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"Pretty Tutorials"
If you’re looking for easy Christmas crafts ideas for kids in the coming days or weeks, you might want to try this sparky little tree made with recycled materials. My 8-year old daughter LOVES doing crafts, especially this time of year. So when Weldbond Adhesive asked me if I’d create a Christmas craft for kids using their product, I was excited. It gave me the chance to come up with something easy and fun that I could make with Miss G and her friends.
Coincidentally, I had already tried Weldbond earlier this year to glue our twin boys’ wooden train track together. (A tip: If Santa brings one of these train tables to your child this year, save yourself the future agony, and glue the track pieces to the table right away! Take it from me, it’s a nightmare piecing the mismatched pieces back together after your child plays with it once!) I chose Weldbond back then because (a) it’s non-toxic and (b) I needed strong adhesion that could withstand the rambunctiousness of two 3-year old boys. It says right on the tube that it can “bond most anything” including “wood, tile, glass, Styrofaom, fabrics, ceramics and more”.
This bonding power also makes it a great adhesive for Christmas crafts. One of the things I find frustrating about using school glue for kids’ crafts is when the heavier or dimensional pieces fall off after the project is dry. Nothing ruins the experience of a fun craft project more for a child than a disappointing result. So, for this Christmas craft, I’d recommend using Weldbond because there are lots of little embellishments to adhere.
What you’ll need:
The following recycled materials:
- 3-4 used dryer sheets
- 1 clean, empty juice box: this will form the center of the tree and give it a 3D effect.
- 1 clean, empty plastic fruit cup: this will become the tree stand.
The following craft supplies:
- Weldbond universal adhesive.
- 2 pieces, forest green scrapbook paper or construction paper
- White or silver glitter (a couple of tablespoons will be enough)
- Green and red craft paint
- Embellishments of your choice: beads, sequins, gems, mini bells, feathers, etc.
The following tools: pencil, craft scissors, paint brush, popsicle stick / glue spreader
Instructions:
STEP 1: Paint it! Paint your juice box with green craft paint, and paint your plastic fruit cup with red craft paint. While the red craft paint is wet, sprinkle a little glitter on it. Set both aside to dry.
STEP 2: Trace & cut it! Trace and cut two sets of 3 triangles from your dryer sheets – 2 small, 2 medium and 2 large triangles. To use my template, just right-click on the image of the triangles, save it, and print it. (Note: It will print at 100%. The image here is smaller than actuals). Do the exact same thing using your green paper. Set aside all 12 triangles. (Note: To save time when doing this craft with younger kids – or a group – you might choose to complete Step 2 in advance.)
STEP 3: Glue it! By now, the paint on your juice box should be dry! Glue the first set of 3 paper triangles to one side of the juice box to form the shape of a tree. Start with the largest triangle on bottom, then overlap slightly with the medium one, and finish by overlapping slightly with the small one. Repeat on the back of the juice box.
STEP 4: Glitter it! In this step, you will create the pretty frost on the tree! On one side of your juice box, apply a generous amount of Weldbond glue over the top of the paper triangles, and spread it with a Popsicle stick so it almost completely covers the surface of the triangles, except the edge. Immediately press your first set of 3 dryer sheet triangles over the top of the glue, matching them up against the paper ones. The glue will come through the dryer sheets, but that’s what needs to happen. Now, take your glitter and sprinkle it generously over the top of the dryer sheet triangles. Repeat on the other side! Once dry, use your scissors to snip the edge into a ‘fringe’ effect on the bottom of each triangle.
STEP 5: Embellish it! Now it’s time to decorate your tree! Lay your tree flat, and using Weldbond, adhere pretty embellishments of your choice – like beads, sequins, gems and even mini bells! Set aside to dry.
STEP 6: Finish it! When your tree is dry, finish it off by attaching the tree to the stand (the painted fruit cup) with a generous amount of Weldbond. Set aside to dry. Drying time is about an hour; but the longer you let it dry, the stronger the bond will be!
That’s it! Enjoy!
And, to all my American readers / visitors, I hope you are having a lovely Thanksgiving weekend!
(Please note: This craft post was sponsored by Weldbond Universal Adhesive. I developed the craft idea but was provided with complementary Weldbond product to use. All opinions expressed here are 100% mine. For more information, please refer to my ‘Policies’ section re sponsored posts.)
