Another DIY Adirondack Set on the Cheap

DIY Adirondack Chairs and Table Pin

We are so excited building things for our new abode! Directly across the street is a lovely, wildflower, rabbit, squirrel and bird abundant park. We’ve decided to rid our lives of cable t.v., which affords us way more extra time than I realized, or care to admit. Instead of vegging out to the news upon awakening, we enjoy our morning coffee on the front porch in our super comfy adirondack set that we built with our own hands! We are forced to be more present and enjoy one another and nature more than ever, but the benefits of minimizing screen time are out of the scope of this article. I just want to talk about awesome adirondack-ness!DIY Adirondack Chairs Stools and Table

DIY Outdoor Furniture

This whole set took us a week, a few hours a day or so. We built the exact same set we shared in this DIY Adirondack Set post, so you can find the plan there.

DIY Adirondack Table

We changed the color scheme. I used Rustoleum Vintage Teal for the table. I found outdoor pillows at Walmart for $5 each that tied everything together!

DIY Adirondack Chair Woodworking Plan

Here is the first chair finished. Notice all the screw holes we had to fill before painting! I prefer Fast’N Final by DAP.

Chalk Painted DIY Adirondack Chair Set

For the chairs and stools, I used Rustoleum Chalked in Linen White. It took 3 coats, which in my experiences is a lot for chalk paint. All in all, I am happy with the product and will use it again.

All five pieces were sealed with Minwax Polycrylic Water Based Protective Finish. It is my go to!

Facebook Adirondack DIY

How to build Adirondack Chairs

We love our new set, and our mornings spent together, present and peaceful!

Glam Up Mother Nature for a Naturally Beautiful Holiday

savedbylove1_glamupmothernatureforanaturallybeautifulholidayA foraging trip outdoors starts the holidays off right. It’s a sure-fire way to pick some holiday spirit, and an even better way to save your money for gifts for your loved ones rather than spending it on decor.

 

Combine your store-bought sparkle with nature’s bounty for beautiful decorations that don’t break the bank. Low- to no-cost natural elements are the perfect addition to your decoration collection for decorating the mantle, tabletop and tree.

 

Turn collecting natural goodies into a scavenger hunt with the kids. Gather various sizes of pinecones, acorns, bare branches, evergreens and berries. If you don’t have any evergreens outside, you can stop anywhere fresh Christmas trees are sold and get the discarded lower branches for a low cost, or possibly for free. These work just fine to cut up for decorations. Finally, add in goodies from the grocery store like apples, popcorn, cranberries or citrus fruits. Now you’ve got the recipe for a pretty holiday home. It’s time to start decorating!

diy-holiday-decor-using-nature

Nature on Display

 

savedbylove2_glamupmothernatureforanaturallybeautifulholiday

 

Start with what you already own. Clear vases or jars, cake stands, baskets and plates turn into decorations with a bit of creativity.

 

Create an ornament display that is sure to become a focal point. Collect bare branches and dig into your ornament collection. Tying the baubles on bare limbs makes them stand out and really come to life. Do something as simple as these red balls on one branch, or collect several branches to place in a row of jars. You could even get a large multi-limbed branch to stand in a large floor vase.

 

You can also fill glass containers with pinecones and acorns. Add a bit of glam by dusting them with glitter or fake snow. Try tucking a few tiny ornaments in the glass container, too—look for a really interesting one to highlight, such as a tiny pair of ice skates or a darling little Santa.

 

Holiday Arrangement

 

savedbylove3_glamupmothernatureforanaturallybeautifulholiday

 

Create a floral-shop worthy display with a combination of your natural found items and produce. This wonderfully scented decoration is easy to make. Gather up apples, oranges, whole cloves, pinecones and greenery. Select a container—a basket or bowl will work.

