Project Inspiration

Easy Puzzle Heart Wreath

Love is in the air year round, but there's something about Valentine's Day that especially makes us want to have our hearts out on display everywhere we go! This adorable heart wreath from Dream a Little Bigger is made out of puzzle pieces and Aleene's Original Tacky Glue, and is a great Valentine's Day project the kids can help make too. It only takes a few supplies – like that old puzzle in the back of the closet you could never find the missing pieces to – and you can easily create a wreath you'll love to put out on display year after year! What you need: - Aleene's Original Tacky Glue - Puzzle pieces - Spray paint (Dream a Little Bigger used COLORSHOT Premium Spray Paint) - Scratch paper/pencil - Ribbon - Scissors Trace or draw a heart on scratch paper to use as a guide for puzzle piece placement. Begin adding a dot of glue to puzzle pieces one at a time and pressing together. Use your heart template as a guide for your shape, working the pieces around the heart shape accordingly as you glue together. Let dry. Once dry, flip over and seal any loose pieces on the backside with glue. Glue on extra pieces to reinforce the strength of the backing. Let dry. Repeat process for creating two additional hearts. For the third heart, do not glue the entire heart together at this point in time. Instead create two halves, as you will need to intertwine this heart with the other two. Working in a well-ventilated area, spray paint each puzzle heart a different coordinating color. Spray several light coats instead of one heavy coat, letting dry between coats. Lay your painted hearts out on your work surface and intertwine one half of the disconnected heart with one of the hearts and the other half with the other. Place the halves together to form a whole heart intertwined with the others. Glue all pieces together to secure. Let dry completely. Cut a strand of ribbon the size of the hanger you would like for your wreath. Flip your wreath piece over and glue each end of the ribbon in place on the back side. Let dry. Such an easy way to upcycle an old puzzle into a pretty Valentine's Day wreath that will capture your heart for years to come!

100 Days of School Project Idea

If you're looking for a 100 Days of School project idea, you've come to the right post! It's something to celebrate, after all ... 100 days of learning ... and blooming! We love this T-shirt from Design Improvised using Aleene's Original Tacky Glue to adhere 100 blossoms to a T-shirt; it's such an easy 100 Days of School project for kids to make and they'll love wearing their own creation to celebrate. Looking for a different T-shirt idea? Check out this cute monster T-shirt for another option. Then grab your Tacky Glue and get ready to get crafty! What you need: - Aleene's Original Tacky Glue - T-shirt - Small faux flowers - Cardboard - Wire cutters Make sure the T-shirt is ironed smooth, then insert a piece of cardboard in between the layers of the shirt to prevent glue from soaking through to the backside. Trim the stems off of the backsides of 100 blossoms (if they have stems) and one by one, add a dot of Tacky Glue to the backside of the blossom and press in place on the shirt. You can do simple rows or create your own special design. Get creative and have fun with it! Let the flowers dry flat for time recommended on Tacky Glue bottle. Check to make sure they've completely dried. Cut out lettering in your desired font from the iron-on vinyl fabric. Iron onto the T-shirt. Once complete, this sweet shirt is ready to wear! Such a fun 100 Days of School project and a great way to celebrate 100 days of your child blooming in another school year!

Secret Santa Gifts: Tea Tree With Mug

Looking for Secret Santa gifts for coworkers or family that stay on budget but are actually something that people will like? This Tea Tree made from colorful tea bags and a mug is perfect for the tea drinker in your life (and a tasty way to stay cozy in cooler weather, we might add). So easy and affordable to DIY, use Aleene's Instant Tacky Dots with different kinds of tea for a creative Secret Santa gift idea that can be enjoyed all season long. What you need: - Aleene's Instant Tacky Adhesive Dots - 1/2 inch- Tea bags in assorted flavors/colors- Paper cone- Bow- Mug Press Instant Tacky Dots onto back side of tea bag, then press tea bag into place along the bottom of cone. Continue process, alternating colors and layering tea bags as you go. Work your way up to the top of cone until cone is completely covered. Add a Tacky Dot to back side of bow and press in place on the top of tea tree. Set tea tree in place on top of mug. Now you're ready to give the gift of a very cozy holiday!

