Summer Fun 2019 Link Party

Are you enjoying the summer? We're celebrating summer with a Summer Fun Link Party for summer crafts, decor, recipes, and activities! We'd love to have you share your summer related ideas at the party. We can't wait to see some summer fun inspiration! 

Meet the Hosts!

Across the Blvd | Purple Hues and Me

Sew Crafty Crochet | This Autoimmune Life

Our Unschooling Journey | Coastal Bohemian

Two Chicks & a Mom | Domestic Deadline

Cookies, Coffee, & Crafts | My Pinterventures | Stone Cottage Adventures

Each co-host will be sharing a summer time post to kick off the party. You’ll find our links in the first Link Up below. Please visit the links and check out all of the kick-off posts. You’re sure to find lots of inspiration!

There are so many wonderful ways to enjoy and enhance your outdoor water area for summer! For one, there's a lovely way to accent your water features with handcrafted, beautiful floating lotus flowers! You often see them in ponds and pools and in festive outdoor celebrations including weddings!  Lotus flowers also looks fabulous floating in a large bowl indoors, or placed on furniture as an accent piece, too! So for our Summer Fun Link Party, I'm sharing an easy to follow tutorial on how to make your very own floating lotus flower made out of foam sheets!    

Floating Foam Lotus Flower

Co-Host Summer Fun Kick Off Projects

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

You’re invited to share any summer related posts: Crafts, Decor, Activities, and Recipes. If it’s a way to celebrate summer, we’d love to have you share it with us! We’re looking forward to seeing your summer time creativity! Unfortunately, posts not related to the Summer Fun theme will be deleted.We’ll be pinning and sharing your posts over the next couple of weeks. The party is open through July 12 and on July 15 each host will be posting her features, so be sure to stop by for that.

Share Your Summer Crafts, Recipes, Decor, & Activities

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Upcycle Pan with Decoupage Napkins

Hello and welcome to our Thrift Store Challenge for the month of June!  Here, a group of creative bloggers come together on the fourth Thursday of each month 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! 

This month was tough! I went to several thrift stores looking for something small to re-make. I had almost given up when I spotted a griddle pan.  I remembered seeing a few fry pans transformed into wall clocks on Pinterest but really didn't want to tackle that. Since I had a lot of decorative napkins, I took the easy way out and decided to paint and decoupage the pan instead. Here's how!

Materials used:

• Griddle pan
• De-greaser/alcohol
• Paint+Primer spray paint
• Decorative napkins
• Paint brush/water
• Mod podge
• Sandpaper
• Polyurethane protective varnish sealer

Instructions:
Begin by cleaning pan with a de-greaser or wipe down with alcohol after cleaning with dish detergent and water.

Next, spray on a paint+primer paint that will adhere to metal and plastics, on both front and back and let each side dry.

After drying, lay out napkin on top of pan for design placement and .  .  .

cut out the basic design pattern you want.

Next, take a wet paint brush and outline the area to be used.

Gently remove the wet areas with fingers for an uneven edge which will lay and blend in better than a straight edge.

Then, separate the printed paper layer from the plain layers by dipping finger in glue, tapping together with napkin in-between fingers at corner edge. 

Next, the printed napkin needs to be glued down in small sections since it is thin, delicate and easily tears when wet with mod podge. To do this, position the printed portion of napkin on pan and lift up an end side to lightly apply mod podge over a small area of the pan.

Carefully, replace napkin on glue and lightly pat the napkin down smoothing out as you pat.

Continue applying mod podge in small sections and smoothing napkin out until entire napkin is applied. Tear out and glue-on additional napkin pieces to add to the design until satisfied with look.  Also, be sure to decoupage the handle for a unique design.  

Then, hang up pan to dry. Once dry, remove excess napkin using sandpaper on the edges. Apply a top layer of mod podge over the napkin once it's completely dry. And finally, seal with a protective varnish spray. 

What a lovely decorative upcycle wall accessory for the kitchen!

 I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post also contains affiliate links.  I may receive a very small commission.  It does NOT result in additional charges to you or cost you anything extra.  The affiliate money I earn per month helps pay my crafting expenses. Thanks so much for your support!

And now for more thrifty goodness!

