Raising Kids and Crafting Too: Lessons Learned

If I were to sum this project up in one word it would be flexibility. It didn’t go at all the way I had originally planned, but it still turned out pretty neat in the end. And I even learned some valuable lessons along the way.

I wanted to a project that involved my new Silhouette Cameo my husband got me for my birthday and since I put my Valentine’s Decorations up this week. I decided something pink was in order. I settled on a Valentine Subway Art project.

Now, in the beginning, I had planned on doing a crackle paint project. This is Plan A, and the supplies I gathered:

I gave the wood plaque a coat of the Americana Acrylic paint in Carousel Pink and let it dry 24 hours. Then I applied the Martha Stewart Crafts Fine Crackle Effect in smooth even strokes and let that dry and followed it with a coat of Americana Acrylic paint in Warm White. Now…, if you have been following the weather at all, Louisiana and most of the southern states have been getting dumped on with rain. As a result, the LESSON I LEARNED the hard way, this particular crackle effect medium does not work in high humidity conditions.

So on to Plan B: I gave it ANOTHER coat of the Americana Acrylic paint in Carousel Pink and let it dry and followed with a coat of Americana Acrylic paint in Warm White. Nothing another coat of paint can’t fix, right!!! ; ) After it was dry I sanded the edges and distressed it up a little.

I found a file on the Silhouette website that I liked (hey, I’m a rookie, I’m not about to create my own just yet) and cut it out. Let me tell you that machine is ridiculous! Even my husband is in awe of the Cameo! It is so awesome! To quote Woody from my son’s favorite movie Toy Story, “If you don’t have one, GET ONE!” hehehehe, I just love that movie :)

Once your letters are cut out, grab a cup of coffee, or wine, diet coke whatever you like and pull up a chair because this part takes a little bit of time. With a glue pen, attach the letters to your wood plaque using the images on the cutting mat as your reference.

Add a little Mod Podge and let it dry to seal everything up and give it a shine.

And there you have it! What do you think?

As always, thanks for stopping by and come back and see me again!

"Upcoming Creations" Dry Erase Board

Well hello again all! Sorry I missed you last week. I was enjoying some much needed family time while my parents were in town visiting from Montana. I shut the door to the craft room and enjoyed every minute I could with them. I don’t get to see them all that often, so it was absolutely wonderful to have them here with my boys for the whole week!

Sadly, as it usually does, all good things must come to an end. But, I’m back to work in the craft room now! And it was here that I realized that I needed something to help keep me focused and track. I don’t know how other crafters are, but this particular crafter has a hard time staying focused on just one project at a time. I get so excited about a project or have a great idea about something else and forget all about what I am currently working on. Can anyone else relate to this? I decided to create a dry erase board to help me organize my projects and project ideas.

If you want to create one for yourself here’s what you will need:

Large Frame with Glass, Spray Paint, Poster Board, Electronic Cutter, Hot Glue Gun and 4-5 Strings of Large Beads or Jewels

I used a frame that I found at Hobby Lobby in the clearance rack. It was a great price, but I ended up having to get the glass cut specially cut for it. LESSONS LEARNED: Make sure you have a skilled technician cutting your glass. Check and double check it before you leave the store. Mine came out uneven and crooked. I ended up having to shave a fair amount off one corner side of the inside portion of the frame to make the glass fit. It set me back a few hours on this project, but it’s a lesson I had to learn the hard way I guess. :( Next, I primed it and spray painted it golden yellow (my accent color in my craft room) and gave it a little distressing love.

While the paint was drying, I used my Cricut to cut out the letters on vinyl that I adhered to poster board to put inside my frame.

In my mind, I thought this would be enough and that it would look fabulous at this point. Well… it didn’t. It was boring. It needed something else. I found some turquoise beads and added a little bling to the frame!

Much better! What do you think?

It hasn’t found a permanent home on the wall yet, (I can’t decide exactly where I want it) but for now it is perched happily on top of my sewing table.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my lastest creation! There are many, many more to come!

Valentine's Day Subway Art

"Upcoming Creations" Dry Erase Board

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