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Marbled Soup Can Canister Tutorial

November 12, 2019 By Erica Deuel Leave a Comment

Do you love recycling trash into treasures as much as we do!?

Art doesn’t have to be expensive. Using things you might normally throw away as art supplies is one way to create in an inexpensive way! Soup cans are one of our favorite recycling materials to repurpose into a fun craft. It is sturdy and strong and be a great base for something else.

Today, we are excited to show you how you can turn those cans into marbleized storage canisters.

The first step is to collect your soup cans. We have gotten in the habit of just saving all our soup cans, so when a project idea arises, we are ready with cans on hand. I take the paper wrapper off our soup cans and run them through the dishwasher with our dishes to get clean. Once you have your dry cans, you are ready to create! We spray painted our cans white to have a nice matte base coat for this project. While the tin cans were drying, we collected our spray paint cans and filled a bucket with water. For each can, we choose two different spray paint colors. We added one color at a time.

All you have to do is spray the water with your spray paint color. The spray paint sits on top of the water. You then lay the can on top of the water and the paint will adhere to the can like a sticker might grab onto your hand. After one color was added, we simply looked at the can, maybe rotated it a little to figure out what side needed some more color, and did this step again with the second color of paint.

The can comes out of the water looked marbleized and super fun! After you get the hang of it, you can play with how much spray paint you spray on top of the water to create a more thick or less thick look on your can. We had so much fun doing all four of our cans that we prepped!

After the cans were dry, we used ours to hold art supplies. You could do the same or turn it into something else! A wind chime, flower pot, vase, or candle holder are fun ways to use your new canister too. You can personalize this craft using colors that fit your taste or the size can that fits your need best.

Sometimes it is easier to understand the steps to a project to see it actually happen. To see this craft in video form, you can watch the process on our YouTube channel here.

We love how quick, colorful, process art base, and inexpensive this paint technique can be! We had so much fun doing it to the tin cans that we bought some inexpensive raw wood candle sicks to paint this way too!

How fun are those!? We think they look like they belong on shelves in World Market or Anthropologie. We found some white candle sticks that make the colors pop even more, and we are going to use them as Christmas presents for family this year!

What do you think!? Will you try this paint technique? Do you like making Christmas gifts too!? We’d love to hear from you! Find us on social media by tagging us with your pictures #spoonfulofimagination

Thanks so much for stopping by!

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DIY Scrapwood Garland

December 8, 2017 By Erica Deuel Leave a Comment

DIY Scrapwood GarlandDo you love Christmas crafts as much as I do!? It seems that no matter how many I make, the following year I want to make more! Creating holiday crafts is one of my favorite holiday traditions and stringing together a fun garland is a fun way to add to the seasonal decor. In years past, I have made other festive garlands. I think this year’s is my all time favorite.

You know it is no secret that I love wood projects, and I am cheap. Last week, I showed you a scrap wood project as a gift topper. This week we are using scrap pieces of wood to make a festive garland. I save all my scrap little pieces from signs and projects for my kids to build and play around with. One day, I saw that the bucket was getting full and inspiration struck.

DIY Scrapwood GarlandHow pretty are those colors all mixed up together!? I decided to drill a small hole in the center of each piece. This would allow me to later thread wire through to create a garland.

DIY Scrapwood GarlandDIY Scrapwood GarlandDIY Scrapwood GarlandDIY Scrapwood GarlandOnce I had a big pile of scrapwood drilled and ready to go, I attached one to the end of a strong wire to tie off the end of my garland. I then asked for little hands to thread the pieces on. My Jeremiah helped me. I wanted the pieces to be random without any order of size or color. Having a child help with this creative step is fun.

DIY Scrapwood GarlandDIY Scrapwood GarlandDIY Scrapwood GarlandWe quickly realized that having all the pieces stacked neatly on top of one another was using up a lot of wood and our garland was getting heavy QUICKLY! We stopped. We took everything off and threaded our wire through a needle and then strung 1″ felt balls after every few pieces of wood. This really helped the wood pieces separate, give another texture, and help lighten the weight of the garland.

DIY Scrapwood GarlandI LOVE how it came out. I immediately started sending pictures to friends who I know also have lots of scrap wood. It’s just too fun not to share.

