Gold Leaf Rocks. I’ve always had a soft spot for rock art. there’s something about it that reminds of of summer camp west virginia and drawing with paint on river rocks. so when kate did a linocut stamp project with rocks the other week i started looking around for great rock-related projects. one of the projects i loved came from claire chauvin, a photography teacher in texas. her gold leaf river rock project is elevates rock-art to a whole new level and sure beats the painted rocks i made when i was younger. this would be such a fun way to personalize a tabletop, give a quirky gift to a friend (monogrammed?) , or just spend an afternoon making something pretty for your home. CLICK HERE for the full project instructions. [ps: emergency wedding project help-- does anyone know a place in manhattan where i can buy fabric for an ink jet printer?
I need to print on some asap for a wedding project and the place i ordered from just told me they're back-ordered. ack!]
Spray paint coffee beans. Painted Mason Jars with words/patterns/etc. Yes, they are everywhere. Yes, I have posted on them before. And yes, I am still smitten! How could I not be? They are affordable. I should note...I'm a little obsessed with how the matte black came out and have more outside drying as I type this. Then, in my Pinterest crazed obsession, I found this little DIY image. This led me to trying my own version with a milk jar, fabric marker and glue gun.... She's not perfect, but I love that about her. For all you DIYers with questions on how to or the materials used for this project...I did a follow up post that can be found here. Jar with needled Ball. Thumbtack home decor ball. This is a fun and simple little project using one of my favorite things, office supplies!!! Is it just me or are office supply stores so much fun. What you will need: Styrofoam balls (mine are 2.5 inch diameter), duct tape (grey), thumbtacks, scissors Make sure to get the silvery thumbtacks with flat tops.
How to make: 1. 2. 3. 4. I'm off to the office supply store for more pins! Jellyfish in a Bottle. ~ Note for Thai fans ~ เป็นโพสเก่าที่มีแฟนบล๊อกจากต่างประเทศขอมาให้เขียนเป็นภาษาอังกฤษนะคะส่วนแฟนบล็อกที่ยังไม่เคยอ่านเรื่องนี้เลย ฉบับภาษาไทยดูที่นี่ค่ะ The other day, while I was thinking to get something to put in the water bottle for Bhoom to shake for fun. I saw a plastic grocery bag next to me and then this idea popped up. I think.. well, give it a try. With some trials and errors, my little jellyfish comes alive just like I thought it would be. : ) When daddy and son first saw it, they’re surprised with their jaws wide open. Then, I asked my hubby to take pictures for this DIY Jellyfish in a bottle. Things you need to make your own jellyfish (Hope you can find all these in your kitchen) : 1.
. • Now you’ll get the head balloon part and the remaining will be its tentacles. When finished, you’ll get something like this (the left pile is all the pieces we cut off) • Put some water into the head part to make it be able to sink (see picture 7). Like this: Like Loading... Chalkboard (Halloween) Globe. OK, yes…. chalkboard globes have been done. I’ve seen a couple of them that are inspirational. (Can’t remember exactly where… so sorry..) So when I found a globe for 50 cents and Halloween is just around the corner, I knew exactly what I wanted to do to it. I wanted to map some of the Scary Places on the planet: Pin My garage sale globe: This old globe had countries that were no longer in existence, but it had cool numbers and raised areas on the globe itself.
I spray painted the stand a metallic silver. I used a good primer on the globe, then sprayed it with Rustoleum’s chalkboard paint. Then, using my Super-Duper-Sucky geographical/artistic prowess, I chalked out the continents on the globe. It may be a little goofy… but it makes me smile. check the bottom of the blog to see where I link this up. Decorating with Yarn Balls. Dear Chicago House, Do you know so many people loved the Rope Balls I made recently but they can be a little tricky to make. So, for those who got frustrated with rope here is an much easier decorative ball to make, a simple yarn ball.
I squished together some newspaper to make a sphere about the size of a tennis ball and simply wrapped the yarn around it. When it was completely covered I just tucked the end in and hey presto a pretty ball. The beauty of these decorative accents is that you can select any color or texture of yarn to compliment your decor and here they are in a contemporary glass vase with those lovely rope balls. Love from Creative in Chicago Linking with homestoriesa2z | notjustahousewife | Drift Wood Orb. Dear Chicago House, After a lovely vacation on the beach I am drawn (once again) to creating beachy thing. I think it is my destiny, to one day, to live on the coast. I saw a lovely drift wood orb in Crate and Barrel recently and as soon as humanly possible went to my secret Chicago beach to collect some drift wood, ready to make my own version.
Lake drift wood is just as good as sea drift wood. Ta da! It took a little patience and did result in quite a few hot glue gun burns but what can I say I should wear gloves! What you need Short lengths of drift wood, get way more than you think you will need. Blow up the beach ball. Once the ball is totally encased in wood deflate and remove. How easy was that? Love from Creative in Chicago. Wooden Spheres.
Aluminum Can Leaves. Anthropologie Inspired Blooms. After a recent trip to Anthropologie, I was inspired to make these spring blooms: Before I explain, here are the ones from Anthropologie (pictures taken with my phone) We noticed these huge flowers as part of the decor. So cute! How did they make these? Yes, Q-Tips!! (sorry for the fuzzy phone pictures) I just knew I had to try it myself! So, I went home and gathered some supplies: I experimented a few different ways, but this method was the easiest: Cut the Q-tips in half Poke them into the Styrofoam ball: If you make them too close together, the q-tips won't push down very far. Once you are finished, mix up some water and food coloring. Keep rolling the ball around in the food coloring until all the q-tips are evenly colored. Set it on a towel to dry. Now, snip the stems off of some cheapy flowers. Poke it into the ball.
And there you have it! Has anyone else created something inspired by Anthropologie? Simple White Paper Flowers. August 18th, 2008 Email 1195 users recommend This bouquet of delightfully airy flowers is as easy to make as it is beautiful. Jeff Rudell Feather-weight blossoms sit atop gracefully arched wire stems; they even sway gently at the slightest breeze. A unique white-on-vellum paper adds visual texture while allowing light to penetrate its translucent surface. Photo: Jeff Rudell When designing a project, I usually have two objectives: 1) to make something beautiful, and 2) to make something that's simple to construct. The response to that last post was quite positive (thank you to everyone who left a comment for me) so, as promised, I'm happy to present here a project originally created for, and published in, Brides magazine. Check out a video of this project here. Note to readers: When crafting, it's often easier to set up an assembly-line workflow.
Materials: 1) White, translucent paper. 2) Floral wire (The gauge is dependent on the size and weight of the flowers you decide to make.