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DIY Hairclip Holding Art

Posted by sew4tejhtr6ier Senin, 11 November 2013 0 komentar

I'm working on the art grouping in my kids Jack & Jill bathroom, when I realize that I've misplaced the glass to one of my frames. Aw bum. I am tearing the place up looking for this tall thin piece of glass, but to no avail! I am terrified one of the kids will "find it" by accidentally stepping on it or scraping their hand along whatever surface I left it on... my poor paranoid mom mind is having visions of a maimed child with a large shard of glass through a foot or hand. *grimace* I "quarantine" the room I am working in and make all three kids sleep in one bedroom...you know, to keep them from being maimed. Two days later (yep two days) I give up in despair (telling the kids they will never be able to enter that room for the rest of their lives), swearing never to absentmindedly set anything down again (which lasted all of two seconds). Resigned, at least I know what I'm going to do with the glass-less frame...create a hair clip holder for all our fancy clips that can be displayed on the wall!
Now, before you go call child services, I did find that missing piece of glass...after I completed my project! Get this, it was where I put it for safe-keeping, on the top of a high bookcase. *face palm* Sooooo how many years after having a child can you claim baby brain?? *wry grin*

The Perfect Frame
The perfect frame for this project might just be the ugliest frame you have around, or one that has mysteriously lost it's glass. I spray painted this frame gold, rubbed it with some dark gel stain, and gave a clear protective spray before it was ready for my little project.

Materials

Glass-less frame
Fabric of choice
Ribbon
Foam or batting
Thin cork (optional)

Steps

1. Use the frame's matte (or the insert photo) to measure and cut your cork and foam (or batting) to size. Cork is only necessary if you plan to insert pins to hang items from.

2. Lay foam/cork/batting on top of your fabric and cut giving an extra inch or so. You need to be able to easily wrap the foam/cork/batting in the fabric.

3. There are several styles you can go for with your ribbon: a simple straight down the middle approach (like mine), or you can create a criss-cross design with your ribbon. This is a little more tricky to hold in position while putting into the frame, but doable with an extra set of hands!

4. Set your frame face down, and position your fabric wrapped foam/cork/batting and ribbon in the empty frame. You are going to place the frame backing so that you can pull the fabric and ribbon taut around the outside of it. Once the frame back is secured it should hold the fabric and ribbon very snugly in place. If necessary, trim any excess fabric and ribbon leaving at least a half inch all the way around. Optionally duck tape the edges to the frame back...this will tidy it up a bit and help prevent fraying edges.

Use this hanging storage to display your practical clips, your prettiest clips, or even your jewelry! I'll be storing my bobby pins...if I can ever find them! My little munchkins were playing princess yesterday, and somehow my pretty clips and all but these two bobby pins disappeared! Well, you'll just have to imagine how great pretty clips look displayed! *chuckle*

It fits well, nestled among the rest of the art grouping I finished a few days ago. In case you missed it, you have to go peak at how I created the art grouping on a total budget of $10! I even put some links to these prints for you... Perhaps there will be a few clever tips you hadn't thought of. *wink*

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Bathroom Art On A $10 Budget

Posted by sew4tejhtr6ier Kamis, 07 November 2013 0 komentar

This bathroom makeover is on an extremely small budget, which means I'm going to need extremely small budget art. Sometimes you have to be a little clever and do a lot of mixing and matching to get your desired effect on a minimal budget.

Cheap Frames
I picked up some cheap frames from Walmart. Yep, let's call it what it is...cheap, not just inexpensive, cheap. The set of 3 identical gold frames aren't even painted wood, just some mdf wrapped in printed paper, and it didn't even come with glass or a backing. Of course, they came in the golden hue I was looking for, and I couldn't beat the price at a $1.97 each.
So how do you create an art arrangement without glass or backings? Well, I made a visit to my local Goodwill and picked up a few really ugly framed art for 50 cents each in the same general size as my Walmart frames! Sneaky huh? I now have glass, mattes, and backing for my new frames. It doesn't even need to fit exactly, see the tiny gap? It doesn't seem to make a difference once the tabs from the Walmart frames are pushed down.

