Easter DIY | Tic Tac Toe Game

My apologies for posting this so late! I had wanted to share this before Easter but time got away from me. Maybe it's a crafty DIY you can make on Easter day! (You could also try all kinds of variations with holidays and special events!)

Without further ado, here is my Easter Tic Tac Toe game tutorial!

What you'll need:

• a wood plaque (I got mine from Michael's for 99 cents)
• polymer clay
• acrylic paints in Easter colors
• exacto knife
• paint brushes
• sandpaper or sanding block

Tip: You can make this kid-friendly by swapping the polymer clay for Crayola Magic (no baking required)

Start by sanding painting your wood plaque so it's smooth and won't leave splinters. Next, paint the plaque with your base color - I chose pink! Give it a couple coats to make sure it's covered well. You can paint a border to bring out the detail of the plaque and give it depth.

Once your plaque dries, it's time to add the Tic Tac Toe squares. I used a ruler and a pencil to get even spacing. Paint your squares with alternating colors. I also added some pearl green as a border for the squares (not pictured).

Roll out some white clay into a 1/2 inch thick log. Use your Exacto knife to cut 10 even sized pieces.

Roll each piece into a ball. Flatten one end on a hard surface and shape the top into an oval. 

Next, pinch 1/2 of the pieces at the top (these will be your bunnies).

Roll out a smaller log about 1/4 inch thick. Cut 10 even pieces and roll them into balls. 

Roll out each ball and flatten. Shape the flattened piece around your squished bunny heads -- now they have ears!

I chose to add a small pin in the bottom of each game piece. This makes it easier to paint them once cooked. But you could skip that step and just cook them on a flat surface.

Bake your pieces in the oven according to the instructions on your polymer clay wrapper.

Once they're baked and cooled, it's time to paint! I used yellow for my chicks and pink for the bunnies. You could paint them all different colors if you felt like it ;)

I added some darker pink as the insides of the bunny ears. 

Don't forget to add their cute little faces!

Tip: To make this a portable game, add a pin in the bottom before baking. Once cooled, put a dab of hot glue on some craft wire and insert it into the game piece. 

Use a Dremel tool to drill small holes into each square of the game board. Make sure it's just large enough to fit the wire, but not so big that it will fall out!

Once your painted pieces have dried - enjoy a quick game of Easter Tic Tac Toe!

Holiday DIY: Custom Snow Globe

I've been checking out the cute DIY snow globe tutorials on the web lately. When Julie Ann Art posted her mason jar tutorial, I knew I had to try it myself.

I do have mason jars sitting around. But I decided to try using glass candy trees that I picked up at the thrift store for a buck each.

I used some miniature deer and polymer clay for my snow globe scenes. I made a little airstream trailer and some pink yard flamingos for one of the scenes. I even dressed it up with some xmas lights. My mom called dibs on it while I was still making it :)

The glass trees have a plastic lid. To secure it to the glass, I used an epoxy glue. Once it dried, I added "Snow-Tek" fake snow around the base (not pictured). Then I sprinkled on some more snow glitter before it dried for a little added touch.

Check out the full tutorial over at Julie Ann Art!

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Holiday DIY: Fun Gifts For Anyone

This is probably the most fun project I've done...I just kept laughing while it was all coming together. This was also a really simple project so it would make for a great last-minute gift!

I took some of these fabulous porcelain paint markers (Pebeo vitrea 160 in glossy)

And drew funny faces and mustaches on some dollar store mugs.Let the paint dry for 24 hours then bake in the oven according to the marker's directions.

Then I made some chocolate dipped stirring spoons and marshmallows with some of these fun ingredients!

I also threw in some airplane sized liquor bottles and hot chocolate! Yummy! Hot cocoa, Bailey's Irish Creme (or Kahlua - or Frangelico!) and some chocolate dipped spoons...who wouldn't want that?!

Here's a quick tutorial on how to make the chocolate dipped spoons.

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Holiday DIY: Simple Filled and Painted Ornaments Tutorial

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm addicted to making ball ornaments this year! It's just so simple and there are so many variations!

