Garden Hose Doormat

Are you wondering how to repurpose a leaky old garden hose?  Well wonder no more.  Check out my latest video.  And, don’t forget to visit Organic Gardening Magazine.  They’re fabulous!  Happy Crafting!

Thrift Store Lampshade Refashion

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Thrift stores are awesome — just ask Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. I love finding unique castaways and refashioning them into something cool and useful. A few months ago, I had $20 in my pocket so off I went to my … Continue reading →

Repurposed Pantry Jars As Party Favors

Hello crafters! A while back I posted a project titled, Repurposed Jars for the Holidays. It was a big hit on my blog so I decided to repurpose MORE jars but this time as tiny terrariums. I think they’d be awesome as wedding favors!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Jars from your pantry
• Craft store acrylic paint
• Tiny succulents
• Potting soil
• Small pebbles
• 18 gauge aluminum wire
• Card stock paper
• Tiny spoon or twig
• Wire cutter
• Pencil

With the exception of the jars, succulents and potting soil, you can pick up all project ingredients from your craft store. The succulents and potting soil can be purchased at your local plant nursery.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Empty, clean and remove label from the jar.
2. Paint jar lid your favorite color.
3. Add about 1/2 inch of soil to the bottom of the jar.
4. Remove the succulent from the store container and remove any excess soil that is around the root system. Don’t worry about hurting these little guys, they’re super resilient.
5. Insert the succulent into jar and secure the roots of the succulent in the soil using a small spoon or twig.
6. Add a layer of pebbles.
7. Cut a section of wire to wrap and twist around the neck of the jar.
8. Using a pencil, curl the other end of the wire around the pencil to create a coil – this will hold the name tag.
9. Create a name tag with card stock paper, slip it in the coiled end of the wire and your done!

This project is super easy and inexpensive to make. And best of all, it makes a super and unique gift. Oh, and caring for these little lovelies is a breeze:

Check every couple of days to see if your terrarium needs water. If it is dry add a tiny bit of water.

If your terrarium is closed, take off the top every couple of days to air it out. If you see lots of condensation or have added too much water, leave the top off until it has had a chance to dry out.

Pull off any leaves that show signs of yellowing or damage and prune plants if they grow too large.

Don’t fertilize your terrarium because you don’t want to encourage growth.

Happy crafting!

 

 

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Chalkboard Flower Pot Easter Gifts

Chalkboard paint is so much fun to work with and it allows you countless ways to produce unique and functional pieces like this project, Birch Log Table Numbers.

I have a giant pile of unused terra-cotta flower pots so putting them to good use, I cracked open a can of chalkboard paint and created these simple gifts for the upcoming Easter holiday.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Terra Cotta containers (any paintable container will do)
• Chalkboard paint
• Foam paint brush
• Chalk
• Small plant or flower of your choosing (I used Baby’s Tears)
• Egg (optional)

You can find all of the project ingredients, including terra-cotta pots, at any craft store. Oh, with the exception of live plants and real eggs but you could substitute with artificial. For live plants, visit your local nursery and for eggs, visit your fridge.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Clean the surface of the container and paint away!
2. After the paint dries completely, with chalk write or draw anything you want on the surface.
3. Insert plant or flower.
4. Your done!

For an added surprise, I placed a simple brown egg that I blew out then glued twine into the hole to hang.

Here’s how you blow-out an egg:

1. Using a long stick pin, poke a hole in the top and bottom of the egg and move the pin around to break op the yolk. Make one of the holes a little larger than the other. That’s the hole you’ll insert and glue twine.
2. Holding the egg in one hand, force the egg contents out by gently blowing into the smaller hole in the egg. The egg insides will come out the other side. Note to crafters – save the insides and make a scrambled egg for yourself – no waste!
3. After the insides are empty, insert the egg in warm soapy water to clean the inside of the egg. Rinse and let dry on a paper towel.
4. When dry, insert twine into the larger hole, glue in place and your done!

Happy Crafting and Happy Easter!

 

Vintage Film Reel Clock

Happy Friday! Here’s a fun and easy weekend craft using a vintage film reel, a map and a craft store clock movement.

I had this 8mm film reel in its can sitting around for over a year knowing that since its movie days were long gone, I’d reinvent and give it a new life some day. Well, that day arrived this week and crafters, here’s how ya do it.

You’ll need:

• Film reel (mine is a 5″ diameter reel) – scour your local antique markets or Ebay
  
• A clock movement – I used a 3/8″ clock movement from Michaels Craft Store
• A 1/2″ Forstner drill bit – this bit drills a perfectly round hole and can be purchased at any hardware store. It looks like this.
• E-6000 Adhesive
• Spray Adhesive
• Map or any decorative paper
• X-Acto Knife

Here’s how ya do it:

1. Remove the reel from the can and set aside.
2. Drill a hole in the center of the can base. Eventually you will nest the reel inside of this part of the container.
3. Determine the diameter of the inside of the can base and cut a circle out of an old map or decorative paper and apply spray adhesive to the back of the paper. Then place it inside the can base. Use an X-Acto knife to cut out the center hole in the paper – the hole you drilled in the can base will serve as your template.
4. Glue and nest the reel into the can base. Let dry a couple of hours.
5. Follow the instructions on the clock movement to remove the clock arms. Then, from the back of the can base, insert the clock movement through the back of the can and through the center hole of the reel. Use adhesive to glue the clock movement to the back of the can and let dry.
6. Reattach the clock movement arms to the movement shaft which is now sticking through the center of the reel. Note to crafters, to give my clock a little pop, I painted mine orange.
7. Glue the can base to the container lid. Let dry and your done!

