I love having plants throughout my house and this Macrame Hanging Basket is the perfect way to display some greenery without taking up table space. This entire tutorial will take you less than 15 minutes to complete!

To make your own hanging basket you will need:

• Rope – at least 24 yards
• A container/pot
• Scissors

To get started you need to measure 4 lengths of rope, each 6 meters long. Find the center of all 4 rope piece and tie them together in a firm knot. This is going to be the center of your basket.

Once you’ve tied the initial knot, separate out all 4 legs and place your plant in the middle. You are looking to find the edge of the pot to determine where the next level of knots needs to go.

Tie a knot into each of the 4 legs right where the pot will sit. This is how your basket takes shape.

Separate out the rope again . You will be making another layer of knots, this time separating the initial 4 knots and combining them to create a weave. Start in the left bottom corner and tie the upper corner rope the the bottom corner of the set in the top left corner.

Continue your knots around in a clockwise pattern. You should have something that looks like a square when you are finished.

Repeat the same process, going around one more time. If you have a very large pot, you may need to do a 3rd level of knots. For a small pot like the one pictured, 2 sets should be enough.

Your finished basket will look like the picture above. Now you need to place your pot into the basket to give it shape. Stretch the knots around so that the pot is secure in the holder.

Pull up on the ropes so that all the strands are above the basket. Make a firm knot with all 8 rope segments. This is where you will hang your pot so double and triple knot the rope if you need to.

You are now ready to hang your plant on a hook and enjoy!

If you liked this tutorial you may want to check out some of my other posts on Rocky Mountain Bliss!

Weeknight Dinner: Smoky Onion Mustard Port Chops

Weeknight Dinner: Gouda Stuffed Chicken

The post DIY Macrame Hanging Basket appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

I have been obsessed with all things pineapple lately. My favorite fruit has been popping up in lots of crafts and home decor projects.

Aren’t these etched pineapple water goblets adorable?

Especially when you add some pineapple juice ice cubes to them. (I got my pineapple ice cube trays from World Market, FYI.)

I have done several etched glass projects, and it’s a great way to get a high-end look for not much money. And etching glass is easier than you think, too, especially with some of the new formulations of low-odor etching creams available.

I used DecoArt’s resuable Easy Etch cream for this project, but any glass etching product will work. Just be sure to check the manufacturer’s directions to know how long to leave the product on the glass. The water goblets are from the dollar store, but you could do this project on any kind of clear drinking glasses.

I found a pineapple stencil I liked from Smirking Goddess. I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut a stencil from vinyl.

After weeding the design from the vinyl, I used my transfer paper to apply the stencil to the goblets. Be sure the glasses are clean and smudge-free. I usually wipe them down with rubbing alcohol and allow to air dry.

Since the glass is not flat, the stencil will wrinkle some, and that’s OK. Just make sure that you press firmly all over the design, so that etching cream doesn’t seep under the stencil and ruin the design. Use a clean cloth, not your fingers, to press the stencil so you don’t get fingerprints or oil on the glass.

While wearing gloves, use a plastic knife apply a thick coat of Easy Etch cream to the glass.

Allow the etching cream to sit on the glass for 15 minutes. If you’re using Easy Etch, after 15 minutes, use the plastic knife to scrape the etching cream off the glass and return it to the jar. Then rinse under cold water until completely removed, and remove the stencil. (For other etching creams, you just wipe and rinse away the excess.)

These are going to be so fun to use for a tropical luncheon or beach-themed party. And I have the perfect healthy, fruity drink to serve in them: homemade Hawaiian POG juice.

And don’t think you have to just use pineapples for your design. You can etch all kinds of fun images and personalizations onto glassware using this technique.

If you enjoyed this craft, check out these other projects:

Hawaiian POG Juice

Sand Dollar Soap

Frozen Frosted Lemonade

The post DIY Etched Pineapple Glasses appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

To make your own tabletop terrarium you will need:

•  Potting soil
• A container/pot
• Moss
• Your favorite succulent (order online or ask your local florist for recommendations)

I started with a glass pyramid for my terrarium base. Succulents do not need much soil or water so you can use your imagination and select your favorite container for your base. This pyramid came from a local craft store.

Fill the base of your terrarium with decorative rocks or moss. This adds some texture to your finished display.

Fill in the rest of the base with a high quality potting soil. You don’t need much, the better the soil, the better off your plants will grow.

Chicks and Hens are one of my favorite succulents. They grow wonderfully in a garden and a single plant can spread up to two feet. I had originally intended to use this ‘hen’ for my terrarium, but learned quickly that the plant was already too large for the space. Luckily, I had a couple of other small succulents on hand that I was able to separate out!

Carefully separate the roots of your plants. Most succulents are fairly hardy so separating them won’t cause the shock it might on another plant, but it’s best to be careful. If the plants are large, use a clean pair os shears to cut them apart.

Press the newly separated plants into the soil. Add additional soil to cover the full root. If you have space, you can add additional moss on top. The plants I decided to use are called, Donkey Tail on the left and Trailing Jade on the right.

Clean up your mess, water the softly and proudly display your new terrarium!

If you liked this decor tutorial you may want to check out some of my other posts on Rocky Mountain Bliss!

Transform a Coffee Table into a Cushioned Ottoman

Decorate Like A Designer: Tips for Styling Bookshelves

The post Tabletop Terrarium appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hello! I’m Katie from Clarks Condensed, and I’m so thrilled to be a contributor for Made from Pinterest! This is my first of (hopefully) many posts, so let’s get to know each other.

If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I love being a mom. Love it. When I was in elementary school, I was always the girl who would say she wanted to be a mom when she grew up – and I’m lucky enough to have had that come true! I have the world’s cutest little boys (and of course I’m not biased, their grandma thinks so too), and they are the center of my world.

Something else you should know about me is that as much as I love watching my babies grow, I really like the baby stage. There’s nothing better than snuggling a new baby.

Unfortunately for me, babies don’t stay babies. No matter how many people told me that kids grow faster than you can imagine, I never realized it until I experienced it myself.

So even though I can’t convince my boys to stay small, (especially my four-year-old, he is convinced he needs to learn how to drive, get a job, and go to college) I love looking back on memories of when they were tiny. On Pinterest, I’ve seen baby shadow boxes floating around, and I loved the idea. Basically, you gather some of your most “prized” items related to your child’s time as an infant and preserve them in a shadow box.

I saw some 11×14 Shadowboxes on sale on Michael’s awhile back for buy one get one free (each package had two). I figured it was the perfect time to buy them – because shadowboxes are expensive! I gathered somethings from each of my boys to put into the boxes, such as their coming home from the hospital outfits (so teeny tiny).

I also included the  little cards that were on their bassinets in the hospital. . . .

I had some newborn diapers, my oldest son’s beloved monkey Wubbanub, and their birth announcements that I put in.

I think they turned out really cute. My oldest son, Jack, thought it was so fun and could hardly believe he was so small once! This is the perfect way to try and capture a small moment in your child’s life that goes by too quickly.

So here’s how you make it!

Materials:

11×14″ shadow box
Glue dots
Tacky glue
Scrapbook paper
Various items from baby’s life – outfit they came home from the hospital in, hospital bracelet, hat, birth announcement, etc.

Instructions:

1. Take apart the shadowbox.

2. Adhere your scrapbook paper to the backing of the shadowbox. I couldn’t find 11×14 sized scrapbook paper, so mine was a little bit short. However, I had a few things to cover it at the bottom, so it didn’t matter as much. You can use wrapping paper if you have trouble finding paper that fits/you like.

3. Arrange your items on the backing.

4. Attach the items using tacky glue or glue dots. I found that using the tacky glue was best for the paper items, such as the baby announcement.

5. I used the glue dots to attached the hat, the letters, the baby outfits, and the diapers. I actually just put the dots directly on the paper and pressed the item into it. It worked really well! I ended up just putting the Wubbanub into the shirt with no adhesion, and it’s stayed in place.

6. Place the glass and frame back over and hang wherever you want.

I hope you’ll enjoy this project as much as I did. It sure made me miss my newborn babies, though! Be sure to hop on over to Clarks Condensed for more fun projects, easy recipes, pregnancy and parenting advice, and really, a little bit of everything. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. I’d love to get to know you better – be sure to tag me if you end up making this project.

