Monster Boxes! And A Great Dollar Tree Giveaway

Disclaimer: I was compensated for this post; opinions expressed are entirely my own.

So a few weeks ago I joined a thing.  It's called the Dollar Tree Value Seekers Club - basically a free-to-sign-up-for area on the Dollar Tree website, packed with crazy easy project ideas.  Seriously, I have already gleaned so many clever nuggets from the archives.  Not just crafts - some delightful life hacks as well.  (Example: DIY puppy popsicles, made with chicken broth!  My dog worships me now.)

Anywhoo, here's my version of one of the newest club projects.  Monster Boxes, rawrrr!  Funky, planet-friendly storage...what's not to like?  The DIY is the definition of basic.  1. a tissue box body and 2. paper monster teeth.  After that, embellish like mad with anything that makes you happy.

The project page has a great list of ways to use them for kids, teachers and parents.  Can't wait to make some with my little monster-loving nephews. 

Meanwhile, I made one for me, 'cause I like monsters, too. 

My twist on the idea is the lizardskin accents.  Using a realistic rubber lizard (also from Dollar Tree).

I cut apart my amphibian sacrifice with a pair of sharp scissors.

I used adhesive dots to attach the lizard bits.  (Hot glue would work as well.)  Plus a little duct tape reinforcement for that big floppy tongue.

I think he looks so cute.  I've already found a use for him - collecting crafting receipts in a corner of my workroom.

Pop over to the Dollar Tree Value Seekers Club website and check out the crafts, kid activities, home decor, clever tips and money savers.  The best thing about the projects is how madly simple they are.  Also easy to print out and take along for reference.  Every month they update it with fun new stuff.

BIG GIVEAWAY, YOU GUYS!


Once you sign up, come back, 'cause I am giving away a $50 Dollar Tree gift card to one lucky club member.  Dude.  Do you know how far FITTY BUCKS goes at Dollar Tree?

To enter, leave a comment with your email.  (Be sure it's the same email you used to sign up over at Dollar Tree, or the entry won't be valid.)  One random, lucky winner will be chosen a week from today

Oh, yeah, one last thing.  You didn't really think I was gonna let the rest of that lizard go to waste, did you?  Decapitated chameleon head backpack charm, anyone?

Hee hee.



UPDATE: THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED - THANKS FOR ENTERING, EVERYBODY!  Congrats to the winner: entry #2 Lisa, chosen by random.org's super hi tech integer generator.  (Lisa, check for my email, coming soon.)

Upcycled Formica Gift Tags with Mod Podge Stencils

Welcome!  I'm taking a teeny break from My Winter Games series, it will resume again soon.  Today, some glitzy faux bois gift tags...

...upcycled from those freebie Formica samples from the home improvement store.  You know the kind I mean:

I used one of the new Mod Podge Rocks glitter stencils to create this look.  Rather chic, no?

Care to try?  Here's the DIY!  First I peeled the self-adhesive stencil most carefully from the page, then positioned it on the Formica sample.

I gooped on the Mod Podge.  Don't be stingy.  Goop it, baby!

I lifted away the stencil, and covered the wet Mod Podge with a thick glitter layer.

At this point, I made sure to wash off the stencil with soap and water.  (Wash it before the Mod Podge gets all tacky, or it'll be a real bear to remove.  Rawrrr.)

I allowed my glitter-covered Formica to dry overnight.   Yes, overnight.  Wasn't I good?  And patient?  And good?  Cuz I was dying to see how it turned out.  But I listened to my left brain and waited.  Next morning, I cleaned away the excess glitter, finishing with a soft makeup brush.  What a pretty result!

To keep the glitters from shedding, I sprayed several light coats of poly sealer.  (Alternative: seal it with another layer of Mod Podge, or any clear-drying liquid sealer.)

Add ribbon or cord to the ready made hole.  Write your message on the back with a white paint pen (or anything that will show up against the Formica color).  And that's your gift tag, done!

If you are a jewelry-making type, consider adding some extra layers of sealer (for durability) and converting your Formica sample into a mod little pendant.

I was really interested to try the glitter, stencil and Mod Podge technique - it was great fun!  I love the big wood grain pattern (designed by Amy from the groovy blog Mod Podge Rocks!) and will definitely use this gorgeous stencil again.

That's my little re-purposed idea for today, hope you liked it.  Next time you get a chance, grab some Formica samples and see how much fun they are to craft with.

Thanks for coming by!

