Potted Tree Branch DIY

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I'm in love with these potted trees. They were so much fun to make. I started out with one and ended up making ten. 

Here's how you can make one or ten of your own! 

Gather discarded branches. We happen to have a brush pile on our property, so I just went to the pile and figured out which ones I liked. 

Spray Paint:

I covered a table with a drop cloth and laid all my branches out on it. I then proceeded to spray paint the branches three different colors. I used Krylon sea foam, vanilla and slate blue spray paints. Layering your paints give the branches a beautiful look. 

Spray Foam: 

This stuff is messy so wear gloves and goggles when spraying 

Once your branches are dry choose the ones you want to put together. Place them in plastic flower pot  Fill in around the branches with small pebbles. (warning: don't use soil as the caulk won't stick to it) 

Now spray caulk in and around the branches filling the pot 1/2 -3?4 full. Don't fill it completely or the caulk will expand and overflow. 

Above you can see my pots. The caulk has expanded and is holding all my trees in place. I did go in with a sharp knife and cut the dried caulk so it was level with the pot. You don't have to do this, but I liked the flat look best. 

Moss: 

The one on the left is sphagmum the right is reindeer moss.

So I tried reindeer moss and it was a disaster. I suggest Sphagmum moss or super moss. It's a brighter color and easier to work with. Just spread a generous amount of modge podge onto the caulked surface and press your moss onto it. 

Stick silk flowers into the moss and wrap your pot with burlap for  finished look. Or simply add some stones and leave it simple.

Lights and butterflies: 

I used battery powered mini white lights. I found them in the wedding section at Walmart. 

So I bought a pack of paper from Michaels that had birds, nests and butterflies printed on the cardstock pages. I cut them out and hot glued them into place. I also used some of the sphagmum moss to create little nests and hot glued those onto branches as well. 

The result was magical! 

For a simple look simply spray paint the branches and add the moss. 

Folding Screen DIY

Honestly, these are the cutest things I've ever made! I made two different folding screens for a women's event at church. But they would look adorable in a bedroom or on a porch or anywhere you like! 

Of course the girls that took pictures in front of them were the cutest of all. 

Here's the blue one. You can see it on stage behind the ladies

Because of time restraints, I did enlist the help of my husband. However, I'm confident you can do this on your own. It's so easy!

Here's what you need to make one screen. I made two screens, a blue one and a green one so I doubled everything on the list below.

You need:

A drill

Six - 24" long 1" x 3" pine boards

Six - 60: long 1" x 3" pine boards

Twenty four - 1 1/4" wood screws

Eighteen - 3/4" wood screws

four - 2" long hinges

Thick floral wire. I used 24 guage

Wire cutters

Behr Semi Transparent stain

Paint brush

Artificial flowers - 12-15 large stems for each screen. 

Step one:

Stain all the boards front and back. I used Behr Semi Transparent stain for a barn wood appearance. 

The potted trees in the background turned out super cute as well. Find out how to create them at: potted tree branch DIY. 

I made two screens so I stained one set blue and the other green. 

Step two:

Form a frame using two short boards and two long boards. If you are a perfectionist you can use a "square" to be sure everything is just right. This is one reason, I'm glad I enlisted my hubby. I would have just slapped it all together.

Do this step two more times until you have three frames.

Step three:

Attach your hinges. 

Be sure to think through how you want your screen to open. That will determine what sides you place your hinges. 

Step four:
Place the 3/4 inch screws along the top and bottom of each frame. These screws are for your wire.  If you want to use three screws across you'll have a fuller frame. I only used two as I wanted a light and airy appearance.

Step five:
Attach your wire to the bottom and top screws. Be sure to wind it around each screw securely so it will hold once it has extra weight on it.  here's a picture of how tall the screens will be. he's just under five feet tall.

Step six:

Adhere your branches or flowers to the wire. I used my remaining floral wire to attach the flowers. 

Since making these I've thought of two variations: 

#1. Attach chicken wire to the backs of each screen instead of just using wire. This would give you so many decorating options and create an awesome "fixer upper" style.

#2. Weave lights through the wires and have a lighted screen. I chose not to as the trees we made to put around these will be lighted. 

