A few weeks ago i told you about a quick tip in getting the wrappers of crayons. Here is a video i made to help in understanding the process better and to get a visual. Be kind it took me at least 8 tries to get it to sound good.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
From Blank Canvas to a Piece of Art
Now lets be honest. Art today is pricey. But if you want to spruce up your apartment/house on a budget all you need is a blank canvas. Well, and some paint and inspiration!
Like i've mentioned in previous posts all you need is a idea and you can turn it into anything. One day while shopping at my favorite local arts and craft store (Ben Franklin) i noticed canvas was on sale. Ask any art student and they will tell you this is the pricey fundamental piece for a work of art so when its on sale might as well stock up. So thats what i did. I purchased 4 8x10 pieces and 1 2 1/2"x 3 1/2 " piece. Mind you i bought them over a year ago and it wasnt until i moved again that i finally did something with them. Originally i was going to use them as art for a head board since my bed doesnt have one but when i moved something more crafty came to mind (that will come in a later post).
Back on topic. The small pieces were an early project. For some odd reason i had bought some foam stamps but never used them or gifted them for anything. I thought...these would be cute for decoration..only if it was more apartment friendly. So what did i do....I traced the words on to those handy pieces of canvas and made them cute! With a little puff paint and cute hand writing you can accomplish a lot. Here is the final Project with the inspiration below.
With a little change in color and decorative background swirls, dots, and hearts, i think they turned out adorable. Now i just need to figure out where to put them. Im thinking my room but i already have lots of stuff there so maybe kitchen. Who knows. By the way, theres only three because i messed up on the Dream one on the first try..got a little to artsy fartsy for my own good and it went over board. Always nice to have a back up!
Now for the larger piece. My best friend and I were moving in together and i thought this was perfect to decorate our bare white walls with. First i had spent about 3 hours outlining a beautiful script of our names, filling it in with paint, and fixing the edges. Then when the blackboard project came along, i forgot to move it and some paint spilled on it :( Thats my fault of course...you should always use a drop cloth!!
Anyways...seeing how the blackboard paint was black i threw some black paint on it and painted it all black. Seeing as our living room colors are black, white, and yellow, this was the first place to start. Now it sat like that for at least 2 weeks until i was bored and picked it up. Took some white puff paint and went to town. For some reason i really enjoy painting swirls. They are fun and can look really elegant. I offset the drawings to give it a more art perspective. Let dry and then time to figure out the final piece. We wanted to write a cute saying on one of our walls but could never come up with something. I goggled "home quote" and found one i instantly fell in love with. Find it and the final project below:
"A house is made with walls and beams; A home is made with love and dreams" - Unknown
Another Tip! I didnt have yellow puff paint that matched what i had been using for other projects around the house so i took the exact color i had been using and mixed in with a white puff paint. Came out the same if not better and gets the job done!
I showed dana and she loved it. Simple way to take a blank canvas and turn it into a piece of art!
Like i've mentioned in previous posts all you need is a idea and you can turn it into anything. One day while shopping at my favorite local arts and craft store (Ben Franklin) i noticed canvas was on sale. Ask any art student and they will tell you this is the pricey fundamental piece for a work of art so when its on sale might as well stock up. So thats what i did. I purchased 4 8x10 pieces and 1 2 1/2"x 3 1/2 " piece. Mind you i bought them over a year ago and it wasnt until i moved again that i finally did something with them. Originally i was going to use them as art for a head board since my bed doesnt have one but when i moved something more crafty came to mind (that will come in a later post).
Back on topic. The small pieces were an early project. For some odd reason i had bought some foam stamps but never used them or gifted them for anything. I thought...these would be cute for decoration..only if it was more apartment friendly. So what did i do....I traced the words on to those handy pieces of canvas and made them cute! With a little puff paint and cute hand writing you can accomplish a lot. Here is the final Project with the inspiration below.
