Mixed Media Vintage Circus Art

I love everything about a vintage circus.  The ruffled collars on bike riding bears, the harlequin patterns on nightmare-inducing clowns and the huge red and white striped tents.  I love it!  Recently I was ogling beautiful images on Pinterest and found a beautiful butterfly art piece by Debrina Pratt.  It was so inspiring I decided to take the concept and make a little vintage circus art piece of my own.  Not much needed for this except some cardboard, wire and a few wood blocks which I've seen at most craft and dollar stores.  Heck, you could even use a rock for a base if you wanted.  Grag my images HERE.  Make it wonderful and don't forget to Make Your Mark!

These make me very happy!

Watch how to make them here!

STUFF I USED

Vintage Circus Images (HERE)

E-6000 Spray Adhesive

E-6000 Glue

Wood Blocks

Cardboard

Stamp Pad

Wire and Wire Cutters

 HERE'S HOW

1.  Glue the printed images to cardboard

2.  Carefully cut out each piece

3.  Glue graphics to the wood block

4.  Distress the edges of the cutouts and wood blocks on an ink pad

5. Cut wire in various sizes

6.  Glue the wire to the backs of the cardboard cutouts

7. Mark where your pieces will be placed on each block

8.  Drill small holes for the wire

9.  Add more E-6000 Glue on the end of the wire and insert in the drilled holes

Showtime!

Any mix of images will do!

On with the show!

Splatter Art Dishes DIY

When I'm poking through the dish section at the thrift store I always wonder who buys the mismatched coffee mugs with weird company logos on them?  The answer, my friends, is me.  I grabbed several for a song and went wild with Americana Gloss Enamels to create my own Jackson Pollock tea set.  Not only do I love this set, I figured out a way to make it dishwasher safe!  Make sure to follow the instructions for curing and baking so that they last a lifetime.  Have a blast, use every color in the box and don't forget to Make Your Mark!

 A tea set for the artist in you!

Look at that mug!

Watch how to make them here!

STUFF I USED

Americana Gloss Enamels in several colors and Metallic Gold

Thrift store tea pot and mismatched mugs

Americana Dishwasher Safe Decoupage

Gold Glitter

Masking tape

 HERE'S HOW

1.  Tape around the mouth of the mug

*1/2" should be enough

2. - 4. Paint big swashes of color all over each mug (skipping the handles) and 

don't worry about being perfect

5.  Tape over the handles 

6. & 7.  With the mugs face down, start splattering all of your favorite colors on all sides of each piece

8.  Remove the tape and paint the handles with metallic gold Gloss Enamels

9.  Follow the instructions for curing and baking

10.  Coat the handles (and teapot lid with Americana Dishwasher Safe Decoupage

11.  Sprinkle gold glitter on the wet decoupage and let dry

12.  Coat the glitter with a generous amount of dishwasher safe decoupage and let dry

Chamomile or peppermint?

Enjoy!

Boho Clothespin Mirror DIY

Since I live closer to a row of 99c stores than the big box craft stores, I always shop there first to see if they might have something I need for a project.  It's the perfect place to stock up on basics like mirrors, candles, clothespins and funky yarns.  You never know when you'll need some funky yarn!  This mirror was put together with ONLY dollar store items and it's one of my favorite pieces right now.  I have to say, it even looked great before I painted it when the wood clothespins were raw!  Still, you know me.  I had to give it some color and gold accents.  Do what makes you happy, friends and always Make Your Mark!

 On my patio reflecting the sun

Pointed at my favorite tree

Watch how to make them here!

STUFF I USED

Wood clothespins

E-6000 Glue

Charger plates

Unicorn SPiT in Blue Thunder, Dragon's Belly and Zia Teal

White flat spray paint

Minwax Semi-Gloss Lacquer

 HERE'S HOW

1.  Open the clothespins to release the spring

2.  Add 2 rows of E-6000 glue around the edge

3.  Glue the clothespins around the rim of the charger and let dry

4.  Spray paint the entire piece in flat white

5.  Paint the clothespins and part of the charger in Blue thunder

6.  Blend in Zia Teal and Dragon's Belly

7.  Seal with lacquer and let dry

8.  Stencil with metallic gold acrylic paint

9.  Glue a mirror to the center with more E-6000

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

Drippy Boho Texture Table

This table was a challenge from top to bottom.  It almost didn't fit in my car and I was stumped at how to cover the uneven top.  I finally decided on plywood cut to size and it worked perfectly!  Then there was the question of how to paint it?  I couldn't do something boring or you wouldn't be here, right?!  I decided just to go for it with tons of color in spray bottles and DecoArt Texture Medium.  It was one of those projects that I had absolutely no idea how it would look in the end.  Truth be told, I'm still on the fence about it, but it's growing on me.  Take chances with color and texture and don't forget to Make Your Mark!

