Crafts Archives - Page 38 of 45

art, arts and craft, Crafts, decor, framing

Magnetic Art Display Frame

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been fighting a losing battle lately. I have begged, yelled, and threatened my boys to stop putting stickers and tape on the walls.

I think my youngest one upped me, he put tape and stickers on his door! I had given up the battle until I came across this magnetic chalkboard from Less-Than-Perfect Life of Bliss:

And this burlap bulletin board from Between Blue & Yellow:

Those two boards got me thinking. If I married the two ideas, I could have a magnetic fabric display board! Luckily I have a stash of old picture frames in the attic. I grabbed the biggest one I had and painted it black and within a few hours I had a magnetic display board for my son’s door!

Here is how to create your own:

Materials:

Painter’s Drop Cloth
Contrasting Decorative Fabric
Double sided fusible interfacing
Scissors
Sheet metal flat sheet* ($10 in duct work aisle of Lowe’s or Home Depot)
Duct Tape
Sharpie Marker
Tin snips
Gloves
Picture frame
Double sided foam tape (optional)
Strong magnets

*Be sure to bring a magnet to test the sheet metal. Some of them aren’t magnetic.

Instructions for making the magnetic frame:

Start by measuring the opening in the back of your frame. Mark those measurements on the sheet metal using a sharpie marker.

Using tin snips, cut the sheet metal. Believe it or not, this was very easy, but gloves are a must because the edges are sharp.

Cut out the drop cloth about two inches larger than the sheet metal. Trim the corners off the fabric.

Fold the edges over and secure with Duct Tape.

Did you know that Scotch has a whole line of Duct Tape? There are five different kinds, and they each have a different use! REALLY! See for yourself.

I didn’t know about them either until they sent me these to try out. I haven’t used them yet, but I will be soon. And I promise to tell you what I honestly think. Until then, I wonder how I could make them into a cool vase.

Instructions for Applique Monogram:

To add an applique to the fabric, print out a large letter from your computer. Then fuse a square of fabric (large enough to fit the letter onto) to the double sided fusible interfacing. Follow the instructions on the interfacing package.

Pin the printout on top of the fabric and cut it out.

Peel the back off the interfacing …

…and iron it onto your fabric covered sheet metal.

Make sure the letter is securely fused to the drop cloth.

Insert the board into the frame.

Secure the board into the frame by using a staple gun and stapling at an angle into the frame.

Add a wire or hanger to the back of your frame.

Hang the frame on the wall, door, or wherever you like. Because I was hanging the display frame onto the door (and because 4 year olds are notorious for slamming their doors), I added some double stick foam tape to the back side of the frame.

YES, I know what I said, but Mommies are allowed to use tape ;-).

I used some of the glass bead magnets we made last summer and now my son can put up his artwork and stickers without incurring the wrath of Mommy!

Now that is what I call one handsome art display!

Looking for some more creative ideas for displaying your child’s artwork? Check out my article on Parentables today: 8 Great Ways to Display Your Child’s Artwork.

June 16, 2011/8 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, Crafts, Resin

Dream Big Butterfly Window – Resin Craft

Phew, what a week. I’ve been working on about 5 different projects simultaneously. The biggest accomplishment this week was my screened porch makeover. I have been itching to make it an outdoor living and relaxing room for about 4 years now. Well, it is about 95% done. And to celebrate, Pretty Handsome Guy and I slept outside on the porch last night.

One of the projects I completed for the porch was an old curbside window that I turned into a unique piece of art using a product that ETI sent me. The product is called EnviroTex Lite and it is a high gloss resin polymer compound used for sealing and protecting arts, crafts, jewelry, countertops and more!

I am thrilled with my art project and it looks fabulous hanging up in our porch.

I have to admit, I was a little scared of the EnviroTex Lite. Especially when I read the part in the instructions about using a propane torch! I had visions of having to rent a welder’s helmet and lighting a big propane torch. YIKES!
Well, my fears were unfounded, and I ended up using a bic lighter like this one: The utility lighter was more within my comfort level. And the prep and pouring steps were easier than I had envisioned. Won’t you come along to see how I made it?

My beautiful butterfly window started out looking like this:

Someone was throwing away these old windows. So, as usual, I slammed on the brakes (as my kids expressed their disgust at me) and saved them from the landfill. It took a lot of scraping, cleaning and painting to get them in a presentable state, but I’ll show you those steps in another tutorial. Let’s just fast forward to a clean shabby chic painted window for times sake.

Creating the Art:

Big Butterfly Window 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.)

