Crafts

Easy Newspaper Flower Pots

July 20, 2015 by Bre 2 Comments

Two things I love (like a whole lot), are succulents and super easy craft projects. So when the two of these things came together in this project, it made my little heart extra happy.

So this project came about because I had these cute little succulents sitting in very classy flower pots.
As much as I liked this upcycled coffee cup planter idea (so clever!), I thought it would be good to give my little succulent friends a home with a bit more curb appeal. So I grabbed some supplies I had on hand and got to work.

Supplies Needed to Make Newspaper Flower Pots

Terra cotta flower pots
Mod Podge or other decoupage sealer
Newspaper
Foam Brush
Acrylic Paint in colors of your choice (I used Patio Paint in Coral Sunset and Coastal Surf)
Twine or ribbon

How to Make Newspaper Flower Pots

First, cut up newspaper into various shapes and sizes. You may want to skim the text of the pieces you’re cutting to make sure you’re not going to be decoupaging articles about murderers or other unsavory news items to your cute little pots. I chose to cut up articles about fashion and booze. But to each his own.

Next, apply a thin layer of Mod Podge (or other decoupage sealer) to the terra cotta pot. Gently press pieces of newspaper all around the pot. If pieces of newspaper are slightly overlapping, make sure to put a thin layer of Mod Podge on the under layer of newspaper.
Once the newspaper has dried on the pot, apply a thin, even layer of Mod Podge to cover all of the newspaper.
After the topcoat has dried, paint the rim of the pot in any color you like!
After the paint has dried, tie a little twine or ribbon around the pot and you’re ready to plant your flowers or cute little succulent friend!
And if you want to be extra cute, make a little paper pennant and pop it in there.
Cute cute.

This is a fun way to use up a newspaper that would otherwise be tossed in the recycling bin, don’t you think?

Please pin this image to share this idea with others!

– Bre

DIY Watercolor Notecards

July 8, 2015 by Bre 26 Comments

I am SO happy to be back in action with my bloggy friends on the Monthly DIY Challenge! For those of you who don’t know what that is, each month some of my favorite bloggers and I team up to create projects based on a common product or theme. This month we were required to use any type of paint on any type of surface. All of the different and creative project ideas are linked at the bottom of this post, but since I don’t like to keep you hanging, here’s a sneak peek!

Now, before you head off to check out my friends’ posts, let me show you my DIY Watercolor Notecards!
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Thrift Shop Picture Frame Makeover

May 22, 2015 by Bre 10 Comments

Over the past couple of years, I’ve developed a real love of scouring thrift shops for treasures that I can use in my home. The prizes that I bring home almost always get a makeover. Rarely do they go out on display in their original condition, although that certainly would lead to an interesting look in my home.

Picture frames are one of the best things to pick up at thrift shops because they are so easily modified to fit any style of decor. With a little paint and plywood, I updated a simple square frame from Goodwill (complete with 1980’s seahorse art), and turned it into a beautiful boutique-style frame.
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A Fingerprint Tea Towel for the Mom Who Bakes {A Mother’s Day Craft and Gift}

April 28, 2015 by Bre 14 Comments

The day when we honor some of the most important women in our lives – Mother’s Day – is coming up soon! This year my kids and I made the cutest Mother’s Day craft and gift, which we are sending to my mother-in-law as part of her gift.

Although we don’t get to see her that often, she loves to bake with my kids every time we get together. It is one of their favorite things to do with Grandma, so naturally we wanted to incorporate their special activity into their gift to her. With a little help from me, my kids made this Mother’s Day fingerprint tea towel, using their thumbprints to make cookies all over it.

This project was really fun, inexpensive, and I think it will make a great keepsake that any mother or grandmother who likes to bake would appreciate.

Supplies Used to Make a Mother’s Day Fingerprint Tea Towel

Here are the supplies we used to make our fingerprint tea towel. (Products marked with an asterisk are affiliate links, which means that I receive a small commission at no added cost to you if you purchase through them. You can read my full disclosure policy here.)

Thin flour sack tea towels* (I got mine at Target)
Sharpie fabric markers*
Light brown fabric paint* or multi-surface acrylic paint

How To Make Your Own Fingerprint Tea Towel

First, I found a cute quote that I wanted on our tea towel. I typed it up and printed it out. If you would like a copy, I’m happy to share and you can download it HERE and print it out for yourself. (NOTE: Change the year if you’d like to add that part, or just don’t trace it onto the tea towel.)

