Outdoor Concrete Side Table for Under $15!

June 17, 2013 | Posted by Chelsey

Last week I shared my Outdoor Concrete Side Table on the Better Homes and Gardens blog! I’m so happy with how it turned out. I actually created 2 of these little stool/side tables. Love them.

For a complete tutorial on how I made this, check out my post (link above). It’s quite simple and inexpensive. I made both of these stools for under $30. Enjoy!

– Chelsey

P.S. I am a paid contributor for the Better Homes and Gardens blog.

Save

6 Comments

Tags: concrete

Categories: BHG, diy, For The Outdoors

Concrete Honey Bear

June 13, 2013 | Posted by Chelsey

Uh oh. I got my hands on some concrete and sorta maybe went crazy and am making ALL the things concrete. CAN. NOT. STOP. Not all of my projects have been successful, but I’m in love with the pieces that worked. Today I’m sharing my Concrete Honey Bear. He’s so cute.

Let’s jump right into it. This is how I made him:

Supplies:

– Roughly 3 cups of Quikrete 5000 Concrete

– 1 Honey Bear bottle

– One 3/4 inch wide by 12 inch high piece of PVC pipe

– Water

– Duct Tape

– Shovel/stick to mix the concrete.

– Large container to mix concrete (we used two 5 gallon buckets)

– Pliers, wire cutters, and blade to peel off plastic

Directions:

– Prep your boney bear bottle. Clean it.

– This part is sort of optional: cut the top off the bottle. I did this so I could fit the PVC pipe into the bear.

– Use duct tape to seal off one end of your PVC pipe piece.

– It’s time to pour your concrete! Safety note: wear gloves/eye protection/dust filter mask for this process. I also suggest doing this process with a friend, makes it so much easier (also, the concrete bag is 80 pounds and I couldn’t even move, ha, my husband helped with that). Mix your concrete together with water. I’m not positive how much water I used, but slowly add water until the mixture is slushy. Add more concrete if it get’s too watery. If you’ve never mixed concrete before, I really recommend watching this video by Quikrete.

– Pour the prepped concrete into the bear.

– Push the PVC pipe (with the duct tape portion as the base) into the concrete bear. You’ll have a bit of concrete pour out. Tap the base of the bear on the ground to get air bubble out. If the pipe starts to float to the top, tape it down. Clean up the top of the bear (it’s a bit messy).

– Optional: I chose to remove the PVC pipe after the concrete had set for about 45 minutes. I’m not sure if I’d do this again, but I wanted it out. You can keep it in, if you’d like. I’m 99% sure it will be really hard to remove once the concrete is dry.

– 30 to 45 minutes after the pour, smooth out the top of the bear’s head.

– Let Honey Bear dry for 2 + days. I took this bear out after 24 hours, and he still had a few lose pieces on the back. Needed more time. Still looks cute!

– Onto the pain in the buns portion of this DIY: Take the plastic off your concrete honey bear. I admit this killed me. Lots of swearing, etc. BUT, I did it. Using pliers, a wire cutter, and a blade. Tips: Use the blade to cut some lines on the back. Use the wire cutters to snip little pieces to get a portion of the plastic to start peeling. Use the pliers to twist off (I’m talking actually twisting the pliers) to pull off the plastic. I worked on creating one big line on the back. I was able to pull it off… after a bit of work.

– You’re done! It’s now a cute kitschy pencil holder…. or bud vase? I think I’ll be putting a little succulent in it and putting him outside. Yes, that’s cute.

ALSO, new blog post on Better Homes and Gardens. Can you guess what it’s about? Yeah. Concrete. You gotta check out my Outdoor Concrete Stool/Table.

– Chelsey

16 Comments

Tags: concrete, diy, honey bear bottle, pencil holder, plastic, succulent planter, tutorial, vase

Categories: diy, For The Outdoors

Hanging Lightbulb Herb Vase

May 15, 2013 | Posted by Chelsey

My hubby went through the house and changed all the lightbulbs, and before he could recycle them I said, “Wait, I can use those for this project!” He may have given me that “year, sure” look, but I really had an idea for these little bulbs. I’ve been wanting to create a hanging lightbulb herb vase FORever and now I’ve done it and I love them. I didn’t really want floral vases, I wanted little herb vases. When you pluck a bit of rosemary or sage, the smell is amazing! We have an amazing amount of herbs always available in our yard (our rosemary grows year round) and if we need a bit for cooking, it’s right there. Ready to make one for yourself? Let’s go!

Supplies:

– Old lightbulbs

– Martha Stewart’s Multi-Surface Paint

– Painter’s Tape

– Wire

Directions:

– First we need to prep the bulbs. Make sure you are wearing protective eyewear and gloves. Prepping the bulbs involves breaking glass, and it seems to fly everywhere! Do this project in a space you’re not worried to find little bits of glass later, cause you will find little bits of glass later. Be safe.

