Graduation Shadowbox

Graduation Shadowbox

After I graduated from college, my husband wanted to do something special for me. He made this shadowbox to display all my special stuff.

Believe it or not, this project is made from recycled materials. The box that you see here used to be an old abstract art work. It really was not my taste, however neat it was. After years of storage, it finally got a face lift. My husband painted the frame and arranged things just so. He also used my graduation gown for the background. I love it, it was the perfect graduation gift, and it barely cost a thing! Yay recycling...

Hanging Candle Holder

Hanging Candle Holder

Have you got some extra fabric laying around the house that you really like? Well this project was designed to use up some of that fabric. My husband and I have tried our hand at doing craft shows in the past (It's not for me). This candle holder is one of the craft items that we came up with for one of those shows.

My husband cut a curly-cue out of a piece of wood, for the hanger. The bottom is blocks of wood cut at different sizes and the base (under the fabric) is just a frame made from scraps of wood. The ball at the bottom was just a wooden ball I had in my collection of crafting supplies. Once the fabric was glued on, I took a small piece of trim to hide the edges. My husband and I made two of these candle holders and a shelf to go with them, that I will write about in a future post.

By the way, as you may have guessed, this project is made from recycled materials.

Match Box

Match Box

Think back to when you were young, and bored! I think about all the wonderful crazy things I used to create! We tend to loose our ability to be fun and crazy the older we get. A couple of years ago, I wanted to make something special for my husband. I have mentioned before that I am not an artist, for this reason I knew I couldn't sculpt a bust or paint a great portrait. I decided to do something different.

I bought a 3 pack of those big wooden matches, (not the long ones) and began to glue them together side by side. After about a week of crafting in secret, I finally came up with a really cute box. I woodburned my husbands name in the lid then stained and polyed the whole thing.

My husband loved it, and I felt good.

..When you cut off the match tips, be sure to get rid of all the evidence if you're making something that will be a gift. Unfortunatly, my husband figured out that I was making something with matches, but he didn't know what I was making.

I'm Sending You a Box of Love!

I'm Sending You a Box of Love!

Every now-and-then, I have the need for a small gift idea. Maybe it's for the woman I work with, or the child down th street, either way it's always useful to be able to come up with an idea in a short perid of time.

This idea is not my on, but I came across it years ago and have used it many times.

Wrap a small empty box with nice wrapping paper (mine is only about 1"x1"), spare no expense in the decoration.

add a small card with the message saying something like ..."i'm sending you my love..."

Here's what mine says:

In this box,

wrapped so tightly.

There's a wonderful gift,

so don't take it lightly.

What's in the box,

is so special, you see.

Because it's just for you,

and it's only from me.

I was given a sign,

sent from above.

And that sign told me,

that you could use some love.

I made the poem myself. You can use it in yours or make one of your own.

Cardboard Lampstand

Cardboard Lampstand

Here's a great recycle idea. This one of a kind lampstand is made from a recycled welding barrel. All my husband and I did was make the platforms on the top and bottom of the barrel out of scrap wood. Next put a dowel rod inside the middle and wrapped it with clear christmas lights. (the sides of the barrel had holes in it) Over the holes in the barrel we glued a thin fabric so the lights shine through. Finally we covered the whole thing with contact paper.

This project can be made in less than a day and when you're done, you have a great piece of furniture and a new memory. I love these stands, and use them all the time.

Abstract Butterfly

Abstract Butterfly

Here's a project that anyone can do (by anyone, I mean ANYONE!)

You can make an abstract painting for yourself or to give as a gift.

All you need to do is take a scrap piece of wood, or cardboard, or anything you want to use. You need several little bottles of latex paint. (you can get these at any craft store). Get the colors that work for you. After the painting is done, then you will need a frame to put it in. You can either make one as we did, or you can buy one.

Think about an animal that you like, or maybe you like flowers (you don't have to know how to draw it in detail, this is an abstract painting). Then just start creating the outline by dropping the paint straight from the bottle.

My husband and I did this picture of a Butterfly for our daughters bedroom. We had a blast making it. Our daughter loves it!

Lamp Shade Makeover

Lamp Shade Makeover

Lamp shades cost a fortune these days. I don't know about any of you, but I have to spend my extra money on gas and food. For this reason, my husband and I came up with a great way to change the look of our lamp shades without spending any money at all.

