Glass Garden Balls DIY Part 1

By special and numerous requests, here you are, the first tute for my glass garden balls!

My blog header shows my love of cobalt blue glass and I've added that love of blue glass to my garden art.

Years ago my family got me a big blue gazing ball for my daisy flowerbed and I knew I wanted more, more, more! But hey, those gazing balls are not cheap and they are surprisingly fragile. Basically they are just giant glass Christmas balls. So they break if they fall over.What to do?

My first idea involved a bowling ball and lots of glass half marbles from the Dollar Store. I got this idea from the Garden Junk forum over at Garden Web. I used Silicone II adhesive for half of the ball and E6000 jewelry adhesive for the other half. I prefer the jewelry adhesive. And I LOVE how this came out!!! The bowling ball cost me $4 at a thrift store and I used about 6 bags of glass marbles, more or less. A 40% off coupon from Michael's snagged the E6000 and voila!!! My first blue glass garden ball for about $14. I was hooked!

I snagged this round glass light fixture for 25 cents and knew it would be my next ball project. Dollar Store half marbles and garage sale finds gave me the blue glass I needed. I decided to go with this Amazing Goop silicone adhesive because it was CHEAP. It is basically the same formula as the E 6000 and the Silicone II. The total cost on this pretty ball is less than $10.

This is definitely an OUTSIDE project since all the glues I've mentioned are incredibly smelly. Even outside I have a fan blowing across my work area to avoid the fumes. I settled on my front porch and started gluing. Put a small blob of glue on each individual marble, you do not have to goop it on. Smear a layer on your big ball and put your marble in place. I twist them a bit to make sure they stick together.

IMPORTANT! The adhesive does not set up quickly so you will have to do small areas of your ball and let it dry for several hours then turn it over to do the other sides. Try to skip this step and you'll have glass marbles falling off all over the place! In this project patience will reward you with a beautiful art piece.

And done!!

Here she is (of course she's a lady! LOL!) nestled in a soft bed of creeping Jenny. A hot pink petunia will join her soon. I love the bright blue glass against my blue deck railings and house color.

Oooh ahhh!

I'll be posting another tutorial soon on using Liquid Nails adhesive and glass marbles for a different look. And garden balls made with stones instead of glass marbles. And totally unique birdhouses with stones and roofs of cedar shingles. Stay tuned!

I'll be joining the linky parties in my sidebar. Come visit and enjoy the wonderful creativity bloggers have to offer!

Spring Wreath from a Bath Scrubbie

I see lots of creative mesh wreaths online and in the craft stores and they are gorgeous! I have a bit of a wreath obsession and I've been studying how to make them without buying the rolls of decor mesh or special wreath forms. So I started with this simple wreath and I am quite pleased with the result.

When I found these bath pouf/scrubbies at The Dollar Store, I knew they'd make a great mesh wreath if I could figure out the logistics. I love the graduated green colors! I already have Dollar Store wreath forms in my studio (wreath obsession, as I said) and  I just had to put it all together.

First, I unstrung one scrubbie. Wow, there is alot of poufy fabric in  these! They are actually long mesh tubes, who knew? I figured I could utilize the tubes as is around an 8" diameter foam wreath form.

 I gathered the mesh tubes on my arm and then made a small cut to divide the form. Careful fitting and fiddling gave me this....

Hey, this might work! I like the simplicity and the fluffiness. A few quilting pins here and there to control the poufs and I'm on my way. I used hot glue and clear  tape to close the gap in the wreath form.

Then came the fun part. I crashed my stash for little decor items and kept dithering over an Easter theme or springtime or ???? THIS is when my work table gets covered with lots of stuff. Finally I settled on butterflies since I had some pretty ones in different styles in my stash AND I have these neat butterfly punches and glittery scrapbook paper.

And VOILA!

I could see this pretty wreath for a springtime door or a birthday party or even a baby shower. It is super easy to make and doesn't cost an arm and a leg for supplies. Glittery Easter eggs would look great on this wreath, as would a mini birdhouse and maybe a nest with a few fake eggs. Best of all, the Dollar Store is chock full of little decorative items to use on this wreath project all through the year.

I'll be making another one, and soon!

