Wednesday, October 22, 2014

DIY Q-Tip Pussy Willow Branches For Centerpieces

I don't know how this idea came into my
head, but so excited it did! And, I did a
search on the net to see if anyone has
ever done this before and found nothing!
Cool beans!


It all came about when I was taking a
break from a sweater pumpkin I was
making. I went online just to free my
mind as I was stuck on how I wanted to
finish it. My inspiration had just died with
it... does that happen to you too? Normally
when that happens I just stare at it for a
few days and then bam... something hits
me and then, I can tear into it until it's done.

(My vases look a little dwarfed here on this
antique desk I set them on. Have to find a
new spot for them durn it.)

So, as I was taking my break on blog land,
I came across this sweater vase. I have
seen many before but this one just struck
me to want to do one. I liked it and, I had
just come across my poor beautiful lambs
wool sweater jacket with fur on the inside
of the hood that I just loved! It had
accidentally got thrown in the wash and,
well lets just say, a small child could wear
it now...so sad! It had shrunk so small that
when I cut the sleeves off, and just slid them
over the vases I was using, they barley fit!
The positive in that was, they were good
and snug so that was all I had to do. No
glue, no nothing, and they were done. The
last thing I did was cut off three of the
buttons from the sweater and hot glued
them on the front of the larger vase for
some nice decoration. Just right!
 
 
Displayed in this vase was some faux pussy
willows. I loved the look and wanted some for
my vases. I didn't want to go shopping to try
to find some, even I could find them, and I
didn't want to spend any money either.
 
And then all of a sudden I got a slap in the head idea! As I was looking at the pussy willows my mind did a flip and I saw q-tips! Well they do look like q-tips don't ya think!? And then...the world of nature kicked in. I wasn't going to have to spend a dime or go anywhere! Except for the woods next to me to find some branches....so I did! I will make my own pussy willows!

My silly hubby saw me out there in the
woods picking up sticks from his office
window and walking back with a bunch
of dead branches and hollers down from
his office upstairs asking "what are
you doing now?" I went upstairs telling
him I'm taking your box of q-tips. He says,
"Oh this ought to be good...sticks and
q-tips!!? And I got that look, but with a bit
of bewilderment added. Then he says, "I
won't even ask!" I said, "just wait and see!"


So I went back downstairs and started to
work....and it worked! I got my pussy willow
branches done a few hours and about five
hundred or close q-tips later! I was so
stinkin excited when it was done! I showed
them to hubby and he said, "Oh wow
sweetie, that is awesome! They look real!"


Gives a nice winters feel too I think!



And honestly, you can't really tell they
aren't real unless you get super close to
look! I am totally happy happy with them!

Everyone that has come to the house has
gone nuts over them....and when I tell them
they are q-tips, they don't believe me until
they get super close up to them. They never
would have known until I told them.

To do these yourself all you need is:

 a box of q-tips - 500 ct. would be best

some sticks or branches dead or alive
(less than I used would be better lol,
took forever! I'm not good at projects
like that!) I get impatient to get done!

scissors - I used hubbys kitchen scissors
(You should have seen his face when he
saw me cutting the q-tips with his precious
and expensive kitchen utensils!) If he can
cut up a chicken with them, then it
certainly won't hurt them to cut a q-tip!
I just rolled my eyes right back at him!

glue gun and glue sticks

and I recommend a deep bowl - why?
Because when I was clipping the tips off
the q (sticks), they were flying all over the
place! Once I got the bowl I pointed the end
I was cutting downward into the bowl, and
the high sides of the bowl made them
ricochet off the bowl walls, but fall into the
bowl. No more getting up and chasing
those suckers everywhere they landed!

And some time and patience!

Take your q-tips and start by clipping off
both ends right at where the cotton ends
on the stick or just a little above it until
you have a lot!  And I mean ALOT! I did
cut some a little closer to the tip for use
on the thicker branches.

