Quicksie – And Then Home

Remembrance Day Craft – Elegant Button Poppy

christine — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 14:05:41 +0000

As Halloween comes to a close and Christmas is on it’s way, we prepare to observe Veterans Day in the US and Remembrance Day for fellow Canadians. It makes November a quiet and impactful month with some major decor possibilities. You can change your pillow covers, place some paper poppies in a vase on the mantel, wear a felt poppy or hang some Veterans Day or Remembrance Day art. The last one brings us to today’s project, a Remembrance Day Craft – Elegant Button Poppy.

So, in honour of Remembrance Day the girls and I (well, mostly I) made an Elegant Button Poppy Art that we can hang on our wall. This craft is an easy one and yet looks professional, which is what you want from your DIY home decor projects. My middlest daughter, who is just over 3 years, had a fun time creating her version of the craft while I worked hard on mine. It didn’t take us long and we both had fun. Here is a preview of what we came up with…

I placed mine in a black frame and added a light green card stock mat to finish it off. This piece looks great on the wall or on the mantel. Pair it with other red decor pieces like vases, flowers or cylinders. This picture will also fit right in with any rustic or vintage decor for the month of November, consider using a wooden frame. Let’s take a look at the easy step-by-step.

Remembrance Day Craft – Elegant Button Poppy

The goods:

– 8×10 piece of white bristol board

– red buttons

– red embellishments (I used some red jewels)

– black sequins

– green paint

– glue

– black sharpie (or paint pen)

– paint brush

Optional – frame

– card stock for mat

Intructions

1. Place a few drops of glue in on the white bristol board where you want the center of the poppy to be. Add the black sequins.

2. Arrange the red buttons and embellishments on the board in a pattern that you are happy with, creating 4 petals. When you are happy with the arrangement add a small amount of glue to each button/embellishment.

Almost done your DIY Poppy Decor!

3. Being careful not to disturb the red buttons, paint a small green stem from the center of the poppy. Be sure to leave a space large enough to write a saying or quote that represents Remembrance Day for you (this could even be a name). Continue to paint the rest of the stem. Add two leaves along the base of the stem. Set aside to allow drying.

4. Once dry you can add your saying, name or quote to the space in between the stem using the sharpie/paint pen.

5. If you decide to frame your work, measure and cut a piece of card stock for the mat and place them inside the frame.

Viola! A beautiful craft to help honour this special day. Get your children involved along side or with the main event, they will love making this art!! If you’re looking for more Remembrance Day crafts take a look at our Felt Poppy.

Need supplies? Here’s where you can start*

*Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. There may be a small commission made by our recommendations, and/or link to products mentioned or services on this website. Any potential purchase you make will help us continue to bring you amazing content, step-by-steps and product reviews. Products are not exact to what we use, be sure these materials are right for you!

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DIY Flower Heart New Baby Sign

Vicki — Sun, 25 Feb 2018 16:32:28 +0000

Is someone you know expecting a baby? Planning to throw a baby shower? Decorating is almost as much fun as the party itself! With this beautiful DIY Flower Heart New Baby Sign you will add a really personal touch to your shower decor. The sample that I made is a bit too small for a shower display. At about 6″ by 10″ it’s certainly a great gift size! You could even change ‘Welcome Baby’ to the little ones name and birth date so it becomes a birth announcement for the nursery. Make this DIY your own and remember to share your ideas with us here or on our Facebook page!

DIY Flower Heart New Baby

What You’ll Need:

– A wood plaque or a canvas
– Lavender acrylic paint
– A white paint pen
– Paper flowers
– Pearl beads
– Yarn
– White tulle
– Hot glue gun and sticks

Firstly, paint your plaque or canvas solid lavender (or other colour of your choice). Let dry.

Secondly, use the paint pen to write your message on the bottom of the sign and let dry.

Cut a length of tulle, enough to cover the front of your sign and a little more so it will wrap around the back. Glue the tulle onto the back of the board
to secure.

Start gluing the paper flowers onto the middle of the sign. Keep adding flowers to make a heart shape.

Add the pearl beads to the centre of each of the paper flowers.

Finally, tie a length of yarn around the top of the sign to finish it off.

We hope you liked this DIY Flower Heart New Baby and it helps you with your shower decor planning or gift giving! Remember to share your results with us

Planning a baby shower? Certainly, check out this Easy Breezy Garland for a tropical themed shower or our Yarn and Cat Mobile!