I'll be sharing this project at the blog parties listed on my sidebar. Come visit and check out all the creative projects!

Red Velvet Chair Cover or Hello, Downton Abbey!

See the oh-so-dusky pink throne chair hiding under the red throw? I snagged it at the end of a yard sale last summer when the weary yard sale guy sold it to me for $7 instead of the $20 he was asking.  Score and I'll take it!

It is sturdy and well made with a label saying it was built in 1965 in Virginia. BUT, as you can see, it was PINK.  Pinkish mauve and not a color I have anywhere in my house. Here it was in my living room as I continue trying to style that space. 

Yeah. Pink.

I thought originally a denim slip cover would be a neat option to pick up all the shades of blue in my paintings and the shelves.

Yeah, maybe not.

I wasn't real thrilled with the too casual look of the denim tho I may still use it in this room.

Then, as I was indulging my Downton Abbey habit I saw the drawing room furniture....in red velvet! Including a throne chair that was a close cousin to my budget buy.

Inspiration!!!

Oooh aaah! Love it!

Have I mentioned I have a huge fabric stash? Just let me repeat, I have a huge fabric stash. And in that stash I found 4 yards of plush red velvet. The real kind that isn't shiny and doesn't crush and feels like soft brushed suede to your hand and was given to me. Le sigh. I had to start at once even tho it was 10 o'clock at night.

Don't judge. When an idea strikes I have to seize the day, as it were.

Carpe Craftem.

I used a soft touch staple gun for most of the work and if you don't have one for your craft projects you are working too hard! For less than $20 you can save your hand, wrist and arm alot of wear and tear. I borrowed Insanely Creative Christy's stapler and now I have to get one of my own.

I salvaged most of the upholstery tacks and straightened them out and used them, but I'll be replacing them with new ones the more the misalignments get to me and make me itch.

I threw the turquoise pillow on there and like chocolate mint chip ice cream, it's a combo that I love, so it's staying. I'm a looking for some afghan yarn in that turquoise color for my next project.

Basically I'm just sharing this with you since there are oodles of online bloggers who are total furniture recovering experts. Truly masters at their craft and generous in sharing their knowledge. Also, fearless about using expensive imported French linen, yikes.

This project is right up my alley. A freakin' steal of a good buy at a yard sale, an open mind and eye for inspiration, coupled with a no dollar cost except for extra staples.

Ahem. Just a note, be SURE to cut your fabric pieces plenty large for the area you are covering. Don't ask me how I know but let's agree that I'm glad I had so much velvet on hand. Just sayin'.

And I have velvet left over to make a gorgeous red pillow for the couch. My living room isn't lush like Downton Abbey's but it's mine to decorate as I wish. Gotta love that!

I'll be joining some of the parties listed on my sidebar. Come visit and discover some really creative projects.

Paint Fabric to Match Your Decor

Have you ever had an idea in your head for a decorating project and just could NOT find the right fabric to make it work? Here's a quick and clever solution. Paint your fabric to match your project! Yup, I did it and here's how.

When I redid my master bedroom in turquoise, brown, black and white I already had the comforter and some matching sheets but even with my huge fabric stash I just could not find the right color of turquoise for pretty pillows. Aargh! I wanted to make those pillows NOW! I could have gone shopping but there was no room in the budget for pillows. The REAL budget laughs at the concept of a pillow budget and would give it a wedgie if it came close. But I DID find these fabrics in my craft room......

I love the brown and white print and bought all they had when I found a sale for $1 a yard. I am an absolutely sucker for a fabric bargain! The teal fabric is a standard Walmart flat sheet, and I bought it because for $5 you get several yards of usable fabric. (Here's a hint-at Halloween WM has single flat sheets in BLACK for $5. That's enough for lots of Halloween projects right there!) And the embroidered white on black fabric was a remnant, but a big one, almost a full yard. BUT the two prints were not the right color. Soooooo....

.... I painted my fabric to match my bedroom! 

I was so excited how well this worked that I insisted that The Welding Man come look and feign enthusiasm! Hey, don't tell me you've never forced your hubs to "appreciate" your projects, lol!

