Friday, March 31, 2017

Our Latest FB Live

Hi, everyone!  Wanted to share our latest FB LIVE event and to let you know about a few contests we're having.  Make sure to enter for your chance to win a paint sprayer and some Americana Decor Outdoor Living Paints!

Enter HERE for your chance to win a paint sprayer and Outdoor Living paints from DecoArt.  Good luck!

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Outdoor Cabinet DIY

Spring has sprung and I'm excited to start entertaining outside on my patio!  Because I live in southern California, I'm lucky to be able to eat outside most of the year.  Also, since my home is on the small side, it's important that my outdoor space feels like an extension of the house, so I decorate them just like I would any indoor room.  This entertainment center was headed for a thrift store until I realized it would make the perfect sideboard/buffet/outdoor-cabinet for my patio.  I grabbed my favorite color of Outdoor Living paint and filled my paint sprayer and in no time at all, I had a new piece of furniture ready for my next party.  Remember to give everything a coat of paint before you donate it and if you don't like it, then you can give it away.  
Oh, and always Make Your Mark!
Party ready and filled with my Blue Willow, both antique and new
I love mixing bold patterns
Blue Willow dishes mixed with Japanese bowls always works for me

Watch how I made this here!
STUFF I USED
Paint Sprayer
Old entertainment center
Americana Decor Outdoor Living Paint in Adirondack
Americana Decor Metallics in Vintage Brass
Spray Tent
Cosmetic sponges & hammer
 HERE'S HOW
1.  Wipe dirt and dust from the piece and remove the hardware
*Keep it in a ziplock back so you don't lose anything
2.  I replaced the warped panels with 1/4" thick plywood cut to size
3. 4. & 5.  Fill your Finish Max with paint give even, light coats to the furniture until it's painted
6.  Immediately clean your paint sprayer according to directions
7. I painted this cabinet inside a spray tent which kept the paint from getting everywhere AND gave it a nice, dust free place to dry...LOVE THIS THING!
8.  Cut stencils to fit in indented and hard to stencil areas and tape in place
9.  Apply metallic paint with a cosmetic sponge in light coats to give even coverage
10. 11. & 12.  Measure, clip and hammer the nailhead trim around the drawers, cabinet doors and around the top
Nailed it!
You're invited!

Friday, March 24, 2017

Easy Ottoman/Tuffet DIY

 I'm addicted to making tiny ottomans.....also known as tuffets.  I can't help it, they are just so damn cute.  The tuffet is the equivalent of a stud earring for the home.  Just the right amount of accessory without being overwhelming.  Fairfield sent me a tuffet kit a few weeks ago and I went to TOWN on this little monster.  You know what?  It was easy, too.  Not a single stitch to upholster it AND I managed to get the feet on without cursing.  A feat in itself.  As always, it's much easier to watch the video and see how it's put together, but I did include a step by step photo tutorial below.  Remember to learn new things, make tuffets and always Make Your Mark!
Ready for Miss Muffet
Showing off her legs!
Now that looks comfy!
Watch how it comes together here!
STUFF I USED
Straight pins
Drill
Americana Decor Outdoor Living Paint
Staple gun, ruler and pencil
 HERE'S HOW (PART 1)
1. 2. & 3.  Trace the wood tuffet base on paper, cut out and fold in quarters
4. 5. & 6.  Mark the quarter lines on the wood base with the pattern, measure the width of the tuffet feet and mark their placement on the drawn quartered lines
7.  Drill holes where you marked making sure the hole is the same size of the furniture leg screws
8. 9. & 10. Unfold the batting, place the foam in the center and glue the base on top of the foam with E-6000 Fabri-Fuse
10. & 11.  Pull the batting over the foam and evenly staple it around the tuffet working from opposite side to opposite side to make sure that it's even all the way around
12.  Trim off the excess batting
13.  Flip the tuffet and pin the fabric around it so that it's stable
14.  Staple the four fabric corners just over the edge of the batting
15.  Pull the fabric (in between the stapled corners) over the batting and staple them in place
HERE'S HOW (PART 2)
16. & 17.  Staple the excess fabric evenly on to the wood base and trim off all of the excess
Optional: Cover the base of the undersides of the tuffet
18. Use the wood base paper pattern to cut out fabric for the underside
19. 20. & 21.  Fold the pattern in quarters, cut off 1" from the edge then trace it on poster board and cut out
22. & 23.  Pin the smaller poster board circle to the fabric and press around the edges
24.  Glue the ironed fabric to the underside of the tuffet with more E-6000 Fabri-Fuse
25.  Paint the feet with a color of Americana Decor Outdoor Living that matches your fabric.  I chose Sunset
26.  Cut a tiny hole in the underside fabric over each hole that you drilled in the base
27.  Stick a paint brush handle through the attachment plate and the hole to align them perfectly
28. & 29.  Screw on the attachment plates for the feet and then screw in the legs
30.  Add trim around the base with E-6000 Fabri-Fuse and pin in place until it dries
Done!
Have a seat or put up your feet!

