BFF Open House

 

Happy Friday Eve and sending my heart out to Texas and other parts of the country who are being hit hard by winter storms. There are no words. We went seven days w/out power after a bad winter storm in Seattle and it is an unbelievable challenge. 

Lots of great ideas as always from last week's party so here are some that caught my eye! 

Wildfire Stitches has a wonderful post if you are new to embroidery. Really great hints and tips in this post and a wonderful Embroidery Blog! With all of our digital and machine tools, sometimes it's really nice to do something that is truly 100% handmade! 

If you're looking for a St. Patrick's idea, look no further than Artsy VaVa's GORGEOUS Clover Door Hanger! Just stunning! 

After checking out the Embroidery Basics post y Wildfire Stitches, check out this wonderful project from Satsuma Designs: Embroidered Lavender Sachet Bags. 

Finally, since many of us are cooking more as we stay home more, one of my favorite dishes: Rigatoni with Vodka Sauce from The House on Silverado. I wanted to lick the screen! 

Thanks as always to all who linked up and let's see what everyone's been up to this week. 

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Paint Pouring: Dollar Tree LOVE Sign

 

Oops! I forgot to post this before Valentine's Day but actually, I think I'm going to just leave this up all year anyway because why should we limit love to just one day?  I'd picked up an unfinished LOVE sign at Dollar Tree and decided to use it as my surface for a paint pouring project. 

Supplies: 

• Unfinished Sign
• Acrylic Paints, Choice of Colors
• Paint Pouring Medium ( I used Artist's Loft, Michaels)

This is the sign I found at Dollar Tree. It came with twine on the back so it could be hung up but I removed it both to avoid getting paint on it and because I knew I was going to stand it up. 

Choose the colors of paint you want to use. I went with white, silver and gold. The Artist's Loft Pouring Medium is easy to use with the paint to medium ratios stated on the bottle. I've done paint pouring using this as well as other additives and I like both ways but would recommend this for your first projects. 

Mix your colors. I just eyeballed the amount I needed for a smaller project. Since the medium makes the paint more fluid, you don't need much and I hate wasting leftovers.  As you can see, I re-use my stir sticks! 

I started with white and someday maybe I'll try making a video but for now it's pics! Then randomly added the silver and gold and tilted the sign to let the paints "move" around. They'll drip down the sides so you want to ensure you elevate your piece. 

I love paint pouring because no two pieces will ever look alike and as the paints dry, they just kind of "do their thing". 

It went perfectly on my entryway table with a canvas and some rhinestone covered letters I did a few yeas ago. 

And since the colors I went with aren't overtly Valentine's themed, I think I can leave it up year round! 

Sharing At: 

OurHopeful Home 

BFF Open House

Happy Friday Eve all! Hope those of you who have been dealing with frigid to sub-zero weather are keeping warm. Valentine's weekend is here and 2021 is moving quickly. Hard to believe it's been a year that we've been dealing with COVID isn't it? But Creatives that we are, we've been able to fill that time haven't we? Let's take a look at some of the ideas from last week's party! 

The Little Yellow Corner Store shared this Warm and Cozy Valentine's Tablescape that truly lives up to its name! 

Howling Liz is showing some love for our feathered friends with this pretty and practical Birdseed Heart. We have tons of quail around us who aren't exactly airborne but I love to watch them as they have their morning and evening conclaves. 

 Another beautiful tablescape, this time with Chocolate Truffles and Peonies, was shared by My Thrift Store Addiction. I love pulling together different pieces we have on hand and using them in creative ways. 

Finally, Valentine's Day doesn't have to only be about chocolate ( Gasp! Can you believe I just said that?... Me?!) I am intrigued by this Garlic Lovers Jelly from Homemade on a Weeknight. I started using a Honey and Fig jam I picked up on burgers, grilled cheese, etc. and it was a game changer. I think this Garlic Lover's Jelly is one as well! 

 

Thanks to all who linked up and let's see what you've all been up to this week! 

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Valentine's Day: MacKenzie Childs Inspired Folk Art Heart

 

I've spoken before of my love of MacKenzie Childs but my "not love" of MacKenzie Childs prices. So buy some, make some! 

Supplies

• 8x8 Canvas Boards ( Blick Art)
• 8x8 Shadowbox Frame (Michaels)
• Acrylic Paints (Craftsmart, Apple Barrel)
• Paint Marker (Craftsmart)

I had these 8x8 Canvas Panels in my supplies along with a shadow box frame from a 2 pack from another project. Like most of my projects, the idea just popped into my head. 

