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Simple Chalk-Painted Jars

Farmhouse Painted (chalk like paint) Jar Vases | Pretty Handy Girl

This is by far one of my favorite gift crafts. Grab a few recycled jars or bottles and use your favorite chalk paint to create simple chalk-painted jars!

Simple Chalk-Painted Jars

Two weeks ago I spent less than 20 minutes whipping up some really cute vases using recycled jars painted with Farmhouse Paint. Wait…What is this paint?

Well, it’s a one-step furniture paint (previously known as chalk paint.) I was sent a few jars to try. But, you can use any chalk paint you already have or make your own using this tutorial to make any color chalk paint.

The key material is recycled jars, I like to keep a fair amount on hand.

All you have to do is wash the jars well. Remove the labels and any glue residue. Here’s a great tutorial for easily removing glue from bottles.

Dry the jars thoroughly then coat with two coats of chalk paint. I’m in love with the Farmhouse paint. The colors are vibrant and you don’t need to wax after painting. Just a light sanding with fine-grit sandpaper and it gives you the same soft sheen as waxing would.

After the paint has dried, sand some areas (especially on any writing) to distress them.

Finally, add some fresh cut flowers from the yard and tie a string around the neck with a personal message.

These little vases were adorable. They were cute and they seriously took me less than half an hour to put together (20 minutes to paint and a few more minutes cutting flowers in the yard.)

In the past, I made these little chalk painted vases for teacher gifts. This year, sadly we never got to say goodbye to my sons’ teachers. For all you teachers out there, we appreciate you more than you can imagine. Especially as we do our best to homeschool our children during the COVID-19 outbreak.

What do you say? Why not whip up a little chalk-painted vase to appreciate a friend, a loved one, an essential worker, or just to brighten your day!

P.s. Did you like the chippy paint board backdrop I used? It’s not real wood, it is actually a vinyl backdrop made by my good friend Leen the Graphics Queen. It rolls up and stores neatly away. She should be selling them soon.

Pin for later!

May 25, 2020/0 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

art, arts and craft, Crafts, framing, Gift Ideas, gifts, Tutorial

Easy Pounded Flower Gift Ideas

Spring is here and there are countless flowers awakening from the cold winter slumber. When it happens you can pick some blooms and turn them into easy gift ideas. Today I’ll show you how to make easy pounded flower art.

Easy Pounded Flower Gift Ideas

The results can be used for a framed quote, a paper-wrapped vase, notecards, and much more! I’d go so far to say, the results are close to high end (and expensive) handmade pressed flower paper.

Ready to make some beautiful pounded flower paper? I am (because I could also use an activity to get a little frustration out 😉.)

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Watercolor paper (or thick paper)
Hammer
Painter’s tape
Fresh picked flowers
Scrap board
Scotch tape
Twine
Chip brush

Instructions:

First, you’ll want to collect some flowers. Smaller colorful flowers work best. But, you can collect larger ones and experiment.

Lay one sheet of paper on top of the block of wood. Arrange your flowers on top of the paper and tape down any strands that don’t cooperate. (The flowers I picked are from a money plant that grows in our woods.)

Lay a second sheet of paper on top of the flowers.

Pound the hammer around the paper until you have squished all of the flowers beneath. (This doubles as a stress relief exercise, trust me!)

Peel apart the papers and you’ll have a pulpy mess.

Remove the flowers and wipe off the excess bits and pieces with a clean chip brush.

Look at that! You got two prints that are a mirror image.

Print out a quote or type a message on coordinating paper and tear around it. Tape it onto flower paper.

Put your verse artwork into a frame for a sweet gift to your sister, your mother, or a friend.

Take the other sheet and wrap it around a can, mason jar, or vase.

Wrap some twine around the paper to hold it in place. Add water to the vase and pop some fresh flowers in it.

Quick and easy gift idea, right?! Give a vase to brighten someone’s day. The best part of this gift is it only cost a pound! (Get it? Like a British £? I know, I have a corny sense of humor. You can blame it on my Dad, it runs on his side of the family.)

Maybe I’ve also been hammering a little too much lately. Leave me a comment if you have any corny jokes to share!

