Make A Woodsy and Whimsical DIY Felt Reindeer Jingle Bell Garland Banner

December 10, 2020December 9, 2020 deb@bluewillowlaneLeave a comment

Isn’t there something so fun and festive about a little bit of jingle in Christmas decor? I’ve been seeing a ton of fabulous felt Christmas ornaments this year on pinterest and in online shops, so I wanted to try making a few myself! I plan to make and post some other DIY felt projects over the holidays, so I hope you’ll plan to stop back!

This fun reindeer garland banner was so easy! The hardest part was cutting out the tiny antlers on each deer. I don’t think any two are exactly identical, but I think they’re close enough. I really like the combination of the rusty jingle bells and the silky tassels on this garland. After completing it, I am displaying the garland across my firplace mantle this year with some other woodsy decor, and I’m really happy with it. The project was fun, and I have ample supplies left to make more banners with the felt, cord, and bells I bought.

Okay, if you want to give this little project a try, here’s how!

Supplies:

(The supply list contains affiliate links. These are the materials I used, and they worked well for this project.)

Thin braided rope or other thin twine of your choice, at least 10 feet long

Felt in shades of brown. I bought this inexpensive variety pack from Amazon and used 3 sheets of the felt for this project.

Rusted jingle bells (or other color if you prefer)

Silky tassels. I bought the craft pack from Amazon and plan to use the rest for other projects.

Hot melt glue gun

STEP 1: Print out the reindeer graphic (below) and cut out the pattern. Other patterns are included that I plan to use for more felt projects.

christmas-banner Download

STEP 2: Pin the reindeer pattern to a piece of felt, making sure to stay on one corner to minimize waste. Using the felt pack I bought from Amazon, I was able to cut two deer from each one piece of felt.

STEP 3: Cut out six deer (or more if you want a longer garland) from your color choice of felt. I used two shades of brown and a camel color. Small sharp scissors work well to cut out the small details.

STEP 4: Lay out the twine on a long table or counter. You will need a longer piece of string than what you hope to have for the finished project. Tying each bell in will take some of the length. You will also want 12 inches or more on each end so the banner can easily be attached wherever you choose.

STEP 5: Beginning at one end, measure off 18 inches and tie on one jingle bell at that spot. Make a mark (using a subtle color marker) 8 inches from the first jingle bell. Tie the second in that spot. Repeat the same process every eight inches until you have enough bells attached for the number of deer you plan to use. For my 6 deer, I needed seven bells each 8 inches apart.

STEP 6: Lay out some newspaper or something glue safe and put the left-most section (between the first two bells) on it. Heat up your glue gun. Measure four inches between the two bells. Put some glue on one side of the section of string where the deer will attach, about 3.5 inches. Place the deer on the glue. Pick up the section of string and deer to let it dry so that it doesn’t accidentally get stuck to the paper. Continue until all deer are securely attached. Check the back side of the deer to make sure all of them are glued on along their full length.

STEP 7: Choose the tassels you want to use on your garland. From the package I bought, I chose gray, ivory, and brown because I wanted my garland to have a woodsy look. Cut the loops down so they they are at a good length to glue, about half an inch. Glue the tassels on the back with the hot glue gun. The tassels will keep the deer hanging in the right direction.

That’s it! Super easy and original Christmas decor for your home!

Have a beautiful day and try something creative! 🙂

christmas decor · DIY Crafts · Home Decor

Create Your Own Beautiful DIY Farmhouse Christmas Decor From Pistachio Shells

November 20, 2020November 20, 2020 deb@bluewillowlane2 Comments

Hello and happy Friday! I’ve been busy with a little DIY project, and I have to say, I’m happy with how this one turned out! I love the subtle look of this modern farmhouse style Christmas decor. These little decorations would also look fabulous with a Coastal Christmas theme.

We eat A LOT of pistachios around here, so I asked my husband to start saving the shells for me a while ago. With a small bag full of shells, I had more than enough to make this project. I made the tree base out of paper and the wreath bases out of cardboard and container lids destined for the recycling bin. So this fun upcycled project cost me next to nothing.

