Cardboard Wallhanging

"Welcome to the real world. It sucks. You're going to love it!" -Friends

Like many people that have Netflix, January has been binge watching of the show Friends.  It has been a lot of fun catching up on a show that was the background of my childhood. While watching I have been doing some crafting. This is an easy craft to work on while binging on Friends, or your favorite show. 

Materials:

• Cardboard
• Toilet paper tubes
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• Spray paint

Directions:

1. Cut cardboard pieces to create a frame.  Use hot glue to hold it in place.
2. Fold the toilet paper tube in half. Cut to form petals.  Hot glue six petals together to form a flower. 
3. Cut petals open to form extra strands and create leaves and swirls to connect the flowers.
4. Glue the flowers and extras onto the frame.  
5. Spray paint the color of choice. I used green spray paint, but gray, silver, and black are also good choices.

I suggest working on a flat surface and spray painting soon after.  I waited in between creating a spray painting and misshaped my wall hanging.

Game of Thrones Coasters

"The greatest fools are ofttimes more clever than the men who laugh at them." -George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords

This is my last post from the Game of Thrones party.  These coasters were cheap and easy to make.  

Materials:

• Tiles from a hardware store
• Felt
• Scissors
• House Sigils (printed from the internet)
• Modge Podge
• Paint Brush
• E6000

Directions:

1. Cut felt to the size of the tile. Glue to the bottom using E6000. Set aside to dry.
2. Cut house sigil to the size of the tile.
3. Modge podge the the sigil to the tile.  Let dry.
4. Add a few layers of modge podge on. Letting dry in between each time.  

Here are some more images from the party.  Enjoy the cheese tray! 

Cheese Tray

The coffee table

Books and remotes

Games and prizes

Dragon Eggs

"Why is it that why when one man builds a wall, the next man immediately needs to know what's on the other side?" -George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

I have posts of crafts from this past weekend's party!  A got compliments on these guys.  It goes well with my Robert Frost framed Fire and Ice poem.  

Materials:

-Foam Blocks

-Knife for Carving

-Thumbtacks

-Spray paint

Directions:

1. Carve the blocks into egg shapes.
2. staring at the top, and overlapping as it gets lower stick thumb tacks into the foam to create a scaled look.
3. Spray paint the eggs into the colors you want.

These look close enough to the dragon eggs from the show, you could fool a Khaleesi.

Game of Throne Hearts

"Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably.  And Rhaegar died." -George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords

Shout out to Krystal Higgins for the awesome Game of Thrones cut out hearts.  These are sure to make a good Valentine, or just good decorations for the viewing party.  Check out her blog to see more and get the patterns!  She also made snowflakes with the house sigils if you are not ready for the hearts yet.  

Game of Thrones Mugs

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies.  The man who never reads lives only once." -George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons

In preparation for the viewing party, I realized how much drinking is talked about in the book.  From water boiled with lemon, ale, mulled wine, wine, maybe some more wine beverages are important.  I think that is why I made a few crafts focused on drinks. These mugs are really easy and show of some individual personality.  Whether you want to be in the far north or a Khalessi, let your mug define you.  

Materials:

• Coffee Mugs
• Sharpies

Directions:

1. Write quote/saying on coffee mug. 
2. Let dry overnight.
3. Bake in oven for 30 minutes at 325 degrees. Let cool.
4. Wipe away any imperfections.

Now, all it needs is some mulled wine or hot cider to go in it. Search the internet for ideas of what to put on your mug, if you do not like any of these.  I might add one to this group that says, "Night gathers, and now my watch begins".  

Weirwood

"My old grandmother always used to say, summer friends will melt away like summer snows, but winter friends are friends forever." -George R.R. Martin, A Feast for Crows

The weirwood trees, from Game of Thrones, are a reminder of all the old gods in the north.  Although it is kind of ugly, I would still take my Night's Watch vow in front of it.  (Of course, I would have to be a man to be in the Night's Watch).

Materials:

• Brown Bag
• Scissors
• Red Tissue Paper
• Brown Construction Paper
• Spanish Moss
• Glue

Directions:

1. Cut slits into the paper bag, going from the open end towards the bottom of the bag, about 3/4th of the way. 
2. Twist the paper to form branches, and twist one around to hold the branches in place.  Shape branches.
3. Tear pieces of tissue paper to form leafs.  Glue them to the tree.  
4. Cut out eyes, nose, and mouth from the brown paper.  Glue them to the tree.  
5. Tear off some construction paper, roll up one side, and glue to eyes to form the blood tears.
6. Glue Spanish moss to the bottom of the tree. Let dry.

You can make a forest of weirwoods or just one.  I will think of Ned Stark every time I look at it.

Map Candles

"Old stories are like old friends, she used to say.  You have to visit them from time to time." -George R.R. Martin, Storm of Swords

I am having a Game of Thrones viewing party this coming weekend.  Plus, season 4 is being released on February 17th!  I am doing what I always do before a party, which is crafting!  One of the fun, simple things I made was a set of candle holders with maps of the south, the north, and Valyria.  Since I use the LED candles, I didn't have to glue the paper down the maps can be exchanged for other maps.  So, the marauder's map, a map of Middle Earth, Narnia, Oz, and the map of Florin are just some possibilities. 

Materials:

• Glass Vases
• Printed Maps
• Scissors
• LED Candles

Directions:

1. Put maps in the candle holders.  Cut the map to fit in the vase.
2. Add any additional map to the holder if the original did not wrap fully around.  
3. Turn on the LED light and put into the candle holder. 

Best of Last Year

"For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice." -T.S. Eliot 

2014 was not a good year for posting for me, however there was somethings that made the cut for the best posts from the year.  Before posting new crafts for this year, lets look at the crafts from last year that were the favorites from each month.

January: Chalk Board Party Cups

February: "Don't Panic" Towel Messenger Bag

March: Compass Survival Bracelet

April: Comic Book Wine Glass Charms

May: Maze Runner Terrarium

June: Maddie's Fingerless Gloves Code Name Verity

July: Companion Cube Plush

August: Free Dobby Laundry Room Sign

September: Wall Wire Tree

October: Comic Book Purse

November: Blogger took the month off

December: Storm Trooper Ornament

My New Year's resolution is to post at least once a month on the blog.  The good news is that I completed this month already.