I think it's time to bring back this craft I did 6 years ago!

These are egg dioramas that I made with a balloon and paper maché, kind of how you would make a pinata, only much smaller. After the balloon dried, I just cut a hole in the egg and outfitted their house with moss, and some little doll house items and embellished with crepe paper. The chandelier in the last picture is one of my earrings that I was keeping in hopes of finding the match but I never did, so it was re-purposed this way.

The kids loved them and they hung them off the light over the dining room table at Easter. While layering the paper strips, I added a wire so that they could easily be hung. I may even make some for the shop this time!

Linking to Nifty Thrifty Things
Chic on a Shoestring
The Dedicated House

Painter's tape zig zag vase - a quick DIY

For our anniversary in 2011, we spent a weekend in DC and went to a Mexican restaurant at the Washingtonian center in Rockville. There I saw over sized zigzag (or chevron) striped pottery and wanted some of my own. Some were shaped like ginger jars and some were 4 feet tall floor vases. Ever since then I was on the lookout for large vases to spray paint. Nate Berkus came out with some last year for Target but I missed out on them.

So a while ago I found this blue green vase at the thrift shop for around 4 dollars and knew it would be great for my diy project. The color is perfect for Spring so I didn't want to alter that and commit to painting over it but I still had to have my stripes.

The solution was to spray paint Blue painter's tape and use that for the stripes as opposed to painting the vase. I unrolled a few feet of tape and stuck the end to a post on the deck while holding the rest of the roll and spraying what I had unraveled. It took about 15 seconds. By the time I walked back up the stairs to the house, the tape was dry.

I had already used the plain painter's tape to make the design on the vase so I just put the spray painted tape right over it and trimmed where it needed. It looked too thick that way so I took off the tape I used as the guide underneath and put the gold tape back in place. Because it's low tack, it was forgiving and easy to use. It's not perfect but it's temporary and I can add more rows, change the thickness of the tape and its color.

Now I'm on the hunt for more so I can do a grouping and am thinking up ways to use spray painted tape.

And until I find a more suitable place for it, I'll just let it glam up the tv.

Have a great day!

xo

Laura

The Shabby Nest
Liz Marie
Chic on a shoestring decorating
Skip to my Lou
Keeping it simple
Coffee Beans and bobby pins

Friday Finds {Christmas style}

It's been a while since I posted any Friday Finds. It's actually been a while since I've been out on my scavenger hunts at all. I sure do miss them. Last week while I was out looking for ugly sweaters for a friend's party, I ran across this footed bowl. It was just $1.50. I loved the Jade green and thought it was perfect for holding some of my old Christmas ornaments since the glass jar I usually use crashed to the ground last year.

I also picked up this pine cone wreath for a dollar but thought it was too drab and tired but really well constructed. It actually looks better in the picture than it really was.

I needed it to be a bit more festive so nothing a little spray paint and highlighting some details can't fix! You know I love acorns...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My most favorite find was a faux bois tiered serving platter but I haven't taken a picture of it yet. Believe me when I say it's super cute and at $3.00 a steal.

 

It's good to do a little thrifting every now and then, don't you think?

 

Have a great day.

Mini cakes = fewer calories

 

It's that time of year when I do a little baking.

First up, miniature pumpkin shaped cakes.

I saw these on a magazine cover and thought they would be cute to give away

so that is what we did.

Who wouldn't want a mini cake?

 

 

 

Are you tired of my love for acorns?

Don't answer that. Look at how cute these are first.

On my walks around the neighborhood I gathered up some acorn caps and sewed up some fabric acorns. I didn't pay attention to the shape; just gathered and pinched the fabric as I sewed along. Then I stuffed them and hot glued the caps on top. They are not the traditional acorn shape but they work for what I need. Soon I'll have a whole bowl full.

Have a happy weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linked to Sugar Bee Crafts

In a nutshell - crafty acorns

The weather has a crispness to it in the mornings. You know what that means - Autumn is near.

Trae and I took a walk to a church in our neighborhood so he could play on their playground. I heard the crunch underneath our feet as we walked along. The acorns are beginning to fall - one of my favorite times of the year. We picked up a few little specimens. They were still green and some were too small but soon there will be more to look for. There is one house that we like to walk by because they have a huge tree that drops the larger acorns.

Every year we gather them, put them in the freezer to kill any worms (which still elicits the question from whomever opens the freezer, "Why is there a bag of acorns in the freezer??") Do they not know me at all??

I always end up putting them in a glass vase for a little decoration. I also get a branch and hot glue the leaves and acorns back on it and put it in the vase full of acorns that act as a filler.
It's exactly what my mom would do except she'd send us out to gather filberts and walnuts that fell from the trees lining our driveway.

Maybe this year I should switch it up and make some felted wool acorns?

These are little sachets of lavender. So cute.

Or how about these cool fabric ones?

Some are just so cute you could eat them.

How about painting them?

Or maybe I should send acorns to heads of state like John and Yoko to plant as a symbol of peace?