 

Begin by pushing the cloves into the oranges in any pattern you like. If your basket or bowl is very deep, stuff the bottom of it with some balls of paper. First, set in your oranges, toward the center. Arrange pinecones and apples around the oranges. Cut small pieces of greenery and tuck them in between the fruit to hide gaps or any paper that shows. Finish by accenting here and there with a bit of something bright. You can add a few tiny ornaments, colorful cranberries, sprigs of holly or a dusting of fake snow.

 

Tabletop Centerpiece

 

savedbylove4_glamupmothernatureforanaturallybeautifulholiday

 

A low centerpiece is just the ticket for holiday dinners because you want to be able to see over it and enjoy conversations with family and friends. You can make a beautiful, simple one with your natural collection and some shiny ornament balls.

 

Collect pinecones, fall leaves, greenery, ornaments and a bit of paint. Check your paint stash for holiday shades of gold, silver, white, copper or red. Choose one you think compliments your ornaments. Paint the fall leaves and a few pinecones and allow the paint to dry. Leave some of the pinecones natural.

 

Use a flat plate or tray to hold your centerpiece. Snip evergreens in small pieces and arrange flat to cover the plate or tray. Arrange large pinecones in the center and then add the ornaments to the plate. Tuck tiny pinecones and the painted leaves around the large cones and balls.

 

Let It Shine

 

savedbylove5_glamupmothernatureforanaturallybeautifulholiday

 

Holiday parties and family gatherings are a celebration and celebrations call for candles. Natural elements can come into play with candles. Here are a few ideas:

 

  • Place a few cranberries and snips of greenery in a jar. Add water and drop a floating candle in the top. Add glamour by nestling them in some shiny bead garland or silvery icicles.
  • Place fresh cranberries in a tall vase. Nestle a candle into the berries. Tie a pretty ribbon around the vase.
  • Arrange three to five tiny votive candles on a plate with a rim. Surround them with fresh cranberries, whole nuts and acorns.

 

Strings of Fun

 

savedbylove6_glamupmothernatureforanaturallybeautifulholiday

 

Generations of families have enjoyed stringing popcorn on thread to decorate their tree. While you can certainly do just popcorn, it’s fun to give it a glamourous touch, like adding shiny gold jingle bells or a small ornament every so often. Don’t stop with just popcorn – you can string cranberries and even gummy candies!

 

After the holidays are over, don’t toss out the strings of popcorn and berries. Hang them on bushes in the yard and enjoy watching the birds have a winter feast.

 

As an organizational expert, Lea Schneider helps homeowners get organized, but also dabbles in decorating. She provides some great tips on using nature to decorate for the holidays. Visit the Home Depot to find a great selection of Christmas decorations.

 

How to Make a Gorgeous Fall Wreath

DIY Fall Decor

It has been way too long since I made and shared a DIY wreath project with you all. That is why I am a super stoked about today’s simple, cheap tutorial – a gorgeous gilded wreath to adorn your front door. You are going to need just a few supplies and an hour to create your very own. Let’s get started!

how-to-make-a-fall-wreath-savedbyloves

SUPPLIES:

how-to-spray-paint-plastic

Plastic or foam pumpkins and gourds (I got mine for 50% off at Michaels)

Krylon Dual spray paint in metallic gold, or your favorite color

A wreath form, or cardboard with and scissors(I used a pizza box)

Hot glue gun and sticks

Ribbon to coordinate with your paint choice

Drop cloth or old sheet to protect surface from overspray

diy-fall-decor

Begin by laying out your pumpkins on the drop cloth. This project is best done outside since you will be spray painting.

how-to-spray-paint-plastic

Spray pumpkins per instructions on can. Make sure you are using paint that has primer in it. If not, you will need to prime the pieces first. I love Krylon Dual because it has paint and primer in one. It is my go to product for spray painting.

how-to-make-your-own-wreath-form

Now for the wreath form. I showed you how to make your own from cardboard in this DIY Poinsettia Wreath tutorial. For this project, I wrapped the cardboard wreath form in duct tape for durability since I planned to hang the wreath outdoors.

