wood plaque wall decor...

Inspired by the "Six B's" sign I made, I decided to create a new little decor grouping in my entry way.  I mostly used items I already had, but there was a little space that needed filling, so I created some simple decor with wood plaques.

I started with two square plaques of different sizes.

I'm loving all the typography elements that are trendy for interiors these days, so I went that direction with the smaller one.  First, I painted it white with a coarse brush, for a shabby effect.

Then I sanded the edges.

Next, I printed out a number that would fit my square plaque.  I went with 2 because there are two people in my family, February is my birth month, and...I just like it.  Feel free to choose a number that's significant to you.  

Place a piece of newsprint on top of your plaque, then your number printout.  Trace your number with a pencil.  The ink from the newsprint will transfer your traced image onto the wood.  (This method works best with images since they have more ink.)

Now, paint in your design...

...and coat the whole thing in mod podge once the paint is dry to seal it.

For the larger plaque, I followed the same procedure to start: paint then sand.  This time, I cut out a paper doily using my Cricut (Cindy Loo cartridge, if you're wondering) and podged it right onto my plaque.

Once it dried, I decided it was looking a bit flat, so I added some "shadows" using a black sharpie.

To hang them, you can add hardware to the back, but since both pieces were pretty light weight, I opted for mounting tape instead.  (It's like the sticky stuff on the back of command hooks.)

My little entry is too narrow to get a straight-on photo, so these angled views will have to do.

The flower box came from a home dec store a few years ago.  I repainted it.

The flowers came from Wal-mart (94 cents!) and Joann (coupon!).

The oval mirror was a happy thrift store find.

The rectangular mirror came from the dollar store.

The "Six B's" sign was made using a frame I had, a fabric remnant, and a printable.

And the plaques, as you know, were easy peasy.

Plus, it's all easy to switch out on a whim.

That's my kind of decorating!

DIY decoupage pendant...

With some basic supplies and a little mod podge dimensional magic, it's so easy to make your own jewelry!

To make your own decoupage pendant, you will need:

a 1.5 inch wood oval

drill with 1/16 bit

craft paint & paintbrush

a couple of toothpicks

small paper shape

mod podge

mod podge dimensional magic

jump ring 9mm or larger

ribbon for bow

chain or ribbon for stringing

Start by drilling a hole with your 1/16 bit towards the top of your wood oval.  Take care to make sure your drill is level so the hole will be straight.

Next, paint your pendant the color of your choice.  Since my paper shape is a sparrow, I went with a nice sky blue/aqua hue with some pearlizing medium mixed in.  Make sure the hole you drilled doesn't get clogged with paint.  (I stuck a toothpick in there to remove any excess.)

Once your paint is dry, you can attach your little paper shape.  I cut my little sparrow with my cricut (heritage cartridge - 1/2"), but you could certainly use any shape or letter, cut by hand or machine.  Apply a coat of mod podge to the surface of your pendant and the back of your paper shape, then place where desired.  Then coat entire pendant with mod podge and allow to dry.

Tip: I stuck a toothpick in the hole to help hold the pendant still as I brushed on my podge.

Once it's completely dry, it's time for some dimensional magic.  I apply it more towards the middle, then use a toothpick to scoot it to the edges and around the hole in the top.  Once again, be careful not to clog your little hole!

After allowing 24 hours drying time, put your pendant on a jump ring, tie on a little sunshine-y bow, and string it on a chain or ribbon.

 

This one turned out so perfectly springy, but the possibilities really are endless.  You could make any kind of design to go with any outfit!

P.S. Make sure you are following via RSS or Google Friend Connect, so you don't miss out on any great projects...or the follower giveaway coming VERY soon!

distressed "catch-all" dish tutorial...

use a thrifted wooden dish to make a lovely "catch-all" for your dresser, nightstand, or entry table!

my side of the dresser was a mess.

here is photographic evidence...

you might be thinking, "it's easy for a dresser top to get cluttered if you don't have proper storage."

well, here's another view...

notice the convenient necklace hooks and the 5 jewelry boxes?

i. am. ridiculous.

it is apparently much too difficult to put things away in various storage spaces, so i decided to consolidate.

now less-frequently used items go in the little drawers, while my wedding bands and favorite sets of earrings go in this cute little "catch-all" dish when i take them off at night.

