Another Art Project

Maybe you saw my previous post where I worked on an art project.

The full post and tutorial can be found here

Then last summer I bought this hot mess at a second hand store for $0.50

I've been ignoring it for ages, but then last weekend I had a moment of brilliance and it went from blah to fabulous in under an hour.

First, you'll need some electrical tape and tape your pattern on. I would have used the letters again on this ... but the oil paint was too thick and lumpy.

Then you have to spray paint it gold. I didn't go too heavy, but I like the pattern showing through. 

Lovely.

Now hanging in my dining room. Art work for $0.50

What Did You Do Today?

I really try and keep Saturdays open for things I want to do. I clean the house Fridays when I get home from work. I go grocery shopping and do laundry on Sunday afternoons. Saturdays are my days.

Since  my living room is back to normal, I decided I'd set up my new television (Merry Christmas from my cool parents) and sound bar (Merry Christmas to me, lol, I spoil myself) on my new television stand (thank-you Target). 

Hahaha, you know how people make fun of assembling things from Ikea? At least Ikea things come with instructions. I open the box, no instructions. I go online, no instructions. I call, at least two weeks to mail instructions. I told her to forget it - surely I could figure this out. It probably took me twice as long as it should have, but here is my lovely television stand. 

I was insistent on a stand with wheels because, when people come over, I don't want a television in front of my giant fireplace. Instead, I want to see the fireplace and not look like my living room is really a television room.

Now all I need is a blue ray player for this room. But things come in time.

The bigger project I worked on today were the chalkboards. Since they were still hanging out in their Christmas glory I thought I'd refresh them with some love quotes (hey, not all single girls are anti-Valentine's day. I love "love quotes"). 

Since it is in my hallway, it is SO hard to get a picture of the whole thing. This is the best I could do. I need a wide angle lens ... for my iPhone. 

This sonnet (#27) by Pablo Nurda is one of my favorites.

(lol, see my finger here - I didn't until I posted it)

Here is the other end ... and some chalkboard art tips

1. You know all those stencils and everything you can get? Forget about it - anything in your own hand is better! Don't like your handwriting? I don't think anyone does - I'm always getting compliments on mine and I think it looks so ... normal. 

2. Start with a really clean board - like wet the whole thing down and let it dry. If you make a mistake, use a damp paper towel to fix it. 

3. Want to emphasize a word? Use two colors (my favorite trick). It doesn't even look like two colors - it just looks awesome when to write one on top of another.

4. Mix up your fonts. I have three that I can use (regular printing, handwriting, and block letters) then mix them with caps and lower case. Once you add in your different colors and ways to fill them in you have a whole variety. 

Washi Tape Magnet Tutorial

You are either one of two people. Either you are one of the people who are obsessed with using washi tape everywhere and for everything ... or, you've never heard of it and only came here because the link from Pinterest looked cute. No matter - this is a super fun and easy cheesy project. 

Materials: Washi Tape, Glue Stick, Roll Magnet, Cardstock, Glue Gun

Start by tearing the washi tape into smallish strips and glue it to card stock.

Then cut out the strips - the more detailed you are, the better this will look. 

Easy-peasy, cut a magnetic strip and hot glue to the back.

Display everything you like on your fridge!!

Don't have a collection of washi tape? Don't have the time to make a project? Head over to my store and pick up sets of these magnets for $5.00 each. Great for everyone on your gift list (you can say you made them, I won't tell).

It's Delightfully Spooky!

I saw something like this on pinterest and I decided to create my own. 

I started with a bag of bones (literally) {$10} and a sad looking wooden wreath {$2}.

I already had the "spooky fabric" and those strange looking berry/floral things. All I needed was some hot glue and it was all easy peasy from there. 

{This is also the saddest tutorial ever because hot glue doesn't really wait around for you to take pictures}

This what it looked like when I started.

Total creepiness!

That is the wreath hanger I picked up this weekend for $0.50!

Book Pumpkin Tutorial

Maybe you've seen all these pumpkins everywhere too ... I really wanted one.

So I decided I needed to make it and I now understand why people pay for these :)

Step one was to pick up a cheapy hardback from the library book sale. 

I took off the cover and traced what I wanted the pumpkin to look like. 

I used these clamps to even the pages and help to hold onto the book.

Then I cut the pages - which made a GIANT mess and was the most difficult thing I'd ever done - but I did it without cutting off my fingers :)

After cutting I opened it up - fabulized! I did file the pages to make things smooth.

Here on my handy-dandy drop cloth.

I used this spray paint that was made for paper and Styrofoam. It was pretty terrible - thick and goopy, had great coverage. It also smelled terrible. So, I was distracted and forgot some in-between pictures. 

Here is a nearly dry pumpkin ... which looks pretty awesome. This was a decorative stick that was a left over from some wedding decorations. 

Here it is finished (and sitting next to the candy bowl). I took two pages from the leftover part of the book and cut out some leaves. Then using two colors of dry pastels I covered the leaves and rubbed them together. A little hot glue and it looks better than I would have imagined. I love it! 

Maybe I'll make some for Etsy ... if I can figure out how to hold this without cutting off any fingers!

House Tutorials I'm Looking Forward To

Since I expect to be moving soon (that is the point of job hunting, yes?), I've been all over pinterest and the internet looking for great tutorials for excellent home ideas. Here are the ones I look forward to trying the most in my next rental/home (that's right, I might actually be a home owner, but that may be more fantasy than reality as this point in time). 

One thing I've learned, the window coverings in a rental are ALWAYS terrible. Oh, side note, they are always expensive too!

I have two super plain bookcases that this will be great for! How brilliant to cover cardboard and put it inside ... I've tried to do paper and fabric and it is SO HARD.

I love artwork and anything giant. I would make this on an extreme size (maybe just with thumbtacks right on the wall)! I'm thinking that either over my couch or on a big wall, if I have one. The possibilities are really endless with this!! I could even spell something out like this

Every rental (read: Every, not most, every) has an ugly appliance. What a great way to fabulize them!!

I'm totally a painter (I know, it is a rental, but really, who cares? I have to live there!) and these pink doors totally speak to my heart!

Speaking of paint, I love the color of this bathroom, plus the myriad of things on the walls make it perfect!!

And more paint ... my house WILL have a chalkboard wall in the kitchen ... it is a necessity!

This wall is brilliant and I love it ... it makes me so excited to move I can hardly stand it!