My Creative Blog [Search results for art] 

While looking for fun, free art for my new gallery wall, I discovered a few great places to print beautiful art, typography and even maps! And I just couldn't keep all the goods from you, so get your pen and paper ready (oh, wait, does anybody do that anymore? Get your Pinterest pinner ready, then!), for some awesome, free stuff!
1. Sprik Space

I mentioned that I printed off these two adorable prints from Sprik Space for my gallery wall, but these aren't the only ones Aimee has! Be sure to go on over and take a look at her super cute printables- and tell her we sent you.
2. The Graphics Fairy

Ok, admittedly, you have to do some digging on this site to find the hidden gems like this vintage french label, or this gorgeous peacock print. But luckily, all the printables are categorized, so if you know what you're looking for, you're in luck!
3. Feed Your Soul: The Free Art Project

I think this site is my favorite yet for free printable art. Don't ask me why I put it third on my list- it's late and I'm tired, so leave me alone.; ) The art is quirky and clever and definitely a touch modern. They have a few prints that would be perfect for a nursery or children's room, but I would put a whole bunch of them up in my house. Listen to what Jane says her reason for starting this site is: "I love art and I know you do too. I also know that when people start to tighten up the purse strings they tend not spend money on things that aren’t necessary for survival, things like books, magazines and art. But, art is important for your soul. It helps rejuvenate, it’s thought-provoking, offers inspiration and can generally brighten an otherwise dreary day among other things." Well said, Jane, and we thank you from the bottom of our art-loving hearts.
4. New York City Public Library

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Did you know that the New York Public Library has a digital gallery of over 700,000 images taken from their vast collections? I found this old print of Pennsylvania from 1830 with just a simple search.Browse to your heart's content and I'm sure you'll find a inspiration for art.
5. Leanne's Printable Quotes

This is not a site that regularly features free printables (at least not to my knowledge), but in this post there are several simple designs that would make great cards (for Valentine's Day, maybe?), art prints, or anything else you can think of.
Where's your favorite place to get free printables? I shared mine with you- now it's your turn!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I can't stop looking at the Hymn & Folk Song collection by Red Letter Words! Today I'm smitten with this:

I sing this regularly to my kids and so it these prints make me happy. I love the set of three prints- something a bit different than the norm!

I recognize that DIY art projects are not for everyone. My love for custom art was born out of necessity (read: lack of funds). Creating my own artwork works for me, and I've found out why:
1. I don't worry about ruining something I already have. With the exception of a few things, everything I own was bought second-hand or for a low price. I don't fear repurposing things, because the originals cost me almost nothing!
2. I am not afraid of change. Actually, I crave it.

3. I am not a perfectionist. Little imperfections in my art/craft projects are endearing to me. They say"I was handmade, and therefore may be flawed, but a lot of thought and care went into making me". I'm not saying perfectionists can't create art (because I'm sure most real artists are perfectionists), it's just easier for me to say this picture is"good enough", than someone who wants everything to be perfect.
Ok, that's that. Recently I bought a yard of fabric for a project (stay tuned for more on that!) that I fell in love with. I ended up having some extra fabric left over that I wanted to use somewhere- anywhere!- in my house. I was feeling inspired by a gift bag in which my husband had wrapped my birthday present. I decided to combine my fabulous fabric, the cute bird, old frames, and some patterned scrapbooking paper into one art project!

First, I started with the bird stencil (the bag had a 3D bird on it, so I just ripped it off to use as a stencil). I laid it onto the back of the fabric in the opposite direction I wanted it to face, and then traced it. After that, I carefully cut along the line, flipped it over, and then mounted it to the scrapbook paper, using regular, old tape!

My husband insisted that this poor bird needed legs, so I drew two legs freehand and cut them out of the fabric, as well. Then I put the whole thing together and…

Voila!

I used the same method with my second art piece, but used the fabric as the background and the scrapbooking paper as the bird. I didn't have a smaller stencil, so I again, I freehanded the bird.

Then I had Kevin hang them on an empty wall in our living room. (I promise that these two pictures are level, it's just a wierd angle)

I love the way the pictures look as I enter the living room, and that I can see them from my kitchen table. Makes that room feel one step closer to completion, or until I'm ready to redo the entire room again for the third time.: ) I may not keep these pictures forever, but for now, they are a cheap solution. Below are some images from a few other bloggers of artwork they created using what they had on hand, or a few inexpensive items they purchased. Click on link under the image for specific instructions on how they made these beautiful pieces of art.

The Nester
The Nester simply scoured her home for items that would look good grouped together in a frame. This could easily be done finding stuff on a hike out in the woods, or on a trip to the beach.

Martha Stewart
These prints were made using memorabilia from trips (like tickets, maps, postcards etc) that were blown up and then framed.

Ashley Ann Photography This is not everyone's style, but these two canvas prints were made for a nursery, and were created using a canvas, scrapbook paper, mod podge (amazing stuff!), and a little paint. Adorable and easy!

Isabella & Max
This look is much more sophisticated and elegant. This piece of art hung above the couch was made using a canvas, paint and a few different paint brushes, and nail heads. My sister who regularly tells us that she is not creative, painted three canvases in varying shades of colors that now hang above her fireplace, that are similar to this one.

Since we have a little time off before our next episode (the last episode before baby arrives!), I've been spending some time getting the nursery ready. It's funny- this pregnancy has flown by and up until now, I haven't even begun to prepare for it! Of course, we always try to redecorate rooms on the cheap and one of my favorite ways to do this is by using free printables. And I wouldn't be a good blog friend if I didn't share my absolute fav finds with you! So, here are 12 of the most adorable, trendy and fun printables I could find.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Let's get this party started!

1. Ooh Moon 2. Balancing Home
So, this first Noah's Ark print is so stinkin' cute! Ooh Moon is really cool because you can sign up for an alert when a new printable is available and you have 24 hours to print it out. The Love Shines Here print would fit equally as well in a kitchen or playroom as in a nursery!

3. Feed Your Soul 4. Balancing Home
Feed Your Soul is a free art program that has real artists contribute original prints that are downloadable and printable. There are tons of fun options, so make sure you browse around to find your favorite! This Blast Off print is simple and fun and perfect for a little boy's room.

