DIY Gifts: Photo Flower Pot

On Pinterest, I discovered the idea of attaching photos to a flower pot! The pin I found didn't lead to a link, so I experimented and did my own thing! Thankfully, it turned out fine and I was able to give it to my mother for Mommy's Day. Dad's like pots too. Fathers day gift idea? I think so.



You will need-

Mod Podge
Paint brush
Scissors
Pictures
Ribbon (optional)
Flower pot



Snip out the pictures

Perfect.

Next, decide on the placement. How many pictures will fit? Will some of them need to be trimmed down?

Now you'll need to smother a generous amount of mod podge onto the pot where your first picture will be placed. Stick it to the pot.

Mod podge on top of the picture. Don't panic-- it drys clear.

Keep doing that until all of  the pictures have been mod podged onto the pot.

You might want to let it dry, then do another coat.

Ta-da! It is dry.

Since the pot is rounded and the pictures aren't (duh), I hot glue gunned ribbon around the top and bottom where the pictures edges showed. Now this is where I have a couple tips for ya...



Speedily gluing the ribbon down before my mom came home, it dried.... bumpy. Like terribly bumpy. SO my advice for you is to TAKE YOUR TIME. If you are making it as a gift.. Hide in a closet and put up a "Do Not Enter Sign". Just don't try and hurry. 

Mommy ended up loving my pot(bumpy ribbon and all;)! Quick, easy, affordable-- this flower pot makes for a great gift!

Camera Strap DIY

DSLR camera straps-- ugly, black, plain and they cut into your neck. Why have the same strap as everyone else when you can make your own hip camera strap cover?

As a Christmas gift, I made one of these for my mother. She loved it!

So here is my own little tutorial.

 You will need,
 1/4 yard plain solid fabric
1/4 yard patterned fabric
(You will not need ALL of the fabric. That is just the amount I bought.)
Scissors
Measuring Tape
Sewing Machine

 Pellon fusible light fleece interfacing (Hancock Fabrics)

My camera strap is about 2 inches wide. So I cut two strips 3 inches wide and 27 inches long.

You'll want your cover to be more spacious then the strap so it can come off easily. {Hence why you should cut the fabric larger then the strap}

You are going to want the RIGHT sides together.

Pin and sew the RIGHT sides together.

Press seam open.

Cut fusible fleece the same size as the fabric.

Click here for step by step instructions on how to apply fusible fleece.

Fold one end in about one inch, and then again over one inch to hide the seam and make a clean finish.

Sew three lines, each about 1/4 inch apart. Gives it a 'clean cut' kinda look.

Do the same thing on the other end.

Sew right sides together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. If you think the cover will be to big for your strap use a wider seam allowance to make it thinner. Keep in mind that you will need your cover to be at least 1/2 inch larger then your strap.

Trim the inside seam allowance, it gives more room for the strap.

This is the tricky part, turn it inside out.

And you are done!
Enjoy your strap cover! :)
Comment or contact me with any questions.

DIY Mothers Day Gifts

Just a reminder-- Mothers day is this Sunday, which is the perfect time to show your mom you appreciate her! If your a last minute person like me, this post is for you! Unfortunately sometimes it's so difficult to come up with something affordable but cute to give to your mom for Mothers Day. Me and my sis, who is eight years old and adorable, came up with a few gift ideas for you!

Tissue Paper Stained Glass Jars

We had the kids at church do this for their moms-- they loved it! The jars turned out adorable.

You will need...

Tissue Paper--Having lots of colors makes it really stand out!

Mod Podge-- Stinky and sticky! That's part of the fun though, right? Here is a recipe to make your own!

Paint Brushes--The foamy kind. :)

Glue

Jar--We used old pizza jars.

Scissors-- If you want to be clean cut. 

1. Rip or cut tiny pieces of tissue paper. 
2. Glue down the paper all over the entire jar. Don't leave one empty spot. Make sure all of the paper is lying down flat. :)
3. Now comes the Mod Podge! Use your paint brush and spread the Mod Podge everywhere. The Mod Podge will dry clear, waterproof it, and makes your jar look finished. 
4. Tie a bow around the top and give it to your mommy. She can use it as a flower vase, candle holder, pencil jar, or just as decoration! 

Found this idea to use shapes!

Tea Light

One of my friends made this darling tea cup candle for her mom for Christmas-- I fell in love with it! My sister and I are making this for our mom this weekend. {am using the pictures I found on an adorable blog. I couldn't take pics and make it at the same time}

You'll need

Old Candles: Or buy some at the dollar store.

Tea cup: I got mine at a thrift shop for a couple bucks!

Wick: You can use the one that came with your candle or buy wick at Walmart or craft store.

Crayons: For coloring.

Heat Proof Container: You will need to make a double boiler.

Scent:optional

1. Make a double boiler with a pot and your heat-proof container. Place 2-3 inches of water, so that when you place your heat-proof container in, the water won't boil over. Turn on your stove to med/med high.

2. Grab your candle and remove the sticker from the bottom and take out the wick.

3. Place your candle in the heat-proof bowl and add a piece of your chosen colored crayon (don't put much, a little colors a lot)

4. Mix your wax softly to incorporate the crayon

5. Allow the candle to slowly melt. It took about 15 mins. for half my 4inch high candle to melt (this was enough to fill my teacup)

6. When you have enough melted wax to fill your container, you can add any oils you have..glitter or dry flower petals to enhance your lovely candle. Mix well.

7. Grab your wick and carefully dip the end in the wax a few times, this will serve as the glue so it can adhere to your container and stay put while your pour in the wax

8. Here's how it should look once dried

9. You're now ready to fill your container. Use a heat-proof glove to grab your wax, and pour all the way up, making sure to leave  about 1/2 an inch of wick above the poured wax

10. Allow your candle to cool and set for a few minutes. Make sure to leave it alone so the wax doesn't get damaged while solidifying (it can take anywhere between 15-30 mins for the wax to completely solidify; you will the the color change from a Strong clear color, to a softer opaque color when hard)

We gave these to my mom for mothers day and she loved them. It meant so much to her to receive a homemade gift.

^Replace DADDY with MOMMY^

I guarantee you she'll love the hand made gift. Or you could just give her a boring old card. Your choice. 

Enjoy the nice weather while it lasts! <3 Olivia and Elisabeth <3