My friend’s bird feeders were made with tea cups– Victorian style cups with mismatched saucers that looked like ones you would have with Alice and Wonderland at a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.  They were beautifully decorated with painted flowers and gold trim, each cup and saucer different than the next.  I do not collect tea cups, so I knew if I were going to make a bird feeder like hers, I would have to come up with a substitute.

I did collect enamelware once upon a time, and I came across this vintage blue and white enamelware cup and saucer.  It was perfect for trying out this bird feeder project.

Make a bird feeder with enamelware cup and saucer.

Materials to Make a Bird Feeder from Vintage Dishes

Vintage tea cup and saucer

Industrial strength glue such as E6000

String, ribbon, or wire

Birdseed

Directions to Make a Bird Feeder from Vintage Dishes

1. Thoroughly clean and dry the cup and saucer.

2.  Before applying glue, lay your cup horizontally against the saucer to get a feel for where it will lay the flattest.  Many saucers have a depression in the middle to hold the tea cup, so you will need to find the best spot for the tea cup to rest as flat as possible.  Make sure your cup is on it’s side with the handle facing upward (see photo).

3. Apply glue to the parts of the cup that will come in contact with the saucer.

4. You will need to hold your cup in place or find objects to balance it in place while the glue dries enough to hold it’s contact.

5. Allow the glue to dry and cure for 24 hours.

6. Tie ribbon, string or thin wire around the cup handle and secure a loop.

7. Hang the bird feeder from a small branch or hook.

8. Tip the cup back to fill the cup with birdseed and let the seeds spill around the edges of the saucer.

Once you make a bird feeder from a cup and saucer, fill it with birdseed.

Now that I have made my own bird feeder I feel like making more–these are a super easy project to make!  I plan to collect some tea cups over the summer as I explore different flea markets.  My biggest curiosity is how these cups will fare with our plethora of impish chipmunks and red squirrels.  I look forward to seeing how these feeder hold up to all our backyard visitors this summer.

The post Make a Bird Feeder from Vintage Dishes | Outdoor Craft Idea appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

• Color cardstock paper
• Circle punch (this saves time, but if you don’t have one, you can cut the circles out by hand)
• Sewing machine
• Thread

Step One: Cut out stacks of circles.  You can make them all the same size, but I like to have a little variety- some large and some small.Step Two: Using a sewing machine, sew through each circle.  Using a nice, sharp needle will make it easier to sew through the paper.  Between the circles, continue sewing, leaving a small amount of thread.  Do not cut your thread until you have sewn together enough circles to achieve your desired length.  You should end up with one continuous strand of garland.You can hang your garland anywhere you want to create a festive, party-like atmosphere.  Indoors, I like to hang mine from the ceiling, and outdoors, I prefer to hang it from trees, or across the deck.  Wherever you choose to use it- enjoy the handmade touch!

The post Paper Crafts | Make Paper Party Garland appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

You may have small vintage tins or pitchers at your home already.  Spice tins (i.e. ground pepper or mustard powder), baking tins ( i.e. cocoa or baking powder), small cream pitchers, children’s tin drinking cups, small enamelware cups or pitchers, and Buffalo China or other diner ware all make easy planters for this project.  If you do not have any of these lying around your house, then lucky for you, it’s also Flea Market Season in New England and other parts of the country.  Look around and see what containers you can use.

Vintage containers turned into planters

Although I had some containers around, they were not quite small enough.  I really wanted small containers so I could fit these planters on my windowsill.  This was the perfect opportunity to go explore the flea market for “new-to-me” vintage containers.  I went to Route 1 in Arundel, Maine where the flea market was still celebrating it’s grand opening weekend.  There are also two spacious antique malls right next to the flea market (on either side), so there were plenty of items to look over.

I found a little man pitcher that I found amusing, as well as a tobacco tin.  They were the right price and size.  I could already picture them on my kitchen windowsill.

Vintage containers turned into planters

I came home, washed the containers and planted a few petunia seedlings in them.  Here are the directions for making your own:

Materials:

• Small vintage containers (see examples above)
• Potting soil
• Seedling (herbs or flowers work best; you can also put small houseplants in them as well)
• Small pebbles

Directions:

• Wash and dry the container.
• Add a few pebbles to the bottom of the container.  This will allow for some drainage for the plant.
• Add a little bit of soil to cover the pebbles.
• Place your seedling into the contianer and then fill the remainder of the container with soil.
• If you are starting from seed, then simply fill the container with soil and then put the seed into the soil.
• Water the seedling.
• Place on a sunny windowsill.
• Follow directions for watering your plant.  These directions will be on the seed packet or on the seedling pot.  If not, look up watering directions for your plant online.

Enjoy this fun spring craft project!

The post Crafts | Turn Vintage Containers into Planters appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

That being said, I typically don’t make handmade gifts for my mom on Mother’s Day—this is partly because we have our Mother’s Day ritual of enjoying lobster and partly because you can only lavish someone with so many handmade gifts. However, when looking over a number of crafts and artwork I’d made in the past, I came across these button heart dioramas which are a sweet, simple gift for a special mom.

Button heart dioramas are buttons glued into a heart shape, surrounded by ephemera matching the color or tone of a room, and then embellished for display. They can be made to fit almost any size space you need, whether it’s a wall space or shelf.

Button heart dioramas are contained within paper mache boxes and lids which can be easily found at craft stores.

Button Heart Dioramas

Materials to Make a Button Heart Diorama:

• Paper mache box or lid (depending on how deep you want the picture)
• Mod Podge
• Paintbrush
• Paper ephemera (i.e. patterned papers bought at a craft store, old stamps, or copyright-free images downloaded from internet )
• Scissors
• Ribbons or wire for hanging
• Mixed medium items to add detail to your diorama— i.e. lace
• White and ivory colored buttons
• Newspaper to cover your working space (optional)
• Regular glue or hot glue

Directions to Make a Button Heart Diorama:

• Gather your materials.

Gathering materials

• Cut plain or patterned paper to fit the outside edges of your diorama. Use your paintbrush to apply Mod Podge to the paper and then glue them onto the edges of the diorama.  You can also apply a thin layer of Mod Podge over the paper to seal it and make it more durable.

Adding patterned paper to your diorama

• Now cut paper to fit the inside edges of your diorama and repeat the step with Mod Podge as above.
• Next, use regular or hot glue to make a heart shape in the center of your diorama. If you are not good at free hand drawing, you can trace a heart shaped cookie cutter or trace a downloaded heart from the internet.

Heart made with buttons

• Place your buttons in the heart shape, making sure they are securely glued. You will need to apply 2-3 layers of buttons to get the full effect, so you may need to wait between layers to allow glue to dry (if using regular glue).
• Once your heart is complete, add ephemera as needed to embellish the space around it.

 

Front view showing use of embellishments and ephemera to add detail– a stamp, a paper heart, a hand cut from a picture, and a sticker used for borders

• For a 3D effect you can use bottle caps, wood plugs, buttons, or other small items to glue your pictures on before adding them to the diorama.

Side view of diorama showing 3D effect

• Last, there are many ways to apply a hanger to your diorama. The simplest way is to poke two holes through the back of your diorama to hang a ribbon through. You can also glue a metal hanger on the back.

This project is pretty forgiving, so feel free to experiment and have fun with it!

The post Make A Button Heart Diorama | Mother’s Day Craft appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

Fill your May baskets with your favorite treats.

