Bitz of Me

life is always about the journey...

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Painted Snowy Mason Jars....





Over the weekend while the boys were away & I had the house to myself I worked on 7 different holiday projects...yes 7..and all but 1 are actually completed hahaha!  Sometimes its easier to do a lot at once when you already have a good mess going right?  And I watched "Sleepless In Seattle" and "When Harry Met Sally" while crafting....two of my most favorite movies so it was all good.  I think my dogs might've gone to bed with glittery fur that night too...hmmmmm ;)


So first on my project list to share with you today are my Painted Christmas Mason Jars.  I've seen these painted mason jars ALL over the web and I've been biding my time to make my own version. I had everything in my craft supplies for this project except for the paint so the total for this cost me a nice $4...can't beat that!


Supplies:

Jars (cleaned & dry)
Paint (any acrylic or chalk paint works)
Glue Gun & Glue Sticks
Sand paper or block, emory board
White Glitter (I used Diamond Dust)
Clear Glitter (I used Tim Holtz Distress Glitter)
Modge Podge or other thick glue
Chipboard Letters
Snowflake punches, thick white cardstock, or pre-made snowflakes
Paper Dimensionals
Twine


Mine aren't even mason jars...they are spaghetti jars I've saved and washed out...I cannot throw out a perfectly good jar like these ya know.  I used Martha Stewart's paint in Cloud (satin finish) and just painted it all over the clean jars making sure to paint from top to bottom each time..no swishing it in every direction. (Chalk Paint would work great too) 
Let first coat dry and then add second coat..then let them dry overnight.



After they are thoroughly dried, then you can sand them to your heart's desire.  I used an emory board to get in the letters a bit more and then the sanding block for the larger areas.



I wanted the tops of my jars to have a fun, glittery & snowy look.  So I used a heavy modge podge glue and dabbed it along the top and dipped each jar into some of the Diamond Dust (which is a thicker white/clear glitter).  After dipping I patted it on to make sure it was coated well.



Then I used my snowflake punches and punched a variety of sizes out of some thick, white cardstock.
Then each snowflake got a coating of glue and both kinds of glitter as well.
The chipboard letters I painted white and then added glitter to them as well...this time I only used the Tim Holtz Distress Glitter in Clear Rock Candy.



I hot glued the snowflakes in layers and then glued them directly on my jars.  But I wanted my letters to POP out a bit more from the jars & really stand out.  So I used these dimensional stickies (if you are a papercrafter they look familiar)...only I hot glued them on the letters and then the jar so they'd stay stuck really well.  Otherwise they would probably fall off easily on the painted jar since they are meant more for paper.

I added some twine just to the first jar and tied in a bow...I liked the contrast.
You could also punch snowflakes out of kraft paper and have a variety of colored snowflakes.
Lots of fun options....


And this is what you end up with...I just love how they turned out and the pretty soft gray-aqua color.  They will look beautiful in my finished basement rec-room (its all choc brown, black, white & aqua).
I put flameless battery operated candles in each so they will glow softly when the lights are dimmed.

I would NOT recommend using real candles due to saftey okay...no burning stuff down folks!!


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Sunday, November 10, 2013

DIY Holiday Trays!



I'm a Dollar Store freak shopper!  I like to go in now and again and check out what they have that I think I can transform.  And every holiday season they get in some cool goodies and they're all a DOLLAR...can't beat that deal!

And as you know I'm a huge lover of all things Christmas ...10 trees going up this year and I will start all that next week.  I always add a few new things to my holiday collection each year much to my hubby's chagrin. I love vintage style trays that can be used for decoration but not the prices so much. I found some at a store in Alexandria last year and they were $45 and up...whoa nelly.  So with those in mind I set out to make my own, easy to make and you can customize them to your heart's holiday desire!


I picked up three of these cookie pans from the Dollar Store...yup $1 each!  These pans measure 9x13 so a good size for a decorative tray.


And then I picked up these fabulous little trays/platters too, each $1!  I got oval, round and rectangle platters to use---had to have a few options ya know.  And I think they are pretty sweet on their own too...great for little platters of cookies or appetizers at a holiday party.  The Dollar Store is great for transforming decorative items on the cheap...remember my Ghoulish Goblets here?