5. The DIY Village 6. Feed Your Soul
Matt and Jacque from the DIY Village are gearing up for the arrival of their first child and created this simple printable that speaks volumes. I love that you can customize it by coloring it in to match your room decor! Number 6 is another Feed Your Soul masterpiece (Pretty sure you'll see this one in a gallery wall in my baby's room!)

7. Trendy Peas 8. I Rock So What
Ummm, I'm sorry, but isn't that fox the cutest little thing? I don't know if you remember, but I mentioned that I was really hoping to incorporate forest animals, namely sneaky little foxes, in our baby's nursery, so I was thrilled to find this printable! And you can't go wrong with this whale printable- it would look especially perfect in a nautical room of any kind.

9. Tried and True 10. Eighteen Twenty-Five
Watercolor prints are in so in right now, and this World Smiled print incorporates that trend a bit. I absolutely love the sentiment, because doesn't every parent feel that way about their baby?! Leave it to Eighteen Twenty-Five to come up with a graphic printable in about a million pretty colors. They have tons of subway art printables too, so snoop around a bit when you hop over there.

11. On To Baby I'm a big fan of any printable that you can customize and so this monogram print that comes in a bunch of colors is right up my alley. We're not revealing any baby names yet (not that we've settled on one or anything!), so you'll have to just wait until our nursery reveal to see what we chose.: )

12. I Rock So What

This.is.truth. The end.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And for those of you who are willing to shell out a couple bucks, I found these too-sweet-to-pass-up printables on Etsy. While these aren't free, they're all less than $10 each, so you're still getting a pretty darn good bargain!

1. Bon Temps Beignet

2. Printable Wisdom

3. Prints and Printables

Again with the foxes! Love, love, love this set of 3.

4. Plum Street Prints

Plum Street Prints had so many fabulous printables that I had trouble choosing just one to showcase! For some reason, I am really drawn to the simple designs these days.

Well, that's about it. Now I just have the difficult job of choosing which ones to print and hang in the baby's room. Where are your go-to sources for free printables? Do share!!

W hen I was a Music/Art major in college, I visited a home with the most amazing collection of original art work. The home inspired me because the people who lived there were not wealthy by any means. In fact, you could probably call them 'starving artists.'
Nevertheless, they had an amazing collection that included paintings by well-known regional artists as well as unsigned paintings found at tag sales.
It was a collection that they had been working on for many years and it was a collection they acquired passionately. And it showed. Their house breathed a wonderful sense of vitality because of it.
My collection of paintings has been greatly inspired by them. Here are a few of my favorites.

18 x 14
I bought this Eric Jacobsen painting, unframed, at a fundraiser for our local art gallery. Months later, I happened to find an antique frame that fit it perfectly (see this post ). The painting in the first photo was also purchased at the same fundraiser, and is by the same artist. I found an antique frame ($15) that happened to fit it as well.

15 x 18
This still life was purchased at Matthews Gallery in Portland. I had taken the owner a few paintings for him to appraise, and ended up trading them for this piece.

18 x 23
This piece is a reproduction of the The Torn Hat by Thomas Sully. It's signed by a well-known Seattle artist. I purchased it for $60. I found an old wood frame for $20 and had it cut down to fit the piece for another $20.

28 x 15
This is one of my favorite pieces. I love the companionship of the horses. It was a rare find in that the original frame was in pristine condition. I paid $120. Margaret and Graham have taken a liking to this one too!

9 x 13

13 x 9
A few years ago, an artist friend of mine allowed me to raid her seconds bin in her art studio. This pair of landscapes paired nicely with these antique Victorian frames ($45 each).

26 x 19
This piece is one of the largest pieces I've acquired. The frame drew me in as it's a beautiful chunky gold frame with clean lines and a wide profile. I knew the frame alone was worth the cost of the painting — $225.

17 x 22
I did a post on her here. I found this portrait unframed for $44. When I got home, I was thrilled that she happened to fit into this antique floral frame I had picked up several months prior ($20). My friend Steve described the frame poignantly as a beautiful 'dress' for her.

13 x 11
This is done by a local artist, Cathleen Rehfeld. Cathleen's work lovingly captures the essence of the landscape in our region. I bought it unframed and paired it with an antique frame I had cut down to size by a frame restorationist for $100.

16 x 13
This lone oak is by the same artist. I had this frame cut down as well.
As you can see, I'm especially drawn to landscapes and portraits. And I love finding beautiful antique paintings, but I also collect new art that offers that classic Hudson Valley School aesthetic.
I look forward to continuing to grow our collection. The vibrancy of the art is one of the reasons I'm so drawn to having white walls in our home. I love the way the neutral wall contrasts with the brilliance of the gold frames and the lovely imagery of the paintings.

Tracie from Cleverly Inspired is a blog rockstar, in our opinion. Not only is her blog fabulous, she is effortlessly beautiful and stylish, which we got to see firsthand when we met her at Haven in June. She has been super supportive of us from the get-go, and offers such sweet encouragement to us. Plus, she has great taste! Just check out the office makeover she did for her husband:

Please give her a big EC2 welcome and show her some love!
Hello there East Coast Creative readers! I am thrilled to be here today!! I was so excited when Monica and Jess asked me to share a project with you. It was a joy to meet them at Haven this summer! They are creative clever girls! My name is Tracie and I am author of CleverlyInspired. I share all sorts of projects, crafts and recipes to help you be clever in your own home. I hope you can stop by and see me sometime!

Back when I was making over the peanut’s room… I found this old art in our storage room. It was a piece that was rather outdated… but I had a feeling I could repurpose it somehow… just wasn’t sure what it would become. The artwork and frame was one piece. The art was actually painted on a thin piece of wood or veneer… so it was nice and smooth. My wheels started turning… :)

The first thing I did was tape off the edges and spray half of the artwork with chalkboard paint. I did 2 coats and let it dry according to the directions. When it has cured… you take the side of a piece of chalk and “season” the chalkboard. Erase… now it’s ready to use!

For the other side… I used some tacky glue and adhered some cork. I bought a 4 pack of cork at Wal-Mart. Get the pieces as close to each other as possible. Place some books on top and let it dry. Then… take some favorite fabric and use spray adhesive to adhere the fabric to the cork. I cut my fabric with pinking shears so that the edges were pretty; )

Finish off the edges with some trim… if you choose to.

