DIY: Twine Pumpkin

Have you ever went to a craft store or any other store looking for your fall decor? Only to find that the specific item will cost you an arm and a leg? One of my goals this year is to decorate my little apartment without spending hundreds of dollars. So far so good!

Now, have you seen those twig/twine pumpkins with the little lights inside them at your favorite craft store? I always wanted one of those, until I found out they are $25+!!! Some even go over $40! I just couldn’t spend THAT much money on something that I could just make myself. With a little bit of research I discovered how to make my own on Recaptured Charm. The best part about this project, was that EVERYTHING came from the dollar store.

Things you need:

-White glue.(or Mod Podge.)

-Balloons.

-Gloves(optional).

-Scissors.

-Sponge brush.

-Jute twine.

-Stick (found in your backyard)

-Spray Paint

-Battery operated tea light or twinkle lights.

First thing you do is blow up your balloon to whatever size you want your pumpkin to be.

Cover your entire balloon with glue. I used the sponge brush to do that. Cut long pieces of twine and dip them into the white glue. I used a paper bowl to hold all of my glue. Make sure the twine is SOAKED in glue before you wrap your balloon. The more glue the better.

Make sure to leave a hole at the top of the balloon and a hole at the bottom. You need enough room for a battery operated tea light or some twinkle lights to go in. And a hole for your stick. I measured my stick so I knew how big to leave the hole at the top. Once dry, pop the balloon.

I used a hot glue gun to glue my stick in the hole of my pumpkin.

After the hot glue dries, go ahead and spray paint your pumpkin any color you’d like! (I used gold to match my living room.)) You can use orange, yellow, brown, bronze, what ever you have in mind! Get creative with it! Insert your tea light or twinkle lights and you’re done! (Please don’t insert actual candles in your pumpkin, they may start a fire.)

It’s the PERFECT center piece for our coffee table. I just absolutely love it! The little colorful leaves and the glass pumpkins I also got from the dollar store. Don’t underestimate the power of a dollar! 😉

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DIY: Marble Magnets.

Yes I know that pretty much EVERYONE has made these. So of course I had to try it out too! These little magnets are just so adorable and super easy to make. Plus it cost me under $5! I think I will make more later. 😉

Things you need:

-Mod Podge

-Super glue/ gorilla glue

-Magnets

-Flat glass marbles

-Scissors

-Scrapbook paper/magazines/old cards

Measure and trace your glass marble on your scrapbook paper and cut it out. I got the glass marbles at the dollar store. The scrapbook paper I already had. You can use magazines, maps, old cards, pretty much anything!

Now mod podge the cut out onto the marble. Make sure to press firmly and get rid of as much air bubbles as you can. Once dry, super glue your magnet on the back. I got the super glue at Micheal’s for under $3 with a coupon. 😉 I already had mod podge on hand, so that didn’t cost me anything.

Let everything dry for a few good hours. I put a few heavy books on top of them to make sure they dry nice and firm.

Once dry, go a head and decorate your fridge, locker, whatever you like! They make great gifts too!

 

 

Make your own layered candles!

As I have stated before, I absolutely LOVE candles. It’s an inexpensive way to give your little apartment some color along with a nice scent. It’s a 2 in 1! And the best part about candles is that you can ALWAYS change them up. I am sure everyone has those candles that go out but you’re still left with all that wax stuck on the sides of your candle holder/ candle jars. Well why not make your own?!

Instead of just tossing these left over candles, I decided to make my own layered candles. This is one of the easiest projects that I have ever done!

1. First thing you do, is get some fresh new wicks. Usually any craft store would carry them, and they are under $5.
2. Then take an empty clean glass container and put that wick in the middle. You want it to be as centered as possible so your candle burns evenly.
3. Now, you need to melt your old wax. What I did was put the old glass candle in a small pot of water and boiled it on low until it turned into liquid. 

4. When your old candle turns liquid, carefully take it out of the boiling water (I used pot holders.) and pour it into your empty clean glass. Let it cool and harden completely before you do your second layer.