I achieved the shaded look of the tree by painting the shells with several shades of chalk paint. The wreaths are a single color on each, and I added some grosgrain ribbon and rustic jute to give them a finished look. The wreaths could be hung from a mirror, on your Christmas tree, or even used as votive holders!

Here’s how I made this fun DIY project!

Materials:

9 by 12 70 pound paper

pistachio shells

various matte or chalk paint

jute

ribbon

glue gun

cardboard or round plastic container lids

For the tree, make a cone out of the paper by forming a tight cone and taping along the edge. Then cut off the uneven bottom so that the cone stands straight.

Divide your shells into several groups for the colors you would like to use. For the tree, I left some natural (which are the ones that almost look like a light peach shade) and painted some in light celery green and some in light gray. I also painted some white for one of the wreaths. You could also do your tree in all one color, or make a group of trees that are one color each. It all depends on you and your creativity!

Once the shells are dry, attach them to the tree using a hot glue gun, alternating colors for a shaded effect. When you place the next row above, make sure to slightly overlap the previous row so that the paper cone will not be showing. I found it was helpful to keep the little shell pieces for spots where I didn’t have quite enough space for a full shell. Continue this process until the whole tree is covered. I added a single shell with a little gold paint at the top.

For the wreath, I used the lid from a breadcrumbs container and also traced this onto cardboard for the rest of the wreaths. I used a small drinking glass to trace the center circle. Cut out the wreaths and the centers for the size you want. This same method could be used for a much larger pistachio shell wreath as well.

Using the hot glue gun, glue the shells in a slightly overlapping fashion, starting with the innermost row. Continue until the circle is covered. Add jute for hanging and the ribbon trim of your choice.

When your project is finished, pull off all the little glue strings. This project took me about three hours to complete, including painting the shells.

I read this week that getting into a state of “flow” where you can accomplish something productive that is fairly easy is a great way to cope with stress. I think we all could use that right now! So it’s more crafting from now until Christmas! 🙂

Have a beautiful day and try something creative! 🙂

bead garland

reindeer pillow cover

wrapping paper set

farmhouse vase set

DIY Crafts · Home Decor

Merry and Bright DIY Christmas Cone Trees In Three Styles

November 18, 2020November 18, 2020 deb@bluewillowlaneLeave a comment

Today was a cold snowy day in the mid-Atlantic. We’ve had some unusually warm weather, but today’s chilly breeze is a reminder that it is definitely time to start pulling out some fun DIY Christmas projects!

I love these merry and bright Christmas trees! They’re so fun in a grouping with other bright Christmas balls and pom garlands. They bring a modern, contemporary take to the traditional Christmas tree, and are easy to make. This is a great project to try with your older kids (old enough to safely use a glue gun) when they’re home for Thanksgiving break or later in the holidays, or if you find yourself pandemic homeschooling. Not just a project for kids, these trees are pretty enough to use on your mantle or table display. Also, I made these trees with very simple materials; all you need is some heavy nine by twelve paper, colorful felt, and trims!

My post contains affiliate links for supplies.

I created three different tree styles. Here’s how!

Materials:

9 x 12 70 pound art paper

package of colorful felt (this was a great deal for a variety of felt colors in the small size I wanted)

2 feet of rainbow pom pom cording

tape

scissors

hot melt glue gun

pencil

For all tree styles, the first step is to make paper cones. There are other methods of doing this, but I found the easiest was just to take a sheet of paper and form it into a tight cone, and then tape the side along the whole edge. When the cone is formed, the bottom will be uneven. I trimmed the bottoms with scissors until the cones were straight across the bottom edge. Admittedly, this is a non-exact approach, but it works very easily without a lot of trouble.