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DIY Christmas Candy Cane Wreath

christine — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 13:30:26 +0000

This cute DIY Christmas Candy Cane Wreath is a great holiday craft! It’s fairly easy to make and the supplies won’t break the bank. Get the kids to help too, this wreath could make a great teacher’s gift. We used a hot glue gun to attach all the candy canes together, but you could use double sided adhesive strips to make it a little more kid friendly. Christine’s girls are still on the young side so they were happy to help pass the materials and stick the embellishments on after we placed the ‘blob’ of hot glue.

Here’s the step by step! DIY Christmas Candy Cane Wreath

What you’ll need:

About 28 candy canes (any flavour/colour)
Hot glue gun
Ribbon
Some plastic snowflakes
Embellishments (we used sparkly balls)

How to:

Before you begin to use glue, we recommend setting up a mock wreath to see how your design will look. Since we used 3 different types of candy canes we wanted to see how the pattern would look. Once you’re happy with the look, it will be easier to put together.

DIY Christmas Candy Cane Wreath

Firstly, place a small amount of glue on the top and bottom of one candy cane. Continue this step until all of the candy canes are attached. Remember to create a circle with them as you go, this should occur naturally but you may need to help it out a little.

Once the circle is complete add the snowflakes using the hot glue gun. One on each side of the wreath, this will help hold it together.

Now for the ribbon! Weave the ribbon in and our of the candy canes, we did three on top and one under, this way more of the ribbon was exposed. Use the hot glue gun to adhere the loose ends of the ribbon to the wreath. Also, attach a small loop of ribbon to the top back of the wreath. This will be used to hang it.

Your Christmas Wreath is just about done, one step left…

Finally the embellishments, we used the hot glue gun once again to stick the balls onto the wreath.

My daughter’s ‘helping’ hand <3

We hope you loved this wreath as much as we do! If you tried one out, don’t forget to share it with us on our Facebook page, or send it in an email! We’re always happy to see DIY projects!

If you’re looking for more Christmas decor ideas, be sure to check out this Pretty Pearl Snowflake Pillow Cover by Champagne and Sugarplums. Looking for a fun Christmas snack? Try our Holiday Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Sticks.

Happy Crafting!!

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Autumn Embroidery Hoop Topiary

Vicki — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 11:00:25 +0000

It’s October…and its already snowed here in Calgary. Thankfully it only came in for one day and has now melted but it still marked the end of the flowers I had on my front porch. They are both officially dead – RIP my fall chrysanthemums.

Yikes! Not a happy morning…

Now I’ve been brainstorming about how to use my two planters. I needed something quick and ideally on the cheap. I headed to the craft store and wandered around a bit. Luckily everything fall is on clearance now because in retail, its Christmas time. I found a couple of leaf garlands for cheap and then picked up some embroidery hoops. My plan was to make a circle from the hoops and cover them in the garland to make a topiary ball.

It did not look good.

That’s okay, it happens in DIY sometimes. Back to the drawing board and I redesigned the look by covering the hoops in burlap ribbon and letting them show instead of covering them up. I’m quite happy with my second attempt. ? It’s a good lesson to not get discouraged if something not quite working. Tweak a couple things and hang in there, it’ll work out in the end!

What You’ll Need:

Embroidery hoops
Leaf garland
Hot glue gun and sticks
Scissors
Ribbon

Cover both the inner and outer hoop with the ribbon. Glue along the way to hold the ribbon in place.

Place the smaller hoop inside the larger one and glue them together to create a ball.

Add leaves from the garland in the bottom of the circle and secure with some glue. Cut some individual leaf from the garland and glue to the hoop decoratively around the top and sides of the ball.

My finished topiary’s are sitting on my planters to replace my sadly dead plants. I made a second ball in a larger size to go onto the larger planter. Need some more fall décor? Check out our String Art Leaf in Autumn Colours.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. There may be a small commission made by our recommendations, and/or link to products or services mentioned on this website. Your purchase will help us continue to bring you amazing content, step-by-steps and product reviews.

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Fabulous DIY Up-cycled Kids Coat Rack

christine — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 16:57:53 +0000

I may have mentioned that my oldest daughter is starting JK this year and with that comes a lot of small items to buy and then store. Everything is pretty much ready to go, I have her lunch bag, coat, new clothes and book bag. All that’s missing is somewhere to hang all these things. I could put them in the coat closet like everything else but that would be too boring…not to mention would eliminate the need for another fun DIY project! Enter the Fabulous DIY Up-cycled Kids Coat Rack.

This Up-Cycled DIY’er was easy to do and a lot of fun. I had a hard time deciding what colour I wanted the backgrounds to be. My mind was bouncing between keeping it classic, versus fun colours versus something sparkly. As you can see from the pictures, I went with a classic look. If you’re indecisive like me you can always change the background colours later, it would be easy to do.