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Before attaching the painted, dry pumpkins, place the ribbon around the wreath. Hot glue it into place, then begin attaching pumpkins.
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It’s as easy as that!

pumpkin-diy-fall-wreath-from-savedbyloves

TIP: For more cohesiveness, once all the pumpkins are in place, use the same spray paint to spray the wreath form where it is visible in the spaces.

For more of our festive wreaths, click:

Saved by Love Creations DIY Wreath Tutorials

How to Build a Dog Feeding Station

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of DAP Products Inc. for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

How to Build a Dog Feeding Station

Today you get free woodworking plans and distressed painting instructions to build this custom dog feeding station. All of the wood in this project was scored in the Craigslist free section. I literally stalk this section daily, which has paid off in spades over the years!

Saint Bernarnd Puppy

This project is for our friend’s irresistibly adorable Saint Bernard puppy, Willy (above). You can easily adjust the height to fit your animal just right. This was my first time using DAP® RapidFuse™ Wood Adhesive, which I am excited about for many reasons. You will be too! Let’s get started.

Tools and Materials list:

Identical food and water bowls (They don’t have to be the same size as ours, but need to fit in the space                               dictated by the width of the wood you are using for the top).

DAP® RapidFuse™ Wood Adhesive

¾ inch finished-one-side plywood – 10 feet

Kreg Jig and 1.5 inch Kreg screws

1.5 inch x 0.25 inch trim strips (Or desired wood for trim)

Glue, Pencil, paper, Scissors

Table saw and Jig Saw

Nail gun

Drill

Craigslist free section gave us a section of ¾ quarter inch finished plywood in perfect shape. The piece was dry, flat, hole-free, and large enough to cut out all the pieces.

  1. The first thing to do is to build the basic box using the ¾ plywood. Here are the dimension for each piece:

(2 Pieces) Front/Back – 12” x 23”

(2 Pieces) Sides – 12” x 12”

(1 Piece) Top – 12” x 21.5”

  1. Cut Bowl opening in Top.

Willy’s bowls were the stainless steel, slightly tapered ones with a little ¼ inch lip around the top edge. The trick is to cut the opening so that it is large enough that the bowl slips all the way down in but small enough that it catches the lip of the bowl. Seems simple but because of the slight taper it is a little tricky. Here’s the way I found easiest.

Woodworking project plansGet the bowl into position. For mine each bowl opening ended up being 3.25 inches apart in the center and 7.5 inches in diameter. You can set them however you want visually. Once in place, trace a line around the upside down bowls.

Drill hole for Jig Saw

Use your drill and drill a hole inside the circle large enough for your jig saw blade to pass through.

Insert Jigsaw blade

Using your jig saw cut out the circle you traced on to the top. The trick is to cut the opening so that it is large enough that the bowl slips all the way down in but small enough that it catches the lip of the bowl. If you prefer not to eyeball it, draw a circle inside the traced circle. If you’re like me, I had to do a little finishing touch with the saw and the sandpaper, in order to get the bowls to sit down nicely in the hole. BE CAREFUL don’t get happy with the cutting and make the hole too big. You don’t want the bowl to fall through!

  1. Drill Kreg holes into each piece as follows:

          TopKreg Hole Placement for Top Piece
                                                                                  SidesKreg Hole Placement for sides of holder

Use Kreg Jig to Join Wood

For more info on using this jig, see my previous post: How to Make a Pallet Sign Using a Kreg Jig

  1. Assembly – Time to put it all together and talk about wood glue!

Wood Glue Tips

I had the opportunity to try out DAP® RapidFuse™ Wood Adhesive, and I won’t go back to other wood glues! After just 30 minutes, you can plane, sand and stain wood. No more waiting 24 hours. No more not being able to stain. The stuff is also water resistant, so it’s great for indoor and outdoor projects. The joint is stronger than with yellow glue or polyurethane glue, and doesn’t swell, shrink or crack! There is no other glue like it. Seriously.

