I'm a huge fan of everything blue and white! I have pieces from all over the world and from every different time period. Blue and white porcelain first became popular in China in the 14th century, but there are many pieces that predate that. After the printing techniques were discovered in the 18th century, blue and white became extremely popular all over Europe and America with popular patterns like Blue Willow, which I have been collecting most of my life. Yes, I was an old lady at birth! Because I love it so much, I thought it might be fun to make some of my own with a few bottles, jars and vases I had cluttering up my cabinets. I also gave a Jack Daniels bottle a sweet makeover, too! This project was almost as fun as finishing off that JD, btw! Remember to recycle your old items for DIY projects and always Make Your Mark!
They look lovely filled with branches from my trees
As fluffy as my behind is, I still like a nice padded bench to sit on when I'm dining outside on my patio! These benches are the perfect addition to my outdoor seating to make everyone feel like they're sitting on a cloud. I picked up the outdoor fabric at JoAnn's and then picked the orange and vintage green paint to match once I could see it in the light. Since my patio table is an odd size, it was easy to customize this bench design to fit perfectly. Also, each bench only requires 4 pieces of
1" x 12" pine board, so I decided to make two of them. Remember, if you can't find it,
figure out a way to make it. Oh, and always MAKE YOUR MARK!
I love mixing patterns
The ombre stencil on the sides added just the right touch
Now everyone is super comfy when we're eating outside!
1. & 2. Using Amazing Goop II Max, glue a 17" board to the side of the 44" board
3. & 4. Measure down the center of the 17" board (for nail placement) and nail to the 44" board
5. & 6. Repeat on the other side to create the bench base
7. & 8. Add more Goop II Max across the top of the bench and then center the 48" board on top
9. & 10. Mark along the center of the board (for nail placement) and then
nail the top of the bench in place
11. Paint the base of the bench (not the seat) with Vintage Effects in Orange
*Wipe away the excess to show off the grain of the wood
12. Dry brush Vintage Effects in White on the base of the bench to give it a weathered look
13. -15. Tape your stencil in place and with a cosmetic sponge, paint the outside of the stencil with Americana Outdoor Living in Adirondack and the inside of the stencil in Harvest
*Blend the colors where they meet to give an ombre effect
HERE'S HOW (PART 2)
16. & 17. Place the bench face down on the batting, trace around it with a marker and then cut it with a craft knife
18. & 19. Squirt E-6000 Fabri-Fuse on the top of the bench and then glue the foam in place
20. Cut a piece of batting large enough to go over the foam and extend 1" on the underside all the way around
21. & 22. Staple the batting in place around the foam on the underside of the bench seat
23. Cut fabric so that it fits over the foam and extends on the underside about 2" and then pin it in place on the top of the bench so it doesn't shift
24. & 25. Fold the raw edge of the fabric under and staple all the way around the
underside of the bench
26. Staple down the fabric along the base of the seat all the way around the bench
27. - 29. Add a generous line of E-6000 Fabri-Fuse all along the base of the bench seat, then glue & pin the trim in place until it dries
30. Done!
Pretty and comfortable!
My new favorite place to sit and paint on the patio!
A few weeks ago on my weekly visit to JoAnn Fabrics, I picked up some beautiful floral cotton fabric (even though I had no idea what I was going to do with it at the time). I know you know what I'm talking about! Finally, I decided on a blazer makeover since I haven't made a fashion DIY in quite a while. At first I was not convinced this was going to turn into something I wanted to share, but I kept at it. Finally it turned into what I like to call "Laura Ingalls Wilder meets Elvis". I love the mix of glitz with floral. When I got my fall fashion magazines and saw all of the glizty floral on the runways, I knew this jacket is right on time. Remember to UP-style your old clothes with embellishments, be fashion fearless and ALWAYS
Seems Unicorn SPiT is quite magical....Not only is it amazing on furniture and fabric, you can dye paper with it! How cool is that?! I needed a funky lampshade to jazz up my living room and could NOT for the life of me find something that worked. When I saw the brilliant colored dyed pages, my new lampshades were born! While I was at it, I also decoupaged a little mirror that needed some spice AND stitched up some envelopes for future birthday wishes. SO much you can do with beautiful paper......so much! Remember to dye everything beautiful colors, experiment with
Unicorn SPiT and always Make Your Mark!
Giving colorful shade!
Just as beautiful with during the day!
Piles and piles of new dyed papers!
Watch how I did it here!
