DIY Mini Potted Plant Holiday Ornament

Even though I don't put up a Christmas tree, I am smitten with Anthropologie's ornaments this year - like this one that looks like my puppers and this very beachy jellyfish ornament.  One in particular caught my eye and even inspired a knock-off DIY: this little potted plant ornament.

Isn't it the cutest gift for someone with a green thumb?  Years ago I thrifted four mini terracotta planters for an abandoned dollhouse project, so I decided to make a set of little potted plant ornaments of my own!

It took a little bit of trial and error - and in the process I accidentally smashed my fourth potted plant (another leafy one, in an unpainted terracotta planter).  But they turned out so cute, it was definitely worth the effort!



Here's What I Needed:

• Mini planters - this version has saucers - or try these mini metal buckets as a non-breakable alternative
• Epoxy or resin
• Faux flowers/leaves
• Thin ribbon or cord
• Hot glue gun
• Black glitter
• Tooth pick

How to Make a Faux Mini Potted Plant:

The first step was easy: I decided to paint two of my terracotta pots with some pale blue chalk paint.

The next step was to try and replicate the look of soil.  I made a lot of failed attempts here, but I'll tell you what worked.  I had a massive bag of black glitter from when I painted my vinyl flooring because I ended up skipping the glittery topcoat I had schemed, so I was looking for an excuse to make a dent in my epic glitter stash and glitter really replicated soil so well.

To contain the glitter, I glued a small circle of cardboard inside my planter to block the hole and keep glitter from escaping.  For the painted planters, I added a dab of paint to hide the cardboard, but that's optional because no one will see the bottom.

Next, I filled the pot with black glitter.

I would have liked to have used resin to secure the glitter and "plants," but it is so expensive!  Instead, I found a two-part epoxy at the dollar store.  It works and smells like the brand name epoxy we often use for projects, but a lot less expensive.  With my pots filled with glitter, I poured the epoxy on top and stirred it around using a toothpick.  While the epoxy was setting, I inserted some small stems clipped from some faux plants my Mummu had in her craft supply.  It required some patience to hold the stems upright while the epoxy dried but eventually the epoxy had thickened enough to keep the  plants upright.  With the epoxy still tacky, I sprinkled on another layer of glitter and set it aside to cure overnight.  In the morning, I poured off the excess glitter and was thrilled with the result!

Another idea could be to stuff the planter with a cork, or really anything you can firmly glue in there, and then just brush on some mod podge or exoxy and dust with black or brown glitter - or maybe stuff it with some air dry clay and paint it black.  There are lots of options but I used what I had on hand to save some $$$.  Plus I love the glitter, especially the way it settled just a bit with the epoxy the way soil does after you water a plant the first time after potting it.       

To hang the plants, I used a hot glue gun to secure some thin ribbon and make little slings.  If I was more patient, I might have made mini knotted macrame plant hangers - that would be really, really adorable.

And that's it!  There are lots of ways to personalize this DIY tree ornament, from painting a design on the pots, to making pots out of found objects.  It's the perfect project for using up craft scraps!

P.S. If you're looking for another easy DIY Christmas Tree ornament idea, take a look at my glittery spider ornaments and read the legend to find out why every tree needs a spider...

DIY Birch Wood Slice Ornament with Wood Burned Design

While I was visiting Ashley in Ottawa, we got a little crafty.  We had both seen these and these wood burned birch slice ornaments on Pinterest, and decided to try making some ourselves!

Supplies:
Birch branch or pre-cut and drilled wood slices
Wood burner*
Drill (if you're making your own slices)
Chop saw or hand saw (if you're making your own slices)
Narrow plaid ribbon or twine
Pencil
Pliers (to change wood burner tips)
Old chopping block or cookie sheet (to protect work surface from wood burner)

*Ashley used a 50% off coupon at Michael's and bought a wood burner for around $25 plus tax.  I've linked to the same tool on amazon, which is about $23 plus shipping.  We chose this tool because it came with a variety of tips, a stand, and was a great price.  Plus, it can also be used on leather and other materials, so it's pretty versatile.

Steps:
Ashley's Handy Hubby cut birch slices for us and even drilled the holes so they were ready for hanging.  If you're tackling this project, you can also buy wood slices sanded and ready for use.  We left the bark on, instead of peeling it off and sanding smooth, because Ashley preferred the rustic, natural look.