Do you own a Silhouette Cameo?  I've had mine for over two years and I use that lovely machine a few times each week.  One of my best crafty purchases EVER!  I love searching through their extensive image library for cut files to use on my projects.  I've cut vellum, cardstocks, and vinyl with this machine..and it will cut thin chipboard and material as well for endless projects. 
For each of these trays I cut images onto thin cardstock to use as a masks for my trays.  Sorry I didn't get any pictures of my masks before I used them...eek...but the tree/sentiment file name is called 'joy hope peace believe' christmas tree and other one is Merry Christmas Flourish.  Size them to fit your project!



Then I used my trusty Crafters Companion Stick & Spray to add some moveable adhesive to the backs of each mask (just a light spray on the masks will do ya).  I also use this on my Cameo mats when they lose their stickiness...no sense in buying new mats...simply spray 2 coats on the mats and you are back in business.  They make a clean off spray as well that is useful for cleaning your mats and then spray with the Stick-n-Spray to revitalize. I've had the same two mats since I bought my machine.




I spray painted the base coat color onto each of my trays first and let it dry for a bit. The base coat is the color you want your mask/sentiment/decoration to be..so make sure you do it in the right order :)
The round tray got a coat of Krylon Flat Black spray paint and the cookie pan got a coat of Rustoleum Gold paint.  Then I laid the masks where I wanted each once the paint was dry, if you get it wrong you can easily pull it up (gently) and do it again.  The corner treatments on the cookie pan were cut from cardstock with a Memory Box die that I had in my collection.  You can make masks from most anything, even your punches...endless possibilities.  After I laid the masks in place I added two coats of spray paint of each color I wanted...in this case Rustoleum 2x Colonial Red and Seaweed Green spray paints I had in my collection...one coat at a time of course.  (I chose my colors to match my warm colored home decor...but you can of COURSE use any color you'd like)
TIP: Buy spray paint at your hobby/craft stores and use a 40% coupon to get a great deal




Once your paint is really dry...not tacky..but REALLY dry, then you can start adding details. I'm all about the little details as I believe they really finish off a piece.  For this red platter I dry brushed black acrylic paint along the edges and across the platter surface and then rubbed lightly with a rag to soften.  Once that was dry I went in with my Gold Leafing Pen and added gold around the rim of the platter and some dots on the decorative elements in the mask.  I love the little hint of gold on this platter.  You of course could use a Silver Leafing Pen if you preferred.



For the cookie pan the edges were too wide to paint with my little pen, so I grabbed my tube of Rub'n'Buff in gold (great for any crafts and lots of colors) and put a nice coat of that along the edges and buffed it really good with my microfiber cloth.  I bought this sampler set of Rub'n'Buff colors last holiday season and have used them A LOT!



Then the final step is to put on a coat or two of Modge Podge. I like to use Modge Podge Super Gloss because its super shiny and usually one coat is enough for a decorative project like this.  If you were coating something that was going to get used or banged up more, you may want to add an extra coat. Lots of different Modge Podge products nowadays so check them out and figure out which one works best for you.  Some may want a more matte finish so that's up to you on the final look.
REMEMBER: Modge Podge is NOT food safe so do not use it on things you may be serving food on!



So this is the final project all done!  A Dollar Store Platter turned into decorative tray for the holidays with some spray paint, a mask/stencil, and some gold detailing.  I love how it turned out!




And the $1 Cookie Pan transformed as well!  And yes you betcha I'm gonna do a few more with some other Cameo cut files I've already chosen.



An evening view with candles!  Add in some flickering candles and some Christmas greenery and you have a lovely holiday vignette for any spot in your house.  (my candles are battery lit for safety)


Just playing around with some sepia tones!


Project Costs:

Trays - $1 each
Cookie Pan - $1 each
Spray Paint - FREE
(on hand but usually $4-7 a can)
Black Acrylic Paint - FREE 
(I had already but usually $1 a bottle)
Rub'n'Buff in Gold - FREE
(I have a few in my collection but usually $7)
Masks/Stencils - 99 cents each
(from Silhouette Store)
Modge Podge - FREE
(I had in my stash, but usually $6-7)
If you buy any of these supplies remember they will come in useful for 
multitudes of projects :)
----------------------------
My TOTAL:  $4 for both Trays

That's all for me today but stop back by this week for some more fun holiday crafts you can make inexpensively!
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Entering this into this fabulous Challenge & Party:





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Thursday, November 7, 2013

Meet My Snow People!