Until next time,
Everybody has a little artist in them somewhere. Today’s DIY wall art idea, from the archives here, is a great example of how easy it can be to create a great piece without having mad artistry skills! This “Love Conquers All” inspirational painted canvas diy decorating project has become one of my most popular posts. In case you missed the tutorial earlier this year, I thought I’d share it again here as idea #15 in my 31 Days Series on diy wall decor.
- Step 1: Purchase (or re-use) a canvas.
- Step 2: Spray (or brush) on a metallic colour – like silver, gold, pewter, or bronze – and let dry. This coat doesn’t have to be perfect. You’ll be painting over it, and only a little will show through.
- Step 3: Once it’s dry, stick on your vinyl quote. You can purchase an inexpensive one pretty much anywhere now for ridiculously cheap, or cut one with your Silhouette. It can be any old color vinyl – you are only using it as a stencil here, and will be peeling it off at the end.
- Step 4: Depending on whatever color you want for your piece (mine was a watery blue), grab some regular old craft paint in different shades of that color. On a paint palette – or a tupperware plastic lid if you’re like me, lol – squeeze a fair amount of each of your colors. Now, starting with whatever shade you want, paint right over your canvas (and vinyl) in broad, random strokes, while still allowing the metallic paint underneath to peek through in spots. Using the same brush, do the exact same thing with another shade of the same color. Keep doing this until you are happy with the look. There is no special trick to this. It’s your work of art!
- Step 5: Let dry REALLY well – like overnight. (Because I am impatient, I used my hairdryer here, but I wouldn’t recommend it as the paint bubbled in spots).
- Step 6: When it’s completely dry, peel off your vinyl lettering carefully. The words will now be in the metallic color you painted as your first coat!
Unfortunately, I didn’t take pics while doing this project (duh). But I used a similar process when creating the large “Endless Love & Laundry” piece for my laundry room piece which you can find photos of here: Giant Laundry Room Sign Tutorial: “Endless Love & Laundry”(+ Free Printable!).
Until next time,
(P.S. Throughout October, I’ll be posting lots more ideas in this DIY Wall Art series here, and you can now find the full line-up to date in my right sidebar!)
Want to know a great trick for making a pretty fabric-covered, large-scale bulletin board (i.e., cork board) inexpensively?
Use a shower curtain!
Fabric shower curtains are great for large-scale projects like this because buying designer fabric by the yard can get really expensive. And, let’s face it, you don’t need upholstery-quality fabric on a bulletin board! A cotton shower curtain will yield a lot of fabric for a decent price, and you can find them in some really great patterns these days.
I first used this trick last summer, when I pretty-ed up some regular old cork bulletin boards for my craft room-office by covering them with a black-and-white gingham fabric shower curtain that I found for just $20. In one shower curtain, there was enough fabric to cover the board pictured below with the feather wreath on it (size: about 2′ x 4′) as well as a larger one (about 4′ x 3′) that I used on another wall.
If you grow tired of the fabric you used, or if your room decor changes, you can easily change the look. You know where this is headed right?!? (OK, I gave it away with the first photo!) Well, we just recently re-carpeted and painted my craft room-office a nice gray color (Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter), and I wasn’t loving the whole gingham look any longer. I wanted something a little more large-scale and modern.
As luck would have it, I found another great fabric shower curtain for $20 – this time it was gray with a large-scale modern floral.
Since I had originally put the fabric on with a staple gun (vs glue) it was simple to remove. Plus, it allowed me to salvage the whole piece of gingham fabric to possibly use for another future project.
To cover the board, I just draped the (ironed) shower curtain fabric over it to get the placement of the flowers where I wanted them, and trimmed off the excess material. To hold the fabric really tightly around the board while I stapled, I just used bulletin board pins on the back, and then pulled them out once I was done.
The whole tediously-complicated process (wink) took less than an hour. And, here’s how it looks…
I think this would also be a great idea for a cork board that’s in use in a main area of the house like a kitchen or a mudroom. Rather than using a plain old cork board, you could easily transform it into a pretty piece of art that fits in with your room’s decor.
So the next time you’re in the bed & bath section of your favorite decor store, keep your eye out for a great shower curtain. It might be a pretty decor solution for a room besides the bathroom!
