July 7, 2020 by Bre

Pressed Flower Craft: Air Dry Clay Flower Plaque

With two months left of the kids’ summer vacation and every activity canceled, I’m wracking my brain trying to find things to keep them busy! Last week we got crafty with some leaves and flowers we found in our yard, and we made a pretty pressed flower craft – lovely air dry clay flower plaques!

Surprising to me, my son enjoyed this activity the most! He loved foraging around the forest (not really a forest – just some junk trees in a shady spot in the yard – but forest sounds more magical), to find pretty flowers and leaves to use on his plaques.

This part of the activity was nice because it got us talking about what was growing outside and what types of blooms and greenery might work best for flower pressing and leaf pressing.

Once we collected enough specimens to make our pressed flower plaques, we headed inside and got down to business. I had air dry clay leftover from previous projects (like my air dry clay keychains and air dry clay garden markers), and so we didn’t need to buy anything new for this project!

This project was really simple but quite fun; rolling the clay, pressing the flowers into it, poking holes so that the plaques could be hung once dry. We had a nice time together and made so many of these pressed flower plaques, which we plan to hang in our sun room.

Yield: 12

Pressed Flower Craft: Air Dry Clay Flower Plaque

Create a pretty pressed flower craft with blooms and leaves from your yard! Use air dry clay to create this pretty floral craft.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Active Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 1 days

Total Time 1 days 25 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Materials

Tools

Paper Towels
Drying Rack

Instructions

Roll a piece of terracotta clay into a ball.
Partially flatten it with the clay roller or a rolling pin.
Lay a leaf or flowers onto the partially flattened piece of clay.
Using the clay roller or rolling pin, gently press the leaf or flowers into the clay. Take care to press all portions of the leaf or flower into the clay so that nothing is sticking up out of the air dry clay.
Using a pointed object (such as the poker in the Clay Tools Set), poke two holes near the top of the air dry clay plaque.
Gently set the pressed flower plaque on a cookie cooling rack and let it dry. It will probably take around 24 hours for the air dry clay to dry on both sides. It may take a little longer for the pressed flowers or leaves to fully dry.
Once the air dry clay and the pressed flowers or pressed leaves are dry, you may want to add a bit of "age" to the flower plaque with some white craft paint. To do this, dab a little bit of white paint on a painting sponge, and gently press it along the clay plaque. Wipe off or dab off any excess with a paper towel.

Notes

The beauty of this project is the imperfections. These enhance the rustic or natural feel of this craft. Don't worry about your plaque being the perfect shape or if your clay starts to crack or wrinkle. Embrace the imperfections!

If you make it with kids, not only will you end up with a nice piece of decor, but you’ll also have sweet memories of your time together.

This pretty pressed fern plaque is an easy DIY. Learn how to make this pressed flower craft in this blog post.

I’d appreciate it if you’d share this post with someone who might enjoy it! Send them the link or share it on Pinterest – thank you!

February 4, 2020 by Bre

DIY Rainbow Room Decor (from a Dollar Tree Napkin Holder!)

Unfortunately for me, there aren’t many Dollar Tree stores near my new house. (I had five within a mile of my old house – see more of my love for Dollar Tree in my post sharing my favorite dollar store home decorating ideas!) I visited one nearby last week and didn’t find much except for some metal napkin holders.

I bought three and planned to use them to hold clutch purses in my closet, but then after looking at them, I knew I had to turn one into a rainbow craft instead. I mean, just look at them! They practically scream “make me into a rainbow!” (Right? You see that, don’t you?)

So . . . I got to work and created some adorable DIY Rainbow Room Decor with one of the napkin holders, and left one of my clutch purses alone on the shelf while the others got a new home in the remaining two napkin holders.

Supplies Needed to Make This Rainbow Decor Craft

This post contains affiliate links. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

How to Make DIY Rainbow Room Decor

You’re going to love how quickly this colorful rainbow decor craft comes together!

Begin by cutting ribbon in rainbow colors to lengths that measure approximately 16″.

Next, tie the ribbon pieces together in rainbow color order to form one long length of ribbon.

Beginning with the red end of the ribbon length, tie the end to the back of the metal napkin holder.

Plug in the hot glue gun, and while it’s heating, begin wrapping the rainbow ribbon around the napkin holder. (Yikes, can I just say that my thumb looks really gross there?)

Continue wrapping the ribbon around the napkin holder, and fasten it in place as you go with the hot glue. Once the entire napkin holder is wrapped in ribbon, cut the ends of the ribbon where the pieces were attached to create the long string.

