May 20, 2021 by Bre

Colorful DIY Glass Jar Lantern Craft

This summer I’m determined to make the most of my yard and patio, and I know many of you are feeling the same! A great way to make outdoor spaces more inviting is with accessories, like outdoor pillows, pretty planters (try these DIY Modern Planters!), and ambient lighting. Speaking of which, this DIY glass jar lantern craft is the perfect way to add color and style to your outdoor space-day or night!

The colorful gems on these lanterns make them adorable decorations during the day. When you light them up at night, their colors dance and bring a whole new feel to your patio or deck!

Supplies Needed to Make Glass Jar Lanterns

This post is sponsored by DAP Products, Inc. The project and opinions are all my own. Also, this post contains affiliate links. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

RapidFuse Ultra Clear All Purpose Adhesive
Glass jars in varying sizes
Clear glass gems or clear glass cabochons
Colorful bingo chips
Twine
Twine-wrapped wire or jute-wrapped wire
Scissors
Craft clamps
Battery-operated candles OR battery-operated fairy lights

Glass Jar Lantern Craft: How-To

Before jumping in and creating these cute and colorful lanterns, make sure the glass jars you’re using are clean and dry-both inside and out. I wiped the outsides of my jars with rubbing alcohol just to be safe. Soap and water will work well, too!

Step One: Secure the Glass Jar

Once that is taken care of, it’s time to get down to crafty business. Set a glass jar on a level surface. To keep it from rolling away while you’re working, place objects underneath it on both sides. I used little wood blocks to keep my jars from rolling around.

Step Two: Glue Bingo Chips to the Lantern with RapidFuse Ultra Clear

Working one section at a time, glue colorful bingo chips to the jar with RapidFuse Ultra Clear All Purpose Adhesive. This glue is a MUST HAVE for this project because it forms a crystal clear bond between the bingo chips (and glass gems to come later), and the glass jar. This is essential for creating a flawless and clean look, and for letting these lanterns shine at night!

Only use a tiny amount of glue on the back of each bingo chip. Trust me: a little goes a long way! You can apply the glue directly from the RapidFuse Ultra Clear bottle, or you can use a small paintbrush to dab on a tiny bit of glue.

Step Three: Attach Clear Gems or Cabochons with RapidFuse Ultra Clear

Next, in that same section where you just glued on bingo chips, use RapidFuse Ultra Clear to attach clear glass cabochons to the jar.

These clear glass gems are great for filling in empty spots on the lantern, and they help bounce the light around at night.

The RapidFuse Ultra Clear is perfect for attaching these clear glass gems because it won’t yellow as it ages. Can you imagine how gross that would look if you had yellow glue spots all over your lanterns? No thanks. (*Making a mental note: use RapidFuse Ultra Clear for all crafts with glass gems going forward.)

Once the RapidFuse Ultra Clear has set up (usually in less than 30 minutes), rotate the glass jar and repeat steps 2-3 on the next section. Do this until the entire jar is covered with bingo chips and glass gems.

Step Four: Create the Lantern Handle

After the RapidFuse Ultra Clear has set and cured, it’s time to create handles for these DIY lanterns. Start by wrapping twine around the top of the glass jar and securing it in place with a liberal amount of RapidFuse Ultra Clear and a craft clamp.

Once dry, remove the clamp. Then, cut three pieces of twine-wrapped wire and braid them. Attach them to the twine on the jar with Rapid-Fuse Ultra Clear and craft clamps.

Unlike hot glue or other adhesives, the RapidFuse Ultra Clear will dry totally clear and not leave glue clumps all over.

To finish off the look, wrap twine around the ends of the handle. Again, secure this twine with RapidFuse Ultra Clear and craft clamps.

Step Five: Clean Up Excess RapidFuse Ultra Clear, if Necessary

Your DIY lanterns are almost ready, but before they make their debut on your fabulous summer patio, check to see if you got excess glue anywhere that you’d like to clean up. I had a couple of glass gems slide away (due to excessive glue application and/or turning the jar too soon) and leave a glue trail, but it was not a problem.

RapidFuse Ultra Clear that has cured is easy to remove with acetone nail polish remover! Just dip a cotton swab into the acetone nail polish remover, put it on the excess glue and let it sit, and then gently scrape off the RapidFuse Ultra Clear with a utility knife or the end of scissors.

Colorful DIY Glass Jar Lanterns

Pop in battery-operated candles or battery-operated fairy lights, and these DIY jar lanterns are ready to dress up your outdoor space!

