Tag: DIY

DIY Huge Insect Illustration Art (Free Download)
I had a very large blank wall to fill in my den for the One Room Challenge. Naturally, I made some giant bugs for it. And if you want to do the same, read on!

You may not be into insects, but the idea remains the same and you can substitute whatever images you like. I found antique illustrations of insects from the 1700s by Rösel Von Rosenhof, scanned and digitized by Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg with a Creative Commons 3.0 license. I looked through each volume of illustrations, choosing my favorites and downloading those pages as a pdf.

I opened the files in Photoshop and loosely lassoed the insects that I wanted, arranging them on a page and scaling them up to an enormous size. Be aware that if you do this, you will lose sharpness and image quality. The images I was working with were large and clear enough to start with that there wasn’t too much of a loss, and I upped the contrast and sharpened them to compensate.

I called around to find a local printer that offered large-scale prints and made my templates 42″ wide to match their specs. My print-ready PDF files can be downloaded below.
- Leaf Insect (170 MB, 42″x72″)
- Horned Beetle (107 MB, 42″x60″)
You pay based on the size of the print, so I cut the long beetle in half to make better use of the space and included several smaller bugs for the same reason. I only used one of the little guys on my wall, but my kids each wanted some bugs once they saw what I was making, so it worked out nicely that I had extras for them!

I cut out each illustration with an X-Acto knife, mounted them to foam board with spray adhesive, and then cut them out again with a heavy-duty X-Acto blade. Here’s a list of materials for the project.
- Your printed images (obviously). I opted for matte paper.
- Black Core Foam Board (check your local art, photography, or office supply store for their largest size)
- X-Acto #1 Knife with a #11 blade
- X-Acto #5 Heavy-Duty Knife with a #19 blade
- 3M Spray Mount Artist’s Adhesive (Super 77 is great too, but this one is repositionable)
- Picture Hangers
Put some cardboard beneath your board as you cut and be careful. Cutting the paper is easy, but cutting through the foam board can be difficult. Be mindful of keeping your other hand well out of the way! Plan on going through a few blades too. A sharper blade means less drag and resistance, making for an easier, cleaner cut, and a safer experience.

You can push picture hangers right into the foam on the back, and hang your art. If you want to create a little more dimension (as I did), cut out extra blocks of foam board, stack and glue them together, and attach those to the back. You’ll need two blocks (and two hangers) if your images are large. I also painted a cloudy pink backdrop on a 4’x5′ canvas for my insects. It could have been anything, any color, I just wanted to lighten up that wall a bit.

If you do your own take on this, I would love to see it!
May 19, 2016
DIY Abstract Art Clock and Serving Tray
This is a sponsored post by NESTLE Coffee-mate.

All reviews and opinions expressed in this post are unbiased and based on my personal view.

I was able to chat with David Bromstad recently about his limited-edition labels for Coffee-mate’s French Vanilla and Hazelnut bottles. There are four designs — two for each flavor — and they will only be available at Target. I loved his approach to the designs, and being known for his painting skills and use of color, I was inspired by David and “the art of a fresh start” to do a little painting of my own. I customized a tray, and wanted to take on another project too. I suggested a clock last week and you were into the idea, so I went for it!

The tray was cute, but you guys. The clock? LOVE IT. Eleanor has already laid claim on it, so it’s going to be moving to her room, and August wants one too (in red). Here it is paired up for now though with it the tray that preceded it. I even snipped a few flowers from the yard for the table, remembering David’s fondness for his mom’s garden.

Want to make a clock or tray (or both) of your own? Here’s what you’ll need:
- a clock that can be taken apart
- art brushes
- a serving tray
- painter’s tape
- acrylic craft paints
  I used 24K gold, coral, shell, ladybug red, egg, deep sea, and robin’s egg
Painting a Serving Tray

I started by taping off the sides of the serving tray with painter’s tape so that they would stay white. I used small (4-6″) strips of tape because it’s easier to work with than long pieces, and I let them overlap a little each time for complete coverage.

I was aiming for an abstract look, concentrating on fields and splashes of color. (Eh? Inspired by David. Get it?) Magic animated gif painting process time!

I peeled the tape off carefully and let the tray sit overnight to be sure that the paint was completely dry.

The paint peeking out from the bottom of the tray is such a happy detail! Little things like that are always a nice grace note in the morning.

An Abstract Art Wall Clock

Painting the clock was similar, but with a few differences to note. I chose the paint the sides and the face, so there was no need to tape anything off. I also wanted to add a bit of gold this time. I had picked up a bottle of gold paint to use on the tray, but I changed my mind. The raised numbers on the clock presented themselves as the perfect spot for it!

I unscrewed the clock and took everything apart so I could paint the face. I let the colors mix together more here than I did with the tray. I also used a round brush instead of a wide filbert, so that changed the look too.

The first few layers don’t look terribly promising, but the magic comes as you keep going. I had a hard time deciding when to stop because I kept wanting to tweak it here and there, but I had to call it and walk away so I wouldn’t overwork it or muddy the colors.

I let the paint dry completely before coming back to paint those numbers gold. The metallic paint was semi-translucent, and I think it took about five coats for it to turn opaque. The numbers catch the light in the best way though, so taking the time to apply layer after layer of gold was worth it!

After the paint on the numbers dried, I reassembled the clock and hung it. Not a bad way to check the time, right? Eleanor’s a smart kid, stealing that clock for herself.
July 27, 2015
Easy Fixes Around the House

This post is sponsored by Sugru.

I hadn’t heard of Sugru until recently, but as I looked into it a bit, it seemed like pretty useful stuff to have around the house. It’s a moldable glue that you work with kind of like play dough. It sticks to just about everything and cures overnight, turning into flexible rubber with a strong hold.

