Drea's Backyard Homestead

Sandy Beach Babe

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  • 4×4 Wood Pumpkins

    How to…..

    This craft is a bit more extensive. The cow on the green pumpkin is made with my Glow Forge laser and the Blue pumpkin with the green squash is cut on my scroll saw or i call it my girl saw lol. So it requires some heavy lifting if you know what I mean. Both are not hard to use after some practice. You can purchase the add on on Etsy from someone I am sure, or you can message me and we can work something out. You do not have to add the extra stuff on at all.

    Items needed (read direction before buying)

    4x4x8 Douglas Fir from Lowes (I had them cute them by 8 inch for me) and another at 4 inches for baby ones.

    A spaghetti squash or pumpkin stem OR a medium size pumpkin stem mold from Etsy

    Spray Paint of your choice

    Natural Raffia Ribbon

    Cow decor or wood sheet for laser -You can but embellishments from Hobby Lobby or a Thrift store.

    Sand paper 80, 120, and 220

    Straw for bow

    Natural Jute

    Copper or gold antique wax or gilding wax or paint to make it look old but this step is NOT needed

    Glue ( I used resin and super glue)

    Lets get started on the Pumpkin with the Highland Cow / whatever embellishment you want.

    Sand your block starting with the lowest grit sand paper 80 then work you up to the 220. By the time you get to 220 it should feel like butter. Okay, I exaggerated because wood is wood. I spend a extra minute on the corners to round them slightly. This is not going to be furniture so there is no need to go too crazy. Make sure it is dust free before moving on.

    Next, is painting. Grab your color of choice and spray two light coats and let it dry for 10 minutes. Then do a heavier coat and let dry for 15. Then if you want to spray a layer of sealant or shellac do that now. Nothing too shiny but more of a protection. Let it dry for 30 minutes. Remember to think about what you like and what fits into you home.

    Okay we have to make the stem now. My husband threw away my spaghetti squash stem so, ya. The one I have on there was made from a few pipe cleaners twisted and layered up with hot glue. After I got it fat enough I sprayed it with gold paint. After 15 minutes respray missed parts. It will take about 20 to 30 minutes to dry. There are a ton of videos on YouTube with a million different ways to make Punkin stems with a million different materials so don’t throw in the towel if mine don’t work for you.

    An easier way to make a stem (and what I do now) is to buy a medium size mold for resin from Etsy. Or you could make it out of air clay or polymer clay. Simply follow the direction on the package. Or you can buy real stems (YES real) on Etsy. Resin stems needs to set for a day then I put it in the freezer for 20 minutes before removing. It’s kind of like removing a child from a toy store. It doesn’t want to come out. You will get it but if you struggle with it too much watch YouTube video’s about how to remove resin from a difficult mold. Remember this is your art you do what you want to do.

    Glue the stem on. Make sure it is completely dry before moving forward. I sand the bottom of my resin stem till it is almost flat. Then glue with your of choice. I use a tiny resin for glue.

    Now you want to add decor i.e. a cow if that’s what you chose. I can not give you a link for the highland cow that I use because it comes in the Glow Forge App. You can buy a precut one from Highland Cow Farmhouse Decor on Etsy and Choose the 3.75×3.75 one. Or message me here or on Etsy @ https://sandybeachbabe.etsy.com if you want to buy it from me. Up close you can see all the flaws on my cow but on the pumpkin it looks great. If you have a laser printer look up svg highland cow on Etsy.

    Next is to add your flair like I added some leaf glitter and wrapped rope jute around the stem. I kind of look at my piece and see what I think I want to add. It’s a fluid artistic movement. I sanded the corners down (beforehand) and then used some cooper antique wax on them.

    Glow forge up to $500 off coupon https://share.glowforge.com/5zcah77s I get compensated for this. So thank you in advance.

    My Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/quacksallday/ You cam message me or shop.

    Etsy Page https://sandybeachbabe.etsy.com

    If you try this l would love to see pictures. I will add how to videos on YouTube to link here soon.

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  • Crushed Glass Christmas Tree

    How to…

    I have a craft fair coming up and I thought it would be beneficial for others to see how I make items that I sell. This item is a “Crushed Glass Christmas Tree. ” Is a simplistic one to start with but I love them! The glass can get pricey but the finished product I love! Put different sized ones around the house it really adds to the holiday feel and class. Let’s get to it!

    Items used

    Boards free or $10

    Spray Paint $10

    Sandpaper $5

    Crushed glass ( I use firepit glass because it’s cheaper the craft crushed glass) $25 to $35

    Tree decor (anything and everything, it’s art!) $3

    Tree topper i.e. star $7

    Resin $100 for a gallon (you can buy smaller amounts)

    The first thing I do is I get some recycled boards. Imperfections on the board if they are small is no big deal. Mine are about 13 to 15 inches long this time because that’s what I have. I sand them 4 times with 60, 80, 120 and 220 grit. Yes, your arms will hurt when you are done! You can leave the boards as is or you can stain them, or spray paint them. Either way you need to coat your boards with some Mod Podge and let it dry. Other wise the wood will suck up all your epoxy.

    Then I lay the boards in a row

    I get comfy next to them and grab some crushed glass and shape it in the shape of a triangle. I use a popsicle stick to shape it. I then add my decorations. You have left over beads use them! Go to thrift stores and buy necklaces to break up and use or kids craft sets. I was silly and spent about $30 bucks on Amazon for this set. I add a large starfish for my star on top of the tree, because I all about the ocean. Then I mix my epoxy together. I mix about 15 to 20 grams for each board. Use your popsicle stick to pour/drip it over your glass. Make sure to get your edges without running over. if you drip or it runs over just roll with it and either wipe it up with a baby wipe or rub it onto the board for a glassy effect (with gloves of course). Then you let dry for 24 hours. Then I fix anything that I don’t like. After that it needs to cure for 3 to 5 days away from your family to de gas.

    Now you have a beautiful Christmas tree that will last for years! Or you can buy them here. https://sandybeachbabe.etsy.com

    Crushed glass/ fire pit Beach combing items I found to use as tree stem