Meet: Anu from Nalle’s House.
Anu is sharing a few links to a two part DIY modern art project she created for her living room today.
Part 1: DIY framed merrimeko art
Part 2: DIY Number Art
These projects were super simple and the black and white make a big impact in her lovely living rooms…
What’s on display in your living room?
There is a lot more DIY to see over at Nalle’s House. Go ahead, stop by and check out all of her DIY projects and home tour.
It’s March! And that means spring is right around the corner I hope. Even though I’m looking at snow flurries, a little spring decorating is in order. I’m impatiently waiting and well, why not prepare to welcome spring when it arrives? A new DIY spring sign always gets motivated to decorate and a catchy spring phrase reminds me it’s almost time to celebrate warmer weather and longer days!
Spring Flight
-Eileen Granfors
For this project, I gathered
Since I had messed up the canvas with a previous DIY fail (yes, it happens!), I gave it a coat of soft blue acrylic paint to cover up my error to create a blank slate. The texture of the failed project shows through a bit, but imperfection is charm and a little texture isn’t such a bad thing. 🙂
I created my spring stencil using the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition software which allows me to select fonts, sizes and shapes to create a stencil template. Then simply ‘send’ to cut…
Since I’m using my vinyl as a stencil, I removed all of the letters (these can also be saved to use in the same was as stickers or transferred directly to wood or glass as a vinyl transfer).
Use transfer paper over top of the stencil to transfer the vinyl stencil to the canvas. Rub into place and peel away the transfer paper.
It’s not quite that simple. Vinyl doesn’t stick so well to canvas, so it takes a lot of patience. Go slow.
The stencil is all ready to go.
I filled in my lettering with white acrylic craft paint. Since the vinyl does not have a great seal, I’m using my stencil as a guide and filling in the letters with a little bit of paint on the brush, pressing down the vinyl as I work on each individual letter. Slopping it on, will get under the vinyl.
Next, I carefully removed the vinyl stencil as soon as I finished painting and let my canvas dry.
Then just collected some of my favorite spring-y decor and created a vignette around my DIY spring sign as a focal point. Good bye winter blues!
Hello spring!
Silhouette America is running a crazy spring special you won’t want to miss! Just use the code “SHOWOFF” at checkout {affiliate link} now through March 8th to take advantage of the discount prices.
I’m ready for spring, all ready! How about you? Open up those drapes, let the light in and decorate!
Looking for more spring ideas?
Joining the Easter Crafts & Spring Link Party at HoneyBearLane.
The Countdown to Spring party is underway.
and being hosted by MaryAnn from Domestically Speaking this week with her gorgeous spring-inspiring mantel. Here’s a sneak peek…
Check it out!
DIY Chevron Reindeer Games Sign
It’s officially time for Christmas decorating in our home! I know! By blogging standards, I’m late to the game. With a family room makeover in progress, it’s at a point where plans for completion can be put on hold until after the holidays and I can still decorate that room to be pretty once I put away the ladder and some tools. I really loved the chevron garden sign I made for summer {here}. I decided I wanted to create a fun colorful Christmas sign incorporating some of the fun colors in the fabric I chose for the curtains.
Remember the tabletop I replaced on the kitchen bar for the apartment? {If not, you can see my post on my DIY wood plank kitchen bar top.} Time to recycle it! I knew it’d be a great material for a DIY sign one of these days. Tabletop to holiday decoration. Why not? To prep for making a sign, I scuffed up the finish with sandpaper and gave it a coat of left over teal paint and let it dry. I’ll call it my “canvas”.
This is what the top looked like before:
Tips for creating a chevron pattern using FrogTape:
It’s hard to explain how to create a chevron pattern words/pictures {next time I’ll do a video} but some tips:
My first row is measured. 5″ strips of FrogTape.
Depending on how it would line up, I creased the edges of the tape (non-sticky side) to create a line for cutting.
Cut on fold.
I placed the angled side on my center pencil line and cut the bottom flush with the bottom of the canvas and smoothed it into place.
I drew vertical lines with my pencil from the peaks and “v’s” of my first chevron row.
Once my first line was in place, I used a piece of FrogTape for spacing, I worked from the center out by placing another longer piece of tape angled from the center pencil line down to the right pencil line.
Then I pulled up a corner and folded it on the pencil line so I would know where to cut. Most of the time, the pencil transferred to the sticky side of the tape, creating a cutting guide.
I repeated those steps until I reached the top and finished.
I used pink and white craft paint to add more color.
My plan was to paint the blue area showing green and peel away the FrogTape, but I decided to keep the FrogTape in place. {Paint colors: Benjamin Moore Pacific, DecoArt Pretty in Pink “Hope Pink” and Americana Warm White, Green is FrogTape}
Using my Silhouette Cameo, I chose a reindeer from the online store and my Cameo cut it out {brown vinyl}. I created my letters for “Reindeer Games December 25th” using the software and chose the premium dark red vinyl and LDI Fancy Font. I peeled away the negative vinyl (the parts that are not the design) and applied my transfer paper. I made sure the transfer paper was secure by rubbing with a credit card.
Peel away the backing {the vinyl is transferred to the tacky transfer paper} and place on canvas. Rub the design with a credit card to get it to stick and peel away the transfer paper. In my case, all of the design wasn’t transferring, so I had to be careful and some of my reindeer was applied just as I would a sticker.
I followed the same steps for my lettering, however, knowing that the transfer paper was tricky for my project, I chose to use Delicate Surface FrogTape (the yellow tape) to help transfer my letters. This worked a little easier than applying by hand like stickers and kept my lettering evenly spaced and level.
I haven’t had time yet, but since I have FrogTape and vinyl on my sign, I’m going to seal everything with a coat or two of ModPodge. Ta-da!
Non-traditional. Colorful. Fun. I love it. It fits in perfectly with my eclectic colorful family room.
What do you think? I just sort of quickly staged for photos so I could share this today. I’ll be re-arranging, re-decorating. In fact, this mantel is even moving to another wall. More on the family room renovation and Christmas decorating coming soon.
I will attach a saw tooth hanger to the back and hang and rearrange but…I wanted to get this done to share and to tell you something important:
*I was not compensated for my review but I did receive vinyl and I participate in the Silhouette America affiliate program and will earn a percentage of sales when you use the code “SHOWOFF” for your purchase. This is a sponsored post brought to you by FrogTape. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience. Results may vary.
Party time:
