DIY

• • Pumpkin Bouquet

    October 25, 2018Hey everyone! I’ve got another fun DIY project that’s perfect for this time of the year. This cute pumpkin arrangement will look super cute on the front step when trick or treaters come, and it’s also a great centerpiece for Holiday gatherings!  Here’s what you’ll need to make this:  Pumpkin from the produce department, hollowed out  Enough wet floral foam to fill the pumpkin One package of cash and carry Fall Floral Mum One stem of baby’s breath Mixed Greens Hyacinth stake to hold pumpkin top on the bouquet Scissors or floral knife Have fun mixing all your favorite fall colors to make this project your own. The possibilities are endless! Have a great Halloween!  Ashley, Floral Manager, Sauk Rapids ... Read more...
  • DIY – Fall Mums

    September 25, 2018Fall is just starting to show in the trees, and we have a whole bunch of gorgeous fall decor in stores already! One of my favorite Fall flowers is mums. They add a splash of color and are really fun to dress up to make them even more festive.  In this arrangement I used a variety of items, all of which you can pick up at the floral department in any of our stores. If your store doesn’t have a full floral department, you can probably find most of these items at a local craft store too!  What you’ll need is: Mums (indoor or outdoor and any color)  Tin bucket, or other decorative pot, large enough to fit mum inside Floral foam  Wired ribbon Scissor Flexible wire  Cattails  Lotus pod Midelino sticks  The trickiest part is making the ribbon into the bow. Just take your time with it! Going slow and steady will make it turn out the best. And you can always start over if needed too!  I hope you enjoy dressing up your fall mums!  Ashley Floral Manager, Sauk Rapids... Read more...
  • Easter Crafts With Fiora

    March 25, 2018All this Spring weather definitely has us looking forward to the snow being gone for the year! However, it’s still to wet outside to fully enjoy the warmth… So bring Spring inside with some of these fun crafts from Fiora! These are quick and easy projects that are perfect to do with the kiddos. With Easter coming up soon, they are also the perfect addition to your Easter decor. Plus, your kid’s will love showing Grandma all the fun things they made! These cute little candle holders are quick and easy to make and are the perfect size for battery operated t-light candles. They’ll add a pop of color without taking up too much space so you have more room for all your favorite Easter foods. What You Need: Fiora Toilet Paper Tube Scissors Paint How-To: Cut one Fiora Toilet Paper tube in half, then make 5 slits about halfway down one end of tube. Cut petal shapes on each of the 5 sections. You can make them rounded, have a slight point or do a variety of petals. Curl the 5 petal sections outwards. Paint flowers different colors, add sparkles, jewels or any other embellishments, if desired. Once dry, place battery operated t-light candle in center. Napkin Rings are a fun way to add some Easter Flare to the table! You can coordinate the ribbon color to work with your decor, or do a variety of colors. What You Need: Fiora Toilet Paper or Paper Towel Tube Scissors Glue Paint Ribbon Stickers How-To: Cut Fiora Toilet Paper tube or Fiora Paper Towel tube into 1 inch sections. To make napkin rings stronger and more durable, use 2 rings, cut 1 of them open and remove a small amount so it will fit inside the other ring. Glue cut ring inside of the other and allow to dry. Paint each napkin ring white, allow to dry. Glue ribbon around napkin rings to achieve desired coverage. Add Easter stickers or any other desired embellishments to each ring. Last, but not least, are these adorable flowers! Weather you make one, or a whole bouquet, they’ll make any room brighter! What You Need: Fiora Paper Towel Tube Scissors Glue Stick and Hot Glue Paint Button Chop Sticks or Wooden Skewers How-To: Flatten, then cut Fiora Paper Towel Tube into 6-7 sections. Take 5 sections and glue points together to make flower shape, let dry. Paint flower as desired. Take remaining 1-2 sections of tube and paint green for leaves and paint chop stick green for stem. Once dry, take hot glue (carefully!) and glue button to center of flower. Then glue flower on pointed end of chop stick and finish by gluing 1 leaf on each side of chop stick. Once cooled, place in small bucket or flower pot to use around the house for Spring decor or as a centerpiece for Easter!... Read more...
  • Valentine’s Crafts

