Make The Best of Things

Book Page Christmas DIY

2023-12-06T08:05:00.000-08:00

Most of you have figured out I am a color freak with an obsession

for turquoise, red and cobalt blue.

However,

I also obsess about the beautiful neutral tones of natural muslin and old book pages.

Especially book pages! Christmas is no exception.

Here is my bakers rack decked out in more book page covered decor than you can shake a stick at.

I love the pages with the grey boards and the white milk glass!

And below you can see a sweet ruffled muslin garland with a mini star

book page garland, plus book page rosettes and book page covered balls,

stars and even a pedestal cake stand.

I will cover practically anything in Mod Podge and old book pages. This way my old beloved books live on in my decor. I also make as much paper art as I can with book pages.

Per request, I am showing you the big stars covered with book pages in this post.

I just love how they come out!!

This is an example of the cardboard star patterns I found online.

There are oodles I tell ya. LOTS. Google is your friend in this.

I like the old dictionaries with dense printing for these projects. I've used clean cut pieces with straight lines for this project plus loads of Mod Podge.

Simple and FAST, folks.

Once dry, sand the edge paper off with a nail file. Spray with clear acrylic to seal.

Book page stars and Christmas balls, oh my!!

There is no end of ideas using book pages and Mod Podge.

Including the display stand made of a sundae glass, ceramic plate and book pages!

And pinwheels and stars and, of course, book page stars.

Sometimes, even for me, a restful neutral look is just what I need during this busy season.

Merry Christmas, friends. Make it a good one!

Sweet Post It Note Flowers Tute

2023-12-06T08:03:00.000-08:00

Here are the simple book page ornaments we've made for our little tabletop trees.

I call them Post It Note Flowers because they work up beautifully using a 3" x 3" square of paper,

so in a leap of naming logic there ya go.

They are really origami kusadama flowers and they've been around forever.

I'll give you a link to an origami website at the end of this post in case my instructions lead you hopelessly astray. ; 0 )

Start with a post it note or any size of paper as long as it is perfectly square.

IF YOU USE post it notes, you will start with the gummy side at the bottom right

and gently separate the layers if they become stuck.

Fold bottom to top, then sides in to form a diamond, then fold each side out from the middle.
Unfold each side "wing" so it looks like a kite, then fold the top of these side kites inwards so now you will have a middle kite shape with matching side triangles. Fold each triangle once inwards.
Roll into a cone and hot glue the two folded sides in the middle.

You need at least five to form a flower shape, tho I have seen them with more.

Hot glue all the cones together and don't worry if you have a little gap in the center,

even real flowers have a little opening in their middle.

We've made ours out of vintage dictionary pages to go along with our simple white Christmas theme.

And the Live, Laugh, Love ornaments?

Simply book pages cut into small rectangles then Mod Podged onto Christmas balls.

I hand wrote the words on each ball with a Pigma pen, then sealed them all with clear acrylic.

You could also use a Cricut or Silhouette for the words,

or print them and cut them out to match the book pages and Mod Podge them on.

Simple, pretty and inexpensive. We like!

Here is a link to a real origami website with great instructions and lots of samples for these pretty flowers...

http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/origami_kusadama_flowers

Wintry Snowflake Chandelier-Dollar Store Decor

2023-12-06T07:40:00.000-08:00

!!!!!!

Okay, here is the early 90's brass and glass chandelier in my dining room.

I'll give you a moment to bask in fond nostalgia.

Yeah, well, we're still living with this chandelier until I find exactly the right fixture and can wave a big ol' bag o' money at it, so right there it is going to stay.

It's just so....brassy and perfectly functional and by the way,

The Welding Man loves it just the way it is!

So here are a couple of my ideas for coping with it's golden funkiness each season.

Dollar Store to the rescue!

Years ago I saw Martha Stewart's pretty hanging autumn wreath light and it stuck with me.

So in October I decided to make my own version with several autumn leaf garlands around

and around and around my light's brassy framework but

without the candlelit mini pumpkins.

We tried it with and without the glass panes and the glass just

gave it some extra shine at night, so they stayed.

Ooh! I like it alot and it is a sure sign of Autumn in my house.

Come Christmas time and wintry weather,

I hit my stash of Dollar Store decorations again and found

many different styles and sizes of snowflakes.

We took off the glass panes and hung the snowflakes willy nilly,

just like they would be in a blustery winter storm.

With just a few icicle strands here and there and oooh! I like this alot, too!

Even in the daytime in natural light the

layered textures of silver, white, and glittery gold and

silver pack a beautiful festive punch.

Even The Welding Man, who does not like it when I mess with "his" light, thinks that this is very pretty!

Note-If you hang enough Dollar Store snowflakes on a brass light fixture you can mostly hide it's golden shininess!

And kapow! Here she is all lit up! She is dazzling!

Ooh aah! So pretty! And with the cold, wet, rainy, snowy winter weather hanging on, I'm leaving these snowflakes on my chandelier at least until Easter!

Which version is better? Daytime or night time? I like them both but the daytime

chandy looks more wintry to me.

Go figure.

The Welding Man will be glad to know I won't be replacing his chandelier anytime soon.

But I can sure mess with it and make it pretty, can't I?

And maybe I'll learn to appreciate it's brassy vintagey vibe?

We'll just have to wait and see, lol!

