Crafty Mountain Mama - Crafts, DIY, Projects, Tips and Tricks

Hide your TV wires and cables for less than $10

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 21 Sep 2018 18:38:00 -0400

So I am constantly disappointed at the inability to use my full mental capacity when it comes to "MacGyver-ing" things, seems everyone else has already thought of it and created a brilliant blog about it...except when it comes to hiding television cables in a sane way that does not involve complete home remodeling, building shelves you don't need, digging through a wall (which does not hide your Roku or cable box), or just a random link to an ugly ass plastic sleeve for your cords. Now I have been known to use PVC for pretty much everything known to man; however, I just wanted this wall to look good without having to tear down the house.

Pretty bad, what with the cable box hanging from a cable (which seems ironic but it's just messy), plus all of the wall patches where I've attempted various fixes to this. I did a search on Pinterest, Google and wherever the heck else I could and found no suitable solutions...and then I thought, why not just use 2x4's? So my gigantic brain came up with a plan, and it's such a complicated one too. Why not cut out 4 2' pieces of 2x4 (which costs about $3 at your local hardware store...it's called a 2x4x8 for those having trouble following my majestic brain power on this one) into a square, cut some holes in the side and find a painting in my house that will fit perfectly on top, making it easier for the remote brain burning big brother laser blasters from the remote to get through as well.

So I am going to break down this super easy cord hiding project now if I have managed to pique your interest....

Final result:

I know it kind of looks like I just shoved a bunch of wires behind a painting but I assure you it is slightly more complex than that...not much, but it is...

So here is the basic information...I would say this is an expertise level of medium, only because anyone below that level might not have the tools that end up making this project oh so easy.

Time Needed, about an hour, maybe two.

Supplies Needed:

1 - 2x4x8

(and I can go ahead and throw the "cut list" in here, cut it into 4 pieces 2 feet long each)

1 - 2x2x24

(this one will be cut to fit inside your super complicated box)

Drill, with a hole bits of various sizes depending on your wires

Screwdriver or power driver

Chop saw or Table Saw

Deck Screws

Stud Finder

Velcro or Nylon Cable ties

Instructions:

Cut your 2x4 into equal pieces, making 4 - 24" pieces

Pre-drill your holes before using deck screws to make a square

I used two separate hole saws to make different size holes in each side, but this was just what worked for my own use.

I then cut my 2x2 to a size that would fit snug inside my fancy box. The 2x2 is the key to the entire thing working. I pre-drilled holes that were stud length apart, and pre-drilled holes in the sides of the box at the top and the 2x2's.

I then got out my trusty stud finder and checked and double checked for stud location, I also had a chance to clean up where I had patched my previous attempts.

I then, once again, used deck screws to screw my trusty 2x2 into the studs.

Okay, maybe I waited before I cleaned up the paint to see if I could manage to make my box cover up all of the patch work, but it didn't.

Then I double checked the fit by placing my box on the wall, hanging it onto the 2x2...and it fit, magically, so I went ahead and attached it all together by the sides.

Awesome right?

Okay, I still had the problem of so many wires and cables that once I shoved them through the holes it was pretty much still a hot mess.

Enter now, my very favorite velcro cable ties from Harbor Freight. They are super cheap, and REMOVABLE. Now I love plastic/nylon cable ties as much as the next guy, maybe more, but these are better for some projects.

All neat and tidy now

So originally, I had planned to recycle/upcycle some old cabinet doors for this project but then I thought, how disappointing that would be, to open a cabinet thinking it might be a small doorway to Narnia or something and it was just a jangled up mess of wires and cables...seriously?

So I walked through my house to find the perfect painting to cover my box. I found one that was not too heavy but didn't look awkward sticking so far out from the wall. You could also cut a piece of plywood to cover this or basically hang whatever you want on top of your box.

So then, I just hammer banged a basic picture hanger onto the 2x4, hung the picture on it and I'm stinking DONE!

