DIY: Night Light Refrigerator Magnets

 

 

Had a blast coming up with this sweet little craft project.  It doesn’t cost much and doesn’t take much time.  You’ll like this one.

Supplies:

Paper mache’ box, one & a half inches deep (they have to be 1 & 1/2” deep, because the tea lights are 1” tall) My box is 3” x 3” x 1 1/2”.

One battery powered tea light (definitely not a candle!)

Glue

Brown paper bag

Butterfly stencil (optional, you can use a heart or a flower, whatever you prefer)

Screen wire (cheesecloth will also work for this and even lace would be beautiful) this is also optional if your design doesn’t have large open areas.

Two way tape

Magnets

Let’s make a refrigerator magnet night light!

Making the top:

1.  Cut a square of the brown paper bag where it will completely cover the top of the box.

 

2.  Trace your stencil on to the square brown paper.

3.  Using an xacto knife, cut the parts out of the drawn design that you want light to show through.

 

4.  Take the top of the box and cut out a square hole in it leaving just enough to glue the square brown paper cut out onto.

 

5.  Glue the brown paper onto what remains of the top of the box.  (I used a piece of two way tape to hold it in place while I glued to keep the paper in place, then glued right over the top of the tape to finish it off).

6.  When that is dry, turn the top upside down and glue the screen wire into the bottom.  (remember this is an optional step)

We are done with the top, unless you want to paint it.

 

Making the bottom:

1.  Turn the bottom of the box over and glue on the magnets.  I used two strips cut large to be sure it would hold the weight of the tea light and the box.  (I really wanted smaller boxes, but this is all I could find that the tea lights would fit in.

That’s it!  We are done.  When everything is dry, turn your tea light on, put it in the box, put the top on it and put it on the fridge!

I thought this was a sweet project.  I played around with my wood burner to see how it would look and I think I like it better.  If you try this method you won’t need the brown paper bag cut out.  I just burnt the top of the box.   Here’s a pic…

But I did almost catch it on fire!  So I really did light up my refrigerator magnet!

Have fun!

 

If you like this craft tune in to my face book page to see other stuff.  Thanks!

DIY: Wood and Screen Wire Crate

This is the sweetest little crate.  It’s made a bit differently than the basic all wood crate because we have inserted screenwire on the side panels.  At the bottom of this tutorial I have included links to get some of the supplies needed for this project if you need some things you don't have.

You will need:
36--- 12” paint sticks

Hand saw to cut the lengths of the paint sticks (a mitre box will help with the 45 degree angle we will be cutting)

screen wire---- 4 panels 11 1/2”x 5 1/2”

glue

hemp

wood burning tool with a sharp point attachment (to burn the holes in the side panels for lacing the corners)

acrylic paint and 1” brush

stencil of your choice (I used a lacey paper doily)

small wire nails--- 1/2 x 19 and hammer

Upholstery needle (or a needle with a large enough hole to thread the hemp through)

Let’s build a crate:
Hand saw all the paint sticks to size. Once you have cut all the pieces you will end up with……………..

8……6” pieces (saw 4 in half, these are the ends of the side panels)

8……3 3/4” pieces (these pieces fit on the end pieces of the side panels to enable the screenwire to lay flat)

4……4” pieces with a 45 degree angle on both ends  (these are braces for the bottom of your crate)

2……12” pieces with a 45 degree angle on both ends (these are additional braces for the bottom of your crate)

Lay out and begin building:
1.  Build the side panels of your crate.





Using the eight 6” sticks lay them out flat, put a dot of glue on one side at the top and bottom of the sticks.  Carefully lay a 12” stick across the top of two of the sticks and across the bottom of the same two sticks, building a 12” x 6” frame for the side panels.  Build 4 of these panels.





Glue two of the 3 3/4 “ sticks we cut and place them on top of the two 6” pieces of the side panels between the top and bottom 12” sections.  See below…………..


                             




Cut 4 screen wire panels 11 1/2” wide x 5 1/2” long.
Run a line of glue all the way around the side panel frame we just built.
Lay the screen wire panel over the top of the glue.





Using two more 12” sticks, lay one over the top of the screen wire panel and one over the bottom, keeping all edges flush.