Stinkin' Cute Wine Cork Reindeer DIY

2023-12-04T09:22:00.000-08:00

Here is an oldie from 2012, but it's a goodie and one of my top Pins on Pinterest ever.

They've even been featured in an annual Sainsbury's Christmas flyer in England!

Look! A tiny reindeer made from wine corks and twigs for your Holiday decor!

If you accumulate a lot of wine corks or keep running across them at yard sales and thrift stores, here's a nifty little project for the holidays that is so stinkin' cute and sort of easy, plus cheap. I make these little guys to go with my Santa dolls and while making them today I went ahead and took pictures of the process.

Here he is surrounded by the supplies for his creation. Wine corks, little twigs (some with forks) and round headed pins. You will also need a tool for cutting like a razor craft knife and wire cutters.

Punch four leg holes at a slight outward angle in the bottom of one cork for the twig legs. Use a nail or ice pick or whatever gives you the right size holes. The holes need only be about 1/4" deep. Cut four sorta matching twigs for the legs, about 2" long, using a razor knife or wire cutters like those shown.

Put a bit of hot glue in the hole or on the twigs and insert the twigs into the holes. You can press the sticks in with gentle pressure against your work surface or use a pair of pliers. Stand the body up and if any leg is out of whack trim it JUST A LITTLE with a knife or the wire cutters. If you take off too much you'll have to trim the other legs and then the first leg again and it will only end in tears, trust me on this.

BUT, if this happens you can use a heat gun or blow dryer to soften the glue and remove the sticks so you can start over with 4 new twig legs.

If your chosen head cork is too large, trim one end straight off with a razor knife til the proportion seems right. Do the same same punch-holes-trim-twigs-glue-in-holes for the tiny forked antlers and the neck twig. Notice the neck twig is angled, so punch your holes with that in mind.

Look! Teeny tiny super cute wine cork reindeer!

LOVE these little guys!

But wait, what are the push pins for? This little guy needs a red nose, of course. I snipped the pin off short then painted the ball bright red.

Then I added a bit of tiny green tinsel around his neck. Perfect. You can add more tiny trims like the bow on his brother in the top pic, or a tiny star, or a little bell.

How cute would these be on your mantel or even marching across your desktop at work? And with just a bit of twine or fishing line in a loop and hot glued to his back, you have a cute tree ornament. They are not strong enough to be used as toys but for your Christmas decor, what could be easier or cuter? And now you have a nifty project to use all those wine corks you have in that glass jar!

Try it, you'll like it and be sure to enjoy yourself. Every time I make one of these little guys they make me smile. You will smile, too!

DIY Wood Stars for Christmas and All Year!

2023-12-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

Here's a neat gift idea that comes together so quickly, I was kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner.

I wanted to give a hand made Christmas item for each family on my list. What to do? I needed a dozen of them and I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg on the supplies.

I bought this box of wood slats for way less than $10. Thank you, Feed Store brothers!!

I brought the wood home and proceeded to make primitive Christmas stars!

The wood slats are 20" long. Perfect size for a star and easy to work with.

Each star takes 5 pieces of equal length. Paint the wood first then dry brush with black if you want a bit of a grungy primitive look. Otherwise leave the finish natural.

We used our handy dandy air gun stapler to fasten the joints, then bent the staples over on the back side for added stability. Touch up with paint or wrap with Dollar Store jute twine secured with hot glue. We did them with and without twine.

You can leave them plain OR you can crash your stash of Christmas decor, which is what I did. Experiment with your placement then hot glue each piece in place.

Then comes the FUN PART!

I used faux poinsettias in two sizes, fake greenery, wired tinsel, ribbon, small pine cones, glittered branches, plastic decor balls in several sizes and anything else I could lay my hands on.

Lots of blues!

Lots of ribbons and twine wrapped joints.

Here's the biggest star we made out of longer grade stakes.

36" across for the entry wall at my grand kids' new house. We twine wrapped the joints

on this big one and sealed it with clear acrylic spray for outdoor use.

I LOVE the way these came out!

And guess what? They're a hit with the families, too!

And here's the one we kept for our own house.

It's on the baker's rack I decorate every year.

We even made some cooking themed stars for the Lunch Ladies at the school kitchen.

Now I'm kicking around ideas for decorating Patriotic Americana stars for Fourth of July....burlap and sunflower stars for my summertime porch.....autumn leaves and branches for fall....then back to Christmas with snowflakes, white poinsettias and silver branches.

I'm sure I'll be posting more about these stars. Stay tuned!

Materials used for each star-

five wood pieces of equal length

acrylic craft paint your choice of color

staples or nails to fasten the wood

hot glue

twine

misc. small Christmas decor items

There you go!

Firewood Log Succulent Planter

2023-05-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

I made this out of a fire wood log from the building supply!

The natural wood and the greens of the succulents are a perfect match, and it couldn't have been easier.

I am always on the lookout for unusual planters for my gardens.

This stack of birch fire wood at the local Lowe's caught my eye and I bought two.

A few hours labor with a chisel, a hammer and even a hatchet gave me a log

with a planting hole in the middle.

I screwed a plastic plate to the bottom as a water catcher then filled the

hole up with gravel on bottom and succulent planter mix on top.

Then I shopped my garden succulents for just the right mix of plants to put

in this rustic planter. It is NOT ordinary,

and I love it!

I added a few stones and gravel to the top then took about a thousand photos.

This project makes me smile and smile.

