Chica and Jo

Cupid’s arrow Valentines

Jo — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:23:52 +0000

Little Jo needs Valentines for her classroom exchange. This year, since I was feeling a little mom guilt from working a bit too much recently, I decided we would spend some quality time together making them rather than just picking some up at the store. The supplies for the design we came up with are really simple and the construction was even easier!

I went to Michael’s and got some 6 inch lollipop sticks and sticker foam hearts to make really cute cupid’s arrows. For the point of the arrow, we started by taking one medium-sized heart and peel the backing away. Then we attached the lollipop stick in the middle. Finally, we peeled the back off another heart and use it to sandwich the lollipop stick. What an easy and cute arrow point!

Now, we decorated the feathery end of the arrow. To do this, we layered progressively smaller hearts together. I found that three layers was just right.

Just as before, we attached the hearts to the stick by removing the backing from all the layers, centering the lollipop stick, and adding another three hearts to create sandwich around the stick. The arrow is almost finished!

Little Jo’s favorite part was decorating the arrows. First, we used Americana Writers paint to add some embellishments to the feather end. Then, I had Little Jo draw a Valentine for her friends. McGeeky scanned it in and printed four to a regular sheet of paper.

I folded the printed Valentine in half and wrapped it around the middle of the stick. I secured it by tying it in place with coordinating ribbon. They came out so cute!

They even fit into a legal size envelope, which makes them so much easier to deliver!

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Decoupage tips

Jo — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 14:52:49 +0000

I was shopping with a friend at our local flea market when I spotted this train case that was in fairly good condition and selling for only $6. The inside was a hot mess but the outside was in great shape! I thought it would be fun to decoupage the case to use as a carry-on piece of luggage when we head off to CHA in a few weeks!

I am not going to give you a step-by-step of how I covered the outside of this case because it would be really long and tedious, and it’s not likely any of you will have a case just like this one. Instead, I am going to offer you some general tips for doing fabric decoupage that you can apply to any project.

TIP #1: Decoupage your fabric before you cut it to use.

We have shared this all-important tip with you before. Applying the decoupage medium to the fabric first allows you to cut the fabric and not have it fray. Place a large piece of your fabric out on some wax or parchment paper and then coat it with your DecoArt Decoupage. Allow it to dry thoroughly and then cut the pieces you need. You can then use more decoupage medium to attach the fabric to the item.

TIP #2: Cut lots of notches around hardware.

This seemed scary to do for some reason but is quite necessary when you are working around as much hardware as I was. If you make notches so that the fabric can lay flat around the piece, then you can trim all of it off later for a perfect fit.

TIP #3: Allow your fabric to dry COMPLETELY before trimming.

Don’t be like me. Don’t get so excited about seeing how it will look that you start trying to trim your fabric before it is completely dry. It doesn’t work. It just doesn’t. So, don’t do it! Walk away from your project. Go to the grocery store, take a nap, read a few chapters — anything to keep you from ruining your piece because you lack crafting patience.

I covered the outside of my case with decoupaged fabric, but the inside was a bit different. Redoing the interior is actually super easy because you can use the existing pieces as your pattern. For the top and bottom inserts, I simply traced the piece onto cardboard and then covered my cardboard with fabric. To cover the inside walls of the case, I just cut fabric to size, with no cardboard needed. The fabric I chose was a nice fleece which gave it some extra padding and has the benefit of not fraying when cut.

For inside the lid, I wanted it to create a way to hold my iPad or Kindle, which I always take with me when traveling. To do this, I simply took two elastic headbands and made a criss-cross pattern. I tied loops in the ends of each elastic to tighten them enough so that the iPad would remain securely in place.

I love how the case turned out. I must be honest, I was actually a bit intimidated by this project at first. I was afraid of messing it up. But, I learned a few things as I went along and I couldn’t be happier with the end result. I can’t wait to carry it through the airport!

