Crafts Archives - Page 6 of 45

Wood Burned Personalized Keychains

Monogram Keychain with burned on design and wooden beads

These fun wood burned personalized keychains are completely customizable and they involve burning things. Who wouldn’t want to do that? Personalized keychains make a great house warming gift, Christmas or birthday gift, and can even double as a fun way to dress up some gift wrap. Read on to learn how to make your own.

Wood Burned Personalized Keychains

Hey Pretty Handy Girl readers! It’s Amanda from Domestically Creative and I’m back with another fun and simple craft project that is a perfect holiday gift idea! Personalized items are the best gifts to give (and receive) but it’s even better when you can make those gifts yourself. Let’s heat up this joint and make these wood burned personalized keychains just in time for the holidays!

Materials:

(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.)

2″ wooden craft circles with holes drilled
Wood burner with pen attachments (soldering iron)
Spray polycrylic sealer
Keychain clasps or split rings (lobster clasp optional)
Wooden beads assorted
Beading line (or fishing line)
9mm open jump rings
Decorative craft tassels (optional)
Tweezers (optional but handy to have)
Round Nose Pliers

Instructions

1. Create Wood Burned Design

Start by choosing a pen-like tip for your wood burner, screw it on and tighten the set screw into place. Plug in the wood burner and let it warm up.

While it’s warming up, use a pencil to sketch the design onto one of the wooden craft circles. You can also use the same method used in these His and Hers Towel Hooks, or this Reversible Wooden Pedestal Sign if you want something more polished.

Next, burn on the design you sketched. Please use caution when using this tool as it gets VERY hot. You may consider wearing a pair of gloves as even the handle can get hot.

Tips for Wood Wurning:

Start with an even surface. If the wood is not smooth, give it a light sanding first.
Make sure to keep the tip moving so it doesn’t sit in one spot for too long, otherwise you’ll get uneven scorch marks.
Use light pressure to get the burned look. Pressing down hard will create deep divots in the wood.
Don’t worry about it being perfect, these are handmade keychains!
If you like watching this sort of thing, here is a quick video showing the process

Once you’ve finished with the burned on design, let it cool down. Give both sides of the wood a coat of polycrylic sealer to ensure the longevity of the wood and design.

2. Assemble the wooden bead keychain

Cut a long length of beading line. String one wooden bead onto the line, then loop around and run the line through it a second time from the same direction. This will create a slip loop around the wooden bead giving the strand a stopping point. Tie a knot at the end to secure it in place.

Continuing stringing beads until you are satisfied with the pattern and design. Use the same method above to make a slip loop around the last wooden bead.

Attach the personalized wooden craft circle to the beaded set by looping the line through the small hole twice, going the same direction. Then tie a double knot to secure it in place. Be sure to pull the line taught! Snip off any excess line with a pair of scissors.

Watch this video to get a better understanding of this process:

3. Attach to Keychain Clasp.

Add a jump ring to the beaded set and clamp it closed with round nose pliers. Add another jump ring to that and attach it to a keychain clasp. If desired, add a decorative tassel to the keychain clasp as well.

And there you have it! You just made a beautiful and one of a kind wood burned personalized keychain that you can give as a gift for the holidays.

You’ll have plenty of supplies to make more than one personalized keychain, so get creative with it. Your recipient is bound to love it!

I’m Amanda, and I am the creator and voice behind the food and DIY blog, Domestically Creative. What started as a place to share updates with friends and family after we moved from Illinois to Tennessee and then to Texas, turned into a passion for finding creative and frugal ways to feed us and decorate our homes.

I have always had the “make it myself” attitude and I’m not afraid to bust out the power tools or get creative when it comes to decorating our home on a budget. You can usually find me scouring the local thrift stores, garage sales and estate sales looking for my next makeover (like this litter box cabinet), or dreaming up ways to make our new house feel more like home. My most recent project was giving my home office a much needed facelift. Some of the plans included creating a fun inspirational accent wall and adding pegboard to store my craft hoards.

