DIY Memorial Memory Wreath

Last October we lost my mother-in-law to cancer. She had a beautiful and wonderful life up until 1 month before her death. She was the anchor in my husband's family and we all miss her very much. During the last month of her life, HOSPICE was coming into her home to help with her care. After she passed, HOSPICE invited the family to a DIY Memorial Memory Wreath craft event that they hosted at their local office.

Today, I wanted to share that easy-to-make craft project with all of you, as it's a great way to remember a loved one. In addition, most of the supplies used are items from your loved one.

DIY Memorial Memory Wreath

1 metal wire wreath form
1 cotton, flannel or fleece clothing item
fashion jewelry (can be whole or broken/missing pieces)
scissors
hot glue gun and glue
sheer ribbon 3" wide by 24" long
artificial flowers & greenery
old photographs
buttons and beads

You'll want to cut the article of clothing into 1" by 4" strips. Tie each of these strips onto your metal wreath form, covering it and making sure that it's full, so that no metal areas show. We used a piece of my MIL's flannel pajama pants. Once you have all of your strips onto the wreath, you'll want to get busy decorating it.

We used several pieces of her fashion jewelry on the wreath...pins, pendants and earrings all work well. Use the hot glue gun to glue them into place. We then cut up some of her artificial flowers that she had in a vase and glued a few of those at the base of our wreath. You can opt to glue on old buttons, beads and even photographs of your loved one. You can get really creative with them, but the point is to use small items & trinkets that belonged to them!

Once you have your items glued on...take the ribbon and tie it into a bow. Glue it at the top of your wreath. You can leave the bow as-is or glue a piece of her jewelry in the center of it, like we did. Our wreath turned out really nicely and we thank HOSPICE for sharing this craft project with us.

Quick and Easy DIY Desk Accessories

DIY Pencil Holder

The holidays are just around the corner and many people are working on various arts & crafts projects to give away as holiday gifts. I don't know about you, but I enjoy making and receiving handmade gifts! Today's guest post craft project is sponsored by May Arts and features two quick and easy DIY Desk Accessories that you can whip up in a jiffy!

As any seasoned DIYer knows, you can turn drab to fab in minutes with the right products! May Arts is the go to ribbon for arts, crafts and DIY projects because it’s unique design eliminates frayed ends when cutting to manipulate ribbon sizes. You won’t have to worry about your projects unraveling over time, because May Arts ribbon is built to last, built with superiority in mind to hold up to any project your heart desires.

Not only is it a durable and practical ribbon, but you can choose from hundreds of different colors, styles, thicknesses and textures depending on the look you’re going for! This is not your ordinary ribbon company. They have thought outside the box to create a unique variety of ribbons so your ideas can turn into a reality, no matter what the project is!

DIY Silk Ribbon Notebook

Click HERE for the DIY Pencil Holder tutorial!

Click HERE for the DIY Silk Ribbon Notebook tutorial!

May Arts ribbon can be purchased through their new retail website, www.ribbonresource.com, or through one of their many suppliers found in the retail locator.

About May Arts: May Arts was founded in the early 1980’s in Riverside, Connecticut. The original products were high-end silk flowers, which were decorated using quality ribbons. The decorative ribbons proved so popular among customers that the business gradually evolved into a dedicated ribbon wholesaler. The May Arts Ribbon line is distinguished by its superior quality and classic design.

DIY Coastal Driftwood Flameless Pillar Candles

I decorate my home in a beach and coastal style. With that said...living in the heart of Pennsylvania makes it hard to find pretty decor items to decorate my home. When I do find them...it's always while we are down at our beause in Jersey or when I resort to shopping online.
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Several months ago when we were down at the Jersey Shore...I spotted some adorable coastal-style flameless pillar candles. The store that was selling them wanted $22.95 a piece and I knew I could make them myself for much less.

Once we got home from vacation I headed to my local craft store and picked up some 6" and 8" tall wax flameless pillar candles (they came with the AA batteries), a bag of driftwood pieces and a tube of E6000 glue (adhesive). You could use a hot glue gun but I found that my driftwood pieces didn't stick onto the waxy candle as well...hence the need for the powerful E6000 glue.

The E6000 can be pretty messy to work with so I prefer to work with it on an old glass heat-resistant cutting board that I have. Once dry...the glue peels right off of it so that old cutting board is my new craft work surface.

You will want to stand your candles upright when working on them. Lay out all of your driftwood pieces and line up about 2 dozen pieces that you plan on using. You will want to use varying lengths and look for pieces that have flat backs which will adhere well to the waxy candle.