Whatever their use, they sure are cute little suckers.

Which acorn project would you try?

(The heads of state thing might not work but the others are promising!)

Leafy ritual

Usually around this time of year I have my leaf-ironing marathon using wax paper. But since I was out of it last night, I decided to try Mod Podge. I'll let you know how it works.

Leaf with one application of Mod Podge

Lavender harvest and sugar scrubs

As you brush by the lavender in the garden, a light scent of the flowers fill the air. I've always wanted to have a field of lavender, if for nothing else, the color.
I want them to grow more full and lush next year so I cut them back and harvested a portion over the weekend.
After cutting, I began to wonder what I was going to do with them so they wouldn't go to waste.
I've dried them to use as scented drawer liners and have tossed them into lemon cookies.

But this time I thought I'd whip up some sugar scrub. It was quick and easy and the best part, inexpensive. I used a small jar to make an amount that we could easily use so there was really no measuring.

I just poured regular sugar into the jar and added some olive oil. After doing that, I remembered that I still had coconut oil from making lip balm with the girls, so I added a few dollops of that as well as a dash of vanilla extract.

The coconut tamed the olive oil and by infusing some lavender, it added another layer of scent. Having an aversion to strong smells, especially highly perfumed ones, I don't use a lot of perfumes. This all blended nicely creating a mild, yet "fresh" scent as quoted by my husband.

After stirring to get a consistency that I liked which was not too dry but not too watery either, (Sorry, I am so not scientific!) in about 5 minutes, I had my own sugar scrub.

I tested it out on my hands and arms and loved the scent. I also like the way it left my skin glistening. My little girl loved the scent also so she tried it and asked if her hands were going to smell that good forever. When I said no, she said, "Darn!" So I guess it's a hit.

Try some of your own today!

Have a great day - it's the last day of school for us.

I'm so happy that I get a break from driving back and forth everyday to 3 different schools, all at different times, for a while!

Stir sticks - not just for paint anymore, DIY pendant light

Take an old thrift store lampshade and a million paint stir sticks

And make a new pendant light (Still needs a coat of stain and new electrical. The shade is just resting on the half wall to give me an idea of how it will look when it's in place. The chain is giving the illusion that it's hanging. )

Okay it was more like 42 stir sticks but who's counting? Probably the paint desk people. When I asked if they sold them in bulk, they answered, "No, take as many as you want." I told them I needed a lot and they said, "Go on, go ahead, take a bunch."

So they gave me a a lot and I pretended I didn't notice they were looking at me funny. I always asked. A friend of mine is a manager there and asked her manager if I could have some and they said no problem and to shoot them an email with the finished product. 

I'm sure there is a picture of me behind the desk warning the clerks of the lady with a stir stick fetish. No fetish, just an idea I had to see through.
(But if you've ever worked retail there are those notes behind the desk of serial returners, bad check writers, irate customers and other types...)

Anyway, I have had this idea on my mind since I saw something like it on HGTV about 3 or 4 years ago. And when I found this huge lampshade, I knew what I wanted to do with it. Then I made a mistake by dismantling it and couldn't put it back together correctly even after several attempts.

So, I found another shade ($2.00) which was smaller but left it intact and just hot glued the stir sticks to the outside, adjusting each one in order for the sticks to go around as straight as possible. If you don't allow a little space between each, the sticks will begin to slant and you won't have an even edge.



After I give it a coat of stain (since the stir sticks are made out of wood) and prime and paint the underside so the logo doesn't show, she will be ready to put into place. Again, for the picture, it is just resting on the half wall to give an idea of how it might look when hung in place. I am using the existing light fixture in the entrance so it will need to be replaced as well (see 1st picture) and then I can finally see how this will all turn out and you'll be the next to know. So check back soon. Hopefully it'll be up later this week.

Update...

**And now it's finished and is in place. You can see it here.

Linking to:

Coastal Charm

Funky Junk Interiors

Just a Girl

Under the table and dreaming

Remodelaholic

Between naps on the porchHouse of Hepworths

Tales from Bloggeritaville

House of Grace

The egg diorama - an Easter/Spring craft

After some drying time, the first two little egg dioramas are complete but they are not so little after all. I plan on hanging them from the light over the dinner table as the Easter centerpiece.

For the supplies I used 7 inch balloons and made a mixture of paste by using one part flour to 5 parts water. I also sprinkled in some salt thinking that may help avoid any mold.

I boiled it to get a nice smooth consistency, like that of Cream of Wheat, and then let it cool a bit. Using book pages and tissue paper, I cut strips and squares and just dipped the paper into the "glue" and pasted it to the balloon, over and over, until it was covered and set it on a jar to dry. It was fun being a 2nd grader again and dipping my hands into paper mache.

After it was dry, I cut an opening which was my favorite part because of the hissing noises the balloon made when it popped and shrunk. Reese and I laughed about that - simple pleasures you know.