 I experimented a bit with remnants and found a look that I liked and so I went to work. First I chose  craft acrylic paint in turquoise and watered it down to a skim milk consistency. Then I sprayed each fabric piece with water to dampen it and with a paintbrush just touched into the paint I then touched the brush to the fabric. The cohesion of the water in the brush to the damp fabric just drew the color into the threads and it was easy and fun to do. 

I actually laughed out loud as I was doing it cus it was coming out so cool! Since the paint is so thin, the fabric takes the color without getting stiff. No, I did not add fabric medium.

 I LOVE the watercolor look on the white and brown fabric, much better than a solid teal dyed background. I even sprayed it with water before it was dry to increase the pretty watercolor look. On the embroidered pillow I only colored half the embroidery so the pillow is half teal and half white stitching. It looks very much like a custom job. Oh wait, it is a custom job.

Once the fabric was dry I ironed the backside to set the paint. And yes, these covers are washable and the color holds true. Love that!

I made a pretty pin tucked pillow from that Wal Mart sheet following online tutes and I am pleased as punch with the way it turned out. It's a nice textured punch of color to go with my painted pillow covers. Score!

My total cost on this project was minimal but let's break it down...

brown and white fabric @ $1 a yard less than $1

white embroidered black remnant @ $1 less than $1

WalMart flat single sheet for $5 less than $1.00

(I have enough fabric left of all of these for more pillow projects)

Craft paint on hand zero extra cost

old pillows stuffed into new pillow covers zero

So total cost was less than $4

 Even the REAL budget condescended enough to give the pillow budget a nod of approval. And now since I saved so much getting the pillows I wanted I can take my teeny tiny budget and hit thrift stores and yard sales for neat accessories!!

Sharing this on the parties in my sidebar. Come check them out and find some truly Pinnable projects!

Painting for my sister

I've loved painting for years but have never taken a lesson. I painted and tweaked and painted and did what I could to capture my ideas. Finally I began to buy some books that gave me important information and best of all, instructions. THIS is one of my favorite purchases.

Written and lavishly photographed by John Koury (copyright 2002), this book is luscious just to look at but best of all, there are scads of important tips and great instructions for painting the small details in nature.

I knew I wanted to paint something like this for my sister, Nancy, for Christmas. She loves the creeks and rivers of Oregon and the layered beauty you find there. So I jumped in with both feet.

Starting with the dark background, I added layered colors for the rocks both in and out of the water. I am so amazed when nothing becomes something in a painting. I always come to a point where it looks like it isn't working but I've learned to push through. Acrylics are my favorite medium since mistakes can be painted over and fixed. Mistakes? I've made a few. LOL!

It was not very big, but it was full of fun details. I enjoyed painting it!

Here's the finished painting. I eliminated the butterfly but kept the leaf. I thought it's beautiful detail was more than enough against the wet and dry stones. I also added the floating twig. I LOVE how this came out and Nancy did, too!

I painted this is 2009. In 2010 I quit painting because of my cancer treatment. My fine motor skills were iffy when I was deep in chemotherapy so nobody got paintings last Christmas. Instead I used simple freezer paper stencils to make personalized sweatshirts.

But you know, I'm feeling better and better. I've found I can still do fine crochet and hand sewn rosettes and even take on some bigger projects. I did a few paintings for my Etsy shop for Halloween using my most popular designs and I sold a few. That does it. Time to start painting again!

So, ahoy there, family! When you get a painting for Christmas, act surprised. : o )

Blue and White Wreath Redo Fourth Go Round

I am thrifty (cheap, tightfisted, etc) as all get out and I love it when I can get LOTS of mileage out of my decorations. Here is our Christmas door wreath for 2012....the FOURTH seasonal redo of my favorite twig wreath form and I think it's my favorite version yet.

It fits over the arched window in our front door perfectly, so it's a keeper.

Ooh aah!

I knew all those cobalt, teal and silver ornaments I found at yard sales, thrift stores and clearance sales would look great on this twig wreath. I've been collecting them all year. I especially love all the glittered ornaments I've found. 

Last year this wreath started out painted gloss black, with three black roses and lots of eucalyptus and twiggy sticks. I added silk leaves, flowers and real pumpkins for our autumn Thanksgiving door decor. LOVE the contrast and the bright colors!

