When I saw this bag of glass gems at Michael’s craft store I had to get it even though I didn’t know what project to use it for yet. The beads had pearl and pink and turquoise….so pretty!
The vase is small either for short cut flowers or its a candle holder…I’m not sure. One bag of gems was enough to cover this vase…candle holder…for simplicity lets call it a vase.
It doesn’t really require instructions its so easy. Alternate the gems for variety. Try to save some smaller ones so you can fit them into the small spots. I found the ones on the bottom wanted to pop off because the edge is a little rounded. So another glue might be better for a curvy vase. Or just put it in a place that won’t tempt your children to touch it.
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100th Day of School Celebration-Glue Buttons on a shirt for a Gumball Machine
It looks like next Monday will be the 100th school day for 2018! Where has the time gone?!?!
Once a year the school has a nice way to spice up a dreary February by celebrating the 100th day of school. Its a great excuse for extra math too as they find all sorts of ways to come up with the number 100. Teachers from Kindergarten to Grade 2 seem to get into it the most with assignments for parents to help their children glue 100 cheerios to a page or 100 googly eyes to a t-shirt. What we did for the girls a few years ago was put 100 buttons on a t-shirt looking like gum balls in a gumball machine.
Simply take a piece of in-expensive white felt and cut a circle (trace a plate). Take a piece of red felt and cut out the bottom and top of the gum ball machines. We didn’t realize the date had snuck up and with one night to do this I hot glued everything in place. I could have sewed on the felt and buttons but that would have taken some time but made them more wearable. We put it on plain purple t-shirts from the craft store….purple is always a great choice and the bright colours pop! Their teachers were really delighted by the effort we put into making t-shirts for the theme.
COST
The cost to make this…$5 t-shirts….$2 felt…..$4 for buttons in 4 colors from the dollarstore which was enough for both girls tops. So less than $20 for both girls. You could cut the cost in half if you use t-shirts that you already have. Use one that they are just about to outgrow anyway! The photo was taken by the teachers and emailed to me-how sweet!
Easy Pom Pom and Cork Coasters
This project is bright and cheery and ridiculously easy to make! All the supplies can be purchased at a Dollar Store so its super inexpensive too!
You will need:
- cork
- bright pompoms (plan for 40 per coaster)
- ruler
- scissors
- hot glue gun
- hot glue sticks
Gather your supplies!
Initially I used a roll of cork but its too light and curvy (you can see in the photo above that it doesn’t lie flat) so use the 12 inch by 12 inch cork square tiles and cut it to the size you like. I cut mine to 4 inches by 4 inches.
Attach the Pompoms with hot glue. Watch your fingers kids!
My coaster took nearly 40 pompoms and didn’t have enough the same size. You want them to be fairly consistent so your cup of coffee isn’t tippy on the coaster. Fill in any gaps with smaller ones so you can’t see the cork.
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The colors are quite cheery on this grey February morning! It makes me smile every time I look at it!
This would make a great gift for your 10 year old to make and give. I hope you have had fun with color and this very jolly craft!
Remember to pin it on Pinterest or share it with your social media networks.
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Painted Ceramic Bowls – Paint Your Own Dishes Your Way!
Hand Painting your own dishes is so easy! I had no idea you could just write or paint a message on a dish and bake it and you have a personalized dish, vase, mug… You can buy plain bowls and mugs anywhere. These were from Dollar Tree for $1.25.
I had so much fun painting the first 4 bright colored designs I sent out the hubby and kids to get us another 4 so we could all decorate our own!
In the paint section of your craft store there is several kinds of paints that can use on glass and ceramics. You can choose from pots of paint like the photo above or pens/markers.
Multi-surface pens are also found in the paint section. They can be used for writing on metal, ceramic, glass etc. The pens cost approximately $5.99. I purchased one black one.
The pots of paints cost more….$20 if I remember correctly. But I had a 40% off coupon so I got one that has 18 small pots of “Brights” paint in the kit by Craft Smart.
You will need:
- Multi-Surface Pens and Paint
- Art Paint Brush
- Plain Dishes
- Toothpicks
- Oven
I mentioned to have some toothpicks handy because each little pot will need to be stirred after opening.
Decorate the bowls in whatever style you wish.
Just a word of caution, the marker dries immediately, where as, the paint in the pots could be wiped off if you realized you needed to fix it. Holding the bowl while painting is tricky-you really need to watch that you don’t smear it.
Here I am dipping the end of a paintbrush to make perfect dots.