Wine in hand (not recommended), we spent an evening taking turns with the wood burner, creating a series of snowflake designs - no two alike!  First we roughly sketched out a design using a pencil (using these as our inspiration), and then simply tried our best to trace that design using the wood burner.  You can also transfer a design on to the wood slices if you'd prefer to use some clip art - the wood burner I linked to even includes a transfer point so you can transfer laser printed images onto a surface with ease.

Neither of us had used a wood burner before, so we really experimented with different designs and all of the wood burning tips.  We created some duds during our experimentation, but we had a lot of fun - actually, this project is kind of meditative because it's so repetitive and simple.  Plus, the burning wood smells strangely good. 

When we were done, we let the designs cool and then threaded a narrow plaid ribbon through the drilled holes, finished with a knot, and then used a dab of clear nail polish to keep the ends from fraying.  These would also make adorable gift tags, and you could burn initials, names, or meaningful dates on the other side.

I can't say we're pros, but we learned a few tips for any wood burner newbies:

• Protect your table with an old chopping block or cookie sheet so if you drop the tool, or switch out the tips, your work surface is protected.
• Start with a simple design while you get the feel for the tool - snowflakes were easy!
• If you can, it's best to sketch out only a rough design as a guide and free-hand with the wood burner as much as possible, because erasing the pencil, if any isn't covered by the wood burner, is tricky.
• The hotter the wood burner, the smoother and more fluidly it will move across the wood, so experiment with the heat a little (the instructions recommend only a range of temperatures).
• "Drawing" with the wood burner is not what you might expect: we ended up making lots of short strokes - kind of like sketching.
• Work slowly and build up the intensity of the wood burned areas - you can go over areas as many times as you like to smooth out the design.
• Practice is key!  Have some scrap wood on hand to experiment with techniques, tips and heat - especially if you bought pre-cut wood slices and have a finite number of them.
• Take breaks so you don't overheat the tool.
• Use a pair of pliers to change the tips and allow a new tip to heat up before using.

Here's a look at the wood slice ornaments on Ashley's tree.  She has such a cute assortment of rustic ornaments, with a smattering of glittering balls for some sparkle.  I helped her trim the tree before I left and we spent a long time weaving that plaid ribbon garland just so, so if you want to take a moment to admire our handiwork, we definitely won't mind...
 

Have you used a wood burner before?  I'd love to hear your tips and experiences! 

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How to Build a Scandinavian-Inspired DIY Plywood Christmas Tree

Looking for an alternative to the traditional, evergreen Christmas tree?  Here's a tutorial for making a simple, Scandinavian-inspired plywood tree, which can be displayed in even the smallest spaces!  Or, make a mini version for a credenza or entryway and display some treasured ornaments!

Before I get into the nitty gritty, I should confess that there are some things I wish I could change about this DIY holiday project.  In my mind, I originally envisioned a more simplified tree (like a cookie-cutter shape - really simple), but on a whim I decided for a little more realism.  The top was looking good and I got cocky.  Then it started to get windy (I was working outside) and this giant sheet of plywood acted like a sail.  I was flailing.  I started to rush and then the tree got a bit thick in the middle and then I tried to thin it out but made it look a little wibbly-wobbly.

I still think the idea is cute but, if I'm being honest, I don't love my wonky tree.  So if you're going to make one, I suggest a simpler shape. 

It was simple enough to make: I grabbed a full sheet of plywood (any size will do), lightly sanded it smooth to the touch and then sketched out approximately where the tree silhouette would be so I could decide where I'd like the pegs.  The pegs are just a length of wood dowel that we chopped into 3" lengths.  We lightly sanded the rough edges smooth and affixed them each with wood glue before doing any staining or painting.

Once the glue dried, I stained the plywood white and then painted the tree in black acrylic paint - painting the wood dowels too, so they blend in.  With everything dry, I just propped it against the fireplace.  One tip: don't choose really thin plywood if you're going to make a larger version because the plywood can warp.

When I was a kid, I think my advent calendar filled with chocolates might have been my favorite part of Christmas, so I started to think that with more pegs and numbered cloth sacks filled with goodies, this could be a sweet advent calendar too.  

On the subject of faux tress, I've gotten a few questions about the sparkly trees in the background of some of my photos.  They are flocked trees (4 foot and 6 foot heights) from Canadian Tire and they come pre-wired with lights.  They come apart for easy storage and transport, which is convenient.

I think that they looked best unadorned, but I did try hanging some ornaments on them too and they work nicely to display just a few special ones. 