DIY Felt Flower Garland

Bring the summer indoors with this homemade floral garland, perfect for brightening up your Sunday brunch, family BBQ or just giving your living space a little life. It’s a fun project and couldn’t be easier to make! All you’ll need is Aleene’s Quick Dry Fabric Fusion, felt, a jute cord and some common crafting tools you probably already have. The best thing about these flowers? You can reuse them every spring and summer; they’re never going to wilt or go bad! What you need: - Aleene's Quick Dry Fabric Fusion- Jute cord- Felt - desired colors for flowers and leaves- Cardstock- Pencil- Scissors- Optional: Clothespins Draw a leaf and four petals descending in size onto card stock. Cut out to create patterns. Choose whichever color felt you’d like for your flowers. Use your cardstock petals as templates and cut 4 of each size in the felt. You will use all 4 of each size (layered) to create one flower. Cut as many petals as needed for the amount of flowers you plan on creating. Repeat for leaves, cutting 3 leaf shapes per flower. Make a cut (about a half inch) at the bottom center of each petal. Repeat for leaves. Place a dot of Quick Dry Fabric Fusion on one side of the cut at the bottom of the felt petal. Pull the felt on the other side of the cut over the top of the dot of glue (backside over front) and press in place. This creates dimension for each petal so they don't lay flat when layered together for the flowers. Repeat for leaves. Add a dot of glue to the bottom of a large petal and press another large petal in place over the top, rotating the petal to the left or right so it isn't directly on top of the base petal. Add a dot of glue on top of the petal you just stacked onto the base petal and press another large petal in place, rotating in the same direction. Repeat process until your flower base is formed. Continue adding glue and layering petals in a circle, moving from largest petals to smallest for the top layer. Note: You might not need to use all petals when creating your flowers. Do what works best for you! Measure out a strand of jute cord so it's long enough to hang in your desired space. Starting how ever many inches in from the end as desired, begin gluing the felt leaves to the cord with the flower on top. Tip: hold in place with clothespins for a secure hold while drying. Continue gluing as many flowers and leaves as desired, evenly spacing along the cord. Let dry completely. Now your flower garland is ready to bloom with creativity year round!

DIY Driftwood Succulent Planter

Succulent plants are popular for a reason. Their endless color variations and thick leaves offer a fun, natural way to add color to your home. Whether planted alone or with complementing companions, they make great home décor that you can display in any room. Don’t have a green thumb? Never fear, for this easy DIY uses artificial succulents. Just use Aleene’s The Ultimate Adhesive with a piece of driftwood and your friends and family will be green with envy. What you need: - Aleene’s® The Ultimate Multi-Surface Adhesive - Driftwood - Artificial succulents - Moss - Scissors Cut the stems off of the succulents so they will sit flat against the driftwood. Try placing them on the wood where you think you would like them arranged. Add a small amount of glue to the bottom of the succulent and glue onto the planter. Let dry. Add glue to the driftwood and press moss onto the glue to fill in open areas. Add more succulents as desired. Have fun with it! Let dry. Once you're happy with your creation, place it where you like and enjoy! Since this planter is made with faux succulents, it can go anywhere in a room, and even makes a lovely table centerpiece for indoor and outdoor settings.

Easy DIY Name Sign for Kids

Looking for easy ways to add color and personality to your child's bedroom or playroom? A name sign makes it extra personal and is a great way to incorporate the things they love into their favorite spaces. We chose a race car themed name sign, but you can easily modify this project using different paint colors and other toys. Bring it all together with Aleene's® DIY Craft Super Glue and you're ready to make a name sign that's sure to come in first on your child's list of favorites! What you need: - Aleene's DIY Craft Super Glue - Wood letters - Acrylic paints (dark gray or black and white) - Paintbrushes - Toy cars Start by cleaning off the wood letters to remove any dust or lint. Paint letters dark gray or black. Let dry. With a small squared brush, add road lines with white paint. Let dry. Apply a small amount of glue to each toy car tire and place on the wooden letters. Let dry.

Glitter Snow Mason Jars

It wouldn’t be an old-fashioned country Christmas without a Mason jar craft! What makes these jars special are the snowy effects created with Aleene’s® Glitter Snow! Spread it around the top of the jar like frosting for a cool wintry result. Then dress them up with natural accents like pinecones, twine, greenery and more. Add a little more snow on your accents for the picture-perfect holiday finishing touches. What you need: Aleene’s® Glitter Snow® Aleene’s® The Ultimate Multi-Surface Adhesive - Various sized Mason jars - Miniature pine cones - Assorted holiday embellishments (pine twigs, small ornaments, berries, twine, etc.) - Craft sticks Use craft stick to apply Glitter Snow to tops of jars. Allow to dry. Use Ultimate Adhesive to attach desired embellishments to jars. Allow to dry. Use craft stick to apply additional Glitter Snow to attached embellishments. Allow to dry.