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Retro rotary phone purse

Chica — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:51:57 +0000

Probably my favorite appliance in the whole house is my vintage black rotary phone. It is fully functional, has the most amazing ring ever, and is a definite conversation piece at home. Adults wax nostalgic when they see it and kids are delighted and amazed that it’s even a phone. I love it.

Jo and I were brainstorming a while ago about these old phones and wondering if we could upcycle one into something new and functional. I’m not exactly sure how we ended up there, but we decided it would make a great starting point for a charming, retro purse. Sound too crazy to work? Well, take a look… what do you think?

So chic, right? If you want to make your own, keep on reading, because I’ve got a full tutorial for you!

First, let me assure you that I did not damage my working telephone. Instead, I sought out parts from another phone that didn’t work. The phone parts you’ll need to make this purse are the handset, cord, and dial mechanism. You’ll also need a 6″ x 3″ clasp for the purse closure.

These supplies may sound out of reach to those of you who don’t already have a phone lying around, but never fear — we’re here to help! We’ve found a source and are selling a limited quantity of these items in our store! Each kit includes the handset, dial, cord, and a clasp that will work perfectly with our template.

Speaking of templates, we’ve got a free downloadable Rotary Phone Purse Template that will help you cut the pieces you’ll need for this purse. Go ahead and print all 6 pages onto regular white paper.

The first four pages are for the main shell of the purse. Cut out each piece.

Following the guidance on the template pieces, line up the edges and secure with a piece of tape to create one large pattern piece.

For the outer shell of your purse, we recommend you choose a really sturdy fabric. I used a fairly stiff, black vinyl that had a white fuzzy back. You want something with enough body so that the purse will hold its shape. You also want something that will not fray on the cut edges. Use the template you just assembled to cut out a piece of the vinyl for your outer shell.

Then line the template up with the vinyl again and trace (DO NOT CUT!) the center circle onto the vinyl.

Use the template one more time to cut another piece out of a coordinating fabric for your purse lining. I used a houndstooth-print satin. You do not need to draw the circle on the lining piece.

Next, cut out your two circle templates and use them to outline shapes on cardboard. I suggest that you not use corrugated cardboard here, and choose chipboard or other stiff cardboard that won’t bend easily.

Cut the circles out and take a moment to label them #1 and #2 (match them up with the numbers on the patterns) so that you won’t get them mixed up later. They may look identical, but one is slightly larger than the other so we want to keep them straight!

Before you start assembling, do a quick check to make sure your pieces are going to work together. Put your clasp on the top edge of the vinyl and make sure that the edges line up. The sides of the fabric will flare out wider than the clasp, but that’s required to give the purse a big enough opening to be usable. Also take circle #1 and put it on top of the dial mechanism. It should fit right into place and rest on the edge without falling down to the table.

Grab your hot glue gun and put a line of glue on the back of the vinyl, all around the circle you drew, about 1/2″ on the outside. Then press cardboard circle #1 in place, lining up the inside of the cardboard with the circle drawn on the fabric.

Put a self-healing cutting mat on your table and and use a craft knife to cut lines from the edges to the center of the circle, every 3/4″ or so, until you end up with a sort of starburst series of cuts.

Fold each point of your star back and glue down with some hot glue. When it is cooled, use scissors to trim off the excess vinyl from each point.

Stick the dial mechanism into the hole you just created, and flip the whole piece over. The dial should fit very snug and tight. Press down with your fingers all the way around to be sure you have a good fit.

Flip the piece back over and put a really thick ring of hot glue on the cardboard circle, all the way around. Grab cardboard circle #2 and lay it on top.

Press the two cardboard circles together really well and make sure they are stuck together all the way around. This is what’s going to keep the dial from falling out of the hole, so you want to make sure you’ve got it good and secure. Pinch and press and let the glue cool completely before continuing.

Fold the outer shell fabric up, right sides together, and line up the top edge. Use the sewing machine to sew up each side, from the point at the bottom right up to the top of the notch on the side.