There you have it! Custom bulletin board/chalkboard… on the cheap! Now go look for some really outdated art and make it sing again! Thanks again for having me visit!! I would love for you to come by CleverlyInspired to see me!! Here are a few past popular post (say that 10 times fast!)

Cinnamon Toast Muffins

Garage Sale frame Twig Art

Girls bedroom becomes office
Ok, everyone, go ahead out to your local thrift store and pick up some framed artwork! You have a project to do!: ) Thanks so much, Tracie!

We were really lucky to have had two major statement art pieces in our most recent Nate Show thrift store room makeover. Monica posted yesterday about the roofing material art using our Royal Design Studio stencil that I was absolutely 100% sure would be a fail confident would turn out amazing. Really, they were just so cool. But our other major piece of art was super easy and looked amazing above our dresser turned buffet.

If you see a big frame, BUY IT! There are so many things you can do with them, and large frames are hard to come by, for sure. We couldn't believe our good luck when we came across this huge frame at Liberty Thrift Store. At 25 bucks, it was definitely a splurge, but a frame this size would cost you 3 times that much (or more) at Michael's, and we knew it would help fill the empty wall space in our on-set white room. This is what it looked like at the store:

Eeeek!That thing was begging us to take it home and cover it up with fabric. I honestly can not EVER imagine hanging this scene up in my home (no offense to any of you who have something similar hanging on your walls!).

We purchased the fabric at Joann's because, well, we loved it, but also because it played nicely off of that mustard yellow couch (which, quite honestly, we hated! But you work with what you have and it was the best option at the thrift store that day.) This project took a little more than a yard of fabric, spray adhesive, spray paint, stain, hot glue and craft paper. We also came across three of the same kind of frame, which we immediately snatched up so no one else could get their hands on them. I mean that literally. Another tip: if you find three frames that are exactly the same, BUY THEM! You won't be sorry. And make sure you look past their color, and the picture in the frame- that can all be easily changed!

We started out by removing the picture and staining the frame a dark walnut. While that dried, we cut the fabric so there was about an inch or a little more extra all the way around. Then we sprayed the entire front of the existing picture with spray adhesive and gently laid the fabric down, making sure to smooth out the bubbles/wrinkles. If you're trying this with a frame, be sure to have an extra set of hands- it makes it so much easier! The extra fabric was stapled on the back side of the picture. In the meantime, we spraypainted the small frames in the same high gloss navy that we used on the dresser.

We were able to salvage the mats from the old pictures in the small frames, which saved us loads of time. Woohoo for the small things! We then lined the back of the mats with craft paper so that we'd have a nice solid background to highlight our antique skeleton keys.

I messed around with the layout of the keys for a loooooong time a few minutes before I settled on the perfect layout. Speaking of the keys…

…aren't they awesome? We actually had these keys from a previous shopping excursion at Architectural Antiques and were thrilled to use them in this project. They added so much character to this somewhat modern piece of art! Architectural Antiques is just one of the best places to find cool, old stuff in Bucks County. (If you're local, you HAVE to go there.)

From salvaged windows and doors, to old hardware and keys, to antique mantels and loads more, they have some incredible stuff! Anyway, we mounted the keys using our trusty hot glue done and voila! She was finished.

Pretty sweet, right? We sure think so! (And so did Nate!; )

*** Did you know that we share lots of other cool ideas over on our Facebook page? It's like little snippets of RHBC to get you through your day! So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and like us, we're going to post lots more Nate Show pics there later today!

I don't know about you, but for me, decorating is such a process. I am not one of those people who can pull a room together in one day. The design for a room sort of evolves over time in my house, because- let's be honest- I change my mind A LOT. We also watch our wallet pretty closely, so sometimes, I'll do something in a room using stuff we have on hand, or something I purchased inexpensively, just because it's costs less. Such is the case with our dining room. I've been trying to figure out what to do over my buffet, and think (fingers crossed!) I've come up with a pretty good solution.

A few weeks ago, I shared with you how I created the perfect picture grid above the buffet, but then admitted at the end of the post that this option wasn't staying. Hehe. I already had these frames and thought they might work in the dining room, but alas, it just didn't capture the feel I was going for. I definitely don't want a formal, stuffy room, but I want it to feel more adult-like. Don't get me wrong- I love having pictures of my cute family plastered on my walls, but this just isn't the spot for it.

So, I went back to the drawing board.

Shaunna recommended this lovely piece of art in her inspiration board for my dining room, however, at that time it was on sale at Joss & Main, but now I can no longer find it! I loved the movement of the piece and thought maybe I could try to recreate it. Then I remembered this post about DIY Marbled Paper Boxes by Centsational Girl, and was inspired to give the inexpensive paper option a try!

I ordered two sheets of Pirouette Marbled Paper from Paper Mojo. I was so stinkin' excited like a giddy school girl mildly enthused as a proper lady when I got the package in the mail. Each sheet is 2 feet by 3 feet, and is extremely thin and lightweight. They're marbled by hand and the detail and texture is just amazing. Right away, though, I thought they might be a little too pink, but when I framed it with an oversized frame and mat from Ikea, the pink wasn't screaming at me anymore.(Thank goodness.) 

I am loving the pop of color it brings to my dining room. It's different than anything else I have, surprising and so much fun. 

Just for the heck of it, I threw a lamp and some accessories up on the buffet to see if I liked it. These guys aren't staying, but they gave me a good idea of what it will look like all finished. Yes, it's official, I like it. (And before you ask: I do know I need hardware on the buffet. I'm hoping to find the perfect pulls soon!)

But wait, I'm not finished there. Monica and I are working with the incredibly talented Brad, of Lucent Lampworks, and he's creating two custom cage light sconces for either side of the art piece. To help you (and me!) envision it, here's a rough mock-up of what they'll look like. (These lights are not the exact ones I'm getting, but are close enough to help get the idea.)

 Speaking of lighting, Brad is also using this shade to create an awesome large pendant light for above the dining room table. Can.Not.Wait.

So, what do you think of marbled paper? Have you ever thought of using paper (of any kind) as art?

domino

via bijou and boheme

via head over heels
I do like art walls, but I really like the effect of a vertical row of art. My favorite antique dealers/friends recently featured two modern art pieces stacked one on top of another with an antique starburst mirror at the top. All of this was over a mantel. Heaven....

