DIY Puppy Art

One of my sons is obsessed with puppies!  He has always loved them and I was in the mood for a new project so I decided to make him a custom piece for his room. 

 I started with 4 pieces of cheap pine which I put 2 coats of black stain on.  I wasn't sure what I was going for but I knew the black stain wasn't enough so I pulled out the acrylic paints.

  I put off white, blue and brown on a paper plate with a bit of water.  Using a paper towel, I began rubbing the wet paint right on to the stained wood.  I used one color at a time.  I kept adding more and more paint and it became weathered looking.  I wiped it on and smeared it off with the paper towel.  I made sure to stay going with the grain of the wood.  

Too Stuffy for Me Part 3 ~ Chevron Table & Chairs

As you may know, we are in the process of turning our formal living room and dining room spaces into a family game room and craft area.  It's something we have been doing slowly and as cheap as possible.  This past week we conquered the game table!

We started with this Craigslist purchase for $80.

My super awesome husband did the math and taped out a chevron pattern on the top.  I have no clue how he did it.  My brain does not work when it comes to this sort of thing.

I painted a creamy white over the tape to prevent the contrast color from bleeding under the tape.  It only took a few minutes to dry.  Then I took some left over wall paint (from the striped wall) and I painted the top of the table gray.  I waited about 15 minutes then I peeled the tape off while the paint was still wet.  I let it dry over night, then sanded the top very lightly the next morning.  Then I applied a layer of Mod Podge as my sealer.  I think you could use any kind of sealer or clear acrylic spray  but I had a ton of Mod Podge in the house so I painted it over the top to protect it and make it shiny.

Ta-dah!  Here it is!  

Spring/Summer Window Decor

First of all, let me apologize for these pictures!  They are pretty bad, I know.  It was a very sunny day so no matter what I did, the window acted as a mirror.  I tried to blur out images of the parking lot but this is the best I could do with what I had to work with.

I did a really simple window painting display at my son's preschool and thought it could be something fun to do at home as well.  If you find yourself feeling crafty and want to jazz up your own windows, just grab some acrylic paints and get started.  This was super easy and didn't take long at all.  I painted on the inside of the window because I wanted it to last through the summer, but you could paint on the outside and just hose it off when you are tired of it.  

I usually draw my design out on butcher paper and tape it to the outside of the window to use as a guide.  I did this with the larger flowers so I knew where to place them but then I freehanded the rest in.

(This is a shot from inside.)

Holiday Window Decor

In order for my oldest son to attend preschool, I volunteer my time at his school in exchange for tuition. One of the things I began in September is decorating the front windows for each season.  This could be an inexpensive and fun thing to do at home as well.  All you need is acrylic paint and a brush.  I even painted my back sliding door for my daughter's birthday party!  

For the winter scene I decided to do winter animals, Birch trees and snowflakes.  This can easily last through February.  Who knows, I may even add some hearts for Valentine's Day.  

I'm a planner so I first draw my idea out on a regular sheet of paper.  Then I lay butcher paper on my floor and draw out my design life sized.  I tape the butcher paper to the outside of the window and paint from the inside.  The hardest part for me is painting backwards!  Because you are layering the paint from front to back, you have to think and paint the opposite of how you normally would.  For example.  I actually started with the whites of the eyes, then after they dried I added the black for the eyes, as well as the nose and mouth.  Once that was dry I painted the rest of the face over the facial features.  I added the trees and snow last.  I probably should have done this over two days instead of one.  I ended up rushing the snow so I'm not completely happy with that part of it.  This was a big job but a simple design like snowflakes or a Christmas tree on your front window could be really cute.