Felt Wine Bag

As the weather warms up and summer draws nearer, picnics and barbecues will become a part of our weeks again (yay!) and so will the ever-present dilemma of the hostess gift. Wine or prettily bottled lemonade is always a great choice and this year bring your bottle in style by whipping up a few of these pretty (and simple!) gift bags!

Things you’ll need:
Felt
Sewing machine and notions
Contrasting colored thread
Pinking shears
Scissors
Bottle of wine

Things to do:
1. Fold the felt in half and lay your bottle down so that the bottom is lined up with the fold.

2. Adding about an inch to each side and the top, cut a rectangle slightly bigger than your bottle.
3. Set your bottle, end down, ½ inch from the cut top of the felt, center it and trace the bottom onto the felt.

4. Using your pinking shears cut a slit in the center of the circle and then cut out the rest of the circle neatly.

5. Starting 1 inch up from the fold and using the contrasting thread and a decorative stitch, sew around the edge of the folded rectangle about 1/3 of an inch in. Stop 1 inch from the bottom fold on the other side.

6. Slip the bottle through the hole and slide it carefully down to sit at the bottom of the bag so that the neck is sticking out of the hole. Add a pretty tag and you are ready to head out!

Vintage-Inspired Crocheted Doily Lamp

Elegant and simple, this doily lamp is the perfect addition to a romantic, elegant room. As a bonus, it’s a snap to make and a lot of fun in the bargain! Change the size easily by changing the ball or balloon to be larger or smaller. A yoga ball would make a great giant lantern!

Things you’ll need:
Round ball or balloon
Assorted crocheted doilies
Aleene’s Draping Liquid
Disposable container
Rubber gloves
Lamp kit
Craft glue

Things to do:
1. Pour out a good amount of the draping liquid into the disposable container.

2. Dip a doily into the liquid and squeeze out the excess, making sure the fabric of the doily is well saturated.

3. Drape the doily onto the ball, smoothing it over the surface of the ball.

4. Repeat the process with more doilies until the ball is covered. Add a dab of glue where the doilies overlap to secure them.
5. Allow the doilies to dry completely before puncturing the balloon and slipping it out between one of the spaces between the doilies.
6. Insert the lamp kit into one of the space and to allow the doilies to act as a shade for the lamp.

Pony Bead Meltie Plant Markers

Check our blog for “Easter Pony Bead Melties” and you will find where this infatuation with melted pony beads began. The simplicity and creativity of this craft will have you finding new and exciting shapes to make.

These bright and shiny markers really liven up a garden and are weather-proof! We made these for common garden plants, but create them for any plant in your garden. And look at the ‘peas in a pod’ in the pictures to see melted alphabet beads!

Age range: 6+ with adult supervision (must use oven)
Approximate time: 15 Minutes
Difficulty Level: Beginner Crafter

Things you’ll need:
Plastic pony beads
Alphabet beads
An oven
Parchment paper
Cookie sheet (with a rim!)
A kitchen timer
A toothpick
Sharpie marker

Things to do:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Lay parchment paper on the cookie sheet. Do what you must to get it flat, wetting the pan with water might help.
3. Arrange your beads to create the shape of your flowers, fruit, or vegetables. Use toothpicks to move beads ‘in tight quarters’ to save your sanity.

4. Add four or five beads to create a ‘stick’ for your marker.
5. Carefully move the cookie sheet into oven. Turn on the oven light! (If you’re careful, you won’t have to find out why we suggest a pan with a rim!)

6. Set your timer for 4:00 minutes. Turn on a fan and open a door, this can get smelly!
7. At 4:00 minutes, check your markers to ensure no beads rolled out of place. Carefully push them back into shape with a toothpick, if necessary.
8. Return to oven for 6:00 minutes. Set your timer.
9. Check that the melties are as melted as you want. Add minutes to bake time as needed. By this point you should just stand by and keep an active watch!
10. When everything looks smooth and melted, remove the cookie sheet from the oven.

