Everyone is always using high end stores as inspiration and creating projects that sometimes turn out better than the original. I did that this evening, and even I was blown away by the results.
It all started with this little Reed diffuser from Dollar Tree.
I was putting away some bags with Dollar Tree purchases and got distracted. Lol
First of all, I’ve had a little gold metal riser for a year or two. I never knew what I would do with it. Today, I used it to put my hot melted candle wax jars on, so it was handy (I hadn’t put it away yet, either. 🙄)
I took three little glass vases out of one of the bags. They were the only three I saw at Dollar Tree one day so I got them, not knowing what I’d use them for, either. I really liked the bit of gold around the top of them.
I also found two packages of reed decor. I have found these before and have them in my upstairs bathroom in a vase. I really like the neutral look of them.
Then I remembered I bought a Reed Diffuser at Dollar Tree awhile ago and hadn’t used it yet. It had the Eucalyptus scent.
So, of course, I had to act on an idea that came to me.
I added some RubnBuff on the rims of the vases to enhance the gold a little more and also added it to the edges and feet of the riser.
I poured the liquid from the diffuser evenly into the three jars and divided up all the reeds into the jars, making sure I saturated the ends well. Then I arranged the jars on the riser. They fit perfectly!
I’m so glad I stopped what I was doing and put all these things together. I really like how this turned out! It’s so much prettier than just the little Reed Diffuser all by itself. It looks and smells perfect in my downstairs bathroom.
I found a chicken planter and a rooster that would hold a vase at two different thrift stores in the last few weeks. I decided they both needed updating using a concrete look technique.
The first thing I did with the chicken was spray him with Mod Podge pearlized glaze. Any sealer would work or even spray paint. I sprayed it to help the paint adhere well since the pottery was a bit shiny.
Next, I mixed chalk-style paint with baking soda and began daubing it on all over. This gives it a nice texture and no brush strokes. I gave it two coats, letting it dry in between.
After two coats of the baking soda and chalk paint mixture. I don’t have a photo, but I sprayed it with a coat of Mod Podge. This will help keep the antique look I’m giving it from soaking in which would make it hard to remove if needed.
Next, I did a little dry brushing with the gray paint. I would daub it on and use a baby wipe to blend where needed.
That’s it. I now have a chicken planter with a concrete look.
Now, for the rooster – I finished him much in the same way using the baking soda and white chalk- style paint mixture with a little different type of antiquing.
I learned the rooster was made of resin. I knew it wasn’t metal or wood. I had someone tell me to scratch off a bit of the bottom and if it was white underneath, it was resin…it was white!
I daubed the white chalk paint all over him. I only used one coat and wasn’t worried about full coverage because I liked the colors underneath and didn’t mind them coming through a bit.
Once dry, I used sprayed the rooster with this clear chalky spray. This will help me when I apply the glaze and will let me remove excess.
I applied the metallic green glaze to make it look like the rooster had been outside in the weather for years and had moss growing on it at one point.
I also applied a bit of turquoise paint for some patina.
The rooster was now ready to be added to a garden display.
I’ve been seeing crafters use the tall Dollar Tree candles and melt them to create new candles in pretty containers. I had everything I needed to try this out. I am thrilled with the results. In fact, I shared the one I made for myself on my Facebook page and already have a request to make another.
The candle in the glass holder is from Dollar Tree. I ordered wicks from Temu and I had this wooden bowl. I love thrifting wooden bowls so I had several to choose from. The fragrance oil is “Egyptian Musk”. I love the fresh clean smell. I found it on Amazon.
I had seen many crafters stand the candle in a pan of water and put it on the stove on low until it melted. Today, though, I saw a technique of placing the candle on a cookie tray in the oven at 300°. It took about 18 minutes to melt mine.
I hot glued the wick to the bottom of the bowl while the candle was melting and got it ready for the wax.
It is ready to pour.
After I poured the wax into the bowl, I added two capfuls of my fragrance oil and stirred it around a bit with another skewer.
I should have curled the extra wick around a skewer and laid it on top of the bowl to keep the wick upright, but didn’t remember to do that until after I poured the wax. Next time I will do that before pouring.
I then let it cool and trimmed the wick.
I love how my candle turned out! I can’t wait to make more!
I have been experimenting with adding designs on some rubber bath slippers I bought on the Temu app. These were a great buy, but I am also seeing these at Dollar Tree, Walmart, Hobby Lobby, etc. Today’s experiment is applying rub on transfers to them. This has become my favorite way to give bath slippers a unique look.
Today, I’m highlighting the rub on transfer technique because I love how they turned out and I believe this to be the most durable method. I did seven pairs this way, once I did the first pair using the rub on transfers. I used Dollar Tree rub on transfers and a set from Temu, but any brand should work just as well.
I know they are super durable because I applied one of the transfers where I didn’t want it on one pair and I couldn’t remove it. I tried scraping and picking it off with my fingernail and tried using soap and water. I couldn’t budge it. So, I ended up applying another transfer over it. I actually like the shadowed look it made. 🙂
These are really easy to apply, especially if you have used rub on transfers before. If you haven’t, they remind me of the type of stickers when I was young that you would lay down on a piece of paper and they rub over the top plastic piece with a pencil and the image would transfer to the paper. That’s it!
