Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Pink Poinsettia

**This tutorial is intended for personal use only.**

There is a cat that lives at our house. A very big and lovable cat. One of his favorite pastimes is to sit in front of the screen door and watch bugs and lizards go by. He is a very spunky and eager kitty who loves to pounce on the screen and often creates tears in it. Suffice to say, the screen often needs replacing.


This has left me with quite a collection of remnant fiberglass window screen.


I decided to use the pieces of screen to make poinsettia Christmas tree ornaments. (What can I say, I am already dreaming of the holidays). I cut petal-shaped pieces from the screen and painted it with acrylic paint. I also added dabs of pink glitter paint for a little glitz. (Please note that the petals can also be painted with spray paint which would be faster and less messy).


With needle and thread, I took running stitches along the base of seven petals, tied them into rounds, sewed two petal rounds together, and topped it with seed beads, sequence, and buttons. I think that this would make a nice Christmas tree topper if made larger and with the addition of a few more petal layers.


Christmas is in the air. I can feel it already and it has nothing to do with the air-con that I have on full blast. *wink* Or the steamy hot mug of apple cider sitting at my desk. If you're anything like me, you're heavily immersing yourself in thoughts of cooler days and evenings. Even if it means you're relying on your air-con to put you in the mood. Whatever works, right? And this really works for me.

Hope you're having a good day!

Aloha!

30 comments:

Tudy said...

How interesting to come up with such a beautiful project. Red ones might be pretty too. Or white or Burgandy. Unlimited possibilities.

Unknown said...

Wow aren't you clever ! What a great idea .

Karen from Sew Many Ways... said...

Hi Lettie,
Such a wonderful idea...so beautiful. I can't wait for cooler weather too. Love your kitty, he's a cutie!!
~Karen~

crafty diane said...

Leave it to you to come up with something beautiful to make out of screen! I love that ornament! I will have to remember this next time I have a screen that is torn!
Have a Blessed Day,
Diane

wendy said...

Love your idea! your cat is so cute! I also cannot wait for cooler weather or just not so humid!

Sandra :) said...

Mouse is such a hunk, and your ornament is very pretty - I love upcycling projects!

Annette said...

Who knew screening could be so beautiful. Absolutely beautiful!

Vicki ♥ said...

Once again you have amazed me with your creativeness!! It is simply stunning. I love it :)

Carrie @ Cottage Cozy said...

Aloha...friend! What a fabulous flower! Great idea...and so "green"!

Stay Cozy, Carrie

Janine said...

Dear Lettie,
you are amazing. You make a sparkling treasure of something that I would have thrown away.
You have the ability to see beauty everywhere.

CC said...

You are the greatest designer and craft creator ever. You can take nothing and see something beautif there..what a wonderful talent you have.

birtyboutique0i0 said...

wow those are really cool. I'm not ready to think about Christmas yet but it is just around the corner.

Ann said...

Lettie, Let me tell you, I am impressed! To have the idea of using up something that would normally be thrown away. Plus the project is very attractive. ~Ann

sweetiepie said...

Lettie, what a neat idea. I can see an entire tree done in these ornaments. I bet they will just sparkle when the tree is lit.

Thanks for sharing

Sunitha said...

Ingenious! I do not have a cat or a screen but after seeing this I want both. Even if is only to try and make this exquisite ornament!

Connie Gail said...

Lettie...
That is just beautiful! Whatever made you thing of such a craft? You are one talented girl...:O)

Yesterday I spend the afternoon thinking of advent calendars and other gifts I could make. So I cranked up the A/C, put on some Christmas music and had myself a wonderful afternoon. It truly put me in the mood and I did finalize a few ideas.

Christmas is indeed just around the corner...:O)

Hugs to you sweetie!
Connie Gail

Kristin said...

That is incredibly cool. Wow, I like it.

Lorraine said...

I love this recycling idea. It's absolutely beautiful!

Donnelly said...

How clever and beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
Have a great day.

Busym1 said...

OOOO! I have some screening leftover from another project! I have to make these! Thank you! Michelle

Suze said...

Very creative! Christmas...I need to start, but first I must finish my portfolio for a MHH class I took during the summer due at the end of the week. Great project tho! Susette

Melissa ;-) said...

How creative you are! That is very pretty!

Mimi said...

I think I would like to be in your brain for just one day! The poinsettia is beautiful.

Char said...

Lettie, hubby said to put super glue on the screen tears or holes, if they are not too big...but not as pretty as your flower..lol
Char

Sonia said...

Love this flower, It's too pretty.. Too good of you to come up with this idea!

BluePenny said...

Fiberglass window screen scraps are great for putting over drainage holes when potting plants. Just odd shaped pieces will do the job.

Ive also experimented with using it in place of needlepoint canvas, using various threads and yarns.

I've also used it as an interfacing or stiffener in some sewing projects that need super strength. I use a leather or jeans needle and my vintage metal non-computerized machines to sew it. If you set your stitch length to match the holes-per-inch, you shouldn't hit it too much when sewing the seam. But I wouldn't try it on my fancier computerised machines.

Aussie Carolyn said...

Hi, First I must say, you are one talented lady and your blog is a pleasure to visit.

I have just revived my blog and I am requesting permission to use a thumbnail image to add to a post I am writing with links to sites with flower tutorials. I will add a hyperlink on each thumbnail image so visitors are taken straight to your blog post.

As you state the images cannot be used without permission. Can I please use your images, place them on my blog cuttwopieces.com with a direct link to your project? This comment can be deleted. I only wrote here as I could not find any contact details.

queles said...

Me gustan mucho tus trabajos y gracias por tus tutoriales. Estas en mi lista de favoritos. Saludos desde EspaƱa

Anonymous said...

Adorei a flƵr Ʃ bonita e elgante, e o seu gatinho tambƩm claro, eu adoro gatos :)

Anonymous said...

You've given me an idea (which might never get done!) for 'fixing' my torn screen.

I had to tear it in order to get into the house after locking myself out. Drats!

But, perhaps I can get screening, make flowers and put them on the screen slider. Oops. SLIDER might be a problem - the flower would have to be on the outside or won't slide.

But, your screen flower has given me hope! Thank you! Aloha!

My husband got me to the Hawai'ian Islands to be able to see my childhood dream of Diamond Head! We also did the Road to Hana! But I didn't buy a t-shirt.