Now for the larger piece. My best friend and I were moving in together and i thought this was perfect to decorate our bare white walls with. First i had spent about 3 hours outlining a beautiful script of our names, filling it in with paint, and fixing the edges. Then when the blackboard project came along, i forgot to move it and some paint spilled on it :( Thats my fault of course...you should always use a drop cloth!!
Anyways...seeing how the blackboard paint was black i threw some black paint on it and painted it all black. Seeing as our living room colors are black, white, and yellow, this was the first place to start. Now it sat like that for at least 2 weeks until i was bored and picked it up. Took some white puff paint and went to town. For some reason i really enjoy painting swirls. They are fun and can look really elegant. I offset the drawings to give it a more art perspective. Let dry and then time to figure out the final piece. We wanted to write a cute saying on one of our walls but could never come up with something. I goggled "home quote" and found one i instantly fell in love with. Find it and the final project below:
Another Tip! I didnt have yellow puff paint that matched what i had been using for other projects around the house so i took the exact color i had been using and mixed in with a white puff paint. Came out the same if not better and gets the job done!
I showed dana and she loved it. Simple way to take a blank canvas and turn it into a piece of art!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Glitter, Puff Paint, Ribbon, Oh My!
During my transition from college life to real life, I've also been trying to find my place in my sorority life. I was extremely involved as a collegian and i wouldn't expect less of me as an alumnae. Recruitment happen to be coming up and since crafting has been one of the few things to keep me sane post school, i decided to see what i could do to help out.
Note: When using glitter make sure you put something under it (Newspaper as you see here) this eliminates the hard process of cleaning it up because it sticks everywhere!!
After i let them all dry i took cute sayings like "Bid Day 2010", "Alpha Omicron Pi", "Rho Beta", "Exceed the Expectation", and wrote them on the side of the lids. Similar sayings relating to our history, chapter, and ideals were written with puff paint on the velvet. The 4 different types of ribbon i got (on sale might i add) was used to add bows and more decoration. Attach ribbon with hot glue for the added touch. Here of some of the final products.
I wish i would have taken more pictures of the ones that were my individual favorites. I wanted them to be cute but also reminders of what we stand for. My ultimate favorite said "Character, Dignity, Scholarship, and College Loyalty" which you will find in the object of our Fraternity and then in a close second was the one with our founders names.
Its my hopes that as they shake them in excitement to except these new women into our sisterhood that they are reminded of our mission. If they pass them out to our new members i hope as they learn and grow with in the chapter they will see these sayings, names, and people again, and build memories upon that. Once finished decorating and all paint and hot glue is dried, add you noise makers (in this case beans were the loudest) and you have your perfect Bid Day Noise Maker!
Now for those who never gone through formal recruitment or heard of it, ill break it down a little. At my university, Fraternity and Sorority life is not like you see in movies or hear about in the south. We don't have houses so our recruitment process takes place in out student commons. On Bid Day (the last day, when women choose where they will join) all chapters are in one room. Now instead of clapping and yelling each time a women "walks", we use noise makers to show our excitement. Each organization has a different noise maker so when a woman chooses your chapter you shake your noise maker and so on for each org. Our first year we used Tic Tacs, Second Year was kinda like a paddle ball with two beads that you spun to make noise, and this year i was handed empty medicine bottles wrapped in red felt.
Heres what they looked like when i got them:
Now my job, in the words of Tim Gunn, was to Make it work! So i went to my local craft store (Ben Franklin), A sorority woman's favorite place to shop and searched for the answers. I ended up buying some black and white glitter, black and white decorative ribbon, and finding some red and black confetti stars, and puff paint at home in my craft drawer.
The First step was to make them not look like medicine bottles. I made a simple wash of mainly glue with some very little water to attach glitter to the tops. I combined the white and black glitter in a small bowl and sprinkled in the confetti starts. Next you take a paint brush and paint the glue onto the tops. Then you sprinkle the glitter on.
