Thursday, May 10, 2012

Message in a Bottle

I originally saw this on 1-800Flowers.com for $39.99 and was seriously about to order it.
 It is such a neat idea and so sweet.  Right as I was about to input my payment information I started to think,"I bet I can make this cheaper and it would be more meaningful!".  I was already going to the craft store that day and might as well see if it was doable.  I ended up getting a much better product all for about $11. It was suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper easy to do as well.  The message written on the paper reads:

If I fell and scraped my knees, 
You’d dry away my tears. 
And when I had a nightmare, 
You came to calm my fears. 
As a child I always knew,
 You’d be there when I’d call. 
To comfort me in the dark, 
And catch me if I’d fall. 
And now that I am older, 
I value your love more. 
And know that you’ll still be there, 
‘Cause that’s what moms are for! 



Supplies:


-1 Glass Bottle (size of a wine bottle) preferable with a cork. I used an old cork from a wine bottle I previously used.
-1 Charm (There are so many to choose from in the jewelry section of your craft store)
-Leather string (soft deer skin) none of the slippery stuff.
-Clear sticker sheet from the scrapbooking aisle.
- Pearl Sticker accents (also from the scrapbooking aisle). They also have gems, flowers, bows, etc. It's your project!
- 1 Sheet coffee paper (see my home made treasure map post)


Directions:


1)Place stickers on the CLEAN glass bottle. I added the pearl accents to give it a more beautiful look. If you are unsure of your sticker placing abilities, you can always tape off a boundary section to work inside of.  Make sure it is large enough to include all the stickers you want to use.


2)Once stickers are in place, place charm on the leather string.  Making sure both ends meet and the charm is in the center of the string, wrap around the bottle neck leaving enough length for the charm to dangle.  Since the leather is so rough, it is able to be tucked through the pieces of wrapped leather without sliding out.  Once you have your desired end length, cut the leather.


3) Write out your message on your paper and roll up. Tie the paper using the remaining leather. 


Give to your favorite person! I've seen these used as invitations, wedding announcements, Valentine's Day gifts, Pirate Parties, etc. So many different things you could do!







Home Made Treasure Map. Easy as 1.2.3!!!

I started making this paper for a Mother's Day gift (blog coming next) and then my mommy mind got to thinking.  Wow! This paper looks like it would make a fun Treasure Map. I know my kids will get a kick out of it!  So I decided to test it out and blog about it in case it turned out!! Well, it did and my kids absolutely loved it.  Here is what I did step by step so that you can do the same thing.  Like I said earlier, this paper was originally meant for a Mother's Day project so, you can definitely get multiple uses out of it. Let your imagination run wild!!

Supplies:

1) 1- used coffee filter still with grounds in it
2) Computer Printing Paper (I used 2 sheets) You can use as many sheets as you want. Just dip the coffee grounds"sponge" in water to continue to color paper.
3) Hair Dryer- You can definitely let the paper air dry if you want. I just don't have the patience!

Directions:

1) Take used coffee filter and empty some(not all!) of the grounds in the trash leaving just enough to be able to cinch the filter into a purse. 


2)Blot the sheet of paper with the coffee "sponge" until entire surface is colored. Dabbing also gives a neat textured effect to the paper.  Feel free to soak your papers in a container of coffee if you don't want this look.

3) Let your paper dry. A hair dryer takes only a few minutes but if you don't have one, you could always let them air dry.

Your paper is now finished! I just found some cool treasure maps online and printed them onto this paper.  I also crumbled up the map to give it a more genuine look.