Lace American Flag on Canvas

Materials:

1. Lace ribbon
2. Doily
3. Navy and red spray paint
4. White canvas
5. Painters tape

Time:

• 15 minutes

Difficulty:

• Moderate (taping is tricky)

Step One

• Use the ribbon as stripes
• String across 6 of them for the white stripes
• Spray over them with red paint AFTER covering a square in the top left with paper and tape

Step Two

• After dry, cover all with pieces of paper except upset left square
• Center doily and coats with navy paint

StepThree

• Fall in love

3D Heart-Shaped Hot Air Balloons from Paper

I saw this idea on a Valentine's Day card, and knew I had to make it for my bedroom wall! This was all made from scratch today, so it's not completely perfect, and there is no printable template, but I'll share similar template links.

Materials:

• Paper, preferably thick like card stock. You will need about a 4x6 sheet of paper, or half a regular printer paper sheet. It can be as decorative as you want! You will also need a microscopic 3in scrap of any color as well.
• Thread, preferably tan or brown
• Scissors
• Tape
• Glue. I used liquid, white Elmer's glue, but glue sticks will be fantastic too! You can use tape, but it won't be as flat
• One pencil, pencil, ect
• Heart stencil. You can draw it by hand, use one you have, or use this template.
• Cloud stencil. You can draw it by hand, use one you have, or use this template

Time:

• About 30 minutes to an hour

Difficulty:

• Moderate

Part One: The Hot Air Balloon

Step One

• Draw or trace heart onto desired paper
• Cut heart out
• Repeat this two more times so you have 3 paper hearts (or more, 3 hearts per hot air balloon)

Step Two

• Fold the hearts in half so that the desired pattern (the side that has the pattern you want to see) presses against it's self, so fold it inwards in other words

Step Three

• Name your hearts 1, 2, and 3
• Take the right side of heart 1 and glue it to the left side of heart 2, so that the matching patterns are connected and the DESIRED PATTERN is visible
• Glue the right side of heart 2 to the left side of heart 3
• Repeat for other hearts
• Trim edges to even hearts 

Part Two: The Basket

Step One

• Draw or trace two small rectangles on paper. I used a plain patterned sheet for eye candy
• Draw or trace two small rectangles the same length but a third of the width for the 3D effect
• You can sort of use this template I made. Cut the dotted line and fold the solid line
• Glue or tape (tape is easiest) the outer sides together to creat a cube

Step Three

• Cut thread into 2, 2 inch strands. You need 2 threads for each balloon
• Tape one end the the bottom back of the heart air balloon, and the other end to the top of the basket.
• Repeat for second strand

Part Three: The Clouds

Step One

• This part is a little tricky
• Make sure the clouds are all equal pieces
• Cut out three matching clouds
• Fold in half
• Like the balloon hearts, glue the left side of cloud 1 to the right side of cloud 2, and so on

Ta-Da!!!

Hope you enjoyed and love it!

- Megan

PS Be super lovely and click the Pin It! button on the top left of the sidebar?!☆

Altered Books: The Basics

Hi there!

To be honest, I've never altered a book before, but I've seen them and have done extensive research, so let's learn together!

Suggested Supplies:

• Wax paper
• Saran Wrap
• Sponge brushes
• Used credit cards
• Acrylic paint
• Pages from dictionary, phone books, old journals (you can find these bits online, make them on Microsoft Word or Picmonkey and then print them off)
• Pop-Out stickers and Die Cutouts
• Random junk items
• Pointed object to scratch with, like a toothpick, cuticle cleaner, and so on
• Something solid to cut on, like a cutting board, self healing cutting mat, or cardboard
• Something heavy to press down certain items and make them flatter
• Paint brushes
• Used hotel cards
• Spray paint (optional)

Suggested Paper Scraps:

• Newspaper and magazine cutouts 
• Junk mail
• bills (some formal sentences in the bill are nice, like "sincerely")

Suggested Scraps:

• Beads
• Buttons
• Crayons, markers, colored pencils, gel pens
• Calligraphy pens
• Rubber stamps and ink pads
• Ribbon and string
• Tape, probably like Washi tape
• Die-Cut paper punches
• Needle and thread
• Fabric
• Stickers or die-cuts
• Tissue paper or (decretive) napkins
• Paper clips or other page clips, stapler and staples
• Brads
• Clear laminate sheets
• Stencils
• Glitter and/or glitter glue
• Mod podge
• Hot glue gun
• Elmer's bottled glue
• Rubber cement
• Glue sticks

Tips and Tricks:

• Glue two pages together for a thicker page
• Don't buy anything new for it. It's fun to use preexisting items and neat household finds!!!

I have just sprayed two pages in my book (I'm using the Twilight Saga Eclipse, haha) gold using gold metallic from Krylon. I'm also spray painting the outer cover soft green (Rust-Oleum's "Green Apple"). Let's see where I'll go from there!!