Note: When using glitter make sure you put something under it (Newspaper as you see here) this eliminates the hard process of cleaning it up because it sticks everywhere!!
Close Up of Finished Lids
After i let them all dry i took cute sayings like "Bid Day 2010", "Alpha Omicron Pi", "Rho Beta", "Exceed the Expectation", and wrote them on the side of the lids. Similar sayings relating to our history, chapter, and ideals were written with puff paint on the velvet. The 4 different types of ribbon i got (on sale might i add) was used to add bows and more decoration. Attach ribbon with hot glue for the added touch. Here of some of the final products.
Obviously you can tell that red, black, and white are the colors we use. Cardinal is our true color. The panda is our "unofficial" mascot. You can also see my attempt at a ruby (our jewel) on one.
I wish i would have taken more pictures of the ones that were my individual favorites. I wanted them to be cute but also reminders of what we stand for. My ultimate favorite said "Character, Dignity, Scholarship, and College Loyalty" which you will find in the object of our Fraternity and then in a close second was the one with our founders names.
Its my hopes that as they shake them in excitement to except these new women into our sisterhood that they are reminded of our mission. If they pass them out to our new members i hope as they learn and grow with in the chapter they will see these sayings, names, and people again, and build memories upon that. Once finished decorating and all paint and hot glue is dried, add you noise makers (in this case beans were the loudest) and you have your perfect Bid Day Noise Maker!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Quick Tip
Have some old crayons that you dont know what to do with? Taking forever to peal the wrappers off?
Once you have a project in mind the process is quite simple!
Take an exacto blade and run it vertically down the wrapper and it will open right up! No more messing your nails up!
Now if you need something to do with the crayons, Check out the Crayola Crayon Maker. Melt you old crayons into new crayons and color away!
Reminder: Please don't let children use sharp objects! Parental Supervision advised when using knifes and hot ovens.
Once you have a project in mind the process is quite simple!
Take an exacto blade and run it vertically down the wrapper and it will open right up! No more messing your nails up!
Now if you need something to do with the crayons, Check out the Crayola Crayon Maker. Melt you old crayons into new crayons and color away!
Reminder: Please don't let children use sharp objects! Parental Supervision advised when using knifes and hot ovens.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
The Chalk Board Project
Walking though the craft department at Walmart (if you can call it that) i stumbled upon blackboard paint. This paint is unlike ordinary paint. It can be applied to many surfaces and once dry you can actually write on it with chalk. Ive wanted to do something with it since the day i saw it, i just never had the canvass to let my creativity take over.
It wasn't until i moved into my new apartment when i found the perfect canvass bring this craft to fruition! The lucky spot was a small wall in my breakfast nook that needed something to make all the white walls a little less blah!
The first part of my artistic process is to come up with the idea (already established) and then figure out how i am going to make it come true. The second part (my favorite!) is going to your local craft store or hardware store to look for materials. Now i couldn't just paint a big blob on the wall and let it be it, i wanted to create something to encompass the paint so that it was chalkboardesque'. A Frame. Where was i going to find a frame big enough (and in my budget) to do the job. I searched craigslist for old art work with nice frames but none of them met my imagination. Next i looked in art stores. Custom framing is extremely expensive so that was out the question and none of the frames the stores had were the right size.
This is when i determined i would have to build a custom frame myself. Now I've worked with wood before but nothing on this scale so i waited for my dad, Phil, to come to town. I figured he loves home depot so this would be great bonding for us, plus he knows how to cut angles with a saw. I also brought along my mom, Mama Donna, who shares my creative process. So off to home depot we went with my idea in mind. I didn't want to create the frame with just boring wood. I wanted something with a little flare so we went to the lumber section and found the crown molding.
