Last year during Easter, one of my favorite things to do was paint Dollar Tree picks with chalk paint.  I prefer the Waverly brand chalk paint that is sold at Walmart.  The paint is thick and covers most things with one coat.  I love painting the picks with it because it makes them look like they are made from cement.  The glitter on the picks gives the eggs texture which helps make it more like cement.  Please read on to see how I made these!

Supplies

I do not advise you go out during COVID-19.  Please shop your stash at home and stay safe and healthy.

I had a ton of large and small egg picks from Dollar Tree on hand.  I also used White, Merlot, Steel, and Pool Waverly Chalk Paint.  Use any colors of paint you have on hand.  Once you pull the picks off you will need some wood filler.  Finally, paint brushes.  I have several on hand but I like the ones that are a big thicker because it puts the paint on thicker.

Lets Get Started

I left the eggs on the picks to start.  The white chalk paint makes a great primer.  I gave each of the eggs a good thick coat of white chalk paint.

Once the white paint dried.  I started painting the eggs different colors.  Now I used small flower pots and a cup to prop up the eggs.  It is a great way to let them dry.  I added 2 coats of paint to them and let the eggs dry in between each coat.

We are almost done!  After the eggs are dry, pull the picks out of them.  Now if you do not mind the paint coming off and there being a small hole on the bottom of the eggs then you are done.  But if you are like me, that hole would drive me crazy.  So I too some wood filler and covered the holes up.  After the wood filler dried I painted over it with the what ever color the egg ways.

Once the eggs dry you are good to go.  I have them in my very bare tiered tray.  They have a great farmhouse look to them but with a splash of color to them to make them look more like Easter eggs.

Thank you for joining me again.  I am on Facebook and Instagram.  Please like and comment on this post.  Also if you have any questions please ask away.  Let me know if there is anything you would like to see on the blog.  I am always open to suggestions.

Stay Safe and Healthy

Melissa McGuire

Supplies

Large and Small Egg Picks- Dollar Tree

Waverly Chalk Paint in White, Steel, Merlot, and Pool- Walmart

Wood Filler- Dollar Tree

Paint Brushes- Any Craft Store, Walmart

I was watching a tutorial on YouTube a few weeks ago by Courtney from the channel Creative on the Cheap.  She used foam bunnies and painted them to look like chocolate bunnies.  I have never seen this done before so I thought I would give it a try.  The bunnies look good enough to eat!

Supplies

 

I do not advise that you go out and buy any of these products during COVID-19.  Please stay safe and healthy.  I had all of this stuff on hand.  I used the bunny and large egg picks from the Dollar Tree.  Along with 2 plaques from the Dollar Tree and one from Target.

You will also need a craft knife, hot glue and hot glue gun, paint brushes, sand paper, Mod Podge and scrapbook paper.  To make the bunnies look brown, I used brown Truffle Chalk Paint and  for the plaques you will need White Chalk Paint by Waverly.  As for the words on my plaques, I used rubber stamps and a Versafine Onyx Black ink pad.  Please feel free to use stickers or write your on words on them.

Lets Get Started

I started by deciding how many bunnies and eggs I needed.  Keep in mind you are cutting them in half so you will get 2 bunnies or eggs out of 1.  I pulled the picks out of two bunnies and one egg.  The bunnies have eyes and a fluffy tail so I pulled those off too.

Now it is time to cut the bunnies and egg in half.  There is a seam where there are two parts to each figure from where it was glued together.  Cut on that seam very carefully.  You can always sand down the backs of the figure later if they do not cut even.

Here is where you get to make these bunnies and eggs look like chocolate.  I used a paint brush and the Waverly Truffle Chalk paint to paint them all.  It took 3 thick coats to cover all that glitter.  By the way, I hate glitter so any reason for me to cover it up is a good reason!

It is time to get our plaques ready to go.  First you have to remove the embellishments  that are on the plaques.  I use a scraper to do that.  If the paper on the plaques tears then use a bit of sand paper to smooth it out.  These signs had some pretty bright and bold prints on them so I painted them with Waverly White Chalk paint.  Just one coat will do the trick and hide that color.

Once the paint was dry, I picked out a few pieces of scrapbook paper from the mounds and mounds of paper that I have.  My husband calls it my special paper.  He thinks he is funny.

