Monday, March 27, 2017

Recycled Cereal Box Pocket Wreath for Spring


Are you tired of the usual round wreaths that decorate your door?  Here's an easy way to recycle a cereal box into an adorable handmade pocket wreath to showcase your favorite spring blooms.


Materials:
Cereal box/cardboard
Ruler/Scissors/Pencil
Glass Cylinder
Hot Glue Gun
Masking tape
Outdoor Mod Podge/Sealer
FolkArt Painted Finishes - Dimensional Moss Effect
Hole Punch/Duct Tape
Ribbon
Floral Foam
Faux Pansies


Let's get started by opening a large cereal box at the side seam and placing the print side down.
Using a ruler, draw the shape of a vase with straight lines and .  .   .

cut out.

To enhance the curved shape, gently rub cardboard cut-out around a glass cylinder into a vase shape. Place cardboard cut-out shape onto remaining cereal box cardboard, the width of the vase, as pictured.


Apply hot glue to the long edge of the cut-out and .  .  .

place on top of the cardboard holding in place until the hot glue cools.

Repeat for the opposite side and let glue cool.



Cut off excess cardboard at sides. Next, apply hot glue to narrow bottom and place on cardboard, holding in place until cool and dry.
Cut off excess cardboard around bottom shape.

Reinforce sides, outside, inside, and bottom with additional hot glue and cool.

Tape sides and bottom with masking tape for additional strength.
Coat vase with Outdoor Mod Podge or sealer.
Once dry, apply the Dimensional Moss Effect paint.

Then, punch two holes for hanging, reinforcing with duct tape. 

Tie ribbon and knot in hanging holes and glue floral foam inside. Then .  .  . 

arrange flowers, topped with a bow and hang on door.

This handmade recycle cardboard wreath is a lovely pocket full of pansies!


Thanks for stopping by
and take a little time to enjoy -
Happy Crafting!

Loopy Bow Bunny Toppers DIY



Hi fellow crafters and everyone else!! Looking for ideas to dress up those barrettes, hairclips, headbands, or whatever for this Easter season?  I'm over on Bowdabrablog showing you how to make these adorable bunny bows

So head on over and give it a try!  You won't believe how easy it is!


Thanks for stopping by,

Happy Easter Bow Making with your Bowdabra!

Friday, March 24, 2017

DIY Crepe Paper Wrapped Wire Spring and Easter Centerpiece

Welcome the spring season and Easter holiday with an easy to make inexpensive crepe paper wrapped floral wire centerpiece. It's shaped like an egg and elegantly topped and grounded with colorful pansies.  And it's the perfect way to decorate for any spring get-together.  And guess what? You can make this adorable centerpiece for under five dollars! And that makes for a huge conversation starter at any spring celebration! Imagine the design possibilities!

Materials used:
Crepe paper streamer rolls  2 for $1 (dollar store) 
Floral wire - 16 gauge pkg.  $1.99
Mod Podge glue
Paint brush
Pansies (faux)
Cardboard
Hot glue gun
Bowl for shaping stems

Begin by dabbing mod podge on the end of a strip of crepe paper and wrapping it around floral wire, starting at the tip. 

The entire length of the wire has to be covered with crepe paper several times, so I found it easy to first dip a brush into mod podge and brush it off on the wire while wrapping the crepe paper around.

 Once the wire is covered, brush the paper with the glue and continue wrapping to the end and back again. The crepe paper is very forgiving. You can thicken the stems with the paper by folding  and crunching the paper together as you wrap.  You will need to wrapped the wire several times to make a thick stem.  Be careful not to soak the paper with mod podge or it will tear easily. If that happens, just seal the end with glue and start again from there.  Wrap eight stems.


Once satisfied with the thickness of the stems, let dry completely.  Then arrange in a clockwise position. I originally cut out a two inch cardboard circle and hot glued the stems in place. 



Then I placed a bowl on top and shape the wire over and up the bowl (sorry I didn't take a picture of this.)  I removed the bowl and hot glued the stem tips together, one at a time, clockwise. 
Once the hot glue cooled, I cut off the cardboard between the stems (I didn't like how it looked) and left a small round portion on the bottom. Then wrapped more crepe paper around each stem where the cardboard showed. I also glued strips of crepe paper around and between where the top stems came together.  


And finally, arrange pansies on top and bottom for a sophisticated decorative spring look!


Simply lovely!



Thanks for stopping by

and take a little time to enjoy -

Happy Spring Crafting!

Monday, March 20, 2017

Recycled Decoupaged Paper Mache Bunny - Update


I've updated this post with a different paper napkin. I'm always looking around on different retail sites to get ideas on crafts to make.  For Easter and spring, I discovered the cutest decoupage bunnies on Grandinroad and knew my next project would be inspired by these.
Grandinroad Source
 The only problem - well, one of the problems I had was trying to find paper mache bunnies as large as these to decoupage.  No such luck, so I had to make my own.  And, I had intended to make two, but this project became so tedious and time consuming that I was happy when I finish the one!

To begin, I used a 2.1qt. soda bottle that I cut off the top opening.  I would discover another problem in finding paper napkins I wanted to use - something springy and hopefully in purple - but that wasn't to be either.  Although, I did find a flowery purple pattern at Party City online but didn't want to wait another week or more for them to arrive. So after looking in several stores, I settled on a design I found at Tuesday Morning. 

Next, I added small rocks in the bottom of the bottle to give weight to the bunny and also stuffed the cavity with plastic bags so the sides would not cave in like they did when I washed the bottle.
With a picture of the bunnies to look at, I began shaping the structure with masking tape, using a paper mache egg for the head (wrapped in a plastic bag), and clothes hanger wire for the ears. I also used a portion of a toilet paper tube  to extend the neck.

And used folded paper towels to shape the bunny legs and feet.


And also used them to increase the bottom area of the bunny .  .  .
and to cover the ears.
The masking tape that I used to secure the paper towels was rather old and kept coming loose.
But it was snowing outside so going after new tape was not an option for me.
Once I was satisfied with the bunny's shape and foundation, I mixed up a paper mache paste - one part water, one part flour and a pinch of salt. 
 I had a large roll of white drawing paper that I torn up in small strips and started gluing them on to the frame.

After I finished gluing on the first layer, I placed the bunny in the oven set on 200 degrees to dry. Laying the bunny down in the oven flatten the backside so I didn't put it back in the oven anymore.
After that, I added two more layers using a blow dryer first and then letting it air dry overnight each time.
After drying, I added a coat of mod podge to seal the entire structure.
To decoupage the bunny, begin by removing the two layers of backing of the napkin to expose the single printed side.
Tear out the portion of pattern you want to use making sure there are no hard lines or straight edges. Using a sponge brush, apply mod podge to the paper mache area and then lay the napkin piece on top, smoothing it out with the brush.  I also like to use plastic wrap to gently smooth out any additional wrinkles.
Continue applying the napkins in this manner, slightly overlapping each piece as you continue to cover the bunny.
Allow to dry once the bunny is completely covered with the napkins.
And finally, seal the dried bunny with a brush on clear varnish or sealant.
I am really excited about how amazing this bunny looks.

*But wait!  I found a purple print paper napkin that goes more with my décor!
So, I covered the bunny with a white primer paint.
And then decoupage on the new napkins the same as before!
Doesn't this look so much better!
And I added a bow!
Oh, I'm loving this look!


 
Take a little time to enjoy 
and
Happy Crafting!