Oil Slick Vases

It has been my lifelong obsession to figure out how to paint an oil slick. You know, the rainbow swirls of color you see floating on top of black oil....They are mesmerizing!  Recently Unicorn SPiT created a sparkling version and BOOM!  Something clicked.  I experimented for a few days before I came up with this process and it ended up being super easy!  Don't you just love it when your craft space doubles as a science lab?!  Remember to experiment until you get it right and 

always Make Your Mark!

 A dash of sunlight and BOOM!  Color!

Glazed perfectly with a spray acrylic!

Watch how easy they are to make here!

STUFF I USED

Unicorn SPiT Sparkling

Krylon flat black spray paint

Glass vases

Rust-Oleum Gloss Lacquer

Cut up kitchen sponges

 HERE'S HOW

1. Spray your glass vases flat black and let dry

2.  Sponge Golden Gosling on various parts of the vase

3.  Sponge Starling Sasha on a bit more of the vase blending, but not overlapping the colors

4.  Next sponge Lavish Lovebirds

5.  Finally sponge Violet Vulture and Sapphire Swift to completely cover the vase

*Blend the colors here and there so there is a nice transition from one to the other

6.  When dry, spray with a clear, high gloss lacquer and let dry

Voila!

Happy decorating!

No Sew Cactus Pillows

I've been seeing cute cactus pillows all over the web for a year now and it was finally time to try to make a few to give as gifts.  The best part about this project is that it's NO SEW.  Seriously, not one single stitch AND all of the raw edges are neatly covered.  Use this technique with leftover fabrics to make all kinds of pillow shapes. Use a different fabric on each side and really mix them up.   Remember, use pom-pom trim, add ric-rac to everything and always Make Your Mark!

Perfect for a little southwest feel!

 Watch how to make them here!

STUFF I USED

E-6000 Fabri-Fuse and Fray Lock

Colorful fabrics

Pillow stuffing

Ric rac trim

Straight pins

Cardboard or foam core

Pom pom trim

 

HERE'S HOW

1.  Pin and cut your cactus pattern on folded fabric so that you have both layers

2. & 3.  Place the pillow on cardboard and glue around the edges, leaving a 5" hole at the base of the cactus, using E-6000 Fabri-Fuse 

4. Using more Fabri-Fuse, glue pom pom trim around the edge of the entire pillow keeping the trim in place with pins around the curves

5. & 6.  Flip the cactus over and cover the raw edges by gluing ric-rac trim around the edges with a thick line of E-6000 Fray Lock and let dry

7.  Stuff the pillow at the base using a chopstick to push the stuffing in all the areas of the pillow

8. & 9.  Use more Fabri-Fuse on the 5" opening and pin the layers together with clothespins until it dries

Enjoy!

Fringe Lamp DIY

I got up this morning thinking about a fringe lamp I made for The Big Ass Book of Home Decor.  What an easy project to make that can be done in any color to match any room.....with almost any wire lamp shade base.  I'm definitely going to revisit this project and see how I can update it.  Happy Saturday!  Remember to have fun, update old projects and always Make Your Mark!

Fringe comes in every color under the sun!

An expensive version with brass by Hans Agne-Jakobsson

Stuff You'll Need

Americana Multi-Surface Satin in Red Barn (or a color to match your fringe)

Several yards of 3" - 4" long fringe (longer if you can find it)

Hot glue gun

1 yard chain

"S" hook

Needle nose pliers

Wire lampshade

White glue

Here's How

1.  Cut your chain into 3 12" lengths.

2. Paint the wire lamp base with your red Multi-Surface Satin and let dry

3. & 4. Attach your chain on the wide end of the base equally spaced apart and connect the chains at the top with your “S” hook.

5. Carefully hot glue the fringe (using very little dabs of hot glue!) on each wire all over the base.

6. & 7.  add 1 or two rings of fringe on the inside by gluing the fringe in between the wires.

8.  Take your white glue and go around all of the fringe where it touches the wire frame.  Don’t worry, it will dry clear.

My Favorite Vignettes

I love to see what people collect and how they display it!  This is a small collection of my favorite vignettes from around the web.  Enjoy and get inspired!

Oh, and don't forget to Make Your Mark.

By Gretha Scholtz 

From Lonny Magazine 

From Adore Magazine

By Belgian Pearls 

From House and Leisure Magazine

From Traditional Home Magazine

Beaded Pillows (without beading) DIY

I love the look of beaded pillows but let's face it, even with my obsessive compulsive tendencies I'm not going to spend 40+ hours beading a pillow!  Enter E-6000 Fabri-Fuse and an awesome stencil!  Beaded pillows can now be made in the time it takes for the glue to dry.  Here's how!

I love this flower pillow!  

My fancy beaded denim pillows!

Watch the video tutorial

YOU'LL NEED

1 yard heavy cotton

1 yard heavy denim

E-6000 Fabri-Fuse

Awesome stencils (these are Americana Decor)

1/3 cup seed beads per pillow

Spray adhesive

Sewing machine

Straight pins

Pillow stuffing

Cut two pieces of fabric 19" x 19" 