We love a good DIY project so, of course, it comes as no big surprise that we automatically think DIY when it comes to gift-giving, as well. It's so fun to see a resurgence of all things handmade, and trust me, your friends and family won't miss that scarf and mitten set from one of those big box stores. I've rounded up 11 fun gift ideas for everyone on your list- most of them are easy to do and under $20. Let's get started!



1. DIY Color Pop Cord Lamp from Vintage Revivals. Leave it to Mandi to come up with something totally awesome. And get this, she made the lamp base out of a vase!

2. Marbled Paper Box from Centsational Girl. This project is what inspired me to hang marbled paper art in my dining room. The possibilities are endless with these boxes and could be customized for every recipient.

3. Sharpie Art Gift Mugs from Whipperberry. Super cute and easy. Love. Enough said.

4. DIY Washer Necklace from By Wilma. I'll be honest, I know nothing about making jewelry, but this tutorial makes me think I could tackle this one! I might just have to make one for myself… as a sample, of course. Ahem.

5. DIY Recipe book from 36th Avenue. This is a really simple upcycle of a cheap notebook using paint, paper clips and cute scrapbook paper. Totally doable, and cheap, to boot!

6. Double Wine Gift Bag from Infarrantly Creative. We always pick up a few bottles of wine for hostess gifts and this bag would be a perfect addition!

7. DIY Rope-Wrapped Hurricane Vase from us! (hehe.) I wasn't joking when I said I wanted to make one of these for all my friends. The cost for all of the materials is around $10, and that will make several of these vases!

8. Chalkboard Art Ornaments from Clean & Scentsible. We've been seeing chalkboards are all over the place, (for good reason- they're awesome!), and I love this version as ornaments! Aren't they cute?

9. Christmas Potpourri Neighbor Gift from Landee See, Landee Do. Nothing makes me happier than a house filled with Christmasy smells, so this gift is right up my alley. Comes with cute printable tags, too.

10. DIY Farmhouse Doll Bed by Ana White. My daughter is getting an American Girl doll from my mom this year, and you better believe I'm having my hubs make this adorable bed to go with it.

11. DIY Wooden Matchbox Car Race Track from Pretty Handy Girl. I can't forget all the little boys out there, and so this gift is for them! I love that this race track can be completely customized with their favorite colors and name.

I hope this round-up of awesome gift ideas gets you inspired to give something handmade this year! What's your favorite, easy DIY Christmas gift? Please share!

{If you didn't hear, The Real Housewives of Bucks County are now East Coast Creative (Get the story here). You'll still be getting all the DIY, Design, and Monica & Jess that you love, but change your favorites to www.eastcoastcreativeblog.com Thanks!}

You might remember that one of my 2012 goals was to make our family room reflect my style more this year. I still am convinced I don't really have a style… I more or less, just take lots of things I like and smush them all together, hoping it works out okay. Recently, I took one more step in the right direction for the room.

I was browsing on Etsy a few weeks back and came across a shop I loved! Project Type has so many graphic art prints that I immediately fell in love with. This one in particular caught my eye.

I had been toying around with the idea of vintage cameras in our family room and this picture was too cool to pass up. I contacted the artist to see if I could have a few custom tweaks made (it was vertical and I needed horizontal) and she said YES! I was so stinkin' excited when she agreed!
I ordered two prints and honestly even the packaging they came in was super cool! Now, you might remember what was on the wall already. My ginormous family picture with the smaller frame…

Well this time, I was going for the reverse. Tricky aren't I? Bigger frame smaller picture.
Once again I used my prized possession, AKA grommeter from Nate. I'll admit I was a tad nervous putting holes in fabulous artwork, but I wanted it to have the same feel as the large print.
Want to know how to use a Grommeter??

I keep my grommet tools in the little bin Nate gave me. Who knew one could love Tupperware?

Take one of the female grommets and determine your placement. I traced it with a pencil (a very fancy pencil I might add!)

Next place the cutting tool (might have an official name, but I don't know it) on your traced circle, and put the mini block of wood under it. The wood comes with your kit.

Give it a solid pounding with a hammer and you have a nice little circle cut-out

Pop the male piece through the opening. Make sure the pointy end is on the back of your artwork.

Now start stacking. Add the female part to the back…

Here' the order…The large metal ring goes on the bottom (part of the tool kit), then the male grommet, then paper, then female grommet, then the big mama tool (that's the really official term). Now Hammer, Hammer, Hammer. (Don't do it on your granite counter. I took mine outside in the garage)

Ta-da! Perfectly adorable grommet!

I took my art to the wall and hung it with plain nails. I'll use decorative ones to cover 'em up.

I added my chain, which again only cost me about $1.45 at Lowes

And vioila! I'm also going to add a fun door nob to the peak of the chain. I didn't quite get to Architectural Antiques this weekend as I planned to. Now, here's the question of the day… What should I put in the open gold frames??

Here's the room to give you the full picture…

Side note: Does anyone else have a weird husband that flips the cushions backwards? He does it when we don't have company over because the kids make a mess of the cushions. Sometimes I forget and then it's an awkward, mad rush as people are walking in the door. Weird. I know.
So let me know what you think of my retro camera art, and what I should do to finish off this wall!

If we win, Homes.com will give Worthwhile Wear Five Thousand Buckaroos! For a new organization like theirs, that could be a major game changer and we really hope we can win it for them! (If you want to skip the project and just vote you can! lol Click HERE to Vote)
You can read all about our project first, but then you have to pinky promise to follow the voting directions at the bottom of the post okay? Ok! Thanks!
Wood Shim Wall Art I (Monica) have had this project in my mind for a few months now. It was inspired by a printed pattern I had seen in the window of a shop. I couldn't remember exactly where I saw it, but I was pretty sure it was a cool shop we had passed when we were in London in November. Great story right? Crafty DIY project inspired by a European city… Then, two weeks ago it hit me… It was JCrew at our local mall! I just about died laughing when I put it all together! Well, JCrew or London, I sure am glad it inspired me…
For under $20 we created the coolest DIY Wood Shim Wall Art

(You could go vote NOW since you've seen it! Click Here!)
I wanted something with BOLD color, and a modern feel, that married well with a bit of industrial flare!