In case you aren’t convince that you want to be friends, here are a few more posts to hopefully convince you.

DIY Toy or Lego Bag and Playmat

Easy Meat Lasagna Recipe

Helping Your Child Sleep Better

The post DIY Baby Shadow Box appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

This is one of my favorite DIYs for the guest bedroom.

These framed seashells look great as part of the vignette on the chest of drawers, and the project didn’t cost me anything because I already had all the supplies on hand.

To make your own Quick and Easy DIY Seashell Artwork, you will need:

• Wooden frames
• Seashells
• Watercolor background
• Card stock or poster board
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Spray adhesive
• Hot glue

I used some wooden frames from Target’s Shabby Chic collection that I’ve had for years for this project. But if you don’t have or can’t find any frames that look beachy, you can just find a wooden frame and paint it using this technique.

You’ll also need a watercolor background for this project. I used some that came with a font package I purchased, as well as these free watercolor backgrounds from Angie Makes. You could also use scrapbook paper.

If you choose to use the watercolor backgrounds from Angie Makes, print them out on regular printer paper, using a high-quality setting. Then, trace around the frame insert and cut out your background.

Cut a matching piece of white card stock or poster board to use as a backing.

Protect your work surface and spray adhesive on the back of the watercolor print. Adhere to the card stock.

Reassemble the frame, putting the glass between the cardstock and the frame backing so you don’t lose it.

Use hot glue to attach the seashell to the stiff-backed watercolor paper.

Like I said, so easy!

The hardest part is coordinating the seashells to the watercolor background.

If you liked this Quick and Easy DIY Seashell Artwork project, you might also enjoy:

Sophisticated Coastal Bedroom Makeover

Gilded Seashells

Ikea Nightstand Hack

The post Quick and Easy DIY Seashell Artwork appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Whatever holiday it is, you will find a glittery decoration in our home.   If you asked my husband he would tell you that if I could sprinkle some glitter on my morning cereal, I would!

I love how these jars turned out with the added green and gold glitter.  It kinda makes me think they were sprinkled with a little bit of leprechaun dust!

Here is what you will need for this project:

Mason Jar

White Chalk Paint (I used Annie Sloan’s Old White but I have also used Deco Art Americana Chalk Paint in Everlasting color)

Martha Stewart’s Fine Glitter in Malachite Green and Florentine Gold

Painters tape

Elmer’s Glue

Foam brush

Ribbon

Thoroughly wash and dry your Mason Jars.

With a paint brush, paint your jars with an off white chalk paint. I painted mine with three light coats.

After the paint has dried fully, apply strips of the painters tape onto your painted mason jar. My tape was rather wide so I cut it down to about 1 1/2 inches wide. Press the edges of the tape firmly onto the jar so that the glue and glitter doesn’t seep when you apply them.

The post St. Patrick’s Day Mason Jars appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

You’ve probably seen pin cushions made using mason jars or pretty antique cups and saucers. But how about one made from an egg cup?

Adorable, right? And such a quick, easy and inexpensive Easter craft to make. Plus, it’s a great way to use up some of those scraps and little doo-dads you have in your craft stash.

To make one of these Easter egg cup pincushions, you will need

• an egg cup (Mine are from World Market and cost just $4)
• scrap fabric
• fiberfill
• hot glue
• ribbon and other embellishments
• scissors
• needle and thread

The first step is to measure the diameter of your egg cup, then double it. Mine was 2.5 inches so I needed a 5-inch circle to make my pincushion. I found a bowl in my cabinet that was the right size and traced the outline onto the backside of my fabric.

Using a needle and strong thread, do a basting stitch around the perimeter of the fabric circle. Pull the thread to gather the edges.

Stuff the fabric circle with fiberfill. One trick is to put the fiberfill in the toe of a pair of pantyhose so it’s easier to keep contained. Once the pincushion is stuffed to your liking, carefully pull the thread tight and knot to secure.

Run a bead of glue inside the egg cup, slightly below the rim. Press the pin cushion, seam side down into the egg cup.

Decorate the rim with ribbon, pom-pom trim or lace, using hot glue to secure.

Add additional elements, like buttons, bows or flowers, to dress the pincushion up even more.

Totally adorable, right?

If you liked this project, you might enjoy these other Easter posts of mine:

No-Sew Easter Bunny Banner

Coffee Filter Spring Cabbages

Peter Rabbit Party

The post Easter Egg Cup Pincushion appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

I’m so excited to be joining you on Made from Pinterest, and I am looking forward to sharing some of my favorite projects with you! This fun project is very low cost and would be perfect for decorating for a party.

Project Supplies

White Vinegar
Food Coloring
Coffee Filters (9 per flower)
Straw
Floral Tape (optional)

Step 1: Dye the Petals 

The most time consuming portion of this project is dying your filters. Just like Easter Eggs, creating a quick dye with vinegar, hot water and food coloring will help your filters soak up the dye and become a vibrant color.

To create an ombre look, I used three containers with different amounts of food coloring in each. The lightest color (bottom bowl) has 3 drops of red dye. The middle color has 6 drops and the top color (and most vivid) has 12 drops.

For an ombre look separate out 3 coffee filters for each color. Bunch up your filters into teepees and place them into the dye. Allow the filters to sit for 5-10 minutes so the dye can soak into the paper. Once you see streaks going up the filters feel free to push the rest of the filters into the dye to soak fully. This helps create a darker outer edge on your petals. 

Remove the wet filters and place them aside to dry. The dye could leave a mark on your counter so I recommend placing the filters on a platter or newspaper.

Step 2: Cut the Petals

Once the filters are fully dry fold into 1/4 shaped pieces. Stack all 9 filters together and cut a half circle around the edge of your flower.

When you open up the filters they will not all be the same shape. This helps give each petal character and texture.

Step 3: Shape the Carnation

Fold your lightest color filters into 1/8 shapes. This will be the center of your flower. Using a hot glue gun (or other glue of your choice) begin to attach your petals to the straw. Move around the straw covering it entirely.

For your next layer of color, fold the three filters into 1/4 shapes. Repeat the same process as before moving in segments around the straw to glue down the petals.

For the outer petals (and darkest color) cut the coffee filters in half.

Place a string of glue around the base of the flower. Wrap the half cut shapes around the outside. Repeat this with all 6 pieces.

Your completed flower will look like the image below. If you plan to store the flowers for a future event, or travel with them to a different location, this is the best way to transport them. If you wish to have a green stem (instead of a noticeable straw like I used) now is the time to wrap the base of the flower with floral tape. Cover the bottom portion of the filter and down the stem covering up all of the straw that will be visible after placing into a vase.

Step 4: Fluff out the petals

When you are ready to display the flowers begin to fluff out the petals by separating each of the coffee filter petals individually. You should be able to see some of the sections you created in the interior of the flower.

As you separate the sections add texture by crunching some sections and straightening others. Continue to fluff until you are happy with the shape of your flower.

Make a full bouquet of different colors or create a dozen for your next party! I love using paper flowers to add a quick seasonal touch to my home decor and I don’t feel like I have to save them for another use when I’m done with them.

Did you like this project? Check out some of my other favorite projects on RockyMtnBliss!

Quinoa Breakfast Bars

DIY Felted Garland

The post DIY Coffee Filter Carnations appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

According to the stores around here, Valentine’s Day preparations began on December 26th. Now that we are within a reasonable distance of this next holiday, the grocery stores have moved on to Easter and feel the need to tempt me with Cadbury Creme Eggs at the checkout counter already. It’s a little annoying, yes, but it also means that they are already marking down candy to clear the shelves. I saw a cute candy tree on Amanda Jane Brown and was inspired to do something similar for Valentine’s Day this year. You could do this project with a variety of candies, but I opted for candy hearts because they are colorful, cheap and they taste awful so no one in my family actually wants to eat them. So gather up a few supplies for your Candy Heart Wreath, warm up your hot glue gun and get to work!

Candy Heart Wreath

What you’ll need:

• Heart-shaped foam form
• Candy hearts
• Hot glue gun and several sticks (if you’re using a mini gun)
• Ribbon

What to do:

1. Add a drop of hot glue to the back of a candy heart and press it gently onto the foam wreath.
2. Continue FOREVER until you’ve covered the front of the wreath completely.

