Light Up Wall Art
Here is my own version of light up wall art. It also makes a neat glow in the dark. It looks good in the daylight too.
Here is what you need to make one (of course, change colors and design to make it your own):
- a framed artist canvas 15" x 30"
- fabric: white, black, floral (1/2 yard each will do the trick)
- white posterboard 20" x 30"
- Fiskars Everywhere Punch: square
- staple gun
- scissors
- yardstick
- pencil
- white craft glue
- duct tape
- string of white lights (mine had 50 lights)
Try this:
1. I recycled a canvas that I didn't like. If you have one to recycle, take the canvas off the frame. Also remove the center bar. If you have a new canvas, use as is with the canvas clean and white. You probably still want to remove the center bar.
2. Measure and cut the posterboard 15" x 30". Measure and draw lines 4" apart across posterboard. Use the square punch to punch squares in the second and fourth sections.
6. Measure and cut four 4" x 18" strips of black fabric. Wrap around frame, 4" apart and staple to back of frame. Don't cover up the punches you made.
Design Tip: If you can find striped fabric, it will cut out one step and one expense. I bought some this summer at IKEA. Look there.
7. Cut flowers out of floral fabric. I considered applying a solid piece of fabric and just cutting out the flowers on the left side, but I did not like the brown background with my black stripes.
Design Tip: If you use a thicker framed canvas, the lights will fit better, and the canvas will hang flatter against the wall.
Daytime. A nice contemporary piece of art.
Nighttime. Glowy! The square punchouts add a layer of visual texture, and are kind of a surprise when the lights come on.
Use your glowy Vitamin C!
Faux Enamel Flowers
I love retro enamel flower jewelry. The bright color and bold design appeal to me, not to mention the shine. My own crafting style tends toward all three of those things, and I am a jewelry designer, so....perfect fit! Nice metal, retro flowers are not easy to find, nor are they inexpensive. So, what does a smart crafter do? She makes her own faux version of them, of course!
A little sidebar: I enjoy combining materials and techniques because I have such a varied past as a crafter/teacher. So, my projects almost always involve combinations of painting, jewelry making, papercrafting, stitching, and whatever else is on my mind at the time. Here is a charm bracelet made with a simple 1" round punch. It is never boring!
Making your own faux enamel flowers is quite easy. And fun! Here is what you need:
- heavy paper: I used both 90 lb. watercolor paper and posterboard. They worked equally well.
- cardstock: solid brights
- Fiskars punches: I used a 1" circle lever punch, a heart squeeze punch, 2 sizes of oopsie daisy squeeze punches, and a large scalloped circle squeeze punch
- Plaid's Dimensional Magic in clear
- Mod Podge for paper, or your favorite paper adhesive that will hold with moisture
- white acrylic paint (optional)
- small flat paintbrush (for Mod Podge)
- buttons or gems for flower centers
- hot glue gun and glue sticks
- wire cutters (if you have shank buttons)
Try this:
1. Punch shapes. For every watercolor paper shape you punch, punch two color shapes the same.
Apply a second coat of Dimensional Magic on the front. Let dry. Also apply a coat to the backside of the flower. This makes the flower very sturdy.
At this point, your flowers are complete and fabulous. Glue on pinbacks, magnets, or add them to a necklace.
To complete a necklace like mine, you will also need:
- silver wire
- embroidery floss
- scissors
- a chain necklace
Cut a 2" piece of wire. Fold in half. Glue to back of flower.
Using a piece of floss, knot the flower wire to the chain. Repeat with all flowers you want on your necklace.
No doubt, it makes a statement! How fabulous for spring and summer?
P.S. Clicking on the photos will enlarge them and give you a close up view.
Use your Vitamin C to make yourself a garden of flowers!
Paper Punch Charm Bracelet
You might remember that I have had a long play date with jewelry made of paper. I have always used paper (usually torn) and paint, so today, I am using only paper for a creative change.
If you have never made paper jewelry, consider:
- it is very lightweight
- the jingles from dangling pieces bumping together is very soft, so not annoying if you don't like that sound
- it is inexpensive
- available paper designs are probably better than most of us can paint
- it is unusual and fun!
This is what you need to make a paper charm bracelet:
- chain link charm bracelet
- 140 lb. watercolor paper
- scrapbook paper of your choice (I went with a citrus color palette, loving the warm colors)
- Mod Podge for paper with flat paintbrush, or paper adhesive of your choice
- Dimensional Magic: clear
- Fiskars 1" round punch
- Fiskars 1/8" round hole punch
- 3 yards 1/8" satin ribbon: color to match your paper, mine is orange
- 10mm round beads to match: mine are hot pink
- scissors
- ruler
This is a great project to use up leftover scraps!
Mod Podge a scrapbook paper circle on each side of each watercolor paper circle. Punch a hanging hole in each one.
Apply Dimensional Magic to one side of each charm. Let dry overnight. Repeat on the other side.
Change color palettes and punch shapes to design a bracelet you will love.
Use your Vitamin C!
Cloud Punch Outs on a Journal Page
You see the cloud punch outs that I glued to the page. I also punched small daisies with my Oopsie Daisy punch, and glued them in with button centers. The frame was simply traced and colored in with marker. Michaels has some very cool laser cut wood frames down their seasonal aisle right now. Different shapes and designs. This is one of them.
So, some very simple craft techniques were used to make a clean background for whatever I will do next.
Jewelry Trend - Chains
Found at Anthropologie
pics taken at Macy's today
Now, this spring, the trend in jewelry chains is large. large and chunky. I took these pics today at Macy's. There were a lot more, but you get the idea, right?
Be careful or you will look like Mr. T!
at Goldenstella.com at Anthropologie
If you follow trends, you will find that some of them are predictable. If not predictable, they are easily explained. A lot of times, a trend will swing 180 degrees to the very opposite. I guess we get tired of the trend and want to get as far from it as we can, next.
For instance, turquoise was a trendy color for a couple years. Now, this year, coming off turquoise, the color of the year is tangerine. Those two colors are opposite each other on the color wheel.
And chains.....tiny to huge.
This does not hold true of every trend, because many times trends come out of nowhere. But when a trend has really worked, it tends to undergo change to something new instead of going away completely.
Keep watch and see. It can help you be a step ahead.
Use your Vitamin C!
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