I currently call Missouri home, where I live with my husband, dog, and 2 cats in a pretty dull, late 90’s split level. My husband and I both love to travel the U.S and recently purchased a small travel trailer to tag along in our journeys. In our free time together we can usually be found working together on a home project, exploring a new place, or just lounging with our pup, Delilah.

I’d love for you to connect with me on social media via Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter!

See all of Amanda’s tutorials HERE.

November 13, 2019/0 Comments/by Domestically Creative

arts and craft, autumn fall decor, Crafts, decor, Decorating, DIY, Holiday decorating, Home Decor, Tutorial, wreath

DIY Simple Fall Wreath for Less than $10

Hi everyone! Happy Fall!

Today I’m back with this super simple wreath idea that will cost you less than $10 all in! It includes using an inexpensive starburst twig wreath from Amazon and some cattail bunches that I picked up at Dollar Tree for a buck each.

I happened to see this twig wreath from Amazon and it was only $7. I knew I wanted to make a Fall wreath with it. That’s what started this whole project! The nice thing about using twig wreaths is that they help to “fill out” your wreath. You don’t need as many floral/greenery accessories because the twigs add bulk.

I love making wreaths. It’s one of my favorite crafts. Lately, I’ve gravitated toward very simplistic, almost minimalistic looking, wreaths. And that’s how I wanted to design this one.

The cattails add a nice pop of color.

Let’s get started!

Materials:

(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.)

Twig wreath
Cattails or other Dollar Store Florals
Floral Wire
Wire cutters

Instructions:

Follow these three simple steps to creating your Fall wreath.

Step 1: Cut off Individual Cattails.

Since my cattails came in bunches, I started off by snipping each individual cattail from the stems. I left a bit of a stem on each one.

Step 2: Use floral wire to attach Cattails to your Wreath Form.

Using small pieces of floral wire, attach your cattails to your wreath form. You can twist the wire in the back to secure each cattail. I wanted my cattails to follow the twisted pattern of the wreath.

You can also try inserting the cattails through the twig wreath wire. Just be careful not to loosen or break the twigs from the wreath.

Step 3: Hang up and enjoy it!

After all your cattails are attached, you just need to hang up and enjoy it!

I like to use a 3m wreath hanger to hang them on my front door. If you have a glass door, you can buy a suction door wreath hanger that comes with a little hook.

These wreath hangers allow me to hang it anywhere on the front door and not block the windows. I like to hang my wreaths directly under our new lion doorknocker.

But you can also hang your wreath indoors. I especially love using wreaths for jazzing up an interior door or wall and I love hanging one from our kitchen vent hood around the holidays.

You don’t have to spend a lot to add some Fall Decor to your home. Dollar Stores are a great place to pick up a few florals and keep the cost low. You can always reuse the twig wreaths too!

For more wreath ideas, check out this modern hoop wreath tutorial here.

Until next time!

~ See More of Karen’s Tutorials ~

Hello! I’m Karen, the creator of the Home Decor and DIY Blog: Decor Hint. I’m a Native of the East Coast, but I currently live in beautiful Seattle with my hubby, our two wonderful children, and our spunky wheaten terrier.

You can usually find me with some sort of craft in one hand and a coffee in the other. And I’m always rearranging furniture or moving lamps from room to room. I have a passion (read: obsession) for decorating, DIY, and gardening. In short, I love making my house into a home.

Like many, I’m inspired by what I see in home decor magazines, but I’m not so inspired by the price tags. Consequently, I love finding and creating beautiful budget-friendly home decor items. In a head to head competition, I bet you’d never know the difference between the designer items and my DIY creations! Many of my DIY projects focus on sewing, crafting, upcycling and organizing. Some of my favorite projects have been making pretty wreaths, sewing my own tassel hand towels, and crafting these trendy wood bead garlands. I can’t wait to inspire you and spark your creativity through my DIY projects.

You can always connect with me on Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram.

