It's Dollar Store Week!The Pot The time has come for the final Dollar store post. *sniff* It’s one of those occasions that’s both sad and happy. Like watching a child go off to school for the first time, or eating a whole strawberry-rhubarb pie in one sitting. Mostly though, this is an exciting moment. So here we go …. deep breath … the final Dollar Store post. Clay pot Ta da! To prove that you could do this with ONLY things bought at a Dollar store I bought everything at Dollarama. So here we go … it’s simple enough to do but here are the instructions just in case you need ‘em: Remove the chain from your really ugly cat plaque. Slip a thin metal rod through chain ends. Put light and rod inside pot. this is what it will look like inside the upside down pot. This is what it will look like outside at night. And guess what?!! This one is done a little differently: Remove the chain from your still ugly cat plaque. Turn your basket upside down, slip chain through weave and tie ends of chain together with fishing line. see?
marble magnets I finally gave in and made marble magnets. Not surprisingly they are quite fun, smooshing the glue out to make a perfect little magnified image is very satisfying. Here, in order of appearance, are the places I referenced: paper candy instructions with pictures (this is the first place I saw this project) dogmestic with instructions and pictures photogeek pictures ugly green chair cute ladybug magnets – pictures with packaging threads at Glitter:onetwothree I bought all of these supplies at Michael’s, including the glue I went back for since I got the wrong kind to start with. These are great packaged in those Altoid-sized tins, I’ve seen them in office/gift shops like that. Projects for a Rainy Day I noticed that there were blossoms on the trees yesterday on the way back from picking up the girls. They are such a welcomed sight. Don’t you think? The rain has kept us inside for far too many days and I need to make more of an effort to get outside to notice the subtle changes between Winter and Spring, even in the rain. Hopefully today, I’ll get outside to enjoy the fresh air and maybe clip a few branches from our Japanese maple to take inside. My husband, who I can always trust on for the latest weather report, said there is a chance of sun. teapot flower arrangement diy from Design*Sponge I was given a paint by number for my birthday this year that I might have to dig out. pompom diy from HonestlyWTF My girls really love crafts and they are usually quite satisfied with keeping it simple but it’s nice to do something a little more complicated now and then. 1. chipmunk diy 2. origami garland diy image: Janis Nicolay 1. finger puppets 2. paper flowers 3. recipe: Joy the Baker
Lined Envelopes (With Templates) I've been meaning to make matching stationary for a long time and I finally took the time to do it yesterday! As I was looking for templates for envelopes I was amazed at how difficult it was to find the different sizes I wanted, so I took apart some envelopes I had at home and traced them! I thought I would share them with you. The larger templates were cut in half so that you can print them easily. I hope you have fun with them! Phew! Have a great day!! Love, Disney fort building kit I had one of those "where the heck have I been" moments last week, when my nephew brought his Build-A-Fort kit to Thanksgiving - complete with sheets, clips, rope, suction cups, and more. The kit was a handmade birthday gift from his friend Joli. When I emailed her, she sent me a link to this tutorial over at BLOOM - thanks Joli! Fort building is a wonderful open-ended activity, because it can be played with in a variety of different ways. I did make one adjustment to the tutorial to cut down on time, and added an accessory bag, but for the most part, my kit is the same. Oh yeah, and I made a custom tag to explain the gift, as well as a matching birthday card using this tutorial. This particular kit was made for a little girl in my son's preschool class. Now to the Thrifty part of the gift... Here is the breakdown: ... so if my math is correct, that comes to $10.00! to check out the mini-tutorial click the button below: more kits & a great tip! fort kit in action! Thanks for stopping by!
6 Ways to Reuse Plastic Bottles Let’s take a trip down memory lane to fifth grade science class. Besides getting a wicked kick of caffeine from that 2-liter bottle of Surge, those bottles also made grade A project materials as seedling planters and tornado hourglasses. But now that we’re all adults here, craft projects may not be as cool anymore (if this is the case, finish reading this article first and then find a new group of friends). 1. A project for less than $5: All you need to make this fancy-looking vase is a soda bottle and pair of scissors. From a distance, you would never guess this vase was plastic. Difficulty level: Beginner What you’ll need: 20-ounce soda bottle, scissors, pencil (for marking) How to make it: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Bonus tip: Add a touch of color by using green soda bottles. 2. This project comes from a Popular Science project that dates back to 1961. Why did we use “the”? In fact, on first glance, we didn’t think this design by Popular Science was even made from plastic bottles. 3. 1. 2. 3. 4. 1.
