Thursday, June 28, 2018

Restyle a Thrift Store Wooden Bowl

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It's that time again - The Thrift Store Upcycle Challenge on the fourth Thursday of the month, where a group of creative bloggers come together to share their lovely transformations of a thrift store item. Who doesn't love thrift store upcycle projects - whether it's actually creating one or admiring how an item from a thrift store was transformed!


This post contains links to products, if you purchase something after clicking on my link I may earn a small commission to help with my craft expenses (at no extra cost to you).Thank you!

The Rules:

  • Upcycle an item(s) from a thrift store, resale store, or garage sale into a new piece of decor.
  • There’s no monthly theme.
  • There’s no budget to stick to.
Be sure to visit all of my co-hosts listed below to see what they transformed!

I found a wooden bowl at Goodwill for $2.25, just perfect to re-style into the look of an artisan inspired hand painted pedestal piece!  Here's how I re-styled the wooden bowl:
 Gathered:
  • Unfinished wood circle shape
  • Unfinished wood pedestal stand
  • Dap RapidFuse Multi Purpose Adhesive 
  • FolkArt HomeDecor Cottage White Chalk Paint
  • Flower design (laser printed)
  • Small detail scissors/paint brushes
  • Mod Podge
  • Varnish Sealer
Process:

 Begin by wiping down the wooden bowl with a soap and water dampen cloth to remove any dirt and grim and let dry. You really don't need to sand the finish since I'm covering it with chalk paint.


For the pedestal, I first glued on a wooden circular shape base and then .  .  .

the pedestal stand to the bottom of the bowl using RapidFuse Multi Purpose glue and let dry for about a half an hour. 


Next, painted the entire pedestal bowl in a soft white chalk paint.



I love the look of hand painted motifs on bowls and trays so I found this free to download flower design online that appeared to be hand painted.  While the painted pedestal bowl was drying, I re-sized the image into several different sizes - and printed them out using a laser printer. *Can't use a jet ink printer for this - the color will bleed!


After cutting the flowers out, I positioned them on the dry pedestal bowl starting at the base. Then, I painted Mod Podge on the flowers to make them pliable and easily movable, placing them in position and smoothing out any wrinkles  .  .  .


while brushing on more Mod Podge - and adding flowers up and over the edge into the center bowl. Repeating the process of adding decoupage glue, smoothing out and letting it dry!


Once dry, applied additional coats of Mod Podge to the flowers and then let dry completely.


And finally, applied a varnish to seal it all!  


What a wonderful way to re-style a thrift store wooden bowl! 

 It's definitely a winner!




      Have fun in transforming your thrift store finds to fit your style and taste!



Meet the Co-Hosts

Angela | Simply Beautiful by Angela  Jennifer | Cookies Coffee and Crafts  
Gail | Purple Hues and Me   Yami | The Latina Next Door  
Amanda | Domestically Creative    Ann | Duct Tape And Denim    
   Debra | Shoppe No. 5 
 Victoria | Dazzle While Frazzled   Shirley | Intelligent Domestications 
 Chelc | Inside the Fox Den   Habiba | Craftify My Love


Make sure you follow our board on Pinterest for more upcycled decor inspiration!

And now for more thrifty goodness!

Check out what my fellow upcyclers created below!



Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Pulled String Painting

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Pulled String Painting

Welcome to the June Pinterest Challenge Blog Hop, hosted by My Pinterventures. The purpose of this Pinterest Challenge is to motivate all the participants of this hop (and you too) to not just pin, but to make it happen!


This post contains links to products, if you purchase something after clicking on my link I may earn a small commission to help with my craft expenses (at no extra cost to you).Thank you!


 This month, I chose to create something very simple but quite interesting: Pulled String Painting. I first saw a short video that was shared on Face Book and I was amazed and intrigued! Then I jumped on Pinterest to see all the different variations and had to try it out myself!

To start, gather:
  • acrylic craft paint
  • string (dollar store)
  • card stock or canvas
  • plain paper
  • flat piece of cardboard (size of the card stock) 
  • paper towels
  • paper plates/paint brushes or skewer sticks 
  • plastic/parchment paper to cover work surface
This is a messy process, so be prepared by covering your work surface with plastic or parchment paper!


