More Fun with Wine Bottles.

I finally cleaned up a few more wine bottles to create a new fall decor piece. The great thing is that I can change out the (artificial) flowers with different colors for different holidays or seasons. For example I'll get red and green for Christmas and change the word to "joy!" or "merry" (just have to make one more bottle for that one!).  After Christmas I can put sone white flowers in them and write "snow" on the bottles. 

To create these I cleaned up wine bottles and sprayed them with chalkboard spray paint. I cut the flowers from a bouquet (that I bought at the dollar store) so that they would fit into the bottles as I wanted. I then bent them down a little so that they would show better (because they were on the mantel which is high). I used plain white chalk to write on the bottles. 

I'm pretty excited about this project because it can be changed to be used in various ways. I have already have ideas for other times of the year too. 

Side note: I need to start drinking more wine because I only have a few large bottles left!! 

Chalkboard.

I picked up this cute picture frame at HomeGoods on Friday. I took the glass out and sprayed it with chalkboard spray paint. I let it dry and put the glass back into the frame. Ta-da! I have a cute chalkboard hanging in my kitchen.  

This project could not have been any easier!!

Canvas Door or Wall Hanging

I made this with the intention of putting it on my door but it kept falling down. Now it's displayed on an end table in my living room. I made it to match my Christmas decor a couple years ago but really like the color it brings into the room. 

This was another easy project. I used a canvas and wooden letter that I had purchased for "whatever."  First I drew circles on the canvas in pencil. Then I painted the green around them. After that I painted the circles. While the canvas was drying I painted the wooden letter. When that was dry I got my hot glue gun out and glued the letter on. That was it!

This could be done for any room of the home. I think it would be cute painted to match a nursery or child's room, using the child's first initial. 

This is another fun project that you can create to suit your personal taste. It's also one that would be fun to have a child help with! The child could paint the canvas to display in his or her room. 

Ceramic Stands.

These cute little stands were inspired by a cake stand idea on Pinterest (of course). The original pin showed plastic, summer type dishes glued together. A patterned plate was glued to the bottom of a patterned cup to make the stand. Cute and easy. I may make one sometime. Actually I may make one sooner than later. 

I took the idea and changed it a bit. I bought two ceramic dishes and two ceramic candle holders at a dollar store. I spray painted them, giving the candle holder a textured look with the paint since it was already a bit rough. After the paint dried I glued the bottom of the plate to the top of the candle holder. 

Spray paint probably isn't the best thing to use for a cake stand. Who wants to eat off of something coated in spray paint? Not me. Instead I will use them in my fall decorating. I recently painted my front door red so I think they will look cute out on my front porch. I plan to place some small pumpkins and gourds on them. I think it will be a cute addition!!

Wine Bottle Fun!

I've been saving my wine bottles for several months. My collection was quickly adding up so I decided I should really get started on a project. I found a Pin that showed adorable Halloween painted wine bottles and decided that would be my first project. 

The bottles that I saw were hand painted but I decided to use my good friend, spray paint. I started with ghosts. Rather than using white paint I sprayed the bottles silver. Much more fun!!  I painted faces on them with black acrylic paint. 

I decided that I would make pumpkins next. They just didn't turn out how I had hoped. Everything looked messy to me. 

If at first you don't succeed.... You try again right?! 

This time I remembered to tape off sections that I later touched up. I did the green first and then the orange. After I touched up the area where the tape had been, I pained on faces. I'm much happier with the way that these turned out. 

After the pumpkins I decided to make some happy little witches. Again I taped off the areas, painted, touched up, and drew their faces on with black acrylic paint. 

I'm glad to have a bit of a head start on making some new Halloween decorations!!!

I had washed one extra bottle so I decided to spray it with chalkboard paint. I haven't used it yet but am excited to do something with it! I think I will use another Pinterest idea and paint three more black, then write "fall" on them, with one letter on each bottle. I'll probably get some faux fall flowers to put in them and place them on my mantle. 

Homemade Lip Gloss

This is one of the easiest Pinterest projects I've ever completed. Its super quick and easy - not to mention cheap!!

I didn't have any supplies on hand for this one but they were easy to gather. I picked up some bead containers at the craft store, along with some labeling stickers and cupcake stickers for decoration. I bought the lipgloss ingredients at a local store (petroleum jelly and powdered drink mix - I used Kool-Aid). 

Making the lipgloss is two easy steps... Melt the petroleum jelly in the microwave and then stir in the drink mix. Done. I put it into the pots (bead containers), attached my stickers, and wrote the flavor on it. 

