Mermaid Cups

       I have had an exhausting, but fun summer.  I'm more than halfway to 'going back to work.'  So, I've been trying to get some projects completed in between a ton of travel.  This September I'm hosting several birthday parties, and one is at a beach house, so I'm making a few little projects, including these mermaid tail water bottles.

     I found these bottles at the 99 Cent Only Store, they go so perfect with this shiny vinyl, and I also found a mermaid tail piñata at the same store ($4 for that guy, but the cups were 99 Cents each).  I put each gals initial on one side and a tail on the other and I have little blue bags I'm going to fill with a few beach essentials....which I still have to figure out.  Lot's more to come on that and so many other projects, outings, trips, parties, and adventures!
     If you are a Cricut user, you may already know this, BUT if you don't, if you google whatever image you want and put the word 'free svg' there are so many things you can download without having to buy the files.  In this case I downloaded "mermaid tail free svg."  There are also some sites that will transform a jpeg to a svg for free, you just have to make sure it's for personal use so the copy right folks won't come after you!

GMT: Dollar Store Pumpkins

Tomorrow I head to GMT to share some Dollar Tree pumpkins.  Here they are waiting to be bedazzled.  You can watch live on Channel 8 around 9ish.  Or, I'll post the video later on facebook.
I have the most archaic iPhone on planet earth, but my plan is to hit up a deal on Nov 10th, so hopefully I can bring all the feeds into the 21st century.  Time to up my Instagram and youtube game I guess as blog goes the way of the buffalo.  BUT, never fear, I'm not giving up here.  I started for me to save recipes and how to's, and I'll be here until the cobwebs make it impossible to get through!

Creepy Spell Books

I saw this idea last year via Heidi Swapp.  I'm taking a couple of Halloween craft ideas to GMT on Monday, so I decided to bring this one along.  I'll post the video on facebook later, but here is a picture tutorial.

First, I got some clearance hardback books at Half Price Books.  They also sell them at the Dollar Tree.  I glued down some foam letters (they sell these at the Dollar Tree as well as craft stores).  I spelled out a few Halloweenish book words.

Next, I hot glued down some plastic creatures from the Dollar Tree.  I also cut some pieces of cardboard at an angle and pinned in some thumb tacks to the skeleton book.

Next up, I mixed some glue and water (you could also use Mod Podge).  I took paper towel squares and dragged them through the glue and then laid them on top of each book.  I pressed them down around the pieces glued to the top.  Once it dried, I repeated this to the back side as well.  The paper wrinkled a little as it dried, but this gave it more of a true old potion book feel.

I gave them a coat of black spray paint.  

Once that dried I took some gold paint and a paper towel and rubbed it and smudged it along the pieces dried below the towel.

It really helped the details pop out.  It was an easy project, and it will make a great place to prop up pumpkins and other décor for Halloween.

Football Wreath

I'm headed to GMT this morning to do football crafts.
I'll post the segment later on facebook.
I saw a wreath like this via pinterest I'm planning to bring..  The original watermark is from a website called mamadish, but the link is broken (I like to give credit where credit is due, but I don't like to lead people to hackers, so.....).  I adjusted the tutorial a bit....

I cut 1 1/2 inch strips of fabric and glued them around a Dollar Tree wreath with some hot glue.  It took me about four strips, which was perfect.  

 Once it was wrapped...

 I used some of this yarn (a dollar from Hobby Lobby) and wrapped it randomly (both colors) around the wreath to give it....some pizazz?  Depth?  Character?  You pick.

 Then I cut strips of felt about 1 1/2 inch and I fringed it to about 1/4 inch.  Then I rolled it and gued the bottom....this becomes your pom poms.

 I cut out little pennants and used some 'Thickers' (thick letter stickers from Hobby Lobby I got for half off) to spell out my team's name.  You could also use your Cricut or painted wood letters.

 I glued these on to some string.  I sandwiched the back to hold it secure.

I glued all these pieces on to the wreath along with a wooden football I got from Hobby Lobby for less than a buck.  Again, you could make these with felt, but I took the easy route.  

I have literally made 20-30 wreaths using similar techniques (yard, fabric, and that trust Dollar Store Wreath).  Scroll here.  