Cardstock weight scrapbook paper
Cardstock letter paper
Butterfly hole punch
Real Butterfly Wings (found in my yard from a cat’s discarded hunt remains)
Glitter
Mod podge
Small cup (to pour mod podge into)
Scissors
Paintbrush
Eye bolts for hanging
Rope for hanging

Start by cutting out paper letters and punching out butterflies until your thumbs are sore. Then lay out the design on the window panes.

When you are happy with the design, anchor everything onto the window using mod podge. Paint a thin layer of mod podge on the back of each letter and paper butterfly. Then pressed them down onto the window panes. This step is important as it keeps everything in place while pouring the resin.

Use extreme caution with the butterfly wings so as not to break them or brush too much of the color off.

Gently press the wings onto the window. You may need to replace the butterfly’s body with a paper one so it doesn’t stick up above the resin. (My poor butterfly was bodiless. I think the cat ate it. I just hope my winged friend didn’t suffer.)

Before the mod podge can dry completely, carefully wipe any excess off the window. If you leave some mod podge exposed on the window, it will be immortalized in the resin forever!
Rub on transfers work perfectly for the butterfly’s missing antennae.

Pouring the Resin:

Big Butterfly Window Materials:

Included in the EnviroTex Lite kit:

Bottle of Resin
Bottle of Hardener
2 Mixing Cups
Stir Sticks
Rubber gloves
Disposable brush

Not included in the kit:

Utility lighter
Glitter
Protective plastic to cover work surface
Exhaust fan (set up in a window to pull fumes away and out of the room)
Dust mask
Eye goggles
Level

Set the window on the protective plastic. Set the level on top of the window. Check both directions and prop up your piece using shims under the window or under the table legs until the window is completely level. Skipping this step will result in the resin puddling in the corners of each pane and leaving an inconsistent depth.

Put on your protective gloves, dust mask and eye goggles. And don’t forget to turn on the exhaust fan. No need to fry your brain during this project.

Pour equal amounts of each bottle into the first cup.

Stir the resin and hardener mixture thoroughly with the wooden stick. Be sure to scrape the sides of the cup. Then pour the mixture into the second cup. And thoroughly mix the mixture again. Failure to follow these directions could result in a BAD CRAFT-FAIL! So, just follow those directions. Okay?

After your mixture is thoroughly mixed, begin by pouring small amounts into the center of each pane. (I only poured the resin into the four panes that had objects pasted on them.)

Use the brush to gently spread the resin mixture to the edges of each pane. The resin will level itself as it dries.

After the resin is spread evenly, sprinkle some glitter around the letters and butterflies.

After a few minutes little bubbles will rise to the top of the resin. Use the lighter several inches above the project to pop the air bubbles. (I think I had more fun popping bubbles than any other step!)

Check back after about 5-10 minutes and pop any newly formed bubbles. Let the resin dry overnight (at least 4-5 hours. Times may vary depending on temperature and humidity.)

When the resin is completely hardened, use a drill bit to drill holes in the top of the window.

Then insert eye bolts on each side.

Thread some rope through the eye bolts and hang your new piece of art!

I just love how the beauty of the butterfly is preserved in the resin forever!

This project was a lot of fun, and the results truly exceeded my expectations. I did not pour any resin in the top two window panes. The panes that do have the resin are completely transparent and look exactly as clear as the naked panes.

What do you think? Would you try a resin art project yourself?

Disclaimer: ETI sent me EnviroTex Lite to try out. I was not paid or compensated for this post. My opinions and critique of the product are honest, truthful and my own.

You won’t believe all that you can do with this product. Envirotex Lite was created by Environmental Technologies Inc. (ETI), which is the home for many resin and mold making products.

The use of resin in jewelry making, mixed media and paper arts continues to grow in popularity. Today, artists are using ETI’s products in many crafty ways and they will be showcasing these works of art on their new blog “Resin Crafts”.

Check out ETI on:
Resin Crafts Blog | ETI on Facebook | ETI on Twitter

June 5, 2011/105 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, Crafts, kids art

School’s Out! Summer Crafts for the Kids

The end of the school year has come and now it is time to load up on craft supplies to keep the kids entertained. My elementary school friend Megan asked me if I had any summer craft ideas to share.

So, Megan, this post is for you!

Sun Prints!

Glass Bead Character Magnets

Planning a beach vacation? Why not bring a few craft supplies to create some beach themed crafts!

Sand Writing Photo

Sea Shell Memory Game

Beach Inspired Picture Frame

Although this craft was actually created in December, we love to create decorated jars for any season! How about affixing some of your vacation photos on a jar?

Glass Jar Decorating

Finally, this craft is a little more involved (for the parent) but it was well worth it!