here's how to make one of your own...

supplies:

wooden dish

sandpaper

craft paint

paper embellishment (i cut mine on my cricut) or small stencil

mod podge or other decoupage glue

this particular dish was made in the philippines, sold at a tourist trap in hawaii, donated to deseret industries, then purchased by me.  it's acadia wood and cost me one whole dollar.  i'm pretty sure it's supposed to be a napkin holder?  anyway, go to the thrift store and buy whatever little wooden dish tickles your fancy.

bring it home, wipe off any grime, then lightly sand to rough up the finish.  clean off the dust and don't fret over any scratches...we're going for a distressed look anyway.

next, paint using the color of your choice.  only use one thin coat, allowing streaks and brushstrokes to remain.  go untangle your jumble of necklaces while it dries.  (and hang them up, for goodness sake! and dust while you're at it, too...)

when it's dry, use sandpaper to further distress the paint to your liking. clean off any debris.

now, attach your paper embellishment using mod podge.  i spread a thin coat on my dish and on the back of my paper, stuck it in place, then mod podged over the whole dish.  (you could also paint your design on.  just allow it to dry, then seal the entire dish with the mod podge .)

just let it dry, and you're done!

now, go tame your jewelry...

or keys...

or spare change...

or whatever else clutters your life!

scrappy christmas sign tutorial...

hope you all had a fantastic thanksgiving!  i'm soooo full. :) but now it's time for serious christmas decorating!

i had several strips of leftover scrapbook paper from my gift tag christmas ornaments, so i thought i would make good use of them in another christmas decor project...

i bought this picture frame for a few dollars at walmart.

start by tracing the photo mat to cut out a piece of paper that fits inside the frame--no measuring. :)

cut strips of varying widths and arrange them in scrappy stripes on your backing paper.  like i said, this is a great way to use up scraps.  i just glued mine down with a plain ol' glue stick.  allow the edges to hang off, then trim them all to length after they are glued on--no measuring. :)

next, i cut out letters for my saying--"{Be Merry!}"--on my cricut.  you can use any die cut machine or pre-cut chipboard letters or stickers from a craft or scrapbooking store.

once i glued the letters on, it looked great up close but was difficult to read from far away because of the patterns in the paper...so i traced around each letter with a black sharpie.  you could definitely omit this step if you feel it's unnecessary.

then i put my little sign into the frame and hung it on the wall for some quick and easy holiday decor!

********

don't forget to check out the fantastic sale this weekend in my etsy shop!

cricut projects...

so...remember how i'm making projects for a demo dvd thing that provo craft is putting together to market the cricut to non-scrapbookers? well, i've been crafting like crazy...here's what i've turned in so far:

this sweet tote bag (which i hope they give back to me because i totally love it!) the sewing isn't perfect, but the stenciling looks so awesome that maybe no one will notice. :)
i used stencils and fabric markers to create prints on plain white fabric that i turned into a headband. the blue/white print is okay, but the flower print is too childish...so i made a kid-sized headband out of it. it didn't turn out exactly how i had envisioned it, but oh well.
i'm totally loving this jewelry box i put together, though.

i used the negative space from the exterior cutout on the inside, so i only had do one cut on the cricut for the whole project.

and of course i had to make a hair clip. figuring out how to cut felt on the cricut was a little tricky, but once i got all the right materials it was a snap.
all in all, i think the cricut is cool, but it can be kind of a hassle. sometimes it seems like it would be a lot easier just to cut things by hand. i do like it for cutting intricate designs and making stencils, though. i still have a bunch of stuff in progress, so we'll have to see how it goes...

such a great day....

first of all, i had art lessons today. those little students of mine are a hoot.

secondly, not one but TWO of my items are featured in this treasury!
thirdly, thanks to my fellow art teacher friend sari i have an awesome opportunity to create some products that might be used for a project provo craft is working on. my payment?

{a free cricut expression machine!}

i basically get to use the machine to make whatever i feel like making that's more art/mixed media/home decor/fashion-oriented rather than scrapbooking/cardmaking-oriented.

how sweet is that?!

plus, i can say i'm on the "art team." i feel so prestigious. :)

::update::
another one!!!

thanks sweetmellyjane!