Thursday, October 29, 2020

BFF Open House

 


Hi friends! Not only can I not believe it's Friday Eve again, I can't believe it's Halloween Weekend already even though it will be a different Halloween this year for sure. I know that it will be creative! Some great ideas from last week's party. Let's take a look at a few! 


I can't wait to try this fun Eyeball Plant that Jennifer from Stuido 27 shared. I saw some similar pre-made ones but think of all the possibilities making your own in whatever colors you like! 


Not only is this Mudcloth Pumpkin Pin Cushion from Sara at Birds of a Feather pretty and practical, she shows you how you can make your own mudcloth fabric! A two in one. 


After Halloween, it's full speed ahead to Christmas and these Vintage Ornament Wood Blocks from Lisa at Fresh Vintage by Lisa S are filled with retro goodness! 


Finally, check out these Pumpkin Mocha Latte Bath Bombs from Jasmine at Eccentricities by JVG would make a great self care treat ( we all need to be practicing that during this crazy year) or as gifts right? Love the design. 

Alright, let's see what genius creations you've been up to this week !










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Monday, October 26, 2020

Fall Decor: Reverse Faux Stained Frame Canvas

 


OK let's speak truth. Coffee is calling me all year round, whether leaves are falling or not. But I was actually looking for something else when I "remembered" (aka this SVG file popped up and I'd forgotten) I had it. And a Reverse Canvas seemed like the perfect thing to do with it so I did!

If you're unfamiliar with Reverse Canvases ( because I've learned that not everyone can keep up on every DIY trend all the time) they are basically deconstructing a pre stretched canvas that you can get at any craft store and re-imagining them using the frame you don't normally see. Let's see what I mean!

Supplies: 

  • 12x12 Canvas ( Michaels)
  • Vinyl ( I used a faux wood grain vinyl from JoAnn)
  • Acrylic Paint
  • Staple Gun
  • Utility Knife

 


The first and most tedious step is removing the staples from the back of your canvas. There will be swearing involved and you will end up searching online to see if there's any kind of tool that will do this better than your mini screwdriver, letter opener, plier combo. I think I may have found one at Lowes but I need to see it in person so I'll update on my next one of these! Back to this one. 



Next, you'll need to decide what you want on your canvas. I was originally going to do another "Fall" idea and then as mentioned, this one popped up and I changed my mind. You're allowed to do this. Especially when the nice people at designbundles.net keep having amazing and free bundles which is where I got the file for this one.  

Size in Cricut Design Space if you're using an Explore Air 2 like I did, or in your Silhouette SW if you're using a Cameo. Cut. Weed. Apply Transfer Tape. Set aside. 



Set your liberated canvas aside and decide what you want to do with your frame. You can leave naked, paint it, or stain it. I didn't have stain but wanted a stained look so I thinned some brown acrylic paint with water and winged it. You don't want to use the side from which you removed the staples. Flip that puppy over and use that side. 


Thin your paint with water, brush on, wipe off with a rag. If too much wipes off just repeat. You can either leave the staples in the corners as shown or as you'll see later, I added some giant rhinestones to cover. 

Now it's time to apply your vinyl to your canvas. Sorry for how dark this pic is. Ugh. 


NOTE:

Technically, your vinyl goes on the untreated side of the canvas in which case you really will want to use a heat transfer vinyl. When I do another one of these I'll remember that. Because I didn't. And I felt dumb. So I'm telling you this because I don't want you to feel dumb. But I didn't feel dumb for long because duh...flip the canvas over to the treated side and the non-heat transfer vinyl sticks just fine. 

Now you're ready to reunite the canvas and the frame. Here's where you need your staple gun!


Position your frame where you want it and I cheated and used a couple dabs of hot glue to keep it in place for when I flipped it back over to staple the frame. Then staple around the frame ( "Didn't you just remove all those staples?" asked Mr. Chocolate? "Go away"). You want to make sure your canvas is pulled taught. Almost done. The last thing you need to do is trim your canvas. 


When you remove the canvas from the frame you'll have excess since the canvas was folded over the back of the frame. Once you've stapled the frame back on, then go around the edges with a sharp knife to trim, 




I had these large rhinestones in my stash. They were actually brads, so I cut the pokey brad part off the backs and glued as shown with hot glue. Et voila!


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Saturday, October 24, 2020

Fall Decor: Striped and Quilled Dollar Tree Pumpkin Sign


Happy Saturday friends! This weeks BFF Open House link party continues here I'm continuing to work on some additions to my Fall decor for when I take Halloween down and excited to share this fun and I hope, elegant, sign with you today!

Supplies: 
  • Wood Pumpkin Sign ( Dollar Tree)
  • Acrylic Paints (White Craftsmart and Light Gold Metallic Martha Stewart)
  • Cream Cardstock
  • Quilling Papers (White and White With Gold Edge)
  • Aleene's Turbo Tacky Glue and White Glue (Elmer's)
  • White Satin Ribbon
  • Hot Glue Gun and Glue

When I was at Dollar Tree last month getting some goodies for Halloween, I picked up this plain wood sign. They have different ones seasonally ( I may or may not have picked up some Christmas ones since). As I talked about in a previous post, I started Quilling this year and decided to incorporate that into this project. 



