Crafts Archives - Everyday Edits

CHRISTMAS DOOR SWAG FROM PINE TREE CLIPPINGS

December 17, 2020

how to make a Christmas door swag from tree clippings in a few minutes and a video

The only person who may have trouble making this Christmas door swag is Charlie Brown. I think his Christmas tree would be short on tree clippings. But if he lived near a nursery, tree farm or tree lot Charlie Brown could make a cute Christmas door swag for the front door of Snoopy’s dog house …in a few minutes.

Seriously, once you gather your supplies (see below) this is a quick craft.

If you have visited Everyday Edits you know I am not a crafter. However, after making this 3-minute ornament on my youtube channel I kind of got the craft bug.

I think that video is in the running for the fewest view in 2020-2021.

The supply list is as short as the time it takes to make this holiday door swag. And, your entry will smell like fresh pine.

CHRISTMAS DOOR SWAG SUPPLY LIST

fresh boughs of pine branches
bells or other ornamental swag
wire or ties or ribbon (in a pinch you could use a bread tie)
bows or ribbons

It’s all about the base …

The boughs, branches, or even artificial leftover garland work for the base layer. I always snag a few pounds of pine clippings from our Christmas tree farm. Not our tree farm, but the one we go to for our Christmas tree.

Followed by the bells. I found this bell swag from Homegoods before Thanksgiving. It was from Martha Stewart’s holiday line.

I am obsessed with bells.

The bells came with a burlap bow so I threaded the bells over the branches and tied them together with a wired jute cord from the Dollar Store.

By the way, I love this stuff. I am new to the Dollar Store fan club, but this stuff has brought out my inner crafty side.

I added a red bow that was my first attempt to make a bow.

And, then I fluffed it up and ta-da!

You guys it is prettier than my entry and front door combined.

I added Santa next to the door.

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Thank you. Oh and that bell obsession I mentioned? Here is what I did with bells earlier this season.

Embroidery Hoops for Pumpkins

November 3, 2020

embroidery hoops make the perfect accessory for pumpkins

I have a confession to make. I have no idea how to use an embroidery hoop. A few years ago, I jumped into a blog craft challenge and in a panic, I bought a “lot of” embroidery hoops on eBay.

Bt if you follow me on Everyday Edits you know I love to repurpose random objects.

Despite thoughts of donating these hoops, I waited for some idea in between random thoughts of Christmas lights and next spring’s pumpkin patch goals.

Somedays I am running on a dozen tangents. But after a few attempts to make a wreath, I decided sometimes a pumpkin needs a prop.

EMBROIDERY HOOPS FOR PUMPKINS

Because sometimes a pumpkin needs an accessory for Thanksgiving- the second half of the pumpkin season.

Let’s face it some of our pumpkins did not survive the squirrels’ pumpkin buffet on our porch.

Some of the smaller pumpkins started to sag from sun damage. Kind of like me face about now!

The embroidery hoop kind of props the pumpkin forward for the last miles of the pumpkin season.

Supply List

Embroidery Hoop of any size.
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Fall leaves

I used my stained embroidery hoops. To attach the leaves, I used a hot glue gun because it worked better with the leaves.

Finally, I used leftover leaf garland and orphan leaves that end up in the bottom of the fall decor tub.

Finally, I just went around the outside edge of the hoop attaching the leaves.

It ends up looking like a crown or a hula hoop for a pumpkin.

Either way, the hoop is a fun accessory for the pumpkin.

Before you go Martha Stewart shared a few of her own ideas for hoops.

How to Repurpose Wood Shutters into Crafts

June 15, 2020

I recently shared our interior before and after paint colors. One of those rooms included our family room. Our minds were blown with the before and after when we removed the shutters. But with the open exposed windows, I found a way to repurpose wood shutters into crafts.

how-to-repurpose-wood-shutters-into-crafts

We sold most of the shutters online but were left with a stack of replacement shutter slats from the previous owner.

The slats are a crafter’s dream because of their horizontal shape and primed and painted (or stained) wood.

Don’t have a stash of shutters or extra slats? These repurpose ideas work for scrap wood too! Or, if you want a more finished wood the balsam wood at Michaels is an easy surface to personalize your own signs for wreaths too.

I repurposed these shutter slats that my husband had already deemed “disposable” into darling signs I use year round in my wreath.

How to Repurpose Wood Shutters

For these wood signs I used my vinyl cutter, but stickers work just as well and everything pops with a coat of paint!

Etsy is a great source for vinyl too! I found this gather vinyl here. Or this alphabet sticker pack from Amazon.

The repurposed shutter slats made their way outside when I made this for our backyard gate. Etsy offers a variety of custom vinyl signs on Etsy for a nominal fee.

The best part of shutter slats is flexibility and unlimited creative use. It became a fun way to create additional signs for other seasons.

Tip: When I painted the first shutter castoff red I lined up a few shutter slats because I knew I could use red paint for the summer, Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

I buy red plates at HomeGoods for the same reason. #wink

I love the idea of repurposing everyday items and objects that may otherwise be tossed. Check out my other upcycle projects here.

Garage Sale Wreath Makeover

September 6, 2019

Here’s a post before my rebrand. With redirects and pins, I have had to repost a few favorite projects. This garage sale wreath makeover is a seasonal favorite and cost me under $5.00.

Garage Sale Wreath Makeover Before

Because it was one of my original posts, I don’t have the before photos but imagine a really dusty, cobwebbed and feather filled wreath that I picked up for a $1.00 at a garage sale.

The wreath’s smell did not hit me until I had it in my car. I would have passed on this wreath if I had detected the damp, basement smell.

I am so happy I did not sniff the wreath and I am thrilled I had the windows down on the drive home!

But, I am telling you finding this tired, worn-out wreath was destiny. Dusty destiny, but destiny.

What I loved about this wreath, sitting on the driveway, was the size of the grapevine and its potential.

Makeover Details

removed the picks that were broken or beyond the makeover
placed the wreath outside to air out
sprayed the wreath with vinegar & water. repeat. repeat.

Because this was a garage sale find I stayed with the thrifty budget and used the miscellaneous leaves that fall off the garland. You know the leaves and pinecones and sticks that fall to the bottom of the box or storage tub? I just grabbed a few of those and fresh pinecones and either glued or tucked them into the wreath.

It was an instant makeover. I paid $3.00 for the wreath.

The size of the wreath takes up the width of the front door which I love. My motto: go big or go home.

With garage sale season in full gear, take a second look at those dingy wreaths, crafts and accessories.

Thanks for stopping by today! Please join this brand new private Facebook page with before and after finds from garage sales and Goodwill. Are you on Instagram? You can find me here and I’ll follow you back.

How to Make Cement Pavers

July 2, 2019

If you know how to make pancakes from a box then you can make cement pavers. Seriously, working with cement was as easy as making pancakes. My craft curse took a hiatus for the summer with this fun tutorial on how to make cement pavers.

The best part of these DIY cement pavers was the supply list was short and so was the prep and set-up time; just like pancakes. I had so much fun with a medium that only needed water and dry time.

Cement Paver Supply List

plastic or metal trays
Quikrete Setting Cement
cooking spray
bucket to mix
utensil or tool

With a short supply list, the only item I needed was Quikrete Setting Cement which I found at Home Depot. I used this brand. And, as a side note, the brand’s name answered my blog post dilemma- are they cement or concrete pavers? I stuck to cement.

How to Make Cement Pavers

The cement worked just like boxed pancake mix. It was a bit of trial and error to figure out the proportions of water to cement.

My first form was a round, metal serving tray from the dollar section at Target. A little bit of cooking spray was all I need to flip the dried paver out of the tray; just like flipping a pancake.

I decided to make lightweight, smaller, round pavers for the garden. What I found was the DIY pavers were much lighter than similar ones at garden centers.

These pavers looked great with the mint. And, they were a nice way to transition from one herb to the next. I love the different textures between the pavers, mulch and the mint. They are like petite stepping stones.

Depending on the trays or recycled plastic containers used, some of the pavers will have a fun, unexpected pattern on the opposite side. I stuck to the smooth side for the herb garden, but I had fun with a Qdoba tray ;0).

I love, love, love how these pavers turned out. My plan was to make the cement pavers for my herb garden, but I had so much fun I ended up using a few pavers for my indoor plants.

If you can make pancakes from a box then you can make these cement pavers for your garden!

If you are looking for another fun craft check out this craft that arrived in a box at my front door. This is an easy DIY for the kitchen or office.

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How to Make Embroidery Hoop Orbs

May 9, 2019

I am so excited to share these embroidery hoop orbs. I am a sloppy crafter which means my craft projects will never trend on Pinterest. And, I am good with that. So when I was asked to join an embroidery hoop craft challenge I thought this was my chance to get my craft on.

But, first I Googled “embroidery hoops” to confirm they were what I thought they were.

I ordered a “lot” of embroidery hoops on eBay because I wasn’t sure what I was going to make or how many hoops I would need. Let’s just save I can make a dozen orbs.

I decided to make orbs because I liked the look of similar projects on Pinterest and orbs matched my decor style.

embroidery hoops

I knew I wanted to stain these. I took the lazy route and didn’t separate the hoops.

Do as I suggest, not as I d0.

Take a few minutes to detach the hoops, it made a huge difference in the time it takes to stain and the quality of the finished look. I used a foam brush and a small paintbrush to get around the metal fasteners. After I stained the embroidery hoops I decided it was harder to stain hoops than furniture.

I loved the difference the stain made to the embroidery hoops. The stain gave them an instant Pottery Barn like finish. This craft project was headed in the right direction.

The stained orbs looked great with our shelves on the opposite ends of our this updated fireplace.

I wanted an easy way to attach the hoops, but finally committed to the power drill to drill pilot holes and then attach a small screw at the top and bottom of the orb. The wood was soft enough that with a little muscle you could secure both ends with a tack.

I figured this out when my drill’s battery died mid-drill.

I love the finished look of the orb. The embroidery hoop’s stained wood finish added much-needed character to the shelves. I have a few more embroidery hoop orbs “in production.”

On a side note, I love the shadows created from the lighting above the orbs onto the white shelf.

Thank you for stopping by today. Do you have any creative ideas for embroidery hoops? If you have time please take a look at these

one hour projects.

CHRISTMAS DOOR SWAG SUPPLY LIST

It’s all about the base …

EMBROIDERY HOOPS FOR PUMPKINS

Supply List

How to Repurpose Wood Shutters

Garage Sale Wreath Makeover Before

Makeover Details

Cement Paver Supply List

How to Make Cement Pavers

embroidery hoops

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