Disclosure: Plaid sent me the stencil to try, no strings attached.  (Thanks, Plaid!)  This tutorial and all opinions herein are 100% my own.

Handpainted Glass Sea Urchins

Hi, you guys!  Here's a salty, splashy gift idea, made with some of those great glass paints from Martha Stewart crafts.

Sea urchin jewelry!

For Mother's Day, perhaps?  My mom is part Mer-woman, she is so in sync with the sea.  If your giftee adores the ocean and all its creatures, she will love one of these spiny little gems.

And you, yes, you can make a fantasy glass sea urchin in just three little steps.  1. squeeze out paint lines.  2. squeeze out little baby spikes.  3. bake in the oven.  Sounds doable, right?  It totally is!  Here comes the complete DIY.

Make It For Mom: Flower Font Storage Jar

Flower font?  What concept is this?  Well, I'll tell ya.  Fancy monograms usually defeat me. They are just too fancy!  Like, furrealzies, what are those guest towels saying?  Is that a Q mixed with a W and an upside-down G?  Is it Klingon, Elvish or what?  I guess my brain just does not process.

So here's what I did with some fancy Martha Stewart Crafts monogram stencils.

Fancy font, flipped upside down = fancy flowers!  Now those I can process.

These were the stencils:

See the flowers?  Try squinting.  Tip your head upside down like one of those internet owls.  They're in there, I swear.

A sweet gift for storing mom's Q-Tips or cotton balls or something vanity-adjacent.

Read on for the easy, literally squeezy tutorial.

Strangely Bewitching Winter Branches Wreath

So I am not normally a wreath person.  At all.  But today, surprising even myself, I have for you a wreath tutorial.

Take a look:

Kind of minimalist, yes?  Bare winter branches and berries.  Oh, and it has  a little secret...thanks to some cool glow-in-the-dark Puffy Paints, it, um, glows.  In the dark.

As you can prolly guess, I started with a basic black dollar store witch hat.

Now, really, I ask you: how fun is that? Want to make one?  Read on for the wicked simple DIY.

Cook up something FUN for Halloween!

I have never been much of a chef; I have been known to screw up tomato soup.  From a can.  But from now on, I am definitely baking for the holidays.  Take a peek at what I just cooked up!



I created these spookified pendants using Martha Stewart Crafts glass paint on polished stone beads.

Glass paint on stone?  Why, yes!  Most semiprecious beads are slippery little suckers - nearly as slick as glass.  So I decided to try Martha's glass paints - which you bake in the oven to cure.

They are cool.  Thirty minutes in the oven creates a permanent, durable surface, almost like fired enamel.  It totally worked, and best of all - it was really easy.  Let's get right to the DIY.

Book Review: Mod Podge Rocks!

Confession: the title of this book makes me laugh.  It reminds me of my favorite joke ever* on Buffy The Vampire Slayer.  A teenager is confused by the words "Kiss Rocks!" in graffiti.  He wonders, "Why would anyone want to...?"  Then he figures it out.

Perhaps you see where I'm going with this.

Why would anyone want to Mod Podge rocks?  If there is anyone on the planet who could answer that question, and then show you how to do it, it'd be sooperblogger Amy Anderson, who has written this here really nifty book:

Mod Podge Rocks is absolutely packed with decoupage-y goodness.  40 fun and crafty projects - plus tips, tricks and expert advice on working with all the different Mod Podge formulas.  Amy really went above and beyond - I love her sharp writing, all the cool guest star crafters, and the substantial content.  This is no wimpy, la-di-da little craft book with a handful of dainty projects.  It is big!  It is meaty!  It is worth the price of admission and then some!

Instant Gratification Jewelry: Styled by Tori Spelling.

Ooh, heaven.  I got to play and play (and play!) with a whole collection of new jewelry components, fresh from the crafty mind of Tori Spelling.  The line is called Styled by Tori Spelling, and it's such a smart concept.  Super chic, on-trend components that go together without tools.  You design your own mix-and-match looks for pro-looking results.


Question: why on earth is Mich, the weird upcycled jewelry girl who makes things from oddments, trash and camel spit, writing about this product line of ready-made components?  What, is this the end to jewelry made of cat toys, tennis racquets, rubber grapes and tractor parts?  Why, Mich?  Why?

Answer: I adore a great shortcut!  Lemme show you what I mean...

Here's another one.

What I personally loved most about this line: the ability to spend my creative time on an original focal piece - then have the instant gratification of slapping it onto a finished piece of jewelry, assembled from a few of Tori's gorgeous components in (literally) two minutes.