An Easy and Inexpensive Decorator Accent Vase

Quite often when decorating especially for the holidays, that little extra something is needed.  While the stores are filled with a multitude of decorations to choose from, it is nicer to create a custom-made decoration or accent piece.  We arrived home from our vacation home on December 22^nd, leaving only two days to get the house ready for Christmas.  I turned to my extensive craft supplies along with the purchases I made at Hobby Lobby.  Goodness that is a crafter's mecca!

I bought a tall, straight sided vase, glittered twigs, glass beads and Santa Ice Crystals at Hobby Lobby.  I had never seen the ice crystals spray before.  This is a temporary spray frost that can be sprayed on windows, mirrors or any glass surface to create a Jack Frost effect.  The spray contains no CFCs or other ozone-depleting substances.  It can be remove using window cleaner.

The glitter twigs are quite easy to make at home using twigs collected from trees in your yard or along your daily walk.  Allow them to dry until hard then spray with spray adhesive and sprinkle with glitter colour of choice.  I bought them simply because with the move I did not collect any twigs this past fall.  The artificial sprigg and glittery ribbon came from my craft supplies.

I don't have a specific crafting area established in our new home so simply used the counter in the kitchen.  I wan't worried about getting any of the ice crystal spray on the counter as it can easily be removed.  Still, I protected the counter with newspaper. 

I washed and dried the vase then turned it upside down on the newspaper.  Pictured is the vase just after being sprayed with the ice crystals spray.   I held the can about a foot from the vase when spraying.  The spray is quite thin, just sheeting the glass.  The spray is not tacky but it does have a bit of an odour .  It takes a few minutes for the ice crystals to start forming.

I sprayed from the top of the inverted vase to the bottom open end.  The instructions said the ice crystals would form within a half hour but I found they started forming within ten minutes.  As the spray dried the ice crystals formed giving a unique, Jack Frost look very similar to the frozen ice crystals that used to appear on our windows during the winter in my childhood home.  The picture does not do the effect justice.  It is a rather pretty look giving the vase a unique look.

I let the vase dry for about an hour until the entire vase was covered with ice crystals.  Then I removed it from the newspaper so I could begin decorating it.

Pictured is the finished decorator accent vase.  I decided against using the sprigg and chose the glittery ribbon with red, green and gold tones rather than the solid gold glittery ribbon.  I used the ribbon, a dollar store find, to further accent a candy bowl and candle centerpiece for a co-ordinated look.  I poured the glass beads into the vase first before adding the glittery twigs.  This hid the ends giving a snowy effect to compliment the frosted ice crystal effect.  It was simple and very inexpensive at under $2.

What I really like about this type of craft is after the event, the craft can be dismantled with the components put back into my craft supplies to be re-used in another craft at some point.  I really enjoyed working with the ice crystals spray.  We have side windows on each side of our entrance door.  I'm thinking of spraying them just to see if I like the frosted look rather than sheers.  The nice thing is the spray can be left as long as I like so if I don't like the look I can simply wash it off!  This crafting product gets two-thumbs-up in my book for versatility.

I placed the decorator accent vase in the dining room atop the vintage cabinet I refinished years ago.  The reindeer was made several years ago when I was heavily into ceramics.  The painting is one in our collection of painting from a local artist.  We have known this artist for several years.  Each painting is numbered, signed and comes with a story.  They are very unique!  The look of each painting does change with the lighting conditions taking on it's own persona.  This particular one reminds me of the sand dunes at Pinery Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada where we spent many a weekend camping with the kids.

