Plastic Spoon Roses Tutorial

Have you seen roses made from plastic spoons before?

I saw it on Pinterest and it looked really cool so I knew I had to try it! 

Materials Needed:

Plastic Spoons

Candle

Lighter

Scissors

Hot Glue Gun

Paint (Optional)

I began by lighting the candle and holding the spoon about two inches over the flame.  It is best to do in a room with no fan or a lot of air circulating around.  The plastic will begin to melt just a little and become pliable.  You can use pliers (I just used my fingers and I didn’t get burned) and bend the spoon to create a petal shape.  Try to keep the spoon from getting too close to the flame or it will catch on fire or cause blackening of the plastic. 

 

After I did about 12-15 spoons, I cut the handles off.  I left a little bit to use to fuse the petals together.  I left more on some and less on others so there would be variation.



Then, I took one of the petal pieces held the small bit of handle over the flame until it became softened and pressed it into the handle part of another until they joined together.  I then heated another one and added it to the two. 

I did about five petals together then started a new group that was a little smaller around. 

Then I did a last group of petals even smaller around than the last one. 

I stacked the small flowers on top of each other  and used hot glue to hold them in place.

I could have just stopped there.  They look beautiful white.  Just like porcelain.  But I decided to give them a little color. I painted them with acrylic paint (I used a shade called Skintone).  I made sure to get the paint into all of the little nooks and crannies and also to paint the underside too.  I could have spray painted them or even used colored spoons!



I love how they look and they are very sturdy!  I may even like them better than my egg carton flowers.  I can think of so many possibilities for these roses:  pendants, hairclips, brooches, jar toppers, magnets, maybe even wreaths! For now, I’m going to display them on this dessert tray I found at the thrift store and spray painted white.  I like them here in my dining room. 



 

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DIY Duct Tape Chevron Chair Mat

I have been changing things up a little bit in my home office/craft room/mom cave.  I have a comfy rolling chair at my desk but no chair mat for it to roll on.  In this room I have some shaggy-ish carpet that I can still roll on but not very easily.  I hate those clear plastic things they sell that are way overpriced.  I remembered I had left over hardboard from my daughter’s pink dresser project but it was brown and wouldn’t really work with the colors of grey, turquoise, yellow, and white I want in the room.

So, I went back to Home Depot and got some more, this time in white (AKA tile board).  Just so you know this stuff also makes a great dry erase board or for making a blank white background in photography.  It is so cheap and pretty handy too!  I had them cut it in half so I had two 4 x 4 squares.  I knew I didn’t want this board to be plain white but I didn’t think painting it would be a good idea.  As the chair rolled all over it, it would wear off the paint.  So, how would I create a design on the mat?  Enter duct tape.  Durable enough to not be worn off and thin enough to still allow the chair to roll on it easily.  Perfect.

I had the idea to do a yellow chevron but was unsure about how to draw out the design and get it aligned and spaced properly.  Enter my genius child.  She said I should do a tessellation.  A tessa-who?  I remembered a project she and my son did in school last year but didn’t really understand what they were doing.  A tessellation is the process of creating a two-dimensional plane using the repetition of a geometric shape with no overlaps and no gaps.  She used the papercut method (she cut the repeating shape out of paper).  She cut out the first angle and then cut her paper in half and traced the first angle onto the cut piece of paper and taped it to the top of the first one so the angles would be exactly the same. 

Then she began tracing it out on the board with pencil. 

She is a genius but easily distracted and about half way through tracing (after two breaks) she was back on the internet and I was left to finish on my own.  I got the tracing part done and then it was time to add the tape.

I carefully laid out the tape according to the pattern and cut it at each angle as straightly as I could.  When I laid out the strip of duct tape, I was very careful to smooth out any wrinkles or creases.  It was a bit tedious getting the tape on but just because the strips were so short and there were so many angles.
  

I have been testing it out and so far, so good.  The duct tape is still holding on and the white board is showing a little wear from the chair rolling but not too bad.  Even those clear plastic ones show where the chair rolls.  I am very satisfied.  This project cost less than $10 if you count only the half of the board I have used so far.  I still have another piece to use on something else.  Or if this one starts looking rough, I can make another one. I still have the brown too which some people might prefer to use.  I just wanted something brighter.

If  you noticed my big grey and yellow desk, it was a Craig’s List freebie.  When I got it, it was solid grey.  It looked very 80s.  It had some laminate trim on the drawers that was chipping and peeling so I just peeled it the rest of the way off and painted the trim yellow.  Actually, I first painted it white and just painted it yellow a few days ago.  I love that desk.  It’s so big and spacious!  Just don’t look in the drawers!  I have them stuffed full of who knows what!


Now, if I could just finish this room and all of the other ones I’ve been working on!  Do you find yourself with projects going on in several rooms at one time?  Please tell me I’m not the only one!




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Box Sign From...A Box!

I'm sure you've seen these everywhere: box signs. Cute little statements written in white on a black canvas. They are very popular and you can buy them anywhere you find home decor. But why buy them if you can make them, right? 

Gimme Five For Friday #2

I hope you all had a fun Fourth of July with your family and friends.  We sure did.  I’m so glad it’s the weekend so I can catch up on laundry (ugh) and maybe get the time to take a dip in the pool and even get some painting done.  What are you going to be doing?