I then set my branches in the vase and
even glued them together in places so they
wouldn't move from how I had put them. I
even clipped some smaller branches off
some others I didn't use, and glued them on
my branches in the vase where there
was gaps, and to have a couple fall over the
sides of the vase. Once my branches were
set, I took the glue gun and the tips I had cut
and squeezed just a tiny bit of glue on the
clipped end and just placed them on the
branches where there had been a leaf or
mark in the stem where another branch
had once been. Then I filled the stems with
the tips where I thought a pussy willow
would have bloomed.

It was really easy adhering them....most I
just set on the branch and that was it. On
the teeny tiny thin stems of the stick, I
sometimes held them in place for just a
couple of seconds very gently.

My branches were found from limbs that
had fallen off the trees so they were pretty
brittle so I had to be ever so careful not to
have them break off while I was placing the
cotton tips on them. And that is it! You got
pussy willows!

One suggestion I'll share. When applying
the glue on the tips,  just do a small dab and
when you are pulling the glue gun away,
kind of do a wrap around before, so you
don't get those glue strings. I only had a
couple doing it that way and when I was
finished I took my tiny embroidery shears
and clipped them off!

Who would have thunk? Not me, but I
did! I kept wondering all day if it was
my mom giving me a nudge to use my
noggin from heaven...I'm not that smart!

Well there you have it! Have fun and enjoy
if you happen to make some yourself! I
really really Love Love mine!


The photo that inspired my vases and the
faux pussy willows that inspired the idea
to make my own pussy willows!

And below the real deals!

First beginning to bloom Photo Courtsey



Beginning to bloom Photo Courtesy

I love pussy willows...don't you!?

I'm not to far off! Maybe one day I will add a bit of
watered down light grey craft paint, or roll them in
some grey eye shadow to tint them for a more natural look
in color. Right now I like them white like the second photo
of real white pussy willows above. And....if you get your
mind away from q-tips....you can see pussy willows!
  
Thanks for spending your time with me!

TaTa Till Later!



With Sincere Appreciation I Would To Thank The
Following For The Feature Of My Pussy Willows


Thank You So Much!


Sharing Here:


32 comments:

  1. That is so cute--you should take a bow!

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    1. Thank you Sandy.....my hubby is always so funny when I start a project because his imagination just can't get the picture I have in his mind...he does a lot of eye rolling at me.....until I have finished and then he is usually amazed with my result....this project was no exception but in the end he was totally shocked! He really loved them...so I was excited that he didn't say something dumb about them lol :)

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  2. So cool! I wonder if I make these, if I could put a little tea stain on the q-tips to make them brown?

    Love your blog and your creativity!

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    1. Thank you Cindy! I think the idea of a tea stain would look great....real lightly. Thank you for your visit and comment and thank you for the compliments. I appreciated it so much! Have a lovely day! :)

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  3. What a very creative idea! So cool! How often do we want to have pussy willows in a vase? Lots of times . . . I sure have! I know this will be created over and over again. You go, Debi!

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    1. Thank you Gail! My theory is is that if I can make something to at least resemble what I'm going for with an idea, I would rather try to make it myself. Even if the fake ones you can buy in a store are cheap, it's still fun to try. In real life they really do look great....but next time I might try to add some grey to them. We'll see....it was a fun try anyway! For Easter I am going to make a centerpiece the same way but color them all in pastel Springy colors. The vision I have in my head looks great lol....so lets see how that comes out this spring! Thank you for the visit and the comment....it's very much appreciated!

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    1. Thank you Rosemary....and thank you for the visit and the comment! :)

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  5. debi totally freaking awesome..i have not ever seen these anywhere i and blog and craft READ a lot you brain deserves a reward xx

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    1. Thank you lady!!! You are so sweet! They really are pretty cool in real life...thank you for your visit and your comment! Love seeing you here again! Have a great day! :)

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  6. Replies
    1. Thank you Ms. Gena! Thanks for stopping by and for your comment! :)

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  7. Replies
    1. Thank you so much Elizabeth...I appreciate the vote of confidence! Thank you for the visit and for taking the time to comment. Makes my day! :)

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  8. Both the vases and the pussy willows look fantastic. Very clever!