11. Let the markers cool completely.
12. Plant seeds and use your markers to remind you which are supposed to grow where!

DIY Vintage-Inspired Doily Runner

This scattered doily table runner is both elegant and rustic, the perfect thing to liven up a boring old table. Be sure to try a variety of combinations before you finalize the layout of your runner. Depending on your style you may want something with lots of space between doilies or one that is more tightly packed with edges overlapping.

Things you’ll need:
A variety of crocheted doilies
White or off white thread
Embroidery needle
Scissors

Things to do:
1. Using a large flat surface, preferable the table where you will use the runner, lay out your doilies until you find an arrangement you like, making sure you have at least a little overlap to stitch them together.

2. Tightly stitch them together wherever they overlap, making sure the doilies lay flat as you go.
3. Trim all threads and spread out on your table.

DIY Twine Ball Lamp Shade

Fun, funky and so simple to make, this twine ball lamp shade would be a great addition to any decor. For a larger size shade, try using a yoga ball for a form rather than a round balloon.

Things you’ll need:
Round ball or balloon
Hemp twine
Aleene’s Draping Liquid
Disposable container
Rubber gloves
Lamp kit
Scissors

Things to do:
1. Pour out a good portion of Draping Liquid into the disposable container and put on the gloves to protect your hands.

2. Dip the end of the twine in the liquid and hold to the surface of the ball. Dip your fingers in the liquid and run it along the twine, wrapping it around the ball as you go.

3. Continue to dip your fingers into the glue and wrap until the ball is well covered.
4. Allow the twine to dry for several house, ideally overnight. Ease the surface of the ball away from the twine as it dries.
5. Pop the balloon and ease the deflated balloon out of one of the spaces in the twine ball.
6. Using one of the holes in the twine wrap to attach a lamp kit to it to suspend it around a light bulb. Plug in and enjoy!

Brussels Sprout Wreath

Perfect for those winter trailing into spring months, this Brussels Sprout wreath brings a pop of green and living things to your door. The cold air outside will help keep it fresh and long lasting and you’ll love walking past this little hint of warm weather to come every time you walk in the door.

Things you’ll need:
Styrofoam wreath
Ribbon
Toothpicks
Brussels Sprouts

Things to do:
1. Starting on the top of the wreath with it lying flat, break a toothpick in half and push the blunt end into the base of a Brussels Sprout then press it into the foam of the wreath.

2. Continue to add sprouts, first in a ring around the top, then to each side, until you have covered most of the wreath, leaving the back plain so that it lies flat.
3. Us a ribbon or hook to hang it.

Pinecone Hide-a-Key

Having a spare key at your house is one of those things that we should all do, because you really never know when you might need it in an emergency. But where to hide the key is always a problem, because of course, it has to be safe, and at the same time you have to be able to find it when you need it. Here’s a quick little project that uses materials you have around the house to create an easy to hide, easy to find hide-a-key.

Things you’ll need:
E6000 glue
Pinecones
Empty pill bottle

Things to do:
1. Soak any labels off of the medicine bottle. A clear brown bottle works best because it blends into the soil color.

2. Add a generous amount of glue to the bottom of the bottle and press the pinecone into place.
3. Slip the key inside and attach the lid, bury, lid down in the ground in a handy place so that only the pinecone shows.

DIY Honey and Pear Facial Mask

Everybody deserves some pampering, and usually we need it the most when we can least afford it. The great thing about learning to do DIY beauty treatments is you not only save money, you get the kind of all natural, organic ingredients product that is actually better for your skin. This facial mask smells beautiful, softens and hydrates! This is an especially great mask for dry skin because pears and honey both are natural humectants, meaning they help skin hold in moisture. Rose geranium essential oil is effective both against acne and signs of skin aging.

