Fun Heart and Arrow Project

Bonjour Mes Amis!

Hope you all had a great week.

I know what you must be wondering, 

"Why oh why is this girl rushing ahead to Valentine's Day already?!"

Well, if you are one who creates, then you probably like to plan ahead a bit.

I know some of you even plan and create Christmas projects in July!

Well, I am not nearly that organized!

But, since DecoArt was requesting Valentine's themed projects, I just couldn't resist creating this stacked heart and arrow!

 I had so much fun with this project, and couldn't resist adding a bit of my signature glitter!

My color palette was white along with pretty shades of pink.

 Just for fun, I decided to add a white polka dot border to the middle heart.

 I found this adorable white grosgrain ribbon with little gold arrows, which I thought was the perfect embellishment for my hearts!

 I should back up a bit by saying that the hearts started out as unfinished wood pieces.

 Same with the arrows.  I also found a really neat dimensional metal arrow that I added.

 Here's a little tip if you want to paint polka dots.  Just take the eraser end of a pencil and dip it in a bit of your paint to create dots.  Dip each time you make a new dot, and viola!

Fun and cheerful, easy-peasy polka dots!!

 I had the best time creating this project for DecoArt!

I hope it inspires you to make something too!

Thanks so much for stopping by, your visits and comments mean alot to me:)

Faux Mercury Glass Ornament Project

Hi everyone!

Today I wanted to share with you my latest project which I just completed for DecoArt, faux mercury glass Christmas ornaments.  I know, it's not even Thanksgiving yet!  But for those of us who craft and create, we need to get a jump start on the season, right?!

So, here is what I came up with............

 Do love mercury glass as much as I do?

I just adore it and can't seem to get enough of it!

So, I decided to create these using plain ol' clear plastic ornaments!

Yep, I used plastic!   While I would rather have glass ornaments, I didn't want to worry about breakage if I were to ship these. So after much debate, I went with the plastic (you can easily find them at Hobby Lobby or Michael's).

For my project, I wanted to make a coordinating storage box.  Something that would not only be a convenient place to store the ornaments after the holidays, but would be a pretty addition to Christmas decor.

 I decided on a French theme, all dusted with plenty of glitter!

(still holding Paris close to my thoughts and prayers.)

I sat up my little faux tree in our sunroom for the photo shoot. 

Making the ornaments was a bit of a process. But thru trial and error, and more than a bit of lack of patience, (I might have tossed out a few 4 letter words, gasp!), I finally got the look I was going for!

 First, you spray a fine mist of water into the insides of each ornament.

 Squirt in a bit of metallic silver paint...............

 Sprinkle in a generous amount of fine silver glitter (I know, you are shocked by that, right?!)

Then swirl it around in the ball.

 Place them upside down in disposable cups overnight.

If you are like me, you can't stand the thought of wasting anything!

Don't worry, you can reuse the excess paint for another project if you wish!

I was really liking the look so far.

But, the next day, not so much!

 More of the paint drained out than I had expected, and I just wasn't happy with how things were looking.

 So, a bit of brainstorming, and I decided to swirl in some more silver paint, along with just a few squirts of black to give more depth and again.

 Ahhh, just what I was going for!

I repeated the steps a few times, letting the excess paint drain out overnight.

It took quite awhile for the paint to totally dry inside.

 Then I could begin decoupaging them!

I found my images on Pinterest, as well as the Graphic's Fairy.

Those pretty butterflies are from the premium membership that I bought from the Graphic's Fairy (love!!).

 And surprise, more glitter was added!

 I tied narrow silver ribbon to the caps, and must say I am really happy with the end result!

Finally!!

 Who would guess that these are just plastic?

This sweet little angel, above it one of my very favorites!

 I bought a large paper mache box, which I painted with chalky finish paint.

Then I decoupaged the sides and lid with my French graphics, and dusted with more glitter.

Pretty creamy cotton lace trim was added to the lid as a final touch.

Here is one more look..........

Hope this enspires you to create something fun and glittery!

Fun Glittered Tag Project

Bonjour Mes Amis!

Hope your week has been a great one so far.

For me, any day that involves glitter, vintage images, and decoupage is a great day!

So with that, I thought I'd share with you a few vintage inspired tags that I just created.

