DIY Dried Flower Mobile

It has been a minute since I shared an Upcy DIY - Summer is a month of playing outside and soaking up every minute of Sunshine. Which doesn't leave a lot of time for me to be inside creating - however what I do create during these months is almost always created from or inspired by nature! This Flower Mobile is a super simple DIY That goes along with the Dried Flower Tutorial I shared a few months back.
I created it using some lilac, daisies & foliage that I had picked earlier in the summer.

I created the Round portion of the mobile using ALL upcycled materials. The crochet was cut from an old stained table runner I thrifted. The wood ribbon is out of A bouquet I won a few years ago & held onto in true 'Upcycler' fashion.

 Products Needed / I Used:

These May Vary Depending On Design Choice(s). ~ Wood Ribbon ~ Crochet Table Runner ~ Hemp Rope ~ Needle & Thread ~ Dried Flowers ~ Fishing Line ~ Scissors How To: Step 1. first cut out the piece of crochet you wanted to use (or crochet the center your self) Step 2. Carefully wrap the wooden ribbon into a circle and secure it in shape using hemp rope. Step 3. Then sew the crochet into the wood ribbon circle.
Step 4. Once the flowers are dried I cut the flowers & foliage into small pieces. [As shown below]

Step 5. Cut several lengths of fishing line & tie them securely to each flower & foliage piece & then tie the other end of the line to the crochet & wood ribbon round. Step 6. To Hang I simply Threaded a small length of fishing line through the center of the crochet circle & tied it in a loop.

Gratitude Is The Best Attitude

Fruit Stand Jamberry & Summer Giveaway; Hosted By: Ashley Rawls

I love fruit & cute nails – combine the two & you’ve got yourself a WINNER!! 
I was sent this beautiful Jamberry Package from Ashley Rawls [On Facebook] & am beyond excited to announce that One Of YOU will have a chance to win one of your own!!

Fruit Stand Jamberry Nail Strip Sheet:

 

When I opened the package I seriously couldn’t believe that just how adorable this Months Sister Style - Fruit Stand  was; covered in Polka Dots & Fruit… and everything what my summer dreams are made of.
Each sheet gets you at least 2 manis & pedis, Which will last about 2 weeks on nails, 6 weeks on toes.With Over 300 designs, including the newly released Marvel and Disney Collection by Jamberry. there truly is a perfect match for everyone! Gluten & Latex free, & can even go over acrylics!!

The package also included a Application Kit with Nail Oil. It has absolutely everything you will need to complete your Jamberry Nails, as well as the tools needed for general Nail Care; & it all comes in a cute Jamberry Purple Bag – that is just the right size to fit your extra Jamberry Nail Strip(s) & keep everything together!

Last but certainly not least is The Mini Heater - Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow…  I am so impressed with the Heater! Not only is it super cute, it works like a DREAM! Kind of made me feel like I was running my own nail salon. I have used Jamberry in the past and was always Happy with my results. But this mini heater (the simplest thing to operate) makes the process easier than I ever thought possible!

If you are like me and enjoy doing your own nails and haven’t Checked Out Jamberry yet, get on that because you do not know what you are missing!

Below I have shared some pictures / Mini Tutorial of the Applications Process! 

Keep on scrolling for The BIG REVEAL! 

SUMMER GIVEAWAY; Hosted By:
Ashley Rawls - Jamberry Executive Independent Consultant 

I am so excited to announce that Ashley has also sponsored a Giveaway – where one of you will WIN your own Complete Jamberry Nail Care Package! 

The Package Includes:

~ Application Kit with Nail Oil

~ 1 Mini Heater!

~ 1  Jamberry Nail Sheet (Of Your Choice)!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Giveaway will Run starting Today [JULY 1^st - CANADA DAY] 

& Commence on JULY 14^th 11:59PM [EST]

Products were gifted in exchange for a Review. All Opinions and Experiences are mine.

