Artsistic Yarn Bottles- Fun for Kids, too!

This post is somewhat of an extension from my previous post on crafting yarn bottles, but this time I'm explaining it for you to do with your toddlers!  In comparison to my last post, you can see in the photos that the kids truly put their own twist by wrapping the yarn every which way on the bottles.  I was delighted to see how great they turned out.  These bottles were done by my students in my after-school art program, Little Wonders of Wonderland.  It was a small group that day, about 7 kids, and it was a good thing since they needed some individual help getting started with the tacky glue.  

Prep Material
-Have a variety of clean bottles and jars to choose from, such as mayonnaise jars, jelly jars and soda bottles
-Tacky glue or Mod Podge (or Elmer's glue might be a safer or cheaper option if you have a lot of kids to tend to)
-Lids or cups to put the glue in.  For classrooms ages 2-6, you may want to consider having the glue already squirted out on the lids, oh and you will find they will need a generous amount!
-Old paint brushes, large enough to make painting large areas with glue easy. 
-The kids should probably wear old t-shirts to keep clothes free of glue (I use adult sized shirts for my kids) 
-Plastic or paper should definitely be taped to the tables to prevent the table from getting too sticky
-Multi colored yarn.  Have lots of pieces of yarn pre-cut for the kids, about 2 feet long, at least ten or so for each kid. Of course, if you wan to add an extra step you can have them cut their own.
-Optional- small cups of water (tuna cans would be a good size, actually) for wetting fingers as the kids will probably get sticky fingers and will periodically need some relief.

Instructions
-Have the kids throw old t-shirts on, let them choose their bottles and start painting the glue on the bottles with old brushes.  Depending on your situation such as time or how large the classroom is, you may want to help in the process of painting the bottles with glue, since this can be time consuming for the little ones.  Tacky glue can especially be a little harder to work with since it is so thick.
-Offer piles of pre-cut multi-colored yarn for the kids to choose from.  Show them how they can wrap the bottles from bottom to top (or top to bottom) and let them get creative!  Let them know that they will get sticky as they are handling the bottles and to dip their fingers in the water occasionally.
-You will likely need to wait several hours before the bottles are dry and ready to go home

These bottles look so pretty on display next to warm lights.  They would also make great vases or pencil holders.  Thanks for reading and have fun making art with the kids!  

 To learn more about the Little Wonders of Wonderland, you can check out tour blog or artist website:

Little Wonders of Wonderland Blog

Little Wonders of Wonderland Artist Website

Decorative Bottles Wrapped in Rainbow Yarn

Rainbow yarn wrapped bottle by my friend Carrie Ann

Here is a simple craft that I'm sure many of you already know how to do, but sometimes we just need reminded just how simple it is to decorate our home on a low budget.

Before you throw all those beer and wine bottles in the recycling after after your next party or gathering, consider all of the gifts you could make for friends and family!  Next time wash them out, tear off the labels, and follow these simple steps below:

What You'll Need:

-Glass Bottles such as beer and wine bottles
-Multi Colored Ball of Yarn from your local craft store
-Craft glue such as tacky glue or Modge Podge
-Scissors
-Paint Brush
-Soapy water for clean up

Directions:
-Cut a few long pieces of multicolored yarn anywhere from 2 feet to a yard long (Cutting pieces is not necessary, just easier to wrap the bottle in sections).
-Begin by painting the lower rim of the bottle with craft glue. Do not paint entire bottle as the glue may dry quickly.  Paint sections as you wrap...
-Begin wrapping the yarn gently around the bottom edge of the bottle, working your way up the bottle.  You may need to use your finger tips to gently press or align the yarn at times and to make sure it is hugging the bottle. When you reach the end of the tacky glue, paint on more glue and keep spiraling the yarn up the bottle.  Once you run out of yarn, take another piece and begin wrapping from where you left off.
-Trim the last piece of yarn when you reach the top rim of the bottle, and let it set to dry for an hour (or however long the glue takes to dry).
-Put your new colorful bottle out for display, present it as a gift, or use it as a vase by adding water and a fresh cut flower.

          Yarn wrapped bottles by my friend, Carrie Ann.  Thanks for sharing!

Microfiber Colors Give Life To Old Chair Seats

One of my readers recently expressed an interest in the colored cushions on some chairs I used in a photo from an old post, "Fun Places to Put Your Potted Plants," so I thought I'd share more about this seating arrangement.  Originally, the padded seats on the chairs were all black and worn, and they didn't go with my color scheme in my living room, so I reupholstered each one in different colors of the same type of fabric. The seats come right off, so I stretched the fabrics over the padded seat frames and stapled the fabrics as an artist would when stretching a canvas.  Here is a link I found on how to stretch a canvas:

Stretching Canvases

Take note of how the stapling is done, since you have to jump around your frame a bit.  Consider your seat cushion a "padded canvas" so your material isn't going to lay flat like a painted canvas would, so you don't need to stretch the material so hard that you are effecting the shape of your padding.

 My fabric of choice was microfiber as I found that it was very easy to work with since it has a nice stretch to it that easily eliminates any wrinkles or folds.  Once the fabric was stretched and stapled, I trimmed back any excess material that was hanging down.  I was a little hesitant to use the red fabric, since there is absolutely no red in my living room, but I'm so glad I did!  I find that it makes a bold statement, leaving a classy finish to the room.  

Below is the original image from my blog, "Fun Places to Put Your Potted Plants."