As you can see, there’s not much to it, but it feels a bit time-consuming while you’re in the middle of the process. To be completely honest, I spent less than 20 minutes putting it together. I did not place any hearts on the back. I just covered the front as much as possible, cramming the hearts together tightly in little rows. This helps them stay on, too. When you are finished, loop a piece of sparkly ribbon through the heart, tie it off and hang on the door or wall!

Honestly, I HATE glitter. I call it Devil’s Dust. It gets everywhere and you find yourself picking it off of your clothing for weeks after using just a tablespoon of it. But, I just couldn’t resist this ribbon. It was so pretty. That’s the danger of shopping at a craft store, I’m warning you!

Just a couple of notes:

1. If you live somewhere with inclement weather during the winter (snow, rain, general misery…) then I wouldn’t suggest hanging your Candy Heart Wreath on your front door. I don’t know how well the candy would hold up to a lot of moisture, even if they are hard as rocks. Our front door is covered by a hideous “security screen” that I hate, so there’s no point in hanging anything there that’s pretty. I actually hung my wreath up on the wall just inside the door. It would also be pretty over the mantel!
2. If you bang into this, a heart here or there may fall off. Just add another dab of glue and squeeze it back into its place. This is another reason I opted to keep mine off the front door. It’s been hanging on the wall for over a week with no problems whatsoever, but I know it would not survive my boisterous door slammers and their equally boisterous neighborhood friends.

So, what do you think? Cute, right? See, I told you we need to be friends. I’d love it if you came over for a visit to check out some of my other fun stuff!

Valentine’s Day Graham Cracker Crunch

Monster Cookie Milkshakes

The post Candy Heart Wreath appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Plus, it’s super easy to make. Time consuming? Yes. But since I can’t stand to watch a movie or TV with my hands still, it’s the perfect project to do while binging on Netflix. And if you have a husband or significant other-type person sitting next to you to help, all the better. You don’t have to have super crafting skills to get this done, just a little perseverance.

Valentine Heart Wreath Materials:

• 8 inch foam heart form
• Several sheets of pink cardstock
• Hydrangea flower punch (Martha Stewart brand carries the one in this picture)
• Corsage pins or straight pins with a white head

Step 1. Get to punching. I used about 3-3 1/2 sheets of 12×12 cardstock for this project. I use different shades of pink because in the end it gives it more texture and a more interesting look than it all being the same flat pink. Again, this is a great in-front-of-the-TV activity. Or pawn this part off on your partner (like I did).

Step 2. Bend and pin. Layer up two of your little flower punches and gently bend the petals inward. Punch one of your pins through the middle. You’ll want to twist the top petals around so they don’t completely line up and make a full looking flower.

Step 3. Pin, pin, pin. Pick a starting point on your foam form and start pinning the flower petals on. I like to do rows at a time for the sake of knowing all the white spaces are covered. Keep pinning on until the entire foam heart is covered. I used around 140 sets of flowers for my heart; your number of flowers will vary due to heart size and how close together you put them.

Step 4. Totally optional. But when I was doing this project, I quickly noticed my corsage pins were a whole lot longer than my heart form was thick. Easy enough to fix. I ran out to the garage and got the wire cutters and trimmed down the pins to be flush with the foam form. Makes your pretty heart less of a health hazard, but not totally necessary to the project. Your form and pins may work well enough together that you don’t have to do this!

As I said, it takes some time to punch and pin all those flowers but the end result is worth it! You can hang as part of a cluster of Valentine decor or just set amongst your things as a pretty little Valentine perk.

Thanks again to MFP for asking me to be a regular contributor! I’d love it if you’d stop on by Frog Prince Paperie for party inspiration, and maybe find some tutorials and recipes for a few other holidays, too! You can also find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Google+.

The post Valentine Heart Wreath with Paper Flowers appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Time is moving fast and Christmas will be here before you know it.  If you are needing a quick and easy to make gift for the neighbors, we’ve got you covered.  These also make great little tags to put on presents.   Or just use them as ornaments – they really look festive on my tree.    And just look how elegant the black and gold ornament is:

To make some of these for yourself, here is what you will need:

Long cinnamon sticks. I bought mine at Costco

An assortment of ribbon.  It is easier if you choose ribbon that is the same on both sides but you can still make it work with a design on one side like the black and gold ribbon that is shown.

Scissors

Glue gun and glue

Spray starch and an iron

Twine for the hanger loop

Start by cutting pieces of ribbon in lengths of 9-10  inches. You will need six for each ornament and a little extra for the ribbon at the top.

Tie 6 pieces of ribbon around your cinnamon stick:

At this point, I lightly sprayed my ribbon with spray  starch and with my iron set on low, I ironed my ribbon strips to help them be stiff and stand out nicely.  If you have any kind of plastic or rubber embellishments on your ribbon, be very careful when ironing so they don’t melt.

Next, with your scissors, start from the end that you want the top and cut down towards the “bottom” of the tree at a diagonal making the ribbon longer at the bottom.  This makes it so much easier than tying a tiny little piece of ribbon at the top.  Repeat on the other side.

Cut out the desired length of twine for your hanger.  Place a dollop of glue at the “top” of your tree and secure the ends of your twine to the cinnamon stick.

Tie a small bow with the desired color of ribbon and glue over the bottom of the twine pieces to cover.

Wait until glue is cool and dry before hanging on your tree.

Craft inspiration by Lushome

We hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday season with family and friends!

 You can also find us on Pinterest │ Facebook │ Twitter │ Instagram │ StumbleUpon │ Hometalk

Look at these other great Christmas Crafts!

DIY Kids Craft Stick Christmas Ornament

Pretzel Christmas Trees

The post Cinnamon Stick Christmas Ornaments appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

I’ve been busy lately pulling bins out of the attic and decorating our house for Christmas. How about you?

When I was poking around our ornament boxes, I came across this cute little clothespin reindeer that we made when I was a kid. DIY Reindeer Clothespin Ornaments!

I just love his goofy little face!

Crafting together is one of our family’s favorite holiday traditions, and I thought it would be fun to recreate these Reindeer Clothespin Ornaments from my childhood with my son.

These DIY Reindeer Clothespin Ornaments are super simple to make, and you probably already have most of the supplies on hand!

To make your own clothespin reindeer, you will need:

-Regular clothespins or flat wooden clothespins
-Red and Green felt
-Hot glue and Craft glue
-Googly eyes
-Small buttons or sequins
-Pom poms
-Baker’s twine
-Scissors

If using regular clothes pin, remove the metal clip from one and glue the two pieces to the side of another clothespin, as shown above.

Using craft glue or hot glue, attach eyes and button or sequin nose to the clothespin reindeer.

Cut a thin piece of red felt and wrap it around the clothespin reindeer to create a scarf. Use scissors to trim the scarf to size and fringe the edges.

Cut two holly leaves out of green felt and glue them above the reindeer’s eyes. Add small buttons or jewels as berries.

At this point, if you like, you can attach another intact clothespin to the back of the reindeer using hot glue to make the second set of legs. Finish by adding a pom-pom tail.

Don’t forget to add a hanger to your ornament! I hot glued baker’s twine to the back of mine.

So cute — and so goofy!

They all have so much personality.

If you’re using the flat wooden clothespins, the process for making these is a bit different.

You’ll want to start out by gluing two clothespins on top of one another to create the reindeer’s legs. Allow to dry, then glue the third clothespin onto the stack, with the pins facing up as antlers, as shown below.

Then, you can decorate your reindeer ornaments as you see fit!

I hope you enjoy making these with your family as much as I did!

Here are a few more Christmas projects you might enjoy:

Winter Wonderland Display

Vintage Christmas Porch

Vintage Christmas Mantel

The post DIY Reindeer Clothespin Ornaments appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

DIY Kids Christmas Tree Ornament You are going to LOVE creating these DIY Kids Christmas Tree Ornaments! This is a quick and easy craft for you and your kids, you can make 7-10 trees in under an hour. Make your tree unique by using different paint colors and embellishments, the possibilities are endless. They cost pennies to make and will look darling on any Christmas tree!”
Mom would always catch me before too much damage was done and would send me on my merry way. We would wake up the next morning to a beautifully decorated tree!

These Craft Stick Christmas Tree Ornaments are darling and a quick easy craft that requires little or no patience!

Feel free to use the supplies listed below or decorate the Christmas with any craft items of your choice. They would also be fun when decorated with fruit loops cereal, gummy Bears, popcorn, yarn etc.

