Transform a Tissue Box Cover

                         

I sneeze all the time. I don't know what sets me off, but I have Kleenex tissue boxes all over the house just in case I have to sneeze. Once I get started, I can sneeze several times before it stops. It doesn't matter where I am - the bedroom, greatroom  or kitchen. If I could put a tissue box in the shower, I would, lol!

I must say that I am very particular about how the store bought tissue boxes are decorated. I can't buy just any design color! I'm always on the lookout for ones decorated with a bit of purple or more and sometimes that's hard to find. So I have to "settle" for whatever is out there. I've always said to myself, I need to make my own tissue box covers, but I never did - until now!  

I was in a Goodwill and saw a plain old gray tissue box cover. It was tagged at $3 and thought, now is the time - so I bought it along with a couple of other items I might upcycle in the future. 

When I got home, I looked online at Michaels and found an unfinished wood tissue box cover for $6.99.  Hobby Lobby didn't have any, so three dollars was quite the bargain - just in time for this month's 'Do It Over' Designers Blog Hop!

The "Do It Over Designers" is a group of creative bloggers who love to recycle/upcycle/ DIY, hosted by Anne @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. Anything from fabric, old dishes, and decor, to dressers and hutches. Items found in closets, cabinets, barns, garages, yard sales, thrift stores, you name it! 

You won't believe how easy it was to transform the thrift store tissue box cover!

Supplies Used:

• Wood tissue box cover
• Tape measure or ruler.
• Laser printed design/scissors
• White acrylic paint/sponge brush
• Matte Mod Podge/paint brush
• Parchment paper
• Clear plastic bag (Ziplock) 
• Craft knife
• Mod Podge Spray Acrylic Sealer

Let's begin by making sure the wood surface of the tissue box is clean and free of any dirt, grime or oils.  It's best to use a damp cloth to do this. You don't want to soak the wood with water or cleaning solution. They might cause the wood to swell. Once the surface is cleaned and dry, use a tape measure or ruler to measure the tissue box cover. I measured it at 5.5" on all five (top included) sides. Then I looked online for a purple print design that I liked which I copied onto WORD using the 5.5" measurements and printed it out using my laser printer.

Once the first design sheet was printed, I cut it out to see how it would look on the tissue box cover. Perfect! Then printed out four more copies to cut out. I planned to put this tissue box cover in my kitchen, especially since my kitchen cabinets are white.

The next step is to place a sheet of parchment down on your work surface and paint the box with a couple coats of white acrylic paint, letting it dry between coats.

Once the acrylic paint is thoroughly dry, using a paint brush, begin applying a generous layer of Matte Mod Podge (for a flat finish) on the surface of the tissue box - one side at a time. 

Gently lay one of the square sheets down on one side of the tissue box cover, starting in one corner and moving toward the opposite corner, down and over until that side is covered with the design sheet. Repeat for the other three sides matching the flower design.

Use plastic food wrap to smooth out the paper and prevent wrinkles. Let dry.

Once all four sides are completely dry, begin adding Mod Podge over the design - 

on all four sides.

Let dry completely or overnight.

I love how the corners and edges of the tissue box cover are showing the painted white edges of the tissue box cover - especially since my kitchen cabinets are white.

For the top, apply a generous layer of Mod Podge and lay the final design sheet on top.  

Smoothing out, as before. Pay close attention to smoothing the paper down and around the opening - making sure it's sealed down.

Once the top design sheet is completely dry, begin cutting out the opening using a craft knife.

How cool does this look!

And finally, take the tissue box cover outside to apply Mod Podge Spray Acrylic Sealer to protect the finish.

Hope you enjoyed my decoupage transformation!