Do you have any creative ideas for using this pretty flower paper? I set some up for the kids and they had a blast pounding flowers.

May 18, 2020/15 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, Gift Ideas, gifts, Upcycling

Don’t Pitch Glass Bottles! Cut Them in Half!

Are you a wine drinker? Nope? Well how about a beer drinker? Either way you can stop throwing away those pretty bottles and cut them to use as glasses, containers —or my favorite—flower vases!

Don’t Pitch Bottles! Cut Them in Half!

About a year ago I bought a bottle cutter off Amazon. I had grandiose plans to make vases and drinking glasses galore. Instead the glass bottle cutter sat in the box. Recently I decided to take the leap and try it out. (Especially because my yard is overflowing with flowers to share.) I figured this was a great way to upcycle wine bottles and use them as free vases for friends and neighbors. Ready to learn how to make wine bottle vases, or drinking glasses, glass containers, or votive holders?

We’ll need a few tools to make this magic happen.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Bottle Cutter (this one comes with the file and plastic sleeve)
Paint marker
Metal file
Sandpaper (150 grit, 320 grit, 600 grit)
Safety glasses

Feel free to watch the video or keep ready to learn how to cut glass bottles easily and safely.

Instructions:

Before cutting your bottle, you’ll need to remove the label. Here’s another tutorial to easily remove labels from bottles.

Make a small mark at the bottom of your bottle. This is where you will start and stop your cut.

Adjust the glass cutting wheel to where you want to make your cut. Release the glass cutting wheel on the cutting jig. Slowly rotate the bottle until you have completed one full rotation.

Remove the bottle and check that your bottle has been scored the full way around.

Time to move into the kitchen. Make sure you are wearing those safety glasses.

Have a pot of hot water on the stove almost to boiling. Next to this have a container with ice water ready.

Dip the wine bottle into the hot water, making sure to submerge the bottle to the cut line. Hold it there for 15-20 seconds.

Then immediately immerse the bottle into the ice water. Try to separate the bottle (if it doesn’t separate on its own.)

If it won’t break, resubmerge into the hot water and then the ice water again.

Once the bottle has separated, the edges need to be filed. For even smoother edges, sand the rim with progressively finer sandpaper. I started with 150 grit and worked up to 600 grit.

Be sure to clean up your glass shavings, take care because they can cut you.

Now you can use your newly cut bottles as containers, drinking glasses, or vases!

Fill them with water and flowers to give as a gift.

Now promise me you’ll never throw away glass bottles again. They are too pretty not to re-use. Especially once you have a bottle cutter.

May 8, 2020/3 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

accessories, art, arts and craft, Build It, Crafts, Gift Ideas, Make It May, Mother's Day, Paintbrushes, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, storage, Trash to Treasure, Tutorial, Upcycling, wood putty

Creative Block Desk & Art Utensil Holder

Need a quick gift using scrap wood? A Creative Block Desk & Art Utensil Holder is an easy and fun gift to make and certainly a project that you can customize to meet your needs. Best of all, the kids can help with the painting step!

Creative Block Desk & Art Utensil Holder

Mother’s Day is this coming weekend! Have you decided how to show her your appreciation and love?! I did! My mother is a professional artist. She creates amazing paintings that inspire others and brightens their homes. For Mother’s Day I wanted to brighten her studio with these art utensil holders. I call them “Creative Blocks.”

Go ahead and raid your scrap pile and join us as we make these colorful and fun Creative Block Desk & Art Utensil Holders.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Instructions:

1. Block assembly: Select two 2×4″ scraps cut to the same length. Spread glue on one board and sandwich them together.

Clamp the wood together and drill two small holes to countersink the heads of the screws. Drive two screws into the bottom of the wood to hold the pieces together.

Use a band saw, jigsaw, or table saw to trim off the rounded edges of the wood so you have a square block of wood with straight corners.

Putty any cracks or holes. Sand until smooth.

2. Creating the mask:

If you have a craft cutter (Silhouette or Cricut) you can create a mask in vinyl easily. But, if you don’t you can use the computer to print out your words. Lay the print out on top of a strip of Painter’s Tape. Use a few pieces of tape to secure the corners.

