Thursday, March 28, 2019

BFF Open House Link Party

Happy Friday Eve all. Ready to say goodbye to March already? Can't believe it. What I really can't believe is that it was a year ago this week that we pulled up stakes from Washington and moved to Arizona. Talk about time flying!

Let's see some ideas from last week's party!



You might guess this gorgeousness is someone's craft room or space decorated for a party. You would be wrong. The luckiest chickens in the world live in this CHICKEN COOP that is prettier than my office! If I ever have a chicken coop ( and since I have coyotes that walk through my neighborhood it's not likely I'd want it to look like this from The Inspired Prairie !


I am in love with the results of this table makeover in blue and copper chalk paint from Abbotts At Home !


I love this beautiful necklace from Bijou Bead Boutique but I love the story behind it even more so you'll have to go check it out. 


Finally, doesn't this cake just scream Spring ?! So pretty. From Howling At The Moon

Now, let's see what everyone's been up to this week! 

   
   

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Welcome Spring: Floral Egg Wreath Under $10


I didn't do any Easter / Spring decorating last year since we were in the middle of moving, but this year since I get to decorate of course I had to make something new. I started out thinking I was gong to do a wreath full of plastic eggs but as projects go with me, it morphed into something else. HA!

Supplies: 
  • Plastic Eggs ( Target $1 per package). Bought 5 ; used 4
  • Wreath Form ( Dollar Tree $1)
  • Felt  (on hand)
  • Drop cloth scraps (on hand)
  • Ribbon (JoAnn $3 on sale)
  • Cuttlebug
  • Tim Holtz Tattered Floral Die
  • Scrapbook paper ( on hand) 
  • Glue Sticks
  • Glue Gun


I knew I wanted an ombre look so I laid the eggs around the wreath form to make sure I liked it. 


I also learned from a previous project that I didn't want any of the wreath form to show so I wrapped it in strips of drop cloth I had on hand. 


Then it was glue, glue, glue around the form. I left a space where I knew I would put the ribbon and which was just that much too tight to fit one more egg. 


I kind of made this up as I went along and my brain said "leaves" so I cut a leaf  template from paper freehand then used it to cut leaves from felt with pinking shears. 


I put a dot of glue on each leaf, pinched it together then glued to the form. Now, what to do to finish? 

I cut 16 flowers using my Cuttlebug and Metallic Yellow and Cream Scrapbook papers ( 8 from each color). I debated about alternating them or alternating the layers of each and ended up as shown doing half and half. 


Finished with a bow!


Sharing At: 


Thursday, March 21, 2019

BFF Open House Link Party


Happy Friday Eve and Happy Spring All! Hope you've all had a great week.  A little calmer on this end so thanks for understanding no features last week. 



Starting off with these sweet Watercolor Carrots from Mamas Brush. This is more as a reminder than a project tutorial but a reminder of what? A reminder that our creativity doesn't have to be perfect ( whatever that really means) in order for us to be happy with it or for it to be considered art. There's a great reminder in the post: 

Are they perfect? No. But they are fun. And that’s my only requirement for being happy with something I’ve created. ðŸ™‚
(As an aside: I never pursued my love of drawing when I was younger because I always though everything had to be perfect… what a game changer this new way of thinking is!)

I think this is a reminder we can all use. I know I can!


I  know what you're thinking: "That bunny's going to melt out there in the grass". HA HA Lisa, from Fresh Vintage by Lisa S fooled us. It's a Faux Chocolate Bunny she's painted to look like a real one.

Speaking of chocolate ( hello, you know where you are lol ) these Mint Oreo Cookie Balls would be a nice addition to a special Easter Basket or dessert table. From Butter With A Side of Bread:



Now, let's see what everyone's been up to this week!



   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Paint Pouring: Coordinated Panel Collection



I'm still practicing my paint pouring skills and wanted to do a kind of gallery wall with 12x12 panels in our bedroom. I am so happy with how these turned out!! 

If you're not familiar with paint pouring there is lots of help available on Pinterest and You Tube. I have a paint pouring board on Pinterest here

The reason I love it is there's no ( at least not to me) right or wrong once you follow the basics. It's all about what you like and experimenting with the mix of the pouring medium and colors you choose. The best way I've found to figure things out is to just play with it and do it. I will say that if you're going for a coordinated look like what I did with this project, it's probably better to do all of your pouring on the same day so you can be consistent in your formulas. Weather can also be a factor so doing them on the same day ensures drying time etc. is also consistent. 

