Pencil Door Hanging

I made this pencil wreath last month as the school year geared up.  

 Step one is to cut out the shape and then run some glue or no fray glue around the edges so the strings won't fray away.  Cut out two of the same shapes and I do this to both the front and back.

I then paint my design on plastic.  Since the holes are so large in burlap it takes a lot of paint and this helps the paint kind of 'pool' and stick better.  

 Once it dries, run hot glue along three side's edges and glue the paint front to the blank back.

 I left an opening so I can stuff this.

I stuffed mine with paper b/c I plan to add some heated vinyl with a name or word eventually, but you can also stuff these with plastic bags or stuffing.  

Glue the last side and then add some rope for hanging.  These would be cute as a pumpkin or I've seen cute summer watermelons and flamingos.

Pencil Pops

 I went into Good Morning, Texas today to post tape a pencil theme craft segment.  I'll be demoing pencil jars, a pencil banner, and finally, pencil pops.  I saw these on Pinterest, and the best I can tell the idea originated at Bakerella.  I modified it a bit so they travel well, but the gist is you take a white cake mix and pour 1/3 of it into a bowl and dye it pink, and dye the other 2/3 yellow.

 I decreased the baking time a bit and just watched it, and then once it cooled I cut small squares.  I used these push pops I grabbed at a craft store and push out a piece of the pink cake.

 I slipped it down into the tub.

 I then took some canned icing and put a line of gray (I just dyed it with a little black) over the pink (eraser).

 I then squared off the yellow and used the container to cut out the cake and then slip it down inside.

 I dyed the other half of the icing a light brown.  The original just piped up a cone shape and put a small chocolate morsel on top.  I wanted to be able to close the lid, so I actually made a little 'cap' out of a half circle of beige paper.

I just taped it to the top.  If you want to just pipe up a cone and add a morsel, I wouldn't use the canned icing-make a buttercream b/c the canned icing is too runny to really create any sort of form, even if you add a bunch of powdered sugar.  I'll post the video to facebook as soon as it airs (tomorrow?).

Pencil Banner

 I'm headed to Good Morning, Texas on Monday....and doing a post tape I THINK will run on Tuesday.  The theme is pencil crafts for back to school.  This is 2 of 3.  A pencil bunting.

 I cut out some 'pencil shapes' from some scrap burlap.  Then I used this no fraying glue I got at the craft store and ran it along the edges so it wouldn't continue to fray.

 I then used some paint to paint up some pencils.

When it was dry I glued it to some twine.  It's super cheap and easy to do.  I'll probably add a word to these pencils once I'm done with the show so they can hang in my classroom at school.

Pencil Cup Squared

 I'm headed to Good Morning Texas in a little over a week and bringing a bunch of pencil themed crafts.  Hello, school year.  I saw these adorable jars and had to give it a go because I love Mason Jars...and pencils.

These are so simple-I got a jar and poured some yellow paint inside, then turned  it upside down and swirled it around so the sides were all covered.  I poured the excess back into the paint container and then let it dry overnight.  I also painted the rim pink and then once both dried I took some polyurethane paint over both so they wouldn't scratch and peel off.  I added a silver ribbon and some black stickers and I'm ready to go.  I'll be making a second jar at GMT as the demo, and then these are going into my class for my sharp/unsharp pencil jars.

Book: You are Sharp! Chocolate Covered Pencils

These would be cute for a writer, or a teacher, or a student made to write a lot by their teacher.  ;o)  I made these in the fall for some of my friend's kiddos as 'first day back to school' after school snacks, BUT....with teacher appreciate coming up....and no time machine to go back and post these when I actually made these....I'm posting these now.  I saw these on a baking site online...just don't know which one at the time, and I just used my limited chocolate skills to recreate them from memory.  I have a label marked 'teacher gift' below with tons of ideas, add chocolate pretzel sticks to the list.  I've seen these out and about, but this is my version. 

 I took pretzel rods and covered them with melted yellow chocolate (I like the pellets they sell at the craft store in the baking section because it's easier for me to melt than some found in the baking row).  I scraped a knife along the chocolate to give it a little bit of a 'ridge' like pencils have.  Once it dried (which it should do in about ten minutes).  I added a drop of red to white chocolate and dipped on end in this for the eraser. 

 I melted some green chocoalte (again, you can die white chocolate if it's easier than buying three different colors).  I melted it in the microwave in a ziplock bag for about a minute and piped on the strips and #2 after snipping the edge off.  If it starts to harden, just pop it back in the microwave for a few seconds. 

I've also seen this done with the same rods snapped in half and dipped in multi colors with white piped designs made to look like crayons.  Maybe next year.  :O)