Gold & Watercolor Geometric Bunny Art

With springtime and our big move right around the corner, one of the top items on my to-do list was to create a piece that can perform double duty - Easter decor at our current house and woodland nursery decor at the Fixer Upper. I'm pretty sure this Gold & Watercolor Geometric Bunny fits the bill perfectly.

I'm a sucker for watercolor, and with the addition of gold leaf, this is easily one of my new favorite projects.

Big News! Tiny Prints & Spool and Spoon

Guess what? I am sharing the perfect last-minute Valentine DIY with the Tiny Prints Blog readers! **YAY!!** I mean, yay...  Can you tell I'm thrilled? Haha.
Did you know that Tiny Prints has a blog? If not, you're in for a real treat. 

I'd love for you to stop by and check out my project. It was inspired by this adorable valentine. You can see the rest of the Tiny Prints cards here -- cutest selection ever, am I right?! Grab a cup of coffee (or wine, if that's more your style -- judgment free zone!) and browse the site for other great projects and inspiration for your next event... there's a ton to see! I have a feeling that you'll be crowned a Pinning queen by the time you're through.

I am so excited about this partnership. Hope to see you there!

Easy Carved Wood Art - DIY Gift Idea

If you follow me on Pinterest, you know that I can't get enough of Valentine's Day lately. Despite my fervor for all things pink and red, I've been meaning to incorporate some more design conscious items into our holiday decor. How about a rustic and neutral piece of Valentine art? 

This mock wood carving would be an incredible Valentine's Day gift for your special someone but also for the lovey-dovey newlyweds in your life.

How to: Draw a Chalk Art Wreath

No matter how busy I am, I just love this time of year. Who needs Thanksgiving anyways? Christmas is where it's at! We started decking the halls this weekend and I couldn't be more thrilled!

I'm going to preface this by saying I am by no means, a chalk art guru. Buttttttt I wanted to share a really great tip that just about anyone can use to amp up their own holiday decor. Chalkboard art has been all the rage for a couple of seasons and, fingers crossed, that won't be changing anytime soon. I thought it might be fun to add an unexpected piece to our holiday home this year -- a monogrammed chalkboard wreath. 

Here's how I went about drawing this bad boy!

Family Rules Chalkboard Art - Free Print!

Hi ladies! Last month, I shared this Family Rules Print with the folks over at Sumo's Sweet Stuff. Summer is pretty fantastic in her own right, so hopefully you already follow her and saw this chalkboard goodness in September. If not, enjoy!

With the holidays right around the corner (yep, you heard me -- right.around.the.corner), imagine how precious of a gift this would be for the families from church, your favorite neighbors, or even your own extended family.  

Home Sweet Home | Personalized Printable

So, it's been a whole month since my last post. I hope you missed me <3 

My summer has been a whirlwind and I've stayed quite busy at the office.The Labor Day Weekend has been the perfect time to just fall back on the couch and relax with the Mr. and our furbabies. 

Home. Sweet. Home. Home sweet home, indeed! 

Sureee. I get it. You're like, "but Jess, my gorgeous family and home were not established in 2011 -- but thanks anyway." I made this print in keeping with the idea that you could and SHOULD personalize it for your own family. 

Smooth Sea | Skillful Sailor - Printable

This summer is flying by and it's hard to believe that it's not over just yet. We're FINALLY enjoying some cooler temps (mid 80s!) and I'm really looking forward to the 60s-70s of Fall. Afterall, who doesn't love Autumn? Until then, I've been stuck with quite a conundrum. What kind of decor will fill the gap between stars and stripes and the autumnal harvest?? 

My vote goes to nautically inspired pieces. Going along with that line of thinking, I love a fab motivational print to tie it all together. This little lady will be right at home amidst your seafaring decor or even tucked within a gallery wall!

DIY Watercolor Guest Book Alternative

For last weekend's bridal shower, I wanted a guest book that was better than the average bound variety. There are guest book alternatives abounding all over the internet. There are those cute fingerprint ideas and the signed bottle of wine and the wishing trees and pieces of a puzzle. I really wanted something else though. That's when I saw this fun piece of art on Pinterest. $160 though? Woowee. That was so not in the budget. So, what's a crafty girl to do? Make one of course. 

The end result was exactly what I was looking for. The colors and pattern are completely customizable and BOY OH BOY, it was a fun DIY. I forgot how much I enjoy painting with watercolors. 

Washi Tape Sculpture

Thank goodness for yard sale season! It's one of the absolute best parts of the year, dontcha agree? A couple weeks ago, the Mr. and I stopped by a garage sale at an alpaca farm and I found some simple hand-carved wooden animals. There were sea turtles and rays and a really awesome elephant. Confetti & Stripes put together an awesome collection of elephant inspired decor so I just KNEW I needed it in my life. Unfortunately, the ugly 70s finish was just too much for me to handle. I had originally intended to paint it or cover it with gold leaf, but seeing as I had it for a couple of weeks and still hadn't made up my mind I went with something a little less permanent - washi tape.

This is the perfect project to do with the kids this summer because it's virtually mess-free and would be an easy addition to their decor. It's as easy as 1-2-3. 

Astrological Constellation Printables

Funny story behind this one. Well, maybe not so funny as it is one that shows how blonde I can be sometimes. The Mr. really has a thing for astronomy and by that, I mean he's a big ole nerd (haha). Yeah, well, this girl wanted to do something special for him and thought that I could make some a cute astronomical themed piece of art. I set out and created these little prints. Well... it turns out that astronomy is not at all the same thing as astrology... WHOOPS. Nevertheless, they turned out super cute so I'm happy to share them with you!

