Home decor – Our Beautifully Messy House

Celery-Rose Print Shirts

February 2, 2017February 2, 2017 Porter Leave a comment

If you’re a frequent reader of the blog, you know how much I love printing with the girls…citrus prints, finger prints, leaf prints, cardboard tube-heart prints, and now celery prints! They’re the perfect replica of a rose flower! Like most of our printing projects, the girls and I put these on shirts today so they can wear their art everywhere we go. You could also make a beautiful table cloth, tea towels, or pillow cases with this celery-rose print craft.

Materials needed:

celery
knife
t-shirts
acrylic paints (red, pink, and green)
paper plate or plastic lid
thin cardboard piece

First, place a thin piece of cardboard inside the shirt you will print. A cereal box flattened out works great…just something to protect the backside of the shirt from any paint that may soak through.

Cut the celery straight across, down towards the bottom of the celery stalks where they all come together. Don’t worry if it doesn’t resemble a perfect rose. First, roses aren’t perfect either…they have beautiful and unique imperfections just like people do. And second, you can add a green leaf detail at the end that will round the flowers out.

Next, put your red and pink paint on a plastic lid or paper plate to use as your palette. Press the celery into the paint and swirl it around a bit to get the paint on all stalks.

Carefully, press the celery onto the shirt and lift up. Voilà! Continue this process until you have all the flowers you want.

The last step is to add a little bit of green. Take one of the celery stalks that was cut off and simply stamp it into some green paint. Press it sparingly around the flowers to round them out and make the appearance of leaves.

Beautiful!!! This craft makes beautiful Valentine’s Day gifts, but would be perfect for any flower-loving friend anytime of the year. Enjoy!!!

Fall Leaf Mason Jar Lanterns

November 17, 2016November 17, 2016 Porter Leave a comment

I don’t ever seem to get enough of mason jar crafts…whether it’s a fairy house, a pumpkin lantern, or this week’s project…these festive FALL MASON JAR LANTERNS! The great thing about this project is that it’s very hard to mess the jars up and there are a few variations to try. I made these this morning with a group of ladies at L’s new school…each lady’s lantern was unique and beautiful. One lady mixed gold paint with every color, some overlapped the leaf prints, while others put just a couple prints on each jar. There’s plenty of creative freedom with this project! The jars shine brilliantly as lanterns, but you could also use them as a vessel for your No-Bake Acorn Treats or even arrange an Autumn flower bouquet in one, using it as a vase.

Materials needed:

jars
acrylic paints and brushes
small-med fall leaves
tea light
dried rice, beans, corn, coffee beans

First, prep your work space with cardboard, wax paper, or old newspapers.

Next, paint the underside of a leaf with a fall color or combination of 2 or 3. (Red, orange, yellow, green, brown, gold)

Carefully press the painted leaf onto the surface of the jar and smooth down all the edges.

Peel the leaf off gently to reveal your painted-leaf print. If your first print doesn’t look exactly as you thought it would, no worries…as you add more prints, any blips or irregularities will be hidden.

A variation to this, is doing quite the opposite. Hold a clean leaf on the surface of the jar and paint around the edges. You can then paint the entire jar, leaving a little leaf window for the light to shine out. I originally thought this would look great with a solid color of gold…didn’t turn out as I planned, so I ended up dabbing all the fall colors all over the jar and it turned out beautifully! A beautiful oops! If something doesn’t turn out how you imagined, try something new and you may be surprised what you come up with!

Arranged on a tabletop with mini-pumpkins, gourds, leaves, acorns, or flower petals, you’ll have a festive centerpiece for your Thanksgiving meal! Instead of just placing a tea light in each jar, first add small layer of dried beans, rice, corn, or coffee beans. This will bring the light up to the little “window” you have created in the jar and make it look more complete. Enjoy!

Milk Carton Fairy Houses

October 7, 2016October 7, 2016 Porter 1 Comment

Who knew milk cartons had so much potential??? They are perfect for making fairy houses and gnome homes! First off, a milk carton is just the right size for fairies…all it needs is a door and a few windows to make it feel like home. Milk cartons are also water-proof, providing adequate housing for both indoor and outdoor use. WB and L like to play with their fairy houses during the day and, at night, we tuck a little tea light inside to turn them into night lights! So sweet!

