Paper Mache Advent Tree

I am not sure if this qualifies for Stashbusting September but it certainly helps. It is a huge WIP I wanted to get out of the way. Plus now that I've finished it I can start more paper mache projects and use up some of the millions of egg cartons I've got hoarded away.

I started this tree two years ago. It is made out of egg-carton paper mache over styrofoam and the tubes are the tubes that E-beads come in. You can see the cross I made out of egg-carton paper mache here.

My plan is to put a note/message/text for every day of the month of Dec. leading up to the 25th in the little tubes. However, I still am not sure what I am going to do. If I figure it out, I will show you. If any of you have a great idea, let me know!!

This photo is closer to the actual color. However, the white is still a bit whiter than it shows here (I wanted the tree to look snowy but not to blast the eyes with bright white so I mixed it with sterling silver grey).

Here are instructions for making your own egg-carton paper mache project.


How to Make Large Paper Mache Projects

Paper mache is a great way to make customized artwork for your home. By making your project out of paper mache, you are able to make something that fits the space and suits your sense of style. Using egg cartons for your paper mache provides you with an inexpensive and uniform source for the base of your paper mache.

Supplies

• Paper egg cartons
• White glue
• Dry plaster of paris
• Essential oil (such as clove or tea tree oil)
• Styrofoam
• Utility Knife

Instructions

1. Protect your work area with plastic or a moisture proof drop cloth.
2. Design your art piece. Simple designs are best because they allow the texture of the paper mache to stand out.
3. Transfer your pattern to the Styrofoam. Use a utility knife to cut out the pattern. If the pattern doesn’t fit onto one piece of Styrofoam, do not worry, tape the different parts together. If the project involves areas which are long or weak, it may be prudent to glue a thin slat of wood (old paint sticks or rulers work well) across the joint to reinforce it.
4. Tear egg cartons into ½-1 inch segments until you have approximately 12 cups of egg cartons pieces. Cover the egg cartons in water and let soak over night. Drain.
5. Place the pieces of paper in the blender and cover with water. Blend until you have pulp.
6. Drain off the water. Mix 1-1.5 cups of white glue in the pulp and 1-1.5 cups of plaster powder in the pulp. Add a few drops of essential oil to deter pests.
7. The mixture is a good consistency when you can push your thumbprint into the pulp and it holds its shape. If the mixture is too wet, add additional plaster of paris powder. If the mixture seems a bit dry, add a little bit of white glue.
8. Press the paper mache over your form. Do not add more than ½ inch of pulp over your form at a time. Allow the pulp to dry completely. This will take anywhere from 24-hours to a week depending on the conditions. Allowing a fan to blow over the project will decrease drying time.
9. Continue to add pulp and build up your project. When the front is complete, turn the project over and encase the Styrofoam on the back in paper mache too.

Tips and Suggestions

• Light weight and small projects can be hung by embedding a strong string in the paper mache on the back with a loop left out to use for hanging.
• Heavier/thicker projects can be hung by using frame hanging kits.
• Consider creative hanging methods such as screwing curtain tie backs into the wall and using them as brackets for the artwork.
• The texture of the paper mache can be tricky to paint. A spray painted base coat makes it easier to get into texture.

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BrytonPick

Toothgaurd Dental Instruments recently sent me a sample of their product the BrytonPick to test and review. Before I tell you how my husband and I feel about the pick, let me share some of the facts that they sent to me in a letter with the test products.

• ADA statistics show only 12% of the population flosses regularly. According to the notes from BrytonPick it is because floss is not convenient or easy to use. The letter goes on to say that “As not many products are reusable or comfortable to carry, people often use dangerous improvised tools lik; a pen cap, paperclip, staple, fingernail, edge of paper or worse!”

I have to confess, I often flatten a straw when I am at restaurants trying to get it between my teeth to get rid of an annoying bit of food.

• BrytonPick argues that they are the solution because the BrytonPick is “stylish, convenient and discreet, making it more socially acceptable. It is designed to be used daily, when on the go, to remove food debris and plaque from between teeth after meals and snacks.”

I have to confess. I am among the worst flossers on the planet. I am not even particularly good at brushing my teeth for an acceptable length of time.

Our Opinion

The BrytonPick is awesome at cleaning between the front teeth, which is perfect for me. I have a gap behind my front two teeth that often gets bits of meat or lettuce stuck in it. However, read the instructions. I didn’t and I did slice the corner of my lips with the pick the first time I used it by trying to use it without looking in a mirror.

I am definitely slipping one of these in my purse to use when I am at restaurants and have something stuck in my teeth!! It is small and comes in convenient packaging perfect for the purse plus I can just rinse it off and slip it in my purse for future use!!

