#MICHAELSMAKERS: DIY Faux Marble Tray Using Shaving Cream!!

This month's challenge was "Make It Your Own".  So, what did I do?  I took a craft that my mom does with her preschool class and made it my own. But, even though I turned this fun craft into a classy piece of home decor, this is still a GREAT craft to do with your kids. It's the perfect DIY if you want to get a little messy, but it has an easy clean up and the results are SO cool!  I mean, who would have thought to use shaving cream as a medium to make a marble pattern?

Supplies:

1. Wooden Tray (this one is actually considered a plaque, but serves my purpose!)
2. Cardstock
3. Shaving Cream
4. Black Ink (or watercolors)
5. A ruler or a square
6. A paint brush
7. Scissors
8. Paint or stain for your tray
9. Mod Podge (I chose the dishwasher safe gloss)
10. Leather scraps
11. Screws and a drill
12. A dropper
13. Tiny jar or vessel to hold ink / paint

1 - Lay down a piece of parchment paper and cover an area the size of your card stock with shaving cream

2 - Use your dropper to disperse your color on top of the shaving cream

3 - Press your sheet of card stock into the shaving cream, moving it about

4 - Peel up your paper and set it on a fresh sheet of parchment paper

5 - Now you are going to squeegie the shaving cream and color off of the paper with your ruler or square

6 - Now I wanted a little more variation with my layers and shades, so I did this a second time, but used a more diluted mixture of ink and water.  If you are using colors, you can do more than one color at a time and forego the repeat

7 - Once you have your pigment on your page the way you'd like, lay it flat and cover with something heavy to keep the edges from curling while it dries

8 - Next, paint or stain your tray while the page is drying

9 - Take your leather scrap and cut two strips to use as handles and screw into sides with a drill and small screws.

10 - Once your page is dry, cut to size and then Mod Podge the heck out of it!  

An InLinkz Link-up

A Christmas-Y Rosemary Tree Floral Arrangement DIY

Fresh flowers are my favorite thing. Ever. I also love fresh herbs and the absolutely heavenly aromas that come along with live fresh herbs.  So I decided to combine those two to make the perfect holiday arrangement.  

The Rosemary Tree was purchased at Trader Joes.  So cute, right??  The rest of the flowers, so beautiful, you can find here.  They have the perfect selection for the holidays!

I encourage you to step out of your floral comfort zone and play with different ways of displaying your favorite flowers for the holidays.  They may not last as long, but will be such a show-stopper for your Christmas gatherings!

#handcraftedxmas

6 Inspiring Fall DIYs

DIY Craft Pumpkin Ideas
Homemade Apple Sauce Recipe
Harvest Napkin Rings
Burlap "Give Thanks" Banner
Maple Roasted Acorn Squash Recipe
Harvest Inspired Tabelscape

#MichaelsMakers: Harvest Inspired Tablescape Using Craft Pumpkins

I'm not even going to acknowledge the fact that summer is over.  I love fall, but, this year, I feel like I need a little more summer in my life.  This challenge of using craft pumpkins seriously was a challenge, just because I had to break out of the summer mentality to get the autumnal feeling in order to find proper inspiration for this.  I cheated a little, though.  I kept things green and did away with the traditional red and orange colors that find their way into most fall decor.  I really really really love the look I came up with for my mom and dad's dining room table.  They always host our gigantic family Thanksgiving dinner, so I figured it was the perfect place for this.  

For my craft pumpkin DIY I kept it simple.  I drilled a pattern of holes all around them.  Then one bigger hole in the bottom.  I stuffed a bunch of twinkle lights inside and voila.  I think it adds the perfect amount of shimmer to the table without being too obnoxious.  

I also made this adorable little bunting with doo-dads I found near all the scrapbooking supplies.

These little flags that I used for place cards were also near the scrapbooking supplies.

I grabbed a few hay bunches and log slices and a bunch of eucalyptus, as well.  I placed the eucalyptus into pottery I had made in high school that my mother, so lovingly, still keeps displayed all over her house. (Do you see the little unicorn that photobombed my shoot???)

For the big centerpiece, I picked a bunch of fake flowers from Michaels that I thought would give this the perfect rustic-ish, harvest-ish, fall-ish feeling... there are even some feathers in there, too.  Oh, and a little wooden owl hiding in there for the kids to find.  This was so much fun to put together with my mom!  She's definitely the one I get my craftiness from.  

Here's my project from last year, that I still adore!

Now go check out all the other incredible craft pumpkin projects from the rest of the Michaels Makers team and GET INSPIRED!