I like to keep all the bits and pieces of the rub on transfers I don’t use on a project and use them another time. Today was that time. I picked out the ones I wanted to use and a pair of pink slippers and then started applying them to the different sections on these slippers.
I cut the first piece I wanted away from the sheet. It has a white backing on it to protect the transfer. You don’t want to remove that white backing yet as you don’t want the transfer sticking to anything until you are ready to use it or you will ruin it.
Then I removed the white backing, placed the transfer where I wanted it and used a flat stick I had that came with another type of transfer and rubbed on the plastic until the image released. A popsicle stick or even your fingernail would work, After it releases, I then used the plastic sheet to “burnish” it into the rubber, meaning rubbing it in to make sure it adhered well.
That’s all there is to it! I continued adding transfers to each section. I applied a little Wise Owl Salve (or any clear wax would work) to protect the transfer, but I really don’t think it is needed.
Examples are below of my other experiments…. decoupaging napkins (I did another blog post on that technique) and using Dollar Tree Wall Art.
The first experiment was with decoupaging napkins. They were pretty and turned out nice and I wear the pairs I made myself around the house all the time. They were fun to make and fun to wear. They do not slip off your feet at all. Here’s a link to my blog post on them.
The other experiment was using Dollar Tree Wall Art. I found a beautiful flower and foliage design and cut it to fit a different type of slipper. I love how it looked on this blue slipper. This Wall art is removable, so…. If it starts coming off after a bit, simple remove it and you’ll still have a neat pair of slippers or go to Dollar Tree and get another Wall Art for $1.25 and make another unique look. 🙂 I then used bits and pieces left over and made another Wall Art pair. I did not apply wax to these as they are removable anyway. Both turned out very cute.
But, as I mentioned earlier, the rub on transfers are my favorite!!!! Which te unique do you like best?
I’ve been seeing risers made from blocks of scrap wood so thought I’d make one, too. My 3.5” x 1.5” square block of scrap wood had one end that was painted green. I didn’t want to cut it off so I just made it the front of my project.
I did sand the block well, including the green part and that lightened it up a bit.
I like to work on this lazy susan. I bought 100 disposable shower caps on Amazon and stretched one over the lazy susan to protect it. These work great and I just throw them away when finished.
I gathered up my supplies and got started.
Step 1: I used black ink and stamped flowers and bees on the green side of my block. I put it aside to dry.
Step 2: I purchased wood peg dolls from Amazon to use as feet. I watered down a bit of our Missouri Limestone Paint Company chalk-style paint (Coal Shovel) and covered the feet I would be attaching to the block. This will give them a rustic look similar to the block. I wiped the excess away and put them aside to dry.
Step 3: I wrapped the block with a paper towel only leaving the green inked part exposed. I sprayed that part with the Krylon spray matte sealer. I believe I got it at Lowes. This sealed the ink to make sure it wouldn’t smear when I applied wax to it later.
Step 4: It was time to glue on the legs. I used a combination of E6000 for permanent hold and hot glue for immediate hold.
Step 5: Once the hot glue set up, I applied Wise Owl Salve (ordered from a retailer) to the whole piece.
My rustic riser was now complete. I added a small painted terra cotta pot I had applied Dollar Tree rub on transfers to, added faux flowers, and displayed it on my rustic wood block riser.
I love how it now looks like the whole riser has been outside in the weather for years!
For today’s project I am up-cycling an old gold frame and adding a Redesign with Prima transfer from the Floral Collection. The transfer is applied to a unique background – a piece of one of Dollar Tree’s storage bins.
Cutting apart a Dollar Tree storage bin
The material is kind of a paper/fabric with cardboard in between layers. I cut off a piece to use as background for the transfer.
I cut the cardboard to fit the frame.
I used a glue stick to glue the material onto the cardboard.
I then trimmed the material to the size of the cardboard.
It was time to paint the frame. I mixed a little baking soda with a littler chalk paint to achieve the texture of stone.
It took two coats. On the first coat I used a brush to pounce the paint/baking soda mixture on so I didn’t get brush strokes. For the second coat I used a foam dauber. I love the distressed shading this technique produced. I set it aside to dry well.
Once dry, I gave it two coats of Mod Podge Pearlized Glaze Spray to seal it.
It was then time to apply the transfer to the material I had adhered to the piece of cardboard. I didn’t seal it as it is a decor piece and will not be handled much.
The sheet underneath is a silicone baking sheet I use to work on. Paint does not adhere well to silicone, so it is easy to clean after I finish a project.
I added the transfer to the frame. You could add the glass back in but I did not use the glass.
The final reveal – The material under the transfer looks almost like a piece of linen. It makes a very nice background.
I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve posted anything. I have been busy creating, though, so I will share my Instagram page at the end so you can see what I’ve been up to. Many of the posts explain the process I used when creating my projects.