DIY Mosaic Stepping Stone

Mosaic Stepping Stones are the perfect addition to any backyard or garden but can be time-consuming and expensive to make. Here's a super easy way to make your own customized stepping stone with only a few supplies. Most traditional Mosaic Stepping Stone tutorials have you pour the entire stone out of cement but we're taking a bit of a shortcut to make the process quicker. It's the perfect gift for the gardener in your life! What you need: - Aleene's Tacky Glue - Aleene's Spray Acrylic Sealer - Various Shapes of Flat Marbles - Concrete Paver - Cement Mix - Latex Gloves - Cloths Step 1. Begin by laying out the marbles on the cement paver in a design you like. Don't apply any glue yet, we're just playing around with the layout until you're happy with the look. Step 2. Once you've decided on the layout, begin adhering the marbles to the cement paver with Aleene's Tacky Glue. I found it easiest to apply the glue to one marble at a time. Don't worry if the glue seeps out the edge of the marble. It'll dry clear and we'll be covering it with cement in the next step anyway. Step 3. Once the glue has dried completely and the marbles are adhered in place on the paver, begin preparing the cement mix according to the package instructions. Step 4. Using latex gloves to protect your hands, press the cement mix around the glass marbles on the concrete paver. Make sure you press it into all the small corners and get a nice smooth finish around the edges. You're looking for a clean transition on the edges from the cement mix to the paver so that you can't tell the whole stepping stone wasn't poured at the same time. Step 5. Use a paper towel or cloth to wipe away the cement mix from the top of the flat marbles. Step 6. Place a damp towel over the entire Mosaic Stepping Stone and allow to harden according to the cement mix instructions. Step 7: Optional: Spray the Spray Acrylic Sealer over stepping stone for extra protection.

3 Ways to DIY a Graduation Cap

Make your graduation even more memorable with a personalized cap! You will stand out from the crowd with an eye-popping DIY design. Aleene's Tacky Glue will keep your poppin' bling in place. Make one for yourself or get together with friends to make matching ones. These fun caps will made your graduation day extra special! What you need: Graduation Cap Aleene's Tacky Glue Glitter Ribbon Aleene's Fabric Fusion Faux flowers and leaves Chipboard letters Rhinestones Glitter Cap How To Make Glitter Cap Apply a generous amount of Aleene's Tacky glue to the cap. Spread it out with a paint brush to cover it completely. Sprinkle glitter over the entire cap. Wait until dry. Shake off the excess glitter and touch-up empty spots if needed. Use Tacky Glue to add a large ribbon bow. How To Make Flower Crown Cap: Clip the faux flowers and leaves into individual pieces or small groupings. Arrange the flowers in the design you want. Use Aleene's Fabric Fusion to glue the flowers and leaves. Use Aleene's Tacky Glue for any plastic stem parts. Words of Wisdom Cap Arrange the letters on the cap and make small marks with a white pencil to reference where to glue them. Glue the letters with Aleene's Tacky Glue. Glue on rhinestones with Aleene's Tacky Glue.

DIY Conversation Heart Banner for Valentine's Day

Conversation hearts are a staple of Valentine's Day for people of all ages, and these colorful candies can provide a lot of inspiration for DIY projects! This unique DIY conversation heart banner made out of felt is the perfect, simple way to decorate for Valentine's Day this year with Aleene's Fabric Fusion Glue and unique sayings drawn with Tulip paint. Try copying popular sayings from conversation heart candies, or choose more personal sayings for your friends and family! What you need: Felt, various colors Aleene's Fabric Fusion Glue Tulip Dimensional Fabric Paint Scissors Red string Step 1: Fold a piece of felt in half. Step 2: Use a template or free-hand drawing a heart about 4 inches wide and cut it out so that you have two identical pieces. Step 3: Repeat with all desired colors, using the same template for all. Step 4: Lay out the hearts in the desired color pattern and separate the tops/bottoms. Step 5: Draw a line of glue through the middle of the row and press the string on top of it. Step 6: Add additional glue around the edges of the heart and sandwich the other piece on top. Step 7: Use the paint to write unique conversation heart sayings on each heart and set aside to dry overnight. Tip: In order to ensure somewhat even lettering, draw the middle letters first. This ensures the middle of the words will line up with the middle of the hearts.

DIY Disco Ball Glasses for NYE

With New Year's Eve just around the corner, you can fashion yourself a shiny pair of disco ball glasses with a regular pair of sunglasses and Aleene's Tacky Glue! Dance the night away, or simply celebrate at home with these silvery glasses that you can make in less than ten minutes. What you need: Aleene's Original Tacky Glue Thick rimmed glasses 1/4-inch mirrored squares Step 1: Dispense a small line of glue around the rim of the glasses and line up the mirrors on top. Step 2: Continue all the way around the glasses and reposition the mirrors as you go to keep them somewhat lined up. Then set them aside to dry overnight before wearing!

DIY Cat Shaped Smart Phone Holder from Wood

I absolutely love cats. Whether they be the real fluffy deal or an object created in the image of a cat, I'm going to be absolutely in love with it. So when I was tasked with creating a smart phone holder out of wood it seemed only natural that it would take the shape of one of my favorite animals, the kitty cat. Now I'll be the first to admit that this isn't a quickie craft. As you can probably tell from the ever changing backgrounds of the process photos for this tutorial creating your own wooden cat smart phone holder will span across a few days. Now you won't be working 24 hours a day for 3 days, by any means, but in order to allow The Ultimate Adhesive to cure and wood putty to fully set we need to give our project time to sit and set. While it might seem daunting, this is my very first experience using a jigsaw, and I have to say, it wasn't nearly as difficult as I had imagined. If this is also your first turn with the tool I'd highly recommend watching YouTube videos to get comfortable with how the tool works, preparing your wood for cutting and all of that good stuff. I'd also suggest definitely working with a thicker plywood as the thinner stuff shakes and shimmies making it more difficult to control the tool and get a nice, smooth cut. Also remember that with a little bit of elbow grease and sandpaper an imperfect shape might be turned into something perfectly good, so don't toss your cut without giving it a bit of time with the sandpaper to see if it actually is a viable piece for the project. What you need: Aleene's The Ultimate Adhesive .75" plywood of decent quality .25" square dowel 1" square dowel Jigsaw Free pattern Drill and .25-.5" wood bit Craft knife/wood carving knife Wood Putty Sand Paper Paint or Wood Stain Print your free pattern (yours looks a little bit different than mine) and cut out the body of your cat using a jigsaw and decent quality plywood. The tail acts as a stabilizer for the stand and the image in the pattern is just a guide that will have to be modified to the body of your cat. Also, I created this pattern to go with my iPhone 6s in a Speck Hard Candy case. It is quite possible that your phone might be larger or thicker requiring modification to the size of the holder's body or the width of the lip. You'll need to allow your phone enough room on the lip to sit at a slight angle so it will remain on the stand easily. If your phone tries to sit straight up and down, you'll have it tipping forward regularly and not staying put which is no good. Print the pattern and, if necessary, modify it to fit the specifications of your phone WITH your case as this can lead to a great deal of variation. Cut your wood dowels to fit the width of your cat's body. The body of my cat was 3.75" on the money but, after much practice no 2 of my body shapes were exactly the same, so yours might be slightly different requiring the need to measure and cut accordingly. These pieces will form the lip of your holder where the phone will rest. Place your large wooden dowel piece on top of the bottom of your cat's body and mark the center across both pieces using a ruler. Run a pen or pencil to mark the dowel's top edge. Now we're going to create a hole for your phone's charging cord to come up through the back of the holder and up through the lip that holds the phone in place. Using a .25" wood bit drill a hole as close to the line you marked for the edge of your lip, right in the center of this area. Once cut, test the hole to make sure that it is large enough for your phone's cord to run through. Hold the larger dowel piece back up against the cat's body and trace through the hole onto the towel. Using a .5" wood bit drill a hole that comes close to, but does not come through the bottom of the piece. Using a craft knife or wood carving tool remove the excess wood to create a hole that runs down almost to the bottom of your dowel piece. For this, the deeper the better as this is where the box of your charger is going to sit beneath the lip. If this area is too shallow, your cord will protrude through the dowel and your phone won't be able to sit on the lip. Wood might accidentally split and splinter on you but that is easily remedied. If you find yourself with wood that needs to stay intact coming apart on you, apply a small amount of The Ultimate and push the piece back in place. Remove the excess glue that seeps out. Keep the piece of wood together by whatever means necessary, a pair of grips can work really well depending on the size and shape of your piece. You can also stack heavy items on something larger like hard cover books if the grips won't work for the size and shape of your piece to mend. You'll need to give this several hours to fully cure, I suggest grabbing a coffee and reading a few chapters of your favorite book because this is as good an excuse as any for a break! :) Or, if you're in a hurry like I always seem to be, you can grab another piece of wood and try again! Creating a project and tutorial, for me, can be kind of a learning process for me. You can see above that my divot for the phone's charging cord just barely reaches over half of the dowel and I wound up having to go back and fix this which was such a pain. You want to get this area as close to the bottom as possible without compromising the strength of the piece, NOT as shallow as mine is. Now this area might be jagged from drilling and boring the space out. Sandpaper is difficult to get in the area so we're going to instead smooth out the area with wood putty. Place a small dab of putty inside of the hole and use your finger to smear it around the shape. Use slightly damp fingers to smooth the putty for a nice finish. Take your .25" wood dowel and apply a thin line of The Ultimate adhesive to one side and allow a moment to get tacky. Push your pieces together as you see above and allow to dry, at least a few hours. Once your lip is well set apply a small amount of adhesive to the front, bottom of your body piece taking care to spread the glue almost to the edges and near the hole for your cord for a tight, secure fit. Piece your lip and body together and wipe away the excess glue. Allow to dry, at least several hours, while standing. Placing this piece on a silicone craft mat (or even parchment paper) is good because the adhesive won't stick to it and you don't have to worry about gluing your new phone holder onto your table before it's even finished! Next you'll use the jig saw to cut out a tail shape for your holder. The tail is going to give our stand even more sturdiness allowing it to stand upright easily. Try as I might, I could not work up a perfect pattern with the tail shape exactly as you need to cut it, instead I've created the closest I can to what worked most of the time. You'll use this shape (inside of the body piece on your pattern) as a guide to cut a piece to fit your body. First cut out the rounded shape but do not cut out the rectangular shape to hold the body just yet. Take the body and place it on top of this tail shape and make sure that in your placement the back, smaller curve does not cover up the hole for your charging cord. With the body on top of the tail, trace the body's shape and trim up with your jigsaw. Cut along to just outside of the pen line to give you a little bit of wiggle room when putting these two pieces together. Slide your tail onto the body's shape and take a moment to make sure everything works as needed... Does the phone fit within the lip at a slight angle or do we need to make it wider? Honestly at this point I had to scrap my first "prototype" as I'm still really new to woodworking and pattern making. The good news is the amount of wood used for this project is tiny and so after purchasing a 2x2' piece of plywood and standard length dowels I had plenty of wood to remake this 4-5 times over if I needed to. If, like me, you're still learning with power tools and wood projects know that it might not turn out perfectly the first time, but it's a great learning experience that will mean the next go 'round will be even easier! Plywood is made of multiple sheets of bonded wood layered and glued together. If using a good quality oak or birch plywood sheet, which I strongly recommend, this is sandwiched between pieces of smooth veneer to make it look pretty and acceptable for projects like furniture. The nature of this is along the edge where cut the wood will likely not be perfectly smooth, sometimes even missing chunks. To keep this nice and neat and looking like one solid, smooth piece of wood, take a trace amount of wood putty and using damp fingers run it around the edges and seams of the piece to give a nice, smooth edge. Don't worry about perfection... after allowing this to dry using very fine grit sandpaper you can make the edges perfectly smooth.

Popsicle Stick Haunted House

We all have one on our street, a seemingly haunted house that is supposedly abandoned and crawling with abnormal activity! Halloween is the perfect time to take inspiration from that creepy neighbor and craft your own spooky haunted house! What you need: Popsicle sticks Aleene's Tacky Glue Construction paper Orange and black acrylic paint Pipe cleaner String Scissors Glue Popsicle sticks to a piece of black construction paper in the shape of a house. Cut out the house from the construction paper. Paint on windows and a door. Add small wiggle eyes, a moon and whatever embellishments you'd like. Glue string to the back of the house for hanging, you could also use a magnet instead.

How to Glue Puzzle Pieces

Is your favorite puzzle showing some wear and tear? You know, when the image on the puzzle is warped and peeling from the actual cardboard. This makes it harder to complete the puzzle and just doesn’t look good! Don’t worry, Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue makes it almost effortless to get your puzzle looking brand new again. Here are a few simple steps on how to glue puzzle pieces: What you need: Aleene's Original Tacky Glue Puzzle Identify the pieces that need fixing. Pull them from the bunch and set them on a protected surface such as wax paper or a plastic tablecloth. 2. Gently lift the warped paper from the puzzle backing and apply a small amount of Original Tacky Glue to the backing. Tip: You can also use a paintbrush to brush Tacky Glue onto the backing in one smooth layer. 3. Gently press the paper back in place over the glue and clean up any glue that has pressed out onto the sides with a paper towel. Let dry. 4.Let the pieces set for about 30-40 minutes before using. Have fun with your good-as-new puzzle! Here's a fun idea, grab a piece of cardboard that the entire puzzle can fit on. As you're putting the pieces together, glue them to the cardboard using the Tacky Glue. It can then be hung up or put in a frame and displayed as a cool art piece.

DIY Spooky Halloween Mason Jars

“Fright” up your windows on Halloween with your own Spooky Halloween Mason Jars. These could really be placed anywhere for decoration. Not only are these super fun and creative to make, but you can make them with things you already have. Grab that Mason jar from the closet, colored tissue paper, Aleene’s Tacky Glue and get ready for a fun project for you and the kids. What you need: Aleene’s Tacky Glue Tulip Dimensional Fabric Paint Black Various size Mason jars Desired color tissue paper Paintbrush Disposable plastic cup Instructions: For best results, please read all instructions before beginning project. Refer to photo for color and design placement. 1. Pour a small amount of Tacky Glue into cup. Add small increments of water until glue is slightly thinned and can be brushed onto jar surface. 2. Tear tissue paper into strips and use glue and paint brush to adhere strips to jar until completely covered. 3. Allow to dry. 4. Use dimensional paint to create desired spooky designs onto jar. 5. Allow to dry. 6. Repeat above steps for desired number of jars.

DIY Cake Stand

Check out this super cute and easy DIY! This cake stand takes less than 5 minutes to make, and it looks perfect with any cake or pastry. What you need: - Aleene's The Ultimate Multi-Surface Adhesive- Glass plate - Wooden candle stick Start by painting the candle stick to your desired color. Let dry. Apply Aleene’s Ultimate to the top of the candle stick. Place glass plate on top of the candle stick and allow it to dry overnight. That's it! Seriously!!! See, I told you it was easy! These are super cute for decorating for your next party or wedding buffet. Make a bunch in different heights to create depth on your party table.

Succulent Book Planter

Give your old books new life with a fun and creative spin! Check out how easy it is to make a chic succulent planter with a little help from Aleene’s® Original Tacky Glue and a few extra supplies. What you need: -Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue-Old hardcover book-Ruler-Box cutter-Pencil-Paintbrush-Flower foam-Succulents (real or faux)-Plastic (if using real succulents) Apply Original Tacky Glue to the inside back cover of the book. Use a paintbrush to smooth the glue evenly over the entire inside cover. Apply glue over the top, side and bottom of page section. Use the paintbrush to smooth the glue over the pages. Note: Make sure not to glue the top cover and first few pages of the book because you'll want to be able to open it. Let the book dry overnight, adding weight on top of it while it dries to help keep everything in place. Once it’s dry, open the book and press the loose pages back. Use the width of the ruler to draw your cutting lines around the top page of the book. Cut out your marked off section of pages down to the back cover. Line the inside of the book with plastic then add flower foam to fit inside the space you've created. Add succulents and use moss to cover any uncovered sections. Note: if using faux succulents, you don't need to line the book with plastic. Your planter is now ready to impress anyone who visits your home!

Glitter Bowl

All that glitters really is gold! well at least in this case this glitter bowl is everything I ever dreamed of in my adult life. It's got all the shimmer and shine with out the messy glitter left behind thanks to the magic of Aleene's Original Tacky Glue. This DIY glitter bowl is simply amazing and super fun and easy to make. So get your crafty pants on and let's get ready to shimmer. What you need: Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue Glitter BalloonTape Plastic bowlPlastic container Popsicle stickPaintbrushScissors Pour the entire bottle of Aleene's Original Tacky glue in the plastic container. Add as much glitter as you wish, the more the better I always say. There is no such thing as too much glitter. Mix Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue and glitter until you get a smooth consistency. Add air to the balloon to about the size you would want your bowl. Tape the balloon onto the bowl to make it easier to work with. Use the paint brush to add glue to the top half of the balloon. Let it dry. And apply two more coats once it dries. Let the glue dry for 48 hours before popping the balloon. Pop the balloon and remove it from the glitter bowl and you will get something that looks like this pretty cool huh! Pop the balloon and use scissors to cut a clean edge around the bowl. Perfect for holding lightweight accessories, this glamorous bowl will definitely bring a twinkle to anyone's eye.

