home decor projects

Photoshop Tutorial and Free Printable Spring Subway Art

Head over to Printable Decor for this spring subway art printable and Photoshop tutorial detailing how you can easily change the color scheme and size to fit right in with your spring decor.

I cover using crop to quickly resize, as well as altering the hue of the entire photo, of just the blue, and turning the image into a monochrome.

Exciting stuff, I know! You can use what you learn to alter freebie printables and your own images to complement your style.

If you like subway art and Photoshop tutorials, check out this detailed post on how to make your

own subway art.

Spring T-Shirt & Paper Rose Wreath

by Johnnie Collier

What to do with all those paper roses I have been showing you? How about a T-shirt paper rose wreath? Remember this t-shirt wreath from winter? I stripped it down to just the shirt covered wreath form and added a burlap bow and 3 paper roses.

This is a great basic wreath to embellish for every season. And don’t forget all the other things you can do with those old t-shirts…

{Guest Post} Dollar Tree Spring Decor Project

by Johnnie Collier

TODAY LAUNCHES A WEEK OF GUEST POSTS HERE AT SBLC!

I am so excited to introduce

to you Debbie from Debbiedoos’s. Check out her great projects, her Monday Newbie Party,

blogging tutorials and more. Today she is sharing a dollar store spring decor project.

Take it away Debbie!

Happy Spring! I know not officially here yet, but it is in my house.

Thought I would share a Spring craft, that I whipped up in a few minutes.

All from dollar tree items,and of course a can of spray paint.

I used my new favorite color Blue ocean breeze.

I spray painted my white canvas.

What you will need:

Easter grass

Spring Easter Foam cut outs {dollar tree}

Foam eggs {dollar tree}

Faux Spring flower {dollar tree}

First I glued my grass on the board, both with craft glue, and my handy dandy glue gun.

I added my foam eggs with a dab of hot glue.

Then I glued my foam chickie..

Topped it off with my fun faux orange flower..

How C A Y U T E!

{ I say that often don’t I?}

I am all about budget friendly cute crafts.

If you are looking for Candace Olson designs…oops sorry you made a wrong turn.

HOWEVER, if HGTV would like to give me my own show, and a pocket full of money…

I will give Candace a run!

My cutsie did not stop there. I filled the apothocary jar up with some grass, another faux flower and some foam eggs…

Tied the top with some dollar tree ribbon!

Say it again with me… C A Y U T E!

I also bought the pretty fun paper napkins for the bathroom at the dollar tree. They are not really for the bathroom, but hey why not?

For the record my painted Giani counter top is holding up great! You may see that project here, if you missed it.

Today I am guest posting over at Johnnie, from Saved by love creations.

I thank you Johnnie for this opportunity to share with your wonderful friends and readers.

DIY Coffee Filter Roses

by Johnnie Collier

This is one of several paper roses techniques I have tried in preparation for a friend’s June wedding centerpieces. It was shared by crafter Cassie Chappell on the Martha Stewart Show. You can watch the video (which flies through the process rather quickly), and read instructions here: Coffe Filter Rose Tutorial. It is absolutely stunning. The water color paint effect on the coffee filter creates the look of a real rose!

I got a little carried away with the tips and used acrylic wash on top of the watercolor

to get a more vibrant red. Now I wish I hadn’t. I think if I had just let them

dry, the difference between the tips and base would be more natural, like

Cassie’s in the video. But still, I love them! This is the first and only

one I made in this style. It took awhile, and I think the bride

is going for the look of the larger petals like in this

paper rose tutorial I showed you, so it may be the last for awhile.

I stuck it in this vase with other roses I made from a different technique.

I have a certain mother with her eye on the bouquet (Hi Mom)!

So, what do you think? That video is mind blowing,

particularly after you have tried this.

I hit pause and had to rewind like every 5 seconds!

PAPER ROSE DIY WITH TEMPLATE

by Johnnie Collier

As promised, here is the paper rose tutorial I teased you with at the end of

Monday’s rose embellished frame tutorial. You can use any decorative scrapbook paper you want,

but it should have print on both sides. I like to ink the edges of the petals and

leaves with distress ink pads. The possibilities are endless, so raid those scrapbooking

supplies and lets make some gorgeous roses!

SUPPLIES:

SCRAPBOOK PAPER (double sided)

CRAFT GLUE

FLORAL WIRE

FLORAL TAPE

PETAL & LEAF TEMPLATE (PRINT AND CUT OUT)

SCISSORS

BAMBOO SKEWER

WHEN YOU ROLL THE PETALS, DO 3 AT A TIME BY STACKING THEM

AND ROLLING THEM TOGETHER. SLIDE THE BAMBOO STICK OUT,

LEAVING A “TUBE” OF ROLLED UP PETALS.

STRAIGHTEN THEM OUT TO GLUE BASE AND FOLD

AROUND FLORAL WIRE IN NEXT STEP.

ADD LEAVES IN DESIRED POSITION

DOWN STEM WITH FLORAL TAPE

Aren’t they FABULOUS?

Mother’s Day gift… check.

PURPLE?

Absolutely.

Best part… they live forever!

