Home » tutorial

DIY glitter pallet art

I am in this GLITTER ALL THE THINGS phase, all of them.

Especially golden silhouettes of my Golden State.

Or a golden reindeer turned Valentine's Day venison.

(That was a good one Lena.)

Ready to get sparkly?

Supplies:
Mod Podge (I prefer matte, it smells way less and is easier to work with than the other kinds)

Glitter (I have a major crush on the chunky kid craft aisle glitter right now. The super fine Martha kind is lovely, but the cost and the cleanup of microscopic glitter dust is just exhausting. Plus, what is more glittertastic than the old school gold?)

Big and small stiff paintbrushes

Some sort of simple shape or silhouette.
This project is quick, with a big impact. You do not want to be fussily filling in a complicated scene.
Google your favorite thing (squirrel, narwhal, Darth Vader, cupcake, etc.) followed by the word silhouette and you should have a bunch to choose from.

I have a super low tech way to get your silhouettes the size you need. I suppose that you could print them out and piece them together, but I am perpetually out of printer ink, and that just seems too complicated.

This is what I do instead:

Find the shape I want.
Zoom (Command + on a Mac. Don't know and don't care what it is on a PC. Sorry.) in on it until it is the size I need (even if it doesn't fit on my computer monitor), tape printer paper together, tape the paper to my monitor, and trace it directly from my monitor, scrolling down and moving the paper down accordingly.

Does that make sense? My brain doesn't always translate things in normal human language.

Lastly, you need a pallet. I make little ones up out of scraps from all of my other projects and have them ready to go when I need a quick gift, like thirty minutes before a party sort of quick gift.

If you have never made one before, this tutorial is much better than one I could write, and I love how she uses normal wood, which is what I do. Breaking up a pallet is HARDCORE. Plus you could totally make it without power tools. Just don't sue me when you smash your thumb with a hammer. I'll be to busy with my rad new nail gun.

Ready to glitter?
I promise you won't even believe how fast this goes.

1. Trace your shape.

2. Working in sections, quickly spread a thick, yet even coat of Mod Podge on the boards. Use a bigger paintbrush for the insides, and a smaller brush for the details.
DUMP glitter on the glue, then repeat for the next section.

3. So, so, so much glorious glitter.

If you hate glitter how stressed out are you right now?

So stressed.

You need to get over it. Glitter is awesome.

But then again, if you hate glitter, there is no way you are even still reading.

You are hiding in a corner chanting serenity now.

Sorry. Send me your therapy bills.

I'll make them sparkle.

4. Let this blob of golden goodness dry for an hour or so.

5. Don't worry about the huge pile of glitter that fell through the cracks in the wood. That is why brooms were invented.

6. Take your new sparkly sign outside and dump off the remaining glitter in a flower box that is bare and mocking your inability to keep any sort of plant alive. Glitter is way more fun than needy plants anyway. Your friends will be astounded and wonder how you are suddenly so rich, that even your dirt is made of gold. They are totally going to hit you up for a loan, or expect you to treat them to Starbucks at the very least.

7. Another grand option involves pouring it on your daughter's head. Especially if her love language is glitter. That and chocolate. I like her.
Or, if you are all responsible, smart, frugal and such, carefully collect it and pour it back into the container. Boring.

8. If you are still a little stressed about the whole glitter might fall on all the things in your household deal, grab your hairspray and pretend like it's 1989 and your sign is going to prom. A lot of hairspray goes a long way in gluing any rogue sparkles down.

That's it.
What in your life is begging for a little sparkle?

Monday, December 10, 2012

No-sew map garland

Want a super easy no sew banner project to bust out while you are watching something mindless on your dvr or listening to your favorite Christmas album?

Like crazy easy.

With supplies you might just have on hand.

Supplies:
Old or new maps (AAA is good for more than towing cars. Put your membership to good use and get a few maps from your favorite places)
Chipboard/ die cut letters (I used glitter chipboard ones leftover from a different project from Michaels. Obviously I was short a letter. Thankfully I have a craft supply hoarding friend who hooked me up with the missing O.)
Twine/ string/ yarn/ ribbon
Stapler
Scissors or a rotary cutter
That's it.

Cut out your flags.
These are 8x5 inches

Fold down one inch, fold over twine, staple.

Glue on your letters.

Hang and celebrate.
The end.

My favorite Christmas song from one of my favorite Christmas albums.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Easy sandal makeover.

So, I have wanted a pair of yellow Salt Water sandals forever and ever and ever.

Sigh...

Someday. Perhaps.

Until that day, I was severely lacking in the yellow sandal department. Tragic, I know.

I fell in super like with this funky braided pair at Target this spring, but here is the deal, I have brown, turquoise, and coral sandals already. The elusive yellow haunted me.

In the back of my mind I thought... hello, paint them.

So I bought the brown pair.

Totally normal, right?

My first thought was spray paint, but that seemed questionable.

Then I remembered the post about leather paint at Lil Blue Boo.

All giddy I ordered a bottle of yellow, certain that I would have a brand new pair by the weekend.

The weekend of March 23rd.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA.

Two months later I finally have a pair of sunny sandals.

It's an easy enough project.

A kindergarten worksheet and some painters tape to cover the soles.

Some leather paint.

Seriously. Not hard.

The paint even comes with it's own little brush. Awesome, right?

Unless you are Goldilocks and the sandals are your three bears.

The yellow was REALLY NEON. Like whoa. Which is so great if I wanted neon sandals.

So great. But I didn't.

Perhaps another coat would make them less neon-y.

Then another.

Four coats in, they were still neontastic.

So I caved, ordered a bottle of mustard.

Which is super brown mustardy.

Which would be perfect if I wanted brown mustard sandals.

