DIY Faux Snow-Globe & Solar Lamp + Crate Love Sign :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow! That was a fun project! A little more time consuming then I thought... but that is partly do to the fact that I messed up painting the top of the solar light.

CRATE BOARD LOVE SIGN

 

I know that the original sign was made with pallet boards, but I did not have a pallet so I went with the crates I had. The boards are super light and flexible so I'd recommend using them instead really.

 

I pulled all the metal out and cute the boards in half.

I was a little worried because it was a bit warped from being outside. This is where the glue works its magic!

I used hot glue, but you can use regular craft wood glue too. I think either will help in flattening the warped board out. I glued the back of a side of crate, and each board also. If you are using hot glue I recommend going fast (this is why I don't have pics of the glue on the board because it dries super fast!)I like glue so I glued the crap out of the backs of the boards. I like things to stay put! Now if you decide to use the pallet board you won't need so much glue and will only need one board to lay across the back. See below picture for reference!

I didn't add pictures of me staining because um...boring. But you can stain or not stain if you are using the pallet board as they have a pretty nice color without touching them. I went with stain because I wanted it to look like the original. I also have to confess that I always do things as I go instead of doing things preplanned (my husband yells at me for this all the time). One day perhaps I'll learn better, but for now... I do it MY WAY. I kind of like seeing mistakes or flaws in art because it shows it was handmade!

I wrote a love letter to my husband :) along with the lyrics to a favorite song "Time in a Bottle" I kind of LOVE how it turned out!

 

FAUX Snow-Globe Solar Lamp

 I happen to love making things with solar lights! So there! I thought this jar idea was super cute, but really needed some "green" light to make it better!

I'm actually figured out something that makes my life SO much easier. I'll explain more shortly. Items you need for this protect...

• Empty Glass candle jar/holder with a wide lid opening and stopper
• Elmer's glue
• Lacey fabric or doily
• Solar light removed from stalk
• Locktite glue or any really really strong glue
• Clear or white acrylic paint, or spray glue and loose glitter works too
• Foil
• White spray paint
• White texture (you don't have to use this
You want to remove the white rubber piece from the top of the candle  jar stopper first. Then glue it to the top of the solar light top with the extra strength glue.


Next I painted the inside of the light all white with acrylic paint.

While that was drying I started the doily tree to put over the light. I dipped a small piece of doily fabric into elmer's glue then wrapped that around a mold I made out of foil in a tree shape.

This will need to dry for at least 2 or 3 hours :( After drying I painted more glue on and dropped glitter all over that. After which it had to dry for another hour. When you are finished all these steps you can now attach to solar lamp top.

Again you need some extra strength glue for this part. I usually use locktite as it is durable in any weather condition.
This part you don't have to do... I just liked how it looked. I used some texture paints to create a snow base around the bottom of the rim around the tree. Do not cover the white rubber part though.

The texture takes a little while to dry... while it's drying you can start on the bottle itself. I used regular spray paint and just light tapped the nozzle to try and create puffs of snow inside the bottle. After which I tossed glitter on the drying paint :) Next I painted the outside of the bottle with clear glitter paint. I recommend Martha Stewart acrylic paint because it can be used on any surface.

After everything has dried for at least 24 hours you are now ready to put the pieces together!!

It was nice enough to snow for me so I could take this picture of the finished product! yay!! I am so proud of this!

As a side note you can paint the top of the solar lamp (or the bottom depending on how it's sitting) any way you want... or you don't even have to paint it. I'm just really into painting things! Although the red with blue polka dots was not my best idea... I fixed it! And there you have it... two projects finished!

I'm on the search now for the next projects I'll be working on. Please feel free to send suggestions!

 

PS Coming soon.... These projects will are samples of what will be available for purchase on my etsy shop!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/RAWCO

THANKS!!