DIY Shabby Chic Vase - Upcycled

I've discovered another super easy and inexpensive project using items I would have otherwise tossed in the recycling bin. I love these little vases and this is something you can do with any type of container that will hold water.

You will need:

empty glass container (label peeled off)
matte or satin spray paint in white
optional: ribbon, jewels, (anything else you'd like to decorate the vase with)





For this project I used an empty greek pepper jar and a couple empty pickle jars that have been washed out and de-labled. I ran the labels under some very hot water for a few minutes to loosen the glue and they peeled off pretty easily.  I then spray painted the jars doing a few light coats, letting them dry between coats. You want to back away a little when you're spraying. If you're too close, the paint will go on too thick and will drip down the sides.

Once you have a nice, even paint job on your vases.. and they've dried, you can dress your vases up with anything you choose. I used some ribbon tied in a bow in the back. This way, with the changing seasons, I can simply change out my ribbon.

Couple of notes:
*you can also cut ribbon to fit, use some spray adhesive and wrap it around the jar
*Next I'm going to use some glass beer and soda bottles. I've seen this done in another blog post and they are so adorable. For now, I'm just using what I had on hand.
*these vases are really cute on a table or shelf, grouped together in you're using small jars. Odd numbers look best (3 or 5 vases)

UPcycled Tin Can Vase

If you're like me, you have tons of empty tin cans around the house that have been de-labeled and washed out. I can't ever bring myself to throw them away because I know there are tons of super cute tin can craft projects out there.... like the one I tried tonight. Which by the way takes 10-15 minutes to make and it's so easy!

You'll need:
 a tin can, label peeled off and inside completely cleaned out. (mine came from a can of black beans)
ruler
scrap paper
spray adhesive
ribbon
(you can use buttons, rhinestones, etc..)

With your ruler, measure the height of the can. Then mark off your scrapbook paper and cut out your rectangle. I just eyeballed the diameter. You can always trim a little down, if once you wrap the paper around the can and find it's a little too long.

Once you have your paper cut out, spray a thin layer of the adhesive on the back, then carefully wrap the paper around the tin can, pressing it down gently. There isn't much room for error, because this spray adhesive gets super sticky.

At this point, you can really use anything your heart desires to finish decorating your vase. For this one, I chose ribbon. Just measure out ribbon, spray the back with the adhesive and carefully wrap around the can pressing down gently. 

To jazz it up a bit, I cut out a butterfly image from the left over piece of scrapbook paper, sprayed the back with adhesive and affixed it to the front of my face. Added a few fresh cut flowers from the garden and here is the finished product!

If you're going handmade this Christmas for your friends and family..  it doesn't get much cuter and inexpensive than this! Have fun!!

DIY Simple Wall Art

I wanted to share with you a quick and easy Wall Art project I just finished. I saw something on Pinterest.com that sparked my interest. It was from blog called Virginia and Charlie. You can go ahead and check out her super cute project here http://virginiaandcharlie.blogspot.com/2011/07/small-projects.html

Based on some comments on Pinterest, I decided to try a different version. You'll need just four things for this version:

Canvas (you pick the size)
Pencil
Elmers Glue (regular old Elmers glue in the squeeze bottle)
Acrylic Paint - color of your choice


Let's skip to the part where I show you my finished product :)















I liked the pattern used in the blog above, so I decided to stick with something similar. I used pencil on a blank white canvas and drew out my design. Then I used Elmers glue and traced my drawing. NOTE: a steady hand and evenly dispersed glue makes for a more seamless finished product. However, I really wasn't going for perfection here, just wanted a nice thick texture. I discovered that it's best to do two coats of glue. Once the first glue design dries, I would go back over it one more time. Once the glue dries, paint the entire piece. This may also take a few coats depending on your color choice. (side note: When I first made this, I used one coat of glue, let it dry, then painted. That's when I realized the texture wasn't thick enough for my liking, so I did the 2nd coat of glue, repainted and found I was much more satisfied with the results)

So here it is, up on the bathroom wall. Picture isn't great, but you get the idea :)

If you try this, I'd love to hear what you did and any variations you tried! Have fun!!

FUN with WINE - Halloween edition

I love red wine. Typically on Thursdays, I have a girlfriend over and we watch (OK.. don't judge me) Vampire Diaries. It's a MUST to drink red wine on Thursday nights... but let's be honest... any night of the week is fine by me. 

I was at Michaels and found these really cute Halloween wine labels. Basically they are stickers and you simply stick them over the label on your wine bottle and VOILA! You have "Blood Brew". Or "Love Potion" 

I had three bottles handy, so I chose:

Blood Brew - Contents may have congealed during shipping

Truth Serum - Warning: May cause loose lips and free spirits (my fav!)

Wishing Tonic - Limit to 3 doses per day

Thought these would be really fun for a (adult) Halloween party! You could also make your own with large printer labels too! I checked out Michaels.com and found these Martha Stewart labels that look really cool (almost wish I had seen these first) ------>  You can also get them at Scrapbook.com

Welcome to OCTOBER!

I'm so thrilled for October for a number of reasons. First of all, this is the first cool weather weekend we've had in Jacksonville and it's perfect for cookouts, days at the park, festivals and football! I'm also excited because it will be a month full of "firsts" for me! Last night was my first time tailgating at UF (for 6 hours!) before the Gator game and it was NUTS. I think there were more people down there than a day at Disney. We had a BLAST! well...except for the part about us getting our rear ends handed to us. That kinda sucked.

Next up on the list of "firsts" We are going to see DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE!! I've been listening to this band for a while now and I've never had a chance to catch them live! I'm so excited! I may I also mention that the lead singer, Ben Gibbard, is married to Zooey Deschanel.. who is equally talented, fantastic and beautiful. Anyway, their music and lyrics are truly phenomenal. I don't want to say they're geniuses, but.... 

One of my BFF's little girl is having her first birthday on the 15th! Very excited about that since this is her first child. It's fun to watch my friends enjoy parenthood for the first time. 

Finally we are closing the month out with ZAC BROWN BAND!! Now, I'm not a massive country music fan, but I do like some of it. My husband turned me on to this band last year and I'm hooked. Looking forward to checking them out in concert for the first time!

Also wanted to mentioned it's Breast Cancer Awareness month. This effects SO many women every day, every year. So ladies, please keep an eye on those Ta-tas regularly! Early detection can save your life!