Tin Valentines - Upcycled Cardboard DIY

This project hearkens back to grade school when we would glue yarn to cardboard and then glue tinfoil on top.  Damn I loved that craft!  My sweet mom has an entire closet filled with kids art projects that she considers the most valuable of her possessions...I'm sure there are still a few tinfoil/yarn masterpieces in there to this day!  But, I digress.  These are and updated version made with my new (and totally awesome) Surebonder detail glue gun and aluminum tape which is used for duct work.  You can grab the tape for a song at any hardware store and most 99c stores!  Here's a link to my awesome new glue gun!  Bring back the kids crafts for Valentine's Day and don't forget to 

Make Your Mark!

I really need a Valentine's Day Christmas tree for these!

A little bit Lisa Frank, right?!

Watch how to make them here!

The best part is sniffing the permanent markers!

Happy Valentine's Day, possums!

Vintage Valentine Treat Buckets

Oh, the tin can!  What an absolutely wonderful container to use in our crafty adventures.  Not only is it the perfect size, but it's sturdy and can hold everything from pencils & pennies to Peonies!  I covered these with my favorite vintage Valentines (link HERE), added a beaded handle and then filled them with treats for my very special friends.  To be honest, any craft that requires a little bit of candy is alright by me!  Like I always say, my sweet friends, use what you have and always 

Make Your Mark!     

Filled with the best treats!

My favorite vintage Valentines!

Print them out HERE

Watch how to make them here!

 Everyone, no matter what age, loves a bucket full of treats!

 Happy Valentine's Day!

Lacy Paper Hearts - Upcycled Magazines!

My first craft as a kid was quilling...I liked it, but I got bored quickly and moved on.  Many years later I started playing with magazine paper because there was always so much of it.  These hearts look like they might be made of quilling paper, but in fact, it's rolled up magazine pages.  Yup, the gossip rags I devour weekly are now beautiful Valentines!  Take them apart and you'll find out that Jen might be back with Brad and Scarlett was spotted with another man.  This upcycling project is a great way to help save the planet and show someone how much you love them!  

Happy Valentine's Day!

 Sprinkled with glitter and gems!

Light blue ribbon makes everything look fancy! 

 Watch how to make them here!

Spread the LOVE!

Valentine Treat Boxes

How many paper towel and tp rolls do you toss every week?  A decent amount I'll bet! Why not use them for this cute treat box project?  I created my doily printed papers with my Gel Press added gems and gold hearts.  This was a truly enjoyable project and a great way to upcycle something we toss every day!  Use what you have, my crafty friends, and always Make Your Mark!

 I admit it...I opened one and ate the candy!

A little curling ribbon always makes things more fun!

Watch how to make them here!

Happy Valentine's Day, my sweet friends!

Vintage Valentine Wreath with Upcycled Lids

When I was a kid I loved Valentine's Day.  I loved that every kid in the class gave a Valentine's Day card to every other kid in the class and for some reason, it brought us all together...at least for a day.  My favorite art projects were the boxes we would make to gather them all up.  Shoe boxes covered in hearts and glitter and whatever else we could glue on.  Some looked like characters, others looked like Cinderella's shoe boxes and others looked like they were being stabbed to death with a brush and tempera paint!  Still, they all got filled with suckers and cards and Hershey's kisses.  These Valentine's remind me of those days.  Use your memories for inspiration, my sweet friends, and always Make Your Mark!

Cowboys, cowgirls, bunnies and kittens!
Link to images HERE

 So very sweet!

Watch how to make this wreath here!

Link to images HERE

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hanging Glass Lanterns - Faux Blown Glass

Ever since I got my bottle cutter last year, no glass bottle in my house is safe.  I'm constantly slicing and dicing them to create whatever comes to mind!  I was recently at an Italian restaurant (love pasta) and saw these small hanging lanterns around the bar and wanted to replicate them in some way.  This is what happened and I LOVE THEM!  They look like blown glass and the glow is just beautiful.  Experiment, try using thing you normally toss and always Make Your Mark!

Beautiful when the sun starts to set 

Use battery operated tea lights if you're worried about open flames

Should I hang them in my living room?

Watch how to make them here!

Happy UPCYCLING, my friends!

Stained Glass-tic Beads DIY

It actually makes me sad to see the big plastic salad containers just tossed into the bin after just one use.  So much waste and soooo much plastic.  It's frustrating.  Daily I challenge myself to find things to make with what most would consider garbage and I take that challenge very seriously.  Recently I remembered a Tyvec bead project using a heat gun and thought that the technique just might work on these salad clams.  Guess what...It did!  Add a little bit of Marabu Alcohol Ink to give them some amazing color and you have some beautiful, stained glass beads!  Think out of the box (or in this case, salad clam) and always Make Your Mark!

Attached to paper clips for art journals

Strung with gold spacers for jewelry!

Watch how to make them here!

I just can't make these fast enough!

Gorgeous Decorative Candles DIY

I originally made these candles for the holidays, but I love them so much they're going to stay out for the rest of the year or until they're gone!  I used real wax pillars for these, but honestly, the battery operated pillars would have been a better choice.  Still, I'm just super happy with them.  I painted the hot glue pieces with metallic silver and then added some Galaxy Glitter to make them sparkle even more.  If you haven't tried using hot glue in silicone molds, it's addicting!  Hot glue is also much more sturdy than most clays and you can shape it with a hair dryer!  

Be a mad scientist when you're creating and always

Make Your Mark!

 Nothing like a crystal ball to magnify the candle glow!

Clustered on a silver thrift store tray

Watch how to make them here!

LINK to my favorite molds: https://amzn.to/2tifkAM

Fill a mini cloche with your favorite souvenirs!

Decorate the way you want!  It's your home!

Sea Glass Jewelry with Images

I'm obsessed with making my own DIY Sea Glass.  My rock tumbler is constantly rotating with a new batch for my projects!  When I figured out how to add images to the glass without a big hassle, my mind was just blown.   Watch how easy it is to make in the video below and just in case you want to make some for yourself, here's a link for everything I used including the rock tumbler: https://www.amazon.com/shop/markmontano?listId=25XR6D4ECQJIC

Have fun and don't forget to Make Your Mark!

 Delicate and magical

I made mostly necklaces, but earrings would be lovely, too! 

Watch how to make them here!

Large, flat pieces are the best canvases for your decals

Enjoy!  xo, Mark