Bloom Where You Are Planted Decoupage Flower Pot

Spring is in full BLOOM! The pure AWESOMENESS of spring has definitely arrived now in all of North America!  Snow and winter grey fuzzies have been replaced by Pantone's beautiful leaf green, accented by splashes of every color of the rainbow. Every tree, bush and plant is exploding with flowers and color. Southern areas are already enjoying their first harvest while the areas further north are in tulip and daffodil heaven right now.  

For those of us with spring allergies, whew....we are in full blown sneeze, itch and drip mode, the ants they are invading and yes, rainy days and mud-filled back yards are also part of the deal. But that's such a small price to pay because the air is absolutely golden and the world is filled with LIFE again. 

With spring, comes renewed opportunities for outdoor patio time, as well as starting those flower seedlings or herb gardens inside to brighten up our home interiors.  What better way to enjoy our plants than by creating a spectacular hand crafted pot for display!  

Many of us wonder what to do with the coloring pages we've finished, but wonder no more! Use pages you've already colored, or take this as an opportunity to sit down and do more coloring so you can make my Bloom Where You Are Planted Decoupage Flower Pot project. This beautiful decoupage craft is lovely for spring, gift giving occasions, crafting with kids or grandkids, or almost any rainy day. Stay inside and make something bright and cheerful. Once you've finished this lovely coloring page project, you can plant something inside. Jump over to the FaveCrafts site for instructions and let your creativity (and your flowers!) grow with this beautiful project.   

Mixed Media Recycled Box for Pet Lovers!

Do you love mixing media AND repurposing items as much as I do?  I'm not sure if it is the accessibility of materials, being frugal or having a social conscience about landfills but there is just something about combining recycling with mixed media that gets my creative juices flowing!

So here is a fun way to recycle bits and pieces in your craft "stash" to create a little treasure box, using easy peasy crafty techniques!  While the example below sports an image of a kitty, feel free to use your favorite dog image instead!
Note: This project was published in the recent spring issue of "Just Mixed Media" magazine (Scott Publications)

  

Materials you will need:

Empty small  metal, cardboard or paper mache box of your choice
Impression Obsession Rubber Stamps: Uh Oh #A7510
                                                               Rosie & Bandit #F7531
                                                               Fur with Brains #B7506
Clearsnap: Colorbox® Archival Dye inkpads (Wicked Black, Saddle, Pumpkin Pie, Squash)
                  Art Dauber
Beacon Adhesives: Zip Dry® Paper Glue 
                                Gem-Tac® Permanent Glue 
                                Fabri-Tac® Permanent Adhesive
Acrylic craft paint (white)
2" chipboard circle
Scraps of white and black cardstock
Ribbon or other fiber trims of your choice
Printed text scrap from book, newspaper or magazine

Instructions:

1.  Using Art Dauber, apply thin coat of white paint to chipboard circle; smooth edges and dry. Stamp the Kitty in black; dry.  Dab black ink around edges to grunge; dry completely.
2.  Measure and cut one strip of printed text and one strip of white cardstock to fit around the sides of the box. Take each strip and crinkle it in your hand; relax strips and lay flat on your work table. Using Direct-to-Paper (DTP) technique, apply Saddle to to text strip and Pumpkin Pie to the white cardstock strip. Glue crinkled text strip to box.
3.  Stamp "Fur with brains" on white crinkled scrap; trim and attach.
4.  Apply Squash DTP to remaining printed text scrap. Measure around the lid and hand tear scrap to fit. When dry, attach to lid with Zip Dry.
5.  Measure and cut a strip of black cardstock to fit around side of lid; attach. Cut ribbon to fit and attach with Fabri-tac.
6. Glue stamped chipboard circle on top of lid as shown, using Gem-Tac.
7. Stamp "Uh Oh" on ribbon scrap; attach to top as shown.