Now grab one of the bottom corners of the bag and pinch it into a triangle. Flatten it so that the seam runs right down the middle.

Measure 3″ from the point and mark a line. Sew a row of stitches across the piece at the mark.

Repeat for the other corner, so that you end up with a nice flat bottom on your bag.

Trim the excess off of each point.

Hey, it’s coming right along! Unfortunately, the bag is inside out at this point. And even more unfortunately, it’s going to be an absolute bear to flip right side out again, especially if you used a really stiff vinyl. Stick with it, though, and be patient. The dial WILL fit through the hole, you just need to move slowly and carefully so that you don’t rip any of your seams.

When you’ve finally got it flipped (and rewarded yourself accordingly for completing such a feat) you’ll see that the shell of the bag is pretty much done!

Grab your lining fabric, fold it so that the right sides are together, and sew up the sides just like you did for the vinyl. Then flip it inside out so that the pretty side of the fabric is on the outside.

Cut a piece of cardboard to 9-1/4″ x 2-1/4″ and stick it down inside the lining.

Arrange the cardboard in the lining bag and hold it so that it’s flat on the bottom. You’ll see that each side has a point of fabric sticking out that looks a lot like the points you formed in the vinyl earlier.

Hold one of the points in place and use your sewing machine to tack it down with about an inch of stitches, making sure to go right through the cardboard. This may seem weird, but this is going to help us secure the bottom of the lining to the bottom of the bag in a minute, so trust me. Repeat for the other side.

Flip the lining inside out (so that the pretty side of the fabric is on the inside), revealing the cardboard on the bottom.

Put a bunch of hot glue on the bottom of the cardboard, then quickly and carefully shove it down into the vinyl shell of the purse.

Line up the cardboard on the bottom as well as you can, and use your hand to press it down in place. Like I said before, this will keep the bottom of the lining on the bottom of the bag, so that it doesn’t come out with your wallet every time! When you’ve got it secure, you’ll see that the top edges of the lining should line up with the top edges of the vinyl.

Those top edges don’t really want to stay together, though, especially if you used a really lightweight or silky lining material. To make it easier to work with, put a tiny bit of hot glue around the edge of the vinyl and press the lining in place. This will really help a LOT when it comes time to add the clasp.

The shell is attached to the clasp using glue, believe it or not. In particular, I used Gutermann glue, which is an amazing fabric glue that seems to be the standard choice among crafters who make purses. It sure did the job for us! Remembering that a little goes a long way, put some glue all down the channel of just ONE side of the clasp.

Then gather up all that patience you used earlier when flipping the shell inside out because you’re going to need it again. Carefully work the edges of the purse shell up into the glued side of the clasp, optionally using clothespins to help you hold it in place. I also found that a half of a clothespin made a great tool for pushing the fabric up into the channel.

When you’ve got one side of the purse in the clasp, let it dry completely before attempting to do the other side. I learned this lesson the hard way! It’s very frustrating if you rush it and everything falls apart on you. When both sides are finished, you should have a nice puckered shell.

I’m amazed by how well this glue holds and by how cute the purse looks with the clasp on!

All that’s left is to add the handle, which is probably the most clever part of this bag. Start by unscrewing the caps on each end of the phone handset and feed a piece of thin black ribbon through the center hole on each cap.

Tie a knot in the ribbon and then pull it down tight.

Once you have a ribbon through each cap, you can screw them back onto the handset.

To attach the handset to the phone, feed one of the ribbons under the hinge on the clasp and pull it back out to the side. With the purse and handset on the table, pull the ribbon until you have the length exactly how you want it for your purse handle, then tie it in a good knot.

Trim the excess ribbon and repeat the process on the other side.

Take the phone cord and hold it up to the purse to see how long a piece you will need to reach from the handset to the hinge, and cut two pieces that length (regular scissors will do the job).

Then feed each coil of cord onto one of the ribbons by looping the end around and turning it until it corkscrews its way onto the ribbon, hiding it from view.

