Crafts Archives - Page 15 of 45

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Dragonfly Garden Decor using a Wire Whisk + Skewer

Dragonfly Garden Decor using a Dollar Store Whisk and Skewer | Pretty Handy Girl

Summertime is coming and I’m enjoying spending more time in our garden. I’m always looking for cute craft ideas that I can do with the kids while school is out. When I saw this great idea for making a wire whisk dragonfly on Morena’s Corner, I knew I had to try it. I altered Morena’s plans slightly using plastic beads and used a skewer for the plant stake. The cost and materials are minimal to make this Dragonfly Garden Decor using a Dollar Store Wire Whisk and Skewer. This craft can be done with the kids, but you’ll need to be the one to cut and bend the wires and watch out for the pokey edges with real little kids.

Dragonfly Garden Decor Materials:

Wire whisk
Wire skewer
Beads
Needle-nosed pliers

Dragonfly Garden Decor Instructions:

Begin by bending the first wire loop out to the side to create a wing.

Repeat with three more loops (2 on each side).

Use the needle-nosed pliers to cut one wire loop into two short pieces as shown below. (You might need to twist the pliers back and forth to cut the wires.) Read more

May 25, 2015/8 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

art, arts and craft, Build It, clamps, Contributor, Crafts, desk, framing, graphic letters and numbers, Home Decor, Home Office, Kids Room, nailgun, organizational tips, painting, silhouette

Knockoff PB Personalized Pinboard

Hey everyone! If you remember, last month, I shared with you how I updated my boys’ desk in our den with a wood plank desktop. The den is just about ready for the big reveal and now I’m just working on adding little details. This includes these fun personalized bulletin boards I made for each of my boys. I was searching for desk organization ideas one day and saw these personalized pinboards on Pottery Barn Kids. I knew they would be perfect for my boys and that I could knock them off pretty easily. I made two of these pinboards, but my supply list will be for one pinboard.

Materials:

12″ x 12″ wrapped canvas (mine was 3/4″ thick)
12″ adhesive backed cork sheet
Adhesive vinyl
Transfer paper
Die-cutting machine
Acrylic aint
2 – 1″ foam paintbrushes
1″ x 2″ x 6′ pine board
Wood stain
Sander w/ 220 grit sandpaper
Miter saw
Brad nailer
1″ Brad nails
24″ Bar clamps
Hot glue gun

Instructions:

Start by designing your stencil. To make it look just like the PB Kids version, use the Varsity font. (FYI, the letters are all capitalized, but when you use the shift key or CAPS lock, it will add the outline.)

Cut your design out on the 12 x 12″ sheet of vinyl and weed the negative pieces out. Remember that this is a stencil, so make sure to weed out the correct parts of your design. Place your transfer paper over the design and use a scraping tool or a credit card to get out any air bubbles.

Peel the backing off of your vinyl and very carefully center it onto your cork sheet. Use the scraping tool or credit card again to firmly adhere the vinyl to the cork sheet. Carefully peel the transfer paper off. Stencil your design using the acrylic paint and foam brush. Read more

March 25, 2015/5 Comments/by Addicted 2 DIY

Aged, art, arts and craft, Crafts, Door, faux finish, Home Decor, magnet, Metal Tags, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, Spray paint metal

Inexpensive Faux Copper and Patina Metal

Do you love the look of copper, but the price makes your head whip the other way? Have no fear my dear! You can create inexpensive faux copper and patina for a fraction of the cost.

I was introduced to Modern Masters Metal Effects at Haven last year and the finish definitely fooled me. I honestly thought it was real copper. When I read up on the product, I realized that there are real copper particles in the paint which allows it to react and patina with the Metal Effects Green Patina Solution. (affiliate link)

The uses for this paint are limitless! Discount light fixtures can be transformed into luxury copper versions with a little paint and patina spray. Paint inexpensive statues to look like real metal. Even Virgin Records and Ceasar’s Palace have used the paint and patina on exterior roof surfaces to fake the look. You may have seen the copper panel on our family organization center door. Today I want to show you how to create Inexpensive Copper Metal and Patina using Metal Effects!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Optional: Sea sponge

Instructions:

Cut your piece of sheet metal to size using tin snips. Be sure to wear work gloves to avoid cutting yourself on the metal. Wipe off any dirt or grease.

