art Archives - Page 8 of 15 - Pretty Handy Girl

accessories, art, arts and craft, Birthday Gift, Crafts, decor, Gift Ideas, gifts, Lowe's Creative Idea, mirrored glass, Tile, Tutorial, Upcycling

Mosaic Tile Coasters {Lowe’s Creative Idea}

Mosaic Tile Coasters | Pretty Handy Girl

Want an easy and inexpensive gift idea to give out as a hostess gift for those upcoming holiday parties? How about Mosaic Tile Coasters? They are quick and easy to make. Last month, for my Lowe’s Creative Idea I created a unique lamp shade with mosaic glass tile. I had some leftover sheets and decided to make these coasters with the leftovers. Follow along to learn how to make another great Lowe’s Creative Idea.

Materials:

Mosaic tile sheet
Cork
Scissors
Hot glue gun
Hot glue sticks
Ruler
X-acto knife
Pencil

Instructions:

Begin by cutting your mosaic tile sheet into coaster size squares.

Trim off any excess mesh. Read more

December 1, 2014/8 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Build Your Own Giant Chalkboard | Pretty Handy Girl

Have you scoured antique stores or Craig’s List looking for a big giant vintage chalkboard? Those vintage school green chalkboards are highly sought after. But, hard to find. I have good news for you! You can build a Giant Chalkboard any size you want! (Although, typically you’ll be restricted to 4′ x 8′ if you want to use a sheet of masonite.) And you can mix your own chalkboard paint in any color.

Take out your notebooks, your pencils, and get ready to take notes.

Materials:

Masonite sheet cut to desired size (mine is 22″ x 48″)
1×4″ pine boards for frame
1 cup flat latex paint in color you desire
2 tbsp. of unsanded grout
Pencil
Stain
White paint
Paint brush
Sanding block
Container to mix paint in
Kreg Jig
Drill
1 1/4 inch pocket screws
Staplegun
1/2″ staples

Instructions:

Pour 2 tbsp. of unsanded grout into your empty container. Add 1 cup of flat latex paint and stir well. (Yes, I used satin and it still worked.)

Paint the masonite with the chalkboard paint. Pull your brush in one direction. Then smooth out the paint by dragging the brush in a perpendicular direction.

Let the paint dry. Lightly sand and add a second coat of chalkboard paint.

Let that coat dry and sand smooth.

Assembling the chalkboard frame: Read more

November 24, 2014/21 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

About Me, art, decor, Dog, Gift Ideas, painting

Handy Dog News and Pet Portraits by Colleen of Just Paint It Blog

Buddy Handy Dog | English Shepherd Portrait

Hey y’all. Did you miss me on Friday? I missed you! It’s been quite a week, so I hope you don’t mind if I step away from the DIY tutorials today to share a little news from my personal life.

About two months ago, I received a sweet gift from a good friend. Colleen from Just Paint It created this beautiful custom portrait of Buddy aka Handy Dog for me. At the time, I was ecstatic, but little did I know that in less than a month this would be the only image I had of a smiling Buddy. Keep reading, this story does have a happy ending…I promise.

Buddy had been dealing with GI issues since the spring and our vet wasn’t sure what was causing them. He had been on a few meds (for an intestinal worm and for swallowing creek water) that we suspected threw his stomach into a tail spin (no pun intended.) As time progressed, he went from bad to worse. I knew he didn’t feel well and I could tell he was in pain. In an effort to keep from giving you TMI “to much information…thank you very much.” He ended up pushing his insides out. My sweet happy boy had slowly deteriorated and he was less and less of the happy dog we used to know. He also began losing weight.

How to Paint an Ombré Wall Technique

How to Paint an Ombre Wall Technique | Pretty Handy Girl

How to Paint an Ombré Wall Technique

Ombré painting is EVERYWHERE. Clothing, home décor and even wall paint techniques. An ombré wall is the paint technique I chose to create a misty and ethereal look in our master bedroom. It started when I fell in love with Kendall Charcoal by Benjamin Moore but didn’t want to make our entire bedroom too dark (I have a hard enough time waking up in the morning.) I decided a good solution was to use the dark charcoal gray color on a focal wall behind the headboard. But, I didn’t want to stop the color in the corners and create a sharp line.

Instead, I wanted a softer edge that would make us feel like we were being hugged by the room.

How to Paint an Ombré Wall Technique

I used Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore to paint the other three walls in the bedroom, but created a random ragged edge where the two colors meet.

This is how the side walls look in preparation for the ombré wall technique.

Materials:

Dark latex paint color (Kendall Charcoal by Benjamin Moore)
Lighter latex paint color (Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore)
A small container with a mixture of the two colors to create an in between gray
Paint brush
Dry brush
Water-filled spray bottle
ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape
Damp car wash sponge
Rubber gloves
Wet wipes or wet rag

Instructions: Read more

July 7, 2014/43 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

accessories, art, bedroom, decor, Decorating, light fixture, moulding

Ceiling Mounted Art – How to Hang Spheres & Lanterns

Hanging Ceiling Art | Spheres & Lanterns | Pretty Handy Girl

It’s Monday, and I have a cure for the Monday doldrums! Let’s hang some fun colorful spheres and lanterns to lift your spirits!

I came up with a great way to hang lanterns and spheres from the ceiling (regardless of where the studs were.) Plus, I reduced the holes from 7 down to 4 in the ceiling.

This is a simple project, here’s what you’ll need:

Materials:

1 – 8′ long slim piece of flat moulding painted with ceiling paint
Tape measure
Pin
Pencil
Drill with drill bits
2″ wood screws
Cup hooks
Finishing line
Paper lanterns and a sphere (or other objects to hang)
Scissors
Touch up ceiling paint
Small paint brush

Instructions:

Start by determining where you want to hang your art. Begin by knocking on the ceiling (or use a stud finder) to determine where your first stud is. Gently insert the pin until it stops (indicating a stud there.) Read more

May 5, 2014/4 Comments/by Brittany Bailey