Friday, April 27, 2018

Antique Mirror DIY

Why just have a plain full length mirror when you can have one that looks like an antique?  A little wood trim and some air-dry clay and you can have your very own hall of mirrors!  I grabbed my trim at Home Depot...They have tons to choose from and it's not very expensive at all.  Make 3 of these and you have an entire wall that doubles the size of your room.  Remember to reinvent your every day items and always Make Your Mark!
It's all in the details!

Seeing double
STUFF I USED
Wood trim
Full length mirror
Putty knife
HERE'S HOW
1. & 2. Measure 2 pieces of wood trim for the inside length of the mirror and cut to size
3. & 4.   Measure the 1/2" thick wood boards to fit inside the top (between the trim), measure and cut
5.  Measure decorative wood trim to flank the sides of the 1/2" wood board
6.  Dust a silicone mold with cornstarch
7. & 8.  Fill the mold with an air hardening clay and wriggle out of the mold to dry
9.  Glue the wood pieces directly on top of the full length mirror
10.  Glue the dried clay pieces on the wood
11.  Paint the entire mirror with the chalky finish
12.  Dry brush all of the details with metallic gold
Done!


It's a mirror-acle!

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Trash to Treasure Garden Planters

It's that time of year when people clean out the garage and toss everything on the side of the street for pick up.  It's also the BEST time of year to find things for your upcoming DIY projects!  That's right, it's ROADSIDE RESCUE SEASON!  Today I'm making standing garden planters with some old broken chairs and random wood drawers.  By the way, I'm madly in love with this project!  It was the perfect boost of color for my very green, California garden.  Remember to think twice before you add to our landfills and don't forget to Make Your Mark!
These just make me so happy!
Filled with flowers for my garden!

Watch how to make them here!
STUFF I USED
Old chairs and drawers
Laser cut wood frames 
Cosmetic sponges *the best for stenciling
Tacklife Drill, Sander and Jigsaw
Americana Decor Mandala & Brocade Motif Stencils
2" wood screws
 HERE'S HOW
1. & 2.  Saw off the legs making sure they are all the same length
3.  Sand the ends so they are flat
4.  Mark the leg placement on the underside of the drawers
5.  Drill a small hole in the center of each marked placement
6.  Glue the legs to the underside of the drawers and let dry
7.  Screw in each leg from the inside of each drawer using the small hole as a guide
8. & 9. Mark and cut the laser cut frames into 4 pieces
10. & 11.  Paint the drawers in your favorite colors of Americana Decor Outdoor Living paints
*These paints are meant for your outdoor projects!
12. & 13.  Paint the wood frame pieces
14. & 15.  Stencil the sides and front of each drawer in white
16.  Glue the painted wood frame pieces on the drawer fronts and let dry
Color burst!
Happy SPRING!

Friday, April 20, 2018

Mini Crate Organizer

When you run out of desk and table space, it's time to start filling up the walls!  I have an abundance of pens, markers, brushes and pencils and I was sick of them cluttering up my work table.  I made this sweet, little wall organizer to save me some serious work table real estate.  I have my tools loose in each mini-create, but you could use pencil cups for easy removal AND to keep them even more organized.  Big thanks to Walnut Hollow for providing the pallets and mini crates for this project! Remember to stay organized and always Make Your Mark!
I'm going to need about 3 more of these!

 Grab and GO!
Watch how to make it here!
STUFF I USED
Rustic Pallets from Walnut Hollow
Mini Crates from Walnut Hollow
2' x 3' 1/4" thick plywood
DecoArt Vintage Effects Wash in Orange, Patina & Turquoise
Masking Tape
DecoArt Stencil
Tacklife Jigsaw and Sander
Optional:  Drill
1.  After measuring the size I needed for 2 mini Rustic Pallets, I cut a pattern for my plywood back
*Everything is glued on this back so make sure you measure your pieces first
2.  & 3.  Trace the pattern and cut with a jigsaw
4.  Sand the edges smooth
5.  Drill a hole in the center top so you can hang it from a nail or screw
6. 7. & 8. Paint the plywood in Turquoise, the pallets in Orange and the mini crates in Patina making sure to wipe them as you paint to expose the wood grain
9.  Stencil along the top, sides and bottom of the plywood base
10.  Sand along the edges of the plywood back and pallets to give a weathered, aged look
11.  Using Amazing Goop II Max glue, adhere your pallets to the plywood back
12.  Measure the spacing between the crates and glue them in place with more Amazing Goop II Max
Let dry overnight and you're done!

See you next time!

Friday, April 13, 2018

Art Journaling

Last week I got to teach an Art Journaling class at Craftcation in Ventura!  What an absolute blast I had, too.  The first thing I emphasized when I began the class is that there are no rules in art journaling.  None at all!  I mean it, too.  What I'm sharing here today are the techniques I use to create my pages.  Of course I use DecoArt paint because I love it and the colors are just amazing, as you can see.  So with that, cut a fancy magazine in half or grab an empty notebook and start creating your art journal.  I guarantee you'll be more healthy for it!  Remember to use every color in the box and always Make Your Mark! 
 A few of my pages
 Stenciling, clip art, rubber stamps...Oh my!