I trimmed it with paper as well as glued a decorative paper to the inside (back) of the egg to make it look like wallpaper. The nest was made by adding Easter basket grass and moss. But I felt that it was still a little bland. These are stylish chicks after all so I styled their house with a framed picture and/or wall sconce and a chandelier made from an old earring.

The next one will have to be more masculine so I'm thinking a bachelor pad style birdhouse with sticks and maybe even a velvet Elvis and mini fridge!

By poking a hole through the top and simply twisting a wire to form an "eye," the ribbon could hang easily from it.

And now I sound like Barry, Steve Carell's character in "Dinner for Schmucks.
Oh well, I'm a schmuck who just impressed the heck out of her kids. These were a trial run for me so the kids get to make their own tomorrow. I'm sure theirs will be even better.

Thanks for letting me share and humoring me!

Craft paper scalloped edge and tissue paper ribbon.

Crepe paper Cherry blossoms

Have a great day and an even better Easter weekend!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Linking to

Romantic Home

The Shabby Nest

The Lettered Cottage

Funky Junk

A day out and the beginning of an Easter craft

Since it was a half day at school and my oldest was at home, I got to go out all by myself - woot!

What did I do?? Manicure?? Nope, not into those. Although, I have taken my girls but I think it's a waste of money for me. Movie?? Nope, not this time. As my friend said, "go to Jon's hotel, take a dip in the jacuzzi and take a nap?"
Nope, I wish. It's a good idea though!

I decided a little grocery shopping and a trip to my favorite antique mall was in order. Yes, I am that exciting! I am preparing for the kids' Easter baskets so some chocolate bunnies and other goodies needed to be purchased as well as all the boring staples and such.

Because I was working on paper mache eggs last night, I was trying to find some of those old chenille chicks to put in them which is where the antique shop came in today. Talk about looking for a needle in a haystack.

Luckily, sellers always have displays of Easter smalls around this time and I thought I just might find the chicks if I were lucky. I am a quick searcher at places like that so the very first booth I went to had a few that would do.

Now they just need to hurry up and dry - one more night should do it and then they'll be all purdied up.

Waiting to dry

A few cute chicks.

Let's hope they turn out like I have envisioned.

Have a good day!

A hoot of a gift

I'm trying to get back on track with posting. It's been really busy around these parts. Forgive me. I'm not always able to juggle it all, at least not very well. So let me get back on track by showing you the sweetest thing sitting in my office.

Have you ever received a gift from someone that simply surprised you, not only by the gift itself, but by the thought behind it? That happened to me recently.

My friend Solviej (pronounced Sole-vye, vye as in "bye") surprised me with a birthday gift: An owl pillow she knitted and sewed herself. Isn't he darling? She used cream and blue yarn as well as blue and brown felt. I am always amazed at handcrafted gifts and think of them as some of my greatest treasures.

I love my owl.
Unfortunately, so do my kids and I keep having to look in their rooms to see who has taken him. They hear me yell from down the hall, "Has anyone seen my owl??" and someone will point me in the right direction. One of these days I expect to get a ransom note for candy.

I'm so glad Solviej started a craft blog to showcase her handmade goods. I've been hoping she would do that since she is very talented. She can whip up hats and scarves like nobody's business. You can also find her here.

Besides the gift, the best thing about friends is they get you.

Have a great day! We're off to a well-baby visit...how about you?

Vintage cupcake picks - craft

For years I have been collecting ephemera. I love typography, old letters, music sheets, calling cards, perfume labels and the list goes on...they come in handy for projects.
*

For Blair's 3rd and 4th birthday, I made decorative picks to adorn her cupcakes. For this project I used old music books that I picked up for .10 cents. But because they were half off, I only paid a nickel. That was even cheaper than the retail price when the book was published in 1904. I could easily make copies from these but the paper is thin and easier to work with so it's my paper of choice.

I cut (four) 3x3 inch squares from the sheet music. I have also done 4x4 depending on what size rosette I needed. I folded each square accordion style. Easy, easy...

And then when all were folded, I folded them in half and secured them together with tape.
They looked liked tiny fans.

When all four were secured individually, I joined them all together with double sided tape to make one full rosette.

And then with the magic of a printer, I photocopied the perfume label from the *second picture above and cut it out of card stock. Then I made several wallet size photos from one of Blair's pictures and glued her picture onto the body in the perfume ad. I cut wings from scrapbook paper, added crepe paper and using double sided tape again, I secured it all to the front.

I taped a toothpick to the back to make it stand in the cupcake.

And that is how "Fairy Blairs," as said by Blair, were born.

Now I have requests from all of my kids to make fairies for their birthdays. The older ones want really funny ones for theirs so we are working on those images.

I have also strung rosettes together to make banners which look really great on gift packages
or anywhere you want to create a little interest - mantles, bookshelves, on a floral display - endless possibilities. I made one for Halloween last year and downloaded vintage script to make the word Halloween with each letter on a rosette.

It's such a simple adornment which takes very little time and money.

I wish I had a baby shower to throw for someone because I have a fun idea for that and am dying to make picks.

Have fun - you'll enjoy making them!