{every}nothing wonderful: Tutorial: Repurposed Envelopes (From Magazines to Mailing) Note: If you like this idea, be sure to check out how to make paper ruffles to add to your envelopes! Super quick and easy tutorial for you today. I have a drawer full of these and use them for everything - bills, letters, you name it...my mom does too, actually! I recently received an oversized catalog for baby strollers (why? I have more than one that I barely use). The pages were huge and mostly images - perfect for envelope making. To start just pull pages out of your catalog or magazine with images you love. Other supplies you'll need: Pencil Glue - glue stick or craft glue - whichever you prefer Old envelope or envelope template. If this is a project you see yourself recreating in the future or with other papers you could invest in an envelope template kit, or you can print templates (you'll need to print at 100% on a larger format printer) from Designer's Toolbox on a heavy stock (mount to board for a longer lasting template). Next, cut out along the lines. Happy re-purposing!
How to make boxes from paint swatches If you've got paint chips sitting around begging to be made into something, try folding them into boxes for paperclips, thumbtacks, party favor candies, or tiny gifts. I made these from Behr swatches, available at Home Depot. You'll need paint swatches, double-stick tape, an X-acto knife, ruler, and cutting mat. For the box bottom, cut a 1/2" strip off each of the two rounded ends of the swatch. The box lid is constructed the same way. Fold each sheet on the scored lines, bending flaps inward and securing them with double-stick tape.
9 Cool Things to Do With Old Books » Written Word Bibliophiles and bookworms, English majors and lovers of literature: is it possible to have too many books? They accumulate so quickly! Every member of your family getting you the same three books you requested for Christmas. Seeing Don DeLillo marked half-off, knowing you dumped a half-caff latte on your copy of Underworld, and – even though only the first three pages are illegible – justifying its purchase. 15+ years of required reading lists stored in boxes in your basement, even though you can bet your bippy you will never willingly read the poetry of Robert Burns again. We are up to our waists in books, some of which we hate (really Master Burns? Update: Do to the overwhelming support (HA!) 1. It brings a whole new meaning to “audio book.” Use your old books to showcase your artistic side. Good for hiding passwords and codes, the key to your safe, and family jewels. 2. Your choice of ribbon can transform this wreath so it is suitable for every holiday – or every day! 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Playhouse closet | Sawdust & Paper Scraps You might know that I was a finalist in “Not Just A Housewife’s” Best DIY Project of 2011 Contest last week. There were some great projects in the finalists, including one submitted by BJ of Joy2Journey! The funny thing is that THIS post was set to publish before either of us knew that we were COMPETITORS! She won the prize, and I don’t hold a grudge, so I’ve decided NOT to kick her out of the guest post spot. Teehee. Anyhoo, BJ had a space under the stairs and wanted to create a playhouse, she didn’t have a recessed area like I did for my Closet Playhouse, and built her playhouse facade right on the wall. Now, without further ado, let me introduce you to BJ, and let her tell you about her amazing project! Hi, I am so excited to share my latest project with you! I am not afraid to tackle “new spaces” so I took the jigsaw to my wall and started cutting! No worries, I know my limitations, trust me!) to this … I finished the inside 2 days before Christmas and here is looking in the door ….
page corner bookmarks | I Could Make That This project comes to you at the request of Twitterer @GCcapitalM. I used to believe that a person could never have too many books, or too many bookmarks. Then I moved into an apartment slightly larger than some people’s closets (and much smaller than many people’s garages) and all these beliefs got turned on their naïeve little heads. But what a person can always look for more of is really cool unique bookmarks. Placeholders special enough for the books that are special enough to remain in your culled-out-of-spacial-necessity collection. Page corner bookmarks are cute, practical and deeply under-represented in the world.* They’re easy to make, easy to customize, and will set you apart from all those same-same flat rectangular bookmarks. If you like this tutorial, here are a couple others that might be up your alley. For the monster-loving adults in the room, try some googly-eyed paper monster wine charms. What you’ll need: Putting it all together: 1) Follow steps 2 and 3 from above.
Lackadaisy Expressions Boy, I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I started this. I've had requests for some sort of expressions tutorial dating back a while now, so I figured, "Sure! I can explain expression drawing...and it'll be way better than all those tutorials out there that are nothing but charts of generic expressions. Um. Anyway, I found all I could really do was try to explain ways to teach yourself...and then add some pictures.