How's that for a Before and After?
Who knew our dumpy oak piano could be such a show stopper?

Here's a peek at the details- the DIY light isn't my entry, but man I love how it works with the Wood Shim Art! (Light tutorial coming soon!)

(Or you could vote now?)

Want to know how we did it??
You've gotta head over to Homes.com for the full tutorial (but only after you've voted!)
Click HERE for the full tutorial

There were a lot of DIY elements around our Crafting for Charity project, and we'll post about all of them over the next week or so!

And now for the really important stuff! We're blogging for a charity that we love and are so proud to support. Worthwhile Wear was founded by our close friends Dan & Steph and they've committed their time and talents to make it their life's work.

Jess and I both have daughters and we couldn't imagine any of them having to endure human trafficking. We love Worthwhile Wear's mission…
Worthwhile Wear exists to rescue and restore girls from forced prostitution, and more importantly help prevent girls from ever entering it. We target highly trafficked areas both internationally and domestically, and offer women the opportunity to overcome two primary factors which are at the root of sex trafficking; poverty and lack of education. This solution is offered through vocational training centers which teach women how to make wears, such as jewelry, handbags, and clothing, which are sold to provide them employment. Additionally, the women are offered free education, a safe place to stay, and restorative programs geared toward encouraging personal growth and re-establishing self-worth.

We had the honor of working on the planning committee and doing all the decor and design for Worthwhile Wear's launch in 2012. The following images and statistics were used as artwork at the launch benefit-A Worthwhile Evening.

Those beautiful faces are not stock images. They're from Dan's last trip to India a few months back. The work Worthwhile wear is doing is critical and we hope you'll check out their site and follow along with them on Facebook.
Now it's Time to Vote!
There are 8 bloggers in this competition and some of them have a lot of followers, but none have the amazing fans we do! We know you guys have our back!
All voting will be done via Homes.com's Facebook Page
(On their Facebook Page, there's a little button that says Crafting for Charity. Click there)

Click HERE to Vote

A HUGE Thank You to Homes.com for sponsoring this awesome contest and for spreading the word about amazing charities like Worthwhile Wear. If you'd like more information about the organization and how you can help, click here.

Thanks so much!
Now, Go Get Your Vote On!

Today's a Seriously Important Day: Happy 30th Birthday Jess!

(Kev and Jess at the"decades" prom we went to last year- they looked awesome!) Let me just tell you that I officially have the best friend ever. Jess is hands down, my favorite person in the world. She's confident, strong, dedicated to her family, friends, and most importantly her faith and having her in my life for the last 13 years has made it all that much better. So here's to 30 Jess, I can't wait to see what this decade has in store for you. Love ya- have an awesome day! ***********************************************************************

So every once in a while I have a pretty cool, unique idea… trust me, it doesn’t happen all that often, but when it does I pretty much love it. The stenciled wall panels in our Nate Show room were one of those rare times. If you haven’t seen the room yet, here she is in all of her fuzzy, screen shot taken from a video glory.

We were walking through the thrift store and saw a roll of this black paper stuff. I didn’t know what it was at first, but then I thought way back when and remembered putting a new roof on my parents’ house with a high school boyfriend (ah, the crazy things teenage girls will do to impress boys. Eric couldn’t pay me enough to get on a roof now!)… Anyhow, I remembered it was like the paper that you put under shingles. Tar Paper it’s called.

This is where the random awesome idea part comes in… I immediately stopping seeing this as roofing material, and I saw it as a canvas-like material for some fabulous high-end-meets-industrial-art. Jess sort of wasn’t quite sure about my plan, but being the wonderful BFF that she is, she trusted me and encouraged me to go for it. Here’s how I turned this roll into art. We had just gotten the stencil in the mail from Royal Design Studio for Jess’ kitchen renovation. Remember, she used it here:

The first step was to simply figure out the size of my panels, I knew I wanted two stenciled images on each panel. Once I had them cut to size I rolled on two coats of semi-gloss navy paint. I was worried it wouldn’t take the paint well, but it worked like a charm. No primer needed- score one for the lazy DIYer! Once they were really dry, it was time to stencil. Stenciling 4 images was a cake-walk compared to Jess’ kitchen. It took me about 15 minutes to complete both panels. I used DecoArt metalic gold paint and it needed about two coats to really get the pop we wanted.

Did you notice all the gold on the stencil when Jess posted about her kitchen? It was a mini spoiler alert!

One additional thing I’m crushing on and could have added to my crush post are grommets. I have been using them as much as I can lately. I pretty much can make an argument that everything is better with grommets! We added them to this piece to give it a finished look and also play off of the industrial nature of the tar paper.

These are grommeting tools. The funny thing is that no matter how many times I use it, I have to think pretty hard to get it all lined up correctly. Once you do, it’s a piece of cake.

There she is… I’m pretty sure it’s the prettiest a piece of tar paper has ever looked. She’s like the Miss America of roofing materials. (It got a tad wrinkled when it was shipped back to us after the show, but it really does stay nice and flat on the wall)

I was really thrilled with how they looked in the room and wow, look what Nate was saying during this part of the show…

Oh, you didn’t hear him say that?… weird. Must have been a glitch with your TV. (hehe) The bottom line here is that ANYTHING, literally anything can be turned into art and it doesn’t need to cost a million bucks to be fabulous. This was $10 tar paper (for a whole roll, I could make about 50 more with what I have left) and it was beautiful enough for Nate Berkus.
So who’s going to their local roofing supply store today? Ha! Actually, next week I’ll share another awesome project I used tar paper for. It’s a pretty cool one and saved me a ton of moolah!

I'm Kind Of A Big Deal...

artwork and photo copyright Laura Beth Love
I'm excited to offer a new category for Limited Edition Art Jewelry on my website. This category encompasses those one of a kind creations that don't quite fit in any of my other categories and in a nutshell can be described as a little bit of this and a little bit of that!
Here is where you will find unique and unusual jewelry designs that incorporate vintage photos as well as some vintage advertising art, plus some mixed media and altered art jewelry. Some of the items included in this section are early designs that I made a while back but never had the time to photograph until now! Be sure to stop in and take a peek!

