Magical Mosaic DIY

I need to face it, I'm a messy DIY'er!  I mean a call-in-the-Merry-Maids kind of mess maker.  Every corner of my entire house gets destroyed when I make something, especially mosaic.  I decided to try a different mosaic technique, without the traditional Greek breaking of the plates, and this is what happened.  My nephew happened to be in town when I was making these and we had a blast finding our color palettes and painting or patterns.  Unfortunately we managed to turn my house into a glitterized palace, but it was worth it.  NEVER let an 11 year old handle large jars of glitter....NEVER!

Have fun.  xoxo, Mark

The little circular box was a cheese box.  

Yes, I'm a hoarder with a purpose!

Watch the short video tutorial here!

YOU'LL NEED

Allure Dimensional Design Adhesive Paints (or puff paint)

Americana Acrylics in great colors

Frames and boxes

Paintbrush

White glue

Glitter

You could stop here and just leave them painted

Or you could stop here

I say go all the way!

Sugar Skull Plates DIY

Nothing better than a funky plate to make your dinner table look amazing, don't you think?!  These sugar skull plates are super easy to make AND you can eat off of them!  How cool is that!  Because all of the paint and decoupage is on the back, they're completely food safe.  I got my images at GraphicStock.com.  They're having a free 7 day trial and you can download tons of images for free.  Just like the images I used for this project.  My glass plates are from the 99c store, but you can get them for pennies at Ikea.  Have fun! 

xoxo, Mark

Love this color combo!

I made them in every color under the sun

Try picking a color from the skull for your background

This citrus yellow is one of my favorite Krylon colors

Watch the short video tutorial here

You might also like this Sugar Skull T-shirt DIY!

YOU'LL NEED

Clear glass plates

Rubbing Alcohol

E-6000 Spray Adhesive

Krylon spray paint in white and colors you like

Images from GraphicStock.com

Scissors

Black Short Cuts Paint Pen

Minwax Polycrylic

More images at GraphicStock.com

I got these roses on GraphicStock.com

Marbled Thrift Store Lamp DIY!

I love a good thrift store find, don't you?  Who can resist a big white lamp for $5 bucks?  I certainly can't!  I decided to see if my spray paint marbling technique would work on this huge lamp base and to my great joy, it did.  While I was at it, I decided to give the lampshade a little makeover, too.  Why stop just at the base?  If you find a lamp that will work for this project and it's not already white, just spray paint it.  Have fun!

  xoxo, Mark

I love the gold base!  Shhh....It's painted wood.

Classic!

Watch the short video tutorial here

YOU'LL NEED

Thrift store lamp (painted white)

Round wood plaque

E-6000 Glue

Americana Multi-Surface Metallic Gold

Americana Multi Purpose Sealer

Spray mount

Clear acrylic spray

Gray spray paint

2 yards cotton fabric

Bias tape maker

Painted Leaves

On the days I don't hit the gym, I walk around Silverlake reservoir.  It's a beautiful walk filled with trees, flowers and a dose of much needed peace before I tackle my day.  I almost always leave with a tiny notebook and a pen so that I can jot down any ideas I have because my BEST ideas hit when I'm not able to write them down.  Every day on my walk I pass a spot littered with huge leaves that almost look prehistoric, they're so big.  It's easy to imagine the dinosaurs munching on them.  Every time I pass these leaves I swear I'm going to bring some home to paint......and this week, I finally did.  I spent a relaxing morning with coffee and jazz just painting on my free, dinosaur snack, canvases.

Next time you need some new materials to paint on, head out for a walk.

Enjoy! xoxox, Mark

Happy ThursDIY!

My favorite things from around the web this week!

1.  Michele McDonald makes the cutest Vintage Camper Key Chain!  

2. Pla rocked my world today with this beautiful painted globe! 

 3.  Cathy transforms a basic tee into something amazing!

4.  Why not learn Calligraphy!

5.  I share 3 Boho Room Decor projects made from plaster of Paris!

6.  Make a beautiful Papier Mache Hot Air Balloon!

Boho Home Decor Projects!