October 23, 2019/0 Comments/by Karen Decor Hint

Build It, Crafts

DIY Reversible Wooden Sign

DIY Reversible Wooden Sign on a Pedestal Base

This is an easy project to create for any season! Make your very own Fall/Christmas reversible wooden sign on a pedestal base with this easy tutorial. The top is made with a scrap 2×4, while the pedestal base is assembled from a few pieces of craft wood. Can it get any more simple? There’s no need for a stencil or Cricut to make your sign! Instead use this simple method to transfer the design from paper to wood.

Materials:

(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.)

2×4 cut to 6″ in length
Wooden plaque with beveled edge
1 1/2″ tall wooden candle sticks (or you can purchase these exact ones from Hobby Lobby)
Palm Sander
100, 150 and 220 grit sand paper
White chalky paint
Gray or brown chalky paint
Paintbrush
Chip brush
Gorilla glue or another brand of wood glue
Clamp
Merry & Bright, and Sweater Weather designs printed onto paper
Graphite paper
Pencil
Black acrylic paint marker (I prefer the 2mm Molotow brand as they do not bleed and the tip stays clean)

Instructions

1. Sand the wood

Using the palm sander, start with 100 grit sand paper and sand all sides of the freshly cut 2×4 board. Make sure to smooth out any imperfections as much as possible. Continue sanding with 150 grit and 220 grit consecutively to get a smooth finish. If needed, use the 220 grit sand paper on the wooden candlesticks and circle base. You might find it easier to sand these items by hand.

2. Paint the wooden pieces

Give each piece two coats of white chalky paint. Chalky paint is great for going over bare wood because there is no priming involved and it dries very quickly.

Once both coats of paint have dried completely, sand each piece of wood again with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out any brush lines.

3. Glue the pedestal together

Use a small amount of wood glue to assemble the pedestal base of the sign:

Glue both candlesticks together first
Glue candlesticks to the beveled edge circle
Use a clamp to keep everything together while the glue dries and sets.

4. Dry brush to add an aged look

Using a chip brush or a wax brush to dry brush each piece of wood using the gray or brown chalk paint.

Tips for Dry Brushing: Lightly dip the very end of the chip brush into paint. Wipe off the majority of the paint and then lightly brush onto the wood surface. There is no exact science to this method which means there is no wrong way to do it. Just make sure you have wiped off most of the paint before applying.

5. Add the Fall and Christmas designs

To add the designs to each side of the reversible pedestal sign, use the same method as these His and Hers Towel Hooks. You could make a stencil with a Cricut or Silhouette Machine, but if you don’t have one of those, this font transfer method is very easy to do!

Print each design out onto paper to the size of the 2×4 sign. If using the designs provided above, they are already sized correctly.

Place a sheet of graphite paper on top of the 2×4, and the design on top of that. Use a pencil to lightly trace over the design, but be careful not to press in too hard.

Once you’ve traced over the whole design, pull the paper away and you’ll be left with an outline of the design.

Simply fill in the design using your acrylic paint marker. Repeat the steps above for the other side to make it reversible!

6. Glue the sign to the pedestal

The last step is to secure the 2×4 sign to the pedestal base. Use wood glue and a clamp to secure the base to the sign like in step 3. Let it dry and cure completely before moving.

Pretty easy right? Now you can create your own for every season or occasion!

Another fun way to use this reversible wooden pedestal sign is to have the front side display “be our guest” and the other side with the WiFi access information. It doesn’t just have to be for the holidays!

What will you put on your reversible wooden pedestal sign?

I’m Amanda, and I am the creator and voice behind the food and DIY blog, Domestically Creative. What started as a place to share updates with friends and family after we moved from Illinois to Tennessee and then to Texas, turned into a passion for finding creative and frugal ways to feed us and decorate our homes.

I have always had the “make it myself” attitude and I’m not afraid to bust out the power tools or get creative when it comes to decorating our home on a budget. You can usually find me scouring the local thrift stores, garage sales and estate sales looking for my next makeover (like this litter box cabinet), or dreaming up ways to make our new house feel more like home. My most recent project was giving my home office a much needed facelift. Some of the plans included creating a fun inspirational accent wall and adding pegboard to store my craft hoards.

