Kid's Craft Project - Soda Bottle Bird Feeders

Plastic Soda Bottle Bird Feeder

My 6 year old grand daughter has been spending a lot of time with us this Summer. My daughter is pregnant with baby #2 and working a full-time job, so we have been helping out and babysitting my grand daughter 2 days a week.

When she is here...I am always looking for new kid's craft projects and activities to do with her. We like quick projects that are easy-to-assemble and if they utilize items that we normally throw away, that's even better yet!

Two weeks ago we whipped up some quick & easy hanging bird feeders that we made from empty 2 liter plastic soda bottles. Here is how we made them.

Decorating the Bottle!

Soda Bottle Bird Feeders

2 Liter Plastic Soda Bottle (clean & empty)
Jute Rope - 24 to 36" in Length
Sequins and Tacky Glue
Paint Pens/Markers
1/4" Hole Punch
Scissors
Bird Seed

Cut off the bottom 1/3 of the plastic 2 liter soda bottle. Make sure you get an even & smooth edge. Use the hole punch to punch 2 holes into the soda bottle which will be used for hanging. Use tacky glue and sequins to decorate the outside of the bottle. In between the sequins my grand daughter used paint pens and drew little designs and words that are related to birds. Let dry for one hour.

Tie a large knot on one end of the Jute rope. Thread the unknotted end through one hole until the knot stops it from pulling through. Thread the other end through the other hole and knot again...this will form the hanging cord. Fill with wild bird seed.

You can hang them from a branch in a tree or from an outdoor plant hook on a large porch. We made several of them and have them hanging in trees all around the yard and the birds have really enjoyed using them!

Kids Crafts - Clothespin Flower Planter

A few months ago my little grand daughter made these adorable flower plants at school. All you need are a few simple supplies (you probably around have them on hand) and within 30 minutes, a new little flower or garden planter.

Kid's Crafts - Clothespin Flower Garden Planter

1 empty tuna fish can (clean and dry)
14-18 wooden clothespins
washi tape or decorative self-stick ribbon
scissors

Make sure the tuna can is clean and thoroughly dry. Have your child clip on the clothespins going around the entire circumference of the can. You want to use clothespins that are new or fairly new (nice tight ones). Once done, let them decorate their new planter!

She used decorative Washi tape but you could use self-adhesive ribbons, lace, etc. If you really want to keep them occupied let them paint the clothespins different colors with acrylic paint and let dry before clipping them around the empty tuna can.

An inexpensive & quick kid's craft project that is perfect for the classroom (school), church youth groups, daycare centers, girl scout groups, etc. You can find the wooden clothespin at the Dollar Store to keep costs down.

DIY How to Repaint Metal Patio Chairs

Finished New Patio Chair Set

We picked up two black wrought iron patio chairs at the flea market for $5.00 each. They were in great condition but I didn't like the black color since I decorate in a beach and coastal theme. I brought them home and decided to give them a nice paint job and paint them white!

I hosed them down with our garden hose and towel dried them. I left them sit out in the sun for a good 2 hours to make sure they were 100% dry. I picked up 3 cans of white outdoor spray paint that included primer at my local Lowe's store.

Re-Painted Chair - Black to White

I lightly sprayed one coat on the chairs and left them dry for 12 hours. The next day I hit them with a second coat and left them dry for 24 hours. I also picked up 2 cans of a clear outdoor sealant and sprayed a coat of that on each chair to protect the paint finish and left them dry for another 24 hours.

At my local Christmas Tree Shop I picked up 2 round coastal print bistro chair pads which I just love! If you have never shopped that store, I highly recommend it! I get all kinds of beautiful home decor items and garden items for an affordable price every time I go in there!

New Patio Coastal Chairs!

Overall, I am very pleased with how my DIY re-painting patio chairs project turned out. For less than $40.00 I got brand new looking (and sturdy) patio chairs and chair pad cushions! Like the bird bath? Well, check back in a few weeks to see how I turned that into a patio table!!!

DIY - Turn an Old Bird Bath into a Patio Table

A few weeks ago we went down to the local Flea Market and I picked up a 2-piece heavy cement bird bath (used) for $5.00. This bird bath had some wear & tear since it had sat out in the elements (unfinished) for the past 2 years. Regardless, I thought it was a "steal" for $5 bucks!