I realized after looking at some of its uses that it would be perfect for fixing the toothbrush holder on our sink’s backsplash. We aren’t using the holders for our toothbrushes (I put a couple of glass tumblers in them because they seemed odd when empty), but the right one was loose when we moved in and time has only made it worse. One screw won’t fully tighten because it’s stripped, and the other doesn’t even catch the threads! I’d thought about fixing it with superglue but I didn’t want to do anything that couldn’t be reversed since the sink is an antique. Sugru is removable from nonporous surfaces, so even though I don’t plan on taking it apart, it’s nice to know that I could if I wanted to. I used about half a packet to make a little ball, putting it behind the backplate of the toothbrush holder before reattaching it. Done! It’s even waterproof.

Of course, once I already had that packet open, I started thinking about where else I could put it to use in the house. There was a loose sconce in the other bathroom, where the plaster could no longer grip the screw. A little Sugru on the backplate, the same way I used it for the sink’s holder, fixed it right up.

(Brandon calls these our Guillermo del Toro sconces. Can’t unsee.)

After that, I figured I’d go fix a wobbly lampshade that had been driving me nuts. I’d tried before to fix it with tape, then wire when that didn’t work, and eventually I just resigned myself to straightening it whenever I noticed it had gotten out of whack again (which was often). I mixed up some gray Sugru to match the silver on my lamp’s harp, leveled the shade, and fixed it in place. No more wobble!

If you aren’t familiar with Sugru (I wasn’t before), they have a ton of different ways to use it on their homepage and a bunch of creative uses, too. I know I focused a lot on how you can use it to fix things, but I also put together a collection of my favorite tutorials and project ideas. (Aren’t those magnetic copper vases clever?)

Sugru is being sold nationwide at Target now, so it’s easy to get your hands on some. It’s good stuff to keep on hand for getting handy and for when you’re feeling crafty!

June 4, 2015
Making Beaded Necklaces

I recently helped a couple dozen ladies turn waxed cording and beads into necklaces at my Anthropologie craft event. I made one at home beforehand so I could pass it around as an example.

I went to Bead in Hand for our supplies, and chose beads that would mix and match and work with a variety of styles. Some of the attendees would be experienced crafters (I spotted one with a thimble that she’d brought with her! Hardcore.), and some had never even strung beads before, so I was going for a project that could be adaptable for different tastes and skill levels.

I explained a few options (like knotting the cord to suspend beads higher up, and adding beads to the trailing ends in the back), and then we ate fruit and pink macarons, drank mimosas, and got to crafting.

We were all working with the same “ingredients,” but there was a huge range in designs.

Thanks, Anthropologie, for hosting, and a big thank you to everyone that came out! It was a great time.

May 14, 2015
Design Mom’s Book and Book Tour (Hey, Chicago!)

Gabrielle Blair, of Design Mom, is coming to Chicago tomorrow, for the next stop on her book tour. I’ll be helping her host a DIY session at the Lincoln Park Pottery Barn, making the You Are Special Today plates from the book. You can sign up for one of the craft spots, or just come down to meet Gabrielle and pick up a copy of her book to be signed from 6-8 o’clock!

The book is amazing. Here’s a little peek inside at some of my favorite parts.

I’m so glad Gabrielle’s coming to town and I hope to see a bunch of you at the event tomorrow night. If you haven’t met her before, you’re in for a treat!

May 4, 2015
DIY Striped Armoire Surprise

Sponsored by ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape.

I spotted an armoire on Jubilee Furniture’s blog not long after Calvin had been born. I’d been looking for something to replace the storage we lost when remodeling the second floor, and this one was the perfect size. I suspected the quality may be lacking because it was priced at just $35, but it was worth taking a look at.

Well, the drawers are wonky, two shelves have been replaced with plywood, and the left door is badly warped. It may not be in the greatest shape, but it does have great lines and it was decent enough to work with — especially since the price was right. That streaky faux-finish had to go though.

Much better! The doors are not perfectly smooth but the armoire has been moved to the hall where the light doesn’t hit it directly, and its imperfections are much less noticeable. I wanted something dark (but not black), so the color I chose was Shaded Fern by Glidden® and Brandon did the painting. But for the inside, I thought, why not have a bit of fun?

Whoa, that’s a whole lot of “fun.” Now you know why I’m calling this a Striped Armoire Surprise! Here’s how it was done. After priming the inside of the armoire, each compartment inside got a different hue. The colors used were Peach Daiquiri (pink), Extra Virgin Olive Oil (yellow), Crisp Linen White, Sea Spray (blue), Shaded Fern, French Stripe Red, and Safari Green — all Glidden® colors.

I used painter’s tape (ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape Delicate Surfaces with Advanced Edge-Lock™ Paint Line Protector 2080EL) along with a paper template to mark the diagonal lines on the doors. (The extra pieces you see are the ones I used for the spacing — obviously they were removed before the stripes were painted.) The drawers were painted white and then taped off horizontally with a thinner tape for variation.

I bought a pint of each color in a satin finish, and I have plenty of paint leftover.

After three coats of paint for each of the first half of the diagonal lines, I removed the tape and let the paint dry completely (at least 24 hours) before taping off for the new stripes the next day. It was easier to use the thinner tape this time, aligning one piece to the top of each stripe and another to the bottom, rather than trying to perfectly fit one piece of thick tape along the entire length.

The colors are so bright and cheery! It would be a little much for my taste to do this treatment to the outside, but I love it as a surprise when you open up the doors.

I am proud to be a 3M sponsored blogger, and, as part of my responsibilities, I get the opportunity to evaluate ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape. Opinions are my own and additional products used in the project were selected by me.

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January 8, 2015