The base for this project was found at a local second hand store. I’ll admit it, I got a lucky that day. You really have to go frequently to find awesome steals like this one. As soon as I saw this piece leaning against the wall I knew I could use it for something. It had some dents and marks but the frame was in great shape with no cracks or broken pieces and the best part – it had a $5.00 price tag (with the original $29.99 one on the back). Who would say no to that??

The only other materials I needed to complete my piece were some wooden letters and card stock, both I found at the local craft store. The letters I bought were wood coloured, so I painted mine. There were white ones available but I didn’t like the style they had, and the wooden ones were the perfect size! I picked up a couple of different card stock sheets…because…well, I can’t make a decision in the store, I need to agonize over it for a couple days haha.

Fabulous DIY Up-cycled Kids Coat Rack

What you’ll need:

Rack (preferably with ‘windows’ and hooks)
Paint
Glue
Wood letters
Scrapbook Paper
Ruler
Scissors

Step 1. Fix any blemishes in your coat rack, if you found it at a second hand store that is! Mine had a few scratches and dents that I painted, but otherwise I was good to go.

Step 2. Paint your wooden letters the colour of your choice. I used white as my coat rack is primarily white. You may need two coats. Set aside to dry completely.

Step 3. Measure and cut your scrapbook paper to the size needed to fill the ‘windows’ of your coat rack. Then remove the back of the window and place your scrapbook paper inside. No need to glue them down.

Step 4. Glue your letters down onto the scrapbook paper using glue (if your not sure which one to use, check out our handy Glue Guide). Set the letters in the middle of each window and set it aside to dry.

Step 5. Hang your finished Kids Coat Rack in your mud room or entry way for an easy to use coat and backpack organizer!!

I hope you liked this easy decor project! Obviously great to keep the kiddos organized, but could also work for your pets or yourself. If you’re looking for more Up-Cycled projects check out our fun Up-Cycled Dollar Store Trash Can.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. There may be a small commission made by our recommendations, and/or link to products mentioned or services on this website. Your purchase will help us continue to bring you amazing content, step-by-steps and product reviews.

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DIY Back to School Memory Chalkboard

christine — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 13:22:02 +0000

It’s happening…my daughter will be heading into Junior Kindergarten this year. I can’t believe it, I feel like she was just learning how to crawl and here she is going to school. It will be an adjustment for me as I’m used to having her around. But, the day is approaching fast so I’ve started getting all of her back to school items ready. I started off with shoes, then a lunch bag and backpack. I still have clothing to buy and that got me thinking about the photo I will start taking on the first and last day of every grade and THAT got me thinking about crafting…doesn’t your mind end with a DIY project too?? So, here I sit, writing about my daughter’s first day of school and the DIY Back to School Memory Chalk Board that will follow her and her sisters for many years, hopefully right to their first day of university (if she attends and will humour me of course). ?

This Back to School Chalk Board is very easy to make. The hardest part for me was deciding exactly what I wanted it to say. There was a list of musts – age, what I want to be, and date. And a long list of maybe’s – teacher, school, height and favourites, which has it’s own subcategory of food, colour, subject, movie, song, and more. Since this is a DIY project you can choose exactly what you want your/their sign to say.

DIY Back to School Memory Chalkboard

What you’ll need:

Chalk board
Oil based paint pens
Chalk
Ruler
Pencil (for roughing it in!)

Step 1. Pencil in your design and letters, don’t press too hard with the pencil, just light enough to see the design. Perhaps plan your design on a piece of paper first to give you an idea because once the pencil hits the board, it will be hard to erase.

Step 2. Once you’re happy with your design and layout, you can start ‘painting’. Using the paint pens makes this project that much easier. Just follow the pencil lines and you’re set. Choose your colours as you see fit, have fun with it!

Step 3. Use the chalk to write your child’s memories, name, age and year. Take your back to school pictures with this awesome memory chalk board!

With 3 girls this board is going to get plenty of use!! Another way to use this board is to take some after school pictures. When they finish their school year, put a line through “First” and write in “Last” in chalk. Then write their answers down, take a picture and see how they’ve changed during the school year.

If you love this chalk board craft, check out our Chalkboard Clay Pots which are perfect for planting herbs or spring bulbs. The erasable chalkboard labels make reusing these pots simple! Or if you’re looking for a way to keep the kiddo’s entertained try making this easy DIY Stocking Butterfly Kids Craft.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. There may be a small commission made by our recommendations, and/or link to products mentioned or services on this website. Your purchase will help us continue to bring you amazing content, step-by-steps and product reviews.