My original plan was to refinish it and put it out into the yard as your typical bird bath. However, my plans quickly changed and I decided to turn it into a small patio or porch table. The reason I decided to do this was two things: it's on the smaller side and second...it has a flat bottom (in the bowl portion) which makes it a great table!

DIY - Turn an Old Bird Bath into an Outdoor Patio Table

We hosed it down and took some scrub brushes & bleach to it to remove all of the debris and moss/mold that was growing on it. We left it sit out in the hot sun for 24 hours to thoroughly dry. While it was drying, we headed over to one of my favorite stores...Lowe's.

At Lowe's I picked up 2 cans of outdoor spray paint that has that textured rocky finish to it in a natural color. I forget the brand but it's really nice spray paint at $10.00 a can. I also picked up 1 can of clear acrylic sealer at $7.00 a can.

When spraying your projects don't stand too close to the item when spraying or you will get drip & run marks. Make sure you stand back a bit and spray lightly!!! We covered both pieces of the bird bath with one can and then waited to the following day to add the second coat with the final can. It did indeed take BOTH cans!

We left the pieces dry for 24 hours out in the sun and then sprayed them with the clear acrylic sealer. I only used one can of sealer because the new bird bath table will be sitting under large front porch where it is partially sheltered from the elements. If you are sticking it out into your yard, I would suggest adding 2-3 coats of the clear sealer to it.

Since it has a flat bottom (in the bowl portion) I can use it as-is as a small patio side table. However, I decided to order a piece of thick clear glass cut into a round shape and I will be placing that glass on top of the table once it arrives. I am also thinking about adding some beach sand, seashells, sand dollars, coral and a star fish underneath the glass top to give it that coastal and beachy feel.

I will update this blog post once my glass top arrives and let you know how I decided to finish off the look...in other words, I might just add the glass top or I might add the glass top & the beach accessories underneath it. Overall, this was a fun project to complete!

Kid's Crafts - DIY Plastic Water Bottle Flowers

My 5 year old grand daughter just finished up Preschool and started Kindergarten a few days ago. During her last day at Preschool the kids made these adorable DIY Water Bottle Flowers and included a small photo of themselves in the center of the flower. I think they are adorable!

If you are looking to make something similar, I suggest you check out the Water Bottle Flowers instructions on the Crafts by Amanda blog which are pretty similar to the ones that the kids made at Gia's preschool.

Like I said, Amanda's are pretty similar but you can use her instructions to create your own versions. I think they are super cute and my daughter has her's sitting on her kitchen windowsill. Gia loves seeing it sitting there as she made it for her momma!

All you need to make them is some clean & empty plastic water bottles, stickers for the base (the flower pot), small photo of your child, a clean straw with bendable neck, paints or markers to color the flower petals, fish aquarium gravel (or small pebbles), scissors & glue. A great rainy day or school project for sure!

Head on over to Amanda's blog and check out her instructions which are pretty similar to how these kids made them. In addition, you can find a ton of upcycle & recycle craft projects on Pinterest or by doing a Google search.

Craft Project - Pen and Pencil Holders Made with Scotch Duct Tape

The kids are getting ready to head back-to-school and this year my 5 year old grand daughter will be attending Kindergarten. We have been really busy buying all of the clothing and back-to-school supplies that she will need. In addition to these purchases, we got her a new desk & have that set up in the corner of her bedroom. Now that she has a desk, she needed to get her school supplies organized.

I headed to our local dollar discount store and picked up some plastic containers. As you all know, these types of containers are boring and dull to look at. Seriously, they are not pretty things that you want displayed in your work space at all.

Recently I was sent 5 rolls of the new Scotch Duct Tape to review for all of you and decided to use that pretty patterned duct tape to jazz up some of Gia's desktop organizers. Here is what we made so far and additional projects will be forthcoming.

Duct Tape Marker Holder

1 large clear cylinder plastic container
1 roll Scotch Duct Tape
scissors
measuring tape

For this container we measured around the circumference and cut strips from our roll of duct tape. We then simply wrapped them one by one around the clear plastic container. As you can see, it is definitely a lot prettier now and something that can sit proudly on top of her desk to hold all of her markers. This project took us about 8 minutes to complete.

