This cute wreath is so easy to make and it doesn’t cost anything to make! Grab some green scrapbook paper and hot glue to put this together and you’ve got a great St. Patrick’s Day wreath you can hang on your door or mantle! Try making mini ones and string them together using twine for a shamrock garland! If you don’t have any green paper lying around, some green acrylic paint over white paper works just as well! Get out the scissors and let’s get our craft on!

Supply List:

1) Green scrapbook paper. You can use double-sided scrapbook paper, or you can use regular white paper and paint it using acrylic paints.

2) Seven 12″x2″ strips of paper

3) Seven 10″x2″ strips of paper

4) Seven 8″x2″ strips of paper

5) Green ribbon so you can hang up your wreath

6) Some extra paper so you can make the front decoration, and you will need it for some back pieces of the shamrock

7) Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Step #1:

Take a strip of paper of each length and stack them one on top of the other. Glue the ends together on one side.

Step #2:

Take the inside piece and make a loop. Glue the other end down.

Step #3:

Repeat the same step with the other two pieces of paper. You will end up with a teardrop shape.

Step #4:

Repeat these steps until you’ve made a total of 6 teardrops. Glue them together by the ends in groups of two. You will end up with a heart shape.

Step #5:

Now it’s time to make the stem of the shamrock. You should have 3 strips of paper left. Take the 12″ strip and make a fold mark 5″ from the left edge and 5″ from the right edge. There will be 2″ between the two fold lines. The area between the folds will be centered. Take the 10″ strip and make a fold mark 4.25″ from the left edge and a fold mark 4.25″ from the right edge. There will be 1.5″ between the two fold lines and the area between the folds will be centered. Take the 8″ strip and make a fold mark 3.5″ from the left edge and a fold mark 3.5″ from the right edge. There will be a 1″ area between the fold lines and the area between them will be centered.

Step #6:

Line up all the ends and hot glue them together.

Step #7:

Put your shamrock together. Cut out a small circle out of paper. This will hold all your points as you’re gluing them together. You can add an accordion fold circle to the front center of the shamrock. It will hide all the glued points. Glue a piece of ribbon to the back and hang up your ornament!

Photos: The Craft Patch.

Save those coffee grounds from your morning coffee and put them to good use! From fertilizing your garden, deodorizing your fridge, to cleaning your pots and pans, there are so many ways you can use coffee grounds! So next time you make a cup of hot coffee, save the grounds! Take a look at our top 10 ways you can use coffee grounds around your home!

1. Get Rid of Scratches on Wood Furniture

Furniture a bit banged up? Steep some coffee grounds and dip in a q tip. Dab the q tip on scratches to hide them.

2. Clean Your Pots and Pans

Place a spoonful of coffee in a dirty pot to help scrub away grease. The coffee acts as an abrasive to get rid of stuck-on food and oil.

3. Give Seedlings a Coffee Boost

When planting seedlings, stir some coffee grounds into the dirt to raise nitrogen levels in the soil. You can also add the coffee grounds to your watering can to give them a boost that way.

4. Age Paper

This one is great for craft projects! If you want your boring white paper to have an aged look, dip the paper into coffee diluted with water. Leave it to sit for a minute, then take the paper out and dab it dry.

5. Get Rid of Insects

Sprinkle coffee grounds around plants to keep bugs at bay. Make a ring around the plants to ward off slugs and ants that want at your precious flowers!

Photo By: Trusty Joe

6. Deodorize Your Fridge

Fridge smelling funky? Put a small amount of dry coffee grounds in a cup at the bottom of your fridge. The coffee will absorb any odors that are lingering in your fridge.

7. Give Your Blue Hydrangeas a Boost

If you’re trying to grow Blue Hydrangeas, add coffee grounds into the soil before planting. The coffee will increase the acidity level of the soil and it will also help the flowers absorb any aluminum in the soil, which helps keep them a vibrant blue!

8. Keep Ashes From Flying Around

If you’re trying to keep ashes from flying all over your floor as you’re cleaning out your fireplace, sprinkle damp coffee grounds over them. The damp grounds will help keep the dust down.

9. Get Rid of Cockroaches

Get rid of these unwanted visitors by filling up a jar with an inch of damp coffee grounds. Take out some sticky tape and wrap it around the jar’s neck. The coffee will help draw the cockroaches into the trap.

10. Clean Your Hands

To get rid of onion or garlic odors from your hands, rub coffee grounds on them before washing them with soap.Photos: Yankee Magazine, Cleanipedia, Well and Good, Brandon and Shelby, Black Down Garden Centre, Working Mom Adventures, Deborah Silver, Passion Potager, Pest Control Toronto, Home Food Safety.

These hot chocolate mug ornaments are just too cute! You won’t believe how easy they are to make, either! You can make them practically for free, since they’re made of paper towel tubes and paper! Make a bunch of them so you can have your very own set that you can reuse year after year!