For once I didn't get sucked into building an entire window seat, bookcase and passageway to Narnia and kept things simple.

x

Halloween Entryway Teeth

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 18 Oct 2016 16:33:00 -0400

In my general habit of overdoing things, I had been planning to scary up my entryway with some teeth and eyeballs...of course I was sketching out plywood plans, paint, mounting brackets and the works....but....

yesterday during a trip to the Dollar Tree I found exactly what I needed, they had inflatable eyeballs! Yes, this entire project could be so very simple and ended up costing $5!

I bought 3 sheets of foam board for a buck each, and a couple of inflatable eyeballs. I proceeded to go home, grab the 7' ladder and got to work. I cut the foam board long ways into three teeth per sheet by making odd shaped triangles with a utility blade, I then took my white duct tape and taped each "tooth" on the back side of the entry. The result looked great especially at night, the eyeballs would wait until morning....

I stuck some small cable ties into the eyeballs (which have holes for such things) and mounted them on some light hangers that were outside the upstairs window and VOILA!

And that is what you can do with a little duct tape and $5

Ten Fantastic DIY Gifts for Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 12:54:00 -0500

1. DIY Play Kitchen

Make it:

I've seen lots of these made out of recycled/upcycled entertainment centers online and been trying to find the time to make one of my own, and I must say, this one from thehaasmachine.com is everything I would want in my own play kitchen! Maybe they will make me one!

or Buy it:

2. Doll Baby Carrier

Here's a fantastic tutorial from sunscholars.com

Make it:

or Buy it:

3. Mr. Potato Head Quiet Book

The folks at Jocelyn and Jason have been generous enough to share this project via Dropbox with the world, you can grab all of the templates here.

Make it:

or Buy it:

4. Mix and Match Wooden Blocks

This one is kind of a make it/buy it one, and well worth the $5! The folks at Olliblocks have created these wonderful printables to put onto blocks, so for the busy crafty mom, or someone who really wants to make a handmade gift but lacks certain creative skills, this one is for YOU!

5. Lace Princess Crown

Okay, this one is FANTASTIC, a DIY beautiful crown that you can make in the MICROWAVE! Rook No. 17 offers a full tutorial and I'm going to make one today!

Make it:

or Buy it:

*of course if I figure out how to make these and they look fantastic I'll be selling some of them!

6. Dragon Hooded Towel

A fantastic tutorial is available for this one from the folks at craftylittleprojects

Make it:

or Buy it:

7. Art Caddy

LOVE this one from the folks at iheartorganizing going to have to add this to my list. What a fantastic creative gift for the creative kid in your life!

Make it:

or Buy it:

8. DIY Dollhouse

There are fantastic ideas out there everywhere, here's a great dollhouse project with ideas and tutorials from thebusybudgetingmama

Make it:

Or Buy it:

9. DIY Chalkboard Globe

Being something of a globetrotter myself, I was pretty excited to find this fantastic idea from designsponge. It's kind of presented as a DIY gift for men, but I can't wait to adapt it for my kid!

Make it:

or Buy it:

Surprisingly, you can actually buy a globe that is all chalkboard!

10. DIY Train Table that can STORE UNDER THE BED!

Love this one, and there's a full tutorial available from Diary of a Preppy Mom

Make It:

or Buy it:

10 Super Creative Christmas Trees

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 8 Nov 2013 17:21:00 -0500

Oh boy do I love Christmas! I think, beyond the "reason for the season", much of this has to do with the acceptance of going way over the top if you want to on decorations. Recent years have seen more folks doing the DIY thing (perhaps due to sites like Pinterest) and the images and ideas that are readily available. I've gathered together some of my favorite trees for this year.

Wonderful idea from freshome.com (except I guess you might have to mar a wall to do it). I do LOVE this idea, would probably look cute on some cut wood too.
Here's one from homedit.com, another super creative idea, especially for a book lover, a book store, or a bookshelf display...

3. Here's one that's not exactly DIY but it sure is beautiful, a tree made from Murano glass (which, I've noticed, bears a striking resemblance to PVC) in Italy.