May baskets are traditionally left at peoples doors but they can also be gifted and mailed to friends as well.

Materials to Make May Day Baskets

• A milk or juice carton (1 gallon size)
• 1 sheet of decorative scrapbook paper of your choice
• Ribbon
• Glue
• Scissors
• Pictures of butterflies or flowers (scrapbook sheets, stickers, or clip art images)
• White piece of paper size sized 2.5” x 3.5”
• Stapler or clear tape
• Items to fill the basket (filler, treats, seeds, flowers, toys, etc)

Directions to Make May Day Baskets

1. Wash and dry the carton thoroughly.
2. Cut the top off of the carton.  Push one end of your scissors into the milk carton and then use that entry point to start trimming around the carton.  It is best to start near the top of the carton to allow for plenty of error.
3. Determine how deep you want your basket to be and then trim the rim as evenly as possible to that depth.  Mine is about 3 3/4”deep.
4. Make the handle.  Save a strip of material from the carton about 10-12” long and 1” wide.  If you do not have enough carton scraps leftover for a handle, you can cut one from a piece of recycled cardboard (such as from a cereal or cracker box).  Trim the handle to be even on both sides.
5. Cut your scrapbook paper to be wide enough to wrap around your carton.  I needed to use two strips of paper which overlapped.
6. Glue the paper into place.  Trim any paper that is hanging over the edge or bottom of your basket.
7. Next, wrap the handle in paper and glue the paper into place.
8. Staple or tape the handle ends into the basket.  Make sure the handle ends are on the inside of the basket.
9. Glue an image of a flower or butterfly onto the white paper.
10. Next glue this paper and image onto the front of the basket.
11. Cut ribbon for wrapping around the top and bottom of the basket.  You will need 2 pieces of ribbon, about 16” each.  Wrap it around first to make sure it fits, and then trim.
12. Glue the ribbon into place.
13. I also glued ribbon onto the handle of the basket.  I did this after the handle was attached—the ribbon ends tucked easily into the sides of the basket.
14. I added an extra butterfly to the handle of my basket for decoration.
15. Fill the basket with filler and treats for a friend or loved one.  I filled mine with seeds and flowers.

Decorate your May basket with flowers or butterflies.

Happy May Day to all of you!

The post Spring Crafts | Make May Day Baskets from Milk Cartons appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

Paper mache Easter eggs

Paper Mache Easter Egg

What you will need to make your own paper mache eggs:

• Paper mache eggs from the craft store (ours came in a package of 6)
• Pastel acrylic paints of your choice
• Paintbrushes
• Decorative ribbon
• Glue
• Easter stickers or buttons (optional)
• Recycled egg carton

Paper mache Easter eggs in a gift box

Directions:

• Paint the top half of each egg in colors of your choice.
• Place the eggs to dry in the carton with the dry half sitting in the carton and the wet half facing up.
• When the paint has dried, paint the bottom half of each egg in a different color of your choice.
• Place the eggs back in the carton to dry (wet side up).
• Once the eggs are dried, cut a piece of decorative ribbon to fit around the middle of your egg.
• Glue the piece of decorative ribbon around the middle of the egg where the 2 color halves meet.
• If you like, you can place a button, sticker, or other image to the ribbon where the ends of the ribbon meet.  I used this rabbit sticker from Martha Stewart. This will hide the gap between the ribbon ends.
  

  Place a sticker where the ribbon ends meet.

Paper mache Easter eggs are the perfect complement to your holiday décor!

The post Decorate Paper Mache Easter Eggs appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

Colored pussy willows add a pop of color to glass vases.

If you are lucky enough to live near a pussy willow shrub, you will need to trim some branches with clippers.  Pussy willows can not be “picked” or snapped off– the branches are too supple, and it is best for the shrub if you trim the branches with a clean cut and not tear at it.

Use chalk dust to color pussy willows.

Materials to Color Pussy Willows

• Chalk in bright colors
• Newspaper
• Pussy willow stalks
• Small dry paintbrush

Directions to Color Pussy Willows

• Place the newspaper on a flat surface.
• Remove the hull from the catkins.  The hull is the brown sheath that holds the catkin.  It usually comes off easily but still take care to remove it gently so as not to remove the catkin off the branch as well.
• Choose a color of chalk.  Take the chalk and scribble with it on the newspaper.  Press down hard so that you create plenty of chalk dust.
• Roll a catkin in the chalk so that it is covered with the colored chalk dust.
• Optional– Use a dry paintbrush to lightly brush the dust into the catkin for more even and natural distribution of color.
• Repeat this step until you have covered the catkins in the colors of your choice.  You can add all the same color to one branch of catkins, or you can mix up the colors to create themes of color or even patterns.
• Display in a small vintage bottle or vase.

Pussy willows look great in a vase.

We used to love this spring activity.  It was a family friendly craft that all of us, from the youngest child to the grandparents, would sit and do together.  Later on we would exchange stories of how many people we had fooled into thinking pussy willows actually grew in these colors.  If pussy willows do not grow near you, you will need to purchase them.  Regardless of how you find them, I hope you enjoy this spring rite of passage as much as I did when I was a kid.

The post Color Pussy Willows | An Easy Spring Craft appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

Easter boxes with pastel wooden eggs

Materials for Easter Boxes

• A paper mache box
• Easter grass to put in the box
• 2-3 wooden eggs that will fit in the box
• Acrylic paints in white and pastel colors
• Vintage Easter images (can be downloaded from internet, stickers, or cut out from paper)
• Mod Podge
• Paintbrush
• Wax or parchment paper
• Fine sandpaper

Pastel wooden Easter eggs

Directions for Easter Boxes

• Paint the inside of the box one color.
• Paint the inside of the lid a different color than the box.
• Place the box and lid on wax or parchment paper to dry.
• Turn the lid and box over and finish painting them in the same colors you used previously.
• Place them back on the paper to dry.
• Lightly sand the wooden eggs so that they are smooth.  Wipe the eggs with a cloth to remove any dust.
• Paint each of the eggs a different pastel colors from each other.
• Place the eggs on the paper to dry.
• For the next step you will need white acrylic paint and a dry paintbrush.  Lightly dip the paintbrush in white paint and blot it a few times on scrap paper until there is very little paint on the brush.  Then gently blot the eggs with the white paint to create a mottled pattern.  Do this to all of the eggs.
• Allow the eggs to dry.
• Apply your vintage Easter images to the eggs using Mod Podge.  Brush a thin layer of Mod Podge on the egg where you want the image to go.  Place the image on the Mod Podge and then brush a thin layer of Mod Podge over the image.  If there are any bubbles in the image you can use the paintbrush to flatten the image.
• Allow eggs to dry and then apply one more coat of Mod Podge to seal the egg.
• If you like you can also add another Easter image to the box lid.  Use Mod Podge to attach the image to the box lid.  Seal over the image with another layer of Mod Podge.
  

