Bookshelf Redo

I liked the red in my bookshelf, but it was too dark against a lot of the things I wanted to display, but I compromised.

I painted a little branch in white on the red shelf

I got this quote sticker at the dollar tree

I made these little birds (will put in a different post) to add some cuteness :)

 (The paint was still drying in this one)

"Egg"plant Planter

What an eggcellent way to recycle plastic egg cartons :)

Time: 10 minutes

Supplies:

Steps:

1. Cut only the top off (the part without egg holders)

2. Polk holes in one end of the egg holders

3. Fill with dirt and water then place only one seed per egg slot

4. Put lid under plater to catch water and cover with other half carton

Seedling Tote

It's almost March and that can only mean one thing--seedlings and seasonal! :)

Time: 10 minutes

Supplies:
Case
Newspaper
dirt
seeds
TP rolls
Pot Maker 

Steps:

1. Gather supplies and purchase a pot maker. This is best thing for gardening since dirt. Believe me, you will LOVE it.
2. Assemble the tote like so:

3. Fill with dirt and seeds. Place in a window. Water and watch grow.

Baby "Cake"

This is only the second non-cake I've ever made, but they are really fun to do, so I'm sure more are in my gift box future. I learned how to do this here at Creative Baby Showers. 

Time: 20 minutes

Supplies:
At least 30 diapers for a two tier cake (be sure to tell the mom what size they are)
ribbon
Tape
bottle
tiny hair bands
XL rubber bands
Accessories

Cute Coasters

 Time: 30 minutes

Supplies:

Ugly coasters

Upcycled chidren's book

Mod Podge

Steps:
Follow steps here at Rycyled Sewing. This is where I got this cutastic idea!

Twilight: Valentine For My Vampire

Laugh if you will, but I get as giddy as 13-year-old cheerleader when the release date for the next Twilight movie is announced (November 18, 2011). Though I love the storyline, the real reason for my adoration of the series is that I have witnessed my students go from despising books to devouring them. It excites me see my students making reading hip again, and the Twilight series played a big role in that. Therefore, this little Valentine's Day craft holds a special place in my vampire loving heart.

Time: 1 hour (plus drying time)

Supplies:
Cardboard
An upcycled book (preferably unreadable anymore)
Scrap fishnet
Mod Podge
Scissors
All purpose glue
Perfume sample page from a magazine
Markers

Steps:

1. Choose book. As a disclaimer to all who would cringe at me tearing up a perfectly good book for this, I must tell you why this book is unusable for reading purposes. As the naive person I am, I joined one of those online "Book Clubs" to get free books for my classroom (you know, buy 1 get 5 free), and this is what came in the mail for me. As you can see, it is half the size of a "normal" Twilight book, but the font is the same. Long story short, my students were turned off by the look of the books and would not read them for fear that parts were left out (which I'm almost certain they were). So, do not fret, this book was unreadable.

2. Rip pages from the book

3. Mod Podge the backs of pages and smooth onto cardboard

4. Once you get the pages how you want them, cover in Mod Podge and let dry

5. Glue on decorations (pictures, hearts, fangs etc,) then wrap in ribbon or fishnet

6. Tear out a perfume sample page from a magazine (I thought this one would be vampire sexy)

7. Cut to size and insert card stock

8. Mod Podge some white paper over the inside of  the "book" and write a message

Cute right?

And it smells good!

Retro Owl Art

Can I get a hoot, hoot!?

I hate to hoot my own horn, but this is "owlfully" cool if I do say so myself :)

Time: 2 hours
Supplies:
Canvas or poster board
Paint of your choice
recycled fabric and scraps (mine are old fabric swatches from a curtain order book)
puffy paint
Mod Podge
Scissors
Fabric Marker
Steps: 

1. Prepare your canvas. My mother actually picked this one up at a yard sale (painted as shown) for $1.00! It would be very simple to make this yourself though using coffee cans to trace the circles.

2. Trace a "leaf like" pattern onto the back of your fabric. You will also need a triangle pattern and circle pattern.

3. Use the pattern to replicate on different fabrics until you have enough to cover your canvas

4. Now for the fun part, move the fabric trying new patterns until you are happy with the look.

5. Mod Podge the back of the cutouts and press directly onto canvas

6. Once completely dry (I let mine dry over night), use puffy paint to make little eye expressions on the owls

7. Let dry then hang up!

I had all intentions of using this to add some visual stimulation to my classroom, but it's so cute that I don't know if I can part with it now! If I do take it to school though, I plan to hang it from a tree branch using ribbon and hooks.