Charlie Tamara Piper

I'm back with another crafting project! I have a present for my little cousin and I wanted to do something special - it would be youthful for an 8 year old but also a little grown up so that she can feel extra special. I got inspired by multiple shades of purple and came up with this gift wrap design. Here's how I did it. First, I started by wrapping the box in plain lavender gift wrap paper.  The color was so fun that it inspired me to work with multiple shades of purple to create something really special and to play with a tone-on-tone design. This was my purple palette. I grabbed multiple shades of purple card stock and some glitter paper to run the full range of pinky-purples. From there, I got inspired to create a purple flower garden theme. I used this decorative punch to make a string of flower petals. I then used an adhesive dot roller and coated the very bottom of the petals and proceeded to roll the petals in a circle to make the beginning ...

I love upcycling and reusing items to fit new needs. I had this really great, sturdy glass candle jar that I wanted to turn into a glitzy makeup brush holder - and I'm so pleased with the results! Here's what you'll need: A glass candle jar Rubbing alcohol Lint-free paper towels Ruler Measuring tape Pencil Sharp crafting scissors Glitter paper Ribbon Spray adhesive Hot glue gun And here are the DIY details: I started by clearing all the wax out of the jar and used rubbing alcohol and lint-free paper towels to clean out any waxy residue and to make sure the glues would properly stick to the jar. I then used a measuring tape from my sewing kit to take measurements to cut the glitter paper and ribbon to the correct size. I added a little extra length to be sure the paper and ribbon wrapped around and could be glued down correctly. Here's the glitter paper that I cut to scale. I used my ruler and shar...

How do you surprise someone who loves pandas for their birthday? You make them a glittery panda birthday card! Here's how I made it: First, I used a bone folder to create the perfect crease on a 12 x 12-inch piece of white card stock. My plan was to size the card stock down to size and use the leftover paper to create the other shapes I needed. I then layered silver glitter paper onto the card stock. I used a spray adhesive to securely bind the card stock and glitter paper to each other - it dries very quickly and doesn't bubble up, leaving a smooth finish on each layer of paper. I placed the card stock under paperweights while the glue dried down. I then used a paper cutter to cut the card down to size and eliminate any white edges of the card stock showing through.   I used a circle cutter to cut a 4-inch white circle for the panda's face. I then cut a single 2-inch black circle which I then cut in half and two one-inch circles to create the ...

Sometimes when you've got an oddly-shaped gift to give your best bet is to use a gift bag. But my inner crafter wouldn't let me simply use the complimentary shopping bag that the store gave me. I knew I could turn it into something super classy. Thanks to a friend's suggestion, I created this tuxedo-themed gift bag that was a little complicated to figure out until I got the hang of it. I completely failed on taking step-by-step pictures because I really needed to focus! But you can learn from my lessons and recreate it yourself. Here's how I did it: First, I started by visiting my old standby - Google Images - to download a tuxedo jacket pattern. Once I found one that I liked, I used it to trace out the black lapels of the jacket and layered on a white triangle to represent the shirt. From there, I started adding in some extras - I used spray mount adhesive to mount the lapels and shirt onto black card stock to round out the tuxedo jacket. I cut two ...

Another special gift wrapping edition! I've got a Star Wars-loving friend with a birthday coming up, so I went with a full Chewbacca theme for the gift wrap job. Here's how I did it: The Gift Bag As usual, I turned to Google Images to find a cartoon version of Chewbacca that I really liked. I spent some time creating a grid of the image which I used to create a layered background for a gift bag. I mounted the Chewie image onto bronze glitter paper. I used some coordinating orange card stock and a stamper to create the perfect birthday wish note! I used a brown ultra fine tip Sharpie to bring out the lettering a bit more. Once the image was complete, I mounted it onto a brown gift bag. I finished the package off with some bronze ribbon that I tied into a bow on the handle. I finished the edges of the ribbon by folding each tail in half and cutting upward on a 45 degree angle to create a triangle cutout. The Card I love coordinating cards t...

A Sunday crafting session...there's no better way to spend the day in my book! I have a Batman fan of a friend who's got an upcoming birthday and I wanted to do something really special. Here's how I did it. I started by wrapping the gift itself in plain blue paper. I then searched Google Images to find some great high resolution images from the 90's era of Batman The Animated Series.  I found this super cool photo of Batman with lightening bolts behind him and loved the way he towered over the city from his perch. I played with sizing and perspective a bit until I got everything at the right size. I printed two copies on card stock and, after sandwiching two pieces of heavy card stock at the base of the photos, pasted them back to back. The picture was then placed them under paperweights to keep the hold. I then found this cool collage of Batman's foes and spent some time sizing it so that each square would be roughly 4 cm to create a checkerboard...

Gift wrapping projects are my favorite crafting projects! I so enjoy picking out gifts for loved ones and wrapping them up to make them all the more special. I think this year's holiday present recipients will get a kick of the gifts they're getting and the beautiful packaging. The Stuffed Animal There aren't too many ways to wrap up a stuffed animal, but I think a festive bow can really create a thoughtful presentation moment. I made a large bow around this little kitty's neck with some metallic fabric ribbon.  If you can tie a shoe, you can tie a bow like this. Tie a large bow and tighten the knot so the bow is secure. Then make another bow using the first one as a guide for how to properly shape the loops of the bow. Once you've completed the bows, take the longer side of the tail and wrap it around the knots to hide them. Secure the tail with a single tie (not a knot) and the bow will be perfectly secure until it's time to remove the bow, whic...