Heart Earwires

Aren't these handmade earrings gorgeous?! Jewelry Making Journal has a super easy-to-follow tutorial so you can have your own!


See the Heart Earwires.

Decorating With Barbed Wire

Have you ever thought of using barbed wire to decorate?  Never in a million years would it have crossed my mind, but Funky Junk Interiors has used it several times and I think it looks awesome!  I would love to pull off the funky junk look, but I'm not sure how I would do it with young, mischievous kids that get into everything!  She has several picture of barbed wire decorating in this post.

See how to used barbed wire as a decor element.

Electrical Wire Ring

Here's another feature from the Whatever Goes Wednesday link party. Not only is the color of this ring fabulous, but the fact that it's made with electrical wire is just so unique!! After some trial and error, The Crafty Blog Stalker was able to create her own and has a great tutorial for you!

See the Electrical Wire Ring

Chickenwire Pumpkin

Craftberry Bush has come up with another pumpkin idea I've never seen before. This pumpkin was made using chickenwire!!! Totally cute and totally creative! I also love her wheat stalks made from twine! I wish my brain was creative enough to come up with great ideas like these.

See the chickenwire pumpkin and wheat stalk twine.

Guest Blogger - Living A Radical Life - Garden Cloche

Hello! I'm Amy from

Living A Radical Life!

I am a wife of 13 years and I am the mother of two, Rori age 6 and Trent age 4.
In January, we began the amazing journey of adoption!

Our third child, a baby girl, from Ethiopia.

About a year ago, I entered the world of blogging, as a follower,
and Someday Crafts was my first stop!

Now a year later, here I am with my own blog, guest blogging for Michelle!
I am so excited to be here today!

Today, I am going to share with you

How to create a Garden Cloche

YOU WILL NEED:

Folding Fence (Hardware store)
Needle nose pliers (I had mine on hand)
Wire Cutters (borrowed from the hubby)
Heavy gage wire (Hardware store)
Crystals (I picked mine up at Walmart in the jewelry making section)

FYI - There is enough fencing to make TWO cloche's.

The first step is to remove the section of fencing we need for this project.

We only need three sides,
so using some needle nose pliers,
pry apart the fencing.

Now you should have three sections of fencing.

Simply reattach the wire to the fence to create a triangle.

It should look like this.

Be sure to use your pliers to pinch the wire together
so the fencing doesn't come apart.

The next step requires you putting a little muscle into it.
To get your triangle shaped into a circle.

I used my feet to push and pull and my arms to smoosh it into shape.

It should look about like this when you are done.

Next I bent the top pieces into the middle
and squeezed the wire to a bit of a point.

Using some heavy gage wire, which you can find at your local hardware store,
I wrapped the wire around the three points to hold them together.

The needle nose pliers come in handy for this too,
they work great for bending and twisting the wire into place.

Using the heavy gage wire.
Cut sections of the wire and attach to the top of the cloche,
filling in the open spaces.

This creates more of a finished look.

Now for the fun part

Making your CLOCHE pretty!

Using the heavy gage wire and your needle nose pliers,
twist the end of a 4-5" piece of wire.

Slide a crystal onto the wire and attach to the top of the cloche.

This creates the finial.

Again, using your heavy gage wire, cut a section of wire,
make it long enough to secure at the top and bottom of the side of the cloche.

Twist the wire, above and below the crystal, so the crystal stays in place.

Now secure the section of wire to the side of your cloche.
I added 6, wire and crystal sections, to the side of my cloche.

The prongs help hold your cloche in place.

Now, place it in your flower pot or in the ground, over a plant.

I made two!

They are a lovely addition to our patio!

I love making everyday things more fancy!


Be sure to check out

Living A Radical Life

for more fun ideas for you and your home!

A few of my most Popular Posts

THANKS, AMY!!!! That garden cloche is radical. I've never seen one before, but it definitely makes a flower planter more beautiful!!! Love it!

Head over to Living A Radical Life to see more exciting and gorgeous ideas!!!!

PB Duvet Cover, Chevron Flag and Twine-wrapped Words

I'm painting, painting and painting the baby's nursery! It's looking so great! I can't wait to be finished.

I am only highlighting a few projects from today's party for now! Check for more tomorrow (if I find the time.)

I'm inspired by this Pottery Barn inspired duvet cover! It's looks so soft and feminine! Wow! See how it was made at A Cozy Cup of Tea!

This is the first flag I've seen using a chevron print and can I just say I think it is incredibly cute! I'm smitten with a chevron flag! See it at Kitty Cats and Airplanes!

I love the twine wrapped wire words at Balancing The Dream. She has some pictures of cool ideas you can do with this technique!


