Newspaper Flowers DIY

Not long ago I saw some colorful newspaper flowers made by kids on Pinterest and have not been able to get them out of my head.  There was something about the up-cycling, the wild abandon with color and how joyful they looked that just inspired me.  I immediately pulled out my Gel Press (best way to get tons of colorful paint on paper) and started experimenting on newspaper sheets.  It was addicting!  The paint on the paper made it into an amazing craft material.  Next, I cut some patterns and started stitching them together.  Pretty soon I had an adult version of newspaper flowers that could adorn almost anything!  Grab some newspaper and start crafting....

and don't forget to Make Your Mark!

Gift bag magic!

Try them on a wine bottle!

The more color the better!

Watch how I made mine here!

STUFF I USED

Americana Acrylics

Plastic Gems

Gel Press

Newspaper

Optional:  Sewing Machine

DecoArt Craft Twinkles and Glamour Dust

Flower pattern

Print on standard copy paper

HERE'S HOW

1.  Squirt Americana Acrylics on your Gel Press and spread the colors with a brayer making sure to keep it color blocked by rolling off each color before you spread it

2. Press and pull newspaper sheets laying them flat to dry

3.  Coat the sheets with Craft Twinkles and Glamour Dust to give them a glittery sheen and sparkle

4.  Trace the 5 different sizes of flowers and the leaves on a sheet (or 2 depending on how big your Gel Press is)

5.  Pin the pressed sheets in stacks and cut out several of the different sizes of flowers

6.  Stack the flowers largest to smallest

7.  Optional:  Stitch lines emanating from the center on the smallest flower

8.  Place the small flower back on top of the stack and stitch (or glue) the entire stack together right in the center

9.  Stitch down the center of a stack of 3 leaves

*You could also glue a line down the center of a stack if you don't have a sewing machine

10.  Glue (with hot glue or white glue) a plastic gem in the center of the stack on the smallest flower

11.  When the gem is dry, crunch the flowers, one by one, around the gem

12.  Glue curling ribbon and the flowers on gift bags, wine bottles, wrapped packages or toss them around your dinner party table!

 Gift ready!

Recycle, reuse, repurpose!

Funky Shelf Makeover

If you follow me, then you know I'm a huge fan of mixed prints, crazy colors and MacKenzie Childs furniture.  This shelf was inspired by her amazing furniture but instead of the meticulous hand painting, I used fabric to get the mix of patterns.  All of these prints are available at JoAnn so head there for an amazing selection of things you can use to makeover your own shelf.   Skip steps, use different colors and patterns and make this project your own.  Just remember to have fun and always Make Your Mark!

Strike a pose! 

I decided to throw caution to the wind and just go with every color and pattern I liked!

STUFF I USED

Shelf in need of a makeover

Americana Decor Outdoor Living Paint

Selection of printed cotton fabrics

Plastic rhinestone trim

Sander and jigsaw

E-6000 Glue

Plastic ornate mirror

Fabri-Fuse and glue gun

1/2" wood trim

1/2" thick plywood OR 1" x 12" pine board

Americana Decor Metallics in Vintage Brass

 HERE'S HOW

1. & 2.  Paint the face of the shelf with Ladybug and the inside walls of the shelf with Pansy

3. & 4.  Paint each shelf in Harvest and the edges of the sides with Morning Glory

5. & 6.  Remove the shelf back if possible (most modern shelves have removable backs) trace the back on your chosen fabric, cut and glue in place with Fabri-Fuse

*I find squirting on a generous amount of Fabri-Fuse and spreading it with a 

paintbrush works the best

7.  Measure the face of each shelf

8. & 9.  Measure cut and glue your chosen fabric to the face of each shelf

*I wrapped the fabric around the front and around the underside

10.  Measure the size of fabric you'll need for the side panels

11. & 12.  Cut and glue on the sides with more Fabri-Fuse

13.  Glue a contrasting gimp trim around the fabric side panels

14. Glue gimp trim along the top face of each shelf

15. Replace the back on the shelf

16.  Trace around the top of the ornate plastic mirror frame (adding about 1 1/2") to create the pediment

HERE'S HOW PART 2

17.  Mark where you are going to cut the plastic frame

18. - 20. Cut the frame and the pediment with a jigsaw and sand the rough edges

21. & 22.  Trace the pediment on your chosen fabric and glue on the face

23. & 24.  Paint the plastic frame and edges of the pediment with Vintage Brass

25. & 26.  Glue the gold frame to the pediment and the pediment to the top of the shelf

27. & 28.  Paint the 1/2" decorative trim in Vintage Brass and then glue it to the 

front sides of the shelf

Done! Whew!

