Pet Portrait Dishes DIY

So you have tons of photos of your fur babies and don't know what to do with them?  Why not turn them into artsy, food safe dishes for your next dinner party!  I asked my FB friends to send images of their pets for this project and got over 1,500 to choose from.  Honestly, they were all so cute I just ended up randomly picking 4 for this project.  I seriously could not decide!  So hear you go....Fur Baby Dishes to brighten up your home.  Remember to turn every day objects (like plates) into art, use your fur baby photos for DIY projects and always Make Your Mark!

King Louis on the bottom, Wilma on the right

Fred on the right!

 Just a few of the gorgeous fur babies sent in!

Watch how to make them here!

STUFF I USED

Americana Gloss Enamels

Pet photos

Americana Gloss Decoupage

Rubbing Alcohol 

Spray bottle

Glass plates

 HERE'S HOW

1.  Turn your image into a work of art at Turbo.Deepart
2.  Print them out and cut around the edges
3. Slit around the sides so that it lays flat when you decoupage it to the back of the plate
4.  Mist the back of the image with water and spread Americana Decoupage on the face of the image
5.  Carefully decoupage the image to the back side of the plate so that you can see the image from the front of the plate
6. Paint the edges using Americana Gloss Enamels with some artsy strokes and let dry
7.  Fill in the rest of the plate with another color of Gloss Enamels
8.  Follow the instructions for curing and baking
9.  Start decorating for your next dinner party!

Artist Side Table DIY

I was at Home Goods the other day and saw a VERY flimsy version of this artist's palette table and thought to myself, I want to make a sturdy version of this!   Since I always grab scrap wood and save old chairs, I had everything I needed to put it together.   My favorite part of this project was being able to use a broken chair for the table base!  Remember to think twice before you toss out old furniture and always Make Your Mark!

Looks so cute on the grass! 

 Watch how easy it is to make here!

STUFF I USED

Americana Premium Acrylic Paints 

Sander & Jigsaw

Famowood Glaze Coat

Old Chair

HERE'S HOW

1.  Create your pattern on butcher paper or a large piece of newspaper

2.  Trace your pattern on plywood

3. & 4.  Cut out & sand your palette shape

5.  Create your messy palette with Premium Acrylics

6. Mix and coat the table top with Famowood Glaze Coat epoxy resin and let cure

7.  & 8.  Remove the base from an old chair and paint black

9.  Screw to the underside of the palette table top

 Love how this matches any room!

Unicorn SPiT Fiesta Pots

 If you follow me you know that I have an obsession with Mexican serape blankets and I'm always trying to paint something with the beautiful color-to-color, ombre stripes.  For this project, I  managed to combine three things I love very much, Unicorn SPiT, my old record player, and a brightly colored serape pattern.  Behold, my Fiesta Pots!  I just LOVE them and I hope you do, too.  Remember, find a an old craft and make it new, add lots of color and always 

MAKE YOUR MARK! 

 I cannot wait to fill these with succulents!

Taking in the sun

Learn my process here

STUFF I USED

Unicorn SPiT

Minwax Clear Lacquer

Masking tape

Serape Inspiration 

Krylon spray paint in white

An old record player

*You could also use a kid's pottery wheel

Terracotta pots

 HERE'S HOW

1.  Spray paint the pot white

2.  Carefully center it on the turntable and tape it in place with loops of masking tape

3.  Choose your Unicorn SPiT colors

4. Starting at the bottom, paint a 2" stripe

5.  Next paint a strip above it and painting downward, blend the colors together

6.  Repeat the process until you're at the top of the pot

7.  Add thin stripes of black and white in between the strips and blend

8.  Seal with several coats of Minwax Clear Lacquer

9.  Done!

Summer Sun Hats DIY

I've had these hats sitting in my craft house for a year and I was finally, FINALLY inspired to do something with them.  I did some research on early Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali hats and versions of these kept popping up.  The sunglasses hat has been interpreted by several designers over the years. I figured, why not bring back some 1930s glamour?  

 Remember to wear sunblock and always Make Your Mark!