Supplies 

Jumbo Size Craft Sticks
2 mm Jute, 20lb by Bead Landing
Turf Green Paint from DecoArt Multi -Surface Satin Paint
Emerald Green Paint from DecoArt Ultra Fine Green Glitter Paint
White Fuzzy Sticks (pipe cleaners)
Sparkling White Fuzzy Sticks (pipe cleaners)
Yellow Scrapbook Paper
Brown Striped or Corrugated Scrapbook Paper
Scissors
Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

Embellishments
Coarse Glitter White by Martha Stewart
Paper Christmas Tree Jolee’s Boutique Embellishments
White Sugar Pearls by Wilton
Sprinkles White Sparkling Sugar by Wilton
Big Bag of Buttons from Favorite Findings 3.5 oz I

Instructions 

Figure out how many trees you are going to make, you will need 3 jumbo size craft sticks per tree. Paint your sticks the desired color, allow them to dry thoroughly.

Make a triangle with 3 sticks, gently lift up a corner and apply a small dab of hot glue, press down gently until the glue cools. Repeat the process with the other two corners of the triangle.

Glue your star and tree trunk on next.

Time to glue on an ornament hanger and buttons onto your tree.

We would love to hear one of your favorite Christmas memories! Please feel free to share one in a comment below.

Happy Holidays,

We are excited to be linking this post to Creative Family Fun and Simply Designing!

The post DIY Kids Craft Stick Christmas Tree Ornament appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

1.  Love this wood placemat, it brings the outdoors right into your kitchen with a beautiful table decoration. Thanksgiving Table Setting Idea

2. Who doesn’t love pumpkins? Get some burlap and easily make the cutest pumpkin placemats! Apple Print Placemat

3. Have a bunch of kids over for Thanksgiving? Spice it up and have a tablecloth they can draw and color on, keeps them busy but also they have fun and stay mild. Draw Together Thanksgiving Set

4. Oh, I thought these were super cute and very creative, I love the look of Fall and the colors it gives us, so why not bring them inside and create a little craft for some new placemats and table setting? Kid’s Thanksgiving Party Ideas

5. What a cute way to dress up the dinner table, line it up with these adorable little pumpkins to match your placemats. Table Decorations

6. This is a cute, and crafty way to get your kids involved, all you need is paint and any style of leaf from outside. Fall Leaf Prints

7. Here is a cute idea to jazz up your house, and design it full of Fall colors just in time for Thanksgiving! Burlap Leaf Placemats

8. How about a nice turkey as your placemat? Check out these adorable turkeys  Turkey Placemat Pattern

9. A Kraft tablecloth can make clean-up fast and easy, while entertaining the kids during dinner and dessert! Kraft Paper Table Runner

10. Here is a fun way to get the kids involved, get some paint, make cute hand prints you can cherish these memories forever, and you’ll be set for Thanksgiving! Handprint Turkey on Burlap

11. Every kid loves to paint, check out this hysterical and fun way to make new placemats, and you can keep them for the years to come by making those memories with their little hands! Meaningful Mama

12. Everyone loves to see their names on the table or at least their initials, check out this clever way to design your dinner table and house! Kid-Made Placemats

The post Thanksgiving Placemat Crafts appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

30 Christmas Tree Ornaments to Make

1. The kids will have a blast making these fun Melted Crayon Ornaments from Meet the Dubiens!
2. Add an elegant touch to your Christmas tree this year with these Classy Clay Ornaments from A Beautiful Mess.

3. These Character Ornaments from Crazy Little Projects are sure to be hit with the kids! Have fun together by creating ornaments of your favorite characters!

4. Looking for something easy and cute? Try making these Yarn Ball Ornaments from Sew Wrong.

5. Collect those bottle caps! These Bottle Cap Snowmen Ornaments from Kidsomania are simply cute!

6. Each ornament maker can customize their own String Art Ornaments to hang on the tree this year! These fun ornaments were made by the Country Chic Cottage.

7. Fill the house with the aroma of Christmas by making these Cinnamon Stick Tree Ornaments found on Crafts Unleashed.

8. These ingenious Paint Chip Christmas Tree Ornaments found on My Life and Kids are creative and easy to make!

9. Check out these beautiful DIY Glitter Christmas Ornaments from Create and Babble.

10. These Wooden Nativity Ornament found on Crafting and Creativity make for a great family activity.

11. Check out this awesome tutorial by Gimme Some Oven on how to make these cute Book Page Ornaments!

12. Looking for something easy that the kids can join in on? Try these festive DIY Kids Christmas Tree Ornament from Made From Pinterest!

13. These DIY Paper Towel Roll Snowflakes from Kids Kubby are also an fun activity for the kids to do this holiday!

14. Be sure to try these fun and unique Rolled Paper Ornaments by Paper Plate and Plane!

15. Make these Personalized Scrabble Ornaments found on Life Your Way with your grand kids or kids this Christmas. They will make a great addition to your ornament collection!

16. These adorably cute Owl Ornaments For Kids from Meet the Dubiens are fun way to brighten up your tree!

17. Are your family DC Comic fans? Then you will love these awesome Superhero Ornaments by Happy Looks Good On You!

18. Wreaths are always found around the holiday season. These Mini Grey Wreath Christmas Ornaments from Domestically Blissful are a great project to do with the kids this season!

19. These Felt Mitten Ornaments found on Better Homes and Gardens will add a cozy touch to the tree this year.

20. Here is a super easy one to make! Try out these Christmas Pinecone Ornament from Shanty 2 Chic!

21. Gather up some more pinecones because you will want to make these Curious Pinecone Owl Ornaments by Lia Griffith!

22. The kids will absolutely love these Mini Snow Globe Ornament by No Biggie.

23. The Happier Homemaker provides a fun activity for kids with her DIY Kid’s Fingerprint Ornament.

24. These unique Tinkering Trees from Left Brain Craft Brain are a great way to let the kids create their own ornaments for the Christmas tree.

25. These cute Burlap Poinsettia Christmas Ornaments found on Home Talk will add a rustic look to your tree.

26. Want an outdoorsy theme for your tree? Try making these DIY Wood Slice Christmas Ornaments by Mountain Modern Life.

27. Check out these adorable Hot Chocolate Ornaments from Breakfast 4 Dinner!

28. This Stable Ornament from Adventures of a DIY Mom is an easy Christmas Craft for the kids to do!

29. These cheerful Snowman Spoon Ornaments from A Lil Bird Told Me are a crafty way to add to your tree this year.

30. Last one! Make a keepsake with the kids by creating these easy Kids Hand Print Snowman Bulbs found on Instructables.

The post 30 Christmas Tree Ornaments to Make appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

It is super easy and a fun craft to make!  It’s a perfect way to use the kid’s imagination and creativity!

Isn’t it so beautiful outside this time of the year!?! Everywhere you look, Fall is showing off its golden colors.

Your kiddos will love this Fall activity! So what are you waiting for?!?

To make Leaf Art you will need:

-leaves from outside

-googly eyes

-glue

-black marker

-paper

Let your munchkin make anything they can imagine, for example, my daughter wanted to make leaf monsters and a little baby hedgehog.

Here is a little puppy made of red and yellow leaves and, of course, huge googly eyes!

I hope you enjoyed these leaf art ideas!

Share it with your friends and family on Munchkin Time, Munchkin Time, Facebook and other social media!

If you make Super Cute Leaf Art for Kids PLEASE tag @munchkintimeblog and use a hashtag #munchkintimeblog on Instagram, we would LOVE to see your creation

Thank you for stopping by!

Popular Posts from Munchkin Time

Munchkin Time

How To Make Frozen Tutu – Easy DIY Tutorial

The Best Creamy Chicken Pasta

The post Super Cute Leaf Art for Kids appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

These photo transfer ornaments were inspired by this pin from Landeelu.com. I totally love her iconic looking sledding down the hill and bundled up pictures on her ornaments, but decided these would work wonderfully as place cards with the added bonus of being little souvenirs from the day.

Materials:

• Wooden ornaments
• White craft paint
• Matte gel Medium
• Laser printed images
• Printable tags
• Ribbon

Word to the wise before you start on this project–the photo transfer absolutely won’t happen unless you use an image from a laser printer. I shot mine over to the office supply store to run them off, but a photocopy machine that uses toner will work just as well.