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DIY Girls Hair Clip Holder

christine — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 11:30:47 +0000

When I found out I was pregnant with a baby girl I was ecstatic, all three times! Of course I would have loved my baby no matter what gender, but I always imagined myself surrounded by little ladies. Which brings me to my obsession with baby headbands and hair clips. I started buying as soon as I found my first was a girl and quickly needed somewhere to store them. After some google searching for design ideas the DIY Girls Hair Clip Holder was made!

Now, had I known that BOTH of my daughters would hate having anything in their hair I may have gone easy on my hair clip collection. There are so many head bands and hair clips in my household that I could probably get away with making 5 of these holders. And even though my first two don’t wear clips, there is still hope as my youngest is only 5 months old

This hair clip holder is relatively easy to make. The character on the top is made with polymer clay and therefor can be made to fit any room theme or even a favourite cartoon character. There are two ways to make this holder, paint and no paint. I personally am better at painting polymer clay then using the coloured type, I also think the finished product looks nicer. I chose to paint a ‘Pottery Barn’ inspired bird for mine as it matches the girl’s nursery, which is green with lavender and pink accented birds.

Once you’ve picked the character or design for the top all you need to do is find a matching ribbon to hang from it. The ribbon length is up to you, just keep in mind the longer it gets the heavier as more clips are added. If you’re making this for an older child, get them to help out and have them pick their ribbon and create the character.

I loved making this clip holder for my girl’s room. Even though they don’t use the clips…yet…I still have it hung in the nursery because it’s still a cute piece of decor that I’m proud of!

With all that said, let’s take a quick look at the materials needed and how to put this holder together.

DIY Girls Hair Clip Holder

What you’ll need:

Polymer Clay
Paint
Wire (or other embellishments)
Piece of ribbon (about 24-36″ long, 3/4 inch wide)
Piece of ribbon (about 6″ long, thin. Used for hanging on the wall)
Lighter
Hot glue gun

Step 1 – Polymer Clay Design. Create your character out of the polymer clay, flat characters will work the best. Try to keep the design under 1/2 inch thick, this will bake better and it will stay snug to the wall. I used a beige piece of polymer clay for mine. Be sure to knead your clay before making the character/design but try to avoid placing air into the clay as this can cause cracks. Once you have molded your character bake it using the instructions on the package.

Step 2 – Painting. Once your character/design is baked and cooled you can paint it. Depending on you colour choices, two coats may be needed. I added a few ‘speckles’ to my bird to give it a unique look.

Step 3 – Extras. I used several pieces of floral wire to add character to my bird design. Three wires with curled ends were used to create a tail for my bird. Then two straight pieces for some legs. Depending on the design you are using you could add sparkle, jewels, googley eyes and more!

Step 4 – Ribbon. Cut a length of ribbon and using the lighter carefully melt the end of the ribbon. This will stop any fraying. Then, glue the opposite end of the ribbon to the back of your finished character/design with the hot glue gun.

And there it is!! Your finished Hair Clip Holder!

What do you think? It’s an easy to make DIY hair clip holder you can be proud of. Why buy one when you can do it yourself and make it exactly how you like it? If you’re looking for more DIY fun, check out our DIY Stocking Butterfly Kids Craft or Summer Vintage Wood Serving Tray, cause it doesn’t always have to be about the kids!

Oh, and just so you see how head band/hair clip crazy I am…take a look at this:

May I suggest investing in one of these cosmetic door hangers?? It definitely works for the head bands!

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Summer Vintage Wood Serving Tray

Vicki — Wed, 05 Jul 2017 11:00:51 +0000

Hosting BBQs and summer parties is so much more fun when you have the right accessories. A beautiful summer centerpiece is a must (like our Sea Glass Bottles) but so is an elegant Vintage Wood Serving Tray. You can use it to serve food and drinks or to store and organize cocktails or snacks on the bar or kitchen counter. This is a quick and easy project that takes about an hour, and most of that time will be waiting for paint to dry between steps. I found a vintage French stencil and chose blue and silver as my colours but you could easily substitute any colour and any stencil for this project, making the possibilities endless.

What You’ll Need:

Serving tray (either an unfinished one like I used or one you already own that you are refurbishing)
Acrylic paint
Stencil
Dabber or makeup sponge
Silver spray paint
Stencil adhesive

Step One:

Spray paint the inside of the tray silver. Use even strokes, holding the can about 6” away from the surface to avoid drips. Let this dry and apply a second coat if needed.

Paint the sides of the tray blue and let dry. Paint the bottom of the tray and let this dry too.

Spray the stencil with some removable stencil spray so that it won’t move or lift. Then lay the stencil down on the inside of the tray, on top of the silver. Use a dabber and blue paint to stencil the design onto the tray. Lift the stencil and let dry. Finish the tray with a clear coat of varnish to protect the finish.