I painted a thin layer of Mod Podge over the plaques and set the paper on top of them.  You do not need to cut the paper to the size of you plaques.  We will worry about that later.  Make sure to push all the bubbles out if you get any under the paper.  LET THIS DRY!  Once it is dry, take sand paper along the edges of the plaques in a downward motion and it will sand the paper off.  This will leave you with a very clean edge.  You can put a layer of Mod Podge over the top of the paper but I did not.

I put hot glue on the back of the bunnies and egg and placed them on the plaques were I wanted them.  For the words I used a old rubber stamp set that I have had for a while.  I stamped the sayings on white paper with Versafine Onyx Black Ink.  Then I cute the paper down into strips and glued them to the plaques.  On the small bunny on the top right, I stamped everything on the plaque itself.  In place of the stamps you can print sayings from the computer, or use stickers.  Either will work.

And that’s it!  You have bunnies and eggs that look good enough to eat.  I was amazed at how real these chocolate like figures turned out.  The texture from the glitter gives the figures some depth.  It adds to the realness of them.  This was one of my favorite Easter crafts to do.

Thank you for joining me.  If you are looking for more fun Easter DIYs please look back at my last few blog posts.  You can also find me on Facebook and Instagram under Yellow Butterfly Craft Designs.  As always please stay safe and healthy.

Melissa McGuire

Supplies

Bunny and Egg Picks- Dollar Tree

Plaques- Dollar Tree and Target

Pinblade Craft Knife- Amazon

Waverly White Chalk Paint- Walmart

Waverly Truffle Chalk Paint- Walmart

Paint Brushes- Craft Stores, Walmart

Surebonder Hot Glue and Glue Gun- Hobby Lobby, Amazon

Scraper- Dollar Tree

Sandpaper or Sanding Block- Dollar Tree

Mod Podge- Dollar Tree, Craft Stores, Walmart

Stamps- Not sure.  There is no company name on them

Versafine Onyx Black Ink- Michael’s Craft Store, Hobby Lobby

I love to do crafts with the plastic Easter eggs every year.  This year I did not have any ideas so  I went to Pintrest to look for inspiration and like usual it did not disappoint.  There were eggs covered in so many different things like lace and fabric, but the ones I liked the most were the eggs covered in twine.  I do not have a shortage of twine that’s for sure which meant I had the supplies on hand.  I must say though I do not advise you go out shopping.  Please stay at home and be safe and healthy and shop your crafty stash.

Supplies

For this project you will need plastic Easter eggs, Mod Podge, and of course twine.  I will be using a crate and moss because I wanted something to put my eggs in once they were done but you do not need to do this step.  If you use a crate of some sort then you might need paint if you want to paint it.  It would be handy to have a paint brush or a paint sponge if you have them.  I also used a craft knife and scotch tape but those are optional too.

Lets Get To It

Now this is not a fast project.  It does take some time and some patience.  I started by threading the twine up though one of the holes on the inside of the plastic eggs and putting some scotch tape on the inside of the egg to hold it in place.  I did change things up  some after my first egg though.  I did not like that the hole was not in the cent of the top of the egg so I used a craft knife to make a hole in the top and bottom of the egg to string the twine though.

Once the twine is secure take your brush and load it up with Mod Podge.  Paint it onto the top of the egg so that it is covered.  Then start twisting the twine on the top of the egg in a circular motion to make a spiral.  I used a skewer and a small silicone spatula to help press the twine onto the egg because my finger kept sticking to the twine and pulling it back off the egg.  Continue the process of adding some Mod Podge all around the egg and then wrapping the twine around it.

Do the egg in two parts.  First wrap the top part of the egg in twine and then cut the twine leaving about 3 inches to tuck inside the egg.  Then start the bottom part of the egg by doing the same steps as you did to start the top.   Once you have secured the twint inside the egg, place the left over piece from the top of the egg inside and close it up.  When I got to the middle of the egg with the second piece of twine, I made sure the egg was covered well with the twine and then cut the twine and pushed it down well against the egg trying to get it in between the twine that I have wrapped around.  Then I covered the ending with Mod Podge.  I also covered the whole twined egg with Mod Podge to make sure it was all secure and let it dry on parchment paper.

