When I think of “Americana”, a few images come to mind… flags, apple pie, and red barns. It is easy to say that nothing is quite more comforting and classic. Add a touch of this look to your home with this easy to create candle holder that conjures up the warm feelings of that classic red barn look.

For this project, you will need:

– Candle block holder from Viking Wood Crafts

– Delta CeramaCoat Acrylic Paint in Barn Red

– Delta CeramaCoat Acrylic Paint in Antique White

– Medium grit sandpaper

– Soft cloth

– Three inch cast iron star from Texican Treasures

– Hot glue gun

– Paper cup or bowl

– Water

– Coarse hair paintbrush

– Glass votive holders

– Vanilla or berry scented votive candles

– Newspaper

Coat your workspace adequately with newspaper, as this project can get a little messy. Gently sand the candle block holder with medium grit sandpaper. Wipe off any dust with a soft cloth. (This step is vital as it helps the paint adhere to the wood.)

Mix one part water with one part Delta CeramaCoat Acrylic Paint in Antique White in the paper cup or bowl. Using the coarse hair paintbrush, paint the entire wood candleholder with a singular coat. Allow the paint to dry.

Paint over the white on the wood candle holder with a thick coat of Delta CeramaCoat Acrylic Paint in Barn Red. Let the candleholder set until it is almost completely dry. With medium grit sandpaper, sand random areas on the holder to remove a bit of red paint. This adds a vintage, worn look that many boutique charge lots of money for. Let the paint dry fully.

Paint the cast iron stars with the white paint mixture. Once the paint has dried, sand off some of the coating with the medium grit sandpaper. Dust off any remnants with a soft cloth. Heat up your hot glue gun. Attach the cast iron star to the center of the side of the wooden candleholder using the glue gun. Allow the glue to dry.

Insert the glass votive holders. Place vanilla or berry scented candles in the holders and enjoy!

TIP: For an added Americana look, try using a dark blue base coat instead of an antique white. Or, instead of a barn red top coat consider using a blue shade. The only limit is your imagination with this project, so be creative!

Even though we see the long bills of hummingbirds slip into flowers and feeders, the hummingbirds actually lick the nectar with their tongues. These fascinating birds are delightful to watch while they are feeding. Constructing a bird feeder using recycled items repainted in red is sure to bring the hummingbirds to your yard. Below is a creative tutorial on making your own hummingbird feeder and an easy recipe to blend a sugar water mixture to fill the feeder.

Materials

1 liter soda bottle
Wire coat hanger
Glue Gun
Glue sticks (for glue gun)
2-3 small wooden flower appliques
Red acrylic paint
Paint brush
Small nail
Hammer
Newspaper

Directions

Step One – Rinse out the soda bottle in preparation of reconstructing it into a hummingbird feeder. Turn the bottle upside down without the cap and allow it to air dry.

Step Two – While you are waiting on the soda bottle to dry, begin to paint the wooden flower appliques. Lay out the newspaper and pour some of the red paint onto a small area. Painting both sides of the wooden flowers is optional, only one red side is necessary. Allow the flowers to dry and paint a second count to ensure the red color will be bold and bright. Paint the cap of the soda bottle as well.

Step Three – In the center of the soda bottle, make a small hole by hammering the nail into the bottle. Remove the nail after the hole has been made.

Step Four – Using the glue gun, adhere the wooden flowers on each side of the hole in the soda bottle.

Step Five – Fill the bottle with a sugar water mixture and tighten the cap on the soda bottle.

Step Six – Stretch out the wire hanger and begin to wrap onside of the hanger around the neck of the bottle. Twist the other end of the wire hanger into a large hook, so it can hang on a tree branch.

How To: Sugar Water Mixture

Materials

¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water, plus ¾ cup cold water
Pot
Spoon

Directions

Step One – Combine the sugar and ¼ cup of water into a pot. Bring the mixture to a boil while continuously stirring.

Step Two – Remove pot from the stove and stir in ¾ cup of cold water. Completely cool before adding to a feeder.

At a local craft store, you can buy a lap desk with little to no storage for over twenty dollars. I realized that with a little DIY action, I could customize my own lap desk for pennies on the dollar. Not only will you have a lap desk, but imagine using it to serve your loved ones breakfast in bed with. This is one of the easiest crafts I have shown how to do, that creates a very useful lap desk that will serve you well for many years to come.

The first thing to do (yes, before you gather your materials), is to envision what kind of lap desk you would like, and what features you need. I make a lot of jewelry, work with polymer clay, and scrap book, I need more of a general lap desk with one primary container.

NOW you gather your supplies.

You will need (or you can make) a small throw pillow about the size of your lap. E3000 or another super bonding craft glue (made for plastics and fabric), and a clipboard with a built-in box from an office supply store or Wal-Mart. This is a good example of what I mean, though I prefer one with a deeper container.

Now simply glue the pillow onto the bottom of the clipboard, and carefully place some encyclopedias over your lap desk for as long as your particular glue takes to cure. Make sure your books lay flat on your lap desk, as you do not want the pillow sliding off when the glue is curing.

Now you can customize your lap desk. If you would like a removable container (to wash your pillow) you can glue, sew, or iron on adhesive-backed Velcro onto your pillow and clip board, but personally I found the resulting adhesion to be too weak, especially when I am using any kind of force on the top of the lap desk, or even leaning on it too heavily. You can also add extra pockets on the side of your pillow by gluing scrap fabric to the sides of the pillows, leaving the top side of the scrap open. If you would like to hem it first for a more professional look, please do.

Enjoy your lap desk, and let me know how they come out!