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Trick or Treat Bags Using Elmer’s #GlueNGlitter and Recyclables

My kids like to raid our recycling bin. They make the most imaginative things out of milk jugs, strawberry pints and toilet paper rolls. In fact, my five year old has been making his own Halloween costume from paper bags and tape. So, when #CollectiveBias sent out a challenge to make trick or treat bags with Elmer’s Craft Bond Glue Spots and Elmer’s Foam Board, I knew right where to head for supplies: Walmart AND the recycling bin! I hereby invite you to join me (and my escort) as we gather the supplies for this project.

Materials:


Instructions:

Start by removing the handles from the paper grocery bag and then cuff the top of the bag by rolling it under two times.

Pick out two sheets of newspaper (I used the obituaries. Truly Halloweeny don’t you think?!) and bring the paper bag and newspapers outside and spray them with spray adhesive.

It is important to wrap the paper bag with the newspapers as soon as possible for a maximum bond.

Wrap the bag neatly like a present with the newspaper. Use clear packing tape to tack any loose edges down. Also add a strip of packing tape to the inside of the bag cuff for extra support for the handle (should your child bring home pounds of candy!)

Take out your sharpie pen and draw lines in a spiderweb pattern on the bag.

Set the bag aside and collect the orange foam board, x-acto knife (with a fresh blade), pencil and the letter print out.

Set the letter on top of the foam board. I usually line the edge of the letter up with the edge of the foam board for less material waste.

Press firmly with the pencil as you trace around the letter. When you remove the print out you should see an indented outline.

Using the x-acto knife, cut out your letter shape. Use a metal ruler to cut straight lines. If your knife starts to tug and pull at the foam board, put a new blade in.

Clean up any ragged edges with the x-acto knife.

Use a few Elmer’s Craft Bond glue spots to affix the Elmer’s foam board letter to the bag.

To create a little spider, glue two pom-poms together with another glue spot. If you have black twisty-ties you are good to go aren’t you special, you don’t have to color them. (I only had white ties so I colored them with the black sharpie.) Wrap four twisty-ties around the middle to create the spider’s eight legs.

Use another glue spot to glue the spider to the bag.

Print out a bat silhouette downloadable template and layer it on top of black poster board. Cut out a few bat silhouettes.

Use a glue spot on the center of each bat to glue them to the bag. Fold the bats wings up for more dimensional interest.

Add stickers (or pre-punched paint chip stars using Elmer’s Glue-All multi-purpose glue) to the bag.

I incourage you to decorate your bag anyway you like. Bust out your craft supplies for inspiration.

If spiders and bats aren’t your thing. How about spooks and spirits?

To add the handles, follow the directions on your grommet kit. 1. Punch a hole in the bag at the top of the bag using a hole punch. 2. Insert a long grommet through the hole. Lay a short grommet on top. 3. Hammer the grommets together using the metal rod tool that came with the grommet kit.

Cut off the sleeves from a t-shirt. Cut two 2.5 – 3″ wide strips. Then stretch the sleeve loop in opposite directions. This will make the shirt material roll.

After you have stretched and rolled the sleeve loops, cut them at the seam. Then thread each end through the grommets on the bag and tie a double knot on the inside of the bag.

Now gather up your little trick-or-treater and give him this unique candy collection bag! My sons’ had the biggest smiles on their faces. Definitely worth the effort to make these bags.

This eency weency spider is my favorite!

Way more personalized than these generic plastic pumpkins, don’t you think?!

Which one is your favorite? I can’t decide, because I love them equally as much. Spook or Spider?

Eeeeeekkk, we can hardly wait for October 31st!

Disclosure: This project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Elmer’s #gluenglitter #CollectiveBias #CBias. The ideas and opinions shared in this post are purely my own from my own crazy creative head.

Follow up: Well, my youngest loves his bag so much that he told me, “Mom, we should decorate every side with a different holiday.” And that is exactly what he did today during quiet time. I just want to stop time and keep him five forever!

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Make Your Own Decorative Mushrooms

Did you see the cute little red and white mushrooms in my terrariums that I made? They were super easy to make. I can show you how and this will only take a second.

Materials:

Instructions:

Mark the height you want your mushrooms to be on the dowel rod. Add 1/2″ to the height for anchoring it into the soil. Cut your dowel rod (or a branch in a pinch.)

Spray your cut dowel rods (or branches) with spray primer. Be sure to coat all sides. Spray the acorn caps at the same time.

Spray paint your acorn caps red.

After the paint has dried, glue the acorn tops to the dowel rods using E-6000 glue.

