Easy Peasy Repurposing: 3 Ideas

It’s no secret that repurposing has been playing a big part in my home redecorating journey. But there are three really easy ones that I have just loved and want to share. It’s important to note that I have been focusing on bringing in costal textures and more delicate things that were banned during the toddler years. So bring on the soothing glass, bright and delicate plants and interesting textures. (Some of which were used as play swords in a past life by two toddlers… )

So it all starts with: An old vase and greenery from Ikea, a mason jar, a decorative glass bowl from our wedding and decorative rocks.

And transforms into three eye catching pieces with very little effort and money.

The things I purchased were: Sea glass spray paint, succulents, cactus soil, matte white paint, rope from Lowe’s and decorative sea glass on clearance at Target.

The sea glass jar is self-explanatory but here are some tips for the other two. Let’s start with the succulent terrarium. I loved this project because I was able to get creative with the types of plants I was chasing. I spent a long time walking back and forth at Lowe’s to pick out the succulents that screamed “underwater plants!”. In the end I am so happy with how my seaweed looking succulents turned out.

Switching gears, it’s important to read up on how to properly plant a terrarium especially when you don’t have a drainage spot, like in this project. But the basics are:

• Make sure you put 2 inches of small rocks or pebbles at the bottom to allow the water to drain.
• Use a cactus/succulent soil that doesn’t retain moisture.
• Do not overwater

I’ve seen a few sites like this one (https://www.marthastewart.com/270756/succulents-terrariums) that recommends several hours of direct sunlight. But I don’t necessarily find that to be totally needed. Mine wasn’t very happy inside but has done wonderfully on our covered patio table.

Make sure when you do put your plants in that you use a light mist or low flow of water and get it just wet not soaked. And then only water it whenever it is dry. (I made the mistake of overwatering a couple times and a few of them started to rot).

If you are choosing to paint your vessel like I did I would HIGHLY suggest the sea glass spray paint from Krylon. It comes in a few different colors and has such as cool texture. And best of all you can make it as transparent as you want. The more layers you put on the more opaque it becomes. I wanted a really bright teal color so I did 3 coats.

Make sure you paint your vessel many days before you plan to put the plants in so it has time to fully dry.  I also washed my vessel well before I planted. 

Lastly, to the beach-i-fied vase. My original inspiration was from a woman on Pinterest who repurposed a lamp in a similar way using rope. http://vintagelaceandvinyl.blogspot.com.au/2011/07/before-after-nautical-lamp.html?m=1

But that is where the similarities ended. I had a black Ikea vase so I spray painted it with my go-to spray paint (Rustoleum paint+primer) and let it dry. Then I painted over that with a matte white acrylic paint that gave the vase a nice texture that reminded me of weathered boat docks. After all of that was dry I got out my trusty hot glue gun and got to work!

 

The rope was super cheap, .27 cents a foot. I ended up picking out a weathered looking rope at first but then later saw a smoother rope. Unfortunately the nice older gentleman was already working to straighten out and cut the mess of rope so I didn’t want to ask him to change.

My husband says he would have prefered a smoother rope so to compromise I didn’t go all the way up like I had planned. And I am happy with how it turned out. But I personally think taking the rope all the way up with a smoother textured rope could be super cute too! It’s your call. 😉

I chose to secure my rope at the bottom of the vase with hot glue and duct tape. And then glued the rope down every other loop, and again at the top. I looked for some tall enough sea grass but couldn’t find any that fit in the vase. So luckily I had the decorative greens from Ikea already.

So there you have it, some repurposing inspiration that won’t break the bank!

Happy Creating!

DIY Decor On A Budget

Over the last couple years I have been working towards a “costal modern” theme for our home. And it has taken years because it is SO pricey to change an entire house. And in the spirit of saving money, and reducing our waste I decided to repurpose items we already had.  All in all it cost me about $7.

Obviously I had to purchase a couple of things since we were changing themes but the majority of the project came from the garage and craft closet. I purchased the shells on clearance at Homegoods for $3 because they were gold and a bit “natural looking”. But I have seen some great looking ones at Walmart that are inexpensive too.

The original inspiration for this project came from this site: http://thepartyteacher.com/2013/04/16/tutorial-easy-peasy-shell-art/

I had all of these old photos on wood from college that I wanted to use for this project. Plus I had tried covering them with fabric once before, (hence the staples) and just wasn’t into it. So third time’s the charm! Since they were all sorts of colors on the front I needed to spray paint them white; along with the gold starfish (on both sides).

I followed the same steps as my rock painting tutorial and let it dry between coats. If you are repurposing a canvas or painting make sure you use enough coats to fully cover the previous art.

After letting it dry, pick out a color of basic crafting paint that goes with your decor. I had picked up this color for a prior project (50 cents) and put on two coats. But if you are using a lighter or darker color you might need more than that.