My awesome assistant Julie!

 Time for some high fashion!

 Watch how to make them here!

Happy Summer!

Faux Agate Jewelry

My friend Deana always wears big agate jewelry and it looks amazing on her.   She reminds me of a New York gallery owner who is always decked out in the most daring fashion.  When I started experimenting with some real agate slices, I realized that the finished pieces were extremely heavy.  Probably too heavy unless you're Iris Apfel! That's when I got to work and designed a process to give the agate/geode look that weighed about 1/5 as much!  Plus, this is so much more fun than buying  expensive slices of agate and gluing them on jewelry findings.  Hey, I'm a DIY'er and I live to make things!  Remember to experiment, find alternatives and always Make Your Mark!

 Julie "rocking" my new agate jewelry

The bigger the better and light as a feather!

Nothing like a big, chunky ring!

Watch how to make them here!

STUFF I USED

Agate print outs

Gold Crafting Foil & Glue

Acrylic Clear Coat

Famowood Glaze Coat Resin

E-6000 Glue

Brass cuff and ring findings

Glitter and white glue

Silicone disk mold

HERE'S HOW

1.  Print out the agates and seal both sides of the paper with the acrylic clear coat and let dry

2. & 3.  Carefully cut each agate, edge with glue and add black glitter

4.  Add crystal glitter in the center if you want

*I find the glitter gives it dimension and makes it look more real

5. & 6.  Mix the Glaze Coat and pour about 1/8" into each mold

7.  Submerge the glitterized agate print and cover with a bit more Glaze Coat

*Aim for a little less than 1/4"  

8. & 9. Pop the bubbles with a small torch or long arm lighter (or heat gun), cover and let cure for about 6 to 8 hours

10.  While the pieces are still a little "bendy" cut around the agate shapes with some heavy duty scissors

*If you let them cure too much you will have to cut them with a craft knife and break off pieces.  This is much easier!

11.  Add the foiling glue to the edges of each agate and when dry, press the gold foil paper to the glue

12.  Glue the finished agate on metal bangles, ring findings or drill and hang on a chain

Pile them on!

Cute Upholstered Ikea Pompom Stools

While wandering aimlessly through Ikea a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon the Frosta stools and decided they were just way too cute to pass up.  I bought 3 of them because one just wasn't going to cut it.  Since I couldn't really decide on a fabric I decided to hit Ebay to bid on some embroidered table cloths from India.  I got them for less than $20 with shipping included!  If you ever need something colorful & bohemian (and amazing), THIS is where to go!  Thanks to my friends at FairfieldWorld.com I had some foam and batting at the ready to hack the hallelujah out of these stools!  Now they're just my style.  Remember, hack everything, use beautiful fabrics and always Make Your Mark! 

Like colorful mushrooms on my lawn

Watch how to make them here!

STUFF I USED

1. Embroidered tablecloth from Ebay

2.  Matching heavy cotton

3.  Pompom trim

4. Craft knives & Staple Gun

5.  Americana Decor Outdoor Living paints

6. Sewing machine

7. Ikea Frosta Stools

8.  2" Cushion Foam & Cushion Wrap from Fairfield World

9. E-6000 Fabri-Fuse  

HERE'S HOW

1.  Cut the tablecloth into for equal pieces

*If the pieces are large enough to cover the stool seats, skip steps 2. & 3. 

2. & 3.   Cut 4" strips and sew them to the edges of the squares to even out the pieces 

and make them bigger

4. & 5. Trace the stool seat on the 2" foam and cut out with a fully extended craft knife

6.  Glue the foam to the top of the Frosta seat

7. Cut a piece of batting large enough to wrap the foam and wood seat and staple it around the base of the wood seat

8.  Trim the edges

9. &10. Center your fabric on top of the seat, flip over and staple around the underside 

along the edge and trim

OPTIONAL IF YOU WANT TO COVER THE UNDERSIDE OF THE STOOL

  11.  Trace another seat on poster board and cut

12.  Trace the circle on fabric and cut

13.  Cut 1/2" from the poster board circle all the way around

14.  Press the fabric around the poster board to create a clean, crisp edge

15.  Glue to the underside of the stool to cover the staples and let dry

16.  Paint the legs with Outdoor Living in colors that match the fabric

17.  Screw in the legs

18.  Glue pompom trim around the edge of each stool and pin in place until dry

Done!