Wood Glue Application

Apply a line of glue on the side piece.

Attach with Kreg Jig

Attach the side pieces to the front piece first using the 1.5 inch Kreg screws.

Next, attach the TOP piece so that it sits inside the sides and flush with the top edge of the front piece. Also attach the top to the side pieces.

Lastly, attach the back piece in the same way you did the front piece.
Attach top last

Now you have a box that is extra sturdy, with a recessed top that has holes in it to sit the bowls.

Attach Mitered Trim

    1. Trim – We decided to cut mitered trim pieces around the perimeter of the Top to cover the little seam and just add a little “finished” look. It’s totally optional. We make our own trim board by using the table saw with the fence set to about ¼ inch and then we rip 1.5 wide boards. You can buy trim board already cut if you prefer. We also mitered the corners but you can butt them if you don’t have confidence in your mitering skill. Just do it like you’re cutting a picture frame and attach it to the box with glue and then small brads in the nail gun.

Sand edgesBefore painting, sand any uneven areas.How to Chalk Paint Distress Wood

    1. Paint – We wanted a distressed look, and decided to go with a stained top, painted bottom. This is a super easy paint distressing technique that you can apply to any project.

Stain top

I stained the top with Wood Finishing Cloths. These are super convenient as they aren’t as messy as using stain from a can, and they contain sealant!

Dry Brush for DIY Weathered Wood Finish
Tape off the top (pictured below). Apply your first base coat color randomly on all sides. This is fun because you paint in every which way, quickly and messily!

Dry Brush on Second Color

Once the first color is dry, apply the second color in the same fashion. I realized at this point I needed to tape off the top so I wouldn’t get paint on the stained area.

Apply Final Paint Color with Wooden Block

A block of wood is a great tool for creating a chippy paint look. You can use a piece of scrap wood, or this fancy distressing tool with a handle. Just get a glob of paint on the wood, and drag it across your surface, repeating until you are happy with the result.

Create Stencil with Cricut and Paint Name

Finally, I created a stencil with my cricut machine and cut it out of white contact paper. I used a dark gray/black chalk paint for this part, applying it with a paint dauber.

DIY Dog Feeding Station Tutorial

Seal as desired and you are finished!

How to Make a Dog Feeding Station FB

Thanks to DAP for the great new woodworking product. I will be keeping up with them here: DAP Facebook, and for sure using RapidFuse in my future builds!

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DIY Repurposed Shelf to Jewelry Display

DIY Jewelry Display

I don’t know what your earring situation is like, but mine was pretty sad until I took action. Today, I am sharing how I turned a piece of metal shelving from Habitat Restore into a cool earring display, with a little spray paint and some reclaimed wood.

Shelf

Here is the wire shelving section I used. Pictured is black chalkboard spray paint I used initially. I decided I didn’t love it, and went with metallic silver Krylon spray paint instead. Just spray evenly over a protected surface, in a space with good ventilation (preferably outdoors). Let dry completely. I let mine sit overnight.

How to Make a Repurposed Jewelry Display

Next it was time to build the frame. I used old wood that I found in the free section on Craiglist. This is by far my favorite source for free wood. My second favorite way to acquire free wood is to drive around alleyways near businesses or behind strip malls, looking for piles of pallets. I always make sure I ask, and most people are happy to have help getting rid of them. I have only been told “no” once.

Mark the wood with a pencil, using the shelf for measuring. Cut to 45° angles on each end of the wood, going in opposite directions. Cut two for the sides and two for the top and bottom. I used Kreg Jig pocket holes to connect the pieces at each corner to form a frame. For more details, see my post on How to Use a Kreg Jig and DIY Barnwood Frames.