Step 1: Paint the ornaments. Put a coat (or two) of white paint over the entire ornament. Be sure to do the back so the ornaments have nice polish. To make them a little shabby, you can take sandpaper to the edges.

Step 2: Cut the pictures to the size of your ornament. I placed the picture over my ornaments and then ran my finger around the edge to mark the size of the ornament. When the paper is flipped over, you can easily see the cutting lines!

Step 3: Apply matte gel to the front of the image.

Step 4: Apply the image to the wood. Flip the image over and place on the wooden ornament. Use a credit card or something similar to flatten the paper to the surface, remove any bubbles or wrinkles, and get rid of any excess gel medium. Now’s the hard part. You’re going to have to wait at least 8 hours for the medium to completely do its magic.

Step 5: If your patience hasn’t gotten the best of you, you can start removing the paper from the ornament. Landeelou suggested lightly misting the image to rub it off, but frankly, that took too long. I saw another blogger who just ran the paper under the faucet while gently rubbing circles and it came off really easy that way. You will have to repeat this process several times, as all the paper won’t come off in a single shot.

I like the look of this half- painted ornament…it was a happy accident. While I’d love to tell you that it was completely intentional, really, I painted half for a picture, the ADD kicked in and I forgot the rest. What I did find out from this little experiment is that the photo transfer onto the unpainted wood will rub off at a much higher rate than on the painted portion. I love the chippy worn look, but you do want a bit of the photo to stay in place!

If you just love your ornaments just they way they are, you can stop right there! I made them into place cards with two extra additions. I wrote the name of the person next to the photo, and I added one of the free printable ribbon tags to the top before I tied the ornament to the napkin ring.

Thanks again to MFP for asking me to be a regular contributor! I’d love it if you’d stop on by Frog Prince Paperie for party inspiration, and maybe find some tutorials and recipes for a few other holidays, too! You can also find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Google+.

A FEW OF MY MOST POPULAR THANKSGIVING POSTS:

Thanksgiving Tree of Thanks free printable

We are So Thankful Family Tablescape

Chic Chair Tie Backs with Fabric Rosettes

The post Photo Transfer Ornament Name Cards for the Holidays appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hi Everyone! This is Melanie from Artzy Creations here to share with you, a fun Thanksgiving craft for kids. At our house, it’s typically a long day for the kids and they get a little restless waiting for the big Thanksgiving dinner. Not this year… I’ve come up with a clever way to create a turkey using just a few materials and some wood slices. I love wood slices and how versatile they are for so many crafts. Plus, they make the cutest darned turkeys.

This Wood Slice Turkey is great because you can have the pieces pre cut and put in separate bags for the kids to complete on Thanksgiving day. That really helps make this project extra simple, easy to distribute and manage on that busy day.

Supplies Needed:

• Wood Slices
• Red Felt
• Orange Felt
• Googly Eyes
• Tacky Glue (It’s great for kids to use for this project.) or Hot Glue
• Colored Ribbon

Step 1: Cut several pieces of different colored ribbon to roughly 3″ in length. Make a loop and place a dab of glue between the ends of the ribbon to glue them together.

Step 2: Glue the loops of ribbon to the back of the turkey and space them out just a little bit in a fan pattern.

Step 3: Next, you will create the legs of the turkey by taking two pieces of ribbon, roughly 1″ in lenght and glue these pieces to the back of the turkey. If you’re using ribbon with a pattern (like mine) make sure the pattern is facing the front so you can see it. You can angle the legs like I did or have them just go straight up and down.

Step 3: Take a little piece of red felt and a cut a curved waddle shape. Use a small piece of orange felt and cut a triangle for the beak.

Step 4: Glue the waddle shape down first. Followed by the beak. Finally, glue the googly eyes on.

Look at these cute turkeys. They will be a kid crowd pleaser for sure.

They are not only cute, but they make great a table decorations. You could also turn these into magnets for the fridge too.

I hope you enjoyed this project! I wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving. I will see you all in December. Until then you can follow me for more craftiness fun at Artzy Creations or on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google +.

If you like this project, check out these fun projects too:

Color Blocked Leaves

Borax Star Ornaments

Borax Star Ornaments

Free Fall Coloring Page

Free Fall Coloring Page

The post Wood Slice Turkey appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

My Halloween specialty is making a dinner with appropriately gross food and my kids love it.  We’ve had meatloaf rats, bloody nose soup, eyeballs and a jello brain amongst many other things.  Last year we had a Harry Potter Murder Mystery Dinner that was a blast.  I just love that kind of stuff!

Even though things can get pretty gruesome around my place during Halloween, I also like to decorate with a little sparkle!  Enter these Glitter Pumpkin Candy Holders.  Made out of craft pumpkins, these are super easy to make but will really stand out in your home.  I get a lot of compliments on mine!

But enough yakkin’, let’s get crafting!

Here are the items that you will need for this project:

• Craft Pumpkins
• Martha Stewart Fine Glitter 1.48 oz bottle.  I used gold, turquoise and a light green for the stem. I get mine at Michael’s. Picture below
• Box cutter, picture below
• Elmer’s All-Purpose Glue
• Paintbrush.  I used a foam one.

Determine what size of pumpkin you are going to glitter and then I just eyeballed it and with a pen, drew a mouth on my pumpkins.  Make sure it will be large enough to fit a hand into and don’t go too low so that there won’t be any room to hold candy.  You could also draw eyes and a nose to cut out but I wasn’t interested in doing that to these two this time.

With your box cutter, cut on your mouth lines.  If it is not exact or if there is some line still showing on the pumpkin, don’t worry because it will be covered with the glitter!

Remove the cut-out part and then clean up any rough edges.   Now for this next part, make sure you have your pumpkins on some newspaper or a trash bag because there is going to be lots of overspill of your glitter.  You will want to be able to keep the spilled glitter to put back into your bottle.

With your paintbrush, apply the glue to your pumpkin.  I usually work in smaller sections. Make sure that you have good coverage but not too thick or else after you apply the glitter, the glue will start to slide and cause a glob.   Don’t ask me how I know that.

Sprinkle your glitter over the glue.

Tap your pumpkin to remove any excess glue.  I glittered most of the top part of my pumpkins first, let them dry overnight and then I glittered the bottoms.   I also glittered the exposed edges where I cut the pumpkin and don’t forget to glitter the stem!  Same procedure.

I also glittered one pumpkin at a time so that I wasn’t mixing up the two colors of glitter.  You can just pour the excess glitter back into your jar to use again.  You will be surprised at how little glitter it actually takes to make these beautiful pumpkins!

If you see any areas that didn’t glitter, don’t worry.  Just apply some more glue, sprinkle your  glitter, then tap and that should take care of that.

When your pumpkin is completely dry, take a damp cloth and wipe out the inside of your pumpkin of any glitter residue.

Fill with your favorite candy and you are ready to go.

Happy Halloween everyone!

You can also find us on Pinterest │ Facebook │ Twitter │ Instagram │ StumbleUpon │ Hometalk

Check out these other great Halloween ideas!

Bloody Shirley Temples

Chocolate Chip Spider Cookies

Halloween Hot Chocolate

The post Glitter Pumpkin Candy Holders appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

I’m Amy from Atta Girl Says, and today I have a gorgeous pumpkin project to share with you, Painted Metallic Foil Pumpkins.

Now, I  think pumpkins are gorgeous as they grow. But I am also of the opinion that everything looks better with a little shine!

And since I’m all about using nontraditional colors in my fall decorating this year, I decided to paint some inexpensive foam pumpkins from the dollar store in shades of blue, aqua, purple and gray and embellish them with metallic foil.

I’ve gilded before with gold leaf sheets that you find at the craft store, but this time around, I used the kind of metallic foil that decorative painters and faux finishers use. I bought mine from a local paint and home decor store, but you can also find it online from places like Royal Design Studio. I like using the foil because it’s easier to work with and comes in an array of finishes: antique gold, copper, bright gold, silver, bronze soft gold and even colors.

I started out with some cheap foam pumpkins from the dollar store.

I gave each one a couple coats of chalk paint until none of the original orange showed through.

Next, I used a foam brush to coat each pumpkin with adhesive size. Allow that to dry until it’s tacky, or sticky.

