Thursday, January 9, 2014

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

Here is my DIY Dream Catcher!

What You'll Need:
Metal Ring (In the "Native American" section of the craft store)
Leather
Thin Thread
Ribbons or Thread to Hang From the Bottom
Hot Glue (yes, super glue is pictured)
Feather (you can find one or buy one or not use one)
* If you want, you can add beads or really anything anywhere on it.




LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLEEEE! (*or to craft whatever)

Begin by cutting strips of the thread you are planning to use.


















At first I tried to use super glue, but that didn't work out.
So, I switched to my trusty Hot Glue Gun.
Pretty cute I know.
Please exscuse how gross I look...
<333











Okay, so now that you have your hot glue gun, begin gluing your strips on with a little seperation. The small thread, I just tied on since it is so little.
I went to attach the feather, and I did not like how it looked being such a massive peacock feather, so I cut it down and tied it on to one of the small pieces of thread. I also added a dab of hot glue to make sure it stayed in place. You can do the same thing with any type of feather. Personally, I like the look better when it is hanging down rather than being directly attached to the ring, but it is all personal preference. Once all of the pieces you have chose to leave hanging down are in place, it is time to begin wrapping the ring with the leather. The leather I have pictured above is very stiff and difficult to work with. I suggest getting a Suede Leather that is much thinner and more flexible. It worked much better on a previous dream catcher I had made.
When you are ready to begin wrapping, put some hot glue on the ring at the top and apply the leather to that spot. hold until the hot glue hardens. Then begin wrapping the leather around the ring. The leather will get a little twisted, but untwisting it is not too much of a pain. Once you reach the part where you have connected ribbons, things get a little bit difficult. The thicker the ribbon, the harder it is to wrap around the ring and disguise the ribbon. It is possible to add the ribbons after you have wrapped the metal ring, but with thicker ribbon it is harder to get in between the slots; it really is a bit of a struggle either way. You must wrap in between the spaces you have left between the ribbons and try to cover as much of the metal and top of the ribbon as you can. There may be some slight bumps, but once you are finished it is not very noticeable. You continue wrapping all the way around until you reach the top. You add more hot glue here and secure the final part in space. I then like to tie a knot and make a loop at the top. I used some hot glue to help me make this loop. Now, it is time to begin decorating the center portion.
You start by tying some of the thin thread in between a wrapping of the leather. Then, you just have some fun and create any design you want! I did this by attaching my strings across from each other and tying off this other end. I continued this process tweaking it some until I was happy with the design.







See, I just kept adding more and more until I thought the design looked full and pretty. On these strands, you can add delicate beads to make it look even cooler than it already does.

















And eventually, you reach the final project like this!

If you have seen some of the dream catchers with the piece of lace in the center, this can be made the same way, except, when you get to decorating the center, just thread your small thread through holes in the lace and tie around the slits in the wrapped leather. If you use this approach, it will look like this other dream catcher I made from things I found while I traveled abroad this past semester. 

Hope you enjoy and that it is understandable! If you have any questions, just comment. Luh yuh - H

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Wooden Rocking Chair Tutorial


Okay so if you want to build a super awesome rocking chair from mostly sticks you found in the woods here is a tutorial!

Supplies: (all sticks must be sturdy)
1. at least nine 1inch or thicker sticks (that are longer than 10 1/2 inches long)(these are for the seat so make them the same length)
2. at least six 1 1/2 or thicker sticks (that are longer than 15 inches)(for the middle of the back)(you can make them the same size or leave them different sizes)
3. two 1 1/2 or thicker sticks (that are longer than 19 inches)(for the back legs) (make them the same length)
4. two 1 1/2 or thicker sticks (that are around 10 inches long)(for the front legs)(make them same length)
5. one 1 1/2 or thicker  stick that will span the back of the sticks used as the back part of chair(back brace stick)
6. three sticks 1 inch or thicker that span the total width of sticks used as the base of the seat (make same length)
7. arm rest sticks optional
8. one 2x6x8 lumbar
9. four bolts 3/8x5inch and 3/8 nuts
10. eight 3/8 washers
11. four 3/8 lock washers
12. four 3 inch screws
13. box of 50+ 2 inch screws
14. drill with screw driver, 3/8 drill bit(for countersinking), drill bit that is a little bit smaller than the thickness of the screw you are using
15. sander
16. saw
17. paint scraper
18. four foot long 4 inch dowel
19. two sticks that are the length between the front legs of the chair and the back legs
20. level




Steps:
1. Gather all your sticks from the woods (be careful for thorns).
2. Since the sticks are from outside, you will have to strip off the outside bark of the sticks. I found that using the paint scraper is the easiest way to remove the bark.
3. Next place all the sticks in the arrangement that you want them to be.
4. Take your two sticks that are longer than 19+ inches(#3) and cut them to be the same height.
5. using the 3 inch screws attach those two 19+ inch sticks(#3) to the stick that is the width of the seat of your chair(#6).
6. do the same with the sticks used as the front legs(#4).
7. now attach all the sticks used for the seat(#1) to the sticks used as the base of the seat(#6).

8. attach all of the sticks used for the middle of the back of the seat(#2) in the upright position to the last of the (#6) sticks.
9. attach the ends of the (#6) stick in between the 19+ inch(#3) sticks. place right above the sticks used in the seat.
10. attach the back brace stick(#5) to all the sticks of the back, including the end 19+ inch sticks.