Finally, hot glue white yarn pom poms to the bottom of the rainbow sculpture to create adorable clouds on your rainbow room decor.

If you wanted to make this rainbow room decor a cute addition to your St. Patrick’s Day decor, you could easily swap the white pom poms for gold coins or a shamrock from the craft store. How cute would that be?

This adorable piece of rainbow decor sits nicely on a shelf and adds a colorful pop to any room (kids’ bedrooms, especially), or to any St. Patrick’s Day decorations! Make sure to PIN it or share it with any crafty friends who might enjoy making one of their own!

-Bre

Into Rainbow Crafts? Check Out These Rainbow Sand Art Terrariums!

October 31, 2019 by Bre

How to Make a Jingle Bell Wood Bead Garland for Christmas

In my humble opinion, Christmas decor feels even more special when it’s handmade. The time and care that goes into making the decor elevates it to a new level. One of the simplest and most festive pieces of handmade Christmas decor you can make is a garland, and this Jingle Bell Wood Bead Garland is a versatile piece that can be used anywhere!

Wood bead garlands are a decor staple these days, but the addition of jingle bells and festive holiday ribbon to a regular garland makes this wood bead garland extra special for Christmas!

Plus, it is oh-so-easy to put together, and it’s a great project to get your children to help with. It’s really that simple!

Materials Needed for a Wood Bead Jingle Bell Garland

This post contains affiliate links. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

How to Make a Wood Bead Jingle Bell Garland

Begin folding a long piece of bakers twine in half and threading it through a needle with a large eye. (You want to fold the bakers twine in half to give it more strength once you start stringing the wood beads and jingle bells.) I chose red and white bakers twine because it is so Christmasy!

Once the needle is threaded, tie a knot at the opposite end of the twine to hold the pieces together.

Next, begin stringing wooden beads onto the twine. I chose to use a mix of sizes of wood beads, and I alternated them.

Using a needle was essential for getting the twine through the beads. I don’t honestly think you could make a wood bead garland without a needle!

Then, I also added in different sizes of jingle bells to the garland. For my garland I strung four wood beads, then a bell, and alternated that pattern all the way down the length of the twine.

When I got to the end of the twine, I tied off that end. Then I got to work making ribbon tassels to add to the ends of the wood bead garland.

Making the ribbon tassels was so easy! Just cut four pieces of ribbon, stack them on top of one another, fold in half, and tie a piece of bakers twine around them near the top to secure and form a tassel.

Once the tassels are made, loop the ends of the bakers twine through the loops in the tassels, and tie to secure.

After that, the garland is complete!

Depending on how long you make it, it would look beautiful on a Christmas tree or Christmas mantel! If you opt for a shorter version, you could put it around a vase, on a tiered tray decorated for Christmas, or simply laid on a table as part of a Christmas vignette.

The wood bead garland I made has 40 wood beads, 10 bells, and measures 34″ excluding the tassels. Those figures might help you calculate how many of each supply you need to make a shorter or longer wood bead garland.

So what are you waiting for? Grab the supplies you need and get to stringing! And make sure you pin this image on Pinterest so you can easily find this tutorial again when you need it.

You May Also Like These Upcycled Tile Christmas Ornaments

October 24, 2019 by Bre

DIY Decor Tags {A Versatile Christmas Decor Craft}

Before you get mad and tell me it’s not even Halloween yet, let me explain why I’m sharing a Christmas craft in October. I am moving (you can read more about that here), and as a result, a lot of my craft supplies are boxed up AND I can’t decorate my house for fall or Halloween because of showings, etc.

Because of that, I’m limited in what creative muscles I can flex right now, and this easy Christmas craft was just right! It’s a transformation of Dollar Tree printed chipboard tag ornaments into darling buffalo check decor tags that add a special touch to Christmas decorations!

Large scale decor tags have been popping up all over the stores, and this project gave me a chance to put my own twist on the trend. Everything I used can be purchased at Dollar Tree, so you know it’s also extremely budget-friendly!

Where To Use Large Decor Tags

Before I give you all the details on how to make your own decor tags, you might be wondering WHY you’d make these tags. What do you use decor tags for? The answer is – just about anything! They’re actually really versatile and add a pop of interest anywhere you put them. Some favorite uses for decor tags are:

added to wreaths for a seasonal touch
in a tiered tray (these are all the rage over on Instagram and Pinterest. I might be the only person who doesn’t have a tiered tray to decorate.)
hanging on a doorknob
hanging from a vase or planter
tied together as standalone door decor
grouped in a basket as part of a larger vignette

Hopefully those ideas spark an idea for you of where you could use similar decor tags in your own home!