Goo Be Gone Substitute

Have you ever done something and instantly realized you made a BIG mistake?  That’s what happened to me when I carelessly sprayed adhesive on an object while holding it in midair over my kitchen sink.  My pretty white sink was covered with icky, sticky residue.  I was panicking.  I rent my home and was expecting my landlord to drop by.  What would he say when he saw what I had done to the sink?  How could I be so stupid?   I started trying to clean it with anything I could think of- Windex, Kaboom, fingernail polish remover, Comet.  Nothing in my household cleaning arsenal was working.  I tried scraping but was getting nowhere fast. 








  
I thought of the product Goo Be Gone but realized I didn’t have any.  I was going to have to put on a bra and shoes (GASP) and go out and buy some.  Then, I glanced over at my bottle of baby oil and thought, hmmm, that might work.  What would it hurt?  So, I squirted a little on a paper towel and the angels came down from heaven and sang “HALLELUJAH”!  The sticky adhesive mess just wiped away.  I didn’t even have to scrub.  I was amazed.  I was saved.  This little clear bottle rescued me from my foolishness. 



If you see any marks in this sink, they are scratches but I’m going to do what Jillee of One Good Thing suggests and use some Barkeeper’s Friend on it to remove the scratches.



I decided to test it on a label that was stuck to a glass jar.  It worked!  It took just a tiny bit of scrubbing,/rubbing and the label was off.  I have heard of people using lighter fluid, gasoline, soaking in hot, soapy water, using blow dryers, and the safe and simple solution was sitting in their bathroom all along. 

That little clear bottle is quite a miracle worker.  Here are 20 other great uses for baby oil:

1. Furniture Polish- Some people like to add lemon juice but I just use the lavender scented baby oil to make my wood furniture shine.
2. Eye Makeup Remover- Why buy that expensive eye makeup remover when baby oil works great and moisturizes your delicate eye area at the same time.
3. Make Homemade Baby Wipes- Combine 1/4 cup of baby lotion, baby wash, and baby oil with 1 1/2 cups hot water and pour over a stack of paper towels cut in half inside a plastic container. 
4. Chrome Polish- Polish chrome hubcaps, faucets, golf clubs, you name it.
5. Ear Wax Remover- Just apply a few drops.
6. Latex Paint Remover- Pour a generous amount on a cotton ball and scrub onto skin.
7. Shoe Polish- Shines your shoes and helps keep them waterproof.  Just buff on.
8. Bath Oil- Just add a couple of drops and relax in the tub while softening your skin.
9. Treat Cradle Cap- I used this on my babies to remove the dry, scaly skin that would build up on their scalps.
10. Massage Oil- Helps to relax those tired muscles and reduce the friction against your skin.
11. Remove Gum from Hair- If your kids ever get chewing gum stuck in their hair, a little baby oil will help loosen it.
12. Aftershave Moisturizer- Keep your legs super smooth after shaving with baby oil
13. In Shower Moisturizer- Add 1/2 cup to your shower gel.  Apply with a sponge to lock in moisture while showering.
14. Eliminate Head Lice- The oil will suffocate the bugs and the nits will slide off the hair shaft.  Cover the child’s hair with baby oil and use a lice comb.  Comb and remove any nits and bugs regularly.  Wash the oil from the hair with dawn dishwashing liquid.  Repeat until there are no more bugs or nits.
15. Untangle Necklaces- Add a drop or two of baby oil and use a straight pin to remove the knot.
16. Remove Rings- If your fingers have swollen and you can’t get your rings off, a little baby oil will help them slide right off.
17. Unstick Zippers- Wipe along the edge of the teeth then pull the zipper up and down and the zipper should glide smoothly.
18. Soap Scum Remover- Wipe down showers and tubs with baby oil to protect it from the buildup of soap scum.  Already have soap scum?  Rub it away with baby oil.
19. Prevent Stretch Marks- Pregnant women can prevent stretch marks by rubbing baby oil into damp skin once or twice daily after bathing.
20. Bandage Removal- Keep those bandages from pulling and hurting when it’s time to take them off by rubbing baby oil over them first.

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Patriotic Wall Art

Another Father’s Day has come and gone and now my thoughts are turning towards July 4th.  I have such good memories of this holiday growing up.  I have a very large extended family and we would gather every year and have a huge cookout with tons of food, friends, and good times.  I hope my kids will be able to look back on their July 4th holidays and be able to feel the same way.
 
To help set the mood, I am putting up this framed patriotic wall art.  I love the wavy stripes with the classic stars.  There is a little secret to my festive display though.  I’m sure you are wondering how I made it.  Vinyl?  Mod Podge and scrapbook paper?  I must confess.  The secret behind my frame is...

A $1 Walmart Bandana

Yep, that’s it.  A bandana.  Like a biker would wear.  In a frame.  Held on with duct tape, no less. 

I wish I could say that this project required a lot of skill, dexterity, and artistic ability.  Or at least a little class. 

Oh, well.  It’s still cute.

For more inspiring July 4th projects, see my Pinterest board:  Red, White, & Blue.