Favorite altered books:

Mason Jar Soap Dispenser

Materials:

1. Mason jar with lid

2. Soap dispenser push top (you can purchase these in silver,gold, and other higher end designs at places like Wal*Mart; however, I just used the top from my previous disposable soap dispenser)

3. Nail and hammer (a drill could work, but mine was broken that day)

4. Scissors

5. Soap!!

Time:

• 10 minutes for lid

• 10 minutes for soap to drain

Difficulty:

• Moderate

Step One

• Take the flat part of the mason jar lid (the sealing lid) and have someone hold it or place it on a ledge with a heavy item weighing down one side from falling

Step Two

• Place the nail in the center of the jar and hammer to create a hole

• Hammer as many circles, with the circle aids touching to create a larger hole, is needed to fit the straw on the soap dispenser

• Flip lid over and hammer the down hanging metal back so it doesn't cut anyone (press it against the lid)

Step Three

• Insert soap dispenser top

Step Four

• Transfer soap, which can take a while to get every drop out

Step Five

• Screw on lid and situate!

Hope this helped and that you love it!

- Megan

Reclaim an Old Shelf with Paint and Lace

Let's cuten-up a trashed book shelf!

Materials:

• Shelf, regardless of age, color, height, ect
• 2 colors of spray paint
• Lace ribbon

Time:

• 10 minute prep
• 5 minute spray
• 30 minute dry
• 5 minute prep
• 5 minute spray
• 30+ minute dry

Difficulty:

• Moderate

Silly me, I forgot to take a before picture. Well, this shelf wasn't in bad condition really. It's about 10 years old, so its brown wood had faded, being under a window it was sun bleached a bit. It had a few scratches, but besides dullness, it wasn't trash. I'm redoing my multipurpose room right now (click to see my plans!), and splashing bright colors and floral patterns around. I ADORE lace, floral, vintage, all of that! So this was perfect, and I was so excited when I thought it up.

So, step one:

Take the shelf outside and put it on a window curtain panel (err, well, anyway spray paintable area). Do a quick spray of the minor color paint, on the back panel and the two side panels. Here's an example, however I painted the top coat first, but I suggest doing it the other way.

So, paint the panels real quickly from top to bottom.

Step two:

Then, after it dries, cut lace ribbon (mine is from Walmart) and painter's tape it to the top and bottom. Then, every few inches, use a small tear of painter's tape to hold it down.

Step three:

Then, with the major color, spray paint the other panels, shelves, and just everything! Make sure you paint over the lace straightly, not at an angle, or it will seep through the lace.

Step Four:

Remove and fall in love.

Upcycling a Destroyed Bench into a Masterpiece

My older brother and his skater boy band members etched and destroyed a cheap stool we had for the piano. I believe we bought it on clearance at Target or Pier One. Here it is!

I took it to the backyard and placed it on a curtain panel (which I use to protect the grass!) and gave it a good coat of Rust-Oleum mid-deep purple.

I didn't over-coat the seat of the stool however, and I'll show you why soon! 

Make sure you get close and inside any cuts, scratches, or inscriptions. See? Making sure it's purple inside makes a HUGE difference.

                  

Now we're getting to the fun part!!

Step One

•Choose a fabric and cut it so that it completely covers the seat and the sides of the seats 

Step Two

•Mod Podge over the seat 

•Place fabric evenly

•Do not Mod Podge ON TOP of the fabric

Step Three

•Mod Podge the sides of the seat by covering the wood with Mod Podge, pressing the fabric down, and Mod Podging over the fabric

•Fold the corners to the left to create an arrow shape

•Mod Podge them down as well

Ta-Daaaa!

Hope you enjoyed and love it!!

- Megan

PS Be super lovely and click the Pin It! button on the top right of the sidebar to the right to share with your friends!!

Lace Patterned Mason Jars, Half Clear

Materials

• Mason Jar (or any glass jar!) 
• Lace doily or ribbon (I use a doily) 
• Spray paint (1 or 2 colors) 
• Painter's tape

Time

• 5 minutes to tape 
• 5 minutes to spray paint 
• 30 or so minutes to dry 
• *optional second coat adding about 40 minutes 

Difficulty

• Easy 

Step One

• Place lace on the jar with small bits of painter's tape (if a mason jar, opposite side of the words) 
• Make sure the tape is on the lace and not a hole in the lace, because it will alter the stencil 

If you want to use two colors, apply doily AFTER spraying painting front of jar another color

Step Two

• Spray paint away! 

Note:

After spray painting base, (step one), let it dry, place doily, and spray paint entire jar.

Step Three

• Remove tape and lace Doily

Step Four

• Situate and enjoy! 

(Add clear stones to the bottom to raise pens and pencils if the jar is too shallow)

Two colors:

• this jar was left outside during wind, which weathered it, but here is an example of the bicolored jar!

Hope you LOVED it!!!


- Megan