Be sure to visit all of this month's creative Projects by the 

"Do It Over Designers" listed below:

Pandora’s Box

Purple Hues & Me

Unique Creations by Anita

Sum of Their Stories

The Apple Street Cottage

Exquisitely Unremarkable

Little Vintage Cottage

Decorative Chenille Trim Ribbon Pumpkin

 

One of the best activity to do this time of year is having fun decorating pumpkins! And you all know that there are upteen thousand ways to decorate a pumpkin, lol! There seems to be no limit in pumpkin creativity! You see them everywhere: fifty ways to decorate a pumpkin or 100 plus creative pumpkin decorating ideas, etc.! I even have my own post on pumpkin theme decorations you can check out here!

 Welcome to this months' Creative Craft Hop hosted by Donna @Modern on Monticello who's filling in for Sara @Birdz of a Feather for a few months. Thank you Donna for keeping this awesome hop going! 

If you're coming over from Jenna @The Painted Apron, isn't her Blooming Pumpkin adorable! Jenna is so creative!

I love that you can use pretty much anything to decorate a pumpkin. And pumpkin decorating doesn't have to be complicated to be lovely and sophisticated. I was inspired to decorate my latest pumpkin from ornaments I previously made using chenille stems as seen here and here. 

I'm calling this a Decorative Chenille Trim Ribbon Pumpkin!

Supplies:

• Pumpkin - 12" tall
• Ribbon 2.5" width, fall plaid pattern
• Chenille stems 12" orange
• Fabri-Tac fabric glue
• Scissors
• Straight pins

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 to:

I'm using a white pumpkin that I had in my stash. It's a good size, about 12 inches high and a little over 12 inches deep. I got the 50yd roll of wired ribbon on clearance from Sam's earlier this year for $4.88! What a bargain! Begin by leaving the ribbon on the roll, pulling out a couple of feet onto the work surface. Take a chenille stem and fold in half, 

pinching the middle into a point. Then open the stem, curving each side into a petal shape. If you push the point while holding the stem, the sides will automatically curve.

Apply fabri-tac glue along one side of the entire stem and .  .  .

press the point of the chenille stem onto the center of the ribbon - although I was trying to put the point in the middle of the plaid stripe - shaping the stem into a petal while smoothing the stem wire down onto the ribbon. Let dry.

Continue creating as many chenille stem petals as needed and gluing them down onto the ribbon and letting them dry. Once they are thoroughly dry, cut out following the bottom of the stem outline.

Once the stems are cut out, wrap each petal around the glue bottle to shape into a curve.

 To decorate, use straight pins inserted into the bottom of the petals to hold them in place around the pumpkin.

Once the first layer of petals are pinned, 

overlapping the second layer starting at the base of the pumpkin stem.

And then, adding a third layer of petals in between the bottom petals. You can fluff up the petals by pushing the bottom pointed tip up along the pumpkin.

And finally, add a handmade bow tied with an orange chenille stem on top for a 

festive fall look!

An easy and creative contemporary flair pumpkin!

Be sure to check out all the talented bloggers and their wonderful creations listed below!

Coppery Stemware Refresh in 3 Simple Steps -  Cecilia @My Thrift Store Addiction

Halloween Ceramic Book Makeovers - Niki @Life as a Leo Wife

How to Use Paper Leaves in Fall Decor - Carol @Blue Sky at Home

DIY Fall Olive Wreath - Terrie @Decorate and More With Tip

Easy DIY Fall Ribbon Wreath - Donna @Modern on Monticello

Blooming Pumpkin -  Jenna@ The Painted Apron

Decorative Chenille Trim Ribbon Pumpkin - Gail @Purple Hues and Me

DIY Ruffle Ribbon Wreath for Fall

                    

Here's an amazing DIY decorative wreath using ruffle wired ribbon on cardboard adorned with a Bowdabra bow that's topped with a ribbon rosette. How fabulous does that sound! Especially for Fall! This post first appeared on bowdabra.com where I'm on the design team.