  Easter boxes with pastel wooden eggs

The post Easter Crafts | Pastel Wooden Eggs in Easter Boxes appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

Shabby chic paper flag garland

Materials needed:

• 6  pieces of decorative scrapbook paper sized 12″x12″
• 9 feet of string ( I used embroidery string)
• Glue
• Scissors
• Decorative or beaded ribbon.  This is for embellishment along the bottom trim of the flags but you can also use paper doilies if you have them leftover from Valentines Day crafting.
• Hot glue gun and glue (if using beaded trim)
• Wax paper (optional)

Directions:

• Cut each piece of 12″ x 12″ paper in half.  The easiest way to get a quick measurement is to just fold the paper in half and cut along the fold.
• Fold each of those papers in half (but do not cut these ones!).  These will be your flags.
• Cut decorative ribbon or trim into 6″ sections.  You only need to cut as many strips as you need or want. I did not add trim to all of my flags.
• If you are using beaded trim you will need to take care to seal all places where you cut, otherwise the beads slip off.   Apply a small amount of hot glue to the ends of the ribbon.
• Glue the trim to the bottom of one side of the flags.   I laid my flags out on wax paper and then glued the trim to the bottom of one end of the flag.
  

  Stages of making the flags: 1) start with 12″ x 12″ paper 2) fold it in half and cut along the fold 3) fold the 12″ x 6″ paper in half 4) apply trim to the bottom

• Tie loops at the end of your string– one loop on each end.  This will allow you to hang the garland easily using push pins.
• Hang the string between 2 pushpins or tacks in a temporary space so you can finish the next step.
• Once the trim has dried you can arrange the flags on your string.  Hang the flags on the folds of the paper (see photo).  When you find an arrangement you like, simply glue the flags into place.  Apply glue at the fold as well as all around the inner perimeter of the paper.
  

  Arrange the flags on the string before gluing them

• Allow to dry.

Now your garland is ready to hang or it can be folded up and stored until you need it.  They take up very little room for storage.    

Shabby chic paper flag garland hung for decoration

Shabby chic paper flag garland– stacked and folded for storage.

The post Shabby Chic Paper Flag Garland appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

Valentines Day Paper Cones

Materials Needed for Valentine’s Day Cones:

• Scrapbook paper in pink, red and white patterns
• Paper ephemera such as paper lace hearts, Valentines Day stickers, and cut outs of paper hearts
• Tape
• Hole Punch
• Glue
• Glitter
• Ribbon, string or yarn
• Wax paper

Directions to Make Valentine’s Day Cones:

• Trace a circle onto the scrapbook paper and cut the circle out.  I traced a cookie tin, but you can also use a compass to create a perfect circle.  Circles should be about 12″ across.  The smaller the circle, the smaller the cones will be.
• Draw an intersection through the center of the circle to create 4 equal parts and cut them out.  Each section will make one cone.
  

  Cut a paper circle into four sections like so

• Paper cones can be a little stubborn to form at first so it helps to mold them with your hands a little before you craft with them.  Roll the cones into shape a few times before taping them into place.
  

  From flat paper to cone shape

• Use your hold punch to make 2 holes at the top of the cone.  The top is the open end of the cone, not the pointed part.  The holes should be opposite each other.
• Next, decorate the cone rims with glitter.  To do this, apply a thin line of glue around the perimeter of the cone and then sprinkle glitter onto the glue.
• Place cones upside down on wax paper while the glue dries.
• Cut paper hearts from scrapbook papers, doilies, or scrap paper.  Cut hearts of various sizes so that you can layer them.
• Apply a thin border of glitter around some of the hearts if you like.
• You can also create layered of paper hearts if you prefer.  For example, a glitter lined heart can be glued to a larger paper heart.  I also glued buttons to the center of some of mine.
• Set the hearts aside to dry.
• If you want to add paper strips or ribbon around the paper cones then glue them on and allow them to dry.
  

  Cones and hearts are set aside to dry

• When cones and decorated hearts are dry, glue the hearts to the outside of the cones.
• Attach a ribbon or string through the holes of the cone and tie a knot.
  

  Ribbon is attached to the paper cones

• You can fill the hearts with decorative paper shreds, Valentine’s messages, candies and sweets.
  

  Valentines Day Paper Cones hung for decoration

Hang them for decoration or give them away to loved ones.  Enjoy a festive Valentine’s day!

The post Valentine’s Day Crafts | Make Paper Cones appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

To create the hearts, the only materials you will only need are newspapers and scissors.

Stages of making a newspaper heart

Instructions to Make Newspaper Hearts for Valentine’s Day

1. Cut squares of equal size from newspaper.  My squares were about 4″x4″.
2. Fold the squares in half.
3. Cut half a heart shape on the fold of the paper (see photo for reference if needed).
4. Cut another heart out from the center of the heart. This will leave you with one heart outline and one solid heart.
5. Separate your different heart styles into piles.  You will have one pile of newspaper squares with a heart cut out from the center; one pile of heart outlines; and one pile of small solid newspaper hearts.

Instructions to Make Intertwined Heart Garland

1. Gather the pile of heart outlines to make an intertwined heart garland.
2. Cut anywhere along the heart (I cut along the fold on the bottom).
3. Intertwine the heart onto another one like a chain and then seal the cut with a small piece of tape.
4. Take another heart outline and repeat the step till the heart chain is the length you desire.

You can hang these heart garlands vertically or horizontally. Here are a couple examples of how they look, vertically versus horizontally:

Intertwined newspaper hearts decorating a chair

Intertwined newspaper hearts hanging in a window

Instructions to Make Square Heart Garland

1. Gather the pile of hearts that are the squares of newspaper with the hearts missing from the center.
2. Use small pieces of tape to connect my squares, leaving a gap between the squares.
3. To keep the garland from becoming a sticky tape disaster I used 2 pieces of tape each time I connected the hearts together. One piece would link the heart squares together and then I would apply a piece of tape to the opposite side in the same spot so that the two sticky sides of tape were sticking together.

You could hang this style of garland at the head or foot of a bed, along windows, or over doors.  I decided to wrap mine around an old milk canister:

A newspaper heart garland wrapped around an antique milk can

This craft will leave you with a pile of small but solid newspaper hearts that can be used in making Valentine’s Day crafts or other art projects, tucked into greeting cards, or left around the house in nooks and crannies. Here are some places I hid mine:

A newspaper heart

A newspaper heart

A newspaper heart tucked into the corner of a favorite photograph

I love how these hearts, in all of their forms, are versatile and easy.  You could also create these hearts using maps and scrapbook paper as well.  The supplies are little to no cost, earth friendly, and accessible.  It is a quick project, kid friendly, and easy to modify– I am sure the followers of this blog will find some creative ways to decorate with these newspaper hearts!

The post Valentine’s Day Crafts | Make Newspaper Hearts appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

Decorative string lights

Here is what you need to make Decorative String Lights:

• A string of LED lights
• Clear plastic cups
• Scissors
• Tape
• Decorative papers (scrapbook paper, recycled wrapping paper, plain colored paper)

To make your lights follow these directions:

• The first step is the most challenging because you need to create a template for a paper strip that will wrap around the cup.  Cups are awkward shapes and difficult to make templates for, but once this step is completed the rest is a cinch.
  

  Create the template– it will be shaped like this

• The best way to create a template is to start with a large smile-shaped strip of paper and continue to wrap the cup in it and trim as needed until the correct shape is established.  This is a trial and error experiment—I repeated this step a couple times before I got the hang of it.  When you find a template that fits the shape of your cup you can use it to trace onto other paper.
• Trace the template onto multiple strips of paper.
• Cut the templates from the paper.
• Wrap the cups in the paper strips—tape one end of the paper strip down, wrap the cup in the paper, and then secure with one more piece of tape.
• Use scissors to poke a hole in the top of the cup.
• Turn and rotate the scissors to create a larger hole (large enough for the lights to poke through).
  

