Concrete and gold........Succulent planter and tea light votive...DIY

   

 When I made my concrete lampshade the other week, I found I had mixed up too much concrete...so I quickly grabbed a plastic laundry tabs container, and some empty play-dough cups....poured the rest of my concrete mix in, and this is the result...

...pretty beautiful for a spur of the moment make, hey??

 

I was bigging up concrete in my last post....but I really must say: A bag of concrete will cost you between £4-10, and there are endless beautiful makes you can use it for...

Save your old plastic containers, and when you've got 15 minutes spare...mix up some concrete and start making some industrial inspired home accessories...

It really is that easy!!

 

I filled the laundry tab box with the concrete mix , placed two play dough cups into the concrete...filled them with gravel to weigh them down, so they wouldn't float out of position.

 And left to dry and cure overnight...

Much like I did when making my concrete and cement planters this summer...

PS! It is helpful to remove the plastic cups before the concrete has fully set, but if you forget, just use a hair drier to heat up the plastic, making it pliable and easier to remove...

I ended up making 2 of these...

To make them match the concrete lampshade I made, I decorated with a strip of gold leaf..

 

The first one got a golden strip near the top.....

(See my previous post here for easy gold leafing instructions)

 

...And the second one got a golden strip in the middle...

 

Then I sprayed the inside of it with gold spray paint, before palm sanding the top to neaten and even out the concrete...

And, voila!! I'd created one concrete and gold tea light votive, and one succulent planter:

 

And they sit so lovely, side by side, on my little hallway shelf...

 

Easy..

Go on...have a go!

Concrete really is worth its weight in gold!!

xxx

June

concrete lamp shade....

 DIY...

In-between all my Halloween preparations over the last few weeks, I finally got around to doing this project: Making this concrete lampshade! Ever since I came across this tutorial from Ben Uyeda at Brit+co, I have wanted to try this...I even had a practice round in playing with concrete and cement when I made my concrete and cement planters earlier this summer...

Having finally done it, I now wonder why it took me so long...as this really isn't as tricky as it may sound...

I have always had a love for concrete: The way it looks: All those different shades of grey...(maybe even more than 50...he he), the rustic-ness of the finish, with bubbles and cracks...and I love the way that if feels: rough and cold to touch.

Where I grew up in Norway, we have a little bridge, paved in concrete, crossing the fjord to another island....and as a child I used to love running barefoot over the bridge on a hot summers day, just to feel the warmth of the concrete under my feet...and then there is the soft scent created by the first raindrops falling onto the hot concrete...indescribable and intoxicating!!

I love concrete!

So today I want to show you how I did it...

 You will need:

1large plastic soda bottle

1small plastic soda bottle

concrete mix

water

bowl

drill with 8ml & 2ml drill bit 

swag light kit

8ml threaded tube and nuts (I got mine from here)

empty soup tin (or similar)

wooden spoon (or similar)

scissors

Stanley knife

screws

The first thing you'll need to do is prepare the "mould" for making the shape of the lamp shade:

 This is where the two soda bottles come in...

Drill a 8ml hole in the bottle tops.(this is easier if they are still screwed on to the bottles).

Then cut the bottom of the larger soda bottle...

Fix the threaded tube into the bottle tops with the nuts... start with the larger one, attach the bottle then, reaching in to the bottle, attach the other bottle top and screw the small bottle in......you'll want there to be about an 1,5" distance in-between the two bottles...

Use the soup tin to hold the bottles upright in.

At the edge of the large bottle drill 3 small holes, to thread some screws into to stabilize the structure and ensure there is an even gap between the two bottles.

Now you are ready for the concrete:

                                                         

  The Brit+co tutorial said to use "quickcrete", which unfortunately is not available here in the UK. So first I tried using cement, but found that this was not a strong enough mix....so in the end I used multipurpose concrete mix from Wickes, which worked just fine, but must be left for at least 24 hours to cure...

Whatever concrete mix you can find, just follow the instructions on the pack with regards to mixing...

Spoon the mix into the gap between the two bottles...shake and tap the bottles as you go to ensure the mixture goes all the way down to the bottom...

Leave to cure!

 

Taking the concrete out of the bottle mould...

First: remove the screws.

Cut away the large plastic bottle..

Unscrew the bottle top, and remove.

Squeeze the small bottle until it comes way from the walls inside of the concrete, then twist to unscrew from the bottle top inside...

There you have it: your concrete shade...

Decorating...

 

You can of course leave your shade bare, but

I thought I'd add a bit of gold leaf to mine, as I love the contrast between the opulent gold and the rustic concrete...

I am no expert on gold-leafing, but I simply painted a thick layer of craft PVA glue onto the area I wanted to gold leaf....left it for 5-10 minutes until just slightly tacky, then carefully placed sheets of gold leaf on top of the glue...using a soft brush to very gently push the gold leaf onto the glued areas...Then use the separation sheets from your gold leaf book, lay them on top of the gold leaf then use your fingers to rub over to fix the gold leaf into the glue...

