Fall wreath with "Dollar Store" flowers...fast & easy!

I usually shop for flowers at "Hobby Lobby" but decided to give a go at making a wreath from the "Dollar Store" floral aisle selection. I know at first you can be overwhelmed by the bright colors they offer, but I was able to pick out a selection that seemed to be surprisingly, fairly nice.

I started by using my old trusty grapevine wreath that I have had for years. The flowers usually come in a bunch of about five blossoms each. All you have to do is leave a few inches of the stem on each flower and clip them with your wire cutters. Start out with randomly poking one color of flowers throughout your wreath and then add the other color. Easy, fast (took about ten minutes!) and cheap to make. No need to glue so later you can change out for a new season. Do you have any "Dollar Store" floral projects that you have made?

Boot planter makeover!

This boot was almost kicked to the curb by my friend and good neighbor. We both had a garage sale and she had some items leftover that she had me pick through and kindly gave to me. I noticed on her patio she had this old (badly needing a makeover) boot planter.

I had the itch to take it home and re-paint it for her.

 

I just got out my craft paints and painted "George" (that's what we named it). Gave it a couple of coats of a clear lacquer spray and done!

It's "Howdy neighbor again", but sadly it was good by to my friend. She retired and moved away to her new home and "George" now has a new stomping ground too!

Happy New Year!

It is amazing what you can do with silk flowers....these look real and no need to water!

My friend came to me with her flower pot and one word, "HELP"!
With a little magic, now a happy friend and a "Happy New Year"!

I just white washed the clay pot using craft paint. Took a trip to the craft store and snipped and stuffed flowers into floral foam and added spanish moss. Easy to do!

 

A quick easy Candle Wreath!

 

 

Simply get a Dollar Tree small green styrofoam wreath and take the pointed end of each leaf and start poking them into the wreath at an angle. This is a quick way and is not permanent because when the leaves start to dry out, they become loose. Just keep in place until after the holidays and it will be just fine. If you want a more permanent wreath, you need to use wire pics and attach to each leaf and then insert into the wreath as explained on my post, Magnolia wreath in the Spring & Summer too! Fresh greenery added to your holiday decor gives a fresh and elegant look!

Decorating with pine cones

There are many ways you can decorate pine cones to add to your holiday decor. These are just a few ideas and also a fun project to do with your kids or a friend....from going outdoors and collecting them, to bringing them into your warm home to decorate and sit down with a nice cup of hot chocolate!

(Just a little tidbit....I recently was on a trip and wanted a cup of hot chocolate on a cold night and only had limited ingredients on hand, but I made the best hot chocolate ever.

1 cup milk

2 dark chocolate truffles

1-2 packets of sugar in the raw

Just heat in the microwave  30 seconds at a time and keep stirring in between until chocolate is melted and hot!

 Back to decorating holiday pine cones..

For glitter pine cones, use a brush to paint craft glue on the pine cones either on the ends only or the entire cone (I used Mod Podge, but any thick craft glue is ok). Next, sprinkle with glitter. A fine glitter gives it a more elegant look, but you can use any type of glitter. Have fun using any color or several colors in a grouping.

Another option is spray painting your pine cones. Gold and silver are great colors, but don't be afraid to try other bold colors. Red, green and white are also great choices too for the holidays. Pine cones are not just for Christmas decorations, so why not use them all year round to display in a glass bowl or basket. Choose colors to match your decor. Gold is one of my favorite and I use for all seasons!

Bleached pine cones have more of a "beachy" appearance to me and also takes a little more time to achieve the final look. I soaked them in a container filled with bleach for a couple of hours and let dry for several days. The pine cones will close up after they have soaked in the bleach and as they dry out, they will begin to open. Too much trouble for me...I still like the gold ones!

And of course, the Natural look pine cones. Just do nothing or spray a little clear lacquer paint on them. Bring nature into to your home with beautiful pine cones that you can decorate many different ways and best of all, it is very inexpensive to do!...Gold is still my favorite!

A Wreath for multiple seasons!

Remember my magnolia leaf wreath I made at the beginning of the summer? (click here to see the original wreath). It made it through the hot summer months and the leaves gradually turned brown just in time for Fall. Soon it will be time to make a fresh one for Christmas....That is one good thing magnolia trees are good for, "Decorating!"

Happy Halloween!