No… I'm not getting all creepo on you… this is a PG blog-Our moms read it! What I'm talking about it this adorable ball of fur that's now a part of the Mangin family…

I'm seriously head-over-heels in love with her! She's a Bernese Mountain Dog that will be eight weeks old today and she has the sweetest disposition ever! Jess came over to meet her the other day and was surprised at how smitten I am, so she said,"I didn't think you were a dog person?" to which I replied,"I'm not! I just like my dog!" Ha! What can I say? It's true!
So in honor of Miss Pennlyn (AKA Penn) I'm sharing some Doggy Style projects…
Four Post Bed… Puppy Luxury! I first saw this bed a few years ago in a Lowe's Creative Ideas magazine, and immediately loved it. I don't think the size will work for Penn, but I love the look and idea of it.

Source: lowescreativeideas.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
You could also just find a coffee or end table, flip it over and get your DIY on, turning it into a bed. And of course, I'm loving the yellow!
Crate Bed Since Pennlyn will be a pretty big dog, I'm thinking this style bed is a bit more her speed. I'm loving this DIY bed made by Home Frosting and I can't wait to make one. She used leftover 1x4s, but I think I might use some free pallets. The finish she created is fabulous!

Source: home-frosting.blogspot.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
DIY Pet Tags Leave it to Martha to come up with these adorable tags.

Source: marthastewart.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
I was about to order a generic tag from the pet store, but I plan to try this DIY this week before going the generic route. I just need to make sure it's heavy duty enough. I'll let you know how it goes!
Pet Art I'm not really a huge fan of having pet pics all over the place (remember… not a"dog person") but I do think some pet art might be cool in the kids' playroom.

This took me about 30 seconds to create on Picnik. I used the"Posterize" effect and voila… Pet Art! I think I'll order it as a canvas this week.
Hungry Puppy? Since we've only had Penn for 5 days, her food is just in the bag, but I do have ambitious plans to create some kind of cool looking container. The hubs thinks I'm insane and wants to know why the dog food container needs to be cute, but he knows who he's married to, so he's cool with it. Here's one fun idea…

Source: tidymom.net via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
The style isn't mine, but I think I could add some of my own modern flair to it. I sorta had something wooden and rustic in mind, so we'll see…
Custom Stuffies These are the funniest things ever! I think they'd make such an awesome gift! This seller on etsy makes custom stuffies for your pet. Just send a picture of your pooch and you'll get a look-a-like stuffie in a few weeks! I've contacted the seller, because she doesn't have this as an active listing right now, but I'm hoping she'll be back at it soon! Pennlyn definitely needs a mini-me stuffie!
WAIT! Hold the press! Shevon contacted me and you can now buy a custom stuffie!
Here's the link: Custom Stuffies (Soooo stinkin' Cool!)

Source: etsy.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest

So, it looks like I have a lot of projects to get working on! Although, before I get working on my puppy projects I think I need to get Penn house-broken and doing fancy tricks (can I teach her how to go get my laptop for me?) I'll keep you posted on Miss Pennlyn and any cool projects we make for her!
Oh, one last thing… She WILL NOT be owning one of these… Thundervest…No Comment!

Source: thundershirt.com via The Real Housewives on Pinterest
Thanks for letting me introduce my little lady to you!

WAIT! Don't stop reading! The voting for Crafting with the Stars is now open! We've entered our first project and we need your votes. We obviously can't tell you which project is ours, but we can give you a hint… look for the coolest one… that'll be ours! Nah, we really do have some stiff competition, so head over and vote for your favorite 3 projects. The winners will be announced Wednesday. Thanks! Click HERE to see the entries and vote!

Hey Everyone! We're super excited to share this simple, yet majorly cool project with you today! Two weeks ago I got back from my 8 day trip to London and Paris with my hubs (Recap post coming after Christmas). It was an amazing, kid-free trip that allowed us to do adult things like visit museums, eat at fun restaurants, see a musical, and do some shopping.

Let's be completely honest… Europeans have mad-style! I loved all of their clothes and when Eric and I were shopping at a store called Next, he pointed out a really cool deer silhouette art and said,"You could totally knock that off!"

Let me tell you, I was so thrilled that A.) my hubs is always on the lookout for blog projects and B.) he knew to call it a"knock-off" I took a cell pic (above) and knew I'd make it as soon as I got home.
Here's what Jess and I came up with…

How to Make Your Own Illuminated Silhouette Art: We had a few 1x1s leftover from Jess' planked dining room wall, so we started by cutting them down to size. We made ours a little larger than the inspiration piece, we did a 18x24 rectangle.

We painted all four pieces with some leftover grey paint.

While Jess was in the garage painting, I got to work on creating my deer silhouette. I found an image on Google and then used my Silhouette to cut it on black cardstock. If I'm being 100% honest, first I watched about 5 YouTube videos teaching me how to do it! Ha!

I then measured the light linen-ish fabric down to 18x24

We laid out our wood in a simple box and measured 1 1/2 inches in for each intersection.

We started by using simple nails to secure the box, but it wasn't the most sturdy…

So, we went to a plan B and used a drill. Sorry about the lawn mower in the background- a little evidence that I live on 4 acres.

Once we had our box secure, we placed the fabric on the back and attached it with a staple gun.

We had some excess fabric, so we trimmed the edges down a bit.

One of my favorite things about the inspiration piece was the cording at the intersections. I picked up red and tan at JoAnn Fabrics.

We put the paper silhouette on the linen using spray adhesive. To light it, I just stood it up near a light, but you could also use a small reading lamp or Christmas lights to illuminate it.

It looks awesome in my Kaden's room with his Pallet Wall!

Even though it's perfect in Kade's room, for now it's part of my Christmas decor!

One of the coolest parts of this DIY, is that you can easily swap out the silhouette. I already have something fun planned for Valentine's Day!
If you want to see the rest of Jess and my Christmas home tours, you can check them out here.
My Christmas Home Tour

Jess' Christmas Home Tour

We hope you and your family are enjoying these days leading up to Christmas.

