Dollar Store Crafts

Two Years, One Sale- On The Upcycle

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This April 27th 2015 marks the two-year anniversary of this blog and my creative mission to reuse, re-purpose and restyle.

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For me, Upcycling is all about having fun and being creative with items that would otherwise be discarded.  The biggest challenge for me has been the writing. I love to craft, but I struggle with writer’s block from time to time.  The ideas for projects often come but the words to adequately describe them do not. Although I am not blogging with quite the same frequency as I once was, I am still happy that I was able to continue and complete a few larger and more challenging projects this past year, like my Lane Cedar Hope Chest. After two years of creating I am inevitably left with too many items and not enough room to keep them all. I was excited to hear that my daughter’s school is sponsoring a flea market in early May.  This seemed like a great oppurtunity to have my first “flea market experience.” I have never tried to sell my projects before, so this is a huge first step for me.  What better way to re-energize and make room for new projects?

It’s spring cleaning time for On The Upcycle. That being said, it’s also a fun time to squeeze in a few smaller projects in the days leading up to the sale.

I love wooden boxes and picked this one up for 99 cents at Goodwill.  I didn’t care for the boxes original design, but the box itself was in great shape.

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I used a spray on white primer to properly cover the previous design on the box.

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I had a nice celestial print.  I have been in a colorful mood lately and wanted to utilize a design with a lot of color

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I applied Mod Podge with a brush, and placed the print on the box top and front.

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I painted the box blue and pink to match colors contained within the print

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This whimsical celestial themed box is one of the items crafted specifically for the sale.

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Here are a few photo’s of previous projects I have agreed to part with for the upcoming sale:

Peacock Table
peacock table before and after

Star Wars Kid Chair:

Star Wars Themed Fabric Decoupage Chair

Strawberry Shortcake Kids Chair:

Upcycled Strawberry Shortcake Kids Record Chair

Kids School Desk:
Upcycled Kids School Desk

Happy Earth day to all of my friends!! How are you celebrating today? Do any of you have experience with Flea Market sales? I would love to hear from you! Any tricks of the trade or friendly advice?

Fabulous Frida: Dollar Store Decoupage

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Beauty can present itself in many forms.  That is why I find the works of Frida Kahlo so intriguing.  The subject matter of her paintings are often grotesque and painful, but one can’t help being drawn to it.  Despite the many adversities life had to offer her, Kahlo never let it defeat her. She was a modern woman, ahead of her time, and created artwork that remains relevant today. Born in Mexico City around the start of the Mexican revolution,  At age 6 she contracted Polio which caused her to walk with a limp. As a young women, she was involved in a nearly fatal bus accident that left her with severe lifelong and painful injuries including her inability to carry a child.  Her heart was broken and this was reflected in many of her paintings, most of which were self portraits.

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Frida Kahlo pictured below with her partner and muse, painter Diego Rivera in 1932.

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My sister is also a fan of Frida.  She recently had a surgery that would take some time and perseverance to recover from.  I wanted to make her something special to lift her spirits and inspire her while she was convalescing. I thought something with a Frida Kahlo theme could do just that.  I had a small wooden box that was far from special, but would be perfect to store her medications in.

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First, I cleaned the box thoroughly removing dust and dirt that accumulated during storage.  I printed out a 4×6 Frida print, and applied Mod Podge to the box with a paint brush.  I then carefully applied the print to the box.

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I used black and golden rod acrylic paint to finish off the box redesign. Once the box dried, I used Mod Podge to seal the project.

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Make your own art inspired box Dollar Store Craft

Imagine the possibilities!