Pen and Pencil Holder

1 rectangular plastic pencil holder w/pull out drawer
1 roll Scotch Duct Tape
scissors
measuring tape

Our plastic holder was done in a tangerine orange color with a clear plastic pull out drawer. We measured the top of the container and cut two strips of the pretty peacock feather patterned duct tape to fit across it. We left a 1/2" border around all four edges so that the new duct tape panel was framed out with the orange plastic. (see photo as it shows it better than how I am explaining it).

We then wanted to decorate the front of the pull out drawer and simply just cut-out 4 of the peacock print feathers from the duct tape and pieced them together in a pretty cross pattern on the front of the drawer. This project only took us 8 minutes to complete.

I also wanted to let you know that Scotch Duct Tape is hosting a Back-to-School contest that asks teens to create an original back-to-school craft with duct tape and submit a photo that shows how they’re going back to school in style for a chance to win $1,000. This would be a great way to get crafty with your kids, plus first place and wins $1,000!

The Tape On Back-to-School contest just launched and lasts until August 18th on the Scotch Color & Pattern Tape Facebook page. The contest will include prizes for the top four winners with second place receiving $500 and third and fourth place receiving $250.

You can find some really cool craft project ideas using this pretty patterned duct tape by visiting the Scotch Duct Tape web site online.

Disclaimer: Shelly Hill has personally reviewed the product listed above. Shelly was not compensated for her review but did receive a free product to evaluate for all of her blog readers here on the Passionate About Crafting Blog. Please read my Terms of Service Policy & Disclaimer Policy for additional information. My opinions stated in this product review are honest and unbiased. Your thoughts & opinions might differ from my own. Information contained on this blog is copyright 2014, All Rights Reserved.

Quick and Easy Valentine's Day Paper Window Hearts - Craft Project

Last weekend my little 4 1/2 year old grand daughter came over to my house for a visit. She loves to sit down with me and do little crafts, so we decided to work on some Valentine's Day paper hearts to hang in our front windows.

What is really nice about this craft project is that we used only scraps from my scrap craft box. I toss in a box all of my leftover crafting supplies and then we use them up when she comes to visit.

Valentine's Day Paper Hearts Window Decorations

suction cups
red paper heart doilies
white cardstock
pink cardstock
glue stick (kind used in scrapbooking)
liquid Elmer's glue pen
alphabet stickers
satin cord or yarn
1/4" wide satin or sheer ribbon (for hanging)
markers
valentine's day stickers
scissors

We took the red paper heart shaped doilies and used a glue stick to glue them onto white cardstock. We then used scissors to cut around them. This made them sturdy as the paper doilies themselves were really flimsy and we like the white showing through the lace of the paper doily. We made our own heart pattern and cut out hearts from pink cardstock and glued them in the center of our red heart doily. We then used a liquid glue pen and glued satin cord or yarn around the edge of the cardstock heart to finish off the edges.

On the pink cardstock heart we used alphabet letters to spell out common Valentine's Day phrases and words. On a few of the hearts my grand daughter glued stickers to the center as she prefers stickers over lettering! I cut a 5" piece of satin ribbon or sheer ribbon and folded them into a hanging loop and stapled them to the heart. You can also use glue to do that, but we used hot pink staples.

After our paper hearts dried overnight, we hung them up in the windows on the front of the house using small 1 1/2" diameter suction cups. They look a lot cuter hanging in the windows than what my photos show but we love them!

A great little paper craft project to do with the kids that doesn't cost a lot of money and you probably have most if not all of the supplies around your house. Happy Valentine's Day!

7 Crafty Ways to Use Leftover Christmas Gift Wrapping Paper

The Christmas holiday is now over and instead of throwing away all of that used gift wrap and scrap pieces of your holiday wrap...its time to put them to some good crafty use!

I am a frugal crafter and every year I bag up that torn gift wrap and toss it all into a bag with my small scrap piece. Then throughout the winter when I am stuck inside...I get into my bag and make some new crafty items for the next holiday season.

Here are 7 craft project ideas that you can do to use up all of that Christmas gift wrapping paper instead of tossing it away!

* Homemade Bookmarks - Takes those scraps and turn them into holiday bookmarks! Cut from cardboard or cardstock rectangular shapes that measure 1 3/4" by 6" in length. Use a hole puncher and punch a hole on one end. Cut the paper to measure the width and length of the cardstock and glue one piece onto each side. Use yarn or ribbon and thread through the hole to make a bow or tassel.