– Use a set of pliers to pry off the little metal disk on the base of the bulb.

– Using pliers or some sort of point, crack apart the glass inside of the bulb. When it’s broken up, pore out the glass. If there are any stuck pieces, use needle nose pliers to pull them out. Break away any extra bits of glass inside the rim. Pour some water in the bulb to swish it around and get any last little teeny bits of glass.

– Wash and completely dry the outside of each bulb. Use your painters tape to set up some fun shapes on the bulb. Tear and adjust the tape to your liking.

– Paint in the spaces you prepped for painting. Let dry completely before removing the tape. TIP: I put a chopstick inside each bulb and propped them up in glasses to dry.

– So, the Martha Stewart paint requires 21 days to cure completely, but I didn’t really wait for that. Since I’m not putting this in a dishwasher, I think it’s probably ok.

– Cut a couple 10 inch sections of wire. Make a “U” shape with one of the wires, and fold up the tips on each end (see photo below) and this will be your handle. Make a rough circle with the other wire piece, loop the tips onto the circle.

– Use some needle nose pliers to twist and tighten the wire on one of the lightbulb ridges and the tips of the “U” handle. Trim the extra bits of wire.

– You’re done! Just needs a bit of wire and some smelltastic herbs.

We hung these lovely vases in our kitchen. I love it.

– Chelsey

Save

12 Comments

Tags: home decor, recycled

Categories: diy, For The Home, paper mama house

Chocolate Caramel Crack-ers

May 3, 2013 | Posted by Chelsey

I love sweet awesome candy goodness, but I like to pretend that I don’t want to eat it ALL the time (especially when my kiddo is looking). Admit it… you’ve snuck the candy you JUST told your kiddo they could not eat, after they go to bed. Ha! Or, maybe that’s just me? I mean, she has a crazy sweet tooth and will eat all the candy/chocolate around and then she goes on an insane sugar trip and I lose my mind.

That’s what this recipe is for. I used all sugar free candies (except for the 10 Chewy Caramels). I’m still not going to let her go crazy and eat the whole thing, but I used sugar free caramels and chocolate. Let me tell you: it’s soooo good. So good. Cannot stop eating it! Here’s the recipe:

Chocolate Caramel Crack-ers

Recipe adapted from Serious Eats and All Recipes.

Caramel supplies:

– 65 Werther’s Original Sugar Free Hard Candy, unwrapped

– 10 Werther’s Original Chewy Caramels, unwrapped

– 1 Tablespoon of butter

– 2 Tablespoons of water

– 1 cup dry roasted peanuts

– 1 teaspoon baking soda

– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

– Optional: 1/2 cup of coconut

Remaining ingredients:

– Approximately 51 saltine crackers

– 12 oz of chocolate chopped into small chip sized pieces (regular or sugar free, whatever you prefer)

Directions:

– First, prep the crackers. Cover a large cookie sheet with foil (I’d suggest using a cookie sheet with sides, so caramel doesn’t spill out). NOTE: I’d really suggest placing a Silpat over the foil. The caramel WILL leak through and stick to parts of the foil. If you don’t have a Silpat, maybe parchment paper would help?

– Evenly lay out your saltine crackers (salt side up). If you have any gaps or spaces in the saltine “blanket”, fill it with a broken cracker or crumbs. If you have more saltines than you do space, prep another cookie sheet with foil/silpat and the remaining crackers. Set aside.

– Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

– Prep your caramel: In a heavy bottomed medium-sized saucepan place all your Werther’s caramels and candies, butter, and water. Over low heat, heat mixture of caramels and candies until it’s melted. Stir often.

– Once melted, add your peanuts and cook for another 2 minutes.

– Stir in baking soda, coconut, and vanilla. IMMEDIATELY take your caramel off the heat and gently pour over the saltines. If needed, use a rubber spatula to carefully spread the caramel (without moving the crackers too much).

– Bake the saltine cracker/caramel goodness for about 5 minutes (or when it’s bubbling a bit).

– Remove from the oven and evenly sprinkle the chopped chocolate over the caramel. Allow the heat of the caramel to heat the chocolate a bit, then use your rubber spatula to evenly spread out the chocolate.

– Let your Chocolate Caramel Crack-ers cool completely. We waited overnight. BUT, if you’re in a hurry… maybe refrigerate? I do feel like refrigerating the chocolate may make it turn a bit white. Wont hurt it, just a little discoloration.

– Once completely cool, use a knife to chop up your treat into bite sized pieces. I guess you could leave it as one giant crack-er, but it’s hard to fit that in your mouth.

– Put it in a jar/container.

– Enjoy.

OPTIONAL: You can print out one of my jar labels and tie it to the jar with a little string. Give it to a friend. OR, give it to yourself. I gave a jar to myself. I loved it. (right click + save here or on the image below)

Let me know if you try this out. It’s good.