Materials needed:

milk cartons
white primer spray paint
exacto knife
acrylic paints
hot glue gun
sticks, bark, moss, acorns, etc.
battery-operated tea lights

First, spray your milk cartons with some primer. The surface of milk cartons is usually waxy and paint will have a hard time sticking. A coat or two of primer should do the trick!

Next, using an exacto knife, carefully cut a door and windows into the house. And do not worry…the windows don’t need to be perfect! Fairy houses’ never are!

Now the fun part for the kids, have your little ones paint and decorate the houses. Start with a solid color or two underneath.

Then add details like polka-dot doors and Fall pumpkins. For our pumpkins, the kids used a wine cork as a stamp!

While the paint dries, send the kids outside to collect nature materials to use for a roof.

Before assembling the roof, you can easily flip the screw-top opening inwards. Just push it in with your fingers…it’s easier than you think!

Glue twigs or bark over the opening, and then add all sorts of nature findings. Each house will be unique!

To light your fairy houses up at night, place battery-operated tea lights inside. You could also use a string of lights in and around the houses for a magical display!

“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” -Roald Dahl

Mini-Canvas Magnets

October 3, 2016October 3, 2016 Porter Leave a comment

MINI-CANVAS MAGNETS are not only a fun project for kids (and adults!) of all ages, but they also make sweet, little gifts for friends, grandparents, and teachers! I’ve founded mini-canvases at Michael’s on numerous occasions…usually on the ends of the acrylic paint aisle.

Materials needed:

mini-canvases
acrylic paints & brushes
thin magnet strips

First, paint your mini-canvases. The canvases are so small, little hands have no problem filling the space with a rainbow of colors. Best to give the kids 2-3 colors to use at a time. You may even want to paint a few!

After the paint dries, flip the canvases over and attach magnet strips. You can find an array of magnets at craft stores with an adhesive tape on one side. Best to choose thin magnets, so the canvases lie close to the fridge.

Now, time to gift and/or display your mini-masterpieces! So cute…and easy!!! Enjoy!

Rain Boot Wreath

April 9, 2016April 9, 2016 Porter Leave a comment

I’ve seen old rain boots up-cycled into flower planters before, so I thought, “Why not use them for a Spring wreath!?” This RAIN BOOT WREATH was so quick and easy to put together and the outcome is adorable…perfect for Spring!

I could’ve gone out and bought some new boots that weren’t dirty, worn, and broken in spots, but that required me to take the kids shopping and more money spent…not my idea of fun! I ended up making these with things we already had: L’s old rain boots and flowers we had leftover from other projects. Every time we walk in through the front door, the rain boots make me think of the many rainy, muddy adventures L went on during the first three years of her life. So much love!

Materials needed:

rain boots (kids’, adults’, old or new)
artificial flowers
rope and/or ribbon
scissors

First, if your boots are dirty, clean and dry them.

Next, lay out your flowers and decide how you’re going to split them up. When you arrange your flowers, start with the taller and/or leafy flowers first. Put the single, shorter, and more prominent flowers in last. Originally I thought I’d use wire cutters to trim my flowers, but I ended up just bending the wired stems in half, depending on the height I was looking for. This helped them take up room and stay put in each boot!

Once your boots are filled and arranged the way you like them, tie a rope or ribbon securely to each boot.

Now, take the boots to your door and see how they will hang. I ended up tying a knot in the rope down low, tying both halves together so the boots didn’t lean out too far from the door. I also shortened the rope a bit by wrapping and tying it around the wreath hanger.

To finish your fun and funky Spring wreath, tie a pretty ribbon in a simple bow around the top and you’re done! So easy, cute and fun!

Happy Spring!!!

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs (with Onion Skins & Cabbage)

March 24, 2016March 24, 2016 Porter Leave a comment

How beautiful are these Easter eggs!?! Ever since I was a kid and read about dying eggs in onion skins in a nature-craft book, I’ve wanted to try it. I couldn’t believe how easy they were to make and how bright and colorful they turned out! The orange-brownish eggs were dyed in the onion skins, while the bluish ones were dyed using red cabbage. And no, you don’t need to buy a whole bunch of onions to get the skins. Just ask the nearest grocer at the store, and they’ll be happy to let you and the kids dig through the onion bin! You’ll find plenty there! It did not take long at all to dye the eggs in onion skins, while the ones dyed with red cabbage soaked over-night. Just takes a little patience!

