Crafts Archives - Page 42 of 45

Crafts, Gift Ideas, gifts, Holiday decorating, Sewing

Mini Gift Pouches from Napkins

Oh the quandary of what to get my boy’s teachers, the sitter, and all those other important people in our lives. Usually I take the easy way out and buy gift cards. Well – okay – I’m still going to give the gift cards, but this year I wanted to present them in something a little nicer. Something handmade with love. Cute mini gift pouches!

These little handmade pouches are perfect for holding a gift card and some holiday treats. And then after the holiday season has ended, the recipient can use the pouch to protect and store valuables!

My pouches started like this:

Discounted cloth napkins! 90 cents for each napkin. And here is how they became cute little mini gift pouches:

Open the napkin up and cut it into quarters.

Fold the napkin in half.

Allow 1/4 inch seam allowance on the open edge of your pouch, then layout your design and sketch with a disappearing marker where your stitch lines will appear.

Sew along the lines you drew. (My machine has a few decorative stitches, but I could have done them by hand instead.)

Then hand sew the buttons on where you want them.

Once your design has been completely stitched You will need to hem the raw edge on your napkin.

Next, fold over the top of your pouch approximately 1/2″ to accommodate your ribbon drawstring.

Stitch the ribbon drawstring pocket closed. If your sewing machine has decorative stitches you may choose to use one of them, but be sure to sew on the right side.

Fold your napkin back in half with the right sides together, and stitch along the bottom and open sides of your pouch. (I stitched this pouch a little higher on the bottom edge to make the flower stems end in the seam.) Be careful to stop stitching up the side before the drawstring opening.

Snip off the corners of your pouch.

Turn your pouch right side out.

Cut a length of ribbon long enough to thread through the top of your pouch and to tie a bow. Then attach a safety pin to one end of the ribbon. (I added some scotch tape so the pin wouldn’t fray the ribbon.)

Gently feed the ribbon through the bag using the safety pin to push its way through.

Add some goodies to your pouches and tie the ribbon to close it up.

For the Rudolf and tree bag, I simply cut out the shapes using felt and stitched around the edges.

One more trick for you. The snowman’s eyes were added after I stitched the button on using white thread. Then I re-threaded my needle and sewed in and out a few times on each hole to give him little black eyes.

I will be the first to admit that I need to center my designs a little better, but for now I’m happy with them. And, hey, isn’t it the imperfections that make them look handmade?

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_g5zUd7bijOw/TP5MiaPwgSI/AAAAAAAADLs/GU1XOSrD1_I/s1600/MoreXmasPouches.jpg

Update: I made a few more pouches last night, and altered my snowmen to a four hole button which gave me the option to add a mouth. I’m also perfecting my technique and getting better (not perfect) at centering the designs.

Pin for later!

December 6, 2010/37 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, Crafts, Decorating, Holiday decorating, Home Decor, wreath

Presto Chango Christmas Wreath

Sneak Peek at my Christmas Wreath

I am getting a lot of mileage out of my white base wreath I bought at Target several months ago. With it I’ve been able to make a Magnolia Leaf Wreath for the fall.

I made a Feather Wreath for Thanksgiving.

Now it was time to give the wreath an injection of Christmas spirit. I removed the feathers, but left the green nuts on it. I had a green fabric leaf wreath that I made out of some floral filler stalks. All I did was twist 4 of the stalks into a circle shape and secure with a few pieces of floral wire.

I set my white base wreath inside the green leaf circle.

To secure the two together, 1) I fed some of the base wreath twigs under the leaf wreath and 2) twisted them over to hug the green leaf wreath.

That couldn’t be any easier! No glue, no mess.

I compared two different ribbons next to my wreath and ultimately chose the black and white one.

Tied a pretty bow and stood back to admire.

Hmmm, I like it, but it just wasn’t feeling Christmasy enough, so I quickly tucked some red floral sprigs with teeny bells on them into the wreath and gently curved them to match the shape of the wreath.

Now that is more like it!

In less than 10 minutes I have my Christmas wreath! This base wreath has been the best $10 I’ve spent all year!

I’m going to try to use this wreath all year and will be sure to share the transformations with you.

