Celebrate Blacklisted & Make a Photo Canvas!

I'm honored to be celebrating the one-year anniversary of the launch of Lela Davidson's charming book, Blacklisted from the PTA! Lela is not only a witty author, but also a friend of mine and fellow blogger. Her book is such a fun read about motherhood and marriage in suburbia. I'll admit I laughed out loud in the car-rider line many times while enjoying this book!

So what's in it for you? First let's learn a little DIY trick, then you can see how to win a FREE copy of Lela's book...

Instead of framing your favorite family photo, have you ever considered mounting it on canvas to display in your home? It's very inexpensive and even the crafting disabled could pull this one off.
There are a few different ways to mount a photo, but this is the way I did it...quick & easy!

First, decide what size you want your photo canvas to be. If you have no idea, think about where you want to display it and go from there. Print your photo...or have it professionally printed.

Supplies needed:

(All are available at hobby supply stores like Hobby Lobby)

Wrapped Canvas

Photo

Paint (Inexpensive acrylic paint will do the trick.)

Paint brush or foam brush

Foam roller brush (optional-but it helps!)

Mod Podge (For those newbies out there, that's the brand name of decoupage glue)

Step 1: Paint the top edges and sides of your canvas. It's doesn't need to be straight or perfect because the photo will cover most of it.

Step 2: While the paint is drying on your canvas, trim your photo down so that it's just slightly smaller than your canvas. This will prevent overhang.

Step 3: Use your foam roller brush (or paintbrush or regular foam brush) to roll on a even layer of Mod Podge onto the canvas, making sure to cover the whole surface area and the corners and edges. You don't want it to be too thin or your photo might not stick well--but you don't want it to be so thick that it buckles your photo. Just use your best judgement.

Step 4: Lay your photo on the canvas. If you don't get it lined up perfectly the first time, don't worry-just peel it up and center it. Make sure you don't have any Mod Podge on your hands, then smooth out the photo, eliminating any small air pockets.

There you have it! Just let it dry overnight then hang it up for all to see your clever craftiness. (And your cute family.)
Note: I used a coupon from Snapfish.com & got this 16x20 print for almost nothing. Keep your eye out for deals like that. I had it printed Sepia to match the browns in my living room. I'm enjoying looking at those cute faces every day!

Now that you know how to make your own photo canvas, it's time to join in on the celebration!
It's a giveaway!

Leave a comment on this post and you'll be entered to WIN a personalized, autographed paperback of

Blacklisted from the PTA!

It's also available on Kindle, if you prefer.

I'll pick one lucky winner via randomizer. Contest ends on Sunday, July 22nd at midnight CST.

I'd appreciate it if you'd "follow" this blog...the button is in the upper right hand column. :)

You can also check out Lela's website and blog, After the Bubbly. For every day this month, she is featuring a different blogger to help her celebrate! Go check it out & good luck!

Ribbon Wreaths

If you've visited my business blog, Fiddlesticks Art & More, then you've seen these ribbon wreaths I've been making. I just also wanted to share them here since this is where I share all the crafty things I've made.

Here are some AR Razorback themed wreaths I made:




The first one I ever made was for my daughter's door. The colors match her room.



She likes it!

Semi-Homemade Party Decorations

For my daughter's owl-themed first birthday party last month, I bought some inexpensive party decorations & modified them to fit the theme of the party. I found this set of 3 paper lanterns at Hobby Lobby and cut scrapbook paper into wings, a brow, a beak, and circles around large googly eyes to make the largest one an owl. I used removable adhesive so that after the party, I simply removed the owl parts & I can reuse the lanterns for other occasions.






I found the table centerpiece (in the top picture) in the clearance section for $1. The colors were right but it had a toile scene on it, so I covered the scene with some scrapbook paper and owls that I cut out from an extra party invitation.


Here it is on one of the guest tables:

These decorations turned out much cheaper--but just as cute--as if I had bought them pre-made!

Easy DIY Felt Owls

I made these 2 owls as a decoration for my daughter's first birthday party. (The next few posts will all be about things I made for her party, so stay tuned!) They're super easy to make...

Supplies:
2 Styrofoam balls (I made 1 big & 1 little)
Sheets of felt--in however many colors you want for the feathers
Large googly eyes
Hot glue
Scissors

I started by cutting out a feather shape & then used it as a template for all the other feathers. You can trace them onto the felt before you cut, if you wish. I just cut several of each color until I felt it was about enough. (Sorry, I didn't count them.)


I cut out 2 slightly larger pieces to be the wings. I used a patterned felt so they would stand out a little more. I also cut one end straight, not pointed.

Then, I cut out the weird shape to go around the eyes (the chocolate brown pieces in the pics below) and then some circles for the googly eyes to be glued onto.

Finally, I folded one of the "feathers" in half to be the beak.


I started gluing the "feathers" from top to bottom on the ball, alternating colors.


Large owl


Small owl


Then I glued on the wings, eye pieces, googly eyes and beaks...