Style 1: Pom Fringe Tree

The pom fringe tree is the simplest to make. You will need about 2 yards of fringe. Extra fringe is really fun to have to use elsewhere for your bright Christmas decor. Starting at the bottom of your paper cone, place the trim around the tree, going upwards and slightly diagonal with each row. Each row will be about 3/4 inch to 1 inch apart. As you place the cording, glue it down with the hot melt glue gun.

Draw a five-pointed star on the felt with a pencil. These trees are whimsical, so it’s not that important that your star is drawn exactly. Cut the star out, and attach it to the top of the tree with a dab of hot glue. Make sure the light pencil marking on the star are on the back (glued) side. When the tree is completed, pull off any stray glue strings.

Style 2: Ombre Petals Tree

The ombre tree is made with several shades of the same color. It’s also very simple to make. The hardest part is cutting the petals, but once that’s done, you can complete the tree quickly and easily. I think this ombre tree would be great in a grouping of various colors of ombre trees. Here’s how to make yours!

Find felt pieces in a gradient. You need at least three shades, but you could use four or even fade to white at the top.

Cut small petal shapes out of the felt. I used the felt pack from Amazon listed on the supplies list, and I cut petals from the entire piece of the darkest color. The lighter colors require slightly less because the cone is narrower at the top. My petals are about an inch long and half an inch wide.

Beginning at the bottom of the tree, glue rows of your darkest felt color with a hot melt glue gun. Make sure the bottom edge of the paper cone is not showing and slightly overlap the petals in each row.

Continue this process using lighter shades as you get to the top of the tree.

Cover the tree completely in felt petals. Add a felt star to the top.

Style 3: Bright Contrast Tiers Tree

For this tree, you need four contrasting pieces of felt. I have also seen similar trees in all one color of green that were very cute. I had planned to cut the felt edge with a fancy cut pinking shears, but mine were not sharp enough to cut through the felt. You might have some that would work, which makes the project slightly easier.

Using the pack of felt from Amazon, I cut my yellow piece in half for the bottom layer. This works for all colors except the top, where you will have to adjust the felt size to the top of your tree.

Once you have your felt pieces selected, create a notched edge using scissors to cut out small triangles.

Starting with the lowest layer, glue your felt onto the tree keeping the bottom edge of the felt even with the bottom edge of the tree. Because the felt is straight and the cone isn’t, you’ll have to finesse this bottom layer a little bit. I tucked the felt slightly and glued it with the hot glue gun to make it even all the way around. You can see that small tuck on the left side of the yellow felt on the picture.

Continue gluing on your tiered layers. There is going to be a back side to this tree that does not look perfect. Make sure as you’re gluing, you have a front side that looks nice and displays all the layers. For the top tier, place your felt as it would have to be glued. Mark the felt for how much you will need to cut off so that the felt doesn’t go past the pointed top of the tree. Add a felt star to the top of the tree.

This was a really fun and simple project. I finished all of the trees in about two hours. I hope you will give one or all of them a try and see what you think.

Have a beautiful day, and try something creative! 🙂

Bright ornament ball garland

Rainbow pom pom velvet Christmas pillow covers

Kurt Adler 12 Days of Christmas Glass Ornaments Set

DIY Crafts · Gifts

Make Beautiful Porcelain Look Gift Boxes: Super Easy DIY Project

October 26, 2020October 26, 2020 deb@bluewillowlaneLeave a comment

Have you ever received a fully coordinated gift basket that was thoughtfully picked for you? Contrast that to being handed something from the store check-out line, still in the plastic bag, and you see what a big differnce gift packaging can make! When you give someone a gift, it’s important to put in the time and effort to select something personalized for the recipient. Making the gift wrap look just as special as the gift also is so thoughtful and really makes the gift extra special.

I love to find new and creative ways to wrap or package gifts. It’s pretty easy to make cute tags using scrapbook paper, or turn a plain paper gift bag into an artistic original with a few stamps or other creative embellishments.

Today, I made some pretty little gift boxes using really common supplies and in less than an hour. The boxes look like they are vintage porcelain treasures, but really, they were quickly put together with simple supplies you may already have. These elegant boxes would also make a wonderful DIY favor for a wedding or shower. Each guest could receive a small gift packaged in a tiny faux porcelain box. You can make these in any color you want as well!