You can use any kind or color of twine for this project.  If you have neutral decor, you could use just the regular brown twine.  This project is very customizable to the decor and colors in your home.

Now lets work on the crate.   I only want to stain the crate.  I did not want an opaque look to the paint.  So I took Antique Wax paint and added a lot of water to it and mixed it together.  You can turn almost any kind of paint into a stain by adding a lot of water to it.  The more water you add, the less color you will get when you paint your project.

The final step is to add moss to the bottom of you crate and add the eggs to it.  This has been a great little addition to my Easter decor.  I love the eggs and they were fun to make.  I hope you love this project too.  It is a perfect one to do while watching TV.

Thank you for joining me and please stay safe and healthy.

Melissa McGuire

Supplies

Plastic Easter Eggs- Dollar Tree, Walmart, Target

Twine- Any craft store or place like Walmart

Mod Podge- Dollar Tree, Walmart, craft stores

Foam Brush- Dollar Tree, Craft Stores

Wooden Crate- Michael’s Craft Store

Antique Wax Waverly Paint- Walmart

Paint Brush- Walmart, Craft Stores

Moss- Dollar Tree

Craft Knife- Craft Stores

 

New Series

Tools are an important part of crafting.  The bad thing is there are so many out there that I thought I would break it down for you all.  I call the series Tool Tuesday.  I will do a post every Tuesday explaining a different tool each week and why I use it.  Keep in mind these are the things that are staples in my craft room and they might not work for you.  Also do not feel like you need it all.  Crafting is my passion and job so I have an abundance.  With that said I thought a series would be a great way to show you all the things I use in my craft room.

Trinket trays and other Dishes

Trinket trays are a main staple in my craft room.  I use them every single time I craft.  They hold my paint, die cut pieces, and anything else I need them too.  I have them in several different sizes.  As you can see from the picture I use these trays for several different projects.

When I am making cards or scrapbooking I used them to hold die cuts, small pieces of paper and other small embellishments.  They keep me from losing things on my desk.  It keeps them all together so I do not throw important things away.

The major thing I use them for is paint.  I can put several small dabs of paint on one tray.  This keeps them in one spot and from me spilling the paint and getting it everywhere.  They are also great for mixing paint in them.

Now lets look at the small cups and jars.  I use the small cups for water to wash brushes in or just as water for water color painting.  I love the small jars or any container with a lid to mix paint to make new colors in them.  This means I can save and store the new paint color instead of having to throw it away.  I also use very small red solo cups to put paint and water into too.

I hope this gives you some ideas on how you can use trinket trays and other small containers.  The trays I get at the Dollar Tree, along with some of the small containers.  Other small containers I have re-purposed from things I have ran out of or eaten.  Any small jars or cups will work.

Thank you for joining me my first series post.  I hope it helped and that these trays and dishes are something that will help you out in your craft room.

Stay Healthy and Safe

Melissa McGuire

There will be several Easter crafts on the blog this week.  I must start off by saying that I do not advise going out of the house right now to get craft supplies.  With Covid-19 please stay safe. We are going to start off with the biggest and easiest craft first.  I am also giving you a bonus craft in this post.  It is just as easy as the first one.

Supplies

 

For this super easy project you will need is an egg.  I found this egg at Target.  You can cut one out of foam board from the Dollar Tree.  You will also need some white paint or what ever color you want to paint your egg. Finally, a paint brush or two.

Lets Get to the Project

Would you like to know how easy this project is?  All I did was paint it.  Now I did change gears on the paint after I did not really like the all white egg.  I added in some liquid teal water color to the white paint and lightly mixed it.  As I painted the egg it blended and left streaks.

And here it is!  I love the color and it will make a great back drop for the next few crafts that are coming up this week.

BONUS CRAFT

Since each of these crafts are so simple I decided to put them both in the same blog post.

Supplies

For this craft you will need a small wooden plaque and some stickers.  These stickers are from Dollar Tree.  You will also need some paint.  I used Antique Wax by Waverly.  Finally you will need some water if you decide to just wash the paint on instead of getting an opaque look.