Materials needed:

white eggs
onion skins
red cabbage
medium-sized pot
water
small flowers, leaves, herbs
old pantyhose or knee highs
twist ties

First, fill your pot up completely with onion skins. Then, fill with water, leaving a couple inches of space for the eggs.

Do the same with the red cabbage, chopping the cabbage first.

Next, put both pots on the stove and turn on high to boil. Let the water simmer for about 5 minutes, then turn the pots off. Let them sit and cool for 5 hours or overnight.

To prepare the eggs to dye, to get the beautiful nature prints on them, gather small leaves and flowers from your garden. We even used some weeds with interesting leaf shapes!

Cut your pantyhose or knee-highs in small sections. We used knee highs. I cut them in half and then with the top portion, I cut a slit up the side. With the bottom half, it was easy to just place the egg inside.

Press a flower or leaf onto the egg and carefully wrap the pantyhose around it. Dipping the leaves in water first makes them stick to the eggs a bit easier.

Twist the pantyhose in the back and secure with a twist tie.

Now to dye the eggs! Place your eggs into the pots, making sure they are completely submerged in the water.

Put the pots back onto the stove and bring them to a boil again. Turn down to low heat, and let the pots for 20-30 min.

After the water cools a bit, carefully remove the eggs soaking in the onion skins and dry them off a bit on a towel.

Cut the pantyhose and the eggs will come out carefully. So cool!!!

Place the pot with the red cabbage and eggs in your refrigerator and let them sit up to 24 hrs. Then do the same…removing them from the water and cutting the pantyhose off.

To make your eggs shine, you can wet a paper towel with vegetable oil and gently rub it onto each egg. Such a naturally beautiful way to celebrate Spring, Easter, or Naw Ruz!!!

DIY Nature Frame

February 23, 2016February 23, 2016 Porter Leave a comment

Is your child a nature collector or, as Pippi Longstocking would say, a “thing finder”? If so, the DIY Nature Frame is the perfect project for them! Just about every day of the year, L fills our stroller, our wagon, or our pockets with things she finds on walks. We could be going for a walk around the block in the city and she still comes home with feathers, sticks, rocks, butterfly wings and seed pods! This past weekend we went for a walk and L brought home pinecones and pine needles that she wanted to “do a craft” with, ie. glue to paper. I knew that wouldn’t quite work, so in less than 10 minutes we put together this Nature Frame!

The best part about having a Nature Frame, is that it’s a project that is constantly changing, evolving throughout the year. While ours has pine cones and pine needles in it now, the end of February, I’m sure within a month or two it will be filled with Spring flowers, robins eggs, and fallen bird’s nests. In the Fall, our Nature Frame will most likely be glowing orange with fallen leaves from the backyard…finally, a place for all our nature findings!!!

Materials needed:

an old frame
string
scissors

First, dismantle your frame. I bought this old and ugly print, among a collection of 5 other framed pictures, for $1.75 at an antique auction. I liked two of the pictures and that was worth the $1.75 and getting stuck with 3 I didn’t care for so much! So I stashed the ugly pictures away in a closet and I’m glad I did…the frame on this one was perfect for a Nature Frame! You can find similar frames for pennies at secondhand stores, yard sales, and antique shops.

Next, tie your string to the edge of your frame and, with the help of your child, wrap it criss-cross around the frame. We used three different strings that were three different colors…anything works!

Now, after you’ve been for a nature walk and your little one’s pockets are full, you can fill your frame. And then, hang it in a place for everyone to enjoy! We hung ours in our kitchen by the back door…L’s findings usually end up on the floor by the door, so now they can go up on the wall instead! I just love it!

Enjoy!!!

Ice Cube Heart Garland

January 26, 2016January 26, 2016 Porter Leave a comment

I don’t know why I never thought of this project until now, but an Ice Cube Heart Garland is perfect for this time of year! It takes about 5 minutes to make and costs nearly nothing! If you live up north where temps are below freezing consistently in the winter months, Ice Cube Garlands would be beautiful hanging everywhere! You could make other shapes too! Along with our garland, we also made some individual Ice Cube Hearts (more like ornaments)…the week of Valentine’s Day, the girls and I plan on making dozens of these to hang off of trees all over town. Such a sweet, little heart surprise!

