Patriotic Tin Punched Luminaria

Today's project was created as part of my 

design team duties at 

Through The Craft Room Door.

It's a simple enough "tin punched luminaria"

for outdoor use !

The randomly chosen top winner this week  at

Through The Craft Room Door

will receive a $12 voucher

from our generous sposor, Di's Digi Stamps.

Show us what crafty item you've made !

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PROJECT DETAILS:

This project can be as simple or as detailed as you like depending on the design you choose to punch out. They can be left as is or painted. Any size can will work. Use different size nails to make smaller or larger holes. This project is one that older kids might enjoy (with adut supervision of course) doing outdoors this summer !

Choose the size can you want, taking into consideration the punched design you wish to make.  

Remove the label and adhesive, clean well.

You may want to draw the design with a permanent marker before freezing because once you take it out, condensation starts to form so it isn't easy to draw on it . You could also draw a pattern on freezer paper then tape it to the can and punch through it. Just make sure it is taped in place well !  For my sample I simply stuck a damp sponge shape to the frozen can and punched around it.

Fill nearly to the top with water and let freeze solid. If memory serves when I made this type of project many years ago, I read to put sand (?)  in the bottom before filling with water to help keep the bottom from warping due to the expanding freezing water. I didn't and yes, the bottom bulged. I just hammered it back down

Remove from freezer, keep a glove or old rag handy to help hold the can since it is cold and frosty condensation forms. I honestly worked sitting on the porch, holding the can between my feet (while wearing shoes).

Punch all around your design. Beware of ice chips possibly flying ! You may want to wear eye protection just in case of a crazy accident (I did). Chuncks of ice definitely came out of the can as I was working.

Set aside for the ice to melt.

You can leave it as is or paint it 

I wanted to paint mine with patriotic colors, so I used indoor/outdoor acrylic craft paint, a sea sponge and scrap paper for masks.

Once the ice is able to be removed, dry the can well. BE SURE TO KEEP A THICK RAG INSIDE THE CAN SO AS NOT TO BE POKED BY SHARP EDGES WHILE WORKING ! I place a hand inside the can, wrapped with a rag, while I paint to help rotate it.

Tape paper masks as needed to sponge paint over. I chose to use a sea sponge to apply the paint to my can so I needed the masks. You can paint with paint brushes, too. 

 The same star sponge that I punched around was coated with blue paint then stamped in the star punch shape on the can. 

Set aside to dry.

If you wish to use tea light candles, place sand in the bottom to help weigh it down. Never leave burning unattended! A better alternative is to use battery operated tea lights or the mini battery operated string lights. BE CAREFUL PLACING CANDLES/LIGHTS IN THE CAN  - THERE ARE SHARP EDGES AROUND EVERY PUNCHED HOLE!

There are so many possibilities for punched tin cans,

 have fun dreaming up new designs and ways to display them !

Patriotic Flower Boxes

I like how my redecorated window boxes turned out !

They used to be plain wood boxes mounted to the side of the house.

When we had siding done several years ago, they were removed.

They've been sitting under the porch, 

waiting to be reused somehow someday.

That day came this spring when I decided to 

totally rip out my flower gardens

(sad to see them go, but the bermuda grass had taken over....)

and put in beds of decorative rock with containers for flowers.

I had the idea to turn the window boxes into a sort of

"stadium seating" flower box, painted patriotically and

filled with red, white and blue flowers. 

The idea was it would resemble a flag as seen from the road!

The flowers aren't nearly as full as I intended though.

I do not have a green thumb, I never seem to

be able to grow lush flowers....

A quick how to:

Brush on watered down acrylic craft indoor/outdoor paint
to create a weathered look.

Sponge stamp stars with the same paint.

Stack one box on top of cinder blocks behind
the other to achieve the look.

Fill with dirt and flowers, enjoy ! 

I almost forgot to mention that this project is being shared

as my design team project this month at

Love To Craft Challenge Blog.

It's a monthly anything crafty goes

(so long as it is family friendly) challenge.

Show us what crafty thing you've been working on !

Thanks for looking =)

I'm entering my project in the Red, White and Blue challenge at Shopping Our Stash
http://shoppingourstash.blogspot.com/2018/06/shopping-our-stash-360-red-white-blue.html

Patriotic Porch Decor 2018

Some old items I have added paint to in 

patriotic colors to for our front porch.

There are also red, white and blue buntings along the roof . 

Next up, once we have a break in this extreme heat,

adding red and tan to the columns. 

I bought the paint a month ago, 

but the weather (rain and hottest May on record)

wasn't cooperating. I may need to wait until late fall

to paint them - or winter if we keep having abnormally

warm temperatures for the time of year we are in! 