Lets Get Started

I stated off by mixing the paint with a lot of water.  I wanted the paint to look like a stain, not a thick paint.  Then I took my paint brush and did a light wash of color over the plaque on all sides.  After it dried completely, I added one of the stickers to the inside of the plaque.  That’s it!! Another project done.

How cute is this?!  I love it and it was so easy.  Crafting does not have to be hard or time consuming.  Things can be easy and fast and still look great!

I hope you enjoyed this simple projects and will shop you craft stash and see what you can come up with that is easy to do.  Thank you for joining me again and please stay safe and healthy

Melissa McGuire

Supplies

Project 1

Egg- Target

Waverly White Chalk Paint- Walmart

Paint Brushes- Any craft store, Walmart, and Target

Teal Liquid Water Color- Hero Arts

Project 2

Wooden Plaque- Michael’s Craft Store

Easter Stickers- Dollar Tree

Antique Wax Waverly Paint- Walmart

Paint Brushes- Any craft store, Walmart, and Target

Water

 

Hello and I hope you all are safe and healthy.  Easter is fast approaching but there is still lots of time to get crafty.  Now I do not advise going out and getting craft supplies.  What I do advise is that you shop your craft supply stash.  I have a ton of supplies just laying around waiting to be used.  I also did a Easter shopping trip before for craft supplies before all this craziness  with COVID-19 started.

Can you plant an egg?  No not at all but you sure can make it look like it.  Chickens too!!   As I was looking at all the craft supplies I have, I came across some little flower posts and also some figures that I was going to paint for my tiered trays.  After playing around with them for a bit, I figured out that they would look cute stacked together. So I got to crafting.

Supplies

For this project you will need 3 small flower pots and three figures.  Also assorted colors of paints, paint brushes, and hot glue gun and hot glue.  Later I figured out I needed something to put inside of the pots to set my figures on so I used the tumbling tower blocks from Dollar tree.  I then used some moss to cover the blocks up.

Lets Get Started

I stated by doing what they call “dry brushing” on the pots.  You do this by getting a very small amount of paint on the brush, I even dab some of the paint off on a scrap piece of paper to make sure there is very little paint on it.  Then lightly brush the flower pot with the brush.  I used chalk paint for this.  You are looking for very light coverage.  This makes the pots look worn and aged.  You can do this with any color paint you want to or have on hand.  Also add as much or as little paint to the pots to get the look you like.

Lets move onto the figures.  I had two little chickens and an egg on hand.  First I pulled out the top piece that had the hanger on it.  It comes off really easy.  Then I used several different kinds of paints from a few different companies.  Some were metallic and other acrylic.  I just shopped my paint stash so that I had a wide range of colors.  To paint these figures, I used very small brushes.  The small brushes force me to slow down and take my time so I do not get paint everywhere.

Once the pots were dry I needed something to put in them for the figures to sit on.  I almost always have tumbling tower blocks on hand all the time from Dollar Tree.  I took 5 blocks and hot glued them to the bottom of each pot.

I put the figures on top of the blocks but they were still not sitting up high enough.  So I took some moss that I had (I have lots of it) and pushed it in between the blocks and the sides of the pot.

From there I put A LOT of hot glue on top of the blocks and added moss to the top.  I did this a few times to get the height I wanted. Once the figures were completely dried I added hot glue to the bottom of the figures and stuck it on top of the moss.  After the glue had set, I turned the whole thing upside down to shake off the extra moss and trimmed around the pot so that there was not any moss hanging over the edges of the pots.

Not bad for shopping my stash of craft supplies.  These are small enough for tiered trays or to set up around other decor.  I have them up on a bread box in my kitchen.  They are very cute!

Just because you might not have these same supplies does not mean you can not be crafty.  Look at what you have in your craft stash, or even look for things in your home that you can re-purpose.  Crafting is relaxing and can cheer you up.  You accomplish something plus create something new in your home to make you smile.

Thank you for joining me!  Please stay safe and healthy!

See you all soon!

Melissa McGuire

Supplies

Figures- Dollar Tree

Flower Pot- Dollar Tree

Several Colors and Kinds of Paint- Use what you have or places like Walmart carry paint.  Michael’s Craft Store is doing curbside pick on online orders.