I can't help grabbing all of the fun silicone molds I've been seeing at the dollar store lately.  I don't bake, but I sure love to fill them with things like plaster of Paris and resin!  This flower mold is one of my favorites and I found a place for you to order it below!  Now initially I only wanted to make a simple incense burner, but as usual I went a little overboard and ended up making a mirror and some place card holders.....All with a boho feel.  Can we say CRAFT-A-HOLIC!  The faux glaze technique is really rocking my world lately, too.  Check out the video to see how I made all three projects.

Have fun!  xoxo, Mark

Make colorful faux glazed floral mirror

 My beautiful glazed incense burners!

Place card holders for your next dinner soiree!

Watch the video tutorial here!

THINGS YOU'LL NEED

Silicone flower mold

Americana Acrylic Neon Paints

E-6000 Glue

DecoArt Triple Thick Gloss Glaze

Simple Mirror

Plaster of Paris

Drill with small drill bit

Hack saw blade (got several at the 99c store)

Recycled Paper Necklaces

The next time you're about to toss out a pile of magazines, why not recycle a few of them into something beautiful like these fab paper necklaces?  Just plop yourself down in front of the TV and start making your beads by following this easy tutorial. Not only will you be helping to save our planet, you'll look amazing doing it!  Have fun!

xoxo, Mark

Chunky, funky and embellished with embroidery floss

Try different colors and sizes

Layered disks make an beautiful statement piece

Watch the video tutorial here

to see exactly how they're made!

YOU'LL NEED

Magazines

DecoArt Triple Thick Gloss Glaze

Americana Acrylic Paints

Chain necklace

Large wood beads

Jump rings

Embroidery floss

Cotton cord

White glue and Super Glue

Paintbrush

Needle nose pliers

Happy 4th of July!

When I was about 9 or 10 there was an Independence Day Fire Hydrant Painting contest in our home town.  Naturally I had a panic attack and begged my parents to let me paint the hydrant on our corner in stars and stripes.  I swear the paints they gave us were lead filled and toxic, but that's another story!  After I spent an entire day in the sun revamping a hideous, crusty yellow fire hydrant into a dazzling red, white and blue MESS, my parents took us around town to suss out the competition.  Let's just say I didn't get the prize that year.  I did however have a stash of red white and blue paint for all kinds of other projects!  Today, it's still one of my favorite color combinations.  Happy 4th my friends!  

xoxo, Mark

I decided to embellish my 4th of July decorations with 

ALLURE Dimensional Design Adhesive Paints

from E-6000

 Fireworks wine glasses!

 Who doesn't need a decorated beer mug?!

My little ice bucket only holds one beer! 

 Cookies are almost ready!

A bit of my table setting 

 Glue on some stars!  I went a little nuts

I can't resist a painted pot project!  These were
made with Americana Decor Chalky Finish
and Allure with silver glitter

That's right! It's Thurs-DIY!

It's my weekly roundup of fun stuff you can make this weekend or put on your "I have to remember this" list!  I'm all over Lia's Boho Chandelier!  Pla shows you how to paint on black shirt and I've always wanted to learn how to do that. Finally, who doesn't need cactus balloons?  Hop around, make some friends and use that Exclamation Comma in a sentence!

Big hugs, xoxo, Mark!

LOVE this LOVE TOTE by Cathy Attix! 

http://ilovetocreateblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/colorshot-love-tote-diy.html 

Pla rocks painted t-shirts with her beautiful daughter!

http://www.plaschneider.com/#!The-Artist-The-Masterpiece-hand-painted-tops/c1p0l/5593c6d70cf2585ebcdaf237

 Rad Megan makes a beautiful seashell star that's perfect for the beach!

http://radmegan.com/2015/06/drought-friendly-garden-crafts-chicken-wire-stars-hearts.html

 Cathy rocks the bandana with this super cute bracelet diy!

http://www.trinketsinbloom.com/diy-bandana-bracelets/

Use your favorite Emoji to refashion a polo and make pins! It's super easy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhEZ202zs8Q

E-6000 AND C&T Publishing to give away some product for a little weekend contest! Just leave a comment on my latest video and you can win EVERYTHING I used for the project!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhEZ202zs8Q 

Lia Griffith ROCKS my world with this boho chandelier!

http://liagriffith.com/indigo-dip-dye-boho-chandelier/

 Who doesn't love a cactus balloon?!

http://www.designimprovised.com/2015/06/cactus-balloons.html

Don't toss that old shirt, make it into a breezy summer dress! Here's how:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X48O66qr-0