I found one thing this morning to make with the big roll of jute I found at an estate sale… a shabby jute Christmas tree. It took me about 1 1/2 hours to make.
My little tree stands about 7 1/2” h x 7 1/2” w.
I was inspired by a tutorial I saw come up on Pinterest. My jute was a little thinner than the tutorial so I adapted it some.
I used a 10” skewer from Dollar Tree but ended up cutting several inches off when finished. I also used 5 – 3” pieces 3 -2” pieces and 3 – 1” pieces of jute instead of what they did. I also used Dollar Tree Super GluecWood Glue on the wood round stand and on each stand of jute as I built it.
Then I just kept building.
Here it is pictured next to this cool sign I also thrifted. Sure wish I had could have created that, but sadly, no.
I saw this idea and had to try it. I had leftover hydreangas I had dried for a wreath I made. Someone suggested spraying them with metallic copper so….
I finally got some metallic copper spray paint. They are gorgeous. Every once in awhile a little of the green I missed peeks through. I decided I liked it like that. Even prettier in person.
I had two more containers. A copper coffee press from Starbucks I’ve had for years and this little ceramic pot I thrifted. It was some kind of an egg cooker. It had an orange silicone bottom. I put copper wax over the bottom. I also added a gold leaf rub on from Dollar Tree then used my finger and daubed copper wax over it.
Another morning project. I paid more than I usually do for a thrifted item, but this piece was in perfect condition.
This book stand is perfect for propping your phone, your iPad, the book you are reading, or an old fashioned cookbook.
I added the Dollar Tree stencil, using a light gray chalk paint. One trick for getting crisp lines with no bleeding is to use a clear sealer first. Let that dry and then paint over the stencil with your color of choice. The front is sealed with Wise Owl Salve.
I tried decoupaging a napkin on Dollar Tree Dial soap and it worked perfectly. The soap suds from the bottom, leaving the sealed napkin side intact.
I then decided I was going to make several of them and sell them at a Christmas Open House at the Antique Mall where we have a booth. The owner is very kind and is allowing me to have a small space to sell my smaller crafts that day. We’ve not worked out the details yet, but now I need to get busy with stocking stuffers and small gifts and Christmas decor.
I went in search of more bars of the small hypoallergenic Dial Soap carriers but wasn’t finding it. I looked online and they weren’t selling it online either. As I read more it sounds like Dial quit making it. Darn. I was able to find the last 8 bars at my local store so I happily got them.
Any soap that has at least one flat side will work. I just liked the size of these. And they fit perfectly into the little bags Dollar Tree sells in the wedding section. If you are a hoarder of the little soap bars from hotel stays, they might possubly be an option, too.
But then, I wondered if the rub on transfers would work. After a trial and error of trying to apply the transfer to just the soap and the transfer wouldn’t rub off, I decided it might work if I applied a layer of decoupage medium first. I used a water-based sealer (in this case the Wise Owl clear one hour enamel, but any water-based top coat would work). That did it! The rub on transfers worked perfectly then. I used a variety of rub ons I had. Some were just left over from other projects. I’m sure left over pieces of the high end rub ons would work also.
I sealed each bar with two coats of sealer and they fit perfectly in the little bags. I also noticed Dollar General sells the bags, too, but they are an off white. I like the white color of the Dollar Trees ones better. I plan on selling them for $4 each.
Halloween will soon be here. I brought supplies along with me to my babysitting gig and this morning I made this skeleton key holder. I have some cool skeleton keys to hang from it when I get home. I think I might have gotten the chalkboard hanger at either Dollar Tree, Dollar General, or Walmart. I’ve had it awhile. The skeleton napkin came from Dollar Tree.
I tore away the napkin around the head and decoupaged it on using Varathane water based polyurethane in a matte finish. Then put a coat on top and on the whole chalkboard area. I did not paint it a light color first. I wanted it to be dark and gloomy and full of wrinkles.
A skeleton key rack needs skeleton keys. 🙂
The items staged with it are Halloween decorations I made for them last year. The bottles were a brand of hot sauce my neighbors used a lot and gave the empties to me. Lol I found the labels online and how to make the bottles look old and dirty. Visit my blog post below to learn how to make these potion bottles.
Played with the super pretty Dollar Tree napkins today. I made a riser from a pumpkin cut out. For this I painted the board white with slight distressing on the edges. It creates a completely different look than when applying it to raw wood. The other items were on the raw wood, with some distressing done using antique wax.
Love the colors. And they have a dish towel to match! Not to mention glasses, paper plates, and a dish drying pad.
I had a bit of a brainstorm this morning. I was inspired by a YouTube video where someone decoupaged napkins on animal cut outs.
I had these cool pig and rooster wood cut outs. They stand alone. The rooster is 4 3/4“ tall x 4 1/2” w. The pig is 4” tall x 5 3/4” w.
I also had a sheet of Dollar Tree rub on transfers with farmhouse images.
