Upcycling – Cute Planters (1)

Let’s throw some ideas around.

Say you have some mugs you hardly ever use anymore. Ones you don’t like anymore. Or say you have cups which have slight beauty issues (the rim is chipped, paint rubbed off, hairline cracks, etc.).

You could throw them out.

BUT you could also find another use for them!

Like popping a potted plant in them. Chances are, you’ll never be able to tell they’re chipped, or “unwanted”. You won’t have to worry about adding too much water which could spill out from their plant saucers.

If they have a hairline crack, then just add the cup’s saucer too. That will look even cuter!

Place them on a window sill, a shelf, on the kitchen counter or dining room table.

 

 

See? Easy peasy

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

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

Homemade Gifts {in a Jar} part 1

Sometime last week, I stumbled upon Myra’s blog post, 12 Homemade Gifts In A Jar and I was floored. I instantly fell in love with all of these ideas, and since I’d personally love to receive something like this, I decided to make some gifts in jars myself.

The first one I made is a gift to the Chef in my life who doesn’t really like the precision of measuring ingredients for baking. I figured this would be the perfect St.Nick’s Day gift – and I was right, he loved it

Chocolate Chip Cookies – Homemade gift in a jar

(I used my own adapted version of this Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe.)

Layer the ingredients in a large enough mason jar, starting with the necessary dry ingredients like sugar, flour (+ baking soda and salt mixed into it), cocoa and only then add your additional dry ingredients like chocolate chips, hazelnuts, Rahat Locoum (Turkish Delight), granola, cereals, raisins, etc.

Screw the lid on the jar, and cover with a circle of fabric or a paper doily, held down with a rubber band. Cover the rubber band with yarn or ribbon and tie a bow. For additional beauty, tie a cinnamon or vanilla bar into the bow. (I did that just before gifting the jar.)

Print out a gift tag-type paper with the recipe, or simply glue further directions onto the jar like I did, mentioning what else needs to be added, at what temperature the cookies need baking and for how long.

* I personally added a bunch of extra ingredients the original recipe didn’t include, so I upped the quantity of eggs and butter needed. Make sure you do the same if you need to.

Come to think about it, I’ve actually given gifts in a jar before, in the form of homemade beauty products. I think my Beauty the natural way recipes (Face Mask, Bath Salts, Exfoliating Body Scrub, Body Balm, Facial Scrub, etc.) are perfect for the ladies in your family so flip through the pages and feel free to prepare any of those. I’m sure they will be greatly appreciated.

Hope you all like these ideas, and check back next Wednesday for part 2

 

PS: there are a ton of gifts in a jar ideas out there on the web, you’re bound to come across the perfect one for your loved ones.

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*