Upcycle Cans into Vases

by Johnnie Collier

Wait! Don’t take out the recycling just yet. Did you know you can turn your empty tin cans into lovely flower vases in a snap? In just a couple of easy steps, you will be on your way to gorgeous, simple, chic decor. I think these would make great mother’s day gifts, filled with her favorite fresh florals. How about centerpieces for that upcoming dinner party or summer barbecue?

When I say easy, I mean easy.

Supplies:

Wall texture spray; I got mine at the local hardware store in the paint section
Tin cans
Distress Ink Pad by Ranger in Rusty Hinge

Instructions:

Remove labels from cans and clean inside and out will with soapy water. Rinse and dry with lint free cloth

Spray cans with wall texture per can instructions on protected work surface. I did mine with the nozzle set to fine. I don’t think it really matters. When you are happy with the coverage, let dry. I let mine dry overnight.

If you want the rusty look, run your distress inkpad lightly over the surface of the can, randomly to achieve the desired effect. I did this on one can, and love the look…

The End! This is my first time ever using spray wall texture, and it was pretty darn cool. You have not seen the last of it around here.

Have you upcycled your tin cans another way? I would love to hear your ideas!

Spray Paint Thrift Store Frame Makeover

by Johnnie Collier

There is nothing quite like the excitement that comes over me when I find that perfect thrift store frame. As soon as my eyes landed on this little ornate thing, I knew exactly what I was going to do to it, what picture was going to go in it, and where it was going to sit. That doesn’t happen for me often, so this was a treat!

Here she was as is…

I just cleaned her off with soap and water, dried her with a lint free towel, and spray painted her with Valspar for plastic in white. Once dry, I put my pic in and placed it in this little vintage vignette.

Do you love the iron grate thingies? I got these at a thrift store a couple of years ago. They sat in my closet until now. Aren’t they cool?!

How to Make a Vase From an Old Book

by Johnnie Collier

Ever wonder what to do with those old hardcover books you have lying around? This project is super gratifying as it is simple, quick and you most likely have all the necessary supplies on hand. I made this cutie in under 25 minutes, beginning to end. The inspiration came from a fantastic book titled “UPCYCLING” by Danny Seo. I highly recommend you pick this book up if you can. You can get it at Amazon for $8.99, and it is filled with wonderful ideas to create with what you have at home. There are so many projects I want to do in there. My recycle bin pile will be getting smaller and smaller!

Supplies:

Old hardcover book
craft glue (Glossy Accents used here)
Utility knife
Cardboard or card stock for template
Pen or pencil to draw vase outline

Instructions:

Cut the cardboard to fit the same size as the book cover, and draw a half vase on it.

Cut around the outline to create a template

With the edge of your template against the spine of the book, begin cutting around it, several pages at a time. Continue this until you are through the entire book. I ditched the template after 50 pages or so, and just used the cut pages as my guide. It is super easy. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
When you have cut through the entire book, remove the cover and glue the back of the last page to the front of the front page. I put a lot of glue on the spine too, and paper clipped to hold together until glue dried.

I love it! I am not compensated in anyway for mentioning this book. It just rocks. This is my first project inspired from it. I am sure there will be more!

DecoArt Instant Images Picture Frames

by Johnnie Collier

Have you heard of Lisa Speltz’s Instant Images from DecoArt? I had the chance to try them out in this picture frame project, and I will definitely be using them more. They come in journal size and smaller pocket size, in several different themes, including floral, inspirational, winter, spring, celebration and tons more. This project shows the journal sized Garden Blooms template and the pocket Valentine themes.

Supplies used:

Instant images stencils in desired themes
Unfinished wood picture frames
Acrylic stencil paint from DecoArt
DecoArt Duo Tool
Painter’s tape
medium grit sandpaper

I love the packaging these stencils come in, because it provides an easy, neat way to store them when not in use. Not only that, but there are great instructions with photos included with the packaging to give you ideas on layering and creating different cool effects with the Instant Images.

Instructions:

Spray paint unfinished frame with white (I used Krylon Dual)
For the “Family” frame, I stenciled after the white. For the Valentines frame, I dry brushed red over the entire frame, the sanded for a distressed look before stenciling. To hold the stencil in place, I used painters tape. I also used this to mask any open parts of the stencil I didn’t want in the design. Using the stencil brush end of the DecoArt Duo Tool, I painted in the open parts of the stencil. Here is a great video on how to get the best results from you Instant Images template..

I love my end results! These Instant Images are so fun to play with. I am in the midst of a jewelry project that incorporates the small pocket size stencils. They are perfect pendant size, and both sizes can be used in anything from home decor to paper crafts and more.

I would love to see what you have done, those of you who have played with these!

Easy Red Rose Valentines Wreath

by Johnnie Collier

Need a g0rgeous Valentine’s Day wreath you can make in no time? Hot glue some roses onto a heart shaped wreath form, or a cardboard heart shape, and embellish with ribbon and sparkly fibers. Top it off with a pink glittery heart and a piece of ribbon to hang. You are finished!

Photoshop Tutorial and Free Printable Spring Subway Art

Spring T-Shirt & Paper Rose Wreath

{Guest Post} Dollar Tree Spring Decor Project