24 Cottonwood Lane to get the details on this chalk paint table makeover. 


This Shamrock Wreath is festive and easy to make. Pop over to 3 Little Greenwoods for the how-to. 


Looking for a new recipe for a light meal or appetizer? I am definitely going to try this Roasted Garlic Chicken Tart from This Silly Girl's Life


Wouldn't these mint filled  brownies be perfect for a St. Patrick's Day dessert? Visit I Dig Pinterest for the recipe. 


Let's see what everyone's been up to this week! 

   
   






Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Celtic Inspired Multi-Strand Necklace

Celtic Multi Strand Necklace 1

With St. Patrick’s Day coming up , I thought make something I could wear to celebrate but that would also fit in my wardrobe overall. I’ve always love Celtic jewelry  so the combination of a filigree multi-strand clasp, antique gold and silver chains and moss and cream flat backed beads is my attempt at capturing the feel. All supplies in this project are from Blue Moon Beads. You will need:
  • Multi strand clasps
  • Gold and Silver chain
  • Flat back pearlescent acrylic beads
  • Jump rings
Blue Moon Flat Back Pearl

I joined the flat backed beads back to back with jump rings. I wanted a bolder bead and this way if they flip around there’s no bad side. I added short lengths of chain in between alternating cream and green beads with jump rings. Cut lengths of chain equal to the beaded pieces . Join all to two of the clasps.
Celtic Chain Necklace

I added a couple more of my back to back bead sets to the ends of the clasps and then equal lengths of chain to complete the necklace.

Celtic Multi Strand Necklace

Celtic Inspired Necklace


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Thursday, February 20, 2014

BFF Open House #145

The Answer Is Chocolate

Happy Friday Eve ! I am so so so ready for the weekend how about you?  Thanks for all the fun ideas shared at last week's party. Since it was Valentine's Day , there were lots of great Valentine's projects linked up. Several can easily  be adapted to projects you can do year round.  Here are just a few of them: 


Just because Valentine's Day has come and gone , it doesn't mean you can't still give special notes to those you love. See how Rachel from Holy Craft used vintage glassine envelopes she picked up for $1 to show her love. Reminds me of lost love letters found tucked away in an attic somewhere.


Another Valentine's Day idea that can be used for so many other events comes from the ever creative Jenn at Rook No.17. Mini meringue treasure cones. Wouldn't these be fun for a birthday party or a shower? 



This project has so many possibilities. Daniela from Put A Bird On It used homemade fabric paint and her Silhouette to embellish a simple cardigan. How fun to literally wear your heart on your sleeves? I'm thinking of a few shirts I love that have spots that could be covered up using this technique. 


Needless to say , chocolate is an all year round reality in my life so we have quite a few chocolate desserts. I am definitely going to have to try this recipe for Chocolate Mocha Mousse with Strawberries from Culinary Flavors. YUM! 


Now time for this week's fun. Let's see what everyone's been up to this week!

   
   







Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Resin Bead Statement Necklace and Bracelet


I'm excited to continue as a member of the Blue Moon Beads design team in 2014. Even before I became part of the DT last year, I loved their products because the are affordable, easy to work with, and you can't beat the variety. 


I fell in love with these flat back resin beads. They look like sparkling crystals but are very light weight. I used a combination of the resin beads, stone beads and silver chain to make the necklace and bracelet and got focused on what I was doing and neglected to take step by step photos. 

Basically string a stone bead a resin bead and another stone bead on wire and made wrapped loops on either end. After making a series of these, I joined them together with jump rings, and then joined the focal piece to chain on either end. 



I used lengths of different chain to complete the necklace, adding chain on the top and bottom of the resin focal piece. 


I used leftover beads and chain to make a coordinating bracelet. Wire wrapped the big beads , linked with jump rings and then strung stone beads on head pins and attached those to the joining links. 

I'm excited to see that bold jewelry is still the trend and that Blue Moon is right on top of it. Blue Moon Beads are available at JoAnns and other craft stores. 

Disclosure: As a member of the Blue Moon Beads design team, I was provided with supplies used in this project. All designs and opinions are my own. 


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Monday, February 17, 2014

Mod Podge Rocks Stencil Podged Box


My readers know that I love Mod Podge. I've joked before that if it stands still long enough I'll probably Mod Podge it.  I didn't think I could love MP more and then along came self adhesive stencils you can use with Mod Podge  and glitter! 

