Personalized Clocks – My Writer’s Clock

There is so much creative possibility while building your own clock from a kit, I can’t believe it took me so long to finish this thing. It now decorates my wall quite nicely!

Personalized Clock

clock kit = clock base + movements + hands
paint
napkins or transfer paper
glue
marker

First paint your clock base with a base color of your choice.

Use the decoupage technique to add desired motifs. (I went with a seasonal theme using a variety of different motifs specific for each season.) Then make markings, write numbers, etc. for the clock dial.

(I personally went with a toned down “Writer’s Clock” theme, adding Write, Revise, Submit, Re-Write, Publish, etc. while giving the seasonal look center stage.)

Finish it off by assembling the clock and hang where ever desired.

Happy crafting! Tic-Toc Tic-Toc

Slice of Diaper Cake, anyone?

We went to a christening in February. I’m not too keen on being in a room filled with too many people, or a family get-together of any sort, but what got me excited about this obligatory-attendance-thingy was that: I got to (finally!) make a diaper cake!

I saw diaper cakes all over the internet before and made a mental note about assembling one myself… except there was never a reason to, no one that close to me had a baby so that I could surprise them with it.

Jumping at the opportunity, here’s what I ended up with (and a tutorial for how to make your own).

Diaper Cake 

a pack of 30 or more diapers (best to buy bigger sized ones, unless you know for sure how much the baby weighs)
pretty, decorative ribbons
gifts you’d like to include (clothes, toys, baby’s room decorations, fridge magnets, baby bottle, shoes, etc.)
something to place the cake on (I used a round plate mat)
rubber bands
marshmallow skewers

One by one roll up the diapers tightly and secure them with 1-2 rubber bands. After you’re finished with the whole diaper pack, you can start the cake assembling.

Place some of the gifts you’re giving into the middle of the cake “platter” and then start placing the rolled-up diapers around the gifts in a circle. Secure with a rubber band so they won’t move anymore. Fill up the base tier with the rest of the gifts.

Build the second tier by placing the rolled-up diapers next to each other in a circle and secure them with a rubber band.

Build the top tier and measure it against the second tier so it’s a perfect fit and will look nice and proportionate once the cake is assembled.

If you have any left-over diapers, add them inside the bottom tier next to the gifts.

Place the second tier on top of the bottom tier. Stick 2-3 marshmallow skewers in between the diapers so they don’t show, but so they secure the tiers together. Repeat with the top tier.

Tie the decorative ribbons around each tier to cover the rubber bands, further secure them and make your diaper cake look all pretty.

Optionally place extra gifts on the tiers before packaging.

Happy cake making

The Golden Snitch! – my Harry Potter Ornament

You guys already know how much I love Harry Potter. So much so that even though I had all my books in Hungarian, I purchased the last volume of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in English because I couldn’t even imagine waiting for the translated version.

So it’s probably not a surprise that I’ve instantly fell in love with a Golden Snitch Christmas tree ornament tutorial I saw over at Tiny Apartment Crafts a couple of weeks ago.

It took me a while to finish because I don’t usually work with wire (and still dislike it!) and I had a glue gun to purchase as well, but my ornament is finally done and ready to use.

The Golden Snitch! Ornament Tutorial from TinyApartmentCrafts

I couldn’t wait to decorate the Christmas tree today and search for the best spot to place my Golden Snitch!

 

PS: it’s my only ornament up right now, so I better get going and decorate the rest of the tree

Homemade Gifts {in a Jar} part 2

Last week, I told you all about my gift in a jar Chocolate Chip Cookies for the Chef.

Now, for the seamstress in my life, I decided to make a sewing-kit jar. Here’s how I did it.

Sewing-kit jar

Fill the jar of your choice, with different things a seamstress would appreciate (I chose beads, embroidery thread, yarn, buttons, chalk, pins and needles, etc.)

I really liked the idea of the pincushion lid, but knew my grandmother wouldn’t really want to keep the jar, so I decided to make one of these really cute Tuna Can Pincushions I’ve had my mind on ever since my friend Patsey posted her tutorial.

After I finished both the jar and pincushion, I stuck the tuna can pincushion onto the lid with a simple double adhesive tape so it would stay on there until/during Christmas gift giving and then come off easily.

Happy crafting everyone

Upcycling to Fridge magnet

We had this older wooden spoon we hardly ever used any more. It looked dreadful and my mom was about to throw it away before I stopped her.

I knew exactly how I could turn it into something pretty and decorative!

Wooden spoon up cycled to fridge magnet

wooden spoon
paint
magnet
glue napkins or transfer paper
ribbon

First paint your wooden spoon with a base color of your choice

Then use the decoupage technique to add some kitchen (or which ever desired) motifs

Finish it off by gluing a magnet to its back and optionally add a ribbon

Place on refrigerator, microwave oven, etc.

Wine glass candle holder

Last time, I talked about creating Vintage looking candle holders. Now, let’s try that with wine glasses.

Do you have sets of wine glasses that are missing a piece? Get the numbers even again by using the extra glass for a project.

Here’s how you can make a candle holder out of it.

Wine glass candle holder

wine glass
cardstock
glue
decorations of your own choice
candle

Cut a round piece of cardstock that’s about half a centimeter bigger than the circumference around the rim of the glass. Place the glass upside down in the middle of your cardstock and draw around that circumference with a pencil.

Glue your choice of decoration onto the cardstock inside the line. You can use so many different decorations like artificial flowers and leafs, seashells, pebbles, pine cones, ribbons, small toys, etc. (I LOVE the variety this provides!)

Glue the glass onto the cardstock making sure all the decorations are within the interior of the glass.

Place a candle on top of the glass’ foot and you’re all done

*if you use different sizes and shapes of glasses, the effect is even more interesting when you use them all together as centerpieces*

Upcycling – Vintage looking candle holders

I set aside this copper cup and plate from when we had the new counter made a couple of months ago (during the massive de-cluttering session following that) when we decided what goes to charity and what stays. They looked pretty ancient (and completely useless for drinking out of).
I also found a cup and plate that used to be from a set, but I have no idea where the rest of them are (probably got broken over the years).

So I figured I’d better hold on to them and see if I can come up with something interesting.

And what do you know? I did come up with something

Vintage looking candle holders

old (looking) cup and plate – I used copper and porcelain ones
hot glue
glass candle holder (optional)
candle

Glue your cup to the plate with hot glue.

Optionally add a glass candle holder (I had at one at home so added it since it was the perfect size for the copper cup)

Add a candle that you like best and voilá – you have your own vintage looking candle holders.

I still have a couple of ideas for making candle holders out of stuff laying around the house, so stay tuned