And just like that, you’ve got yourself a retro purse made from a vintage rotary phone!

My favorite part is the fact that the dial still works. I get nostalgic every time I hear the familiar sound it makes when I dial a number.

Just try and walk down the street with this purse in your hand and not get a comment or two!

Remember that we’ve got a limited supply of phone kits that we are selling in our store, so if you want to complete this project but don’t have a phone to start with, we may be able to help.

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12 days of Christmas giveaways – Day 12: Cricut Cake machine

Chica — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 13:58:41 +0000

Merry Christmas! We hope you’ve enjoyed our 12 days of Christmas giveaways, and we hope you’re ready for today’s prize, which is huge! We really value loyal readers like you, so we’ve been happy to able to share some fun products with you this Christmas. Today’s prize really “takes the cake”!

Day 12: Cricut Cake machine

It seems like every time we mention the Cricut electronic cutting machine that we use to cut paper and other crafty materials, someone asks about its food-themed sibling, the Cricut Cake. This little baby is a lot like the regular Cricut, but it can cut food-safe fondant, gum paste, and frosting sheets to create decorations for your cakes and other baked goods.

The Cricut Cake can cut materials up to 12″ x 12″ and is compatible with the original Cricut paper-cutter cartridges you already have.

We’re giving away one Cricut Cake machine to one lucky winner. Just leave a comment on this page to enter. Entries will be accepted until Saturday, December 31st at 8:00 AM EST, and then we’ll randomly draw a winner. Good luck!

RULES: One entry per person (determined by e-mail address). One winner will be chosen at random from all valid comments received by the deadline. Winner will be contacted via e-mail within 72 hours of giveaway end date. Winner must reply within one week with a mailing address or prize will be forfeited and new winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to US residents only and prize will only be shipped to a US address. Rules and deadline subject to change without notice.

This giveaway is now over. And the WINNER is:

Congratulations to Rena, the winner of our 12th Christmas giveaway! Rena, we’ll be contacting you today to get your addresses so we can mail your prize out to you. We know you’re going to have such a blast customizing your cakes with the Cricut Cake!

Thanks SO SO SO much to everyone who entered this and our other giveaways this Christmas season. The best part about doing giveaways is hearing from all of you loyal readers who have such wonderful things to say and stories to share. I’m sorry we couldn’t make you all winners, but we look forward to an exciting new year of crafting with you all!

If you liked this, check out these similar projects:

12 days of Christmas giveaways – Day 11: crafter’s tool set

Jo — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 13:47:27 +0000

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone! I can hardly believe that tomorrow is Christmas already. I know you’re all busy, but we’re happy that you took a moment today to visit us, because we’ve got another great Christmas giveaway for you!

Day 11: crafter’s tool set

To me, one of the most delightful parts about crafting is the collection of fun tools and products I’ve collected that help me make each craft special. In particular, it seems like scrapbooking has more than its share of tools that make it so easy and fun to create special pages to chronicle cherished memories. To that end, we’ve got an amazing crafter’s tool kit to share with you.

This tool set has it all — tweezers, a hammer, pliers, long needles, a punch set, working mat, and more! It even comes in a super-handy metal box that makes it easy to store. This is so neat that we hardly even want to give it away, but we love you guys, so we will!

We’re giving this crafter’s tool set to one lucky winner. Just leave a comment on this page to enter, and we’ll randomly draw a winner tomorrow morning.

And make sure you come back tomorrow to see our HUGE prize that ends our 12 days of Christmas giveaways, because it’s going to be great!

This giveaway is now over. And the WINNER is:

Congratulations to Maggie, the winner of our 11th giveaway! Maggie, we’ll be contacting you today to get your addresses so we can mail your prize out to you. We think you’ll find this tool kit useful for so many projects.

Thanks so much to everyone who entered. I wish we had more of these kits to give away! If you haven’t won yet, maybe our 12th giveaway will be the one for you… be sure to enter!