DIY Scrapwood GarlandDIY Scrapwood GarlandA couple tips if you do this project,

  1. Use strong wire. Your garland does get heavy.
  2. Don’t hang your garland somewhere where it will get messed with a lot. There are rough edges to the unsanded pieces. Again, it can get heavy. Less moving and messing with it will help keep the garland from breaking.

DIY Scrapwood GarlandDIY Scrapwood GarlandWe didn’t even have our tree decorated yet, and I was hanging my garland up and snapping pictures. Making something you are proud of is a crafter’s highlight. What do you think!? What colors would you hope your garland would be? We are decorating our house with more bright colors this year than in years past.

If you do this project, we would love to see it! Share it on social media using #spoonfulproject so we can all enjoy your creation.

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Light Up Your Life (with those Christmas lights-year round!)

January 31, 2015 By Erica Deuel 1 Comment

DIY_fabric_garlandDo you miss your Christmas lights?

I love little twinkling lights. We use a lot of string lights or lamps to have soft light around our house. I’ve been wanting to show you this project for a while.

Last year I wanted a different look for our Christmas mantel, but I still wanted to use lights. I came up with this lit garland, but it ended up staying up all winter. I loved it then, and I still do! So much so, that I still make it and have one available for you at the end of this post.

To begin, you will need a strand of Christmas lights, fabric, and scissors. That’s it! I have done both burlap and fabric…and a mix of both. There are lots of possibilities!

I started with cutting my burlap into strips. After I had about 1″ wide strips, I then cut those in half. Depending on the size of your light strand, how long and wide you want your strips, and how many you strips you put on your lit strand will determine how many yards of fabric you will need.

cutting_burlap

cut_burlapThe next step is to fold one of the pieces of fabric in half and place it behind the strand of lights. Then loop the ends of the fabric around the strand of lights and pull through that top fold in your fabric. The strand of fabric will have tied itself onto the light strand.

lighted_garland

light_garlandThat is the primary step! From there it is just repeating of cutting strips and tying them on. I like to create a really full garland, so I place three to four strands of fabric between each light. I think by doing this the electrical wire is really covered well.

fabric_garlandThis one I am showing you, I mixed burlap with a creme fabric. I made it for a friend at Christmas. I have not found a good place for my lit garland yet, but you may remember seeing it in last year’s Valentine’s Day mantel. Once Christmas was over, I literally switched out Christmas elements and replaced it with winter ones and then just added Valentine’s Day decor like the Be Love pennant and XO Art.

I feel like white Christmas lights still look good in the winter. Now that I have moved north, I really still like them with the cold and snow. It’s beautiful.

valentines_day_decorAnother inexpensive way to make this lit garland would be to use an old sheet and rip strips of fabric. I made one with this idea to list for sale in my shop. I added a little string to it for another texture. You could add ribbons, strings, beads, feathers, etc., to yours!

lightsI love how the fabric and little lights add a lot of fun to a space. Home decor doesn’t have to be expensive. I tried this garland in my kitchen and was tempted to keep it. The added texture creates some warmth that I just love.

DIY_soft_lights

DIY_lightI think it even looks pretty when it’s not lit! Wouldn’t this be so cute in a little girl’s room?

DIY_home_decorWhat about you!? Do you have a thing for these fun little lights too? How do you create soft light in your home? I’d love to hear! Find me on Instagram (ericadeuel) and chat with me!

If you make this, I would love to see it! If you are interested in this one, you can purchase it here.

I hope you have are having a good weekend. If you are about to get snowed in, like me, stay safe and warm…and find some space to create! 🙂

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Christmas Joy Sign Tutorial

December 5, 2014 By Erica Deuel Leave a Comment

christmas_joyI’ve got the joy, joy, joy joy, down in my heart

Where?

Down in my heart

Where?

Down in my heart to stay!