For this project you will need: 

Surface to decorate
Mod Podge ( I used my go to Matte)
Paper
Glitter


The stencils come in 6 designs and are available at Michaels: 

Mod Podge Rocks Stencils #chevron #ModPodge #Stencil


I used a little wood box in my stash for this project and  covered two sides and the top with black and white polka dot paper and left the other two sides bare wood. To stencil, peel the stencil from the backer and adhere to your surface. The adhesive on the stencil lasts for 20 uses. 


The easiest way to use Mod Podge with the stencils is to use a sponge spouncer. Dip lightly and then spounce your Mod Podge on.  For glitter projects,  the instructions say to peel the stencil away at this point but I decided to just plop my glitter on first. I thought I might get cleaner images this way and was happy with the result. 


When the stencil was peeled off, perfectly symmetrical glitter diamond shapes were left behind! The stencil (glitter and all) cleaned up nicely with soap and water so I could finish the other side of my box. 


While I used a flat surface, I love that the stencils are flexible and can bend to rounded surfaces like jars, bottles, vases etc. Possibilities are endless! 


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Thursday, February 13, 2014

BFF Open House Link Party #144

The Answer Is Chocolate

Happy Valentine's and Friday Eve ! Wishing you all a very happy chocolate overload day tomorrow. Getting right down to business here are some fun features from last week's party !


While this shabby chic altered canvas  is for Valentine's Day, it's a perfect way to show your love all year round. Visit Artsy Va Va for the details. 


Wouldn't this candle lantern from A Creative Princess go perfectly with that canvas? I think so! 


Not only can you wear this beautiful heart around your neck, you'll never ever guess the mystery secret behind the base of the pendant. Visit Mich in LA to find out what it is. She plays this game with her readers regularly and stumps us OFTEN!


I love to dip Oreos in things but mine never come close to looking as amazing as these from Karyn at Pint Sized Baker. Almost too pretty to eat. I might even pause before devouring them! 




   
   

Thursday, February 6, 2014

BFF Open House Link Party #143

The Answer Is Chocolate

Happy Friday Eve! Still recovering from yesterday's record breaking Super Bowl parade in Seattle and I only watched it on TV! Fun to see the hometown pride. Valentine's Day is one week away people! Every body panic and freak out so I'm not alone OK? 

If like me, you've done NOTHING ( sorry honey!) then here are some ideas from last week's party to inspire you. 


Loving this sweet ( literally) idea from Crafty Lumberjacks. Use candy sprinkles, clear votives, and tea lights to make festive decorations. 


Likewise, loving this upcycled wreath from 3 Little Greenwoods. Great way to repurpose those plastic bags!


Almost no sew works for me every time and these adorable pillows from Steph at Silly Pearl are perfect for Valentine's Day or all year round. 

I have two chocolate features for you this week. After all what's Valentine's day without chocolate? 


I couldn't resist this heart shaped display of handmade chocolate peanut butter hearts. Pop on over to Organizer By Day to see how to make your own. 

And if you want to make your someone special an extra special Valentine's dessert: 


Almost too pretty to eat isn't it? For the how to on this Chocolate Hazelnut Tart, visit Karyn at Dieter's Downfall ( still the most accurately named blog I know) . 

Time to get the party started! 










Tuesday, February 4, 2014

21: Vegas Style Birthday Card

Red White and Black Birthday

My BFF and I have done everything together including getting married and then a few years later, having kids within days of each other. We even went to the same Ob/Gyn and delivered in the same hospital. So 10 days after celebrating my baby’s 21st, it was time to celebrate her baby’s 21st.

Since she’ll be celebrating in Vegas, I wanted the card to match so when I saw dice brads at Impress I had to get them and based the card around them.
Black and White 21

I went with a red / white / black scheme to play off of the roulette wheel. Used Canvas Corp diamond patterned paper , layered with an embossed panel using a Cuttlebug embossing folder with a crown at the top.
Black and White Checker

I used my Cricut Expression to cut the numbers 21 out of the diamond patterned paper and layered them with foam dots ( cut 2 sets for each number) and added some glittered gold paper and ribbon to give the card some glitz.  Layered the dice brads onto black and gold papers and embellished the crown with gold rhinestones.

I hope the birthday girl has a great time!