I stapled landscape felt to the bottom of the log

and then screwed on a plastic charger plate from Dollar Tree.

As you can see, it turned out extremely well!

Time to make the second one!

Pretty Faux Wood Grain Glass Table Top? Yes, Please!

2022-02-14T00:00:00.001-08:00

We have this corner on our front deck that needed a convenient table and I also wanted

it to be pretty. Here is what we came up with and made in one afternoon and, as usual,

we did it without spending a ton of money.

In fact, we already had everything we needed on hand so it was basically FREE.

Confetti goes here!

Ooh ahh! It turned out even better than I pictured!

Here is the DIY for this fun project...

A friend had given me two round patio table replacement glass circles.

This is the bigger one at 36" diameter.

For the base we used a nursery tree pot 24" in diameter given to us by our neighbors.

I scrubbed the glass and the pot with a soap pad and rinsed them thoroughly.

I spray painted the planter with flat black spray paint.

I gathered our supplies which included various colors of acrylic latex paint,

including our house trim paint in the big can. The wood grain tool

I used is right front and I also used a pair of gardening gloves to protect my hands.

I painted a turquoise stripe and right away before it dried,

used the wood grain tool to make the design in the wet paint.

It is so exciting to see the texture appear like magic.

When I didn't like the way the grain looked

I simply wiped it off of the glass and redid it.

It was so very simple and came out so very pretty!

Once the "boards" were completely dry (about an hour in the sunshine) I spray painted

over the whole BACK surface with flat black spray paint, right over the painted boards.

The black paint made the wood grain pop and made the glass round opaque

so the planter underneath is not visible.

We put three globs of silicone glue on the rim of the black planter and then

we flipped the round over so the boards showed through

the glass and centered it on the black planter.

I LOVE how the glass protects the bright colors and wood grain of the boards.

It is the perfect size and the perfect height for the seating on our deck.

We could not be more pleased with this project, not just because it was free

but because it came out so amazingly great looking.

And guess what? I still have another glass round in my

stash so we can make another table. Now that's something

to look forward to!

Shabby Chic Basket Ornaments

2021-11-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

I made these miniature shabby chic Christmas ornaments this year and they came out so pretty!

Guess what I used to make the little baskets?

Toilet paper rolls!!

Yup. These mini basket ornies came from these plain old tubes!

Yes, I sprayed these tubes with a soap and bleach solution and let them dry before I used them.

I crashed my stash for all kinds of smalls and neat laces and trims for this project. If you are anything like me you have LOADS of little items that would be the right size for these little ornaments.

Cut each tube in half and hot glue the bottom edge shut. I use a bulldog clamp to hold the edges together while it cools.

Use your adhesive of choice to cover the tube with wrapping paper, fabric or what have you. I am using Dollar Store wrapping paper with scrap lace around the top. Use a tiny hole punch on each side of the top. Cut a bit of florist or craft wire about 8 to 10 inches long and wrap it around a pencil, paintbrush handle or small dowel to make curls. Attach to your basket at each side.

I hot glued fiberfill inside so all the decor items would perch right at the top of the basket. You could also use crumpled tissue. Now for some fun!!

Using hot glue, start embellishing your little basket. I am no minimalist, so you can see I like to stuff them FULL.

Such a fun project!

These are pretty on the tree, or as gift toppers or even small gifts for a group.

PLUS, you can make them in any theme!

I've made these for Christmas gifts and for my Etsy shop. Think of the possibilities for St. Valentine's Day, or a baby shower, or a themed birthday.

So many neat ideas, I want to try them ALL.

Melted Shot Glasses = Pretty Wind Chimes/Suncatchers

2021-10-10T17:06:00.001-07:00

Yes, you read that right.

Melted shot glasses can be used to make pretty wind chimes!

Or, suncatchers, as one "helpful" commenter wrote. "These are not true CHIMES."

Tomato, tomahto, but I understand the distinction.

Ahem. They're fun and easy to make and look so pretty when they're done.

The look almost like glass and they have a merry plastic clink to them.

And they sure are pretty!

I got the plastic shot glasses at our local Dollar Tree.

I bought all the colors!

Using an old cupcake pan I put two or three glasses in each cupcake hole.

We used the OUTSIDE oven in The Welding Man's shop.

THE MELTING PLASTING OFF GASES SOME SMELLY FUMES. USE AN OUTDOOR

OVEN OR BARBECUE, DO NOT DO THIS IN YOUR KITCHEN111

I set the temp at 250 F and checked them often to assess how the melting progressed.

I think it took less than 10 minutes.

Here is how the glasses looked before and after melting.

Once they were cool I flipped them out on my work table. No, they

did NOT stick to the pan.

We used a small drill bit to make holes in each disc using an electric drill. Then strung them up using chains and rings from other Dollar Tree items. The plastic thingy at the top was in my craft room, I don't know what it was before.

This turned out so pretty and was so easy to do!

I see online that this can be done with the larger thing plastic drink cups too.

I will have to try that and write about it.

Recycle Pallet Boards and Nursery Pots To Make Neat Planters

2021-09-06T09:35:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favorite garden DIY projects!

We first made these five years ago and they are still going strong all year long in our garden.

It is cheap, fairly easy to do and gives me the BIG planters pots I want for my yard.

We noticed the big pile of empty tree pots at our local nursery and bought

a couple of 15 gallon size for $6 each.

We already had a pile of boards from dismantled pallets,

so already this project is right up my alley...

