Black and White Wickedy Witch Wreath

Happy October! Yikes. But here we are. I actually had time to make something this weekend and had so much fun with it. Super easy and inexpensive and I'm really happy with it!

Supplies: 

• Wire Wreath Form ( Dollar Tree)
• Recycled Packaging ( See below for description)
• Tulle (on hand)
• Ribbon ( Michaels 40% off, 2 rolls)
• Halloween Picks (Michaels 40-60% off)
• Hot Glue / Glue Gun

Don't ask me how my brain works. My family has tried and failed. It just does what it does, which is how I came up with the idea to use this "packaging stuff" that's used to protect things in shipping to pad my wreath which my brain decided needed to be done. That's it. I had a wire wreath form on hand from Dollar Tree and thought just wrapping it in ribbon the frame might show through so wanted to pad it before wrapping it in ribbon. 

I cut it in strips and then wrapped and glued it to the frame w/ hot glue. WARNING: I used to have a fancy glue gun then it broke and I've been using a really cheap little "one temp" one. You might want to use "low temp" if you use this material because it can melt. I recovered and kept at it but you've been warned!

Wrap and glue, wrap and glue, wrap and glue watch "SVU". 

I ended up not wrapping the whole thing because a couple of burned fingertips makes you lazy and I also figured that where I was going to put "stuff" didn't need to be padded.  You can see the difference it made though and I do like the padded part which is the exposed part of the wreath. Wrap with ribbon et voila. 

Once my wreath was ribbon wrapped ( say that three times fast) I made a six-loop bow from black tulle, tied the ends around the wreath, and secured with a couple of dots of hot glue. Using the second roll of ribbon, I made an eight-loop bow and glued down to the wreath. 

Then, assuming your puppy hasn't run off with your witch leg pick, remove the stems from the hat and legs and glue down and you're done. 

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Paint Poured Reverse Canvas : Makers Gonna Make

Color! I know what you're thinking. Most of my projects are neutrals but I decided to play with some brighter colors on a paint pour. True confession. This was a "happy accident" that didn't start out as what turned into this project. 

I was doing a paint pour canvas to try and pick up some colors in a lamp in our living room. The periwinkle and magenta dominated WAAAAY more than I thought they were going to and I did not like it for that space AT ALL ( neither did Mr. Chocolate). So I did what every maker does when they have a craft fail. Re-purpose until you get something you like. 

I've also wanted to do a  reverse canvas project which I've been seeing a lot on Pinterest and in the blogosphere so I decided to use a canvas I wasn't happy with to try and make one. Worst case scenario, I'm out one canvas with which I was unhappy anyway. 

Supplies: 

• 16x20 Canvas ( Mine was from a pack from Michaels when they had them 5 for $10)
• Paints (I used Artist Loft White, Gold, Turquoise and Martha Stewart Poppy, Folk Art Periwinkle and Magenta)
• Zinsser Paint Addititive
• Silicone Oil
• Black Glossy Vinyl ( I used Cricut)

Other tools

• Utility Knife
• Staple Gun

First step was mixing my paints which I continue to experiment with. This time I added a few drops of Silicone Oil (HW section, Lowes) along with the paint additive. 

I re-use paint cups so if you see a color I didn't mention, that's why.

I did the puddle pour method again so you can see the rings of the colors as each new one is poured into the last. 

This is the canvas after tilting around to move the paint. Not my favorite. What to do? Enter reverse canvas idea. My brain. It's how it works. 

What is a reverse canvas? You basically take apart a pre-stretched canvas and reconstruct it using the frame as a traditional frame vs the frame around which the canvas is stretched. The first step is removing the canvas. I chose not to painstakingly remove each staple from the back of the canvas. Emphasis pain because 1.) it was a pain in the neck to do and 2.) it hurt.  I used my utility knife to cut the canvas close to the staples. The remaining strip pulls right off. 

This is the frame that the canvas was on. You can leave it plain or stain or paint it. 

I painted mine black since I knew I would be using black vinyl. I cut a quote I downloaded from the Silhouette Online Store and cut it using Cricut Glossy Black Vinyl on my Cameo. 

After the frame dried it was time to re-attach the canvas. I placed the frame painted side down then laid the canvas on top and attached with my staple gun. The biggest challenge here is getting your canvas pulled taught. The more staples the better seemed to be the lesson learned here! 

Flipped it back over and then trimmed using my utility knife. 

I immediately liked it better with the black frame! After I finished trimming I applied the vinyl and was ecstatic! The canvas I was prepared to toss became my favorite new piece of wall art for my office! 

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A Stroll Thru Life

Mega Paint Pour 30 x 40 Canvas

Happy April everyone. If you love April Fool's Day good on you. Me, not so much! 

Sharing my biggest Acrylic Paint Pouring project today. I shall call her "Canvasouras".  I had so much fun with this one and have to say, it is my favorite one yet. 