* Decoupage Vase - Save old clear glass vases and jars. Rip the scraps into odd shapes measuring no large than 3" in size. Use decoupage and adhere them to the outside of a glass vase or jar. Let dry and then cover with a top coat of the decoupage medium, let dry for 24 full hours. You now have a holiday vase or container for next year! If using jars, save the lids and use them for gifts in a jar!

* Gift Tags - From cardboard or cardstock cut pieces that measure 4" in size. Cut from gift wrap a piece that measures 4" in size. Use quick drying glue and a foam brush to adhere the paper to one side of the cardstock. Let dry. Fold the square in half or using a scoring tool to score it down the center, fold. Use a hole punch to turn it into a gift tag. Use scraps of ribbon or yarn through the hole so you can attach your new tags to package boxes or onto gift bags.

* Gift Bags - Purchase solid color gift bags at your local party supply store. Cut shapes and designs out of your scrap gift wrap and glue it onto the bags using a quick drying glue and a foam brush. Let dry for several hours. You can place your design just on the front of the bag or continue it around all four sides.

* Cardboard Boxes - Save all of your small and medium sized boxes along with their lids. Cut shapes and/or designs out of the gift wrap and glue them onto all sides and the lid of the box in a pleasing design using quick drying glue and a foam brush. Let dry. You now have pretty gift boxes for next year all ready to go!

* Tall Glass Candle Holders - Recycle or buy clear glass cylinder candle holders at your local dollar store. Use decoupage medium and a foam brush to glue on shapes, designs and patterns from the gift wrap onto the glass candle holder. Let dry. Use the decoupage medium to add a top coat across your design and let dry for 24 hours. You now have pretty holiday candle holders for next year.

* Scrapbooking & Cardmaking - Purchase a bottle of archival mist and lightly mist your scraps of Christmas gift wrapping paper. Let dry for 24 hours. You can now cut up those scraps and use them safely in your scrapbooks or use them in your cardmaking to make scrapbook layouts or new holiday cards.

Hope you enjoy these project ideas! If you have any other frugal craft project ideas or Trash to Treasure craft project ideas that you want to share with me and my readers, please feel free to leave me a comment below & I will contact you. Enjoy!

What to do with Broken Hair Brushes? Turn Them Into Candle Holders!

Here in our home we are really big on recycling and reusing items instead of sending them to the local landfill. When an item breaks or if its a left-over item that I think can be repurposed in a new or unusual way...I toss it into my Rubbermaid bin for another day.

Well...a few weeks ago my Conair hairbrush handle busted off. This was a paddle style hair brush which I just loved! I love how you can get pretty hair brushes these days and I couldn't part with the busted handle. I tossed it into my "craft" bin and went about my day.

Last week I had a brainstorm on what I could do with that hair brush handle! I decided to turn it into a candlestick to hold a votive and/or tea light candle! We do a lot of entertaining outdoors and I needed one to hold some citronella votives that I had just purchased. Here is how I made it.

Broken Hairbrush Candles Holder (Candlestick)

Supplies Needed:

Broken Hair Brush Handle (ours is from a Conair Paddle Brush)
Gorilla Glue or E600 Perm. Liquid Glue
Glass Votive Holder (we got ours at the dollar store)

Directions:

If your handle didn't have a clean break...file it down with a little sand paper. Add a generous amount of liquid glue onto the broken edge and sit your glass candle cup on top. We poked a hole into an empty cardboard tissue box and then put our candlestick down into the hole to dry...this way it stayed upright. You will want to let it dry overnight or for at least 8 hours.

What is really surprising is that it doesn't tip over and it really is a nice balanced candlestick holder. We have been using ours outdoors and love it! If you have kids or pets around...I would NOT use something like this for fear of it getting knocked over and starting a fire...so please use caution around them!

Free Craft Project - Frugal Tooth Fairy Drawstring Bag

My little grand daughter spends a lot of time at our home and at her other grandmother's home and she is finally at the age where she is starting to loose teeth. As grandmother's we both wanted little Tooth Fairy Bags at each of our homes so that when she loses teeth...the Tooth Fairy can leave her a present at our homes too.