DIY Shelving to Jewelry Display @savedbyloves

If you like this project, you will love our round-up of 50+ Creative DIY Jewelry Organizers:

Over 50 Creative DIY Jewelry Organizers to Make

DIY Reclaimed Wood Headboard Under $25

How to make a headboard from reclaimed fence boardsWant a beautiful rustic headboard that’s easy to build and easy on the wallet? Stick with this plan and you can have one in about 4 hours (if you have already prepared the “aging solution”… more on that later). The one we built was made to fit a queen size bed frame but this can easily be modified to fit your particular bed size. Let’s do this!

 

Step 1.

Decide on the size. As I said earlier we made ours to fit a standard queen size frame. The distance between the attachment points on a frame that size is about 60 inches. So we made the over- all width to be about 3 inches wider than that. This allows the two main upright legs to fall right on the frame so it can be attached with a couple screws.

The height of the headboard is also a personal preference. We chose to make ours about 56 tall. I wouldn’t go any shorter than 40 and not too much taller unless you have an unusually tall mattress and box springs. Otherwise it looks a little overwhelming.

Step 2.

Obtain the lumber. We found some old weathered barn and scrap wood on the free craigslist site. The following boards were used for this particular size head board. The dimensions are approximate because reclaimed stuff comes in various sizes. So long as you keep the main leg rails and the back boards straight and the same thickness, you can use whatever you like.

For ours:

Main leg rails: (2) 2×4 x 56 inches

Back boards: (5) 5/8” x 5.5 “ x 6 ‘ and (3) 5/8” x 3” x 6 ‘ rough sawn cedar or pine dogged eared fencing boards.

Top mantel board: (1) ¾” x 3” x 6’ rough pine or cedar board. (cut to length after assembly)

Trim Board: (1) 5/8 x 1” x 6’ board (cut to length after assembly)

If you end up buying these form a big box place pick out the gnarly, rough looking ones that nobody else wants. They are super cheap (less than a buck and a half a board) and the take up the “aging solution” very well.

 

How to Weather Wood

Aging solution: To put a darker, weathered look on any new wood that you may have to use in the construction of your piece, here is a kind of a neat and cheap way to do it.

In a plastic bucket mix 1 part water and 1 part white vinegar. Place three or four steel wool pads that you have teased apart a little bit into wispy strands. Make sure the steel wool is submerged in the solution. Put the lid on the bucket and allow it to stand for about 4 days.

Distress wood with vinegar

When its ready to go, use a brush or a cheap roller to apply it to the boards that you want or age or darken. When you first put it on it will want to “bead” up on the wood. After a few seconds the grain opens and it pulls in to the wood and it evens out to a nice “wet” look. The only tip I have is to make sure you don’t leave a big drop or a splash on the surface. Make sure you roll or brush it out so that it the entire surface is evenly wet. It’s a fooler because it’s like painting with water. You don’t think it’s doing anything at first except wetting the surface…but in about an hour you will see what happens. Try some on a practice piece to get comfortable with how to apply it and how many coats. The more you do it the darker it gets. Less is more. Do this to all of your boards before you cut and assemble.

Rip the 2x4

Saw Cuts: The only cut that you have to make that is just a little out of the ordinary cross-cut style is the rabbit cut on the leg rails. Don’t worry they are simple too, but it does require a table saw or a radial arm saw if you want to do it right. I used our table saw so that’s what I’ll explain.

How to Rip wood with table saw

After you have cross cut the 2×4 leg rails to the right length of 56 inches, you are going to perform a rip –cut down the center of the 2×4 with the blade depth set such that it will only go half way through the thickness of the board. So that means the fence is set to 1.75 inches from the blade and the depth of the blade is set to ¾ inches. Rip the entire length of the board. Then do the other leg the same way. Now reset the fence to ¾ inch from blade and the blade depth to 1.75 inches. Fli the board 90 degrees and rip the length of the board. Repeat with other board.