Things you need:
Cream Honey
Fresh Pears (preferably organic)
Food processor or mortar and pestle
Rose Geranium essential oil
Mixing bowl
Towel

Things to do:
1. Remove skin and core from pear, then cut the fruit into small pieces. Using a mortar and pestle or food processor, turn the fruit into a creamy pulp.
2. Pour fruit pulp into bowl and stir in 2 T creamed honey. (If you want, reserve some of the honey-pear mixture at this stage before adding essential oil. This makes a nice spread for toast or muffins. One of the great things about homemade natural beauty products—no preservatives so they are edible!)
3. Stir in 6 drops of rose geranium essential oil. The first time you use any essential oil, it is a good idea to spot test it on skin in case of sensitivity.
4. Clean face and hands completely, then pat face dry.
5. Use fingertips to rub the honey-pear mask on face, throat and decolletage, leaving area around eyes clear.
6. Place a towel on bed or couch, and rest on back with face toward ceiling for 10 minutes.
7. At sink, use water and hands to remove the mask. Use a clean towel to gently pat skin dry.
8. If you want to give some of this mask as a gift, the honey acts as a preservative so it does not need to be immediately refrigerated. Put some in a mason jar, rubber stamp an image of a bee or a pear on a label, add a bow and give it to a friend. Do add information to the back of the label telling your friend the day you made this batch and that she should put it in the fridge if she doesn’t use it after 2-3 days.

Dreaming of Spring Button Wreath

Once the winter holidays have passed and the days are just plain cold, I start dreaming of spring and longing for green around my house. This year I’m adding a little early spring cheer with this mini button wreath. Bright, cheerful and fun, it’s a great afternoon project and could be altered to suit any color scheme or wreath size, just remember that the bigger the wreath, the more buttons you need.

Things you’ll need:
One 8-inch Styrofoam wreath form
Strips of felt squares
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Lots of buttons in shades of of your choice (look for color scheme button packs)

Things to do:
1. Attach the end of a felt strip to the underside of the wreath and wrap around the wreath, adding more strips of felt as needed, until the whole surface is covered.


2. Glue the buttons, one at a time, to the wreath. Make sure that you only use a small amount of glue so that it doesn’t seep through the holes of the buttons and create glue strings. Pack them as tightly as possible and try to keep the order of the buttons random.

3. Attach a ribbon loop to the back side of the wreath or hang directly on a nail.

Layered Candles

If you’ve taken a stab at container candles and are ready for something a little more exciting layered candles are an excellent next step. Layered candles can be made in gradients of a single color or a combination of different colors, which ever you prefer. They can also contain different scents in each layer with makes them perfect if you tire of a smell easily. Before you start, decide if you want to stick with different shades of one color and scent or separate colors and scents and buy your supplies accordingly.

Things you need:
Candle wax
Heat-proof, clear glass containers
Candle dye
Candle scent
Candle Wicks
Double Boiler
Glue Dots
Skewers or disposable wooden spoon with long handle
Hair Dryer

Things to do:
1. Break your wax up into small chunks and put one third into the double boiler over medium high heat.

2. Set your oven to “Keep Warm” and place your jars on the middle rack to pre-warm them.
3. Once the wax is melted, add color in small amounts until you have achieved the shade you want for the bottom layer of your candle. Add scent just before pouring.
4. Dot the bottom of your wick with a glue dot and center at the bottom of your jar. Pour your first layer of wax, filling the jar a third of the way full. Set aside and allow the wax to cool till it is firm but still warm.

5. Meanwhile, clean out your pot and melt the next third of wax, this time to a slightly hotter temperature, add your colorant and then scent just before pouring. Heat the outside of the jar slightly with the hairdryer and pour the next layer of wax. The slightly hotter temperature and the heating of the jar will help bind the two layers together well.
6. Repeat with the third layer (and fourth if you choose more layers) Allowing the layers to cool between each but heating the jar before pouring the next layer. Reserve some of your last layer of wax.

7. Keep the wick centered using skewers to hold it in place.
8. Once the wax has cooled completely, heat the remaining wax up slightly warmer than the last layer and top off the candle to create a smooth surface. Re-center the wick and allow the wax to cool again before trimming the wick.