Glittering Gem Mason Jars Lights

I've always been a sucker for interesting lighting. I love pieces that are conversation starters, are so unique that I often get asked where it came from and lighting that throws an interesting glow around it when lit up. These mason jar glittering lights are great for several reasons. They are solar powered so they can light up every night without needing to flip a switch. This makes them great for the outdoors. But bring them in next to your bedside table and you'll have a lovely glow with the most gorgeous colors splayed out across your nightstand. These are, by far, my most favorite mason jar craft of all time! Save What you need: For this project you will need: Aleene's Glass & Bead Adhesive (please excuse my well used tube :) Colorful glass gems (look in the floral department at craft stores and places like Walmart) Mason jar (smooth jars work the best) Masking tape (optional but helpful) Mason jar solar lights (see how I made mine for $1 here) Just a few short years ago you couldn't find too many colors of these glass gems. Since they've become more popular in craft projects you're finding some really pretty colors these days. I had a hard time choosing between purple or "peacock variety" that had purples, blues and greens. In the end I went with the simple purple and I'm quite happy with the results. Since the light cast by modern solar lights is more white than blue these days, you can get colors that are more true to the shade of your gems than in the past. Smooth glass mason jars are easy enough to find at craft stores and in the craft sections of stores like Walmart. While not completely necessary it does make this project easier in the end. These smooth jars can often be purchased singly. Begin gluing your stones onto the sides of your jar, taking care to leave the threads of the jar for the lid free. To be honest, it would be difficult to glue them there, anyway. While I was working on my jars it was storming and really, really humid which meant slow dry time. That meant that my stones would slip down a little bit and not dry exactly where I had wanted to place them. If you find yourself in a similar position, either due to working quickly or a humid environment, masking tape can help hold the stones in place as they dry. Once fully covered, before using allow the stones a day or so to cure. Add solar mason jar lids and you'll have the prettiest display at night without needing to turn anything on! You can purchase these at craft stores, or you can see how I made my own using Aleene's The Ultimate for only a buck apiece! With a combination of purple and clear stones I got a texture that can't be beat. They look wonderful when paired but are quite elegant when a single jar is placed, also. Take care to keep your jars from extreme heat or cold and they will last you ages!

Easy Popsicle Stick Art

What is is about wooden popsicle sticks that makes everyone want to craft up something fun? But hold on to holiday ornaments my friends, this is a project you will want to hang on your wall year round! Using regular pantry-grade food coloring and Aleene's glue, we can make a sophisticated art piece that is as easy as it is impressive. It feels summery. It feels coastal. It feels AWESOME. Want to make one? Come on now! What you need: Tacky Glue 20" square canvas 200+ wooden Popsicle sticks (you'll need more than you would think!) Food coloring Glass jars Water Mix 20 drops of food coloring with two cups of water. Repeat in five different jars to make 5 different shades of similar-ish colors. Here we made separate dye baths for kelly green, lime green, turquoise, aqua, and teal, but the possibilities are endless! Soak the sticks in the food coloring for one hour, flipping or removing half way through. Color intensity will vary depending on the water/ food coloring ratio. Experimenting and blending colors is a good thing! You may even want to double dip some sticks to get more color varieties. Squeeze an extra heavy line of Tacky Glue along the bottom of the canvas. Add sticks in an uneven line. Add a second round of Tacky Glue and add more sticks, staggering slightly. Repeat, repeat, repeat! Dry overnight, and dont forget the sides. Shazam! The more variations in color, the more elegant the final results. Hang, enjoy, and wait for your friends to be impressed!