Are you ready for the 2012 Summer Olympics? Are your kids into it at all? Hopefully this Olympic craft idea will begin to get them in the spirit of the games! Do you have time for a short story? My 4th grade year of school was an Olympic year and my teacher did all kinds of crafts and activities to help us get into the spirit of the Olympics and it rocked! I was SO into the games, the medal counts, and learning about the countries. So, thanks to Mrs. Hanson, here's our first Olympic Craft Idea!

How cool is that canvas? My hubs was telling Kaden that people pay big bucks for cool art like this! I even love the blue paint spill and I love even more that Kade is so laid back that he didn't even mind or think it"ruined" his artwork!
(And just so you know, every pic in this post was taken with my iPhone, because it was really just going to be a mommy-Kaden craft, not a blog post, but it turned out too cool not to share!)

Materials: Blank Canvas (paper would work too) Red, Green, Blue, Black, and Yellow paint (any type works- we had an assortment!) 5 Dixie Cups
Now for my disclaimer. I nabbed this idea from pinterest, but I didn't have toilet paper rolls, so just as I was about to unroll 5 rolls of TP, the brilliant idea of Dixie Cups hit me! Same shape, and no need to unroll my precious toilet paper! (Anyone else find it so annoying that TP is expensive?)

Since this craft is for the kiddos, there's really no instruction needed. Dip, Spin, do whatever to get paint on the cups and then go to town!

Kaden loves to craft. He loves gym etc. at school, but he told me that secretly, art class is his favorite. <3 Just don't tell all of his friends okay? I told him art is cool and he doesn't need to worry about it, his secret is safe with me!

I love how he spaced out his circles and didn't"over-do" them. I promise, I didn't even go into pushy, mom-thinks-you-should-do-this mode. This was all him.

This project was super simple, didn't take much time or prep, and my little man loved it. I guess you could say this Olympic craft is kid-tested and mother approved. What are you doing to make the Olympics Special for your kids?

**Oh and check back tomorrow, because I have an awesome Olympic Printable that my kids freaked out over! **

If you missed it, last week we had the chance to complete a 30 minute White Box Challenge in front of 450 women! It was so much fun and pushed our DIY skills to the max- 30 mins feels like 2 seconds when you're working on an entire space! Here's the before and after- to see the full post about the challenge, click HERE.

Throughout the evening, we upcycled and hacked our way to a completed room, but there are so many other great ideas for these inexpensive pieces, that we just had to share! So get ready for… 25+ Upcycles and Ikea hacks!

First up… the Ikea LACK side table. The Lack table is a DIYers dream because the options are endless!

Here are 3 of our favs… (Click on the number to see each full post from the source) 1…2…3…

At the event, we turned ours into a tufted ottoman! (Tutorial coming later this week!)

We LOVE the Ikea Rast dresser because it's under 40 bucks!

How fabulous are these hacks? 1…2…3…

We combined two Rast dressers, added new hardware, some metal detailing and had ourselves an awesome buffet!

Here's a generic accent chair. Ikea has lots of different styles, but left alone, they're pretty plain…

These chairs went from drab to fab with a little DIYing. 1…2…3…

We paint dipped the legs a bold orange and added gold nail heads to add a punch of style!

Rugs can be expensive! One of our favorite places to get them cheaply is RugsUSA.com, but another way is to buy a cheap outdoor rug and paint it yourself! This one was $19.99 at Home Depot!

It's amazing what a little paint can do! 1…2…3…

We added wide stripes to our rug for the white box, but in our hurry to get the room done, I may or may not have walked across the wet paint! Oops! No pics for you!

Okay, isn't this creepy art awesome?? Well, you might not have something this creepo, but you can score great art at thrift stores or upcycle a piece you already own!

Each of these projects use paint to tone down the"creepy art" factor! 1…2…3…

Here's what we did with our blah artwork…

Target and Walmart sell book shelves so inexpensively! The problem… they look inexpensive!

How about these ideas for fancying up your shelves? We love every hack Kate from Centsational Girl has ever done! 1…2…3…

Almost everyone has a dated lamp around the house- and if you don't you can get one any Saturday at a local yard sale!

Here are three fun ways to spruce up those dated lamps. 1…2…3…

For ours, we replaced the shade, added some ribbon, and spray painted the base.

Pictures of family and friends are awesome, but here are some outside the box ideas for your extra frames!

I'm a huge fan of what Lindsay did with her open frames! 1…2…3…

And what would a post on upcycles be without mentioning pallets? 2012 and 2013 were the years of the pallets!!

Here's a variety of ideas from walls, to plants… 1…2…3…

We used a pallet to make a simple shelf- unfortunately, we didn't bring any mags, so in 30 minutes… scrap paper and Bibles it was! lol!

So that should leave you on Upcycle and Hack overload!! Have you ever DIYed any of these items before? Do tell!!

French silk tassels, left is 18th century with chipped gilt header, the right 17th century
I thought I would show you one of the items I collect and being an antique textile dealer with a love of anything European this item was a natural for me, the tassel. Textiles sometimes come to me bearing only one tassel the other long lost through the ages. Since items look lopsided with only one tassel attached it wasn't long before I had a collection.

Tassels have a long and varied history, Jesus had tassels called Tzitzit, like the one above, on the four corners of his garment or shawl. While Charles X, King of France, 1824-30, wore tassels as an embellishment.

Array of 18th and 19th century silk and metal tassels
Who could resist them with their pure silk and metal thread that has been turned, trimmed and knotted onto gilt wooden headers. Amass they can really make a decorative statement!

18th century French wool tapestry pillow
It wasn't long before anything depicting a tassel was catching my eye. Tassels have been woven into tapestries.... (love this orange!)

c arved from wood'''

French, 19th century silk trimmings
used as trimmings....

used as art work, my tassel board holding assorted tassels within an antique frame.

17th century French tassels
Most of these elaborate artistic tassels can be assumed to be French since the French widely exported their trimmings and tassels known as 'Passementerie' at a very low cost that no other nation ever developed a 'trimmings' industry. Both American and European artists, who charge up to $1000 for a single handmade tassel, are now copying antique tassels.

18th century French silk trims
My tassel habit became so bad I needed more of a fix that led me to fringes! Fringes with silk, fringes with metal thread, and of course fringes with tassels!

French 16th, 17th and 18th century tassels
The quintessential piece of artwork!

L' Art de la Passementerie here
Two wonderful books, written in French, all about the art of trimmings.