I used some and liked it so I gave some away with Christmas gifts. 

Collegiate Wreath

I'd been seeing various wreaths pinned and naturally I decided that I should make one. There are many ways to make them but I chose this method because I had so much tulle from tutu making. 

I picked up a styrofoam wreath and wooden letters at the craft store. I already had the acrylic paint for the letters at home. 

This was another easy creation. I cut my tulle to the desired length and tied it all around the styrofoam. I trimmed up the ends after I was done to be sure it was even. I painted my letters blue and after they were dry I hot glued the letters into it. 

That's it! I was all ready to show my University of Kentucky spirit for college basketball season!! 

Go Cats!!!

Tutu and a Onesie

I love to make tutus. They're one of my favorite things to create. One of these days I will post pictures of some of them. 

One day as I was surfing Pinterest I found a tutu attached to a onesie. It was adorable so I thought I would give it a try.  It looked simple enough but it was a tiny bit more challenging than I expected. Not hard by any means; just not what I thought it would be. 

I started by sewing my elastic to the onesie on a few different spots. Then I added my tulle like I do with my regular tutus. That was it! It turned out cute and looked adorable on the Little Miss (my cousins daughter whom I call my niece, and often refer to as Little Miss). 

Some of my Baked Goods.

I LOVE to bake so I thought I would share some of my baked goods...

A snowman birthday cake (my first time using fondant). 

A penguin cake for a birthday. 

A princess birthday cake and cupcakes. 

Bridal shower cupcakes 

Cupcakes for tailgating before a University of Michigan game. 

My first time making sugar decorations (red velvet cupcakes too). 

Peach cupcakes with peach buttercream

Peppermint whoopie pies. 

Snowman cupcakes made with my favorite two year-old. 

Glue Plus Food Coloring.

Another P.-inspired project that I decided to tackle was painting glass with a mixture of white glue (I used Elmer's) and food coloring. This is supposed to give it a seaglass type of effect when it's dry. The keyword in that last sentence "suposed." 

Mine did not look anything like the picture. I was expecting, pretty frosted looking pieces. I ended up with streaky pieces that the paint didn't want to stay on. In fact, I could try and start over and over because, even after it was dry, the glue mixture washed off of them. 

Did I mention I originally used this idea to make a cake stand? Um. I don't want glue coming off on my cake, that's for sure!! I also don't want to have to paint pieces again and again to get the look. I ended up using this method to make some vases and a bowl, which turned out a little better. They do have more of a frosty appearance, but still do not look as pretty as the picture I found on Pinterest. 

I have the vases displayed in my house and I use the bowl to hold my remotes,  but the cake stand idea didn't work.

There was not an exact set of directions with this pin. I believe it just said to mix the glue and food coloring for that seglass effect. There were no guidelines on how much glue to use. I'm wondering if maybe I didn't use enough glue on the cake stand. I used more on the bowl and vases and they did seem to turn out a little better. Perhaps it was my color choices, but they do not look quite as sophisticated as I was hoping they would. Or maybe it's that the project isn't supposed to be sophisticated so much as it is meant to be fun.

I might try this again sometime. I've since seen it used on the stems and bases of wine glasses, which would be cute for a theme party. I would paint them for an outdoor, summer party, if I were using a variety of colors to decorate. That could definitely be fun. They could even be a favor that guests could take home with them. I probably won't use this idea for decor around my home. For me, this idea seems best to be executed with a specific purpose. 

Has anyone else tried this and had similar luck? Better luck?

Crayon Art.

Crayons. Cavas. Glue. A hairdyer. What?! This creation was all the rage on the P. a while back. I decided it looked like a fun and easy project, so naturally I had to try it! 

As far as materials, I already had some various size painting canvases at home from other projects. These vary in price depending on the size canvas you want to use. I picked mine up at Hobby Lobby and have also bought them at Joann's (FYI, those are two of my favorite stores). I bought a couple boxes of Crayola crayons when I was out shopping one day. I already had my hot glue gun and glue sticks at home. This project was easy, but a little messy. 

To complete the project, all I did was affix the crayons to the canvas with my hot glue gun. Then I melted the crayons using my hairdyer. Let it dry for a while and it's ready to display! 