Easter Bouquet

I made this bouquet last week on the cheap.  Obviously, I went with the Easter theme, but this could be used for any holiday.  If you are using real flowers (which I was) and you want to be able to keep them in water, the key is to get a smaller vase to go inside the first that leaves just enough room for your candy.  In this case, I got both vases at the Dollar Tree.  I also added some peeps on sticks.

I used a fat/squat one on the show and a plastic Dixie Cup inside for those flowers (I just cut it down a bit so it didn't stick up over the vase).  If you grab a bouquet for 5 bucks from the store this can either be a fun table decoration, OR a fun hostess gift....just a thought!

Dollar Store Ornament Garland

I made this last year for Good Morning, Texas.  I made a loop on each end so it can hang in a swag, but I was lazy and had it lay across the top of my buffet, which was just as pretty....maybe this year she'll make the wall.  .  

 I bought some ornaments at the Dollar Tree. They sell them in all shapes and sizes.  I took about 5 tubes per swag, and I made each swag separate so it wasn't too heavy.  These ornaments are really light, so it's not too heavy, but still.

 I took some wire and twisted the end so I had a loop for hanging.

I also twisted on the first ornament next to that loop and then I just started dropped ornaments down my wire varying the colors until I had this...

I twisted off the other end and now it's ready to hang.  Not too shabby for 5 bucks.

Dollar Store Halloween Crafts

 Things have been a little crazy the last few months, but I did have a little time to swing by GMT and share a few cheap and easy Halloween crafts.  Here is the segment, but I also took a few pictures. 

 One craft I shared were these spell jars.  I found the tutorial via FlamingoToes.  She used pictures from graphicfairy.  I just blew up the pictures to fit inside these little dollar store fish bowls (the original tutorial used Christmas ornaments). 

 To make them smokey I used a really quick spray of spray paint.  I also found some candle sticks at the dollar store I sprayed black to display these on. 

 Another craft were these dollar store village pieces.  I've sprayed these white and added glitter in the past, and this go round I sprayed them black to make a little haunted village.

USA Banner

Last fall I FINALLY put together a craft room.  Up until that point I had a craft HOUSE and even though I'm really good about finishing most projects I plan....I do plan a TON.....so I uncovered some things I never crafted included some wooden letters.  

I got these at Hobby Lobby and I'm sure it was a week they were 30 percent off (so-70 cents for each two).  

I just gave them a quick coat of acrylic paint, and then I glued these on to some red twine (I took some scraps of fabric to sandwich the twine with so that it makes them hold to the string a little stronger.  I also added some stars I made with my embroidery machine, but you could cut out sparkle foam, and then I tied on some ribbons (I saw something similar on Etsy).  The star ribbon I actually bought at the dollar tree last summer, so.....another something I was able to use in my stash of stuff!

Dollar Store Bunny Wreath

 I've really been into pink and white this Easter.  I recently saw a wreath like this online and knew just where to grab the pieces.

They sell foam wreaths and bunny ears at the dollar store.  You can also find boas there, but they aren't always in stock, so I used a coupon and got two for half off at the craft store.  

 I took the ears and stretched them around the foam and then taped them into place.

 I then taped the edge of the boa onto the foam wreath and started wrapping it around.

 It took two boas to cover the whole thing.  You could spray the foam white if you want to space out the boa a little more (but not see the green foam), but.....the point is-easy and adorable and it fits right into my current decor.

Scrap Wreath

I saw a few wreaths made out of scraps on pinterest lately and I just so happen to have lots and lots of scraps....

 I adapted it a bit and used a foam wreath I had on hand from the dollar tree.  I found this little hello chipboard at Hobby Lobby (I used a coupon) and then I just started gluing fabric and tying on scraps of ribbon.

 Not too shabby for two dollars in supplies.  It's a bright little wreath in my craft room made with the remnants of projects past....see....I knew I need to save those scraps!

Dollar Store Banner

I put together this little Saint Patrick's Day banner using some Dollar Tree Clovers and left over yarn from a crochet project last fall.  

I made little pom poms and punched holes in the clovers to string on some green twine.  

 I wrapped yarn around three of my fingers 30 times.  If you wanted a puffier pom pom, wrap it more times.

I then cut the loops on both sides of the tied middle (but I left the longer two strings at this point).  Here is a photo of one halfway finished.  

 I then used the two strands that were longer to tie it onto the twine, and then cut the extra excess off.