 Then, cut long pieces of string - enough to curl, swirl and wiggle on your cardstock or canvas.  Next, you can either dip your string into paint bottles or .  .  .

pour a little paint onto a paper plate and using a paint brush or skewer stick to saturate the string with paint. I like using paper plates - it was much easier than dipping the string into the paint bottles. You don't want a lot of paint on the string - if you do, you will have blobs of paint instead of a nice design on the paper, so use a paper towel to remove any excess paint.

Next, lay the tip of the painted string where you want to start and begin curling and twirling, making loops and shapes with the string in one continuous motion. Leave enough string hanging out to pull. 
 *Once you start a string design don't pick up the string and move it in an attempt to change or you will have unwanted paint marks. 


Then, place a blank sheet of paper on top of your string creation .  .  .


and next lay a heavier piece of flat cardboard on top of the blank paper and hold down gently - not too hard! Then, pull the string out completely in any direction! If you have trouble pulling the string out - you are holding the top piece down too much. And finally, lift up the top pieces to uncover and expect to be amazed with the design you created!



You can repeat this process with as many different color strings as you like - the possibilities are unlimited for making designs! The fun is in your imagination to create and the wonderful outcome! It's oh, so pretty!
*CAUTION:  This can become addictive!


I'm really loving this Pinterest Challenge!

Pinterest Challenge Blog Hop

To join next month's #pinterestchallenge, click here to sign-up ⇒ July Pinterest Challenge.

Now let's see what other things Pinterest inspired! Head over and visit the co- hosts to see what they crafted, cooked, built, or tried!

Erlene - My Pinterventures • Lauren - Mom Home Guide 
Lisa - Blogghetti • T'onna - Sew Crafty Crochet 
Pili - My Sweet Things • Debra - Shoppe No. 5 
Roseann - This Autoimmune Life • Terri - Our Good Life 

Monday, June 18, 2018

Plaster Cloth Flower Design on Milk Carton Vase

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A Craft Room De-Stash Challenge

Every month a group of talented bloggers are challenged by C’mon Get Crafty to create a new craft or project from their own stash of goodies! I must admit that I keep a stockpile of empty containers like soda cans, glass jars and different types of boxes and cartons. I love recycling stuff and I never know when I might need one of these items for a project.   This month, for the De-stash Challenge, I'm making a vase out of a milk carton and covering it with plaster cloth - something I also keep in my stash. Besides strengthening the milk carton, plaster cloth is a fun way to add dimension by creating a flower design on the front of the vase.

Materials Used:
Plaster Cloth
Milk Carton
Craft knife/scissors
Paint brushes
Water
Acrylic paint
Outdoor varnish sealer


To get started, cut off the top of a clean milk carton.

Then, place plaster cloth at the edge of the carton (it just happens to be the same height of the carton).  Wet a large paint brush with water and saturate the plaster cloth, smoothing out completely, especially around the edges.
Continue wrapping, wetting and smoothing out the plaster cloth around the carton until it is completely covered. Cut off excess cloth and let dry.
Stuff the carton with plastic bags or newspaper to hold shape while it is drying.
Cut smaller strips of plaster cloth to cover edges .  .  .
wet, as before, smoothing the edges down. And let dry completely.

For the flower stems, cut narrow strips of plaster cloth and .  .  .
 
 
lightly dampen with water, twisting and shaping into a stem down on the carton. Make sure the stem cloth adheres to the cloth on the carton by pressing down. Paint on a clear drying glue if it lifts up.


Continue making and designing stems for the flower.


 

To make the flower, hand cut out small petals (five for each flower stem).



Wet, shape, and mold the petals to flower stems, smoothing out as desired.
Let dry overnight.


You can either paint the flowers and stems or leave as is. It's quite the shabby chic look!
Plaster cloth should be sealed with a waterproof or outdoor varnish since it could be activated with water.

I love this shabby chic look for a vase!

Just perfect to hold pretty flowers!

 
This post contain affiliate links. You are not obligated to click on any link or buy any products that are advertised. If you click on an affiliate link and buy something, I may receive a very small commission.  It does NOT result in additional charges to you or cost you anything extra. Mentions of associated products/services/businesses within the content of my blog may or may not be noted as an affiliate in every reference.  The affiliate money I earn per month helps pay my crafting expenses. Thanks so much for your support!


Check out more awesome creations you might be able to make from your own stash! #CraftRoomDestashChallenge


Meet Your Hosts

 

If you'd like to join in the Craft Room De-Stash Challenge, you can request to join our Facebook group here!