I hope you'll have a great time creating these. They were a huge hit at our women's event. We used one as a photo op back drop and the other up on the stage with the speaker. 

Here's my table. I'm the second on the right. 

Live FB bible study for kids

Tomorrow, Tuesday June 7th we'll be live on FB at 10:15 Central Time. Our local Life Way Christian Bookstore is hosting our kids summer Bible study!

Tomorrow is our intro and kick off!
Click here to find our events:
 KIDS SUMMER BIBLE STUDY LIVE FB

How many times have you asked your kids if they are reading their bibles? Our family meets every evening at 9p.m. to pray before bed. We frequently ask our kids, "What did you read in the bible today?" I'd love to say, they respond every time with wonderful insights. But it's more likely they will say, "nothing" or, "I forgot".

My youngest is eleven years old and loves art. So when I started journaling in my bible, he showed great interest. This encouraged me to think that perhaps we could study the bible together and include a little art along the way. 

I know there are some great resources out there for bible studies for kids. I've spent time looking at a few. But, most of them are for adults to read and then implement with their children. This is why my son and I are going to do a live weekly face book feed for you. Each week, he and I will show you how we Pray/Read/Explore/Create & Memorize a passage of scripture. 

Our first Facebook live podcast will be Tuesday mornings at 9:30 a.m. Though our official launch date is June 7th we'll share a few fun ideas with you starting this Thursday at 7p.m. 

So come over to our FB page to sign up under events at: https://www.facebook.com/campingsticks/ 

Here's a short video for you to see what we're planning:

Precepts has donated some books for us to give away! We're so excited to share! 

10 ways to enjoy SPRING

Oh boy another 10 things list! Yes, it is another 10 things list. The best ways to enjoy Spring. It passes by so quickly, You really don't want to miss out on these 10 ways to make it special. 

So counting down!

#10

Enjoy the rain and break out the rain boots and umbrella. Go crazy and drag your kids outside and stomp through some puddles together. You will be so glad you did. 

#9

READ A GREAT BOOK:  Most people think this is a summer activity. But throw a great book in your bag and when you are sitting at a soccer game for your kids or waiting for them to finish piano lessons you can read something awesome! Here's one of my favorite authors:

Brandilyn Collins Kanner Lake Series will keep you captivated. 

Oh, I just saw one of her newer books! Now I know I"m going to enjoy Spring!

#8

TAKE YOUR KIDS HIKING: This is a terrific spring activity. Before it gets to hot you can enjoy the cool spring days. Wear those rain boots and grab a stick to jab at rocks and look under old logs together. 

Hiking Sticks

#7

DISCOVER A NEW TEA OR COFFEE SHOP IN YOUR AREA:

I love this one! there's nothing greater than finding a new spot to hang out with friends or my kids. I've discovered two great tea shops right here in my own town. 

#6

GO FOR A LONG WALK THROUGH YOUR TOWN: It's strange how you can live in a town for many years and never actually walk it's main street.The alley ways of my little town are charming. 

#5.

SPRAY PAINT OR PAINT SOMETHING: As long it's not raining spring weather is perfect for painting projects.  It's a cheap activity too. Just 4.00 for a can of spray paint or a small pint of paint. 

I'm working on a project right now to build room dividers.. Post upcomig about that. Here's part of the process: I'm also making potted sticks.. that's a post upcoming as well! 

#4.

Pick Blossoms off a tree and fill a vase with them. 

The fragrance is wonderful! I made the numbers throughout this post with the blossoms from my crab apple tree. 

#3. 

OPEN YOUR WINDOWS AND PLAY MUSIC!

This is one of my favorite spring things to do. It's amazing how fresh air and music can get you into a cleaning mood! 

#2. 

DO SOME SPRING CLEANING: Once you have music blaring and your windows open you may as well clean some stuff. Do that dusting that's been piling up. Re-arrange some furniture. Throw some stuff out! 

#1. 

HAVE A GARAGE SALE: Yes, Now! Don't wait for summer. Spring is a great time for a garage sale. You'll be surprised how many people are just itching for a great sale. You can make bank if you sell coffee and donuts on a cool garage sale morning. 

So there ya go! That was painless huh? Just pick one or two of the things above and you'll find you can make the most of Spring this year!