Watch how I art journal here!
STUFF I USED
Book pages, masking tape, plastic cups & clip art
HERE'S HOW
1. Bray orange and hot pink on your Gel Press
2.  Press an art journal page on the Gel Press to transfer the color
3.  Bray green and teal on the Gel Press
4. & 5. Create circles with the mouth of the plastic cup and transfer to a book page
6.  Apply strips of masking tape to the plastic Gel Press protector
7. & 8.  Load the Gel Press with hot pink and yellow, create squiggles with a comb and press on the masking tape to create washi tape
9.  Press more yellow and teal on another book page
PART 2
10.  Stamp the journal pages with Art Foamies using white and black paint
11.  & 12.  Rip and adhere the printed book pages to the journal pages
13.  Cut and adhere clip art to the journal pages
14.  Dilute paint colors to add a color wash to the clip art
15.  Add some of your printed washi tape
16.  Stencil some large flowers using the white gesso
17.  Color wash them with diluted paint
18. Stamp the pages again with the Art Foamies
DONE!
Don't like a page?  Keep adding to it until you do! 

Happy journaling!

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Dip Dyed Mophead Tassels

Hit the dollar store for some cotton mops and make these lovely boho, dip dyed tassels to hang everywhere this spring!  Drape them around the patio with some twinkling lights or hang them from every doorknob in the house!  These tassels are like colorful jewelry for your home and we all know that accessories can make all the difference.  Remember that small things can make a big difference.... and don't forget to Make Your Mark!
I can't wait to start hanging these!

Super soft and comfy
STUFF I USED
Wood Beads
Cotton Mops
Water
Cotton ribbon
Minwax Clear Lacquer
HERE'S HOW
1. & 2.  Take the mops apart and separate the "ropes" into bundles of 5-7
3.  Cut the bundles in half
4.  Thread about 12" of cotton ribbon through a wooden bead and knot the loop so it doesn't slip
back through the bead
5.  Tightly tie the tails of the cotton ribbon around the center of the bundle of mop rope
and trim evenly along the base of the tassel
6.  Dip the tassel in some water and ring out the excess
7.  Mix Unicorn SPiT and water to make a dye solution and stand the tassel inside the cup for about 20 minutes
8.  Ring out the tassel after it's been soaking for a while and let dry
9.  OPTIONAL:  Spray the base of the tassels with Minwax Clear Lacquer if they are going to be exposed to rain or moisture outdoors

Boho Beautiful!

Friday, April 6, 2018

Flow Painted Chargers

DecoArt has a new Pouring Medium that is super easy to use. Just mix in the paint and start flow painting!  I used a 1 : 1 ratio of the pouring medium with Americana Acrylic paint and it worked perfectly.  These chargers are a great way to add some color to a dinner table and show off your mad flow painting skills!  Using clear glass dishes will allow everyone to admire your talent.  Remember to use all of the colors in the box and always Make Your Mark!
Toss on a glass plate and you're good to go!
Love all the colors!
 Dinner is almost served!

Watch how easy they are to make here!
STUFF I USED
Americana Acrylics in some of my favorite colors
DecoArt Pouring Medium
Plastic cups
99c store chargers
HERE'S HOW
1.  Squirt some paint into your plastic cup
2. Squirt the same amount of pouring medium in the cup
3. Stir like a maniac!
4.  Drizzle all of your colors (one at a time) on the charger in a circular motion
5. & 6.  Tilt the charger until you're happy with the design and the entire surface is covered in paint
*Let dry overnight
 Dinner at 8!  Don't be late!

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Woven Wall Hanging

I have an addiction to colorful, 99c store, polyester yarn.  I can't help it.  I see it and I load up!  Well, it finally got to the point that I had to do something with it or it would just take over my craft house.  I grabbed a book called Weave This by Frances Kletz and Brooke Dennis for inspiration and devoured all of the amazing techniques they shared and came up with these little numbers.  Truth be told, at first I thought this might get a little boring, but after I allowed myself to relax and get into the rhythm, I started to truly enjoy myself.  Remember to check out all the wonderful books out there for inspiration (not just the internet) and always Make Your Mark!
 A more traditional "over under" weave
 My crazy version!

Watch how I made mine here!
STUFF I USED
1" and 1/2" wood trim to make the frame
99c store yarn
Cotton fabric
HERE'S HOW
1. Glue your wood pieces together to make a frame
*Mine was 14" long by 12" wide but you can make yours any size you want
2. & 3.  Paint the frame with Americana Acrylics and sand the edges for a weathered look
4.  Wrap the frame lengthwise about 40 times using 2 different colors of yarn
5.  Thread your large blunt needle with about 48" of yarn and start weaving at the edge of your frame
*Don't worry about counting, just keep going over and under every 2, 3, 4 or 5 strands of yarn
6.  When you get to the end, go around the side of the frame and weave back the other way
*You will not be removing your woven piece from this frame, it's part of the project
7.  When you get to the end of your first color, tie on another color and keep going
8. Add in some textured, fluffy yarns
9. & 10.  Rip cotton fabric into 1/4" strips and weave them in, too
11.  Try two different colors of yarn together
12.  When you're finished weaving, create 30" bundles of yarn to tie around the base of the frame to hang as fringe
13.  Wrap the tassel maker about 60 times using 2 different colors of yarn
14. Slip yarn between the loops of yarn and tie a knot at the top
15.  Slip 2 strands of yarn through the slit and tie the tassel at the neck, 
trim and slip off of the tassel maker
16.  Add several finished tassels to the sides of the woven frame and hang the entire piece from more yarn and a center tassel
Done!

No rules, just have fun!