Gratitude Is The Best Attitude 

Upcycled Furniture Tutorial ~ Colouring Station

Unwanted Magazine Holder < Up-cycled Colouring Station 

This project is one that I had been brainstorming over for a few weeks. Full Disclosure - I found the original Magazine rack in the Laundry room - It was filthy, very impractical, and seemingly useless. Cody wanted nothing to do with it, and apparently neither did anyone else in our apartment building. It sat there for about two weeks & every time I saw it - I Wanted It! While putting back my colouring supplies I thought of the idea, immediately & quite literally ran down to the laundry room and to no ones surprise the ugly upcyclers dream was still sitting there. Okay Story time is over, here is how I did it & how pretty much any piece of furniture can be transformed. 

Step 1 ~ Wash it down using a rag & soapy hot water (you will remove any residue later on when sanding) 

Step 2 ~  Remove any fabric that you do not intend on keeping

Step 3 ~ To prepare wood for paint, start with a lower (80-grit paper) followed by 100 -120 - 150, and 180 & 200 being the highest grit I normally go for.
No, you don't HAVE to use all of these different sand papers and I know it's easy to skip a grit (or 5) in the process, it's a tedious one but makes all the difference when it comes to paint absorption & any scratches, or imperfections showing in your final product! As a general Rule of Thumb ~ With most sandpapers, the coarser the grit, the smaller the number.

Step 4 ~ Paint ~ This may take 2 or more coats depending on the piece & paint you are working with. 

Optional Step 5 ~ Finish with a clear drying spray paint sealant - I chose one with a matte finish.
This will protect your furniture from wear and tear as well as make it easier to wash.

Step 6 ~ Replace fabric - This may mean re-upholstering which I may just do a follow-up post on once I get more practice at the skill. In my case this meant creating new pockets to hold what will now be colouring books. I did this using what used to be a table runner we had picked-up from IKEA a few years back, that no longer fits our dinning table. It worked out perfect & will get much more use now! Be sure to take a look around your home for textiles or fabrics you truly like but may not use in their 'original' form that you could up-cycle prior to purchasing anything new.

Besides waiting on the coats of paint or varnish to dry, refinishing a piece of furniture only takes about 3-4 hours of work from start to finish, & if you have help (which i did painting) even less!  I worked on it last week (in small half hour- hour long segments each night after work) The sanding and painting took a lot longer than a larger piece of furniture typically does. I think this was because it has a lot of small legs, spindles, & supports which made for tedious work.

 Upcycling furniture is something I have always done. I can still hear my fathers voice the first time I told him I wanted to paint the vintage makeup stand in my bedroom growing up. I was never really one to choose a subtle neutral colour either - for that project I chose lavender (& has since been sanded and re-finished white) Because that is the truth of it all - you can always sand it back down to the wood if you ever choose to & unless the original varnish was intact & in good condition you've really got nothing to lose! 

DIY Cacti ~ Plant Rock Tutorial

 Like A Pet Rock , A Plant Rock Never Dies

They are super simple to make, & I can almost guarantee that you can gather everything you need to make it laying around your house & a nice walk to the beach or park. It would be a great summer project to do with Kids! This is an up-cycled version inspired by a DIY I originally saw on The Party Parade (@ThePartyParade on Instagram).

I have also included a recipe I created for what I am going to call 'Sand Cement'. Made using just two ingredients & can be used in many other DIY products.

What You Need

~ Clay Pot(s)

~ Paint

~ Paint Brushes

~ Rock(s) 

Sand Cement

~ Clear Drying Glue

~ 1 - 3 cups of Sand

How To:

Be sure to start by washing your rocks so that you can start with a clean surface.Paint your Rock(s) to replicate your favourite cacti, succulents, or plants.
I did mine as two different cacti, one flowering. 
It will take a few coats to complete this process. 

While this is drying you can prepare your Sand Cement to go in the Pots - Depending on the size of your pot you will need a differing amount of sand to fill it. The Recipe: 1 part glue, 2 parts sand. As A Reference - I used two small individual pots - So i only needed 1 cup of sand & 1/2 a cup of Clear Drying Glue. To make this process easier poor sand into your pot(s), transfer into a measuring cup & then poor into a bowl to ensure you will have enough. 
You could also make a similar recipe using soil, but adjust your glue as needed to ensure the consistency isn't to runny - you want it to be a thick paste. 