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Let's Make Art!

I've been itching to make a painting lately and have been googling aboriginal dot paintings and the work of several artists including the work of Elspeth McLean.  You might know Elspeth from her incredible dotted rocks!  I've included a step by step tutorial below with photos, but it's much easier to watch the video and see exactly how this painting comes together.  Of course I used my Americana Acrylic paints because I LOVE them and I finished this painting off with ALLURE Dimensional Design Adhesive Paint because it made everything POP!  Have an awesome day and remember to Make Your Mark!
You know how much I love color!
Styled and ready to show off!

Watch how it comes together here!
STUFF I USED
Americana Acrylics
Allure Dimensional Design Adhesive Paints
Basic canvas
HERE'S HOW
1. & 2.  Squirt 3 background colors on the canvas, blue on bottom, white in the center and an orange on top, and then blend them together and let dry.
3. 4. & 5.  Paint bright green cactus leaves in the center and then shade on the left with dark green and highlight on the right with light green
6. 7. & 8. Paint orange cactus leaves on the left side of the canvas and highlight on the left with yellow and shade on the right with darker orange.
9. & 10. Paint black cactus leaves on the right side of the canvas and highlight them with gray on the left side of the leaves.
11. & 12.  Pencil in circles and semi-circles for flowers and then fill them in with white
13. 14. & 15.  On the right side of the canvas paint petals in light yellow starting on the outside of the white circle (covering the edges) and then working your way in with orange and then red in the center
*Continue filling in the flowers to your liking
16. & 17.  With the Allure, made dots around the leaves in contrasting colors
18. Paint larger dots on the leaves with more paint using a fine brush

Done!

Friday, March 17, 2017

Fiesta Table Decor

Every time my parents came back from vacation they always had tons of gifts for me and my brothers.  It made up for the week of having to deal with my 3 foot tall (and very mean) grandmother.  More on that later.  The year my parents went to Mexico, they brought back serapes, sombreros, onyx figurines and terrifying marionettes.....I'm still terrified by Mexican marionettes, btw.  My favorite gift from that trip was a beautiful, colorful serape blanket, and I have loved serapes ever since.  A few weeks ago I got this amazing set of unfinished wood trivets from Walnut Hollow and I immediately thought of that beautiful blanket and knew exactly what I wanted to do with them.   To get the colorful ombre effect, I stained them with Unicorn SPit and I couldn't believe how easy it was to blend the colors on the wood.   I love how vibrant they are, too.  Remember to be inspired by your past, make things that remind you of days gone by and always Make Your Mark!
 Ready for some pan dulce and coffee!
Can't wait to start entertaining this summer!

Watch how I made them here!
STUFF I USED
2. Unicorn SPiT
3. Masking tape and serape inspiration
5.  Drill
6.  Handles

HERE'S HOW
 1. Tape off a 5" wide stripe in the center of the large trivet
2. 3. & 4. Paint the area with Zia Teal then lighten the outer edges with White Ning and darken the center with Blue Thunder
5. 6. & 7.  Paint another stripe with Dragon's Belly green and then lighten and darken the edges with White Ning and Midnight's Blackness
8. & 9.  Repeat the process on two more stripes using Molly Red Pepper and Phoenix Fire
10.  Finally paint another stripe with Lemon Kiss and blend one edge with Zia Teal to create a beautiful vintage green edge
11.  Paint two thin black lines on the sides of the center blue stripe
12.  Paint the ends with Lemon Kiss and Zia Teal and accent the edges with Midnight's Blackness (on the Zia Teal) and Molly Red Pepper on the Lemon Kiss
13. & 14.   Mix the Glaze Coat according to instructions, pour on the trivet and spread
evenly with a sponge brush and then pop the bubbles with a long arm lighter or a small torch
15.  Cover and let cure overnight
16.  17. & 18.  Mark the handle placement, drill the holes for the screws and attach the handles from the back.

Come sit down!

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Unicorn Spit Stained Glass

In my never ending quest to create realistic stained glass pieces, I think I hit the jackpot with Unicorn Spit!  It took some experimenting, but I finally figured out a way to get that beautiful marbled glass look that you see in stunning stained glass art.  Once I realized I could enlarge my ColorIt coloring book pages for the perfect stained glass patterns, I was off and running.  Truth be told, I'm going a little nuts with my stained glass projects.  It's like adult coloring books on caffeine and sugar and, well, crack.  Remember to experiment until you get it right, use your coloring books for everything and always Make Your Mark! 
I love the raised faux leading and the shine!
I'm figuring out where to hang these in my garden
My first attempt with a bit too much Glaze Coat...Still love it!
A thin layer of Glaze Coat and the colors POP!
Watch the video here!
STUFF I USED
ColorIt coloring book pages
White school glue
Frames with glass
Cotton swabs
HERE'S HOW
1. Enlarge your coloring book pages to the size you want
*I only used a portion of pages that I liked, but you could enlarge the entire page to the size you need
2. Color the original page to figure out how you want the stained glass to look
3.  Remove the glass from the frame and place it on the enlarged coloring book page
4. & 5. Trace the pattern with the Allure in Gloss Black and let dry
6.  Mix equal parts of white glue and Unicorn Spit to make your stained glass colors
7. - 12.  Fill in the ares with your glue mixture and add marbling by dragging a dab of full strength Unicorn Spit through the wet mixture
13.  Follow the instructions for the Glaze Coat (2 part epoxy resin) and pour a thin layer on your level, painted stained glass piece and evenly distribute it with a sponge brush
14. Pop the bubbles with a long arm lighter or a small torch
15.  Cover and let cure overnight

Enjoy!

Friday, March 10, 2017

Tribal Chair Makeover

I decided to go a little nuts with this project just to see if the new DecoArt Patent Leather Paints were up to the test of a pleather chair!  Guess what?  They worked perfectly!  Many people have this style of chair and these paints are perfect for adding a little color without cracking, peeling or scratching.  I even show you how to add trim to vinyl with hot glue so that it doesn't fall off!  Remember to add spice to everything, rethink boring objects and always Make Your Mark!
From plain Jane
To tribal inspired!

Watch the video here!
STUFF I USED
Pleather dining chairs
Americana Decor Stencil and Satin Enamels
DecoArt Patent Leather Paint
Cosmetic sponges
Fringe and Ribbon
Hot glue gun
 HERE'S HOW
1. After you secure your stencil in place with tape, dab some Patent leather on a cosmetic sponge
2. Carefully and lightly add coats of the paint over the stencil to insure clean lines
3. Tape around the leather/pleather part of the chair to protect it while you paint the legs
4. Paint the legs with Americana Decor Satin Enamels in the color of your choice
5. Pencil on the chair where you would like to add ribbon and trim
*I penciled along the back of the chair and around the seat to insure the trim was evenly glued
6.  Using sandpaper, scratch the area where you will be gluing the trim
*Make sure you're certain where you will be applying the trim and rough it up!
7. Hot glue the trim along the lines on the rough areas moving quickly
8. & 9.  Glue the fringe first (below the line) and then the ribbon over the top of the fringe
Nuts but I love them!





Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Beauty and the Beast Castle Mirror

I'm absolutely sure that in a past life I lived in a castle.  It's the only logical explanation for my love of chandeliers, brocade fabrics and fireplaces that you could literally rent out as a NYC studio apartment.  Later this month Disney reinvents Beauty and the Beast with Emma Watson and I seriously cannot wait to see it.  Disney asked that I create a little something to celebrate the release, so here it is......A castle mirror that can be made on a pauper's budget.   Hey, Belle fell in love with a beast, why not a cardboard mirror?  Remember to recycle, paint things brilliant metallic gold 
and always Make Your Mark!   
 I cannot wait to see this movie!
 For this version I added some extra rows of cardboard leaves

Watch me put it together here!
STUFF I USED
Dollar store mirror
E-6000 Glue
Allure Metallic in Gold Leaf
Americana Acrylic Paint in Sweet Mint
Americana Decor Metallics in Vintage Brass
Sponges
1/4" thick plywood (or cardboard) base
Cardboard scraps
Gems
HERE'S HOW
1. Create the shape of your base and then trace the mirror shape in the center
*This will help when you start gluing
2. & 3.  Cut diamond shapes in cardboard and then trim them into leaf shapes
4.  Starting at the penciled line, glue rows of leaves around and around working your way to the edge of the base
5.  Paint everything with Vintage Brass and let dry
6.  Embellish the leaves with Allure Dimensional Design Adhesive Paint and let dry
7.  Add a light patina around the edges with the Americana Acrylic Paint in Sweet Mint using a sponge
8. & 9.  Randomly glue on gems around the mirror and then glue in the mirror using E-6000 Glue

Tale as old as time......