Click the link to see more DIY Christmas decorating ideas, in collaboration with Canadian Tire.

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DIY LED "Celebrate" Plywood Sign

I'm so excited that I can finally begin sharing the DIY holiday projects I worked on with Canadian Tire!  Even though I haven't celebrated Christmas in many years, getting free rein to create some creative DIY holiday ideas was an opportunity I couldn't turn down.  Over the years, some folks who also don't celebrate Christmas have thanked me, not only for sharing my thoughts, but also for not filling their inboxes with Christmas-themed blog posts.  So I thought long and hard about this opportunity but ultimately I said yes because the Canadian Tire team didn't necessarily want full-on "Christmas" from contributors; they wanted fresh ideas and encouraged creative, personal (even a little off-beat) projects.  I think that my Christmas-celebrating readers will enjoy (finally) seeing a few holiday-themed posts from me, but for those who don't celebrate Christmas, you'll be relieved that a lot of my projects are really just wintry and party-friendly (and, most importantly, still 100% me).  I've always loved the glittery parts of the holidays (evidenced by the fact that I've made and sold Christmas ornaments for many years so this was an incredibly fun and nostalgic experience for me. 

Check out the fabulous group of Canadian bloggers involved: Jillian Harris (Jillian Harris Design), Sarah Gunn (Yummy Mummy Club), Kerri Roche (A Pop of Pretty), and Jo-Anna Rooney (A Pretty Life in the Suburbs).

Let's get to my first project DIY holiday project: an LED plywood sign that spells out the word "celebrate":



I'd spotted light up signs floating around the web, and really wanted to try one for myself.  I love how it turned out and I especially like that it's versatile and could be used for any festivity.  I could have used the words "Be Cool" (my second choice) and just kept it up for winter parties (or in my office as a helpful reminder).  See how un-Christmassy my Christmas projects are?  I promise I'm the same old me (just with a ton of glitter stuck in the seams of my hardwood floors).

LED Sign Supplies:

• One package of LED flexible mesh tube lights (if you don't have a Canadian Tire store, these ones I find online could work)
• 3/4" Plywood
• Finishing nails
• Hammer
• Drill
• 3/8" spade drill bit and 1/2" spade drill bit
• Staples and staple gun
• Printer, paper, scissors
• Grey stain (optional)
• Sandpaper (optional)

How to Make an LED Sign:

I used a piece of plywood left over from another project that was already the perfect size - you can cut this sign to any size.  I lightly sanded the surface smooth and applied a coat of grey stain.  I used the grey leftover from the credenza hack, and I like that it hides the finishing nails and staples a bit.  Alternatively, you could wait until the nails that will hold the tubing are in place and then prime/spray paint everything to make the nails nearly invisible. 

While the stain dried, I printed "Celebrate" in a large, loopy font (one letter per page), cut it out, and arranged the text on the plywood.  A cursive font makes this project much easier.  When I was happy with the placement (and checked that the word was level and didn't slope down to one side like my writing does), I taped it in place.

Keeping the paper in place, I hammered in some nails along the edges of the letters and started roughly placing the LED tube lighting.  It's so soft and so bendable that this was an easy task.  When there were enough nails to hold everything, I ripped up the paper - and a bunch of little pieces were left.  Oops.  I then removed the nails, removed the paper and quickly found the holes for the nails again.  I thought my method was a much more genius idea than tracing (no evidence left behind!) but I clearly didn't think it through all the way.  It took a few extra minutes this way, but still worked.

To thread the tubing to the back, and also to make the "t," we drilled small holes using the spade bits:

It was actually Hubby's idea to make a border, because we had so much left over tubing.  We shaped a wiggly, ric-rac inspired border (loose, relaxed shapes are much easier to create) that we held in place with staples.  The lights are battery operated and all of the extra tubing and the small battery pack were affixed to the back (but slightly to the side so it's easy to reach it to turn on/off the lights).    

It's really hard to photograph the sign lit up, but it looks so good at night!  Even during the day, it's easy to make out the lettering because I chose teal tubing which has a high enough contrast against the light grey.  You can mix up and personalize this project so easily and if you get bored of it, it's easy to remove and re-purpose the lights, and turn the plywood into something else.  I think I get bonus points for a holiday DIY that can quickly disassemble and morph into something else...

Thanks for letting me share!  This post was sponsored by Canadian Tire.  

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