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 - Angie | Grandma Creates 

Meredith | Southbound Blog - Amanda | Domestically Creative  

Molly | Just a Little Creativity - Jenny | Cookies Coffee and Crafts 

 Michelle | Michelle James Designs - Marie | DIY Adulation 

Pili | My Sweet Things - Gail | Purple Hues and Me  

Denise| My Thrifty House - Emy | Semigloss Design  

Michelle | Our Crafty Mom - Lynne | My Family Thyme 

Chas | Chas' Crazy Creations - Kathleen | Our Hopeful Home 

Carmen | Living Letter Home

  

Make sure you follow our board on Pinterest for more upcycled decor inspiration!

Check out what my fellow upcyclers created below!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Floating Foam Lotus Flower

The lotus is an amazing flower - it may look delicate and beautiful but it has the quality and meaning of being resistant and strong - rising out of mud and murky waters to form a beautiful flower, symbolizing strength and growth. 

What a lovely way to accent your outdoor water features or decor with a handcrafted beautiful floating lotus flower! You often see them in ponds and pools and in festive outdoor celebrations including weddings! They're also stunning indoors, floating in a large bowl or as an accent piece on furniture, too!  Want to learn how to make one of these beauties? Here's an easy to follow tutorial that I'm also sharing at our 2019 Summer Fun Link Party! 

Materials needed:
Printer paper or cardstock to make a template
Scissors
Craft skewer stick
Foam sheets
Soft Pastels (powdered pigments)
Paper towel
Iron/parchment paper 
DAP - all purpose adhesive 

Instructions:
Make a template of petals by folding paper or cardstock and drawing a line in the shape of a half petal and cut out. 

Next, use a skewer stick to outline petals on foam sheet and cut out. Petals can also be made smaller by cutting the foam around the bottom edge for different sizes. 

To shape and soften foam petals without hear, twist and pull foam in different directions.

And then add color to petals but using a small piece of paper towel to rub over the pastels, blending in the colors onto the petals. After coloring, sandwiched petals between two sheets of parchment paper, heating with an iron to set, and pulling the petals to lengthen and shape.

Next, form the lotus flower by cutting out a circle from the foam sheet and begin gluing on the petals in clockwise positions (3 & 9) using an all purpose adhesive that's quick dry, waterproof and dries clear like DAP all purpose adhesive.  I would not recommend using hot glue since it's not water resistant and may melt from the heat of the sun. 

Continue gluing petals on clockwise (6 & 12) .  .  .

and in-between .  .  .

adding shorter petals as you get closer to the center.

Curl the center petals by heating with an iron and rolling the foam petals together.

To make the stamen, cut a strip of yellow foam sheet about 1/2" wide and fringe the edges leaving a border.  

For the lily pad, and for a more realistic look, cut off the stem and round off the pointed edges of a large faux anthurium leaf into the shape of a pad. Or you can cut out a large circle from a green foam sheet, making wavy edges as you cut around.

Once the foam strip is fringed, roll it together, gluing in place every few inches. Add additional glue to base and apply in center of lotus flower. Attach the completed lotus flower to pad with glue placed in the center.

And yes, it really floats! 

Want to be inspired with more Summer Fun Ideas? Be sure to stop by and join in the fun at our 

Summer Fun Link Party 

Thanks for stopping by

and take a little time to enjoy,

Happy Crafting!

How to Make a Floral Bow Door Swag

 This tutorial first appeared on Bowdabrablog where I'm on the design team. The floral bow swag is quite unique in its' design and gives off such a warm, welcoming feel for summer! A beautiful floral bow design with pink wispy flower stems surrounding a gorgeous Bowdabra summer bow! And the best part, you wouldn't believe how easy it is to create using your Bowdabra!

Let’s get started by gathering the following materials:
Bowdabra
Bowdabra Wand
Bowdabra Bow Wire 
Wired 2.5" Ribbon (9ft)
Wispy Flower Stems
Floral Foam/Floral Wire/Pins
Hot glue
Decorative Butterfly Clip 

Then fold a 36″ piece of Bowdabra wire in half and lay in the Bowdabra, You’ll have a loop at one end and two loose pieces at the opposite end and tuck end under.

Let's begin making the swag by bending the stem ends of the wispy flowers left or right to spread the branches around the Bowdabra as you insert them.  Then place different lengths of flower stems down into the Bowdabra with shorter branches on top and sides, and larger stems hanging down towards the bottom.  

Next, crease the end of the wired ribbon and place down into the Bowdabra.

Make  a 5" loop on one side and place the ribbon down into the Bowdabra!

 Since the plaid design is on both sides, fold the other side at the same 5" width for the next loop, creasing the ribbon down into the Bowdabra.  