Then you want to take your metallic foil sheet, shiny side up, and press it on the sticky surface of the pumpkin.

Like so. Press firmly to transfer the foil to the pumpkin, then peel off. Repeat all over the pumpkin.

Your goal is a mottled effect, with some of the paint showing through.

You can foil the stems, as well, or use a product like Rub’n’Buff was or DecoArt Metallic Lustre to coat them.

After you’ve applied the foil, the pumpkins will remain sticky with the adhesive size. Use a clear sealer or acrylic spray to seal them.

I’m kinda in love with these Painted Metallic Foil Pumpkins. I’ve used them to make a fall wreath for my front door and also in our dining room table decorations.

I’ll hope you’ll stop by Atta Girl Says for a visit. You never know what I’ll be up to! Crafting, cooking, decorating, painting furniture, entertaining — I do it all. I’d also love to have you join me on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Here are a few things I’ve been working on lately:

Pumpkin Patch Sign

 White Chocolate Dipped Cannoli with Strawberry Cream

Caramel Macchiato Apple Bites

The post Painted Metallic Foil Pumpkins appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

If you have been thinking about getting a Minc Foil Applicator, now is a great time!  Usually retail price on these machines are $149.00 but as of today, 9/23/15, they are just $95.50 through Amazon. (affiliate)  I’ve already bought three more for Christmas presents!  That really is a great deal.

So the items that you will need for this project is:

• Heidi Swapp Foil
• Heidi Swapp paper or other paper pattern of your choice
• Fishing wire
• Beads and baubles of your choice
• Large washers (found at Home Depot around the nuts and bolts)
• Pour-on High Gloss Finish (found at Michael’s)
• Sharp cutter, box cutter, something that holds a razor blade.
• ModPodge
• Paintbrush
• Cutting mat

Using your foil of choice, apply the foil to your paper.  For my tutorial on how to use the Minc machine, click HERE.   With these washers, you don’t need to use the whole piece of paper but can cut your paper into smaller pieces and then just place smaller pieces of foil over your paper.

I created a stunning black necklace and in order to do that, I took Heidi’s paper to my local printing company and copied it off onto a black paper.  In doing this, you can’t really see the pattern print on black paper, but then when you apply the foil. BAM!  The foil really stands out on a darker background. Wait till you see it.

After your paper has been foiled, trace the washers onto the backside of the paper and then cut your circle out with a razor blade cutter.  Make sure you are doing this on a mat or something that can withstand some deep cuts.

Next, take your washer and with a paintbrush, “paint” the flattest side of the washer with the ModPodge and apply your foiled paper.  Press hard so the paper doesn’t curl and leave a gap between the paper and the washer.

Let dry overnight.

After thoroughly dried, prepare the high gloss finish as per the directions on the box.  After mixing, I like to wait just a few minutes to let the bubbles subside.  When ready, take a spoon and drizzle the glaze right on top of your papered washer.  Take a toothpick or something thin and sharp to spread the mixture over the entire surface and to pop any bubbles that you might see. Try not to put on so much that the mixture spills over the edges of the washer.

I would recommend drying for at least 24 hours or even longer if the gloss finish still feels gummy and it hasn’t hardened all the way.

When hardened thoroughly, take some fishing wire and determine the length of your necklace.  Then fold the fishing wire in half and with the looped end, push that through the hole of the washer, then stick your two ends through the loop and pull tight.  It should look like this:

Now comes some fun!  With whatever beads, pearls and baubles that you have, create the rest of your necklace.  You can either finish them off by tying them to a necklace clasp or just tie around your neck.

Here is the black one that I made that I love:

And a few more!

One thing that I love about this Minc machine is that you can foil more things than you think.  It’s not just for cards or banners.  Be creative!  What do you have in your house that you would love to foil?!  Here are some of my past projects:

Free Printable Pantry Labels, DIY Foil Gift  Box, Patriotic Paper Wreath, Free Cinderella Quote Printable,  and Altoid Gift Tins. 

If you have teenage girls, they will love making these and giving them as gifts to their friends and I hope that you will enjoy them too!

The post Washer Necklaces appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Okay, okay I know that it is barely September but I can’t help but get excited when my second favorite holiday of all time is drawing near.  I love, love, love Halloween.  And for years I have made this Ghost Decoration, but I have always made them in white.  Well….this year I took things up a notch and decided to liven them up a little bit with some color and I love them! I think these ghosts are so impressive because they don’t look like they should be standing up on their own being made out of flimsy cheesecloth.   The process is super easy, and I love that I pretty much have everything that I need already at home.

What you will need to make these are:

• Cheesecloth
• Sugar
• Water
• Spray Paint, your choice of colors
• Glass bottles with long necks
• Black felt
• Foil

Decide on the size of your bottles and then take your foil and make a ball for the head.  Once you have made your ball, wrap it in a square piece of foil and crimp the bottom into a “stem”.

Insert the “head” into your bottle.

Next, take your foil and make a long “snake” for your arms.  I think I made mine about 20 inches long.  Crimp it together and wrap it around the neck of your bottle.  Bend the arms to where you want them.  I like mine not exactly level but with one arm higher than the other.  Don’t ask me why.

Okay, so now you want to cut your cheesecloth to be long enough to cover both sides of your side with some extra leftover to drape at the bottom which forms your stand.  I can’t really give the length since every bottle will be different so I just eyeball it.

Then you want to take 1/2 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Let it cool and when it is okay to touch, douse your cheesecloth into the sugar water.  Squeeze out the excess but not to a super, duper dry because you want some sugar to stay on the cheesecloth to harden.  This is what helps keep the ghost shape.

After squeezing, place your bottle on a piece of foil or wax paper and drape the cheesecloth over the ghost frame.

Layer the extra at the bottom thickly so that it will create a nice base.  Also, make sure you press down around the shoulder area so that your cheesecloth doesn’t go straight from the head to the arm. You want a nice shoulder area.

Let dry overnight.  When it is completely dry, spray paint with your choice of color.  The biggest thing that you need to do when spray painting these is to look at your ghost from every possible angle so that you can get spray paint into the folds with no white showing.  I sprayed the bottoms and up from the bottom into the inside.  Cut some eyes and mouths from the black felt and glue onto the ghost face.  Voila!  Don’t you just love these colors?

I already have these guys gracing my family room coffee table.

You can also find us on Pinterest │ Facebook │ Twitter │ Instagram │ StumbleUpon │ Hometalk

Need a few more Halloweeny Ideas?  Check these out!

Bloody Shirley Temples

Mummy Mason Jars

Chocolate Chip Spider Cookies

The post Ghost Decoration appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Now, when I got to thinking about a fall craft I saw this DIY fall leaf bowl in so so many Pinterest posts that I had to go explore the project. I figure when more than one crafty gal has made an attempt at a project it must be good, right? That is until I started reading the comments on these posts…so many fails! I was a bit leery about trying it myself, but with the small material investment these need and a forearmed with a lot of reading on best methods, I took the plunge! When my DIY leaf bowl came out just perfect, I was more than happy with the results, and I’m thrilled to be able to pass this how-to on.

Materials:

• Plastic wrap
• 50 or so fabric leaves (purchase at the Dollar Store for best value)
• Fabric Stiffener

Find a nicely shaped glass bowl that is a fairly good size in your cupboard and cover the outside in plastic wrap.

We’ll start making the bowl in a minute, but one step you really need to take to get your leaves to stick flatly to the bowl is to iron them all as flat as you can. If you’ve bought some leaves with a plastic stem, take that part off entirely, then iron them out. Even the Dollar Store ones that come without plastic pieces will need ironing. They aren’t going to go entirely flat, but do as much as you can! For the record, I bought two bags of leaves and just sorted out the red to red-orange leaves that I liked most to use.

Now we start making our bowl. I read a lot of tutorials that used Modge Podge instead of fabric stiffener. If that’s all you have, it does work, but there were a many more people with bowls that didn’t work out with it. Fabric stiffener is really inexpensive and you could easily make 9 or 10 bowls with what comes in a small bottle.

I painted a layer of fabric stiffener onto the plastic wrap before I started laying on my leaves. Looking back, I don’t know if that was necessarily needed, but it helped keep them in place as I added them to the bowl. Place your leaves around the bowl so they overlap, painting the back of each one with fabric stiffener and adding leaves until you cover the bowl. For mine, I made sure all the bottoms of the leaves pointed to the bottom of the bowl so when it was un-molded all the leaves would prettily point up and out. For good measure, I spread an extra coat of stiffener over the leaves once everything was in place.