Pin and stitch together using 1/2" seam allowance and leaving a 5" long hole

Clip the corners at an angle

Turn right side out and press flat 

 Spray the stencil with a light coating of spray adhesive

Center it on the pillow

Fill the stencil with a generous amount of E-6000 Fabri-Fuse

 Remove the stencil and sprinkle the beads on the Fabri-Fuse

*gently press down the beads if you need to

Repeat with the other areas of the stencil

Add a coating of clear acrylic IF you feel you didn't use enough glue

*This will insure that you don't lose any beads

For larger, more intricate stencils stick your stencil to the fabric

Squirt a generous amount of glue along the side of the stencil

Spread the glue with a piece of cardboard like a squeegee

Remove the stencil 

Sprinkle the beads and let dry overnight

Boho Rit Dyed and Painted Lace Lampshades

A few weeks ago I started experimenting with Rit Liquid Dye and now I'm completely hooked!  I've dyed everything in my house that can possibly be dyed and I'm still looking for more.  This week I tackled some lampshades for my patio chandelier.  I know!  Doesn't everyone have a chandelier on their patio?  It couldn't have been easier, too.  Another thing I learned is that you can paint lace metallic gold with DecoArt's Dazzling Metallics and it looks amazing.  Make sure to use the E-6000 Fabri-Fuse to glue on the lace because hot glue will melt if it's too close to the lightbulbs.  Check out the video tutorial below and leave a comment.  I'd love to hear from you.

My boho lampshades

A view to my backyard

Watch the video tutorial here

YOU'LL NEED

Rit Liquid Dye in Tangerine & Golden Yellow

Dazzling Metallics in gold

Lampshades

Cotton Lace

E-6000 Fabri-Fuse

Pie plate

Spray bottle

 1.  Wet your lampshade with a spray bottle (or put it under the sink)

2.  Fill a pie plate about 1/2" with hot water and add 2 cupfuls of Rit Liquid Dye in Golden Yellow

3.  Stir thoroughly and then rest the base of the lampshade in the dye for about five minutes.

 4. Fill your pie plate with hot water and 2 cupfuls of Tangerine Rit Liquid Dye.

5.  Stir and then dip the top of your lampshade in the dye for about 5 minutes.  

*Let it bleed upward to give an ombre effect.

6.  Cut your lace in different sized pieces.

7. Paint them with Dazzling Metallic Paint in Glorious Gold

8.  When they're dry, glue the lace to the lamp shade with E-6000 Fabri-Fuse and tape the pieces in place until they dry.

Mrs. Patmore's Canisters DIY

Miss Downton Abbey?  Need a little reminder in your kitchen until next season starts?  Why not make a set of Mrs. Patmore's canisters?  I have to say that she is, hands down, my favorite character on the show.  The best scenes are when she's being motherly with Daisy....They always make me choke up!  For this project I used Americana Chalky Finish Paints for Glass from DecoArt.  They are dishwasher safe, have a beautiful matte finish AND for this project they worked perfectly as a chalkboard finish.  I love this paint!  I also used power tools to create my lids from scratch.  You don't have to create your own lids from scratch, there are plenty of canister sets out there in need of a makeover!  Have fun.

One for Lady Edith, Daisy and Lady Mary

The lovely Mrs. Patmore

These are now in my kitchen

See the video right here!  

 YOU'LL NEED

Americana Chalky Finish Paint for Glass

Ceramic containers OR a set of ceramic canisters

E-6000 glue

Contact paper

Accent stencils (I used Botanical Garden from DecoArt)

Jigsaw

1/4" thick plywood

Wood knobs

Sanding blog OR sander

Paintbrushes

2 yards 1" wide ribbon

Chalk (optional)

1.  Trace the rim of your container on the plywood and cut it out with a jigsaw

2.  Sand the edges with a sanding block or a sander

3.  Trace a smaller circle (one that fits inside the mouth of the container)  This will secure the lid so that it doesn't slip off.  

4.  Cut it out and sand it like you did the first lid 

 5.  Using E-6000, glue the smaller circle to the underside of the larger circle

6.  Glue the knob to the center of the larger wood circle and let them dry for about an hour before you start painting them

7. Paint them with the Americana Chalky Finish Paint for Glass 

8. When dry, tie a 14" piece of ribbon around the knob.

9.  Cut out an oval about 3 1/2" wide

10.  Trace it on some contact paper and cut out

11.  Apply it to the container and then fill in with the Americana Chalky Finish Paint for Glass

  12.  Remove the contact paper and place your accent stencils on each side of the painted oval

13.  Fill in with paint and let dry and then remove the stencils

14.  Bake the containers at 325˚ for 30 minutes, let cool and bake again.  This will make them dishwasher safe

Write whatever you like with chalk and display with pride knowing Mrs. Patmore would be very proud of you!

Thrift Store Side Table Makeover

Thrift store side tables make me very happy! They're like a blank canvas for a DIY'er.  I grabbed these two for $5 each in my neighborhood and knew exactly what to do with them.  Now you know I wouldn't steer you in the wrong direction so make sure to grab some Americana Decor Chalky Finish paints for your next project.  No sanding, priming or prep.  Just wipe off and paint!  Deco Art also makes an amazing line of large French theme stencils that were perfect for this project.  Have fun and get decorating!  

Ooh la la! 

Magnifique!

Oui!

Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint in Lace and Carbon

Daubers

Large stencil

Paintbrush

Dust cloth

Sanding block

Masking tape 

$5 thrift store side tables......Pretty awful here, aren't they!

Here's the how-to video

Wipe down your piece and make sure it's free of dirt and dust and start painting! 

 These knobs were metal, but Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint is multi surface.

It dries to a beautiful chalky finish.  

When dry, take a sanding block and distress the edges. 

Use small pieces of masking tape to secure your stencil. 

Using a dauber, lightly fill in your stencil using very little paint and adding more paint as you go along.  Too much paint in the beginning can seep under your stencil and ruin the crispness of the images and lettering. 

You're done!

Americana Decor Chalky Finish paints come in 29 designer colors!