Waverly White Chalk Paint- Walmart

Surebonder Hot Glue Gun and Hot Glue- Hobby Lobby, Amazon

Paint Brushes- Dollar Tree, Craft Stores, Walmart

Moss- Dollar Tree

Tumble Blocks- Dollar Tree

I must start off by apologizing for not posting more often.  We have had a shift in our household with my boys being out of school.  Homeschooling is not something I ever wanted to do, but here I am trying to do the best I can at it.  I have been trying to get us in a routine, which has proven to be a bit difficult.  We are headed in the right direction though and that means I am getting back at it with the craft projects. So let’s get crafty!

I love the unicorns with the flower crowns on their heads but with all boys in my house, a unicorn is just not something they would tolerate seeing in our house as regular decor.  My husband would ask if I was an 8 year old girl, instead of a 40 year old woman.  I can pull off something with a flower crown on it during Easter though.  I saw a picture of a bunny with a crown on it and thought “well I can make that!” So I would love to show you have I made this very cute Easter Bunny!

Supplies

I found the bunny at Target in the Bullseye Playground. There were a few more figures there too but I can not remember what they were.  You can use any kind of figure you want.  If you can not find what you are looking for, you can cut your figure out of foam board from the Dollar Tree.

You will also need some fake flowers.  These can be bought at several stores and you should get your favorite kind of flowers if possible.  I buy flowers at the Dollar Tree a lot but I am not real impressed with their lavender this year so I got these flowers at Walmart.  I used around 2 bunches of flowers for this project.

Finally, some of the basics you will need are paint brushes, a hot glue gun and hot glue sticks, a pencil, wire cutters, and paint.  I used white chalk paint, a black paint pen, and red chalk paint.

Lets Get Started

The first thing I did was paint my bunny white with the white chalk paint.  Make sure you paint the sides too because they will showing.  The bunny took 2 coats of  paint and then I let it dry completely before moving onto the next step.

I then took a pencil and drew the insides of the bunny’s ears the best I could.  I am not an artist and even the basics are hard for me when I comes to drawing anything by hand.  Just do the best you can.  You could also use felt and cut out two pieces of pink felt and glue them into the middle of the ears.  Once I had my outline drawn, I mixed the red chalk paint with the white chalk paint until I got the pink color I was looking for.  Then painted the inside of the ears and let them dry.

I cut several flowers off of the flower stems with the wire cutters and started to arrange them on the bunny to see what I liked and get an idea of how the bunny would look.  Then I hot glued the flower pieces down one at a time on the bunny just where the ears meet the head till I  thought the crown looked full.  I placed my flowers so the same flowers  were on both sides.  That way the crown looks balances and not like I just put the flowers on there randomly.

Now I had a decision to make.  I had to decide if I wanted to put a face on my bunny or not.  I did not like all the open white space so I want for it.  Using a pencil, I drew out the nose and the eyelashes one the bunny.   I figured if I used the pencil then I could erase it when I messed up.  Once I liked how things looked, I started weighing my options on what the best way would be to make the eyelashes black.  I can paint small details on projects about as well as I can hand draw anything.  Not well!  This led me to looking thought my craft room to find my best option that I can be the most successful at.  BAM! I found a black paint pen.  I traced my pencil lines with the paint pen and painted the nose with the same pink paint I mixed up for the ears.

How cute if this Easter Bunny!  This is one of the best projects I have ever made.  I absolutely love it.  After Easter it might have a permanent home in my craft room.

Thank You for joining me today.  Please keep yourself and your families healthy and safe.  Please stay home as much as you can.  Prayers going out for all of you and our country!  God Bless!

 

Supplies

Bunny- Target

Fake Flowers- Walmart.  Dollar Tree, and most craft stores carry flowers.

Waverly White Chalk Paint- Walmart

Chalk Board Paint in Red- Tuesday Morning,

Paint Brushes- Hobby Lobby and other craft stores.

Surebonder Hot Glue Gun and Glue- Hobby Lobby

Wire Cutters- Hardware store

CraftSmart Black Paint Pen- Michael’s Craft Store

Pencil- Several Stores

 

3 tiered trays are a big trend right now.  The thing is, they can also be very expensive.  I have one from Hobby Lobby that I paid every bit of $20.00 for and that was because it was 50% off.  They only come in certain colors and I wanted something that did not look like everything else out there.  So I decided that I was not going to find what I was looking for and was just going to make my own 3 tiered tray for my kitchen.