4. Here's a wonderful tree filled with color and fun, a creative collaboration with Anna Spiro of Absolutely Beautiful Things and another Australian artist.

5. I've been eyeballing this one for a little while now, from notmartha.org, this one is a great idea and you can find directions for it on their site!

6. Here's what I call a "guy's DIY", a frosted tree made from copper tubing with freon running through it, of course when I first saw it I thought it was made out of PVC! Mono focused I guess ;) Hop on over here to see how they made it happen!

7. And on to a simpler look that looks like a fun and easy DIY, a framed "tree" made from ornaments.

8. How about a tree made out of Nescafe containers?

9. Here's another non DIY one, fantastic Pac-Man tree!

10. And can't go down without some food in the mix, check out this fantastic tree made out of strawberries!

I've Gone Owl Crazy!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 7 Nov 2013 17:11:00 -0500

So I was at the Green Market/Bazaar in Royal Palm Beach this past weekend, and I was, admittedly, a bit scattered so I attracted the people who want me to make random stuff since I had everything and anything there...the woman in the booth across from me actually suggested that I make some owls, since "everyone's crazy about owls right now". She was a seasoned professional (or whatever you call one with decades of being out in the sun under a booth selling their wares) so I was open to her advice.

Now, I had made owls before, with Vivian...out of some heavy duty cardboard rolls left over from making tutu's, and they were fantastic...but I wanted more!

I just finished a big project for Coca-Cola during which I figured out how to (safely) heat mold PVC and it has felt like the final step in my PVC evolution. I remembered making the owls out of cardboard and thought...hmm...I can heat mold the tops, and make REALLY STURDY owls!

More is on the way, but I'm absolutely tickled with the results, will post more information on how to make these soon!

Ten Hilarious Costumes for Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 16:30:00 -0400

From the most creative, to the most disturbing...after extensive research and analysis it's time to announce my favorite funny DIY costumes of the year...and the winners are...

The easiest DIY Costume:

The adorable kid in the Abercrombie Bag, apparently this one has been making the rounds of Facebook, and it's quite worthy of the attention. I wonder if his mom or dad was like, holy crap, I forgot it was Halloween, oh, here's my shopping bag, hope it fits!

LOVE LOVE LOVE this one!

Extra points for Craftsmanship:

Seriously? This one is no last minute endeavor, and how incredibly cute it this??? Hey Kool Aid!

Wagon Integration:

How cute is this one? Mouse in a mousetrap? LOVE!

For the Non-Walker

I think I have this same pot, would have been fantastic to use before Vivian could walk! How cut is this kid?

Movie Theme

This has to be one of my absolute favorites, little boy dressed up as the old man from the movie UP

Superhero Cuteness

Holy cuteness Superman....or is it Clark Kent? This one from Think Geek has got to be one of my favorite easy last minute DIY's!

Sitcom Character

Hilarious Dwight from "The Office"....have to LOVE the grown-ups making their friends crack up!

For The Bald Baby

Can never go wrong with a classic! The Charlie Brown Costume, complete with hand drawn hair curl (hopefully it's not a Sharpie!)

The Slightly Disturbing

Yet another easy to make DIY costume, and just a little disturbing. Homeless bum toddler? Yep.

Most Disturbing

So my child has been constantly combining things in her costume ideas, "I am going to be a pumpkin-goat-unicorn witch"...I wonder who thought up the "Chicken with Alien Bursting Out" idea for this one! You have to admit, it's kind of funny!

Thrift Store Bookcase = Awesome Sandbox!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 17:27:00 -0400

One of the many new challenges to renting a home is making things that are not permanent. Such was the challenge with making a sandbox. I previously had one at our old home that was almost dug into the ground.

For this project I actually did a little Pinterest research. I found other creative souls who had made sandboxes outof repurposed bookcases which I thought was a grand idea. I set off for the local thrift store to see what I can find. I ended up with a fantastic bookcase where the back was buckled out and almost missing which they were trying to get rid of for a mere three dollars. Here's the bookcase with just the back knocked out as I brought it home.