STUFF I USED
Unicorn SPiT
Book pages
Spray bottles
Water
Sewing machine
Lampshade and Mirror
HERE'S HOW
1. & 2. Mix 50% water and 50% Unicorn SPiT in a spray bottle
3. & 4. Lay out your papers and spray them different colors while they're dry
5. Wet them with a water bottle to allow the colors to blend and soak into the paper
6. & 7. When the paper is dry, fold it into a small square and then dip it in clean water
8. Pour some diluted Unicorn SPiT into a shallow bowl and dip the edges of your fold into the SPiT allowing it to soak in a bit
9. Carefully unfold the pages and set them flat to dry
10. - 12. Using Americana Decoupage, adhere your pages around a paper lampshade and trim the excess with a craft knife when it is completely dry
13. Cut the dyed paper into squares and adhere them to the frame of a mirror with more decoupage
14. & 15. Cut a flap at one end of the paper, fold and stitch the sides to make envelopes
If you've followed me for a while you know that I save every little scrap, jar wood scrap and cardboard box that comes into my house. I can't help it because I just KNOW that eventually I'll use it for something down the road. This week I used my wood scraps to make some beautiful, chunky wood beads! Truth be told I went a little crazy and cut several hundred of them because I couldn't stop. We'll get into the psychology of that another time. In their raw form they were pretty but plain, but after I marbled them, the bead party really started! My favorite product this year is the Marabu Marbling Paints. They ROCKED my world AND these wood beads! Remember, save your scraps, use them with abandon and always Make Your Mark!
Love the turquoise squares so much!
I finally mastered the nail polish marbling technique!
1. - 3. Cut and sand wood beads on a band saw or with a jigsaw and then sand the edges
with a Dremel sanding attachment or sandpaper
4. Drill each bead with a drill press or carefully with a hand drill
5. & 6. Base coat each bead with different colors of Americana Acrylics
METHOD 1
7. Spread Americana DuraClear & 5 colors of Americana Acrylics on wax paper and drag a toothpick through the colors to swirl them
8. With a toothpick in a painted bead, press each side into the paint and let dry
METHOD 2
9. In a plastic cup of water drip several colors of nail polish on top of the water
10. With the base coated bead on a toothpick, carefully swirl it in the floating nail polish, and poke the other end of the toothpick in cardboard to allow it to dry
METHOD 3
11. In a cup of water float several colors of Easy Marble on top of the water
12. With the base coated bead on a toothpick, carefully swirl it in the floating Easy Marble to pick up the colors and then poke the other end of the toothpick in cardboard to allow it to dry
13. Coat everything with more DuraClear Gloss Varnish and let dry
Can't wait to rock these on a keychain or make my friends some funky jewelry!
Like everyone else in the world these days, I can't stop painting rocks! I love painting them dark colors first (like black and navy) and then adding as many colors as possible. These were painted with a simple round brush technique that once you learn, you'll be using on everything. Remember to have some fun this weekend and paint some rocks with your family!
Oh, and always Make Your Mark!
I love mixing tons of different colors together!
A simple message on the back to make someone's day
Watch how to paint them here!
STUFF I USED
Americana Acrylics
Smooth river stones
Americana DuraClear Gloss Varnish
Set of round brushes
HERE'S HOW
1. Base coat your rocks with Lamp Black or Midnight Blue
2. Paint 3 thin lines in white for stems
3. Create petals with a #12 round with the tip of the brush touching the stem
4. With a #9 round brush, paint over the white petals with several different colors using the same technique
5. Add a third color over the petals with a #6 round brush
6. Paint leaves at the base using the #9 again
7. Using the end of the paintbrush, accent with rows of dots
8. Pencil and paint an encouraging word on the back of your stone
9. Protect your work with a layer if Americana DuraClear
I don't remember much about my wood burning experience as a kid except that my parents made me do it at the kitchen table and hovered over me like I was absolutely going to burn down the house. Perhaps I didn't enjoy it as much as other kids? Not long ago Walnut Hollow sent me their amazing Creative Versa-Tool and I got to go at it again with out being hawk-eyed! What freedom, too. I decided to whip out my favorite adult coloring book pages for this project because they are FILLED with amazing designs and inspiration that work perfectly for wood burning. Remember, mash up your different crafts and ALWAYS Make Your Mark!
If you haven't played with Oly-Fun yet, you're missing out. This stuff is like fabric construction paper and it comes in tons of different colors, too. A few weeks ago, I was cleaning out my craft house and found a stash of fabric beads and it got me to thinking about how I might use Oly-Fun for a fabric bead project. After a little experimenting, I got hooked. The best part is that you can mix colors to create different looks. The greens and blues make a terrific malachite effect and the black, tan and white together look like singed wood! Remember, experiment until you come up with something amazing and always Make Your Mark!