My husband really likes his BrytonPick. I sent it with him to work. He uses it after his lunch and is very pleased with how well it works. I am pretty sure he will want to replace his when it has reached the recommended limit!



Disclosure: BrytonPick sent me samples of the pick, at no cost to me, for review purposes. The opinions shared belong to my husband and me, you may not have the same experiences we do.

Raggy Flowers

Recently, I discovered prodded rag rugs made by Heather at The Patchwork Heart. You have to check out her Cath Kidston inspired rug.

While researching prodded rugs, I found a tutorial for Raggy Flowers. 

I had to make them. The first one I made was denim. I didn't like how it turned out so I washed it several times, thinking that fraying would improve it. Not so much, huh? So I made a second denim one. Nope I don't like denim ones.

Next, I made one from the same flannel that I made the winter outfits for the girls I like this one much better.

But my favorite is definitely the one made from pink knit.

Isn't it pretty? It is the same fabric as K's leggings. I think I will put it on a headband for her.

I'll be sharing these at:

Small Pity Party and Clock

Another clock refashion.

Yesterday was a hard day. It started out great. Saturday had been super-productive and had gone smoothly. We had accomplished everything on our to-do list and were feeling good about life.

Church was good. The worship was uplifting and the service was the sharing of various short-term mission groups that we sponsored this summer.

On the way home from church. I scraped the mail box when I backed into the garage (I back in every day multiple times...sight). Now we have another nice dent in the car. We came in. Hubs and I were tense and the girls were excitable. We hear a crash in K's room. The bed that we put together for her yesterday collapsed (for the record we discovered that it was a design flaw and hope to get it the company we ordered the rails from to do something about it).

While getting ready for lunch. I spilled a full glass of iced tea - that was the moment when we knew we needed to laugh.

Last night we had a picnic for the parents of students so that we could get to know each other and the teacher. My camera began to have issues (I had noticed some things while doing a photo shoot on Saturday but attributed them to other things). Turns out my shutter needs repair. :(

However, by the time the girls went to bed and Tim and I talked over the day we were able to calmly decide what we wanted to do and make a plan and even be at peace about all things. :)

The clock at the top of this post was tricky. I wanted to glue the face in because I had to remove the rubber seal when I disassembled the face. Unfortunately, that led to some weird things and it took several attempts and the scraping of glue to accomplish. 

Of course, now it is glued in, I am not changing it. However, I am not sure about the light green seed beads I interspersed with the ivory. What do you think?

I will be sharing this at:

Creative High Party

My Creative High
 Or at least, a huge creative success.

I saw the idea for this years ago when we took the girls to a play of Charlotte's Web. Attached to the theater was a small art gallery. Hanging in the gallery was a huge canvas, a white on white creation of flowers. The flowers were all made out of recycled lids. I always thought I wanted to make some myself.


Mine is much more simple. I used recycled lids for the blossoms and the leaves (the leaves are lids from oval body wash containers) and the stems are straws. The base is a shelf from one of those prefabricated modular storage shelves that I didn't use and has been laying around for years. Spray paint and glue = a simple whimsical picture for K's room.


K loves it she has requested that in addition to these 'dandelions' that I make her dark purple violets and orange day lilies.


Last Weeks Highs:

Anna from Moon River makes these beautiful fused dichroic glass pendants.

Cecily from Craftopotamus made this bag which recycles birdseed bags. It has been featured all over blogland and it deserves it.

Laurie at Scene of the Grime updated her burlap wreath using painted plastic decorative fencing.

Anji from Starking Crafty Party Ideas did a Dalek Pirate themed party for her son. She made loads of cute things and had great game and craft ideas. My favorite were the dalek flags she made. She is our Creative High Winner of the week.

The Rules:

1. Link to your specific post, not the main page of your blog. Link to something you made that shows off your creative genius; something that gave you a creative high kind of like the endorphin rush that runners talk about. It can be an old post or a new post but it needs to be something you made.

2. Give your entry a descriptive title.

3. Use my button to link back to the party or add a text link in your post.

4. I can't accept links to etsy shops or online stores but I will accept parties and give-a-ways.

5. By entering your link, you are giving me permission to use any part of your post including pictures in a spotlight at Those Northern Skies (appropriate credit and links will be given to you and your blog of course).

The Prizes:


1. Every Friday at the next party, I will highlight my favorite posts from the previous week.

2. My favorite entrant of the week will win an advertisement in my sidebar free of charge for one month (four weeks). If you do not have a shop, I can put your blog button up or if you would rather I can put up a button for your favorite charity.

3. In addition, for those who make a project inspired by one of my projects or one of my tutorials, I will pick one winner a month and they will get to keep an advertisement in my sidebar for two months. Plus all inspired entrants will be part of a featured post at the end of the month.

