home decor projects

DIY No Sew Fabric Bunting

Do you love all the bunting you see accessorizing homes and wonder how you can add this lovely decor to your room, without sewing? This project is fast and simple. Just grab your fabric, a triangle template, some garden twine and a glue gun and you are set.

Supplies:

Coordinating fabrics
Triangle template
Fabric Marker or chalk
Scissors
Twine
Hot glue gun

Instrictions

Trace triangle onto fabric and cut out as many triangles as you will need for you bunting. I used a diamond shaped quilting template I had on hand and cut the diamond in half to make my triangles. You could also cut a triangle out of cardboard or card stock.

I arranged my triangles in the order I wanted them to appear on my bunting, put a strip of hot glue along the triangle top and folded it over the twine. Then I moved to the next fabric triangle, placing it 2-3 inches away and repeating.

That’s it. Told you it was easy! Great way to add a new splash of color, inexpensively and quickly.

What do you think? What are your favorite bunting ideas?

Stenciled Hanging Light Revamp

by Johnnie Collier

I mentioned this project to you when I showed you the quatrefoil stenciled cork board created with Martha Stewart’s new paint line by Plaid. You are going to see a lot of stenciling around here in the coming weeks. For this project, I took an old red hanging lamp I have had for years and made it new using acrylics and stencils. Today I will detail that process…

Supplies:

Old hanging lamp
Acrylic paints in desired base coat and stencil colors
Stencils
Stencil Spray Adhesive
Sponge brush
Stencil brush or sponge applicator

Instructions:

Clean lampshade, removing any dust/debris

Paint on base layer using one inch sponge brush. I used a metallic black craft paint for the base coat.

Once that dries completely, plan your stencil placement. Spray the stencils with the adhesive and place on lampshade. Lightly load your stencil brush and apply paint in a swirling motion over the stencils. This was kinda tricky since the surface was curved, and not supported underneath. My stenciling was not perfect, but I was satisfied.

Remove the stencils while the paint is still wet. Let dry before overlapping stencil areas, if that is a part of your design. That’s it. Completely new look, with little investment!

Here it is in the room that inspired it. Love it with the doilies!

Quatrefoil Stenciled Corkboard – New Martha Stewart Decorative Art Paints!

by Johnnie Collier

I have been a busy girl since opening my box of crafty goodness from the new Martha Stewart Crafts Decorative Paint Line by Plaid. You all are going to go crazy with this stuff, just warning you. I am delighted to share this line with you. You will see an entire bedroom revamp that was inspired by these gorgeous paint colors, as well as a detailed tutorial showing how I made the quatrefoil stencil decorated framed corkboard.

Imagine my excitement when this showed up on my doorstep! Thank you Martha Stewart and Plaid Crafts.

This line is available exclusively at Michaels in the US and Canada starting this week. It is already in my local store. I stopped by to get a peak at the whole line and here is what I found.

160 paint colors are available in five finishes (Satin, High Gloss, Glitter, Pearl, Metallic). All come in 2 oz. bottles, are non-toxic and range in price from $1.99-$2.99. These paints are formulated to work on all craft surfaces, including glass, fabric, metal, ceramic, terra-cotta, wood. You can use them both indoors and outdoors. They are even dishwasher safe!

The stencils range in price from $6.99-$16.99 and come in a variety of themes and sizes. I had never successfully stenciled until this project. It is so much easier than I was making it and I am having a blast with it now!

Look at all the tools and applicators there are!

These are foil, flock and glitter transfers! I haven’t tried them yet, but I am giddy at the thought of using them on polymer clay.

Now for the bedroom reveal. I had no intention of doing this until digging into the paints. We have lived in this home for 1 year, and painted/decorated the entire house when we moved in, with the exception of 2 bedrooms rarely used by our college girls. The dingy walls and country blue trim have been bugging me forever and the colors in this line gave me the motivation to finally get going. The before and after…

The “Surf” light blue and “Jonquil” yellow were begging to be used together in the stenciled cork board I had in mind. I also used these paints on the stenciled the black hanging lamp, which you will see in an future tutorial, and on the wall doilies pictured above.

To make the quatrefoil stenciled framed cork board, I used:

Surf and Jonquil Martha Stewart Decorative Paint by Plaid, satin finish
Empty frame
Cork board cut to fit frame, and cardboard backing same size
Quatrefoil stencil by Martha
Roller Sponge applicator tool

Instructions:

I cut the cork board and cardboard backing to fit the frame opening, then adhered the self adhesive cork piece to the backing.