Love is in the Air Printable

My favorite things in life are free. Well, maybe not all of them, but my pretty printables are! The first of the 2013 is a lovely Valentine's Day print in the perfect 5x7 size.

I made quite a few versions because I'm indecisive and I love color. Feel free to download and print whichever one appeals to you most; it'll fit perfectly into your favorite 5x7 frame!

Christmas Tree Ribbon Art

When Christmas comes around, I love to change out the art in our house. It's nice to have small little vignettes here and there all around the house, but I like the dramatic as well. I can never find affordable pieces that are large enough to make a statement so it was about time I made one. 

On the 4th day of The 25 Projects of Christmas, my true love gave to me Christmas Tree Ribbon Art. 

This is a great size without being too overwhelming at 18" x 24". Seeing as I already had all of the materials floating around it was also completely free. 

Stars and Stripes: Grand Finale Table Runner

Thanks to the Mr.'s dad, we have an chic white dining room table. It's the perfect blank canvas for everything from delicate salt and pepper shakers to pretty table runners. We've got quite a few (runners, not shakers), but we were lacking one with July 4th flair. I had considered using some striped and starred fabrics, but since I look forward to seeing the fireworks every year I thought this would be a different take on All-American. 

Materials:

• Raw Canvas (length of table + 2 feet) -- use an existing table runner as a guide
• Pencil
• Pinking Shears
• Acrylic Paint
• Fabric/Textile Medium
• Iron
• Round Paint Brushes (various sizes)

Directions:
1. Take your existing runner and lay it over the canvas to act as a template

2. Using your pencil, draw a line running parallel to the runner on the canvas with about 3/4 of an inch between them

3. Cut ALL edges with pinking shears, be sure to cut away from the pencil markings. (I chose not to do so, but if you'd like, you could stitch all the way around in a matching or contrasting thread to further prevent fraying)

4. Iron out any prominent wrinkles

5. Mix fabric medium (2 parts) with acrylic paint (one part) and paint various designs/shapes/colors to emulate fireworks. While I seem to stain everything with acrylic paint and cannot believe that it would ever wash out, going the extra step with the fabric medium ensures that despite any stains or spills, the runner will be perfectly washable.

6. Let dry for 24 hours, then set the paint with a hot iron or a toss in the dryer AND YOU ARE DONE.

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I'm  linking to:

DIY Showoff | S3 | Classy Clutter | A Little Tipsy | I Heart Nap Time | Mine for the Making | Flamingo Toes | Craftomaniac | Shabby Creek Cottage | Somewhat Simple | Saved by Love Creations | My Simple Home Life | My Girlish Whims | Stone Gable

Stars & Stripes: Wooden Flag Art

Last weekend as I was browsing HomeGoods, I found the cutest gnome ever tucked on a random shelf. As I eagerly scooped him up, I noticed a distressed patriotic frame on the lower shelf. It was perfect for the summer holidays with it's flag motif but I had no use for yet another frame especially one that I probably wouldn't use so I walked away. Later on that night, I ran across this Painted American Flag at Pottery Barn and figured it was a sign from above; both pieces served as the inspiration for my first Stars and Stripes project for the 4th of July: Wooden Flag Art.

Materials:

• Finished Wood Slab (I used a 6"x8"x1" cutting board. But if you want to replicate the monumental size of the PB piece, just use something larger)
• Painters Tape
• Rotary Cutter
• Acrylic Paint (Plaid's Satin Cream, Crimson, Barn Red, and Too Blue)
• 1" Bristle Brush or Sponge Brush
• Sand Paper
• Star Stickers
• Sepia Decoupage Finish

Procedure:

1. Sand lightly and then coat with 2-3 coats of cream paint; allow brush strokes to show

 2. Cut painters tape to cover all areas that need to remain white (the stripes and the top left portion for the stars). We only had 2" painters tape handy so I cut the strips 2/3 of an inch wide with my rotary cutter for the stripes. For the stars area, I overlapped tape to form a 3" x 3.5" rectangle.

3. Cover the areas as shown below. Apply firmly, but do not press too hard, you actually want the paint to bleed a little bit.

4. Mix the two reds in equal parts and paint all of the exposed areas

5. Remove tape and apply star stickers. (Don't count mine... I definitely couldn't fit 50 on there)

6. Affix the tape to create boundaries for the blue paint. Apply the blue in 2-3 coats.

7. After the paint has dried, remove the star stickers. Don't worry when it gets a little messy, that's exactly what you want. Tip: Use tweezers! (If you though applying them was the time-consuming part, this trumps that easily. This took forever -- You can see all of the teeny tiny pieces of stickers in the back and only 5 came off in one full piece.)

8. Use sandpaper to distress the edges and finish. This is optional but I think it made all the difference.

9. If the colors are too bright for you (they were for me), add a coat of sepia decoupage finish. It dulls the colors and "dirties" it up just right.

Here it is on display in my craft room with other red, white, and blue goodness.

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I'm linking to:

DIY Showoff | S3 | Classy Clutter | A Little Tipsy | I Heart Nap Time | Mine for the Making | Flamingo Toes | Craftomaniac | Shabby Creek Cottage | Somewhat Simple | Saved by Love Creations | My Simple Home Life | My Girlish Whims | http://www.stonegableblog.com/