NO ERASING involved to create your own personalized chalkboard from technology...well, at least it only takes a click of a button to erase. I did this one really fast and Nest of Posies has great ideas and links for Free downloadable fonts and chalkboard backgrounds. This will do for now, but I have a real repurpose chalkboard project that I want to make...looks like I will be doing a lot of erasing to achieve this perfection.

"Under the Gnome"

After

Before

"No place like Gnome", "Gnome Sweet Gnome"....ok I just got a little carried away! A very good friend of mine asked me to give her Gnome (or Menehune) a facelift after basking in the sun for a number of years. I just got out my craft paints and spent some time with the little guy and finished him off with a couple of coats of clear lacquer spray paint. Hope his little friends don't get jealous!

Decorate with gold pine cones!

Get a jump on decorating for Christmas and also use to display all year round. Spray paint pine cones gold or silver and arrange in a decorative box. Gold or silver always brings out a festive feel in your decor!

Frame your crochet work!

My mom crocheted this kitty cat and I have always wanted to have it framed but did not want to pay a lot to have it done. As I was searching in my closet, I finally found a square frame. Just place a piece of black foam board on the back and place the work on top and insert into a glass frame tightly. Easy to do and a lot cheaper than done professionally!

A lovely "origami bouquet"!

My daughter made this beautiful origami bouquet for me. This arrangement would be a nice display on your office desk to show co-workers your colorful personality! The website below can help you get started and learn more about this traditional Japanese art of paper folding.

http://www.origamiway.com/ 

Also, check out the direct link below to the page on their website where they have included my photo along with their instructions on how to make a flower. Thank you "Origami Way"!

http://www.origamiway.com/origami-iris.shtml 

Refresh an old eucalyptus tree

After

Before

I wanted to throw out this eucalyptus tree I have had  for a really long time and decided to give it new life by spray painting the container and replacing the moss with an updated new color. The leaves are delicate to clean, so use a spray duster canister.

"An Upcycle Project"

Repaint old pottery!

After

Before

Wayyyyyyy long ago, I made this in college. It started looking ancient and I was just about to kick it to the curb for someone else to pick up or pass up. I got out my red spray paint and gave it one good coat. After it dried, I brushed on water-downed black latex paint and quickly wiped it off with a wet rag. Looks better, I guess it's a keeper for now!

Candlesticks customized to fit your color scheme!

These were unfinished wood candlesticks where I brushed on latex paint (any craft paint works well too) and immediately used a damp rag to wipe off. When dry, I brushed on gold craft paint in random areas and also used a damp rag to wipe off. The trick to this project is to work fast!

A great gift idea too!

Table trash to this...

My husband found this table by the curb as he was driving by in the neighborhood and brought it home. This piece looked like the 70's table that you would place a round table cloth on top and used it for a side table. I did not want this inside my house and decided to put it on my patio, so I spray painted it...I also spray painted the old plastic pot on top that I had for many years and was the mauve color that was popular then (not anymore..for me at least!) The bottom pot was an old clay pot that I painted with craft paint. 

Just something to give my patio some color!

Another "upcycled" project!

Add a little decorating for a July 4th picinic!

Art & Crafts

Repurpose old wine bottles for vases to put your flags in.You can also use glass paint on a clear bottle and fill with glass stones. Quick and easy decorating idea!

Magnolia wreath in the Spring & Summer too!

Art & Crafts

Who says you can't hang a magnolia leaf wreath in the Spring & Summer! I have a tree that I decided to cut some branches off and make a wreath. I got this idea from my sister-in-law who made a beautiful one for the inside of her home.

To start with, you can either use a straw wreath, which is a lot cheaper, or a styrofoam one. I decided to go with the straw one. I used floral wire pics on each leaf stem and also hot glued the tips to the leaf to secure it better. Then just start poking each leaf into the wreath at an angle and go back and fill in areas that need an extra leaf. Be patient because it takes a while to achieve the final look. Add a Spring or Summer floral pic if you like!

Repurpose with old CD's & computer parts!

Art & Crafts

CD Art

Instead of discarding those old CD's, why not create a piece of art. Add old computer parts to make a more interesting work of art. Use E6000 glue and glue a few pieces at a time. Be patient with this process because it takes time to dry and if you try to glue it all at once, it will fall apart...Trust me!

You can make moveable parts too. Use an old CPU fan that you can spin on your own. Dangle a CD by using beading thread or fishing line.

Fun project....just be patient with the dry time!