Supplies Used to Make Large Decor Tags

Now, let’s get down to business! Here’s what you need to make these cute Christmas decor tags.

This post contains affiliate links. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

Decorative chipboard tag ornaments (not currently available online, but the large size chipboard tags are available online)
Buffalo check wrapping paper (not currently available online)
Matte Mod Podge
Scissors
Paint brush
Poster sticker letters
Red truck mini ornaments (4 pack) (not currently available online)
Jingle bells
Twine
Black and silver acrylic paint
Fine grain sandpaper

How to Make Christmas Tags for Decor

To help you find in store the exact tags I used for this project, here they are!

Flip them over to the flat backside (the fronts have some raised glitter on them), and cut wrapping paper to be slightly larger than the tags. Then, trace the tags onto the back of the wrapping paper.

Cut out the tag shapes from the wrapping paper. Then, place a thin coat of Mod Podge over the entire chipboard tag.

Carefully place the wrapping paper that you cut to the shape of a tag on top of the Mod Podge chipboard tag.

Carefully smooth out any wrinkles and make sure that the wrapping paper is flattened all over. Set the tag aside to dry. This will take about 20 minutes.

Once the tag seems dry, gently rub the edges of the wrapping paper with sandpaper. This will remove any wrapping paper that’s sticking over the edge of the chipboard tag.

Next, apply a thin layer of Mod Podge over the top of the wrapping paper. This will help seal the wrapping paper onto the tag, and it will remove the shiny finish of the wrapping paper.

Set it aside to dry. As it dries, you will notice that the hazy finish disappears. Yay!

Once it’s dry, gently brush a bit of black paint around the edges of the tag to give it an aged look.

Then, apply the poster stickers to write out words that fit on the tags. I think four letters are the max that will fit with these poster stickers on these tags.

Use a pencil to poke a hole through the wrapping paper at the top, and then, for an added touch of authenticity, paint a silver circle around the hole.

String twine through the hole, and add decorative elements to the twine. I used the cutest little red truck ornaments from Dollar Tree and silver jingle bells. But, you could get creative and add whatever embellishments you like!

See how easy it is to upgrade the look of these Dollar Tree tags with just a few simple tweaks? You get a totally adorable look for hardly any money at all. I just love when decor works out that way!

-Bre

Here’s Another Great Dollar Tree Christmas Craft! Check Out This Dollar Tree Christmas Cloche!

October 14, 2019 by Bre

Pool Noodle Pumpkins: A Fun Fall Craft!

While cleaning out my husband’s car this weekend, I found a pool noodle left behind after a trip to our local swimming pool this summer. A jolt of inspiration hit and I grabbed the pool noodle, ran inside, and got to work making some adorable Pool Noodle Pumpkins for my fall decor!

I wasn’t totally sure if pool noodles transformed into pumpkins would be cute, but I gave it a try anyway. And thankfully, they’re darling!

Pool noodle pumpkins are also extremely easy to make and very, very cheap. These would be a perfect fall craft for large groups (I bet you could make ten pumpkins per pool noodle), and even for the least crafty people around. They are SO easy to make!

Pool Noodle Pumpkins Supplies

Foam pool noodle
Fabric (I used a Halloween scarf from Dollar Tree)
Wood blocks (I used pieces from a Dollar Tree Jenga game)
Raffia or other ribbon
Scissors
Knife

How to Make Pool Noodle Pumpkin Crafts

The first step is to cut the pool noodle into pieces. I used a serrated knife and the noodle cut very easily. If children will be making this craft, please make sure to cut the pool noodle ahead of time; do not give the children knives!

Next, lay the pool noodle piece on top of a piece of fabric. Cut the fabric so that there is enough fabric on all sides to wrap around the pool noodle and tuck into the hole.

Once the fabric is cut, begin pulling the fabric upwards toward the pool noodle hole, and then tucking the end of the fabric into the hole.

Continue wrapping, pulling, and tucking until the pool noodle is completely covered with fabric.

Then, take the wood block and stick it into the hole where the fabric is tucked. The wood block will hold the fabric in place, but if you want a more secure hold, you could hot glue the block into the hole, too.

Finally, tie some raffia around the wood block “stem” to create the look of a vine on the pumpkin.

And that is all it takes to make the cutest pool noodle pumpkins in the patch!

This craft was perfect for me right now since I can’t really decorate or work on large projects due to our move. I love how quickly it came together and how cute these pumpkins turned out!