Mother's Day DIY: Drip-Painted Pots and Chocolate Flower Bouquets {Tutorial}

Now that Little Spaghetti is getting big enough to really do some arts and crafts projects, I've decided it's legitimate to pawn off his "masterpieces" as gifts.  That's fair, right? So, this week we tackled Mother's Day.

And the results are pretty darn cute. First, we made ombre poured-painted flower pots:

Here's how you do it.  Get some terra cotta pots. A cute helper is nice if you've got one around.  I used 4-inch pots.

I put my pots on random cans of vegetables to keep them up off the table and let the paint drip off of them.  Then I put cardboard underneath to catch (most of) the drips.  After I took this picture, I had a stroke of genius and wrapped the bottom of the cans in aluminum foil so that my cans didn't end up soaked in paint.

Next, get your paint.  I'd originally seen these pour-painted pots on Dilly-Dali Art in rainbow, but I decided to try for an ombre effect.  I gathered different shades of yellow, blue and teal - the cheap ones from the local craft store at only $0.69 each.  (Also, try to buy white paint on the first trip to the store instead of two bottles of fabric medium like it I did...)

Then you pour.  Basically just squeeze blobs of the different colors onto the tops of the pots and let the paint drip over the sides.  The holes in the bottom of mine were sealed, but if yours aren't, you probably want to put some tape over them so the paint doesn't just flow through the inside.

At this point, I stopped taking pictures of the process because it got rather messy, but you can find more images of the process here.  I helped Little Spaghetti get the paint colors in the right order for most of the pots. 

Then I let him do one all by himself.  And, you know...to be honest, I think his pot is my favorite of all.

I let the pots dry overnight, then painted the inside rims and top edge white to give them a more finished look.  Then a coat of clear gloss varnish to seal the paint in case these get used outside and you're done!

Then we needed something to go inside the pots.  So, today you get two tutorials for the price of one! And since that price is always free, this is really your lucky day.  We made chocolate tissue paper flower bouquets:

They're so quick and easy to whip up.  Here's how.

Start with a full sheet of tissue paper.

Fold it accordion-style all the way across.

Cut your folded tissue into four pieces.

Tie some fishing line around the middle of one of your tissue paper sections to bunch it together like so:

Cut the ends into points.

Alternatively, you can cut the ends off round.  I made some of each kind of flower and liked having the mix.

Pull the folds apart to spread out the flower petals.

Once you've spread them all out, crush the middle of the flower to flatten the whole thing out.

Next, get your chocolates.  I used double-sided table tape to attach one chocolate to each side of the flattened flower.  Do you need two chocolates?  Technically, no.  But, come on, what mom doesn't need two chocolates...

Once your chocolates are on your flowers, you have to add your stems.  I used some bamboo skewers I had in the kitchen cabinet and just cut them to length.  I put a glob of white glue on the end, and stuck it to the flowers between the two chocolates. 

See how pretty they all are?  I let them dry overnight, but I would have probably used my hot glue gun for instant results if I hadn't run out of glue sticks.

Pots + Flowers = Awesome.

And here's Little Spaghetti's pot all packed up. 

I wrapped it in some cellophane and added a bow.  Wouldn't you be excited to get one of these in the mail?

I wish all of you moms out there a wonderful Mother's Day...and to all you non-Moms, don't forget to give your mom or a special lady in your life some love on Sunday!

What about you? What are your plans for Mother's Day?

DIY: Upcycled Art Smock {Tutorial}

If I know one thing about toddlers, it's that messes keep kids busy.  The messier something is, the longer it entertains... And the more laundry it creates.  Somehow, a little extra laundry always seemed like a fair compromise for a few minutes of peace.

Until it didn't.  I was sick and tired of doing laundry, so I decided my little man needed a smock to keep from having to change entire outfits every time we got out the markers or paint.  But everything I could find was expensive or not quite right, so I decided I could do better.

I give you: The Upcycled Art Smock.

 

Let me start by saying that I possess only very basic sewing skills.  Seriously, if you can press the pedal on a sewing machine, you can make this.

 

You will need a t-shirt a few sizes bigger than your child wears now.  I got mine for a buck at the thrift store, but this would be a great way to reuse older kids' clothes, too.  You'll also need some bias tape (sometimes called quilt binding), which you can find at any craft store.  (For the record, I think bias tape is a miracle).  Besides that, all you need is thread, elastic, and scissors.

Start by cutting off the back of the shirt.  Basically just leave a few inches on each side.  I rounded off the shirt near the bottom as I cut.

Using the piece of fabric you just cut from the back of the shirt, cut a pocket to put on the front of the smock.  I rounded mine off to match the round part I'd made on the shirt.