Coat the metal with one coat of primer. Let it dry and apply a second coat of primer.

After the primer has dried, add one coat of the Metal Effects copper paint. After that dries, add a second coat. Read more

February 27, 2015/86 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

accessories, Crafts, Decor Adventures, Decorating, DIY, Do It Yourself, Home Decor, power tools

How to Mount Antlers

Hello! It’s Jessica from Decor Adventures. One very popular home decor item that we are going to get pretty handy with this month is antlers. If you love rustic or outdoor style, this project is perfect for you. You’ll see all kinds of animal antlers on walls or holding jewelry or scarves. They can be both functional and practical. Antlers can be found at flea markets or second hand stores if you are lucky. They come in all sizes and shapes, plus you can paint them any color to match your style.

It’s much easier than you think to mount antlers on your own. You don’t need a degree in Taxidermy or any special tools, a drill will do!

Materials

Antlers
Long bolts
Nuts to fit bolts
Drill and drill bits
Hanging hardware
Paint (optional)
MDF or wooden board

Instructions

I mounted two sets of antlers that I got at a yard sale. One was a one-piece set and the others were two separate pieces. Most antlers you get will have some of the bone attached to the end of the antler. This is the part you will attach to a board to mount them. If you find them second hand they may already have holes drilled in them from when they were previously mounted.

One set I painted white and the other gold. It’s easy to spray paint antlers, so pick your favorite color or leave them natural if you like.

1. First, prepare the board you’ll mount the antlers on. These can be found at craft stores or you can cut your own from MDF. It should be slightly larger than the base of the antlers you’ll mount. You can paint the board if you would like. The silver one below already had the mounting holes drilled in it when I took this picture, but you can get an idea of the size board you need.

Cute Sock Snowmen

I have a very special guest for you today. This woman is a very talented artist and art instructor in Northern Virginia. She is the one responsible for my artistic genes and half the equation for my DIY passion. This woman is my fabulous mother, Shari! (She’s also affectionately referred to as Grammy Mac in our household.)

Please give my Mom a warm welcome here. She was kind enough to put together her first blog tutorial showcasing these cute sock snowmen that she made with her students (she teaches private art lessons after school.)

Take it away, Mom!

Snow Days! Here in Northern Virginia we have already had too many! The most disappointing part about this is that we haven’t had enough snow to make a snowball let alone a real snow person. In an attempt to make the kids happy, we headed to my studio to make snow people from tube socks. Perhaps if we make enough of them, they will bring on the real deal!

Materials:

(Shopping at the dollar store makes this project much more economical.)

1 White tube sock (Adult Size 9-11)
Rubber bands
Rice (1/2 to 3/4 cup per person)
Polyester fiberfill stuffing
Buttons, pompoms, sequins, orange felt
Tacky glue
Brown pipe cleaners (to make stick like arms)
Black acrylic paint
Acrylic paint in your favorite colors for tie-dye hats and scarves
Cotton Swabs (a good tool for painting dots for smiles)
Faber-Castell Gelato pigment stick Bubblegum Shade (if you can’t find this, you can use watered down pink craft paint)

Optional:

Kitchen towels, fabric or ribbon cut into strips to make the scarves

Instructions:

Tie Dying the Hat & Scarf:

Cut the foot off your sock. (This will be the hat.) You may leave this white, or paint it.

Fold the foot part of the sock accordion style, like a fan. Secure the folds with three rubber bands.

Pour your acrylic paints into a small tray or paper plate. Water the paints down slightly. Wet the wrapped sock in water, and roll it into two or three of your favorite colors.

Let dry. Unroll the sock to reveal the beautiful colors. Cut off a 1” piece of the raveled end of the sock to make a matching scarf. Read more

January 28, 2015/7 Comments/by Brittany Bailey