Until next time,
Tonight I wanted to give you a peek at a pretty paper pennant garland that I made as a summer decoration for a little get-together we had at our home that involved copious amounts of lobster (mmmmm).
First, though, can you believe that its going to be August in just a couple of days? I don’t know about you, but I feel like we’ve only started with summer entertaining / socializing and summer is already at the half-way point.
Well, if you need a little pop of whimsy to keep your summer mood in check, you might like this project. It’s so simple and inexpensive, yet adds such punch of happiness. It’s a great decoration for a summer patio party, and one that you can continue to use any time of year for special occasions.
All you need to make this is:
- 4-6 pieces of 12×12 scrapbook paper / cardstock. (Each pieces yields 3 triangles)
- About 8 feet of twine or ribbon (to hang them on)
- Embellishments of your choice; I used sequin and felt adhesive ones
- A hole punch and scissors; preferably pinking shears
All you have to do is cut 3 triangles out of each piece of paper. To make it easier, I cut a 6″ x 9″ triangle template, and then traced it out 3 times on each piece. Then I punched the top corners of each triangle. I know, I know; it’s truly rocket science. 
Next, run your twine or ribbon through the back or the first pennant. Keep adding pennants in this fashion until you have the length you want. I used 12 pennants on mine. Finally, add some pretty embellishments. I used some summery, self-adhesive felt/sequined shapes that I found for a steal. But anything that tickles your fancy, like die cut letters, would be great too.
When it was finished, I hung it in our dining room where all the kids ate their meal.
It just added a little extra fun to the summer theme I had going on with the colorful tableware.
It looks even more sparkly and pretty when its hung outside on the patio in the sun…
But, alas, I now have other plans for it that have something to do with this ongoing room makeover project that I first told you about a couple of weeks ago (see Bright, Fun Duvet Cover & a New Craft Project!) …
Stay tuned for more on that project soon!
Until next time,
I’m sharing this easy little project at my favorite linky party:
You know I love a pretty home decorating project; especially one that’s easy. I guess that’s why I was so taken with this tutorial over at Dear Lillie this week on how to build a pretty window seat without using any power tools – just a screwdriver and a glue gun. I thought I’d share the link in case you missed it, or if you’re not a regular follower of home decor blogs.
(All photo credits to Jennifer at Dear Lillie. If you’re a pinner, please click over there and pin this image directly from Jennifer’s blog, not here – thanks much!)
If you have an empty little nook somewhere in your home that needs a pop of pretty, then this might be a great solution!
(P.S. This is not a sponsored post; I just love this project and wanted to share!)
Until next time,
It’s been a awhile since I decorated my mantel. It’s odd for me not to have some kind of seasonal decor on my mantel at all times! But ever since we painted the living room early this spring, I’ve been enjoying the room’s simplicity. I’ve only had a few glass candlesticks up there, with a new round mirror. Seeing that it’s June, though, I figured it was time to add a little pop of summer mantel pretty.
Like most (all?)of us, I love the beach. You’d probably think we spend lots of time digging in sand since we live just a few miles from the ocean. Oh the irony! Our climate here only allows us to enjoy ‘the beach’ a few months of the year. And, with the exception of a few sandy ones, most of our beaches around here are rocky ones. It’s great for collecting beautiful beach rocks, but it makes building sand castles a little tricky .
Because we don’t spend a lot of time on sandy beaches, I’m kinda obsessed with taking photos when we’re there. There’s just something about sandy toes and saltwater-blown hair that makes me all camera-happy.
“Our memories of the ocean will linger on,
long after our footprints in the sand are gone.”
~ Anonymous
I decided to pull a few of my favorite beach photos from our files, and display them on the mantel in simple frames.
For consistency, I did some quick photo editing to give them a b&w artsy effect.
Like this one of our 3 beach babies. The boys were just 8 months old here (boohoo).
In this one, Miss G (at age 4) was waiting for the tide in her sweet rubber boots.
And, what’s better than sunset on a Florida beach – except maybe sharing it with your cousins/besties?
The mantel also has glassware filled with ocean-y things: sand, shells, starfish and sisal.
I propped them up on white candlesticks and cake plates to give them some height/drama.
Completely unintentionally, my new round mirror seems to work well with it all.