Once the glue has dried, nail the four corners on both sides.  When one side is nailed, turn the panel over and nail the other side, keeping the nails as close together as you can.  If there are any sharp tips of the nails protruding, clip them off with a wire cutter or beat them down with your hammer.





You have built all four side panels of your crate. Yay!

With the wood burning tool, burn three holes  in the sides of each panel through the 6” pieces and 3 3/4” pieces.  Making sure the holes go completely through and centering them underneath the top 12” piece of the panel and just above the bottom 12” piece of the panel.  We will be lacing them together after we build the crate.





Optional step:  At this point if you’d like to paint a design on your screen wire this is the time.  I used paper doilies as a stencil and just kind of blotted around, but you can get as detailed as you like with this step.

Let’s put the four panels together.
.
Put glue on the very side edge at the top and the bottom of one panel.  Attach another panel and tape the edges on the outside of the panel together.  Go ahead and join the other two panels to these two the same way.  Make sure that which ever panel is on the outside, the panel directly opposite to it is also on the the outside or this will throw your measurements off for the bottom of the crate.





Once all four sides are joined, check to make sure the bottom, top and sides are as flush with each other as you can get them.  Put more tape on as you adjust to keep them in place.

Before it dries we will put the bottom in to help it squared up.

Using the four pieces that we cut 4” long and then put a 45 degree angle at each end, glue the edge of the bottom side of these pieces and set on the paint stick at the bottom of each panel on the inside of your crate.  Don’t push it up against the screen wire or it will push the wire and stretch it, which is unsightly.





We also cut 45 degree angles in two 12” paint sticks, glue and place them in the same way.  We are creating a brace for our bottom.





Once this is accomplished run a line of glue over the top of each of the pieces with the angles we just attached.





Now lay the bottom of the crate placing one 12” stick at a time on top of these braces, beginning at the corners and pushing them snuggly into the corners.  You will use ten, 12” sticks for the bottom.  Careful not to poke the screen wire, these sticks will fit one way and not the other.  This is why we had to make the brace first, to give the paint sticks something to lay on.

Once dry, you are ready  to lace the sides together.  Thread the one  end of the hemp through the needle.  Looking at the crate upside down, go in from one of the openings at the bottom, pull the thread up and into the first hole, (leaving enough thread to tie a knot with) then through the next hole up on the opposite side, then through the top hole an the opposite side.  Turn and start sewing downward making X’s.  Bring the needle back down through the same hole at the bottom of the crate where we first began, tie a knot with both strings and glue.  Do all four corners.


                                 


All that’s left to do is paint your crate.  I use white and just washed with a very watered down mixture.  If it’s too light you can always go back and add another light coat till you get the coverage you desire.

Get your supplies here:

Screen Wire
New York Wire 33105 Fiberglass Screening, 36-Inch by 84-Inch, Charcoal

Acrylic Craft Paint
Plaid PROMOABI Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint, 2-Ounce, Best Selling Colors I

Hemp
One Package of 400 feet 100% Natural Hemp Cord #20

Wood Burning Tool
Stanley 20-600 Clamping Mitre Box with Saw

Wood Burning Kit
Walnut Hollow Creative Woodburner Value Pen

Paint Sticks
Paint Sticks - (Wooden Stirring Paddles), These are the Best Hardwood Paint Stirrers for Mixing, Garden Markers, Crafts, Hand Fans; Same Professional Grade Stick Henry was using in the 1930s, Expertly Made in the State of Maine

Glue
ALEENES 15599 All Purpose Glue, 8-Ounce

Wire Nails
National Hardware V7710 1/2" x 19 Ga. Wire Nails in Galvanized  

Craft: Dragonfly and flowers collage’

Just wanted to show you a few little details about this picture so you can see that there is not any intricate work involved at all.  The flowers are just four little circles attached to each other, brushed on with acrylic paint.  The small flowers are just to fill up space, and they are nothing but dots.  The stems are dots and then some of the dots have been connected.  Just put little dots of different colors in the middle of your flowers.


This little bird was taken from a gift bag.  I’m not that great at drawing, so I looked at it and painted it onto my wood paint stick canvas.  There is absolutely no detail involved in it at all.  But if you  fear drawing it directly on your picture after you have already done so much work,  use tracing paper and trace the image you want to duplicate, then cut it out.  Use the cut out to trace around, just like we did when we were kids.



