Transform Last Year's Cards Into This Season's Holiday Cheer

Here's a little tip for those cards you've collected from years past.   Turn them into cute, whimsical paperweights to spread a little holiday cheer.  They make great gifts for friends and co-workers. var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true}; ...

Turn a Papyrus Halloween Card Into Three Adorable Paperweights

When I saw this Papyrus card in the store, I immediately pictured individual paperweights with a background for each character.  I love the results.  I hope you do, too. The card (Papyrus - Halloween Icons, available at some Target stores) features a black cat, puppy, and an owl.  Each piece is made of felt with added embellishments - including a red, rhinestone collar for the cat.  At a cost of $6.95 for the card,...

Silhouette Halloween Paperweight - Witch & Owl

Because October is just three days away, I thought I'd bring you a Halloween project that's quite simple to put together.  It was created with PhotoWeights' Large Round Paperweight Kit using a Papyrus greeting card (Halloween Moon Silhouette, available at some Target stores).  The only other supplies you'll need include a pair of scissors and paper glue. The greeting card (show above) features iridescent, hot foil paper...

Paperweight Featuring a Collage of Antique Sewing Needles

This paperweight features a collage of antique sewing needles and a beautiful, Victorian button set on a background created with the remains of an old needle book from England. Working with paperweights is a little like working with shadowboxes... only in miniature.  You just need to use lightweight items that will fit within the dimensions of the paperweight's interior space (especially the depth). For this project I'm using the remains...

Craft Paperweights With Vintage Sewing Notions

I recently purchased a box of antique and vintage sewing notions I thought I'd put to excellent use to show you how easy it is to turn something simple into a unique accessory for your desk.  For you Etsy store owners, these are also perfect for resale. For this project I chose a vintage card with three rows of metal hooks held in place by stitches of black thread.  The printed graphics, imperfect stitches, and the dimensional...

Turn Drab Notepads Into Designer Desk Gear

Last week I discovered a new magazine called Fresh Style.  It's quickly become one of my favorite crafting magazines because it's filled so many projects - many of which I can't wait to try. Fresh Style includes five sections: Handmade Projects - Reinvent ordinary items and thrift sotre finds with our quick and clever DIY projects. Inspiring Spaces - Find your creative muse in one of these fab interiors, from a budget-savvy...

John Derian Paperweights

Photo Credit: Bart Boehlert's Beautiful Things Blog One of our customers recently brought my attention to a blog post (Bart Boehlert's Beautiful Things Blog: A Visit With John Derian) that included several photos taken at John Derian's shop and Lower East Side art studio in New York.  Included among the photos was a picture of many of Derian's paperweights (above). I've been a fan of John Derian's decoupage work for more than a decade...

Literary Paperweights - Turn an Antique Book Cover Into a Glass Paperweight

I love old books, especially those featuring gold embossing and other intricate designs on the cover.  I must have accumulated dozens of antique books over the years that I purchased simply because the artwork was too beautiful to pass up. One of my passions in life is collecting antiques.  Therefore, I hate the thought of old books being sacraficed for craft projects unless they're in poor condition.  This...

Antique Sewing Scissors With a Clip of Vintage Ribbon

One of my dearest friends celebrated her birthday last weekend.  She's collected antique sewing notions as long as I can remember.  Therefore, I thought I'd create a distinct paperweight that would add a touch of home to her office. I purchased these antique sewing scissors years ago because I loved the patina of the metal and the delicate design of the handles.  When I placed them on a decorative background and added...

Seahorse Paperweight - Displaying a Specimen in a Glass Dome Paperweight

I love displaying dimensional items in dome paperweights because the magnification has such a rich, 3-D effect. Last weekend I purchased a small box of shells that included a seahorse skeleton. I thought this would be a nice specimen to show you how easy it is to create a magnificent paperweight using an item that has some dimension to it. For this project I chose a dome paperweight with a 1/2" bottom recess (PhotoWeights: Dome 1/2" Recess)....

Creating a Sandy Background for Your Paperweights

I wanted to share an easy tip for creating the perfect sandy background for your paperweights.  This background is wonderful for shells and other small trinkets from the shorline. Can you guess what I used?  Creating this look is as simple as applying sandpaper to the mounting board included in each paperweight kit. Do you have any tips for background materials?  Please share your ideas by posting them below. var addthis_config...

Painting Glass Paperweights

Applying paint to the bottom of your paperweights is a brilliant way to frame your artwork in color.  In the example paperweight (PhotoWeights: Heirloom Square), I painted the field of glass around the display area with metallic gold paint.  The gold instantly transformed the clear glass into a splendid frame for the rose artwork. Here's how I did it: Clean your paperweight with a good, streak-free glass cleaner or rubbing...

Photographing Pets

I wanted to share the following article from the April 17, 2011 issue of Woman's Day.  I hope these tips will help you take more incredible photographs of your pets. Better Pet Portraits -Brooke Nevils Take pet photos that are the cat's meow with these tips from Steve Grubman, photographer of Friskies and Alpo ads and author of Orangutans Are Ticklish. Turn off the flash  It can frighten your animal.  Plus, there's no easy way to get rid of red-eye, says Grubman.  Instead, shoot in a place with plenty of natural light. ...

Fender Guitar Pick Paperweight

It's easy to display small mementos in your paperweights.  In most cases, you'll just need a background to attach your item(s) to. I have to give my husband credit for this project.  He was playing his guitar in his office this morning when I asked him if he had an idea for today's blog post.  He grabbed a package of Fender guitar picks, a royal blue presentation bag, and an Heirloom Rectangle paperweight kit.  The result is...

Pinned to My Heart Paperweight

This paperweight was designed around a single object, an antique stick pin that came with an old needle cushion I picked up at a tag sale last fall.  The stick pin has some depth to it, so the generous bottom recess of the heart paperweight was the perfect fit. Here's how I made it: I started by covering the mounting board with a scrap of antique linen.  The mounting board is self-adhesive, so glue isn't needed for this...