The pink wave petunia was a surprise -

they were all supposed to be white

in the potted plant I bought earlier this spring. 

Stop back by tomorrow to see the fun project I made

for the flower beds turned rock gardens this year. 

Patriotic Painted Chair

The project I'm sharing today is an old wooden chair

that I repainted and turned into a flower planter!

It's my project for the new

The Love To Craft Challenge Blog is 

a monthly challenge

that is always anything goes.

We invite all sorts of hand made,

family friendly craft projects. 

They do not need to be paper crafts.

No digital projects, please.

PROJECT DETAILS:

I used indoor/outdoor acrylic craft paints 

and a foam brush to paint it.

Be sure to clean, sand and prime

the old wood before painting to

help the paint adhere. 

Although it is not necessary to seal

indoor/outdoor paint, I gave my chair 

a light coat of clear spray sealant.

I made my own star shaped sponge stamp

from a compressed craft sponge. 

I simply punched a piece of scrap card stock

with a star shaped punch, traced it onto the sponge

then cut out with scissors. 

Be sure to get your sponge piece damp 

before stamping with paints !

Carefully start stamping one edge of your sponge stamp then gently 

roll it around the surface, being careful not to slide it. Lift straight up

to remove. Stamping with paints is a bit slippery, be prepared to wipe

up mistakes right away with a damp rag. 

Keep a damp rag nearby when stamping with paints.

If you make a mistake, it can easily be wiped off right away.

Don't allow it to set for any length of time because it will

start drying and leave bits left behind when you wipe it off. 

You don't want to use too much pressure

to remove the mistake because it could cause damage to your base coat. 

I really wanted to add hand lettering to the rungs

along the back, but just could not get it to look right.

I tried several times on the top red one, in fact I needed

to touch up the paint I wiped off my goof ups so many times :(

Maybe I'll try it again in a few days after I've walked away from it.

You may be able to relate, sometimes it helps to come back

to a project after the frustration has worn off. 

The seats of these salvaged old chairs were just strips of burlap.

I removed the two center strips to create an opening

to place flower pots in. I'm still trying to decide if I should

paint the exposed wood pieces between the burlap red........

Take a look at two others made with the same

type of chairs. They are not painted entirely as this one is.

Patriotic Welcome Planter Chair

Country Swag Welcome Planter Chair

Also check out two others I made years ago,

both were painted top to bottom - and still in use !

One is mine, the other I gave to my parents.

Both are kept on covered porches out of the elements. 

Oh, and that old patriotic painted milk can in the photos?

I painted that years ago, too. It's due for a touch up!

Be sure to visit the rest of the Love To Craft design team members' blogs

for lots of great inspiring and varied craft projects !

I'm entering my project in the following challenge:
Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes week of July 26th
Through The Craft Room Door Members Only - Home Decor



EDITED TO ADD 10/5/2016:
My chair was a featured project at the Through The Craft Room Door site for October.

Patriotic Planter Chair

Here is the second of four chairs I reclaimed from a flood

with plans of repurposing them into outdoor decorations / planters.

I listed them for sale, including the beautiful blooming geraniums,

for $25 each. Neither one sold, so I did not finish the other two chairs.

I think I am going to make one for myself though to replace

the one I made years ago. 

This chair uses masking for the lettering.

I used a removable, transparent contact type paper.

I wish I had remembered when doing this that it didn't 

work so well on the painted mailbox project I completed 

last year. Then again, had I remembered, I would have 

thought it didn't work too well due to the grooves on the box.

Anyway, although it was a great idea, the stuff wasn't quite sticky

enough to keep the paint from seeping underneath, making

more work for myself. Also, for some reason the outdoor type

paint I used stuck to the edges of the mask, trying to lift

off as I was removing it. It required hand cutting around each letter 

with an Xacto blade, ever so carefully to only cut the paint layer

and to follow the edges of the mask. Yep, much more work

than I had hoped for. However once it cleaned up,

I'm pretty happy with the effect I made with it ! 

 I carefully scraped away the dry paint with a toothpick.

Below is the mask after I removed it

(I didn't think to take step by step photos).

As you can see it is made up of many pieces.

I had to make it like this since I was using multiple

single Sizzix alphabet dies. I trimmed each piece and

lined them up as best I could to create one single masked word. 

I painted through the letters with a small paint brush,

 using indoor/outdoor craft paint. It required 

multiple layers to cover the dark finish of the chair. 

Thanks for looking =) 

I'm entering my chair planter into the following Anything Goes Challenges:

Through The Craft Room Door June 21-27, 2016

2 Creative Chicks Showcase #11

Crafting By Designs June Anything Goes Challenge

Craft Your Passion Challenge #317

613 Avenue Create Challenge #181

Planter Chair

This is the first of four chairs I was repurposing

into outdoor decor, planter chairs.

