Scrapbook Paper Wall Art - Vol. 2 and 3

I know I've been MIA for a little (make that a long) while. But I do have progress to show for it!!!

Previously I posted my teal flower-themed wall art I made. It was really simple to make, but because of life and distractions, my other canvases stayed on my table for months. Tragic really. However, after a weekend of ice left me trapped in my apartment this weekend (which in North Carolina means a half inch of sleet), I was able to finish the full set.

I love them! And they add such a nice splash of color to my poor, empty walls. I decided teal, pink, and purple would go well together, and they flowed together well since the patterns match in each color selection. 

My original.

Flower: Part 2

Flower Art 3: Revenge of the Flowers

And the final look at my cluttered dining room...

More projects to come! 

Nativity Silhouette Experiment

Experiment time!

Back in high school, I used to do dot art. Think Seurat's pointillism, but with ink pens. One of my really good friends and I just went back through my high school art collection and my old pieces inspired me to try another version of the art and transfer the dots into calligraphy (of sorts). I also saw something similar at the Craftsman's Classic craft show Thanksgiving weekend and couldn't wait to try.

First I took some versions of nativity silhouettes from the internet (thanks Google search!) and modeled my own quick sketch after them. Then I penciled in the Christmas story from the book of Luke. I'll admit I was totally inspired by Linus's recitation from A Charlie Brown Christmas. I retraced my pencil words with pen, erased the pencil marks, and was left with my finished product:

Here's a closer view...

I followed the manger around, did a few words around the star, and then did the story from Joseph to Jesus to Mary, ending with the words proclaimed by the angel as the ground.

And for all fellow translation nerds, the words came from my New Revised Standard Version: Catholic Edition bible. 

I won't say it's my favorite piece I've ever completed, by the message behind definitely ranks number one in my book.

Any nativity crafts to share? Let me know in the comments!

So I'm a Bit of a Flower Child

So I could NOT get this beautiful piece of wall art out of my head after seeing it on Pinterest...







...and I just knew I had to figure out how to make it. From the picture, it was pretty clear I need canvas and scrapbook paper. But what else to do? What was the best way to accomplish my task?

It's Doable gave me the answer with their beautiful tutorial. After a quick trip to the store, where I picked up a 9"x12" canvas, black acrylic paint, sponge brushes, scrapbook paper, and Mod Podge, I was ready to begin.

First, I painted my entire canvas black, including the sides. It took two coats, but each took only about 15-20 minutes to dry.

I spent the wait time between coats cutting out petals. Though my inspiration picture and tutorial used varied colors, I decided on a more monochromatic set of turquoise scrapbooking paper. Each petal is about 1.5" long and varies in width. I cut out a circle from a black patterned paper and began to set out the petals on the canvas around the center spot.

I love the color and the patterns!



Then I went through and painted the back of each and every piece with Mod Podge to glue it down. If the petal hung over the edge just a little, I glued it over. Any longer than the side edge, and the petal got a trim. Once all of the petals were safely secured, I sealed the entire piece with the same matte finish Mod Podge I'd used as glue.

Here's the finished product:

I'm SO happy with how it turned out. I actually bought three canvases, so I'm thinking about doing two more flowers in two different colors to make a set...maybe pink and purple?

What inspiration have you found online? Any DIY projects you're looking forward to?