DIY Glue Art

I was bored this afternoon, so I grabbed some paints and went to work.  I made a piece of art work using a glue gun and acrylic paints.  Don't let the term "art work" discourage you; you DO NOT have to be artistic to make a great picture!  You can also make this project for under $10. 

What you need: 

Pre stretched canvas, whatever size you want.  Sold at arts and crafts stores.  Look for sales and use coupons!  

Hot glue gun

Acrylic paint

water

small/medium paint brush

What you do:

1.  Use the hot glue gun to draw a design on your canvas.  I drew flowers.  You can draw a picture or just lines and shapes - it's up to you! 

2.  Water down your paint.  You want the paint to be almost like water colors.  One of my painting teachers from high school said to apply paint thin to thick - this "rule" came in handy with this project.  

Use a wet, thick brush to apply the paint, one color at a time.  You can always go back and add more color if you want.  

first layer of color

beginning of second layer of color

It's finished! 

I decided to hang my painting up in my living room.  I think it looks great!

My tips:

1.  Less is more!  After finishing my painting, I realized I didn't really like the swirl designs in the painting.  Depending on the light and the angle, they don't really stand out too much.  Next time, I'm just doing one, simple design/pattern.  

2.  Let the paint dry between layers!  This will make it easier to work on one layer at a time.  Since the paint is so watered down, it will only take 5-10 minutes to dry between each layer.  

3.  Have fun!  there is no right or wrong.  It's all an experiment - play with the paint, water and glue; see what you come up with! 

Design "on a dime"

It's kind of is a funny saying, "design on a dime."  I haven't figured out how to design for only $0.10, but I can design for a few dollars.  There is a wall in my living room that doesn't have any windows or any major pieces of furniture on it(there is a bench with cubbies for storage).  I could hang up a generic piece of art work, a mirror, or anything else that's been done before.
I wanted something different and fun.  I LOVE family photos, so I got a bunch of frames and made a photo collage on my wall.  I pick of picture frames all over the place; yards sales and thrift stores mostly.  It is very easy to re-paint a frame.  Each frame is different, and I NEVER pay full price for a frame.  Right now, I have 9 frames in my collage, I will be adding more soon.

my picture collage! 

Today I bought the wall decals that are around the pictures.  I bought the decals for $1 at the dollar store.  The decals are dandelion designs in a grey/silver color(dandelion wishes happen to be one of my favorite things...).  When buying wall decals, go for something simple; you want the pictures to be the focus of the wall.  Also, you do not need to spend a lot of money on the decals!  Dollar stores sell decals, as well as craft store.  

My favorite thing about my picture frame collage is that it gets the photos off the digital camera and computer, and onto the wall for everyone to see!  There really is something great about viewing photos in an "old fashion" way.  It's a nice alternative to the Facebook photo albums and digital picture frames.  

  

a new take on flowers

I think I've posted about flowers and saving money before.  I LOVE fresh cut flowers, so I couldn't help but post some more tips and ideas.  I've seen this trick on design shows and news show segments.  So why not try it?

I bought carnations at the grocery store, cost about $6.  Carnations can look really cheap, like $6.  But it is easy to dress them up to look very pretty and sophisticated.

Take a large bunch of carnations, all of the same color.  Tie the stems together just below the blooms to form the illusion of one larger flower.  

I used a round, fish bowl like vase for this bunch.  It normally works best in shallower or shorter vases.  

Carnations are also very long lasting flowers, that come in a variety of bright, vibrant colors.  This bunch has been sitting on my kitchen table for about 8 days now and they still look great!  To allow your flowers to last longer, change the water ever few days.  

Enjoy!  Happy Spring! 

Backyard garden on a budget

I recently moved into a new house with a great backyard.  I had a great idea to plant a veggie garden this year, even though I have never done anything remotely close to successfully growing veggies.  I decided to go for it anyway.  I spent a few hours working in the garden this morning; weeding, edging, planting seeds.  I did not want to spend a lot of money on my garden; my goal for the garden is to get produce without spending a lot of money and learn how to garden in the process. 

My tips for gardening on a budget:

1.  Use what you have!  There are two flower beds in my yard that are lined with rocks; I picked through the rocks and found extra ones to create a boarder/edge for my garden.  I also found some old wood planks to use to create walkways between rows of veggies.  

2.  Don't have any materials around?  Ask neighbors, family members, friends; you never know what other have that you could use!  