CHEAP!

Here are the finished planters.

I LOVE the different shades of the used boards and the rough grain.

These nursery pots have a generous lip around the top which make

the finished planters look neat.Before....and after!

The Welding Man trimmed each board to fit and we attached them

with our handy nail gun using brads.

The nail gun runs on a small air compressor.

It's one of my favorite tools for projects like this.

Just look at the neat colors and wood grain!

Sarlac Pit?

Here's how the brads look once the boards are attached.

We used long ones so they would penetrate all the way thru and

give us a generous length to bend down inside the planter.

We used a block of wood and a pair of needle nose pliers for this part.

This is the largest tree pot we've redone.

It is 22 gallon, I believe, and it holds a full size rose bush aand two Walkers Low Catmint plants.

We dry brushed it withour house trim paint and added a

mitered board frame around the top for a nice finishing touch.

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Cracked Mirror To Painting Makeover

2021-09-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

Broken Mirror to Painting Save

What do you do with a FOUR FOOT wide cracked mirror?

I saved this totally cool cracked mirror in its AWESOME frame
with spray paint,tissue paper, Mod Podge, craft paint and clear sealer.

Read on to learn the details.
I

I started out with a beautifully framed mirror but ended up
with this painting. How in the world did that happen?

It started out as a $9 Goodwill find with a gorgeous frame and a cracked mirror.
Four foot long and two and a half feet wide, it was perfect for our art wall, I thought.

What to do? The frame was still good. Why not turn it into a painting instead?
Can't fix the mirror so I figured why not cover it up?

I turned to my tried and true method for covering up and adding texture.....crumpled tissue paper and mod podge! I taped the crack on front and back with clear packing tape.

See how the tissue has dried to a nice pearly opaque textured finish?

I spray painted the frame with Walnut Brown, Leather Brown

and a bit of black dry brushing.

Time to paint!

I knew I wanted something as a vivid blue focal point, so I began layering shades
of blue, lavender, teal, purple and black around a white circle. There is also a
bit of pink and dark green in there. The crumpled tissue really
grabbed the paint and gave this a nice interesting texture.
I knew I wanted a branch with a nest and some eggs and
here is how it ended up.

I like it!

I even used my favorite new paint tool, a Deco Color paint pen, to add some of the finer details.
The Welding Man likes it too. And you know what?
If I get tired of this I can always repaint it as something else.
I'm adaptable that way.

Here's a close up of the nest with four eggs since we have four kids. Sure, they're all grown and flown now but since we've moved we all live in the same town, how cool is that? We see them all so often that our empty nest isn't really empty after all!

Now I have to rearrange our living room art wall to make it fit.

Lovin' how this cracked mirror with the beautiful frame will look up there!

Paint Pen and River Rocks, Gotta Love Them!

2021-05-25T07:30:00.001-07:00

One of the best things about our family vacation spot is the private swimming hole

with its wonderful sandy beach in the curve of the nicely landscaped yard.

The weather was perfect, the house was excellent

and the swimming hole was fantastic.

I spent lots of time on the water and sitting in the sun with a book,

and then I remembered I brought a paint pen to try out.

I usually use acrylic paints and paint brushes for these projects

but this paint pen won me over!

The biggest rock is 5" across and the smallest (the skull rock) is about 2" tall.

Once they are sealed with clear acrylic, the subtle colors of the stones brighten up

and make the black paint really stand out.

We left one rock with our hosts as a thank you gift. They loved it!

Now I'm thinking of taking a bigger rock and painting our address on it

then using a paint pen to dress it up with some swirls and curlicues.

How easy would it be to really do a fancy paint job on a pumpkin for Halloween?

And what about a tree design on a table runner or a pillow?

I'll be bringing paint pens with me on vacation from now on!

Rustic Pebble Table From a Five Gallon Bucket

2021-04-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

I wanted a couple of small side tables for our deck and decided to make them out of what we had on hand, which includes five gallon buckets, recycled pallet boards and Dollar Store pebbles.

Here's a link to the first bucket table I made with a blingy top of beautiful glass gems from the Dollar Store. I like it but it seems too...fancy for our front deck.

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2017/05/five-gallon-bucket-table-diy.html

So I knew I wanted to make something a bit more rustic and farm style.

Back to the stash of five gallon buckets I go and add more salvaged pallet boards.

Our nail gun makes this part quick and easy.

I put five nails in each board then bent them down for safety.

Our local Dollar Store has these bags of pretty polished pebbles in stock all year long. This project took two bags since I picked thru them for flatter stones. I added larger flat stones from our gravel garden paths and used silicone to attached them to a thrift store microwave plate. I think the plate cost $1.35 and I also got a discount!

I put a blob of silicone about the size of small cookie on the plate, then smooshed the pebbles one by one into the blob, giving each of them a twist to seat them in the silicone. The silicone dries clear and looks like the pebbles are sitting in water when you are done.

I really really really like the rustic look and country charm of this version of my bucket table!

The warm wood and colorful stones are just a natural pairing and with the silicone

they look like they are floating in water. LOVE IT!

Perfect for a nice morning cuppa before the day heats up. I am liking this little

table more and more as I keep looking at it.

So here's the first version of my five gallon bucket table with blingy

Dollar Store glass gems. I like this one too!

Plus, just like the other table, this pebble table is totally weatherproof

so it can stay out side all year if I want. And the cost? Minimal.