Make Sun Catchers and Pull Chains with Reed Diffuser & Glass Bottle Corks

Last year during the holidays, several family members bought me some pretty reed diffuser kits (that come with scented oil in a pretty bottle with a round-topped plug and sticks).  I finally used up my oils and I was left with some cute little bottles with pretty corks that don't seem to fit back in the bottles very well.  I decided to store my incense sticks in the bottles below, and I let the plugs sit there for a while before I thought of a great extension to to my most previous blog on making customized pull chains.  Continue reading to learn how I went about with this simple trick.

first, I took the rounded plug and wrapped  jewelry wire along the thread (the winding wedges) of the plug, leaving a long enough train of wire at the end (that I would later add beads to).  Be sure you begin at the base or neck of the glass ball and secure the wire by making extra twists, ties or a knot before winding it around the rest of the plug. You may need needle nose pliers for this.  Once it is twisted to the bottom, secure the wire again to keep it from coming off of the thread.  Pick out a large jewelry bead with a big enough hole that will fit over some or most of the plastic plug.  Slide the wire through the bead hole and push the bead over the plug as much as possible.  Now, add beads, leaving extra wire at the end.  Now you can either make a loop at the end of the wire and hang it in front of a window to create a sun catcher, or detatch a pull chain from your fan and wrap the excess wire around the remaining chain.  Pull chains typically have a connector where you can detach it, like the image below.  Be sure to twist tightly around and up the remaining beaded chain.  Make sure you test the strength of it first, so that the beads don't go spilling everywhere when you pull it!  

Make Your Own Personalized Pull Chains for Your Ceiling Fans & Lights

One day, I went to turn the ceiling fan on in my living room and snap!  The pull chain busted.  Luckily, there was still some chain left that was attached to the fan which gave me the idea to construct my own personal pull chain.  This particular chain in the photo was originally a sun catcher charm made by a friend who gave it to me as a gift.  So I thought, why not not attach it to the chain?  I twisted some jewelry wire around the hook where it hung and then tightly twisted the extra wire up and around the individual beads that were left in the pull chain.  It was a simple fix, and needless to say, much more fashionable than the original pull chain.  It's little details like this that people notice and appreciate.

If your pull chain isn't broken, you can usually detach the long end of the chain from the chain connector (See image below), which leaves you with a little chain that gives just enough room to wire on something pretty.  Some other ideas might include broken necklaces, or durable strings to thread beads on (such as fishing wire, jewelry wire, etc).  Just make sure whatever you choose is going to hold together when you give a good tug on it.  

Neclaces on Display in Your Hallway

Perhaps you have already stumbled upon this idea in the same way I did....

When I realized I didn't have anywhere to hang my jewelry at my new apartment, I found that my framed pictures and decorative wall art hangings could serve as a display for some of my long and beaded necklaces.  Instead of hiding my necklaces in a jewelry box, draping them around my wall art allows me to appreciate the necklaces as a work of art, and in addition, it helps me to remember that I actually have jewelry and I should wear it!

Try This for a Splash Board

Try using a decorative glass cutting board as a splash board for your kitchen sink to keep your walls protected.  The sink below has some old faucet handles that I've been meaning to replace, but for now, I thought that this cutting board works as a great distraction.  I was pretty lucky to find Vango's "Starry Night" print on this cutting board at a second-hand store. I also used a colorful serving tray as a splash board in our bathroom.  It's a nice look with easy clean-up!

Hide Those Ugly Electrical Wires In a Colorful Bin or Basket

I can't stand how electrical wires can make a room look sloppy, but sometimes you just can't avoid them.  In cases like this, I find that the blanket-in-the-basket trick works quite nicely.  Plug everything into a power strip to minimize the amount of wires coming out of the basket.  If you have handles on your basket, pull the power strip chord through like I did in the second image below.  Take a lightweight cloth, small blanket or a pretty scarf and gently pile it over the wires.  Here I used a small table cloth, but sometimes I use some light mesh material, depending on what looks best with the rest of the room.  Coordinate your color choices of bins, baskets and fabrics with your surroundings to help tidy up a room.  Note, check all chords and don't overload your power strip as this idea is likely a fire hazard.   If fabric does not appeal to you, try a picnic basket with the double lids that you can allow the chords to come through either side.

And here you can see how nice they all fit in the basket.  However, you should probably take the time to untangle your chords (I need to work on this):

Simply place a light cloth on top and your problem solved!

Cover Your Toilet Tank with a Bamboo Placemat

Treat your Toilet tank like a table top or alter top with candles and calming scents by covering it with a nice place mat, such as a bamboo place mat.  By turning the place mat so that it drapes over the front and back of the tank, it will look more like a peace of furniture.  Especially when dealing with a plain and small bathroom, a little detail like this can go a long way.

Drape the place mat over the lid:

And Voila!  Add some calming items to personalize your new surface.

Rotate out different place mats and items to keep your seasons fresh.

Fun Places to Put Your Potted Plants

Bring new energy to your room by moving your plants in unique places, like say, under chairs or coffee tables.  Here I placed some small potted plants under decorative chairs that sit up against the wall.  As long as the plants are being rotated and the sunlight is still able to reach the plants, this is a fresh and playful look for a seating area.

Earrings on Display

Any type of wire art such as this decorative birdcage can be hung from the ceiling for your dangly earrings to be displayed on.  Sometimes you can find crafty wire art like this at craft stores, bargain stores, or the home decor section of a departments store. Small wire baskets and wire pencil holders could make another nice alternative.  Hang the wire in a corner of a room and be sure to hang it low enough so that you can reach it and high enough that it is out of the way so you don't bump into it.  I hung this wire art in an empty corner of my bathroom, which created a nice focal point.  If you notice, I was also able to add my feathered hair clips to the wire.  I don't wear them enough, but at least I can appreciate them by keeping them on display.

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Please stay tuned as I will be sharing some unique DIY approaches very soon.