Continue to make loops on each side until you're satisfied with the look. I made a total of ten loops, five on each side. Then scrunch down the ribbon using the Bowdabra Wand.

Make a slip knot by taking the loose ends of the bow wire through the wire loop, pulling tight while gently pulling the bow out. Separate the wires around to the back, tying in a double knot.

 Next, pull the bow wire through floral foam using floral wire shaped into a "U." Make a loop for hanging and secure with a floral pin and seal with hot glue.

Thanks for stopping by

and take a little time to enjoy,

Happy Crafting!

Flower Bath Foam Scrubbies

We all love participating in Pinterest Challenges! You just never know what you might find and inspire you on Pinterest! While searching for hostess gift ideas, imagine my surprise to see an Eva Sponge included in a Spa Gift Basket!  

For those of you who don't know what "eva" means in the crafting world - they're referring to those "foam sheets" you find in the kiddie section of craft stores! Yep, that's right, foam sheets! Oh boy was I excited!!! I've made lots of crafts using foam sheets so I knew right away I could easily make something like this! Heck, yeah! 



Materials Needed:
Foam Sheets - 12" x 18"
Template
White Twine
Scissors
Rubber Band (large,thin)
You will also need the ball point of a pen that doesn't work.

Instructions:
Begin by creating a template of petals. I drew a larger petal first and copied that five times next to each other and then drew a smaller one to copy five times, combining all the petals into a strip. The larger petal is 2 1/4" tall x 1 1/4" wide and the smaller one is half that width. You can copy and paste this to Word and adjust the size, if you want. But, you'll probably be able to draw a much neater looking template! Lol!

Next, use the ball point tip of a pen that no longer writes to outline the petals on the foam sheets. I used the entire length of the sheets (18") and outlined three rows to cut out. 

Once the rows of petals are cut out, it's time to make the hanging rope by braiding four strands of 15" white twine.

Here's how:

  

1.  Tape down the ends of four white twine strands 15" long to your work surface.

2. Take the strand on the far right and pass it over the strand next to it and group the two strands in the middle. 

3.  Then take the far left strand over the two strands next to it.

4. And, as in the beginning, continue on by taking the far right strand over the strand next to it (grouping the two strands in the middle)  Continue on!

5. Then take the far left strand over the two strands next to it and continue braiding following the same steps over and over .  .  .

until reaching the end.

And finally, tie the braided ends together in a loop, cutting off excess twine.

For the scrubbie, place the strips of foam petals on top of each other, staggering the pieces so that the longer length end is on the outside, then the next length and the shortest on top. *Don't follow the picture below. The hanging rope goes on top of the smaller petals. You want the smaller petals in the center of the scrubbie after rolling. I realized my mistake after I took the picture. Sorry I didn't take a corrected picture.

Begin rolling the foam sheets together starting with the smaller petals. Be sure to roll tight while keeping the edges straight. Notice how the strips are staggered near the end as you roll.

Once you've reached the end, hold tight while .  .  .

wrapping a large, thin rubber band around about a 1/4 inch away from the edge  

as many times as you can for tightness and to hold the foam in place.

Next, tie a strand of white twine as tight as you can over the rubber band, tying  in two or three knots to secure. Then cut off the rubber band. 

Also, cut off the excess twine close to the tied knots.

Push the outside petals down and out and it's done!

Easy peasy, right!

How cute is this for bath or shower! And great as a gift, too!

 I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post also contains affiliate links.  I may receive a very small commission.  It does NOT result in additional charges to you or cost you anything extra.  The affiliate money I earn per month helps pay my crafting expenses. Thanks so much for your support!

Welcome to the June Pinterest Challenge Blog Hop 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! 

LET’S MEET THIS MONTH’S Co-Hosts! 

My Pinterventures •  Cookies Coffee and Crafts 

Sew Crafty Crochet •  Sum of their Stories   

Eye Love Knots  •   This Autoimmune Life 

Love My Little Cottage  •   Across the Boulevard 

Suzerspace •  My Sweet Things   

Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After 

Purple Hues and Me  • Decorate and More with Tip

Mom Home Guide •  Our Unschooling Journey 

Our Good Life  •   Intelligent Domestications  

Craftify My Love   •  Life Beyond the Kitchen 

K's Olympic Nest •  Teadoddles 

Our Crafty Mom  •  My Family Thyme 

  Farm Girl Reformed

To join next month's #pinterestchallenge, click here to sign-up ⇒ July Pinterest Challenge

 Let's see what the other hosts have created ⇓⇓

An InLinkz Link-up