I was pretty thrilled to find two other (much nicer) frames for 50 cents each (yay for half price day!)...I love Goodwill!

Making It Pretty
Bring some quality to your art with the little things. Matte for one, a double matte always looks more professional than a single layer. I salvaged a few black and off white mattes to pair with the ones I got from the Goodwill pictures.

Don't stop there! Thrifted frames can often use a little something-something, like spray paint, or super glued bling! *grin* I used a few braces to style the painted vanity in this bathroom, and I wanted to repeat it in another area of the room. I think it would have made an even greater impact with gold braces on a black frame...but since we are going for gold on gold in this bathroom...

With this frame, I sprayed it gold then rubbed it with some gel stain. A final coat of clear protective spray, it was ready for its debut! In the next post I'll share how I turned it into a hair clip holder!

Free Prints
Maybe it's just me, but I seem to have horrible luck when it comes to finding great art. I sift through Etsy, then get scared off by the idea of paying $20+ per print. Not that there aren't rooms I want high quality art in, but let's be realistic...when you crack open some pretty framed print you found for $50 at a home decor store, you might be surprised to find a flimsy piece of paper that has been printed on, and often a matte with a painted rim made to appear that it has been double matted! It gets me every time!
Sometimes you can find lovely prints that are public domain online. I decided for this project to only use prints from a great website called Vintage Printable. Here are links to all the prints I used (and a few I considered)!

Home Printer vs. Professional Printers

You can easily print these pictures from home, but if you don't have a special photo quality printer, you might want to save your ink and take them to your local office store. Of course, it depends on the print... prints with a lot of black or dark colors seem to do better printed from a professional printer, as do prints of photos. However, if you like the muted colors and it is a print of a painting, you might prefer to save your pennies and print from home. I started by printing mine out at home, but took three prints to Staples to preserve the dark hues and get a smoother print.

Testing The Arrangement
I like to hang my frames before deciding which print will go where. Sometimes you get them up there and aren't thrilled with the compilation. Use a little painters tape (or regular tape at the very edge) to see the grouping and figure out what you like.

My first take... I really liked the butterfly, but it didn't make the cut after adding a matte. Two others were also cut, while others where simply moved around until they complimented each other properly.

Some people consider art the icing on the cake, the cherry on top, the finishing touch. Well, I may not be finished with my bathroom makeover, but sometimes the art helps set the style and tone of the space and needs to come just before extra decorative touches.

Project Cost Breakdown

Walmart frames: 3 @ 1.97 ea. = $5.91
Goodwill pictures (frames, mattes, & glass): 5 @ 50 cents ea. = $2.50
Staples prints: 3 @ 49 cents ea. = $1.47 (minus my Staples reward = $0)
3 extra mattes: Salvaged from old photos I already owned and hated = $0

Not too bad for an under $10 project right?

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The Golden Touch...Storage Bowls

Posted by sew4tejhtr6ier Jumat, 25 Oktober 2013 0 komentar

I've always been a brushed chrome girl...until now!
Deciding not to replace the pretty gold fixtures in our upstairs bathroom was the best decision I ever made for that space! Now I'm falling head over heels in love with gold, an affair I may not soon get over.

A month ago I purchased Krylon metallic gold spray paint with the idea to paint these awesome bowls I found at Goodwill for $1 each. I love the orange, but since I'm going for gold accessories for my upstairs bathroom, the orange has to go.

Well, lo' and behold I see the most beautiful image on Pinterest of gold sprayed mugs by Garland of Grace blog *swoon*. I literally yelled out loud "hey I did that too!". I don't usually read tutorials (what with my aversion to directions), but I couldn't peel my eyes away from that tutorial because of the gorgeous photos! I wish I had run across it before I completed my bowls, apparently I made the same set of mistakes she did *giggle*... great minds, and all that...