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    1. Thank you Linda! It was a fun project! Thank you for the visit and comment...I appreciate it very much! :)

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  9. How creative, 500 Qtips, wow that took patients but it was well worth it, they do look real. I love your arrangement the sweater covered vases too!!! I am now a full fledged follower, You Got Me Babe!!
    I would love it is you would stop by our Fridays Features to add your liink.

    Have a great weekend,
    Hugs, Karren

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Karren! Thank you so much for the visit and your sweet comment and I'm so happy to have you follow me! I really appreciate the invite too! Love your site, and so much inspiration there! You made my day! :) Have a sweet day too!

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  10. You're a genius!!!! Your pussy willows and vases are lovely. ^^

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Kate! I've never been called a genius before, so thanks! I know some thought I was whacked out of my mind lol! When the idea hit me, I just had to try....in person they really are pretty cool. Thank you ever so much for your visit and comment....I really appreciate it!

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  11. Ok, Debi, I have to hand it to ya - both for the creativity AND the patience! Your project looks wonderful, and I'm glad Miriam's team featured you on Hometalk - that's how I found you, but I want to stay - count me as your newest follower. :-)
    Rita C. at Panoply
    https://www.wvpanoply.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you so much Rita....I was really surprised when Hometalk did feature it. I had no idea they were going too! I'm even more shocked how many people did like them and with all the views and comments here and on Hometalk there have been. Really happy to know some people liked the idea. Thank you so much for the follow...I'm just tickled pink. I truly appreciate your visit and comment too! You made my day! Thank you! :)

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  12. I am so happy that I found your blog through Hometalk. I love the pussy willows and the vases. Come Spring I will be copying your lovely creations.

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    1. Thank you so much Candy! I'm happy to have you here and welcome! I'm so excited you were inspired with these....I really think you will love them and it's really a fun project to do. They look even better in real life....enjoy and have fun with it and you should share a picture when your done! :) Thank you so much for your visit and comment....it was appreciated! :)

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  13. You could also use last year's fashionable leg warmers.

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    1. That's a great idea too! Thank you for visit and comment! :)

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  14. Having just seen these in person, I have to say they look so real that they had me fooled. That is until Debi got a gleam in her eye and told me how she'd made them. xoxo

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    1. Thank you Ms. Kitty! It was really nice seeing you again and thank you for your purchase at my moving sale! Hope to see you again soon! Hugs! xoxo

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  15. Oh I just love pussy willow, and this tutorial is great, thank you. And what a coincidence is that - just when I was reading one of the comments dated October 25th it says "You got me babe" and what was playing on the radio - Sonny and Cher "I got you babe" lol. Just thought that was so funny! Anyway, again thank you for all the time and effort you put into your tutorials. They are all wonderful.

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    1. Welcome Pamela! So happy to hear you enjoyed the pussy willows and the tutorial. Thank you for the compliments on the tutorials. That is funny how you were reading that comment and the Sonny and Cher song was playing....when I first read that comment, it made my mind go to that song too lol....Loved Sonny and Cher! Thank you so much for your visit and your comment. Hope you will visit again sometime! Have a lovely day!

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  16. I THINK THIS IS ABOUT THE NEATEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN ON HOME TALK. AS SOON AS THE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS COME DOWN I WILL BE TRYING THIS. PUSSY WILLOW ARE MY FAVORITE

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  17. What a creative idea! Kudos to you for your stroke of genius, and thank you for sharing!! Beautiful :)

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Thank you so much for the visit and your kind and lovely comments! Please come back and visit again! Have a blessed day!