Valentine Coffee Filter Tree

You know I love coffee filters.

They are cheap and versatile.

I made this fun pink grungy tree for Valentine's day.

 For complete instructions to make your own, look here....

This time I used Fuchsia Dye and instant coffee crystals mixed together.

It creates a look I love.

A dusty color with touches of sepia.

It is pink without being too sweet...

I hope you like it as much as I do. 

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these great blogs.

15 Handmade Gifts for Under $10

I create all year but some projects are just perfect this time of year...

So I wanted to do a round up of great handmade gift ideas that can be made for under $10.

Some are actually under $5.

Get Ready...

Get Set...

Go!

  First up, is a Shabby Chic Wind Chime from goodies you already have laying about...

Tutorial here.

Transform a candlestick into this great girly accent for your favorite girl.

Tutorial here.

My daughter and I spent about a month making mosaics.

Her coasters are easy and inexpensive to make for gifts.

I covered recycled bottles to make neat garden accents.

I had the marbles on hand but you can use whatever you have a bunch of.

Tutorials here, here, and here.

An old glass bowl and vase become a crystal mushroom for the garden is mere minutes.

Tutorial here.

 Strips from an old sheet become a shabby chic bracelet in minutes...

Tutorial here.

A cardboard cone from the craft store and a pack of coffee filters become this fun Christmas tree decoration.

Tutorial here.

Another cone gets a makeover with a burlap sack...

Tutorial here.

These Rose Bangles actually started as white sheets that we dyed beachy colors.

You could make your own with any fabric you have on hand.

Tutorial here.

Some coffee filters and sheets torn into strips become a shabby banner.

Tutorial here.

Transform plastic bangles into chic accessories in minutes with washi tape.

 Tutorial here.

Transform coffee filters into chic home decor....

You can use coffee to dye them.

Or coffee and RIT dye to achieve the look you want.

An old book and one coffee filter rose makes a beautiful gift that will be perfect for someone on your gift list.

 Tutorial here.

 Use some old sheet music and some scraps to make a cute banner as a gift.

Nestle it all in a mason jar and you are ready to go.

Tutorial here.

Speaking of Mason jars...

This simple craft comes together in minutes.

 Tutorial here.

Have a roll of burlap ribbon left over from a project?

Use it to create these fabulous burlap roses in a mason jar.

Tutorial here.

Last but not least, use a few cinnamon sticks and some twine to create some sweet Christmas tree ornaments or package toppers.

Tutorial here.

I hope you found a couple of ideas you can try for handmade gifts this Christmas.

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these great blogs...

Dying in the Yard....

 I love that my daughter is a creative person.

She is very logical and bright but also creative.

So, she decided she wanted to make a rug for the fair.

She needed fabric to tear in strips.

I was hesitant to rip great fabric we just bought into strips when it could be used for something else.

I also did not want to go spend more money on fabric than 3 rugs would cost.

So I suggested we use some old sheets I got at the thrift store and dye them.

Such soft muslin and the price was very right.

She agreed and chose some dye colors that she wanted.

Then we spent the afternoon with her learning to dye fabric.

  She wanted blues, green, and purple.

I love her color choices.

We mixed all her dyes.

I love ice cream buckets for this. 

 They are big enough to accommodate most things I dye.

 They have lids so unused dye can be saved til later.

She tore her sheet into equal size pieces. 

She wanted light and dark of each color.

It is key to wash and wet the fabric first. 

 Washing removes sizing.

  Wetting makes sure they dye takes more evenly.

That purple was so deep and beautiful.

She worked all afternoon.

She waited 30 minutes before removing each piece of cloth.

She rinsed until the water ran clear.

Then she hung them on this drying rack I got this spring at the thrift store.

I also found a striped sheet and she snagged that one.

It was neat to see how the stripes turned out in each color.

Note my husband's help in the picture below.

The rack kept blowing over so he hooked a very large fishing sinker to the bottom of the rack.

See it?

VERY LARGE....

Once she was finished with the dye, I dyed some things I wanted to do.

Coffee filters.

They fit perfectly in those ice cream buckets.

I leave the coffee filters in for 5 minutes or hours depending on how intense I want the color.

These were less than 15 minutes.

I put them over a tin to drip in the grass and then I hang them in my garage on a little rack by my sink.

They can stay there until they dry.

I also did a couple bags that I want to alter.

That purple is still pretty strong.

I like the splotchy look.

Then I did lace.

I recently bought yards and yards from a thrift store.

It is fun to see how the different laces take the dye in the same dye batch.

Green.

Purple.

I did lots in the purple.

You can see the synthetic lace takes the color differently than the natural fiber lace.

I love how these turned out.

Well, when my daughter gets her rug finished I will show it to you.

Thanks for stopping by....