The decorator accent vase just gave that little extra to that spot for the holiday season.  I might leave it as is for awhile before changing out the look for one that will work elsewhere.  It was an interesting, fun little project that was easily finished in just a little over an hour but the actual work time was only about 10 minutes if that.  I hope you like it!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Third Experiment Using SoilMoist™ for Craft Project

I posted earlier about using SoilMoist™ granules for craft projects.  This product is meant for use as a water management system for houseplants and outdoor potted plants.  However it has the potential to be used as a craft product for making interesting centerpieces, room fresheners and so much more.  I did two experiments with the granules to see how they would perform.  The granules took the food colouring well so that opens up being able to create custom colours to fit your decor.  I also tested to see how well the granules would absorb then release a scent like vanilla.  They hold and release the scent well again increasing the possibilities for a craft project.

Once I found that the SoilMoist™would take up food colouring and scent, I was interested in finding out whether the granules could have the colour and scent removed so they could be used in other craft projects.  I started with  granules that had been dyed blue with blue food colouring and scented with 100% pure white vanilla (1).  I poured the granules into a strainer then poured water over them to cover (2).  Once the water took on a good colour I poured it outside not down the drain just in case there were any small pieces of the granules in the water that could cause problems in the drain.  After three water changes the granules had lost most of their colour (3) and after the fourth water change the granules were back to crystal clear.  This means that I can now reuse those granules for other craft projects!  In order for this to work the dye and the scent must be water soluble but that still opens up a lot of possibilities.  I can see using herbal infusions such as lavender, mint and lemon balm for scent and with a bit of inexpensive food colouring the colour possibilities are endless!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Glass Canister Sand Souvenir

Glass Canister Sand Souvenir

Like many families we like to bring home souvenirs from our travels.  Years ago when the kids were young we made our first trip to Florida.  Of course the kids wanted to bring home sand and shells.  These weren't fancy purchased shells but rather shells the kids had found on the beach so they wanted to keep them.   I wanted a way to display the sand and shells that was a bit different.  One day I happened upon small glass canisters in the craft store and thought that would be a good way to display the sand and shells. 

The canister could be filled in so many ways!  The canister is 10 cm (4 in) diameter and 10 cm tall.  Both the bottom an top of the canister can be filled.  The lid has a plastic cap on the bottom that can be removed for filling.  I poured sand into both the bottom and top of the canister then added a few sea shells to each, replaced the plastic cap on the lid then put the lid onto the canister.  Similar canisters can be found in craft stores as well as the kitchen section in department stores.  They may even be available in dollars stores with the kitchenware.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Using SoilMoist™ Granules for Craft Projects

I just blogged about my waterball garden followed by another post on SoilMoist™ granules.  My main purpose for buying both of these were the decorative use for vases as well as a water management system for non-edible potted houseplants and outdoor planters.   As I was getting the waterballs and the related SoilMoist™ granules hydrated I could immediately see the crafting potential of this product.   I invisioned centerpieces using the gel, candles and embellished with fresh flower blooms.  The gel would keep the blooms looking lovely for a few days.  I also reasoned the gel could be used as is to surround candles with the gel adding a lovely sparkle to burning candles. 

I bought 4 - 3oz (85 g) packages of SoilMoist™ online for $3.  According to the package the granules are used for as a horticultural water management aid.  The premise is the granules absorb water then release it as the soil dries preventing the plant from drying out.  The instructions for using SoilMoist™ as a horticultural aid are on the back of the package.  I'm experimenting with this soiless medium both indoors and outdoors so will be reporting on how well I like it as a water management aid on my gardening blog over the next few months.  The granules will last several seasons outdoors so with care they will last several years indoors.  When used indoors as a crafting product the granules can be cleaned and re-used making this product a rather frugal craft product. 

The granules are a crosslinked polyacrylamide that is an opague milky white, hard granule until hydrated.  Then it becomes a clear, gel substance similar to stirred set jello.  It is very glittery with the gel reflecting any light that hits it.  It is quite pretty without doing anything to it!  This is a product that should be kept away from any drains where it has the potential to cause blockages.  Although the granules are non-toxic they should be kept out of reach of children and animals. 

I have already started experimenting with a couple of ideas for using this gel as a crafting product.  Tomorrow I will post a couple of the ideas I am testing with pictures and the how-tos.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010