I hand painted Welcome across the top rung

(it's been too long since I've done freehand

lettering and it shows!) then added hand made

burlap, lace and eyelet flowers. The large center
burlap flower was made from one of the straps
from the seat of the chair that had been removed
to make room for the flower pot.
They are hot glued on top of twigs
and raffia then tied to the chair.

I tried to sell it, complete with the gorgeous blooming geraniums,

for $25. I still have it................. 

See tomorrows post for a second chair I decorated;

it has a patriotic theme.

Three of the four chairs after cleaning them up

and before decorating. 

Thanks for looking =) 

Custom Painted Mailbox

 I've "custom"painted our rural mailbox a few times over the years.

The first one was done with foam stamps in the shape of ivy leaves. I had previously used the stamps with glazing paints on the half bath wall and thought they’d be a nice touch to our plain white mailbox. The name and address were hand lettered with a small paintbrush.

The second one was a sort of patriotic daisies theme. It was totally inspired by a painted watering can project in one of my craft magazines. I used outdoor acrylic paints and sealed it with clear spray paint. It stayed out on the pole, slowly fading, for 13 years.

The mailbox got to the point where it could no longer be repaired (and was really faded) so we bought a new one – and I custom painted it, too.

The local hardware store no longer carries large white rural mailboxes, only black. It was fine since I had to repaint it red anyway.

The new one is totally inspired by the red barn ! 

It was spray painted with exterior spray paint then I used outdoor acrylic craft paints for the numbers and shingles. Various sizes of craft paintbrushes were used to apply the paints.

I used my Cricut Create machine to cut stencils from clear sticky contact paper. It was a great idea, but the teeny tiny grooves on the mailbox allowed the paint to ooze underneath the stencil, creating dozens and dozens of blotches I had to touch up. This time I made HUGE numbers on the side of the mailbox, making it super easy to spot (photo edited for privacy ).


The shingles were made by painting a black background first then stamping gray paint with a rough textured sponge cut to fit. I went back in with a thin paint brush to add lines around parts of most of the shingles as well as outline the numbers. After letting it dry for 24 hours, I sprayed it with clear spray paint.


Thanks for looking ;)

My Top 12 Projects of 2012

Pretty tough to do, but here goes: my top 12 favorite non card projects and my top 12 card projects that I created and shared in 2012, in no particular order.

Non Card Crafty Projects:

Ringos Memory Box - this page shows all four sides, each side has it's own blog post with a tutorial shared over the next few consecutive days after this post.  I have made two other boxes for Mulligan and Cassie using paper mache box bases. This particular box base was made from scratch, see the post to see patterns and dimensions.

Pet Photos Printer Tray Project - tutorial

Tree Of Love - tutorial

Two Cute Bats Halloween Banner Display - tutorial
this particular project won recognition at a challenge blog

Repurposed Plastic Easter Egg Bunny - tutorial

Dahlia Fold Christmas Tree - tutorial
This project was chosen as a favorite from 2012
by a member at Splitcoaststampers

Barn Star Wreath - tutorial

This project was pinned to the
My Memories Suite gallery pinterest board, wow!

Grandparents Day Album In A Tin/Card - tutorial

Baby Shower Gift basket -

stamped onesie, digital designed image inside of repurposed frame I made,

stamped brag book (each has different posts).

Homemade Digital Glitter paper -

 I decided topick one of them as a favorite, 

but it was tough to choose.

I decided to go with this one since I made my own glitter paper

and scanned in old designer papers not available digitally to

make my digital scrapbook page.

Lots of work, but I love the end result. 

look under My Memories Suite

or

My Digital Studio

tabs here on my blog for more ideas.

Milk Can Redo 

This is shared as a favorite for sentimental reasons -

it was a foot rest my grandmother made many, many

years ago. I refinished it and recovered it so my

cat had a step up to get on the couch. 

Cards:

Ford F150 Shaped Card - tutorial

this is all hand made, hand drawn and hand cut

It's A Winner Card

Round Easel Card - tutorial

Trifold Punch Art Bunny and Easter Eggs Card -  tutorial

Pop Up Bouquet Card - tutorial

this is the inside of the card, surprise !

Suspended Spinning Heart Card - tutorial

Woven Heart Card - tutorial

Happy Fourth Shaped Card - tutorial

One Sheet Wonder Fall Cards - for the World Card Making Day Blog Hop , PaperCrafts magazine.
More information including a diagram I created were shared in two additional posts after this one

Punch Art New House Card

Thanks, Coach card

Swing Card

Thanks so much for looking !

I hope there is a project or two I've shared that inspires you =)