Took a while, but so worth it!

Happy Tuesday!

Let's Make Stencil Art

So you want to paint something beautiful but you feel like you just can't do it?  Well, here's an easy solution!  Grab some pretty leaf & flower stencils, pick out your favorite colors and get going!  You'll have a beautiful floral painting in no time!  Start with leaves as the background.  When they're dry stencil light flowers working your way up to the darkest.   Easy, squeezy!  Have fun and don't forget to Make Your Mark!

 I used Americana Tube Acrylics for this masterpiece!

STUFF I USED
DecoArt Stencils (pick your favorites)
Succulent Stencil
Large Succulent Stencil
Botanical Leaf Stencil
Tropical Leaf Stencil
Americana Premium Tube Acrylics
Masking Tape
1" Thick Wood Plank
Canvas
Cosmetic Sponges

Watch how I painted mine here!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hedgehog Pillows DIY

Hedgehogs, squirrels and baby possums just do it for me.  I have no idea why, but I find just looking at them makes me happy.  Set me in front of a baby hedgehog taking a bath in a kitchen sink and I'm done for.  DONE FOR!  Well, now you see why I needed to make these hedgehog pillows.  Instructions and pattern are included in this blog.  Make them any size you want and don't forget to Make Your Mark!

 A family affair

Stop and smell the flowers

Watch how to make them here!

STUFF I USED

E-6000 Fabri-Fuse

DecoArt Stylin Paints

Poly-fil stuffing

Brown and cream medium weight fabric

Sewing machine

Googly eyes and pompoms

Print out this pattern and make it any size you want!

HERE'S HOW TO MAKE THEM!

1. & 2.  Pin and cut the pattern on folded cream fabric

3. - 5.  Trace the face, paint it beige and then paint the mouth on one piece of the fabric

(both sides if you're ambitious)

6. & 7.  Stitch the two pieces together using 1/2" seam allowance and leaving a 5" opening

8. & 9. Cut 2" wide strips of brown fabric and then cut them into fringe every 1/4"

10.  Glue the fringe along the tush moving toward the face of the hedgehog

11.  Glue on the eye with more Fabri-fuse and paint the cheek with more Stylin

12.  Stuff and stitch the 5" opening closed.

Enjoy!

Thrift Store Furniture Flip

If you're trying to furnish a room on a budget with a cohesive look, here's a quick way to make random, mismatched furniture look like it came from a high end home decor store!   A little paint and some wood trim and all of a sudden your room will come together.  I challenged myself with this project and decided to buy the first 3 pieces I saw to see if I could make them work together in a room.  I was surprised at how easy it was, too.  You first want to look for shapes you like and pieces that work for the size of your space.  Next pick a color you're mad about and get painting.  Details of how I did this are below!  Happy Tuesday and don't forget to Make Your Mark!

A 70's side table, an Ikea knock off and a mission style shelf

Watch how it came together here!

STUFF I USED

3 pieces of mismatched furniture

E-6000 Glue

HomeRight Spray Shelters in Small, Medium and Large

*Helped me get the pieces sprayed quickly without getting paint on my fence and lawn!

HomeRight Super Finish Max

Americana Decor Chalky Finish in Carbon

DecoArt Matte Metallics in Vintage Brass

Jigsaw

Wood trim and molding

HERE'S HOW

1.  First I put together my large HomeRight Spray Shelter

2.  I wiped down my furniture once it was inside the shelter

3. & 4. Add 10% water to the chalky finish, mix and fill the paint sprayer container

5.  With slow even strokes, spray your pieces

6. & 7.  Pop open the medium shelter and spray your medium sized furniture

8. & 9.  Pop open the small spray shelter and spray your smaller pieces

10. - 12.  Measure, cut and paint the accent wood molding and trim for your pieces with the chalky finish in Carbon and let dry

13. & 14.  Dry brush the trim with the DecoArt Matte Metallics to bring out the details

15.  Accent the hard edges of each piece with a gold metallic paint marker

16.  Glue on the painted trim pieces with E-6000 glue and you're done! 

 My new furniture set!