  Create a hole for the light to fit in

• Use a piece of tape to secure the wire onto the cup to make sure the cup stays attached to the light.
• You can cover every light if you wish, or create a pattern of some covered lights and some plain lights.  My string of lights had 100 lights on it, so I created a pattern using some covered lights, and some plain lights.
• Hang your lights.
  

  Decorative string lights

You can create these lights at any time to go with a themed room or for special occasions and celebrations.  I created my set of lights for a bedroom and I love how they look.

The post Decorative String Lights appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

New Years Eve Crackers

Crackers are decorated tubes filled with toys, trinkets, candy, confetti, and many times, tissue paper crowns.  They can be put on dinner plates or a table setting at a meal, or handed out at a party.  The recipient can either pull on both ends of the cracker, or one person can pull one side and another person pull the other.  Either way, when opened, confetti and other items come spilling out.  There are several ways to design them but I prefer this simpler method.

New Years Eve Crackers

Materials needed:

• Recycled cardboard tubes (i.e. paper towel tubes or leftover tubes from wrapping paper)
• Tissue paper
• String
• Glue
• Tape
• Decorative papers (scrapbook papers, old book pages, newspaper, sheet music, wrapping paper, comics, wallpaper, etc.)
• Embellishments to tie at the cracker ends– this can include curling ribbon, twist ties (i.e. I snipped some gold ones from the end of a holiday decoration), string, wire, or twine.
• Things to put inside the crackers.  For adults you can include candies, lottery tickets, fortunes, and confetti.  For children you can include trinkets or toys, confetti and candies.

Directions:

• Cut the cardboard tubes into 6″ length 
• Cut the tissue paper into 10-12″ length.  Some people prefer crackers to have shorter ends, some prefer longer ends.  
• Place the  cardboard tube in the center of the tissue paper and wrap the tissue around the tube.  I use a piece of tape to secure one end of the tissue paper to the tube then roll the tube till it is covered with tissue paper.  I then secure the tissue paper in place with another piece of tape.  I trim any excess tissue paper as needed.
• Use a piece of string to tie one end of the cracker.  
• Now that one end of the cracker is secured, fill the cracker with the items you set aside for filling them.  
• Tie the other end of the cracker with string.  

Undecorated crackers

• Decorate the crackers by wrapping them in colorful, patterned, and/or recycled papers.  You can cut thin strips of paper for the edges, longer and wider strips for the centers.
• Decorate the ends of the crackers by adding festive wire or twist ties, curling ribbons, wired garlands, or twine.

I made these crackers using pages from a vintage school book:

For the next set of crackers I used pictures from a book of copyright free images.  (In a pinch you can always find images needed for craft projects online by searching “copyright free images”.  Here is a link to a shop that offers pages of copyright free images you can use at a small cost:   http://www.vintageimagemadness.com ).

New Years Eve Crackers

And last, I decorated this pair of crackers using a recycled paper gift bag with thin strips of scrapbook paper on the ends.  Enjoy making these crackers and Happy New Year!!

New years Eve Crackers

The post Make Your Own New Years Eve Crackers appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

Here is what a Holiday Scene in a Jar can look like using a glass jar with a snap-lock bail lid:

Holiday Scene in a Jar

Materials to Make a Holiday Scene in a Jar:

• 1 smooth glass jar with lid
• 1 plastic deer
• Glitter
• Mod podge
• Hot glue and hot glue gun
• Cotton balls
• White paint
• Small paintbrush
• A wooden block, large bottle cap, or other recycled object for the deer to “stand” on
• Ribbon or twine
• Embellishments (i.e. I used old plastic candy canes that have been in our ornament box forever.  But you could use small bells, decorative buttons, a piece of jewelry such as a pendant or brooch that is no longer worn, etc.)

Directions to Make a Holiday Scene in a Jar:

• Wash and dry the jar thoroughly.
• Use a small paintbrush to dab spots of white paint on the interior of two thirds of the jar–this is to make it look like it is snowing.  The non-painted area is where people can look through at the scene in the jar.
• Allow the paint to dry.
• In meantime, clean your paintbrush and then use it to apply a thin layer of Mod Podge onto the deer.  Some crafters will prefer to fully coat the deer in glitter, and others will only want the neck down covered.  Either way is fine.
• Allow the Mod Podge and glitter to dry on the deer.
• Once the deer is dry, use hot glue to attach the deer to it’s stand (I used a wood block).
• Take several cotton balls and pull the cotton fibers apart a little bit to stretch the cotton out.
• Use hot glue to attach cotton to the sides of the stand and around the deer’s legs.
• Next, put hot glue on the bottom of the wooden block and then lower the deer and block into the jar until it settles on the bottom of the jar.
• For the next step you will need to finish adding cotton around the stand until the deer looks like it is standing on a hill of snow.
• Use the handle part of your small paintbrush to push the cotton into place and shape the “snow” as needed.
• Apply the lid.
• Adorn the lid with ribbons and embellishments.  If you apply one central ribbon around the lid then you can attach embellishments around the ribbon by tying them on.

Side view of a Holiday Scene in a Jar

Try experimenting with different scenes and objects in the jar.  I have used salt and pepper shakers to spaghetti sauce jars, and handmade paper dolls in the center to gumball machine trinkets.  Play around with this project and have fun with it!

Holiday scene on the window sill

The post Create a Holiday Scene in a Jar appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

Victorian Scrap Ornaments

Victorian Scrap Ornaments

I will show you how I made these Victorian Scrap Ornaments with 3 ways to transform decorative paper into holiday ornaments.

Materials to Make Victorian Scrap Ornaments

• Decorative papers like those found in the scrapbook aisle of craft stores or recycled holiday cards
• Small brads
• Small hold punch (it needs to create a hole smaller than the size of the brad head).  If you do not have a small hole punch you can use scissors to puncture a hole in the paper.
• White Glue
• Hot glue and hot glue gun
• Holiday stickers, buttons, and/or sequins
  

  Making Victorian Scrap Ornaments

Instructions on How to Make a Basic Victorian Scrap Ornament

Basic Victorian Scrap Ornament

• Cut a holiday card or piece of paper into equal strips ( i.e. 5” x ½” sized strips work well).
  

  A holiday card is cut into strips

• Punch a hole in each end of each strip.
• Pile up 8 strips with the image facing up.
  

  Paper strips are piled together and brads are inserted in each end.

• Put a brad through the holes in the stack on one side.
• Place another brad through the holes on the other end.
• Tease out the layers of the ornaments—it helps to slide the bottom layer out and around until it is opposite the rest.  Then slide the remaining layers around to form a ball shape.  This is a very awkward step the first time you do it, so be patient with yourself as you get the feel for it.
• Once you have formed the ball shape, tie a ribbon on and it’s all set to hang.
  

  Completed ornament. Attach a ribbon and hang it on the tree.

Instructions to Make a Victorian Scrap Snowflake Ornament

• Create the ornament above.
• Push the two brads together so that the center of the orb is compressed.  Glue into place(use tiny dabs of glue on the paper strips near the center).
• Adorn the center with a holiday sticker, button, or sequin using hot glue.
• Attach a ribbon or string for hanging.
  

