Halloween Wreath!

This Halloween wreath was created with flowers from the Dollar Tree! The black roses came with 2 spiders, which were added to the wreath. The black crow/raven and mesh was also from Dollar Tree. This project was very simple to make! 

Aged Wall Art Terrarium

I saw a wall terrarium at Home Depot and was not convinced I liked it. I did love the idea of having one for my cubicle. You see, I have been on a mission to decorate those grey drab looking walls. I thought I could do better myself and use the colors I wanted. Here is my version of a wall terrarium. FYI: I am not a trained professional and this is trial by error. This is my version of a project I saw, but I do not know how they made it.  If you make one, please adjust and make it your own.

This is one of two I made. It is not the one from the tutorial.

Here are the supplies I used. The plants were bought at Home Depot and the supplies at Michaels.

• Small crate
• Frame - the opening must be smaller than the crate. It can also be the same size.
• Woodglue
• Paint - for the aged look use browns and greens for undertones.
• Paintbrushes
• Embellishments - I used wood veneers (love/bird) & white picket fence.
• Small Plants - there is a large selection at Home Depot.
• Water Sealant
• Hot glue
• Moss

Don't forget the moss! I bought this at Joann's.

First, I played with paint but it was not what I wanted. I will show you what I did later. Here, I used Elmer's Wood glue to glue the small crate and wood frame. BTW I did a lot of measuring at Michaels when I bought the crate and frame. Make sure the frame opening is smaller than the crate. I do not have the dimensions, but if you want them, please ask in the comment section.

I traced the area where I wanted to glue the frame to the crate. You want to leave more of a gap where the pots will sit (see left side of the frame).

Once you put them together, add something heavy to hold the two together. Let sit overnight to ensure the glue completely dries. My Cuttlebug is really heavy so I used it as a clamp. 

Color your wooden area (crate and frame) a golden brown (left picture). Then paint a thin layer of green (to simulate mold). Don't completely cover the brown. Let some of it come through the green painting. 

Don't forget to let dry between painting. Repeat with the blue paint. Make sure you paint a thin layer of blue and try to spread out the paint as thin as possible (with a completely dry brush) so that the brown and green come through the blue. 

 Once you are done painting, let dry thoroughly and seal. Please follow directions on the your water sealant spray bottle. Remember, I am not a professional, so please use caution when using any type of chemicals. READ the instructions completely!!! :)

Paint your decorative elements. 

Add your moss, plants, decorative elements and you are done! I glued the white picket fence on the inside, but I could have done it on the outside too. Please use your imagination and do what you want! These plants can be pulled out easily for watering, or you can slightly mist the moss for watering. I plan on using a water dauber to add water directly to the plants.

 

I hope this serves as inspiration. 
Thanks for reading!

DIY Gumball Machines

Here is a super easy way to make a cute gumball machine.

The supplies are easy to find. I bought mine at Joanns, but I have also seen these items at the Dollar Store.

Supplies List:

• Terracotta Pot and Plate
• Glass bowl
• Paint brush
• Acrylic paint (whatever color you want)
• Hot glue and gun
• Wooden ball 
• Embellishments of your choice

I used red acrylic paint to paint the terracotta pot and plate. Also paint the wooden balls. Set aside and let dry. Depending on what medium you use, you may need to allow your paint to dry longer than other paints. The paint I used dried in approximately 15 minutes.

Once your paint is dry, hot glue the wooden ball to the terracotta plate. Set aside and allow to dry completely.  

You can add a tack into the wooden ball for embellishment. 

Flip the painted pot with the bottom facing up. Add hot glue to the rim of the pot and carefully place the glass bowl in the center. 

For extra security, flip the glued bowl and pot around and add extra glue through the center.

Finally, add embellishments!

Add your favorite candy and you are done! Enjoy! 

4 Cards for a Scrap and Swap.

Here are four cards I made for a Scrap and Swap challenge I'm in.

This one is one of my favorites! I cut out strips of 3/4 inches by 4. The light bulb and stamp are from My Creative time. Her dies and stamps are great quality! Highly recommended. I used burlap strands that I had in my stash.

For this card I used Memory Keepers envelope punch to create the small file folder. I actually sued a manila file fold to create this card. The banner is also from My Creative Time. I am not sure where the got the stamps from. Also, the Thank and Friend and from a label maker that I bought at a thrift store and the green and pink label is from the Smash Book brand. 

This card is a manila label. The white trees are heat embossed and the stamp is from Unity Stamps. The background was done by Tim Holtz distress inks. 

I used Martha Stewart's circle punch for the design on center right of the card. The butterflies and stamp are My Creative time.

Thanks for watching!