Did you know that Americans spend 6 BILLION dollars annually on Halloween? That's an enormous amount of candy and rubber spiders! I'll bet dentists LOVE this time of year, too. In my attempt to celebrate Halloween without breaking the bank, I gave some old flower vases a makeover with a few simple items and then filled them with black dollar store flowers. I styled my little vignette with some hideous rubber rats. I couldn't resist! *Leave a comment on this blog and I'll send someone everything they need to make these vases! Have fun.
I've used a light box my entire career and in all of those years I've never had one that was BIG enough. I FINALLY decided to make one that is 18" x 24" which is big enough for all of my needs including photography. I used these very cool light strips called Lightify from Osram and they worked perfectly! However, if you want to use different lights, there are tons of alternatives like
It's officially skull season......Well, that's what I call it anyway. I can't resist buying up all of the spooky plastic skulls this time of year because they're so much fun to decorate. It's kind of like decorating Christmas ornaments but SOOOO much more fun. After painting these black, I went nuts with Allure Dimensional Design Adhesive Paint (puff paint) and then added gems. Pretty sure I'm going to keep these around all year long. Have fun and make messes!
I'm a tape-aholic. There, I said it out loud and now you all know. In fact, I'm afraid to say that one of my kitchen cabinets is entirely filled with every kind of tape you can imagine. You get the picture....I'd rather play with my tape and forgo room for my pots and pans. PRIORITIES PEOPLE! A while back my friend Secret Soto shared a tutorial about making tape with napkins and tissue paper and I got hooked. This was the perfect tape for my artist trading cards and all of the crazy envelopes I make for friends. Today I'm sharing several different ways I make tape for my projects.
Enjoy! xoxo, Mark
Just a few of my hundreds of patterns
Painted and stamped.....My favorite!
Fun way to cover a cheap frame
How could you NOT want to stick this all over something?
8. When dry, stencil on top using a make-up sponge
9. Cut in strips to make tape
10. Grab some double sided tape
11. Place long strips on the back of the Americana Decoupage Papers
12. Carefully cut out the tape with scissors
*Cut it in half to make thinner strips
13. Cut long pieces of colorful tissue paper
14. Add double sided tape the back
15. Carefully rip the strips of tape
16. If you don't want to rip, you can cut the tape with pinking shears
17. Place the double sided tape on old book pages
*My book was severely water damaged so it was perfect for this project
18. Carefully rip into strips of tape
Finally, if you have a fun print you like, simply copy it on sticker paper and cut out strips in the size you want. Paint the page with watercolors or color with markers for extra interest!
My better half told me the other day that it was time for my recycled jar collection to leave the cabinet and find another home. Apparently there wasn't any room for our real dishes anymore. Whatever! Because I love the puff painted lantern jars all over Pinterest, I decided it was the perfect time to try my own version with gems. How could you NOT love a good recycled jar project? There were some challenges, but for the most part, this project was enjoyable. Just make sure to tape your gems in place while they dry or they might slide and only do a bit at a time so you don't smudge the fresh paint. BTW, now my jars can take up room on our coffee table instead of in the cabinet! Take that. Have fun, be creative and stay in touch, OK! xoxo, Mark
A few pretty things from around the web that caught my eye. Love the sea glass candy and you'll never guess what those fabric pumpkins have underneath! Hop around and make some new friends. All the links are below.
Hands down, making spin art is one of my favorite ways to relax. Toss in a bottle of Pino Noir and you won't see me for hours! I think it's something about the spinning that hypnotizes me into a great mood. A while ago I found an old mini Honeywell fan on the street and hauled it home. It took about 10 minutes to remove the cover and about 2 days for me to figure out what to put on top of the fan blades for a base. Turns out an old Styrofoam plate did the trick and I was making spin art like a madman! Just make sure to use some very sticky tape.
Have fun! xoxo, Mark
Spin art makes amazing postcards and, well, ART!
Not quite Damian Hirst, but still pretty fantastic!
Stacks ready to be sent
Watered down Americana Acrylics make the perfect paint for this project!
