Craft Lightning Recycled Edition

I am delighted today to be participating in another great round of Craft Lightning.

This time it is Recycled Crafts in 15 Minutes or less.

Today I am going to show you how to use dryer sheets and a few simple supplies to create this sweet angel.

You will need

dryer sheets

scissors

a scrap of yarn or twine

a piece of lace ribbon

a wooden doll head

glue (I used hot glue and a glue gun)

Optional :

DecoArt Chalky Finish Paint

vintage sheet music

Decoupage from DecoArt

wooden wing shape

paintbrushes

sandpaper

Flatten and stack 3 (or more if you desire) dryer sheets.

Cut them in half so you have the longest pieces possible.

Cut the dryer sheets into thirds to create strips.

Neatly gather all  the strips into one pile.

 Use one of the strips and tie it around the middle of all the strips.

Fold your yarn scrap in half and tuck the ends into the hole at the bottom of the wooden head bead.

Add glue.

Use the tip of the scissors to push the center of the dryer sheet strips into the hole as well.

Allow it to dry.

Smooth out and stack 3 more dryer sheets.

This time cut them in strips the short way across the dryer  sheets.

Again use a strip to tie them together in the middle.

Glue these wings to the back of the angels head.

You may also want to glue the yarn up the back of the angel's head a bit to keep it from tipping forward when it hangs.

Optional:

You can add wooden wings in addition to or instead of the dryer sheet wings.

Paint the wooden wings with DecoArt Chalky Finish paints.

Once dry, trace the wings on a page of vintage sheet music.

Cut it out and use DecouPage to attach it to one side of the angel wings.

When they are dry, use a piece of sandpaper to remove any paper that extends over the edge of the wood.

Glue the wings to the back of the angel.

If you don't want to hang the angel, substitute a skewer for the piece of yarn.

Just use the skewer to poke the dryer sheet body into the head.

Leave it there to dry.

Now you can stick it in a plant.

That would be perfect for Mother's Day...

Or you could add it to the garden for a touch of recycled whimsy.

For another variation, you could dye the dryer sheets.

Our gracious hosts for Craft Lightning this time are:

Country Chic Cottage

30 Minute Crafts

and Creative Green Living.

You can pop over to any of their blogs for a complete list of participants and projects this week.

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these great blogs this week.

A Rolling Cart Makeover

My neighbor periodically rolls into the driveway with goodies in the back of the truck. 

 This summer he pulled in with this ratty metal cart in the back which I quickly took.

It was covered in contact paper which someone has spray painted green.

I picked my paint colors and did not want to ruin the look of the finished piece with contact paper lines.

So I began trying to peel the paper off.

Not going well...

I spent about 30 minutes and only got off about  6 x 8 inches of contact paper.

I was even using a razor blade to get under it.

Now here is a killer tip for removing old contact paper.

Leave it in the direct sun for 30-45 minutes.

Now start to peel it.

After warming in the sun, I was able to remove all the rest of the contact paper in about 15 minutes.

Once warm, it easily peeled off in big sheets.

Those green strips were the metal, not contact paper.

So first I painted the posts in the corners.

I used Krylon Color Master  Paint + Primer in Almond.

I did 2 coats.

Then I used newspaper and painter's tape to tape off the posts and wheels.

You can see my daughter's tin ceiling tile from its makeover

in the background.

We both painted the same day.

Then I sprayed the shelves with several light coats of Krylon Color Master Paint + Primer in Island Splash.

I love that color!

I especially like that the paint and primer are all in one.

  I like a quick project.

Then I pulled off the newspaper and painters tape...

As much as I love the colors, I feel like it is not quite where it should be yet...

Break out the DecoArt stencils.

Their new line is my favorite...

A little bit of painters tape and some chalky finish paint in Primitive...

Here is my confession...

I am stencil challenged...

I think I load too much paint on the brush or swirl it too much or something.

So I am feeling some apprehension at this point...

I can't really tell with the stencil on still...

Deep breath...

Here goes...

Hey!

Not bad!

I love this stencil!

There is some texture where the cart was a little rusty.

You can see it under the paint but I am still pleased.

It looks so much better.

I wanted to make it so the bottom can be hidden storage.

I took a burlap coffee sack my daughter brought me and cut it to fit on the cart.

This was a No-Sew project.

See  how I just cut the bag and then used clothespins to clip it together....

I love the makeover.

A quick couple of coats of Krylon Clear in Satin to protect the stenciling.

Now it is all ready for whatever I want to use it for.

See it on the back porch here...

I think it is going to move around quite a bit...

Thanks for stopping by....