Check out how gorgeous they are filled with fairy lights. The colors dance and add magic to summer nights!

And, you don’t have to worry about using these lanterns outdoors. RapidFuse Ultra Clear All Purpose Adhesive is an interior and exterior adhesive that’s water-resistant once cured, so you can use these outside safely.

Make a bunch of them and they’ll be the star of your outdoor space.

DIY Glass Jar Lantern Craft

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Active Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Estimated Cost: $10

This DIY Glass Jar Lantern Craft will be the star of your patio! Embellish glass jars with colorful and clear gems to create colorful lanterns that shine during the day and also at night.

Materials

Tools

Scissors
Craft clamps

Instructions

Clean the glass jar to remove any dirt or residue.
Stabilize the glass jar on a level surface to keep it from rolling away.
Glue colorful transparent bingo chips to the glass jar with RapidFuse Ultra Clear All Purpose Adhesive.
Glue clear gems to the glass jar with Rapid Fuse Ultra Clear All Purpose Adhesive.
Wrap twine around the top of the jar and secure in place with RapidFuse Ultra Clear All Purpose Adhesive.
Braid together three pieces of twine-wrapped wire to create a handle. Glue it to the sides of the glass jar with RapidFuse Ultra Clear, and use craft clamps to secure the bond and hold the handles in place.
Once the glue has dried, wrap another layer of twine around the base of the handles to cover the seam. Secure to the jar with RapidFuse Ultra Clear.
Fill the glass jar lantern with fairy lights or battery-operated candles.

Notes

When gluing the glass gems and bingo chips to the glass jar, only use a very small amount of RapidFuse Ultra Clear. Too much adhesive will cause the gems and chips to slide down the side of the jar.

Remove excess cured RapidFuse Ultra Clear with acetone nail polish remover.

March 9, 2021 by Bre

DIY Dollar Tree Easter Carrot Decor

I’ve made a lot of Easter crafts over the years, and they’ve all tended to focus on bunnies and eggs. Now I’m in an Easter carrot decor phase. (It’s a real thing.) Last year’s Easter craft post was this Carrot Door Hanger, and this year it’s all about the carrots, too.

You’d think that I love to eat carrots. They’re okay, but not my fave.

This post contains affiliate links. Click to read my full disclosure policy.

Anyway . . . what I I do love is Dollar Tree jute carrots. Dollar Tree has had these 6-packs of cute twine-wrapped carrots the past couple of years, and I don’t see them going away anytime soon.

I used them, along with other items I picked up at Dollar Tree, to make some Easter carrot decor – a cute U-Pick Carrot Patch Pot!

This little carrot Easter craft is perfect to display on a mantel, on styled shelves, or on a tiered tray. There are so many ways to use it!

Before I jump in to the tutorial on how to make this Dollar Tree Easter carrot craft, you should know that I sponge painted the terracotta pot to give it an aged finish with paint. I think that adds to the charm of this project, but you don’t have to age your flower pot. If you do want to make it look old, just click that link to get my tutorial on how to age flower pots with paint.

DIY Easter Carrot Decor Supplies

These are the supplies I used to make this Easter carrot craft. Feel free to modify these items to personalize this project!

Please note that while I purchased all of these items at Dollar Tree, I have linked to some items from other retailers, as Dollar Tree’s minimum order quantities do not make sense for linking! (For example, you do not need 36 packages of 500 count toothpicks to make this project!)

Dollar Tree jute carrots
Toothpicks
Terracotta flower pot
Floral foam
Floral moss
Hot glue and glue gun
Popsicle sticks
Marker
Optional: paints (to age the terracotta pot, if desired)

How to Make This Carrot Easter Craft

I’m putting all of the step-by-step instructions for this craft into a handy printable instruction sheet. Let me know what you think of this format for blog posts! I hope you like it.

DIY Easter Carrot Decor

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Active Time: 15 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Make this darling DIY Easter Carrot Decor craft project, and add a sweet touch to your spring home decor look! This project uses Dollar Tree craft supplies to make the cutest carrot patch around.

