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{Easy Art} DIY Tree Silhouette Tutorial on Canvas

October 18, 2012 in Gettin' Crafty, Wall Decor

Do you ever get that itch…

you’re just sitting there, minding your own business, doing your own thing….

and then you feel the twitch first…

you ignore it…

but it gets stronger…

that itch.

That nagging, won’t stop, won’t go away itch.

You never know when it’s going to start… but when it does…

it just. won’t. stop.

You know the one I’m talking about right?

The itch to MAKE SOMETHING!

I got the itch last night while waiting for the Cardinals game to start again. Silly rain delay! By the time those boys started playing again, THIS GIRL had three projects going at once. Bootyah!

Today’s craft really can’t get much easier. Seriously – you’ll laugh. I almost didn’t even blog about it… but my sister loved it and I thought some of you might too. <crosses fingers, closes eyes and HOPES!>

When I started this, I really didn’t have an end-goal. I was just being crafty and happy!

Here’s how it all came together:

Gather your supplies: Canvas (purchased in a value pack at Michaels), Mod Podge, paper and black craft paint.
Apply a layer of Mod Podge to your canvas and line up your paper. Smoothing it carefully, try to work out the wrinkles (unless you like them of course!
If your patient enough, allow the Mod Podge to dry before painting a black border around your canvas. Given the option, I might not do this step, but my paper wasn’t big enough to wrap around the edges so the white canvas was showing.
Once the Mod Podge dries, do one more thin coat of Mod Podge on TOP of the paper to give it a little added protection.
Wait inpatiently as the Mod Podge dries.
Paint as desired! I opted to free-hand a tree silhouette with black craft paint, but there are so many adorable things you could do!

Told you it was easy! Way too easy to be blogging about. Could be the shortest tree silhouette tutorial EVER!

Right now it feels sort of Halloween-ish to me, but that could just be because everyone is posting about pumpkins and spiders and ghouls, oh my!

We’ll see… this little fellow might have a life extended beyond October!

Next time you get the itch… Get moving! Either a) start crafting or b) call the doctor… all depends on the itch! ha!

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Blogging Without Borders – The Before

July 1, 2012 in Building and Repurposing, Gettin' Crafty, Pups

I’m a little jittery about this post. I think it’s the unknown that makes me nervous. No… I KNOW it’s the unknown. Sometimes not knowing what you’re getting into can be fun, but other times it’s down right nerve wracking. I wouldn’t call myself a basket case on this one, but there’s definitely some anxiousness.

So what’s the wishy-washy, case of the “Can-I’s?” all about? Check this out:

I’ve joined such an awesome, talented group of gals for this 5 part series that will run through the end of the summer. We’re all working outside of our comfort zone on projects and tackling things we’ve always wanted to do, but never had the gusto.

Blogging without Borders

Season of Change ~ Summer Edition
5 Part Series – Mondays – July 2, July 16, July 30, August 13, August 27

I can’t wait to see what they do and I hope you’ll hop over to their blogs to check in on their projects and progress too! I’ve included links to each of their pages at the bottom of this post.

So enough yapping… What’s my plan? I’m taking the “Blogging without Borders” in a couple directions. Yes, I’ll be trying new things… but I also wanted to think “outside the box” and “beyond my front door”… What could I work with/on that’s outside of my typical space? My office!

I work for KolbeCo Marketing Resources as an Account Executive. It’s an AWESOME place to work. Plain and simple. I work with such fun people and even get to bring my dogs to work. Good luck topping THAT right?! Well, you’d think that as a DIY gal I’d have spruced up my office a bit… but I haven’t. I spend 40+ hours a week in my office, but I’ve completely slacked on making the space reflect my personality. The only pieces of “me” that I’ve added are the scrapbook paper silhouettes and a store-bought dog bed. Pretty pathetic right? Well it’s time for a change!

Forgive my photos for the before pics… I used my iPhone and then spliced them together (somewhat) with picmonkey.com Sidenote – they’ve finally added collages to their arsenal. I’m still going through picnik withdrawal, but it’s getting better.

Say hi to Emma and Quinn! They definitely brighten my day, one wag at a time.

Be gentle guys. My desk is MESSY. These were snapped on Friday night before I cleaned everything up for the weekend. It’s a week’s worth of files, notes and print-offs all fandangled around.

You can see the silhouette prints on the left. My space has the sideboard/credenza, an L-shaped desk and the bright green chair. KolbeCo loves all things green so you’ll see pops of it throughout the office. Even our conference room chairs are bright green! If you visit the website you’ll get a feel for the company… and even read about the Board of Dogrectors!

Same space… different angle:

I’m standing in the corner on the dog bed to take this pic. You can see the cute circle wall clings that were waiting for me on my first day. Everyone signed them, including the dogs!

What’s on my desk? Way. Too. Much. Binders, folders, papers, iPad, treat jar (necessity if you ask Quinn & Emma), wireless keyboard, pen cup, organizer, phone, paper tray, sunglasses (two pairs?!), aaaaaand much much more.

This space needs help! Blogging without Borders will be the kick in the pants I need to spend a little time on this space. I have a couple of ideas in mind already, and I’ll probably do some searching for other design inspiration. Helloooo Pinterest!