5. Repeat the layers until your candle is full.

6. Once your candle is full, just cut off the wick leaving about 1/2 to 1 inch above your candle.

Its better if you use scents that complement each other. This one I made was more for Fall, so I did apple, cinnamon, and vanilla.

Once I get my hands on some more left over wax I will be completing my other two candles. 🙂

Hope you enjoy your own layered candles just as much as I do!

I got this idea from http://www.happygoluckyblog.com/

DIY: Coasters.

I have always wanted to make my own coasters but never knew how. That is until I was browsing on pinterest and found a link on how its done! Of course I picked the colors that matched my living room. 🙂

All you need is:

Tiles-(Found at Home Depot for 16 cents each!)

Scrapbook paper

Mod Podge

Scissors or paper cutter

Acrylic varnish

Clear acrylic moister resistant gloss spray

Felt

Steps:

1. Measure your tiles and measure and cut your scrapbook paper.
2. Use Mod Podge to glue the scrapbook paper onto the tiles. ( I let it dry overnight.)
3. Once dry, Mod Podge the top of the scrapbook paper. Do two coats, let dry in between. ( I used gloss Mod Podge.)
4. Again, once dry spray each tile with acrylic varnish. I did about two or three coats in between. That should give you the glossy look! Let dry overnight.
5. After everything is dry, spray each tile with the water resistant acrylic coating. I did about two coats in between.
6. Last but not least, cut out small square shapes from your felt and glue it on the bottom of your coaster.( Prevents from scratching the table tops.)

The varnish and the acrylic water resistant spray I used.

Felt glued to the bottom of the coaster!

One thing that I found, was to not put hot items on the coasters. For some reason it sticks and melts the coating on the coasters. Eventually I will experiment more and figure out the best way to make these. If for any reason something does stick to your coaster,( candle, cup, ect.) just spray a few coats of varnish and it should reseal it again.

Living Room Wall Art!

(sorry for the crappy photo, I took it with my phone.)

So, my living room is mostly purple and gold. Or at least that’s my attempt at it. When i first moved out, the first thing   I wanted to do besides buy furniture, is decorate! Well, I shopped around for awhile and realized how expensive wall art can be! So I thought to myself, “hmmm, I can make the same thing cheaper!” Not only that, but it will also be MY artwork. 😀

This is very easy to do. All you need to 12X12 scrapbook paper and 12X12 canvas. I painted the outside of the canvas with gold acrylic paint, just so it looked a little more professionally made. I also used a spray adhesive and let it dry overnight. I got this idea from here.

DIY-Easy Peasy Art!

This is the first piece of art that I have created since I moved out on my own. It is very simple just takes a little bit of patience and time.

(Sorry for the flash!)

Things you will need:

• Art paper (acrylic paint paper works best)
• Paint (oil or acrylic)
• Paint brush
• Large canvas or a large piece of foam board (got the large foam board of a $1.50 each at a craft store)
• Paper cutter
• Modge Podge (or good crafting glue)
• Pencil
• Frame for your piece of art (optional).

Steps:

1. Pick out a couple of different colors for your piece or art. (I chose blue and purple). Make sure you have enough paper to cover your canvas or foam board, an extra piece or two wont hurt.
2. Paint all of the papers, and just use streaks and swirls. No need for it to be perfect. (i watered my paints down a little to create lighter tones and colors).
3. After all of your papers are covered, let them dry.
4. Once dry, turn your paintings over and measure out your squares evenly. ( I did 1.5inches by 1.5inches.) Just make sure it measures out evenly for your canvas or board.
5. When all of your paintings are measured out go ahead and start cutting away! You should be left with nothing but even little squares.
6. Now you are ready to glue! Make sure your glue isn’t too thick because you need to brush it onto your canvas. Start with the corner and begin gluing your little squares down. It’s a lot easier to do them row by row. 
7. Make sure your squares are glued down even and neat so no white should be showing.
8. Once you have the last square completed let if dry and transfer your beautiful work into a nice frame!

The Result! (Sorry for the flash!)