“Craft Smart” Paint says:
Durable, weather-resistant satin paint. Excellent adhesion on glass ceramics, wood, metal, rigid plastic, fabric, canvas, paper and terra cotta. (Well doesn’t that just bring 100 projects on the to do list to your mind)
Directions: Water-base, apply 1-2 coats until desired coverage is achieved. For glass or ceramics, first clean surface with alcohol. For top rack dishwasher-safe finish: Let paint cure for 72 hours. Place in a cool oven, heat to 350 degrees F (176C) for 30 mins. Cool in oven.
So you waited 72 hours right?
Then you can put the bowls in the cool oven and turn on the stove to 350 degrees. After the 30 mins is done, turn off the oven and allow to cool in the stove before moving.
I know I’m being repetitive but you gotta follow the instructions. If your paint is another brand follow what it says to do.
This super cool project does require some time. If you are planning to put a message on a vase you are bringing flowers in to an anniversary party on Saturday you need to plan ahead and paint it by Wednesday to let it cure for 2 days and then bake…and cool.
Also, it doesn’t say this is “food safe”. So I wouldn’t put it on the inside of the bowls, mugs and middle of plates your eating off of. Maybe I’m being over cautious….I like to be on the safe side.
Now we have a cereal bowl personalized for everyone!
I loved this project and now I want to do more! Next Dog Bowls!
Please pin this or share it with your social media friends.
Easy to Make-Microwavable Hot / Cold Rice & Lavender Packs
Microwavable Rice and Lavender Hot or Cold Pad
Need to soothe aches and pain, bumps and bruises? Nothing brings comfort like a microwave rice hot pack! Add a hint of lavender to your hot pad for a calming effect.
If you are sporty with muscle aches or have bickering children that make a certain shoulder muscle tense you need a cloth bag of rice that you can microwave. Everyone needs a few of these in the house. Keep one in the freezer for when you need a cold one (great if a doozy of a headache is coming on) and another ready to go for the microwave when you need a hot one. Even if there are no muscle pains at the moment if you are feeling sick or can’t seem to shake off a chill its wonderful that in 3 minutes in the microwave you have a soothing warm compress…and don’t get me started about cramps….
You will need:
- A piece of cotton 12 x 20 inches (rather than buy new why not upcycle an old pillowcase or piece of clothing you don’t want-or something from the sewing scrap basket)
- Sewing machine
- Needle and thread
- Funnel or juice bottle turned into a funnel
- 3 lb bag of uncooked long grain rice
- 3 tablespoons of dried lavender (this is optional-if you are sensitive to smells start with 1tbsp-it should be subtle and soothing) you can buy lavender from the bulk store or health food store
Choose a calming fabric in 100% cotton. You only need 12 inches x 20 inches (30 cm by 51 cm) so its a great way to use up a scrap remnant from another sewing project.
I love this soothing pattern. Just looking at it calms my headache.
Cut the fabric to size and iron flat.
Fold in half.
Sew around the edge.
Sew around the fabric leaving a 2 inch opening.
Turn the fabric inside out.
In a large bowl, combine 3 cups of rice and 3 tablespoons of lavender buds. Lavender is completely optional. I found that the lavender was very strong smelling when heated, so I decreased it to 1 tablespoon.
I picked up lavender at the health food store.
Using a funnel fill the bag with the rice and lavender mixture. Fill to approximately ¾ full.
I didn’t have a funnel with a wide enough neck so I pulled a big juice jug from the recycling bin and cut off the bottom half. It’s the perfect funnel for this project.
You don’t want it jammed full because its going to be wrapped around your neck or across your forehead so you need some flexibility. Leave 1/4 of the tube empty. Pin the end securely.
Try it out! How is the flexibility? See how comfortable it is with the current amount of rice. Add more or remove some to make it more to your liking.
If you are happy with it….Tuck the unfinished ends in and hand stitch it closed.
Hot Pack Instructions- To make it a hot pack just microwave for approximately 2 minutes depending on your microwave. It may need another 30 seconds but test it to see what is right for you. My sized rice pack and microwave seem to be perfect at 3 mins. Be careful not to make it too hot for skin. It should be lovely and soothing. (Not for children-Use at your own risk)
Cold Pack-Place the rice pack in a ziplock bag and put in the freezer. Amazing for headaches or bumps and bruises.
Mini Packs and Pocket Warmers-To make pocket warmers cut a piece of fabric 3 x 5 inches (or old lost sock) to be approx. 5 inches long. Follow the instructions above. For microwaving heat for 30 seconds to start and test out the perfect length of time for your hand warmers.
I always store my rice packs in a ziplock bag to keep the dust off. Do not microwave it in the plastic bag.