See more Whatever Goes Wednesday links!

Framed Spring Vases On Chicken Wire!!!

Chicken wire is an amazing back drop for so many projects. So are empty picture frames. Don't you love these simple spring framed vases hanging on the wall at Flamingo Toes? I DO!!!!! Another great idea of Bev's!

See the Framed Spring Vases on chicken wire.

This was linked up to the WGW party! I'm still in awe of the great ideas out there!

Guest Blogger - You Craft Me Up! - Paper Bag Pumpkins

Thanks Michelle for inviting me over! I love Michelle and her blog. She makes surfing all the craft blogs so much easier and faster. I can't go a day without checking Someday Crafts several times, so I am so honored to be a guest blogger today!

I am Maria from

You Craft Me Up!

I have been crafting since I could walk and talk, and I started blogging about it just this spring. I am a SAHM with three kids, and I always have something I am working on (just ask my neighbors who put up with all my loud power tools!) I like to do anything from sewing, cooking, painting, drawing, decorating, to about anything that requires creativity. Most of my projects are wood-working projects. I love wood and the tools that go with it! (I seriously own more than my husband) Oh, and you can bet I will spray paint anything I can get my hands on! :)

Here are some projects you can see on my blog...
KitchenAid Makeover (spray painted of course!)

Wooden Damask Pumpkins

and I recently did these Spray Painted Pillows

Here is the project I am doing for you today!

Paper Bag Pumpkins!

Most of the supplies you probably have already in your house, so you can make them for FREE! (or next to nothing if you have to buy paint and wire)
I made my first set 9 years ago when I was a newly wed and had no decorating fund, and believe it or not, they have survived those 9 years and are still going strong! In fact, the first year I had them, my husband told me to just throw them away and remake them the next year because they would never survive a year. Boy was he wrong and was I glad I didn't follow his advice! :) Lets get started...

What you will need:
*brown paper bags (I use the kind from the grocery store- you can use the small lunch ones, but your pumpkin will be super small and not as sturdy) If you want them really big, you can buy the super large paper yard- or leaf bags in the gardening center.
*Rubber Bands
*Paint
*Wire and Rafia, or ribbon (totally optional)
*Filler (I use grocery sacks, newspaper, or paper shreds from my shredder)

Step One- prep your paper bag by carefully removing any handles, then slowly and carefully open up the seams on the bottom. You should have a nice square paper tube when done.

Step 2- Scrunch up your tube and twist and wrinkle it (this will make turning it inside out later much easier and it also gives your pumpkin a great texture) I do mine length wise.

Step 3- Gather up one end of your bag- being careful to get all edges in- and tie it off tightly with a rubber band about 1-2" from the edge.

Step 4- Now VERY CAREFULLY and slowly turn it inside out. I find it easiest to sort of "plunge" the rubber band end downward while I carefully pull the edges of the other end up and around (it will make more sense when you do it!) This is the part that you have to be most careful because it can tear pretty easily during this step.

Your paper bag should now be kinda bowl shaped with the rubber band part at the bottom on the inside.

Step 5- Fill your pumpkin with bags, or crumpled up newspaper, or paper shredings. The more tightly you pack the filler, the sturdier your pumpkins will be - just don't fill it too full or you can't close it.

Step 6- Now gather up the edges same as you did in step 3. This time you will really need to make sure that all the edges are pulled in. Gather it tightly and tie off with another rubberband. (this part forms your stem, so you will want it atleast 1" long)

It should now resemble a Pumpkin!

Step 7- Paint your pumpkin with orange paint, then add a little brown to the high ridges for some shadowing if you want. I also like to paint my step brown. (You don't have to get the paint in every little crevice. In fact, it looks really cool if you don't)

Let the kids join in on the fun too!

Step 8- Wrap some wire around the stem and curl it with a pencil, and if you are good with wire, you can form some leaf shapes like this.

Top it off with some Rafia or ribbon would be super cute too!

Easy Peasy, right? Over the years I have had more comments on these pumpkins than any other decor I have, and people are always shocked to find out they are made from paper bags! The paint will harden them and give them a "leathery" feel.

.

Hope you have fun doing this, and include your kids! My kids love doing these! It also makes a great group craft night since it is so cheap- so get together with your friends and make some great pumpkins for your Thanksgiving centerpiece!

Stop by You Craft Me Up! for more great Holiday ideas!
Thanks again Michelle for this opportunity! You are the best! :D

You Craft Me Up has AMAZING holiday ideas! You go see these floating ghosts and headstones!!! Maria has some totally awesome ideas! Visit You Craft Me Up and let her help you Craft Up A Storm of creativity. You will love this blog!