Tah-da! 2 little felt owls, just sitting around enjoying the party. These would be super cute in Fall colors, sitting around pumpkins & such!

DIY Balloon Wreath

I've seen many versions of this type of wreath lately and since my son's birthday was last month, I decided I needed to make one before his party! I plan to use it for all of our family birthdays. I can change out the "M" if I want, although our last name also starts with "M", so it will work either way.

There are many tutorials out there, but here's my (fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants) version:



Supplies:
Straw wreath (or foam)
Floral pins (I bought the 1 lb. bag & will be using them for the rest of my life!)
Balloons (I bought 2 bags of 72 each & used about 3/4 of them)
Ribbon (wider makes it easier)
Fuzzy pipe cleaners (Optional)
Large painted wooden letter (Optional)



I used the straw wreath I bought at a thrift store a while back for 30 cents! I wish it was actually a little larger in size, but hey...you can't really argue with 30 cents. I left the plastic wrap on the straw to keep it contained.

Here's where I went wrong. Instead of first wrapping the entire wreath with ribbon, I started by pinning on balloons. See, I thought I was going to put balloons around the entire wreath, thus not needing any ribbon. Well, once I started out I decided that it would look better with about 3/4 of the wreath covered with balloons. So I wrapped the ribbon on the remaining part of the wreath & tried to cover the ends with balloons.




Carrying on...I thought it looked kind of plain, so I wrapped some colorful pipe cleaners around a pen to make them spirals, grouped them & glued them on. I then painted the whimsical wooden "M". I painted the edges yellow to try to make the letter stand out better. (Still wish it stood out more.) Then I tried hot gluing the letter to the balloons. Note to self: (and to you): Hot glue does not stick to balloons. At least it didn't for me. I tried another type of glue with no luck. I finally tied the letter on with a piece of red pipe cleaner. At least this way it's removable & I can use other letters or numbers if I want. So that ended up working out.




Here's how it turned out:

Crown Plate

Several months ago, we changed our front guest bathroom from pale green with a palm tree theme (yuk--So sick of that!) to a soft blue with chocolate brown. We still haven't gotten any chocolate brown towels, but we will get there! (we had a baby 7 months ago, I might add) There was also a little wall that had nothing on it that was bothering me, but I couldn't figure out what to hang there.

I finally decided upon 3 of my favorite things: A fleur de lis, a crown, and a cross. I already had the fleur de lis--it had been begging for a home for some time. I am still shopping around for the perfect cross, but in the meantime, I made this little crown plate.

I bought this 6" diameter plate at Hobby Lobby for $3. I had all the rest of the supplies on hand: patterned scrapbook paper, vinyl, Cricut die cut machine, paint, mod podge, & ribbon.



I chose a piece of scrapbook paper & cut out a circle the size of the inner plate. I then made small 1/2" cuts all around the circle so it would lie flat inside the circle & hug the round edge without puckering.


I looked everywhere for my brown Tim Holtz distressing ink, but ended up having to use acrylic paint to add a distressed border around the edge of the paper. It turned out just fine.


I then cut a crown out of vinyl with my Cricut. If you don't have a die cut machine, you could always cut out an image off the computer or use one at your local scrapbook store.
I stuck the vinyl crown to the paper, then mod podged the paper to the plate.
I threaded ribbon through the holes and ended up with a bow at the top.
Here is the little crown plate hanging in its new home! The cross will go to the lower right when I find it. (lighting is making the wall color look weird in this pic)

Here's another view of the bathroom (dying for chocolate brown towels!)
The supplies cost me around $5 total for this project.

Linking Up Here:

Inspiration: Woodland Animals

Since I've been decorating my baby girl's nursery over the last few months in a woodland animal theme, I've come across some wonderfully lovely items that are so inspiring! Many of them are owls~I just can't get enough. I'm constantly amazed at all the eye candy I find on Etsy.com and I'd love to own each and every one of these items, if I only had the space & the funds! So I just thought I'd share some (ok, a lot!) of my faves that have inspired me...



"The Bright Forest" (top) and "Rose" by Marisol Spoon on Etsy

Sleepy Heads vintage 70's children's book by vvpaperemporium on Etsy

Foster the Angora Owl by Woolcrazy on Etsy

Sterling silver Baby Owl necklace by Made by S.A.M. on Etsy
Ling Who Owl Bank by Just Puff on Etsy


Miniature Playset, Felt Owl in a Tree toy by HibouCards on Etsy



"Lilly Petal" felt owl plush, also by HibouCards on Etsy

Hedgie hair clip by Flashy Fish on Etsy

Bird in Her Hair, Pretty in Polka Dots hair clip by Ribbon Candy hair bows on Etsy

Woodland Friendly Owl Hair clip by Rosey Posey Bowtique on Etsy

Wooden animal toys-set of 3 by The Wood Garden on Etsy

Bon Bon & Belchick Squirrels by Sleepy King on Etsy


"Owl" (top)and "The Keeper of Time" (bottom) Both by Karen Davis on Etsy