Note: If you have any gaps in your gilded areas, overlap with more gold leaf...leave any excess hanging off alone at this point...

Set aside to "cure" overnight..

The next day, use a soft brush to brush away any excess...

 

Finishing touch...

 

I sprayed the inside of the lamp shade with a metallic gold spray paint...

(here in the UK the Rust-oleum gold is the best of the lot), then used my palm sander with 40grit sand paper to smooth and even out the edge of my concrete shade...

Next up is the wiring of your concrete lamp:

You'll need something to suspend your lamp from...I used this shelf bracket from Ikea, and drilled some holes to thread the wire trough...

Use a swag light cord kit without a switch...I found one from cordsncables...

Take the plug off your cord, then simply thread through the concrete shade and the shelf bracket, before re-attaching the plug... I learned how to re-wire a plug here.

....and that's it....a designer look concrete lampshade for just over £20...

Cost breakdown:

threaded tube £4.50

Swag light cord kit £ 7

Concrete mix £6 (and with lots left over for other projects)

IKEA shelf bracket £3 

+

decoration

I love my new concrete lamp...It now illuminates the previously dark corner by my new gallery wall!

If you like the look of concrete, I hope you will give this a go...

I have also made some matching home accessories that I will show you in my next post..so please pop back later in the week to check it out!!

I love to hear your thoughts on my projects, and will of course answer any questions you might have asap...just leave a comment below!

xxx

June

Hanging Ghost decoration...

 

I just wanted to quickly  share with you all how I made this hanging ghost decoration...

This may be the simplest DIY I've ever done!!

All you need is:

An Old white pillowcase (or similar)

A stick or a baton of wood

Some marbles

Some white thread

a black pen

 I used a piece of driftwood to suspend my ghosts from, but use what you have!! If you don't have any marbles, a piece of scrunched up foil would do fine..

I used white embroidery thread, but again.....use what you have!

Simply cut up your white pillowcase  (or similar) into round discs...place a marble in the centre, and use your thread to wrap the material around...leave the thread long so you can use it to attach your little ghost to your stick...

To ensure your little ghosts doesn't hang their heads, use a small piece of tape to attach the thread to their heads, like in the picture above...When your ghosts are hanging in their designated space, use a marker pen to draw on their eyes... 

 

There you have it...

 

Some cute little ghoooosts ....

Have a go...maybe the kids could do this one??

I am hoping to squeeze in one more post before Halloween, but that is it for this seasons spooky makes...however having well and truly embraced my dark side this year, I have a newfound edge to my forthcoming projects, so stay tuned!!

I hope I have inspired you to take your seasonal décor one step beyond shop bought plastic decorations.....it really does make a difference!!

(Although my good'ol Mr Bones is coming out of retirement tomorrow, plastic or not, he stays with us from Halloween till the new year...he's even got a special place on the Christmas tree...

I will introduce you properly in my next post!!)

xxx

June

Boo...DIY marquee sign

We are nearly there!!

The shops are emptying of pumpkins and sweets, and if you are planning a Halloween party, like we are, you best start digging out all your skeletons (in your closets, lofts and cellars...)

There is still time for some last minute DIY decorations, and making this Spooky marquee sign will only take a couple of hours...

I will show you how...

 You will need:

Cardboard letters (mine spells out a scary BOO...)

ruler

pencil

drill & drill bit

small battery operated fairy lights

sandpaper

scalpel

Paint (I used black spray paint and gold rub'n'buff)

double sided tape

Small wooden board (cut to fit your letters on)

 

 First thing to do is measure our on your cardboard letters where you want the lights to come through...

A small set of battery operated fairy lights usually come with 20 lights on a string...so bear that number in mind when working out how many holes to put in each letter...

When you are happy with the planned positioning of the lights, use a sharp drill bit, SLIGHTLY SMALLER that the circumference of the tip of your fairy lights, to drill out the holes...

Next thing to do is to turn your letters over, and using a scalpel, cut out the back of the letters, leaving a 5ml lip all around the sides, like in the pictures above...

 

 At this stage, I would suggest that you try pushing the fairy lights in from the back through the holes...You may find, like I did, that some of the holes need widening a tad...do this by wriggling the back end of your drill bit in the hole...

When you are satisfied that its all going to fit, use some sandpaper to sand back any fluffy bits of cardboard around the holes at the front...

...Now you are ready to decorate your letters:

 

You can of course decorate your marquee sign however you desire, but I thought I'd just show you how I made mine look old and metallic...it's so simple:

I spray-painted my cardboard letters black then used my "antique gold" rub'n'buff and goldfingered them lightly...that's it!!

See my post on "goldfingering" here!!

Now, lets get those lights fitted in!!

 

When positioning the lights bear in mind that it is probably best to have the battery box at the bottom of the letters...