I covered the sign with a couple coats of the white paint. Then, using the crackle technique I showed in my Witch Switch Girlfriend Gifts, covered with a layer of Elmer's glue and the light gold paint. 

Apply glue, then contrast color, crackles as it dries


After my crackle layer was dry, I taped off the stripes with painter's tape then used more of the white paint to make the stripes. 



While the stripes were drying, I made my leaves by first cutting them using my Cricut Explore Air 2 with cream lightweight cardstock and chose my Quilling papers: plain white and white with a gold edge. 


I went around the outline of the leaves with the white paper (you can see this process in my Quilled Sugar Skulls post  using the Aleene's Turbo Tacky glue and then used the gold edged Quilling strips (Quilling.com) to create swirls and coils. When complete, used hot glue to adhere them to the sign. 


To finish, I made a  bow from white satin ribbon. Et, voila!


 

Thursday, October 22, 2020

BFF Open House

 


Happy Friday Eve all! We're only a little more than a week from Halloween, which seems like it's been far away and showed up like that. We don't get any Trick or Treaters where we live but I have been seeing SO many creative ways people are thinking of giving out treats this year and the creativity is amazing. From pulley systems to PVC pipe "chutes", it's incredible. Has anyone rigged up anything cool?  

Both for Halloween and in general, you all keep coming up with some brilliant ideas. Let's take a look at some ideas! 




I look at bottles as "cycles". Upcycle or recycle! They are fabulous simple items that can be transformed into pieces of art or home decor. Like this one from Artsy Va Va! So pretty! 


If you've ever looked at an armillary in a boutique, you know they can be P R I C E Y. Naush, from Doodlebuddies has a fabulous and much less expensive alternative using embroidery hoops. LOVE!


I know many of us have been wearing "Pandemic Chic" for a while now but when we do get to go back out and dress up, these DIY Lace Up Ballet Flats from Howling Liz would be a welcome addition to any wardrobe. 



Finally, if you're looking for a special Halloween cocktail, you need to check out this one from Jodie Fitz which reminds me it's been a few years since I last watched the movie "Beetlejuice".  And it's kid friendly and alcohol free! 

OK! Let's see what everyone's been up to this week and as always, thank you for sharing your creations here at The Answer Is Chocolate! 









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Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Fall Decor: Make Fall Acorns and Pinecones from Plastic Easter Eggs

 


While Halloween hasn't even arrived yet, I think my house is sufficiently haunted so I've started in on some Fall decorations for November. I'm so excited about how these came out and I hope you like them! 

I've always loved acorns for no reason that I can put my finger on. I just think they scream Fall. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, pinecones were literally everywhere. Now living in the desert, I don't have either so I did what Makers do and made my own versions! 

Supplies: 
  • Plastic Easter Eggs (had some in my craft stash)
  • Acrylic Paints ( I used Craftsmart Dark Brown and Martha Stewart Rust Metallic)
  • Scrapbook Paper ( Pinecones)
  • Jute Cord
  • Coordinating Sequins (I love the Kids Craft section at Michaels) 
  • Copper Beads
  • Glue Gun and Hot Glue 
  • Aleene's Turbo Tacky Glue


I wasn't sure how well the paint was going to stick to the plastic so I coated a couple with Mod Podge to increase the adhesion and then I decided to try directly on the egg which worked fine. It was easier to open the eggs to paint vs paint them whole. 



I used a bamboo skewer to help hold the eggs in place as I painted. I started with a coat of the plain brown paint and then went over that with a couple of coats of the metallic rust. I made some "egg holders" from scraps of paper glued together in a circle. 


I'm a "figure it out as I go along" person so initially I didn't think I needed to paint the tops of the eggs since they would be covered with sequins but after I could still see a little of the color when I did the first one, I decided to do that w/ the rest. 

Once your egg is completely painted ( you can see here I reached my decision to paint the tops after I'd already added the twine to one, so it's shown here w/out paint) then add a drop of hot glue on the seam, wrap around the egg as shown and when satisfied, glue then trim the end. 


For the acorn stems, I just folded some of the jute twine over itself 2 or three times and sealed the ends w/ a dab of hot glue and then glued to the middle of the top of the egg. Then, using the Tacky Glue, start gluing the sequins around the egg, starting at the top edge of the twine. Work up to the top and voila!



I had some copper beads in my stash so I added on sequin to the bottom along with one copper bead. 

Pinecones:
For the pinecones you will need an oval craft punch or a digital cutting machine. I used my Cricut Explore 2 and created an oval shape in Design Space for my pine cone parts. 


I had some silver polka dot foiled kraft papers in my stash and I liked the way I thought they'd look with the acorns so to coordinate, I used silver sequins around the small end of the egg. Starting around the sequins, start gluing the ovals around the egg. I did use the hot glue for this. Continue until you get to the top of the egg, slightly offsetting each row of petals. Once you get to the other end, decide if you want them more open or closed and glue the petals down accordingly. 





I hope you've found some inspiration! 



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