I have three medium bowls and three small bowls. The three large I taped off to paint the inside (with just a hint of the rim exposed), and the three small I created designs using painters tape before spraying.

When I peeled the tape back after it dried, I got a little bit of a rough edge...so definitely peel it before it has dried completely. I find that I kind of like a little bit of "rough edge", but only slightly... Here's a great little tip I stumbled on 5 bowls later. To get slightly blurred edges, remove the tape before it dries completely, then spray the clear sealant right away. The force of the clear spray causes the edges to "bleed" slightly if the gold paint is heavy and still wet. It makes for a neat effect!

I am looking for pretty ways to store practical things in the bathroom, and I'd say these bowls are it! Nail clippers, hair bands, soap, floss, you name it...

Remember, once you spray the inside of these bowls, they become purely decorative.
Whether you use these decorative bowls as storage in a bathroom space, or in any other space in your home, every home needs a little golden touch!

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How To Stain A Basket

Posted by sew4tejhtr6ier Selasa, 22 Oktober 2013 0 komentar

Are you reading this title asking why in the world you would ever need to stain a basket? Yeah, I know, we typically look for that finished product that already matches all our criteria. Which means our baskets are already perfectly stained.
Well I have been looking for the perfect small basket that will match the large dark stained ones I found for my upstairs bathroom, but to no avail! Then it occurred to me, why limit my search by looking for the perfect shade when I can create that shade myself?

After my "oh duhh" moment I realized that I already owned the perfect baskets for the job...and while I love the beautiful bleach tint, I needed these baskets to blend with the dark shades I had already chosen for my bathroom space.

So when you want to pinch those extra pennies, look around your house at what you already own, or perhaps feel more free to search the thrift stores and craft store deals for that perfect shape and texture, knowing that you may be able to tweak the stain. Look for baskets without a hardened enamel-like coating, and haven't already been painted...these are not ideal for staining (although not impossible). Consider painting these types of baskets, or giving them a good sanding before staining. Your ideal baskets are those with a textured or grass-like material, these absorb stain without any prep work.

Materials

Gel stain
Small - medium paint brush
Rag
Disposable gloves
Wipe-on polyurethane

Make sure you have adequate ventilation for this project. While the staining only took me 8 minutes per basket, this project takes several days for the stain and finish to set, so find a covered outdoor space or garage where you will have good ventilation, and you can leave your baskets to dry multiple nights.

Step 1. Use a cheap stiff bristled paint brush to apply the stain. A rag won't do it...you will definitely need that paint brush to get in all the cross-over grooves, just use a dabbing action to punch stain into the grooves. Be sure to use a brush you can throw away when you are done.

Step 2. Use a rag to wipe off the excess stain. Getting the desired tint or shade all depends on how much you apply, how long you leave it, and how much of the stain you wipe off.
After applying and wiping off the excess stain on all sides (including the inside), and you are satisfied with the results, allow it to dry for 12 hours.

Step 3. Finally seal your stain using a wipe on polyurethane. I used a thin coat of Minwax clear gloss wipe-on poly. You only need one thin coat of poly wiped on with a rag. Allow it to set for at least 72 hours before using it. Then enjoy your perfectly stained basket!

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Unexpected Art

Posted by sew4tejhtr6ier Kamis, 19 September 2013 0 komentar

So, what do you think of this coat closet makeover so far?
A new closet layout, check! Flipped storage shelves, check! Organized space...almost check. During this closet makeover I admit I am a bit distracted. Typically I love simple and streamlined, but something about the style of this closet keeps drawing me to indulge just a touch of eclecticism. I could finish organizing it now, and call it a day...but where would the fun be in that?