Here is the breakdown....

five gallon bucket on hand

reclaimed pallet boards on hand

one tube of silicone caulking $2.97

2 bags of Dollar Store polished pebbles $2 total

2 hours of time with our nail gun and then with a caulking gun.

The silicone sets up quickly and after an overnight wait this little table is

ready for use anywhere outside.

I call this a win win!

Repainted Dollar Store Butterflies

2021-04-19T07:40:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't leave well enough alone...so I repainted these metal butterflies for my garden!

Before.......................................and after.

I found these metal butterfly stakes at the local Dollar Store and immediately made plans to repaint them for my garden.

I used two colors of spray paint to give me more of a turquoise color to complement our front deck.

Using a fine paint brush I followed the contours of the stamped metal. I added the tiny vein details to each wing then added some white dots. You can see the veins in this close up but not so much when it's outside in the yard. I also added a bit of glitter paint.

Wow! I love the pop of color against the bright green. Notice you can't really see the glitter when it's outside. But in my colorful colorful garden this blue butterfly really holds it own!

And here is the Monarch version of my Dollar Store butterflies. What a fun project this has turned out to be!

Etching Glass is Easier Than You Think

2020-12-20T20:00:00.001-08:00

For years I was daunted by glass etching since it seemed borderline dangerous,

what with the acid needed to "burn away" the image onto the glass.

But then I discovered Armour Etch creme and etching glass is one of my favorite ways

to make personalized gifts for family and friends.

I name Armour Etch only because it is the most widely available creme

for this purpose and it is very simple to use.

Once you've picked out your glassware, you will need rubbing alcohol,

contact paper (any print will do) and the etching creme.

Use the rubbing alcohol, NOT glass cleaner, to thoroughly clean the glass area you want to etch.

Cover your work area with newspaper and wear latex gloves are advisable.

Done correctly, you need never touch the etching creme

with your bare skinat all.

I chose a nice elegant font for these two steins and printed them out.

I taped them on top of the checked contact paper that is stuck to the glass and

ready to cut out with a razor knife.

I've already cut the "t" in Whit.

I had this checked contact paper in my stash and I like how the squares

help me keep my design straight.

You can see how I've simplified to font for a cleaner look and also made it much easier to cut.

Remove the paper pattern and you're ready to etch.

Do NOT touch the creme to your bare skin!

It contains hydrochloric acid in a creme suspension and it will burn you!

It smells like rotten eggs, too.

Be sure to work in a well ventilated space.

Only cover the cut out areas of your stencil and don't be stingy.

You want a good layer of creme to get a good pattern.

I use cheap Dollar Store q-tips to apply the creme. Usually the creme is a greyish

white when new and also has a bit of grit, but this is an older jar.

Don't be put off by the color of the creme I am using.

I bought this jar several years ago and it is a long way from being used up.

Exposure to air over time turns it brown but it works perfectly fine.

Without removing the contact paper, set your glassware

aside for 5 to 10 minutes so the acid cream can do its work.

Better to leave it on longer for a good etch.

It will not hurt the glass or burn through the contact paper in that time span.

Before peeling off the contact paper rinse your creme covered glassware in cold running water.

Rub the creme off with a paper towel or an old toothbrush til it is completely gone.

Pat your glassware dry.

Here comes the fun part!

Peel the contact paper from your glassware and grin like an idiot

when you see how the etched glass looks.

Yeah, I do this every time.

I made these for a young couple whose birthdays are very close together.

They loved them!

And now they report that they use these steins

for root beer floats or just pack 'em full of ice cream.

The etching creme is available at crafts stores and with a coupon is very affordable.

The Dollar Tree stocks cheap contact paper.

Once you have these two items you can etch glassware for years

and make beautiful personalized glassware for very little money but quite a bit of impact.

The Dollar Tree and thrift stores are chock full of unique glassware.

Just think of the possibilities.

You can do this!

No Vinyl Cutter? No Problem! Make Freezer Paper Stencils for Tee Shirts this Christmas

2020-12-03T11:30:00.003-08:00

I made this cute Yoda tee for my son's birthday. I decided to go for something a bit more complex than just a simple "nerd" tee shirt, and boy, do I LOVE how this came out!

First I found two designs online that I knew he would like. The design on the left is from the movie Pacific Rim and it is the insignia for the Jaeger warrior robots. I decided to go for Yoda with the headphones.

I printed the design in black and white then taped a piece of freezer paper (shiny side down

) over the top. Make sure your freezer paper is a generous size so you

won't have any designs cut too close to the edge.

I used a razor craft knife which gives me a new, sharp cutting edge just by breaking off

the blade at pre marked sizes. I also tape my design and freezer paper

to a mirror for good light and a nice sharp edge on my cuts.

I simplified the design a bit and premarked with an x for those parts which would be "free floating" and not attached to the rest of the design when I ironed it down. I prefer to do the floaters this way, other makers make narrow bridges to the rest of the design and then hand paint the bridges out on the tee shirt once the stencil painting is done. It is up to you!

Here is Yoda ironed to the tee shirt, using a hot iron on a padded surface and NO STEAM. The wax paper layer on the freezer paper adheres nicely to the tee shirt when it is ironed, giving you a clean and immovable stencil.

I prefer a mottled look to my tee shirt projects so here I have mixed black and

white acrylic craft paint with some textile medium (which is clear). I use a third of each

and use a make up wedge to mix them up.