  Victorian Scrap Ornament Version 2

Directions for making a Victorian Scrap Fan Ornament

• Cut a holiday card or piece of paper into equal strips ( i.e. 5” x ½” sized strips work well).
• Punch a hole on ONE end of each strip.
• Pile up 6 strips with the image facing up.
• Put a brad through the holes in the stack on one side only.
• Spread the paper strips out into a fan shape.
• Attach a sticker or button over the brad using hot glue.
  

  Victorian Scrap Ornament Version 3

I turned these fan-shaped ornaments into a paper garland by tying them onto a ribbon.

The ornaments were well received at the artisan market!  However, I’m quite sure I have Bandaloop to thank for this– the warm rustic ambiance of the restaurant, the super accommodating staff,  and delicious aromas could turn anyone’s mood around.  If you are in the Kennebunkport area make sure you stop by Bandaloop for locally grown and organic foods!  They are open Wednesdays thru Sundays at 5 pm.

Enjoy making these Victorian Scrap Ornaments!

The post Holiday Crafts | Make Victorian Scrap Ornaments appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

Completed Matchbox Advent Calendar

Completed Matchbox Advent Calendar

Items you might add to a child’s advent calendar

Materials to Make a Christmas Advent Calendar

• 25 matchboxes (most dollar stores sell a pack of 10 matchboxes for a dollar)
• holiday wrapping paper
• scissors
• white glue
• glitter or sparkly pipe cleaner
• hot glue gun and glue sticks (if using pipe cleaners)
• paint (optional)
• pencil with eraser (optional)
• permanent marker (color of your choice)
• gifts and mementos to fill the matchboxes

Directions to Make a Christmas Advent Calendar

• Empty out your matchboxes.  We store our matches in a jar for future camping trips and bonfires.
• Glue 9 matchboxes together back to back to make a row; repeat the same process with 7 matchboxes; then with 5; then with 3.  You should have one matchbox leftover.
  

  Rows of matchboxes are glued together

• When your rows of matchboxes have dried, wrap a strip of wrapping paper around the row and glue it into place.  Make sure the drawers are exposed so you can still open and shut the drawers.
• Now glue the rows of wrapped matchboxes on top of each other.  The row of 9 matchboxes goes on the bottom, the row of 7 gets glued on next, followed by the row of 5, the row of 3, and finally the final matchbox.
  

  Rows of matchboxes are wrapped in paper. Then you glue the rows on top of each of each other to make a tree shape.

• Allow to dry
• If you like, you can use a pencil erasor top to stamp a dot of paint on each drawer.  Allow paint to dry.
• Use a permanent marker to draw the numbers of the month on the drawers.
• You can also use glue and glitter to decorate any of the lines or borders along the calendar.  I used a pipe cleaner to create the same effect (I ran out of glitter– a glittery pipe cleaner was Plan B).  To use pipe cleaner simply bend and shape it to fit along the edges of your calendar and then hot glue it into place.
• If wanted, you can hot glue a decorative bulb, ornament, button or other “tree topper” to the top of your tree.  I found a vintage mini bulb at the bottom of an ornament box and added a sticker to it to top our tree.

Gifts to Place in a Christmas Advent Calendar

• small wrapped candy such as peppermint swirls, Andes mints or Hersheys miniatures
• coins (for laundry, parking meters, subway, or collectable coins)
• notes, messages, tiny handmade coupons
• miniature and small toys (i.e. gumball machine and Cracker Jack prizes)
• tattooes
• sea glass
• stickers
• postage stamps
• small pinback buttons
• office supplies (designer paper clips, flat erasers, small binder clip, small Post-It notes)
• seeds
• small plastic bags of spices for people who love to cook (natural food stores let you buy spices in “bulk” so you can choose your own amount of what you buy)
• Beads, wire, and fasteners for jewelry makers
• Worry stones
• Magnets
• Buttons and thread
• Talismans and good luck tokens

Have leftover matchboxes? Find ideas on how to decorate them.

The post Holiday Crafts | Make a Christmas Advent Calendar from Matchboxes appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to light candles for those who have passed before you and have provided you and your family with special memories. Tell stories about the times you laughed with that person (or persons), something they may have taught you, or something you admired about them. If children are present this becomes a beautiful oral tradition of hearing (and later on re-telling) stories about their own ancestors and family friends.

Remembrance Candles lit among holiday decorations

Materials to Make Remembrance Candles

• Decorative papers
• Scissors
• Votive candle holders (one per person you are commemorating)
• Votive candle (one per person you are commemorating)
• Hole punch (optional)
• Tape or decorative string

Directions to Make Remembrance Candles

• Cut a strip of decorative paper that is long and wide enough to wrap around your votive candle– the size will vary depending on the size of your votive candle holder.
• Optional–Cut out a heart (or other shape) from the strip of paper.  The candle flame will emanate a glow through this shape.  You can also use a hole punch to punch out shapes in the paper (like I did to make the stars).
• Optional– Use decorative scissors to create patterned edges.
• Optional– Write a special note or message on the inside of the paper before wrapping it around the candle.  Kids can help with this step if they like (they can also draw a picture if they are too young to write).
• Wrap the paper strip around the votive and secure with tape or decorative string.
• Display in a special spot and light it when wanted or at a special designated time.

Remembrance Candles

The post Holiday Crafts | Make Remembrance Candles appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

Vintage Inspired Halloween Baskets

Vintage Inspired Halloween Baskets

Materials needed to make Vintage Inspired Halloween Baskets:

• Peat pots (you can find these at a garden center or hardware store–”Jiffy peat pots” are one brand you can look for)
• Orange, yellow, red and white acrylic paints
• Paintbrush
• Hole punch
• Black or Halloween themed ribbon (thin)
• Treats to put in the basket
• Halloween garland (thin, to go around the outside rim of basket)
• Hot glue and hot glue gun (if garland is not wire based)

Materials needed to make gift tags:

• Vintage inspired Halloween images or clip art
• Glue stick
• Red, yellow or orange paper
• Hole punch
• Ribbon (thin)

 Directions:

• Paint the outside of the pots one color (i.e. all orange)
• Allow to dry
• Choose a different color (i.e. yellow or red) to paint stripes or polka dots onto the pots
• Allow to dry
• Punch a hole toward the top lip of the basket
• Punch another hole exactly opposite the first hole
• Wrap a thin piece of Halloween garland around the top lip of the pot.  If the garland is wire based you will not need to glue it—simply wrap the garland around the outside rim of the pot and then twist the wires to secure it into place.  If your garland is not wire based you can hot glue the garland onto the outside rim.
• Slide a ribbon through one hole and tie a knot to secure it
• Slip the other end of the ribbon through the other hole and repeat
• Double check and make sure both knots are secure
• Fill your baskets with fillers, treats, miniature gifts and/or Halloween candies

I also made gift tags by gluing vintage Halloween images onto brightly colored papers that match the baskets.  I punched a hole through the tags and put a slip of ribbon through.

Vintage Inspired Halloween Baskets

We are delivering our vintage inspired Halloween baskets to the local elementary school to send a big thank you to Mrs. Macloud, Mrs. Spang, Mrs. Marquis and Miss Keep who continue to be wonderful and amazing teachers beyond words.

The post Create Vintage Inspired Halloween Baskets appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

Jointed skeleton dolls

Sitting among the pumpkins

Materials needed to make a jointed skeleton doll:

• Black polymer clay (i.e. Fimo or Sculpey) – you will need about one small package per skeleton
• Small eye hooks (you can get these at the hardware store)
• 3/8” double point staples (you can also get these at the hardware store)
• White acrylic paint
• Black acrylic paint
• Small tipped paintbrush
• Toothpick
• Mod Podge
  

  Gathering materials to make a skeleton

Directions for making the skeleton:

You will be creating 5 parts of each skeleton figure you make.  You will need to create 2 legs, 2 arms and a body.

