Saturday, July 25, 2026

Outdoor CD Mobile Suncatcher DIY

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Right now, I am slowly trying to declutter some of the stuff (junk) my hubby and I have in our home! You know that's difficult for me to do since I'm a crafter! But I recently came across a box of old CDs we use to play in our cars! Looking through the titles brought back wonderful memories and I was very hesitant to throw them out!  So I grabbed the box and put them aside to decide what I wanted to do with them!

But before we get started with the "what happened next," Welcome to this month's "Do It Over Designers" blog hop! In case you've forgotten, the Do It Over Designers is a group of creative bloggers who love to recycle/upcycle/ DIY, that's hosted by Ann @The Apple Street Cottage. It happens the 4th Saturday of every other month and it's all about taking something old and/or unused and 'doing it over' into something new.


Continuing on about the CDs, there are so many crafts you can make with old CDs! Imagine repurposing those old CDs collecting dust into something beautiful!  Breathing new life into otherwise discarded materials by making an outdoor CD mobile suncatcher - especially this time of year! The CD's reflective surface is perfect for catching light! It's a great way to let your outdoor space sparkle by harnessing the power of sunlight and breeze to create a mesmerizing atmosphere with a CD mobile suncatcher! 

Materials:
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! Plus Google Adsense provides a platform for me to monetize my content by hosting ads from Google's network of advertisers. The money I earn helps pay my crafting expenses. Thanks so much for your support!

How To:
First, I selected this old CD to use for my mobile suncatcher:

It looks like something my hubby might have put together! But then again, some of these songs are not his type, lol!

Anyway to get started, you will want to remove the printed side of the CD. Do this by making a small scratch mark using a utility knife on the printed side of the CD. 
Then cover the scratch mark and the entire area of the printed side with packaging  tape. Rub down the tape all over the CD - especially where you made the scratch mark. 


Then quickly peel the tape off, starting at the scratch mark. The label should lift right up. 


If not, repeat as needed, adding tape, smoothing it out and quickly removing it until .  .  . 

all of the label is gone, leaving you with a completely clear, transparent disc.
Next, mark evenly spaced spots (8) like that of a clock using a marker around the edge of the disc.  

 Then make punch holes with a hole puncher over the spots where the fishing lines will be attached.








Once finished with punching holes around the CD, I found a non-adhesive decal (used for windows) in my stash that can be smooth on without using glue. It's a lovely prism rainbow design that reflects sunlight, adding a decorative touch to the CD disc. 

I like using this better than trying to paint a design on the CD.

Once that's applied, measure eight separate fishing lines  - about 36 inches long to start. Begin by attaching a large sparkling prism to each one to basically hold the fishing line down. 

I tied extra large prism beads topped with smaller ones to each of the eight cords and hung them on the back of a chair to add more crystals and beads to each one.

Then I added 12 more crystals for a total of 14 to each of the eight cords. 
I used a crystal bead on the top side of the CD to secure the fishing lines to the holes. Then tied securely so the beads and crystals hang freely.



Tied the strands together, gluing on small decorative beads to secure to a sturdy hook.

Hung outdoors near my pergola where sunlight can reach it, letting the crystals spin naturally in the breeze, reflecting the rainbow prism light!




I'm loving this easy upcycling project that turns old CDs into lovely outdoor decor and hope you do to!


Before you go, don't forget this is a blog hop and all of the designers have some amazing and very innovative projects to share with you.

Be sure to visit all of this month's creative projects by the 
 "Do It Over Designers"  listed below:


Tuesday, July 14, 2026

Decorative Toilet Paper Hydrangeas DIY

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Yes, you read the title correctly! Can you believe these are hydrangeas made of toilet paper! And the best part - they're created in just a few easy, but messy steps, lol!

But first, it's that time again for our monthly Creative Craft Hop!  WELCOME!  The hop is co-hosted by Sara @Birdz of a Feather  and Donna @Modern on  Monticello who take turns every other month! The lovely, talented and very creative Sara is our host for this month! I'm so glad you're here checking out our creative projects for the month of July!
 

If you started at the top of the list for these amazing projects, Carol from Bluesky @ Home is first! Wasn't her decoupaged tissue box cover fabulous?    
And be sure to check out all of our creative crafters sharing their awesome projects this month! You'll find the list below, just after my project!

Getting back to my toilet paper hydrangeas! As crafters, we are always looking for budget and eco-friendly ways to create something awesome! And what better item than toilet paper which is certainly an everyday household and personal item to use in a creative project?  So let's begin with the materials you'll need to make the hydrangeas!

Materials:
Toilet paper
Water
Parchment paper
Scissors
Craft wire (22gauge)
Hot glue gun/glue sticks

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! Plus Google Adsense provides a platform for me to monetize my content by hosting ads from Google's network of advertisers. The money I earn helps pay my crafting expenses. Thanks so much for your support!

How To:
I started with a roll of Charmin toilet paper from this bunch and .  .  .

initially tore three sheets from the roll. You can see that this toilet paper has wavy edges at the tears instead of straight edges.

I put the sheets on top of one another and folded the three together to see how the wavy edges came together - and they didn't match. But that wasn't a problem.
I put down a large sheet of parchment paper on my work surface and tore off  strips of toilet paper in groups of three and placed them on the parchment paper. Then I started spray painting the paper with purple stain ink that I diluted with a bit of water. Spraying first one side and then the other, and let dry. Be very careful with this step. The spray ink can get over everything including your hands and work surface and the surrounding area, lol!
The toilet paper took what I thought forever to dry but after an overnight wait they were dry. Then I folded the groups of three together and .  .  .
cut mostly four strips about half way down - and a few with five strips.
Once the strips were cut, it was time to shape the ends into round petals. First one side and then flipping the folded toilet paper sheets over to.  .  .

cut and shape the other side. Take care since this toilet paper is very delicate!

Once satisfied with the round edges (petals), twist each group of petals once. 



Then gently open or unravel the petals and folded toilet paper and .  .  . 
separate the sheets .  .  .
laying the open three twisted toilet paper sheets on top of each other.                            
Then begin gathering the sheets together in the middle.

Once the toilet paper sheets are grouped together, use about six inches of wire to hold them together in the middle. 
Then add a dab of hot glue to the center of the toilet paper where the wire is twisted, folding and pressing the petals together creating one group of petals.  

Tie wire around the three remaining groups of the three gathered petal shaped toilet papers, one at a time, as before, adding hot glue and . . .

securing the petals and wire to each other until .  .  .

all four groups are glued and wired together as one hydrangea. Then make sure all the wire ends are twisted together as one.
Next, take the end of a green tubular hollow stem and insert the twisted wires into it.
Add glue to the wire base (at the bottom of the petals) and push the stem all the way up over the wire and to the base of the petals where the glue is . . .  

to secure. Be sure to fluff and adjust all the petals!
Doesn't this look adorable! I made two more hydrangeas for a total of three.
It's amazing how light and the area affects the color of the toilet paper hydrangeas in this shot. Oh so purple!!!!
And you're all set to admire your decorative toilet paper hydrangeas!
Just perfect for home decor and other projects, too!

Can you believe that these hydrangeas are made from a household necessity into a beautiful floral statement!

 Up next is Cecilia @ My Thrift Store Addiction sharing what was gathered from the garden botanical lanterns! How cool is that!!!

And be sure to check out all of the amazing projects listed below: