DIY Wood Bead Carrots

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I'm in full swing with spring crafting and I seem to have a thing for carrots this season!  Every year I feel like I get into a particular item and this year carrots are stealing my heart over an over.  This craft was fun and unique and so simple to do!

What you will need:

Orange Paint

Wood Beads in a variety of sizes

Wood Stain

Sand Paper

Twine

Ribbon

Cut Tag if you want to add one (watch video below of a great trick)

 

Start out by laying out your wood beads in graduating order from largest to smallest.  Once you have a "carrot" shape then put the beads on dowels and paint them orange.  Once my paint was dry I used my favorite little Micro Sander from Gator and lightly buffed each bead and then went over all of them with Dark Walnut wood stain to darken them just a bit.

 

 

After everything had dried I assembled my carrots by threading the beads on two strands of twine and tying a knot at the bottom making sure it was thick enough of a knot to prevent any beads from sliding off.  Once that was done I created twine tassels which I have been making for a long time but here is a great tutorial!  I then attached the twine tassel to the top of the carrots.  Once I had my three carrots assembled I took a strip of ribbon and tied it around the top and made a cute bow. 

As a bonus I did add a cute little tag I created using my Silhouette Cameo with some heat transfer vinyl.  I made the tag from a small piece of a paint stick and rounded the corners.  Easy as pie to do homemade tags that way!

A very simple project indeed!  I think they are fun and unique without a doubt but they add a nice pop of color to my decor.  I also love that you can make them your own but what shade of orange you use and what ribbon you want and even what color twine you choose!  Hope you make a set too!

Some supplies you might need:

Assorted Wood Beads

Twine 

Orange Paint

Black and White Plaid Ribbon 

Heat Transfer Vinyl for Tag

Dark Walnut Wood Stain 

Fruit Pizza

Follow along on Instagram for more fun!  Lots of crafting, diy, recipes and more over there!

Have you had fruit pizza lately?  If not then I would highly recommend it and what better time to share this recipe!  The weather is warming up with summer coming around the corner and this recipe is a refreshing dessert that is perfect for warmer temps!

My son loves this recipe and it's always been our thing to assemble it together because it's so simple and it's fun for kids to get involved in the kitchen.  He's a grown man now but he still loves this recipe!  It's so simple to make and everyone always loves it!

What you will need:

18 oz Sugar Cookie Dough, package refrigerated 
8 oz Cream Cheese, softened 
1/3 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Fresh Fruits

*I use strawberries, blueberries, grapes, mandarin oranges and kiwi 

but you can use any fruit combo you like
1/4 cup Orange Marmalade
1 tbsp Orange Juice or water

To Make:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

 

Slice the dough into 1/8-inch slices; line a cookie sheet with slices and press to shape into a crust.

 

Bake for 12 minutes until light brown. Let cool completely.

Mix together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla and spread over cookie crust. Arrange fruits over cream cheese mixture.

 

Mix orange marmalade with orange juice and drizzle over fruits. Chill and serve when cold.

 

 

I hope you enjoy this recipe with friends and family!

Wooden Bunny DIY

 If you aren't following along on Instagram what are you even doing?😂 Please join me so you can see my latest DIY, craft, recipes and more!  @paperpaintandpine

I was in Target and saw these adorable wood bunnies for just $5.00 a piece and they had three styles so I immediately started thinking of all the ways I could make them adorable but settled on neutral paint and absolutely love them!  You could certainly do so much more than just paint them a solid color but for me I wanted them to just blend in and be simple and sweet.  Such a fun and easy little makeover!

I simply sanded each bunny lightly to smooth the edges and then chose three colors of paint which ended up being white, light gray and charcoal gray.  I let them dry then sanded them lightly so reveal some of the wood and then coated them in Special Walnut wood stain to give them an aged look.  I then painted some little beads to coordinate with the bunny colors and then put those on a strand of twine and tied it around each bunny and then added a cute little carrot that came from floral picks at Michael's.

Aren't they just the cutest little things!?

So easy to make them over and they are still available at Target!  

If you want to purchase them click HERE.

I also have found several items on Amazon that would work for this project as well:

Wooden Bunny

Another wooden bunny option

Chalk Paint

Wooden Beads 

Carrots

Twine

Wooden Easter Blocks DIY

It's bunny season and I'm so here for it!  I've been busy getting the house "lightened" up for the upcoming spring temps and while I'm doing that I have thought of several fun crafts I want to do.  Why is it that when I decide to craft in one tiny corner my entire house proceeds to fall apart around us?  I don't know how a couple blocks of wood and a few bottles of paint can be blamed on laundry not getting done and the dining room being piled with crap and the floors needing a good scrub but in my house that is how I roll every single time I am crafting. 

These blocks were so simple to make!  I shared a quick video on Instagram for you to see the simplicity of this project and I also am sharing that video here.  Side note...if you aren't already following me on Instagram what are you even doing!?  Hop on over there and give me a follow for diy, crafts, recipes and more!

I did these blocks in both pastel colors and bright colors and in the end my favorite was definitely the bright!  I think it all depends on your personal style and what works in your home and even though I don't use these specific bright colors in my decor they just seemed to work better.

To make these you will need:

• 2x4 inch board cut into small blocks...I cut mine to be 3 1/2 inches "tall"

• Paint of your choice

• Stickers or vinyl you've cut out.  I designed mine in Silhouette Studio and then cut them out on permanent vinyl but you could buy stickers at the craft store or if you are really talented you could hand paint them!

• Wood Stain for distressing

• Sandpaper for distressing

The video below shows you the general process even though it's a time lapse but I will also do a step by step for you.

 

 

To make your blocks:

First I painted the front of the block white going right up to the edges but not quite all the way there because I didn't want the white to show through when I distressed the edges at the end.

Once the white paint was dry I smoothed it with some fine grit sandpaper and then applied my bunny sticker and pressed it down very firmly so it wouldn't move when I painted over it.

I then chose my color of paint and painted two coats over the entire block.

Once all the paint was dry I sanded the edges to distress the wood and then I put a coat of Special Walnut wood stain over the whole block and then wiped it right back off.  I did this just to age the block a small amount.  I made sure to leave my bunny sticker on until the very end because I didn't want the white to get dark when I applied the stain.

After the wood stain I then peeled my bunny sticker off and then used white paint to do any touch ups that might need done.

That is it!  So simple!

Do you decorate for Easter and Spring?  I don't do a lot of it but I like adding a few touches here and there which is why I love crafts like this because they are super easy to make but add a big impact when you see them sitting out.  Also when it's time to clean up it takes no time at all!

Personalized Easter Basket with HTV World

If you aren't following Paper, Paint and Pine on Instagram you should!  You can also visit the Shop for paper goods and some handmade wooden items like Key to Decor Beads?

I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.

 I don't know if you've heard but I have a new niece.  She's 4 months old and it's her first Easter!  I am looking forward to having a basket for her filled with cute girly things however I needed a cute basket first.  I searched Pottery Barn Kids and they were cute but didn't wow me so I decided to go the inexpensive route and make my own.  Two of my favorite things...budget friendly and a craft!

  Have you guys heard of HTV World?  They are a shop that specializes in all kinds of Heat Transfer Vinyl!  Here is what they say about their shop:

 "If you’re looking for some of the best heat transfer vinyl on the market you’ve come to the right place. We carry Siser heat transfer vinyl.

Heat Transfer Vinyl World let’s you shop your way. By COLOR. Choose your base color and see hand-picked accent colors that complement any color for any project. Never get stumped again and find colors that work for you.

HTV World is dedicated to making your shopping experience a breeze."

They have such an easy way to shop because every color gives you several coordinating colors and styles of heat transfer that will go with your pick.  I loved shopping with them and they have a great assortment of styles and the quality is top notch!

 I found my cute little bunny basket at Target in their dollar section for and knew I had to do something to make it just a bit cuter so I went straight to HTV World and snagged some colors that would work perfectly for her basket.  I went with pale pink, white glitter and solid white but didn't end up using the solid white for this project so I'm sure you will see another post down the line where I use it.

 I used my Silhouette machine to create the decal using just her first name and then mirrored the image and cut it out of the pale pink and then the glitter white.

  Once my HTV was cut I did the weeding (taking off excess material around the letters) and prepared my iron to get it ironed on.  I dumped the water out of my iron so there wouldn't be any steam and set it to the linen setting and let it get good and hot.  

 I then placed my decal using the glitter htv first and due to it being a curved surface I did cut the word in half to make it a little straighter. 

I placed my basket over the end of my iron so I had a surface to press the basket and decal on.

 I then placed a thin piece of fabric over the decal to protect it from melting onto my iron.  I just use a tshirt and just use one layer of it and it works great.

 Once the tshirt was covering it I placed my hot iron on it without moving it too much so it wouldn't move the htv.  Once I knew it was secured enough to the basket surface I started slowly moving my iron over it while applying pressure and then once the backing was coming off the vinyl I slowly removed it and had an adorable basket!

 After I did the glitter layer I then placed the pale pink layer over top of it but moved it just slightly over so the white glitter would just peak out.  Most people would probably put the smooth vinyl down first and then do the glitter but I wanted the glitter to just be an accent.

 How easy is that?  So simple but creates the cutest little basket for so cheap!
 

 Isn't it so cute?  I just love that little accent of glitter sticking out!

Moral of the story?  Go visit HTV World for your heat transfer projects!

Happy Easter!

Do It Yourself Faux Robin's Eggs

Oh where has the time gone?  I feel sad that I haven't blogged in such a long time but also I feel like so much work goes into blogging and sometimes I wonder if anyone is reading because most the time I get very little response to my posts.  That all being said I miss sharing my creative adventures with you.  I thought I'd kick off with a super simple project for spring or Easter.

I know a lot of places are carrying solid wood eggs or even just white plastic eggs and either would work for this project.  I used solid wood eggs from Target.  I found them in the dollar spot so you can't beat the price. I then bought a bottle of acrylic paint from Target in a color called Robins Egg.  Perfect name for this project.

 Perfect for your spring decor!

I picked up this brush at Lowe's Home Improvement and love it for anything that is round like finials or beads or candle sticks...you get the idea.  Makes brushing paint onto round object so much easier!

I painted all the wooden eggs with 2 coats of the acrylic paint and let them dry well before I started adding the spots that a typical Robin's Eggs have on them.

These are perfect just with the plain paint on them too so feel free to stop at this step!

Just start lightly dabbing the paint on with your toothpick.  I went through a couple toothpicks because they would flatten out and the spots got too big but that is fine if you like that look.

Don't worry if all the dots aren't the same size or if they get a little smeared. They don't have to be perfect because in nature they wouldn't be perfect either.  That is it!

Put them back in the cardboard holder or a cute egg basket and you are all set with another cute decor item for spring!

 Don't mind the large black TV behind this little vignette...it just happens to be where I needed to add a little something to spring this area up.

  Happy Spring my friends!

Don't you love a quick and simple DIY?  I know I sure do! 

Faux Barnwood Tutorial

It has been way too long since I sat and wrote a blog post but after putting several videos up on my Instagram I had quite a few messages asking me to share this technique.  I have missed blogging and the community of friends I've made here but haven't felt much motivation to write a post until now.  Here is to hoping I get back to it regularly!

Now on to what this post is really about...Faux Barnwood!  
I have this ugly desk and shelving unit in my office and have been dying to get something new but just hadn't found anything that would give me the same amount of storage so I had planned on building something or making an Ikea trip and buying individual pieces and building around it.  However that day didn't happen and I was getting more and more tired of looking at the awful laminate so I woke up one day and knew just what I wanted to do with the furniture to give it a new life.  So I got my white paint and got started but then I didn't like how white it was so I hopped on Pinterest and looked up faux barnwood and found several great tutorials but most weren't using laminate but real wood so I knew I'd have to do a lot more than just using stain. I decided to just go for it because worst case scenario was to paint right over it if it didn't turn out.

 

 I started with the desk first and as I got started I was convinced I had ruined it and it'd never turn out but two days later and about 12 paint colors I was in love!  Don't worry you will not have to use 12 paint colors if you decide to do this and it will not take you 2 days like my first try did.  Once I realized the colors and technique I liked I was able to do my shelving unit in less than an hour and my work table surface in just about 45 minutes.  

 I am going to give general paint colors in the list of things you need however I will tell you exactly what colors I used.  I know you may not have access to each of these colors so just something similar will work.

You will need:

Sandpaper

Old t-shirt or rag

Gloves

Primer (I like Zinsser)

White chalk paint or any white paint you like

Rustoleum Carbon Gray Wood Stain or something similar

Black Paint

Dark Gray Paint

Brown Paint

Beige Paint

Light Gray Paint

Chip Brush

Valspar White Wood Stain 

You will want to do one light coat of primer over the surface you plan to use this technique on.  I didn't do anything thick but wanted to make sure there was at least a little bit of primer to cover the laminate.

Once the primer has dried you will use your Rustoleum Wood Stain in Carbon Gray.

I started with a chip brush but found that it was much easier to just use an old t-shirt and rub the stain in that way.

I didn't do a thick coat of stain and wiped as much off as I could.  Honestly I liked it just like this but still wanted to add some color/dimension to it which is where the other paint colors will come in.

Even though you saw all kinds of colors in the photo above these were the ones I ended up using.  This is kind of a trial and error process so if you have other colors you want to add in I say go for it and know you can always just paint over it if you don't like it.

I only used 1 chip brush for the entire process.  It doesn't hurt for the colors to blend into one another so that is why I only used one brush for the whole project.

You will start with any color you want and very very lightly make swiping motions all over the desk with the desired paint color.  I did this in quick sweeping motions and then once all the paint was off the brush I went back and blended it in by rubbing over it with the brush.  Basically just blending it in so the streaks weren't so harsh.  I did this with each color and then blended the whole surface with an old t-shirt so that it really softened the look.  I then went back with some of the colors and added a little more and then blended it again.  I did this until I was happy with the look.  Don't worry if you are layering a ton of paint.  Also do not give up if you think it's not looking right.  I thought it looked horrible and almost threw in the towel many times but I'm so glad I didn't.  There really isn't an art form on this but just keep at it until you are satisfied with the appearance.

Once I was please with how the surface looked I used a sanding block and sanded the whole surface to soften it a bit more.  I then went back over it with more of the Rustoleum Carbon Gray Wood Stain to blend it all together even more.

As you can see here once I went over it with the Carbon Gray it softened the surface so much.  I went back and added a little touch of color here and there just to add a little more "streaking" that the carbon stain may have blended in too much.  You wouldn't have to do this step though.

Second to last step is to use the Antique White Wood Stain from Varathane and go over the entire surface.  Again I used an old t-shirt for this and really used some pressure when rubbing it in so that it blended the colors really well.

The final step is to seal it with Polyacrylic.  I used 3 coats of this to really protect the surface.  It gives it a nice smooth finish and because I used Satin it has just the tiniest bit of sheen to it.  

That is it!  Don't let this project intimidate you because I promise it's easy.  It's really just layering and playing with it until you are pleased with the results.  I know you can do it! 

 This was a labor of love but I sure do love how it turned out!  It was definitely worth the time and energy I put into it because I love the end result and so has everyone else that has seen it so that is a major win!