{Guest Post} Mason Jar Soap Dispenser

Today we have Sarah from The Winthrop Chronicles showing us how to make this lovely Mason Jar Soap Dispenser. It looks simple, I think I'll be making one soon! Be sure to hop on over to her blog and check out all the other awesomeness there. She has great tutorials, recipes and she even hosts a lovely link party!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi, I'm Sarah from The Winthrop Chronicles and I'm so excited to be with you today here at Tutus & Tea Parties. Before I started blogging, I worked as a TV news reporter for NBC and then took early retirement ;) to stay at home with my kids. I have three little ones under the age of 5 and a wonderful husband. I stay pretty busy with potty training and picnics, but I try to find time to craft as much as possible. Because my crafting time is usually squeezed in to nap times, I like to try and think of quick projects. Here is a little tutorial for you guys I hope you enjoy!

first. I made the hole in the top by using this scary looking tool to punch through {seriously doesn't it look so dangerous!} You could also use a nail and hammer.

second. Then with pliers I pulled back the center until the hole was big enough for the soap dispenser.

{Until it looks like this, or however big you need it}

third. Then I hot glued the soap dispenser to the lid.

fourth. I used some burlap, twine and washi tape to decorate the mason jar.

fifth. Pour some liquid soap in the mason jar and put on the lid. 

This took maybe 20 minutes to make, it was really quick. I will definitely be making more, I have a few more bathrooms that still have old boring soap dispensers. They would be an easy and quick gift too!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Thank you so much for sharing this lovely tutorial with us Sarah! I will definitely show you some pictures when I make mine.


Follow along with Sarah:
Blog I Facebook I Twitter I Google + I Pinterest

Crochet Easter Egg Chicks

I had a whole list of Easter things to make over the weekend and none one of them got done. I made an Easter Egg Paint Chip Banner. That's about it. It's a little late to start decorating for Easter but hey, better late than never, right?!

Last night I made this little chick-a-dee. I think he's pretty cute! Some might even end up in Bug's basket. We'll see how much spare time I have this week.

Anyhoo, if you want to make one too you can just hop on over to EASY Makes Me Happy and follow Tara's free Easter Egg Crochet Pattern. It didn't take long to make and at about round 9 or 10 I just added some eyes and a beak. I kind of winged it so I'm not sure how my future one's will look. 

PS- This lovely {free} printable came from One Dog Woof.

As always I would LOVE it if you would share your finished projects on my Facebook wall. It makes me so happy PLUS you get to be in the Made By YOU album for all to see! Yay! {unless you don't want to of course.}

{Tutorial} Drinking Straw Tray

Woo hoo! My drinking straw tray got me through to round 3 of 5 in Creative Bloggers Got Talent at Every Creative Endevor. Now that the winners are announced, I get to show you how I made it!

Materials:

-wood tray {I got mine from Michaels Craft Store for a few bucks with my 40% off coupon}

-paint {less than $1 or free if you have a million colors on hand like I do}

-a pack of 100 drinking straws {the straight kind, not the bendy ones}

-tacky glue

-plexi glass {mine was a couple bucks and the nice people at Home Depot will cut it to your measurements for free, just ask}

-2 dowels about the thickness of the straws and the length of your tray. {my dad cut mine, but I'm sure Home Depot can cut yours if needed}

What to do {hopefully I explain it well}:

1. Measure the inside of your tray. {I then cut out a rectangle that size of paper}

2. Divide it so that there are 4 even squares across and 3 even squares down.

3. Paint the tray & dowel {I did 2 coats} and let dry. You can spray it with sealant if desired.

4. Now it's time to cut the straws. I bought bendy ones because I liked the colors of these so if you get bendy straws you will need over 100. {I used maybe 10 straws from the second package}See those lines in the squares? Those are the way my straws will be facing. Using your measurements, cut each straw to fit in the squares. 

5. Glue each dowel along the long side of your tray. {This will keep the plexiglass from smooshing the straws if something heavy is placed on the tray}

I used my drawing to see how many straws fit across {or the other way for the horizontal facing straws} and started gluing them to the tray. Don't worry if they don't touch edge to edge, you can kind of press down and wiggle them so they do. They are pretty cool like that!

6.Glue your plexi glass along the dowels. You might want to use a clear caulking around the glass so no leaks or spills can get through. I didn't do this {even though I should because I am clumsy} but I plan on it!

7. Put some fancy coffee mugs & sugar on it and serve!

You might find me over at some of these link parties.

Polar Express Inspired Bell Ornament

I was so excited to take part in my first ornament exchange. I joined the exchange over at Eisy Morgan's blog {if you haven't given her a visit, you should} and got paired with a partner from Australia. I was so excited to make an ornament to send! 

I had seen this one on Pinterest and decided this was the one I wanted to make. It was cute and simple...and I love the Polar Express movie.

There is also a link to download the printable tag - score!

I got a 6 pack of bells in assorted colors {silver, gold and silver sparkle} at Michaels with my 40% coupon and used gold ribbon I already had. 

I printed the tags and since I forgot to grab some cardstock at the store I sewed it onto some dark green felt {which I actually really like}!

That's it. Easy peasy. I'm actually going to use the rest of the bells from the pack to make these for my family {and one for me too}!

Linking up to some of these great link parties here.

{Tutorial Thursdays} on a Wednesday - Ice Skate Door Decor Guest Post

Being that Thursday is Thanksgiving I will be away from the compuer and with my family {and spending some quality time with the oven in the morning}. Here is this week's tutorial...

I am happy to say I wrote my first guest post over at Katie's Nesting Spot! Woo hoo! I hope you will all stop on over and check out my tutorial on how to make this Ice Skate Door Decoration.

{click here to go to the tutorial}

I'd love to see if anyone makes one of these.

You can post it on my Flickr Group - Tutus & Tea Parties

{Tutorial Thursdays} TP Roll & Yarn Napkin Rings

 Is everyone ready for Thanksgiving? I know there is so much hype about Christmas and all but I wanted to share a quick tutorial on this cute Fall napkin ring that would be great for Thanksgiving!

Here's what you need:

Toilet Paper Roll, Scraps of Yarn, Glue Gun, Decorative Leaf if desired

Here's how to make it:

Cut your TP roll into thirds.

Cut some scraps of yarn that fit around your TP roll.

Starting at the top edge, glue your string around. {careful not to burn  yourself with the glue gun like I did}

Continue on with the remaining yarn pieces. {I used a total of 9 pieces} You can also use braided strands or thicker yarn.

Slide in your napkin and place on a plate! {sorry, mine was wrinkly and I did not feel like ironing at 9pm}

You can even glue on a decorative leaf!

If you are having a super packed table this may not be the quickest project, but you can always use thicker yarn to make it go quicker. You can even recruit your kids to help if you use regular tacky glue! This will just take a bit longer to dry.

Enjoy!