The reason that this messy is because even on low, the dyer can cause some paint to splatter. I'd recommed doing this in an area that's covered with a drop cloth, or that you don't mind getting messy. I did mine on my kitchen counter, not realizing that it would be so messy. I did cover the counter in waxed paper, but some of the melted crayon did fly around. It was easy to clean up though. I just scraped it off the areas that it hit. The second time I did a project like this, I used more waxed paper so that I didn't have such a mess of crayon to clean up.

You can arrange crayons anyway or in any shape that you'd like. You can also control how the crayons melt. You might want thinner lines, a more splattered look, or a large area covered. The style is up to you! On the first one, I put my caryons in a straight line, grouped by color. That piece is displayed on my mantle. The second one was a Valentine for my then-boyfriend. I used a color scheme based on his favorite colors, red and black with a couple orange and pink hues added for a little more flair. I also painted a red heart on that canvas and wrote on the back, using it instead of a card or paper Valentine. It was a fun and unique alternative to a regular card! 

This is a project that I think is fun for kids or adults! I definitely wouldn't let a child do it solo, but it would be a fun activity to do together. I think that it would be fun to make one based on the color scheme of the child's bedroom, and it could be hung on one of the bedroom walls. While I do not have children, I think it's important to involve them in a variety of activities and allow them to "help" with things as much as possible. A child should be taught to take pride in his or her work, and a great way to do so would be by displaying it! 

This is a project that I will be doing again sometime!

Gumball Machine Style Candy Dishes.

These are freaking adorable! I knew as soon as I saw them that I HAD to make them. I also knew that they'd make great gifts for Valentine's Day. I made one for my Mom and one for my Grandma, and filled them with Valentine's Day Peanut M&Ms. 

Like most of my projects, these were pretty simple and didn't take a long time. They made an adorabe little gift. In fact, my Mom keeps her's out throughout the year! 

The materials for these were picked-up at a local store (Meijer). I got some mini Terra Cotta pots and saucers, and a four pack of small glasses to use for the base, top, and bowl. I already had the paint and brushes at home. I picked up some some wooden balls to glue to the top.

First I painted my pots, saucers, and wooden balls in a plain color (one red, one pink) with acrylic craft paint. After they were dry I tipped the pots upside down and painted designs on them (hearts and dots). After they dried again, I glued the glass to the pot (bottom of the glass to the bottom of the pot). I then glued the painted wooden ball to the center of the bottom of the saucer. When the glue dried, I put candy into the glasses and topped them with the saucer. Voila!

Fabric Scrap Bracelets: Not What I Expected.

I saw a cute idea to make fabric scrap bracelets on the P. one day and thought they would be cute and easy. They were both. But they were cute for.... Someone younger. They definitely didn't turn out to be "classy" looking. I could see a younger girl; maybe a 'tween enjoying bracelets like this. I originally made them for myself, but they are far too young for me. Cute, but not appropriate. 

These bracelets only included a few materials: rubber bracelets (like the cancer awareness type), scraps of fabric, and hot glue. I picked up my bracelets at either the Dollar Spot at Target or a dollar store. They're kinda flimsy; definitely more-so than the five dollar awareness bracelets are. All I had to do was put glue on the bracelet and wrap the fabric around it. Simple. Easy. Cute. Not for me. I decided to add a little extra flair to mine but adding some buttons in different colors and sizes. This only added to the young look of the bracelets. Colorful plastic buttons are certainly not adult-like. But a younger girl? Just might love them. 

I only made two since I decided I wasn't exactly a fan. They're still sitting in my craft room. I should just give them to my younger cousin. I have more plastic bracelets so I guess I'll use her as a tester. If she likes them, I'll make some more to sell at a craft fair or on etsy or something, I think that the bracelets are pretty cute. 

What do you think? Is this something a 'tween would wear?

A Picture Frame Fail

I saw this cute idea to Mod Podge scrapbook paper to a picture frame and thought I'd give it a try. I have lots of scrapbook paper and had several dollar store frames laying around so I thought, "why not!?" The instructions were clear and seemed as though they'd be easy to follow. 

All I had to do was cut the paper to fit the front side and edges of the frame. Then? Brush Mod Podge on top to affix the paper to the frame. I did so. My finished product did not look nearly as adorable as what I'd seen online. I may have chosen the wrong frame. Or cut the paper to an incorrect size. Or maybe I didn't use enough Mod Podge. 

Whatever it was, it didn't look right. The paper didn't want to stick appropriately and when I tried to fix it, I think I just messed it up even more. 

Mod Podge and scrapbook paper frames - 1. Me - 0. I may eventually try again....

