Celebrate Freedom Blog Hop Day 3

This blog hop runs from July 1st through July 4th. If you are coming from Lisa's Blog you’re on the right track. If you just joined us, you can go back to the beginning  HERE and hop along with us.We’ve had so much fun creating this hop, and we have a wonderful line up with some oh-so-talented creators. You will see some lovely projects having to do with celebrating freedom and the 4th of July theme and have a chance to win some blog candy along the way, including some grand prizes which are being sponsored by Lisa from Honeybearz Designs and she is the first blog on the hop. 

In order to be eligible for the grand prizes you must leave a comment on every blog in the hop and become followers to all the ladies in the hop also. Be sure to come back everyday between July 1st and July 4th because all blogs in this hop will post a new project each day. Lisa from Honeybearz Designs will be picking the grand prize winners from all the comments left throughout the 4 days. 

Here is a list of the complete lineup for this hop

Lisa: http://honeybearzdesigns2011.blogspot.com/
Janet: www.createatdreamscrapbooks.blogspot.com <----Here
Deborah: http://www.scrappingmamma.net/
Theresa: www.thescrapbookingqueen.com
Lisa: http://handmadewithlove-lisa.blogspot.com/
Gina: http://californiascrappin-gcinderella21.blogspot.com/
Lisa: http://bitbythecricutbug.blogspot.com/
Tricia: http://lshdesigns.blogspot.com/
April: www.curlsngrins.blogspot.com
Jennifer: www.craftycardgallery.blogspot.com
Cherie: www.gracefulcardmakers.blogspot.com
Kristy: www.scraptasticalkreations.blogspot.com

Honeybearz Designs

www.honeybearzdesigns2011.blogspot.com

Now on to my project for you today =D 

Make your own Paper Pinwheel

Pinwheel Pinwheel Spinning Around. Look At My Pinwheel and See What I found. If you were born in the late '70's early '80's, you might remember the tune to this song from Nickelodeon on a show called "Pinwheel." Well truth is...I can't stand the song but it was stuck in my head when I was making these lol!!! 

Supplies you will need:

2 sheets of double-sided cardstock

buttons, paper flower or other embellishment for the center

2 1/8"-3/16" eyelets (you will also need some eyelet pliers, they usually come with a hole punch attached that you will also need)

wire, 18 gauge

wood bead 1/2"-5/8" in diameter or plastic beads work fine too

18"wood dowel, 5/16"-3/8" in diameter (also a drill to make hole)

ribbon for dowel

craft glue

1. First thing you might want to do is drill a hole in the dowel.

2. Download the svg and scut files for this pinwheel over at Paper Pastime's Blog HERE
3. Cut out the circle in the center of the pinwheel pattern or use a 1" circle hole punch. You will need two circles cut from the cardstock. Punch a hole at the center of one circle.
4. Place the 2 cut out pinwheels together face up to where they are locked with spokes on top.

5. Attach the eyelet at the center to hold them together. I tried using a Crop-a-dile and gave up as it was squishing my eyelet too much so I would try using the regular eyelet setter
6. You need to bring each spoke to the center, one a time, attaching them.Both eyelets should be centered if it's done correctly. You need them to be centered so that the wire can easily go through both holes to form a straight line.
7. You can use your craft glue to attach ribbon around the dowel.

8. Take your wire and cut about a 12" piece. Bend the wire about 3/8" from the end.

11. Slide the hold-punched cirle onto the bent end of the wire. Then glue the other circle on top so that the bent end of the wire is no longer showing.

12. Cut out flowers for the center and glue them on top of the circle and then add your button in the center.

13. Slide the flower pinwheel through the other end of the wire until it reaches the spindle.

14.Add the wooden or plastic bead. Slide the wire through the hole of the wooden dowel. Leave some space between the bead and dowel so that the pinwheel will have room to spin.

15. Finally, wrap the remaining wire around the top of the dowel tightly.

Over at Hello My Name is Heather's blog she provided the step by step instructions and diagrams as a pdf download...included is a printable template to cut out the pinwheel if you don't have a cutting machine...

check it out HERE

Another great tutorial and a cut file for a different look take a look HERE 
Thank you for hopping by! I will be offering blog candy at the end of the hop so all you need to do is leave a comment each day on my posts and become a follower =D Easy Peasy! I will reveal the blog candy in tomorrow's post. Now you are hopping along over to Deborah's blog to see what amazing Celebration project she has in store for you today!

Valentine Illumination with Cutting Files

I made this for the challenge over at Cooking with the Cricut. 

Challenge #15- Shadow

I had so many ideas for this challenge it was hard to 

get started lol! I still have to decorate my mantel for

Valentine's day and I have these cylinder glass candle

holders I wanted to decorate. I took some wrapping tissue

and covered the glass holder with it. Then I created the flourish

frame border, circle doily frame and the kissing couple. I

am happy how it came out...its so much prettier in person but

you can still see how much it lights up with my battery 

candle inside.

I will be posting these cutting files that I created this

evening...stay tuned! Happy Creating

If you would like to check out the challenge over at Cooking 

with the Cricut check it out HERE