Crafts

Fourth of July Craft: Sunprint Fireworks Jars

If you’re looking for a unique craft project to tackle with your friends and family this Independence Day, look no further! Making sunprints is super easy and so much fun.

For these jars, I foraged around my yard and found all sorts of cool items—Queen Anne’s lace, tiny little daisylike flowers called daisy fleabane, ornamental grass, and ferns—to help me create the look of fireworks.

With the exception of the plants, flowers, and mason jars, I found all of my craft ingredients at my local crafts store.

You’ll need:

  • Sun-sensitive paper (the instructions on the package are super easy to follow)
  • Piece of cardboard (approximate size 12″ x 12″)
  • Plants and flowers
  • A pan of water
  • Mason jars
  • Glue stick
  • Scissors

Here’s how you do it:

1. Gather plants and flowers.

2. While in a shady part of your yard or house, place a piece of sun-sensitive paper (blue side up) on the cardboard. (The cardboard provides a flat and level surface.)

3. Arrange the plants and flowers on the sun-sensitive paper.

4. Carefully place the paper with your arranged items in the sun.

5. Leave in the sun for approximately 2 minutes (the paper will turn a very light blue).

6. Remove the items on the paper and fully immerse the paper in water for about 1 minute.

7. Remove the paper from the water and lay it on a towel to dry.

8. After the paper is dry, cut it to any size you want, coat the back using a glue stick, and adhere the sunprint to a jar.

9. Add votive candles or flowers and kaboom! You have a really cool addition to your Fourth of July table.

Happy Fourth of July!

Wine Bottle Lanterns

If you're looking for a fun and crafty way to create unique garden lanterns then you'll love this project. Let me show you how to transform empty wine or water bottles into these lovely lanterns. They're super easy and are sure to impress guests at your next garden shindig.

Here's what you'll need:

Note to crafters: I found my bottle cutter on-line at Amazon.com. The rest of the supplies, with the exception of the sticks and bottles, I picked up at my local craft and hardware stores.

Probably the most challenging part of this project is removing those darned labels from the bottles. My solution is simple...soak the bottle in dish detergent for at least 2 hours and with some coaxing, they come right off. Using a magic eraser also works.

To cut the glass, simply follow the directions supplied with the bottle cutter. And, don’t forget to wear safety glasses for this project. It’s also important that you file the edges of the cut glass with a glass file.

Using the pocket knife whittle (I love that word) the top of the stick to accommodate the opening of the glass bottle. Place a generous portion of glue on the top of the stick and place the opening of the bottle on the stake and let it dry over night. My adhesive of choice is E-6000. If you don't want to use sticks, you can substitute by using garden stakes which you can buy at any garden center. Here's a photo of an outdoor wedding which I used them to line the isle; added a bit of ribbon and viola'!

Jackie & Jeff's Wedding

Don't forget to recycle the bottom portion of the bottle for a drinking glass or vase.  However, remember to file down the sharp glass edges before use.

Not only can you put a votive candle inside but also you can fill them with birdseed or flowers. Enjoy your party and happy crafting!