La Passementerie here
Now it's your turn, what do you collect?

Have you ever walked into someone's home and wondered about their objets d'art? Objet d'art is defined as something decorative, an object of some artistic value. Henry David Thoreau once said ' There is no value in life except what you choose to place upon it and no happiness in any place except what you bring to it yourself.' I wonder if he was envisioning my home, looking at my objets d'art when he said this?
As I was sitting in my studio stitching away I briefly looked up and had to smile at a beloved treasure. I think we've all done that, purchased an item simply because they make us smile. Louis is such an object, he's a 17th century French wig last for making wigs. The top of the woodenhead is covered in layer upon layer of vellum paper for sizing a person's head. Big head more paper, you get the idea. Balanced upon coverless French book inserts Louis hangs about holding a beautiful antique French crown in regal splendor
Perhaps it's because of the type of job I have, antique textile dealer that I'm around and see more antiques than my fair share. Mainly because my dealers deal in more than just textiles and are always showing me items that don't relate to my business in hopes of a sale. Being female this appeals to me greatly. Plus having an artistic side let alone not being able to help myself I end up with what I think are rather amazing things decorating my home.

Meet Henri, he stands about like a sentry on duty presiding over my pillows. He's an 18th century child's clothing mannequin straight from France. His body is stuffed with horsehair and wrapped in burlap, I love the stitching up the front of him in French waxed string. Sometimes I dress him up in something old, do we ever grow tired of playing dress up?
Objects add so much life to our rooms and antiques bring history, an artful intrigue. Imagine a room devoid of our decorative objects, a room with just furniture, it doesn't look finished. Our objects are what keep our eyes moving, what makes it interesting. As I sit here in my studio I notice I have several human form objects, what is it about the human form we try to bring into our rooms? My guess is the human form finishes off a room the same way living people do.

Kay O'Toole has several mannequins, above and below, in the form of a Mexican Santos and garden statue enlivening her hall bringing it to life. Ms. O'Toole's shop is called 'Antiques and Eccentricities for all the weird things she's drawn to' but are they weird or comforting? Photo courtsey March, 2010Veranda magazine.

Katie Stassi Here used a mannequin near a French daybed, her philosophy is her interiors are ' defined not designed'. So do our objects define a space as well as decorate?

Alain and Brigitte Garnier incorporated a French mannequin artfully into their lives in their Belgium home. Photo courtesy of Cote de Texas Here
Antiques, accessories, objects all tell a story whether about the room they inhabit or the people who purchase them, they bring a room to life. So whether you're using mannequins, Santos or statues for accessorizing your home incorporating a human form adds a touch of life and intrigue into a room. Or if you're like me you spend way too much time alone and have made inanimate objects your friends'.lol.

In case you didn't notice, we did TONS of projects in that short 48 hour period, so there's just too many to break down with tutorials, and I'll be honest, some were so easy that anyone can figure them out without me giving you the play by play. But, even so, the details are really fun, so I'll give you a glimpse of the little stuff that makes me happy.

I hung the silver chargers on the wall on either side of the fireplace to add some interest. I used a little trick to hang them that was super easy: I took a safety pin and hot glued it to the top of the center of the plate. Then all you have to do is hang it! It works awesome for things that aren't heavy, but I wouldn't recommend it for big pieces of art or picture frames. I loved how the metallic color added a modern contrast to the rustic accent branch and stones of the fireplace, and how it mirrored the circles in my modern snowflake garland.

One of the other fun things I did was to add whole cloves to limes in fun patterns for some of my mantel decor. I used to do this with oranges every year with my Grandma, and it's such a great memory. The limes add a pop of Christmas color, but they also smell amazing. Love this for easy decor!

I made two stockings out of burlap and hot glue. Ha! What I wouldn't be able to do without the help of my glue gun! Would you believe that Monica and I don't sew? We get around it pretty well, but man, you should have heard the Nate Show producers when we told them that we were DIYer's who didn't sew.: ) I didn't even use a pattern for the stockings, just drew a shape I was happy with and cut them out. I also made faux metal ornaments out of, wait for it…rolled cork! I used two different metallic spraypaints for the finish, and they turned out cute! Granted, they are soooo flimsy, but they worked perfectly for the show!

One of my absolute favorite additions to the room was the galvanized steel tub I used for holding the base of the tree. Unfortunately, the base of the tree didn't quite fit, so my hubs cut out the bottom of the tub with something (I just gave instructions and he made it happen. I didn't watch so I don't know how he did it! Sometimes that's better.; )

Because of the tub around the tree, I didn't have a ton of space for presents, so I used them as accents on the hearth. I love the simple look of kraft paper and traditional ribbon.

Ok, here's the truth. This pillow stinks. I was totally not thinking about the right way to make a pillow cover and so I folded, folded some more, and hot glued in place. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! But still, I like the sentiment of"Be Merry". However, Monica, feel free to rip that thing to shreds any ol' time.: )

These two are the pillows I made for the couch under the window. I took my time with these, so they're tons better! I can't get enough of the burlap against the green velvet- such a mix of textures!

Taking a cue from Monica's anti-wreath, I hung several pinecones from festive ribbon in a large frame. Even though it was super easy, I totally dig the pinecones. Actually, I adore pinecones now that we've used them in everything from placecard holders, ornaments and now art! They will be making a regular appearance in my Christmas decor from now on. Mark my words.

These two little frames make me smile. Nothing is easier than decoupaging a cheap wood frame from Michaels, and you already saw how simple it is to use artificial moss here. I lined the backs of the frames with burlap, took apart a necklace for the pearl tree on the left and a dismantled a few strange-looking earrings for the specimen art frame on the right. It's nothing if not non-traditional, and I think it's pretty darn cute.

This felt garland was a bear to make because it took forever! At least, it seemed that way. I like quick and easy projects, and this one was easy, but NOT quick! Lots of cutting squares, alternating colors and threading the squares with a car tire repair kit (yes,, you read that right. I didn't have a needle and thread, so I used what was on hand!) and then repeating a million and one times. The end result was so cool, so I guess it was {almost} worth it!
Tomorrow is the last day of our Nate DIY's, so don't forget to check back for all the little details from my basement family room. Thanks for stopping by today.: )