A few months ago I went out and bought a really nice Tooth Fairy pillow for her which she keeps at her house. For the grandmothers we decided to make our own little frugal Tooth Fairy bags. Here is how we made them. You will only need basic sewing skills to make one.

Supplies Needed:

(2) Pieces of Fabric each measuring 4" by 6" in size
(1) Piece Satin Ribbon 1/4" by 8" in size
(1) Scrap of White Terry Cloth (old wash cloth works well)
Red Embroidery Floss & Needle
Scissors
Sewing Machine & White Thread

For the tooth applique...we simply free-handed our own tooth shape and then cut it out of white terry cloth (an old wash cloth or towel). Using 3 strands of red embroidery floss, hand stitch the white terry cloth tooth to one piece of fabric (in our case, floral fabric). We did an outline stitch around the edges of the tooth and then made french knots for the eyes and hand stitched a mouth.

Fold over 1/2" on one short edge of each fabric piece to the wrong side and use your sewing machine to make a hem. You will thread the satin ribbon through there later to make the drawstring for the bag. Place the wrong sides together on your fabric pieces and machine sew three edges together (hem edges at the top) to form a bag. Once done, thread the satin ribbon throw the casing you made earlier to make the drawstrings and knot each end so that they don't pull throw the casing and don't unravel. (sorry...took the photo before we did this part so our drawstring is missing from the picture).

Your simple & frugal drawstring closure Tooth Fairy bag is done! It is big enough to hold money or a few little trinkets that the Tooth Fairy leaves behind. A great way to use up all of your little fabric scraps too!

Trash to Treasure Craft Project - Wooden Scrapbooking Paper Organizer

The Photo Above is how it looked when I purchased it. Ewwww!

Last month we went to the Flea Market and while I was there I spotted this really ugly, puke green office paper organizer. It kind of looks like it came from a 1970's office and was used for holding mail or paper. Not really sure which! It was in terrible shape and was painted an ugly puke green color. It had a ton of nicks and scratches too!

The asking price was $10.00 but I asked the man if he would take $3.00 and it was sold! I brought that thing home and got to work on it. I knew it would make the perfect wooden wall shelf to hold all of my 8 1/2" by 11" sheets of scrapbooking paper.

We are still remodeling my sewing & craft room and I know this will look fabulous in there once we are done.

The first thing I did was wipe it down...it was filthy dirty! Once it was dry, I took a palm sander around all four of it's sides. I couldn't get the palm sander into each of the cubby holes so I ignored those during the sanding process.

Once it was done being sanded, I took a spray can of white primer and sprayed the entire thing with two cuts of primer. I left it dry for 24 hours. Once it was dry, I painted the entire thing with white matte indoor paint. Once try, I sprayed it with an acrylic sealer. I left the sealer dry for 24 hours and it was done!

The Photo above shows the new and improved scrapbooking paper organizer! Yay!

As soon as my craft/sewing room is finished, this will be hung up onto the wall near my scrapbooking table. Now all of my smaller scrapbooking papers will be organized by color hue and perhaps size. Each cubby hole will hold an entire 8 1/2" by 11" sheet. Yay!!!

I need to hit the Flea Market again next week and look for some more things that I can transfer into useful things in my craft & sewing room. Enjoy!

Craft Project - Scrabble Tile Framed Wall Hanging



My future son-in-law is turning into a really crafty guy and today, I just had to show you all what he made for my daughter as a Christmas present this past year. Even though he gave it to her for Christmas, it would make a great Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Easter, Wedding or Birthday gift too!

Scrabble Tile Framed Wall Hanging

Supplies List:

Wooden Frame (your choice of size, his is very large)
White Photo Mat (or color of your choice)
Piece of Heavy Duty Cardstock (color of choice to fit inside the photo opening of the mat)
Lots of Wooden Scrabble Tiles
Glue Dots ( adhesive used in scrapbooking & cardmaking)

Directions: For the project, he spelled out their names, daughter's name and words that are related to love, trust, friendship, etc. (sorry for the flash in my photo). He spelled out the words he wanted and then arranged them onto the black piece of heavy duty cardstock using the glue dots on the back of each wooden tile to hold them in place. He then took the left-over wooden Scrabble tiles and just randomly placed those letters onto the white photo mat as shown in the photograph above. He then assembled everything and slipped it all into a black wooden picture frame. On the backside of the frame, he wrote a love letter to my daughter directly onto the back of the frame which is super sweet!