Place a piece of cardboard inside the tee shirt then straighten it out on your work surface. Here you go!

Pounce, or bounce, your painting sponge, or brush, straight up and down in each area of your stencil. Do NOT rub back and forth or you will lift the edges of the paper. Put on a light layer at first then go back and add more paint until you like the coverage you have. Remember, the paint will dry a lighter shade.

Do not wait until the paint is completely dry. Your stencil will stick to the paint! While your paint is still damp, carefully peel the freezer paper away from the tee shirt.

Oooh aaah!

I always add dry brushed high lights to give the designs a bit of dimension. This gives the already custom tee shirt design an even more unique look. As for laundry instructions? I wash these tees just like I do regular tee shirts but I turn them inside out. Cold wash, tumble dry. They hold up quite well and over the years the slight fading doesn't detract from the design. All in all this is one of my TOP favorite craft projects.

Our family gives out a TON of custom tee shirts at Christmas and this year will be no exception. In fact, I am starting to get special requests for sayings on tee shirts that will only have significance to the close family. Gotta love that!

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-gallery-of-custom-freezer-paper.html

This is a simple and inexpensive project for gifts or home decor all year long. You should try it out. You can do it and then you'll be hooked!

Stars from Drinking Straws-Himmeli!

2020-11-14T16:00:00.001-08:00

A few years back I noticed that these geometric Himmeli creations were getting alot of attention.

Traditionally a Finnish craft using wheat straw,

they were made for Christmas and holidays, and just for fun.

Long years ago, Life magazine had a feature article on Himmeli stars

made from drinking straws and our family made them for Christmas that year.

Now that plastic drinking straws are being phased out, this craft is perfect

for the supplies still on hand.

I found this box of 1000 in a thrift shop.

These can also made from paper straws!

I cut the straws in half and strung wire through them to make a series of triangles

then attached them together to make the geometric ball in the center.

Leave the extra wire attached to trim away later when you are finished.

It will seem floppy and look a mess until you have attached enough

triangles to give the ball structure and strength.

Wire three long straws together and attach to the triangles that for your center ball.

Soon you will see how your spiky star ornament will look!

Carefully tighten the wire attachments and trim the ends.

Now you can hang your beautiful Himmeli star or spray paint it a

fun color or even, what fun, cover it with glitter!

And NOW I'm getting oh so fancy and using black straws for this

next wonderful project.

Here's the start......

A gorgeous Himmeli light fixture (with a low heat bulb of course!)

I will write up another post when it's done!

BIG Two Foot Wide Wreath from a Hula Hoop

2020-11-07T08:00:00.001-08:00

I wanted to make a BIG wreath for our door. It had to fit

around the rectangular window so I knew it needed to be

at least 24" wide.

A trip to the Dollar Tree gave me great ideas, including using a hula hoop base.

I bought a hoop, a foam noodle and loads of colorful silk decor in

autumn colors and spent less than $15 for everything.

I split the noodle lengthwise and hot glued it to the hoop so the wreath would be

flattish on the back side and plumpish on the front.

Those are technical terms, right?

Then I wrapped the foam and hoop in burlap type fabric.

By the way, the Dollar Store also has the best deal on lotsa sticks of hot glue for a buck.

Let the fun begin! I ended up cutting the leaf clusters off the garlands and

gluing them in place among the flowers on the front.

This eliminated any bulk on the flattish back side.

Just a side note...still LOVING the penny counter we put on my kitchen island this summer.

What a fun way to spend an hour or so...attaching pretty colorful flowers

to a giant wreath for autumn decor!

Oooh aaah!

It's the perfect size to go around the window in the door

and it's exactly how I pictured it.

Bonus close up shots just because.

During the year I'll hit yard sales and thrift stores for more

colorful things to put on this wreath.

Hula hoop door wreath...I think we have a winner!

Easy DIY Lighted Autumn Hurricane

2020-11-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a unique...and easy...DIY for stunning autumn decor.

I "filled" a tall hurricane glass so that the garlands and lights stood tall

inside the glass.

I scored this 20" tall hurricane glass for $2 at a yard sale

and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.

I had Dollar Store leaf garlands and white twinkle lights in my stash

so I wrapped them together to make one string.

The problem was they would not stand up and fill the glass. Even wiring the garland to the top edge of the glass didn't fill the glass the way I was picturing.

Here's the simple solution!

Take a dowel that is just a little shorter than your glass.

Cover it with some autumn paper or paint it to match.

I used leaf printed napkins and wrapped them around diagonally.

NOW, wire your lighted garland to one end, making sure the plug end for

your lights comes out at the top or bottom, as you wish.

Tada!

Your pretty lighted garland will stand up and

fill your glass from top to bottom!

I loved the look so much I did the same thing to a tall pasta jar

and put both of them on top of a tall bookcase.

The mirror behind them reflects the colors and lights

into the room and looks dazzling.

I did a safety check on both containers and found the lights were only warm,

not hot, so this display is safe.

My kids are kind of blase with all my decorating projects but my grandkids

and great grandkids still react with wonder and delight

when they come to visit our autumn house.

So, easy DIY lighting project plus kids' smiling faces?

Win win!

Easter Eggs to Giant Acorns DIY

2020-09-26T13:26:00.001-07:00

I am ready to start decorating for Fall so I crashed my stash and

found these large size Easter eggs from the Dollar Store.

