Tag Archives: Home Decor

See How to Create a Family Tree Wall Hanging

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by Iris Rodriguez

See How to Create a Family Tree Wall Hanging using Tsukineko All-Purpose Ink and VersaFine Clair

This month we have the pleasure of working with Joy Clair stamps. Today, I am using the Love Tree stamp set which made me think of the strong bond that exists amongst family. I created a wall hanging as an ode to family and the love that binds us and keeps us together. For this project, I stamped the sentiment “Love Blossoms Here” onto watercolor paper, personalized it with alphabet stamps, added wire hanging and added a book paper backing to represent the family stories that get created along the way and then passed on. Keep reading to see how I created this lovely home decor piece.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1.5 hours

Directions


Step 1

Spray the watercolor paper with water. Then brush on the Tropical Lagoon All-Purpose ink. Dry the paper. This will become the background.


Step 2

Stamp the tree and sentiment with Acorn Versafine Clair ink. Add Imagine’s Embossing Powder in Clear and heat set. Then continue to stamp the rest of elements.


Step 3

Color in the tree with the Chocolate All-Purpose ink and water. Dry the paper.


Step 4

Measure a piece of discarded cardboard to fit behind your main tree image.


Step 5

Adhere the book paper onto the cardboard with Matte Medium. Add the Matte Medium on the cardboard, on the book paper. Burnish with your fingers or brayer to ensure bubbles do not develop under the book paper. Brush on Matte Medium over the paper. Then adhere to the back of the wall hanging. This also helps give weight to the watercolor paper, which keeps the paper straight.


Step 6

Paint the dowels with Terra Cotta Walnut ink with a brush and water. Dry the dowels with the heating tool.


Step 7

Punch holes on the top and the bottom of wall hanging using the hole punch.


Step 8

Add the eyelets with the eyelet setter. Wrap wire in the hole and around the dowel several times. Ensure to leave a loop in the center to hang on the wall.

And, this is it! A new art piece for your home or a great gift for a family member or friend. I hope you give it a try.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Joy Clair Stamps – The Love Tree set
  • Eyelets
  • Eyelet Setter
  • 20 gauge Steel Wire
  • Wooden Dowel
  • Watercolor paper
  • Cardboard
  • Book Paper
  • Matte Medium or Mod Podge
  • 1/16 hole punch

Project Swap: Inspire with Herringbone Art

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Project Swap: Inspire with Herringbone Art

Welcome to another set for our Artist Project Swap with Nadine and Roni. For the Month of May, we challenged our artists to exchange tutorials and create each other’s designs in order to see how each of our artists interprets style and choices. The receiving artist did not know who designed the project, nor did they receive any images! In today’s post, Roni gives the directions and recommended supplies list and Nadine created the project.

Inked Herringbone Background by Nadine Carlier

Herringbone Background by Nadine Carlier

I absolutely loved swapping projects with Roni Johnson! This project was not something I would have ever thought of making on my own but I really enjoyed making it. I didn’t have all the exact same products that she used but was able to improvise with no problem. Besides, I prefer not to copy something exactly and put my own twist on it.

I made a video showing how I created my project. Watch it below!

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1 hour

Supplies

Imagine
Other

Visit our YouTube Channel for more inspirational videos and subscribe to get updates when we post new videos.

Original Design by Roni Johnson

See How to Make a Paper Rainbow Pinwheel Wreath

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by Roni Johnson

See How to Make a Paper Rainbow Pinwheel Wreath with VersaMagic Ink.

It’s April! Can you believe it? I wanted to make something fun for summer to hang on our front door and I think this rainbow pinwheel wreath is just the ticket. It’s bright, cheerful and welcoming to all who grace our doorstep. I decided to use 21 different colors of VersaMagic ink to grace my rainbow but of course, any color theme would be perfect for this project. The complete color list can be found in the supply list below.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 4 hours

Directions


Step 1

Cut eight 5-inch squares, seven 4-inch squares, and six 3-inch squares from white cardstock.


Step 2

Pencil in lines from corner to corner. Draw a 1-inch circle in the center of each square.


Step 3

Punch a hole in each triangle near the corner as shown.


Step 4

Sponge ink on the lined side of the cardstock. Only a portion of each triangle needs to be colored.


Step 5

Flip the square over and stamp the desired pattern on each of the triangles. Repeat steps 4 & 5 until all of the squares have been inked.


Step 6

Cut along the penciled lines from the tip to the edge of the circle. Fold each triangle over to the center, line up the holes and secure with a brad.


Step 7

Repeat steps 7 & 8 until all squares have been turned into a pinwheel.


Step 8

Cut out a wreath shape from chipboard.


Step 9

Hot glue largest pinwheels to the wreath first, fill in blank areas with the medium and small pinwheels. A stack of foam board was used to elevate the smaller pinwheels above the larger ones.

Supplies

Imagine
  • VersaMagic DewDrop – Aegean Blue, Aquatic Splash, Key Lime, Malted Mauve, Mango Madness, Night Sky, Oasis Green, Ocean Depth, Perfect Plumeria, Persimmon, Pink Grapefruit, Pink Petunia, Pixie Dust, Pretty Petunia, Purple Hydrangea, Red Magic, Sea Breeze, Spring Pansy, Tea Leaves, Thatched Straw, Turquois Green
  • Sponge Dauber
  • Craft Mat
Other
  • Rubber Stamp Tapestry – Posy Flower; Dot Flowers
  • Cardstock
  • Crop-A-Dile Hole Punch
  • Brads
  • Chipboard
  • Foam Board
  • Hot Glue Gun

Learn How to Upcycle Wine Bottles with Paper Mache

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by Iris Rodriguez

Spring is coming and in some places, it’s already starting to look like spring with the beginning of sunny weather. To celebrate the change of the season, I like altering bottles of every type such as wine, liquor, and Coke bottles. Each one has it’s own potential and beauty. Today’s project is an altered wine bottle, made to look like flowers are springing out (pun intended) with a real zipper and paper mache to cover the glass. This project takes time! Paper mache takes longer to dry so to start this project please carve out a couple days for its completion. As part of my color palette, I was inspired by Pantone’s Color of the Year, Ultraviolet. For my version of Ultraviolet I used Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray Grape Jelly and Lulu Lavender. This altered bottle makes a beautiful home décor, centerpiece or just a nice gift.