It may seem like a lot of steps but this project is easy and fun. Enjoy and happy crafting!

Hurricane Sandy Crafts

As most of you know, the northeast was attacked by Hurricane Sandy this past week.  She wreaked havoc on countless families in numerous states (especially New Jersey & New York) and according to the latest reports, the economic damages will be in the billions.  Thankfully Andrew and I escaped with minor damages compared to our neighboring states.

During the storm, my giant backyard tree was relieved of countless branches and most all of its leaves. You may recall we experienced a similar weather situation last year, at the same time, and I created these Twig Christmas Trees.

While waiting out this year’s storm, I decided to keep busy and created a stick wreath. It’s a super easy project and please don’t wait for a natural disaster to create one just like this.

You’ll need:

• Twigs
• Pruner
• Cardboard
• Twine (optional)
• Hot glue gun
• Ribbon or twine (to hang the wreath)
• Moss (optional)

Here’s how ya do it:

1. Using a sharp utility knife, cut a cardboard disc approximately 6 inches in diameter then cut a hole in the middle.
2. This is optional but I wrapped the disc in twine (see photo below).
3. Then start hot gluing various lengths of twigs to the disc until you have the desired shape.
4. Add twine or ribbon to hang and your done!  I stuck a clump of moss in the center of the wreath but that’s not necessary….I just really like moss.

We are still having high winds in these parts so I decided to keep my wreath indoors for now.

Fortunately, our families at the New Jersey Shore are safe and our sincere thoughts and prayers go out to those still struggling with Sandy’s devastation.

Happy crafting!

Gussied Up Glass Cylinder Vase

Want to know how to dress up a plain glass cylinder vase?  Simply buy some decorative paper from your local craft store or download and print a vintage wallpaper image from the web.  Then cut to size and slide it inside the vase.  Your done!  Obviously this only works when you are arranging dried flowers.  No water needed for this beauty!

This arrangement features craspedia, brunia, thistle, hypericum berry and scabiosa.

Enjoy your weekend!

Bailing Twine Flowers

My friend Kate made yarn pom poms for a wreath (and her cat Fable) and I thought I’d try the same technique but use bailing twine instead to make flowers. I love bailing twine – it’s inexpensive, a roll of it goes a long way, and I use it in a lot of my projects.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Bailing twine
• Florist wire
• Scissor
• Your fingers

Here’s how ya do it:

1. Loosely wrap twine around four fingers starting with your forefinger to your pinky finger. Wrap the twine around your four fingers about 25 times.
2. Remove the twine from your fingers and twist florist wire in the middle of the flower to bind the center of the flower.
3. Cut the looped ends with a scissor.
4. Now simply fluff up the flower to the perfect shape and cut the flower to the desired size.
5. Done!

I hot glued mine to the ends of twigs but there are countless creative uses for these beauties. Have fun, and happy crafting!

Birch Log Table Numbers

A contractor friend of mine cut down an old birch tree and was kind enough to give me a stack of the sliced logs. Knowing I’d find some creative use I tucked them away for a weekend project. Here they are in their new life as chalkboard table numbers.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Sliced logs.
• Sand paper.
• Foam paint brush.
• Rust-Oleum chalkboard paint.
• Chalk.

With the exception of the logs, you can find all of the project ingredients at a craft or hardware store.

Here’s how ya do it:

1. Sand them.

2. Paint them.

3. Create!

Happy Saturday and happy crafting!

Phone Book Pumpkins

Every year I receive at least two or three phone books. Seriously, who uses those? They magically appear on my doorstep and ultimately wind up littered throughout the neighborhood.

Despite my griping, I decided to hang on to a few for a special, inspired project. This project inspiration came from my friend Shelbi….thank you!

You’ll need:

• Phone books.
• Sharp scissors.
• Pencil.
• Piece of cardboard or heavy paper.
• Twigs.
• Glue – any craft glue will do.

Here’s how ya do it:

1. Make a template of a pumpkin with cardboard or heavy paper.

2. Open the phone book to the center page.
3. Lay the template over the book pages and towards the bottom of the book and trace an outline around the template. Keep the center of the template on the binding edge of the phone book.
4. With a scissors cut a few pages at a time. I alternated cutting from pages on the left to the pages on the right of the book.
5. Continue step #4 until you’re finished cutting all the pages then unfurl the pumpkin and glue the cover pages together.
6. Glue a twig to the top center of the pumpkin and you’re done!

 

I think they turned out super cool and they were fun and easy to make. Thanks Yellow Pages!

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Happy crafting!