Let’s Use Chalk Paint to Gussy Stuff Up!

Hi friends! Today I am going to show you how I use Folk Art Home Decor Chalk Paint to refurbish some odds and ends I had kicking around the studio, I never met a box I didn’t like remember…

They started out looking like this:

I was sent this chalk paint to try out from Plaid, I wanted to put it through its paces and see how it covered on glossy painted wood, paper covered wood, hard board, raw wood and wooden beads.  Watch the video to see how it worked and to see my bonus tip for art journalers!

Video!

Here is a look at the supplies I got to work with. They are not cheap but they are excellent quality. I know the brushes will last for years. Often when you buy large hog bristle brushes they shed hairs and when you look down the middle of the brush you can see a gap in the bristles where the handle is. Not with these, they are packed with bristles that are firmly set in the ferrule. The brushes are well-balanced and comfortable to use which is important with a big brush so you do not get fatigued working on a large project.

The wax finish is the final step in these projects. Now, I’m not gonna lie, the buffing of the wax is work. I would not wax a large piece of furniture unless you try the wax on a small project first to see if you can hack it. It looks great and the more you buff it the glossier it looks but it is honestly the hardest part of the project. I don’t know what I was thinking waxing those beads! Live and learn:)

I wanted a sweet little watercolor to put in my distressed frame. You can find the tutorial for painting it here.

I have had summer on the mind lately, I think the little boxes will be great for putting beach treasures in or maybe putting small activities to keep the kids busy during road trips. The bead box would be nice for brushes and paints I think too! What would you put in them! Of course someday I’d love to have a camp on the water and I could totally see these sitting on my bookshelf there but for now I can paint and dream 🙂

Please visit PlaidOnline for more information, free project ideas and to purchase Folk Art Home Decor Chalk or any other of their fine products (they are the mod-podge people you know!) It is generous companies like this that allow me to provide fun craft projects everyday! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Cheap embossing & last minute teacher gifts!

The countdown is on! 2 more day of school til summer, I’ll miss my 3 hours of “alone” time in the morning but I WILL NOT miss dragging the kids out of bed 😉

Last night I helped my kids make gifts for their teachers. We made decoupaged clothespins, I’ve wanted to try this for quite an while and they are easy enough for my 4 and 6-year-olds to do. I think they turned out adorable:

Stamps: Plaid (ruler), Stampin Up (alpha background wheel), Inque Boutique (boy) paper: Autumn Leaves

Tip: I used the cellophane bag theat clear stamps come in to package the clothespins! (See, told ya I never through anything away!)

Here are the finshed clothespins (not dry yet) don't worry about blobs of glue, they will flatten out when they dry)

OK, I admit I made the bag topper but the clothespins were all their handiwork! To make them is easy but when crafting with kids have EVERYTHING ready and laid out before you begin. You will need: wood clothespins (a pack of 50 was $1 at target), white glue or decoupage medium, a foam brush for each child, pretty paper scraps trimmed to fit the clothespin (about 3 1/4″x 5/16″), waxed paper to protect the work area and for the clothespins to dry on, and a couple of small containers to pour glue in (plastic lids work great for this). Simply brush a thin coat of glue on the clothespin with the foam brush, place the paper on top and brush a layer of glue over it. Let dry then repeat on the other side. you can glue magnets on them if you like or leave them as is, they are handy for closing chip and produce bags, in fact we have some plain ones holding out chip bags closed, I’ll have to get the kids to spruce them up!

So I told you I had a cheap embossing solution for you. This is so easy and looks so cool I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before.

A close up look at the embossed circle. Read below to see how I did it without an embossing die!

This technique will work with any shape you can cut out either by hand or punch or die cutter. First cut the shape the size of the embossed area (mine was 2″) then cut a larger circle (2 3/8″ and I stamped on it) then using my Big shot I placed the spacer, cutting plate, 2 sheets of rubber gasket, my larger stamped circle face down, the smaller circle centered on that and the top cutting plate and I cranked it through. Viola an embossed circle! I inked the edges to make it stand out, can you believe it is that easy? If you don’t get a good impression you can add a sheet or two of cardstock between the rubber pad and the bottom cutting plate. Too much pressure and it will cut/crack the paper rather than emboss. It may take a couple of tries to get the right combo but when you figure it out you can emboss any shape! I’ll post a card tomorrow using a fancy bracket shape that I cut with my cricut and embossed and who knows maybe a freebie too. Until then happy crafting!