It reminds me of the sun. Or maybe a port-hole?
I also love how the beach-y colors work with the room.
Sometimes I tire quickly of seasonal mantel decor, but I think this might be soothing enough to stay up there all summer.
If you like beach-y decor, you might also like my Starfish & Sisal Wreath, or my recent house tour of a coastal cottage.
Until next time,
Pin ItI’m sharing this post at… The Lettered Cottage Summer Decorating Party and with Beth at Home Stories A2Z
This weekend, I decided to make a new summer wreath for my door. I was growing tired of all my floral door decor, so I thought I’d try something a little different.
.
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Nothing says “summer” like the ocean, so I rounded up supplies to make a diy starfish wreath.
.
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I didn’t really have a plan when I started – I just kinda figured it out as I went. But here’s what I ended up using as supplies for this summer wreath idea:
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one-and-a-half rolls of 3/8 inch sisal rope (there’s 50′ per roll, so about 75′ in total)- about 5 feet of thin sisal rope
- a 15″ circular styrofoam wreath form
- 5 dried starfish
- my glue gun
.
I started by tying a nautical-like knot at the top that the wreath could hang from.
Next, I cut the thicker sisal rope into lengths of about 2-3′, so it would be easier to work with. I wrapped it around the wreath in small sections, using my glue gun to secure it here and there.
{A tip: Always start each section from the back so that your ‘seams’ for each section of don’t show on the front. You want it to look continuous – as if you were patient enough to keep looping the 50 foot roll in and out…and in and out…and in and out…you get my drift. At the end of each section, trim your rope before you get back to the front, and secure with your glue gun. I found it easiest to trim the sisal diagonally in one of the grooves following the ‘grain’.
Keep going until your entire wreath is filled in.
This process takes longer than you might think!
Watch out for glue gun burns! I managed a doozie! OUCH!
Once you’re finished, you might notice some gaps where the wreath form is showing through between the sisal. If so, you can cut a small piece of sisal and ‘patch’ it as neatly as you can. Or, you can just choose to glue your starfish in those spots.
I glued on the starfish, but also used some thinner sisal rope to tie each one on.
It was more for some added visual interest than anything else.
I really like how it turned out.
It’s much simpler than most other things I hang on my door.
But that’s what summer decor should be all about, right?!?
So what do you hang on your door in summer?
Until next time,
Pin ItI’ll be sharing this post at and
The Lettered Cottage
It’s Monday! Hope you enjoyed your weekend.
Our weather was the pits. A couple of weeks ago it was nice enough to stain the deck, and now it’s cold and dreary enough for a winter hat. That’s how quickly things can change around here. Welcome to ‘June-uary’ in the Atlantic Ocean.
So, while waiting for the boys to awake this morning, I hit my Pinterest file, A Pop of Happy, because there’s nothing like pretty eye candy for an injection of energy. I’ve been collecting projects and images there that just make me smile.
Here’s five happy crafty projects that could cure any rainy Monday blues.
1. Paint your wooden spoons in a rainbow.
Check this project out at Little Bit Funky.
Source: littlebitfunky.com via Kerri Roche – A Pop of Pretty on Pinterest
2. Spray-paint kitschy finds & plastic toys in fun hues.
Check it out at blogcraftzine.com.
Source: blog.craftzine.com via Kerri Roche – A Pop of Pretty on Pinterest
3. Paint a fun,chunky bead necklace.
Find this tutorial at Laura Parke, A Girl Who Makes.
Source: paintmeplaid.com via Kerri Roche – A Pop of Pretty on Pinterest
4. Paint an adorable neon animal garland.
See how it’s made at hgtv.com.
Source: blog.hgtv.com via Kerri Roche – A Pop of Pretty on Pinterest
5. Make a lit flower garland from cupcake wrappers.
See how it’s done at Oh Happy Day.
Source: ohhappyday.com via Kerri Roche – A Pop of Pretty on Pinterest
I don’t know about you, but that kind of color always makes me happy!
The thing I love about them best? All you need are items you probably already have!
Have a fab Monday.
Until next time,
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Welcome to A Pop of Pretty, a Canadian home decorating blog that chronicles my love of home decor and pretty things. I'm out to prove (mostly to myself!) that a pretty home is still possible amid the circus of 3 young kids, including twin toddlers. {More...}
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