Thursday, April 4, 2019

BFF Open House Link Party


Happy Friday Eve all! Whew. Another week gone by  just like that. Hope it was a good one for you. Let's take a look at some wonderful ideas from last week's party shall we?


Whether for Easter specifically or Spring Decor in general, these decoupaged eggs from Craftify My Love are a great touch of Spring. 


Tassels are everywhere from jewelry to all kinds of accessories. Domestic Bliss Squared has a great DIY tutorial to make these Layered Tassels so you can make as many as you like in all the colors you love! 


When people tease me about all the stuff I make, I joke that I have a "Martha Stewart Personality Disorder" because I'd rather DIY. Martha and I part ways though when it comes to gardening. Just never took to it. So this post from Repurpose and Upcycle on how to incorporate Air Plants into decor is right up my alley because I don't think even I can kill these. I bought some old sugar molds at a Junk Show that are screaming for these! 


With Girl Scout Cookie season over, you don't have to wait until next year to get your Thin Mint fix. Family Cookie Recipes has got you covered with these Homemade Thin Mints. 

Now let's see what everyone's been up to this week! Hoping this works smoothly as INLINKZ has switched over to a new format so bear with me if you can't link up right away! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Monday, April 1, 2019

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? 



Sharing At: 



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?