Time to Change Out my Front Porch Decor

 

I decided that today was the day I would update my front porch by creating a Spring wreath. On my door I still had the Valentine metal hanger I had upcycled earlier in the year. So I brought out my thrifted wreath ($1.99 @ Goodwill), some flowers ($2 @ Dollar Tree), aqua-colored mesh from previous projects, a wooden banner off of a different wreath and the birdhouse I snagged a couple weeks ago ($2.99 @ Salvation Army). I would say that with half the things I buy at Thrift stores I have a specific project in mind. This was the case with the birdhouse, notwithstanding the aqua color, of which my front porch has a lot of!!

An hour and three glue sticks (for my glue gun) later, I hung this wreath on my door. I spray painted the sign aqua and added white glittery letters to spell welcome and cut some twine for hanging.  

That's all for today. Happy crafting!!

Get a Sheep Thrill at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog

 

I love puns, and the phrase sheep thrill is a good one. It means that Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog has a new challenge, asking crafters to feature a sheep on their projects. There are several sheep images at the Scribbles Store, most featuring a character by the name of Mr. Wool. Mine is called  #702 Mr. Wool Daisy. I gave him a pastel rainbow coat (influenced by Mariah Elizabeth) using Copic markers and colored pencils. I find I can get better blending when using both media.

After cutting him out, I used leftover cardstock and designer paper for the base of my card. Since he's holding a daisy in his mouth, I went with a speech bubble with the phrase "If friends were flowers, I'd pick you" for my sentiment. A few adhesive jewels finishes off my card. 

Wool it inspire you to create a project and enter it into Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog? I hope so!!

 Challenges I am Entering:

  

It's Time to Think SPRING! at Scribbles Designs challenge blog

                       

What better way to learn that Spring is almost here than to see tiny crocuses and tulips pushing their way above ground? I have been on an outlet cover kick for a couple months now, and decided that the Scribbles Designs digi image #648 Heart Tulips would be perfect for my next one. 

I used carbon paper to trace the lines of the image twice onto the cover. After using acrylic paints to color in the image and sky, I used black Copic marker to give my little scene a sharp outline. It really makes the whole thing pop. I always give my outlet covers 2 coats of varnish, and when dry, I screwed the cover back into the wall. This one is located in the guest bedroom, formerly known as my craft room.  Don't worry, I cleaned out and organized my craft supplies, where they are nice and cozy in the basement.

I hope my DT project has inspired you to "think Spring" and fling yourself at your craft table. When you've created your Spring-themed project, hop on over to Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog and link it for your chance to win free digis from the Scribbles store.

P.S. (Below is the last outlet cover I painted for the guest bedroom):

Next stop, the living room. That's right, no room is sacred to my mad idea of painting outlet covers. Mwahaha!

Jan's Digi Stamps Sponsoring Your Scrapbook Challenge Blog

 

Hello crafters! It's been another busy month for me, so I'm posting my guest DT project today to mark the midway point of the March Anything Goes challenge at Your Scrapbook Place challenge blog. Jan's  Digi Stamps is sponsoring this month and I got to play with a digi image from Jan's called Alone Together.

I have a trailer in the woods and am always making decor for it, both inside and for the deck.. I thought a nice wood plaque for one of my walls would be nice. So first I made a ness creating with fluid acrylic paints. Once that was dry and varnished, I adhered my copic-colored image to my "canvas". I added a border of tiny cut glass. Then I added cork letter stickers to the top to remind me where my home away from home is.

I can't wait to get the trailer ready for the season. My deck is over a wooded ravine, and with rain and meting snow, you can hear the creek water singing below. Very relaxing...

So, the challenge at Your Scrapbook Place is ANYTHING GOES, and if you want to check out more of Jan's Digi Stamps, you can go directly to her store, or check out her blog where they offer their own monthly challenges,

Upcycling Some Metal Wall Hangings

 During my most recent trip to the Salvation Army thrift store, I snagged a set of four metal wall hangings. They called to me, "Pat, you know you want to paint me..." Yes, I did. It was the quickest upcycle project because I knew what I wanted to do and I had ll the supplies at home already. And thanks to COVID and the weather (Chicagoland is being inundated with single digit temps, below zero wind chills and continuous snow), I had the time to craft.

I mixed my own paint colors, printed out the phrases I wanted to use and gave each two coats of varnish because some day the weather will turn nice and I can hang these outside. For now, they are in my windows facing out. At least the letter carrier will see them...

This last one I made for my daughter for Valentine's Day. It features Wilson the wonder dog, our 15 year old blind, deaf rescue dog with mega-esophagus and damaged kidney due to lime disease. Every day with him is a comfort and a joy.

Next up I have a date with a light switch cover and a rainbow palette of paints...

Happy crafting!

A HEART-felt Card for Valentine's Day

Today I created a card for Scribbles Designs. The theme is HEART-felt!, asking for projects whose main focus is HEARTS. I chose to use a digi image from Scribbles Designs called #890 Hearts Mason Jar  and my inspiration came from the Beatles' song All My Loving. I changed the one lyric I used for my sentiment from "I'll send all my loving to you" to "I'll save all my loving for you". And it's saved in the mason jar, of course!

After coloring the image with Copics and colored pencils, I adhered some tiny heart glitter/confetti to the jar along with some 3D heart embellishments. My loving is just bursting from the jar. I also used some Opal white Liquid Pearl for the twine around my jar, but then added a flower and button. So you can't really see the "twine" but its there. Really!

I've added the song lyrics below, so while you're reading and humming along, make sure you check out all the inspiration from the rest of the DT at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog. And don't forget to create your own HEART-felt project and link it to the challenge blog for your chance to win a store gift certificate.

Lyrics from A-Z Lyrics:

"All My Loving"

Close your eyes and I'll kiss you
Tomorrow I'll miss you
Remember I'll always be true
And then while I'm away
I'll write home every day
And I'll send all my loving to you

I'll pretend that I'm kissing
The lips I am missing
And hope that my dreams will come true
And then while I'm away
I'll write home every day
And I'll send all my loving to you

All my loving I will send to you
All my loving, darling I'll be true

Challenges I am Entering:

Happy Valentine's Day

 

My daughter did a photo shoot of our 15 year old Silkie Terrier for Valentine's Day. Poor thing, he slept through the entire time! This is the best shot of them all...

I created this Valentine hanging flower decor. Lately I've been finding these metal containers just leaping off the shelves into my basket. By the time the year is over, I should have one created for every holiday. I wanted to hang it on my front deck alongside my door, but the last two weeks have been snow, Snow and SNOW!! It's snowing now, and while I put two coat of varnish on the container, the flowers are Dollar Store  items. I have about 3 feet of snow on my back deck, my grill is buried and the ramp in front of the house is impassable (luckily there's no one living here that needs to use it any more). So for now it's hanging in my living room.

This is the second metal planter that I've upcycled. The first one was Christmas, which I featured on an earlier post. Just this week I found another planter to play with some time in the future - YAY!!

I love thrifting for things to upcycle. I try not to go out too often. Not only is it unsafe due to COVID, but I already have stacks of things yet to paint, wire, frame and otherwise put my own twist on them. Most of the time, an item will inspire me right in the store, ad I already know before I get home what I'm going to do with it. Other times, I buy something because I get this feeling in my gut that it will make a great upcycle project. Do you thrift for art projects? How do you choose what to leave and what to take home? I'm always trying to downsize and declutter, and bring bags of items to the thrift stores, but unfortunately I bring home almost as much as I donate...

Hope you have a lovely day today!