December 4, 2010/16 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, Birdhouse, Crafts, gifts, Pinecone roof

Pinecone Roof for a Hand-Painted Birdhouse

I love creating decorative birdhouses to donate for silent auctions. Over the years I’ve created a few, but this pinecone roof hand-painted birdhouse is one of my favorites! (You can see the other hand-painted birdhouses I’ve created and auctioned off for our preschool’s silent auction.)

Pinecone Roof for a Hand-Painted Birdhouse

Today I’ll show you how to create a nature-inspired pinecone roof for your birdhouse. This is a simple DIY project that will produce an adorable nature inspired birdhouse.

Materials:

Hopefully you have all the materials and tools on hand that you will need. This is a list of what you’ll need to add a pinecone roof to your birdhouse.

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Instructions:

Start with an unfinished wood birdhouse.

After priming and hand-painting the unfinished birdhouse, it was time to add the decorative elements to set this birdhouse apart from a store-bought house.

First you should know that I sawed off the perch that came with the birdhouse. And filled the hole with wood putty. Then after a light sanding and a coat of primer, I painted the whole birdhouse.

Adding the Pinecone Roof:

Use a pair of needle-nosed pliers to carefully de-scale several pinecones, you may want to wear gloves because those scales are sharp! Most people think you’d start from the top of the roof and add scales down, but if you have ever watched a house roof being tiled, they always start from the bottom and overlap shingles as they go up.

This little birdie abode is no different. Start by running a line of E-6000 (super strong glue) on the bottom of the roof. Then lay the first row of pinecone scales. Once the first row is complete, overlap a second row on top of the first. Here is a peek at the roof after three rows had been laid.

Once you reach the top, move to the other side. (Check back frequently to adjust any scales that move slightly during the roofing process.) This is what the house looked like when I was done with one side of the roof.

Repeat for the other side.

As the roof dries, search your yard for a stick to use as a perch. It took a while, but I found one that had a “T” shape so I could insert one end into the house.

Choose a drill bit that is the same size as the stick.

If you want to paint the stick before securing it, now is the time to do that.

Drill a hole into the front of the birdhouse.

Use some more E-6000 to line the hole, then slide the stick into the house. If the stick touches the house in multiple places, put a small dollop of glue behind where the stick and the house meet to hold it secure.

Add a screw eye to the center of the roof if you want to allow someone to hang the birdhouse. Simply measure the center of the roof and then used a drill bit slightly smaller than the screw eye to drill the pilot hole. Screw eyes can pretty much be twisted in by hand, or you can use your pliers if you need a better grip.

Now it is time to give the birdhouse some snow! First tape off the painted sides of the birdhouse with ScotchBlue painter’s tape to protect them from the spray.

I admit it, I’m cheap. I didn’t feel like buying some fake snow, so I chose to use white spray paint and glitter spray instead.

Hold the can several feet away, and spray in small bursts. If your have a can of spray paint that is almost empty this works best because it will spatter a little.

Give the birdhouse a light dusting of glitter spray. To protect the house, coat it with at least three coats of clear spray.

And here she is in her snow dappled glory! Doesn’t that pinecone roof look amazing?

I’m curious, how much would you have bid up to on this cute little one-of-a-kind bird house? The winning bidder paid $25 for the birdhouse. Not bad considering the house only cost me $3.

If you liked this post, you’ll love this simple DIY Hummingbird Feeder:

Hey bird lovers! My family loves bird-watching , too. Over the years we’ve experimented with several bird feeders, bird food, and resource books. I’ve created a l ist of our favorite bird-feeding and watching items on Amazon:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

November 23, 2010/7 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, Birdhouse, Crafts, Gift Ideas, ReNew, Trash to Treasure

Hand-Painted Birdhouses with Style

Our preschool silent auction is today. Every year I donate a one-of-a-kind hand-painted birdhouse to be auctioned off. I never spend more than $3 on the birdhouse and usually buy the unpainted versions at Michael’s or ACMoore. Then I get creative by hand-painting a scene and add unexpected touches to the house – thus creating birdhouses with style.

For inspiration, these are some of the birdhouses I’ve hand-painted in the past. I hope the birds find them cozy and love them as much as I do.

