Quick and Crafty: Little Piece of Heaven

where's your little piece of heaven?

let me show you mine.

Everyone knows I'm happiest when my feet are dirty. There's a reason for that....my garden is my happy place. I wanted to make sure everyone knew it (just in case they missed the dirty feet), so I made these hanging flower buckets to spread the news. 

I went to the Big Box Project Addition Store and bought four empty paint cans. I do not know what their real purpose is, paint cans. Do people really mix up their own paint in them or something? Do they not just pick a color from the wall of samples?

I reached into my spray paint hoard supplies that I had gotten when I did this project. I thought black would be spankin', even though it was glossy. I thought the gloss might help the paint to hold up to the weather. 

"short bursts!" that's what Mr. would have been shouting from the kitchen window if he had been home. but I smartly do my projects during my leisure summer days. 

While the cans dried I printed up some labels on this fancy tan paper Mr. had in his paper hoard supplies.

'

nothing special, just printed at home.

I cut the labels out and reached for the Modge Podge. But the Modge Podge was missing! I settled for gluing them on with a water-proof varnish, which I intended to coat them with anyhow. (I found the Modge Podge a week later in the closet next to the dog food. I'm blaming Naughty Dog and her suspected midnight craft parties). I coated them several times with the varnish, trying to seal the edges of the paper as best I could.

Now I see my very own satisfied thoughts cheerily reminding me every time I head out to my happy place. I suspect the labels won't last forever, but what does? In a few years they'll be ready to reuse and upcycle into another project. 

Quick and Crafty: Not Your Mama's Lamp

and 

"Once you start to spray, you'll never stop." 

That's my friend Jules. Super-Junker-Painter-Visionary-Extraordinaire. She was right. Let me show you my gateway addiction painting project.

this was my mama's lamp. 

My mom and dad had this lamp in their bedroom for my entire life. I thought it was the most romantic thing I had ever seen for as long as I can remember. There was just something about it. 

When it ended up at our garage sale I had a sudden impulse. I just had to have it. My dad was thrilled. I think he envisioned it on the nightstand next to our bed, glowing gently as his grandchildren snuggled in for bedtime stories. 

I got myself to the local Big Box Project Addiction Store and got me some spray paint. Turquoise. Satin. 

In "short, even bursts from 12 inches away" (says the Mr.) I did her up. Mr. said it "would not stick." I said "Don't get in the way of a girl and her good ideas."

after two coats. one more called her good. 

Three coats and an hour later, and she had a place of honor in my dining room. 

a little blown out, but you get the idea.

My dad was horrified. I might have to hide what I did to the box of deer antlers he gave me. 

Quick and Crafty Linky - Duct Tape Labels

This week for Quick and Crafty I'm going to share a very quick, very inexpensive, and very easy way to spice up a bin. It's easier than a band of ribbon and nearly just as cool looking. Maybe cooler (after all, it is duct tape!)

Simply find some duct tape in your favorite color or pattern.

Print out a black and white label.

Cut a band of tape long enough to stretch across the bin and use clear tape to fix the label over the top.

For a template for the black and white labels, go here.

Link up and share your Quick and Crafty for the week!

Quick and Crafty Linky - Clay

Quick and Crafty doesn't have to be a decorating adventure or a clever solution to a problem. It can be for the sake of learning, too.

Start with a core and wrap layers of clay around it, ending in a top layer of blue and green. Slice it open and you can study the layers of the earth, from the core right to the crust.

Paper barnacles made by wrapping "paper clay" around balloons makes a hands-on project for learning about the ocean.

Working on structures? Even the human body can be modeled out of clay. This could be some deep, deep learning about anatomy. 

Liquids and solids take on a whole new meaning when you make milk clay. 

Concentric circles in geometry?

Modeling clay is sticky and it doesn't dry out. This makes it great for ongoing projects and reuseability. 

Polymer clay has bright colors and is baked to hardness. It has a soft plasticky feeling to it when it has been hardened. There lots of clays that can be left out to air dry and harden, like Crayola's Air Dry clay. Model Magic by Crayola is very lightweight and airy, and hardens in when it is left out in the air. It's like modeling with a circus peanut. 

Next time you are looking for a hands-on project, think about using clay. 

Have a Quick and Crafty idea you'd like to share? Link up!

Quick and Crafty Linky - Glass Number Buttons

Here is a quick and crafty idea for the classroom.

Glass Number Buttons!

These are cheap, easy and simple. All you need is a package of glass buttons, whatever size you prefer; sticky back magnets; a sharpie or printed background.

These are just simple glass buttons with a magnet stuck on the back. I wrote a student number on each one with a sharpie. Paint pens would work great, too. These are the playing pieces for our Homeworkopoly game board.

These are black and white printed numbers, cut out and glued under a large glass button. The magnet is attached behind the paper. 

We use these on our "Where Am I?" board.  

These are small glass buttons with a red printed number glued behind it, with a magnet behind the paper again. 

I use these for our class job chart. 

This is a fun way to display numbers for all kinds of classroom activities!

Link up with your Quick and Crafty idea!