I currently call Missouri home, where I live with my husband, dog, and 2 cats in a pretty dull, late 90’s split level. My husband and I both love to travel the U.S and recently purchased a small travel trailer to tag along in our journeys. In our free time together we can usually be found working together on a home project, exploring a new place, or just lounging with our pup, Delilah.

I’d love for you to connect with me on social media via Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter!

See all of Amanda’s tutorials HERE.

October 9, 2019/0 Comments/by Domestically Creative

accessories, arts and craft, autumn fall decor, Crafts, decor, DIY, glass paint, Holiday decorating, Home Decor, painting, spray paint, tablescape, Tutorial

DIY Frosted Votive Candle Holders

Hi, Pretty Handy Girl Readers! I’m back today with a super simple and inexpensive project that you can use for the upcoming holiday season. Or anytime, really! These DIY frosted votive candle holders are made from old yogurt jars (Yoplait by Oui jars).

This brand of yogurt comes in the cutest little glass jars and I’ve found so many uses for them, like my fairy jar macrame hangers and cinnamon stick candle holders.

Here’s how to make these DIY frosted votive candle holders:

Materials:

(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.)

Yogurt Jars
Goo Gone (to remove sticker labels)
Rust-Oleum Frosted Spray Paint
Tea candles or fairy lights

Instructions:

Follow these simple instructions to make these pretty votive candle holders!

Step 1: Clean your Jars

Here’s the easiest way to clean the jars. Place the jars in a bowl filled with hot, soapy water. Let them soak for a bit.

After soaking, use a tea towel to dry them and help remove most (if not all of the) sticker residue. Use Goo Gone to remove any remaining sticker residue.

You will find at this point that most of it will just rub right off. If not, put the jars in the dishwasher to get them nice and clean.

Step 2: Spray Paint your Jars

As with all spray painting and painting projects, it’s best to spray outside in a well-ventilated area (and use protective eyewear and a mask).

Spray your jars using light and even coats to avoid drips and runs in your paint. It’s best to go easy and commit to building up the paint over time. This spray paint dries in just 5-10 minutes! You will be able to tell where you might need more spray paint after giving it time to dry. Spray your jars with 2 coats for the best coverage.

I spray painted both the inside and outside of my jars, but that might not be necessary depending on the look you want.

As this paint dries, it becomes more opaque and frosted looking. It’s really cool to watch the paint magic happening before your eyes!

Step 3: Enjoy your Jars!

Once your jars are fully dry, you can decorate with them! I love these frosted jars with tea light candles. But you could also use fairy lights for a unique look.

Buy tea candles in bulk from stores like Amazon or IKEA. You can also pick up seasonal candles from places like Target if you wanted a nice Fall or Holiday scent.

Another idea?

I’m a huge fan of the flameless candles, as long as they are realistic and cast a warm glow (not a fake orangey one!) You can buy flameless tea light candles just about anywhere these days. If you want my personal opinion, Pottery Barn and Luminara make pretty realistic ones and the light is very warm and pretty. Amazon is chock full of options for flameless tea lights.

If you are planning a holiday get together or a party (even a wedding), these candles will be the perfect finishing touch for your tables and decor. Bonus: they are so inexpensive and easy to make.

I hope you guys have fun with this one! And I hope Yoplait never stops making this yogurt because I love these little jars!

For even more ideas, check out these festive votive candle holders right here on Pretty Handy Girl!

See you all next month! Thanks for reading!

~ See More of Karen’s Tutorials ~

Hello! I’m Karen, the creator of the Home Decor and DIY Blog: Decor Hint. I’m a Native of the East Coast, but I currently live in beautiful Seattle with my hubby, our two wonderful children, and our spunky wheaten terrier.