There is something you should know about me. I am indecisive. I mean VERY indecisive. We probably spent just 30-45 minutes staring at the different molding before i narrowed it down to a few i liked. The piece i wanted was perfect but to thin and the the other one to pricey. What was i gonna do..? Then Phil came to the rescue. Being artsy in his own way (more manly crafting), he suggest i buy a plain piece of wood and layer the two pieces so that together it would be perfect in thickness. Phil helped cut the wood and off we went to start the my third favorite part (the crafting!).
After selecting the wood and buying the supplies to mount and paint i had only spent 20 dollars. Pretty inexpensive chalkboard if you ask me. The next process would be to paint the wood. The color pallet we have in the apartment is mainly white with black and yellow accents (the couch) so i wanted to draw in the yellow with out having a piss colored frame on the wall. I couldn't paint it white because it would blend in with the wall and I couldn't paint black because it would blend in with the chalkboard paint. So i ended up going with yellow and black. Now the wood i bought was what i would call "engraved" with pretty swirls (my selling point) so i wanted to do an antique finish so that they would stand out.
To antique all you need to do is paint your base color that you want to show through and then paint over with your second color lightly while wiping away extra paint to give an old world look. Here is what the decorative wood looked liked while painting.
Then you paint the second piece which ever color you choose (i choose yellow to break up the black of the chalkboard and the frame.
Next you use brads to nail them together to get the finished frame look.
Next you line them up on the wall and use a level to make sure its all even. Outline the inside of the frame and paint the wall using the chalkboard paint. I used 2 coats, but read the directions on the container and follow suite. The edges don't need to be perfect because the frame will cover them.
I love this project because not only was it fun but it allows my friends to leave messages when they visit. A few weeks after while watching home and garden, they used the paint to decorate a space. Now im not saying i am a trend setter, because there is no way HGTV got the idea from me HAHA but i definitely see this catching on soon.
Go out and buy some paint (under 5 dollars at Walmart) and paint something fun!
It wasn't until i moved into my new apartment when i found the perfect canvass bring this craft to fruition! The lucky spot was a small wall in my breakfast nook that needed something to make all the white walls a little less blah!
The first part of my artistic process is to come up with the idea (already established) and then figure out how i am going to make it come true. The second part (my favorite!) is going to your local craft store or hardware store to look for materials. Now i couldn't just paint a big blob on the wall and let it be it, i wanted to create something to encompass the paint so that it was chalkboardesque'. A Frame. Where was i going to find a frame big enough (and in my budget) to do the job. I searched craigslist for old art work with nice frames but none of them met my imagination. Next i looked in art stores. Custom framing is extremely expensive so that was out the question and none of the frames the stores had were the right size.
This is when i determined i would have to build a custom frame myself. Now I've worked with wood before but nothing on this scale so i waited for my dad, Phil, to come to town. I figured he loves home depot so this would be great bonding for us, plus he knows how to cut angles with a saw. I also brought along my mom, Mama Donna, who shares my creative process. So off to home depot we went with my idea in mind. I didn't want to create the frame with just boring wood. I wanted something with a little flare so we went to the lumber section and found the crown molding.
There is something you should know about me. I am indecisive. I mean VERY indecisive. We probably spent just 30-45 minutes staring at the different molding before i narrowed it down to a few i liked. The piece i wanted was perfect but to thin and the the other one to pricey. What was i gonna do..? Then Phil came to the rescue. Being artsy in his own way (more manly crafting), he suggest i buy a plain piece of wood and layer the two pieces so that together it would be perfect in thickness. Phil helped cut the wood and off we went to start the my third favorite part (the crafting!).
After selecting the wood and buying the supplies to mount and paint i had only spent 20 dollars. Pretty inexpensive chalkboard if you ask me. The next process would be to paint the wood. The color pallet we have in the apartment is mainly white with black and yellow accents (the couch) so i wanted to draw in the yellow with out having a piss colored frame on the wall. I couldn't paint it white because it would blend in with the wall and I couldn't paint black because it would blend in with the chalkboard paint. So i ended up going with yellow and black. Now the wood i bought was what i would call "engraved" with pretty swirls (my selling point) so i wanted to do an antique finish so that they would stand out.