What you should have now is two boards that have a rabbit or lap that runs the entire length. This is where the back boards will sit and what creates the finished hidden edge when you look from the front of the headboard.

Back of the headboard

Next cut your back boards to exactly the same length. They can be whatever length your bed frame demands, and they don’t have to be exactly 60 inches for example, but it is critical that they are all the same. So cut the 5 wide backboards and the three narrower backboards all the same.

Assembly:

Determine layout of boards

Lay the leg rails down on a flat surface ( garage floor?) and then lay the back boards face down between them so they span from one rail horizontally to the other. We decided to run a couple of the narrower ones in between the wider ones to give it a little less uniform look . You can do whatever. If you actually prepared 5 wide and three narrow boards for this you have plenty run down below where a typical mattress and box spring will sit. The idea is that you don’t see a huge gap above the mattress for the pillow to fall down in and that just looks silly. So measure your bed from floor to top of mattress and make sure you attach enough back boards to go all the way down past where the top of the mattress will be.

Kreg jig pocket holes

After you have laid the boards out and checked them for length and fit , you can actually fasten them into the leg rails. There are a number of ways to do this, we like to use Kreg jig screws. They provide secure, quick fastening. We put two holes in the end of each of the back boards to keep the board from cupping. We also used glue under the edge for added measure. For the top board, we used the Kreg jig to drill pocket holes facing up for the attachment of the top “shelf” board.

After you have secured all of the back boards the headboard assembly is pretty much complete. It should be strong enough to stand it up and measure the final length of the top finish piece and the trim piece. We like to run the top “mantel” all the way from the outside leg rail edge to the other. Flush. The width of this top board will dictate the over hang you achieve. You can let it hang over the back and the front if you like. We allowed ¾ inch over hang in the back.

DIY Reclaimed wood headboard

Secure it to the top board using the kreg pocket holes you drilled along the top edge.

The ¾ inch over hang of the top mantel board in the back allowed us to run a ¾ inch board down the back (perpendicular) to each of the horizontal back boards. We then screwed it into each of the back boards from the back so none of it shows (see photo above). This kept all of the horizontal boards even when viewed from the front and will tie them together as on unit so they don’t warp or bend apart from one another and create an unsightly gap over time.

Reclaimed wood furniture

The last piece to put on is the trim board that goes between the legrails and right up under the top mantel piece. This just finished the look of the whole thing in my opinion. Attach with small finish nails and glue.

DIY Headboard

Final finish

Touch up anything you need to with some more aging solution and then seal with your favorite wax or varnish!

Pottery Barn Knock Off $3 Sea Glass Votives

Pottery Barn Knock Off With Dollar Store Supplies @savedbylovesI have been out of the creative groove, dealing with some life stuff, and I can’t tell you how happy I am to be sharing with you again! Punctuating the blog break is a super cheap, easy sea glass hanging votive holder tutorial. Why do you care? I will give you three reasons. First, they are awesome… duh. Second, they are a full blown dollar store craft, yay! Finally, I knocked them off from Pottery Barn’s Sea Glass Hanging Votives for a fraction of their cost. Mine… $3 plus stuff I had on hand. Theirs… $60 and no bragging rights. You can put that $57 you saved towards a backyard soiree, complete with stylish ambiance handmade by you!

Supplies:

Dollar Store Glasses

Grab glass holders like these. I got them at Dollar Tree.