My daughter has her new piece of handmade "art work" hanging up in their family room and I think it's absolutely GORGEOUS! My photo doesn't do it any justice thanks to my flash on the camera bouncing off of the glass. I will try to get a better photo of it and update this blog post when I do.

Refinishing Old Wooden Kitchen Stools



A few months ago my husband and I picked up some old wooden stools at our local flea market for $5.00 a piece. These stools are made out of solid pine wood but needed to be refinished. The varnish was old and rough...and there were scratches in the 15 year old stools.

We brought them home (4 of them) and used an electric palm sander with fine grit sand paper to sand off the old varnish and finish. Each stool took about 5 minutes for the sanding process. The stool on the right in the photo is the ugly old stool with the worn finish. The stool on the left in the photo is one that was completely sanded down to it's original unfinished pine wood.

Once we were done sanding them, we sprayed each stool with a golden pine stain and used a clean cotton cloth to wipe the excess stain off. (We used a spray stain by Thompson's Water Seal). We left the stools dry out in the sun for 2 hours and then applied a spray clear coat varnish on top. We left them dry again for another 2 hours out in the hot sun and they were done!



This was a quick and easy make-over project that didn't take a lot of time, effort or money to do. We love the results and are using the wooden stools on our back deck (we have an outdoors bar area on our deck during the Spring, Summer and Fall months). (photo above shows a completely refinished wooden stool).

Next week I want to get into my sewing room and make some cushion covers for the stools, so that they are more comfortable to sit on. I think I will use some beautiful sea shell beach fabric that I picked up at the fabric store last week to make the new stool cushions. I will update this post again once that part has been completed. Enjoy!

15 Creative Ideas: Recycling Holiday Greeting Cards

During the Holiday and Christmas Seasons, we all get an abundance of Holiday Greeting Cards. Once the holiday has passed, what do you do with them? Don't throw them away!

I have 15 creative ideas to share with you, on how you can recycle and reuse those Greeting Cards.

1. Holiday Place Card Settings. Cut down your greeting card to a 4" high by 3" wide size. Fold and score the card in the center, making a 'tent' shape. You can write the guests name inside the card.

2. Postcards. Cut the back off. Use the front side as a postcard.

3. Beverage Coasters. Cut your card to a 4" square size. You now have disposable beverage coasters for your next party. If you would like permanent coasters, seal the design in clear contact paper.

4. Refrigerator Magnets. Cut out pretty designs from the front. Seal the design with clear contact paper. Glue a small magnet on the back.

5. Coat and Sweater Pins. Cut out some small pretty designs from your cards. Glue a 1" pin closure onto the back.

6. Recipe Cards. Cut down your card to measure 3"x 5" in size. Write your favorite holiday recipes on the blank backside. You can hand them out at your holiday party or at your cookie exchange party.

7. Wall Decorations. You can mat and frame your greeting cards.

8. Scrapbooking and Cardmaking. To make your items archival safe, lightly spray them with Archival Mist.

9. Bookmarks. Cut your card to a 1 1/2" by 7" size. Use a hole punch to punch a hole near the top edge. Attach a ribbon or tassel through the hole.

10. Gift Bag and Package Tags. Cut down to a 1" by 3" size. Hole punch a hole in the left upper corner so that you can attach the tag to the package with ribbon.

11. Tree Ornaments. Cut out 3" and 4" diameter designs. Hole punch a hole near the top center. Use ribbon to make a hanger.

12. Jar Lid Toppers. If you are making gift mixes to give as Holiday gifts, cut out a circle design to fit the top of your jar lid. Glue to the jar lid using all-purpose crafting glue or a scrapbooking glue stick.

13. Holiday Placemats. Cut a sheet of poster board to desired placement length. Glue card fronts onto poster board. Seal both sides of poster board with clear contact paper.

14. Charm Tags. Cut out 2" diameter circles. Hole punch a hole near the to center edge. Using a key chain finding, insert chain through hole. Instant way to dress up your purse, backpack, and key chains for the holidays.

15. CD/DVD Jewel Case Covers. Dress up those holiday self-made DVDs and CDs by making your own jewel case covers. Cut down greeting cards to fit inside the case, using the case as a template.

