Tag Archives: diy

Purple Hearts Yellow

Remember the fabric sneak peek I posted a few weeks ago?

And the new placemats I recently made?

Well, I finally finished my latest yellow creations!

The two 16″ x 16″ pillows on each end are Premier Prints Chipper Slub in Corn Yellow; the two 12″ x 16″ pillows in the center are Premier Prints ZigZag Slub in yellow/white. I found both of these fabrics, plus the Premier Prints Suzani Slub in yellow/white that I used for the placemats, at Fabric.com.

And finally, the whole family together:

I love the spunky, modern cheerfulness of these prints. And I’m loving the bold statement they make in our family room!

Best Dresser-est

After my recent crafting adventure, I had the itch to do more plate- and bowl-painting. So I thought I’d paint up a few pieces to keep my perfumes organized.

I picked up a variety of white  porcelain appetizer-sized plates and small dip bowls at Pier 1 (the bowls were $1-$2 each! can’t beat that!). I chose to use silver paint leftover from my last project.

Loving polka dots right now!

And the look of a gilded the edge on a small scalloped bowl…

Here are a few “glamour shots” of the finished products:

They add a nice touch of “bling” to my dresser. We’re kind of at an impasse about how to decorate our bedroom, so in the meantime, I’ll just accessorize with a few little things!

My Skills of an Artist

(how many of you picked up on the Strongbad reference? Anyone? Anyone?)

I have never been a particularly good artist. I enjoyed the art class I took in high school – we explored pretty much every medium, from drawing to oil painting to sculpting and printmaking. My stuff was okay, but I certainly wasn’t going to be displaying my works in a gallery anytime soon!

My relationship with art is very similar to my relationship with crafting, probably because these two are cousins. I get wild ideas about painting a scene or sketching little works in a notebook. But the outcome is never how I picture it in my head. And, yet again, my husband has a knack for art – sketching out little logos for the apps he develops or little characters on scraps of paper around the house.

But when some friends told me about an art studio that’s as much about painting as it is about a fun night out, I knew I wanted to check it out! If you’re in the Cincinnati, OH area, you need to check out Cheers to Art! You can sip your adult beverage of choice, groove to the music and hang out with your friends, all while painting a work of art! The best part is that the instructor gives you step-by-step instructions, so you’re not left to fend for yourself if you feel less-than-sure of your skills.

My friends and I planned a Girl’s Night Out to paint the “Paris Stamp.” We started off by layering in the background colors. First yellow, then red, then green.

Then we added some brushstrokes of white and the black scalloped edge to give it a “stampy” feel:

Then came the hard part – the lettering and the Eiffel Tower! I was too focused on keeping a steady hand to snag some in-progress pictures, but here’s me with the finished product!

I’m not sure where I’m going to hang it yet. None of the colors match anything in our home at the moment (I would have chosen other paint colors if that option had been available). So, I just stuck it in between the double sinks in our spare bathroom to add a splash of color!

Happy Painting!

Getting My Craft On

I have to confess something before I get on with this post.

I have a love/hate relationship with crafting. (whew! I said it)

I am easily seduced by DIY ideas. I imagine wildly creative sessions with editorial-worthy results. The reality? I usually jump into things without planning. I make huge messes. I get discouraged easily. I have a vision of the results that the reality never achieves (in my opinion). And to top it off, my husband has a ridiculously good eye and hand for crafting/drawing/design. Which usually means he completes the project to perfection as I pout in the corner (yes, I am totally embarrassed to admit this).

But I am determined to change this. First by carefully planning the craft before I even step foot in a Michaels or Hobby Lobby. And second by trying to remind myself to take things slowly and have patience throughout the process. It’s a work in progress, but so far, my new mantra has yielded a presentable front door wreath, and my latest endeavor: painted bowls to house office supplies on my desk.

The inspiration for these bowls came from the lovely Ez over at Creature Comforts. You can view her version here.

I wanted to play around with a few different dishes, so I purchased some basic white oven-safe ceramic/porcelain ones at Target, all for very reasonable prices. I couldn’t find the same brand of paints at my local Michaels crafts store that Ez had used, but I found a comparable brand that stated it would work on porcelain/ceramic. I knew I wanted pinks and oranges, since those are the colors I want to use in my office. I also picked up a metallic silver to add some bling, a variety pack of brushes, as well as small round sponging brushes, all from Michael’s.

I laid out all of my dishes, wiping them down with rubbing alcohol first to ensure they were clean.

And then I got to work! With a little planning first, of course! I started with the bowls, as they seemed easiest. I squirted a dollop of paint into the center, selected a brush (I used a fan brush for the pink and a more rectangular/basic brush for the orange) and started swirling paint up the sides.

I wanted to get more creative with the plate and the mug. After a failed attempt to stencil the plate AND the mug, I scraped the paint off and decided on an easier design: orange polka dots for the plate, using one of the sponging brushes, and pink chevrons for the mug. However, the chevrons didn’t turn out as planned either. After one sorry-looking row of zig-zags, I just went with the artistic swirly all-over brushstroke look. And then added some silver polka dots for good measure.

Here’s a finished shot, complete with office supplies!

I can’t wait to pull the rest of my office together!  I think these would look perfect on a white wood desk, mixed in with a bouquet of fresh flowers!

These would also be great for storing other little trinkets, keys, jewelry, etc. Or just as a colorful accent on a coffee table!

 

 

**Note: this paint is NOT food-safe! Please do not use it on dishes/items that you would serve food on/in.

There are two ways to “cure” this paint: the first is to let it air cure for 21 days; the second is to wait 48 hours, then place item(s) in a cold oven, set the temperature to 325-degrees, bake for 30 minutes, and allow to cool before removing. I intended to do the oven curing, but wound up letting them sit for 21 days.

 

Throw Pillow Throwdown

**I’m going to start this post off with full disclosure: I don’t sew. I can sew, but I did not sew these pillows. My excellent mother did. While I probably would have been capable of sewing these, I would have needed her expertise/supervision, and then we both agreed it would just be easier for her to do them herself 😉  But, I did “design” these pillows! I will take credit for the “creative vision,” haha!

When we ordered our purple couches (technically – a sofa and a loveseat), we got to choose the fabric and color for the throw pillows. We selected a red, as we thought this would be a cool combination with the eggplanty purple of the couch fabric. Here’s what we ended up with for the 4 throw pillows:

The pillows weren’t as red as I hoped they would be. They weren’t even orange, which I would have liked. Instead, they were a weird middle ground, kind of a rusty red-orange color.

As soon as we signed the contract to build our home (maybe before), I started designing a “mood board” to capture ideas and wish-fors for our new spaces. I knew I wanted to give our family room palette a revamp – centered around our purple couches, of course! – and the rusty red-orange pillows would have to go! Thankfully, they have zippered covers, so I could keep the pillow form inside and just have new covers made.

This is where my talented mother comes in. After plenty of perusing and pinning on Pinterest, I sketched out a few ideas for new pillow covers, and off we went to the fabric store. I was hoping to score a fun purple print or pattern for 2 of the 4, and a solid neutral that I could embellish for the remaining 2. We came home with a black-and-white print, which I have already changed out in favor of a fabulous Waverly print I discovered on a return trip to JoAnn fabrics. The black-and-white covers will make an appearance in my office/library sometime in the future.

Here’s the Waverly throw:

waverly modern essentials luminary in lilac

and the neutral covers with embellishments:

a strip of faux fur for added texture

tulle flowers

And there you have it! A throw pillow throwdown that gives our favorite purple couches a fresh new look!