    February 13, 2018The beginning of the year always goes by SO fast! It’s hard to believe it’s already Valentine’s Day. Luckily that means the end of this cold Winter isn’t too far away either! Valentine’s Day is always a great time of the year to reflect on the people in your life that mean the most to you, whether that’s a husband, children, siblings, parents or friends. It’s a good reminder to make sure those people know just how much they mean to you! This year, I decided to do some fun Valentine’s Crafts that would be great to do with the kids! The first part of the video shows me making a felt candy flower. I used Tootsie roll suckers since they’re my husband’s favorite. I just cut out a bunch of hearts out of felt and hot glued them on. Super fast, really easy and also really inexpensive! Maybe let the little ones use some craft glue versus the hot glue tough. Up next is another fast, easy and inexpensive one, the candy pouch. You could make these much smaller than what I made. Just make sure the opening is big enough to fit the candy inside. These would be a fun one for kids to hand out in class. Lastly, my favorite one of all, the Owl Valentine! I think these are seriously adorable! I bought a couple sheets of scrap book paper for mine, but you could also use plain computer paper and let the kids decorate it. If you’re using craft glue, I would suggest using a couple rubber bands to hold the paper around the toilet paper tube while the glue dries. While it dries you can cut out the “Owl Be Your Valentine” squares and the beaks with this free printable! I hope you have some fun with these! Happy Valentine’s Day! Ashley, Coborn’s Inc. Social Media/Creative Specialist    ... Read more...
  • Holiday Centerpiece Ideas

    November 28, 2017Happy Holidays! This is always a fun time of the year to get crafty and make your own decorations or gifts. I love decorating my home every year for Christmas and I especially love adding more decoration each year. This year, I decided to try out some new ideas for centerpieces. Better yet, they’re all edible!  This one was a little more time consuming, but totally worth it! I got a cardboard cone from my local craft store and a bag of Hershey’s candy at Coborn’s. I did this one using Hershey’s Hugs since they’re my husbands favorite, but you can use any flavor you want or go off the packaging so it matches your decorations. I just used hot glue to attach them to the cone and I have a bunch of random craft stuff so I added some sparkle with garland. Another one of mine and my husband’s favorite candies are Red Hots or Cinnamon Imperials. This is a super fast one to put together. I just grabbed a couple martini glasses and a champagne glass, filled them up, and added a few candy canes. Then I added more sparkle with the little bows, boxes and snowballs around the base of the glasses. Use what you have on hand! Garland would work great around these too. My last centerpiece idea was also really quick and easy. This one is also my favorite since I love decorating with blue and silver. I got a bag of the cookies and cream Hershey’s candy, put them on a plate and simply added some sparkly bows and snowballs. Cute and tasty! Hopefully these ideas will inspire your Holiday decorating! Have Fun and Happy Holidays! Ashley M. Coborn’s Inc. Social Media / Creative Specialist... Read more...
  • Simple Frankenstein Cake

    October 17, 2017  It’s Alive! Cakenstein! The leaves are falling and the spider webbing is going up. Light your candelabra and prepare to serve up a scary good cake to your favorite ghouls and goblins. It’s… Frankenstein’s Monster! Well, make that his sweeter distant cousin, Cakenstein! I will be using a ¼ sheet of cake and 2 lbs. of icing. You’ll a few pastry bags and round tips (size 8 and size 3) as well as food coloring, I used black, yellow, and green liquid gel. In preparation of piecing our monster together, you’ll want to color your icing. From my 2 lbs. of white I put 4 oz. of white in a piping bag with a coupler. Then I scooped out another 8 oz. and colored it black. The remaining icing I colored neon green. I like my bright greens on the yellow side. I used a teaspoon of yellow liquid gel and 3 drops of leaf green. Liquid gel is stronger than the little droplet bottles you find in the spice aisle of the grocery store. You would need much more than I used to get the bright colors. Now, a quick note before you start mixing! If you are new to icing a cake you make need a little more green than I used. I ended up with a small fist sized ball of icing left after icing my cake. If you are still battling the crumbs when you ice you may want to have an extra ½ lb. of green in the bowl to start with to give you more icing to work with. Or, just cut back on the white and black that you bag up to start with. I probably used half of the white and maybe half of the black. It’s just nice to have more than you need in the bag, it makes it easier to squeeze and you won’t run out half way through should you have oopses. Alright, you’ve got the icing. You’ve got a cake. You’ve got the equipment, time to let the experiment begin! Ice your ¼ sheet cake with the lime green icing. You should have some extra icing left. Bag this up in a piping bag with a coupler. I’m going to pipe his face using the coupler, no ring, no tip. Draw his brow in about the middle of the cake. Next pipe a nose, start from the tip of his nose with a round circle and then bring it upwards tapering off at his brow. Think of a large teardrop shape. Using the same bag finish off the green parts by piping his ears on the sides. One side is a “C” shape and the other is a backwards “C”. Next up, his hair. Using the bag of black icing with a size 8 round tip, pipe his hair. I like to leave it as a bunch of straight lines with slight variations in the length. Think of piping fence posts, really close together, across his forehead. Carry the hair lines down the sides of the cake as well. For the top of his head where we won’t really see it, you can either keep piping lines or, my preference, smooth it out. Just fill in the space roughly and then use a small spatula to smooth it out. Why do I like that? It’s just less black icing on the cake. It’s still black, but it’s a thinner layer.   Okay, we’ve given him face parts and hair. Let’s add in some eyeballs. Using the white with just the coupler in the bag, no coupler ring or tip, pipe his eye balls. I like my scooted up against his brow. I think it gives him more character than two big wide awake excited eyes. But, maybe your Cakenstein is wide awake and happy to see you… you are the mad scientist, the choice is in your hands! After the whites you can use the black with the size 8 round to pipe in pupils. Our monster needs a few more details. A size 3 round with the white icing is perfect for making stitches. I chose white to brighten up the cake and bring balance to all the black. Little white dots in his eyes will bring live to his expression. I gave mine a squiggly smile with black and a size 3 round tip. And he needed neck bolts, I piped them with the size 8 round tip in black. I liked the white, black, lime color scheme and didn’t want to throw in random gray on the side. A few little highlight lines in white and the bolts fit in well with the minimalist color scheme. And with that, throw the switch and pull back the sheet! Cakenstein lives! Amanda, Coborn’s, Inc. Pastry Arts Training Specialist Click Here for more blogs written by Amanda.... Read more...
  • Upcycled Paper Towel and Toilet Paper Rolls – 5 Ways