So….. I gave them a coat of white paint so the transfers would stand out and then applied the transfers as they were on the sheet and filled in where needed. They are protected with Mod Podge matte spray. Sorry, forgot to get a pic of spraying them.
I may have gotten a little carried away on the gray pumpkin decor. 🤪 And yes. I decoupaged fabric (from Dollar Tree) onto a small wood pumpkin cut out and used one of the Dollar Tree brown parchment paper rub on transfers on it. 🤷🏼♀️
I have been a bit busy the last few days creating fall decor. Some days are just like that. You can’t stop. We’ve had some beautiful fall days in Missouri this week so I took advantage of the weather. It felt good to be outside working on my projects.
First up…. I was going through my fall decor boxes and ran across a box with a bunch of wood cut outs I hadn’t seen since I stored them. It was a jackpot of pumpkins, ghost, cats, and a few other goodies. One pumpkin had a very unique wood grain on the front and back. I just saw someone posted one very similar. It looked like an ostrich! I could see an ostrich in this one, too! Not only that, I saw an owl on the back!
I wasn’t sure what to do with it, but finally settled on using Howard’s Restore-a-Finish to bring out the grain and then I sealed it with Wise Owl salve. I named the Ostrich in a Pumpkin Woodette and the owl Woodsy. Soooo cute!
Then my friend, Midge, had an idea: flowers, a tiara, or crown for Woodette. I happened to have some small sunflowers and with just a dab of glue, they will come right off. I can change them out for each season! I think I might need to make Woodette a princess for Halloween and find a little crown for her.
In the same box as my Ostrich in a Pumpkin, I ran across this little shelf sitter or hanger. I passed over it at first, thinking….Wow! The 80s!
But then, I got this fall dish drying mat out of the Dollar Tree bag I just purchased. I realized some of the colors went so well with it and the other fall things I have in the corner of my kitchen. So..now, it is out of the box and in the corner of my kitchen counter. 🙂
Oh no! Another gnome …. after I said no gnomes this year! But the Gnome and Backyard lady had this idea I couldn’t resist. She made a quick and easy gnome out of the small plastic ghosts from Dollar Tree. I spray painted one for the hat with a copper color because that’s what I had on hand and added tiny Dollar Tree sunflowers for embellishment. The other I left white and glued it upside down to the hat. I gassed a wooden bead for his nose. I bought two big ghosts, too, to make a larger gnome.
I spray painted a Dollar Tree wire pumpkin form white with a green stem and attached my cute little gnome to it with jute twine and now have a cute fall door hanger for my front door. He hangs from a magnetic hook on my stork door by the stem
This awesome creator also had a tutorial for making a pumpkin out of a Dollar Tree soap saver. What? Check it out! https://fb.watch/fOIcejAF2x/
Of course I had to make one, too. This one I left gray and put it inside a Dollar Tree shadow box. It looks so cute with my gray pumpkins I made (the striped fabric came from DT), but I bought a few more to paint! 🙂
I still hadn’t gotten to my other pumpkin cut outs, so onto more decor!
I made this arrangement in three different sizes and used a Dollar Tree napkin decoupage technique. I was going to add embellishments but I love the rustic vintage look of them just as they are. They stand up on their own and are perfect for shelf sitters or tiered trays.
I also decoupaged a little 3 1/4” square natural wood trinket box. I made the little leaf ladder tall last year. It goes perfectly with this arrangement.
This next project is one of the larger pumpkin cut outs and will stand alone. I glued one of the Dollar Tree faux tin panels to it.
For this finish I did a kind of an aged terra-cotta color I’ve been seeing others do. I painted it with a color I mixed and added just a bit of baking soda to it. Then I sprinkled more baking soda on it while still tacky. After the paint dried I blended the baking soda on with a bit more paint then sealed with a matte sealer. I used a bit of the napkin I was using earlier on the stem.
So pretty! I really enjoy creating a more neutral look for fall decor.
And finally, I ended my marathon crafting this morning. Maybe. Lol I started this project last night and finished today. I still had more pumpkin cut outs in 3 different sizes so painted the face of each with the terra-cotta color I mixed. I used a bit of left over napkin for the stems.
I distressed them a bit with sandpaper and then used the new Dollar Tree brown parchment paper rub on transfers on them. I apologize in advance for finding more of these transfers in different designs. They are so hard to find, but I found these in the same store I found the others in Ballwin, MO on Manchester Road. But, oh how I love working with them and hope they make more. I’ve not seen them online yet, either.
That’s not all! I’m now working on a natural wood napkin decoupage riser and it should be finished soon! 🤷🏼♀️
Update: The last of this grouping is complete. 🙂
I had this 12” round wooden plate. I had the fall napkins. I had the decoupage medium. I had some little rub on transfers and the wood beads from the foot exerciser I bought a couple of weeks ago at a yard sale to use for feet. I have items to display.
SharSum Paint 