Supplies:

1) Paper towel tubes

2) White paper (you need both card stock and regular printer paper)

3) Brown paper (the color of hot chocolate)

4) Cardboard (soft cardboard works best, like the one from cereal boxes)

5) Coffee filters

6) Red and white striped drinking straw

7) Mod Podge

8) Glue

9) A little bit of water in a cup

10) String or embroidery floss so you can hang up your ornament

11) Craft knife

12) Needle tool

Step #1:

Begin by cutting your paper towel tube into 5 equal parts.

Step #2:

Cut circles from cardboard. Each mug needs 2 circles. One will fit on the tube, the other will be slightly smaller. The smaller one will fit inside the tube.

Step #3:

Glue the large circle to the bottom of the tube.

Step #4:

The smaller circle will be glued onto a piece of brown paper. The brown paper will be larger on all sides than the cardboard circle. While the tubes are drying, cut the white card stock. You need a band that is long enough to wrap completely around the tube. The band will also need to be wider than the height of the mug. What you also need is a white card stock circle the same size as the larger circle glued to the bottom of the tube. Use Mod Podge to cover the outside with the band of white paper. Allow the paper to overhang on the top and bottom edges.

Step #5:

Cut a fringe around the paper on the top and bottom. This will make it easier to wrap around the tube.

Step #6:

Wrap the paper onto the bottom of the tube and over the top of it. Use Mod Podge to glue the paper down.

Step #7:

When the glue is dry, glue the circle onto the bottom and cover the wrapped paper ends.

Step #8:

Go back to the small circle that’s glued onto the brown paper. Cut generously around the disc and make a fringe the same way you did above.

Step #9:

When the disc and the tube are dry, put glue around the edge of the disk and put it into the top of the mug. Don’t worry if the hot chocolate disk isn’t even in the mug.

Step #10:

Use your needle to make a small hole near the top of the mug. This is so you can hang your ornament.

Step #11:

To make the mug handle, roll up strips of printer paper. Use a toothpick to help you get started. Soak them in water until the paper roll bends easily.

Step #12:

Curve the paper into a C shape, then set it aside to dry.

Step #13:

When the handles have dried, use a craft knife to cut the ends at an angle. Glue the handles into place.

Step #14:

When the handles are dry, give the entire mug a coat of Mod Podge.

Step #15:

To make the mugs look more realistic, bunch up a piece of coffee filter and glue it on top. This will be the whipped cream.

Step #16:

To make the peppermint stick, cut the straw into equal pieces and glue them to a piece of paper. When the glue has dried, trim around the straws. The white circle of paper will close the tip and make it look like a peppermint stick.

Step #17:

Cut the other end of the straw on an angle and glue it to the top of the mug. Get a piece of embroidery floss and thread it through the hole you poked earlier and make a knot. That’s it! Finished!

Photos and idea: Mega Crafty.

Everyone loves a beautifully wrapped gift! Sometimes the way the gift is wrapped provides more excitement than the actual gift itself! If you’re not sure how to wrap a present, or just need to brush up on your gift-wrapping skills, this tutorial is for you!

Before you get started on wrapping your present, you’re going to need a few essential items. Scotch tape, a sharp pair of scissors, sturdy wrapping paper, ribbon, and a gift box are items that everyone needs when they’re wrapping their gifts. Sturdy wrapping paper is a must because the flimsy kind rips too easily, and your nicely wrapped presents can start looking scruffy fast. Gift boxes are another must-have item. A nicely wrapped box looks much better than a gift that’s oddly-shaped. It also makes it easier to wrap.

Step #1:

Start by measuring the paper to the correct size for your present. Lay the box down onto the paper and pull the paper up a little, more than halfway up on the end of the box. A simple way to measure is to lay down the box and roll it around on all four sides across the width of the paper. Always leave an overhang, at least 3/4″ -1 1/2″.

Step #2:

Once you’ve measured your paper and your gift, it’s time to cut the wrapping paper. Cut the wrapping paper all the way across the roll. If you’re scissors are sharp, you should be able to hold the scissors partway open and run them across the paper to get a clean line.

Step #3:

Trim off the ends. The ends will be folded in, but you don’t want them to be too long.

Step #4:

Place the package, top side down, so that the seam is on the bottom. Makes sure the box is centered and bring one side of the paper up.

Step #5:

Secure the paper with a piece of Scotch tape in the center.

Step #6:

Take the other side of the paper and fold the edge down. Crease it well. If you cut the paper unevenly, folding down the edge will fix it.

Step #7:

Fold the side of the paper to the center of the box and pull so that it’s taut.

Step #8:

Secure with tape.

Step #9:

Now it’s time to fold the ends. Make sure you hold the seam towards yourself and fold both ends toward the center. The top and bottom flaps will become triangular.

Step #10:

Fold and crease the flap ends so that they will lie flat and leave a clean edge.

Step #11:

Repeat the same process on the other side and secure with tape.

Step #12:

Decorate your gift with a ribbon and make a bow. Now stand back and admire your gorgeous gift! Good luck!

Photos: Design Mom.