As an experiment I bought some of that plastic coating paint which I used as a base coat for the entire bookcase. I thought that this would make it a little more weather resistant although in Florida that makes things a little difficult.

The plastic coating paint did give it a unique texture that made me feel that it was actually going to resist the elements a little bit better than if I had not used it.

Then I looked in the garage for what colors I already had his first spray paint and Vivian actually decided that she wanted pink and green. Once I started painting the green I realized that painting pink on the inside would make it look like a watermelon this is probably sparked by the pink paint being actually called "watermelon".

Then I did what I had done previously in the mountains which was to staple landscape fabric on the backside of the bookcase even though I wasn't putting this on the ground I thought that this would actually add a little bit of protection from the sand seeping out etc.

The end result is a fantastic deep sandbox that Vivian absolutely loves I think it should last a while I used five bags of sand and that seem to suffice. While the recommendations on the play sand are geared towards making you buy more I actually thought I might need 10 bags luckily I didn't go with that.

So for a total of $15 plus for the sand +3 dollars for the bookcase +6 dollars for the landscape fabric (and I still have a whole lot of that leftover) we have an awesome sandbox.

Easy PVC Skeleton

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 14:17:00 -0400

Let me say first off, that I am certainly not the first person to make a skeleton out of PVC Pipe, but I do make lots and lots of stuff with the stuff, and I do love the way this guy turned out. I ended up making him with just leftover scraps so I probably would have done a little more on him if I weren't just using scraps!

It does make him pretty simple, here's a quick supply list:

4 3/4" PVC "slip" crosses

8 3/4" PVC Slip Tees

1 3-way PVC Corner (these are harder to find and not necessarily mandatory!)

1 Piece of 10' x 3/4" PVC

A PVC Cutter, Chop Saw or Hack Saw

An empty bleach bottle

Random paints

Cut 9 x 5" pieces (for the ribs and in between the ribs)

Cut 4 x 8" pieces (shoulders and hips)

Cut 6 x 15" pieces (arms and top part of legs)

Cut 3 x 20" pieces (bottoms of legs and neck)

Assemble as shown:

Paint your bleach bottle however you want, I did a little dias Muerte thing with this guy and I like how it turned out. His head isn't attached, and I didn't glue the PVC so he can wiggle around a little bit.

I've certainly seen more complex ones, but this one is great, as it's light enough to sit on the hedge without damaging it, and very easy and cheap!

Hanging Outdoor Lights, One Solution

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 14:04:00 -0400

So, it's Halloween again, which means that the stores are starting to be flooded with CHRISTMAS gear! I do love some good lights, in fact I'm a bit of a junkie for it. One problem, the new abode I am residing in is a rental, meaning minimal damage and virtually no experimentation!

i was looking around through the heaps and heaps of stuff I have accumulated and found my "dog run" kit, mostly self made with the dual ended leash thingie in it. I just found some fantastic rainbow globe lights that I really wanted to hang, but with no trees and little other choices, I decided I could throw the dice with a 1/4" hole in two spots. I grabbed a couple of eyebolts, measured out the leash thing distance, and ran the coated wire across a little triangular area outside the screen porch. I was able to clip the wire on each side, and since the lights had clips on them I could scoot em around on the wire. My main point is that you don't hang wire with just the wire, it's much nicer to clip it to something! Plus, when it's time to move, I can just unhook the leash and there we go!

I couldn't resist snapping a shot with the full Hunter's moon in the background.

Dollar Tree Pumpkin Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 12 Oct 2013 14:30:00 -0400

So Halloween shopping at the dollar tree this week I was intrigued by what they showed as a "carveable" pumpkin. Now this is simply a piece of Styrofoam painted to look like a pumpkin that is hollow making it easier to "carve" into it. Either way it's a dollar so why not try one out?

Here's what the start looked like:

And after a little cosmetic work with a utility knife some plastic beads some ping-pong balls (also from the dollar tree) and some pipe cleaners here's what we got. Oh and I forgot to add, The most important touch, a doll baby leg.

