Monday, June 14, 2021

Outdoor DIY Tic Tac Toe

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Welcome to June's Pinterest Challenge hosted by Alexandra @ EyeLoveKnots. The purpose of this Pinterest Challenge is to motivate us to actually make  something that we have pinned!  This month's challenge topic is Summer Fun. And I was inspired by this pin to create an Outdoor DIY Tic Tac Toe game.

For summer fun, why not take a classic game like Tic Tac Toe from inside the house to outdoors in the yard with this easy to make wood letters and rope version!  Perfect to keep both grownups and kids entertained - while upping the fun factor for outdoor family gatherings. 

And in case you need a refresher, the goal of tic tac toe is to get three Os or Xs in a row. - either horizontal, vertical or diagonal! It's a game of dexterity and skill - and who can outsmart their opponent! Fun Fun Fun!

Materials Needed:
Five 8" wooden Os
Five 8" wooden Xs
Four 40" L ropes
Fabri-Tac Fabric glue
Painter's tape
Acrylic paints
Sponge
Paint foam sponge dabbers
Stars stencil

Let's get started!   After looking all over for the best prices on wood letters - (they can get quite expensive buying a bunch) I found the best price at Walmart - 8" wood letters for $1.97! Woo, hoo! Not bad for an outdoor game! I got five of each, X and O.
Next, started painting the letters using a sponge and multi-purpose craft paint in patriotic colors - perfect for holidays and summer!
First, the Os in red .  .  . 
and the Xs in blue.

Then use painter's tape to add stripes on the Os .  .  .
painting the open areas in white .  .  .
for a cool patriotic look!
Next, use a paint dabber to stencil on stars to the Xs!
And finally, cut four strips of rope, 40 inches long to create the lines of the tic tac toe board. Seal the ends with fast drying fabric glue to prevent fraying.
Easy peasy to make for summertime fun!


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DIY Garden Accents

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Creating DIY garden accents is a fun way to add interest to your outdoor flowers and plants. It's also a great upcycle activity to do with kids during the summer! It's so easy to gather all sizes of leftover plastic utensils from a get-together and fashion them into decorative garden accents like a lady bug or butterfly!
 
Welcome to our monthly Blog Hop Challenge hosted by Beverly @ Across the Blvd. The theme for the month of June is Summer Crafts


Creating DIY garden accents for the summer is an easy way to add a whimsical look to outdoor spaces - adding the perfect touch to flowering plants and gardens. You'd probably prefer to have adorable handcrafted bugs on your flowers instead of the real ones which can become quite a nuisance. So let's begin.

Materials: 

  • Assorted sizes of plastic spoons 
  • Cutting snips or utility scissors/hot knife
  • RapidFuse All Purpose Adhesive
  • Outdoor Acrylic Craft Paint/sponge brush/paint brush wood tip end
  • 18/14 Gauge Stem Wire
  • Wire cutters/nose pliers
  • Button
  • Googly eyes

Let's begin by cutting the bowls from the handles of plastic spoons using utility or heavy duty scissors. Be careful and try not to split the plastic.
You will need to cut two different sizes of spoons - two larger ones for the upper wings and two smaller ones for the lower wings. I had several plastic spoons in my stash, but most were basically the same size.  One set for the top is rounder than the bottom set.
And I had lots of plastic handles leftover from earlier spoon projects, so I found an handle that was wider on one end for the butterfly head.  
Next, applied multi purpose glue to the handle (body) to attach the wings for a permanent hold. Hot glue would not hold up outside.
First, glue on the top wings .  .  .
and then the bottom wings .  .  .
and let dry.
Once the wings are dry, cut and fold stem wire into a "V" shape, curling the ends to mimic antennae. Glue onto center of top (head)

Begin painting the butterfly. First the wings .  .  .
and then the body. Let dry between areas.
Add decorative pattern to wings. I'm not very good at painting - something I've always struggled with.


