Design by Night

In October I posted a tutorial to make leather earrings . Well for Christmas I revisited this craft and made a few other designs for a few people at my work. This is one of my favorite tutorials because they are so easy to make and the earrings are light and easy to wear. I liked the new designs so much I thought I would share the pattern for them. To view the full set of instructions on how to make these leather earrings, click here . To make one of the two pairs shown, download and print the updated pattern below (the bottom row are the new designs):

Need a last minute gift? Make this no sew felt flower brooch. Supplies 1/8" yard of felt for flower Pin backer Hot glue gun Scissors Printer Print out the pattern below and cut out 14 petals, 1 pin cover and 1 base from the felt. (Use the scale to make sure the print out is the correct size). Take a dab of hot glue and place it at the bottom middle of the petal and fold down the right hand side. Place a second dab of glue in a similar area and fold the left side so it forms the shape below. Note the concave edge of the petal is the bottom. Repeat step with the remainder of the petals. Take four of the petals and glue them on the outside edge of the circle backer in a north, east, west, south manner (like the points of a compass). Take four more petals and glue them between the "compass" petals. Take the remaining five petals and glue them closer to the center of the backer, arranging them in a circle. Cut a strip of felt 12" long by 1" wide. Fold in half an...

Ever get tired of the same ole bows on top of those presents? Well change it up a bit with this recycled package topper. This topper can be made from the card board rolls that you have left over after you have finished your wrapping paper and they are super simple to make. Supplies 1-card board roll (or paper towel roll) White glue Ribbon (long enough to fit around your package) Scissors (I used both plain and fancy edged) X-acto knife Scraps of colored or scrap book paper Compass Ruler Take the card board roll and flatten it. Measure out eight 1.75" wide sections and cut them. Put white glue on about a half inch of the bottom of one of the card board pieces then glue it to another of the card board pieces. Continue glueing the card board sections together to form a circular star. Cut a circle out of your scrap paper that is 2.5" round. (NOTE: I used scissors that had a fancy edge but regular scissors would work fine. I also cut a second 2" circle from another color and ...

I have decided to do one last show of the season--no I'm not crazy, I am high on the holiday spirit (and lots of sugar from all the cookies)! Visit me this Saturday in the Towson Commons Rotunda. Come and purchase handmade holiday presents from me (Design by Night) , BEST members and the Towson ARTS Collective! Where: Towson Commons Rotunda, York Road and Pennsylvania Ave. When: Saturday, December 17 Time: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

I don't often post personal stuff on my blog since it is a craft blog, however I can't help myself with this one. I love my pound puppies and for the most part they live a very pampered plush life but every once in awhile I feel the need too torture the dogs by making them wear hats, pjs, etc. So here is a picture of my pound puppy Rufus sporting reindeer antlers and a nice fleece scarf...needless to say he was not amused! However, I got lots of joy from this and the picture with him giving me the "drop dead" look cracks me up. Here is a little of holiday cheer from me to you!

Supplies : Wrapping Paper White Glue Scissors or X-acto Knife Ruler Chain 4-Jump Rings 2-eye head pins 1-Lobster Clasp Jewelry Pliers Hot Glue Felt (that compliments wrapping paper) Piece of paper Pencil Cut several pieces of wrapping paper 2” wide. Vary the size from 10” to 36”. Take one of the pieces and fold it in half. Fold this half in half two more times making about a half inch high strip. Starting at an end, start to roll the paper on itself to create a tight coil. The coil will be larger or smaller depending on the length of the paper. When you get to the end, use the white glue to finish the coil. Hold in place until it is dry. After you have several coils you like, on a piece of paper arrange the coils into a design. When you get a design you like trace around the outside of it to create a backer template. Cut out the template and use it to cut out a piece of felt to use as a backer. Take your shapes and arrange them on the felt. Trim felt where necessary to avoid overhang....

So if you follow my blog you know that I love to do tutorials! Well the nice people at Baltimore Magazine asked me to come up with a tutorial that would use recycled holiday gift wrap. Well I put on my thinking cap and came up with a quilled paper necklace. And don't worry, if you are not have access to Baltimore Magazine but you want to make the necklace come back Monday and I will post the tutorial!

Made in Charm City gifts! No manic mall madness necessary! Come visit me and a host of other great crafters this weekend at the Creative Alliance's Merry Mart . The show will feature clothing, handbags, felt accessories, ceramics, soaps, kids’ toys, mixed media, amazing jewelry, and great art! Indie crafters from the Charm City Craft Mafia , the Baltimore Etsy Street Team (BEST) , Highlandtown, CA staff, artists and more from across Bmore! For more information visit Merry Mart's Facebook page by clicking here . Date: Sunday, December 4th Time: 11 am to 5 pm Where: Creative Alliance at The Patterson 3134 Eastern Avenue Baltimore Maryland 21224

Come visit me at the Greenbelt Festival of Lights Art & Craft Fair this weekend. Fabulous and funky! Featuring juried professional artists and crafters selling their own, handmade wares. To view a complete vendor list click here . Where: 15 Crescent Road Greenbelt, MD 20770 ( click here to see a map ) When: Saturday, December 3, 10am-5pm 1-3pm: free paper tile workshop 3-5pm: live music with Harp 46 (world jazz) Sunday, December 4, 11am-4pm 1-3pm: free workshop: make an evergreen wreath 2-4pm: live music with the Alexandria Kleztet Hope to see you their!

Come visit me this Friday at Kiss'n Make-Up's first Friday Trunk Show in Hampden. Deb and the gals will be putting out...a great spread! Plus they will be stripping down prices on great stocking stuffers! December 2nd 6-9 p.m. Kiss’n Make-up 827 W. 36th Street Balto., MD 21211

I week or two ago I posted a tutorial for a no sew flower. By taking the same principle of that flower and changing how you cut it slightly it can produce an entirely different type of flower. So I thought I would share with everyone. Supplies 5" square piece of felt for flower 3" square piece of green felt for leaves and backer Headband Hot glue gun Scissors Printer Print out the pattern below. (Use the scale to make sure the print out is the correct size). Using the large scalloped pattern, cut the shape out of your felt for the flower. Note: You can use the pattern more as a guide. You do not have to be precise when cutting the pattern, if you look at the picture below you will notice that I rounded out the "corners". Cut a scalloped spiral (see fig. 3) in the circle trying to keep the thickness of the piece somewhat uniform. Keep in mind the circle doesn't have to be perfect. Wrap the center upon itself to create a roll and dab a little hot glue on it t...