11. attach (#19) sticks between front legs and the back legs.
12.  now is time to cut the rockers. Use the 2x6x8 piece of lumbar(#8) and cut it to be two 3 1/2 feet long, but make sure that you cut it to be an arch so that it will actually rock. use your discretion.
13. stain the rockers if desired.
14. attach rockers to the bottom of the four legs. make sure the legs sit higher than the bottom of the rockers so that it actually rocks back and forth. use level to make sure they are even.
15. attach rockers with the bolts. the order goes end of bolt washer, wood, washer, lock washer, nut.

16. cut wooden dowel (#18) to be two dowels each that will be the length between the two rockers.
17. attach one of the dowels behind the front legs between the rockers and one in front of the back legs.
18. add cushions if desired!


hope this was helpful!
-B

email or comment any questions you may have!
flapjacksandflannel@gmail.com






Kyla

Hey heyyyy! I'm super excited to be starting this blog with my girls. We have this big dream of one day opening a craft and coffee shop, but while we're still in school this blog was the way to start. Obviously we all love crafting! DIY home decor is my favorite type. I'm obsessed with Mason Jars, lace, and fun fabric! If I could major in crafting I would, but Education is pretty darn close.

Some other fun things about me:
Favorite Snack: Anything you can dip in Nutella
Favorite Tv Show: The Bachelor of course
Role Model: Ke$ha
Biggest Regret: The bob I was NOT pulling off in 8th grade. Hairstyles are not my friend.
Biggest Accomplishment: Becoming a regular at Jo-Ann's and Kroger.
I love running, taking naps and last but not least GLITTER.

Last time we had a craft night with Ke$ha she wrote a song about it, "There's a place I know if you're looking for a show where they go hard core and there's glitter on the floor." I'll keep you posted on any future collabs.

Thanks for checking out Flapjacks and Flannel!



Love,
K

Monday, January 6, 2014

Haley

Wasssssup my Witchessss? 

My name is Haley. I like to craft. I really like where I live, so I make a lot of crafts that deal with my state. Uhhhhhhhhm, yes. I do not know what else to say. I am insanely ridiculous as a human as can be seen through this blog. 

Favorite Word? Pickle.
Favorite Animal? Bear. The best creature ever to exist. I want one as a pet.
Major? Dental Hygiene.
Favorite Place? Barcelona, Spain. Park Guell is PERFECT. 
Favorite Food? Anything Mexican. Oh wait, obvi some flapjacks...
How Do I Fill My Spare Time? Netflix. Way way way too much Netflix.
Do I Know Another Language? Why yes, I am somewhat fluent in German. 
Biggest Pet Peeve? When people aren't listening and have to be apart of the conversation so they say "What?" or "Who?" like a billion times. 


So, there is a little sneak peek into my life as a ridiculous young adult. Hope you enjoy all that is to come! 

-H 

Tori

Hello all.

My name is Tori and I have always gone by Tori except one year in second grade when I insisted everyone call me Victoria, because that was my God-given name. That faded and now I'm Tori again. My favorite crafts include knitting ferret beds and cozies for my troll doll collection. No, in reality I'm a graphic design major, so I like doing artsy things! I really like embroidering, multi-media, and re-purposing. I'm not great at knitting, but I grind away at the needles anyway. It's a labor of love.

Favorite Book: Harry Potter, no doubt
Favorite Cheese: Gruyere
My Dream: Own a letterpress studio
My tombstone will say: "Big hair, bigger heart."
Favorite Band: The Avett Brothers
Guilty Pleasures: Mermaids, biscuits, the word 'swag', turtlenecks
Sad fact: I avoid most animals
Favorite movie: "O' Brother, Where Art Thou"
My Motto: If you like it, who cares what anyone thinks??
Life is: Sweet tea

I don't know how much of me you will see this semester since I am leaving for GREECE to study abroad for three months, but I will try my hardest to post now and again! Otherwise, I leave you in the firm, but sweaty hands of these three. :)

-T

Brittany

B: well... I am the first to post a little bit about myself. So this is kind of awkward, but you will learn that it is just who I am: awkward. In the crafting world I am the inventive one of the group. In other words I make things work. My favorite type of crafting is wood working. My friends told me that in this "about me" thing I am supposed to ask myself questions, so here goes....

Q: What is your Favorite tv show?
A: Boy Meets World
Q: What is your Favorite movie?
A: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Q: What is your Favorite book?
A: Simple, The Bible
Q: What is your Favorite color?
A: Gray
Q: What is your Favorite food?
A: Steak and Potatoes
Q: Tell us a random fact about yourself?
A: I love flannel
Q: What is your weakness?
A: wood carving. It only took a trip to the emergency room to figure it out!

So I hope you all enjoy reading about my awkward life and I hope you continue to read all of my blog posts for a whole lot of awkward with a dash of crafting.

-B


Saturday, January 4, 2014

In the Beginning...

And on the 8th day God created four girls who hungered to craft. They lived in the south, possessed great skill and wit, and were mostly ridiculous. Thus, Flapjacks and Flannel was born. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Craftiness is what drives us. That may sound ludicrous, and that's because it is. We have created this blog from which each of us will post tutorials with step-by-step pictures of crafts that we have completed, for your viewing pleasure. Just four girls on a mission; four lumberjanes, if you will.