To antique all you need to do is paint your base color that you want to show through and then paint over with your second color lightly while wiping away extra paint to give an old world look. Here is what the decorative wood looked liked while painting.
Next you nail the sides over the edges of the board and get your finished frame.
Now you may notice i under measured a little on the top (i just haven't had the time to get more paint) but this is what the final project looks like. Buy chalk and an eraser and let the fun begin!
I love this project because not only was it fun but it allows my friends to leave messages when they visit. A few weeks after while watching home and garden, they used the paint to decorate a space. Now im not saying i am a trend setter, because there is no way HGTV got the idea from me HAHA but i definitely see this catching on soon.
Go out and buy some paint (under 5 dollars at Walmart) and paint something fun!
My new project
So much like everyone else in the word, i have caved and have gotten a blog...
I have wanted to write a blog for so long but i felt like most things i would write about that would be considered interesting would be highly inappropriate to post on the internet. SO..... i was left wonder what i could possibly write about that would satisfy not only myself but the readers out there?
It wasn't until recently that i figured it out. Unbeknown to her, Ryan the Girl inspired me. Her blog is amazing! If you haven't clicked the link to read her posts yet, what are you waiting for. Fellow Blogger Ryan, also a friend of mine, saw on my facebook that i was starting a new project and expressed her interest..Thus the blog was born!
I thought if one person could be interested in my Crafting adventure, there must be more!
I started crafting probably close to 6...not really getting into it until i was 10 or so but my mother and i always bonded over arts and crafts. Even my brother is artsy fartsy. Started with gimp (you know that rubber-like string you braid and twist to make all kinds of stuff) and peeler beads (the tiny plastic tubey things that you set on a peg board and melt together to make an image/design) and grew into more complicated challenges. Clay, Stamping, and the all time favorite Scrap-booking were soon to follow. I even dabbled in stained glass for a bit. In high school it was jewelry. While in college, it was anything wood that could be painted. You name it, i could paint it and make it adorable: Paddles, Jewelry Boxes, Picture Frames, even just wood letters and putting them another piece of painted wood. Now, out of college, i am more into home decor (ill go more into this in later).
Now that you have the basics of how both the blog and crafting came into my life, but i hope you come back and read more about the chronicles of my crafting life, past, present, and future!
I have wanted to write a blog for so long but i felt like most things i would write about that would be considered interesting would be highly inappropriate to post on the internet. SO..... i was left wonder what i could possibly write about that would satisfy not only myself but the readers out there?
It wasn't until recently that i figured it out. Unbeknown to her, Ryan the Girl inspired me. Her blog is amazing! If you haven't clicked the link to read her posts yet, what are you waiting for. Fellow Blogger Ryan, also a friend of mine, saw on my facebook that i was starting a new project and expressed her interest..Thus the blog was born!
I thought if one person could be interested in my Crafting adventure, there must be more!
I started crafting probably close to 6...not really getting into it until i was 10 or so but my mother and i always bonded over arts and crafts. Even my brother is artsy fartsy. Started with gimp (you know that rubber-like string you braid and twist to make all kinds of stuff) and peeler beads (the tiny plastic tubey things that you set on a peg board and melt together to make an image/design) and grew into more complicated challenges. Clay, Stamping, and the all time favorite Scrap-booking were soon to follow. I even dabbled in stained glass for a bit. In high school it was jewelry. While in college, it was anything wood that could be painted. You name it, i could paint it and make it adorable: Paddles, Jewelry Boxes, Picture Frames, even just wood letters and putting them another piece of painted wood. Now, out of college, i am more into home decor (ill go more into this in later).
Now that you have the basics of how both the blog and crafting came into my life, but i hope you come back and read more about the chronicles of my crafting life, past, present, and future!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)