Remember to make a spare one for your desk at work and make a few extras to take to friends with the flu with some chicken soup. Ohhh, you’re such a good friend…
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Sew Your Own Shopping Bags for Produce Fruit and Vegetabes – Very Easy!
Using reusable shopping bags has been the trend for years now when carrying your groceries home. But have you noticed that some stores are encouraging you to bring cloth bags for the produce too? I have seen this trend at my local bulk store.
Of course, if you ‘ve been going to the farmers market, cloth produce bags makes so much sense. They often have the container of plums set out and then toss them into a plastic bag for you. They don’t even weigh it. Now that I have made these bags, I want to go the extra distance to the Saturday farmers market!
Fabrics you could use for this project include… cotton, curtain sheers, tulle, sheer nylon….consider though that if your going to a store that will be weighing your produce the heavier the fabric the more you will be paying each shopping trip. Choose lightweight!
On my first trip to the fabric store I was shocked at the cost of nylon….$20 /meter?!? Youch! So I purchased a meter of tulle (wedding veil and tutu sheer fabric) costing a low, low $1.99 per meter. This seemed sensible so I could make them without thinking about how costly any errors will be. I do plan to make them in a few fabrics though including nylon so I can see how different materials hold up with wear and tear. For today’s project I’ll stick with 1 metre (or 1 yard) of toule and 2 meters (or yards) of thin white cording. You could also use ribbon. This is enough to make 4 or 5 bags depending on the size you choose to make.
The first step is to decide on your bag size preference. Grab your ruler and eyeball what these sizes would look like.
6×9, 8×10, 10×13, 12×18, 18×24
Add an inch for the fold over for the string or ribbon to go through. I want to try a bunch of options…. but for this post I will keep it simple. This one in the photo ended up being 11 inches by 12.5 when finished. I’m not very picky about the sizes-as long as it is big enough to fit 6 apples I’m happy.
Fold the top edge over 1/2 inch and sew across. This will form the drawstring casing to tie the bag up.
Pin the fabric together-this is slippery stuff- and sew around the sides and bottom. Start and finish sewing just under the casing to the bottom of the bag. I used a straight stitch, then trimmed it fairly close to the stitch and then sew around again with a zig zag stitch to tuck the ends in. If you are using nylon or sheer curtains they will fray if you don’t zigzag.
Attach a safety pin to the end of your ribbon or string and pull through. Tie a knot at the ends.
Attach a safety pin to the end of your ribbon or string and pull through. Tie a knot at the ends.
Build a Shelf Behind the Couch
A shelf behind the couch supported by just a few pieces of wood makes a great place to put nic nacs. Just a couple of boards, screws, and painted black.
I was visiting a friend and her beautiful new baby-with the most perfect nose I’ve ever seen-and spotted something that I meant to ask her about but forgot to come back to it because she was in the middle of a hilarious story of all the mishaps at a wedding she had attended this past summer. I can’t get into to the details but lets just say romantic barn weddings do have their fire hazards. It was a close call but the hobby farm was safe and all was well.
Anyway, I left wondering what was it behind her couch that allowed her to put picture frames and nic nacs behind the couch? Was it like a British style radiator cover -like a box? Was it a shelf screwed into the wall? Next visit I will ask, but in the meantime I was getting supplies to remake my closet into a pantry when I thought lets see if we can’t invent a shelf that would go behind my couch so I have a place for a few pretty things too.
So I measured the height of the couch (34 inches) and the width (70 inches). I got 4 boards 1x6x6 (that will be 72 inches long so I cut off the extra 2 inches on 3 of the boards) the 4th board I cut into 2 pieces 34 inches long.e and 2 more boards the same length as stabilizers to the very skinny shelf. I predrilled holes into the top and put 2 screws on each end. Lay the structure on the floor and put in the first stabilizer wood across. Measure approximately 7 inches from the bottom…. 2 screws on each end should do it. Then gently flip it over so you can do the same on the other side.
If you are happy with how it looks then you can decide how to finish it. I have quite a bit of black in this room so I put on black paint but you could also put a stain and clear coat on it to match wood you have. The smoother the top the easier to dust so you should sand it smooth and wipe off the dust before painting.
I felt like the room was so much cozier with my little shelf. Its a little room…in a little house, so we don’t have much space for pretty things. I like that this is also a space that a certain naughty puppy can’t grab things to chew on…unlike the coffee table. Also if your wee babe is starting to crawl and putting things in her mouth.
This project literally takes 15 mins to build if you have the pieces cut by the hardware store….only 5 mins more if you are cutting the wood yourself. An hour for the entire project plus remember to go back and do a second coat of paint. It’s that easy!
p.s. This won’t work if you have a recliner couch. Sorry.