Take a close look at this dragon fly.  I got on the internet and searched for a picture of a dragonfly.  Then took a piece of paper and drew it, cut it out and used it as a pattern to cut the wings and body out of the screen wire.  The screen wire wings and body were then painted white.  I used a sharpie to make the veins on the screen.  Tack the screen wire on with small tacks.  Sew the buttons, going in and out of the holes, then glue them onto the dragonfly.

To prepare the base for your picture, use stretcher strips for the frame and paint sticks to paint the picture on.  Assemble this first, then begin creating your masterpiece.  I just sloshed some blue and then blue mixed with white to paint the background.

Here’s the finished picture…………………………………..



If you try this picture, I’d love to see it.  Have a great time sloshing paint around and creating this picture.  Happy Crafting.

Craft: Sewing on stretched canvas

You should try this!  With needle and thread try sewing on your stretched canvas instead of decoupage’.
I painted the stretched canvas solid black with acrylic paint.  This time I didn’t do a wash, I used the acrylic paint straight out of the bottle, just poured it on the canvas and painted it and get the sides while your at it.
Before the paint drys, lay your paper doily, centered on the canvas, to use as a stencil.  Once centered I used lilac, white and orange and went all around the doily dabbing with my brush, letting the colors all mix together.  Pull up the doily promptly so it won’t stick to the canvas.
Use a particular part of the doily and decorate the corners using it as a stencil.  I used orange on the corners.
With your brush, just dip it in your lilac paint (or whatever color you have chosen) and put little dots here and there all over the canvas.  I tried to stay with the design.  Do the same with a second color.
While that is drying, prepare your focal point.  Of course mine is a butterfly.  I cut this butterfly out of screen wire then put an orange wash of acrylic paint on it which made it appear rusted.  Sew a jute body on it and two small silk roses.  Using a small paint brush, put some dots of color here and there to pretty it up and make it more interesting.


Now that your canvas is completely dry, place your item (butterfly) in the center and begin sewing it on.  I used a blue thread and also sewed on some veins in the wings.  Then sew anywhere else on the canvas you’d like, I sewed around the circle and the antenna of the butterfly.
With different stitch styles you could probably really enhance this crafty collage quite a bit more with the sewing.  But I had some more ideas for another project so I didn’t sew to much.  I’ll probably have to go back to this idea another day and put more time in the sewing part of it.
I hope you enjoy this craft and can find ways to adapt it more to your style.  If you try one, I’d love to see it.

Need some supplies for this craft? 

New York Wire 33105 Fiberglass Screening, 36-Inch by 84-Inch, Charcoal Plaid PROMOABI Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint, 2-Ounce, Best Selling Colors I Canvas panels 8 x 10 inch (pack of 6)

Craft: Sewing on screenwire

 

 

Here’s a really fun project to do, sew on screen wire!

There are so many interesting things you can do in the craft field.  I particularly like to work with sewing, paint, wood, wire and paper.  This project involves painting on screenwire and then hand sewing with a large needle and yarn.  I used paper doilies for the stencil and a butterfly cut out from my daughters circuit.

First I built my frame with stretcher strips. 

Next, paint the frame with acrylic paints very watered down.

Attach screen wire to the back side of the frame.  You can use staples or small tacks.

Using paper doilies and any other cutouts like the butterfly that you desire, choose your color of acrylic paint and design your picture.

Next decide what part of your design you’d like to sew and begin.  Because this is screen and you can see through it, be sure to watch the path you take, whatever is on the backside will show through, so try to keep it neat.  Also I found that as you are sewing the wire tends to want to stretch, so you’ll have to be gentle when pulling the needle and yarn through.

If you want to put something behind the screen when you are done, you can.  I kept this particular piece void of a background, when you hang it on your wall, you will be able to see the color of the wall behind the design.  I thought that was kind of neat.

This is the picture laying on beige carpet.

                                                                This is the picture laying on a black background.

 

                                                                     And here it is with a cream color behind it

 

You can do a lot of different things with this idea.  I hope you try something and I’d love to see what you make.

Get the stretcher strips for your frame here.