Work desk Christmas Tree

So, I know Christmas was a month ago, but I really need an updated post, so I'm showing one thing I did back in December. Ha!

I have a new job and the decoration requirements are different than my last one. Add to that the fact that I'm in a cube, now, instead of the office to which I've been accustomed. So I had to really pare down what I usually do for decorations. It was kind of sad for me, actually. I have a thing for trees and suddenly couldn't put one up. :(( 

Then I remembered seeing various wooden trees on Pinterest made from pallets and old wood and such. :D WELL!! You all know how much I love building things and using up old wood and leftover items. 😁😁😁

So I went out to my shed to take a look at my stash, and joy of joys, I had exactly what I thought I would need. After a little measuring and cutting of some old fence picket leftovers, and the leg off of a TV tray I disassembled last year for shelves in my cabinets, I started painting. 

Then I drilled holes where I thought I could place some battery-operated lights I found at Dollar Tree, and then screwed everything together. 

When I got it assembled, I realized an error with my hole drilling. :( I can't very well put lights through the tree trunk. So then I had to drill more holes, which weren't as neat, and improvise on what to do with the holes drilled in error. 

Fortunately, I had an old Christmas lights necklace that had stopped working, that I was able to cut apart and use to decorate the tree. 

As with so many of my projects, it's not perfect, but it certainly works, and that's why I call myself the Make-Do Queen. 😉

Cost: $1.00 for the lights. 

Time: 2 hours (mostly due to paint drying)

Result: Success

Hope Chest Hutch

As I mentioned in the previous post, I recently created a space in my bedroom for a home office.  As a result of the transition, I realized a drastic need for more shelving. 

I knew I would have to build something, as I simply can't afford to go buy stuff, but I knew that I wanted it to look good and be sturdy.  Not sure if I've mentioned this, but my skills are almost zero. I learn on every single project and make mistakes on every single project.

I decided on attempting to build a hutch that could sit on my hope chest.

Several months ago, I came across some old cabinets that someone had disassembled and put by the dumpster.  I talked to the building guy and he gave me permission to take anything around their dumpster that I thought was of value.  Since the cabinets were built out of 3/4" plywood, something I desperately needed, I had grabbed the 3 best looking sections, loaded them in my mom-mobile, and brought them home.

In order to use them, I had to cut off the bad spots, and pull out all the previously existing nails and hardware, then sand them down, THOROUGHLY.

I measured the width of my hope chest and decided on the total height, then cut the plywood into 4 sections, 6" wide.

Two sections for the vertical and 2 sections for the horizontal.  Sanded every section, again, then used screws to assemble into a simple shelf.  When I got it put together, I was a little nervous about the true stability of the middle shelf, so cut another piece to act as a brace in the middle.  Then realized it might tip over easily if I didn't offset some balance, so added a small 2" cross bar along the back bottom to provide additional support.

That seemed pretty stable, so I started painting it.  Because it was already blue, and I was using the red I've grown fond of, it took MULTIPLE coats to cover.  I would paint it, then let it sit for 4-6 hours in the heat of my shed, in the back yard, in the middle of May, in Texas, then go back and put another coat. 

When I was comfortable with the coverage of the red, then I decided to seal it, for good measure.  I had some old polyurethane that came with the house and shed, so opened it and applied it.  Evidently, sitting for over 4 years in the extreme heat and cold, reduced the efficacy because it never hardened, just stayed tacky to the touch.

So I pulled out the spray sealer that I used for all the glass bottle projects back in the spring, and put a couple of coats of that on the shelves.

After letting it dry/harden for 24 hours, I moved it inside. 

It's not something you'd find at a fine furniture store, but for the cost of my time, I'm actually pleased with it.  And it is certainly sturdy enough to hold everything I've stacked on it.  At some point, I've seen cute little folding baskets from Dollar Tree that I'll buy to put the files and junk in, but until I know what my job situation is going to be, I'm hesitant to spend much on non-functional stuff.

Total cost = materials on hand
Total time = 3-4 days, allowing for drying times
Outcome = Success

More Torani bottle ideas

Oh, yeah, more ideas for glass bottles.  I keep trying to come up with new stuff, not just copy the things I've seen on Pinterest.  The thing is, that's HARD to do!  Y'all are all so creative, and have such beautiful photos, that while I am proud of my work, I'm never fully convinced anyone else would like it.

That's why I maintain that if you're going to do crafts, do it because you like it.  Do things you like to do.  Try things you want to try.  Trying to copy other's work is what makes me the Make-Do Queen, because I always wind up substituting stuff and never using the exact same materials.  lol

Now, on to today's post.

I have three different results.  I started with 4 bottles, but one has gone back on the shelf for a re-think because it just didn't turn out well at all.  I'll come up with a use for it eventually, but for now, I'm calling it a dud. 

I had a nice vibrant blue that I started with, then drizzled white paint into the bottle, as well, and let it swirl.  I REALLY love the colors and marbled look of it!

