Friday, January 20, 2012

Snow Day- Soap Ball Animals



















We have been stuck inside during a snow storm for days. We were all very close to killing each other when I devised a plan. Craft time. What shall we do? Lets make the soap ball animals that I had intended to make for Christmas and never got around to! 

What you need:
4 bars of soap
5-8 tiny plastic toys
Large bowl
1/5 cup water



Begin with a few bars of soap. I used 4 bars of Pomegranate/ Mango Softsoap. When I found the original idea of this project, they had used white soap so it would look like snow. I decided on pink because, well, everything is better in pink in my opinion.


Step 1:
Grate up the bars of soap. If you have a food processor, you should be able to use that to make the process much easier.. Mine, unfortunately would not work for me this morning.

Step 2:
Pour all your soap curls into a big bowl.


Step 3:
Slowly add lukewarm water. I used 4 bars of soap and added about 1/2 cup of water. 
Add a little at a time, and mix with your hands until you get a clay-like substance.
Remember, you can always add more water if it starts to dry out.

Animals!
You can use pretty much any little plastic thing you want for the center of your soap ball. I used these tiny plastic animals. I found the whole lot of them at Fred Meyer for about $1.

Step 4:
Ball up some soap in your hand, poke a deep whole, and insert the toy. Cover the rest up and shape the soap into a ball, or heart, or triangle... whatever you're little heart desires.

Step 5:
It is extremely important to have a professional helper close at hand. Here is Mila oh-so-efficiently stuffing a plastic tiger into a "ball".


Step 6:
Be as cute as possible

Step 7:
Set your finished product on a cookie sheet to dry. They need to dry completely before use or they may crumble.

(Tip: If you aren't happy with the lumpy texture you might first end up with, dip your ball in water and try to smooth out and shape the surface.)



Our snow day craft session was a success! And the best part- cleaning up was a breeze! We ended up cleaner than we were to begin with. And the house smells fabulous! I really recommend this scent and brand of soap. Delicious!! It was so delicious in fact, my brother came upstairs in the middle of our project, took one sniff, and proceeded to sneak a little bite of the pink soap shavings. His face was pretty priceless!
The one complaint I have about this project is that now I have to find another activity to keep us occupied today! It was super quick, taking around 15-20 mins from start to finish. Fun!

Monday, January 16, 2012

Turn an Ugly Old Dresser Into a Bar or Artistic Focal Point

I am working on turning an ugly old bookshelf into an attractive bar that will make an artistic statement in my otherwise drab dining room. 

Here is what I have so far!
Here it is! I got a creative bug late one night and just couldn't help myself. Might as well flow with it right?



Here it is before
It was just sitting there in the corner looking gloomy, covered in randomness that was not at all appealing to my dining room.


Begin by measuring the length and width of each shelf wall you want to cover.
It is much easier if you have a shelf with removable shelves. If you do, you only have to cut one big piece!

To adhere your material you can use staples, or glue. I used a Beacon's craft glue. 
Dribble some on the shelf wall paying extra attention to the corners and edges.


I did about five inches of glue at a time, carefully laying down the fabric bit by bit.


Here's the shelf after I successfully glued down each piece!
I intentionally left the bottom selves bare. I haven't yet, but I plan on putting a curtain on the lower half. This way I can store some of the less attractive kitchen items that I want to put there. It will also (hopefully) limit the curiosity of my 2 year old.

You could also do this with a bright colored paint or wallpaper. The possibilities are endless!



TADA!! 
I feel soooo much better about this piece of furniture being in my life now.
I will post some pictures of it when it is 100% complete, curtain and all. I may also add some paint or studs to the shelf edges to fancy it up a bit. What do you think?