Painted Mixed Media Christmas Card

How fun is this little painted Christmas tree? 

Do you like to make your own cards or gifts? 

Today I have a perfect little project to share! I painted this mini Christmas scene for a holiday card. But, it could easily be made into a canvas for a bit of whimsy art or framed for a gift. It was super easy and fun! Let me tell you how I created it!

First I used a heavy duty piece of card stock from some packaging that I saved from the recycle bin for the base. I created a mixed media background using layers of paper, stamps, ink, pen, acrylic paint and rub ons. Then I used some fun patterned paper from me & my BIG ideas to cut out the shapes for the tree, trunk, presents, and half circles along the top. I didn't measure. I just cut away. :)

Using some matte Mod Podge I glued the scene together. Once that dried, I added paint to each piece lightly with acrylic paint. I wanted to tone down the patterned paper a bit, but still allow the designs to show through. This is a great way to tone down bright patterns for your scrapbook layouts too. A thin layer of white gesso always does the trick for me!

Finally, I added details like shading, bows, and Merry Christmas stickers from Cosmo Cricket. I used a small white button for the tree topper, attaching it with some E6000 glue (use with GOOD ventilation!). Once my mini canvas was complete I added it on top of a few paper layers. Everything was placed onto a card (just some folded white card stock) and now it is ready to send out! 

The great thing about this card - the recipient can stick it in a frame and have it as Christmas decor for years to come. A sweet, festive card perfect for gift giving. 

PS I also think this would be a GREAT project for kids to make as gift too!!

Happy Creating,

Adorable Fall Owl Craft

How cute is this little guy? It's perfect for a quick fall project, right? Thanksgiving break is coming next week in the states and this owl craft would be perfect to do with your kids, family, or grand kids. 

My daughter came home from school last week and wanted to teach her brother and I an art project they had done at school. She was super excited to show us! 

I have to give all the credit to her and her fabulous teachers. :) 

It is super easy and loads of fun.

Here's what she had us do....

Gather supplies:

pine cones

cotton balls

glue

googly eyes

yellow round stickers

feathers

construction paper 

First, break the cotton balls apart into smaller pieces and begin stuffing them into the spaces in the cones. We didn't use glue for this. The cotton stays tucked nicely inside. I am sure you could use glue, but it is not necessary. 

After the owl is fluffed up, decide which side in going to be the front. Now, use the glue to attach two whole cotton balls to the top portion of the cone for the base of the eyes. Place a round yellow sticker in the center of each cotton ball. Then, on top of that glue a googly eye. Repeat for the other eye. 

 Using some yellow paper cut out a small folded beak and glue between the eyes. The final step is to glue a feather on each side for the wings. We just put a little bit of glue on the end of the feather and stuck it into the pine cone. There are lots of different variations that can be done for the wings! My kids wanted their owl to have brightly colored wings. :)

That's it! Your adorable owl is finished and ready for display.

SO cute!

Happy Creating,

DIY Crayon Hearts

Being a former elementary teacher and a mother of two children, I have a lot of crayons laying around. I mean A-Lot! So, when my daughter's teacher requested non-candy Valentine's this year I knew exactly what we could try - heart shaped crayons. After showing my daughter some different pictures from Pinterest, she was super excited about trying to make them for her classmates.

The first task was taking the paper off all the crayons. I think this part took the most time. I used a small paring knife to slit the paper and then my little assistant pulled it off. This did take quite a bit of time, but it is well worth it!

After removing the paper, we separated the crayons into color groups using coffee filters to corral the crayons. Then we chopped the bare crayons into small pieces. Following some trial and error, we decided that smaller pieces of crayon would work the best. My daughter wanted a variety of color in each heart shape, so the smaller the better. 

I found a silicone heart shaped baking sheet at my local pharmacy of all places. Plus, we were making these pretty last minute so it was on sale. Score! :) Funny little side note...make sure it is a BAKING sheet and not an ICE TRAY. Lol. Let's just say that I didn't read the packaging very well on our first attempt and ended up with a melted mess. Ha! Anyways, we put the little pieces of crayon in each heart. I baked them at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Be very careful pulling them out of the oven! I put the silicone tray on top of a cookie sheet for baking and cooling. It makes it much easier. Let them cool and pop them out. (Tip: Be sure they are completely cooled or they will break when you attempt to take them out.)

They turned out SO pretty! The colors were so GOR-geous and we had used a few metallic crayons too. They were our favorites. Making crayons like these would be perfect for party favors, birthday gifts, or teacher appreciation presents. They can be made in all kinds of shapes which makes it super fun.

We used some colored paper and cut them down to about 3 x 4. I rounded the corners with a picture corner rounder. Then I stamped the cutie little heart arrow from a stamp set I found at Joann's for one dollar. Adorable! I typed up a sheet on my computer with the saying, Valentine, You Color my World. Then cut each phrase out with fancy craft scissors to give them some pizazz. We glued them to the top and attached the heart using embroidery string. I punched two holes in the cards (can't see under the crayon) to secure the the heart. It was tricky figuring out how to get the heart to stay put. Eventually, I slipped these into a clear bag and sealed it with a heart sticker. I didn't want the hearts to fall out and break. My daughter and her friends loved them!

This was a really fun project! It is a perfect way to use up all those broken crayons in your stash and give them new life. I know I will keep my eyes peeled for baking sheets with fun shapes so we can try this again!

Happy Creating!

Shoe Box Canvases

You Can Fly on shoe box lid

 Back to School inevitably means new shoes in our house. As I was taking some of the empty boxes down to the recycle bin...I stopped and thought, wait a second...these lids could pass as canvases. I love transforming normally useless things into something meaningful. Not to mention that I love making something fabulous for hardly any cost (which means besides loving art blogs...I obsess over home, craft, & DIY blogs. This is exactly why laundry does not get done while my little Love naps!). I have a project list that runs down the block & new art for the walls is top priority. 

So I thought, why don't I just cover these with gesso and give it a try. 

I am glad I did. I painted a cute little bird canvas for my daughter's room (we are slowly decorating with a bird theme) and started another. The second "canvas" is the beginnings of something abstract. We'll see how it turns out. :)

WIP Abstract box top

 So for pennies, you can create a little something to brighten up your walls and make recycling artsy. They would be great canvases for kids to create on too. My daughter is always asking to paint on my stash of canvases. I could prep a bunch of these and have them ready for her. 

AND... what a great reason to get some new shoes. Maybe I'll try that one on my hubby. :) Do you think he will go for it? 

"No, really Babe. I needed these shoes...look at that box!" 

Hmmmm.... :)

Happy, Happy Monday!