Sew a strip of bias tape along the top of your pocket flap.  I recently discovered bias tape, and, as I mentioned before, I think it's a miracle.  It takes my seriously amateur projects that never have straight seams to a level worthy of some serious self high-fives.  Instantly.  It means I can be a sloppy cutter and sew-er and still end up with something I'm not ashamed to show my friends.  Or my very crafty and talented mother.

I use "double fold" bias tape, which basically acts like a sandwich over the raw ends of the fabric.  Or...more like a pita pocket since one end is sealed.

There's also something called "single fold" bias tape, but I have yet to figure out a use for it that would make me call it a miracle.  Or a use for it at all.  Though, I'm sure someone who actually knows how to sew could tell you what it's for.

Anyway, back to the smock.  Sew your pocket to the front.  Make sure not to sew across the top...or you won't have a pocket anymore.  I sewed the pocket on just as you see it in the picture -  don't worry about the raw edges.

Once the pocket was attached, I sewed two straight lines from the bottom of the pocket to the top to create three "compartments" in the pocket. 

Remember how I told you not to worry about the raw edges?  That's because the bias tape is coming to the rescue yet again!  Sew it all the way around the raw edges of the smock.  Doesn't that look snazzy?

I used a few strips of bias tape to make the ties.  I just sewed the open edges shut. 

 

Then I folded the strips over just a little bit on one end and sewed one onto the back edge of each side of the smock.  Two short straps at the top near the neck, and two longer straps in the middle of the shirt, a few inches above the pocket.

You could really probably stop here and have a perfectly functional art smock.  But since my goal was mess containment, I decided to tighten up the arm holes a little so they wouldn't gap (since the shirt is a couple sizes bigger than my toddler).  To do that, I cut a slit on the inside of the wrist cuff.

I measured a piece of elastic around his wrist, added a little bit on the ends for a seam allowance, and slipped it into the slit in the cuff.  I attached a safety pin to the end of my elastic to make it easier to fish through.

Once the elastic came all the way around and back out through the slit, I simply sewed the two ends together.  And that was it.  I didn't even bother to sew the slit back up since it's inside the shirt.   But if you want to be all ambitious and get rid of the slit, I won't stop you.

There you have it.  My smock cost me a whopping $1, which was the cost of the thrift store shirt.  Everything else I had on hand.  Even if you had to buy bias tape, though, I bet the project would still be under five bucks.  And it only took me about 30 minutes.  In fact, it was so quick and easy, I made a second one.

Here's the smock (and the whirlwind toddler) in action.

"Look, Ma, I can cram all of my chalk into this one little pocket."

"My masterpiece is complete."

"My hands may be filthy, but my shirt sure isn't thanks to this amazing art smock my super talented and awesome mom made for me."  I'm totally sure that's what he was thinking.

What are you waiting for?  Go forth and be super talented and awesome.


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Like a cheese stick

"Mom, take a picture of my peanut butter
mustache!"

I've you've ever had a child or been around kids, you already know that kids are hilarious.  I mean, there was a whole TV series hosted by Bill Cosby about kids sayin' the darndest things.

But, until living with a three-year-old 24-7, I never realized that the hilarity is so frequent.  Kids not only say the darndest things, they say them all the time. 

So, today I'm going to share with you a few of my favorite Little Spaghetti moments from the past couple weeks.  Short story-style because most of them need no further commentary.

Songify
 We were in the car and that song by Far East Movement came on, "Like a G6."  Little Spaghetti started singing along, mostly just indiscernible sounds and not real words.

Until the chorus, when he started singing loudly and clearly, "Like a cheese stick, like a cheese stick!"

Nightmares
He woke up from his nap a few weeks screaming. 

I ran into his room and asked him what was wrong. "Mommy! Help! I ate a Fraggle!" he said.

I guess that's a perfectly reasonable assumption
We were leaving the store and driving out of the parking lot.  There were some pigeons on the road in front of us.  Little Spaghetti said, "Mom, are you going to run over those birds?"  

"No," I responded, "it would kill them if I ran over them."  

"Why?" he asked...because he's three.  

"Our car is big and heavy, and those birds are small.  There's no way they could take on a car like this," I explained. 

"Well..." he said, "they're just going to have to eat lots of foods to grow bigger and stronger.  They need to eat more clouds!"  

You can never have too many compliments
Little Spaghetti was drawing outside with chalk, but after a few minutes he came back in, saying it was too cold out.  