Okay, so here’s what you need:

Small cardboard gift boxes. I used small silver jewelry sized boxes. With metallic boxes, another nice way to make them is to sand off a little paint around the edges when the paint is dry for a weathered metal look box.

Matte paint or chalk paint in your desired colors.

Silk flowers or leaves, any color. I used silk maple leaves and some berries.

Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

Ribbon or String

How to make the gift boxes

Paint the boxes with chalk paint. I used a light celery green.
Paint the silk flowers with chalk paint. Thoroughly coat all the surfaces. You could also just dip them into a dish of paint if you are going to be making a lot at one time.
When the flower pieces are dry, glue them onto the box in the arrangement you would like.
If you want a complete monochromatic look which many porcelain boxes have, you’re done!
If you want to try some shading to suit a a color scheme or decor, thats easy enough to do. Just wait for you first coat to dry and add touches of your second color to the silk flowers with a small paint brush. I did this with some of mine, and it was super easy-no special art skills required!
Tie the boxes up with ribbon or jute if you like.
That’s it! You’re done!

Have a beautiful day, and try something creative!

Post contains affiilate links in the supply links. Thanks so much for supporting my blog! 🙂

DIY Crafts · Free Printables · Home Decor

Simple DIY Fall Hoop Wreath With Free Downloadable Graphics

October 16, 2020October 16, 2020 deb@bluewillowlaneLeave a comment

If you’re looking for something unique and creative for your fall home decor, try making your own hoop wreath! I made mine from a few dollars worth of materials and in only a few hours time. I’m also including some downloadable options if you would like to add some fun fall elements to your wreath! The supply list contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting my site! 🙂

Supplies:

1 tall metal plant stake

Spray paint (I used hammered bronze)

1 foot of wide ribbon for hanging

Glue gun and glue sticks

Small amount of Spanish moss

Fall grass and florals

Invisible line or clear fishing line

Cardstock

Printed circular graphic

Spray adhesive

Chalk paint

How to make the Hoop Wreath:

Bend the plant stake into a circular form.
Spray paint the hoop your desired color
Glue a small amount of Spanish moss across the bottom of the hoop with a hot glue gun.
Arrange the flowers and grasses the way you want them on your wreath.
Starting with the bottom grasses and flowers, glue them in place with the glue gun. Tuck the ends into the Spanish moss.
Print the circular graphics onto printer paper.
Glue one of the circles onto a piece of cardboard or cardstock using spray adhesive.
When dry, cut out the circle.
Glue another paper circle to the other side of your cutout. I added some chalk paint details to the squirrel in green, gray, and tan, but that’s optional. The graphics include several options so you can make your circle reversible.
Make a small hole in the top of the circle for hanging it.
String invisible line through the hole.
Tie the clear line to the wreath.
Put a wide ribbon at the top for hanging.
You’re done!

Graphics Downloads

modern-fall-wreath down
load

This was an easy and fun project! Give it a try! Have a beautiful day, and try something creative! 🙂

DIY Crafts · Free Printables · Home Decor

Free Fall and Thanksgiving Printables: Welcome to October!

October 1, 2020October 1, 2020 deb@bluewillowlaneLeave a comment

Hello and happy first day of October! Are you looking for a super simple way to add some fall cheer to your walls or classroom? These four fall printables remind me of a peaceful farmhouse and of simpler times.

I hope you enjoy them. Let’s be thankful for the little joys in life these days. 🙂

Please subscribe to my blog today for more free resources and fun! Thanks and have a beautiful day! 🙂

DIY Crafts · Home Decor

DIY Hanging Floral Orbs: Beautiful Wedding and Seasonal Decor

September 28, 2020October 15, 2020 deb@bluewillowlane3 Comments

I’m seeing amazing hanging floral orbs everywhere these days, from stylish front porches to glamorous wedding receptions. What a unique, eye-catching, and beautiful way to display your greenery and flower arrangements at your event or in your home!