 If you are satisfied that the lights will stay in place by just pushing them in, then proceed...however if you would like to secure the lights into the cardboard holes...wrap a tiny strip of double sided tape around each individual light before pushing it through the hole, like I did, or you can use a few drops of superglue to secure the lights (I figured this could get a bit messy, as this part can be a bit fiddly...It is no fun gluing your fingers together with superglue...believe me, I've been there!!).

Tuck the wire under the little lip around your letters as best as you can...ideally the letters should sit flat on a surface...cut a little channel in the cardboard where the wire needs to come out for the battery box.

With the lights now pushed in, cover the back of your letters with some double sided tape, turn over and use your scalpel to cut away any excess...

 Peel away the backing of the double sided tape and position your letters on a piece of wood...I painted mine black for the occasion!!

And there you have it: DIY spooky marquee sign...just in time for Halloween!!

My little skull was a cheap plastic one that I gave a quick make over with a can of black spray paint and some "goldfinger"....

...and I've changed out my guerrilla embroidery for some spooky ghosts and a blood curdling "eeeeek"...

If you like my little hanging ghosts, I will show you how in my next post...it will only take you 10 minutes....

Now, I best start digging out our party decorations and hit the shops for to stock up on sweets...I secured 3 big pumpkins from the depleted stock at Sainsbury's yesterday...so I am ready to start carving!!

Mr is on music duty, choosing a spooky soundtrack for the occasion, and when I've finished rummaging around for last years party decs, I will be spending the rest of the day thinking up wicked party games for the little ones...

Little miss Moo is getting soo excited.....and so am I!!

xxx

June

Creepy HALLOWEEN cushions....

 

 I am having some issues with my photo's for this post, please bare with me whilst I work on resolving this issue!!

Everybody knows a quick way to update your home décor is to add soft furnishings like cushions.

But cool cushions can cost a fortune, so today I want to show you how YOU can make these 3 creepy Halloween cushions for just a little more than £10...

So, when I was making my Paper Mache Halloween pumpkins the other week, I had a lot of time on my hands whilst waiting for the paper Mache layers to dry, So I filled my time with other spooky décor makes, like these creepy cushions, made to match my Pumpkins...

I got some cheap cushion covers from IKEA(£3 each), found some spooky images on the internet, then made up some easy stencils, then got to work with some fabric paint...

Here's how I did it:

First I made my stencils:

I found this skull and crossbones image from Freestockphotos.com, printed it out in the size I wanted...(notice my printer running out of ink...it doesn't matter as the printed bit is what you want to cut out and throw away, so this is a great project to do when you want to use up the last remnants of ink in your printer)

Then I got another bit of paper, and covered it with double sided tape...I then adhered the skull image on: This will not only make the paper in the stencil thicker, but also provide a level of waterproofing, so that your stencil will last longer...

Using a scalpel, carefully cut out the black parts of the image, leaving the white...

 NOTE: If your image has, like the eyes and nose in mine, parts that are NOT connected to the white of the paper, please remember NOTt to cut them out fully, before cutting a little strip of paper to connect these areas with the rest of the stencil.... like in the image above.

 

 Put your cushion cover flat on the table, place the stencil on top and apply the fabric paint with a sponge...The darts of paper holding the eyes and nose in place, will leave lines in your stencilled image....simply fill these in after removing the stencil.

TIP:Before stencilling your cushion covers, place a bit of baking paper inside to prevent the fabric paint to seep through to the back of the cushion.

For my next cushion I used this fabulous skull stencil

 image by Tui-rector from Deviant art...the same one that I used for my scary skull pumpkin.

I repeated the process described above to make it into a stencil...

Having laid the cushion cover flat, with a bit of baking paper inside to prevent bleeding, I used some masking tape to stick my stencil in the position I wanted...

The sponge applicator I am using makes it easier to control the application of the fabric paints...You can find these sort of sponge applicators in kids paintbrush kits...

I used Dylan fabric paints (ca £1.50 per pot) in gold and white for this cushion.

First I stencilled the white skulls on to the cushion cover, then I let this set until dry (10-20 minutes) before applying the gold skulls...

REMEMBER to have some paper towels to hand and blot any excess pint of your stencil every now and then...

When all your fabric paint is completely dry (1-2 hours) take out the baking paper inside the cushion cover, then iron on low heat to set the paint into the fabric...place a bit of muslin or a kitchen towel on top of your design before ironing...

For my last cushion , I chose this creepy crawly spider stencil image from tag body art....

....repeating the processes above.

This really was such an easy and cheap DIY, and I love the result!

Cool cushions can cost a fortune, but I've made these 3 for £13.50, and I still have lots of fabric paint left over for another project or two...

 I have a few more Halloween décor DIY's to show you over the next week, before I reveal my Spooky home décor in its entirety...

so stay tuned for more easy, maybe not subtle, but definitely not cheesy ,Halloween Décor ideas!!

xxx

June