Using the sponge roller applicator and the “Surf” paint, I painted the base coat on the mounted cork board. The applicator just twist onto the top of the paint bottle and you are good to go. Coverage was great with the roller, I did one coat and that was sufficient. I did have to go over a couple of areas where I made lines with the roller (yep, I do the same thing when painting walls).

While the cork board was drying, I painted the frame using the same color. I started out with the roller, but couldn’t get into the depressed areas of the frame. I switched to a paintbrush from the Martha Stewart line to get the full coverage I was going for. The paint goes on smooth, no bubbles and is definitely the high quality you would expect from Martha Stewart. Not to mention, no other line comes close in terms of available colors.

Stenciling: I couldn’t resist these stencils, despite my history of failure in this realm. It was so easy! I didn’t use spray adhesive or tape for this. The accompanying instructions recommend using adhesive, but I was in a mood to wing it. You will have to figure out what works for you, and it probably varies depending on the surface you use. I know Beckie over at Infarrantly Creative had a poor result using tape with these stencils, and tried stencil spray adhesive with splendid results. Holding the stencil in place with my fingertip did the trick for me. Using the sponge applicator that came in my box, I ended up with crisp lines for a beautiful final piece.

Dabbing and swirling the sponge til I was pleased with the coverage…

When I finished one section, I just moved the stencil to the adjacent area, overlapping one row to keep the design straight.

I am so pleased with the result, and excited to have overcome my losing streak with stenciling.

Jenni absolutely loves her new room, and can’t wait to start pinning notes and memories on her new quatrefoil bulletin board. I had a blast with these paints! Go check out your local Michaels and look for this fantastic new line.

***Grab your 40% off coupon here.

Want to hear it from Martha? Check out her description of the new line in this video.

Keep your eyes peeled for posts from many crafty bloggers using these paints and accessories. Some of my favorites so far:

Stenciled pillows by Jen at Tatertots and Jello
Stenciled footstool by Beckie at Infarrantly Creative
Frosted Mirror Stencil by Michelle at A Little Tipsy
Stenciled Shower Curtain by Traci at Beneath My Heart

This is a sponsored post. See full disclosure here.

Linking to this party!

Mirror Spray Paint Revamp

by Johnnie Collier

I have been obsessed with finding an ornate oval mirror since running into this post over at Tres Chere. Angie and Debbie are so talent when it comes to interior decor. I do not have that gift and I find it amazing the budget finds these two throw together so elegantly. Here is the mirror that started my mission to score one for the bedroom I am redecorating. Will you look at the lovely accessories?! Oh dang. I just became fixated on the chandelier. New obsession.

After scavenging all the thrift stores and garage sales scaling three cities, I finally found this little jewel for $15! I was just about to give up when I stopped at a small town flea market overflowing with well priced vintage goods.

I brought her home, took the mirror out of the frame. Then I cleaned the empty frame with soap and water. Sprayed on a coat of primer, let that dry and spray painted the lovely yellow (Krylon Indoor/Outdoor “Bright Idea”) you see in the final piece. Super fast, cheap, way cool.

Off to find a chandelier. Suggestions?

Doily Spray Starch Wall Applique

by Johnnie Collier

Do you want to add a splash of color and design to your walls that you can easily remove without leaving behind damage? When planning my teen stepdaugther’s bedroom, I decided to go with a dark grey accent wall, keeping the decor such that I could easily change the color scheme by switching out the accessories. One day she will be out of the house, and I will likely be ready to move on from zebra print and hot pink. Here is a simple, inexpensive, removable applique tutorial, using spray starch to adhere painted doilies directly to the wall surface.

Supplies:

Doilies
Spray paint in colors to coordinate with your decor
Spray starch (I used heavy spray starch)
Bowl of water
Sponge
Damp towel for clean up

Instructions:

I stiffened my doilies with spray starch and ironing before spray painting them. Just follow the directions on the starch can.

Spray paint your doilies in a well ventilated area. I went over them with 3 good coats to saturate them well.

Figure out where your placement, and make sure the surface is clean before moving on. Once the doilies are dry, grab the sponge and water bucket, as well as some plastic to protect your surface from starch over spray. I laid my doilies out on a trash bag to spray them. Before spraying, use the sponge to dampen the back surface of the doily. I initially dipped the entire thing in the water, but that was just no good. Wringing out a wet doily really distorts and wrinkles it. Once it is damp, generously spray the back with the starch, making sure to cover it completely.

Press the sprayed doily onto the wall, using your hands to smooth it out and pressure to make sure it sticks. If they are too wet, they will fall due to weight. Another reason not to dip the entire thing into the water. Have a towel handy for any runaway drips that may run down the wall. I wiped the wall down underneath the doilies with soap and water to remove drip marks.