These hanging decorations can be used in any way your imagination can think up. In fact, the floral orb that inspired my design was a fall decoration containing mini-pumpkins and eucalyptus. The great thing about these is everything is attached to a piece of floral foam, and everything can be re-done again and again. I plan to use my decorative orbs as a seasonal decoration, with fall flowers right now, pine boughs at Christmas, and so on.

For an added dimension, I think it would be amazing to add wired fairy lights, and I’m going to give that a try at Christmastime.

These floral orbs make fantastic wedding decor also. The DIY project is easy on your budget too!

Thanks for checking out my tutorial today! Use coupon code TAKE25 to receive $25 off your order of $200 or more at Kate Aspen!

Okay, if you’re ready to give these gorgeous decorations a try, let’s get to it!

Post contains affiliate links. Please see about page for full info. 🙂

Supplies:

2 double ring plant stakes for tomatoes/peonies/large plants

16 gauge wire and sturdy pliers for bending and cutting

Copper spray paint

Light pink spray paint

½ inch wide natural rope for hanger (6 feet)

⅛ inch sheer ribbon

Floral foam brick- 9 by 4 by 3, make sure to get wet foam if using real flowers and greens.

20 greening pins

Package of Spanish moss

Flowers, greens, and decorations

Here’s how you build the orbs. We made one large 18 inch orb and a smaller 10 inch orb using the plant stakes.

Step 1: Disassemble the rings and stakes from each other. Depending on how your stakes are put together, it can be a bit of a brain-teaser getting them apart, but they are separate pieces.

Step 2: Cut 2 24 inch segments of your 16 gauge wire

Step 3: Taking the four large rings from the plant stakes, put them together so they form an orb with equidistant segments, like an orange.

Step 4: Holding your rings steady in the way you would like them to be for the finished product, pick up a piece of wire. Fasten one end of the wire onto the hoops by wrapping it on with the pliers. . Use your pliers to take the wire up through segment 1 and down through segment 5 (see diagram). Weave the wire up through segment 6 and down through 2, up through 3 and down through 7, up through 8 and down through 4.

Step 5: Wrap the wire around the bottom, and tuck in any sharp edges with the pliers. Repeat the same weaving process with the second piece of wire at the other end of the orb.

NOTE: We made the smaller orb using the garden stakes that came with the hoops. They needed to be bent into a circular form first.

Step 6: Spray paint the entire orb. I painted mine with a coat of light pink and a very light coat of copper over top. This gave the orb a rose-gold to copper look. You could pick whatever color goes with your event or look.

Step 7: Cut off a piece of floral foam from your block. I used ¾ of a block for the large orb and ¼ for the small orb.

Step 8: Attach the piece of foam to the bottom inside of the orb using 10 greening pins. Hold the foam in place and poke the pins up from the bottom, making sure to anchor the foam to the orb frame.The advantage to attaching the foam this way instead of gluing is that you can remove the foam easily to replace it or to use the orb for something else, like lighting it up with fairy lights.

Step 9: Attach the rope for hanging. Our larger orb started with 3 feet of rope. I love the natural rope with the rosy metal. It gives the project a nice warm feel that’s really on-trend right now. We did an eye splice on both ends of our three-strand rope to give the rope a hanger and a decorative touch. You can see how to do that here, or you could hang the orb by simply knotting the rope to the top. I tied the looped rope to the orb using a tiny sheer bow.

Step 10: Using a hot glue gun, glue Spanish moss over top of the floral foam to cover it.

Step 11: Add floral elements. I started with a base of seeded eucalyptus and left some drape down. I added cream color roses for a simple and elegant display.

The orbs look great in so many different ways. I had fun playing around with a few different elements and created a pink and burgundy look. The flowers used in this arrangement are sweetheart roses, hydrangea, and sedum.

It’s hard to believe these flowery orbs started out as tomato stakes!