You can fill glass ball ornaments with yarn, twine, feathers, fake snow, pine needles and random craft supplies. You can also fill them with paint! It's so easy to do.All you need is a clear ornament and your favorite acrylic paint.I'm really loving Martha Stewart's paint line. It is full of so many gorgeous colors and shades.

Squirt about a teaspoon of paint directly into the ornament. 

Slowly swirl it around until it coats the inside.

Use a plastic bottle or paper cup to store the ornament upside down. Leave it there overnight so that all the excess paint runs out.

Add the metal cap and voila! A lovely painted ornament in any shade you choose! You can use acrylic paint to add details to the outside, or leave it blank.

Update: Here are a couple of additional tips based on questions and comments over the past year:

• Be sure to start with a small amount of paint. If it doesn't coat the inside entirely, you can add more as you go. Adding too much at the start may slow the drying process.
• Leave the painted ornament upside down for at least 24 hours to let all the paint run out.
• Having the paint drip out will make the opening of the ornament messy -- clean it with a baby wipe or paper towel. Or once its dry, sand the paint enough so the metal cap can be put back in its place

I also tried filling with Martha Stewart's flocking powder. It leaves a nice, cotton candy-like texture.

I used some varnish to coat the inside of the ornament first...to give the flocking powder something to stick to.

Let it dry for 15 minutes, not completely, just enough to get sticky. Then coat the inside with the flocking powder. 

Using the same varnish to coat another ornament, I poured some candy sprinkles inside! These would be great stocking stuffers for kids..just make sure they don't try to eat them! You could seal the metal top with some glue on the inside if you're worried about that ;)

Update: For the ornaments using varnish, be careful only to use a small amount. The flocking powder ornament especially requires just enough varnish to make the inside of the glass tacky to the touch. Any more will be too wet and cause clumping. 

I got a little carried away with the paint selection. I tried glitter, satin, high gloss and pearl. Each makes a different, yet gorgeous effect.

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What are you filling your ornaments with this year?

Holiday DIY: Felt Tree Tutorial

Here's another quick holiday DIY tutorial for you! :)

These felt trees use very few supplies, but they do take a bit of time.

Supplies needed:

• 1 Styrofoam Cone (found at your local craft store)
• 5-6 sheets of felt
• scissors
• pearl head pins (find these in the sewing section - in different colors and sizes)

I chose white felt and multi-colored pins. I think they would look great in all white felt with all gold head pins. Or green with white...etc. The options are almost endless :)

Start by cutting your felt sheets into 1 inch wide strips.

Next, cut each strip into squares.
Then, cut each square into a circle. If you have a circle cutter tool, this could help speed up the process. I cut all my circles by hand! Yikes!

Take a circle and fold it in half, the fold in half again. It should look like a fortune cookie.

Next, stick a pin through the middle two layers of felt and bring out the back.

Pin the felt to the tree. Be sure to fill in all the blank spots so the green foam doesn't show through.

You can pin the circles to the top or add a star or other ornament.

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Holiday DIY: Painted Ornament Tutorial

Here's another simple yet cute ornament you can make with just a couple of supplies.

Just like my yarn ornament tutorial showed, you can start with a simple glass or plastic ball ornament, fill it with scrap yarn and add some acrylic paint.

 Gather your supplies:

• yarn or fiber fill stuffing
• acrylic paint in selected colors
• small paint brushes
• plastic or glass clear ornaments

For these ornaments, I used my scrap yarn leftover from my dandelion pom poms to fill the ornament. I also chose metallic acrylic paint for the penguin.






The penguin is very simple. First, paint the back solid and bring around to the front. Arch just past the metal closure and end at a point (around where you want the eyes).

Next, choose black paint and dip the handle of your paint brush to make the eyes. Dip a small paint brush in white for the dots of the eyes.

A small yellow or orange triangle, painted upside-down, makes a simple beak.

Add a wider triangle for each foot.

And that's it!

I also made a snowflake using simple lines and adding different sizes of dots on each line.

These make great last minute stocking stuffers! I'll be posting more simple tutorials for ornaments and other holiday decor over the next couple of weeks. Most will be made with fewer than five supplies or stuff you may already have lying around the house! Stay tuned!
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