8O's Memphis Plates DIY

I LOVE 80s Memphis style....LOVE IT!  The colors, the mixed patterns, the COW PRINT mixed with yellow and stripes and dots and squiggles.  I guess you could say this is what the inside of my head looks like.  I'm glad to see this wonderful design movement is making a comeback.  What better way to add a little Memphis to your life than with some funky, painted (dishwasher safe) dishes?!  I had a terrific time painting these.  I could have painted them for weeks, BUT I have tons more fun projects in store for you that I have to get crackin' on!

  xoxo, Mark

A few of my new plates

You can get the perfect porcelain coffee mugs at the 99c store, too!

Watch the video tutorial here!

STUFF YOU'LL NEED

White porcelain plates *99c store

Painter's tape

Craft knife

Paintbrushes

Americana Gloss Enamels

Alcohol

Makeup sponges (triangles)

Black Krylon Short Cuts paint pen

DecoArt Glass Paint Marker in black

Contact paper

Minwax Polycrylic

Clean your plates with rubbing alcohol

Create your designs with contact paper and painter's tape

*I cut circles and taped triangles

Fill in the shapes with Americana Gloss Enamel using a makeup sponge

*Blow on the bubbles to pop them

Remove the tape when dry

*Create stripes with thin pieces of painter's tape

Make dots on folded contact paper using a hole punch

Try different designs using the DecoArt Glass Paint Markers

Bake in the oven twice at 325˚ for 30 minutes each time

*Let the oven cool in between baking times

To make them food save, coat them with Minwax Polycrylic

The best way to get REAL color on glass and porcelain!

Even works on dishes from the 99c store

The perfect morning coffee combo!

I call the one on the right Veins & Rice...Yup, weird, I know.

Mondays with Marlo (and me)

Last week I spent the afternoon with the wonderful Marlo Thomas in her fantastic 5th Avenue apartment making Halloween and Thanksgiving DIYs and answering questions from her fans.  What an absolute blast!  Watch the full video in the Huffington Post here!

MONDAYS WITH MARLO

She loves THE BIG ASS BOOK OF CRAFTS 

(and she loves saying it, too!)

Marlo's weekly show where she interviews everyone from Anderson Cooper to Jane Fonda!

Read and watch the entire episode!

 Marlo playing with Americana Acrylics and a pumkin

 A simple skeleton costume made with freezer paper!

 A bedazzled pumpkin, just for fun

 Yup, that book is STILL selling like hot cakes!

Halloween centerpiece with dollar store items

Polo Makeover and Little Fixes by Disney Powless

Recently I picked up a book by Disney Powless called Little Fixes and rocked one of my old polo shirts with one of the chapters!  A little fabric and a few simple stitches and you have something new to wear....I figured this one was headed to the thrift store so why not give it another life?  Little fixes is filled with super cute projects that will easily extend the life of your child's clothes.  Even if your sewing skills are limited, these projects are pretty easy to accomplish.

Have fun!  xoxo, Mark

Chubby cheeks strikes again!

See how to make this here!

STUFF YOU'LL NEED

Old Polo shirt

1 yard striped knit

Fabric pencil

Sewing machine

Matching thread

Scissors

Little Fixes by Disney Powless

 1. Cut the bands off of the sleeves of the polo.

2. Fold an 18" x 22" piece of fabric in half lengthwise.

3. Place the folded fabric under the polo sleeve so that the sleeve overlaps by 1".

4. Measure from your shoulder to your wrist.

5. Using that measurement, measure from the shoulder of the polo to the wrist 

(on the fabric) and mark.

6. Draw your sleeve extension pattern on the folded fabric adding 1/2" all the way
down for seam allowance.

7. Fold another piece of 18" x 22" fabric in half, place it under your drawn sleeve extension and then cut both at the same time.