    April 2, 2017We all have waited for Spring and with Easter coming I thought I would do a few crafts using Fiora Toilet Paper Rolls. We all have the empty rolls so why not have some fun and use them. Upcycled Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeder This bird feeder is a great reuse of empty Fiora Toilet Rolls and is simple enough for even kids to make! You will need Fiora Toilet Paper Rolls Peanut Butter Knife Plate Birdseed Yarn or Ribbon Instructions Spread peanut butter over the outside of the cardboard tube as if you were icing a cake. You’ll want enough for the seed to stick well. Pour the seed onto a plate and roll the tube around, pressing the seeds in as you go. After a few minutes, re-roll the tubes so that any empty spaces where seeds have dropped can be filled in. Thread one yard of yarn or ribbon through the opening of the roll and tie the top. Hang it in a tree and watch the birds come to eat. Upcycled Paper Towel and Toilet Paper Roll Easter Egg Display Blown Eggs You will need 1 Dozen Eggs 1 Sharp Pin 1 Piece of Wire Instructions Make a small hole in the top & bottom of an egg by sticking a pin in each end Remove the pin Poke a wire into one of the small holes and stir it around to break up the egg yolk inside the egg After removing the wire, blow into the top hole and the insides of the egg should come out the bottom hole which is a little bigger Paper Towel and Toilet Paper Egg Holders You will need 1 Dozen Toilet Paper and/or Toilet Paper Rolls Gold Spray Paint Scissors Instructions Cut the Fiora Toilet Paper Rolls different sizes Spray paint rolls gold Arranged decorated eggs on top Add Easter grass Egg Decorating Ideas erm Dotted Heart Egg Use heart shaped stickers and place them around your egg Using a fine tip marker dot around the stickers Remove stickers to reveal heart shapes Silk Tie Eggs Use silk ties to transfer the tie designs onto the egg shells Dip the swatch of tie into water so it sticks to the egg Wrap swatch around the egg Wrap a layer of cheese cloth around the tie and secure with rubber bands. Boil the eggs in water and vinegar, and cool Remove bands, cheese cloth and ties to reveal their unique designs Marker Designs Simply grab some markers and get to work to create these beautiful eggs. Water color Use a watercolor pen & markers to make a one-of-a-kind landscape. Painted Grab those craft paints and brushes and create beautiful floral designs on your egg. Upcycled Toilet Paper Roll Easter Surprise Poppers This is so easy and fun to make for the grandchildren. The kids love finding these surprises in the yard along with their Easter Eggs. I assign each grandchild a certain color and I put their names on the surprise poppers so then they all get the same amount … and, hopefully, no fighting! You will need Fiora Toilet Paper Rolls Scissors Wrapping Paper or Construction Paper Ribbon Candy and/or Trinkets Instructions Cut a Fiora Toilet Paper Roll in half Cover the 2 pieces together (end to end) with wrapping or construction paper Secure one end with colorful ribbon Fill from the other end with playful prizes like candy or trinkets, gum, stickers, money Secure the open end with an additional piece of ribbon To find the fun inside, twist and pull at both ends to crack open the surprise! Upcycled Paper Towel and Toilet Paper Roll Cord Wraps These are so easy and so useful. How many things in your house have a cord? Iron, blow dryer, electric knife, toaster, phone devices, electrical cords, heaters, fans, sewing machine plus many many more. You will need Fiora Toilet Paper Rolls Scissors Contact Paper Instructions Simply wrap contact paper around an empty toilet paper roll Cut off any excess contact paper Squeeze your wraps cords and slide into your new cord wrap Upcycled Toilet Paper Roll Seedling Pots You will need Fiora Toilet Paper Rolls Scissors Planting soil Seeds Spray Bottle filled with Water Instructions Cut 4 slits into the bottom of each tube 1” up from the end and then criss crossed them like a box bottom Add planting soil into these tubes Press a few seeds into the dirt and cover the seeds up with a little more dirt, then spray with water Hold all of your tubes in an old cake pan and place near a window Create a ‘mini-greenhouse’ effect by covering the entire pan with clear plastic wrap with some holes in the top Every day, check the moisture of each toilet paper roll and add more water if necessary (Keep the soil moist, but not soggy) Once the seedlings germinate, remove the plastic wrap. Plant our seedlings (with their toilet paper rolls) in the flower bed once they are sprouted and the weather is the right condition. The cardboard from the toilet paper rolls will disintegrate into the soil.   Lynell Coborn’s, Inc. Graphic Designer Click here for more blogs by Lynell   Save... Read more...
  • DIY Easter Egg Inspiration

