When I was a kid, I could hardly wait to help my mom decorate the house for the holidays. There were little glass ornaments on side tables, the 3 Wise Men on the coffee table and candles adorned with tiny pinecones and holly dotted here and there. When I got my own house I was fully educated in how to change things up for a holiday or new season. These snowflake pillows are my fluffy way to celebrate the winter season and to decorate for Christmas. If you wanted, you could use red instead of light blue. Totally up to you. Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing lots of easy DIY projects that you can make to jazz up your holidays, so stay tuned and don't forget to
Who doesn't need a cardboard crown? The metal versions are just so beautiful, but a little out of my price range for a decorative item, so I thought it would be fun to craft one up the old fashioned way........with cardboard and glue. Hey, a little paint and some Mardi Gras beads and no one will even know you made it from a box! Use them to decorate for the holidays or to wear with your King Arthur cos play costume. Remember to recycle and always Make Your Mark!
There is nothing more beautiful (to me) than fall leaves....except fall leaves that you can enjoy all year long. A little Crystal Gloss Enamel paint and some plastic and you'll have gorgeous fall leaves dancing on your patio for as long as you want! Scatter them on your Thanksgiving table or hang them in your window to color the light. This is a terrific project that the entire family can take part in, too! Have fun and don't forget to Make Your Mark!
Hanging in the back yard and dancing in the breeze!
I'm a huge fan of MacKenzie Childs, the amazing ceramics and hand painted furniture makers from upstate New York. When I saw the collection of enamel botanical plates, I was immediately inspired to create a set with my own favorite vintage floral images. Instead of using a black and white checkerboard accent, I opted for a distressed harlequin. For some reason these plates remind me of Alice in Wonderland, so that's what I called them. Order up some wood plates from Walnut Hollow, print out my images here, and you can have a set of amazing chargers for years to come! Remember to make your dinner table amazing and always Make Your Mark!
Many of you know I was a fashion designer for most of my career. I loved it, but working with fabric just wasn't enough for me. I wanted to work with wood, paper, paint, glitter, and whatever else I could get my hands on. Even though I left fashion long ago, I still sketch dresses whenever I have some down time. Today I thought I'd share with you just how easy fashion sketching is if you have a croqui and some good supplies. I'm using Marabu's Graphix Aqua Pens which turn into watercolor if you wet them. This is a terrific way to get an awesome fashion illustration worthy of your wall! To start, you'll want to print out my fashion croqui below. This croqui is the key to a terrific sketch every time! A little practice and you'll be the next Valentino or Chanel, I just know it! Remember, practice makes perfect and never forget to Make Your Mark!
A few framed sketches! LIKE the Marabue FB page and you're entered to win one!
I've always been a huge fan of Vera Neumann, the legendary designer and artist (1907–1993). Her philosophy was that fine art should be accessible to everyone. I love her use of color and whimsey and how her art touched everyone from Marilyn Monroe to almost every household in the US. Scarves, napkins, sheets, tablecloths and clothing were just a few of the things she mass manufactured. She was everywhere! I painted these vases in her style (which has always served as inspiration to me) with my stash of glass vases that keep piling up in my pantry. I know you have a few, too. Why not use them as a canvas? Remember to paint everything and always Make Your Mark!
This project took a couple of days to make and it was worth it! The longer a project takes to make, the more likely it is that I'll have it in my home for years to come. Recently, on a fantasy furniture shopping expedition, I saw a 1960s mosaic table made with beautiful blue and green tiles. It was $3000 dollars and as much as I LOVED it, I'd rather spend that kind of money on a hair transplant and some new shoes. Still, I couldn't get it out of my head. Cut to me using my Gel Press to create cardboard tiles that had a very similar feel. A thrift store table and some Glaze Coat and I had a 60s inspired mosaic table sitting in my living room! I love it much more than the one I saw, too! Remember to find ways to create something if it's out of your budget and of course, always
Sticker Paper (I used 11 sheets to cover this table)
HERE'S HOW
1. - 3. Trace the table top on a large sheet of paper and then fold in half and half again 3 times to create "pie slice" folds
4. Mark out 1/4 of the pattern with a marker
5. & 6. Center and mark the stencil in the middle of the pattern and 1/2 of the stencil around the edges
*This will help with your tile placement later
7. Paint the entire table in Americana Decor Gold and let dry while you work on the tiles
8. Fill squirt bottles with Americana Decor in Adirondack, Gold, Morning Glory and Lily Pad
9. Squirt small amounts of Adirondack, Morning Glory and Lily Pad on your Gel Press and use a brayer to lightly spread the colors
10. - 12. Place the sticker paper on top, bray the back so "print" the paint and then carefully remove the sticker paper to reveal beautiful mottled pages
13. - 16. Place the Tribal stencil on the Gel Press, bray Adirondack and Gold over it, remove the stencil and then Gel Press the stencil on top of the mottled pages
17. - 20. Stick the pages to cardboard and cut out and 1/2 circles (from your pattern) using a craft knife
21. & 22. Use the pattern to center a full circle tile in the middle of the table and the 1/2 circles evenly around the edges and then glue in place with E-6000 Glue
23. & 24. Cut the rest of the cardboard into "broken" tiles and fill the rest of the table with pieces about 1/8" apart
25. & 26. Create a barrier/lip around the table with two rows of 2" wide masking tape
*Make sure it sticks all the way around
27. & 28. Mix the resin according to directions (I used 2 quarts) and then pour evenly on the tiles
29. & 30. Smooth out the resin with a foam brush and then pop the bubbles with a small torch or long arm lighter
*Cover and cure overnight
31. Once the resin is cured, remove the tape and sand rough edges with a sander or sandpaper
32. Coat the sanded edges with a thin layer of resin and let cure again overnight
Traditions Holiday Stores (awesome stores, btw) totally inspired me to make something for Halloween with a vintage flair. Fortunately, there are TONS of vintage Halloween images to choose from on the Internet, so you can easily print them out for this project. Hit the 99c store for 5" x 7" frames and for just a few dollars you can make these gorgeous, glowing lanterns for your table or front porch. Fill them with battery operated candles and you're good to go! BTW, I recently got a Cricut Maker and was able to make some super cute pumpkin trim to add a little more flair. No worries if you don't have one, they will still look amazing! Have fun this Halloween