Materials needed:

silicone heart molds
food coloring
water
string
scissors
a tray or cardboard that will fit in your freezer

First, place your silicone heart molds on your tray or cardboard piece. (It’s a tricky mess if you do it after the water is poured, like I did the first time!) Next, put about 10 drops of food coloring into a measuring cup and fill with water.

Pour the water into the heart molds.

Now, cut a string long enough for your garland and/or some smaller pieces for ornaments. Using your fingers, press the string into the heart molds. Make sure you leave 4-5 inches of string between each heart.

To make the ornaments, just press both ends of your string into the mold filled with water. The center 2 hearts are ornaments in the pictures above and below. You can see the shorter loops of string.

Next, place the tray with your heart molds into the freezer for a couple hours until they’re completely frozen.

Carefully pop your ice cube hearts out of the molds.

Now for the fun part…find a place outside to display and enjoy your Icy Hearts! So sweet!

Lace Snowflake Bowls & Decorations

January 20, 2016January 20, 2016 Porter Leave a comment

Our LACE SNOWFLAKE BOWLS are one of those crafts that started as one thing, but inspiration hit and they morphed into something even cooler in the process! Originally, L and I were just making lacy snowflakes to hang in a window…which we did! But then it dawned on me that, much like our DIY String Bowls, we could easily turn the snowflakes into bowls as well! These are super-easy to make and it’s fun experimenting with various-sized lace and bowl molds. The finished product makes a whimsical, winter decoration for any windowsill or tabletop. They’d be a lovely centerpiece with candles set inside each snowflake too…so many possibilities!

Materials needed:

white or cream-colored lace
white glue
glitter (optional)
scissors
water
craft stick or plastic spoon
a cup for mixing
silicone mats
plastic wrap (not pictured)
small bowls (not pictured)

First, prepare your work station. Have silicone mats out on the table and mix up your glue. Use about 3-4 parts glue to 1 part water. (An old yogurt cup or butter tub is great for holding your mixture.) Add some glitter to the mix as well, if you like!

If you’re making a snowflake bowl, cover a small bowl from your kitchen in plastic wrap. (We used measuring bowls.) Pull the wrap tight and smooth it down, though it doesn’t need to be perfect.

Next, get an idea of how you’d like your snowflakes to look. Cut some strips of lace and lay them out, either flat on the table or across your bowl.

When you’re ready to start crafting, dip a strip of lace into the glue mixture. Take it out and run your fingers down the lace to remove any excess glue.

Now, lay the lace strip out…either flat on the silicone mat for a simple snowflake to hang in your window, or across your bowl, if you’re making a lace snowflake bowl.

Continue to dip strips of lace in the glue mixture, then lay them down on top of each other, creating a snowflake pattern.

Once your snowflakes are complete, set them aside overnight to dry. If you’re the impatient type, you could also dry them very carefully with a hot blow dryer. : )

After the glue is good and dry, gently peel the lace snowflake off of the silicone mats. Ready to hang in a window!!!

To remove a snowflake from the bowl, turn the bowl upside down. Undo the plastic wrap and remove the bowl. Finally, gently peel the plastic wrap off of the snow flake.

Beautiful!!!

Such a fun way to celebrate a snow day!

The Christmas Tree Teepee (No-Sew!)

December 3, 2015December 3, 2015 Porter 1 Comment

“The Christmas Tree Teepee” is quirky, fun, and magical…perfect for celebrating Christmas with kids! So often when building forts for the kids, they beg me to get inside to play with them and I just barely fit, if at all. This teepee is big! It’s nearly 6 feet across and 7 feet tall, leaving plenty of room for 3-4 people inside, adults included! It’s perfect! So far this week, in our teepee, we’ve eaten breakfast every morning, made christmas garlands and decorations to send loved ones, played board games and puzzles, and each night before bed we curl up and read a couple Christmas books under the lights. We just love it! After the holidays I plan to collapse the teepee, folding it up much like an umbrella, wrap it in plastic and stow it away. Next year we plan to set the teepee up in L’s bedroom during December and let both girls sleep inside!

Since the teepee is replacing our tree this year it includes all the trimmings…sparkly lights, colorful ornaments, and a few surprises when you get inside and look close! The best place to find fabric for this project is at a local, second-hand store or an antique/junk store. We have an awesome antique store in the area that has a booth full of fabrics. Most of the fabric is clearly from the 80s and 90s (ie. funky and fun!) and is anywhere from $1 -$6 per piece. I picked out anything green with various patterns and textures: corduroy, twill, jersey-knit, silk, suede. You really can’t beat the prices for all that material! I was also lucky enough to stumble upon a bunch of, what I call, “old-lady, sequined, Christmas appliqués” in the same booth. They were all less than a dollar a piece and made for perfect ornaments for the “Christmas Tree Teepee.”