Flipped!

Wax Seals DIY

I love fancy snail mail!  Send me something with color, collage, beautiful handwriting and a wax seal and I'm ALL IN!  The crazier, the better!  I've had a wax seal with an "M" for a while but I decided it was time to UP my seal game and find some different patterns.  I dug through my stash of metal buttons and found a few that would be perfect for wax impressions.  The only thing I needed was a way to secure them to a handle.  I hit my pile of scrap wood and I was all set!  Remember to use what you have and always Make Your Mark!

Look for flat buttons with interesting designs
Interesting pieces of jewelry might work, too

My new stash 

A little colored hot glue and you have something amazing!

Watch how to make them here!

STUFF I USED

1" x 1" wood trim

E-6000 Glue

Metal buttons

Baby oil

Large craft knife

Drill

Glue gun and colored glue sticks

HERE'S HOW

1. & 2. Trim the end of a 4" piece of 1" x 1" trim to create a circular end

3.  Drill a hole large enough for the shank of a metal button on the rounded end

4. & 5.  Add a generous amount of E-6000 glue and set in your button

6.  When the glue is dry, coat the button with baby oil

*You only need to do this once

7. Squeeze a dime size dollop of hot glue on an envelope

8.  Gently press the wax seal in the center and let the glue harden for a bit

9.  Carefully remove the seal 

Seal of approval!

Artist Trading Card Hands

It's time for my annual ATC SWAP!  This year we're doing something less traditional and creating mixed media hands instead of rectangular cards.  Why not try something different, right?!  I had such a blast making these and I can't wait to see what you come up with.  This is a wonderful way to share your work with other artists from around the world.

RULES for the swap are HERE

Below are some of the hands I made using DecoArt paints and a Gel Press and if you use either of those products to make your hands, let me know and you'll be entered to win a set of Americana Multi-Surface Satin paints and a Gel Press!  Go crazy with color, fabric, beads, paper, paint, glitter and whatever else you have in your crafty arsenal. No rules other than that they can't be more than 1/4" thick or longer than 7".  

I really hope you join our swap!

Gotta hand it to you!

I went wax seal crazy!

 Watch how to make them here!

STUFF I USED

Americana Multi-Surface Satin Paints

Gel Press and Impressables

Paper images

Card Stock

Stencils

Cosmetic Sponges

Book pages

White Glue

Sewing Machine

 HERE'S HOW

1st layer

1.  Dot rows of yellow and orange on your Gel Press

2.  Using a brayer, spread the paint in rows to create stripes

3.  Press the paper to reveal your perfectly blended stripes

2nd layer

4.  Spread a mint green on the Impressables Retro Leaves Plate

5.  Press the Retro leaves on the striped page

3rd layer

6.  Add blue and gold to the Gel Press

7. & 8.  Place a stencil on top of the Gel Press (I used stars) and transfer the stars to your page

4th layer

9. & 10. Stencil (I used leaves) over your page in hot pink and white

11.  Trace and cut a hand pattern from card stock

12.  Trace it on your newly pressed pages (and your stash of other papers) and cut them out

*I used old Gel Pressed pages, scrapbook paper, paper bags & whatever I can find!

5th layer

13.  Glue your favorite images to the hands

*I like faces, birds, butterflies and loteria cards

14.  Try adding a cityscape cut from book pages

6th layer

15.  Dab more color around the hand

7th layer

16.  Stencil another pattern in another color on top of everything

17.  Glue several hands together to create some thickness

18.  Optional:  Stitch around the hand on a sewing machine

19.  Glue on beads, buttons, keys or whatever you want

20. I added a wax seal with ribbons to finish mine off!

*Now it's time to add your information on the back and send them off!

Everyone can use a hand...Don't you think?