Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Decorative Foam Noodle Crystal Vase

     , ,  22 comments

You know I love, love, love purple - hence the name of my blog - Purple Hues and Me!  So, recently when I was in the dollar store, I came across  lavender foam noodles! I had no idea what I would do with one, but I had to have it, lol!  But since our Creative Craft Hop was coming, I knew I needed to make something using it! In case you don't know, our Creative Craft Hop happens every month! We have two wonderful hosts - Donna @ Modern on Monticello and Sara @Birdz of a Feather who take turns every other month! The lovely and creative Sara is our host this month!  


Welcome all! I am so glad you're here! If you're following the craft hop line-up. I know you enjoyed seeing Rachel of Tea and Forget-Me-Nots lovely paper Easter Egg Craft! And we all love to have free templates, too!

There are lots and lots of craft ideas online using foam or pool noodles! Most seemed interesting but not quite appealing to my style.  I'm thinking a craft that's easy to make but gorgeous to look at, too! So I looked around in my stash and found a lovely glass container that could easily be converted into a vase or centerpiece and lots of acrylic crystals! Besides using crystals and a foam noodle, I needed a sharp knife to cut the noodle and Fabri-Tac/Fix to attach the cut noodles to the glass. Hot glue might melt the foam or not stick properly to the glass so I wouldn't recommend using that!

The glass container was 6" high x 22" wide, so I cut the noodle into six inch long pieces.
and then cut them in half.



Next, added Fabri-Tac glue to each flat side of the noodle . . .
and attached the noodle slices to the glass. 
 The cut foam is lining up quite nicely on the glass!
Continued gluing on the noodle slices . . .
until .  .  .
the very last one! .  .  . what a perfect fit!
Eleven foam pieces, 2 inches wide for a 22 inch wide glass container! 
You can't do better than that!
It's time to dress up the noodles by adding acrylic crystals to the top for a cool  decorative effect. I love crafting with acrylic crystals as previously seen here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. WHEW - that is really a lot!!!!!
Start by applying a small layer of glue to the top of the foam and attach the crystal pieces - including over the glass border and overlapping the foam edges to conceal. Be sure to press the crystals down until attached. It doesn't take long to secure them to the foam.
Continue adding glue and crystals to the top of the foam as you move around the container.
I think this look is beyond beautiful!
And then I got the idea of adding smaller iridescent crystals in between the foam! First, adding a line of glue and .  .  . 
sprinkling the crystals on top of the glue and pressing the crystals down. 
I'm really loving this look - and hope you do too!
Perfect to display flowers or as a gorgeous centerpiece!


I hope you enjoyed how I made my Decorative Foam Noodle Crystal Vase! 

Up next is Donna from Modern on Monticello - one of our awesome Creative Craft Hop hosts - sharing her adorable Dollar Tree Bunny Crafts!  

And be sure to visit all of the talented bloggers sharing their amazing creations listed below:






Saturday, January 25, 2025

Decorative Metal Buffet Stand

     ,  23 comments

Welcome to our first "Do It Over Designers" Blog Hop for 2025! In case you haven't heard, 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. Thanks Anne for hosting this wonderful blog hop!

OMG! I couldn't believe I came across this vintage looking stand at my local Goodwill for $4! It had layers of dust on the metal finish but otherwise in good shape! And a little bit of soap and water took care of that! I did go online to see if there was anything out there similar, but I couldn't find one.


I guess you're wondering why this stand is so special! Well, you've heard the saying, "a  coat of paint does wonders?" It's one of the most transformative but simple way to update something! And, just take a look at the cool design of the stand in the next couple of pictures!


Imagine it painted in one of my favorite colors! A purple hue, lol! Since it's been so cold (in the single digits) and snowy here, I had to hand paint this beauty using a sponge brush and DecoArt Metallic Acrylic paint in Berry! Otherwise, I would have spray painted it!


Here's the finished look:
Are you wondering what I'm going to do with this stand! It's perfect to hold one of my old Corning Ware Vision Cranberry Casserole and Lid container! Did you know this Corning Ware style was made back in the early nineties?  How cool is this!
And it's a perfect fit!

Plus, this chic metal stand provides an attractive way to present a variety of foods. You can add a plate or bowl to display just about any type of dish! Especially if you want to highlight a favorite recipe and present it higher than the level of the table!
I love the design and color of this decorative plate and displaying it on my newly finished stand is just so fabulous!


Now, thanks to this lovely 'do over' stand, I can serve some of my dishes with a decorative flair - a lovely way to showcase special dishes or treats! Isn't it amazing what a little bit of paint can do! 