8. Fold a 7" wide by (about 10" long) piece of fabric in half lengthwise and wrap it around your wrist.

9.  Add 1/2" and cut it out.  This will be your cuff. 

10.  Fold the 7" long ends together and stitch.

11.  Fold in half to create a tube and you have a cuff ready to be stitched on your sleeve.

*Stitch the other one

12.  Using 1/2" seam allowance, stitch along the length of your sleeve extension.

13.  Match the raw ends of the cuff to the wrist of the sleeve extension and stitch together.

14. Turn the polo inside out and stuff the sleeve extension inside the sleeve, 

matching right sides together.

15. Pin and stitch around the sleeve, stretching the fabric as you sew.

16.  Create your pocket pattern, add an extra 1" along the top and cut in fabric.

17. Fold and zigzag the 1" extension of the pocket.

18. Pin the pocket on the shirt and zigzag around the edges to create the pocket.

Halloween Spider Web Vase (and a rubber rat)

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.  

 xoxo, Mark

See how made the GLITTER SKULL here!

Watch the 1 minute video here!

STUFF YOU'LL NEED

Glass vase

Americana Gloss Enamel in Black

Allure Dimensional Design Adhesive Paint in Silver Glitter

Rubber spiders

Hot glue gun

Stick on gems

Paintbrush

 Paint the vase black with the Gloss Enamel and let dry

Paint the spider web with the silver glitter Allure

Add gems where the lines intersect

Hot glue a rubber spider to the center of the web

Fill with black flowers

*Leave a comment and be entered to win!

Artist Light Box DIY

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

  slim under-cabinet lights from GE.  They're a nice alternative for this project and will work perfectly.

Be creative! Have fun!  Make art!  

xoxo, Mark

Perfect for tracing!

See how to make it here!

STUFF YOU'LL NEED

18" x 24" Clear Box Frame

18" x 24" x 1/2" Plywood

Osram Lightify Flex RGBW kit

White Krylon Primer

Drill

Sticky Back Velcro 

Optional:  GE Slim Line Under-Cabinet Light

Connect the Osram Lightify strips together

Remove the backing and stick them to the plywood in a square "spiral"

Add the plug to the end

Place the clear box on top and mark where the cord hits the edge of the plastic frame

Drill a space where the cord hits the side of the frame

*This will allow the frame to lay flat

Paint the inside of the clear box frame with an even coat of the white primer

Attach the velcro to the edges of the frame and where it rests on the plywood

Follow the directions to connect the Osram Lightify system

Light up and create!

The perfect light box for my desk!

Decorative Halloween Skulls

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!  

xoxo, Mark

See how I made them here!

Stuff You'll Need

Plastic Skulls

Americana Multi Surface Satin Paint in Black Tile

E-6000

Large flat back gems

Allure Dimensional Design Adhesive Paint in Chrome & Silver Glitter

Small stick on gems

Paintbrush

 Paint the skulls black and let dry

Decorate with Allure in Silver Glitter

*I like leaves and swirls!

Fill in the leaves with Allure in Chrome

Add small stick on gems when the Allure is dry

With E-6000 Glue large gems in the eye cavities

My favorite paints!

Thurs-DIY!

A few inspiring things from around the web!  

Enjoy.  xoxo, Mark

1. Wallpaper your stairs   2. Cathy makes a Doodle Mug!

3. Bejeweled Recycled Jars DIY  4. I made all different kinds of tape!

5. AllenDesigns paints her staircase and it's glorious!

6. Pla makes a vintage candy Canister Set

Let's Make Tape!

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?

Learn all my techniques here!

STUFF YOU'LL NEED

Flexible Non-Stick Chopping Mats

Ruler

Americana Acrylic Paints

Rubber Stamps

Old credit card or hotel key

Double sided tape

*Get this at the dollar store!

Masking tape

Plain contact paper

Sticker paper

Americana Decoupage Papers (love the foil prints)

Tissue paper

Book pages

1. Place strips of masking tape across the non-stick mat

*I got my mats at the 99c store

2.  Ad blobs of paint in various areas on the tape

3.  Spread it around with your hotel key or old credit card

4.  Create an area of paint large enough for a rubber stamp

5. Stamp on the painted tape

*Learn to make huge rubber stamps

6.  Remove from the cutting mat as needed

7.  Paint on pieces of contact paper

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!

Um, kinda my favorite paints of all time!