Super Cute Flower Pens

Everyone who knows me knows I am a bit of a freak about my pens.  One of my biggest pet peeves is when people walk away with my favorite pen.  A creative way to solve this problem is to make them into pretty flowers.  Then when someone walks away with one of them, I can quickly spot my pen on someones desk!  They also make a great teacher gift, what teacher wouldn't love some pretty pens for her desk?

 To make flower pens, you will need:
Pens
Flowers
Floral tape
Glue gun

 Start by yanking the end cap off your pen by any means necessary.  I usually use my teeth, but pliers are probably a better tool!
Remove the stem from your chosen flower and put a glob of hot glue on the end.  Stick the glued end in the shaft of the pen, give it a twist to spread the glue on all sides.

Allow the glue to cool slightly, and adhere the floral tape to the top of the pen.  Wrap the floral tape around, making sure to stretch it as you go.  Once you reach the bottom, use a tiny bit of glue to stick down the end.  At this point, the pen will be slightly tacky from the floral tape.  It will go away as you use the pen, but you can roll it between your hands to remove the tackiness more quickly.

 

 This is what the finished pen will look like.  I find that the cap doesn't fit well after wrapping with floral tape, so I toss the caps.

Now that you have a pretty pen, you need something pretty to display them.  To make this container, I used Mod Podge to adhere scrapbook paper to a peanut butter container.  I used ribbon to cover the part where the lid screws to the container and stuck on a flower for good measure.

This, along with a Thank You note written by my daughter, will make a perfect Teacher Appreciation gift!

Broken Heart Band-Aid Box

Way back in the day when I was in high school, whenever one of my friends broke up with her boyfriend, I would put a Band-Aid over her heart to help stop the pain. My mother-in-law spent the last week untangling a 38 year marriage to my father-in-law. Suffice to say, her heart is hurting, and while I cannot imagine the pain and hurt she is going through, I can be there for her, to put Band-Aids on her heart to keep it from hurting. To that end, I decided to make her something special to hold her Band-Aids.

I used a plastic box that once held drink mix pouches and used Mod Podge to cover it in fabric.  I added a fabric embellishment to the top and ribbon around the edges.  Then I used Mod Podge to add fabric and a note to the inside.  After everything dried, I added a bunch of Band-Aids.

Here is the inside of the box.

I really just wanted her to know that we are there for her and we love her and will support her in any way we can.

Recycled Homework Supply Caddy

My 11 month old adores these cereal puffs, we go through at least one or two containers each week.  They are made of a nice, heavy plastic and are just begging to be made into something else.  They are such a nice plastic, I can't bear to toss them in the recycling bin.  I have been collecting them in my craft room as I search my brain for ideas.  My 5 year old just started kindergarten, and what would be better to celebrate a new school year than a special place to store homework supplies?

After a tearful goodbye (tearful for Mommy at least, my daughter raced into the classroom  and never looked back) I went home and broke out my crafting supplies.  Between drying time and caring for the baby, it took me almost a week to finish putting it all together.  As this was going to be a surprise to celebrate getting through the first week, I could only work while my daughter was in school and the baby was sleeping.  When she got home last week on Friday, this was waiting for her on the table.

 Here is a view from the top.  Right now, we only have enough supplied to fill 4 of the containers, but I know this will quickly change as we get further into the year.

My daughter squealed in delight seeing all the shiny new supplies.  I explained to her that these were her homework supplies and we would keep them in a special place in my craft room.  She couldn't wait to pick out the perfect spot.  She was so exited to use her homework supplies that her homework (yes, she already had homework in the 2nd week of school!!!) was quickly done as soon as she came home from school all week.  I am going to savor this excitement while it lasts!

This was a great project because it cost me less than $5, I got to play with Mod Podge (one of my favorite things)  AND I was able to recycle something that most people would just toss.  I love it!!!

This post has been entered in the CSI Challenge:  Back to School Challenge

Garage Sale Score

I love trolling garage sales, looking for some sad little thing, and transforming it into something beautiful.  On a recent garage sale expedition, I found this sad little shelving unit for $2.  It had stains and water marks on all the shelves, crayon and pencil marks on the sides, scratches and dents all over it, and it was BEAUTIFUL!  Well, at least in my mind's eye, it was beautiful...

 Here is a closeup of some of the stains on one of the shelves.  I tried to get some of the crayon marks, but they just wouldn't show up.  (I need to work on my picture taking skills some more)

 I got to work sanding this little baby.  As I was sanding, I was overcome with the strong scent of powder or perfume.  The previous owner must have stored it in the bathroom or closet where she applied powder or heavy perfume.  It was bad!  After the sanding was complete, I quickly primed it to cover up the horrible smell!  The primer did not cover the smell, so I said a little prayer and started painting.  Thankfully, the paint killed the scent.  I let the paint fully cure for a week, and went shopping for some yummy scrapbook paper. 

Once the paint was cured, I set to work with my paper cutter and Mod Podge.  And this little lovely emerged on the other side of my crafting storm!

It is perfect for my toiletries stockpile.  This is what is looks like loaded up.  Yes, I know I have a ton of shampoo, I am the crazy coupon lady and got it all almost free!

Every time I walk into my closet, I get to look at something pretty :)  What a great way to start each day.

This project was entered into The CSI Project's Mod Podge Challenge