Materials

Terracotta pot
Dollar Tree Jute Carrots
Floral foam
Toothpicks
Moss
Hot glue and glue gun
Popsicle sticks
Marker
Optional: paint

Instructions

If you'd like the terracotta pot to look old as mine does, begin by sponge painting the terracotta pot as I show in the linked tutorial. If you do not wish to age the terracotta pot, proceed to the next step.
Fill the flower pot with floral foam.
Next, insert toothpicks into the bottoms of each of the jute carrots.
Then insert the carrots into the floral foam, which is already in the terracotta pot.
Now, cut the ends off of one or two popsicle sticks.
Using a marker, write a word on the non-rounded pieces of popsicle stick. I wrote "U-Pick" on one, and "10 cents ea." on the other. Use a black marker to add highlighting, if desired.
Next, hot glue those popsicle stick pieces to another, full popsicle stick. I glued mine together slightly askew on purpose; I wanted it to look like a farmstand sign you'd see at a cute country store.
Press the popsicle stick sign into the floral foam, with the carrots.
For the finishing touch, hot glue craft moss all over the floral foam.
With that, your Dollar Tree Easter Carrot Decor craft is complete!

Notes

Links to the products used in this project are included within the body of the blog post.

March 3, 2021 by Bre

Sponge Painting Terracotta Pots

There’s something charming about aged terracotta flower pots. Layers of color and hairline cracks evoke memories of seasons past spent digging in the dirt and watching the fruits of your labor bloom. When you don’t have old pots lying around, sponge painting terracotta pots is a really easy way to get that authentically vintage look.

The good news about this method of making new terracotta pots look old is that the imperfections are part of the beauty. Because of this, even a novice painter or crafter can paint these pots and get a convincingly aged finish!

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

What kind of paint do you use on terracotta pots?

To paint a terracotta pot to look old, you should use matte paint.

Glossy paint or satin paint will be too shiny and will not give an authentically-aged look. Think about the old pots that you have seen before: is the dirt shiny? Is the moss shiny? No way!

Because a matte finish is best, chalk paint works great when painting terracotta pots to look old. Matte acrylic craft paints also work well.

Do you need to seal painted terracotta pots?

The answer to whether you need to seal painted terracotta pots is “it depends.” Helpful, huh?

Because I’m teaching you how to sponge paint terracotta pots to look old, I do not think you need to seal the painted pots. Any changes to the painted finish will add to the aged look and character of the flower pots.

Should you decide to seal the painted aged pot, use a matte sealer like a spray polycrylic to keep that matte look going strong!

If you’re painting flower pots in a different style and want to maintain the precise look you’ve achieved, then you should probably seal the painted pots.

How do you sponge paint terracotta pots to make them look old?

I know you’re going to love this faux finish technique for painting terracotta pots to make them look old. It’s so incredibly easy, and it’s similar to the technique I used to antique a mirror from the front side.

Read or print the project steps below, and watch my video on how to age terracotta pots with paint for even more help!

How to Sponge Paint Terracotta Pots

Yield: 1

Active Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Sponge painting terracotta pots to look old is the easiest way to age new pots. This is an easy faux finish technique that any level of crafter or DIY'er can do.

Materials

Terracotta pot
Brown paint (matte)
Cream paint (matte)
Green paint (matte)
Sponge
Paint brush
Water
Paper towel

Instructions

Make sure that the new flower pot doesn't have any stickers or residue on it. Once it's clean, it's ready for painting.
Apply brown paint to a sponge (or part of a sponge like I used). Press the paint-covered sponge onto a surface (like a paper plate), to remove extra paint.
Dab the sponge all over the terracotta flower pot.
Once the paint has dried, load a paintbrush with watered-down cream-colored paint. Brush the paint all over the flower pot.
Working quickly so the paint doesn't dry, use a paper towel or paper napkin to dab off much of the paint. This will allow the brown paint to show through and create a layered effect.
When that layer of paint has dried, use a sponge to apply bits of green paint on random spots of the terracotta pot. Do not put green paint all over. The point of this green paint application is to look like mossy spots on portions of the flower pot.
After the paint has dried, you may choose to seal it, if desired.

Notes

To speed up the drying process in between coats of paint, use a hairdryer on a low heat setting.

-Bre

January 19, 2021 by Bre

Dollar Tree House Valentine’s Day DIY

If you follow any Dollar Tree crafters on Instagram or YouTube, you know that the Dollar Tree house is one of the most popular crafting items around!

Only available in-store and online once in awhile, these cute wooden houses are the perfect craft blanks to update for any style of decor or season! I gave my Dollar Tree house an adorable new look for Valentine’s Day and turned it into a Love Shack!

I’ve had the Love Shack song stuck in my head for weeks now – ha!

Dollar Tree House “Love Shack” Supplies

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

These are the supplies I used to create this project. Feel free to modify anything you like to create a custom look of your own!

