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floral

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Floral Canvas Tennies

The Dollar Tree is chalk-full of SO many amazing supplies for the DIY’er. Their craft aisle is totally awesome and every few months, they fill up the 4 front aisles with new seasonal holiday goodness that makes me excited to explore their rows of dollar dreams.

Recently on my bi-weekly Dollar Store trip, I found these stinking adorable paper napkins. There were also matching plates and cups. I think they are so beautiful. I picked them up knowing they would be perfect for something. I just wasn’t quite sure what yet.

I used a few of them for my English Garden Easter Tablescape you can see here, but I still had a bunch of napkins left.

A few days later at Walmart, I found white canvas shoes for $5 and the light bulb went off, my friends.

I decided to fancy up my plain white shoes using Mod Podge and those gorgeous paper napkins.

The result? FAST, FRUGAL AND FREAKING AWESOME FLORAL GOODNESS! And I’mma show you how I made them!

Gather your supplies and cover your work area.

White Canvas Shoes (mine were found at Walmart, but I have seen similar at Target, KMart and even the Dollar General!)
2 Foam Brushes
Paper Napkins (or tissue paper, comic book paper, newspaper, wrapping paper, craft paper, scrap-booking paper…)
Mod Podge
Clear Acrylic Spray
Sharp Scissors
Utility Knife
Painters Tape (optional step)

If you are going to use the painters tape to cover the rubber bottom, now is the time to apply it.

*note* I made one pair with painters tape and one pair of shoes without. Honestly, I didn’t notice enough difference to make it seem useful enough to do it again. I don’t mind things not “perfect”. That’s why this step is optional.

I left the manufacturers paper stuffing in the shoes because I liked how it pushed out the fabric while I worked on it. I also added some paper to the exposed insert to prevent spilling any Mod Podge inside the shoe.

The next step is to place the paper on top of the shoes in the area you want to cover. I wanted the front and back to be covered in the pretty napkins, using the existing stitch lines of the shoes, so I made a rough outline of where to cut with a pencil.

*note* this step is probably the trickiest part. But, don’t be discouraged if you mess up. Worst case scenario you start again with a new napkin until you get it right. No biggie!

Once your napkin pieces are cut, you are ready to apply. Using a foam brush, cover the area of the shoe with Mod Podge. A nice, even layer. Place your cut piece on top, even it out across the area with your fingers and add a layer of Mod Podge on top of the paper.

*note* Go easy here. It’s paper so it still rips when wet. Make sure your swipes are quick, even and that the coat of Mod Podge is light. You will want to do 2-3 coats, so light coats are best here. Also, the more you swipe across the paper, the higher the chances of the color bleeding. Another reason why light coats are your friend. If it does tear or move, manipulate the paper with your fingers gently until it is in the desired location on the shoe.

When wet, the mod podge will look “milky”. Don’t be worried about the foggy appearance. The Mod Podge will dry clear. That is how you know you are ready for the next layer.

Once your shoes have completely dried, you will want to spray them with a clear acrylic sealer to protect them. I chose a spray with a glossy finish, but if you prefer Matte or Satin, make sure you pay attention to the label.

*note* Even though we have top coated these, it’s probably best to not wear them out in a heavy rain storm. Just Sayin’

Crap I've Made

Rose Hanger

Crap I've Made

Concrete Planters

I made these concrete planters in one afternoon using a $5 bag of concrete and supplies I had in the workshop. They look darling with my mini succulents and they were so stinkin’ easy to make!

Here are the supplies I used. Literally an old plastic flower pot, a bathroom “dixie” cup, scrap wood pieces and L-brackets. The “dixie” cups were the right size for the opening that I wanted. Base your container sizes off of the size of plant you are looking to pot. I knew I was putting mini succulents inside, so I needed smaller containers.

Make sure you are using containers that can be either cut or lifted off of the concrete form once it’s dry. Preferably things that can just be tossed after to make your life easier. Just don’t use anything valuable.

*side note* my plastic flower pot had draining holes in the bottom. I simply traced the bottom of the pot and cut a piece of cardboard to fit inside and block the holes. Worked like a charm!

My general recipe was about 1 cup of concrete to 1/4 cup of water. Add additional concrete or water if necessary until the mixture seems “right”. AKA – not runny but fully wet. It’s not an exact science and the best part? It doesn’t have to be perfect!

The other best part?

There is SO much concrete left in the bag! Oh man, the projects I have already been dreaming up!

Best $5 I have spent in a while!!!

Using some extra rock salt we had in the garage, I filled my “dixie” cups to help them maintain their shape when I added the concrete. I found that a small plastic spoon was just enough to work with for the smaller size pot. First, I added concrete mix to the base of each exterior container evenly. Next I put my interior container inside (in this case, my “dixie cups”) right on top of the thin bottom layer of mix I just poured. I continued to fill the pot all around the cup with the concrete. I tapped it a few times to allow the concrete to settle and get any air pockets out.

For the larger rectangular form, I just poured the concrete right in the wood box I made.

*side note* for the rectangle box – the outer frame is attached with L-brackets and it is literally just sitting on top of the red wood slat. It’s not attached. As long as you don’t move your forms around too much, it works just fine this way.

Once fully dry (I let them set overnight to be safe since it was pretty cold in the workshop), pull out the disposable cups. Just a little tug should really be all that’s necessary to get them out. You will be surprised how easily they pop out! And I love that I can just pour the salt back into the bag to be used again – either outside in the snow or inside with more crafting!

On the rectangle, I unscrewed the L-brackets and the wood released immediately from the concrete. Easy peasy!

I decided to spray paint the smaller planter white – because why the heck not? I love the rustic and rocky look of the concrete. There are other smoother concrete mix options, but they’re a bit more expensive.

And I like cheap.

Whad’ya think??

Crap I've Made

Floral Light Chandelier

floral chandelier perfectlydestressed.com

Today I made an inexpensive floral chandy for my hanging light. It was fast and easy!

I attached the additional greenery and flowers using hot glue and I used floral wire to wrap the finished garland around the light and attach to itself. There was a lot of left over greenery and stems (which means more projects!)

I decided to add an old metal basket I had lying around as well to give it a more farmhouse feel. I just removed the handle, turned it upside down, unscrewed the light bulb and reattached with the basket between the light and the bulb (the bulb is holding the basket in – hopefully this makes sense?) It’s a very light-weight basket so this works just fine for this project.