April 12, 2012

Acute How-To: DIY Glass-Tinting

All the thrift stores I go to {and I am sure all the thrift stores all over the country} are filled with inexpensive glass bottles, jars, and vases.  The sheer abundance of all this glassware makes it cheap – and a little boring.

In order to “dress up” some basic cheap-o vases, I decided to do a little glass-tinting project. This project is super easy and inexpensive.  And the end result is pretty vintage looking tinted glass.

Supplies:

  • food coloring
  • water
  • Mod Podge – the gloss kind {can be found at any craft store}
  • Small bowls or cups for mixing the food coloring/water
  • newspaper or old paper bags to cover your work surface
  • wax paper
  • metal sheet pan
  • clear glass jars, vases, etc
  • plastic spoon or bamboo skewers for stirring
  • old plastic container or bucket

Step One:

Mix a few tablespoons  of food coloring with a splash of water {no more than a teaspoon of water}.  The more food coloring you use, the darker the tint.  I made the mistake of using just a little food coloring on some of my bottles and the tinting didn’t work very well.

Step Two:

Pour a tablespoon of mod podge + a bowl of food coloring/water mixture into a bottle and stir together with the plastic spoon or bamboo skewers {most of my vases were long and thin and these skewers worked the best}.

Next, turn the bottle around so that the insides are all coated.  It helps to flip the bottle on its side and turn it over and over in your hands.

Note: when you turn the bottle over, some of the mod podge/food coloring will drip out, so this is where your bucket or plastic container will come in handy.  Hold the bottle over it and spin it in your hands.  The mixture will all get caught in one place, which will make cleanup easy.  Also, since mod podge is glue, I wouldn’t do this over your sink.

Step Three:

Set your oven on warm {about 250 degrees} and line a sheet tray with waxed paper.  Place the tray in the oven and set your glasses on it {upside down}.  Bake the glasses upside down for about 15 minutes, then carefully flip them right side up and continue to bake for another 20-30 minutes.

During the baking process the glue will dry and you will be left with a pretty tinted glass.

These glasses are not food safe, however they do make pretty flower vases or jars to hold miscellaneous bits and pieces.

Filed Under: Acute How-To, The Setting Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , 7 Comments
February 2, 2012

Acute How-To: Lace and Doily Cups

I have a strong love for lace and doilies and this love is exemplified this time of year, when many stores are decked out in doily Valentine’s Day décor.

In honor of the upcoming holiday and my lace/doily obsession, I came up with a simple how-to that puts all my pieces of vintage lace and vintage doilies to good use.

Supplies needed:

  • Wide pieces of lace {I used some vintage pieces that were about 5” wide} and/or doilies {I collect these from antique and vintage shops….they can be really affordable at around $1 each}
  • Corn Starch
  • Plastic Wrap
  • Drinking glasses
  • Rubber Bands

Step One:

Bring one cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan.  While you are waiting for the water to boil, mix together ¼ cup of cornstarch with ½ cup of cold water.

Step Two:

When the one cup of water has begun to boil, mix in the water/cornstarch and stir until the mixture thickens {this will take about 30 seconds}.  The mixture will be the consistency of thick gravy.  Turn off the heat and pour the cornstarch mixture into a large bowl.  Allow this to cool for about 30 minutes.

Step Three:

Flip your drinking glasses upside down and cover with pieces of plastic wrap.  Use rubber bands to hold the plastic wrap in place.

Step Four:

Submerge the pieces of lace into the cornstarch and water mixture and then wring out excess moisture.  Drape one piece of lace over each plastic wrap covered glass base.  Smooth the lace down and then secure it with a second rubber band.

If you are also making doily cups, follow the same steps.  I used a small bowl turned upside down for my doily since it was much larger than the pieces of lace.

Step Five:

Allow the lace/doilies to dry for about five hours and then carefully remove the rubber bands and peel the lace away from the glasses.

I think these little cups would make a lovely centerpiece – especially if they are filled with tea light candles.  Or, you could use them as the base for place cards at your wedding or dinner party.