Trace around the words with the X-acto knife (be sure to have a few fresh blades on hand.) Transfer the resulting cut-out tape onto the block of wood. Press the edges of the tape mask to secure the tape.

3. Painting the block: Paint a base color onto the block. Then use a brush and/or palette knife to dab thick paint over the block (minus the base.) Use the X-acto knife to gently peel off the tape mask. Let the paint dry thoroughly overnight.

4. Drilling Holes: After the paint has dried completely, mark the location of the utensil holes with a pencil. Put a piece of painter’s tape on the drill bit to mark the depth of your holes. Clamp the block and drill holes at each pencil mark.

Dump sawdust out of the holes.

Wrap up the blocks in gift wrap and enjoy the look of joy as your Mom opens her Creative Block Mother’s Day gift!

You know, as an artist myself, I almost loved these too much to give them away. But, my Mom is worth it. (And I can make another set if I want ;-).)

For more last-minute Mother’s Day gift ideas and many other creative projects, check out the Gift Ideas section here on the blog.

If you liked this project, you’ll love these floating picture frames using more 2×4 scrap wood.

May 5, 2020/11 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, autumn fall decor, Birdhouse, bloggers, DIY, Do It Yourself, Gift Ideas, gifts, Make It May, power tools, Tutorial, Upcycling

DIY Log Bird Feeder

Hello readers, I’m Larissa coming to share with you a nature-inspired DIY project. Today, we’ll learn how to create a special DIY Log Bird Feeder treat for our feathered friends. The best part is that this can be a family fun activity to do AND to give as a gift for anyone who loves bird watching.

DIY Log Bird Feeder

We are avid bird lovers in our home and were delighted when a friend of mine gave us this bird feeder made from a piece of firewood and rope. How easy is that?

What a delight it is to see our tree clinging birds (nuthatches, tufted titmice, and woodpeckers) come for a visit and see their excitement at the treat they’ve found, especially the birds that overwinter. Did you know that migratory birds will remember your home the next time they’re passing through and will come back again year after year if you continue to provide nourishment for them? It’s like a reunion each spring and winter. Fun!

So, let’s grab some materials and get ready to create a DIY log bird feeder!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

a log (can be firewood) about 3-4″ diameter and 16″ long or as long as you like
1/4″ diameter rope
scissors
drill
1″ spade bit
5/16″ drill bit

Picking Your Log:

We are blessed to have a fireplace, so we always have a stash of firewood on hand. For your log, you can use a downed branch or head to your own stash to grab a piece of wood.

The tree-clingers prefer a chunky bark, but any tree variety will do.

Instructions:

Clamp your log and keep your hand clear from the drill bit. Wear appropriate eye protection.

To start, use a 1″ spade bit to drill a hole approximately 1/2″ deep, 2 inches down from the top.

Drill a second hole on the same face about 6″ below the first.

Roll the log a quarter turn and drill in the next face starting with the first hole about 5″ from the top and then a second hole 6″ below that one. (This does not have to be exact and gives a more rustic feel when randomly chosen.)

Repeat those steps until you have two sets of matching faces on opposing sides.

Drill your rope hole using a 5/16″ bit. Starting on the face that has the first hole 5″ down, drill your rope hole 2″ from the top, making sure to go completely through the log.

Cut a 2′ or longer piece of rope and thread it into the hole. If you turn the rope in the direction of the braid (counter-clockwise) while inserting it, that will help the rope go through smoothly.

Once through, tie the rope ends together using a basic knot.

On to the fun part! Birds burn a ton of protein flitting about, so they need to store up as much as they can. We prefer to use chunky peanut butter and then roll it in seeds like this.

Grab a tablespoon of peanut butter and place it in a bowl of birdseed.

Then sprinkle the peanut butter with seed.

After coating with the seed, press the mixture into the holes using the back of a spoon, or if you’re nutty like me (catch the pun?) it’s more fun to use your fingers.

The kids love this part!

You’re done and it’s ready to hang. Yay!

For a fun twist, and if you’re feeling handy, you could also add dowels for other species to be able to roost at each hole, but for this project I kept it simple.