I hope you’ll give this a try and post a photo!

The orb is filled with eucalyptus and cream roses

A package of two double ring plant stakes

The four rings separated from the stakes

wire woven through the spokes to hold the orb in place

attach foam to the orb with greening pins

hot glue Spanish moss to the floral foam

add eucalyptus by poking stems into foam.

Thanks for checking out my blog today! Use coupon code TAKE25 to receive $25 off your order of $200 or more at Kate Aspen!

Have a beautiful day, and try something creative 🙂

DIY Crafts · Home Decor

DIY Chinoiserie Chic Mini Pumpkins

September 17, 2020September 17, 2020 deb@bluewillowlane1 Comment

Like to Doodle? You Can Create A Beautiful Fall Decor Piece For Your Home

Okay so I have a long, long love affair with Asian style design, art, and porcelain pieces. Hence my blog name. And my overflowing china cabinets. 🙂 Chinoiserie Chic is a huge trend right now in home decor, and honestly it’s enough to make me want to redo my whole house.

But for today, I’m going to settle for four mini pumpkins. I love creative projects, and I have to say, this one really brought me joy to work on and I’m so happy with the results. Even with their imperfections, the pumpkins are unique works of art that were created by me.

This is a super low-stress project. Just get a few pumpkins, some really good fine tip permanent markers, some inspiration from your china dishes or a quick google search of chinoiserie prints, and spend a couple of hours creating. So de-stressing and relaxing! The only downside to my pumpkins is I made mine out of real mini white pumpkins and now I’m wishing I had used artificial white pumpkins so I could have kept these through Thanksgiving and for next year!

If you want to try this project, I recommend you consider buying some small pumpkins, spray painting them with chalk paint, doing your marker design, and then sealing them. That way you will have them for years to come, unlike me who will have to say goodbye to my little pumpkins in a few weeks.

Here are the step by step instructions for creating these little beauties.

This post does contain affiliate links at no cost to you. Please see about page for full details and thank you very much for reading my post.

Supply List

Pumpkins

White Chalk Paint

Krylon Clear Finish

Bic Ultra Fine Tip Permanent Markers

Select your small white pumpkins. See my previous note about using artificial pumpkins.
If you are using real pumpkins, seal them with polyurethane or another sealer first so that you have a nice smooth surfact to work on.
If you are using artificial pumpkins, spray them with white chalk paint.
Allow to dry thoroughly. I waited for a day before I started on my design.
Decide on what designs you want to use. I made two pumpkins inspired by hydrangea and chrysanthemum motifs similar to some beautiful Asian-inspired wallpaper I saw online. I made one based on a traditional cherry tree painting, and one taking its design elements from blue willow china.

Churchhill Blue Willow Dishware

4. Using a fine tip marker in a color you would like to have throughout your design, draw the basic elements. I used this wonderful set of fine tip markers which gave me a huge variety of colors to work with. The great thing about the Asian motifs I used is that they are fairly simple–geomentric shapes, curved lines, flowers, and leaves. I used a brown marker for the outlines on two of them and the black for the blossom branch design. For the blue willow design I only used a couple of the shades of blue.

5. Once you have a rough outline, go back and fill in with the colors you want in your design.

6. Look back over the design and see where it could use some depth. Use another color to add a bit to some sections. For example, on some of my light green leaves, I added some purple.

7. Spray the pumpkins with a light coat of sealer.

That’s it! Such a fun project! Easier than I thought and great results! I hope you will give it a try and let me know how yours turned out and post your picture!

Have a beautiful day and create something that makes you happy! 🙂

DIY Crafts · Home Decor

DIY Fall Decor: Coppery Hypertufa Pumpkin Sculpture

September 8, 2020September 9, 2020 deb@bluewillowlane1 Comment

Making Art With Hypertufa

Aren’t outdoor sculptures so striking? The effect of a well-chosen outdoor accent can really add to the beauty and charm of outdoor spaces. I have been wanting to try some concrete projects for years, but I finally decided to give it a try this week. Creating something out of hypertufa, a mix of concrete, perlite, and peat moss, turned out to be a cool project with some pretty nice results. Since this was my first try, I definitely want to play around with it and see what else I can come up with and refine the technique a little.