Supplies: 

• 30 x 40 canvas (Michaels had these 70% off so this one was $34 less 70% final cost $10.20 and of course I bought 2  and any video of me getting these out of the store while pushing a cart is for sure hilarious)
• Artist Loft Acrylic Paints in White, Raw Umber, Black, Gold, Light Turquoise ( picked up a couple of large bottles that were 40% off at Michaels). The big bottles are $9.99 full price and the smaller 4 oz tubes are $3.99 full price. 
• Zinsser Flow Control paint medium
• Water
• Hand Sanitizer (secret ingredient!)

My first challenge was figuring out how I was going to stabilize my canvas and keep it off the floor. Enter giant Target plastic storage bin, the kind that will hold wrapping paper etc. Inexpensive , had on hand, flipped it upside down and worked great!

Next came mixing the paints. For this, I used bigger cups ( 12-16 oz red Solo drink cups for the white, black, gold and brown) than I've been using and one thing I've learned along my paint pouring learning journey is to get the paints thin enough w/out making them too runny. This is trial and error but I did about 1/2 paint and 1/4 ea paint medium and water. Stir slowly until really well blended. The secret ingredient? Hand Sanitizer! I saw this in a video and wanted to try it. The ingredients really aid in the creation of cells which is something I've been struggling with. More on this below. 

For this one, I did what's called a "puddle pour" which, as the name suggests, you pour your paints to make a puddle on the canvas, layering them as you go. 

I made puddles at each end of the canvas. One was white dominant and the other was brown dominant and I layered the colors randomly, and then took the rest of the the white and black and poured around each puddle on the corresponding side. 

The consistency was PERFECT this time because as you tilt the canvas, the paints flowed and were able to cover the entire canvas and run down the sides. Now for the "secret ingredient" the hand sanitizer. 

People use different mediums to create cells. Everything from WD40 to treadmill lubricant to hair serum etc. I picked up some hand sanitizer for $1.79 at the grocery store. The alcohol content plus the viscosity interacts with the paint to give you the right effect. Since I wasn't sure, I didn't add it to every color and will next time. I also discovered that if you don't securely have the cap on your paint tube, shake it so you can squeeze out the remaining paint, get it on your wall because oops....hand sanitizer gets it right off! Who knew? 

These are the "cells" I'm talking about. It's just chemistry magic. Don't ask me to explain it! I just love looking at them, mesmerized, as they emerge. 

This piece was going in our living room and while I'm known for neutrals, I wanted to pick up the aqua from the globe and tie in the brown from the clock , the chair etc. 

I'm SUPER happy with the results. What do you think? 

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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! 

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! 

Black White and Antique Gold Birthday Card

Sharing an easy birthday card that requires no cutting machines or equipment besides a paper cutter and a punch. 

Supplies: 

• DCWV "Decor Noir" Stack ( I've had this one for a while so not sure if it's still around but I know I've seen similar stacks at JoAnn)
• Black Cardstock ( I used Recollections 110 lb, Michaels)
• Antique Gold foiled transparency ( Michaels)
• Cream and Antique Gold glitter scraps
• Recollections ( Michaels) Washi Tape
• Self adhesive 3D sticker embellishment strips ( stash)
• Star Punch
• Foam Tape
• Double sided tape ( I used my trusted tape gun)

The Deco Noir stack includes a couple sheets of different sentiments / sayings like the one I used for the focal. Cut from sheet, trim, add two strips of washi tape, add 3D embellishment strip,  mount to cream glitter scrap. Punch Antique Gold star from glitter scrap and mount with foam tape as shown.

Cut the black cardstock to 5x7 and trim a sheet of the "alphabet" paper from the stack to the same size. Adhere to front of card.  Cut  the transparency to 4.5 x 6.5, and layer the front panel to it, then adhere to card and voila. Done and done!

2018 Halloween Cards Gothic Grey Gold and Purple

Michaels Recollections collections continue to make my card making life easy! I 

I fell in love with these papers the instant I saw them. The colors and designs were perfect for my more gothic Halloween style, and the fact that they were already foiled left me with not a lot to do. 

I was also thrilled that it happened to be when the focal papers and washi tape were 50% off AND on a day when I had an extra 20% off coupon on my phone. 

I knew I had coordinating papers in my stash at home since I tend towards similar styles and colors. I couldn't wait to get home to start playing! With sale and coupons, my cost for the new materials was $5.99!  

Supplies: 

New: 

• Recollections Halloween Cards stack, 24 double sided sheets
• Recollections Moonlit Manor Paper Pack, 24 sheets
• Recollections Foiled and Spider Washi Tape

Stash:

• Black and White Cover Stock (Recollections)
• Gold Foil Paper (Recollections)
• Black Kraft and Gold Foiled Stack ( This was a Michaels "Hot Buy" when they have 12x12 Stacks for $5)
• Misc. Embellishments
• ATG  Tape Gun and Tape

The cards are all 5 x 7, trimmed from 8.5 x 11 sheets, and then scored using a scoring board. I selected sheets and trimmed panels of the Kraft Black and Gold foiled papers measuring 4.75 x 6.75 ; trimmed panels of the Halloween Cards stack and layered onto the gold foil paper and attached to cards as shown. 

I had some gold Halloween themed word stickers in my stash so I mounted those on scraps of cardstock and mounted to the cards with foam tape. To embellish I used the washi tape, and Stickles Glitter Glue.