JUST WANT TO SHARE....Earth day freebies and my new store

First of all, I just wanted to let you know that I have just opened a shop on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/luvabowsboutique. Pls. stop by and check out all the hair accessories and jewelry I have created.

Next thing I wanted to share was some freebies for earth day, which is tomorrow, April 22, 2012.

TARGET - free reusable bag while supplies last http://sites.target.com/site/en/spot/page.jsp?title=EarthDay2012

JOANN FABRIC AND CRAFT STORE - The first 50 customers at every Jo-Ann store will receive a free tote bag

ORIGINS - get a full size moisturizer if you bring any skincare bottle/jar (full or empty). Complete this form and bring it to any origins counter http://www.origins.com/cms/special_offers/in_store_trade_in_20120422.tmpl

DISNEY STORE - free reusable bag when you bring in 5 plastic bags to be recycled. I did this last year and this is what my girls used as their beach/swimming bag during the summer.

TULLE TOPIARY TUTORIAL

Here is a tutorial for the tulle topiary I posted earlier. Like I had mentioned on that post, this was inspired by a picture I saw on pinterest which unfortunately did not come with any kind of tutorial . What you will see here is just something I came up with and may not necessarily be the right way of making it but this is what worked for me.

Materials:
-flower pot (got this one at the dollar store)
-4" styrofoam ball
-floral styrofoam (the one I used which I also got from the dollar store was an exact fit to my pot although I'm sure you can use any other kind of styro just not the econofoam which tends to crumble and just make a mess)
-5/16 wooden dowel - I bought a 36" and cut in half making it 18"
-1 roll of light pink tulle
-1 roll of bright pink tulle
-ball pins
-1 sheet of tissue paper
-ribbon for the bow

1. Place the floral styrofoam in the pot, stick one end of the dowel through the styrofoam ball, about half way and stick the other side in the center of the foam.

2. Cut the tulle into 8 inch strips. You will need about 65 strips of each color.

3. Grab one of each color, put them together, twist it in the center a few times, fold it in half and stick the pin in the center.

4. Stick it on the styrofoam ball. I usually start on the top although I dont think it really matters where you start. Repeat step 3 and place pins about an inch apart. I didn't follow any kind of pattern and just stuck the pins anywhere I felt  it should go.

5. Cover styrofoam in the pot with tissue paper.

6. Latly, tie your ribbon around the dowel and make a bow.

and you're done!

PINTEREST INSPIRED PROJECTS

I know I haven't been able to do a lot of posts lately and that's because I've been busy creating all kinds of stuff that have been inspired by a new website called Pinterest. For those of you who are not familiar with it, Pinterest is the hottest craze online right now. It's basically a site where you can create different boards and pin ideas and products to it. It's like looking through a magazine except it has everything you can think of like style, home decor, crafts, etc. all in one site and the best part is....it's FREE! If you would like to join, just click on that red button on the top right  of my page that says "follow me on pinterest".

The first things I made were these bracelets.

When I saw these on Pinterest I absolutely loved 'em but I found out that you can only get them on Etsy and they were selling for about $35 to $40. I really cannot justify spending that much on a bracelet made out of plastic and gold links so I decided to make them. I could not find any tutorials for this so I just had to figure it out on my own. (Please leave a comment below if you would like me to post a tutorial.)

Another type of bracelet I made was this one. This is made out of two chains that I connected with a braiding cord.

After making jewelry, I turned my attention to making decorations for our Easter party. I made wreaths to hang on my door, some paper flowers to hang above the dining room and some topiaries to put on my candy bar.

If you have any questions or if you would like me to do a tutorial on any of these, please let me know. Thanks for stopping by!

DIY Candy Jar

This candy jar idea is perfect for Easter and other occasions like birthday parties and the best part....it will only cost you about $5. Below are the list of materials you will need to make it.

-flower pot
-flower pot base/plate
-round glass vase (you can probably find at the dollar store)
-wooden knob (Wal-mart or any craft store)
-glue like E6000 (should be waterproof)
-paint (acrylic, spray, ceramic....)
-clear coat (in my case I used Mod Podge)

All you need to do is paint the pot, base and knob with the desired color. Apply the clear coat. Glue the glass vase to the pot and then glue the knob to the bottom side of the plate and Viola! You have a cute candy jar.