Make Something New by Thinking Outside the Box

Have you ever made something you did not like and your family adores? That happened to me in high school. I made the square container below in ceramics class in high school. When I brought it home I did not like it at all and gave it to my Grandma and Grandpa because they loved it. They thought it would be a perfect tissue holder and put it in their house for 20 years. That thing was there forever! It was kind of symbolic now that I think of it. Often times family members will love and cherish us despite our flaws. And they sure loved me.

My Grandpa died when I was in college and my Grandma died last year. I knew I had to take it when they died because it was something I had made for them that they cherished, much like they cherished me.

Here is a closeup of another side. It was an Ombre heart and star pattern ceramic piece.

They even found felt to put on the bottom they cared for it so much. There was NO WAY I could throw it away, but I tried keeping it on my counter with tissues and I really did not like it. I am a big proponent of Marie Kondo and she says to keep things that bring you joy. This brings me joy, but not with tissues in it. I decided I would put a plant in it instead. I was thinking I could get foam and stick the plants in. Or I could buy a prepotted plant from Target, take that out, get the foam and put that in the "tissue holder".
After I got the plant I realized it was a perfect size to put in the "tissue holder" as is. No foam or cutting required. My recycled project took me 5 seconds when I got home.This plant and "tissue holder" stays in my bathroom. Instead of making me cringe when it contained the tissue paper, now it brings me joy.  I love the look of the plant I got and I picked out a cute clock from Target to go with. I can think of my Grandma and Grandpa and the love they had for me every time I go to my bathroom and that is several times a day.

I have joined with some other bloggers this week to showcase some more ways to recycle old crafts. 

There is even a giveaway!

 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read More »

How to Make a Pillow with a Pillow Using Poly-fil and Insulate a Bag

Who likes spending time outdoors? We love it here! One of our favorite spots to spend time is the deck. It overlooks the woods. We can hear the birds chirping and leaves rustling. It is the most relaxing thing ever. I have three kids so time by myself is hard to come by. But I try to get out for at least an hour without them and sit in piece on my patio and relax. I was super excited to do some projects with some products Poly-fil sent me. All opinions are my own.

This blog post contains affiliate links.

To make my time even more relaxing I stuff some pillow covers with Poly-fil Premium Polyster Fiber Fill and lined my bag with solarize. That way if I take out chocolate it will not melt in my bag. 

I found a pillow cover at Bed Bath and Beyond. I honestly do not know why more pillow covers are not the norm. At Ikea they only sell pillow covers. Instead of buying pillows every season and storing them in a random closet pillow covers can be stored like pillow cases for a bed. And then taken off and washed from time to time.

I stuffed an old pillow in the pillow cover, but because the pillow was a little smaller than the pillow cover there was lots of extra room. I then stuffed the Poly-fil around the other pillow to make the new pillow nice and fluffy.

To insulate the bag I cut the inside of the bag and put the solarize inside. Then I sewed the bag back shut. Now I can keep chocolate in there and not have it melt super fast!

What do you like better the insulated bag or the stuffed pillows?

There is even a giveaway going on for more Poly-fil and a $100 JoAnn Gift card! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read More »

EASY 4th of July Cupcake Toppers

Do you want to give your cupcakes that extra pizzazz? Look no further. I have the solution and it is super easy.

Want to know why the cupcakes in the bakery look so much better for some reason? They do not necessarily taste better, but many times they have cupcake toppers. These toppers add a little extra decor to the cupcakes to make them look like a star.  These took me 5 minutes to make and will for sure be a big hit on whatever cupcakes you make. I have put toppers on my cupcakes, along with sprinkles for years and people always say they look professionally done.

The supplies for this project include:

• Glue (I used school glue because it was the closest thing I could find, but other glue would work too and would probably be better leaving no residue or warping)
• Cardstock-Red and Blue
• Skewer sticks
• Scissors
• Tape
• Cricut or two different sized stars

Here are the steps:

1. Make and cut two different sized stars with a Cricut machine.
2. Glue the small star to the big star.
3. Cut the skewer sticks to length leaving the pointy end for the cupcake.
4. Tape the skewer stick to the back of the star.
5. Put them in the cupcakes! and it is done!

What did I tell you? Super easy right, but these little toppers will dress up any cupcake in a flash and be the hit of the party. The stars could also be covered in glitter to add that even extra pizzazz.

See these other amazing DIY craft projects to make your 4th of July stunning!

Read More »

Easy DIY Fruit Bouquet

Have you ever seen a fruit bouquet? I think they are genius. Not only are they beautiful, but they are delicious to eat, and they are healthy! That is three wins.

Earlier this year I made this fruit bouquet for a friend. These can be made for any occasion, birthdays, holidays, thinking of you etc. And they are not that hard to make, the pineapples and melting the chocolate took the longest time. And that was not long at all.

Supplies for a fruit bouquet

1. Fruit- I used pineapple, green and red grapes, and strawberries.
2. Cookie cutter
3. Skewers-I got these at my local grocery store meat department.
4. Vase
5. Tissue paper
6. Foam or pool noodle to go inside
7. Bow
8. Simple syrup (water and sugar)
9. Pastry brush
10. Cookie sheet-can line with wax paper

Steps to Make a Fruit Bouquet

1. Prepare the vase by putting the tissue paper in first, then put in the foam. Tie the bow around the vase.
2. Wash all the fruit.
3. Make a simple syrup, heat 1 part water with 1 part sugar until sugar is melted.
4. Melt and temper chocolate using the double broiler method. Ie place a pan of water on the stove. On top of that place a heat resistant bowl. Heat water to a low boil or just below boiling. Melt chocolate in the bowl.
5. Cut pineapple open. Slice in rectangles. Use the cookie cutter on the slices to make heart shapes or whatever shape is desired.
6. Dip the strawberries in the chocolate. I did half and half to create a color differential on the arrangement.
7. Place all fruit on the cookie sheet. Brush with the simple syrup. Let dry for a few minutes
8. Place all the fruit on the skewers. This will be a little sticky depending on how dry the fruit is. The pineapples are the most tricky. They are slimy and like to fall off.
9. Stick the skewers in the foam and arrange the fruit randomly.

That is all the steps to make the perfect Fruit Bouquet. Whoever gets it will love it! Let me know if you make one. I would love to see it.

Read More »

Easy DIY Mother's Day Vinyl Hand Print Project

Mother's day is right around the corner and I have a super fun and easy project for you. The best part is that you can make it with your kids. My kids were super excited to make it. And I have a feeling their Grandma's are going to love it. Here are the supplies for the project. I have outlined the supplies and steps using Cricut tools because that is what I have, but other cutting machines can be used as well.

Read More »

DIY Painted and Patterned Canvases

My husband made a set of 4 canvas paintings with flower prints on for our anniversary last year and to say I was surprised and super excited is an understatement.  Here are the instructions on how to make your very own.

Supplies

• Design or piece of art
• Canvas or multiple canvases
• Pencil
• Transfer paper
• Paint
• Paint brushes
• Picture hanging hardware
• Ruler

Steps

1. Find a pattern or piece of art.
2. Decide how many pieces and how large the project will be when completed.
3. Enlarge it in a graphic editing program.
4.  If multiple canvases will be used decide their spacing and set up, remember this information to put the finished art on the wall correctly.
5. Print out the design.
6. Use transfer paper and trace the design on the canvas.
7. Paint the designs.
8. Paint the edge of the canvas a color darker than the darkest color in the design.
9. Add hanging hardware the back of the canvas once the paint is dry.
10. Hang on the wall using the measurements recorded in step 4.

Read More »