I've seen these lil' sock snow people for years at craft shows and online but never had time to make any.
But this year I vowed to get some made for the upcoming holidays...and I'm a sucker for snowmen too!
I just don't like the ACTUAL cold snow stuff ;)

So there are lots of instructions online but thought I'd do a brief synopsis with tips on how I made mine for you all!  
Best of all these cost me ZERO dollars to make...other than the bag of rice which was $4...I used old socks and supplies from my craft room!
*AND*
They are NO SEW folks...good news for me because I hate to sew LOL!

Ingredients for Snow People:
Crew Socks
Old/New Patterned Socks or old sweaters/shirts
Rubberbands
Scissors
Bag of Rice
Straight Pins
Buttons
Embellishments of your choice
**disclaimer: obvs these are NOT made to be toys for wee ones**


Crew Socks work best for the body of the snow people...I had a pack of crew socks that Riley deemed "too tight" (whatever that means) and it was just lingering in the closet because I'd never taken them back.  So I snatched it right up for this project.  If you are buying socks make SURE THE TOES ARE NOT COLORED...some socks have gray or yellow toes and that's not what you want if you end up using the toe for a hat!
Step #1:  Cut the leg part off of the sock so the foot/toe is separate



Step 2:  Turn the sock you cut off inside out and grab a rubber band and 
twist it on the top part of the sock...as far up as you can manage.  Then turn the sock out again so the rubber band is now inside the sock...got that?



TIP:  I'm messy pouring rice and I didn't have any helpers so I poured my rice into
a slim glass, stuck the sock over it and flipped it over...NO MESS.  You could also use a large funnel too.  Because if you spill all that rice, well folks you got a big mess to clean up :)



Step 4:  Fill that sock up with rice, smooshing it down each time till you get it filled out nicely.  Remember you want the bottom to be nice, round & plump ;)


Step 5:  So you end up with this...a gourd shape...squish the rice around to make the shape.  Then use another rubberband to secure the top, again as close to the end as you can.
(Tip: I trimmed off the top after I rubberbanded it so it wasn't so much sticking up)



Step 6:  Then take your 3rd rubberband and twist it around the center, creating the head and bottom of snowman.  Don't worry about the rubberbands because you are gonna cover them up real soon!
TIP:  Roll your sock when you're done with a lint-roller to clean off any fuzzies or strings.


And then you decorate them to your heart's desire---this is the FUN part!
It only took me 1 hour to make all 3 of these Snow People.



I used stick-on pearls for their eyes and noses...some I left off the noses just to be different.
But you could use straight pins with beads on the end just as easily.  



The scarf here was made with parts of an old sock as well...I just cut a long piece off of a kneesock and tied it around his neck and trimmed the edges for a frayed look...super easy.  I added a straight pin in the center of the scarf so it doesn't come off or untied but you could use glue too.  The buttons were put on with fabric glue but you could sew them if you wanted...glue is easier though, just sayin' :)



Their caps were all made with other socks...I just cut off the toes of some old socks, rolled the edges and plopped them on their heads.  I used white pom-poms to finish off the top of each hat..adhered with fabric glue.  This one I added a holly cutout with a punch & some pearl berries from my crafty stash.



This one got a different scarf treatment and the cap is from a fuzzy old sock I had.  But the scarf and hat trim were made from some leftover fabric I had and then I frayed the edges.  Don't spend $$ on materials, look around your house for things that you can use...I have old flannel shirts, jeans, socks, etc that I store in a small bin and use for craft projects and its FREE!




This lovely pink lady is my fave, I love the soft colors...her scarf and cap are made from an old sock as well.  Then I punched a few snowflakes out of white cardstock, grabbed some paper flowers from my stash and glued them all on to embellish. I love the addition of the sparkly button and pom-pom on her cap too!



So now you know how to do it, its a quick and easy project...perfect to do with elementary school aged children too!  Before you know it you can have a whole snow family made.  Let your imagination run WILD with the possibilities!  I'm gonna buy some cream socks to make more vintage snow people with some burlap and tea-dyed fabrics...will share those when I'm done!

Happy Crafting!
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