Supplies

To make my 3 tiered tray I used a plate and bowl set from Dollar Tree.  I love the teal color of the plates and bowl.  They were exactly what I was looking for.  So you will need 2 or 3 items that go from bigger to smaller like a 3 tiered tray does and you do not need 3 items, you can use only 2.  Then you need something to go in between each of your layers.  I picked 2 galvanized buckets from Hobby Lobby that were two different sizes.  They were half off that day so I spent around $5.00 for them.  So all together I have about $8.00 wrapped up in this tray.  You can get candle sticks to put between your layers too.  Dollar Tree sells some glass ones and porcelain ones too.  Hobby Lobby and Michael’s sells wooden bases and other kids of candle sticks.  It just has to be flat on the top and bottom.  Now if you want to paint you what ever you buy, do that first before you start gluing thing together.

I also used my hot glue gun and some E6000.  Later on I decided to use some twine to finish off my tray.

Lets Get Crafting

When I picked out my buckets to go in between my layers, I picked 2 buckets that were different sizes.  I wanted a taller gap between my bottom 2 layers than I did with the top two.  Now my buckets came with handles, so the first thing I did was pull the handles off.  It took a bit of pressure, but they all popped right off.

After taking off the handles of my buckets, I started to plan out my layers.  I knew I wanted the bowl on top, the salad plate in the middle and the dinner plate on the bottom.  You could do just the salad and dinner plate if you want.

I also had to decide which way my buckets were going to face.  In the above picture, I had the bottom bucket upside down.  This was something I changed when I got to the next step. Also notice the seam on the top bucket.  Each bucket has one and that will be important to remember later.

Now it is time to glue things together. I used both the E6000 and hot glue together.  The hot glue will provide an instant hold and the E6000 will make this craft last for years.  Since we are using hot glue, you do need to more fast.  For the top layer, I put a layer of E6000 on the bottom of the bowl.  Do that first since the E6000 takes a good 24 hours to dry.  Next I put a layer of hot glue on the top of my smaller bucket.  Then I placed the top of the bucket on the bottom of the bowl.  The edge of the bucket matched up with the bottom of the bowl so no need to find the center.

I repeated this step with the larger bucket and the salad plate.  It is easier to do everything separate first then assemble the tiers after that.  I let the hot glue set up for a good 5 minutes before moving on.

You can see what I was left with after adding the buckets to the plate and bowl.  After the hot glue set up and was solid, I started to assemble the 3 tiers.  I placed the bottom dinner plate down and then added the hot glue and E6000 mix on the bottom of the big bucket that is now joined with the salad plate.  Then flipped it right side up and place the bottom of the bucket on top of the dinner plate right in the center.  Now I eyeball the center of the dinner plate but feel free to measure it out and mark the plates before you start adding glue to things.

Give that a good 5 minutes for that hot glue to set up again and then do the some gluing process with the small bucket and the bowl.  Before you glue the plate and bowl together please look and see if your buckets or candlesticks have a seam in them.  I made sure to line up the seams so that the top and bottom bucket were in the same spot and facing the same way with the seams lining up together.  Once you have planned out which direction you are gluing things,  place your bucket in the center of the salad plate.

After putting the tray together I realized I did not like the way the buckets met the plates.  I looked around my craft room and tried a few different things like ribbon and different kinds of rope and twine around the buckets where they met the plates.  I decided on some twine.  I put a very thin layer of hot glue around the the bottom of the bigger bucket, where it met the dinner plate.  I started the twine at the seam of the bucket and took it all the way around the base of the bucket.  I did this where ever the buckets met the bowl or plates making sure the twine started and ended where the seams of the buckets were.

Here is the final project.  I placed the tray in my kitchen.  I added a burlap charger plate underneath it along with a rectangular cutting board that was handmade from an Amish store near me.  The board holds what ever decorations I put on my kitchen island.  I love the color and rustic feel of this 3 tiered tray.  It is completely different than anything out on the market and cost me a forth of what the trays are in the stores or online.  I hope you like it too!

