Design by Night

Come visit me this weekend at the The Junior League Décor Galore. An all day shopping event on Saturday, November 13th from 9am to 5pm featuring “gifts for you and the home” inlcuding jewelry, gifts, accessories, children's clothing, housewares and more!

Location: 1830 York Road Timonium
(former location of Scan near Starbucks, Chipotle & Quiznos)

All proceeds from the event will help the Junior League of Baltimore continue our service in the Baltimore community (99 years so far!).

Another day in paradise to me is when I can craft instead of doing my normal 9-5 job. Thanks to a big hearted boss and the opportunity to donate a tree to Carroll Hospice's Festival of Trees it has been paradise in the office (at least for a few hours each week).

Our beach themed tree is coming along great. It is amazing what can be done with a group of crafty people, shells, some hot glue and lots of glitter. Here are some of the cute ornaments we have made.




These crafty signs were hand painted by Erin, a graphic designer at Devaney & Associates. She used inexpensive pre-cut signs from the craft store as the base. The designs were done on her computer and then she printed and traced them onto the signs to hand paint. Then she added little touches, like the rafia and seashells, to finish off these beachy signs.

A beach theme wouldn't be complete without flip flops! We searched high and low for inexpensive flip flop ornaments but everything was $10 or more. So we ordered these…

For the past several years my work, Devaney & Associates, has donated a fully decorated tree to Carroll Hospice’s Festival of Trees. Each year we democratically pick a theme and then carry this theme out in Christmas tree form. After a very close race, this year's theme is a beach tree.

Not only do we get to do a good deed, we often find ourselves creating great crafts (with the added bonus of crafting during work hours). So as our agency develops these beachy ornaments I thought I would share some of the how-to’s with my few (but loyal) readers. So fix yourself a pina colada, turn on that sun lamp and get ready to craft.

The first ornament is a real tree diva…a glittery starfish.



What you will need:
12” of 20 guage wire (we used copper)
4” (or so) starfish
Wire cutter
Glitter (we used Martha Stewart’s Crystal Course Glitter)
White Craft Glue (we used Modge Podge)
Inexpensive paint brush (to apply glue)
2 to 3 medium sized glass beads

Generously brush glue on to one side of the starfish…

These pretty paper pansies are a cheap alternative to store bought scrapbooking flowers. They are made from recycled paper bags and pages from old books and magazines. They are a great addition for most paper crafts including, cards, invitations, scrapbooking and gift tags.

I used my final flower by gluing it to a bobby pin and placing it on a gift tag to add a little something extra to a present.

What you will need:
Recycled brown craft paper bagA page or two from an old book or magazine (newspaper is too thin)ScissorsPencilPaper GlueButtonTeaspoonDish towelPaper towelsDownload pansypattern.jpg and print it out full size (a scale has been placed on each jpg to help with printing at the correct proportions).

Cut out each flower pattern. Using the large pansy flower pattern trace three flowers on the brown paper bag and book pages. Then take the small flower pattern and trace two small flowers on the book pages.



Cut out all the flowers. Referring to the dotted lines on the original patter…

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious Etsy finds…

Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!" Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

Nevermore will you not have a perfect accessory to wear with this morbidly magnificent necklace from Art Under Glass"It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee..."

Like Edgar Allan Poe, true love can be yours if you purchase this Wrist Cuff from Ghost Love Jewelry



“TRUE! - nervous - very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses - not destroyed - not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily - how calmly I can tell you the whole story.”

This altered HeART Trunk by …

What you will need:
Hot Glue Gun
Scissors
Sheet of black felt (cheap stiff kind)
2” Black Pom Pom
2-Googlie eyes
Headband
4-black pipe cleaners



1. Cut out a 1.5” circle out of the felt.


2. Glue the circle to the underside of the headband placed somewhere along the top. It doesn’t have to be centered.


3. Take a pipe cleaner and glue the center of the pipe cleaner on top of the felt circle running horizontally with the headband. Two pipe cleaners will go on each side of the headband. Refer to fig. 3 for placement.


4. Hot glue the googlie eyes onto the pom pom.


5. Glue the pom pom to the top of the felt, sandwiching the headband and pipe cleaners between the two.

6. Bend each pipe cleaner leg roughly in half facing down. Then take a small tip on the end of each pipe cleaner leg and bend it up, see fig. 6.

Often when I need cards, I find myself making them from paper and scraps of supplies I have around my office instead of purchasing them but for some reason I usually purchase envelopes for these cards. I have plenty of paper that usually gets put in the recycled bin, why am I buying more paper in the form of an envelope? So I worked up a template to make easy envelopes from a standard size piece of paper, therefore envelopes can me made from most magazines that would usually be placed in the recycling bin.

This template will make an A2 (4-3/8" x 5-3/4") envelope but keep in mind that you are hand making it and the dimensions might be slightly off.

What you will need:
2-3 pieces of magazine or newspaper approx. 8.5” x 11”
Scissors or and Exacto knife
Paper glue
Printer (to print templates)
Pencil
Bonefolder or butter knife
Ruler

InstructionsDownload Envelopetemplate.jpg and print it out full size (a scale has been placed on each jpg to help with printing at the correct proportions).

C…