I began with some extra thick and heavy chipboard.  Actually it came from vintage picture frames that I picked up while thrifting. Since I didn't need the backings any more, I put them in my crafting stash.  I never throw stuff like that away, as it's just full of crafting potential!

 Then the really fun part began!  I pulled out my stash of lace trims, tiny buttons both vintage and newer, rhinestones, and bits of this and that.

Throw in some Mod Podge, glitter and copies of gorgeous vintage images, and 

viola!!

 I had so much fun creating these tags.  I like to keep them on hand to give as little gifts.

Wouldn't they be pretty hung from a door knob, or added to a wrapped present as a gift within a gift?

And I think they would be gorgeous hanging on the Christmas tree, too! 

I started by decoupaging vintage looking sheet music to the chipboard, which is actually decoupage paper.

The images of the beautiful women are from the Graphics Fairy. Aren't they beautiful?

For the tag below, I added this adorable glittery cut out of a birdcage, that I had in my stash for quite some time.  Love!

 To the bottom of each tag, I hot glued on pretty lacy trim and buttons.

 I then pulled out my vintage Children's dictionary and cut out various definitions, which I mounted on thinner chipboard.  No worries, the book is not valuable or anything!  I bought it for a buck at our libraries used book sale, just for the purpose of crafting.  I never would tear up a valuable book!

 Oh, the women are mounted on chipboard, too.

 I had these fun little keys in my stash, just waiting for the perfect project!

I added thin wire for hangers, leaving it a bit crinkled just for fun.
Then I tied to the wire gorgeous pale pink hand torn silk ribbon.

 Rhinestones add even more bling!

 I had so much fun with this project, I can't wait to create some more!

 The best thing is that I already had everything on hand.

Hope this inspired you to create something with what you already have sitting around!

Painting, Stenciling and Glittering!

Bonjour Mes Amis!

To me a perfect day involves just what you see in the title of this post! Add in plenty of cold Diet Coke, a decoupage project, and a glass of Pinot Grigio (or two!) at night, and I am a happy camper!

So with that, I thought I'd share with you a few of my recent projects.

 I just love finding trays to transform, and have made over quite a few in the past few years.

So when I found this one recently, I was super excited!

Well, not so excited at the "before", below!

While I am sure that whoever painted the fruit on it thought it was a masterpiece, I couldn't wait to get home and begin the makeover!

I am quite particular with the trays that I purchase to redo.  Often I will find them made of very flippy, flimsy balsa wood.  I don't even bother with those!  What I do look for are those that are sturdy, have a nice weight to them, and are very well constructed.  If they have neat handles on such as this tray, it is even more of a score!

 So, I ended up painting it a creamy taupe chalk paint, then added one of my favorite French patisserie stencils, from DecoArt.  I must say I am happy with her new look!

I've put this puppy in my Etsy shop if you care to take a peek!

 In these photos, you will notice my little collection 

(three or more of anything constitutes a collection, right?)

of vintage demi John's.  I just love them and have them on display in our kitchen.  I've found them at yard sales, though not nearly as often as I would like!  The one on the left is my recent score, at only $2!!

 Moving on, I wanted to share with you a custom order that I just completed, for an Etsy customer who was decorating her baby girl's nursery.

To me, it is such a thrill to play a little part in someone's lives like that.

Or when I know that my work is being used at someone's wedding or shower.

Anyway, she was looking for open back ornate frames (and you know how I love ornate anything!!).

I lucked out and found these vintage beauties, which were all actually "gaudy gold" when I discovered them at an antique mall.

 I've painted them vibrant aqua, and the largest one white, some of the colors she is using in her nursery.

 Love!

 She also commissioned one of my stenciled crates in the same color.

I love painting and stenciling crates for my shop!

 And another favorite was this sweet large oval framed "S", for her daughter's first name.

Look closely, and you will see that the letter is covered in fine silver glitter 

(you can never have too much glitter!).

Fine creamy lace and silk flowers add a feminine touch.

 I had so much fun creating it!

 Ok, one last thing to share.

This is the "before" of a sweet little petite chest, which I am currently working on for 

DecoArt.  I've got great plans for her, which involves, you guessed it, paint, stenciling, and decoupaging.

 It's not vintage, but I did find her at the same antique/consignment shop that I purchased the frames at.

I'll be sure to share her reveal to you in a future post!

Au revior!