Skill: Advanced
Time: 2.5 hours + 1 day drying time

Directions


Step 1

Select a bottle, remove labels and wash it inside and out. Dry completely.


Step 2

Measure the zipper on the bottle, determined where it should open and adjust slider accordingly.


Step 3

Glue cardstock paper on each side of the zipper, ensuring that the paper is on front facing side of the zipper. Add paper starting from the top of the zipper to where the slider is located. The paper helps to glue the zipper on the bottle and still allows for adjustments to the opening.


Step 4

Glue tissue paper around the area where the zipper will be placed. The tissue makes for a porous surface to color and to glue on the zipper. Let dry.


Step 5

Glue the zipper onto the bottle.


Step 6

Mix the Sculptamold or other paper mache product with water. Mix in small sprinkles of water at a time until the desired consistency is achieved, which should be similar to cottage cheese. Mix a small portion at a time. Be careful but quick because it sets fast.


Step 7

Apply the paper mache with a palette knife around the outside of the zipper. Work time is short—about 15 mins before it begins to set. Spray a little water to smooth the surface. (After it has set, you won’t be able to change it much.) Paper mache is very porous and takes the ink sprays very nicely. It is messy, however. It is water soluble, so clean up is fast and easy. Let the bottle dry for one day or more.


Step 8

Apply more paper mache or molding paste through stencils. The pattern will not come out crisp and clear because of the bumpy surface but that’s what makes it artsy! Let dry.


Step 9

Color the bottle with Fireworks Shimmery Craft Sprays.


Step 10

Color paper flowers with the Fireworks. If you want some dilution of color without dilution of Sparkle, add Sheer Shimmer in Sparkle. (Also, if you wanted to keep some white, make them match by just adding Sheer Shimmer.)


Step 11

Spray Fireworks onto the smooth side of the watercolor paper. Dry it completely. Stamp and emboss the butterflies with Tuxedo Black Memento Luxe and black embossing powder. Fussy cut the butterflies. For the antennas soak a piece of embroidery thread in glue. This will stiffen the thread. Cut little pieces for the antennas and glue to the back of the butterflies.


Step 12

To make a decorative bottle stopper use a dresser pull knob.


Step 13

Apply gesso to the dresser pull knob then color with the Grape Jelly Fireworks Craft Spray. Then seal the knob with the spray sealer.


Step 14

To adhere the knob to the bottle, use a natural cork and glue. The cork usually expands when it is popped out the bottle, so in essence, it’s hard to stick back in the bottle completely. However, you can shave down the cork with a serrated knife. This image shows the cork before and after.


Step 15

Screw in the dresser pull knob into the cork. Apply E-6000 adhesive. An alternative to using a cork, adhere the dresser pull knob with a two-part Epoxy clay.


Step 16

Place the corked knob in the bottle.


Step 17

Phew! Almost done. All that is left to do is to put it together. Glue the flowers in the area between the open zipper, tucking them under the edges. Glue butterflies around. Spray a little bit of sealer over the entire bottle.


Step 18

The pull knob’s neck area will need a ribbon to cover the seam and glued cork. Embellish the bottle with charms, rhinestones, chains.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Glass bottle
  • Zipper
  • Paper flowers
  • Embellishments – ribbon, rhinestones, charms
  • Butterfly stamp
  • Sculptamold or other paper mache product
  • Molding paste (optional)
  • Cardstock – white
  • Watercolor paper
  • Gel Glue
  • E-6000
  • Cork
  • Dresser pull knob
  • Stencils
  • Gesso
  • Krylon – Spray Sealer
  • Embroidery thread – black

Learn How to Upcycle Cork Coasters

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by Elina Stromberg

Learn How to Upcycle Cork Coasters

A while ago, I found a pile of old cork coasters in my kitchen cabinet. I had not used them in years and was just about to throw them away, but then I realized they were perfect for small home décor items. Maybe the beautiful material made me change my mind. Nowadays cork is truly a trendy material in craft projects, so I thought I should try to turn the old coasters into something nice and new. And I’m so glad I did!

Skill: Beginner
Time: 30 minutes

Directions


Step 1

Remove dust and stains from the coasters.


Step 2

Stamp the images using Onyx Black VersaFine. When stamping, press the stamp firmly on the cork surface. VersaFine is a great ink for solid image stamping and since it is a dense ink it should stamp on the cork well.


Step 3

Color images with All-Purpose Ink. Use irRESISTible Pico Embellisher in Wedding Dress (white) for decorating the stamped and colored images with dimensional paint dots. Let dry.


Step 4

Using a new Fantastix, color in the leaves with All-Purpose Ink in Spring Green.


Step 5

To finish this project, continue stamping and coloring the remaining coasters in your set. You have the option of making all 4 or 6 of your coasters different or repeating the same image for all. If you want to hang the decorated coaster on the wall, attach a loop on the back of the coaster with a strong adhesive.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Cork Coasters
  • Stampendous – Nesting Bird Stamp
  • Acrylic block for stamping