Shabby Chic Technique Tutorial

 
I have been shabby chic painting so much lately. It all started when I was making decorations for my wedding. I made some crates, some really large wooden letters and an easel for our guest book. I'm still not over it so I have painted about 15 picture frames with the same technique to make them match.

 Here is how I do it:

 

How to Re-cover Books

This is a great way to update some old books that you no longer want to read or even just for a bit of home decor around the house. Stacking books is really popular right now so why not have them look pretty too. 

I covered my books using calico and wallpaper samples that I got from Masters Australia (a hardware shop) but you can use any sort of paper or fabric. Why not try scrapbooking paper, decoupage paper, a nice wrapping paper (how cool would a stack of Christmas books look!) or even your own or child's artwork that they painted themselves. 

 

Watch this video on you-tube: http://youtu.be/AeHzOGHHq18 

Supplies:
Old Hardcover Books Fabric (such as calico)
Wallpaper, scrapbooking paper or artwork etc.
Ribbon to cover the join between paper and fabric
Fabric Glue
Mod Podge Matte
Craft Knife

Canvas Wall Art Tutorial

Here is a tutorial on how I made my flower wall art.

 

Watch the video on you-tube - http://youtu.be/HpMld1pCoto

   

You can download my flower template here but please be aware that it is for personal use only and cannot be used if you are selling the finished artwork.

If you use this file and share your project, please post a link to this video or blog and I will be very thankful.

 Download the .psd files - Side Canvas and Middle Canvas Download the .jpg files - Side Canvas and Middle Canvas 

Instructions for Photoshop (.psd)
~ Open the .psd file in photoshop
~ In the menu go to Image > Image Size
~ Under Document Size, type in the size of your canvas then click OK
~ Use the crop tool to crop sections the size of your paper. Print each section then undo the crop and crop the next piece.
~ Use sticky tape to match up the printed sections (cut off any excess paper up to the joins though or you will be trying to cut flowers through canvas and two layers of paper instead of one)

Instructions for .jpg
~ Open the .jpg in picture viewing software (I use Microsoft Picture Viewer or Picasa which is free from google)
~ Click Print and print the full design on a single sheet of paper
~ Use a photocopier or the copy function on a scanner to enlarge the design to fit your canvas. Simply fold the single sheet of paper in to smaller sections and enlarge that section
~ Repeat re-sizing sections until the whole design is larger
~ Use sticky tape to match up the printed sections (cut off any excess paper up to the joins though or you will be trying to cut flowers through canvas and two layers of paper instead of one)

 If the whole design does not fit on one page
~ In Microsoft Picture Viewer tick or un-tick 'Fit Picture to Frame' (I have to un-tick it)
~ In Picasa click the button that says 'Shrink to Fit'

 

Supplies:
One 12" x 24" Canvas
Two 10" x 20" Canvas'
Craft Knife
RGB LED lights or Christmas Lights
Hot Glue for gluing on lights

What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more

 

I love How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the Jim Carrey version of the movie) and watch it every year. This year I took some inspiration from some Christmas signs I saw on Pinterest and made a sign to hang on the wall.

I used photoshop to create the text for my sign which is 90cm high and about 40cm wide. Then cut a stencil of the text using my Cricut and Sure Cuts A Lot 2 from Cricut Decor Vinyl. It probably won't hurt to do a video one day so I will remember that but next I took my sign (that I had already painted the white base coat on, removed the letters themselves from the stencil and discarded them and then stuck down the negative space around the letters on the sign. I then painted in each individual letter instead of sticking the vinyl letters on the sign and painting the back around it. Painting the letters takes longer but gives a much cleaner result as you don't get a heap of paint build up around the outside of the letters.

Now, this all sounds easy enough but I did this all three times before I was happy with the end result. My font was the issue the first time and I decided I wasn't a fan. I can't remember my issues the second time. Oh, that's right. I decided I wanted to colour and change the font of some words but by then I had decided I was sick of sanding the white paint back and repainting it so I just sanded the green words I had painted and left it aged and a sanded mess. Turns out it made it look a lot better that way anyway.

Supplies:

Cricut Decor Vinyl
Claudine Hellmuth Brushes Artist Quality
Acrylic Paint

Christmas Stockings

My mum is a fantastic seamstress and she had her own costume shop when I was a kid and made hundreds and hundreds of amazing costumes from basic to elaborate Renaissance dresses that were just stunning. Dress up parties as a kid were never an issue in our house.

With such amazing talent from my mum, nanna, sister and aunties on both sides, you'd think I would be able to sew. Nope! This year I decided to stick with it and hope my skills improve and what do you know! They have! But only slightly.

I made our own Christmas stockings this year and they turned out so well I am really impressed. I liked them so much that I made another six curly toe stockings for gifts for friends. You can find the free pattern here I used here with a handy video too.

Rolled Rose Christmas Tree

 

This year I decided to embark on an epic project of a tree decorated entirely in rolled roses. I got the idea from the Teresa Collins blog but ended up making the tree bigger and ultimately ended up needing a lot more rolled roses. I think I spent about 20 hours inking, scrunching and rolling roses from double sided Kaisercraft Twig & Berries paper, then glued them on a cone made from poster board and finally glued on a candle holder as the base. It was worth making all of the rolled roses. I have no idea why but I have even started working on another project with heaps of rolled roses so fingers crossed I don't lose my mind before Christmas even gets here!

Supplies:

Ink Blending Tool
Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Distress Ink Pads
Spellbinders Sprial Blossom Die
Spellbinders Bitty Blossom Die
Mod Podge Matte Glue

Perfect Christmas Bow Tutorial

Here is a quick video on how a bow challenged person like me, can fake it for a perfect bow for a present or Christmas tree.  

Watch the video on you-tube - http://youtu.be/VHcpd3Atu1Q

Supplies:

Wired Ribbon
Fabric Glue
Mini Clamps

Metal Christmas Bauble Tutorial

Oh how do I love Christmas crafts!  This year I made a bunch of these Christmas baubles by covering a paper mache ornament with Ten Second Studio Metal coloured with Alcohol Ink.

Check out the tutorial video on you-tube - http://youtu.be/_S0vP80RDJg

Supplies:

• Paper Mache Bauble
• Ten Second Studio Metal (any colour, they are all silver on the reverse)
• Humungo Killer Adhesive
• Alcohol Ink
• Alcohol Ink Applicator
• Tonic/Tim Holtz Non-Stick Scissors
• Spellbinders M-Bossabilities Holiday Magic
• Paper Stump

Wire Tree with Paper Leaves Tutorial

My first attempt at a project I have found on Pinterest.  It is a tree in a vase and what I thought was going to be a quick and easy project turned out to be a long but easy project through no fault but my own. 

I was too lazy to brave the outdoors and find sticks so I made the branches from wire then cut strips of hessian (from my wedding table runners last month) and frayed them and wrapped them on the wire.  I then sprayed them with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink in a Mini Mister. 

I cut the leaves on my Cricut from Kaisercraft paper and glued two together with a thin piece of wire coming out from the inside.  I then poked a hole in the hessian, squeezed in some mod podge and inserted the leaf.

The tree doesn't look as 'messy' in real life.  The camera had trouble seeing the depth of the project but in real life the branches spray out nicely and don't mush up and blend into one like the picture shows.