Martha Stewart Glass Paint Frost:in sea glass colors (blues, aquas, white)

Rubbing Alcohol

Vinyl or latex gloves

Lint Free Towel

Cosmetics sponges

Votives

Mason Jar Hanging Lantern Wire

Jar Wire Hangers (I got mine at Joann’s, but here are some on Amazon)

*If your containers are spherical without a neck like one of mine pictured, you will need to drill holes in the glass, which I showed you here: How to Drill Holes in Glass

*In this case, or if your glass holders are too large for the wire hangers you can purchase, or if you want to save $, you will need to make your own wire hangers (I cover that below). For that you will need:

DIY Hanging Lanterns

Pliers

Wire Cutters or Metal Snips if your hanger is to hard to cut with wire cutters

Wire clothes hanger or craft wire 16 gauge

Instructions:

PAINTING THE GLASS

How to Make Hanging Votive Lanterns9

Clean the surface of the glass with rubbing alcohol and a lint free towel or paper towel. Make sure to wear gloves. You want to get rid of fingerprints and refrain from touching the glass with your bear hands after cleaning it. The glass paint needs a clean, oil free surface for maximum adherence.

How to Make Hanging Votive Lanterns11

For this lantern, I mixed frosty white and glossy aqua. Apply several thin layers with a soft brush or cosmetic sponge, allowing 30 minutes of dry time between layers. I did two coats with the above mixture, then I used frosty “Surf” on the bottom third for layer three. I went over the entire piece with frosty white to blend and create the ombre effect.

*With glass paint, the key is patience and faith. It will look like crap until it dries…

martha stewart glass paint

I told you. Here I used a soft brush, then remembered why I prefer cosmetic sponges with glass paint. I switched to the sponge for the rest of the layers. It looks awful regardless of what you use, until it dries and evens.

*For more tips and details on glass paint technique:

 Recycled Wine Bottle Address Lantern DIY

Once you have painted your glass holders, let them dry overnight before moving on to the next step:

ADDING THE WIRE HANGER

How to Make Hanging Votive Lanterns8

For all of my hanging votive holders except for the spherical one and the white one, I used these purchased wire jar hangers. They are super handy and I had them in my stash.

As I said in the supplies section, you can make your own version to save cash, if your holder is too big for the mason jar version, or if you have a container with no “lip” to rest on the wire.

DIY Hanging Lanterns

This holder was to large in diameter for the mason jar sized wire hanger. To start, I cut the top off the hanger with metal snips. You can use craft wire and wire cutters just as well. The hanger wire was super hard and difficult to cut and shape, but I couldn’t resist the repurpose. Next time I will go with a thicker gauge craft wire.

How to Make Hanging Votive Lanterns

Begin at one of the two “V” angles.

How to Make Hanging Votive Lanterns2

Form a loop by pulling the right wire under the left wire as pictured.

How to Make Hanging Votive Lanterns3

Bend the left wire just under the loop, and pull the under and back over it above the bend you made (see photo).

How to Make Hanging Votive Lanterns4

Use your glass to shape the wire. When you get to the side opposite your loop, trim the tails of your wire leaving 1.5 inches extra on one tail and about 0.5 inches on the other.

In retrospect, I should have made the wire for this before painting it, as I nicked it in a couple of places. Don’t make my same mistake. It’s easily avoidable.

How to Make Hanging Votive Lanterns5

One the longer tail, bend the wire and wrap the end around a pen or dowel to create a loop as shown.

Bend the other tail so that it sticks up, perpendicular to the wire as shown.

How to Make Hanging Votive Lanterns8

This diagram may help. The perpendicular tail you just made slides over the wire just under the loop from the previous step to secure the hanger around the neck of the container.

How to Make Hanging Votive Lanterns6
Make a handle with a piece of wire by forming a “U” shape with a loop at each end. Leave the handle loops open enough to slide into the neck piece loops.

How to Make Hanging Votive Lanterns7
Assemble as pictured and hang!

Make Dollar Store Sea Glass Votives

I love them! These are perfect for wedding receptions and festivities of all kinds. Best of all, they are charming and cheap.

Pottery Barn Knock Off Sea Glass Votives DIY

This is the Pottery Barn version. I went a little frostier because I like that look. You could use transparent gloss to achieve the look of the blue PB version pictured.