We are avid crafters, so there is always crafting supplies laying around our house. However, if you're new to the art, or you only work with one medium you may need to buy some plastic sheets.

All you have to do is draw or print out a great picture onto the plastic sheet. (you can buy the plastic sheets at any office supply store- it's just like a piece of paper except it's made of clear plastic) Once you have the perfect picture, simply tape it to the inside of your lamp shade, make sure the tape you use can handle the heat from the light. When the lamp is off, you can't see the picture, but when you turn it on, the image shows through beautifully.

This project is fun and easy, so easy anyone can do it!

Cash Wreath

Cash Wreath

Many years ago, while I was on vacation in Michigan, We were exchanging gifts around my Grandmas christmas tree. My aunt Pat gave her daughter a great gift that I've never forgotten.

Aunt Pat gave her daughter a wreath made of cash. I thought it was a great way to give money without just out putting it in a envelope.

Basically what she did was take fifty one dollar bills and folded them in half. She took a wooden wreath (one that looks like it's made from wood chips, like mulch I'm sure you've seen them) With a philips screwdriver, she carefully pushed the cash into the wreath, making it look like a flower. Once all the money is in the wreath, then you can fill in the spaces with fabric squares. This project is easy, fun and makes a great gift. The person you give it to will always remember how much you care and know that the gift was made just for them.

Coffee Drinker Craft Project

Coffee Drinker Craft Project

If you're like me, then you enjoy a cup or two of coffee in the morning. I personally like to put some non-dairy creamer in mine. The problem is... I am always going through the containers of creamer, wondering what to do with the empty plastic. Heres an Idea I tried a couple of years ago for Christmas.

Take the lable off the container and prime it. You may need to rough up the surface to get the paint to stick. Once the primer is dry, paint it again, this time use white paint and then add some glitter to give it alittle shine. Add some eyes, a carrot nose, and a mouth. Wrap a piece of material around the "Neck" for a scarf, add a couple of scraps for patches. You now have a great snowman. I glued mine to a plate and added candy. It was a big hit!!!

Clay Ideas

Clay Ideas

Sometimes I like to work with clay. If you like to craft and use clay, then you know how much the suppilies cost. I personally am not an artist (meaning that I cant draw or sculpt), but I can make just about anything I want with clay. The secret is to use something you already have as a mold.

For example: I have a passion for carousel horses, and one day I wanted to make a carousel charm for a bracelet I've been working on. I cannot make a horse, much less a carousel horse, however, I do have a small music box with carousel horses on it. All I did was take a small round piece of clay and molded the horse. After the mold is hardened, the I used it to make the charms that I needed. This technique works great, But you may have to try it a couple of times to get just the right look you're after. The clay is moldable until you bake it, so keep trying till you get it just right.

Once you have your mold, you can make as many charms as you want.

*if you use some scrap clay to make the mold, then you won't have to waste your good clay. Try it, it's fun!!

Egg Shell Mosiac

Egg Shell Mosiac

Every year at Easter time, My family cooks and colors atleast three dozen eggs. We spend alot of time to color the shells perfectly, only to crack the eggs and throw away all those pretty shells. I have tried to find a way to do something with those shell pieces.

Here's an idea that fun and easy, why not make a mosiac picture from the broken shells? Think about it, you don't even have to color or break them. Just use glue to attach them to the paper (or whatever you decide to create on). When all the work is done, don't forget to seal the picture so it will be preserved. This project isn't necessarily a quick one, but it is easy and children can do it without much supervision from their parents. Best of all, you could be starting a new Easter tradition, and family's need traditions.

Egg-ceptional Candle

Egg-ceptional Candle

Since we're right on the heels of Easter, I thought it would be a good idea to come up with a great project in honor of the holiday.
This candle is really easy, all you need is an empty egg shell and some candle wax and wick.
Carefully make a small hole in the top of the egg, empty all the yolk and egg white, don't forget to dip the empty shell into boiling water to remove all the residue.
Carefully begin picking the shell pieces off the egg, until you have an opening on the top big enough to add the wax.
Once it dries, you can give it as a gift, or just light it and enjoy it yourself.
This project not only recycles, but it would make a great family project (kids, let your parents handle the wax! It's very hot)