• Break apart the clay into 5 parts.  You will need a larger piece of clay for the head/body, followed by 4 pieces of clay that will be the arms and legs.  The arms will be slightly smaller than the legs.
• Knead, roll and shape the clay into body parts.
  

  Shaping the clay into arms, legs and a torso with head

• Insert 1 eye hook into the end of each arm and leg–only one eye hook per leg and only one eye hook per arm.
  

  This is how the eye hooks go in

• Connect the arms– Hook a staple through the eye hook loop in each arm and then insert the sharp end of the staple into the shoulder where the arm goes.
  

  Double point staples slide through the eye hooks

   

  

  The arms are now connected to the body

• Connect the legs—Hook a staple through the eye hook in each leg and then insert the sharp end of the staple into the body where the legs go.
• Make sure there is enough space for the joints to move—every now and then I have to adjust an arm or a leg to make sure it has mobility.
• Lay the skeleton onto parchment paper on a baking sheet.
  

  Lay the skeleton like this on a baking sheet for baking

• Preheat your oven to 275 degrees.
• Bake your skeleton according to the directions on your polymer clay wrapper.  Typically you bake polymer clays for about 15 minutes for each ¼ inch of clay.
• When done baking, allow skeleton to cool.
• Use a small paintbrush to paint white bones and a skull onto your skeleton.  Allow paint to dry.
• Use a toothpick to apply black paint to the skeletons face—I dab one end of the toothpick in black paint and dot on the eyes, then dab it again to make the mouth.  Allow paint to dry.
• Clean the paintbrush and dry it.  Use the paintbrush to brush on a thin layer of Mod Podge only over the areas where you painted.  Allow the Mod Podge to dry.
  

  Finished skeletons

Your jointed skeleton doll is now ready for decorating!

Hiding in a Halloween-themed tree

The post Make A Jointed Skeleton Doll appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

Halloween Pumpkin Coach

I will tell you how I made this coach, but there is plenty of room to expand on this project–feel free to come up with your own personal touches whether it’s in the form of added details or characters.  I sorted the directions into 3 parts since you may not care about making trees or stairs (i.e. you may have your own spooky trees in your Halloween decorations, or even stairs from a child’s dollhouse, truck, or play set you can use in place of making them for the coach).

Pumpkin coach without stairs

Materials needed to create a pumpkin coach:

• One small round orange pumpkin (for the coach)
• 4 small “Baby Boo” white pumpkins (for the wheels)
• 1-2  dowels — I used a 3/16″ size (for the wheel axles).  You could probably even use pencils in place of dowels if you didn’t want to go searching for dowels at the craft store.
• 1 drill (to drill holes for the axles in the white pumpkins)
• One small piece of scrap wood or wooden ruler
• 1 mini hand saw.  This may be optional– you might need to cut the dowel and/or the piece or scrap wood or ruler. I  broke the dowel in half with my hands because I am too impatient to saw something.  The scrap wood I used was precut, therefore I didn’t use a saw at all for this project, but you may need to.
• Black and white acrylic paint
• Paintbrush
• 4 grey or black buttons
• Scotch tape

Gathering materials to make a pumpkin coach

Directions to make the Pumpkin Coach:

• Wash and dry all your pumpkins.
• Remove the stems from the white pumpkins–I used a butter knife to pop mine off.
• Drill holes through the white pumpkins (all the way through), making sure you use a drill bit based on your dowel size.
• Before you put the frame of your coach together, you will need to experiment and see how your pumpkins fit together.  Pumpkin sizes vary greatly, so take the time to play with your frame pieces a bit and see where things need to be cut.  I had a 12″ dowel and it worked well to just cut the dowel in the middle–my coach is about 6″wide.  The center frame piece (the scrap wood/ruler) is 7″ long.  The most important detail here is to make sure that once your wheels are attached and the frame is together, that your pumpkin has room to sit on the frame.
• Once you know how long your pieces need to be, cut your dowels and/or frame pieces accordingly.
• Insert one dowel into a white pumpkin.  Push it all the way through, but make sure it is not sticking out of the other side of wheel.  Also, make sure the top of the pumpkin is facing outward.
• Insert a white pumpkin onto the other end of the dowel.  Repeat this with the other dowel and 2 white pumpkins.  Again, make sure the tops of the pumpkins are facing outward.
• Glue your piece of scrap wood/ruler to the axles like so:
  

  The pumpkin coach frame

• Next, paint your pumpkin black and allow the paint to dry.  Mine needed 2 coats of black acrylic paint.
• Mix a little bit of black and white paint together and paint along the stripes of your white pumpkin wheels like in the picture above.
• When your black pumpkin has dried, mix some black and white paint together to paint windows and a door for your coach.  I also added polka dots around the top of the coach.
• Use pieces of rolled up scotch tape to attach the buttons to the wheel centers.
• When your pumkpin is completely dry you can pick it up and place it on your coach frame.

Materials needed to make steps going up to the coach:

• 3 wooden books or three wooden rectangles from a craft store (to make stairs).  The size needed will vary but you will want something about 1 1/2″ wide.  You could also try making stairs out of something recyclable on hand such as matchboxes.
• 1 mini pumpkin
• black paint
• glue

Directions to create the coach steps:

• Glue your 3 small wood books or rectangles together to look like stairs. Here is a close up picture of the stairs so you can see how they stack:
  

  Detail of pumpkin coach stairs and wheels

• Allow the glue to dry
• Once the stairs are dry, paint them black.
• Paint your mini pumpkin black as well.  My pumpkin needed 2 coats of black paint.
• Once dry, you can place the pumpkin below the coach door and then place the stairs on the pumpkin.

Materials needed to make gourd trees:

• 2 or more “spinning gourds”
• Black paint
• White paint
• Paintbrush

Directions to make gourd trees:

• Paint your pumpkins black and allow to dry.  Mine needed 2 coats of black paint.
• Mix white and black paint together to create grey.  Then paint tree shapes on the gourds.
• Allow to dry.

Now you can set up your pumpkin coach as a decoration or centerpiece.  In 2 weeks I’ll be showing you how to make these skeletons, so come back then–they are so fun to make and decorate with as well!

Pumpkin coach traveller

The post Halloween Crafts | Make a Pumpkin Coach appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

Decorative Collage Blocks

Materials to Decoupage Craft Blocks:

• Plain wood blocks–the size is up to you
• Fine sandpaper
• Paper ephemera– can include anything from images and words cut from magazines, pages from an old book, used postage stamps, recycled cards, wrapping paper, scrapbook papers or patterned papers
• Mod Podge
• Small paintbrush
• Scissors

Decorative Collage Blocks

Directions to Decoupage Craft Blocks:

• Lightly sand the wooden blocks to smooth any splintered or rough areas.
• Cut squares from an old text to fit onto the sides of your blocks.  (I used pages from a vintage medical book, but songs books and foreign language books also work well.  You can use patterned papers if you do not have book pages. )
• Use a paintbrush to apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to the paper squares and then apply the squares to the sides of your blocks.  It is up to you whether you attach paper squares to all 6 sides of the blocks.  I only attach them to 5 sides so that the blocks “sit” on the unadorned side.
• Apply  a thin layer of Mod Podge over the paper squares once they have been placed on the blocks.  Smooth out any bumps as you do this.  The Mod Podge helps to seal the image onto the wood.
• From this point forward attach images and words onto the sides of the blocks as desired.
• When you have attached all your images, use your paintbrush to apply a final coat of Mod Podge over your blocks to seal all the images onto the blocks.
• Allow blocks to dry.