Let your leaf bowl dry completely. I left mine overnight so there was no question as to its level of dryness. Take the plastic and leaves carefully off you glass bowl. It *should* come off fairly easily. Gently coax it off if it gives you any trouble. Everything is going to be one solid sheet of flexible leafy glue, so you’ll be fine bending it around a bit if you need to.

Once the leaves are off the bowl, carefully peel out the plastic. There were a few little pieces of extra glue I had to pick off the tips of my leaves, but after that, you’ll be ready to make your DIY Fall Leaf Bowl a pretty decoration for the season!

The bowl is fairly light weight, so it won’t be as sturdy as a glass bowl, but it will certainly be able to handle a few pine cones or faux pumpkins!

Thanks again to MFP for asking me to be a regular contributor! I’d love it if you’d stop on by Frog Prince Paperie for party inspiration, and maybe find some tutorials and recipes for a few other holidays, too! You can also find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Google+.

A FEW OF MY MOST POPULAR POSTS:

Halloween Sock Black Cat – a 15 minute craft perfect for kids

Bewitching little Perfectly Poisonous Parfait recipe

Hallway table display and Free Printable “Something Wicked this way Comes” Picture

The post DIY Fall Leaf Bowl appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hello. Amber from rick•a•bam•boo here with another fun DIY post for you. I am so excited that fall is upon us. It’s my favorite season and it contains my favorite holiday. I love, love, love Halloween. So I thought I would take this chance to share a Halloween craft with all of you.

We all know that Halloween is all about the candy. So why not have a count down to the most candy filled day of the year?

My mom found this super cute Halloween count down from I Heart Naptime last year and we just had to make them. And yes, it is actually 53 days until Halloween. So it is time to panic about costumes. Sorry.

We used her instructions as a guide and made a few small tweaks here and there to better suit our needs. We each purchased:

• Four  5 1/2″ x 6′ fence boards and cut them into 2 foot lengths
• Two  2″ x 2″ x 8′ boards and them cut to 5 1/2 feet

Note: I would buy the boards about a week before you plan to make this project and take them home to let them dry. We thought we chose ones that were pretty dry and went home and cut and assembled our signs. The next day we had slight gaps between the boards from them drying out more at home overnight.

To assemble, we just hammered the fence boards to the 2 x 2 pieces of wood. Don’t worry about lining the boards up to make straight sides. It looks best a little wonky.

Once it was assembled we used a 1:1 ratio of white craft paint to water to give the sign a white wash.  When the wash was dry we used a candy corn shape cut from the silhouette to stencil on a scattering of candy corns. Our candy corns are 5″ x 3.8″.

Start with the white and fill the candy shape as much with white as you like. Then move to the yellow and last paint the orange. By going lightest to darkest we were able to free hand them without any issues. They aren’t perfect lines but they still look great.

We also used the same fonts she did, which were Crackhouse, Addict, and Adler. I downloaded them free online. I just Googled the names to find their free sources. Then I set to work figuring out which font we wanted for which text and how big to make it.

“It’s all about the” – Crackhouse at 400.25 pt
“CANDY!” – Addict at 390 pt
“Days until trick or treating” – Alder at 250 pt
numbers – Didot at about 348 pt

Note: You might have to break up some of the words in order to fit them on to the sheets of cardstock. We had a couple of single letters that we had to tack on to the end of a couple words.

We then cut all of the text from cardstock using the Silhouette. Then, using painters tape or masking tape we gently taped the text in place. There is such a big white area on the bottom so that you can stack pumpkins and other fall/Halloween decor there with your sign.

Once we were happy with how it looked it was time to paint. Using a sponge brush, get paint on the brush, dab off the excess, and lightly apply a thin layer of paint while holding the stencil firmly to the sign. You will want to do a couple layers to get the text nice and dark.

For our numbers we decided that we wanted to make ours weatherproof. We cut the numbers from white cardstock using the Silhouette and mounted them to black cardstock cut to 4 1/4″ x 6 1/2″. Once the adhesive had dried we ran them through the laminator to make them waterproof.

We chose to mount them to the sign with a 1 1/2″ piece of velcro at the top and bottom of each number. That way the numbers couldn’t flap up in the breeze. We adhered the hook half of the velcro to the top of the numbers and the loop part we put on the bottom of all the numbers. Then we used the opposite on the boards to make them stick.

The spider up in the corner we found at Dollar Tree and just velcroed him up there as well.

We joked about making it so you could put three digits up so that you can just start over on November 1st and leave it out all year. However, I think the neighbors might not like their kids counting down to Halloween all year long.

Want more Halloween fun? Check out these posts.

Zombie Brain Rice Crispy Treats

Printable Hero Masks

Anna & Elsa Crochet Hats

Be sure to follow me so that you don’t miss any of the awesome Halloween stuff I have planned!

Pinterest  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Google+  |  Instagram

The post Halloween Candy Count Down appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hi to all of the Made From Pinterest fans! It’s me, Melanie from Artzy Creations and I’m here to share with you, another fun craft, just in time for Back To School. Can you believe it’s back to school time already? I can’t. The summer has flown by and being a teacher myself, I’m gearing up for the new school year. Buying my new pencils, pens, crayons, not only for my kiddos, but for myself as well. This Back To School Teacher Crayon Wreath is a simple but awesome back to school teacher gift that would bring a smile to any teacher’s face because it would make for a great room decoration. Trust me on this… being a teacher, I definitely know!

Supplies Needed:

• Round Picture Frame
• Piece of Cardboard
• Black Acrylic Paint
• Chalboard Paint
• Crayons ( I used three boxes.)
• White Chalk
• Paint Brush
• Hot Glue

Step 1: Find a picture frame that has a thick border to it at your local craft store. Paint the surface with the black acrylic paint and let it dry.

Step 2: I painted the cardboard insert that is used to hold and support an actual picture with chalkboard paint. Make sure to use a heavy piece of cardboard that isn’t corrugated because you don’t want the ridges. It’s needs to be a smooth surface. Apply 2 to 3 coats of the chalkboard paint and let dry.

Step 3: Hot glue the crayons in place. You can do a single layer like shown above or continue with a second layer as shown below.

Step 4: Use a piece of chalk to put A+ Teacher or the name of the teacher in the center.

It’s that simple and easy! And with crayons on sale right now, it really makes this project inexpensive. I’m telling you that any teacher would love to receive this as a back to school gift and you’d certainly put a big smile on their face.

Here is the wreath on my wall at school!

You can follow Artzy Creations on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google +.

Recycled Bird Feeder For Kids

Simple Blackberry Galette

 Pom Pom Ice Cream Cones For Kids

This awesome post has been shared with Home Stories A to Z

The post Back to School Teacher Crayon Wreath appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Because we love YOU, our wonderful readers, we would like to say a big THANK YOU for following us!  And to show our appreciation, we are bringing you a chance to win $600 big fat dollars! Who couldn’t use a little extra money right?    Are your kids going back to school?  $600 would go a long way towards back to school shopping.  Need a little getaway?  $600 would sure help to get you away for a weekend!

So, let’s get started!  First we want you to meet our blogger friends who went in with us to help make this happen…

Fynes Designs | Over the Big Moon | Pretty Providence | The Crafting Chicks | SNAP! | C.R.A.F.T. | All Things Thrifty | Tastes Better from Scratch | The Idea Room | Design Dining Diapers | Made from Pinterest | One Creative Mommy

Each of these gals pictured above is seriously amazing, we highly recommend you check out their blogs!

Now, all you have to do for a shot at winning the $600 is enter via the rafflecopter below!  We’re keeping our fingers crossed for ya!

Debbie, Tracy and Sherri

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post PayPal Giveaway appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Today I am going to show you how to make these super chic DIY Altoid Gift Tins.

You can make these gift tins with any paper, but in order to get them super chic and this pretty, you will need to get a Minc Foil Applicator from Heidi Swapp.  This machine can be found in your local Michael’s, JoAnn’s and Hobby Lobby Craft Stores.  It is a cinch to use and let me tell you, IT CHANGES EVERYTHING!  I mean seriously, your craft projects will go from drab to fab with this baby!