Oh yeah we got a little sick and twisted Halloween theme working.

Crazy Friday night Halloween pipe cleaner octopus

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 11 Oct 2013 13:18:00 -0400

Had a sudden urge tonight for the nostalgia of pipe cleaner crafts... and so was born the crazy Friday night Halloween pipe cleaner octopus. Using just a few things I had laying around the house (which may not be laying around anyone else's houses), I was able to make this fun little guy to help decorate for Halloween!

What he needed was 32 various pipe cleaners two rubber bands a plastic Christmas ball and some googly eyes. Also having experimented with several glues for the googly eyes on the tinsel pipe cleaners I ended up with Elmers fabric and leather craft glue.

First I gathered up my pipe cleaners making sure I had pairs of different colors

You could probably make one with just two colors and or one color and it would look cool but not as cool as this guy. Then I secured them together with a rubber band around the top edge

Then I spread them out making sure that there were pairs matched up together but everything else was relatively random

Man I rocked him around Christmas ball that I happen to have many of and secured the base with yet another rubber band... I'm leaving that text to type in there because my text to type these days of been pretty funny but what I said was then I wrapped them around a Christmas ball

Once I had my second rubber band in place I went ahead and curled the edges of the top around to cover up the rubber band

After that I twisted set of two into together to make a candycane like strike in them once I had that done I curled them around a crochet needle but you could use a pencil or anything else you have handy to make the legs

After that I just shaped the legs a little bit glued on some eyeballs and he was ready to go!

Halloween Zombie Doll Makeovers

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 11 Oct 2013 13:07:00 -0400

I love Halloween decorations it seems that nothing is taboo. Of course perhaps it just means that nothing is taboo according to me.

I picked up several broken porcelain dolls at a local thrift store for about a dollar each the other day. I sat and I looked at them and I wondered what they wanted to be. Their clothes were outdated they didn't look happy I thought they might enjoy giving everyone a good scare for Halloween this year.

Here's the group altogether

A motley bunch to say the least...

So I stripped em down and I covered up their eyes with little pieces of electrical tape. Had I had any I would've actually just use Vaseline because that much easier for repelling paint and it can be much more focused. Just a little Q-tip and some Vaseline over any parts you don't want covered with which you can wipe off after the paint. Everyone was sprayed with a good coat of cheap 96 cent spray paint from Walmart.

Then I just got marginally creative with some gray paint some black paint some green paint and some red paint....

And here is the final magic:

Of course I'll post another final group picture before they go into their respective spooky scary places but it sure has been fun and very easy and cheap. The total cost including the dolls was under $10

Quick and Easy Cardboard Craft- Binoculars!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 4 Jun 2013 11:57:00 -0400

So if your child is anything like mine, she's always looking through cardboard tubes, she just turned three so imagination runs wild!

Just finished making some tutu's and had the heavier duty cardboard tubes left over so I thought I would throw together some binoculars over breakfast....simple and easy, here's what you need:

Cardboard tubes (heavier duty work better, but you could do this with toilet paper rolls)
Duck/Duct tape (they make all kinds of designed ones these days!)
A string of plastic beads (left over from Mardi Gras perhaps?)

First, I just wrapped the tubes with tape, no science there...

Once that was done, I cut a small notch in the side of each one and slipped in some leftover plastic beads, this is where it helped to have the "lids" that come with the tulle rolls, but you could also tape over the top again. I then taped the tubes together and the magic happened!

This project took about ten minutes from concept to completion!

And now we shall go exploring!

Surprise Stained Glass Effect on Wooden Letters with Crayons!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 3 Jun 2013 20:23:00 -0400

So I ran into Hobby Lobby the other day optimistic "one thing"...ha ha...anyway, the cutout letters were on sale (of course they were) for 50% off, which made them #1.50 each. I've had all kinds of ideas about what to do with them, then the other night, I just made a bunch of lines on them with glass paint, which came out raised like the lines in stained glass. The next day, when they were dry, my 3 year old was able to color them "inside the lines" with a little help from the fact that the lines were raised, and by using crayons on them it came out pretty cool, like a semi stained glass look. Anyway, I like it! Guessing that any paint that comes out with a raised effect, preferably with a "nozzle" on the lid, will work...add crayons and voila!

