DIY Birthday Presents

It was my mom's birthday last week, so I had to wait until she opened her presents before I could feature them on the blog!  I decided to go the DIY route this year.  She's redecorating her bedroom (I'll feature it on here once it's all done!) and I thought some new accessories would make for some good gifts.  Bring on the Sisal Rope Container and a Faux Bois Vase!

This project was super easy and turned out really great.  I bought a glass jar from the Dollar Store, and some sisal rope from Home Depot.  I was looking for 1/4" thickness for the rope but they were sold out, so I went with 3/8".  It's a bit thicker, but it still works!  I got the 50 foot roll, so I still have a little bit left for another project!

I have no during photos, sorry...but it's really very easy.  Take your glue gun and glue the end of the rope at the base of the jar.  Then put down beads of glue and stick your rope on as you work your way around the jar (or whatever container you have chosen).  Just make sure you keep your first row of rope straight, otherwise it might end up a bit wonky towards the end!  I did the lid separately, but followed the exact same procedure.  I just stuck the nubbin (is that a word?) at the end right down into the centre of the lid with lots of glue, and it seems to be holding up nicely!

The rope adds a different texture to the room and looks great beside Mr. Owl if I do say so myself!  I've been seeing sisal all over the place lately.

Source: centsationalgirl.com via Centsational Gil on Pinterest



Source: sandandsisal.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

Source: sparklepantsgirl.com via Jessa on Pinterest

I also made my mom a faux bois vase. 

This one was a bit more complex and turned into a bit of a gong show towards the end!  If you would like a proper tutorial, I used Kate's from Centsational Girl.  It was really good and she does a much better job than I could explaining the procedure and she has some good photos; although I don't think she ran into the same problems I did!  All you need is a glass vase (I got mine at the Dollar Store), some silicone sealant, some frosted glass spray paint, and some white spray paint. 

My main tip to you should you consider doing this project: 

Make sure you get silicone sealant that you can actually squeeze easily.  Mine was so tough that I had to use two hands to squeeze - one on top and one on the bottom.  Well, who knew that if you used two hands and bent the tube that the tube would eventually crack and you would have sealant oozing out from all over the place and it would be all over your hands making a sticky mess...I sure didn't.  Took me half an hour, Goo-Be-Gone, and soap to get it off.  So I donned some rubber gloves and wrapped my tube of sealant in saran wrap.  That worked for a short while until the sealant started oozing in between the tube and the saran wrap.  I ended up losing the pressure of the silicone coming out the tip of the tube since most of it was oozing out the centre whenever I squeezed!  I had to finish the last four lines using a Q-tip.  Needless to say, the backside of this vase does not look as good as the front!  (and even the front is a bit questionable up close!)

It does look rather spiffy with some flowers in it though.  It's found a nice new home on a nightstand, with its imperfections slightly hidden now by a clock!