If you liked this, check out these similar projects:

12 days of Christmas giveaways – Day 10: ColorArtz paint kit

Chica — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:21:00 +0000

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve already… can you believe it? I know the hustle and bustle of the season is starting to take over all your free time, but don’t forget about us here on ChicaAndJo.com because we’re still giving away lots of awesome prizes in our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways, and today is no exception. Today’s prize is something we’ve given away on this site in the past, and it was such a hit that we’re doing it again!

Day 10: ColorArts airbrush kit

Do you remember when we first told you about ColorArtz? It’s a super-easy airbrush system that you can use to paint on just about any surface, including fabric.

We’ve already used ColorArtz for lots of projects here on Chica and Jo:

We want you all to enjoy the fun of airbrushing, so we’re giving away TWO ColorArtz airbrush starter kits! Each kit includes an airbrush, a can of propellant, and three paint pouches.

Just leave a comment on this page to enter. We’ll randomly draw TWO winners tomorrow morning!

RULES: One entry per person (determined by e-mail address). Two winners will be chosen at random from all valid comments received by the deadline. Winners will be contacted via e-mail within 72 hours of giveaway end date. Winners must reply within one week with a mailing address or prize will be forfeited and new winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to US residents only and prize will only be shipped to a US address. Rules and deadline subject to change without notice.

This giveaway is now over. And the WINNERS are:

Congratulations to Lara and Desiree, the winners of our 10th giveaway! Ladies, we’ll be contacting you today to get your addresses so we can mail your prizes out to you. We know you’re going to have so much fun learning to airbrush.

Thanks so much to everyone who entered. The ColorArtz airbrush system is a really versatile way to paint, and is a lot of fun, too. Hopefully one will find its way into your craft room soon. And good luck in our remaining two Christmas giveaways!

If you liked this, check out these similar projects:

12 days of Christmas giveaways – Day 9: Martha Stewart brushes

Jo — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:22:23 +0000

Are you all ready for Christmas? There are only a couple of shopping days left, and only a couple more prizes in our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways. Today we’re giving away a set of tools that you’ve probably never seen before, but are sure to love.

Day 9: Martha Stewart patterning brush set

We first learned about Martha’s Stewart’s line of patterning brushes when we created our baby memory box. We used one of her multi-line brushes to paint a striped pattern and it was so easy! There are many different styles of brushes in Martha’s collection, and we’re giving away a set that includes several varieties. Just think — with a single stroke, you can paint multiple lines! And the brush bristles are so dreamy, too. They glide through the paint and are just lovely to work with.

We’re giving away a set of four Martha Stewart patterning brushes to one lucky winner. Just leave a comment below to enter! We’ll randomly pick a winner tomorrow morning.

This giveaway is now over. And the WINNER is:

Congratulations to Rebekah in KY, the winner of our 9th giveaway! Rebekeh, we’ll be contacting you today to get your address so we can mail your prize out to you. We know you’re going to love working with these brushes!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered. Sounds like a lot of you are interested in picking up these brushes on your own, and I don’t blame you one bit because they are really neat. You should be able to find them at your local Michael’s store, along with the rest of Martha’s amazing products. If you haven’t won anything yet, don’t give up because we still have three more Christmas giveaways!

If you liked this, check out these similar projects:

12 days of Christmas giveaways – Day 8: Wilton cake decorator’s kit

Chica — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:19:43 +0000

We’re so happy that you guys are loving our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways, and were thrilled to see such a positive response to yesterday’s resin giveaway. Hopefully today’s prize will make you just as excited!

Day 8: Wilton cake decorator’s kit

You guys know I love decorating cakes, and I know a lot of you do as well. One of the things Jo and I want to add to this site in 2012 is a series of cake decorating tutorials, which I think will be a lot of fun. For now, though, we’re giving away a set of supplies for those of you who are ready to dig in and start decorating! The Wilton cake decorating kit (Course 3) has some basic decorating supplies and also focuses on fondant and tiered cakes, which are pretty popular areas these days.

