DIY Custom Dog Bowl

I LOVE my ladies!!  They are sweet, weird, and hilarious little fur balls.  I had been wanting to makeover their food and water station for a while, but I was drawing a blank as to how I would make something unique and special just for them.  Enter glass paint markers.  I decided to make matching customized food bowls using a paint marker designed for projects exactly like this!

This is a super quick and painless project that would make a perfect gift for the fur balls in your life.  The best part about this project is you only need two supplies: a glazed ceramic or porcelain bowl and a porcelain or glass paint marker.  That's it!  I used a DecoArt Glass Paint Marker (Hobby Lobby) and I would definitely recommend it.  The paint set way better than I thought possible.  It almost looks like part of the glaze.  Whatever paint marker you choose, make sure to read the directions. Proper paint application will be dishwasher safe and last longer than incorrect application. Also, pay close attention to any food safety warnings on the paint marker's packaging.  The DecoArt Glass Paint Marker is NOT FOOD SAFE.  This is fine, but important to consider.  Do not put paint that is not food safe in a location that will come into direct contact with food or dog tongues.  The outside of the bowl works fine.  

Step One: Wash bowl and dry thoroughly

Step Two: Write your pet's name and any design you want to add to your bowl.  (I really like the Art Deco Glass Paint Marker because the paint drys slowly.   I could easily wipe off mistakes with a damp paper towel.)

Step Three: Follow manufacturer's instructions for setting the paint.  This should involve baking the piece in the oven for some amount of time.  DO NOT PUT BOWL IN PREHEATED OVEN.  This will increase the chances of your bowl cracking.  Instead place the bowl in an unheated oven and then preheat the oven and the bowl together.  When the oven reaches the temperature required, start your timer and bake for the appropriate amount of time according to your paint marker's instructions.  After baking, do not remove the bowl from the hot oven.  Again, this will increase the chances of cracking your bowl.  Turn off the oven and crack the door.  Allow the bowl to slowly cool down and remove when it has cooled enough to handle with bare hands.  This could take 1+ hours.

That's it.  I was really happy with how my bowls turned out!  I'm excited to try out more projects with my paint marker!

Super Easy Paper Bunting DIY

You have probably noticed by now that buntings/pennant banners are popular.  Weddings, stationary, home decor, they are everywhere!  Its pretty different from their original side of the highway used car dealership habitat.   They have evolved from their humble beginnings and can be found made of all sorts of materials in all sorts of designs.  This tutorial is for a super simple straightforward paper bunting.  You can customize the colors to match whatever look you are going for (mine was for a baby shower).  Here is what you will need: 

Materials: 

- 12"x12" scrapbook paper cut into 2" wide strips (each strip will make about 2 ft of banner, so cut as many as you will need for your finished project)

- embroidery floss - I prefer pearl cotton floss

Tools: 

-embroidery needle

-pencil

-ruler

-scissors

-stack of fabric/or a couple of folded up t-shirts    

Instructions: 

1. Mark your strips and cut your triangles

-On the back side of your 2" paper strip make a small tic mark every 2 inches on the right hand side of the strip.

-Going up the left hand side of the strip, make a tic mark 1" from the bottom.  Make another tic 2" from the first and continue to the end with each consecutive tic spaced 2" apart. 

-Now you have a zigzag pattern between the tics on the left and the right.

-If you are confident in your scissor skills place your scissors at a tic on the left and cut to the closest tic on the right side of the strip.  If you are a messy cutter or a perfectionist use your pencil and ruler to connect the tics left to right and then cut along the lines.

-Now you have a big mess of triangles!    

2. Poke holes at the two angles at the base of each triangle

-put your folded fabric, or t-shirts, or whatever soft thing you can think of on your work surface.

-Place a triangle face up on the soft surface and poke a hole at each of the 2 angles at the base of the triangle.  Make sure you don't poke your hole too close to the tip of the angle, this will tear the paper when you try to thread your triangles onto the floss.   

3. Thread your triangles onto the floss

-thread your needle with the embroidery floss.  I don't cut my floss, but leave it whole and cut it at the end. 

-you want to thread your triangles so the large stitch is on the wrong side of the paper.  Do this by pulling the thread through the hole on the patterned side of the triangle first and then through the back side. 

-work the triangles down the floss as you need more room

-thread each triangle on until you have reached your desired length.  

-cut the floss leaving long tails on both sides of the banner. 

4.  Hang up your pretty new decoration!  

 

Mini Book Gift Tag DIY

It is gifting season in my little world.  Not only is May time for mother's day, but my sister, sister in law, and mother in law have birthdays sprinkled throughout the month.  To top it all off, my beautiful sister in law Emily graduated from the University of Arkansas on May 12th!  I love giving gifts!  It has been so much fun making cards, presents, and special treats for my wonderful family members!

One little gift that I am especially proud of is this mini book gift tag I made for my sister in law Emily.  I have recently taught myself to bind books, and I have been just a little obsessed with it.

To make the mini book gift tag, you will first need to learn the basics of book binding.  The video found here is a great tutorial (it's how I learned). 

Now that you know some of the terminology and techniques, here is how I made my book!

1.  Cut two 2.5" x 5" rectangles from decorative scrapbook paper.  Fold each of the rectangles in half hamburger style to make two 2.5" squares.   This will be the cover of your mini book. 

2.  Cut two more 2.5" x 5" rectangles from craft paper card stock, or any color card stock you want!  Fold each of these rectangles in half like you did the cover in step one.  These will be the 'signitures' of your book.  

3. Use a sewing needle to poke 3 holes in the fold of each of the rectangles.  Your first hole will be a .25" from the top, your second hole will be 1.25" from the top, and your third hole is .25" from the bottom. 

4.  Align your signatures sandwiching the card stock signatures with the decorative scrapbook paper.  Use the technique from the video to bind and finish the book.  I use linen embroidery floss.

5. Slip a ribbon, or string of some kind (I like bakers twine) between the 1st and 2nd coptic stiches and inbetween the signitures.  This is the hanger for you to attach the book to a gift.  If you would rather slip the tag under the ribbon on your gift, or give the book on its own, you can skip this step.



6. Decorate your book!

Thats it!  You can always add more signitures, or make the book a different size