‘Gracie Bees’ are one of my fun projects I have been making for a few years now. They adorn my DIY canisters, carry ‘Be Attitude’ messages on my magnets and brighten the day of a friend in sunshine boxes. I keep reinventing them with different colors and various styles of wings.
Here is a tutorial for the Gracie Bees and particular ways I use them.
Gracie Bees on DIY Canisters.
Supplies I Use
Bee Décor: DIY Kitchen Canister Project
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Take labels off jars and clean them with hot sudsy water and let dry
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Lay down news paper to avoid paint getting on your work surface
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Paint jar with primer and let dry. You can give it one of two coats.
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Next take the yellow paint and paint the jars completely and let dry. I did 3 coats to make sure I had a good work surface.
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Decide where you will want you lettering. I placed my lettering about 1!/2 to 2 inches above the center.
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Draw a light straight line so you can center the stenciled letters on it and lightly draw each letter of the word you want on your canister. E.G. SUGAR
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That is the hardest part of this project but it goes quickly each time you do it.
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Take a sharpie or black paint and color in the letters and let dry.
Now your ready to add your stripes.
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My first stripe: Placing the end of the tape measure at the edge of the jar opening the first stripe is 3″ below. Again do your own thing as you may want your stripes completely different or have more stripes on your jar.
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Second stripe: 2″ measuring from the bottom of the 1st stripe. 1st.
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Finally, the thirds stripe is 2 1/4″ from the bottom of the tape on the second stripe.
You can use as many stripes that you want on your bee décor project. I altered some jars with a 3 1/2″, 1 3/4″ 1 3/4″ tape design.
Use modge podge to completely cover the jar. This keeps the stripes on and if you give it a few coats makes them washable.
The jars are finished.
Bee Décor bees and lids.
The lids are going to vary according to what skills you want to use. I crocheted my lids from paracord and some with jute to make them resemble beehives. To keep it simple you can use contact paper to cover lids or paint them.
Gracie Bees For The Canisters
Supplies
Bee Construction
Some of my bees have wire legs made from jewelry wire where some bees have no legs at all.
The wings are what make them different. I made string wings from macrame cord and glued them on and on some have tatted and crocheted wings. The tatted wings are my favorite. I call them my queen bees while the string wings are my worker bees.
Gracie Bees ‘Be Attitudes’
These are my favorite Gracie Bees of all because they deliver Bee Attitudes. I put magnets on the back of mine and show them off on my fridge. Sometimes they show up in my sunshine boxes for friends or on top of gifts.
I make my be attitude signs on my cricut machine but I could also make them by using stencils and a utility knife.
The most important thing is to have fun and let your bees evolve in their appearance with different paint, eyes and wings.
If you make some bees then tag me on Instagram so I can oooh and ahhh over your creations.
Creativity is a lifestyle in Grace's world and is a persistent believer in the phrase, " I can make that!"
Living in the forest, Grace and her husband enjoy sustainable living and are tree guardians and protectors of the wild life in their area.
Grace is the mother of two creative children and the grandmother to 3 magical grand kids who can make a smile appear on anyone's face in a matter of moments.
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Love how creative you are, Grace! And I love how you’ve incorporated the bees into your decor. BEE-rific!!
Love These Cute Bees!
So many cute ideas!!! I was just looking at plants that are good for bees, to plant in my garden. Now I need to make some for around the house. 🙂