DIY stacked pots and flowers

Hi! So I bet I can guess what you're thinking.. this is so cute! Am I right? 
Well you are in the right place, because I am going to show you how to create this masterpiece! You might have seen it's big sister on Pinterest or other websites. That one uses larger pots, real potting soil, and real flowers. However, until I can get out of my little apartment and have my own outdoor space.. that one has to wait. That wasn't going to stop me though, so I decided to make up my own! Here are the main supplies you will need for this awesome project.

•  A styrofoam block ( I already painted mine black... obviously)
• Little mini planting pots, I got these four in a pack for like $2.00 at the craft store. (Again, I already painted them.)
• Electric wire, mine was just extra scraps I already had.

You will also need:

• Paint
• Paintbrush
• Hot glue gun
• Needle nose pliers
• Some kind of fake leaves, like the ones that come on the stem of silk flowers at the craft store.

So first, you are going to want to paint your pots the color(s) of your choice. Next, paint your styrofoam. Be warned, it takes q bit of paint because you have to fill in all the holes. (I recommend using a sponge brush to do this. Then paint one of your pieces of wire. Make sure the piece you choose will be at least 3-4 inches taller than all the pots stacked up as shown in the picture. You will be able to cut off excess wire, so more is safer!

After you have that all done, stick the painted wire into the middle of your styrofoam block until you can see the end at the other side of the block, like this!

I added some hot glue at where the wire goes into the styrofoam so that it would stay better.

Take the pot that you want to be on the bottom and slide it onto the wire, then tilt it to the side so that it looks like this.

Take your hot glue gun and put a dot in between where the wire and the pot are touching to secure it.

Slide on your next pot. Place another dot of glue in between where the two pots are touching so that they wont slide around or fall.

Repeat this step with the rest of your pots so that it looks like this!

Okay, now for the tricky part... the flowers. So what I did was shape flowers out of the remaining parts of wire. This is not the easiest thing to do, but I LOVE the unique look that it gives to the scene. There are no specific directions on how to do this, other than take your pliers and get to work! ( If you REALLY don't want to do this, it would still work to get some small fake flowers from the craft store.) Here is how mine turned out. ( Sorry they are hard to see.)

If you decided to do the wire flowers, the next step is to paint them! I painted my stems green and a different color for each flower. Then, taking the fake leaves, hot glue them onto the stem of each flower. Here they are!

Now all that is left to do is glue them to their pots! So first, take one of your flowers, and place a dot of hot glue on the very bottom of the stem, make sure it is a generous amount of glue.

Place the flower in the pot in the position you want and hold for a few seconds until the glue hardens. Repeat this step with the rest of your flowers. ( If you used fake flowers, just do the same as the wire flowers and hot glue them inside the pots so that they will stay.)

Here is your end result!!

Now you have flowers that can be around all year long! Thanks so much for stopping by and please comment!!

xoxo
Megan

Simple DIY Wall Decor: African Style

Greetings and Happy Sunday! So I have been going through this phase where I am obsessed with decorating everything African style. I just love it so much! But, being a poor college student, there are only so many things I can buy to satisfy my obsession. So I decided to start crafting things with an African style look to it. This is one of the things that i came up with.

I don't know about you, but I LOVE them! Especially because it was so cheap and simple.

Here are your supplies:

• Wood plaques ( less than a dollar at most craft stores)
• Paint/Paintbrush
• Paper ( You don't have to use animal print like I did)
• Scissors
• Mod Podge

So these are the size and shape of plaques that I used. I know they are already partly done, but they were just plain wood when I got them.

Alright, so first thing you want to do is paint your wood. I chose three colors that I thought would best compliment the paper I was using. After you finish painting, be sure to let the paint dry all the way before you add the paper.

Second, you will want to measure the paper so that it fits on the face of the plaque without hanging over the edges.

Next, spread Mod Podge on the plaque, covering the entire face where the paper will be going.

Finally, make sure that when you are putting the paper on, start on one end and smooth the paper with your finger to the other end. This will eliminate any bubbles or wrinkles that might occur. Then just repeat these steps to do the others! This is how I decided to arrange mine on the wall.

Thanks for stopping by! Please feel free to leave comments and suggestions!

xoxo
Megan

DIY: Painted Vases

Happy Saturday! Today is a bit of a rainy day, so obviously it's time to do some craftin'! I decided to show you one of my new favorites that I did recently, and which is also a very popular one. Drum roll please........ Painted jars!! Now please note, I do realize that this general idea is far from my own, but I wanted to show you the fun little personal touches I added to make it my own. So, here it is!

Pretty, huh? I am in love with these shades of blue together, but of course, you get to pick your own colors! So, here are your supplies:

• Paint
• Vase of Jar of your choice ( to demonstrate, I am using a mason jar because I already finished the vases, and don't have any clear ones.)

Step One: Make sure your vase or jar is clean and dry. Then start by squirting your paint into it. You will want to be generous with the amount you out in, but it is not a problem to just squirt in some more as needed.

Step Two: Tilt your jar and start turning it so that the paint will spread. I have found that hitting it lightly with your palm helps it to move a little faster.

Step Three: When you get to the top edges of your jar, feel free to get your hands messy! This is not necessary, but it can be difficult to cover the edges without getting paint everywhere. So what I do, is when it gets almost to the edges, take your finger and lightly spread it across the rest of the jar, covering the whole thing. Don't worry if some spots appear lighter than others on the inside, it will still look like the rest of the jar on the outside as long as you aren't pushing to hard.

Here is your finished product!

I love these so much because they are so simple, fast, and inexpensive, and they are SO pretty and can match any room!

Side note: I got the shelf at Micheal's and painted it black myself. I also got the flowers from Micheal's, but really any craft store will work. I also got the vases for .50 cents each at a thrift store.

Stay Crafty!

xoxo
Megan

Styrofoam Crafts: Adorable desk toppers

Welcome and Happy 4th! I am so excited to be starting this blog and to share my creative adventures with you! I decided I wanted my first craft post to be something simple, and yes I realize I am probably the only crafter in the U.S. that did not do a 4th of July craft today, but yay for being different! 

So, here it is. My first post is for these cute little guys!

     

Yes I know they are on the floor in these pictures, but say hello to the cutest little toppers you will ever find!  Perfect for a desk, counter, shelf, or even the top of your television.

Want to know how to make them? I thought so. Here are the supplies you will need:

• A styrofoam ball
• Acrylic paint
• Paint brush
• Any other accessories you will be adding to your little friend.

Step One: Take your styrofoam ball and cut it in half. I just used a kitchen knife to do this, but careful not to cut yourself!

Step Two: Get the paint colors that you want all out and ready on a paint pallet (or in my case a paper plate), and start your masterpiece! For my ladybug, I started with the black and made sure that was all done and taken care of so that I knew where to put the red, see?

 Step Three: After you have gotten the base, or body, done, you can add the eyes. Now you could do a few different things for the eyes, I just chose to paint them on. You could also get googly eyes from a craft store, buttons, or little beads, whatever your preference is! Be sure you are allowing the paint to dry as you add each color, otherwise it will mix colors and look a little funky.

Just a fun little side note, right as I was finishing my ladybug, this little found it! He must have been looking for his mom and gotten a little confused!

If you are making the ninja turtle, the next step is to add the ribbon! I just used the .50 cent white ribbon from the craft store and painted it to match his mask. Cut it to the length you want and then hot glue it on!

That's it! Simple right? They are so easy and yet SO cute! The best part is you can make any animal, bug, or character that you would like! I will definitely be making more, but for now the ones I have ended up on top of my  t.v. so that I would get to see them all the time.