Decorative Collage Blocks

Decorative collage blocks can be created in  holiday themes, to fit a child’s bedroom theme or decor, as well as for gifts.  The blocks I used cost 1$ each which made this project an inexpensive one.  All the paper used in this project came from recycled magazines and one vintage text.

Decorative Collage Blocks

The post Crafts | How to Decoupage a Collage onto Blocks appeared first on Yankee Magazine.

For this project I used black and white photos of my son and chose the word “LOVE” to create a continual wall display seen in this photo:

Completed project hung on the wall

Black and white photos transferred to canvas

Materials needed:

• Canvas boards– these can bought individually or in packs, as well as in varying sizes.  The size is up to you.  I used 8 1/2″ x 11″.
• Gel Medium
• Paintbrush
• Photos that have been converted to black and white (photo programs have editting options for changing photos to black and white) and then printed onto plain white paper using a laser printer.  Do not use photo paper.
• Vinyl or paper letters in large font
• Thick black ribbon (optional)
• Picture hangers
  

  Materials needed to transfer black and white photos and letters to canvas. The "E" is backwards because this is how letters get transferred in this project.

Instructions to transfer photos and words to canvas:

1. Print out black and white photos of your choice using a laser printer.
2. If you have vinyl letters you can skip this step and move on to Step 3.  If you do not have vinyl letters, you will need to print out the letters LOVE in large font.  You can also download letters in large font from the internet.
3. Whether you are using vinyl or paper letters you will need to trace the letters BACKWARDS onto white paper and cut out the letters.
4. Start arranging your photos and letters on the canvas boards.  I chose two photos per canvas board but you can use as many as you like.  You will need to experiment and see where your letters fit best so that you don’t block too much of the pictures.  PLACE YOUR LETTERS BACKWARDS ONTO PHOTOS like in photo below.
   

   Experimenting with placement of letters on photos

5. Once you find the best placement for your photos/letters for each canvas board, it can help to use tiny pieces of rolled tape to hold the letters in place.  The less tape the better–and make sure the tape stays underneath the letters.
6. Letters should now be on top of the photos and the letters should be backwards.
7. Next, use a paintbrush to apply a thick layer of gel medium to one canvas board.
8. Lay the canvas board over the photos/letter and center it as needed.  When you have it lined up where you want it, push it the canvas down on the photos/ letter.  The paper should adhere to the canvas board.
9. Flatten the paper down and push out any bubbles or uneven places.
10. Repeat 6 and 7 for the remainder of letters/photos.
11. Allow canvas boards to dry overnight.
12. Pick one of the canvas boards to start the next phase of this project.  Dab a wet cloth over the paper on the canvas and let sit for a minute.
13. Start rubbing the paper off of the canvas board.  You will need to re-wet the board as often as needed to get all the paper removed.   Some parts of your boards are white where the letters are—do not panic if you are rubbing off the paper and hit a stretch of white–it is most likely a letter.  Also, if you are doing this kind of project for the first time, this step feels very tenuous— not only does this project become messy and tedious at this point, but the photo may look blurry and you will notice many imperfections.  Imperfections are part of this project.
14. When all paper has been removed, use a clean damp cloth to wipe off any leftover pieces of paper or gel medium.   Set aside to dry.
15. Repeat steps 12 through 14 with remaining letters and photos.
16. When canvas boards are completely dry, apply an even coat of gel medium over the entire canvas board to seal in the photos.  Allow the gel medium to dry completely.
17. I glued strips of ribbon along the edges of my boards to add contrast. Then I allowed the glue to dry.
18. Canvas boards can be hung with string or wire, or picture hangers.
19. Hang your canvas photos!

The total cost of the project was about 20$ (we have a photocopier and I printed photos from home, so printing was not added into the cost).  The gel medium was 14$, the canvas boards were 5$ and the ribbon was 1$.

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Materials to Design Custom Dinnerware:

• Plain white dishes, bowls, mugs and/or teacups.
• Porcelain paint markers (also known as ceramic markers)
• An oven

Plain white dish ware and a porcelain pen

Porcelain paint markers are ink pens especially designed for porcelain and dinnerware. You can buy the pens in arts and crafts stores. Pens can be purchased individually or in packs.

Directions to Design Custom Dinnerware:

1. Wash and dry the dishes being used in this project—you want to make sure any dust, dirt and oil are removed from the surface.
2. Review instructions for using the pen—i.e. pens may require that you push the tip down a few times to prime it and get the ink flowing.
3. Draw your designs onto the dishes.
4. Continue with instructions that came with the pens. Most likely you will need to let your dishes and cups sit for 24 hours and then bake them for a half hour to make the ink permanent. Be sure to read the instructions on the insert thoroughly as different ink pens vary slightly in their instructions.
5. If you make a mistake you can remove the ink. I find this is easier to correct when the ink has dried—the ink can be scraped off with your fingernail. Spot clean the area, dry it, then start over if need be.

Plate and tea cups decorated using porcelain pens

Favorite quotes written on a plate and tea cup with porcelain pen

Polka dot tea cup using porcelain pens

As you can probably imagine, you can be as simple or elaborate in designing your own dinnerware. Here are some ways to use this project, many of which are great gift ideas:

• Write a favorite quote on a plate or mug.
• A simple design can go a long way— use one color and create a line of polka dots or swirls going around the base and lip of a mug or plate.
• Have a child decorate a dish or mug for a whimsical keepsake or gift.
• Know someone who loves to bake? Write a cookie recipe on a plate, then give the plate full of cookies to that person.
• Create themed bowls and plates for parties and celebrations.

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Miniature Polka Dot Vases

This summer I took the bottles and jars and added polka dots to them using liquid leading. Some were plain polka dots (using only liquid leading) and some were colorful polka dots (using liquid leading and glass paints).

Plain polka dot vases

Colorful polka dot vases

Materials you need to make your own Miniature Polka Dot Vases:

• Small clear bottles
• Liquid Leading

Liquid leading is not made of lead–it is a liquid that simulates the look of leading and it’s an easy medium to use in glass art.  You can buy it at Michael’s or from online craft venues.

Glass paint and liquid leading

Directions to make Miniature Polka Dot Vases:

• Wash your bottles and allow them to dry throughly
• Dab little polka dots of liquid leading onto your vases
• Allow liquid leading to dry
• Fill vases with tiny bouquets

Since liquid leading is water based, the polka dots are NOT permanent.  You can get your vases a little bit wet if you gently dab off the water.  The dots will last anywhere from a few uses to several uses depending on how often they get wet and dried.  At any time, once dried, you can peel the polka dots off.  I like the temporary nature of the polka dots (it means I can re-use the bottles again if I like), but if you are giving these as gifts make sure you let the recipient know.  

