From My Scrap Bag...A Mini Message Board

For this project you will need the following materials:
cardboard~~I used corrugated
fabric~~I used cotton
thin batting~~I actually used fleece, but I'm not too happy with it
ribbon and pre-gathered eyelet trim
decorative buttons~~I used 4
glue~~I used Fabri-Tac and hot glue

You can make yours any size, mine is about 7" square. Start by cutting your cardboard the size you want. Cut 1 piece of fabric and your batting about 2" bigger than your cardboard. For my 7" cardboard I cut my fabric 9"x9". Cut a 2nd piece of fabric the same size as your cardboard.

Lay bigger fabric face down, lay batting on top and center cardboard on top of it. Miter and glue 2 adjacent corners and then glue the side down. Do the next corner and side and keep the cardboard centered and pull the fabric taut. I used hot glue for this step and only burned my fingers twice!

Glue a piece of satin ribbon around your piece, creating a criss cross pattern. I used stick pins to hold it in place until I got it adjusted just right. Then glue ends down on the back. Hot glue. Flip piece over, and readjust ribbon if necessary. Add a tiny dab of glue  where ribbons meet at the crosses, I used Fabri-Tac here.

Glue a piece of ribbon so you can hang it. Hot glue.

Glue pre-gathered eyelet trim around the perimeter, squaring off corners and overlapping the ends. Hot glue.

Glue your smaller piece of fabric face up over all the raw edges on the back. Hot glue.

Flip piece over and glue buttons where ribbons cross. I used Fabri-Tac here.

And that's it. Hope you enjoy!

From My Scrap Bag: Lacy Flower Bib Necklace Tutorial

I put together a tutorial to share with you on how to make this Lacy Flower Bib Necklace. It is pretty easy to construct. I just used pieces from my scrap bag.

I started with 2 pieces of these gorgeous Venise Laces, about 10" long and some satin ribbon. You can use any scrap of lace or eyelet that is decorative like this. I sewed the 2 pieces together at the top edge. Cut your ribbon long enough to be able to tie around your neck plus weave through lace. Weave it through the openings in the lace. If your lace doesn't have holes in it like this then fold down the top edge of your lace a little bit and stitch in place to make a casing. Thread your ribbon through that.

Make sure your ribbon lengths are the same on each side of your lace. Gather lace by pushing it toward center. Pin the ends in place and tack the ribbon down on each end so gathers stay in place.

I sewed on a strand of faux pearls after it was gathered. Then I dabbed some glue on the back at each end to catch the threads. I just wanted to make sure the stitches wouldn't work their way out.

Also I heat sealed the edges of my lace and ribbon to keep them from raveling. I made a small bow and tacked it down on one side. And I sewed a fabric flower to the other side. Voila!

From My Scrap Bag...Half Marble Magnets

I found this bag of clear glass half marbles on the clearance rack and thought, oh goodie, I will make myself some magnets.

Here is how I did it. You will need clear glass half marbles. I don't know if that is the correct name for these or not, but for today they are half marbles.

You need some decoupage glue or other glue that dries clear. I used Mod Podge matte finish. You can also have a gloss finish glue too to give them extra shine.

I didn't really know what was the optimal thing to use on the back-paper or fabric and what kind. So I just experimented. Thin tissue paper or decoupage paper would probably work very well, but I didn't have any of that. So I used decorative paper and cotton fabric.

And then you will need magnets. Whatever size you have is ok so long as they can't be seen from the front.

Make sure your marble is clean and doesn't have bubbles or scratches in it. Put a thin even layer of glue on the flat side of your marble. Lay in on your paper or fabric, making sure your design is centered. Let dry.

Once they are thoroughly dry trim off the extra paper or fabric. Then use more glue on the edges. When this is dry you can add your gloss finish if you used thin paper.

Glue your magnet on the back and you're done! Here are some I did using fabric. And then I glued them on a felt flower and then glued the magnet on the back.

Well the pictures didn't show them off too well. You'll have to trust me that they are cute. I hope you try this.