We’re giving away one Wilton cake decorating kit (Course 3) to a lucky winner. Just leave a comment on this page to enter. We’ll draw a random winner tomorrow morning.

This giveaway is now over. And the WINNER is:

Congratulations to Marilyn, the winner of our eighth giveaway! Marilyn, we’ll be contacting you today to get your address so we can mail your prize out to you. We can’t wait to hear about the great cake creations you come up with!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered. We’re glad to hear that you all love cake decorating so much, and we’ll definitely be sharing some tutorials with you in the new year. If you want to take a crack at learning to decorate on your own, check out the series of Wilton Student Kits, which have everything you’ll need. And good luck in the next Christmas giveaway!

If you liked this, check out these similar projects:

12 days of Christmas giveaways – Day 7: resin jewelry kit

Jo — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:03:55 +0000

Hard to believe we’re halfway through our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways already. It’s even harder to believe that Christmas is just a few days away! Yesterday’s padding compound giveaway was a big hit with you guys, and I hope today’s prize is as well.

Day 7: resin jewelry kit

While jewelry-making is not something we’ve dug into too deeply in the past, it’s something that has always intrigued me. I’ve made a few pieces and have learned that not all resins are created equally. In particular, I’m a big fan of the ICE Resin because it’s so easy to use and dries crystal clear. If you’re looking for a fun new way to make jewelry, this is a great product to try!

We’re giving away a starter pack to TWO lucky winners! Each winner will get a package of ICE Resin Jewelers Grade Clear Casting Epoxy and two jewelry pieces, along with some information about the products. Just leave a comment on this page to enter, and we’ll randomly draw winners tomorrow morning.

This giveaway is now over. And the WINNERS are:

Congratulations to Sam and Carla Gray, the winners of our seventh giveaway! We’ll be contacting you both today to get your address so we can mail your resin kits out to you. We know you’ll have lots of fun trying this new craft!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered. We’re amazed by the level of excitement so many of you showed for this type of crafting. We hope you all consider picking up some ICE Resin on your own and give resin jewelry making a try. And good luck in the next Christmas giveaway!

If you liked this, check out these similar projects:

12 days of Christmas giveaways – Day 6: padding compound

Chica — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:52:44 +0000

We’re chugging right along with our 12 days of Christmas giveaways and we’ve been sharing several prizes that have been new products to most of you. Today, though, we’re sharing something familiar, which happens to be the most popular product we’ve covered here on Chica and Jo.

Day 6: padding compound

If you’re a regular reader here, you know that we love padding compound, because we can use it to make so many different kinds of notepads. We tell you how to use it our tutorial for how to make your own custom notepads. We also sell bottles of padding compound in our Amazon store.

We’ve also shown you lots of examples that include free downloadable templates:

Today we’re giving choosing THREE lucky winners who will each receive a 2oz bottle of padding compound! As you can see in our estimation guide, you can make dozens of notepads with one little bottle. Just leave a comment on this page to enter, and we’ll randomly draw winners tomorrow morning.

RULES: One entry per person (determined by e-mail address). Three winners will be chosen at random from all valid comments received by the deadline. Winners will be contacted via e-mail within 72 hours of giveaway end date. Winners must reply within one week with a mailing address or prize will be forfeited and new winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to US residents only and prize will only be shipped to a US address. Rules and deadline subject to change without notice.

This giveaway is now over. And the WINNERS are:

Congratulations to Becca, Jolene, and Mary Jane, the winners of our sixth giveaway! Ladies, we’ll be contacting you today to get your address so we can mail your padding compound to you. We know you’ll have lots of fun creating custom notepads!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered, and remember that you can still get padding compound from us in our Amazon store. It’s a great product with so many crafty applications. And good luck in the next Christmas giveaway!