Let the glue harden (about 30 minutes.) Add some dots of white paint onto the red caps.

Press your adorable little mushroom into the soil in your terrarium and then sit and wait for a fairy to move in.

See, I told you it would only take a second! Well, besides waiting for the paint to dry, this project takes less than five minutes.

I have a mushroom leftover, but I don’t have any more terrariums. Any ideas what I can do with a little lone mushroom?

UPrinting.com Giveaway Winner

I have to tell you that I really enjoyed reading all your comments on the UPrinting giveaway. Some of you had some amazing photos that you really wanted to have printed. And some of you brought tears to my eyes when reading about photos of loved ones who have passed on. You made me think about both my grandmothers who passed away over 5 years ago and who I still miss almost daily. I wish I had a photo canvas for each and everyone of you. If you didn’t win, I really hope you will look into having your photo printed as a rolled canvas and stretch it yourself to save money. Your photos are too precious not to! (Oh, don’t make me cry again.)

We do have ourselves a winner of the UPrinting.com rolled canvas! And she has a special photo in mind.

Deborah wrote: “Thank you for posting this. I would never have known you can do this yourself. I would love to have my favorite picture of my 3 kids printed in a huge size for over out sofa in the living room.”

Deborah is a blogger and homeschooling mother of three children. This month she is writing a series (inspired by The Nester) on 31 days to Slash Your Budget Painlessly on her blog Green Willow Pond.

Green Willow Pond

She has some great tips and ideas on saving money. From making your own linen napkins to making your own laundry detergent! Truly a woman after my own frugal heart.

Congratulations Deborah. Please check your email and get back to me asap to claim your prize.

 

 

 

 

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Make Your Own Terrarium and Save Hundreds of Dollars

Make Your Own Terrariums

 

Terrariums are making a comeback in home décor. Gone are the octagonal mirrored terrariums. They have been replaced by sleak apothecary jars, tall cylinders and lidded glass vessels (to name just a few shapes.)

Twig Terrariums has an amazing array of beautiful ready made terrariums or DIY kits for sale! Some of them have stunning details, right down to a little miniature person inside the lush world. The terrarium below sells for $200.

If you want to create your own version that is a little more budget friendly, it isn’t hard to do. In fact you can get some plants from a local nursery or as close as your own backyard!

Materials:

  • Glass container (with or without a lid)
  • Small decorative pebbles or pea gravel
  • Potting soil
  • Live Moss
  • Terrarium plants (small shade loving plants)
  • Potting shovel
  • Water

1. Clean your glass container with soap and water and dry it.

2. Add a layer of gravel or decorative pebbles to the bottom of your glass container.

 

3. Add a layer of potting soil. No need to level it.

 

4. Collect your plants and think through the plant placement in your head.

 

5. Gently remove a plant from the pot.

If it is root bound (all the roots are wound tightly around the bottom) gently tease some of the roots free and break apart the roots at the bottom of the plant.

 

6. Insert your plants into the soil.

Put taller plants at the back and the shorter ones in the front so you can see all the plants.

 

7. Cover the soil with moss. You can cut or tear pieces to fit flush with the edge of the terrarium.

8. Fill your terrarium and let the water soak in. The water should reach the top of the rocks. Check the water level a few times a week and be sure to refill when the water gets low. If your terrarium has a lid you won’t have to water as often as a lidless variety.

 

9. Add any decorative embellishments like these faux mushrooms (tutorial HERE)…

…or my sons’ favorite, a little plastic dinosaur!

Terrariums make the perfect year round accessory. I have them prominently featured in my living room along with some other natural elements.

This version was made entirely with plants that I have growing in my shade bed. Small ferns, arugula and creeping ground covers. Plus, I added a few round pebbles for visual interest.

I might pick up a tiny person or two at a hobby shop next time I’m near one. Anyone seen any that look like the characters in “Land of the Lost” heh, heh, heh!


In the meantime, I’m loving my cost effective terrarium. Yes, terrarium singular, because the cylinder terrarium was a gift for our friends who dog sat for us.


I almost wouldn’t be surprised to see a fairy take up residence in one.
I’ve been busy working on some more projects to show you, so hang tight and check back soon! 😉 In the meantime, I hope you have a fabulous weekend and are enjoying Fall!

 

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Paint Chip Wrapped Present

creative-gift-wrapping

Paint chip present wrapping
I’ve officially caught the paint chip bug! How about you? Have you seen all that can be done with those FREE* paint chips?! The possibilities are almost endless. (*Please use consideration when taking paint chips. Try not to take more than 2-3 of each color and definitely don’t take the last of a color. It might be a good idea to ask permission from the paint store employee if you need to take more than a dozen.)

