Dinosaur Jewelry Organizer Tutorial

I ordered a plethora of Dinosaur Toys from Amazon, and had to come up with some grown up uses for them. This jewelry organizer is easy to make, unique, and adorable! It can hold tons of bracelets and necklaces too! It looks so fun hanging up on my wall. You could also use it for keys. 

Supplies:
Wooden Plaque
X-Acto Blade
Hot Glue Gun
Dinos
Optional: Paint ( I didn't paint mine...yet) 

First, you need to cut your dinos in half with your X-Acto. Some people use just the dino heads, some just their tails. I used both. I cut them right above their hip bones.

I lined the six pieces up on the plaque to get a feel for where I would like to place them. Then I just added hot glue and pressed the body parts to the wood. I held each for a few seconds, then added some hot glue around the edges while they were against the wood for extra hold. 

There you have it. Ready to hang on the wall and hold your jewelry, keys and whatnot. There are a ton of variations you can do depending on the shape of your plaque and the dino parts you use. Some people even paint over everything to give it a monochromatic look...but I'm a colorful gal so I left them natural. I'm seriously contemplating painting, or even gluing plants to the plaque.

Bonus: You can use a Brachiosaurus for a ring holder!  

Thanks for checking out my tutorial. If you would like to make Dino planters, you can see how here.

~Crystal Vicious  

Dinosaur Toy Planter Tutorial

These dinosaur planters are super adorable and really easy to make! All you need is an X-Acto blade, hollow toy dinos, soil, and tiny plants. I'm rooting spider plant babies in mine right now...until I am able to steal some succulents from my guy friend. Then I will have an entire herd of spiky little dinosaurs! 

If you already have plants selected for these guys, you can use a pen to mark out a square/rectangle on the back of your dinosaur. I didn't with the Brontosaurus because I knew I wanted his entire back removed to fill it with spidey babies. Use your X-Acto to remove the panel from the dinosaur. I told you, it's super easy. 

Now, just fill up the dino with soil (or water in my case) and place the plants inside. These are absolutely adorable. Using these for succulents or air plants woud make a great gift for any dinosaur lover.

Bonus: This Parasaurolophus didn't like standing up on his own, but he fit perfectly in my Marimo aquarium. These Dinos are a fun addition to terrariums and aquariums too!

For more Dino DIY ideas, check out this tutorial for the Jewelry Organizer I made.

~Crystal Vicious 

Dinophile For Life

I have been a dinosaur lover my whole life. My mother tells stories about when I was a toddler and would run to the dinosaur books at the library. I could pronounce the names of dinosaurs she had never even heard of. I was hooked. Now, thirty years later, I am still obsessed. 

I saw this set of toy dinosaurs on Amazon. They were a great value and looked really neat. As a grown woman I knew having a set of twelve toy dinosaurs might seem a little silly, so I tried to be creative with them. I decided to make planters and a jewelry holder. I will put links to tutorials at the end of this blog.

This set from Kids Imaginative comes with twelve different species of dinosaurs. Their quality was way better than I had expected. I thought they would be similar to the hard plastic ones from a dollar store, but they are actually pretty soft and the details are so good! 

While I came up with ideas for some of these guys...the Tyrannosaurs and Stegosaurus will forever hang out on my shelf. "Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!" I you ever want some Dino toys for your kiddos or have a Dino DIY project you want to do, I would definitely recommend this set! 

Dinosaur Planter Tutorial


Dino Jewelry Organizer Tutorial

I received these at a discount. My opinion is 100% honest, unbiased and my own. 

~Crystal Vicious 

Mixed Media Mother's Day Card

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, especially my Mum! 

I made my Mum a neat card this year out of a ton of mixed materials I had lying around my studio. I wanted to share how I made it in case anyone is feeling crafty and wanted a bit of a tutorial/idea for a snazzy little card. 

I used a ton of stuff for this, but this list can easily be modified. 
Materials:
9x12" Watercolor Paper (cut in half)
Book pages
Watercolor Pencils
Watercolor Paint
Scrapbook Embellishments
Beads
Sewing Pins
Stencil and Glue

First, I traced 3 different sized butterfly shapes onto book pages. This "Paul Simon" line just had to make it's way into the project because serendipity and all. I gave the watercolor paper an aged look by using yellow and brown watercolors and then rubbing it with a paper towel to rough up the paper.




I used various watercolor pencils to color the three butterflies. My Mum likes pink and green, so that is the color scheme I chose. I then hot glued (I could not find any of my glue sticks) the square scrapbook cutout onto the top half of the card to use as a frame for the butterfly, followed by a ribbon with a cute little embellishment underneath.

Then, I glued the 3 butterfly cutouts one by one inside the little green frame cutout. I bent the wings up to give them a cool 3D effect. I used my favorite pink glitter gel pens to write out MOM with a stencil, because my handwriting is crap.

After, I hot glued five gold beads (from a broken bracelet) down the butterflies body and I used bent sewing pins as antennae. I'm all about reusing and recycling here. Now these items have a beautiful new home that isn't a landfill. 

Since my writing is awful, I found a cute quote on a piece of vellum that was with my scrapbook supplies. I glued that down on the inside of the card...but still had to write in there a little bit. 

I even had a green envelope that was just the right size for this card. Be sure to slide it in there easily. I really love how this card came out. I spent a lot of time and effort making it, so I know my Mum will cherish it more than any store bought cards. She is a sucker for sentimental stuff. 

