DIY Wedding Favors

Planning a wedding? I'm over on Bowdabra.com with an easy to follow tutorial on how to make this adorable wedding favor! Please stop by to check it out!

Thanks for stopping by

and take a little time to enjoy,

Happy Crafting!

Upcycle Whimsical Painted Urn

It's time for The Thrift Store Upcycle Challenge on the fourth Thursday of the month! Our first for the new year, 2020! Here, a group of creative bloggers come together to share their lovely transformations of a thrift store item. Who doesn't love thrift store upcycle projects - whether it's actually creating one or admiring how an item from a thrift store was transformed! 

 

 The Rules:

• Upcycle an item(s) from a thrift store, resale store, or garage sale into a new piece of decor.
• There's no monthly theme.
• There's no budget to stick to.

Meet the Hosts:

Angela | Simply Beautiful By Angela - Pili | My Sweet Things  

Beverly | Across the Blvd - Gail | Purple Hues and Me 

Chas | Chas' Crazy Creations - Michelle | Our Craft Mom  

Meredith | Thriftwood Home - Kathleen | Our Hopeful Home 

 Jenny | Cookies Coffee and Crafts

It's always fun shopping at Thrift stores! Sometimes you discover awesome pieces and sometimes you don't! I think it just depends on the day! I found a winner when I came upon this beauty a few months ago!  It was only $3.99! What a bargain!

The urn had lots of blemishes and imperfections and it didn't do much good using sandpaper on it since it was concrete. But it was a solid piece! I wanted to paint the urn in a whimsical design using a bit of purple - and not do the usual aged look finish. So I started out using a white chalk paint to cover all of it - inside and out!

Next, I added purple using metallic acrylics to some of the raised designs around the bottom. At that point things were not looking so good.  It still looked plain and when I attempted to add stripes to the upper portion using masking tape, the tape took off some of the chalk paint, so I nixed doing that. 

Then I thought how polka dots would be easy to add and help give the urn a striking design.  So I dipped the end of a wooden dowel into the metallic paint and carefully pressed it onto the urn surface for what I think is a lovely effect. 

After the dots were completely dry, I applied a couple of coats of gloss varnish to seal and give the finish a shiny look!

What a fun way to update a thrift store urn!

And now for more thrifty goodness!

Check out what my fellow upcyclers created below!

Stylish Storage Containers Using Paper

Welcome to the first Pinterest Challenge Blog Hop of 2020 hosted by Erlene @ My Pinterventures.  If you aren't familiar with the Pinterest Challenge, it's a monthly event that challenges us to not just be pin hoarders, but to make it happen by creating a few!

 This month's challenge is about organization and storage.  I was quite hesitant to join this month.  I'm so sorry to be saying this, but every new year, it's the same old, same old:  "the new year represents opportunities to get organized and storage solutions!" Why now? I am not motivated to do much in the cold weather especially since I have no extra space (we downsized a few years ago) to build, paint or even rearrange things. I like it when it's warm so I can take stuff outside and do my thing! And it's not a good time for me to sort through things either. We just got finished with Christmas - sorting and rearranging- throwing things out! Whew! I'm already worn out! That's why I was drawn to this pin! So simple and easy!

It's a super easy organization and storage idea using recycle glass jars and decorative papers to create lovely storage solutions anywhere in your home! And the best part, you can change things up by simply replacing the paper! Now, how easy is that! 

Stylish Storage Containers Using Paper Materials:
Recycle glass jars
Decorative Papers
Measuring tape
Scissors/paper cutter 


Here's how:

• Clean and remove the labels from recycle glass jars making sure there is no sticky residue. I like to use acetone (nail polish remover) for this. I guess you figured out I like pickles, huh?

• Measure the height of the jar where you want the paper to stop. Consider any curves in the glass when measuring - that can affect how the paper sits in the container.

• Cut paper out.

• Roll-up paper and insert into jar.

• Now cut out more decorative papers to line those empty jars!

• And then fill those jars with like items!

Now, how easy is that! It's so embarrassingly simple! And if you get tired of the colors and design, just switch out the paper! How about that!

TO JOIN NEXT MONTH’S #PINTERESTCHALLENGE, CLICK HERE TO SIGN-UP ⇒ February Pinterest Challenge

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For more Pinterest inspired projects from this month's Pinterest Challenge hosts, check out the links below ↓

 

My Pinterventures  •  Domestic Deadline  

Elle Marie Home   •   Cookies Coffee and Crafts   

Across the Boulevard  •  Slices of Life 

Teadoddles •  Farm Girl Reformed   

Purple Hues and Me   •   Decorate and More with Tip  

 Sew Crafty Crochet  •  Life Beyond Kitchen 

Mom Home Guide   •  Intelligent Domestications   

 Lulu & Celeste  •   Love My Little Cottage   

 Eye Love Knots  •   My Family Thyme 

Create with Cynthia    

Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After 

Christine Faye Repurposed  •  Coastal Bohemian

   Now, let's see what the other hosts have created ⇓⇓

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Packing Tape Transfer Winter Scene

Every month a group of bloggers are challenged by C'mon Get Crafty to create a new craft or project from their own stash of goodies! Everyone is allowed a $10 allowance for necessities to complete their project (i.e. paint brushes, glue, etc), but the bulk of it must be created from their own stash of goodies.