Magnetic Mailbox Cover

At the risk of Megan hunting me down and egging my house, this is what we looked like in fourth grade:

Isn’t Megan cute? Me on the other hand, I never had much style to my hair. Just a plain old hippie cut (did I tell you my parents were at Woodstock?)

June 2, 2011/2 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, Crafts, Gift Ideas, gifts, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, Spray paint metal, Spray paint wood

Spray Painted Glass Jars and Bottles

I have a real problem throwing away perfectly good glass jars and bottles. To me they are little craft gems waiting for me to transform them. With Mother’s Day and Teacher Appreciation coming up, I decided to turn some of our recycled bottles into cute gifts for Mom and my sons’ teachers.

Before you begin this project, I want to warn you to be flexible. The painting step has the potential to get messed up, but that doesn’t mean the project has to be a failure. I’ll show you how I fixed one of the bottles that didn’t turn out as I had planned.

Materials:

Glass Bottles or Jars
Spray Paint
Rubber Gloves
Plastic Bags
Masking or Painter’s Tape
Drop Cloth, Tarp or Plastic
Foam Stickers
X-acto Knife
Pencil
Embellishments: beads, transfer rub-ons, wire, fabric, ribbon, raffia, lace, or whatever you have lying around
Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks

Instructions:

Clean out the bottles/jars and let them dry completely. Save the lids if you want to cap off them off.

Select some foam stickers to use as a mask on your bottle.

I chose a heart and then cut an “M” into a circle foam sticker using an X-acto knife. (Remember to cut your letters in reverse.)

If the bottle neck is narrow, use the X-acto knife to feed the sticker into the jar.

Then use a pencil or stick to firmly press the sticker to the inside of the jar.

Wrap your bottle in a plastic bag and then tape the bag to the neck of the jar/bottle.

Set the bottles in a tarped area or box.

Put on some rubber gloves and insert the spray paint nozzle into the jar. Spray a layer of paint into the jar.

Wait a few minutes and repeat. The paint will be liquid, so rotate the bottles and jars to spread the paint around. Then turn the jars upside down to dry.

After the paint has dried (several hours), gently remove the foam sticker with the X-acto knife.

If a little paint has dripped into your masked area, you might be able to scrape it off with the X-acto. One of the stickers (jar shown on the right side below) didn’t adhere, and the paint bled underneath the sticker. But, no worries, it can easily been fixed.

Time to get out your embellishment scraps. Ribbons, lace, rub on decals, beads, etc. Anything goes!

To fix the drippy paint jar, I rubbed on a few decals to cover the messed up heart mask.

I added some wire and beads to the collar. And presto, a cute pencil holder!

Use a hot glue gun to glue beaded string on your bottles. I added the trim around the collar and around the heart shape on this bottle. Then, I added another rub on decal.

And, voila, a beautiful flower vase!

To create a cute bottle top, try gluing batting, fabric, lace and a ribbon to the lid.

Wrap up a small present inside some tissue paper and inserted it the bottle. Or write a little heart felt note and slip it inside.

I included a battery powered tea light, it made a beautiful votive gift. The jars are so beautiful when lit up, don’t you think?

You can also try spraying the exterior of a few bottles. They don’t have the same shiny luminous look, but they will still be beautiful none-the-less.

Do tell me, what other ideas do you have using these glass jars and bottles? I’d love to hear!

Take a look at some other attractive ways to reuse recycled bottles and jars?

May 4, 2011/31 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, cake plate, Crafts, DIY, E-6000, Goodwill

Making a Citrus Striped Cake Stand

As promised, I have a tutorial for making a cake stand using a plate and a candlestick. This is nothing new, and if you’ve hopped around the blogosphere, you have probably seen some variations of this project.

These are a few of the projects that sparked my creativity when I found a striped candlestick at a my friend Su’s yard sale.

Centsational Girl’s sherbert colored dessert stands are pure and sweet eye candy:

Crafty Nest used simple clear vases, candlesticks, and dishes to make single and multi-level cake stands:

And House of Hepworth’s turned a cheese dome into a cloche!

So, armed with my striped candlestick, I scoured my local Goodwill for a plate that had some citrus color for my stand. I finally found the perfect plate, but had to give myself a pep talk to buy it. It was perfect, except for the meal that was baked onto it. Ewww. Seriously, it looked like someone had just eaten off the plate and then donated it. GROSS PEOPLE!

But, alas, it was the perfect color, and when I got home I drenched it in Get Clean Basic H2 Degreaser and wiped it clean BEFORE cleaning it in my sink. (I think I might be a tad germ phobic.)