Fingerless Mittens from Socks? Super fun!
Have you noticed the weather is getting chilly again and your little fingers are getting cold. But where are last years mittens??? Don’t ask me….I have a drawer with 10 single mittens and gloves that I just can’t figure out where the partners have gone to.
Not to worry! It is so easy to make fingerless gloves/mittens from a pair of socks! Find yourself a clean pair of old socks that you can upcycle….or treat yourself to a new pair of socks.
You will need….
- socks
- scissors
- needle
- thread
- felt scraps
Start by resting your hand on the sock and seeing where your thumb will be and the length of your fingers compared to the end of the socks. Mark a little “o” where the thumb hole will be near the bend in the sock.
Cut a small hole at the bend in the sock heel for the thumb and across the top for the fingers.
Try the sock on your hand and see if you thumb fits comfortably. If it’s too small make it a bit bigger.
The lovely thing about socks. is they are stretchy and comfy. Having your finger tips free means you can type a text, count change for the parking metre and blow your nose without taking off your mitts. Gross…. I know but cold and flu season will be here soon!
Hemming isn’t necessary, because it is knit fabric, so let it roll a bit. So literally, that is all you do to make the fingerless mitten or glove.
Now choose a little something to be the applique on the front of each hand.
I tried this handsome dog but he was too big.
Decide where you want to put the applique and pin it in place.
A quick running stitch is all you need to attach the heart to the mitten.
There, now the mitten applique is in place. You are done!
Easy to add a flower with a button.
Stars are easy too.
Brrr. That was a cold day! Hmmm…hot chocolate!
Sew a Super Easy to Make Felt Crown – Add to your dress up clothes!
Felt Knee Patch – Little birds Cover Holes in Pants
These are way cuter than the big rectangle patches I had to patch up the holes in my pants when I was a kid. Trust me! In my frugal family, growing up with 4 sisters, holes were mended, socks were darned…things were not thrown out if they got a hole they were put in the mending basket-next to the sewing machine. Every item of clothing was in the process of being a hand-me-down and would be again as soon as we had outgrown it.
I love felt! Its so easy to create an applique just for fun but if your kiddo has a hole in her pants its a fast way to patch it up. Choose a shape and colour and sew it on. Yellow stars, red hearts are classic but if you want to get more complicated then do so. Layers of flowers tempted me on this project but then I remembered she might be in gym class on her hands and knees and be wishing I didn’t put little beads on it.
So I chose a simple bird for these leggings. There was only a hole in one knee but I thought they should match. One looked lonely.
I drew a very easy bird on paper so I could cut out the pattern easily. It looks like a big paisley with a small paisley for a wing and a triangle beak. Normally a little bead would make a great little eye for the bird but I was thinking of her crawling on her knees and that could hurt so I just cut a little circle and used a knot in the thread to make it look like an eye.
As soon as I had Miss M put the freshly mended pants on she noticed there was still a hole on her bum. Hmm….I hadn’t noticed that…good thing I made extra birds… This would look really cute on the back pocket of some jeans!
Family Self Portrait Painting by Everyone – So original!
Family Self-Portrait Painting – The whole family made together!
Years ago I had this calendar that had really nice pictures in it of fabric birds and butterflies. I thought the photos were so nice that I would cut them out for card making or something….I just didn’t know what.
One day I came across the file folder and clippings and a light bulb came on! Maybe I could use it on mixed up painting/collage of sorts, and it would decorate our play area. I got a big white canvas…..dimensions 20 inches by 39 inches but you could make this much smaller…an 8 x 10 maybe…using sharpies instead of paint brushes…
First, I started out by drawing the circles for the heads and then had each family member decide how to draw their face and hair and body. After Miss M…quite an artist and then only 3 years old….after she drew my body for me quite sideways I had a bit of correcting to do.
Mommy was going through a bit of a hippy fashion stage so we painted me in a poncho and typical clothes I though I was pretty hip. Daddy likes soccer, the color green and hates dandelions which I actually like…so that is why the we have yellow dots on the ground. Tee Hee!
Miss B was taking classical guitar at the time so we painted that in and Miss M’s favorite stuffy…Hello kitty! Also we had a hamster named Happy Homer so he is in the window of our house. M loves sunflowers and I like crafts made out of tin-foil (so shiny!) so I put that in the path.
I actually could have added all sorts of things from the craft cupboard to make this even more interesting but I think the family lost interest. Cotton ball clouds, gold glitter glue on the sun….the pink roof could you sunflower seeds for texture…