Please leave a comment below telling me if you like the tray or what kind of trays you would make.  Also check out Yellow Butterfly Craft Designs on Facebook and Instagram!

Thank you for joining me for another craft.  I have a St. Patrick’s Day craft coming up and several Easters crafts on the way!

Melissa McGuire

Supply List

Surebonder Hot Glue Gun- Hobby Lobby

Surebonder Hot Glue Sticks- Hobby Lobby

E600-Hobby Lobby, Michael’s Craft Store, Walmart and any hardware store

Bowl- Dollar Tree

Salad Plate- Dollar Tree

Dinner Plate- Dollar Tree

Small Galvanized Bucket- Hobby Lobby

Bigger Galvanized Bucket- Hobby Lobby

Twine- Hobby Lobby, Michael’s Craft Store, Walmart, Dollar Tree

 

I know this post was suppose to be out last week but I have sick and unable to work on crafts or the blog.  So my deepest apologies and I will try to keep things on more of a schedule.  Now lets get to crafting!

St. Patrick’s Day is coming soon and it is one day we always celebrated in our home because it is my husbands birthday.  That makes St. Patrick’s Day another holiday we decorate for.

I found these coins at the Dollar Tree and they are my inspiration for my projects.  I loved the idea of making a pot of gold to hang on the wall.  Dollar Tree also had a wooden pot of gold that I knew would be perfect for the base of my craft.

Supplies

First and for most you need gold coins.  I used all 3 bags of these coins making the pot of gold and the bonus craft.  Like I stated earlier, I found the wooden pot of gold at Dollar Tree but if you can not find it you can use foam board.  Cut it into the shape of a pot leaving some board at the top to be able to glue the coins to.

The paint I used was White Waverly Chalk Paint, black Chalk Board Paint, gold acrylic paint (which is not in the picture above), and some green water color paint.  The water color paint is optional.  It is what I had on hand since I could not find my green acrylic paint so I used it.  I also used scissors, paint brushes, Mod Podge and ribbon.

 

I started this project like I do most of my projects, by using the white chalk paint to prime the wood.  I then painted the pot part of the piece with black chalk paint and the top where the gold will go I painted gold.  The gold paint will look better showing though in case the coins do not cover all the wood.

Now lets get the coins ready to go.  I cut some of the coins.  I did not cut them all down the middle but I did several different points along the coins.  You can see it from the pictures.  I wanted to them be places along the edge where the coins would meet the pot to make sure they looked like they were coming out of the pot.  I then used my hot glue gun to start gluing the coins to the wood piece.  I did about three layers of coins to cover the wood piece and give some depth to the project.

A bit of white paint can do wonders.  I used the white chalk paint and a cheap brush to dry brush white streaks on the sides of the pot to give it a bit more of a 3-D effect.  If you get to much white paint on it, just go back over it in black.  Keep layering the paint until you are happy with the way it looks.

I thought the pot looked a bit plain.  I found these window clings at Dollar Tree and thought they would be the perfect addition to the pot.  I painted a thin layer of Mod Podge on the back of the window cling with a short bristled brush.  Then I placed the window cling, Mod Podge side down, and pushed out any bubbles.  I went over the edge of the cling with the paint brush without any added Mod Podge to make sure the edges were sealed down and then let them dry.  You can add as many clings as you want.  This method will also work if you find free printables on line and cut them out.  Just make sure the layer of Mod Podge you add is to the back and is very thin.  If not it will bubble.  Also if the paper is thin, make sure to be very careful with it or it will rip.

The final step is to add a piece of ribbon on the back with some hot glue.  This will serve as the hanger for the project.

This is the finished project.  I love it!  It is a one of a kind piece and looks great hanging up on my wall.  It was also fun and easy to make.

Bonus Craft!

I had several coins left over and decided I loved the idea of making another garland.  This garland I wanted to be different though.  I always see garland with beads and I just made one like that for Valentine’s Day.  So with this one I used the coins and ribbon instead.

Supplies

 

For this bonus project you will need thin ribbon, and coins.  I also used a piece of a wooden wreath I had on hand.  A few other supplies I used were scissors, a hot glue gun, and a silicon mat.  If you do not have a silicon mat you can use wax paper.