I hope these 15 crafty ideas have inspired your own creative ideas. Remember, Don't throw them away. It's time to Recycle and Reuse those greeting cards!

Article Written by Shelly Hill ~ Owner of Passionate About Crafting Blog.

How To Make A Scrapbooking Pen and Pencil Organizer

We are getting ready to move into our new home and one things I love about our new home is that I get my own scrapbooking and craft room! I am really looking forward to decorating it up and making it cozy. With that said, I want to get all of my scrapbooking and craft supplies organized but I don't have a lot of money to spend on buying various organizing containers and shelves.

I decided to make some organizers myself by repurposing empty containers that I normally throw away. For this project, I wanted something to hold all of my gel pens and markers that I use for scrapbooking and cardmaking, and I wanted it to look pretty enough to sit on a shelf or on my desk top. I turned an empty pretzel sticks container into the perfect pen, pencil and marker holder and here is how I did it!

Pen and Pencil Canister - Organizer

Supplies Needed:

1 Empty Plastic Pretzel Rod Container with Lid
2 Sheets of Scrapbooking Paper
1 Roll of Rick Rack Trim
Liquid Glue Pen
Ruler
Scissors

I measured my plastic container and then cut a strip of paper from textured chocolate brown scrapbooking paper to those exact measurements. I used a liquid glue pen to glue that strip of paper around my plastic canister/container. It took about 10 minutes to dry and set. From a piece of pink printed scrapbooking paper I cut another strip that was much smaller in it's height to wrap around the canister and used the liquid glue pen to glue it on top of the chocolate brown paper, centering it so that the brown peeked out on the sides. I then used my liquid glue pen to glue the yellow rick rack trim on both long edges of the pink paper strip. I left the entire thing dry overnight.

While it was drying, I traced around the round lid onto a piece of the pink scrapbooking paper. I then cut it out but cut the circle slightly smaller than what I needed as I wanted some of the black on the lid to frame out the pink circle once it was glued on. I used the liquid glue pen to glue it on and found that this worked a lot better than using a hot glue gun.

You can use these decorated canisters - containers to hold all kinds of things and I am going to make many more of them as I empty out containers from our pantry. (after we have eaten the food, of course!). Now all of my gel pens and markers have a pretty little home! The next one that I am going to make will hold all of my colored pencils! Yeah!

What a great way to save all of those plastic containers from our landfills! This is a great project that the older kids can do too! Enjoy!

Turn a Shoebox into a Keepsake Box for Mom for Mother's Day

Mother's Day is just around the corner and my crafty and talented friend Barb from Barb Ireland Designs turned an old empty shoebox into a beautiful keepsake box using craft supplies that she had on hand.

I think this beautiful keepsake box would make the perfect Mother's Day Gift for your mom this year! Inside the keepsake box you would place a piece of jewelry or other gift that you want to give to your mom along with the card and keepsake box that you made for her.

You can find the complete step by step instructions on how to turn an empty shoebox into a beautiful keepsake box by watching Barb's YouTube video below. Wow, she is one talented lady!



Isn't the keepsake box just beautiful? I think so! You could really do any type of design that you would like by using Barb's easy techniques. Enjoy!

DIY: Make Your Own Outdoor Candle Holders For Summer

I love recycling and upcycling everyday trash that I would normally throw away and this project is a great Trash to Treasure project because you are using all of those glass condiment jars that you normally would toss away and then they end up in our landfills. This project will save that from happening and in turn you will be making yourself some beautiful outdoor candle holders for summertime use!

DIY: Make Your Own Outdoor Candle Holders For Summer
Supplies Needed:

Empty Glass Jars (clear or you can used colored glass jars)
Colored 20-22 Wire, Needle Nose Pliers and Wire Cutters
Jar Filling: Sand, Small Pebbles, Tiny Seashells, Aquarium Gravel or Smooth River Stones
Votive Candles and/or tealight candles
Optional: Metal Charms

* All of the supplies mentioned above can be purchased at your local craft supply store.

For the next week or two save all of your condiment jars and wash them out and remove their labels. Take your wire cutters and cut off approximately 2 feet of colored wire and wrap that wire around the neck of the jar (tightly) and bring the two ends up to the top and twist the two ends together to form a hanger. Fill your jar with 2-4" of sand, pebbles or small river stones and nestle a small votive candle down inside the jar.