But today, I actually have pics of the steps I took to make these awesome slippers. So, sit back and enjoy. This was so much fun to do!
Early this morning I happened on a Pinterest post that showed a pair of slippers similar to ones I just purchased from Temu and how the crafter decoupaged them with napkins. Of course, I had to try it and am so glad I did!
Bathroom slippers from Temu
I apologize to the Pinterest crafter. I was in such a hurry to do this, I forgot to save the post and now I can’t find it again. Sorry, original crafter. She actually cut the napkins into small pieces and decoupaged all areas of the napkin. I decided just to use one large piece across the top and sides.
I had purchased this pair of slippers from Temu. There were a very bright greenish yellow color and I wasn’t sure I liked the color until ….. I added the napkin to them. Wow!
One piece of the napkin covered the top and sides
Step 1. You must remove all the extra layers of the napkin. This one happened to have 2 extra layers. You only use the layer with the image. I cut around the image part of the napkin: I cut around all the succulents and greenery of the napkin and then took the other end of the napkin and cut it into small pieces.
The napkin laying across the top of the slipper.
Step 2: Once I laid the large part of the napkin over the slipper, I knew I wanted to only use it so I didn’t use the small pieces except to fill in on the sides where needed. I used a bit of water to wet down around the areas I didn’t want and tore that away, leaving only what I was going to decoupage.
Adding Mod Podge to the slipper
Step 3: The original crafter used Mod Podge for fabric. I’m not sure you’d have to use that, but I happened to have the fabric one so that’s what I used. Mine has been around awhile and was pretty thick, so I had a bowl of water to dip my brush in first and that thinned it out just enough. I applied the Mod Podge to the whole top and sides of the slipper. (I did the second slipper with another identical napkin cut out and placed it in the same position so they would match.)
Step 3: I laid the napkin where I wanted it, added more Mod Podge to my brush, and started smoothing the napkins down, getting into all the grooves and around the edges.
Step 4: Once the Mod Podge was dry, I gave it two more coats to seal the napkin well. When the final coat was dry, I applied a coat of water based polyurethane just for a bit more protection.
UPDATE: Just to make sure I would give it 2 coats of the sealer and even spray it with an outdoor spray sealer.
Close up
This close up shows how the raised puffiness of the slipper almost gives the napkin a 3D look.
I love how they turned out! It is amazing how the napkin color took on the color of the slippers. They truly are beautiful! The original crafter said hers were holding up well. These slippers are really not meant for shopping trips, etc. but I think you could even if you get caught in a rainstorm. They are perfect for pool shoes or wearing around the house, inside or out.
I have had this vintage Spring tea towel for several years and keep forgetting to get it out every Spring. I happened to rediscover it this morning so it was meant to be.
It is made to hang as it has a pocket for a dowel rod to go through, so I added the dowel rod and used a jute rope with leaves to hang it. It is large – 16” wide and 33 1/2” long from the top of the hanger to the bottom.
The colors are very vivid and I love the Wordsworth poem! Welcome Spring! you can’t come soon enough!
So then I created an 8×10 canvas by taking a photo of the sign with the poem from the Spring wall hanging I have and cut out just that image in a free app I use called ProKnockout. I saved it with a transparent background.
I found and saved a free image of a field of daffodils on the pexels website.
I married them together as an image and printed it out on tissue paper with my ink jet printer. I use Pixie Spray ( I get on Amazon) as a temporary spray on a sheet of copy paper and applied white tissue paper and trimmed it to fit. The Pixie spray allows me to peel the tissue paper off when printed. I sprayed the tissue paper image (when dry) with hair spray to keep it from bleeding.
I then decoupaged the tissue paper image onto a blank canvas and sanded the extra paper off the edges. I sealed the whole thing when dry with Mod Podge matte sealer.
Daffodils by William Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company: I gazed—and gazed—but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.
We have a problem. I see an idea. I ask Danny if he can make it. He says he can. So….. here we are again with another project and putting off other things we need to do.
Would you believe these plant stands are all upcycled lampshades? Danny took off the fabric on each and spray painted the metal black.
We then bought 3 wood rounds. He sanded them and added a dowel on the bottom of each to fit down into the shades.
I used a driftwood weathering compound on each round that brings out the grain and weathers it a bit. I still need to seal them with a matte top coat.
They are lightweight but very sturdy. The cut crystal vase filled with glass beads and faux tulips is quite heavy.
These plant stands (minus the decor) will be going to The Gray Wall soon, so if you are local and wanting one or all for porch pickup, now’s your chance.
I changed it up a little. This one is 5” tall. I used a small 2 1/4” wood slice for the base and cut down the size of the skewer some. It still has a point on it for piercing each strand of jute. I just cut it off at the end.
The jute pieces I used:
12 – 4” 12 – 3” 12 – 2” 2 – 1” And a half inch piece. For this one I used more glue and pressed and molded it to round off the top.
I cut off the skewer and left enough to glue the greenery and the star to the skewer and glued some jute to the back of it to cover.
This one got caught in a snow storm so has a bit of snow (paint) on the branches.
SharSum Paint 