I will be sharing this at:

New Bookshelves!! A CSN Review

When I look at the corner of our living room, I am thrilled to bits. I have new bookshelves thanks to CSN Stores. I was given another opportunity to review CSN's products and I decided to review some furniture.

I ordered my Sauder Graham Hill Bookshelves on Tuesday of last week and I received them on Friday and that was with regular delivery. CSN is super fast in their shipping department. I had the same experiences last time I reviewed for them.

We were busy last weekend so I didn't get to put these things together until Tuesday night. I thought they went together easily but my husband who was helping me did not think it was the easiest. He thought that the design for putting them together could be easier. But, you must remember, my husband is an engineer.

If you are okay with winging it and sometimes taking things apart because you didn't read the instructions well, you will find these easy. If you over-analyze everything, you may find it a bit more like my husband said "Not the easiest to put together."

Yesterday, I loaded her up and decorated her top.

I really like the stepped back design of these shelves, they are a little more interesting than a plain box.

She sits in the corner that I recently redecorated to help hide the water stains from the roof problems we had several years back. I added the cross-stitch from my Mom, my teapot from CSN, and my silverware lamp to the top.

The shelves have some of my favorite classics and/or best thrift store hard cover finds.

Notice the books that have the same cover? A few years ago, I got the complete works of Charles Dickens, Oxford Edition with copies of the original serial prints, at the thrift store for two dollars a book. I've always thought I wanted to read all of Dicken's work. I've read The Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, Hard Times, Martin Chuzzlewit (although I can't remember any of it), The Old Curiosity Shop, and I am stuck in the middle of Bleak House.

On the shelf above Dickens you can see my Jane Austen works (I have two left to read), The Age of Innocence (one of my favorites), Uncle Tom's Cabin (another favorite),  and a Passage to India among others.

Some of the books the top shelf are Anna Karenina (great book btw), Crime and Punishment (rocked my world the first time I read it in HS), War and Peace (which I hope to read soon), Gone with the Wind, and I have a large group of Fitzgerald there (another great thrift store find).

I love books. Do you?

Disclosure: CSN Stores gave me a gift certificate, at no cost to me, so that I could pick one of their products for review purposes. The opinions shared belong to me and my husband, you may not have the same experiences we do.

Double Shorts Bag

I was digging through my stash the other day and found a pair of my husband's cargo shorts. I knew that he recently had handed me another pair. Dig, dig, dig. I found them!!

One pair was old and completely worn (read hole in a critical seam, making them very breezy). And he just didn't like the other pair. Both were of lighter-weight fabric.

Now I have a bag with tons, and tons of pockets.

I made the handle super long so it hangs down across my body and well against my hip/thigh, which means it was much to large for my daughter to model. :)

I am super-duper loving this bag. Can't wait for hubs to get rid of more pants!!

I am sharing this at:

3/4 Successful Furniture Redo

I am about half pleased with how this turned out. My husband is almost a hundred percent pleased with my work so I am calling this 3/4 successful.

I paid four dollars for this classic ugly old side table at my favorite thrift store. I removed the decorated trim and knobs and sanded the whole thing down and painted it black. I spray painted it. I also spray painted another piece that will be done soon. Next time, I am painting with regular paint.

Then I glued portions of map in the doors. I cut out NWES out of map paper to decoupage on the top.

When we moved into this house it had lace mini-blinds. I love how they look but it is time to replace them. You can see them and the sheers in front of them reflected in the very glossy surface of this table.

I poured Envirotex Lite Finish on the top and on the doors and bought ORB knobs for the door knobs.

I didn't manage the top as well as I would like. It managed to seep over the edges and so the edge beveling is a bit messy some of it is glazed and some is not. :(

One thing I do like about the finished piece is that it provides storage for extra pillows and blankets. I also love how the map-work turned out. It is what I envisioned. I just wish the painting and the finishing looked nicer and more 'finished.'

If I had my druthers, I would distress this baby but hubs hates distressed furniture so I restrained myself (so I can have loads of doilies in the living room).

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Warm, Cozy Flannel Clothes for Winter

Did you know they make flannel sheets? The solid blue is from a flannel sheet. The print is from thrift store yardage.

They were worried about a bee.

I made C's capelet first. Yes, it is very wrinkly. She has been trying it on with everything in her closet (except for jeans) and nothing matched. So I made her a skirt. The ruffle is from a bedskirt.

Um, yeah. I should have ironed. 

I lined the capelet.

pockets and mismatched buttons (sorry no good photos of the buttons, the top two are vintage metal buttons and the bottom ones are metal replicas of buffalo buttons).

The pants are a bit big but I am not going to do anything about it right now. It will be a couple of months before it is so cold that she will wear this and given how the girls  shoot up - it might not be a problem by then.

I'll be sharing this at: