Decorate your home for the summer with Americana. It takes in Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day. Look around your garage/attic/storage/craft stash and you will probably find most of the supplies for this Americana Project. It was made with a frame, star, decoupage paper and ribbon.
It can hang on the wall or be a shelf leaner.
My Mom actually made this project and I just added the bow. She blue washed the frame. She does this by mixing acrylic paint with water and rubs it on with a paper towel. Then she decoupaged the background and the star. She put in a piece of thin board for the background.
I love the distressed, vintage vibe of the decoupage paper. I love all things vintage!
Let me know if you make one similar to this!
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Crafting, Painting and Creating is Great Therapy!!
This cross is elegant and sophisticated. It is unique with it’s Leopard Print Ribbon on top of Burlap Ribbon and Rhinestone Bling. My Mom made and designed this cross. I just added the bling. Pictures do not do the sparkle justice. When you walk by it, it just winks at you.
Mom cut out the cross with her jigsaw and painted it black. Then added the burlap ribbon and then the leopard ribbon on top of that. Now for the really fun part…..THE Embellishments.
First we added burlap and ribbon flowers that had brown middles. But it still needed more. lol.
Next, I added a Totally Dazzled pin in the middle of the flowers and then I decided to add a one layer rhinestone piece of ribbon down each branch of the cross.
My Mom loves to make crosses. It brings her peace and happiness. It is great therapy for her after her bout with Cancer.
Thank you for reading my blog!! It means a lot to me!
Crafting, Painting and Creating is Great Therapy!!
Revive a wax or battery operated candle by decoupaging and adding sparkly ribbon and adornment. In this revival, I used a jeweled cross and a salvaged base and a topper. Read below for all the supplies I used.
I went junking one weekend with my Mom and my Sister and found silver trays, candle holders, and other odds and ends. At Salvation Army, I found this candle bottom and topper. I am not really sure what they originally were used for or even sure if they were meant to go together. But my vision was for an Old World Style Candle.
The bottom and topper was a pale, brassy yellow. I added “Antique Gold Rub N Buff and it became a much richer gold color.
I had decided to use the cross and three rows of rhinestone ribbon to decorate and embellish with. So I added some rub n buff to those too. But I found some iron-on rhinestone ribbon in my stash that looked better and sparkled more. These embellishments were bought at Hobby Lobby.
Below is a picture of the rice paper I decided to use to cover the candle. It is called NEUTRAL Harlequin. I ordered this from Etsy from Decoupage Queen. Her Etsy store is called THDecorAtl.
Rice paper is pretty easy to decoupage onto a candle. I used Mod Podge and just wrapped it around. Wrinkles really were not a problem.
Even though it is gold in color, it looks great on my bronze table with matching bronze lamps. You can see in the pictures below how the bling ribbon at the bottom is very sparkly. It really matches the gold in the frame of our family picture too.
I made the cross into a push pin because this candle was covered in wax even though it is a battery operated candle. I used hot glue and E6000 to attach a flat head tack to the back of the cross. I used hot glue to attach the ribbon at the bottom.
Hi Everyone! Come join me as I transform these Flourish Finials into decor for my buffet.
These Finials started out in life as a strange shade of white with a tinge of salmon color. Pictures really didn’t show anything but white but with the naked eye you could see how they really didn’t match anything white, ivory or cream. See picture below.
Here they are in their original white color.
My goal was to have them set on each side of my ivory antiqued Key Sign. So I spray painted them with Rustoleum 2X Paint and Primer in Heirloom White.
Rustoleum 2x Paint and Primer in Heirloom White
Then I rubbed antiquing wax on them front and back. Rubbing so that the dark stayed in the recesses. I used Valspar Antiquing Wax in Dark Satin Acrylic # 87003. (Picture below) I like this brand because it is water based and does not smell. But I do recommend wearing gloves so that it does not stain your manicure.
Here they are all finished in their home next to my Love Key Sign.
This brooch came from Totally Dazzled. I love their bling. They have a lot to choose from. I glued with both E6000 glue and hot glue.
This bling is a button from Walmart. Just snip off the brooch and/or button backings with plier cutters.
I added cream felt to the bottom to prevent scratches on my buffet.
Thank you for reading about how I transformed these finials that I had in storage to actually be used in my home. They were in storage from when I was a Realtor and staged homes.
Crafting, Painting and Creating is Great Therapy!!
I often wondered what to do with this sample kitchen cabinet door that I bought in our house flipping days. It was moved from storage to storage and this turned out to be the perfect project. It was already ivory with brown antiquing in the grooves. This signs SPARKLES as you walk by it. I have it displayed on my buffet in our great room.
My inspiration for this craft was one of my favorite Facebook Crafters and I had to give it a try. Please go and follow her because she has great ideas. Kathy at Royale Funky Junque. I made mine with all keys and gears to look more steampunk. I added bling just like she did. She loves sparkle and so do I. This is my small LOVE sign, and I almost have all the supplies to make another larger one out of hardware. Coming soon….
For this project, I had all the keys and gears already. I also had the board which is a sample kitchen cabinet door we never used.
The picture below is where I was trying to arrange all the components and decide where to put them.
I used E6000 glue to attach all the components. I used a q-tip to help me control the glue. I suggest using jewelry glue with a precise point which I didn’t have at the time. I also used some hot glue on some of the keys where I needed immediate adhesion.
This Picuture
I did have to use alcohol and cotton balls and q-tips to get the extra glue off the background.
I have a lot of shades of browns in my home so this fits anywhere. This picture was taken in my craft room.
This is it’s new home in my home. I updated the swirls on either side of it after this picture was taken. I’ll have those on another blog post soon.
I wish pictures picked up the sparkle.
Moral of story: Always keep old kitchen cabinet doors. There could be a home decor project just waiting to be made.
Thank you for reading my blog!! It means a lot to me!
Crafting, Painting and Creating is Great Therapy!!
I just want to do a quick post today about making candle pins and adding bling to any candle you may already have in your home.
Harlequin print is my latest obsession. I found this last candle on my Hobby Lobby’s shelf an it was marked down to $3.24. I hope they will get more in and it hasn’t been discontinued. But if it has, have no fear, I will decoupage with rice paper.
Reduced price at Hobby Lobby.
I chose silver to embellish with and found a pin from my order from TOTALLY DAZZLED. I bought the flat head push pins on Amazon and glued one to the back of the pin. I also bought the rhinestone look ribbon at TOTALLY DAZZLED. It comes in a large and wide roll. I cut a section with 5 rows to fit the candle and glued to the bottom of this candle.
I glued the push pin tack onto the bling with E6000.
Wish you could see the sparkle in person.
Thank you for reading my blog!! It means a lot to me!
Crafting, Painting and Creating is Great Therapy!!
Read about how I finally found better use for these candlestick holders and flower pins that I have had for over five years. The candlesticks were on my bedroom bureaux and one had my hats stored on it. The flowers were tucked away in my crafting stash. I bought these at Hobby Lobby years ago when aqua blue was so popular. But aqua blue is my jam and will always be part of my decor in my home.
Please go follow and watch Royale Funky Junque on Facebook. She did a candle with this rice paper and I LOVED it. Her ideas are great! The rice paper comes from Decoupage Queen’s Easy store called THDecorAtl. I have ordered some more since I love this design so much and it blends in with my decor so well.
I ordered the candles from Amazon expecting them to be made of wax and to be larger in diameter. They turned out to be perfect for these candleholders. A happy mistake. After I received the neutral Harlequin rice paper from Decoupage Queen, this project came all together in my mind. Don’t you love it when a plan (craft) all comes together? They turned out even better than I pictured in my mind.
The candles were not wax, so I glued the flowers on the candles with E6000. The candlesticks were meant for taper candles but these fit just sitting on top.
Below is a picture of my dresser before I began refreshing it. Do you ever get tired of different areas in your home? I am moving things around and giving items a FACELIFT. Most of my decor is Old World French, but ANY decor can be refreshed using these same methods I will be sharing on my blog and Facebook page.
A BEFORE picture of my dresser so we can all see the difference in the plans I have for this area. (I took down my hats though, lol)
Here is the name of the rice paper that I ordered and used.
Details of the process: I decoupaged with Mod Podge and lined the bottom of the candle up so the image was straight. I put glue on small sections at a time and rolled the candle so it would stay straight. I took the pin off the flowers and glued them on since the candle is plastic instead of wax. These candles are the flickering kind with a moving wick. They are really more stunning in person than my pictures depict.
Please give this project a try using your style of decor. Comment below and send me a picture, I would love to see your projects.
Thank you for reading my blog!! It means a lot to me!
Crafting, Painting and Creating is Great Therapy!!
This tall wooden angel was crackle painted with ivory as the undercoat then sage green on top. It was made for my sister so she picked out all the embellishments. She chose flowers for her hair piece and organic ribbon, rope and flowers for her bow. She turned out so darling. Making angels is definitely my Mom’s jam.
The green paint we used was FolkArt Mossy Meadow. It is the perfect sage green that is my sister’s favorite color.
I have her posed here with all my Americana. I need to ask my sister if she will take a picture of her when she gets to her forever home.
She looks great outside too!
Ivory and Sage Green are so pretty together!
Thank you for reading my blog!! It means so, so much to me!
Crafting, Painting and Creating is Great Therapy!!
Make a rag doll angel from bandanas bought at the Dollar Tree store. She represents homespun Americana. This sweet angel was made by tearing strips of fabric from a red bandana and a black bandana. Gather them together and place a round wooden ball for her head at the top.
Wrap twine around the middle to make a body. But you can just let the ribbons fall straight down. You can use the twine as her hands too. Add wings made from crochet ribbon, moss for her hair and a star for her to hold. Voila. Could she be any cuter?
I have her just sitting on my mantel. But she can also be hung on the wall.
Even though some of her strips are black, she looks great with all the red, white and blue.
She looks so sweet looking out over my garage crafting area.
My Mom really loves to make angels and crosses. She is really good at it. They make her so happy after the crazy year she has had they bring her comfort.!
Thank you for reading my blog!! It means a lot to me!
Crafting, Painting and Creating is Great Therapy!!
Here’s another chicken wire project that Mom and I worked on and it can be changed out for each season. I put a star on it to make it Americana Decor for Memorial Day and Fourth of July. We had this black and distressed painted frame just sitting in storage. So “The Shabby Tree” inspired us to make this around Valentine’s Day, but we did not get to it until now. Their project was to put red napkins poked inside the wire in the shape of a heart.
But we can do that next year. For now it looks great on my mantel along with other red, white and blue decor.
What took us so long to do this project was the fact that our old staple gun would not work. I bought a new electric one at Walmart. With an electric staple gun, one person could easily staple the wire to the frame. But if you have an extra pair of hands it is much much easier. Chicken wire wants to curl up on you. This wire had a line down the middle so we had to line that up down the middle of our frame. I am not sure all wire has that. But it is something to look out for when buying and using yours.
Stay tuned later in the year for other ways to change it out for the seasons. I think you should definitely try this project if you have a farmhouse, rustic style.
Thank you for reading my blog!! It means a lot to me!
Crafting, Painting and Creating is Great Therapy!!