I started by lining up the coins on the silicon mat.  Each side of the coin is different so I tried to alternate the sides to make it more pleasing to the eye.  I lined up four to five coins at a time to be able to do more at one time.  Then I put a dot of hot glue on each coin and laid the ribbon on top of the coins in the glue.  After that I took another coin and put it on the top of the coin and ribbon like a sandwich.  I repeated this step until I ran out of coins.

Now I needed something to go on one end of the garland.  Looking around my craft room I spotted a wooden wreath with clovers on it that I bought for another project.  I just want the banner from the wreath for the other project so I took some strong scissors and cut off one of the clovers from it.  I picked the one with the hole in it so that I could attach it to my garland.  I painted it green with the metallic green water color paint I had.  Then I tied it to one end of the garland.  For the other end  of the garland, I made a tassel.

Here is the final bonus project.  It is perfect and does not look like all the other garlands out there.  It is a great touch to my entry way decor.

I hope you have all have a wonderful week and that you are looking forward to spring.  I have one more St. Patrick’s Day project and then we are on to Easter!

Thank you for joining me!

Melissa McGuire

Supplies

Wooden Pot of Gold- Dollar Tree

3 Bags of Gold Coins- Dollar Tree

White Waverly Chalk Paint- Walmart

Black Chalk Board Paint- Target, Waverly Chalk Paint at Walmart has one called Ink

FolkArt Gold Metallic Acrylic Paint- Walmart

Water Color Green Paint- Hero Arts, Use what ever green paint you have on hand

Paint Brushes- Hobby Lobby

Ribbon- Walmart, Hobby Lobby, Michael’s

Window Clings- Dollar Tree

Mod Podge, Dollar Tree

Tim Holtz Scissors- Hobby Lobby

Surebonder Hot Glue Gun- Hobby Lobby, Amazon

Surebonder Hot Glue Sticks-Hobby Lobby, Amazon

Silicon Mat- Amazon

 

The one thing I have found a love for, is decorating 3-tiered trays.  I find it difficult to find figures that are small enough to fit in the trays and not take them over.  So I was on the hunt for Valentine’s Day figures to fill out my 3 tiered trays.

Supplies

The main thing that you will need are these little figures from the Dollar Tree.  They each come in a package with paint.  You will also need paints in the colors you want, paint brushes, paint dishes and something to sit the figures on while they dry.

The first thing you will do is pull the tops off each figure.  These figures come with hangers on them but since we are using them to stand it trays, you can pull the hangers off of them.  They come out pretty easy with a little bit of tugging.  Once that part is done, it is onto the painting.

The Project

You do not need to prime these figures.  They are made of plaster so they hold onto the paint well.  I started with the base colors of brown and rust color for two of the animals.  I wanted the bear and dog to be traditional colors.  From there I wanted the monkey to look galvanized.  I used the method that I used a few weeks ago on some plaques to achieve that affect.    The colors you use are completely up to you.  Use your creativity and think outside of the box.  I did the galvanized monkey because it matches my decor better and I wanted something that did not scream out that it was for Valentine’s Day.

Now to create some interest and contrast, I painted the items in the animal’s hands and the insides of their ears a different color.  I love how the red and gold pop.  The monkey is awesome with the red hearts, ears and nose because it really stands out against the way it is painted.  I used enamel accents to dot on their eyes to make them stand out.   It gives them a finishing touch.  Enamel accents is, what I would consider, an extra craft supply.  It is not something you need to have.  I use them very little so it is not something you need to run out and buy.   You can use black paint or even a black marker to make their eyes stand out.

These are so cute!  They make the perfect little addition to any Valentine decor.  It is one of those things that are simple and easy to do.  You can use what ever colors you want and this can be done for any holiday.

Hope you all enjoyed this craft and have a great week.

Melissa McGuire

Supply List

Figures- Dollar Tree

Paint- Any colors you want.  Walmart, Michael’s and Hobby Lobby are great places to get              paint and also some Dollar Trees have paint too.

Paint Brushes- Walmart, Hobby Lobby, and Michael’s

Enamel Accents- Michael’s but this one is not necessary.  You can use black paint or even                                  a black marker.