Easter Cake

A couple years ago, I saw an Easter cake repinned over and over again. I decided that it was cute and that for Easter that year, I'd make a cake and decorate it like what I had seen on Pinterest. I thought it turned out to be adorable. Mine was a bit different from the pin, which is what I prefer to do. I love to take an idea and then make it my own. 

As usual, I made my cake and frosting from scratch. I made a yellow cake and vanilla buttercream. My vanilla buttercream is probably my speciality. I LOVE making it and use it often. Although I use other flavors and other frostings, the vanilla is most definitely my favorite. 

This cake had Peeps brand bunnies lined up around the edges. Easy. I bought a few packages of Peeps, in different colors for variety. After my cake was frosted, I lined them up around it, carefully pressing them into the buttercream so that they would stay. I then scattered Easter M&Ms across the top, as well as around the top of the side of the cake all the way around. After that, I put some Peeps chicks on the top. 

The original cake had the M&Ms arranged around the bottom of the cake, rather than the top. It also had significantly more M&Ms on top of the cake and did not have any additional Peeps on top. I thought that the amount of M&Ms on top was a bit excessive. I also knew that my family (myself included) would not want to eat so many M&Ms. They would've gone to waste had I used so many. Personally, I liked the appearance of my cake better than the original pin. Of course, I made it so that it was pleasing to MY eye, so that's to be expected. 

This was a super popular pin. Did any of you try it?

Patriotic Shorts

Two summers ago I was trying to find a pair of American flag printed shorts to wear for he Fourth of July. I couldn't find what I was looking for that was a decent price (who wants to pay a lot for shorts that they won't wear often?) or in the correct size. 

Naturally, I took to Pinterest to see what I could find. As luck would have it, I found an idea to make my own. I picked up a reasonably priced pair of denim shorts on sale at Kohls, as well as some items at the craft store and decided to create my own. The cost of the shorts and supplies was far less than what I was finding shorts for online. 

These were quite simple, and quick to make. I washed and dried the shorts and then set to work making them. I cut some stars out of construction paper to make stencils and taped them to one side of the front of the shorts. I painted the area white. I then pulled tore strips of masking tape and arranged them on the leg (still on front) of the shorts. I painted the area between the tape white. After it dried, I took the tape off and painted the areas where the tape had been red. 

That was it! I created my own flag shorts quickly and at a lower price than I found online. 

Sesame Street Cupcakes

When I see an idea on Pinterest, I generally use the concept and alter it to fit my taste. There were several versions of Sesame Street themed cupcakes on Pinterest when I searched. Some were adorable, and some, not so much. The creators used different items for decorating the faces of the adorable little characters. 

I am a bit of a snob when it comes to baking. I hate using boxed mixes and canned frosting. I just prefer the taste of homemade versus pre-packaged. I'm also able to alter ingredients as needed that way. I think they taste better too. I think that there's a part of me that feels like they're appreciated more when they are made "from scratch." For these cupcakes, I made homemade vanilla cupcakes and vanilla buttercream for the Cookie Monster and Elmo cupcakes. I did a sugar-free version when I made Big Bird, since the little guy's Grandfather is diabetic. I used food coloring for all of the characters' colors. 

I started with Cookie Monster, as he was the favorite character of the little guy I made these cupcakes for. I wanted to be sure I had some Cookie cupcakes. He was pretty basic, and I did pretty much what everyone else did for decorating. I cut out sugar sheets for the mouth and eyes, and used a food marker to draw on the pupil of the eyes. I bought a package of mini cookies and put them in various states of being, on Cookie's mouth. 

Elmo was done in a similar way. I made his eyes and mouth from sugar sheets and used the food marker for the pupil of the eye. Instead of using a jelly bean for his nose, as I saw on many of the cupcakes, I used orange Reese's Pieces (easier to get more orange pieces that way!). 

Big Bird was done a little differently. Although the cake and frosting were sugar-free, the decorations were not. I informed the Grandpa of this so that he could avoid eating them. I explained that they were used to help create Big Bird, which he understood. Big Bird's eyes were also made from sugar sheets, and colored with food markers. His beak was done a bit differently than others I'd see. Some used fondant. Some used frosting. Some used jelly beans. I used Starbursts. I cut the candies and pieced them together with some of the frosting I made for the big, yellow guy. 

Easy. As long as you take your time, crafting these guys is a pretty simple process. I saw some not-so-pretty versions but I think that's because people (most likely) rushed when decorating. As with all things, you can generally tell when someone has rushed through something. I think that my version turned out to be pretty cute!