Garden Bird House

My cute little bird house, all completed. I displayed it out in a new section of our backyard garden.  I purchased a pre-made wooden bird house at Michaels craft store.  Then, using Mod Podge, scrapbook paper, ribbon and some pre-cut chipboard shapes, decorated it.  I love the way it turned out.

A closer view.

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#Mod-Podge Birdie

Here is my little Mod Podge birdie.  I found this little wooden birdie on the clearance rack at Michaels for 99¢ and couldn't pass it up.  I had intended to put it outside in my garden, but when I finished, it just seemed to fit right into my garden window.

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Spring Crate

I wasn't very on the ball last week.  I missed posting the Easter sign I made and the see-through

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Wickedy Witch Sign

This was a birthday gift from my sister. It came unmounted and unpainted, with just a coat of primer.  I was so excited when I saw it!  Last year about this time, I went to visit my sister and saw this witch sign amongst her many Halloween decorations.  I wanted it.  I really, really wanted it.  When I asked her where she got it, she told me she had made it.

One day while surfing the web she came across some craft classes--one to make these witch signs.  So my sister looked at the picture, she showed it to her husband and the two of them came up with a pattern.  When I saw it, I asked her for a copy.  Although it was less than a week away from Halloween at the time, I thought we could do it for an upcoming family craft day. Unfortunately, she never gave it to me.  When the end of September came around this year I thought again of that sign and I was just about to start bugging her for the pattern, but before I could--voilà!, she gave it to me without me asking.  Aren't sisters great?


Materials List:
Sparkle Mod Podge
Paint list

• Orange
•  Black
• Green
• Purple
• White

Coordinating ribbon
Glue gun
4 googly eyes 
Decorations for witch hat (I used glitterly pipe cleaner, ribbon and spider)
Witch hair (I used chenille pipe cleaners, my sister used orange yarn)
1 5/16" button (for nose)--you can also use this for the cat nose if you choose not to paint it.
36" x 5" piece of wood to mount your letters

These are the wooden pieces you have to work with.  Mine were already primered.

Paint the following pieces and allow to dry before adding a second coat.  

1. W--orange.  T, wooden button (nose) and witch's face--green.  C--purple.  H, cat head, witch's boots, hat brim, top of witch's hat and witch's dress--black.  Decorate the legs as you wish.     
2. Mod Podge scraps of coordinating paper to each letter, the dress of the witch and to the dowels for the socks.  Trim the edges. Remember to cover the entire surface with the Mod Podge so it will all look the same, especially if you are using one of the glittery or sparkly types.
3. Glue your googly eyes on the cat face.  Paint the nose and mouth.  I mixed a little black and white together to get the color I used for my cat's face.  Use the same color and a fine brush to paint the lines around the cat's face and ears.  
4.  Glue the googly eyes on the witch and with a fine brush and black paint add some eyelashes.  Then attach the nose.  Paint the mouth, I used a fine brush and black paint.  For the rosy cheeks, I used some of the orange paint mixed with white and began stippling it on (the harder you dab the darker the color).  I crosshatched some fine lines with black to finish off the cheeks (you can always use a fine black sharpie in place of a fine brush and black paint).  Glue your hair in place.  Attach the brim of you hat and decorate as you wish.  I added a couple of pieces of glittery pipe cleaners, two different ribbons, and a spider.  Glue the dowels in place for her legs and attach her boots.
5.  Tie/add bows where you wish!

Start with a primered piece.  Base the letter with the color of choice.  Add coordinating paper with the sparkle Mod Podge.  Then attached some matching ribbon just to add a little more flair. 

This was the first time I used the sparkle Mod Podge and I loved it! 

The W

The Witch

The T

The C

The Cat

This is my sister's sign.  The one that started my obsession with this project.  This is not the best picture.  It's kind of hard to see the witch's face clearly, but you can get the overall gist. 

And for any of you who would like to make your own sign, please e-mail me for the pattern.  I will be more than happy to send it out.  I tried to upload it to this post, but it just wasn't working.  :(

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Mod Podge Crayon Box

I have been MIA for a little while.  We have been spending time with visiting family from out-of-town and then the long holiday weekend took up more time, so I haven't been able to play with my crafts and blog too much.  But the holiday weekend is over, I'm pretty sad about that, and everyone has moved on to their next destination so now I'm back.  Posted below is my latest project.  :)

I made these little boxes for my granddaughters.  Although I made one for each of the girls to use however they wished, these could be used for anything--i.e.: hair barrettes, small toys, stationary, mail or, as I labeled my last box--crayons.  You name it...these boxes could probably hold it.

I found the unfinished wooden boxes at my local craft store.  They came as a set of three nested inside each other.  I took one look at them and decided they would be perfect for a Mod Podge project.  I love playing with Mod Podge, paper and paint.  You can do so much with it.

The items I used:
Paper (of your choice)
Paint (to match)
Mod Podge
Ribbon
Decorations
Cricut machine
Scissors
Hot glue
Pencil
Paint brush

1. Paint the inside bottom of the box and allow to dry. 
2. Paint the bottom outside of the box and allow to dry. 
3. Using my Cricut machine, I cut the paper to the size needed for the outside pieces.  That way I made sure I had correct sizes and straight lines.  My boxes had holes on each side for handles that I needed to also cut out. 
4. Mod Podge the paper onto the sides of the boxes.  Once dry, you can embellish them in any way you wish.