Miniature polka dot vase made from recycled cork bottle

Directions for creating Colorful Miniature Polka Dot Vases:

• Add glass paints to your list of needed materials (you can use one color, like the one I did in only pink, or you can choose multiple colors)
• Use your liquid leading to draw circles on the glass
• Allow liquid leading to dry
• Then dab your glass paint into the circles, making sure the full circle has a thin layer of color
• Repeat as needed to fill each circle with a color
• Allow to dry

Miniature polka dot vases using liquid leading and glass paint

When I was done creating my vases I headed over to Frinklepod Farm in Southern Maine to find a gorgeous mix of colors and textures for my bouquets.

Colorful polka dot vases

Most of the flowers you see in these pics are from Frinklepod Farm, where you can also find delicious in-season vegetables and fresh eggs.  You can read more about the farm and the hours they are open to the public here:

http://www.frinklepodfarm.com/

 

 

 

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Punched Tin Pie Plate

Detail of Punched Tin Pie Plate

If you have any older pie plates at home (made from any type of metal—it does not need to be “tin”), a hammer and a nail, then you can make this craft for free.  It doesn’t get more affordable than that.  If you do not have an older metal pie plate you can find them at yard sales or antique shops, or ask your friends if they have any they would like to unload.

Punched Tin Pie Plate

Detail of Punched Tin Pie Plate

You can also get creative and try using metal platters, serving trays, or cookie sheets.

Materials to make your own Punched Tin Pie Plate

• Metal pie plate
• Hammer
• Nail
• Paper
• Pencil
• Masking Tape
• Recycled cardboard

Directions to make your own Punched Tin Pie Plate

• Cut out a piece of paper that will fit the inside of the pie plate.
• Draw a design onto the paper (it helps to practice this first).
• With detailed designs it will help to pencil in each spot where you want a “punch”.  Make sure to use the same distance between holes to create uniformity and clean lines.
• Tape the designed paper to the inside of the pie plate.
• Place thick recycled cardboard underneath your project before hammering.
• Use your hammer and nail to punch holes along the design.
• Remove the paper when you have finished punching all the holes.

This is a craft that has typically been used in very traditional ways with very traditional patterns.  However, like cross stitching, embroidery and other recent trends in crafting, you have the creative freedom to stretch this craft a bit further to meet your needs (and sense of humor).  Snarky commentaries, emoticons and texting codes used in other craft trends are all free game here, as are outlines of mustaches, zombies, and whatever else amuses you.

Punched Tin Text Codes. Also, I ran out of pie plates, so I punched a lid instead.

Here are some texting codes to consider:

• OMG
• LOL
• Gr8
• QT
• XOXO

Or emoticons:

• d[~ ~]b  Listening to headphones
• : ) Smiley face
• ; ) Winking face
• ^     ^
• >’ . ‘<   kitty face

Maybe I'll hang it among the traditional punched tin plates and see if anyone notices.

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We tend to be early risers at Hermit Island. When the sun comes up we trek out to our favorite beach for a picnic breakfast. We make every effort to wake up while we watch the fishing and lobster boats weave their way past the island. Afterwards, if it’s low tide, we head out to Sand Dollar Beach to look for hermit crabs and sand dollars. After lunch we continue our search for crabs in the tidal pools and spend long lazy hours with our toes buried in the sand, watching the waves. At night time it’s a bit magical to look around the perimeter of the island and see small glowing fires and candle-lit lanterns speckled across the landscape.

I wanted to collect shells and rocks for my ocean diorama, but I wasn’t sure about Hermit Island’s rules (if any) on whether people could remove natural items. Therefore, I didn’t keep any items we found. Any rocks, shells and other treasures we found were photographed, then left where we found them. This made making my ocean diorama a bit more challenging, but not impossible. I had a few beach rocks and shells from home that I used, and then supplemented with stickers and paper.

Make an ocean diorama to remember summer.

Materials to Make an Ocean Diorama

• Paper mache or thick cardboard box
• Decorative paper
• Paint
• Miniature canvas frames (I purchased mine at AC Moore)
• Themed stickers or ephemera
• Collected items from your vacation
• Glue

Directions to Make an Ocean Diorama

• Paint your box a base color of your choice. I chose white.
• Cut and glue decorative paper around the edges or border of your box
• I flip my canvas frames around to use them like miniature shadowboxes. I do not use the flat side-I use the framed side. Paint the canvas frame and canvas as you would like.
• Find a memento from your trip to put in the frame/s. You can also use the frames to add titles to your diorama.
• Glue the miniature canvas frames into your box.
• Add stickers, collected items from your vacation and any other mementos you would like. Arrange them first and then glue into place.

When the long New England winter comes around, it will be refreshing to look at this diorama and remember our summer adventures at Hermit Island.

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Let’s start with a basic makeover to create decorative matchboxes using a few simple supplies, and then I’ll provide some ideas and techniques to take these treasures a step further.

Materials to Make Decorative Matchboxes

You can use any style of boxed matches for this project. If you don’t have any on hand and need an instant collection, a quick trip to the local dollar store or hardware store will yield plenty to experiment with for little cost. You can set aside the matches in a safe container like a coffee can for later use (we save ours for camping trips).

• Matchboxes
• Mod Podge
• Decorative Papers
• Scissors
• Acrylic Paints
• Other materials noted in each section

Directions to Make Decorative Matchboxes

It’s easy to wrap the outside of matchboxes in decorative papers. Simply measure and cut your papers to fit the box, then use Mod Podge to glue papers on. I don’t have a special technique for paper measuring/cutting — I simply cut a long strip of decorative paper the same width as the box, and then I wrap and trim. It does help to flatten the creases of your paper prior to gluing, however.

The inside trays for matchboxes can be painted with acrylic paints. Make sure to paint all sides and bottom of tray. If you don’t have paint, you can always cut a piece of paper to glue to the bottom and/or sides of your tray. Once dry, your matchboxes are ready to take to the next level! Read below and see if you can find a project to create with your matchbox.

Create Artwork from Decorative Matchboxes

Decorative matchboxes can be transferred into miniature masterpieces or combined with other matchboxes to create pieces of art. Buttons, beads, ribbon, ephemera, and decorative papers can be added to add detail and texture to your work.

Buttons, beads, and paper were used to create this tiny diorama.

Three small matchboxes turned into a circus caravan. A rectangle was trimmed from the center of each matchbox to create a 3D effect

Large and small matchboxes combined to create a miniature theater. A rectangle was cut from the center of the large matchbox to create a stage. Decorative ribbon and paper was used to add detail.

Gifts For Yourself and Loved Ones Using Decorative Matchboxes

• Pocket and Purse Mementos: Some people enjoy carrying a miniature memento to honor a loved one who has passed on; or as inspiration and encouragement. These mementos are typically decorative and detailed. Beaded ribbon, lettered beads, small gemstones or charms can be added to create a miniature shrine small enough to fit in your pocket or purse.
• Get Well Gift: Find tiny keepsakes to add to your matchbox and send to a sick and/or hospitalized loved one. There are many types of “pocket guardian angels”, good luck tokens and coins, and religious charms that are small and easily added to a Get Well matchbox . If you have small children, you may even have tiny knick knacks discarded from playsets — miniature orange juice containers, teddy bears, and cups of tea have all been useful for adding to these Get Well packages.
• Mini-kits: Eyeglass repair kits, sewing kits, manicure quick fixes, pill boxes, first aid kits, tooth fairyboxes — these can all be created using small matchboxes. These make wonderful gifts for friends and loved ones.

As you can see, the possibilities for making decorative matchboxes are just about endless! Happy decorating!

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