Now you have the perfect accessory for your next party. Be sure to share with us your version of this project; show us what colours and designs you picked. Need something to serve at your next BBQ? Try these recipes – Steame – An Iconic Montreal Dish and Festive July Forth Strawberry Parfait

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How to Make a Fabric Flower with Free Template

Vicki — Tue, 30 May 2017 02:29:20 +0000

You’ve probably seen these flowers before and here’s a quick fabric flower tutorial on how to make them. They make perfect decorations for weddings, bridal showers, hairbands and more. The best part is all you need is some scraps of fabric and a needle and thread. Be sure to stick to thin fabrics; thick fabrics like felt or denim wont work very well. Each flower is easy to make but does require a lot of folding and cutting so if you’re planning to make a lot of them throwing a flower making party would be a great way to bring all your friends and family together for some pre-event bonding!

What You’ll Need:

Fabric scraps cut into squares
Flower template – get it here
Scissors
Needle and thread

Step One:

Trace the template onto card stock and cut it out.

Step Two:

Place the template onto a fabric square and fold both the fabric and the template in half.

Fold the fabric and template in half again so you are folding the number 2 sides against each other.

Fold the fabric and template one more time so that the number 1 sides are facing out.

Cut the excess fabric off the top of the petal, following the template curve. Only cut the top of the petal, don’t cut the fold end off.

Step Three:

Pull the needle and thread through the folds at the bottom of the petal.

Cut at least 15 more flower petals (you can go up to 25) and thread the all the petals onto the thread.

When you have all your petals threaded, push them together and tie the two ends of the thread together to complete your flower.

Making wedding decorations? Check out this list of hot trends Top Eleven Trends Wedding of 2017

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Bridal Shower Advice and Keepsake Game

christine — Fri, 26 May 2017 11:30:47 +0000

One of my best friends is getting married this year and I couldn’t wait to hear all the details. She has decided to go with a beautiful colour palette of greys and corals. Her bridal shower is coming up and these colours will be easy to incorporate into my game ideas and decor! I’m very excited about one game in particular, it’s called the Bridal Shower Advice and Keepsake Game.

Before we get into what’s needed for this fun Bridal Shower Advice Game, lets go over how to ‘play’ it. As guests arrive you will need to mention there is an advice box on the table. Each guest should take a card and write down a thought, blessing or a piece of advice for a long lasting marriage. They can do this at their leisure, but do mention that the cards will be read at the end of the shower. Reading the cards aloud is optional but highly recommended as this shower game can get very humorous!!

This game is simple to make and I’ve never seen someone dislike it. Not only is it a fun game, but it’s especially nice for the bride and groom as the cards become a keepsake, just imagine your Grandmother’s words of wisdom on a card to keep.

It’s not a traditional game for a bridal shower but one that allows guests to sit and share a thought or two with the couple. It’s also one that can last the whole shower, giving your in-laws a chance to think about something nice ;P Without further ado, lets take a look at how to make this amazing Bridal Shower Advice Game and Keepsake.

What you’ll need:

Card box
12 x 12 card stock in colours that correspond to the shower (each sheet will make 6 cards)
Stamps
Ink pad
Scissors
Glue (all purpose)
Embellishments

Bridal Shower Advice and Keepsake Game

Instructions:

The Box: Assemble the card box per the instructions. These can be found at your local craft store, or you can make your own using card stock. Add your embellishments, or make your own like I have. I used some card stock (the same colours as the advice cards) and cut circles of different sizes. Then I glued them together and used a stamp to write the word “Mrs.” The same technique for the heart on the side. A few embellishments were added to make it look a little more glamorous.

The Advice Cards: The cards were created by using pieces of 12 x 12 card stock. I measured 4 x 6 rectangles on each piece and cut them out accordingly. Each card stock will make 6 advice cards, so calculate how many sheets you will need based on your guest list. Be sure to make a little extra as some may have more wisdom to share. Once the cards are cut you need to add the word ‘advice’ on them, I did this using stamps and an ink pad. I also used some wedding themed stamps to add some character.

There you have it! To finish this shower game off I placed a sheet of card stock with the words “Advice and Blessings for Bride and Groom” under the box to give the guests an idea of what the game is about, just in case they missed the instructions on their way in!

If you or someone you know is getting married this year and you want to find out what the top trends are check out our Top 11 Wedding Trends of 2017 it’s a must read!! Also, consider making this delicious Baked Mediterranean Feta Cheese Appy which is perfect for that upcoming Bridal Shower!

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