{Geometric Print Vase: A Recycled Jar Craft}

Hey, y'all!  Are you ready for spring yet?  I know I am.  Yesterday it was seventy degrees here!  After having what seemed like a blizzard last week here in the South, seventy sure did feel nice.  One of my favorite things about the spring is pretty flowers, minus the pollen of course! In honor of my longing for spring and the flowers it brings, today I'm sharing a tutorial for a Duck tape vase that costs pennies to make.  And as a special treat, at the end of the tutorial you will find links to ten other spring-inspired posts from #MyFavoriteBloggers! 

The first step to creating a Duck tape vase is finding a jar the right size to hold flowers.  I used an empty salsa jar.

I washed the jar, peeled off the label, and used some Goo Gone to remove the sticky residue left over by the label.

I was then left with a blank slate for my Duck tape design.

I stuck a strip of gold Duck tape to my rotary cutting board, and used my clear ruler and rotary cutter to cut little triangles from the tape, much like I did with my Duck tape decorated dollar store pumpkin during Thanksgiving.  I stuck the gold triangles to the jar in a fun geometric pattern, and my vase was complete.

It's the perfect vase to hold a pretty pink carnation, and it looks lovely paired with the decor in my living room.

You could easily and inexpensively make a lot of these vases for a wedding reception or baby shower decor.  There are so many different Duck tape designs now that you're sure to find one to match almost any color scheme!  Or you can simply make one vase like I did to make sure Spring knows that you're ready and waiting for her.  ;)  If you're in the mood for more spring-inspired projects, you're going to love the posts from #MyFavoriteBloggers!

From top down, left to right:  Stamped "Bloom" Necklace from One Artsy Mama Spring Centerpiece from Happy Go Lucky  Washi Tape Popsicle Stick Flowers from The Benson Street Simple Circle Pinwheels from Creative Capital B  Semi-Homemade Strawberry Shortcake from Seven Alive Five Minute Hair Pins from It Happens in a Blink and Suburble  Kool-Aid Dyed Yarn in Your Microwave from 4 You with Love  Color-able Free Printable Spring Banner from Do Small Things with Love Fairy Guesthouse from Happy Hour Projects  Geometric Print Vase from Me I hope you'll check out these awesome projects from some of my favorite gals.  Here's wishing you warm, spring-y weather!

{Free Easter Hip Hop Printable}

Hey, y'all!  Today I have a fun little treat for you.

I have been itching to create a new printable with some of PicMonkey's new overlays, so I came up with this.  The chevron background is courtesy of The Latest Find.  (You can find the pink chevron HERE.)  It's a silly little print you can add to your Easter mantle or maybe even to your Easter party decor.

Feel free to download the printable for your own personal use--you may not claim the image as your own, resell, or redistribute it.  To download the printable, simply click on the arrow with the line under it.  I created the printable to be an 8x10, but, as always, you should do a print preview before printing out any printables to ensure the entire image fits in the size you want to print.

I know that Easter is not all about the Easter bunny, and I could have created a serious printable.  Since there are so many great serious ones (like these from Nest of Posies), I decided to create one a little less serious.  Nonetheless, I do hope that we all remember the real meaning of Easter this weekend.

{Turtle Box + Moss Sheet = Spring}

I am so happy to have a new project to share with y'all!  I normally would have posted something Friday, but I was busy creating my project for round two of Creative Bloggers Got Talent.  Round two voting starts tomorrow.  The projects are anonymous, so I can't tell you which project is mine, but I hope you will take a moment to go vote for your favorite(s).   Anyway, back to this project!  My mom and dad gave me a box of Turtles for Valentine's Day--you know, the chocolate kind that is just to die for!  The box was really sturdy, and I hated to throw it away.  So I combined it and a sheet of moss from the dollar store (and a few other supplies) to create a piece of art in honor of spring.

As soon as I finished eating my yummy Turtles, I cleaned any chocolate crumbs from it and got out my $1 sheet of moss.

I painted the bottom of the box with gesso, a primer.  Then I coated the bottom and sides of the box with antique white paint.

After it dried, I rubbed my black and brown ink pads over the box.  Because I applied a thick coat of gesso to the box, there were brush strokes that were raised and attracted the ink, creating this neat wood-grain-looking effect.  When the outside of the box was to my liking, I covered it in a layer of Mod Podge to protect it.  Then it was time to decorate the inside.