Guardian Angel Plaques

The graphics for both of these plaques can be found at the bottom of the page.

Materials:

• 2 Unfinished wood plaques 7" x 5" (or the size you want)
• All purpose Decoupage medium
• Wood stain
• Sponge or soft brush
• Sandpaper
• Scissors or paper cutter
• Color printer & paper
• Acrylic spray sealer
• Old newspapers to cover your work surface

Instructions
1. Prepare your wood surfaces by sanding them lightly and removing the dust. Apply the stain as per the instructions on the can. I chose a walnut color stain for mine. Let them dry completely.






2. Open the image you want to use in any graphics program or place into a word processing program and re-size it to the measurements you need for your project. Print them out on high quality paper. I usually give my printouts a light spray of an acrylic sealer or fixative so that the ink doesn't smear while brushing on the decoupage medium. Cut out the images with scissors or paper cutter.

3. Cover your work surface with newspaper or scrap paper to protect it. Apply a thin coating of the decoupage medium to the surface of the plaques where you want your prints to go. Place your prints down onto the wet medium and smooth out any wrinkles. Let this dry completely.

4. Apply one or two more coats of the decoupage medium over the entire surface letting each coat dry completely before adding the next. You can add texture to the last coating by sponging it on, swirling it with your finger or using a stiff brush. You can see in this picture that I have just started on the first coat.

5. (Optional) You can further protect your completed project by applying a light coat of a clear finish product,
either a spray or brush on will do. The last picture shows the completed plaques. The only thing left to do is add a sawtooth or other type hanger to the back of each plaque.

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"Right Click" on each of the images to save to your hard drive.

Floral Pincushion

Materials:

• 1 Sheet Printer Fabric
• 7" x 7" Fabric of choice
• Fiberfil Stuffing
• Large Embroidery Needle
• 72" Embroidery Thread
• Sewing Needle & Thread
• Decorative Button

Special Skills:
Sewing - by machine and hand


Set your image up in your graphics or word processing program so that it fits a 6" x 6" area. The one used for this project is availabe at the bottom of this page. Print out onto your fabric sheet using the best print out for your printer. Let dry for a minute or two then using a 6" template centered over your image, trace the edges as a guide for cutting. Cut out the image along the traced line.

Once you've cut out the image, peel away the backing paper and heat set the ink with a hot, dry iron.
Cut another 6" circle out of the fabric you chose for the bottom half of the pincushion. Mark the center of each circle with a small dot on the "right side".

With right sides together and using a 1/4" seam allowance sew the two halves together leaving a 2" opening for turning and stuffing. Turn the pincushion "right side out". Stuff with fiberfil to full. Slip stitch the opening closed.

Thread your large embroidery needle with 6 strand embroidery thread and knot one end. On the bottom half, sew down through the center dot and bring the needle up through the dot on the top side. Loop your thread to the bottom half and sew through the same spot and up to the top again. Pull tight on the thread so that it "cuts" into the pincushion. Repeat this until you have 6 "wedges" in your pincushion. Tie off your thread. Adjust the thread so that your wedges are even.

To finish your pincushion, sew a decorative button over the center where all the embroidery threads meet to cover that area.

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Right click on the image to save to your hard drive.