– Chelsey

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

5 Comments

Tags: caramel, chocolate, clever girls, dessert, gift, jar, mothers day, printable

Categories: food, Sweets

You’re a gem printables and gift tags!

May 2, 2013 | Posted by Chelsey

I love the gem trend happening around the interwebs. SOOOOO, I made some printouts to share with you. Some tags and some art prints. You’re a gem printables. Mother’s day is coming up in a week and these gift tags are perfect, OR maybe your mama would love a sweet print?

To download the prints and tags, right click + save: pink print, blue print, yellow print, orange tags, blue tags, and pink tags.

I hope you ALL enjoy! PLUS: today on BHG I’m sharing more awesome posts that include gems/diamonds! Check it out for more inspiration!

– Chelsey

P.S. all print outs are for personal use only. Thanks!

5 Comments

Tags: gift tag, mothers day, print, printable

Categories: BHG, diy, Free Printables and Downloads

Lace Hanging Planter in the Portland Mercury!

May 1, 2013 | Posted by Chelsey

I’m pretty darn excited. Today I have a DIY in The Portland Mercury, found on the Crafty Wonderland insert. Since many of you aren’t lucky enough to get this awesome local newspaper…. I’m sharing the DIY here! Really excited about this. I’ll have to get a couple copies for myself and take a ton of photos. Ha! Well, here’s what’s going to be in the paper. I love these planters:

I live in a tiny home and I prefer not to cover my limited surfaces with plants. How do I deal with this? Hanging planters, of course! This is a VERY quick and simple project. Perfect for even the non-crafty people. I made these sweet little Doily Plant Holders to put in my little girl’s room. She wanted plants in her room, but I didn’t really want my 3-year-old to have easy access to dirt in her bedroom. Might as well just avoid that situation. Ha! SO, let’s make Lace Hanging Planter Holders.

Supplies:

– 3 lace doilies

– 3 small containers (I used two old jars and a small tea cup)

– Rope (the length depends on how low you’d like your plants to hang, I used about 3 to 4 yards for each hanger)

– 3 small succulents

– 3 scissor snaps

– Needle and thread

– Scissors

Directions:

1. Cut 4 even sections of rope. For my shorter hanging planters I used just under a yard for each section of rope. If you prefer, you can use 3 pieces of rope to hang your planter, but 4 strands is a bit sturdier.

2. Thread the end of one rope strand through a hole on the doily. Tie a secure knot. Repeat this with all of your rope strands, making sure you spread the rope out evenly.

3. Use a needle and thread to sew and secure the knots.

4. Optional: If your doily has a few scallops (like mine) you can stitch the sides of each scallop to it’s neighbor. This will make the doily deeper for your planter.

5. Place your container in the doily and hold it up with your hand, try to make it hang evenly, then tie the strands of rope into a knot.

6. Braid the remaining portion of your rope, leaving about 3 inches at the end.

7. Tie your rope onto one scissor snap (I like these because they twist). Use your needle and thread to secure the knot onto the scissor snap.

8. Plant one small succulent into one container.

9. Hang your doily plant holder somewhere special, and place your planted succulent in the doily.

10. Repeat steps 1 through 9. to make your remaining plant hangers.

11. Enjoy!

– Chelsey

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

If you have a Wednesday post, please feel free to link it up below. And, feel free to link up to these blogs too… Parenting by Dummies, Project Alicia, Jenni from the Blog, In The Moment With, and Live and Love Outloud.

9 Comments

Tags: doily, garden, gardening, hanging planter, home decor, portland mercury, rope, succulent

Categories: diy, For The Outdoors, paper mama farm, paper mama house, portland

The girls and their awkward years (days).

April 30, 2013 | Posted by Chelsey

Wow. I realized it’s been a while since I shared my girls. My urban chickens. They are around 5 or 6 weeks old and have officially hit the awkward years (or days). I took these photos a few days ago. They’re all pretty gangly and clumsy. Trying out their wings and pooping in their water NON STOP. OMG. so many poops. in the water. why in the water?

anywho.

They have been a great addition to our family. The kiddo loves them, but chooses to not hold them. I like to get in their box and the two friendly girls (Booksat and Boca) jump in my lamp to fall asleep. It’s sweet. Mrs. Pickles has decided that all people are out to kill her. I do looooove fried chicken, so I can understand her fear/concern.

I can’t get over how fast they’ve grown. In case you’ve forgotten how adorable they once were… here you go:

This weekend we are officially kicking off the chicken coop construction. Not sure how long it will take us…. since we don’t usually build large scale structures… hopefully it goes well! Lots of chicken coop googling happening over here. Ha! Wish us luck.

– Chelsey

15 Comments

Tags: animals, chicken, chicken in the city, paper mama farm

Categories: paper mama farm