I adore art walls. Period. So sue me if I dream of having them all over my house one day, yes even in unexpected places!
*giggle* First I tried to justify my desire to hang art in a closet with a closed door. Then I tried to talk myself out of such a crazy idea. Then came the acceptance, I like it so I'm doing it.

These walls just felt bare to me, so why not dress it with all those odd end frames I had? And I do mean odd end. You know those framed pictures people give you for Christmas or your birthday, the one here or one there that doesn't match any other frame you have. Yeah. Time to somehow use those guys.
In order to bring some continuity I spray painted a few frames. But only a few... I want this art wall to be a bit quirky and eclectic, rather than too matchy matchy.

The tricky part was finding art. I'm not looking for this to be an expensive high quality art wall, so a few printed pieces of Microsoft Clip Art, and maybe a couple of my vacation photos will help get the job done. These were printed onto paper stock, and I was impressed with quality of the prints considering I printed them at 300dpi rather than the highest available dots per inch. Gee, don't you just love this stopwatch clip art?

My husband doesn't understand art. He says there is no point of having pictures of anything besides family. Oh well, I'm the daughter of an artist, what can I say? But to do something that will please the hubs, I thought this would be a good space to throw in some black and white prints of the kids, their aunties, uncles, and grandparents. He'll probably look at me like I'm crazy for putting it in the coat closet, but at least I got family pictures in! *hee hee*

About halfway through framing and hanging art I ran out of ideas but still had bare space to fill. Time to kick the creativity into high gear. When nice photographs fail you, it doesn't hurt to branch out to other ideas.
I left the glass off this piece and fastened a letter opener that seems to mean something to my husband.

This old frame had no backing, and yes, I did just stick a hanging tag on the glass with some double sided tape. Yep, I did that. *truly "laughing out loud"* I love how you can do just about anything and get away with it as long as it is artistic and you love it. Call it my ode to labels, because I do love labels!

Bare walls no more! Finally I feel like my coat closet is dressed. An unusual place to sport your art, perhaps...but we open those doors two times a day, and every time I feel pleasure as my eye catches all the details, even in a moment.

Now I have no excuse, I can get back to organizing this closet. After all, it has to function beautifully, not just be another pretty face. *grin*

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Easy DIY Painted Bottles

Posted by sew4tejhtr6ier Senin, 19 Agustus 2013 0 komentar

You know how much I love to reuse old jars. I use empty jars as storage in my office, in my bedroom, in my bathroom, and now in my daughter's bedroom!
After seeing how beautiful painted jars can be on Pinterest I whipped out my own paints and (true to Ursula style) began experimenting before reading the how. Lucky for me, this is kind of a dummy proof project! *chuckle* Now, you should know that I read more about it after-the-fact, and there are some differences...but in this case I'm happy with my head-first results, it was quick and easy, and created a tough enough finish to withstand my daughter's rough ways (that means no scratched paint!).
I'll show you how I did it (because you are smarter than me and read all the how-to's before jumping in head first...right?).

Here's what you'll need:

Pretty Glass Jars
Acrylic Paints
Paint Brush
Clear Protective Enamel Spray Paint

Start by making sure your jars are squeaky clean.

Next you need paint. Acrylic paints to be exact. For this project I used magenta tube paint leftovers from my artist dad, and mixed in an acrylic purchased for $2 from the art/fabric section of Walmart.

I confess that there was absolutely no skill to this. I just squirted the two paints into the bottom of the jar and mixed with a paint brush until I got the hue I was looking for.

Use your paint brush to drag the paint up the inside edges of the jar. Use enough paint to layer it on thickly so there aren't many brush strokes. You will see brush strokes from the inside, but judge your work from the outside...that's where it counts! Allow any remaining paint to swirl around jar covering lightly painted areas.

Each of my jars is a different ratio of the same two paint colors creating different hues. Allow them to dry (upside down to drip excess paint) overnight, and seal with a coat of clear enamel spray paint.