I knew I could make something perfect for my autumn decor...

...and here's what I did with them.

I made giant acorns!

I like them alot!

Here's how...I started by painting the eggs brown with craft paint.

I cut ovals out of burlap and hot glued them around the eggs with plenty of pleats.

Let the glue cool completely.

I used a deconstructed pine cone for the first one I made but I wasn't thrilled with the way it looked.

I decided to make the next ones using only the smaller,

rounder end of the eggs. Plenty of hot glue held wrapped garden twine

around the top of my acorn shape.

I like the way this one came out!

A short twig makes a nice stem and now I've got this figured out.

Then I made several more and displayed them in a wood bowl with

my home made faux moss balls.

So which ones do you prefer? The wrapped twine toppers or the pinecone parts?

Either way they sure look good and are perfect for my autumn tablescape.

The total cost is $1 for six eggs and another $1 for the garden twine.

That's a win win in my book!

Repaint That Door Mat!

2020-08-03T13:47:00.001-07:00

Got an ugly old black door mat on your porch?

Remake it into something PRETTY with paint!

Here's how....

Here is our old black door mat. Not worn out by any means and certainly not pretty.

By the way, this is NOT my idea but when I saw it online I decided to repaint our mat right away.

I used black spray paint first then two shades of blue Rustoleum for plastic for the basic color blocks.

Then I used regular craft acrylic paint to detail the black areas and clean up the colored curlicues.

Then sealed with clear acrylic spray and let it dry in the sunshine.

Oooh look!!

Only a couple of hours and it came out so pretty!

I already had everything I needed for this project...door mat, spray paint, brushes, craft paint and sealer so it didn't cost me any $$$$

Aaaaand....I have three more door mats ready for painting!

I'll post those here on my blog as I do them.

Such a fast, fun, thrifty and neat project!

Turquoise Chalk Paint Coffee Table

2020-07-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

Here's the short story....

I painted this mid 70's "Mediterannean style" coffee table with turquoise DIY chalk paint.

And here's the longer story....

Back in '82 we had a TOTAL LOSS house fire.

We refurnished our home with auction finds like this very heavy,

very BROWN, very well built coffee table.

Three full grown adults can STAND on this coffee table.

Four teen age girls can DANCE on this table.

Five toddlers can race their Hot Wheels round and round this table.

We paid $7 for it 34 years ago.

Yup.

About ten years ago I repainted the top in a fun pattern that added all my living room colors.

Brown, turquoise gold, red...you get the picture.

Yeah, I'm kind of a color junkie.

Then I did THIS...

using a DIY chalk paint recipe.

I topped it off with brushed on, wiped off Minwax Polyshades in Olde Maple.

Chalk paint recipes are EVERYWHERE online. I used this really simple one.

1 cup latex paint

1/2 c baking soda

3 TBSP water

I masked the top with regular masking tape. It did a fine job on all the edges.

This chalk paint recipe adhered REALLY well. It was a little bit gritty but I wanted that effect. Be aware of this if you use the baking soda chalk paint recipe!

I couldn't find my sanding block, and even though the hardware store is less than a mile away, I used this to sand the edges....

Don't tell me you've never done something like that.

Here is the door with just chalk paint and with the Minwax stain.

The door is molded plastic. The chalk paint worked great.

The Minwax was a bit messy but I fussed with it until it looked like this.

And below is how she looks now.

I LOVE the way this came out!

Again, the before and after.

The chalk paint adhered very well and the Polyshades gave her just the right worn out vintage aura.

Because, folks, even tho she's pretty, we don't treat her very well. Lol!

This table is the Official Grandbaby Play Platform Put Your Feet Up And Set a Spell Stand On Top To Sing Karaoke And Dance to Uptown Funk Table!!

They don't make coffee tables this sturdy anymore.

So, here's the cost breakdown....

Turquoise Apple Barrel Paint $2.50

Olde Maple Minwax Polyshades $7.00

Total...less than $10.00.

I already had paint brushes, cleaning rags, baking soda, assorted brushes and of course, an emery board, in my stash.

This took me less than 3 hours to paint then overnight for the paint to dry.

I brushed then wiped off the Minwax the next morning. I used half a dozen rags during this part.

The stain was dry by late afternoon and she was back in service that evening for a family dinner.

Cheap, pretty quick and an outstanding result.

I call that a win win!

Vine Ball Rescue with Wire!

2020-06-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

Back in 2014 I made this vine ball for cheap, because I didn't want to buy

one this size for $24!

It looked perfect in this aged, chipped urn planter for several years.

I made a base framework with wooden embroidery hoops and a thrift store grapevine garland. I soaked it in hot water and gently took it apart to make this ball.

I LOVED how it looked!

But now, 6 years later the vines are breaking down and the ball is looking really sad.

Even spray painting it blue last year didn't save it.

So this year I decided to revamp it with WIRE, not vines,

and I couldn't be happier with the results!

Hardware stores and building supplies have this roll of wire and

even at our small town hardware it was only $4.

It is called "tie wire" and is used to hold rebar together for cement projects.

It is super easy to work with and did I mention CHEAP?

Here is that sad vine ball with about 20 wraps of tie wire.

I cut the wire into four foot lengths to make it manageable.

It took less than an hour to return the sad orb to an awesome ball once again.

I decided to spray paint the ball with the colors I had on hand...both sort of turquoise blue.

Then I made two more balls and painted them, too!