For my tutorial on how to use this machine, please click HERE.

Items needed for this project:  Heidi Swapp paper, foil and the Minc Foil applicator, razor cutter, scissors, paint brush or foam brush, Mod Podge.  A cutting mat is also nice.

After you have chosen your papers and have applied the foil, you will need to trace the Altoid box onto the backside of your paper.  You will need four paper designs: the outside top, the outside bottom, the inside top and the inside bottom.  They can either be the same paper design or different as you will see on mine later on.

Cut out two of this shape of your patterned paper.  This will be for the outside top and bottom.  Then for the two insides, cut on the inside of your drawn line and try placing them inside of the tin box.  If they do not fit, continue cutting around the box shape until they both fit into the inside of your box.

TIP:  If you are going to make more than one of these boxes, now is  a good time to trace these templates onto your other paper for your other boxes so that you don’t have to keep measuring for every box.

Mod Podge on the top of your tin box:

Place the cut-out of your paper onto the top of the box and press firmly.  It will be a little bumpy because the altoid letters are raised.  Let dry.  After it is dry, place upside down and with a razor cutter, cut any excess paper that is hanging over the edges.  Do this all around your box.

Next, measure and cut for the three strips that you will need.  One for the strip on the lid, one for the strip on the bottom and one for the strip that will go inside your box.

Don’t you just love these papers by Heidi Swapp?  They are preprinted and ready to just insert into the Minc machine to appy the foil.  Easy Peasy.

Again, once you have measured these three strips, if you are making more than one box, mark the widths on the other paper that you are going to use.

I have found it easiest to apply the rest of your paper to the tin box in this order:

1.  Mod Podge around the bottom of the tin and apply the strip for the bottom.  Press firmly around the corner edges so the paper strip does not gap.  I had my strip meet in the back of the tin.

2.  Following the same process, apply the smallest strip around the lid.  You will need to cut around the hinges and you can do that with the razor cutter.

3.  Apply the third strip around the inside of the box.

4.  Now Mod Podge and insert your paper for the bottom inside of the tin and then do the inside top.

5.  Lastly, Mod Podge the outside of the bottom of your tin.  Let dry and then once again,  cut around the edges for any paper that is hanging over.

That’s it!

Here are some photos of the ones that I made.  The papers are all from Heidi Swapp and I loved how they coordinated.

Heidi also has some great embellishments that you can foil and add like this darling butterfly that I added to this one.  Again, her paper embellishments are preprinted and just ready to foil!

You can fill these with SO many things:  jewelry, ear buds, keys, spare coins, etc.  But I chose…Candy! Oh yeah. Look how perfectly these six little Dove chocolates fit inside this box! And the gold foil matches perfectly.

These were super fun and I can’t wait to give them away as gifts.  I hope you are inspired by these (as I was when I saw them on Craftster) and that you will make your own! I promise that you will love them!

This awesome post has been shared with Home Stories A to Z

The post Altoid Gift Tins appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

I really love the opportunity (and excuse) to make something I’ve pinned each month. I get so wrapped up in creating that sometimes it’s nice to just follow the instructions and make something from someone else.

This month I ran across this super cute Origami Paper Dress from Meijo’s Jo, and I just had to make one. It was also something I could do with my girls (although I ended up doing most of it for them since the oldest is 5), but they thought the finished dresses were pretty fun. If you’ve been to Mabey She Made It, you know that I love to sew, and dresses for me and my girls are my favorites. Although I’m in the middle of a move, I would love to hang a few of these paper dresses in my sewing room–wherever that may end up being.

I followed the tutorial for the most part, just altering a few things and then adding it to a 5×7 frame. So let me show you what I did!

Supplies:

• Decorative paper cut to 6″ x 6″  for the dress and 5″ x 7″ for the mat (mine is from Stampin’ Up!)
• Decorative edge punch or decorative scissors (mine is from Martha Stewart)
• 3/8″ ribbon (Stampin’ Up!)
• Adhesive
• Frame

Instructions:

1. Cut or punch the bottom edge of your 6″ x 6″ paper.
2. Fold dress according to the tutorial making sure the fancy edge is at the bottom.
3. Adhere your ribbon around the waist of the dress.
4. Adhere the dress to the 5″ x 7″ paper, and insert into frame.

It only takes a few minutes to fold, and it really gives a fun definition to your crafting space. I would love to make some for my girls’ room too, since they’re cute and easy.

This awesome post has been shared with Home Stories A to Z

The post Paper Dress Decor appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hi everyone. Amber from rick•a•bam•boo here again.  Did you try the Raspberry Tiramisu I shared last month?  Delicious, huh?  Well this month I have a quick and easy craft to share with you.  These chalk painted canning jars are super fun and simple to make.  Plus they are an adorable home for a little succulent.  And who couldn’t use more succulents in their life?

Well, maybe me.  I love the way they look, but I am a succulent killer.  I don’t know if I over water or under water, but I had one that melted down into a puddle of mush. And the other succulents in the pot were eaten by my dog. True story.

But for those of you who are much better at caring for your plants there are just a few items needed for this project:

• a wide mouth canning jar
• chalk paint (I used Folk Art Chalk Paint in Summer Porch)
• foam brush
• fine grit sandpaper
• potting soil
• a succulent

We know you can hardly wait to start, so lets get going with creating our chalk painted succulent jars! First you paint the jar.  I like to put my hand inside the jar. It makes far easier for me to paint it without getting paint all over me or the table.  It took me three coats to get a nice, even coverage.  The chalk paint dries pretty fast.  I think it took about an hour to be completely dry, however it is summer so that helps.

After the paint is good and dry, take the sand paper and give all the embossing a light sanding to get the glass to show through.  You can sand a little or a lot.  We are just going for a chippy look.

Then you fill the jar 2/3 the way with potting soil and plant your succulent.  Easy peasy and super adorable. The reason that these are so great for succulents is because succulents don’t require a lot of water so you don’t need a pot that drains.

These chalk painted succulent jars make great teacher or hostess gifts and are perfect for adding a pop of color to any space.

This mason jar DIY comes from the cute girls at Lolly Jane.

Tell me, are you a succulent lover?  What are you going to plant in your chalk painted jar?

Be sure to follow me so you can see all my current projects.

Pinterest  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Google+  |  Instagram

This awesome post has been shared with Home Stories A to Z

The post Chalk Painted Succulent Jars appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hi Everyone! This is Melanie from Artzy Creations here to share with you another fun craft for kids. Summer is a perfect time to try simple and fun projects with the kiddos. Especially when the kids are looking for a good boredom buster. Having taught art for 18 years now, I have also looked for projects that you can upcycle/recycle. These Bottle Cap Bugs are great for kids for all ages because they can be as simple and intricate as you want. Kids can create all different types of bugs. Bees, Lady Bugs, Beetles, and all sorts of imaginary bugs are possible. Plus, you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg for your supplies.

Supplies Needed:

• Bottle Caps
• Transparency Paper
• Sharpie Markers
• Scissors
• Hot Glue or Elemer’s Glue (You can use Elemer’s Glue to glue the wings and eyes of the
• Hot Glue Gun
• Googly Eyes

Step 1: Using the transparency paper, cut any shape of wing.

Step 2: Color the wings in using the Sharpie markers using any pattern or design.

Step 3: Hot glue or use Elmer’s Glue to glue the wings onto the bottle cap.

Step 4: Glue the googly eyes on to the front of the bottle cap.

A couple of tips to share while making these cute bottle cap bugs. Sharpie Markers as you can see can get a little streaky. If you have younger kids make these, they might have to slow down a bit when coloring to make sure the marker is not too streaky. Also, remind kids to not drag their hands over areas that have just been colored. The marker will smear.

Look at all of this cuteness! I can’t pick a favorite because I love them all. My daughter’s just love making these and I’m sure your kids will too.

Thank you to the wonderful Made From Pinterest sisters for having me.

Hope you all continue to have a wonderful summer and enjoy all of the fun Bottle Cap Bug Making. See you next month!

You can follow Artzy Creations on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google +.

Check out these fun projects too:

DIY Mason Jar Aquarium Lamp

10 Minute Dinosaur Mason Jar For Kids

10 Minute Dinosaur Mason Jar For Kids

END POST

This awesome post has been shared with Home Stories A to Z

The post Make Bottle Cap Bugs! appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.