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

Modern on Monticello

Pandora’s Box

Purple Hues & Me

Southern Sunflowers

Unique Creations by Anita

Sum of Their Stories

Birdz of a Feather

Tea and Forget-Me-Nots

Vintage Style Gal

The Apple Street Cottage

Exquisitely Unremarkable

Little Vintage Cottage






Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Cord Wrapped Wire Basket

     , ,  19 comments

Hello and welcome to our first Creative Craft Hop of 2025!  We have two wonderful hosts - Donna @ Modern on Monticello and Sara @Birdz of a Feather who take turns every other month! The lovely and creative Sara is our host this month!  


I'm so glad you're here! If you're coming over from Cecilia @ My Thrift Store Addiction, wasn't her Winter Garden Sign adorable!  

Who doesn't love making handmade baskets for upcoming celebrations like Valentines' Day, Easter and Mother's Day - or just about any type of celebration!  You can rest assured that a handcrafted basket is the perfect all time unique gift! And the best part about making this one is that you will start by using a recycled plastic snack container! I love using recycled items! Don't you? Plus, all of the supplies used came from my stash! A win win all around! So let's get started!

You'll need: 

  • Plastic snack container
  • Hot glue/Fabri-Tac glue
  • 6mm decorative 2ply twist cord
  • 2mm 16" floral wire 
  • 3mm macrame cord
  • Ruler/scissors
  • Wire snips
  • Round shape container
  • Clamps
  • Wire - 28 gauge

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 started with a clean plastic snack container I found in my recycle bin. I have no idea what was in it - but, I think nuts. The container had a nice plastic clear top that I saved for another time. Next, I got out some of my heavy duty floral wire stems (16") and started measuring one to cut out at .  .  .

 six and a quarter inches. Once one stem was cut, I used that one to cut out the others instead of using a ruler to measure each one. It was easier for me that way.
Once all the wires were cut - I guessed how many I needed - I used a small round glass to give the wires a curvy shape.
Next, I added glue around the base of the container and began wrapping the fancy cord on top of the glue .  .  .
three times.
Then I started gluing on one end of the curved floral wire as close to the cord as possible, first using the clock positions of six and twelve. 
         
After those two wires were glued on, used a full 16" floral wire size to glue on the ends in the 3 and 9 positions for the handle. Clamped the wire in place until the glue dried completely. 
Once the glue was dry for the handle, using a wire cutter, snipped the handle in half at the top. Do this for weaving the cord  over and under around the container.  Begin gluing on the rest of the curvy wires (21 odd # total ) - adding glue to the container and pushing the ends of the wires under the cord in a uniform manner around the container. 

Cover those glued on wire ends with one more cord wrap around for a total of four rows. Then begin wrapping a decorative cord over and around one wire and over the next for a decorative wrap look three times around the container.
Once you've made three decorative cords around the wires of the container, begin adding the plain macrame cord - securing one end with glue and then going over and under the wires - once again, around the container.

Continue going over and under, pushing the cord down to close any gaps and to tighten and hide any floral wire that is showing until .  .  .
you've gone over and under around about thirteen times. Then begin adding a row of decorative cording, going over and under around the container .  .  .

three times.

Cutting off the decorative cord excess, adding glue to cord end and securing inside the basket.  


To make the decorative top, starting near the wire handle, begin pulling two wire cords out and two wire cords up. Continue alternating two wire cords out and two cords up around the entire container.
 Once that's done, add a bit of glue to one end of the decorative cord and insert down into the inside of wrapped cords until dry. Then begin going over and under the wire stems, pushing the cord down together to close any gaps as you wrap. Are noticing the decorative star design of the wrapped wire cords? So cool!
Once you've wrapped around enough wires, push the decorative cords down around the wire and add hot glue to secure the cording on the wire. Let dry before moving on to the next one.
Once the glue is completely dry, begin cutting off the excess wire leaving the . . .
wire handles.
To close the handle, use another piece of curvy wire and wrap ends together using 28 gauge wire. Add a bit of hot glue to the wire and handle to keep the handle from coming loose. 

Then begin wrapping the handle with macrame cord. First adding a bit of glue to secure the cord to the handle and . . .
wrapping the cord around and around . . .
the handle. Securing the end with glue.
I'm so loving this design!

These pictures cannot begin to show the amazing sparkling effect of the gold and lavender weaving technique! The finished piece is quite beautiful to see!


Perfect to hold my chocolate candy - or anything to your liking!

I hope you enjoyed my cord wrapped wire basket! Imagine making adorable baskets for any occasion with this cool technique! Give it a try!

Up next is Jenna @ The Painted Apron, sharing her lovely Valentine Tree you don't want to miss! Jenna is so talented with her creative artistry!

And be sure to check out all of the talented bloggers sharing their amazing creations listed below:

Valentine's Heart Shaped Air Dry Clay Dish