Anyone remember that song? Ok, I will stop singing… for now :). It’s Christmas time…how can our hearts not be full of joy? I know my little family has been sick which makes some days hard, but we are so blessed. We aren’t in our new place yet, but we have been staying with the most wonderful new friends. It’s been a transitioning time, and I am so thankful for the conversations, rest, and fun we have experienced here on the farm.  There are lots of things I will miss when we move into our own home next week. One thing on the list will be their barns.

winter_kids

Huge red barns is something I always dream about, and there are some gorgeous ones here. Last week, my kids were playing dress up, and I then took them to work with me out in one of them. You can hardly tell with all their winter gear, but I had Raphael, Darth Vader, and Queen Elsa with me.

workshop

wood_workshopI know there are lots of joy signs out there. I too have been eying them and wanting to create one for myself. I thought while I don’t have a house, I should make the sign. This way when we move into our new house, my sign is ready to decorate our new front door!

I started with a couple of boards. I got two different width boards because I wanted the size contrast and I wood glued them together. You can purchase boards 10″ or 12″ wide if you’d like to eliminate this step.

wood_glue

how_to_use_wood_clampsNow, this method of attaching is not strong enough to make a shelf or something like a piece of furniture without being reinforced with more wood on the back side. For a sign that will just hang on a wall though, it was ok. I ended up making two signs, so I could give one to our sweet host friends.

Once the glue was dry, I did a dry paint brush technique with a light silver paint. I wanted the boards to have some color, but I also wanted them to look rustic. Doing a dry brush paint job, I was able to get some color on the boards without creating a solid thick paint job. Lightly dip your brush into your paint. Brush long quick strokes so the paint lightly applies and keep working your brush on the wood when you would normally go back for more paint. This will create a nice thin spread. Depending on how rustic or weathered you want your boards to appear, you can decide how much you’d like to cover. If you over cover you can always go back and do some sanding. The key is just to avoid a thick coat.

duluth_flannel

dry_paint_brush_techniqueI then did a light sand to my paint and used this Minwax stain. It gave a darker hue to the boards that is just beautiful. I painted the stain on, left it for about 15 minutes (I’m learning the colder temperatures here take paint, glue, and stain a good bit longer to set – In Georgia I would have left the stain about 5-7 minutes) while I did some other parts of my sign. Once the stain set I wiped off the excess with a rag. I spray painted some letters red. You could stencil or paint the letters on your sign, but I wanted mine to have a 3D dimension and stick off the board, so I used some press board letters from JoAnnes. I think these paper mache letters would look cool too! Next, I stuck some berries in a grapevine wreath and I was almost complete.

minwax_stain

spray_paint_letters

easy_christmas_wreathThe final step was attaching my letters and wreath to my sign. I did the letters first, but I placed the wreath in the middle so I could figure out placement. I used wood glue and laid my letters in place. I used wood clamps to hold them tightly to the board while the glue dried. This step is important to make sure you get the strongest bond possible.

For the “J”, my clamps would not reach to the letter, so I laid a spare board across the top of the “J” to help press the letter down tightly. This method of using clamps is a good idea, even just to protect your letter. By clamping this way, you don’t rough up your letters at all with the clamp. The paint does not get messed with and there are no clamp marks dug into the letters.

making_joy

how_to_use_wood_clamp

christmas_wood_projectOnce the glue was good and dry, I removed the clamps and only had attaching the wreaths left to do. I brought in my husband to help me brainstorm. We thought we might use wood glue and then opted to just hammer a few small nails in place and stick the wreath on. By doing it this way, you can easily remove the wreath to store it better at other times of the year.

christmas_joy_project

work_bench

making_a_joy_sign

how_to_make_a_joy_signI love how it came out! It is a classic piece that reminds us Joy to the world, the Lord has come. I might leave it up all year though, cause there is joy in the everyday. My amazing husband just spoke all about this at church, if you care to listen or watch, you can check it out here.

christmas_wreath

joy_sign_tutorialI’m pretty excited about how this turned out! Christmas is such a fun time to craft. I made another Christmas joy sign last year, that may inspire you as well.

DIY_Christmas_signThank you so much for checking out my sign. This is a busy time of year and I hope you can all enjoy it with your families!! As always, thank you for following along with our journey. I love to hear from you! Follow me on Instagram (ericadeuel), as I post there pretty much everyday as my daily blog.

Disclaimer: There are affiliate links used in this post.

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