How to Glue Metal to Wood – DIY Triangle Shelves

This project brings metal, wood and geometric awesome-ness all together to decorate almost any room in your home! What you need: 2x4 wood boards Aleene's The Ultimate Multi-Surface Adhesive Aleene's Wood Glue Decorative metal sheeting Staple gun Sanding block Wood putty Wood stain So the idea of making triangle shaped shelves seemed amazing but trying to actually, physically make them without any particularly fabulous math skills proved to be a bit difficult! Wanting 3 equilateral triangle shelves we had to put on our thinking caps to make things work. Once we figured out the math things came together quite well. To form each of our triangle shelves we cut 3 pieces of 2x4 pine boards into 11 5/8", 12" and 13 1/8". If you have a simpler way to form the triangles we'd love to hear about it in the comments! To make 3 shelves the same size as ours you'll need to grab two 2x4x8 wood studs. To achieve the proper shape, you'll want to cut each board as shown above. Each end is a 30 degree angle. We used a power mitre saw, but you can easily use a hand saw and a mitre box to keep this project incredibly budget friendly. Once your boards are cut they should piece together to make a triangle. If you find that one side is a bit too long to fit, simply use a sander to take off a small amount of wood at a time until the pieces sit fairly flush. If making multiple shelves it's a good idea to mark the backside of each set with the same number, letter or symbol to keep each set together. Piecing the shelves perfectly might be difficult if you have to keep grabbing piece after piece trying to make it work like a puzzle! Once all boards are cut you'll need to sand down the cut edges to make them nice and smooth. Place a healthy amount of Aleene's Wood glue on the end of your first cut piece. Place your pieces together to form the first part of your triangle shape. Add glue to your last piece and finally form the triangle shape. Continue for your other shelves and allow each to sit upright and dry at least 24 hours without being moved. To reinforce the glue's hold, use a staple gun on the 3 corners attaching where the two pieces meet. Apply wood putty to where your pieces join to hide the seam. Allow to dry completely and then sand smooth with your sanding block. Stain your wood and allow to dry 24 hours. This color is fabulously neutral Special Walnut and is a great color for wood. This is a decorative metal sheet purchased at Hobby Lobby using a half off coupon. There is enough metal here to back 3 shelves.They also sell these sheets at the hardware store but they are sturdier and more difficult to cut and much more expensive. Trace the outside shape of your shelf onto the metal. You can use alcohol and a clean rag to remove any permanent marker lines you might accidentally get onto your wood! Oops! Using metal snips (these are from the craft store) cut out the shape of your metal backing. Cut just inside the mark you made so that the triangle will fit on the back without overlapping the sides. FYI - this metal is sharp and will cut you. It is advisable to wear protective gloves and protective eyewear. Apply The Ultimate Glue around the back side of your shelf. Press your metal onto the glue and use weight to help hold into place. Allow the glue to dry a few hours. If using heavy items on your shelves, it is a good idea to further attach the metal using a staple gun tapped in each of the corners. There are many ways to hang your shelves but here we've used Monkey Hooks. These hooks are taken and pushed through the sheet-rock on the pointy side leaving a hook sticking out of the wall. The shelves can then be hung by the hooks as they come out of the wall. If you're slightly too high or too low, just move the piece up or down a slot in the pattern of your metal! Since the shelves are made from 2x4, they are fairly shallow. And, to be honest we were looking at them more as decor items with a strong emphasis on the metal backing on their own than hugely helpful shelves. The shelves work so well in the space with our lime green sofa and mid-century modern inspired furniture... ... and of course that cactus terrarium I made, too! For less than not that much money we have 3 shelves that you'd pay top dollar for in a store and we couldn't be more pleased with them!

Sequin Bottles DIY

Add a little glitz and drama to your table centerpiece or décor with these pretty gold and purple sequined bottles! Making them is so easy and they'll be a talked about accent at your next party or event! And, all you need to make them are minimal supplies!What you need:– Clear Gel Tacky Glue – Wine bottles, clean and spray painted with your fave gold spray paint– Gold and purple sequins– Tilt the bottle at a 45 degree angle and apply the clear gel glue. Apply an even coat of glue (you will do this in sections). Sprinkle the sequins over top, spreading them out with your finger for even coverage. Once you have covered the entire section, lay the bottle flat with the sequins and glue face up for 5 to 10 minutes to let the glue set up. Once the glue is dry enough, move onto the next section!So pretty and easy and you make several for just few bucks! I'm all about a cheap yet chic DIY! Save

How To Make Your Own Colored Sand With Tulip Dye

Published Date: July 28, 2014 On a recent trip to the beach I was inspired by sand. Sure tan, natural colored sand is fine, but colored sand is clearly better when it comes to crafting. I have used colored sand in my crafty adventures before to flock ceramic deer and to paint groovy mushroom pictures, but this time I wanted to make my own sand. Lucky for the me the lovely and talented Carolina Moore was a guest contributor to the final issue of Kids Crafts 1-2-3. She had a great tutorial for dying your own sand pictured above. SUPPLIES – Sand – Tulip Tie-Dye – Plastic Baggies – Decorative Jar – Disposable spoon Divide your play sand into several small baggies. Next mix your dye. Add a different color of dye to each baggie. Massage the dye into the sand and set aside to dry. Gather your container and formulate a sand painting plan. When your sand is dry there are several methods on which you can add it to your container to form unique and intricate designs. Fill your container and admire. Did I mention that the kids love playing with craft sand as much as play sand? This is some sand art made with the kids a few years back. Please note that this sand and the top picture was not sand I made. HOWEVER - I'm dying to try making another batch of colored sand using the new Neon Tulip Dye! Check out more fun from Jennifer Perkins on her blog. Head over to our TIE DYE YOUR SUMMER site for even more inspiration, how-to's, and fun videos to get you mega-inspired for some DIY summer fun!