Called to the Big Leagues - The Coca-Cola Project!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 2 Feb 2013 14:37:00 -0500

During December I received a phone call from the web marketing folks at Coca-Cola. Apparently they had selected 5 artists to do special projects for their website to show creative uses for Coca-Cola bottles. There were a few catches, first, I had 4 days to create the project, second, instead of offering to use something I had already made, I asked, "what would you really like someone to make that you don't have yet?".

The final catch is that I, along with my 2 year old, ended up with this season's version of the flu (which I have named "Flu-Monia") that week! And still I faced the challenge head on....a Menorah? Why certainly I can figure that out!

I wanted it to be fun and unique, and as much as I looked on Google images and Pinterest I came up pretty empty as far as bottles were concerned, except that people would just line them up and stick candles in them.

So I set my mind to work and decided I would use a large bottle in the middle which would somehow balance the other bottles on a base, which could rotate. Why I didn't just line up bottles and stick candles in them I just don't know!

Here was the first Google Sketch I did:

So I set about putting my vision to reality. I used some salvaged 1" board and drilled holes large enough to fit the bottles into. I didn't have any retainer clips (and the thought of operating a motor vehicle in my condition was out of the question), so I took some soldering coil and made my own, which I then surrounded with some pine needle wires from Dollar Tree that I cut to fit. On the base, I cut a large hole large enough to accommodate the bottom of the large bottle and added another piece of wood underneath. I then lined the hole with foam to ensure a snug fit.

Again, with no ability to get off of the mountain, I had to improvise for "candles", in my mind, I had wanted to get actual candles that would fit in the holes, but I didn't have any, so I ended up using wooden dowels painted white. I will definitely recreate this project with real candles next year.

I then put individual flowers made out of Coca-Cola cans in front of each bottle.

My big mistake, I decided I wanted the insides of the bottles to be white. This would not have been a mistake if I hadn't decided it in a feverish (103 degrees) state at the last minute. It's a real pain to get the insides of bottles painted, I'm sure there's a better way and I will figure it out! It did all work out in the long run; however, the folks at Coca-Cola were treated to a box with lots of clean up to do and lots of wet Kilz.

In the end, I figured it out and overcomplicated it and made it happen, and I am pretty proud to have been selected.

Here is the article:

The Coca-Cola Bottle Etsy Challenge

And here is the finished product:

I am so thankful to have been given the opportunity, and glad for the patience of the folks at Coca-Cola.

Soda Can Hanging Fern

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:00:00 -0500

So here's a breakdown of my latest project; however, I have a whole lot of catching up to do on my blogging, but seems I'm going to be going in reverse order!

I made a fun fern out of soda cans and I think it's pretty smashing!

So I started off by cutting pieces of corrugated plastic (from my stack of recycled election and campaign signs!). I painted the pieces brown with the Krylon paint that bonds to plastic. I then glued the pieces around a planter salvaged from our community dumpster. This can be tricky, and I recommend using clothes pins or other clamps to hold the pieces in place at the top as they can be quite springy!

I then filled the planter with spray foam insulation, available at any hardware store. Tip: when the can says only fill 50% of the space you want filled, THEY MEAN IT! Be sparing, and be sure to allow it to harden overnight.

After my pot had 2 layers of "wood", and my insulation had dried, I sanded and glued floral picks onto pieces of soda cans I had cut to look like ferns. I then arranged them (carefully) in my hanging pot and I am tickled with the result!

California Pottery? What is THIS!?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 30 May 2012 19:33:00 -0400

Okay, it's shiny, it's beautiful, it has the look and feel of California Pottery and yet I just can't figure out what to put into google to figure out what this is!