There are also kits and paints designed specifically for paint pouring. I've just been winging it with a mixture of different acrylic paints and mediums. Here's what I used for this project: 



Supplies: 
  • Paint Booster Paint Additive ( I got mine at Lowes)
  • Artist Loft Acrylic Paints (Michaels)
  • 12x12 Wood Panels ( Blick Art Materials)
  • 12x12 Canvas (Michaels)
  • Alcohol ( 91% or more is best)
  • Water 


You'll also need: 
  • Something to cover work area
  • Mixing Cups
  • Gloves ( eg vinyl or latex because your hands will get messy)
  • Push Pins (push these into at least 4 corners of the back of your surface to make a little stand so the panel isn't touching your work surface)

There are different techniques to paint pouring. You can pour your paints directly onto the surface individually or you can layer in a cup which you'll then flip onto your surface. I used the former for the white panels and the latter for the black panels. I also thought I was going to just do four but decided six panels worked better for the space. I only had 4 of the wood panels so I did the other two on canvas since that's what I had on hand. 

I didn't prep the wood surface but I did cover the canvases with a couple layers of Mod Podge as a sealer. 

Layered Flip Cup Method


This is the method I used on the black panels. Once you mix each color separately with the mediums ( I used a couple capfuls of the paint booster, one capful of alcohol and a little water to get a pourable consistency...one that drizzles steadily from a stir stick) you can then layer each paint color in a separate cup. I just alternated colors. 

Someday I'll do videos but not yet :) 



Once you have enough paint ( I just used plastic drink cups and for a 12x12 panel filling to the top was enough) you put your surface on top of the cup and then flip it over. 


Some will seep out so be prepared! You can slide your cup around your surface or just lift the cup off where it is. 


Oooooo magic! This is my flipped puddle and you just start tilting your panel slowly to spread the paint. You want to make sure you cover the entire surface and then as the paint drips down the sides you can take a gloved finger and kind of finger paint the edges. 




I love that no two are alike and each piece you make has its own personality. They're soothing for me to look at ad just discover new patterns each time I do. So much fun! 



Thursday, March 14, 2019

BFF Open House Link Party


Hi all! It's been one of those weeks so this will be "all party, no features". Hope you've all had a less chaotic week than I have. So grab your favorite beverage, link up your latest creations and don't forget to visit each other! Bring a smile to someone's face with a nice comment on their project. I think we can all use a bit more kindness and smiles don't you? 

   
   


Thursday, March 7, 2019

BFF Open House Link Party



Hi all and welcome back to another party here at The Answer Is Chocolate! Hope everyone's had a wonderful week!  I'm going to get right to the party because time is short ( like me!)


I love tags. It's a great way for me to use up scraps and other materials. I also love re-purposing things because there's SO much packaging and waste. So here's a project where the two come together. Faux Debossed Gift Tags from Suzer Space


How pretty is  this rustic horseshoe and succulent Wall Art from Fresh Vintage by Lisa S? You could put one up for St. Patrick's Day or just because. 


I'm really going to have to get one of the Dremel engravers like the one Chas from Chas's Crazy Creations used to make this votive holder. Possibilities are endless and love how this one turned out. 



Finally, here's a creative twist on Rice Krispies Treats: Rice Krispies Mountains from Mamas Brush

Now, let's see what everyone's been up to this week! 

   
   

Monday, March 4, 2019

Foiled Again: Foiled Paper Sympathy and Thank You Cards


Sharing a few cards I recently made using some fabulous foiled papers. I am totally addicted to textured, foiled, glitter papers. OK , pretty papers period.  

Timing is everything and right when I bought my Minc foil applicator, I started seeing tons of gorgeous papers that were already foiled. They just take things up to such another level don't you think? 

Fortunately, I have found some wonderful 12x12 pads at Michaels that I stock up on when they have their "Hot Buy" sales ( $5 and/or 70% off) or when they have their specialty papers on sale. 


This one is Indigo Kraft and Champagne foiled. It's such a rich color combination. I needed to make a Sympathy card and thought this would be good as an alternative to black. 


I kept this simple using one  sheet of the paper from the stack, white cardstock and a computer generated focal. I printed the sentiment twice, trimmed one of the sentiments close to the border and then mounted it with foam tape to give the card some depth. I also used some gold mirror paper to frame the sentiment. This card is sized 5x7.


For these Thank You notes, I used a sheet of this foiled wood paper and vinyl feathers by Art Minds that came in a pack. Also Michaels. Again I kept these simple by using a panel of the foiled paper and framing the feather panel with gold mirror paper. The feathers were applied to light blue glitter scraps. These cards are sized 5.5 x 4.25.



These papers make it so easy to make your own cards since they do all the work with how pretty they are!