Materials:

Mod Podge

Print of choice for decoupage

Acrylic Paint

Scissors and paint brushes

Feeling the Frida Frenzy?  Check out these other On the Upcycle Frida Kahlo inspired projects

Frida Kahlo Decoupage TrayFrida Kahlo Decoupage Art Case

Character Fabric Fun: Star Wars Candle Made With Mod Podge

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Recently, I posted a kids chair project dedicated to the eternal kid in me.  A part of me that lives on despite my quickly advancing age. The chair was based on a favorite movie of my husband and I, The George Lucas Sci Fi classic Star Wars.  I always wanted to make an item dedicated to the classic movie, but I had no idea of what direction to go in. The thrift store circuit is hit or miss and lately I have been off the mark.  To pass the time, I have been browsing around a Joann Fabric store during my lunch break.  I tend to stay away because buying fabric in such a setting can get expensive. I like to keep project costs at the very minimum and recycle as much as I can.  Even when I chose only to browse I was often inspired by all of the fabric colors and creative possibilities.  All the choice and accessibility can be hard to resist!

It was to my amazement one day that I stumbled upon character fabric.  They have everything from Hello Kitty, Marvel, Family Guy, just to name a few, and best of all they had three different styles dedicated to Star Wars!  The fabric was a bit pricey ($14.99 a yard), but as luck would have it,  I was able purchase a large”scrap” piece for just under five dollars! I finally had my idea and “Star Wars Kid’s Chair” was born.

Star Wars Fabric Decoupage Kids Chair

What to do with the extra fabric?  I actually have quite a bit of it left, and I decided to use a smaller piece and make my hubby a Star Wars candle. Then it hit me!  With the holiday’s quickly approaching,  character candles made with fabric make fun gifts.  The best part about the candle is when lit it illuminates the characters and they glow, once again fun for the kid in all of us.

I purchased a few glass pillar candles from the dollar store and applied Mod Podge to the outside glass.  I trimmed a piece of fabric large enough to wrap the candle, but with minimal over lap. Any seams or overlapping of fabric will be visible once the candle is lit. I applied the fabric to the glass and applied a layer of Mod Podge over it to seal it onto the glass.  Allow to dry and it is ready to light!  Once the candle is used up, just remove any excess wax and drop a tea light in to illuminate it.

Star Wars Mod Podge candle chracter fabric

If  Star Wars isn’t your thing, no need to worry because with all the character fabric out there, you can make any novelty candle you like! May the force be with you….

A Decorative Touch: Dollar Store Metal Decoupage Planters

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I found these metal planters at Dollar Tree in their lawn and garden section. These planters were functional, but not very decorative.  I was attracted to the shape, material and size of these planters.  Of course, the price was certainly right.  What was that? Only one dollar?

If you decide to use these planters  in the yard, make sure to use Outdoor Mod Podge to seal them for added protection.  My plan was to keep them inside. I decided to use Mod Podge Matte Finish to decoupage some Victorian imagery onto the planters. I cut out the images, glued them to the metal planters and did my best to smooth out any wrinkles or air bubbles with my hands.  When dry, I used a paint brush to apply two coats of Mod Podge. Now, they display some lovely pink and purple Hydrangea from our back yard on our mantel.

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Deccoupage metal Planter

Decoupage Metal Planters

Summertime Crafts- Restyled Flower Pots made with Outdoor Mod Podge

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This my favorite time of year. Our living spaces expand and we can now utilize backyards, patios, and balconies. Flower pots are an inexpensive addition to any outdoor space, and look just as good inside the home. Flower pots can be found at your local dollar store or just about anywhere, and restyling them is a simple, and easy craft.   I had this one hanging around and thought a little sprucing up was in order.  I had some Jacquard style scrapbook paper scraps I had used from a previous project.   As you can tell I love Jacquard designs!  I have just about used up this book of  scrap-book paper designs I purchased from Michael’s Crafts.  I will be our searching for some new scrapbook paper designs in the near future.  I simply cut the paper into a long strip and used Outdoor Mod Podge to glue the paper to the top rim of the ceramic pot.  I  then applied the Mod Podge to the outside, applying a few coats.  A very simple project that you can share with the kids.  You can use fabric, wrapping paper, magazine clippings, personal photographs just about anything.  I recommend using Outdoor Mod Podge even if you plan on keeping your flower-pot inside.  Every time you water the plant you run the risk of getting it wet, and the Outdoor Mod Podge works great under these conditions and will seal it beautifully!  The key is to have fun no matter what design you choose!