I really like this Rust-oleum spray paint (paint & primer in one) since it always seems to go on really smooth and covers really well.

I let everything dry overnight and the next day used a hot glue gun to apply the starfish to the wooden background. Depending on the size of your shells you’ll need to evaluate the type of adhesive you use.

The author of the tutorial I mentioned used E6000 glue. But I haven’t had any problems with hot glue and it was what I had on hand. But if you’re going out to buy one or the other go ahead a try it.

Lastly you’ll probably want to use a wooden canvas of some sort. Think about those blocks of wood at the craft store that look like plaques.

Items You’ll Need:

• Wooden canvas
• Base paint (and spray paint if painting over a background)
• Hot glue or E6000 glue
• Paint brush or sponge brush (I chose a sponge brush).

Hope you enjoy creating some budget friendly decor for your home! This idea can be transferred to all sorts of themes. Using artificial flowers, pieces of wood, charms, letters etc.. and a rainbow of color options. Have fun!

We Totally Rock!

Yep that was a nod to Bubble Guppies. If you haven’t seen it you should definitely check it out! We all have those cartoons as parents that we oddly adore. This is our family’s. 🙂 http://www.nickjr.com/bubble-guppies/videos/bubble-guppies-we-totally-rock/

So back to the actual crafting! This one is all about repurposing ROCKS! Rocks for kids, rocks for you, rocks for gifts, rocks for everyone! But seriously; it’s two part:

1. Tic-Tac-Toe board
2. Rocks artfully designed by children 😉

Onto the Tic-Tac-Toe board. You’ll need:

• cleaned small rocks (I’ve had these sitting in my garage for almost a decade!)
• square wooden plaque (the size depends on your rock size- this is 6×6)
• paint
• mason jar (or another container to hold your rocks)

First you are going to sand your plaque unless you get a magically pre-sanded plaque. Which would be amazing! Then you’ll want to measure out evenly spaced squares. So here I put notches every 2 inches. If you are a messy painter like me you’ll want to tape off the edge of your plaque so your lines don’t flow over.

Next you are going to pick out your paint for the board as well as the rocks (to make your x’s and o’s). Now paint away! 3 seemed to be the magic number for me on this project. 3 coats of rock paint, 3 coats of board paint and 3 coats of sealer. Also for the black rocks, a lighter color paint seemed to work best. I tried a medium blue and it didn’t pop enough.

After the rocks and boards are dry, proceed to sealing them.

I ended up liking a mix of the Mod Podge and Krylon clear gloss sealer. But you could also just try the gloss version of Mod Podge. The combo I used was just what I had on hand. If you are doing a combo I would suggest 1 coat of Mod Podge and 2 coats Krylon. Or just 3 coasts gloss Mod Podge. Either way I think 3 is a good minimum. You can always add more just follow the drying instructions between coats.

I also sprayed the rocks with the same combination. Let it all dry overnight before you package it up and then have fun! It make a great gift too! (Bonus- the kids got their first tic-tac-toe lesson and loved it.)

*Make sure you spray the adhesive in a well-ventilated area and don’t do it with kids and pets around. It’s a good idea to wear a mask yourself and be aware of windy conditions to avoid spray back*

The original inspiration for the tic-tac-toe board (with a few changes) was from: https://tatertotsandjello.com/2015/04/diy-tic-tac-toe-game.html 

WE TOTALLY ROCK ROUND TWO!

Most likely we’ve all seen these adorable painted rocks on Pinterest. My neighbor even sat down with my daughter to paint a ladybug and she loved it. So if your kids are patient and artistic go for it in the creativity department! There are so many beautiful ones out there.

But if you happen to have toddlers who love glitter and getting messy maybe try this instead.

We found some good size rocks and after cleaning them laid them out to dry. Then during nap time I spray painted them with a paint and primer in one. Two coats on the top side and one coat on the bottom. Let them dry and now you have an afternoon project! Luckily the day we painted was a beautiful day to sit outside under the tree.

*Make sure you spray paint in a well-ventilated area and don’t do it with kids and pets around. It’s a good idea to wear a mask yourself and be aware of windy conditions to avoid spray back*

You’ll need:

• rocks
• something to spray paint on (I use an old towel for this)
• washable paint (for toddlers) or acrylic if you’re older and/or feeling brave
• spray adhesive
• decorative elements such as glitter

Grab a blanket for your kids to paint on. We keep several painting blankets around since we always seem to need fresh ones. Then take out all the fun colors and decorative elements. Glitter is always a must in our house, hence the outdoor painting. And my son’s love of painting himself (and other objects)…

After the paint is dried spray the rocks with Mod Podge or a similar adhesive. Then decorate your yard, house etc…

Happy Creating!