An InLinkz Link-up

DIY Entertainment Shelf

For the longest time, our TV in the bedroom lived on top of a cheap, ugly, Ikea dresser.  The Blu-ray player and cable box were stacked on top of each other and it was just... unpleasant.  The before is at left... it's wretched, I know!  I couldn't stand the empty space above the tv, the harsh lines of the dresser completely clashed with the rest of the room.  I just hated it.  So, we made a change.  It started with mounting the TV and concealing the cables.  We found a strip to hide the cables in that you can paint so it blends in with your wall.  But, then I had to solve the problem of where to put the Blu-ray player and cable box.  I had found these rustic brackets at an estate sale for $10 for the pair.  I had been hanging onto them, kind of unsure what to do with them when I realized they would be a perfect solution for this project.  I bought some wood at the local hardware store, stained all the pieces and screwed them together to make a shelf.  To allow the cords to be concealed within the strip, I fixed the shelf to the brackets leaving a one inch gap between the shelf and the wall.  It worked beautifully!  

Then I was frustrated with the empty space below the shelf, between the brackets.  Simple.  I got some screw in hooks and some baskets with handles... and instant storage!  I didn't even need to drill holes for the hooks, they screwed right into the wood by hand.  

Just a note... make sure your hooks are both facing the same direction so you can lift the basket and slide off the hooks.  Removing the baskets could get tricky if your hooks are both facing inward toward each other.  You can see how I did it below.

Of course, Skilo always has to get in on the photo shoots. That's okay, though.  He only makes them cuter!  I could not be more pleased with that corner, now.  I added a sweet little wicker chair from Ikea, a Nate Berkus blanket from Target, some storage boxes from Target for random documents and a basket for all the magazines I still need to read.  The drawings on the wall were done by my mom when she was a teenager.  I adore them. 

I think this corner looks infinitely better than it did before.  It doesn't make me want to close the door and never look in my bedroom again anymore.  

#MichaelsMakers Dream Tree Challenge

Hello!! So we decided to do something a little different this month.. we did a VIDEO!  What??? Let me tell you guys, it was a blast!  We had so much fun.  We managed to squeeze 8 hours of shopping and decorating into 11 MINUTES.  Check out our video... Follow us as we shop for Christmas at Michael's, watch as we show you our haul and tell you our plans, then be amused as we attempt to decorate with children running around, my cat climbing the Christmas tree, and ideas not going quite as planned.  Most importantly, get INSPIRED and get in the Christmas Spirit!  When you finish the video, let us know what you think!  Should we keep up with doing videos?  Do you guys like it?  I feel they're slightly more personal because you guys get to see us... how we are for real.  Bottom line, we're goofy.  There's no way around it. 

Also, make sure to change the setting to HD.. much better quality video!  Click the little gear in the bottom right of the video window.

Stop by Michaels’ blog, The Glue String, to see the full Dream Tree Challenge and all of the fabulous trees that were created this year by the Michaels Makers.  Head into Michaels Nov. 2 through Nov. 8 for the Make It Merry Tree Event  – 50% off all trees 6 ft. or taller!!! To kick off the holiday season, make sure and check out of Michaels’ Make it Merry  inspiration book or all kinds of holiday tips and projects.

An InLinkz Link-up

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Trick Your Pumpkin with Michaels

Being a Michael's Maker has been AWESOME.  Honestly, these monthly challenges get me to craft and create things I never would have considered before.

This month they asked us to participate in their Trick Your Pumpkin sweepstakes.  

Crafters just submit their pumpkin creations via Instagram any time between October 4th through October 31 for a chance to win a $250 Michaels gift card and Plaid products each Friday throughout the month of October.  We think you should  enter the sweepstakes by uploading your own projects to Instagram using the hashtags #TrickYourPumpkin and #sweepstakes and tag @MichaelsStores.  Make sure you use the craft pumpkins from Michaels!

Here is our entry for this super fun contest!  ( let me add that these pumpkins are SO COOL )

Supplies:

Krylon Make It Stone Spray Paint

Craft Knife

Craft Pumpkins

Paint Pens

Battery powered pumpkin candle (purchased at Michaels, not on website)

Flower pot

Pencil

Use the flower pot to determine the size of the hole on the top.  Make sure to cut as straight down as possible so you can get the pot inside.  In the other pumpkin, the hole on top can be a random size, whatever will fit the battery candle.  Cut whatever designs into your pumpkin you choose.  (go figure, I chose triangles.)

Now it's time for the spray paint!  This Make It Stone stuff is AWESOME.  The time it takes to dry in between coats is NOT awesome.  It's non-negotiable, though.  I tried, trust me, you have to let it dry.

Next, do THIS while you wait for it to dry!

After the paint is dry and you have sufficiently tortured your pet to death with love, it's time to doodle on your pumpkin.  I quickly decided mine were going to be fancy with gold and silver adornments.  

Now, put your plant in it, the candle or whatever you decided to do and create your fabulous table scape!  Ta-Da!  I also think that these would make pretty wonderful hostess gifts for Thanksgiving.  

Don't forget to tag your project on Instagram using #TrickYourPumpkin #sweepstakes and tagging @MichaelsStores!!