Archive | D I Y

Hello friends! This DIY spray paint plant artwork is sooooooo easy and fun!  If you have spray paint and some thick paper on hand it should only take you about ten minutes or less to make.  Sometimes you just need to change up the artwork in your frames and you don’t want to spend a fortune, so this is easy and will be one of a kind.

Step 1:  Cut your thick paper/card-stock (I used watercolor paper) to the size you’ll need to fit inside your frame.
Step 2:  Forage for some flowers and leaves in your yard.
Step 3:  Lay out some newspaper on the ground and place your piece of paper on top.
Step 4:  Press the flowers and leaves onto the paper (some of them you may want to put upside down so that they will lay a bit more flat).
Step 5:  Read the directions on your can of spray paint and then spray accordingly.
Step 6:  Once it is dry (mine only took about a minute) remove the flowers and leaves and write a favorite word or something you want to remember on the front with an ink pen or sharpie.  I did have to trace over my word several times because the paper/spray paint was so absorbent.  Now frame it and you’re done!

What word or phrase would you put on your piece?  Let me know in the comments below! 🙂  And if you try this tag me in it on Instagram so I can see.

You know that moment when you’re trying to fall asleep but ideas keep bombarding you?  Well these DIY string hanging planters  are one of those ideas that wouldn’t let me sleep one night.  So of course I had to try to make them.  I used to have the most gorgeous huge green plant in my room but when we moved it didn’t make it and since then I haven’t had any in my room.  Enter air plants.

Warning: this DIY is messy and sticky so if you don’t like that then this isn’t for you.  On the other hand if you loved camp as a child and enjoy creativity this is definitely for you!

You will need:
3 water balloons
String or yarnGlue (I bought a 7.5 oz bottle of Elmer’s glue and used about half of it)
1/4 cup corn starch
1/8 cup hot water
Cooking spray
Marker
Disposable bowl

Step 1:  Blow up three water balloons to various sizes and draw an oval/circle on the side of each.
Step 2: Mix corn starch and hot water together in a disposable bowl.
Step 3: Add half of the glue bottle and stir till well mixed.
Step 4: Lightly coat each balloon with cooking spray. (This does make the balloons harder to hold but it helps the glue come off more easily later.)
Step 5:  Tie a different colored string (or curling ribbon) around the top of the balloon where you tied it off.  You’ll use this to hang up the balloon to dry later.
Step 6:  Take your string and start dipping it in the glue mixture and running it through your fingers to remove excess glue.  Start wrapping it around the circle you marked on the balloon.  You can wrap anywhere around the balloon but you don’t want to go inside that circle as that will be the opening to put in your air plants later.  Make sure to cross the strings over each other.
Step 7:  When you feel like the balloon has been well wrapped then cut the string from the spool leaving about a 24 inch tail.  You’ll want to weave that under and over around the hole so that it attaches those strings to all the other stings.
Step 8:  Hang your covered balloon on a string between two chairs or a clothes line (with some plastic underneath if it drips) to dry for 24 hours.
Step 9:  Once they are done drying just pop the balloon and remove it from the yarn planters.  Tie some string to the top and hang from a window or from the ceiling and place some air plants or dried flowers inside and you’re done! 🙂

Do you like plants in your house?  Do you have a hard time keeping plants alive or do you have a green thumb?  Let me know in the comments below and if you liked this DIY hanging string planters please pin it! 🙂

Last week I needed to make a handmade gift for a special party. Last week I also realized I hadn’t crocheted in years. This DIY crochet cotton washcloth is the easiest and most practical first crochet project though. My mom said as she watched me, “Even I could do that!” and she normally doesn’t like this sort of thing.  I was able to whip these out and considering that I haven’t picked up a crochet hook in well over a decade (wow I sound old) I think that’s a good sign for everyone.