2008 – Jardin da Girasoli de Vendere “Vendor of Sunflowers”

Painting sunny sunflowers and some green grass gave this birdhouse a sunny garden look. I added a gold spigot for the new perch. Using a spade bit in my drill, I cut a hole slightly smaller than the spigot, then simply screwed the spigot in place. For added stength I coated the threads with some E-6000. Can anyone guess what the roof tiles are made from? They are canvas shims! Those are the freebie scraps of wood that come with a painter’s canvas! Painting them bright red took the little birdhouse from cute to bidding war worthy!

round white birdhouse with red roof and silhouette of birds and branches

2009 – Red & White Bird Silhouette Round House

I apologize right now for the condition of this picture! Obviously this is the only picture I took of this cute little abode. The birdhouse was a $2 find at my local Goodwill. The roof was detaching and it was painted an ugly 90’s hunter green and burgundy. I gave the house a good cleaning, then glued and nailed the roof back on. After a fresh coat of primer and white paint, I hand-painted the red bird and branch design onto the curved birdhouse sides. Then the roof and base were painted a solid red. The perch is a curtain rod screw (that holds the rod in the curtain rod bracket). Then the house received a little green ribbon and a silver bell on the top. So simple, but one of my favorites!

clear-coat-rustoleum-sealant-protecting birdhouse

For the next auction birdhouse I wanted to focus on a woodland theme. I scoured my yard for pinecones that were dry and spread open. I glued them onto the roof of an unpainted birdhouse purchased from Michaels. The house got a beautiful woodland scene with a Christmas wreath on the front and a Christmas tree on the back.

birdhouse with winter tree scene hand-painted, pine cone roof

2010 – Christmas Time, Snow and a Pinecone Roof

This house got some serious head-turning attention with a pinecone plank roof, white snow, glitter, and a stick for a perch. I hope the birds appreciate it. The tutorial to make your own pinecone roof hand-painted birdhouse can be found here.

Creative Ideas for Decorating Birdhouses

I know that some of you might be thinking you can’t do this, but let me float some ideas for you. Instead of decorative painting try:

Mod Podge Wallpaper on the sides
Mod Podge Fabric to the sides
Use a stencil
Dip Dot paint the birdhouse
Search the web for picture inspiration and trace it onto your birdhouse.
Use painters tape to create stripes
Let your little ones decorate the house with paint
Doodle on the birdhouse

Protect Hand-Painted Birdhouses from the Elements

To protect all my birdhouses from the elements (should they really be “for the birds”), I coated them with a few coats of polyurethane. If you don’t seal the birdhouses they will rot overtime. They may still take a beating after each season, so it’s helpful to be able to have an access panel to clean out the inside and let it air out.

birdhouse with a can of rustoleum clear coat in front of it

So, how much do you think my pinecone roof birdhouse will fetch today? I hope more than $3!

If you liked this post, you’ll love these other creative bird feeders and birdhouses.

Hey bird lovers! My family loves bird-watching , too. Over the years we’ve experimented with several bird feeders, bird food, and resource books. I’ve created a l ist of our favorite bird-feeding and watching items on Amazon:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

November 20, 2010/12 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, Crafts, Home Decor, wreath

Feathers in my Wreath

I bought this basic white base wreath at Target a few months ago. I knew it would take me through several seasons.

Case in point, my magnolia-fied wreath from September.

Well, I stripped out all the dried magnolia leaves and was determined to give it a new look for Thanksgiving. When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of turkey! So, turkey, pheasant, and peacock feathers seemed like an ideal filler for my plain wreath. I also threw in some other feathers I had in my décor stash.

All I did was tuck some feathers into the wreath. Played with the placement of the feathers until I liked the look.

Then I added a dark teal satin ribbon.

Not bad, but not very exciting. I wanted to add some color, so I grabbed some green potpourri nuts and gave them a fresh coat of spray paint (Rustoleum Apple Green) to freshen them up.

Then, I put a small dollop of hot glue on the backs and pressed them onto my wreath. My goal is to continue to re-use the wreath, so I used the glue sparingly.

Now, that looks much better.

Then I hung my feather wreath up and my door is festively decorated for Thanksgiving.

After Thanksgiving, I’ll be haulin’ down the Christmas decorations. I’m trying so hard to keep the kids from dictating our decorating with inflatable santas, elves and more. Personally, I prefer the classic white lights, some greenery and a red bow to top it off.

November 17, 2010/18 Comments/by Brittany Bailey