Winter theme crafts are always popular just after Christmas and I've always wanted to try a packing tape transfer, so I combined the two, plus I used hot glue in silicone molds to create a 3D effect for the scene. And the best part, I had everything in my stash!

Let's start by finding an image you like and size it to the width of the packing tape to print out using a laser printer. Using an inkjet will not work. The ink will run.

Next, cut a piece of packing tape to the desired length and place sticky side up on work surface. Then lay the image face down on top of the tape, smoothing it out.  I know this sounds backwards, but I tried several times to roll the tape out on the image but I could not do it without getting a wrinkle in the tape. And once you get a wrinkle there is no way to get it out. So I came up with placing the image on top of the tape and it worked without getting any wrinkles!

Next, cut the taped image out.

 Then burnish the tape over the image with the back of a spoon. Rubbing the image and edges over and over to make sure the tape and paper are stuck together with no gaps.

Next, soak the taped image in a bowl of warm water for at least five minutes or longer to soften the paper.

Once the paper is soft, begin rubbing the paper off with the tips of your fingers (do not use your fingernails to scrap the paper off - you will see the scratches)  I like to keep the paper in the water to rub the paper off. It seems much easier to remove the backing.

Once the paper is removed, pour the water out using a strainer to catch the paper bits and pieces. You don't want that going down your drain.

Lay the image sticky side up on a paper towel to dry.

While the image is drying, fill the deer and tree molds with hot glue.

Once the taped scene is dry it becomes sticky again and can now be placed on the glass container just like a sticker.

Remove the deer and tree from the molds and glue on top of the tape image for a 3D effect.

I rubbed on a bit of stain to the deer and tree for the perfect look! 

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!

Now let's meet this month's bloggers!!

C'mon Get Crafty | Love My Little Cottage

Domestic Deadline | Across the Blvd | Purple Hues and Me

This Autoimmune Life | Sew Crafty Crochet

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Crock Pot Gumbo

 Welcome friends to our Monthly Challenge Blog Hop!   On the second Monday of each month a group of talented and creative bloggers come together to share their themed creations! And this month we're kicking off the new year by sharing our Favorite Family Recipes!

I've been making crock pot gumbo on New Year's eve for over forty years! And this year was no exception! It's a favorite family tradition that I started long ago when we would always go to our dear friends on Christmas day for a lovely gathering! We were never home on Christmas day, so naturally I felt guilty not having something just our family would enjoy together during the holidays. So I started making gumbo - something I knew my family would love and to welcome the new year in our own special way! And my family still looks forward to eating my crock pot gumbo every new year!

The fun thing about making gumbo is that you can add your favorite ingredients like chicken, sausage and shrimp and omit things you don't, like okra and green peppers! This year I even added turkey and ham that I had in the freezer leftover from Thanksgiving!  Served over rice, the gumbo was really delicious and quite tasty, as always!

As with most gumbos, my crock pot version starts with making a roux for thickness. My family likes thick gumbo as opposed to a soup-like consistency. 
Roux starts out the same way - a combination of flour and oil, stirred together for however long to get the desired color and to keep it from burning! Dark roux gives gumbo a rich, nutty body!

 You'll also find most of the signature ingredients included, too, except for tomatoes and, as I mentioned before, okra and green peppers. The hubs doesn't care for these in his dishes. But anything you like can and often does find its way into gumbo! That's one of the cool things I love about making it! It's the cooks' choice as to what goes in it! Lol!

Once the shrimp is added and mixed well, cover and continue to cook on low for another 15-20 minutes or until the shrimp has blended in well and tender. Then, serve over rice or eat as is! Enjoy!

Be sure to check out all of our co-hosts for their favorite family recipes, too!

Across the Blvd | Purple Hues & Me

Slices of Life | Sum of Their Stories

Comfort Spring | Stone Cottage Adventures | Coastal Bohemian

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

New Years Party Garland

Have I got an adorable 2020 New Years party garland for you to make! It's made of clear plastic ornaments in assorted sizes, strung together with cording and adorned with spiky loops and bows.  Check it out over on Bowdabrablog where I'm sharing my tutorial on this cool bubble party garland! It's as fun to make as it is festive using the Bowdabra!

Thanks for stopping by

and take a little time to enjoy,

Happy Crafting in the New Year!

Merry Christmas!