For this project, I made a set of coppery pumpkins. They’re a cute little accent and you could use them indoors, on your porch, patio, or front steps. The fun part is deciding whether to leave them as-is or decorate them!

Supplies:

Portland Cement

Perlite

Peat Moss

Water

Trowel

Rubber bands

Tights or pantyhose

Dust mask

If painting copper-

Spray paint (I used Krylon fusion copper metallic)

For verdigris highlights: acrylic paints in green, gray, and antique gold

Mix the hypertufa

Wear a dust mask. Mix equal parts portland cement, perlite, and peat moss in a large bucket. Gradually add water, possibly up to one equal part. Mix in very slowly so you are controlling the consistency. It should not be crumbly but it cannot be too watery. It should be like a moldable mud texture.

Cut a section from a leg of pantyhose. To make a larger pumpkin, use a long section and start at the top of the leg. Tie a knot at the bottom of the pantyhose.
Stuff the pantyhose with hypertufa. Really squish it in there and pat it around to make a good pumpkin shape. I made a couple that were too flat when finished because I didn’t stuff in enough hypertufa, so you want to keep filling it in, forming it, and making it rounded as you go. When you have a shape you like, tie another knot.
Use rubber bands around the whole thing to form indentions like the sections of a pumpkin. Your rubber bands will be like slices of pie or spokes of a wheel.
Let your pumpkins dry without disturbing them for 4 days.
Cut off the rubber bands and pantyhose, and you’re done!
If you want to, you can decorate the pumpkin. I decided to give mine an aged copper look. I spray painted them with Krylon fusion copper metallic.

For the smaller one, I added some shading for a verdigris effect. I used folk art acrylic paints in dark green and gray, mixed together for various shading, and also added some antique metallic gold.

I’m going to be trying some more cement projects, so I’ll let you know how they turn out. The possibilities for making your own decorative pieces with this stuff are endless!

Have a beautiful day and try something new and creative! 🙂

DIY Crafts · Home Decor

DIY Fall Folk Art Vase Fun and Easy Project

September 4, 2020September 5, 2020 deb@bluewillowlane1 Comment

Time to get ready for fall festivities! Whether you plan to cook a meal at your home or are looking to have something to drop off at grandma’s, this is a fun DIY project. When finished, the vase has a hand-painted look because of the combination of paint and decoupage. Kids can help with the acrylic paint and decoupage steps.

Supplies:

Glass cylinder vase

Metallic spray paint

Seasonal napkins

Modge Podge

Acrylic Craft Paint, various colors

Acrylic craft paint, metallic to match spray paint

Step 1- Make sure the glass vase is clean and dry

Step 2- Spray paint the vase according to instructions on the paint can. Only do this outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.

Step 3- Choose a seasonal napkin. I always have a bunch of fun napkins around because I just like to change up the table for the season. I chose a Spode woodland turkey napkin because it went with the look I was going for, but you could use anything. Make sure you are only working with one layer. Carefully affix the napkin where you would like it placed using modge podge or polyurethane.

Step 4- Paint a decorative folk-art inspired border around the top. I did a simple vine and bud design in colors that coordinated with the napkin illustration. Once I had the basic design, I went back and added a little gray to places to make it look slightly shaded.

Step 5- add highlights with metallic paint. I added some small gold highlights here and there on the turkey design napkins. I also painted some blue over top of parts of the decoupage to add to the folk art hand-painted look.

Step 6- coat with polyurethane. I coated the whole thing with spray-on clear poly (outdoors) to give it all a unified texture.

The great thing about this project is it doesn’t need to look perfect! I wanted a folk art look, so I’m happy with the primitive style painting. If the decoupage isn’t perfect, it’s also getting some paint and poly.

This was an easy, fun project.