Also If you haven’t ever used one of these types of washcloths then you’re in for a treat! They work so well! All you need is 100% cotton yarn (DON’T use wool…) and a crochet hook. I used size J (9 or 6.0mm). Warning: I don’t know all the crochet terms so I’ve put in the words I would use if you were sitting on my couch and I was showing you how to do this. 🙂

Step 1:  Make a slip knot. (Pictures 1-3)

Step 2: Place hook in slip knot. Taking your long string connected to the ball of yarn weave that over your ring finger, under your middle finger, and over your pointer finger. (Picture 4) Hold the base of the slip stich with your thumb and ring finger + middle finger. (Picture 5)

Step 3:  With your other hand twist the hook around the long piece of yarn in a clockwise motion and bring it down through the slip knot. (Picture 6) You just created your first stitch! Way to go!

Step 4:  You’re going to make a chain of stitches so repeat step 3 twenty more times (or until you think it’s a good size for a washcloth length!) (Picture 7) Keep in mind that you don’t want the tension of the string to be too tight or too loose. Now that you have your chain you’re going to want to look at it and make sure you’re on the side that has the little “bumps” running down the center. (Picture 8) The other side will look like V’s.

Step 5:  Insert your hook into the closest bump. You should now have two loops on your hook.

Step 6:  Then wrap your hook around the string clockwise and bring it back down through the first loop. Repeat.  Next wrap the hook around the string for the third time and draw it back down through both loops on the hook. Repeat steps 5-6 until the end of the row. (Pictures 9-13)

Step 7:  From here on you’ll need to repeat step 6 but instead of going through the bump you’ll want to pick up both sides of the V. (Pictures 14-18)

Step 8:  Once your piece is square you can then finish it off with a pretty edge. Begin at the start of a new row by going into the V and wrapping the hook around the yarn once and drawing it back through the loop. Then wrap the hook around the yarn one more time and draw it down through both loops on the hook. Repeat this all the way around the square. There won’t always be perfect little V’s on two of the sides so just use the holes along those edges.

Step 9:  Cut the string leading to the ball of yarn with a few inches to spare. Pull that tail through the last loop and then knot. Once it’s secure you can weave in your end a few times (and then knot again) or just cut it off.

Have you ever crocheted before? If so what is your favorite thing to make? Feel free to leave some encouragement for beginners in the comments below! I hope you enjoy this tutorial and if you have any questions please feel free to ask!

Hello friends!  I had so much fun making these little DIY easy organizers and I wanted to show you how to make them yourself.  I love that you’re able to recycle and make the random tidbits around your house look cute while being organized.

Materials:  clear glass jars, chalkboard tape, and chalk or a chalkboard pen.

1.  First you’ll want to ask your neighbor for some cute jars and then when she gives you amazing ones you’ll thank her and she’ll say she’s the jar whisperer. 😉  So I hope you have an amazing neighbor like that on your street!  Okay now for the hardest part of the whole process which isn’t hard at all.  You’ll want to boil some water and place your jars in the pan of water if they have labels on them.  Once the labels start peeling you can just pull them off with tongs/tweezers.  (In my case one jar was a pain and I had to go at it with soap and some serious elbow grease but all the others just came right off.)
2.  Cut pieces of the chalkboard tape in squares, circles, rectangles, or any other shape that fits with your jar.  Write what you want to put in the jars on the front and then peel off the backing and affix it to a DRY jar.  If the jar isn’t completely dry it won’t stick well.  Now just fill your jar with paperclips, bobby pins, ribbons, etc.  I really liked the idea of filling these with candy, tying a bow around them, and either giving them as gifts or using them in place of of name cards at your table.  They are quite versatile!
3. If you have weird looking lids you can spray paint them.  I only had to do this with one lid.  The others already looked great in which case you can skip this step. 🙂

The reason I wanted to do these DIY organizers is because it uses recycled jars and it’s also so easy and cute.  Feel free to pin to Pinterest if you liked this idea! If you make some I’d love to see so please tag me on Instagram with #misselainiousDIY!