Happy Mother's Day Mum! You are the most amazing mom that could ever be and I love you more than words and art could ever express. <3

Love Always,
Crystal 

Marimo Moss Balls!

Sometimes trying to add some plant life into your decor can be tricky. Maybe you don't have enough light, space, or you were blessed with a black thumb. Look no further, because Marimo Moss Balls are here. They are actually an Algae that grow into green balls with a velvety appearance. Many people place them in aquariums with fish, but they can also live on their own in water filled containers with decorative rocks, shells, or ornaments. 



I had two vases with shells that needed a little something extra. I was thrilled to set up this centerpiece. 

I ordered these from the Marimo Pet Store on Amazon.

I was a bit worried because they shipped in an envelope. Inside was a tiny plastic bag with these six little guys, a tad flat but green and about 1/2 inch a piece. I followed the instructions provided. Rinsed them under water, squeezed them gently, and then added them to their container. Despite being in a baggie, outside during a frigid New England winter, they plumped up and brightened up. 

Marimo will grow in tap water at room temperature as long as the water is changed every one or two weeks.Their growth rate is about 5 mm per year. All they need is normal household lighting or indirect sunlight. You should turn them over once in a while for them to keep their shape. See, they are VERY easy to take care of. Anyone can do it! Some of mine appear to be growing extra filaments, so already they are healthy enough to think about growing.

When exposed to lamplight, photosynthesis occurs and the Marimo will bubble, (dance) and float in their container. I believe my Marimo are happy little guys. After two weeks, they are all still a vibrant green and they take turns dancing. 

I am very happy with these little guys and give them 5 out of 5 stars. I would recommend them to anyone who would like to add a low maintenance whimsical little plant into their home decor. 

Fun Fact: As legend has it, the Marimo Moss Ball came to be by two lovers wishing a life together that was forbidden. When they could not fulfill this destiny, they fell into the water and their hearts became the Marimo Moss Balls. Also referred to as the “Love Plant,” this exquisite plant is believed to bring good fortune and luck to its owner.

I received this product at a discount in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

~Crystal Vicious

LINKYO Liquid Chalk Markers

As an arts and crafts enthusiast and artist, I've always been interested in trying out liquid chalk markers. They seem like such a neat medium and they can be used on pretty much any non-porous surface if you want to erase it, and on any porous surfaces if you want your work to be permanent. I got this great set of 20 colors from LINKYO. It comes with brights, pastels, even metallics. All the colors you need to create some neat art. 

The package has the instructions on how to prime each marker before use, by pumping the marker. The double sided tips have both a chiseled and round end, so you can swap them around to suit your needs. The package came with two replacement tips in case you lose or damage any. 

In my case, I damaged the first marker I used. You need to be VERY careful capping these markers, the inside of the caps are made in a way that if you don't slip them on just right you will split your tip. I didn't have any problem with the flow of the markers, and they only had a faint smell, the metallics were a bit stronger smelling.

Let me talk about the surfaces I was able to write on. My writing looks terrible but I had just primed all 20 markers, so my hand was a bit tired. Once the markers are initially primed, you only have to pump them once or twice when they start to dry up.

Dry Erase White Board - The markers worked pretty well on the whiteboard. Some colors showed up better then others, and some were a bit harder to erase, even using a wet paper towel, and then a dry one to clean up. I needed to use some elbow grease.

Mirror - I loved how this worked on mirror. I wrote a quote that my boyfriend always says on my bedroom mirror, and I left it there. It's cleaner than writing notes in lipstick. It erased easily from the mirror.

Paper - They worked well on paper, I would use these for large writing in scrapbooks or on cards and invitations. Most of the colors were nice and vibrant.

Glass - I loved how the chalk markers looked on glass, but it will wipe off if you rub it hard enough. If you want it to be permanent, be careful.

Canvas Panels - This was actually done on a whim. I colored a bit of a canvas with the chalk marker and it looked amazing! I'm actually going to do a whole series of panels now.

Grab some on here Amazon.

More LINKYO Products at SuperMediaStore.com

I thought these Chalk Markers were really cool. They are a great value compared to the ones I have seen in craft stores. I give them 4 out of 5 stars. The only thing I would change would be the caps, because they are kind of a pain to line up. I would recommend these to anyone that loves DIY and art projects.


I received this product for free in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion.

~Crystal Vicious

US Art Supply Canvas Panels

This evening I tried out these neat US Art Supply 4" X 5" Canvas Panels. They come in a 12 pack on Amazon.com. They are 100% Pure Cotton Artist Canvas mounted onto Acid Free Heavy Boar. They are Triple Acrylic Gesso Primed for Oil or Acrylic Painting. 

As an artist, I do like to work small. Rarely do I paint anything over 8" x 10"...I also prefer canvas panels to stretched canvas, so I was excited to try these out. I'm not really big on Oil and Acrylic paints...but for the sake of this review I used Acrylics. I sketched out what I wanted, which went down like pencil does on a toothy canvas surface with no problems. 

I only had enough time to throw down one layer of paint tonight, but I was satisfied with how the paint spread and how it was absorbed. I prefer panels because they are firmer than stretched canvas, and I find them easier to paint. This product would be great for students and professional artists alike as well as craft projects at a great value. I give them 5 out of 5 stars.


Grab these over on Amazon.

I was given this product for free in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion.

~Crystal Vicious