Over the course of a couple days, I would lay the bottle flat and let the paint run to a new side, then add in a little more, if I felt it was needed, until the bottle was fully coated.  Then, turn it upside down into an old coffee can or whip cream container (something of which I have gobs) and let drain/dry for another day or two.  The weather warmed up and I was able to set them outside in the sun, which helped.

To finish, I just grabbed twigs out of my front yard (I have a HUGE Cypress tree) and tied raffia ribbon to give it a "spring" look.

For this one, I printed a globe-image off my computer, then blew it up to a good size, then pasted it onto the back of my trusty paper tape.  Using a cutting board and an box cutter, I cut the tape to create a stencil.  If you have a Circut or other fancy gadget that makes these sorts of things for you, I'M SO JEALOUS!!

This time, I left the Etching cream on for almost 10 minutes. 

My Dollar Tree purchase of the hydrating beads. I only used about half of the beads that came in the package, and kept the expanding "vase" for use some other time.  Might make a cute gift bag.

Followed the suggested instructions on letting the beads hydrate before placing anything in the bottle.

Then added garden soil. I had some that I purchased from Dollar Tree a couple months ago when I was impatient for spring, and combined that with some Miracle Grow potting soil to give a good mixture.

I have an ivy that I took cuttings from, and used. Somehow, I neglected to take a solo "after" picture.  So scroll down to see the final result.  I actually like it a lot....but I really love plants and planting.

And finally, I revisited my initial post of a solar powered lamp, but stenciled and painted for a more earthy look. Somehow, I neglected to take enough "before" pictures of this one, so I'll have to explain it a little more thoroughly.

Basically, I dripped blue paint down only one side of the bottle, careful to keep it from spreading by letting it mostly dry on that same side for several days.  Then I repeated with the green.  After letting it drain and dry, I stenciled it with the same globe stencil used above. Then, just to be safe, I sprayed multiple layers of clear sealer.  I know that probably completely ruins the whole idea of "earth friendly", but I really didn't want the stencil to wear off over time.  Its a completely optional step, and I should warn you that if you DO use the sealer, it will ruin any etching you've done with the etching cream, so...be informed.

When Dollar Tree was carrying the little solar lamps, I had purchased a bunch for project use, so took one a part, and placed the solar part and lamp shade onto the painted and stenciled bottle.  If you want to, you could easily glue it down with an epoxy or super-glue type adhesive.  I just sat it on top since there is little chance it will get knocked over.  The light is a really cool effect at night.  I wish I had the right kind of camera to do it justice.

TAA-DAA!!!

Total cost: Dollar Tree beads, lamp, raffia ribbon and dirt - $4.00 (I already had the other materials.)

Total time: I would work on them for 30 min every other day or so over the course of several weeks, so....maybe, with drying time, it could all be done in 5 days. 

Glass Bottles everywhere!

NOTE:  Unless you're one of those uber-patient or meticulous people, this isn't really the project for you.  See some of my other blogs on glass bottles.  If you ARE one of those weirdos, then enjoy! HA!  Just kidding.....sorta.

After my failure in my initial attempt at drilling a hole in a glass bottle to create a light of some sort, determination set in!  I went to my favorite store, Home Depot, and purchased the glass/tile drill bits suggested for about $8.00.

I applied the lessons learned on the last attempt, and started the hole above the thicker bottom portion of the bottle.  I also filled an old hairspray bottle with water to facilitate less mess when trying to keep the drill spot wet, but my surfaces dry.

After taping the bottle off, I started drilling.  Very quickly, I realized that the right tool makes ALL the difference, but after another 10 minutes, I decided that this would be the 1st and last bottle I tried to drill through "for fun".

Being careful to spray the spot with water every minute or so, I drilled for about 40 minutes.  I did have to stop about 25 minutes in to change out the battery in my power drill, but I'm not sure I started with a full charge.

The end result was still smaller than what I could get a set of Christmas lights through, so I walked away to think about it for a day or so.  While wandering through Hobby Lobby with the BFF, I saw the small battery-powered LED lights and inspiration hit!  I did have some of those from when Dollar Tree (my other favorite store) sold them at Christmas time, and they were small enough to fit through the smaller hole.

I had seen the glass etching cream ($9 Hobby Lobby) praised highly on several posts on Pinterest, so had purchased some to try out on the bottles.  Since I was already doing a St. Patrick's Day theme party, I decided to etch Shamrocks onto the bottle.

Had to create the stencil for use, and the complete lack of directions on how long to leave on was disappointing.  A search of the posts on Pinterest suggested about 1-2 minutes, so that's what I did.  In hind-sight, I'll leave it on for 3-4 minutes next time.

Sprayed the whole finished bottle with spray on glitter, which isn't clearly visable in these pics, and turned on the lights.  Not horrible, but wish I had left the etching cream on longer.  Live and learn.

Time: 1 hour or so
Cost: $19