To make the ladybug, I used serving spoons from the DollarTree for the body.
And used a hot knife to cut the handles off. I tried using snips on the bottom of the handle to see if the plastic would crack and it did. So I used a hot knife instead.
Lining up three of the bowls of the serving spoons together .  .  .
and then painting two red .  .  .
and one black.
and then gluing the three together.

Painting on black dots using the wooden tip of a paint brush .  .  .


And gluing on a button with googly eyes on the top center for the head!
They certainly enhances the garden scene - don't they!



Each month, a group of craft, home decor, and recipe bloggers co-host a themed blog hop. This month, we’re all sharing Summer Craft Ideas.

 Meet this month’s hosts:
 Be sure visit their links to see how they met this month’s   challenge!



Click on the links below to see how the co-hosts met this month’s challenge!



Thursday, May 27, 2021

DIY Knotted Tote Bag

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Disclosure I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, this post may contain links. I may receive a very small commission at no cost to you! The affiliate money I earn helps pay my crafting expenses. Thanks so much for your support!

How often do you wish you had a stylish tote bag to use at any given moment? You won't believe how easy it is to make one! Since I had lots of macrame cording left from a previous project I wanted to make a simple knotted tote bag perfect to carry groceries, books, or whatever! Some of you might think this is a macrame bag - but I prefer not to call it that. When you say macrame, you think of rather intricate ways of tying knots. But this bag is made by tying just a basic overhand knot - over and over - a knot most of us learned as a child. 


So, for this bag, you just take a cord and make a loop and insert one end of the cord into the loop. Pulling both cord ends in opposite directions so that the knot is tight - making knots over and over again. How easy is that!

Materials:
Macrame Cord - 3mm (328 ft.)
Board (13x20") wood, cardboard, or rod to hang cords on
Clips to hold the cords
Measuring tape
Scissors
Thread
Wide eye needle

Directions:
Decide how wide and deep you want the bag to be. I measured 4 times the length of the bag (20"x4) I should have doubled the 20" to 40" (front and back) I Cut 7 cords 80" long and folded in half to get the center. Tie  a knot in the center of all the cords.  

This will be the bottom of the bag.


Drape the cords over the board and place the knots at the top. Secure knots with clips to keep in place. Begin tying knots alternating cords using the right/left cords first.

Once the first row is tied, turn the board over and tie the cords on the back, making sure to tie the side cords (one from the front and one from the back) together.
Begin alternating cords .  .  .
tying simple knots .  .  .
Front .  .  .
and back .  .  .
for the next ten rows.
Then, gather the cords in two groups to make handles, tying together in a knot. At this point I realized I didn't have enough cords to make a shoulder length handle. So I cut more cords and tied them together on each side. Overlapping ends in a u-shape for handles.
Use thread to wrapped around the cords where they are tied and overlapped together.
Next, cut two cords, 24ft long to wrap the handles by creating  half slip knots the entire handle length. Make a loop with one cord and use finger to grab the opposite cord and pull through the loop .  .  . 
creating a slip knot. It's quite time consuming making these - pulling the long cord through - so sit down and watch a tv show, lol!
Continue making slip knots .  .  .

along the entire length of the handle .  .  .
making sure to push the loops together along the handle to keep it neat.
When finish knotting, use a wide eyed needle to thread the cord ends down through the loops .  .  .
to secure. Cut off excess cords.
Talk about looking stylish! You bet!
Perfect for groceries .  .  .
or to hold a few books!

Welcome to the Monthly Creative Craft Hop

hosted by Andrea of Design Morsels

If you're coming over from Mary @Home is Where the Boat Is, WELCOME! Wasn't her flower garden stake adorable! Up next after me is Carol @Bluesky at Home sharing how to paint a flower pot using ceramic paint! You won't want to miss this!

Be sure to have fun and get inspired by all of the wonderful creations this month by clicking on the links below!