Dollar Tree wooden house
Scrapbook paper in patterns and colors of your choice
Hot glue gun (and glue)
Letter stickers
Colored baker’s twine

How to Make a Dollar Tree Wood House Into a Valentine’s Day Love Shack

This process is so easy, and I’ve also put together a video to show you the basic process!

Step One: Line the House

First things first, upgrade the Dollar Tree house’s printed backing! While it is cute, adding scrapbook paper in a pattern of your choice makes it even cuter and more personal!

Simply trace the outline of the house onto scrapbook paper, and then cut and trim to fit inside the wooden house. This will likely take you several times of trimming to get it just right – don’t get discouraged!

Once cut, press it into the house. You can secure it with double-sided tape if necessary.

Step Two: Wrap the House with Bakers Twine

Next, place a small dot of hot glue on the back of the house, and press the end of a long piece of baker’s twine onto that hot glue.

Wrap the twine around the base of the house multiple times – criss-crossing the twine as you go.

Glue the end of the baker’s twine down with another dot of hot glue. Careful not to burn your fingers!

Step Three: Cut out Paper Hearts

Now, transport yourself back to preschool when you learned to cut symmetrical paper hearts by folding a piece of paper in half and cutting one side of the heart so that the fold is in the center.

Cut many hearts in varying shapes, sizes, colors, and patterns. This will give you a more interesting Love Shack when finished!

Step Four: Glue the Hearts to the Twine

Lay out the paper hearts in an interesting arrangement, and then hot glue them to the baker’s twine on the wooden house.

Step Five: Make a Placard with Stickers and Scrapbook Paper

Now, cut and layer scrapbook paper rectangles, and write a word or phrase with letter stickers.

If you have a Cricut machine, you could cut vinyl letters instead! (I LOVE my Cricut Joy, which is the smallest electronic cutting machine.)

Then, hot glue that placard to the Dollar Tree house.

The Finished Dollar Tree House Valentine’s Day Love Shack

In just about fifteen minutes you have created the cutest little DIY Valentine’s Day decor!

This little Love Shack makes me happy every time I look at it. What does not make me happy is that I cannot stop hearing the B-52’s in my head all day!

If you like this project, too, I’d be grateful if you would “pin” this post to help others find it!

-Bre

January 2, 2021 by Bre

How to Make Fake Snowballs for Decor

With Christmas decorations packed away the house can feel stark! Because of that, it’s fun to add some winter-themed decor to the mix. One great way to do that is to make fake snowballs for decor. They’re easy to make, inexpensive, and look great in vases, jars, bowls – anywhere really! They’re a beautiful winter vase filler.

Supplies Needed to Make Fake Snowballs

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

To make DIY fake snowballs, you really only need three main supplies! Many of the items can be purchased at the dollar store, or you can get them through the links I’m sharing here.

White floral foam balls in various sizes (I used three sizes)
Epsom salt
Mod Podge (any finish will work)
Mixing container and stir stick
Optional: latex gloves or rubber gloves

How to Make Fake Snowballs for Decor

Before you get started crafting up some beautiful snowballs, I highly recommend that you put on a pair of gloves! This project is really messy, and I think you will not be happy if you’re not wearing gloves. I keep a large package of latex gloves on hand all the time (get it – ha!), because they’re invaluable when it comes to crafts & DIY!

Now that my warning is complete, let me show you how to do this!

Begin by mixing epsom salt and Mod Podge in some type of mixing container. You can eyeball the amount – I probably did a little less epsom salt than Mod Podge.

Once those ingredients are mixed together, you need to work quickly because the epsom salt will start to absorb the Mod Podge!

Start rolling a foam ball into the epsom salt and Mod Podge mixture, coating the ball with the mixture.

As the mixture thickens, you will start pressing it onto the foam ball more so than rolling the ball in the mixture. This will create lumps and texture, and that’s perfect!

A snowball is not perfectly round, so you want this variation in texture and coverage.

When you have a good amount of mixture distributed around the foam ball, set it aside to dry, and repeat with the other foam balls.

These should be dry and ready to display in a few hours, depending on the amount of Mod Podge you used and the humidity in the room.

Something important to note is that it is unlikely your entire foam ball will be covered with the epsom salt / Mod Podge mixture. There will be parts of foam ball still visible. That is OK!

Because the floral foam is white, it still gives the appearance of snow – especially when combined with the other parts that have the epsom salt / Mod Podge mixture.

So what do you think? Will you try making some fake snowballs for your winter decor this year?

And P.S., if you need some winter decor inspiration, check out my Simple Winter Decor Ideas post!