A fun wall art project

Meredith found a project and thought it would be perfect for my playroom. As soon as I saw it I totally agreed! Check this out:

Begin with a blank canvas. The one I used is approximately 20X24 and I decided to do two of them to flank a window.

Next choose some scrapbook paper. I found this fantastic set at JoAnn's for half price. The colors were perfect for my playroom. I also knew that I could use any of the papers and they would all go together if they came from the same stack!

Decide how many circles you want on the canvas and then trace circles to fit that size. Mine worked out to be 3X4, 12 circles total. I chose 12 sheets of paper and cut two circles out of each one.

The finished circles

Circles arranged on canvas

I chose a color in the scrapbook papers that I loved and mixed some paints together to come up with a perfect Martha Stewart blue. It was slightly lighter than the blue in the papers and looked great with all of the colors. I then painted the entire canvas.

The circles arranged on the blue canvas in the final order. On the second canvas I rearranged the circles in a different order. In order to have them evenly spaced I just figured out that there needed to be 1 1/4 inch in between each circle so I just measured as I glued them down.

Decoupage the circles on to the canvas using ModPodge. Hint: The best result I found for a smooth, even finish is to completely coat the back of the paper with mod podge, then completely coat the circle area on the canvas as well. Wait a few seconds and apply the two together. Smooth over well. This will allow all edges to lay very flat.

The finished product hanging on the wall in my playroom.

The two canvases hung in the playroom

(Sorry the lighting in the picture is terrible but there was a bad glare coming through the window)

This would be an awesome project to do with your children. Mine are a little too young for that but I'm sure some kids would have a blast helping. I am contemplating making different pieces for each of my kids rooms!

Check out this link for our inspiration:
http://www.remodelingthislife.com/2008/08/29/diy-wall-art/

Look What I Made!

Project #12

"Look What I Made"
I needed a couple of gifts for nieces and this so perfectly fit the bill! A great place to hang little masterpieces that is also very cute, indeed!

Start with a piece of 1"x6" cut to about 24" long. (The length could really vary depending on where/how you will use it. Truth be told, I used some scraps I already had cut in the garage that might have been shy of 24". ) Paint a base color, I chose white. Select several pieces of heavy-weight scrapbook paper decorate the board. I chose 5 coordinating pieces from my stash, trimmed and tore to size.

Lay out all the pieces and decide you love it, break out the handy dandy modge podge and do some modge podging. At this point, decide if you are an underneath or underneath and and top modge-podger. I made two. I tried both ways. It really is a matter of personal preference and the amount of top-coat protection you think it needs. Pick up a set of mini binder clips (I got mine on the scrapbook/paper crafting embellishment aisles of Michael's, about $5 for a pack of 24 or or so.) These will be nailed on using tiny brad nails.

The binder clips will probably have a larger hole than the nail head so you need to help it stay put. A little scrap of ribbon/trim/ric-rac will work perfectly to help. Tie a short piece, about 4-5" around the nail - this creates a knot that is larger than the hole in the clip.

Finish tying all ribbons, sand edges to distress. Happy accident - the scrap board I used was painted a dark red color before I painted it white. When I sanded the edges, bits of the red were exposed along with raw wood. I love how the tiny bits of red added another dimension. Whenever sanding edges of a piece of wood you can always go back and add a touch of stain or ink or whatever to the exposed wood to enhance the depth.

Attach chipboard letters to spell "Look what I made" or "look what I did". The chipboard letter set I was using (this one happened to come from Joann's) did not have enough "D's" to spell "Did" so I decided to do "Made" instead. I think either works fine. To hang this guy: drill a 1/4" hole in each corner and string a large width grosgrain ribborn thru (from the back to the front) and knot the end.


Here is the final piece hanging in my niece's bedroom in Atlanta. Hard to tell - it was a very quick, un-composed shot, but I could not have nailed the colors/patterns better if I shopped for days for the papers I used and not just used some out of my stash!


Giving credit where credit is due, my girlfriend Maddy made this and it served as my inspiration. Seriously, the possibilities are endless. Make it your own. Match to your kitchen/playroom/hallway/boys room...whatever works for you, wherever you plan to use it.

No yummy lunch to report - more of a "hurry and get this done" kind of project! It was a solo project. I missed Molly, actually.