DIY Dollar Tree Sea Glass Votives

You may want to check out our 50+ DIY Lanterns for more fun lighting ideas:

 

 

50 Plus Awesome Yarn Crafts to Make

50 Best Yarn Crafts to make from @savedbylovesDon’t let the title scare you. For this collection, no crochet or knit skills are needed. This week’s crafty round-up is all about things to make with yarn. You will find all kinds of kids crafts, home decor, paper crafts and more. Enjoy!

50 Plus Awesome DIY Storage Ideas

50 Plus Awesome DIY Storage Ideas @savedbylovesIt is time for spring cleaning, and I am here to help you with 50+ awesome DIY storage ideas. You can get organized on a budget with this week’s collection. As always, if we missed your awesome DIY storage tutorial, send us the link or comment after this post. Enjoy!

How to Mod Podge Crackle a Dress Form

DIY Crackle Dress form @savedbyloves

Hallo there! My name is Amy – from the blogs Mod Podge Rocks, DIY Candy, and Washi Tape Crafts. Yep, I have three blogs. You could say I really love crafts – and also being busy, apparently. I guess that’s just how I roll! This is a tutorial I haven’t share yet, and am thrilled to show you today. Awhile back I made this initial wall art you see above, and at the same time I made the dress form in the photo. Here’s a closer look:

Dress form detail

The tutorial for the easy initial wall art is on Mod Podge Rocks, but I never shared any steps for the dress form. That is what I’m doing today! It uses Mod Podge Crackle Medium, which gives projects a fine eggshell crackle in one step. Here’s how I made it.

 

  • Paper mache dress form
  • Wood candlestick
  • Mod Podge Gloss
  • Mod Podge Crackle Medium
  • Fabric – you can use scraps
  • Acrylic paint – white and two other coordinating colors for the crackle portion – I used light green and dark green
  • Craft glue
  • Embellishments – I used a key on gold thread
  • Scissors
  • Paintbrush
  • Old cloth
  • Flow medium (optional)

Step One

Paint your wood candlestick with your lighter acrylic paint color – in my case, light green. Let dry.

Step Two

Paint your dress form white. This isn’t essential if your fabric is thick . . . but if it’s cotton like mine, the Mod Podge can make it a little transparent and dull down the color. So I always basecoat white because it just takes a few extra minutes.

Mod Podge Home Decor

Paint Mod Podge on your fabric and let it dry. This makes it easy to cut without fraying.

Step Four

Decoupage your fabric pieces to your dress form. Continue overlapping . . .

Step Five

until the whole thing is covered! You might have to trim and/or dart some pieces by cutting slits in the middle toward the top. It takes a minute, but you’ll get it. Set your dress form aside and let it dry.

Mod Podge Crackle Medium

Carefully read the instructions on the package of your Mod Podge Crackle Medium. I know it’s tempting to just re-open the package and begin, but with crackle medium, you need to read to make sure you understand. This is just one step, so it’s not that hard.

Step Seven

Brush the crackle medium onto your candlestick in a medium layer. Don’t keep brushing over and over the same area – just brush it on and try not to overlap. Let it dry.

Step Eight

This step is optional. If your darker paint color is a little thick, adding flow medium to it will help. The reason is because you are going to use a cloth to wipe it off in the next step, so you want the paint to be less viscous (more liquid and not as thick).

Step Nine

Brush the darker color over the lighter color and watch the crackle! Wipe off the excess (not hard, just gently wipe away the extra). Keep in mind it’s a fine eggshell crackle . . . so you can see it, but it’s not going to be huge divots. I personally love the effect!

Once you’re done, glue the dress form to the candlestick and add any embellishments (like my little necklace) to finish. Then display.

DIY Crackle Dress form @savedbyloves

Decoupaging dress forms is so fun! Give it a try. For more great ideas, come visit me on Pinterest . . . I also have a Mod Podge Rocks newsletter and DIY Candy newsletter that you should sign up for to get weekly inspiration. Thanks to Johnnie for having me and I’ll see you next time!

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