Project Inspiration

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.

How to Fix a Broken Shovel Handle

If gardening is your THING, when the handle breaks on your trusty shovel or spade, it’s an ordeal. Before you panic or drop everything and run to the hardware store, grab a tube of Aleene’s The Ultimate Multi-Surface Adhesive and repair that broken shovel handle in time to finish your gardening project. Here’s how to fix a broken shovel handle: If needed, use sandpaper to reshape the end of the handle to securely fit inside the shovel head. Apply The Ultimate glue to the portion of the tool head that attaches to the handle. 3. Wait approximately 2 minutes, then press the handle into the glue and wipe away and excess glue with a damp cloth. 4. For a maximum-strength bond, allow 24 hours for cure time. We suggest waiting at least a few days before using the tool again. Your shovel should work good as new, and you can get back to making your garden look gorgeous.

DIY Cinnamon Stick Star Ornament

Whether it’s on top of the tree, or hanging as an ornament, a star is a part of everyone’s Holiday décor. This year why not have a star that will make it feel even more like Christmas with a cinnamon scent. Try this Cinnamon Stick Star Ornament using Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue and fill your home with the scent of the holidays. What you need: Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue 5 cinnamon sticks Twine Artificial tree bristle Artificial red berries Save First take two cinnamon sticks and glue them in an upside down V. Then take another stick and glue it horizontally across both. Take the fourth stick and glue it to one end of the horizontal stick and the bottom of the upside down V. Then do the same with the last stick. Tie the twine through the top, into a loop. Now glue the tree bristle and berries to add a festive accent. Your star is now ready to hang and fill your home with a sweet cinnamon scent. This is the perfect project for the whole family to take part in. Another idea is to make a frame with the cinnamon sticks and glue a picture to the back.

Halloween Glue Watercolor Painting

Have you ever mixed glue and black paint? It is such a great way to make a painting. Just mix and outline a drawing to create a fantastic piece of artwork! Paint a heckling Jack-o-Lantern for Halloween using watercolor paints and a white crayon, kids and adults of all ages will love making art this way! What you need: Printable templateAleene's Clear Gel Tacky GlueWhite card stock paperBlack craft paintWatercolor palette Print out the designs you'd like. We like a pumpkin, skeleton, witch and Dracula! Trace the template onto white card stock paper or watercolor paper with a pencil. Generously add black paint to a small bottle of Tacky Glue, shake and stir really well. Your glue bottle will look like this and you're ready for tracing. Trace the outline with the black glue, it's ok if it gets a little messy or if the lines aren't perfect. Be sure to add your own details, like a foreground and a background. Let the glue dry really well. You can use a white crayon to draw on some patterns or details, once you apply paint, the white crayon will repel the watery mixture leaving the white crayon design visible... give it a try and have fun!

How to Fix a Broken Picture Frame

You just moved into your new apartment and it’s time to start unpacking. The “pictures” box is first on the list so you open the box, only to find that one of your favorite frames is broken. Don’t worry, you don’t have to go out and buy a new frame. We’ll show you how easy it is to fix a broken picture frame with Aleene’s Industrial Glue. 1. Apply glue to unpainted or stained surfaces of clean, dry wood. 2. While wet, remove excess glue with a damp cloth.3. Press or clamp together for approximately 30 minutes.4. Let dry for 24 hours. Now it’s as good as new, and your new apartment can start to feel more like home with your favorite pictures on display!

DIY String Halloween Characters

We’ve all seen the traditional jack-o-lantern sitting on the front porch, and over the years they have become more intricate and unique. But we have an idea that you probably haven’t seen before. Instead of setting your jack-o-lantern down on the porch, hang it from the porch ceiling. Not sure what we mean? We’ll show you! Here’s what you’ll need: Aleene's Original Tacky Glue (watered down) Aleene's Felt & Foam Tacky Glue Tulip ColorShot Instant Fabric Spray Cotton string Black felt Pencil Paintbrush Balloons Scissors Blow up your balloons so they are about 4 inches wide and tie off the ends. Cut the cotton string into long lengths, about 5 feet long. You can always cut more. Cut a piece of string about a foot long and tie to the end of the balloon. You will use this string to hang your balloon so it can dry. Pour glue into a bowl and a small amount of water. Use the paintbrush to apply glue directly onto the balloon. This helps the string adhered so you can wrap it all around the balloon. Wrap the entire balloon with string and use the paint brush to soak the entire wrapped balloon in the glue. Once the balloon resembles a very messy spider web, hang the balloon up to dry. Repeat this process until you have your desired amount of balloons. Place paper towels or craft paper under the balloons as they will drip. Allow to dry. While the balloons are drying create a template of the monster faces you would like to put on your string lights trace them onto the felt. Cut out the pieces. Once all the string balls are dry, pop the balloons and pull them out through a gap in the string. Use desired ColorShot colors to add color to the string. Let dry. Use Aleene's felt and foam glue to add your monster faces to the string lights. You can add small lights to each one or just string them along some ribbon to create a fun garland. This is the perfect way set your house apart from the rest and it's sure to have all of the trick-or- treaters knocking at your door.

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 Glow in the Dark Clings

Glow-in-the-dark clings ... Never heard of them? Well, now you have! Clings are a fun and easy way to accessorize your room, phone, water bottle, basically everything! The best part about them is that you can create whatever design you want! Tulip® Glow Dimensional Fabric Paint makes it easy to create glow-in-the-dark clings for Halloween or everyday fun. Read on to get inspired! What you need: - Tulip® Glow Dimensional Fabric Paint - Plastic freezer bag - Patterns of choice The patterns you trace can be something you draw yourself, or something you pull from the internet. These can be logos, symbols, words, etc. Once you have them on paper, slide the paper into a freezer bag. Tracing over the freezer bag makes easy to paint then peel off. Once you’re done tracing, let dry.

DIY Ultimate Glow Costume

You’re probably wondering how you’re going to stand out from the crowd this Halloween. Is your costume going to be scarier, is it going to be cuter, is it going to be more creative than everyone else? All of these questions are running through your head as you try to figure out how you are going to have an eye-catching costume. Then the light bulb in your mind turns on, well maybe off in this case, glow in the dark! That’s where we come in! Here are a few glow in the dark looks we came up with that you can wear as separate pieces, or all as one costume. Have fun! What you need: Here’s what you’ll need: Glow Skeleton Tank -Tulip Colorshot Instant FabricColor Glow Spray -Black Tank -Skeleton Stencil (cut out from iron-on paper) -Tape (to keep everything in place) -Iron Glow Stitch Leggings -Tulip Dimensional Fabric Paint (Glow in the Dark!) -Black Leggings Glow Skeleton Shoes -Tulip Opaque Fabric Markers (white) -Tulip Soft Glow Paint -Small Paint Brush First we have the glow in the dark skeleton tank, which is sure to GRAB some attention. This tank is super easy to create with TulipColorshot Instant Fabric Color Glow Spray. Create your stencil, which totally doesn’t have to be skeleton hands; a skeleton rib cage would look pretty awesome and creepy too! Iron on and tape the stencil to the shirt so it stays in place. Then grab Tulip Colorshot Instant Fabric Color Glow Spray, get to spraying and boo! You’re done! Next are the glow stitch leggings. These will probably go down as the easiest Halloween costume you’ve ever made, honestly! This project will take you 5-10 minutes, but still look great! Lay your leggings down and then grab your Tulip Dimensional Fabric Paint and get to stitching! Just let dry and you’re ready for a night of fright! The final piece of this outfit is the glow skeleton heels! Get ready to strut because these look amazing once they are done! Start off by using a white Tulip Opaque Fabric Marker for the outline of the skeleton. Then fill in using Tulip Soft Glow Fabric Paint. At this point, you’re pretty much a dead girl walking, but you look amazing! Put all of these together for a glow look everyone will love! You can also add a store-bought tutu for some more flare! Just spray it with Tulip ColorShot Instant Fabric Color and you’re good to go!

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 Pinata Costume

We all know homemade costumes are the way to go for Halloween! Especially if you’re trying to win that company costume contest. Skip the store-bought costume everyone will have, and grab Aleene’s Fabric Fusion Permanent Fabric Adhesive. Create a colorful Pinata costume that no one will look away from. What you need: Aleene’s Fabric Fusion Permanent Fabric Adhesive Desired colors of tissue paper Scissors Tank dress For headband (optional) Construction paper for horns Clear tape Plastic headband Cut fabric into 2” wide strips and cut fringe onto one side. Lay dress out flat and starting at hemline, apply a line of Fabric Fusion along hem. Adhere a strip of fabric fringe onto Fabric Fusion line. Repeat until entire front of dress is covered with desired colors of fabric fringe. For headband- roll construction paper into two cone shapes and secure with clear tape. Affix cones to plastic headband with additional tape. Wrap cones with fabric fringe and secure with clear tape. Decorate tip of horns with additional fringe.

Doodle Notebook Shirt DIY with Tulip Fabric Markers

Let’s be honest, back-to-school shopping can get tough when your kids can’t find anything that lets their personality shine through. So why not let them create their own back to school looks? Tulip Fabric Markers makes it easy for them to design and create the shirts they want to rock at school. Let them show off their creativity! What you need: -Tulip Dual Tip Fabric Markers-Blank white shirt (can actually be any color if you want)-Ruler-Stencils (optional) The kids can fill their shirts with their favorite colors and doodles and really set themselves apart from the crowd. Not only is this project full of fun and creativity, but it’s super easy for your kids to do themselves! No hot glue, no sharp scissors, no worries. Just Tulip Fabric Markers! Don’t just stop at shirts, your kids can complete their back-to-school look with their backpacks! They’ll be they coolest kids in school with looks all their own! Here’s another fun idea, field trip t-shirts! The next time your kids are heading to the museum, grab some t-shirts, Tulip Fabric Markers and create fun shirts they can wear with their friends! Perfect for pictures and a great memory of the trip they took!

Sugar Skull Glow Pumpkin Pail

The Halloween season is upon us! If you are looking to take your Halloween decor to the next level this year, break out the Tulip Dimensional Glow Paint and create this Nightmare Before Christmas-inspired pumpkin pail that is great for both trick or treating -or- decor! Check out the video or steps below to get the look! What you need: Tulip Glow in the Dark Fabric Paint 10 pack– Plastic pumpkin pail (you can use a pumpkin too if you want!)– Black permanent marker– Toothpick Make this project following these few simple steps. If you are not the freehand type, follow the jack-o-lantern face as a guide. You can also place stickers and outline them with the glow paint!

Paper Plate Space Scene

Are your kids learning about outer space and some of its fantastic mysteries? There are so many phenomenons occuring out in that vast universe, explore some of these wonders like planets, stars and even extraterrestrials! This two part craft project starts with making planets from dried clear glue, then adding them to a paper plate diorama! What you need: Aleene's Clear Gel Tacky Glue Paper cups Glitter Food coloring Paper plates Acrylic paint Stencil brush Embellishments like pom-poms and pipe cleaners For the glue planets cut some paper cups and add a little glitter to each cup. Put about a teaspoon of Aleene's Clear Gel Tacky Glue into separate cups. Add only two drops of food coloring. Pour the glue into the cups with the glitter, it's important that you don't stir the glue and food coloring together, you want the food coloring to look swirly. Use a craft stick to gently even out the glue. Let the glue dry really well, this will take several days. When dry peel off the cup and trim the excess. For the paper plate diorama, cut the center of one plate and paint it silver. Paint a second plate black, add in some color if you'd like. Let it dry well. Splatter paint the background with a stencil brush and white paint, this will create lots of stars. Glue on your planets and any other details you'd like. Glue on the silver plate and add a little green alien to complete the scene!

6 DIY Dorm Hacks with Tie Dye

Published Date: August 22, 2017 We're all a little (or a LOT) sad to see summer go ... the end of summer means back to school, back to routines, back to life being crazy busy! One good thing about heading back to school though (at least for the college crew) is a new dorm room, and a new opportunity to turn your space into the coolest spot on campus. Check out this list of easy dorm room DIYs using Tulip One-Step Tie Dye and get ready to add some color and creativity that'll keep you inspired all year long. Supplies needed - Your favorite Tulip One-Step Tie-Dye Kit Instructions Dip-Dye Pillows Cozy up to some color on those nights you're up late cramming for your exams! Follow the link to see how easy it is to dip dye a set of pillows for your favorite space. Tie-Dye Sheets Dream in color with tie-dye sheets! The best part about this project? You can dye over last year's stuff and no one will know! Not into creating an entire bed set? Try these colorful pillowcases from Plain Vanilla Mom instead! Tie-Dye Tapestry Don't break the bank on a tie-dye tapestry you found online ... make your own with a plain white cotton sheet and Tulip One-Step Tie Dye! We swear it's easy. Check out this awesome video tutorial from Xoxoashlady. Tie-Dye Tapestry Hit the pool (or the shower) in style with a tie-dye towel everyone will know is yours. Follow the link to see how Swelldesigner makes magic with just a few dye colors and a bucket. All of the cool cats will want in on this super easy DIY! Tie-Dye Embroidery Art Have old tie-dye T-shirts in the drawer that you never wear anymore? Cut 'em up and turn 'em into cool wall art with embroidery hoops! Seriously, how easy is that for such a fun display? Watercolor Curtains Okay, how cool are these curtains??? Cover over those boring dorm room blinds with your own set of watercolor tie-dye curtains. Get the tutorial from Jennifer Priest at Hydrangea Hippo here. See? Getting back into the swing of things isn't so bad when you add some color into the mix! Happy studying!

DIY Fuzzy Slippers with Fabric Glue

Fuzzy slippers are trending and I'm super thrilled to show you how easily you can make your own! For this project, I injected a hefty dose of color with a rainbow of feather boas! What you need: Aleene's Fabric Fusion Slide sandals Mini feather boas Add a hefty layer of Fabric Fusion onto the upper of the sandal slide Begin layering the feather boas on top of the glue and trim off the excess with scissors All done!

Outdoor ColorShot DIY Welcome Mat

Put your best foot forward with a fun and colorful welcome mat using Outdoor ColorShot. I love how simple it is to create a unique design and turn an plain inexpensive mat into a personalized welcome mat. The rich colors and ease of use make Outdoor ColorShot the perfect choice for a fun inexpensive update to your doorstep. What you need: Outdoor ColorShot Mat Tape Freezer paper Iron Drop cloth Measure and tape off your stripes. The material of the mat I used is very textured and it can be difficult to get the tape to stick. To keep the ColorShot from bleeding under the tape too much, spray straight down (not at an angle), spray in light short bursts, and make a few light coats. Painting it this way I got very little spray under my tape. Trace your design onto your freezer paper, make sure if your design has a direction you place it so that the waxed side of your freezer paper will be face down on your mat. NOTE: if your mat is not natural fiber and it’s made of plastic or some other manmade fiber please test it before ironing, because it will most likely melt and it could be very dangerous. Cut out your design to make your stencil. Use your iron to press your stencil onto your mat. You may want to do a little test first to see how the mat reacts to the heat and paper. If you can’t get the freezer paper to adhere to the mat you can try a spray workable adhesive or try tape. Use the same method of spraying for your stencil that you did for your stripes, light and straight down. Make light coats and let dry in between. Once you have the color you want, let it dry and remove your stencil. Let completely dry for 72 hours before using. One of the things I liked best about using the Outdoor ColorShot is that you have control over how much or how little you use. Especially using it on a natural fiber you can get a really cool vintage look by spraying lightly and unevenly over your design.

Outdoor ColorShot DIY Pillows

I’ve been wanting to give my deck a fun update for summer, and these pillows are just perfect for a quick and colorful summer update. I love how vibrant the colors are with the Outdoor ColorShot, and how easy it is to get smooth coverage. What you need: Outdoor ColorShot Pillow Covers Pillow Forms Freezer paper Iron Drop cloth Create your design and transfer it to the freezer paper. Make sure that when you iron it to your pillow cover you will have the wax side down on the pillow. Cover your work area with your drop cloth. I recommend that you work outside if possible. The Outdoor ColorShot has a very strong smell. Make sure you follow the instructions on the package carefully. Test out your ColorShot on a paper or something so that you can see how it sprays. I found that it sprays out in a short horizontal line. Also paint in light thin layers. If you get too heavy handed with the paint your freezer paper will get too wet and it will lift from your pillow cover and you’ll have some bleeding outside of your design. The paint will dry quickly especially with thinner layers. Once you have the color you want and it’s dry to the touch you can peel off your freezer paper and see your design. The instructions recommend that you let it dry for a full 72 hours before washing.

Americana-Inspired Cut-Off Shorts

My definition of summer is backyard BBQs, lying out by the pool, drinking lemonade, and oh - 4th of July - one of my favorite holidays other than Christmas! So this summer it’s time to skip the boring T-shirt and show your stars and stripes with these super cute and easy to make Americana-inspired cut offs. All you need is Tulip Soft Fabric Paint and you are ready to rock the summer! What you need: - Tulip® Soft® Fabric Paint Kit- Denim shorts- Paintbrushes- Painter's pallette or a plate- Tape- Cardstock cutout of a star shape- Washable marker Start by taping off one side of the shorts. I spaced it just enough to get at least 2 stripes for each color. Next, use the washable marker to trace your star cutout on the opposite side of the shorts. You can create as little or as many stars as you can fit. Make sure to pick a light-colored washable marker so it will wash out easily. Now for my favorite part! Paint each star white, wait for the first coat to dry, then paint a second coat of white onto each star. On the opposite side of the shorts, paint white above the first taped off section. Let it dry and do one more coat. Skip a section and repeat with the white paint. Once the white paint is dry, remove the tape and paint the remaining sections red. Let the shorts dry 72 hours before washing. Americana cut offs are a summer must-have !

First Kiss Canvas High Tops

These kicks are sweeter than chocolate kisses! These pouty little high tops are everything right now. If you've been looking for your “solemate,” look no further. With a little DIY magic and Tulip Permanent Fabric Markers, these babies are sure to capture your heart. What you need: - Tulip Permanent Fabric Markers 20 Pack - Canvas high top shoes Start by drawing lips outlines all over the shoes. I just free handed them in the lightest pink so I could gradually build up the color. But if you’re not comfortable free the handing lip designs, you can always print out your favorite lip image and use that to trace lips onto the shoes. Once my lip outlines were drawn out with the light pink fine tip marker, I filled them in using the red fabric marker. Next, take the black marker to add a little bit of shading to the lips to help give them some contrast and definition. And just like that, you are ready to seal it with a kiss!

Flower Denim Jacket

Denim is back and it’s making waves with DIY style patches. Embroidery patches on denim are super trendy right now and so cute, right? But it can also be a bit pricey to buy one of these jackets. With a little DIY know how and Aleene’s Fabric Fusion it’s easy to achieve this look without breaking the bank. What you need: - Aleene’s® Fabric Fusion® Permanent Fabric Adhesive - Denim Jacket - Floral appliqué I like to prewash my fabric before adding glue just so that it’s clean and ready to go. Once it’s dry, lay the jacket on a flat surface and smooth out the wrinkles. Once you know exactly where you want to place your appliqué you can add glue directly onto the jacket or the applique. Press down on the applique and let it dry 2-4 hours before washing.

Easy Tacky Glue Slime

It's time to SLIME! Grab your Aleene's Original Tacky Glue and some Borax and get in on the craze that's dominating YouTube and Instagram. This DIY slime recipe just takes a few supplies that you probably already have in your stash. Watch our video below to see how to make it! What you need: – 4- or 5-fl. oz. bottle of Aleene's Original Tacky Glue – 1 cup water– Food coloring or Tulip Soft Fabric Paint in the color of your choice– 1 tsp. Borax + 2 cups of water (1 regular tap and 1 hot) Squeeze entire bottle of glue into a bowl or plastic container. You may need to slightly dilute leftover glue in the bottle with water to empty completely. Add 1 cup of water to the glue and mix thoroughly. In a separate container, add the 1 teaspoon of Borax powder. Add 1 cup of hot water and mix until the Borax powder is dissolved. Set the Borax solution aside. Add the food coloring or fabric paint to the glue and stir. Start with a few drops and continue to adding to achieve the desired color intensity. Slowly add the Borax solution to the glue while stirring. Continue stirring as the slime begins to form. When the slime starts to form, use your hands to knead and work it around. Discard any excess water that remains in the container. Tip: Slime can last up to several weeks when stored in a tightly sealed bag. Check periodically, as slime can spoil faster when handled more often.

Best Friends Marker T-shirt

We all have that childhood best friend who we can tell absolutely everything to. You can find bestie gear pretty much everywhere you go but why buy BFF t-shirt when you can have more fun making then with your best friend. All you need is a t-shirt and Tulip Permanent Fabric Markers. What you need: Tulip Permanent Fabric Markers 5 Pack Variety PackT-shirtFreezer PaperIronPrinter Start by printing out the best friend’s pattern and enlarging it to which ever size you’d like. Cut some freezer paper to fit inside the shirts. Make sure to place the shiny side of the freezer paper up towards the side you will be drawing on. Place the iron on cotton setting over the top of the shirt and adhere the freezer paper and shirt together. This will temporarily keep your fabric nice and stiff to draw on. Once you have the freezer paper on slide the best friend printout into the shirt. I like using Tulip’s Permanent Fabric Markers Variety Pack because I have marker tip options. I started with a medium tip to draw the surrounding heart. I then moved on to the best Friend part and used the large chisel tip to fill in each letter. And you can do small touch ups around the letters with the fine point markers. Two of the girls in the office, Bree and Rochelle modeled the finished shirts for me. They are actually IRL best friends. I couldn't have planned for better models!

Geometric Triangle Marker Tote

I’m not sure about you, but I don’t think I will ever have enough bags, purses or totes! I love grabbing one when on the go and it’s great to have a few for different occasions. What I love most about totes is the versatility of them they pretty much work with anything and are perfect for on the go. But it gets better when you personalize your own tote, and the possibilities are endless with Tulip Multi Fine Fabric Markers. What you need: Tulip Multi Fine 20pk Permanent Fabric Markers8" x 10" CanvasCardstockCraft KnifeTape I like to start with a clean white tote, think of it as a blank canvas. For this tote I wanted to transform it into a geometric semi monochromatic masterpiece. I began by cutting out triangles out of cardstock, then used a water erasable marker to trace around the triangles. You can find this marker at any craft store in the sewing department. Once I covered the entire tote in a triangle pattern, I began coloring the triangles in with the fabric Markers. I chose three color families to color in the triangles. I started with the green marker family and staggered the colors in no particular pattern. As I was coloring I left some triangles white. Next I moved on the blue marker family and repeated the process. I repeated the same process with the purple marker family. A cool trick to getting your colors bright an vibrate is to fill the entire tringle as you normally would, wait a few seconds and then go over it with the tip of the marker to make the colors brighter. I love how vibrant it turned out! And just like that you have yourself a new tote to add to your collection.

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.

No-Sew Pocket Tee

Make any plain tee into ADORABLE with this easy no-sew DIY pocket! Make this in an afternoon using Aleene's Fabric Fusion Tape! What you need: Aleene's Fabric Fusion Tape T-shirt 6" x 6" piece of cotton fabric Scissors Pins Pocket pattern Cut out the pocket with the pattern. Pin to the fabric and cut out a pocket. Remove the pattern and pins. Fold the edges over 1/2" and press with an iron. Add strips of Aleene's Fabric Fusion Tape around the sides and bottom of the pocket Peel away the tape backing to reveal the adhesive. Place pocket onto tee and press. Wear and enjoy!

No-Sew Fabric Curtains

A new look for your space is easy with Aleene's Fabric Fusion. I love to sew but when I need a project done fast, Aleene's Fabric Fusion is my go to. We wanted to refresh our breakfast nook quickly and affordably ... a few yards of fabric later, our space is ready with a whole new look, thanks to Aleene's Fabric Fusion. Here's how: What you need: Aleene's Fabric Fusion Fabric (yardage will vary depending on the size of the window) Scissors Iron Measuring tape Measure the window. Each panel should be 1.5 times the width of the window and 6" longer than the height of the window. I hung these curtains in my kitchen, a bit lower than the top of the window so I measure this area instead of the full window height. Iron the fabric. Cut to 1.5 times the width of the window and 6" longer than the height of the window. Fold over the fabric on the sides of the curtain by half an inch. Press with a hot iron. Fold over the top and bottom of the curtain panel by 1/2" and iron with a hot iron. Fold over the top of the panel by about 2.5" to form a channel for the curtain rod. Press with the iron. Apply Aleene's Fabric Fusion to all of the seams and press the seams closed. Apply Aleene's Fabric Fusion to the top of the curtain panel. Fold and press down to make the sleeve for the curtain rod. Allow to dry for at least 2 hours. Thread the curtain rod through the sleeve and hang!

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.

Feelin’ Lucky Canvas

Feelin' lucky? Of course you are, with an art project this cute! Check out how easy it is to create your own inspiring rainbow canvas with stickers and Tulip® Dimensional Fabric Paint. What you need: -Tulip Dimensional Fabric Paint in rainbow colors-Canvas-Small piece of cardboard-Sticker letters -Ruler Use your ruler to measure 2" above the bottom of your canvas then place it across the canvas to use as a straight edge. Place your letter stickers above the top edge of the ruler. Spell out "Feelin'" then remove the ruler. Spell out "Lucky" underneath. Squeeze a decent amount of different Dimensional Paint colors stacked along one side of the canvas. Now for the best part! Take the small piece of cardboard and use it as a squeegee to spread the paint in a wavelike pattern across the canvas. Before the paint dries, carefully peel stickers away from the canvas. Tip: Tweezers can help with this process! How fun is this canvas?! This lucky little canvas is so cute it might even attract the attention of an adorable little leprechaun.

How To Splatter Paint Jeans

Splattering paint on a pair of jeans might seem like it's a little nerve wracking, but with this fool-proof tutorial, there is really no way to mess up. And the end result is a pair of super chic splatter paint jeans! What you need: -Tulip Soft Fabric Paint in a variety of colors-Jeans-Paintbrushes Start by splattering your first color of Tulip Soft Fabric Paint onto the jeans. Use your fingers to smudge some of the paint to give a smeared effect. You can also use a paintbrush or sponge brush to apply some of the paint colors onto the pants for a variated look. Let sit at least 2 minutes before applying the next color. And if you really want to commit to this project, stick your fingers into the next color and have fun splattering away! This gives the splatters a different look than the brush splatters, and it’s also really fun. Feel free to use your fingers to smudge some of the paint and blend it together with the other colors. I like to switch up my splattering methods for a variety of looks. So I used the sponge to try and splatter the orange paint, but I kept the use of orange very light because I didn't want to muddy the paint. You'll have to be the judge of how much of a certain color you add to your jeans based on the colors you are using. Continue with splattering another color of paint to your liking. Finish the look by splattering White Soft Paint all over as an accent if you like. Let dry completely and wait at least 72 hours before washing. Voila!

DIY Bottlecap Stamps

Cool and trendy patches are so in right now and I honestly can’t get enough of them. This bottlecap DIY hack is a cool way to get the patch look with your own custom flair! What you need: -Tulip Dimensional Fabric Paint - Black Slick-Tulip Soft Fabric Paint-Bottlecaps-Hat-Paintbrush-Paper towels Start by drawing your desired design directly onto the bottlecap. Remember to keep the design as simple as possible so that when you are ready to stamp, the design transfers easily. Once the stamp is dry, you can begin to have fun with it! Use your desired Tulip Soft Paint color to add paint to the stamp, then press the stamp onto your desired piece of clothing or fabric. Use a paintbrush and Soft Paint to add any detail or touchups to the stamped design. Allow 72 hours before washing. My obsession is real right now! This hat cannot be any cuter! DIY bottlecap stamps are definitely the way to go right now.

Valentine's Day Henna Jars

Henna-inspired designs are so chic right now and can be used to decorate pretty much everything! I love henna because you can experiment with all kinds of patterns to create such beautiful designs. What you need: -Tulip Dimensional Fabric Paint in a variety of colors -Decorative glass jars -Paper towels Henna is so beautiful and what I love about it is you can create pretty much any design you want as long as you repeat the pattern and keep it consistent. So there is literally no way to mess up. I used glass jars because they are beautiful when finished and it’s easy to wash the paint off and start over if I mess up. I like to start by tapping my paint bottle tip down (with the cap still on) on the table to remove any air bubbles; I also do some practice runs on a napkin. I then started me design at the top of the bottle and allowed it to dry. Once the top completely dried, I continued the design on the middle of the bottle and allowed it to dry once more. Finally, I finished the design on the bottom of the bottle. The reason I allowed the bottle to dry in sections instead of working on the entire design at once is to help prevent smudging designs, and it allowed me to easily hold the bottle while I worked. How cute is this bottle?! It's a beautiful way to bring some love into any room.

Holiday DIY Bracelets

Want to add a little holiday flare to you wodrobe? well check out these super cute holiday bracelets. All it takes is ribbon and puffy paint yup that easy! What you need: Tulip Dimensional Paint MetallicsRibbonZiploc Bag Place pattern inside of bag and press down on bag to remove any air. Place the ribbon above the pattern, secure ends with tape. Use desired dimensional paint colors to fill in the designs. Allow to dry overnight. Once they are dry just peel them off and style them as desired.

DIY Stranger Things Gift Bags

If you are looking to step up your gift wrapping game, start by making these Stranger Things inspired gift bags. You can never go wrong with a little pop culture, and these bags are a nod to one of my fave binge-worthy TV obsessions of 2016! What you need: Tulip Dimensional Fabric Paint in a variety of colorsGift bagsPencilPaintPaintbrush Print out pattern and transfer it on to the gift bags. Use dimensional paint to fill in the design. Paint the characters faces and use dimensional paint to finish the design and add a 3D effect. Give DIY gift bags a shot! and see what strange designs you can come up with.

Instax Photo Gift Jar DIY

Nothing is better than a fun and personalized gift! Except maybe a gift filled with chocolate. These super cute mason jars only take a few minutes to make and they feature mini photos you take with your Instax Mini camera. What you need: Tulip Fabric Dimensional PaintMason JarZiploc BagSmall Photo (we used one from an Instax mini 8) Place small Photo into Ziploc bag. Press down and remove any air inside of bag. Use Dimensional pain to trace around the photo. Like a cute little photo frame! Let it dry for a few hours. Once it's dry peel it off the bag and place it on the jar. Just add your favorite candy and a bow to complete the look!

Personalized Glitter Tumbler

Here’s to the season of giving! And what can be more perfect then giving a personalized tumbler to friends and family that you make using Tulip Dimensional Fabric Paint a.k.a. Puffy Paint! What you need: Tulip Dimensional Fabric Paint GlitterTumbler First wash tumbler to remove any dirt or finger prints. You can freehand your design directly onto the tumbler and practice your had lettering skills. If you make a mistake doesn’t worry just wash it off and start over. Or you can simply print out the design you like place it in the tumbler, and use your desired dimensional paint colors to trace over the design. Let it dry for 4 hours. How cute are these tumblers ! Just add a bow and they are ready to be the perfect gift.

90'S Inspired Choker

Chokers are all the rage right now, and so cute right? But how do you find one that fits your personal style. It’s easy! With a little DIY magic, if you'd fancy making a choker yourself! What you need: – Tulip Dimensional Paint in a variety of colors - Tape – Ziploc® Gallon Storage Bag – Printed tattoo choker pattern (Find pattern at the bottom of this post) - Sheer Ribbon – Paper towels (for practicing and cleanup) First, slide the pattern inside the bag and press down on bag to remove as much air as possible and zip bag closed. Lay the ribbon flat above the pattern and secure the ends with tape. Remove cap and tap paint on paper towel to remove any air bubbles and try a few practice squeezes on paper towel. Begin by filling the top swirls of the pattern. Allow it to dry for a couple hours. Once it’s dry fill in the bottom half swirls using the same color. And let It dry overnight. Lastly fill in the charm pattern with your desired color let it dry overnight and attach it to choker using a jump ring. How cute is this choker? It’s easy to stay on trend when you can DIY your choker to fit basically any style.