Oh, and did I mention that there’s NO SEWING INVOLVED when making this teepee??? I do not, cannot sew, especially anything of this magnitude! It’s held together all thanks to my handy, dandy hot glue gun. We had so much fun with this project!

Materials needed:

6 x 1″x 2″x 8′ lumber (Any quality will do, but I went for the nicer, less splinter-filled sort!)
jute
green fabrics
christmas lights
felt or sequined Christmas appliqués
drill
hot glue gun and glue
scissors

First, drill two holes in each wooden, teepee pole. One 12″-15″ from the top, and the other 1″ from the bottom.

String some jute through the holes that are 12″ from the top, before carrying it all inside. Having someone help you, spread your teepee poles out and around until you get the teepee shape you’re looking for. (It will not be perfect, so don’t drive yourself crazy trying to make it perfect! Just go with it!) Once the poles are in place, wrap the jute around and in-between the poles until they are secured.

To ensure that the poles won’t move on you too much, thread some jute around the bottom too, knotting it around each pole. Even though the poles can move closer together and shift a little bit, it certainly helps to see where they originally were and where you want them to be while building your teepee.

Now for the real work. You will cut strips of fabric and using the hot glue gun, secure them in place along the teepee poles. First, spread out all your fabrics and see which material you have the most of. You will need to use this for the bottom. I didn’t use a ruler or yardstick to measure my fabric precisely while working, instead I laid it out on our hardwood floor, and just used the planks of wood to “measure” each strip of fabric.

Looking at the teepee, you may think I used one long piece of fabric to wrap around the entire structure, but in fact, each layer is made up of 5 shorter strips running from pole to pole. I started each layer with one piece of fabric along the outside of teepee…wrapping, gluing, trimming, and tucking the fabric into place. Now this is just the first section, between the first two poles. On the next section, I ran the fabric along the inside, gluing it into place. When done in this manner, the teepee poles will be invisible from the inside and outside of the teepee (except for the top of course) and all you will see is green, green, green! The pattern on each layer was outside-inside-outside-inside-outside. If you get frustrated at the beginning and things aren’t perfect, do not worry! After attaching the first few pieces, you will certainly know what you’re doing and the process will get a lot easier…promise!

As you go up the teepee, adding more layers, overlap the fabric by a couple inches above and below. This will help avoid gaps in the teepee. If there are places where gaps are seen, you can use a touch of hot glue to fasten the fabrics together.

As I got to the very top of the teepee, on the last two layers I used light-weighted fabrics that gathered well. Instead of cutting each sectioned-piece and gluing it outside-inside-outside, etc., I loosely gathered it around the teepee and glued it in place along the outside. I wanted the poles exposed on the inside in the top so I could string-up some Christmas lights to brighten things up a bit!

The top and front of the teepee was a bit of trial and error. I sort of knew how I wanted the finished teepee to look, so I wrapped fabric, held up fabric, and pinned some in place until I was satisfied. Here again, it was important that I saved my light-weighted fabrics that gathered well for the top and front of the teepee to achieve this look. I must say that it looks even better than I imagined…both like a teepee and a tree!

I was up in the air on whether to decorate the outside of the teepee, the inside or both. We decided on just the inside, keeping the magic inside and “secret” for all those who enter. L and I used duct tape to tape each sequined ornament in place. I could have glued them, but I wanted something that could be done by the children, year after year.

Inside the teepee, just below the lights, is my favorite little detail. I’ve held onto these fabric scraps of Santa flying through the night sky for a few years now, not sure what to do with them. Their placement, tucked away inside our teepee, is just the perfect home for them…I knew I was saving them for a reason!

The Christmas blanket underneath our teepee is the finishing touch. We usually use the blanket as a tree skirt around our tree each year, and in a way it is the tree skirt once again. This time it’s just in a more practical, more appreciated, and loved sort of way!

Think you’re ready to build your own??? Go for it! Your kids will absolutely love snuggling inside the Christmas tree this year, reading books, drinking hot chocolate, and playing games!

Feel free to leave any questions you may have below. Enjoy!!!