3.  Plant seeds.  Seeds are much cheaper than starter plants.  If you want to use starter plants, buy the smaller ones because they are normally cheaper.  Also look for sales.  Only plant the veggies you know you are going to eat.  Don't let the veggies go to waste!  

My garden, as of today

There is no need to spend a lot of money to create a garden bed in your backyard!  So far I have planted green beans, cucumbers, carrots and sunflowers.  

Good luck and happy gardening!

DIY T-Shirt Fabric Flowers

I'm really into the whole fabric flower trend.  They are really cute and can dress up anything.  BUT I don't want to spend the money on them when I know I can make it myself for cheaper.  So I browsed online and found a tutorial for Ribbon Flowers.  I cannot take credit for the original tutorial, I found it here. 

And mine turned out like this...

I used silver ribbon and then played around with my camera settings

After playing around with some other materials, I found that you can make the same flower, using the same technique, with T-shirt fabric.  

Cut a long strip of T-shirt fabric, about 1 inch wide.  

Then use the same technique to make the flower:

Tie a knot at one of the ends of the strip of fabric.  Using the hot glue, twist the fabric around the knot and glue as you go along.  

Here is what I came up with: 

I think I like the way it turned out.  It is a little more "rustic" than the ribbon flower because the edges aren't finished.  But it gives you more of a casual look than the ribbon flowers.  

Why I like these:  

*  They are VERY easy to make, takes about 5 minutes per flower.  

*  They are VERY cheap to make!  I bought fabric from the remnants section of the fabric store and ribbon from the dollar store.  Each flower uses very little fabric; you get a ton of flowers for your money. 

*  They are easy to turn into pins and hair clips.  

Homemade skin care

I was browsing online recently and I found a "recipe" for a homemade skin care item that claimed to be a "black head eraser."  I have always spent a lot of money on skin care items; I've always felt that skin care is worth spending money on.  But paying $50+ for one skin care item isn't good for the bank account.  So I gave this recipe a try.

What you need:
granulated white sugar
baking soda
water
a small bowl
measuring spoons

Everything you need!

What you do:

1.  Measure out a teaspoon of both sugar and baking soda.  You want equal parts sugar and baking soda.  Put these in the small bowl.  

2.  Add a VERY small amount of water.  Start with a 1/4 teaspoon.  Stir to make a paste.  Add small amounts of water if needed to make the paste.  

3.  Apply to CLEAN skin, avoiding eye area.  Leave it on your face for about 10 minutes.  You will feel it "working."  It's like a mild tingling/burning feeling.  That's the baking soda working to get all the gunk out of your skin.

4.  After 10 minutes, use warm water to wash the paste off your face.  Use your fingers to massage that paste into your skin.  The sugar acts as an abrasive and will help remove dead skin sells.  

5.  If you have sensitive skin, your skin might be red/tender after this treatment.  Follow with a light weight, oil free moisturizer.  Also, if you have sensitive skin, only use this treatment a few times a week.  

Did it erase my blackheads?  Nope.  But it did help.  My skin felt very clean and smooth.  I did have less black heads and my skin was very clean after the treatment.  

Have any other products I've used erased my blackheads?  Nope.  So I found that this treatment was worth it.  

Each treatment will cost you just pennies!  Great way to stretch your skin care dollar!  

Thrifty DIY Fabric Flowers

This must be my new DIY crafting obsession.  I just love it, and it is super quick and easy to make.  I cannot take credit for this idea/method: I found the original tutorial here.  I followed the directions on the original tutorial, and played around with the designs and folded the fabric in different ways to get different shapes.  Play around with it; you never know what you will come up with.

I set out to make these No Sew Fabric Flowers on a budget.  I wanted to spend $10, and I spent $13.18(including tax).  So a little over what I planed to spend, BUT I have enough materials to make 50+ flowers.

All my materials 

You will need: 

Fabric

Buttons

Hair clips(if making those) 

Scissors

Glue gun

Marker 

Here's what I made:

simple, black and white

attached hair clip to back

stacked 3 flowers onto of each other, with 2 buttons

My money saving tips for this project:

1.  Shop the remnants section of the fabric store.  You do not need a lot of fabric to make these flowers, so it's ok to buy small amounts.  Most remnants sections are priced at 50% off. 

2.  Look for sales!  I bought all my buttons on sale buy one get one free.  I got 8 packs of buttons for the price of 4.  

3.  Use coupons: most fabric stores will put coupons in the Sunday papers

4.  Ask friends and family members if they have any old fabric scraps that you can have.  Also ask for buttons.  

5.  Look for buttons and fabric and flea markets, thrift store, and 2nd hand shops.