I painted the canvas with a coat of white paint, then taped off stripes to start my  signature MacKenzie Childs checkerboard background. Using a brayer helps make sure your tape is laid down well. 

I wanted to keep the space for the heart clear so I hand cut a heart ( here's the folk art part...it's not perfect which is the whole ethos of folk art) from contact paper ( Dollar Tree is your friend) and put this down before I taped off my stripes but you can't see it clearly here. You can below.

You can see the edges of the contact paper heart here. 

Had to recharge my camera battery so missed pics of a couple of steps. I taped off the panel horizontally and here's where I goofed, but we'll fix it later. I outlined the heart with the black paint marker, painted it pink then went over with some white paint. I wanted it to be "splotchy" and again, not perfect.  See? Even laying down the tape with the brayer, my paint bled (UGH!) but no matter, again...we're not going for perfect. I edged each of the stipes with gold paint, added gold dots aroudn the heart,  and here's where I fixed my checkerboard.

Using a straight edged brush, I filled in the "missing" white squares with a couple of coats of white paint. Since MacKenzie childs goodies are all hand painted, I hand painted! 

Popped my finished canvas into the shadowbox frame and done and done!

Other MC inspired projects: 

DIY MacKenzie Childs Pumpkins 

Sharing at: 

Our Hopeful Home

Black History Month: Honoring My History Vinyl on Glass

 

Everything I am, I owe to my ancestors. The courage it took to endure, survive, risk, and dream. So to honor and incorporate them into my art and my office, I made this piece and I'm so happy with how it turned out! 

Supplies:

• Frame. I used an old one I had on hand
• Image. I found one that looked enough like me at Designbundles.net
• Vinyl.  I used Oracal glossy black
• Faux Leather. I used Cricut Silver
• Rhinestones
• Electronic Cutting Machine

I still have empty frames from our move a few years ago so I picked one of those to use. 

This one came with a beveled mat which I'll use for something else. I set it aside and cleaned the frame. To ensure it was secure without the additional thickness of the mat, I glued the edges in place. 

As I mentioned, I found this image at Designbundles.net that I thought looked enough like me. When I showed the finished project to my husband he said "How'd you get your image?!" so I guess I chose wisely. I shared this with a friend and she said the same!

The Designbundles file shows the glasses and lips in red but since this was going on my cement focal wall and my actual glasses are grey, I went with silver faux leather and left the vinyl image all one color. My glasses are square but close enough! I uploaded the image into Cricut Design Space, sized, and cut. I  created the text in Design Space and cut. 

Apply the vinyl to the glass with transfer tape. Here I was a little careless and got some bubbles. While normally the perfectionist in my would have removed the vinyl and started over, since my hair is super curly I decided "texture" and popped some of the more noticeable ones with a pin, used my scraper to get the air out, and went with it. Since the faux leather isn't adhesive, I tacked down on top of the vinyl image with small dots of superglue. 

Both for the remaining bubbles and because I'm overdue coloring my roots, I added these variegated grey rhinestones randomly. Finally I applied the words. 

I left the frame as it was which is a light antique gold with "scratches" of black in it. 

My favorite kind of project since I had everything on hand! 

The faces of me

Black History is American History

Sharing At: 

Our Hopeful Home

BFF Open House

 

Happy Friday Eve! Ten days until Love Day and you all are definitely getting ready so I'm adding a couple of extra features this week! The reason I call it "Love Day" is because Valentine's always suggests couples to me and I think it's important to celebrate those we love, whether they're a partner, spouse, kiddos, parents, friends, and / or especially oneself! It's been a rough year so showing love is so important! OK let's see what you've been up to!

Anita, from Unique Creations by Anita continues to nail it with her Steampunk creations, this time a Steampunk Heart! 

Niky from The House on Silverado is back with a fabulous Burlap Ribbon Wreath! 

Priyam from Simple Joys shared this lovely Origami Heart Treat Holders. These could also be everything from bowl fillers to a wreath or banner or just as they are!

Kristie from Love My Little Cottage shared this incredible Abstract Heart Painting. I love the colors and how she blended everything. 

Wheatless Foodie shared these pretty Gluten Free Brownies With Buttercream Icing that whether you're gluten free or not look amazing! 

Finally, The Kitchen Is My Playground shared these Chocolate Valentine Kiss Cookies that are just the perfect bite size morsels of love! 

Thanks as always to EVERYONE who linked up! Now let's see what everyone's been up to this week!

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