Then I stacked them into this awesome tower trellis The Welding Man made.

Ooooh! I like this alot!

And then I took a few lengths of wire and made this

little tennis ball size orb and painted it blue....

It's just perfect with those hot pink cosmos!

This was a pleasant afternoon's work, sitting in the sunshine.

I'm getting more tire wire and see what else I can come up with!!

Wax Paper Capiz Shell Tabletop Chandelier

2020-06-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

I've been seeing lots of chandeliers made of faux capiz shells out in blogland
with some made out of wax paper, plastic cups, laminated rice paper,
even wax paper mod podged onto parchment paper.

I figured I can do that and so, I did!

I chose a $2 thrist store tabletop lamp for the bookcase in our hallway.

And I love the way this came out!

It has a soft glow, great texture and a bit of movement when you walk by.
Even The Welding Man likes it, he says it reminds him of a wedding dress. :o)

I took two lamp shades from my stash and removed the covers. I knew I wanted the rings to be larger at the top and smaller at the bottom. So I wired them together and even added another ring with craft wire secured with florist wire.

What is needed is a sturdy shape with at least two different sized rings to hold your fake shells in layers.

After a coat of white spray paint I flipped it over and got all my fake capiz shell circles ready.

Dollar Store wax paper, baby!!

Next I made the wax paper "shells." I used a dry iron on cotton and put
parchment paper on the bottom between the ironing board and wax paper.

Four sheets torn off close to the same size melt together nicely
and make a good, stiff 4 ply sheet. Let the wax paper cool then start punching.
I found my punches did best with 4 sheets of 4 ply wax paper,
your punch might do better with more or less.

I used a 2" and an 1 3/4" circle punch. I figured I needed about 400 circles total,
plus I cut a few extra in case of mistakes or design changes.

I sewed my circles together using my machine's longest stitch and placed 9 circles on each "run."
I sewed several sets of nine together in a single sitting with about three inches
of thread between each set. I cut them apart into sets
of nine and started assembling.

I wound the thread from one set of circles twice around the middle ring and put a dab of hot glue over the thread. I placed each string of circles about 1" apart.

For the top ring I let six of the circles on a string hang down outside
and folded the other three over inside the frame, using a dab of hot glue
on the thread at the top. This gave the upper half of the lamp a fluffier look
and more visual "weight."

Extra circles folded in half and hot glued around the upper ring give the lamp a finished look.

As you can see, the stitched circles diffuse the light and overlap nicely, giving a nice soft glow to the evening. During the day they give that corner a bit of reflected light and nice texture.

I am already thinking ahead to doing this with my dining room light. Maybe with a little color and a bit of glitter? When I figure it out and make it I'll be posting right here.

DIY Vine Decor Ball Garden Art

2020-06-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

Do you know how much a 12" vine ball costs? I know how much it costs because I decided I wanted a big vine ball for my urn planter. So I started shopping for one.

A foot across, made from dried vines, how expensive could it be?

Hey, locally the price was $28! Online the price was $22. Plus shipping!

Well, shoot, that's not going to stop me from getting a big ol' vine ball for my empty urn planter.

Time to DIY.

Pink Panther theme music goes here....

Ta da!

And it didn't cost anywhere near the twenty dollars plus.

Here's how I worked it out.

I already had the totally plastic but painted and repainted urn planter that looks like a priceless iron antique. But it's really just plastic from Kmart and cost $2.50 on clearance. It was a bronzey tan and it now has so many layers of spray paint and outdoor craft paint that it looks like an old old metal planter. Every year it gets more beat up and vintage looking. I love it!

Ahem.

I shopped in my stash for the embroidery hoops and the spray paint AND the wire, so no new dollars spent there.

I found the bundle of twisted vines at a thrift store for $1.99.

I wired two painted embroidery hoops to make a good base for my sphere. Then I unraveled the vines into smaller strands. Note-soaking them in water overnight would have made them much more pliable to work with but I persevered and made them work for me. Even though they were stiff and brittle and seemed determined to try my patience.

So, here's the start. And the middle. And basically the finish.

I wrapped those vines round and round the hoops. And then wrapped some more. And then added more.

You see where this is going.

I used short lengths of fine floral wire at many different places to hold the vines in the round shape and basically make the whole shebang look like a rustic globe.

Lordy Lordy I love the way this came out!

So of course I had to take pictures and gaze at it and add the creeping jenny birdhouse and then take more pictures and make The Welding Man come out and look at it and then take more pictures.

Be very glad I'm only posting these few.

Oooh aaah!

With the plastic urn that totally does NOT look like a plastic urn but looks like a vintage iron planter. And the tiny curly tendrils of dried vines. And the extremely low cost of my new garden vine ball...

I love everything about this little DIY.

Extreme close up!

I should just start saying that the urn is a vintage iron thrift shop find that cost me an arm and a leg. But nah. Plastic and paint and more paint and some weather and then the big ol' decorative vine ball on top.

It hits all the bases for my favorite projects...it has color, texture, age and low cost. Plus, it went together in no time, about an hour.

I have other urns with plants in them...and more of those twisted vines....and embroidery hoops...and wire, and spray paint. I see more gorgeous vine balls in my garden future!

http://akadesign.ca/weekend-retreat-link-party-135/

http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/2015/09/pj-297-an-upcycled-link-party

http://www.skiptomylou.org/made-by-you-monday-256/