To Make, you will need:

• 13" Wood Hoop or bowl 
• Ruler
• Cardboard
• Craft Knife
• 2.5" wired ribbon (10+yds)
• Pencil or stick to wrap pulled wire
• Fabri-Tac fabric glue or hot glue gun
• Bowdabra and Bowdabra Wand
• Bowdabra Bow Wire
• 2.5" contrasting ribbon

Let's begin by drawing a 13" circle on cardboard using a 13" wood hoop or any round object such as a cookware top or bowl.

Cut the circle out using a craft knife.

Place a top or bowl in the center of the cutout cardboard circle that measures three inches from the edge of the circle and draw another circle. I used an 8" plastic bowl for this. Then cutout inner circle and .  .  .

you have the base of the wreath.

To make the first ruffle, leave the wired ribbon on the roll. For this project I had a 50yd roll of wired ribbon from Sam's Club. You need that much! Begin gently pulling out the wire on the top edge to create the ruffles. Use a pencil to wrap the wire around to keep it neatly together. 

It took about nine feet of wired ribbon to make one ruffle to fit around the cardboard wreath. Leave a bit of wire on the end, wrapping it around into a knot, cutting off excess ribbon. Apply glue along the edge of the ruffle ribbon and fold over to make a small hem. Do the same for the other ribbon end adding glue and folding ribbon end over to make a small hem. Attach the ruffle to the cardboard using Fabri-Tac fabric glue along the cardboard edge in increments.

Smoothly press down the ruffle edge of the ribbon along the edge as you apply the glue .  .  . 

until the edge is completely covered with the ruffle.

Repeat creating the second ruffle using the same techniques as before and .  .  .

for the third ruffle, spacing the ruffles to cover the cardboard wreath.

Doesn't this wreath look gorgeous with the three rows of ruffle ribbon! Wait until you add the bow!

Glue on a hanging loop at the top center back using Bowdabra wire secured with a strip of ribbon that's glued on. 

To make the bow with a wire ribbon rosette center:

Fold a 18″ length of bow wire in half and place in the Bowdabra, tucking ends under. Leaving the wired ribbon on the roll, pinch the ribbon in the center and twist down into the Bowdabra, leaving six inches for the tail. Create a 6.5" loop by folding over the ribbon, twisting the ribbon down into the Bowdabra smoothing the ribbon out.

On the opposite side, fold over the ribbon creating another loop, twisting the ribbon down into the Bowdabra. Match the size of the loops by holding up the loops along the tower of the Bowdabra.

Next, make another loop, slightly shorter than the first two, folding over, twisting the ribbon down into the Bowdabra and making another loop on the opposite side for a total of four loops (two on each side), leaving enough ribbon for a matching tail cutting off the excess ribbon.

 Use the Bowdabra wand to crunch down the bow.  

Add contrasting ribbon loops by taking an 18" piece of 2.5" ribbon, pinching the end  down into the Bowdabra. Make a 3.5" loop twisting down into the Bowdabra. 

Then make a 3.5" loop on the opposite side, twisting down into the Bowdabra.

Crush down the ribbon using the Bowdabra wand. Then cut off excess ribbon.

While the bows are still in the Bowdabra, thread the two loose ends of the bow wire through the loop, pulling tightly, gently pulling it out.

Tie in a double knot at the back to secure. Cut off excess bow wire.

Dovetail the ribbon ends by folding the ribbon together and cutting at an angle from the corner tip up to the fold. 

To make the ribbon rosette for the center of the bow, cut off about 18 inches of ribbon. Begin by gently pulling the wire out of one side of the ribbon to create the ruffle. Glue down the ribbon ends to secure the wire and ruffle.

Begin coiling the ribbon tightly for the center forming a "bud."

Continue coiling the ribbon, loosely until  .  .  .

a rosette is formed. Use a clamp to hold in place.

Then wrap the excess wire around the base and .  .  .

glue in place to the center of the bow.

And finally, glue on bow to the middle bottom of the ruffle ribbon wreath for a Fabulous Fall look!