Posts Tagged ‘craft project’

I’m actually out of town right now, celebrating my birthday with a long birthday weekend out of town. I’ll be back on Monday for posting as usual, but before you head out to enjoy the sun this weekend, I wanted to leave you with a handful of DIYs to try.

1. leather key fob project by For the Makers

2. mini to maxi skirt DIY by Sincerely Kinsey

3. giant crepe paper roses how-to by Studio DIY

4. beaded summer skewers DIY by Camille Styles

5. geometric cake toppers by Jenny for Minted’s blog, Julep

6. DIY shoe clips by Honestly WTF

I also write for other sites around the web. Here’s where you can find me elsewhere this week…

• 10 Outdoor Furniture Makeovers to get you Ready for Summer
• Before and After: A Master Bedroom gets a Punch of Personality
• How to Design and Build a Headboard for less than $50
• DIY Gumball Garland (new tutorial for One Charming Party)
• Cool DIY cake toppers using Wallpaper Samples (new tutorial for One Charming Party) 

And if you’re looking for even more DIYs to try, you can check out the DIY page here or my DIY board on Pinterest. Hope you have a great weekend.

-Brittni

The other day, I accidentally made today’s DIY project. I was planning to make something else entirely and then a little lightbulb went off in my head and I switched gears. Don’t you love it when that happens?

So, today’s edition of Make This will take you through making these modern, painted candle votives for just about any occasion: Mother’s Day, a housewarming party, a wedding. You name it – these DIY votives can adapt to pretty much anything, which is great. But the best part about this DIY is actually the price. About $5 worth of plaster and $5 worth of tealights will make roughly 50 completed votives. That makes each votive $0.20 to make from start to finish. Does it get any better than that?

Supplies:

1. Scoop powdered plaster into a small container and mix with water according to directions.

2. Stir water and plaster mixture until you achieve desired consistency, which should be similar to pancake batter. Plaster sets very quickly, so you will want to work fast.

3. Pour mixture into square mold or gently scoop the mixture in with a spoon.

4. Wait 2-3 minutes for it to start to set up. While it’s setting up, remove the candles from the metal shell they sit in. And place one in the top of each square. Then add coins or other small heavy objects to weigh it down, so it say in place.

5. Set aside and allow the plaster to harden for at least one hour (dry time may vary).

6. Carefully remove the plaster numbers from the mold one at a time and let them finish air drying for a full 24 hours.

7. Now that your numbers are completely dry, you can seal them with matte medium (optional) and then begin painting them.

8. Wait for the votives to dry completely, add the candles back into the tealight shells and you are done.

There are so many uses for these little guys. You could give a set of votives to your mom for Mother’s Day, use them as a housewarming gift for a friend, or turn them into cool wedding favors.

Or keep them all for yourself.

Want more DIY ideas? Click here.

Concept, photography and styling by Brittni Mehlhoff for Paper & Stitch

As usual for a Friday, I’m working on getting some freelance DIYs finished up and shot before the weekend. The weather is starting to warm up again, so I’m hoping to spend some time outdoors this weekend.

What about you? Are you planning on doing any DIYs this weekend? Because I must say, this week’s roundup of projects is pretty killer if you’re looking for something to do. Check ‘em out…

1. faceted concrete hooks DIY by Homemade Modern

2. paper cup garland lights by Mormorsglamour

3. reversible cardboard necklace for kids by Merrilee for Minted

4. batik dye wall hanging DIY by Kelli & Nicole for Kelli Murray (found via Ez)

5. Eames inspired mobile DIY by Facing North with Gracia

6. knot necklace DIY by Hikaru for Kollabora

Here’s where you can find me elsewhere around the web this week…

• An interview I did with my bud Chelsea of Lovely Indeed for Kollabora
• And I also started a Kollabora account. Do you have one too?
• Make an outdoor awning to get ready for summer
• And how to make a pajaki chandelier

Have a great weekend!

-Brittni

This guest post was written by Stephanie Gerber of Henry Happened.

You know what’s fun to play with? Oven bake clay. I know, you’re probably thinking, not more clay! But you’re only saying that if you haven’t tried it. The rest of us are addicted. Yep, just call me the crazy clay lady. And what’s even more fun? Clay and nail polish. That’s a match made in DIY heaven.

I was thinking of giving these colorful bowls to friends for Mother’s Day gifts. But they are looking so pretty on my new office desk. Maybe I’ll just call it a gift to myself?

To make your own nail polish dipped clay bowls you will need:

1. Oven bake clay.
2. Lots of pretty nail polish colors.
3. A disposable cup or bowl to dip in.
4. A toothpick to swirl the colors.
5. Masking tape.

Instructions: 1. First you need to make a clay bowl. To do that, start by rolling out the clay between sheets of wax paper until the clay is a uniform thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use an oven safe bowl, like small Pyrex one, to shape the clay. Flip the bowl over and mold the clay to the bottom. Trim the clay to the height you want and smooth the edges. Really short bowls are excellent ring bowls while taller ones are good for corralling change or paper clips.

2. Bake the clay and let it cool. Ease it off of the bowl base and tape off the area that you don’t want to dip. This is where it’s fun to experiment. Dip one side, just the bottom, or even the inside. Or do the whole thing!

3. Fill a cup or bowl with room temperature water. Then drip in nail polish. The first couple of drops should spread across the top of the water. If it doesn’t, check the temperature of your water and try again. It’s fun to mix 2-3 colors and swirl them around with a toothpick.

4. Then dip! Straight down into the polish works best. But you can roll it around in the water too if you want to cover more of the bowl.

5. Let the polish dry, remove the tape and fill with the jewelry you’ll be getting for Mother’s Day. Now is definitely a good time to start dropping hints!

Stephanie Gerber spends her days chasing 3 little kiddos in Nashville, TN, and her nights blogging about DIY and style. Check out more handmade chic ideas to look your best and style your nest on her blog Henry Happened.

For more craft projects like this one, visit the DIY projects page here.

I am tying up a few loose ends this morning before a couple of meetings and I figured you may want some project suggestions before heading out for the weekend. How did Friday get here so fast? So here are my favorite DIYs from the week…

1. fringe kimono DIY from Merrythought

2. initial letter planters DIY from Henry Happened

3. DIY bar bottle labels from Lovely Indeed

4. how to make a leather pouchette from For the Makers

5. DIY patterned stationery from Sugar & Cloth

6. floating clouds project from A Subtle Revelry

7. fresh flower honeycomb decor from Studio DIY

8. studded collar DIY from Sincerely, Kinsey

One, two, and four are my favorites, I think. But I want to try that cloud project (#6). What about you? Have any favorites from this roundup?

P.S. I also write for other sites around the web. Here are my posts elsewhere from the week…

• Before and After: Goodbye 80s Kitchen
• How To: Make a Concrete and Copper Bedside Lamp
• Rusty Plant Stand turned End Table Makeover
• How To: Turn a Lightbulb into a Bud Vase

Have a great weekend.

-Brittni

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