Some definite MUST-HAVES:

Color and Patterns. I want to be inspired by my space. Adding color and patterns will help me do that! I scored a $1 item at a yard sale a couple weeks ago that will play a big part in this piece.
Recover the dog bed. Emma tore a hole in the current one and loves to spend her afternoons removing the stuffing. How sweet of her. I need to recover it and put a stop to her de-stuffing. Why throw away something that could easily be repurposed?
Wall art. Pretty self explanatory?
Organization. I want to find a “Dana” way of organizing my things. Right now there is just WAY too much stuff on my desk. The credenza is basically just taking up space right now… I need to work that storage into the equation and USE it.

Some maybes:

Layout. I don’t love facing the wall in the corner. I think I’d be happier if I could face towards the door and feel more “open”. There’s only one outlet in the room though and my internet cord is short… I might have to get creative on this one!
Seating. It could be fun to recover (or paint) a chair to include in the space. We’ll see. That would depend on thrifting finds in the near future. Maybe I already have something in the shed that could work though? Hmmm Time to dig!
Lighting. It might be nice (and fun) to incorporate some different lighting into the office. Right now it’s florescent lighting that can’t be turned off, but a lamp could help to soften it a bit. I have a gaggle of lamps around the house. I’m sure I could find one that could be spruced up and included.

I’ll definitely have to keep the pooches in mind as I make plans/changes within the office. I want them to be comfy and content in there too! Can you believe I get to take these faces with me to work every day?

Total. Hams.

I’m REALLY excited to jump into this series and share my projects / progress. Hopefully you’ll stop back every other Monday to see what I’m up to. Don’t get me wrong… You can come every day if you want… Look for the next update on Monday, July 16th! (Wow, how is it July already?)

Be sure to stop by these other great blogs to see what they’ll be tackling in the Bloggers without Borders Series!

Amy @ Buffalo Roam, Dana @ Crafted Niche, Jaime @ Crafty Scrappy Happy, Heidi @ Décor & More, Tisha @ Delectable Home, Shannon @ Fox Hollow Cottage, Kirby @ Kirb Appeal, Holly @ Life as a Thrifter, Cassie @ Primitive & Proper, Debbie @ ReFresh ReStyle, Jessica @ Stay At Home-ista, Karah @ the space between, Laura @ Top This Top That and Kelly @ View Along the Way.

Whew! I know it’s a long list, but trust me, it’s SO worth it. Click around and get inspired. That’s such a talented group of bloggers with awesome skilllllls.

Hope you had a great weekend everyone. I’ll blog about my road trip adventures later this week!

UPDATE July 16: See Blogging Without Borders – Rearranged, the second installment!

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My Luck Runneth Over – Out of Alabaster Custom Silhouette

June 24, 2012 in Featured Bloggers, Gettin' Crafty

My Luck Runneth Over! Waaaay back when I entered to win a custom silhouette from Lindsey at Out of Alabaster. Would you believe I ACTUALLY won?! That’s TWO wins in one year for this girl. Before now, I hadn’t won a drawing since 8th grade! If you’re doing the math in your head right now, I’ll save you the work. That’s something like 1996 or 1997. (Pretty sure you shouldn’t bank on me to win the lottery any time soon.)

If you’ve never heard of Out of Alabaster, you need to head over there immediately and say hello. Lindsey has a great blog and a cute Etsy Shop packed with the cutest silhouette gifts you ever did see.

Anywho, my kiddos are of the furry, four-legged variety and I already have silhouettes of them, so I decided to have Lindsey make the silhouette of my nephew Thomas. I FINALLY got to give my sister, Karen, the silhouette gift this weekend so now it can be Blog Official!

Here’s how it went down…

Dana wins blog giveaway contest. WHAT! Winner! (Yes, I’m doing this in 3rd person. Just go with it.)
Lindsey emails Dana some super-simple instructions on how to send her a photograph to use in making the silhouette.
Dana snaps some not-so-sneaky photos of Thomas while in Florida and emails them off to Out of Alabast
Lindsey emails Dana a Silhouette so stinking cute that when she opens it, she drops her fork o’ food and sends her Lab Quinn into a scurry playing food clean-up crew on the floor.
Dana takes the original artwork and prints it the same way she did her furry-legged puppers’ silhouettes.

Did you read that? She sent me the ORIGINAL ARTWORK! So theoretically I could put the uber-cute Thomas Silhouette on EVVVERYTHING. Pillows, t-shirts, tote-bags, coasters, 10′x10′ wall murals (ok, maybe that’s taking it a bit far). But seriously – I love that she sent me the original file so I could use it as I saw fit. I simply printed mine on the “Thomas” page of my vintage encyclopedia, framed and GIFTED IT!

Lindsey has some other great Silhouette ideas in her Etsy shop. You’ll completely swoon over the silhouette necklaces. They’re uh-mazing.

So here’s the photo I emailed her…

Seriously – that’s all it took! Lindsey is really talented. She captured his cutest features and made the silhouette. From there all I had to do was print…

….aaaaand frame!

I know I’m partial, but even his silhouette is adorable! I’m happy to report that Karen hung it up in her home as soon as she got home tonight. Woop! …and if you’re eyeing my “D” stool, I blogged about it here.

If you’re looking for a silhouette of the two-legged variety, I HIGHLY suggest you visit Out of Alabaster’s blog and/or Etsy shop. You won’t be disappointed!

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend. After some competitive cornholes (I had the best partner ever!) and Miller-Lite-laced-lake-floatin’, this girl is EXHAUSTED.