I cut names out with my Cricut in coordinating paper, and then I sponged those letters with the paint I used for the bottom of the each box.  Just to enhance the edges of the letters and make them pop off the paper a little.  The crayon box turned out the best.  I forgot to do the letters for the blue box and you can definitely see a difference there.

After gluing the words/names to the front of the box, I used some hot glue and tacked ribbon around the top edge to finish it off.  I also applied some cute little matching flowers. So what do you think?

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Peter Rabbit

Easter ranks right up there as a favorite holiday for me.  I love the candy giving and egg hunting, the cute stuffed bunnies. All the frilly-little dresses and cute suits to dress the little ones up, etc. but I especially love the decorations.  Here is a little wooden rabbit that I painted.

Paint list:

1. Pink Angel
2. Wicker White
3. Cinnamon
4. Thunder Blue
5. Black
6. Sunny Yellow
7. Spring Rose
8. Tangerine
9. Light Lavender
10. Purple
11. Hunter Green

Materials list:
Wooden pieces cut to size (I'll try to add the template at a later time)
Ribbon of choice (to tie around neck--not pictured)
Sharpie marker (black)
pencil
glue gun
one 1"x1" hearts (mouth)
one 5/16" button (for nose)
paint brushes

 

Base wooden pieces with main colors

1. Paint the following pieces and allow to dry before adding a second coat.  
2. Rabbit body, hands, feet and nose--Wicker White.  Nose--black.  Basket--Cinnamon.  Decorate the eggs as you wish.  I used Sunny Yellow, Spring Rose, Tangerine, Light Lavender, Purple, Hunter Green and Wicker White.   
3. Paint the checks Pink Angel. Also use the Pink Angel for the ears.  Use a fine brush and with Black outline both the ears and cheeks (can also use an extra-fine sharpie marker), also cross-hatch a few Black lines on both the ears and cheeks to shadow.
4. You can paint the eyes or just use two small wooden buttons (same as the nose) for the eyes.  Paint the eyebrows with Black using a fine paint brush.  I used Thunder Blue, Black, and Wicker White for the eyes.
5. Use a black sharpie marker for the detail around the edge of the rabbit body, hands and feet or a fine paint brush and black. Your choice.  I used the paint brush and Black paint.

After everything is dry...

Glue the whiskers in place.

Secure the nose and mouth.

With hot glue, secure the basket to the body and the afix the hands to the basket.  Glue the body to the feet. 
Tie a cute bow around his neck, which I forgot to do before I took these pictures!  :)

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Little butterball

While surfing the net one October day, I came upon a blog where the blogger had made a cute pumpkin plaque.  She had three pumpkins staggered in size, painted, distressed,  and then glued together large to small with a cute bow tied around the middle.  I visited a few more blogs that day and lo and behold I saw the same pumpkins.  At least the ideas were identical, the projects all turned out differently.  Each had their own unique shapes, they were painted in various colors and of course none of the ribbons were alike, but they all stemmed from the same idea, which gave me a great idea.  Why not do that with a turkey for a Thanksgiving project?  And my little butterball came alive.  So, I looked for a picture of a turkey that I liked that day and took it home to my hubby.   He told me to make him a pattern.  I did in three sizes.  And then I tried to wait patiently to him to find time to cut them out.  That was the hard part!

This is what I started with.   Three pieces; large to small.  Plain wood, thick enough to make it stand once they are stacked.

Base the two bottom pieces with brown, except for his shoes and hat which need to be painted black. 

The top piece I painted to match the picture (at least as much as I could).

Distress the edges slightly with sand paper and scuff the top of the paint.

Using a hot glue gun, glue each piece together.  Make sure the bottom of the feet are even so he will stand up.

Pick a fun fall ribbon and tie around his middle.

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Pumpkin Door Hanger

My niece Jen and her daughter created this one.  They were not able to join us so they did their pumpkins on their own.

Saturday was our "family craft day", which I'm very much enjoying.  This month, we all made our own individual pumpkin door hanger.  My dear, sweet hubby cut them out of wood for us.  As you can see, each one came away with it's own personality.  It was a lot of fun.

Supplies needed:
wood
wire (for the hanger)
hot glue gun
scissors
buttons--variety
orange paint
white paint
sand paper
paint brushes
raffia
fall flowers
ribbon (Halloween colors and/or variety)

Cut the pumpkin shape and nose piece from wood. 

Paint all the pieces.  I wanted to make my nose look like a piece of candy corn, but when I opened my yellow paint it was dry.  :(    So, we just did variegated oranges. 

My sister's pumpkin

After the paint dries, sand to make it look a little distressed.  My daughter took her's to the garage and also beat it with a hammer (but be careful not to break it!)  ;)

Hot glue your eyes and nose in place.  Sam gave her's rosy cheeks. 

My niece Sam's pumpkin

Add the handle and some ribbon, flowers, etc.  

This is my sister, Paula's pumpkin.



This is one my niece, Tiffany and her three-year-old daughter, Chloe made.



This is another one Jen and her daughter made.

My daughter, Courtney's pumpkin, mine, and my d-i-l, Amber's pumpkin

Some placed their noses upside down, which I thought looked much cuter.  Courtney added eyeshadow to her's (a row of colorful buttons above her eyes).  We all had fun designing our pumpkins.

I will try to add the pattern but it is a little big for my scanner, so I have to scale it down first.

pumpkin pattern

Remember this is scaled down, so you will have to size it up a little bit in order to get it back to the size we used.  Have fun creating your pumpkin faces!

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Wooden Garden Flowers

A few years ago, my niece made some wooden garden flowers.  She gave a couple of them to me. I love them.

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