I love how it turned out, and can’t wait to show you the rest of this room! I will let you know how removal goes when I decide to change the decor again. What fun things do you do with doilies?

Linking to Tutorials and Tips Tuesday

Crepe Paper Rosette Wreath DIY

by Johnnie Collier

Rosette paper wreaths are a beautiful addition to about any decor style, and couldn’t be simpler to create. They could be faster to create, but they are easy. Set aside a good chunk of time, settle in with your hot glue gun, streamers and a good (long) movie and start twisting. Below are some tips and tricks I learned along the way…

Supplies:

Hot glue gun with plenty of sticks
Crepe Paper in color of your choice
Scissors
A wreath form – here I used an old photo matte 16×20 inches with 8×10 opening
Ribbon for hanging mechanism

Instructions:

Wrap your wreath form completely with the crepe paper (streamer roll). This prevents white from showing through and is only necessary if your wreath form and paper are contrasting colors. This step is optional, but I don’t like the white peaking through.

Tie your ribbon hanging mechanism on the wreath form. You will cover it with rosettes to conceal it later.
Cut strips of crepe paper to make your rosettes. I cut them to about 30 inches. Make a big ol’ pile cause you are gonna need them. I am not exaggerating when I say this project took a good 6 hours of work. Obviously it will depend on what size you make your wreath, but plan on devoting a day, or breaking the project up over several days. Otherwise, you will be writing a post at 10:30 pm that you had hoped would be published a good 10 hours ago. Ask me how I know… Anyway, here is the tutorial I followed for the rosettes, over at Eat Pray Love & Craft. I ended up throwing my first few attempts away, but caught on pretty quickly. I made a few at a time, then glued them onto the wreath. MANY hours later, this I had my lovely finished wreath.

My original plan was to cut a black vinyl monogram using my cricut. Not gonna happen today, but look how cute this framed pic looks inside.

I absolutely love it. At $5 in crepe paper and supplies I had on hand, I can’t complain Would I do it again? Not soon. Maybe a smaller version, after my hot glue charred fingertips heal! What are your favorite DIY wreaths?

Awesome Subway Art DIY

by Johnnie Collier

Don’t you just love the subway are that is so big in the blog decor world these days? I ran into an example on a Pinterest board that inspired me to create my own. Here is the original. This quote is a line from “How I Met Your Mother” – Neil Patrick Harris’s character coined it. I cracked up when I heard it and loved the idea of it hanging in my stepdaughter’s college dorm room. It is created in Photoshop, which is wonderful, because you can easily change colors and fonts to suite your needs. Follow along step by step as I guide your through the CS4 Photoshop process, a rare event here at SBLC!

UPDATE: Get free printables of all 3 colors at Printable Decor.

Instructions:

In the Photoshop toolbar, click “New” to open a new document

Set your document size. I chose 11×17. Set your resolution to 300 ppi…

Select your background color by clicking the adjustment layer icon in the layers palatte (labeled below), and choosing “solid color”. A color picker window will appear, where you can pic your color. Click on your desired color, or enter the hex code. This will leave you with a color fill layer that you can easily change (see second pic below).

Grab the text tool (shortcut is “T” on the keyboard) and select your font. You want it to be a blocky font if your are going for the subway art feel. I used 2 fonts here; Myriad Pro Condensed and Trebuchet MS Regular. You want to keep each line of text a different layer, so that you can adjust each line individually without affecting the font settings on the other lines. To make your words fit, adjust the font size, as well as the space between the letters. This requires opening the character panel (pictured below) and changing the AV setting. A smaller number means the letters are closer together…

When you are happy with the letters, grab a grunge paintbrush (keyboard shortcut B, then choose your desired brush) and in a new layer, paint over the letters in the same color as the background. I downloaded this awesome high res grunge brush set for free, here. BIG thank you to digitalrevolution. This gives a nice distressed look to the piece.

Remember the adjustable color layer I had you make for your background? Perfect for if you have 2 stepdaughters both in college, that have different color preferences. I changed the bright pink to blue for the print you saw in the teaser. Love how they look. I have seen several tutorials for these done with paint and stencils on canvas, but this is literally a 5 minute Photoshop endeavor. No mess, $0.80 per print, frames I had on hand from my obsessive garage sale frame purchasing.