It's round with a rounded base and a hole in the center. I'm relatively certain it isn't a bird house, could be some kind of planter but that seems odd.

Anyone?

Vintage Thermos Lamp

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:07:00 -0400

So one of the things I do to keep my toddler in togs is buying random things at thrift stores, yard sales, etc. and selling them. I seek out the retro, the bizarre and the interesting. On my latest venture out into the world of hillbilly thrift stores I found an old Thermos from 1971 with a really cool design on it.

Of course, step one of selling the things I find is figuring out how much they are worth so I did a search for vintage thermos and immediately found a bunch of LAMPS! Yep, apparently people make lamps out of old thermoses, which is not really a surprise since I've been making lamps out of all kinds of random items lately.

crafty tip, in general, there is no need to buy a "lamp kit" at your local hardware store if you want to make a lamp since you can usually find used lamps for about $1 at your local thrift store and voila, you have a lamp kit! Lamp kits are usually between $7 and $11 so you'll save some bucks if you like to make lamps!

So...instead of selling the Thermos "as is", I figured I would try my hand at making a lamp. A word of caution, however, most older quality Thermos products have glass liners so eliminate the surprise factor if you are drilling through the plastic layer by using a punch instead, it's still a real pain to get the glass out though.

Not posting step by step instructions yet...since this was my first attempt and, while I think it turned out beautifully, I know I'll be simplifying the process before too long!

So I had an old lamp that I bought for $1, paid $1 for the thermos and $1 for the lampshade...total cost for this super cool retro lamp was $3!

Commissioned Soda Can Wall Hanging

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 8 May 2012 17:10:00 -0400

So the bears are now awake, making the daily trip to the recycle bin quite risky...but having just completed my first really large piece and it's been worth the risk!

Since it's being shipped up to New York tomorrow I needed to take some pictures so I won't forget...and this one is hard to part with! My lovely customer on Etsy originally sent me a photo of a flower that I believe is displayed on a wall outside an antique shop in South Carolina, the challenge was that the piece she showed me was made out of large steel paint cans and other large cans, and she wanted a 36" diameter piece made with soda cans. I would say it turned out beautifully!

My challenge on the MacGyver end was to make this piece happen and keep it stable so that it could hang on a wall...materials varied from chicken wire, to gutter guard, to finally yardsticks and pizza pans!

I will post more pictures soon, and hopefully I'll have a picture to show once it arrives and is hung on it's new patio wall far to the North!

The other fantastic thing about this piece is that it comes apart and is able to ship in a golf club box or similar...this aspect of it is something I am especially proud of, as if I start making more of these, they will be in "kits" so that they can be assembled by whoever buys them and they will feel that they are part of the artistic process as well! Whoopee!

I have been getting crazy with the soda cans of late...partially because I am able to make these things for little cost and I'm a bit broke lately, but also because there are so many different things to do with cans and it's so much fun (except for my aching hand from tin snips and can crushing!).

So for now, I'll roll the dice with those bears and keep it up with the cans...

This guy was at the top of my driveway the other day...

The Joy of Crafty Moms...Thanks Ann!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:02:00 -0400

I was going through a box of my old things recently and came across a mug that was made for me. When I was in 2nd grade, we moved from Atlanta to Philadelphia. I very quickly made friends with a wonderful girl named Allie. During the years to come (we only lived there for 4 years, but in elementary school that's a lifetime!) Allie and I spent many days and nights together. Her mother was what I would call "super crafty". Now, my mom liked to make things and put together creative collages and photo albums...but Allie's mom was truly a crafster. She loved working with pottery, and was quite adept at the craft. Over the years, she made my parents a planter that looked like our house and many other treasures. This mug; however, is something I will treasure forever. I think that it may be the first piece of art that was made especially for me and the impact will be felt for a long time.

These days, crafts are a big part of my survival and my ability to support my little family. As I sit here at my craft table, a mug sits on my desk...with a mouse on one side (I used to have pet mice), and my name on the other. It has inspired me to continue crafting since the time I first got to know a woman who was so important to me during that time of my life. I am thankful that Allie Keech came into my life, and for her mother Ann. They say that everyone you come across is a piece of your puzzle in some way...that God puts people there for a reason, and it really is true.