Use just a little bit of the E6000 to apply the driftwood pieces around the bottom of your candle. If they slide around...you can use a large rubberband or tie a tight ribbon around them until it has completely dried. I left mine dry overnight. You can let them plain like I did or you can glue some smaller seashells on top. Personally, I prefer the plain & simple driftwood look.

That's it! I made several of them and each one cost me about $6.00 to make instead of $22.95 like the seaside boutique was charging. I'm pretty happy with my results and going to make a few more with some driftwood and small seashells that I have leftover from another project. I will share those next week here on my craft blog. Enjoy!

Craft Project: DIY Coastal Beach Photo Frames

Several weeks ago I came across a clearance sale at The Christmas Tree Shop and picked up 5 of these very nice wooden photo frames. Each frame is made out of wood, has a glass front and will hold one 5" by 7" photograph. They have a sawtooth hanger and an easel on the back...so they can sit on a desk or be hung up onto the wall.

These picture frames were on final clearance for $1.99 because each of them had tiny little blue paint or ink marks on the white painted areas of the wood on the front. They were barely noticeable! I snagged all 5 picture frames that they had left.

I brought them home and used one of my White Chalk Ink Markers and touched them up. My chalk ink marker was the perfect shade and now you can NOT tell that those "blue marks" were even there! Yay! Took me less than 5 minutes to fix all five frames!

Next...I purchased a bag of realistic ceramic starfish that came 5 in the bag on clearance at A.C. Moore's for $2.99 for that entire bag. I knew I would eventually find a use for them and I did! I simply used some of my Aleene's Tacky Glue (white but dries clear) and glued one ceramic starfish onto the bottom corner of each photograph frame. I left them dry overnight.

Our family took a big family vacation down to the Jersey Shore back in June and I took a lot of photos of the family on the beach. I printed off some of my favorite photos and will be placing them inside the coastal & beach themed photo frames & giving them as Christmas gifts this year.

Total cost per frame: $2.75 each (including tax). Wow...they look beautiful and certainly were affordable! Gotta love that!

When you see bargains on nice picture frames...pick them up! You can easily decorate those frames in a wide variety of different home decor styles for pennies on the dollar. You can get a really unique and customized look.

Kids Crafts - Hand Painted Ladybug Garden Rocks

Last week the family went hiking at a local park. While walking along the banks of the creek we came across some large smooth river rocks or creek rocks and brought a few home to craft with. These smooth river rocks measure 4" up to 6" in length and all of them are oval shape.

We decided to set the kids up and let them do a little craft project with some of the river rocks we brought home. Most of the rocks were the perfect shape and size to turn into ladybugs. Here is how we made them.

Hand Painted Ladybug Garden Rocks

Large Smooth Oval Shaped River Rocks
Red and Black Acrylic Paint
White Chalk Ink Paint Pen
Paint Brush, Paper Towel, Water
Waxed Paper
Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer

Lay down wax paper, old plastic table cloth or old plastic placemat to protect your table surface. Use an old plastic margarine bowl lid as your painting pallet. Squirt the red acrylic paint onto the lid and have the kids paint the entire front side of their river rock with red acrylic paint. Let dry for 20 minutes. Flip it over and paint the other side; let dry for 20 minutes. If needed, repeat if the river rock needs a second coat of paint.

Squirt black acrylic paint onto the lid and have the kids paint a head and a stripe down the ladybug's back. They then need to paint black dots or ovals for the polka dots. We did find that we needed to use 2 complete coats of black acrylic paint. Let dry.

Using a White Chalk Ink Paint Pen dry on 2 oval shaped eyes. This type of paint pen dries within seconds but to be on the safe side we waited 5 minutes and then added a smaller black circle; left dry for 20 minutes and then used the White Chalk Ink Paint Pen to add the pupil. Make sure your "rock pet" is completely dry before proceeding.

Take your garden rocks outside and lay them on a sheet of plastic or waxed paper. Spray one side of the river rock with clear acrylic sealer. Let dry for 30 minutes; flip over and repeat. We gave all of our ladybug garden rocks 2 complete coats of acrylic sealer to seal in the paint since we were placing them outside around the house and in the garden.

If you love this easy kid's project...check back in a few weeks for some additional "rock pets" that we are painting. Fun and a cheap craft project for the kids!