Then I got out the cheap Walmart spray paint in gloss white and totally changed the look of the whole thing for less than $2! When it comes to redoing this big twig wreath, spray paint and hot glue are my best friends.

I scored some neat teal foil ribbon twist which I glued to wire curls and added a few blue balls.  I was super pleased with this pretty wreath on our Christmas door last year.

I found the bronze glittered butterflies at an after Christmas clearance sale and saved them for this springtime wreath. More wire curls got a shot of spring green and every time I ran across silk or plastic ferns and greenery, I snapped them up and stuck them on. By the end of summer this wreath was just LOADED with greenery! I made the nest from twigs and glittered the 3 eggs for a pretty touch and I even scored a green glittered butterfly.

Which brings us back to this year's Christmas wreath. I added beads and that pretty blue glittered butterfly and even a bath scrubby in a gorgeous turquoise shade. The more the merrier is my motto!

I re used the white wire curls from the spring and summer wreath and also re used the  blue foil twist curls from last year. I tried out some outdoor Mod Podge to make glittered balls. I'll be keeping a close watch on those to see how that Mod Podge formula holds up to winter storms.

I like it! I like it ALOT!

I took a couple of hours off from my long, long Christmas To Do List and just put this wreath together for some  fun. Sometimes you've got to squeeze something relaxing into your schedule. You might be surprised how rejuvenated you will be and ready to jump back into your busy life.

So this next year I'll keep my eyes peeled for even more blue ornaments for this fun door wreath. Who knows, maybe I'll even find another big twig wreath and I can double my fun with more wreath redos!

Have a great holiday season, ladies, and come visit the great blog parties listed on my side bar. You never know what you will find!

Stinkin' Cute Wine Cork Reindeer DIY

Here is an oldie but a goodie from last year and one of my top Pins on Pinterest this week.

Look! A tiny reindeer made from wine corks and twigs for your Holiday decor!

If you accumulate a lot of wine corks or keep running across them at yard sales and thrift stores, here's a nifty little project for the holidays that is so stinkin' cute and sort of easy, plus cheap. I make these little guys to go with my Santa dolls and while making them today I went ahead and took pictures of the process.

Here he is surrounded by the supplies for his creation. Wine corks, little twigs (some with forks) and round headed pins. You will also need a tool for cutting like a razor craft knife and wire cutters.

Punch four leg holes at a slight outward angle in the bottom of one cork for the twig legs. Use a nail or ice pick or whatever gives you the right size holes. The holes need only be about 1/4" deep. Cut four sorta matching twigs for the legs, about 2" long, using a razor knife or wire cutters like those shown.

Put a bit of hot glue in the hole or on the twigs and insert the twigs into the holes. You can press the sticks in with gentle pressure against your work surface or use a pair of pliers. Stand the body up and if any leg is out of whack trim it JUST A LITTLE with a knife or the wire cutters. If you take off too much you'll have to trim the other legs and then the first leg again and it will only end in tears, trust me on this.

BUT, if this happens you can use a heat gun or blow dryer to soften the glue and remove the sticks so you can start over with 4 new twig legs.

If your chosen head cork is too large, trim one end straight off with a razor knife til the proportion seems right. Do the same same punch-holes-trim-twigs-glue-in-holes for the tiny forked antlers and the neck twig. Notice the neck twig is angled, so punch your holes with that in mind.

Look! Teeny tiny super cute wine cork reindeer!

LOVE these little guys!

But wait, what are the push pins for? This little guy needs a red nose, of course. I snipped the pin off short then painted the ball bright red.

Then I added a bit of tiny green tinsel around his neck. Perfect. You can add more tiny trims like the bow on his brother in the top pic, or a tiny star, or a little bell.

How cute would these be on your mantel or even marching across your desktop at work?  And with just a bit of twine or fishing line in a loop and hot glued to his back, you have a cute tree ornament. They are not strong enough to be used as toys but for your Christmas decor, what could be easier or cuter? And now you have a nifty project to use all those wine corks you have in that glass jar!

Try it, you'll like it and be sure to enjoy yourself. Every time I make one of these little guys they make me smile. You will smile, too!