Optional: If desired, thread purchased metal summer-theme'd charms onto the wire as you wrap it around the neck of the jar to add decoration.

You are now ready to hang your newly made summer jar candle holders on garden hooks, tree limbs, etc. As always, never leave a burning candle unattended and that includes outdoor candles.

How To Make An Easter Basket From Cake Icing Plastic Tubs

My trash to treasure craft project for the month of March is on how to take a clean and empty cake icing can (icing tub) and turn it into a mini Easter Basket. These is a great way to keep those plastic icing tubs out of our landfills and turn them into a cute Easter basket. You could decorate them and turn them into candy containers for other holidays of the year too! For mine, I used an empty cake icing tub that I removed the label from and washed it.

I then used my 1/4" hole puncher and punch 2 holes into the tub, one on each side so that I could thread my ribbon handle through the holes once done. I used scrapbook paper to cover the outside of the tub so measure your tub and cut your paper accordingly. I used a liquid craft glue pen to glue the paper to the plastic tub and left it dry. I then used my hole puncher again and punched holes through the paper for the handle. I had some pretty purple satin ribbon that had light purple crystals hanging from it and glued that around the top edge of the icing tub.

I then used a piece of white sheer ribbon that measures 1 1/2" wide by 7" long and threaded that through each hole and knotted the ends inside to serve as my pail's handle. I purchased a pack of Easter theme'd rub-ons from the craft store for $1.00 and rubbed them onto the paper that surrounds the pail.

Now you can add a little bit of Easter basket grass and fill your little pail up with some chocolate candies and jelly beans! This project costs about $1.00 to make and even less if you have a lot of left-over craft supplies lying around.

Trash To Treasure Project ~ Cute Potato Refrigerator Magnet From Old Pantyhose!

As women...we all know how quickly we wear out and snag up our old pantyhoses and then we trash them into the garbage. However...did you know that you can use those old pantyhoses to make really cool new crafts?

I made this country-style potato refrigerator magnet out of old pantyhose that I was going to toss because they had a snag. I made this potato magnet in less than 15 minutes and this is how I did it.

Supplies Needed:

6" by 4" piece of beige or nude pantyhose (cut into a block shape)
dark brown 6 strand embroidery floss & embroidery needle
small amount of fiberfill stuffing
1 1/2" diameter round magnet
quick drying craft glue (tacky glue)
scissors

Use 3 strands of dark brown embroidery floss for all hand sewing. I placed a small amount of fiberfill stuffing in the center of my block, I tightly gathered one end using hand stitches so that the end actually falls behind the potato shape. I then did criss cross stitches and sewed a seam along the backside of my potato shape, inserted more stuffing to firm it up and then gathered up the other end. When you are gathering up your ends, make sure to tack them behind the potato so they don't show. Tighten it all up and knot it off in the back. Re-thread up your needle with your floss and starting at the back of the potato, bring you needle to the front going through the potato...then slightly off from where you came up, go back down so that you are forming the eyes of the potato. You will make random eyes all over your potato and pull your threads TIGHT so that it makes nice realistic indents all over your potato. Fasten off in the back. Use your tacky glue and glue on your magnet disc and let dry for 24 hours before placing it onto your refrigerator.

Quick and Easy project to save all of those old pantyhose from the local landfill!

Handpainted Silverware Spoons Christmas Ornaments

I love going out and browsing and shopping our local fall craft shows as it always gets me into the holiday shopping & crafting mood. I was fortunate enough to visit 2 local craft shows in the past 3 weeks and I noticed a big trended here in our area.

I saw a lot of artists and crafters displaying their handpainted silverware spoon ornaments and customers were snatching them up pretty quickly. Since I love Cardinals, I decided to purchase this cardinal ornament.

As you can see, the crafter/artist handpainted the design on the back of a tablespoon and did an excellent job with it. (personally, I stink at painting LOL). If you look a little closer, you will notice that they bent over the handle of the tablespoon so that you can hang it onto your holiday tree as an ornament.

I think its a really cute idea and a great way to reuse (repurpose) old silverware teaspoons and tablespoons!

Happy Crafting!
Shelly