Next, I ironed the flour sack towel and figured out where I wanted the quote to go. I placed the printed quote underneath the towel and traced the text with my Sharpie fabric markers. It was really easy to see the text underneath and get some good penmanship on there. I was pretty proud of myself for thinking of that. (Hey, if I don’t pat myself on the back, who will?)

Now came the fun part . . . allowing my kids to put paint on their hands and get messy. Awesome. But it actually wasn’t too messy because I just put it on their tiny little thumbs and had them stamp around the quote. Of course they loved it.

Finally, I added some black dots to their dried thumbprints to make them look like chocolate chip cookies. So cute!

Here’s another great DIY Mother’s Day Gift Idea!

Of course this baking tea towel would make a great gift on its own, but we added some cute baking accessories and tied them all together with baker’s twine to complete the gift. I just know my mother-in-law is going to love it as much as we loved making it.

This is a special DIY Mother’s Day gift that any baker would love to receive.

– Bre

Paint Splattered Pouches {An Easy Dollar Bin Upgrade}

April 21, 2015 by Bre 12 Comments

Every time I step into Target, my cart takes on a mind of its own and directs me to aisles and places in the store that I never intended to visit. The Dollar Spot is one of those places. Do I ever really need a cute new notebook for my daughter with the latest, popular Disney character emblazoned on the front? Or yet another rubber stamp with the letter “B” on it (but this one has a quatrefoil background print, Bre!)? No. The answer is always NO. But I go there anyway – all.the.time.

On one of those recent visits to the Dollar Spot, I found some cute fully-lined, linen pouches for $3 a piece. They were the perfect size for inside my purse and I liked the metallic thread that was woven throughout.
I easily could have left them as is, but come on . . . what fun would that be? With a little paint, I gave them a totally fun new look!
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Dollar Store Magnetic Chip Clip Holder

April 8, 2015 by Bre 26 Comments

There’s nothing worse than craving a salty, crunchy chip, and opening the package to find they’ve gone stale. (You know I’m right!)

To prevent such a catastrophe, you must make this DIY Dollar Store Magnetic Chip Clip Holder!

Not only will you have lots of chip clips to help keep those salty snacks fresh and tasty, but you’ll also have a fantastic way to organize those chip clips!

Alright, so people, I’m telling you that if you’re not a regular Dollar Tree shopper, you need to become one, stat.

It is my absolute favorite place for cheap party supplies (read my post on the best Dollar Tree party supplies), and cheap craft supplies (read my post on 10 craft supplies to buy at Dollar Tree, and the follow up with ten more).

Oh, I also love it for strange stove burner covers with roosters plastered all over them. At the risk of sounding like an idiot, I really have no idea what you do with a burner cover. I’m guessing it’s something for an electric stove. . . ? I’ve never had one of those so I don’t really know.

Yeah, so anyway, I bought a set of two of these burner covers for, well, $1 (now $1.25), never planning to use them for their intended purpose. Instead, I always planned to use them for something “magnety” (made up word referring to something that can be used with magnets.).

Anyway, these bad boys hid out in my china cabinet for about six months until a wonderful moment of inspiration hit. You see, I was giving my children their 78th snack of the day when I got super annoyed that I couldn’t find any more binder clips (my makeshift chip clips), in my junk drawer.

At that moment I knew that my world would become a better place if I always had easy access to chip clips so that my children’s snacks could be easily resealed and not spill all over the pantry as they usually do. Out of hiding came the rooster covers.

DIY Chip Clip Holder Supplies

This post contains affiliate links. To learn more, please read my full disclosure policy.

Metal burner covers
12″ x 12″ scrapbook paper in pattern of your choice
Mod Podge (decoupage glue)
Foam brush
Ribbon
Clothespins
Acrylic paint
Tiny magnets
Scissors

How to Make a Magnetic Chip Clip Holder

Since roosters aren’t my favorite animal in the world, I decided to cover this bad boy up, pronto. I traced around the burner cover on a piece of 12 x 12 scrapbook paper, and then cut it out.

Next up, I applied a thin layer of ModPodge (decoupage glue) to the top of the burner cover and put my scrapbook paper on top. Bye bye, rooster!

I smoothed out the wrinkles, and after it seemed dry, I put another thin layer of decoupage glue on top.

Once everything was dry, I hot glued a ribbon around the entire edge of the burner cover.

Then I painted some clothespins with acrylic paint and hot glued tiny magnets to the back of each one. Super duper easy!

And you guys, for real, this has been a total game changer in the world of proper snack sealing and storage.

I love a good Dollar Store craft and organization combo project (kind of like my Dollar Tree pizza pan memo board)!