Three coats of mustard and they were more brown than yellow.

Sort of how they started.

Rad.

THEY WERE NOT GOING TO DEFEAT ME.

A little mixy-mix of the neon and the brown mustard, two more coats and sunshine shined down on the I-probably-should-have-just-thrown-down-for-the-Salt-Waters-in-the-first-place sandals.

It became a joke in the house. The sandals that would never end, were now JUST RIGHT.

But seriously. They are so happy, so sunny, so cute. Worth all of the drama. All of the jokes.
I might still want Salt Waters. But I do love these.

How cute would they be in red....

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Dye is rad.

Again with the dichotomy.

Food dye. Hate it. It is horrible. It stresses me out. It should not exist.

Fabric dye. Love it. It is awesome. It makes me happy. It should be part of everyone's lives.

It is surprisingly easy.

Somewhat unpredictable.

Sometimes darker than you think it will be.

Sometimes lighter.

But always rad.

Whatever goes in the dye, always comes out better.

Granny fabulous ecru runner from Goodwill?

All of a sudden bright and happy.

It is destined to a new life as something. Probably involving cutting it up. Something of which I haven't figured out yet. I'm not really a runner girl. But it will find a new fabulous use for something. Any ideas?

Dylon is my favorite brand of dye.

Rit is fine. But the Dylon colors are more vivid and have better staying power.

You can find it at Joann's or the like....

I sort of follow the directions. Sort of.

Mostly I just put salt, dye and hot water in a container, then dip in what I want dyed.

Stir for a bit.

Then I wait.

Wait some more. Rinse. Dry on a towel in the backyard. Until a freak rainstorm. That was rude.

So everything had to dry in the garage, and I had to wait an entire extra day. Rude.

The thing is, I really struggle with dumping a perfectly good batch of dye.

I search around the house to find new things to throw in.

Starfish, gift tags, trim, fabric, old clothes... nothing is safe.

Just keep in mind that cotton takes dye the best.

Poly-cotton blends, not so much.

Pom pom fringe?

How badly do you want me to say that they are dyeable?

Nope. Sad face. I tried. No worky.

Amy Butler fabric that was already gorgeous to begin with?

Now even better if you ask me.

Doilies that were screaming for some rainbow happiness?

Hello. I love you.

What do you feel like dyeing today?

Do it!

It's cheaper than therapy.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Scrappy vintage sheet garland DIY

Feel like making a scrappier, shabbier, vintageier (totally a word) version of the Rainbow Garland?

No rotary cutter required.

Just patience and pretty sheets, lace, trim, fabric, and a pair of scissors.

Lets say that vintage sheets are easy to come by in your hood.

Must be nice.

I however have to import mine because our thrift shops are horrid and crazy overpriced.

My favorite sheet supplier is Jane Says Vintage.

She has an endless supply of the prettiest ones.

(P.S. They don't smell either. I'm super creeped out by smells.)

I got a little fat quarter set that was just calling to be ripped up.

If you haven't torn fabric, you are missing out.

It is so fast, and somewhat therapeutic.

All you need to do is cut little notches every inch or so, then tear.

It's the best sound.

You will be left with lots and lots of long strips. At this point, some of them might be all stringy. Take a little time to pull the long and crazy ones off. You want shabby... but not SHABBY, you know?

Then tie them all together in charming little knots.

I wish I also had a huge stash of vintage lace trim.

Sigh.

I grabbed a few of these from Joann's.

Vintage looking.

Not vintage pricing.

Where is the estate sale where I can buy a trunk of this for $1.00?

Then take your strips and tie them to a ribbon, twine, even a curtain rod. No rules here. Make them as long or as short as you want. Intersperse the lace for a little texture. Burlap strips would be fun too. If it didn't hate my skin and make me all crawly itchy.

Step back. Enjoy the pretty.

As the unicorns slide down sunshine rainbows marveling at the beauty of your latest project.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

No-sew fabric garland.

Inspired by my friend Beth who posted a picture of hers on Facebook and I threatened to steal it unless she told how to make it. She opted the making me make it route (rude) and perhaps that was the better option.

It's easy. It's versatile. It's worth the time that it takes to mindless cut and tie and cut and tie...

It made it's debut at our back to school eve celebration,

and has now taken up residence in our house year round, because everyday is a party around here, especially if you are lucky enough to snag the last yogurt.

Joann's was having a 50% off Kona solids sale, that I took advantage of.

But you can use really any fabric that you want.

Rainbow? Seasonal? Match your party theme or decor?

Absolutely.

Just keep in mind that for each yard of fabric you buy you will get approximately a three foot long garland. I obviously bought way more than a yard, since the rainbow happiness is about fifteen feet long.

This is a great project for a craft night. Easy to assemble while you chat, and easy to divide up multiple yards of different fabric.

If you don't have a rotary, cutter, mat and ruler, you will be sad.

Cutting this many strips by hand would be a nightmare.

Borrow one, or invite a crafty friend over who has one to make it with you.

Seriously. It is a non-negotiable.

Fold the fabric from selvage to selvage.

Cut a billion 1.5 inch strips.

The solid fabrics have a scraggly edge that bugs me, so I cut it off.

Printed fabrics will have a white border with the designer or manufacturer's info on it.

Also yucky. Get rid of it.

Since most fabric is 45 inches wide give or take an inch, if you cut each strip into 14 inch pieces, there might be a bit leftover, but no matter what you will be able to get three even pieces from each strip.

Cut, cut, cut, until there is nothing left to cut.

Zzzzzzzzz.

(If you want the garland to be longer, cut only two pieces from each strip.

If you want it to be crazy long, leave the 1.5 inch strips alone.

Totally up to you.)