MonDIY: Make your own Craspedia bouquet Part 2

Picking up where we left off in the first part of our tutorial on how to make your one Craspedia Bouquet…

Step 3: Get your glue on.

Use a generous amount of glue on each skewer “stem” to ensure you do not lose your flowers along the line.

This is pretty easy. One by one, take a skewer and put a generous amount of glue on the sharp end. Take the glue-covered end and place a wool felt ball on top of it.

Putting the glue on the skewer ensures that your bouquet will last well into spring and summer.

Twist the ball a few times to ensure the glue is evenly distributed. Set aside to dry.

**If you are concerned about the glue showing once it has dried, feel free to use a glue that says “clear dry”. I have had no issues with the Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue, though. It just takes longer to dry clear than other brands.

Just the right amount of glue.

Step 4:  Dry and arrange.

Fortunately, this project does not require a long wait-time for the glue to dry. That being said, it is wise to place your flowers in a wide-mouth jar or other container where they have ample space to dry without touching each other. I used a mason jar to dry the painted skewers first, and then again when letting the glue dry on the flowers themselves.

Aren’t they cute?

When your flowers are completely dry, please arrange them how you would like them in your favorite vase or jar. This is where cutting the skewers at the beginning will come in handy. The variance in heights really makes the bouquet extra special.

The varied height gives a lovely effect to these flowers.

I Took photos of my bouquet in a few different vases and vessels.

What a lovely reminder that spring is on the way.

The vase in this photograph was detailed with gold paint. I took a glass vase, masking tape, and gold paint, and painted the bottom part of the vase for a regal look.

A mason jar and some twine. Ain’t nothing better than that.

You could even get crazy and do colorful felt balls in an empty growler like I did with this bouquet…

The blue flowers look great in this colorful growler.

Good luck with your creations!

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MonDIY: Make your own Craspedia bouquet Part 1

It’s Monday and it’s cold. I’ve been wanting to buy some flowers to brighten up the house. But with the bitter cold and the fact that most spring flowers currently available are a bit malodorous to me (pollen allergy), I just haven’t gotten around to it. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Craspedia flower, a member of the Daisy family and an oh-so-cute flower indeed. They are super-popular for brides, so lots of people sell them online. I bought some seeds last summer with the intention of drying the flowers, but they did not grow this spring.

I was just about to order a few dried bunches online the other day when I realized something: I could DIY that. With supplies I have at home.

Time for som MonDIY: Make your own Craspedia Bouqet!

Supplies needed for making your own Craspedia flower bouquet.

Step 1: Gather your supplies.

Everything that I used for this project, I already had in my craft supplies. Feel free to substitute some of the “ingredients” like glue or paint for your personal preference.

*Wool Felt Balls. I chose a variety of sizes and colors for my bouquet. I wanted something warm and springy or summery, so I chose an orange and yellow patina. Order online or find at your local craft store.

*Glue. I love Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue

*Wooden/Bamboo Skewers. (for grilling) I got mine at the grocery store.

*Paint. Scottish Highlands (High Gloss) by Martha Stewart

*Jar. I used a mason jar that I do not use for food. This will be used to dry the paints and glues. (and even to display the finished project!)

*Scissors, Paint Brush, Vase (if you are not going to use a Mason jar)

**You can use a different color paint or different color felt balls. Also feel free to use a favorite vase or bottle to hold the bouquet when you are done. Switch it up by adding string or twine too.

Painted bamboo skewers. Scottish Highland and Mermaid Teal.

Step 2:

Paint your skewers. Grab the sharp end and use your paint brush to paint a generous layer of paint along the entire skewer. I found it easiest to paint by holding the sharp end and twisting the whole skewer as I painted. Don’t worry about getting 100% of the sharp end painted as that is the end that will be covered with the felt. Set aside to dry. They will dry rather quickly as the wood absorbs some of the paint.

Meanwhile, prep your wool felt balls. Using an unpainted skewer, “pre-drill” a hole in each felt ball. Some felt balls come with holes for stringing, if yours have that, skip this step. All others, take the sharp end of the skewer and make a hole in each felt ball, make sure it goes in fairly far but not so far that it passes through to the other side. This will make the bouquet more durable and you will be less likely to have “flowers” fall off their stems.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

Tiny Hylian Shield Tutorial Part TWO: Steps 6 through 10

Yesterday I started showing you how to make your own tiny Hylian Shield from the Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time. Today I am back to finish up the tutorial.

Step 6: Detailing What would the Hylian Shield be without its fine detailing? A Deku Shield? There are a lot of options for adding details to the center of your shield. With this smaller shield, I chose to use a combination of materials. For the Triforce, I used some thin cardboard. For the bird motif, I used my hot glue gun to paint the design. If you are not very good at freehand-drawing, I would suggest cutting out the design from your template. This was a little tricky, but I am pleased with the results. I may try something different on the larger shield, though.

The glue gun added a nice texture, but was difficult to control.

Step 7: Prime This is especially important if working with cardbard. The dark surface will be difficult to paint if you do not prime it.

The front after one coat of primer.

Be sure to get the front and the back. Let it dry completely between coats if a second coat is necessary.

The back of the shield after one coat of primer.

Step 8: Spray Paint Now it’s time for the fun part. Once you’ve let your coat of primer dry completely, you can add a coat of your Hammered Spray Paint. This paint is textured and does a great job of covering most surfaces evenly. I did not have any problems with my shield, but you may need to touch-up or add a second coat of paint. Be patient and let each coat dry before applying the next one.

Also, if you did cover the outside of the shield with masking tape, bear in mind that the paint will remain tacky there for a little while longer than it does on the cardboard. Be mindful of this when setting the shield down on surfaces while it dries.

Paint both sides of the shield.

Shield front after one coat of Hammered Silver paint.

Step 9: Paint and Detail. Once your silver paint has dried, it is time to add detail to the shield. I used a variety of small brushes and my acrylic paints to add the color to the front of the shield. I did the blue base first and then painted the red bird and Triforce, leaving the silver parts

Carefully adding blue paint.

Don’t forget to paint the back!

You may need to add several coats of paint. Depending on the type of paint you are using, you may also want to cover the shield in a clear gloss coat. As all of my paints were glossy, I did not do that for my shield. Once the paint has dried on the front and the back, it is time to add some hardware. On this small shield, I added a little loop to be used to hang or secure the shield. On a standard-size shield, it is even more important to add the correct hardware. This small loop will do for now, but if you make a larger shield in the future, be sure to make the straps and handle more secure.

Brads have proven to be very useful for this project.

Step 10: Sit back and admire your handy-work. Even if you have never touched a tool in your life, this project can be easy enough for any skill level. While this shield may not be big enough to defend yourself from even the smallest of Deku Shrubs, it is cool enough to display in your home or office. Many materials are ones that you may have on-hand.

With the leather loop on the back, you can easily hang this small shield somewhere where it can be seen!

I hope this tutorial was helpful! If you have any questions regarding the instructions or photographs please let me know. Share your finished projects too!!!

Want to see STEPS 1 – 5? Click here!