As I was getting ready to wrap a present for a little birthday girl, I lamented the fact that I was tired of the two rolls of wrapping paper we had (not counting the dozen or so that are Christmas related.) Then, I came up with the idea to wrap the present in paint chips. I was probably influenced by the tiny gift boxes that How About Orange made a while ago.

Here are the materials you will need:

  • Paint chips (used Behr brand from Home Depot)
  • Clear packing tape
  • White artists tape (I wish this tape was a little stickier though.)
  • X-acto knife
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • Ribbon
  • Gift box to be wrapped

Instructions:
Start by laying out the chips on one side of the gift box. Overlap where the chips meet so the box won’t show. And allow the chips to overlap the sides of the box slightly.

To keep the chips in the same position, lightly tape them together with artist’s tape before lifting them off the present.

Gently turn over the chips and tape all the seams with the clear packing tape. Repeat the above steps for the other three sides (do not create a panel for the top or bottom of your present yet.)

Lay the gift on top of the taped chip panel and draw a line along the edge of the box.

Using an X-acto knife, cut two opposing panels at a time (since they should be the exact same measurements.)

Assemble a panel for the top of the gift box. Only this time, allow more of the chips to extend over the sides (preferably 1/4 – 1/2 inch) on three sides. The fourth side should be flush with the edge of the box.

Fold over the edges of the overlapping chips to fit snug against the box.

Make a cut into each of the overlapping corners as shown:

Fold the corners in and tape them to create your box top. Note that one edge does not have a folded side.

Tape all four of your box sides together so it creates one long rectangle. Then tape the top of the box to the top of the second panel where there is the open side.

Lift the sides up and set your box into the top (upside down.) Fold the sides in around the gift box.

Make sure your panels fit relatively snug around your present. Then remove the gift box. Tape the lid of the paint chip wrapping to the sides of the wrapper. And put a piece of tape inside the seam where the sides meet.

Now you can slide the paint chip wrapper over your gift box (right sides up.)

Make the bottom panel to your paint chip rapper exactly like you did for the sides by trimming off the excess. Then lay it onto your paint chip wrapped box. Take your white artist’s tape and tape all the seams of your box.

Fold over the corners neatly.

Your wrapped present should look like this:

Wrap a pretty bow around the present and attach another paint chip (I punched some decorative holes in this one.) Write a little message and you are finished.
Paint chip present wrapping

Now watch the gift recipient ooh and ahh over this unique and beautifully wrapped present!


I thought this present would be perfect for a shower gift. Or a graduation present using the graduate’s school colors?! And using red and green chips would be perfect for a Christmas present. I can’t wait to try this again sometime soon.
If you love paint chip projects, I’m creating a round up of projects for Parentables. I’ll share the link with you on Thursday!

 

 

P.s. Don’t forget to enter the Wagner Power Plus Paint Sprayer giveaway! A winner will be chosen at random on Friday, September 16th!

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Dollar Store Flower Pot Makeover

Another project I completed before the birthday party was a quick makeover for a pair of ho-hum dollar store flower pots. My friend Heather helped me add some jute rope and fake flowers then set them out with utensils in them. Perfect for a summertime birthday party!

Materials:

  • Hot Glue Gun w/ glue sticks
  • Jute Rope
  • Flower Pot
  • Fabric Flowers
  • Scissors
  • Foil or wax paper (to protect work surface)

Instructions:

1. Plug in your hot glue gun to warm up. Cut the stems of your flowers about 2″ from the flower.

2. Turn the flower pot upside down. Put a dollop of glue against the rim of your pot and secure the end of your rope on it. Squeeze a line of glue around the pot rim and press the rope into the warm glue.

3. After one row is complete, add the flowers by bending the stems until they lay flat against the pot. Secure with a lot of glue. Then wrap the subsequent rows over the stems.

4. Continue gluing the rope onto the pot. Make sure to press each row of rope tightly against the row before it.

5. When you reach the bottom of the pot, secure the end of the rope with another dollop of glue. Be sure your rope doesn’t extend past the bottom of the pot or it could make the base wobbly.


Now set them on your table and fill with utensils. Later you can put a plant, flower or pens inside.

Are you ready for Independence Day? Would you like a quick and easy sewing project to add some patriotic flair to your home? Hop on over to Parentables to read my tutorial for making adorable star pillows.


And don’t forget, today (June 30th) is the last chance to enter the giveaways! I will be picking the winners after midnight tonight.

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