I got an extra print in with a black background that I have in mind for a gift. It would be really cute made into a faux canvas print by mod podging it onto painted mdf board, like I showed you here. What do you think? I would love to hear your feedback on this tutorial. I know it assumes some comfort with Photoshop. Did you find it helpful, easy to follow, or did it give you a headache? I rarely do these and am always looking to see what you all want more or less of here at SBLC. Thanks!

Recycled Newspaper Picture Frame

by Johnnie Collier

Still coiling paper over here. I went to the local fair trade store and found a picture frame made from coiled newspaper pages. Here is my version. It took about 3 hours total. I reinforced the coil attachements using crochet thread. For the hanging mechanism, I made beads from long, thin, triangular shaped newspaper strips as shown in this tutorial. Lining the inside of the coils is a rolled newspaper tube, to “frame” the picture, which is 3×5, but you can make it any size you want, using more coils. For instructions on making the coils, see my earlier tutorial, here. The only difference is the newspaper page is longer than the magazine page. Use the entire length of the unfolded newspaper page, cutting it in half width wise. You get a bigger coil from each strip compared the the shorter magazine pages.

Crafty Link ups:

Today’s Creative Blogs

Mini Recycled Paper Cross

by Johnnie Collier

I guess my website being down gave me more time to entertain my recently acquired coiled paper addiction. Many of my lovely readers were quite smitten by the cross wall art, here. I have received a lot of positive feedback, including several of you pointing out what a great Christmas gifts this would make. That is so very true. It got me thinking about how much time I invested in that one piece and how if you’re planning to have several of these to give as gifts, get started yesterday! That is when I decided to make a little cross, perfect for an ornament, and for all year around – way quicker to make.

See the above link for the tutorial on making the strips and coils. Then just use the above pic as your guide for coil number and size. Attach the coils to each other with a glue gun, then form the outline using strips, folding to crease at the cross corners!

Recycled Paper Wall Art

by Johnnie Collier

Do you have stacks of old magazines lying around that you just can’t seem to trash? Are you a fan of greener living? Try your hand at making art from what would have been thrown away. The possibilities are endless. I have seen everything from picture frames to bowls to jewelry. I will be showing you how to make the coils, and sharing what I found works best. This cross took me 2-3 hours total. The duration will depend on how much of a perfectionist you are, and how many coils your project requires.

Supplies:

Magazines
Bone folder
Glossy accents or other quick dry glue
Scotch tape (optional)
Mod Podge or other sealant
A good movie or soundtrack to enjoy while you fold

Instructions

I like the folded strips making up the coil to be thin, so I cut the page in half lengthwise, then folding each half in half, and cutting along the folds, making 4 strips from each page. It looks fine if you use a whole page per strip, just chunkier coils. Start folding by bringing each long edge to the center and creasing to make 2 new edges (see pic). Using the bone folder to crease makes much neater coils. NOTE: THE PICTURES SHOW STRIPS BEING MADE FROM ENTIRE PAGES; I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT STRIPS MADE FROM 1/4 OF A PAGE LOOK MUCH BETTER IN THE PROJECTS I SHARE HERE AT SBLC.

Continue folding the edges to meet in the center until your strip looks like this…

Now coil your strips. When your come to the end of your strip, place a small dab of glue and hold pressure to secure it in place. If you want the coil larger, begin another strip where your first one ended. You can place a thin piece of scotch tape where the two strip ends meet, or just secure each end with glue leaving no gap between them.

To make the cross, I sketched out the design, made the coils I needed, attached them together with Glossy accents (I love using this on paper – dries clear and fast) and outlined the joined coils with strips to form the “+” shape. You can make anything you imagine. Google and you will find all kinds of ideas. I coated the final piece with Mod Podge attached a wire to the back for hanging and that is that.

I would love to see what you create with your lovely coils. Recruit friends and family to fold pages into strips for you if your project is big. My nephew and grandmother were pleased to play along!

ADDENDUM: I just found an wonderful tutorial with some other tips, here, at Craftstylish. She used a glue gun and mentions you could use glue, but you have to hold the coil in place til the glue grabs. With Glossy Accents, this happens in 5 seconds. Easier and less burn potential than glue gun!

DIY No Sew Fabric Bunting

Stenciled Hanging Light Revamp

Quatrefoil Stenciled Corkboard – New Martha Stewart Decorative Art Paints!

Mirror Spray Paint Revamp

Doily Spray Starch Wall Applique

Crepe Paper Rosette Wreath DIY

Awesome Subway Art DIY

UPDATE: Get free printables of all 3 colors at Printable Decor.

Recycled Newspaper Picture Frame

Mini Recycled Paper Cross

Recycled Paper Wall Art

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UPDATE: Get free printables of all 3 colors at Printable Decor.

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