Once you have mixed your sand & glue thoroughly, & your rock(s) have dried completely - use a spoon fill your pot(s) until they are completely full! Lastly, shove in your Rock(s) until you are happy with their positioning, feel free to rearrange them as needed until you are happy. Remove any excess sand cement with your finger (until level with the top of the pot(s).

 Leave in direct sunlight until dried completely!

Decorate around your home to brighten up even the darkest corners, never water it,
& it will live forever. 

Gratitude Is The Best Attitude

30 Day Self Care Challenge

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe,
 deserve your love and affection”- Buddha

"Love Yourself To Love Another" - Unknown

“A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval. - Mark Twain

"To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance” -  Oscar Wilde

There is no question that all the brightest minds knew the importance of Taking Care of Ones Self & Self Love. I have talked about it in the Past ( HERE & HERE ). It's honestly not one of my strengths at this point, I think this is something we all struggle with at different points in our lives.
Whether it is guilt, lack of time, priorities, taking care of others, not seeing the worth, or not knowing what exactly to do for youself, We need to stop these feelings when it comes to taking time for our self, our mood, & our joy. Life moves fast these days, and it's easy to forget or neglect to set time aside for yourself, &I  truly feel that this is something we need to STOP doing to ourselves!
Self Care is essentially recognizing in yourself what you need to be successful in a given day or week. Whether that looks like crafting, pampering yourself, waking up early for a good breakfast, treating yourself to a coffee on tired mornings, Or time alone (these are a few examples of what self care looks like  for me), & then making sure that you set time aside to do those things.

I have been trying to do better at this recently, & have put together this Self Care Cart for myself over the past few weeks; it's been a big help to have my stuff accessible to me, in a way that I can still bring it from room to room without making a massive mess (which in the past was always an excuse I would make to not do the things I would otherwise love to do.

So, This is my commitment to myself to make this a priority in my life! For the Month of June I will be doing a 30 Day Challenge where everyday I do (at least) one thing for myself as a means of Self Love & Care!

I will be sharing my daily activities on Instagram (@upcygirl) with the #30DaysOfSelfCare & #UpcyTodaysSelfCare as a way to hold myself accountable, & hopefully inspire a few of you to add an act of Self Care & Love to your Days too!! You are more than welcome to share pictures of your acts of Self Care & Love using the previously mentioned hashtags If you would like to help spread the message as well!

Gratitude Is The Best Attitude

DIY Dried Flower Bouquet(s) / Center Piece

Hanging bouquets upside down has got to be the most traditional way of drying flowers in shape. With Prom & Wedding seasons both just around the corner I thought I would share this super simple tutorial; It is a fantastic way to save flowers - your Wedding bouquet, Prom Corsage or any pretty flowers that happen to come your way this summer - for years to come!

What You Will Need:

~ Flowers
~ Rubber band / rope. 
~ Hemp / Ribbon / Lace (to decorate)

How To:

While your flowers are still in good shape (try not to let them sit and wither) Gather the flowers in a bunch and secure the stems with a rubber ban or piece of rope.

Hang upside down in a well-ventilated area out of direct sunlight, like from kitchen rafters or in an empty closet. Watch the petals shrink and change color, and within a few weeks you'll have beautiful dried flowers in vintage hues.
You can carefully arrange them to make a center piece or hang them on the wall.

If you do choose to hang them on a Wall you may decide to dress-up the Bouquet by adding Lace, Hemp, Ribbon or by layring a few different textures. I added Hemp to one, and a layering of Hemp & Lace for the other.
Finish your bouquet be sure to secure a small loop to the back to hang it from.  

OR Try Drying With Silica Gel if you would like to keep the colour vibrant. 
Simply put both silica Gel & fresh flowers into a sealed container - leave for 5-7 days and remove your vibrant, dried flowers.
Silica Gel Packets come in just about every shipped package & are easy to get your hand on at little to no cost - you can ask around at the clothing stores you shop, many of which just throw them directly into the trash after being removed from the box(s). Or you can also purchase it at any Craft store.

I hope that you have enjoyed this Upcycled DIY; If you did, be sure to check back for many more as we head into Summer!

Gratitude Is The Best Attitude