You can usually find me with some sort of craft in one hand and a coffee in the other. And I’m always rearranging furniture or moving lamps from room to room. I have a passion (read: obsession) for decorating, DIY, and gardening. In short, I love making my house into a home.

Like many, I’m inspired by what I see in home decor magazines, but I’m not so inspired by the price tags. Consequently, I love finding and creating beautiful budget-friendly home decor items. In a head to head competition, I bet you’d never know the difference between the designer items and my DIY creations! Many of my DIY projects focus on sewing, crafting, upcycling and organizing. Some of my favorite projects have been making pretty wreaths, sewing my own tassel hand towels, and crafting these trendy wood bead garlands. I can’t wait to inspire you and spark your creativity through my DIY projects.

You can always connect with me on Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram.

September 25, 2019/0 Comments/by Karen Decor Hint

accessories, art, arts and craft, autumn fall decor, Ballard Design Pears, Crafts, decor, Decorating, faux painting brick, Home Decor, Paintbrushes, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, pumpkin, ReNew, Tutorial, Upcycling, vignettes

How to Fake a Fake Pumpkin (Faux Painting Tutorial)

How to Fake a Fake Pumpkin

Have you seen those neon orange fake pumpkins and nearly vomited because you wouldn’t dream of decorating with them. I mean—get real—everyone would know they were fake. Ah ha, but have you seen the price tags? $1 – $6? For that price you might just be willing to take a leap of faith with me, wouldn’t you? Awesome, because I’m going to show you how to faux paint a fake pumpkin so you can decorate with them year after year and fool your friends.

Materials:

(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.)

Fake pumpkins
Chalky Paint (Folk Art colors: Cottage White, Parisian Grey, Cascade, Spanish Moss)
Acrylic craft paint – Brown and Green
Sea sponge
Stencil brush
Medium round brush
Fan brush
Palette knife for mixing
Container or palette for mixing

Instructions:

Start by painting all the pumpkins with Chalk Paint (use gray, white, green and blue paint.) Allow the pumpkins to dry.

Painting Realistic White Pumpkins:

It helps to look up some pictures of real pumpkins to refer to.

Using the stencil brush, paint a mixture of grey and white on one of the pumpkins.

Before the paint dries, dab some of it off with the sea sponge. (Keep your sea sponge dry, not wet during the process.)

Dip the stencil brush into the white paint and add paint on the outer most bumps on the pumpkins. This is adding highlights.

Dab the highlights gently with the sea sponge to blend.

Use the fan brush dipped in a small amount of green paint inside the pumpkin ridges. Dab the ridges with the sea sponge to blend.

Have you ever seen a truly unblemished pumpkin? I think not. It’s time to add some spots or marks on the pumpkin to truly fool your friends. Dip the end of the paint brush into brown paint and dot it onto the pumpkin. Blot the spot with a sea sponge and maybe even transfer a few new spots with the sponge.

Paint grey around the base of the stem and into the grooves with the round paint brush.

Paint brown and green paint onto the pumpkin stem. Blend slightly with the sea sponge.

Can you spot my fake white pumpkin? Well, of course you can because I just showed you how to paint it. But, it will definitely fool your friends!

Painting Realistic Blue Pumpkins:

Painting blue pumpkins uses the same technique as painting the white pumpkins, only using a few different colors.

Use the stencil brush to paint blue onto another pumpkin. Dab the blue paint while it’s still wet with the sea sponge.

Use the fan brush dipped in gray and brown craft paint to fill in the ridges.

Dab the paint with the dry sea sponge to blend.

Add some highlights with a mixture of grey and white. This serves two purposes. 1) It adds dimension. 2) It tones down the excess blue on the pumpkin.

Paint the stem the same way you learned above.

To truly fool people, set up your fake pumpkins with some real pumpkins and real gourds. Sooo, can you spot the fakes?

How many did you get right? The metallic gourd is simply spray-painted with copper spray paint. But, I did try my hand at faking a green and yellow gourd using the same technique as the pumpkins, but adding green to the top and yellow to the bottom.