    February 2, 2017DIY Easter Egg Inspiration Get crafty this spring with these “out-of-the-ordinary” ideas for decorating Easter eggs. Beer Mug Yellow Egg Dye, White Felt, Gold Marker, Light Brown Pipe Cleaner, Glue Gun Carrot Orange Egg Dye, Gold Marker, Green Raffia, Glue Gun Strawberry Red Egg Dye, Black Marker, Green Felt , Green Raffia, Glue Gun Barbeque Sauce Brown Egg, Black and Gold Markers, Brown Pipe Cleaner, Copper Sparkle Tape, Glue Gun... Read more...
• • Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas

    December 15, 2016I can’t believe Christmas is right around the corner! Even though I try to get my shopping done early, there always seems to be a need for last minute gift ideas. Running out to the store isn’t always an option, so here’s a couple gift ideas that I was able to make with things around the house.   My husband is always working on some project or another so we always seem to have 2×4 scraps on hand. So, I grabbed a couple, sanded them a bit and grabbed my paint. These are a fun project to do with kids as well and once again, there is no wrong way to do them! Any length of board will work and there are so many options including snowmen, penguins, reindeer or santa. Since I do a little bit of sewing, I had some extra fabric laying around. This quick sewing project makes an awesome gift and can literally be made in less than 10 minutes. The even better part… there’s no wrong size to make them! I had a fat quarter that I cut in half to make into 2 rice packs. Here’s how to make them: Fold the fabric in half with the colorful side facing itself. Sew a quarter inch seam down both long sides and one of the short sides. Flip fabric right side out. Sew a seam across the middle leaving about an inch open on each side for the rice to fall through. Depending on how long your rice pack is, make 2 more seams across to divide the pack into 4 sections allowing about an inch of space on sides for the rice to move between sections. Fill with rice till bottom 3 sections are filled with rice (or about 75% full). Tuck edges of the open edge inside, pinning if needed, and sew a quarter inch seam across to close the rice pack. These homemade rice packs are so nice in the winter. Just put them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes and they are perfect to wrap around your neck or warm up your feet. They can also be kept in the freezer to use as an cold pack. Their versatility makes these a great Christmas gift! When you’re in a pinch and don’t have the option of utilizing things from around the house… a gift basket is always a quick, easy and thoughtful gift to pick up and put together. This gift basket has all sorts of awesome J.R. Watkins products in it, all of which can be picked up at your local Coborn’s store! Hopefully these ideas come in useful to help make your Holiday Season a success! Merry Christmas! Ashley M. Coborn’s Inc. Graphic Designer... Read more...
  • DIY Holiday Gift

    November 29, 2016Happy Holidays Everyone! This Holiday season I wanted to make something quick and simple. So, I bought some Kerr jars which you can find at your local Coborn’s store.  I started by poking holes in the center of the lids using a hammer and nail. Then, I spray painted the rings and lids black. To finish this project, I screwed glass knobs on the top of each lid. And that’s it! Simply fill these with your favorite candies or snacks. These are great to give to a teacher, friend or neighbor. They also look great in a set to put on your mantel. Wishing you a peaceful holiday season. Lynell Coborn’s, Inc. Graphic Designer... Read more...