"Wait here," I said, "I've got something that might help."  I went downstairs,  knowing that we had an easel that's a chalkboard on one side.  It was still packed - like half of the stuff we own - and buried in the storage room in the basement. 

He saw me coming up the stairs with the chalkboard, and shouted, "Mom!  You're a genius!"  Hey, I'll take it.

As long as you never call me that in public
One of Little Spaghetti's favorite movies is Despicable Me.  Consequently, when he wants something, he now says, "Minion! Get me some water!"  

I can't wait to eat a sandwich six and a half months from now

I've been MIA for a while, but I've got a really good reason.  I'll let Little Spaghetti fill you in on a little secret:

That's right!  I'm pregnant.

And sick.  Oh, so sick.  Which (hopefully) excuses my prolonged absence.

I was sick during my first pregnancy, but I'd forgotten what it was like.  I've started picking what I eat based solely on what it will taste like coming up instead of going down.  For the record, smoothies almost always win in the "Most Pleasant to Puke Up" category.  Kiwis and sunflower seeds lose.

It's not even just being sick that gets to me, though.  It's how much smells and tastes change.  Things I used to enjoy repulse me.  I can't even sit at the table with my husband when he eats hot salsa from a certain burrito place in town without gagging.  And never m ind kissing him for the next eight hours unless he goes to the dentist for a professional cleaning in the meantime.

While I was pregnant with Little Spaghetti, I was sick almost all the way through.  But after I delivered him, food was like magic.  In fact, one of my clearest and fondest memories of my birth experience involves a sandwich.  (That really shouldn't surprise anyone who knows about my sandwich obsession, though)

After Little Spaghetti was born and I'd had some time to hold and nurse him, they whisked him away to get bathed and checked out.  My husband, naturally, went with him.  A nurse helped me get cleaned up and then brought me to our postpartum room.

And then, it was just me.  It was the strangest quiet, peaceful quiet.  I was all alone.  No baby in my belly.  No labor chaos.  No family and friends.

I looked over and saw a wrapped Jimmy John's sandwich laying on the bedside table.  I didn't think about how it had gotten there.  To this day, I don't know who the angel was that brought me that sandwich.  But I assumed it was safe, and that it was for me, so I dug right in.

Let me tell you, that sandwich was probably the most delicious thing I've ever tasted in my life.  I'm not exaggerating.  It wasn't even a type of sandwich I liked, and it had toppings on it that I would never order.  Maybe it was the fact that I was ravenous after one of the most physically exhausting things I'd ever done - giving birth.  Maybe it was the fact that I'd only had broth and jello for 24 hours straight.  Maybe it was the fact that the hormones were finally draining from my body.  All I know is that it. Was. Heaven.

Nothing has tasted that good since.

So, I'm counting down until the birth of this babe.  You know, 'cuz I'm excited to have a baby and all.  But also, because I can't wait until food tastes good again.  There's a sandwich with my name on it waiting for me in October.  You can count on it.

DIY Flower Stand

A few months back, I hosted a bridal shower for my little sister.  Pink was her favorite color growing up, and I thought it would be appropriate to go all out with the girliness and go crazy with pink.  But, you know, in a classy and grown up way.

I never got around to posting about the shower, but then I started seeing all these cute Valentine's Day things on Pinterest.  I immediately thought of all the pretty pink from the shower and decided to dig out the centerpieces I made to decorate our table.

So, I thought I'd finally share the tutorial I made for these super cheap, super easy centerpiece stands.  They turned out even better than I'd thought they would. 

You'll need a drinking glass, a square ceramic tray, some epoxy or household cement, little rings (I used some jewelry parts - I think they're called jump rings) and spray paint.  I got everything but the spray paint at the Dollar Store.  You'll also need something to decorate with - I used a crystal garland.

Start by squirting some of your epoxy onto the bottom of your glass.

A nice big glob works well.

Then put the glue side of the glass down on the bottom of the tray.  Try to get it as close to centered as you can. 

 Next, epoxy your rings upright onto each of the four corners.

Then get some weight to press down on the glasses to make sure they really stick.  I used paint cans.  It was a little precarious with a toddler around, so I hid them in a closet shortly after this picture was taken.  Let the glue fully cure - mine took 24 hours. 

 Once the stands have dried, spray paint them.  I went with white.  It took a couple coats.

 They look much better all one color.  I also put a clear coat on them at the end, just to be safe.

Attach your crystal garland to the jump rings on each corner.  There you have it! Cheap.  Easy.  And oh so pretty.

I made some quick flower pomanders to sit on mine.  I just picked up some styrofoam balls, cut a slice off one end so they'd sit flat, and stuck silk flowers into it until the styrofoam was completely covered.