Filed Under: Acute How-To Tagged With: , , , , , , , 3 Comments
November 17, 2011

Acute How-To: Fall Garland

Thanksgiving is next week in the USA…so why not spruce up your holiday decor with a simple fall garland?

Garlands are easy to make and can come in so many forms.  They are pretty much my “go-to” decorating idea for the holidays.  For this one, I decided to make simple pompom flowers out of a fall color palette of felt circles.

What you will need:

  • felt {I chose three different colors – dark red, mustard yellow, and beige}
  • hot glue gun + glue
  • thick string or jute twine {about 6 feet long}
  • scissors

Step One:

Cut several circles of felt.  Depending on the length of your garland, this will vary.  I made 10 pompon flowers, each consisting of 6-10 circle petals, plus one circle as the base and one more as the back of the flower.

Step Two:

Heat your glue gun and, working with one pompom flower at a time, lay down a circle “base.”  Bend another circle in half, then in half again.  Place a dot of hot glue at the point the folded circle makes.  Glue the folded circle onto the base and push down.  Continue this with a few more circles until you have a full bloom.

Step Three:

Once you have all your flowers made, measure out a piece of string or twine.  I used a six foot long piece of jute twine.  Glue the pompom flowers along the length of the twine and place an additional circle across the back to hold everything into place.

Step Four:

Display your garland!  It would be perfect across a fireplace mantle or {if you make a longer one} along a staircase railing.  I have neither a mantle nor a staircase, so I chose to hang mine in the dining room.  With a few other decorations, it will look perfect for Thanksgiving!

Filed Under: Acute How-To, tutorials Tagged With: , , , , , , , 8 Comments
September 29, 2011

Acute How-To: Simple Baby Mobile

I recently made this super easy and inexpensive {this whole project cost me about $6} mobile for my baby nephew. I have had it hanging from the ceiling in my studio all weekend and love it.

I love it so much that I am going to make something similar to spruce up my house for the holidays.

For my nephew’s mobile, I used a few colors that will compliment his bedding along with cream to balance the whole thing out.  It turned out so cute and I think it looks like a little circus hanging from the ceiling.  I hope it brings him hours of staring pleasure.

What you will need:

  • 6 pieces of colored cardstock {more if you want a fuller look}
  • an embroidery hoop {I found a 10” plastic baby blue one for $2 but a wood one would work just as well}
  • a large circle hole-punch {can be found near the cardstock at the craft store}
  • ribbon or string for hanging
  • a sewing machine

Step One:

Punch out circles using your large hole-punch.  I lined mine up in the order I planned to sew them together.

Step Two:

Start sewing – leave a large amount of thread at the top of each strand of circles.  You will use this extra bit of thread to tie each strand to the embroidery hoop.

Step Three:

Using one strand of circles at a time, twist the extra thread around the embroidery hoop and tie at the end.  Once I had all mine strands tied onto the hoop, I secured each knot with a little dab of super glue.

Step Four:

Tie a few ribbons or twine onto the hoop for hanging.  I used two cream ribbons and two rust-orange ribbons in order to play off the colors throughout the mobile.

Hang and enjoy!  It might be a little uneven {well, mine was a little uneven} but that’s ok. I am sure the baby in your life will love it despite its unevenness.

Filed Under: Acute How-To, tutorials Tagged With: , , , , , , , 4 Comments
February 4, 2010

pop culture :: my handmade oscar party

ever year i dream about throwing a lush oscar party.

with spring on my mind and yellow in my heart, i wanted to share a glimpse into what my ultimate oscar party would look like.

for the guests…

Handmade Oscar Party

and for me…

yellow handmade oscar party

* popcorn soap. sudsnsuch
* lemon pound cake. sugarmohawk
* kissing ball. cre8tivedesigns4u
* marigold invitation. buddyandbean
* golden rope eyeglass holder. gypsyy
* mineral eyeshadow. moximia
* gold stacking rings. cocoandchia
*jersey tube dress. islanewyork

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Filed Under: $200+, $25 or less, $25-50, accessories, bath | body, clothing, culinary delights, paper goods, pop culture Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , 45 Comments