Wordy Wine Bottles

Pin It

Here is another fun craft to do with empty wine bottles. If I keep finding crafty things to do with wine bottles, I'm going to have to start drinking more wine! Darn it. =] You will need:

Wine bottle(s) or really any bottle of any size

Glue gun & sticks

Spray paint of your color choice

First, soak your wine bottles in hot soapy water to clean them and remove the labels. Now comes the fun part! Using your glue gun write a word or draw a design on your bottle. I chose to do "Give" on one and "Thanks" on the other in honor of Thanksgiving. I'm going to do another one to go with them and draw leaves on it.

Try to clean up any stray "strings" of glue because they will show up when you spray paint the bottle. I learned this the hard way. 

Also, if you're easily distracted (like me) I would suggest not attempting to carry on a conversation with your husband while doing this. Otherwise you may forget the K in Thanks

If you mess up, don't fear! Just let the glue cool and then peel off the mistake. Now you're ready for spray paint! Don't forget, always spray paint outside. =] Simply spray the bottle in short strokes, keeping the spray paint at least 8" from the bottle. You don't want to get the paint on too thick or it will run. 

Allow the bottle to dry and if needed, apply a second coat of paint. Let it dry completely and you're done! Now you have cute vases with your own words or designs on them. That was easy. And cheap!

Pin It

Homemade Mod Podge

I needed some mod podge for a little project I'm doing, but in my cheapness and laziness I did not feel like going to the store to purchase some. I had seen a post on pinterest awhile back about making it at home, so I decided to try it and see if it worked.

All you need is regular school style white glue (like Elmer's) and a container. Fill the container halfway with your glue and the rest of the way with water. Mix them together and bam! You have mod podge. Easy as that...and much easier than driving to the store. 

The homemade mod podge worked fine for my project (that posting to come later), but I'm still not 100% sold on using it for a 'fancier' project. If you're doing basic decoupage or wanting to experiment with it, then go for it. It works great and is a cheap way to learn decoupage. If you're making a fancy project for sale or using heavier or limited (non replaceable) materials, then I may suggest purchasing some. All in all, I found that it worked and would recommend making your own.

Great project with Embroidery hoops!

This is one of my favorite quick & easy craft projects. It's very versatile and a super solution for an empty wall. They can be for a temporary fix or permanent, it's up to you!

To make these you'll need:

Fabric(s) of your choice

Embroidery hoops 

glue (I used a glue gun)

You'll also want to find you scissors, hammer, and some nails. :)

For your fabrics you can use all the same or ones that compliment each other. I personally prefer a few different fabrics. For example I used three different patterns with herbs for in my kitchen. The embroidery hoops come in a wide range of sizes and can be found at your local craft or hobby store like JoAnn fabric and crafts. They'll super cheap, less that a couple of dollars each. My personal preference is to utilize different sizes of hoops. Depending on the size of the space either 2 or 3 sizes.

Okay, now that we have our supplies, lets make some fabric hoops! All you need to do is place the fabric hoop on the back side of the piece of fabric. If your fabric has different patterns on it, make sure that you place the hoop over the part you want. Then cut the fabric about 1/2 of an inch wider than the hoop.

Open your fabric hoop and stretch the material over the inside hoop, checking that the fabric is oriented in the direction that you want it to be. You will be hanging the piece from the clasp.

Once you have the fabric stretched tightly (you don't want it sagging in the middle), it is time to glue it. You want to glue the side of the fabric to the side of the interior hoop. I close the outer hoop to help hold my fabric tight, making sure the clasp is completely shut.

Using your glue gun, put lines of glue along the inside and press the fabric to it. Make sure that you're keeping the fabric tight. It doesn't matter if the glued part looks perfect, just as long as it will hold! :)

Now you just have to wait for the glue to dry and it's done!! Just hang it from a nail by the clasp.

We aren't done yet! :) If you don't like the natural color of the wood embroidery hoop, paint it! This can be an accent color, a color from the fabric, or even the color of your walls to make the hoop blend in more. The options are endless, have fun!