Thank you Ann (aka Mrs. Keech!). You are truly a special person and an inspiration for crafty moms to strive for "super craftiness"!

Soda Can Ashtrays

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:51:00 -0400

See Soda/Beer Can Ashtrays and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

Another Thrift Store Mystery

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 21:49:00 -0400

Okay, file this one under, "what the heck is this" and pin it, tweet it and share it so I can solve this mystery.

Went to a little hole in the wall thrift store today run by a bunch of good old boys, as I was checking out I noticed this behind the desk, they jokingly told me it was a case for me to keep my tiara in, and admitted that they had absolutely no idea what it was. They then proceeded to sell it to me for $1 if I promised to tell them what it was when I found out. So here it is...

Show everyone, I've googled but it's hard to google when you don't really know what to google. It has a sturdy metal handle and the whole thing is padded inside (you couldn't really put anything in it except maybe something breakable).

UPDATE

Thanks to my facebook friends, especially Sybille Petersen for solving this one! It is apparently a Tea Cosy for carrying your teapot around without spilling it, hence the flat wooden bottom!

Fascinating Find at the Goodwill

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 22:41:00 -0400

Often, I'm a sucker for picking up random crap that someone's kid made because I feel like those things are so precious and deserve to be loved. That's what I thought I was doing today...but as I delve a bit further, I'm just not sure.

I remember when I was a child we did some sort of "family crest" project in art class. This very well could be what this is...but again, I'm putting this out into the universe hoping that someone will see it and help me out.

Either way, let's go ahead and show you what I'm talking about...

At first glance, I thought it was a cute art project (and I'm still pretty sure that's what it is); however, after a little cuddling up with my buddy Google, the plot thickens a bit. Additionally, once I started actually looking at the artwork (the dragon's face and proportions, etc.) it looked a bit more intricate than a kid's art project.

When I started researching, I kept coming up with pages in Spanish (thank God for Google Translate)...eventually I typed in all of the words on the piece and came up with something definitive that contained it ALL; however, this is only ONE website out in the world of Al Gore's internet which details the Escalante family crest during the 1500's.

So I have sent photos off to a few folks and anxiously await any answer that will tell me anything about this!

Stay Tuned!

The Great Bowling Ball Roundup!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 21:15:00 -0400

So a while ago, I was doing my usual golf cart ride to the community dumpster and someone had thrown away a bowling ball...being unable to resist interesting looking garbage I threw it in the back of the golf cart with the thought of perhaps "sniper bowling" from my deck as they were thinning out the deer in my little community. Then common sense took over and I decided I had better find a more responsible use for this new find.

So, as any logical person would also determine, the bowling ball must be turned into yard art! A good friend of mine asked me to make her some for her yard...she went to Georgia Tech whose mascot is a bee so I made her a yard bumblebee in her school colors, using old screens for wings, upcycled copper posts for antennae with cedar closet balls on the ends. I think he turned out just great!

With my newfound excitement for all things bowling ball, I started keeping my eyes open for bowling balls in thrift stores, etc. On day ONE of my hunt, I walked into a thrift store and asked them if they happened to have any bowling balls...the girl looked at me like I was crazy and that perhaps I was messing with her as she walked me to the back of the store to show me this:

Pallet of Bowling Balls

Needless to say, there will probably be more bowling ball projects on the way!

Kusudama Flowers and Ball with Maps!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 18:54:00 -0400

So I picked up this German atlas book at a thrift store for about 75 cents...I love maps, and then I thought I could certainly upcycle this into something (or many things) more!

I started looking into paper folding, or as it's frequently called, origami. I found instructions for these really awesome flowers...then to take it one step further, putting a bunch of the flowers together to make a ball. I am pretty happy with the result.

Very excited about this project, even though origami wouldn't normally have been something I would have even dabbled in!