Too cool for stool!

Unicorn SPiT Backsplash DIY

I've been wanting a backsplash for a while now but didn't want to commit to something that I would get tired of in a few years...... Finally I sat down and figured out how to make one that I could remove!  This is a terrific project for renters if you want to add some spice to your kitchen and take it with you when you leave.  Plus, I used wood for my tiles and they were easy to cut and super light compared to tile!  The fun part was painting the tiles with Unicorn SPiT with my fingers!  Who knew finger painting could look so chic?!  Remember, take risks, think of alternatives and always 

Make Your Mark!

Gorgeous glossy wood tiles

An up-close of my finger painting skills

Watch how I made it here!

STUFF I USED

Unicorn SPiT

Walnut Hollow Marrakesh Plaques

Americana Decor Metallics in Copper

Bandsaw

Famowood Glaze Coat Epoxy Resin

E-6000 Glue

Plywood (cut to size you're tiling)

HERE'S HOW

1. Figure out how many tiles you'll need to cover your backsplash

2. Create a paper template to use as a guide for cutting your tiles to fit the corners and edges

3.  Carefully cut on a bandsaw, scroll saw or jigsaw with a fine blade

4.  Finalize your pattern

5.  Edge each tile with Dragon's Belly

6.  Squirt Zia Teal, Blue Thunder and more Dragon's Belly

7.  Use your fingers to blend the colors

8.  Paint the 1/4" plywood in copper and let dry

9.  Place the painted tiles back on the plywood and glue down with E-6000

10.  Mix the Glaze Coat according to directions and pour over your tiles

*Lift the boards a bit so that the extra Glaze Coat can drip off the edges

11.  Smooth out the Glaze Coat with a sponge brush

12.  Pop the bubbles with a small torch or long arm lighter

Double stick tape to your wall and you're done!

 Love it!

Done!

Flow Painted Dresser Ikea Hack

There is nothing more fun than dripping tons of paint on a canvas and watching it flow together.....NOTHING!  Lately I've been seeing tons of "dirty pour" paintings and flow paintings and thought it might be fun to incorporate the technique into a furniture piece.  So, that's just what I did.  I grabbed a RAST dresser at Ikea and went nutty bananas.  Because I wasn't exactly sure how I wanted to paint the drawer fronts, I had 1/4" plywood cut to about the same size so I could experiment.  If you're more confident than I am, I say go for it on the drawer fronts and skip that part! Just FYI, it's much easier to flow paint a thin piece of plywood IF the dresser you're making over is already assembled.  Remember to get messy, use tons of color and always Make Your Mark!

Getting messy!

Watch how fun it is to make here!

STUFF I USED

Americana Decor Outdoor Living Paint

E-6000 Glue

RAST Ikea dresser

1/4" plywood cut to the size of the drawer fronts

Small cups and spoons

Drill

Optional:  Decorative Glass Bubble Knobs

HERE'S HOW

1.  Pour your colors into small cups and add about 10% water to each color and stir

2. & 3.   In 2 colors, spray a shot of silicone lubricant into the paint and stir

*This will cause a chemical reaction with the other paints and give some terrific "cell" effects

4.  Paint the edges of your plywood in a solid color

5.  Drip the paints on the plywood

6.  Move the plywood in all directions so that the paints blends together and covers the entire surface of the plywood

7.  Drip some other colors on your piece if you feel like there is a blank spot

*Let everything dry for as long as it takes

8.  I painted the edges of the drawer fronts black so that each plywood piece would look like it was framed

9.  Paint the rest of the dresser

10.  Glue the dry painted pieces to the drawer fronts with E-6000 Glue

11.  Assemble the drawers and extend the original drilled holes through the painted plywood so that you can add the hardware

12.  Screw in the knobs and put in the drawers!

Go with the flow!