Stenciled Mug Side View B, originally uploaded by hannahlaura.

So lately I have been dabbling in painting dishware. Its easy enough to find at the thrift store, the whole process takes about two days and it is the perfect thing to do while little ones sleep since you don’t have to drag out a lot of supplies. I had done one cup already freehand… but had another cup laying around that I wanted to try this idea I had to get crisper lines .

Here is what you need:
A piece of dishware
Glass paint ( I used this brand )
A paint brush
Contact paper (white or clear)
Some images/sillhouttes
A printer
A scissors or X-acto Knife

What to do:

Using whatever imaging software you prefer layout out your sillhouttes/ images using the finest outline and not filled.
Cut your contact paper to 8.5X11 and put it into the printer. Print out the images onto the contact paper ( The reason for using the finest outline is that your ink will smear, since you are printing on a plastic. However I found using the thinnest outline, and being careful what your touch while you cut, ad you will get good results.)

Next , cut out all your shapes. Than the fun part, just start sticking on your shapes on to the cup in whatever design you like being careful to press down all the edges.

With the Glass paint, paint over all the shapes and area of cup that you want covered.

According to the paint I used I had to let it sit for 24 hours.

Remove all the contact paper from the cup, to reveal your design.
I than went through and cleaned up any uneven lines and smudges that might have happened. ( An X-acto knife or your fingernail work good for this!)

If you see any spots that need to be repainted do so and let dry for recommended amount of time again.

Bake according to manufacture’s instructions.

*My only regret with this project is that I layered the paint on heavy to try and hide some of the brushstrokes and I wish I would have just been more patient and tried to brush the strokes out…So beware the brushstokes and if anyone has a great idea on how to avoid them, please let me know!*

Ornaments for the Aunts and Uncles, originally uploaded by hannahlaura.

Ever since I heard of my mother-in-law doing this with my husband and his siblings I always knew I would keep up the tradition. Evey christmas, the kids make an ornament for their Aunt and/or Uncle and Grandparents. I like the idea of a kid taking a minute to make something for someone they care about. Even more so I like the idea of my kids handing out their ornaments to their loved ones to show how much they are appreciated.

A had a ton of fun with the glitter. It was everywhere, I loved. The hubby on the other hand was rolling his eyes as he saw glitter everywhere, he hates it. The only thought for next time we do glitter, I should try not to do it the same day that we go to the pediatrician, but thanks to her good humor she didn’t seem to think I was neglecting my son even though he seemed to have glitter if every facial orifice. I cut the shapes out of cardboard that I had traced from the cookie cutters I got from Ikea. Spray painted them white. Modge podged a print-out of “Love, Aidan 2009″ on the back. Than used modge podge to adhere the glitter to the back. For the fronts I just applied modge podge again and

This year I also made cards for them to hand out on so its a little easier for my boy. To me there is nothing like a handmade ornament, and I love the growing collection on my tree !

So if you are like me and making your gifts this year and know a sewer, good chance there is a pincushion somewhere in the equation of the gift. I like to add pins when giving the gift since it makes it just a little bit more “pretty.”

Here is my tutorial to make pins a little more special with things you probably already have on hand. (This is so straight foward I am sure most of you won’t need a tutorial but I need to try my hand out at making one, so thanks for being patient with me.)

You Will  Need:

Craft Glue ( your favorite Brand)

Straight Pins

Seed Beads ( Colors of your choice, nice to coordinate colors of the pincushion or gift you are giving)

A piece of scrap cardboard 

1. Slide seed bead on to straight pin, but don’t slide all the way to the end.

2. Stick head end into tip of craft glue and squeeze a little. ( I like to do it this way, it makes it a little less messy than try to glob it on and make sure all the sides get an even coat.)

It will look like this:

3. Push the bead up to the head firmly. Wipe off excess glue.

4. Push into cardboard to dry, being careful not to push down bead when pushing into cardboard.

Voila, Pretty pins!

As you can see they make great finish to a sewing gift. 

DSC01074, originally uploaded by hannahlaura.Only how many days until christmas??I have at least 3 more gifts to sew, many more to get and a christmas stocking for my son. Please, wish me luck!