Make a Scissor Holder Using a Potholder - Craft Project Idea

Looking for a last minute gift idea? These are great little no-sew projects that work up in a few short minutes. They make great little gifts for the holidays, for Easter, Mother's Day and/or for Birthdays. You can buy your supplies at a local dollar store to save money.

Scissor Holder Using a Potholder Craft Project

1 large square shaped pot holder w/hanging loop
1 tube fabric glue
1 full-size pair of scissors
2 clothes pins

Note: If kids are doing this project use liquid fabric glue. If adults are doing them, you can use a hot glue gun with glue sticks.

Lay your square shaped potholder down onto the table in a diamond shape with the hanging loop to the right. The ones we used are solid color on one side and have a print on the other side. The solid color is facing up and the print is facing the table.

Fold the pot holder in half with the edges over-lapping one another. Squirt a thin layer of fabric glue down the one side and sandwich the other edge on top. We used two clothes pins to hold them together until the glue dried. 

Once the glue has dried you can tuck your full-size scissors inside. We have a little hook on the side of our refrigerator where our scissor holder is hanging which keeps my kitchen shears in easy reach. I also keep one hanging on a wooden knob in my sewing & crafting room. I always know where my scissors are and they are always within my reach!

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.

Upcycled Easter Eggs Craft Project From Air Freshener Containers

Back in January 2010, I had my nephews here visiting. They are ages 11 and 9 and love to craft with their auntie Shelly...so every time they come, we play with items from my trash to treasure bin. In my bin...I put left-over craft supplies, odds and ends and things that I feel could be upcycled and used in crafts.

Well...for the past several months, I have been purchasing these air fresheners at the local dollar store that come in plastic oval shaped containers. Once the air freshener has dried up, I remove it and wash out the containers (they are 2 part containers). I put them in my scrap bin. While the boys were here, they wanted to paint up the containers and I asked them why...they said "Because they look like Easter Eggs." ding...ding...ding...a new craft project was born.

We laid newspaper down across our work surface since painting is involved. We used both acrylic paints and some of my metallic finish paints. You need to make sure your empty air freshner containers are clean (wash and dry them good). Remove the top portion from the bottom portion and paint each portion separately. You can paint any design that you would like.

Note: We didn't need to use 2 coats of paint...one was sufficient.

Once the paint was dry...we used some glitter glue that dries clear and drew squiggle lines and dots on some of the areas to make them even more pretty. We then left them dry. Using a sponge foam brush, we coated them some matte finish Mod Podge which I watered down. (1 teaspoon tap water per 3 tablespoons of Mod Podge) and sponged it on to seal the paint. We left it dry again for one hour.

Once they are dry, pop the top section back on top of the bottom section. Now you have a colorful reusable Easter Egg Decoration.

You could paint them any color or design that you would like...then place some great smelling potpourri inside them and leave them all all year long.

~ Happy Crafting ~

Easter Crafts: Decoupage - Easter Dessert Plates Project

I just love to decoupage items that I need for holiday entertaining...decoupaging is easy, quick and a great way to use up left-over fabrics or gift wrap. I will be entertaining some guests for the Easter holiday and decided to make up a few Easter items.

Since this will be my grand daughter's first Easter, I decided to make a Easter plate that we can set out with some Easter cookies and some carrots for the Easter Bunny when he makes his house rounds to leave her an Easter Basket.

Decoupage Easter Bunny Dessert Plate

Here is what you will need:

inexpensive glass plates
foam painting brush
decoupage (I used glossy finish)
scraps of cotton fabric, a little larger than your plates
disappearing ink pen
scissors
several sheets of newspaper

Lay the newspaper down onto your work surface as this can get a little messy.

Lay your plates down onto the back side of your cotton print fabric and trace around your plate with a disappearing ink pen. Using your scissors, cut out your fabric about 1/2" an inch past your traced line. (fabric should be slightly larger than your plate).

Dip your foam brush into your decoupage medium and then coat the back side of the plate. Place the fabric down onto the plate with the right side touching the plate (so that it shows through to the front side of the plate). You will want to use your hands to smooth out the fabric if any wrinkles occur. Wash out your brush and let your plates dry for 2 hours.

Once your plate has dried, use your scissors to trim off any access fabric. Use your foam brush and dip it back into the decoupage medium and coat the back side of the fabric. I like to really apply it thick so that it seals it good. Once done, wash out your brush and let the plates dry for 6 hours.

I think the plate turned out fabulous since I used a piece of left-over Easter fabric that I had. What do you think?