 Lisa Frank meets Janis Joplin?

 Love the drippy colors and splatters!

Watch how I made it here!

STUFF I USED

Old coffee table

Amazing Goop II Max

Americana Matte Spray Sealer/Finisher

DecoArt Texture Medium in Bright Gold and Aquamarine

Palette knife

DecoArt Fleur Medallion Stencil

Americana Decor Chalky Finish in Reminisce, Treasure, Bestow & Victorian

 HERE'S HOW

1. Glue plywood (cut to size) on top of your table with Amazing Goop II Max

*My table top was destroyed and needed a new surface

2.  Paint the base with chalky finish in Bestow

3.  Mix the Treasure chalky finish with water in a spray bottle so that it sprays easily.

 4.  Spray the sides of the table about 12" at a time

5.  Immediately spray water on the paint so that it starts to drip down the sides

6.  While that dries, paint the table top with Victorian

7.  Mix Reminisce with enough water so that it sprays easily

8. Spray the sides and edge of the table

9.  Immediately spray water on the paint so that it starts to drip down the sides 

and mix with the other colors

10.  Center and adhere the Fleur Medallion stencil on the table

11. Using a palette knife, spread the Bright Gold texture medium throughout the 

middle of the stencil

12.  Scoop up some Aquamarine Texture Medium and finish the edges of the stencil

blending the two colors together with the knife where they meet

*Seal when finished

 Funky and fabulous!

Hippy, Drippy Chic!

Rainbow Lucky Star Banner DIY

It's the last day of 2018 and I wanted to make something that embodied my hope for 2019.  A rainbow of colors, shooting stars to represent hope and some sparkles to remind me to keep shining.  This banner is perfect for a kid's room, a craft room or as party decor.  Check out the video below to see how I made it.  I wish you an amazing 2019 filled with love, success and hope. 

Happy New Year and don't forget to Make Your Mark!

 Oly-Fun fabric from Fairfield World is really easy to work with!

 Craft Twinkles by DecoArt is the BEST glitter paint out there.  I love it!

Hang these over a doorway OR on a kid's headboard

Watch how to make this here!

Keep it colorful, my friends!

Trash to Treasure Thrift Store Flip

I always appreciate a good thrift store.  Give me 20 minutes and $10 and I'll come out with something amazing for an upcoming DIY project.  Lamps, vases and frames are in abundance at most locations and they're so easy to paint and decoupage to match your decor.  For this random set I used flowers printed from my home computer, Stick & Style Stencils from Redesign With Prima and Americana Decor Texture Medium in Bright Gold.  DONE!  These 3 elements can turn any 3 random pieces into an amazing vignette for your home.  I've included the flower images I used below.  Make sure to check out the video to see exactly how I did it.  Happy hunting and don't forget to

Make Your Mark!

 I adore this set!

The Texture Medium gives dimension and richness to the pieces

Toss in some books and a plant and you're golden!

Watch how I did it here!

  

  

Images to print 

Happy decorating!

Colorful Paper Feathers DIY

These mixed media paper feathers are so much fun to make!  No rules except use as much color as you can and go BIG or go home!  I used my Gel Press to get tons of color on my book pages quickly and in the most interesting combinations.  I also added glitter since I'm using them for my New Year's Eve party, but you could stop before the sparkly madness.  It just depends on how you feel about glitter.  Some people love it, other people thinks it's just awful.  I'm on the LOVE IT team.  Have a wonderful and safe New Year and don't forget to Make Your Mark!

 A little gold garland and some noice makers and you're set!

 Gold glitter or Mylar confetti would be wonderful, too!

Watch how to make them here!

Happy New Year!