Book Page Chandelier Lamp Shade

Here is the next chapter of the brass and glass dining room light. The Welding Man luvs it 

and  I keep decorating it and disguising it's wonderfulness.

Yes. The glass panels need cleaned.

I've used these two ideas for Christmas and Autumn.

My idea to make my own drum shade did not work out. 

Aaaargh!

 Several years back I made this book page chandelier for my craft room. 

It totally goes with the book page vibe I've used

in there for many of my storage containers.

Hmmmm.

I punched out about 400 circles from an old dictionary. 

It had water damage and was 25 cents at the thrift store. Score!

I sewed many many strings of 7 circles and hot glued them to 

a metal ring which fit the top of the hanging lamp. 

 

Oooh aaaah, I like it!

I like it alot!

This project is definitely a keeper. It cost me nothing but time and energy. I may add a few more circle strings, perhaps in a different size, and see how it looks.

But for now, I'm calling this a win win!

DIY Wax Paper Twinkle Lantern

My idea for this lantern involved some twinkle lights a

and a pretty inside display on my bakers' rack.

I removed the candle and scrubbed it thoroughly...

 then put a string of white Christmas lights inside.

This is NOT the look I was going for. 

Even with glass marbles and beautiful sea glass filling up the bottom, 

the string of lights just looks awkward and a bit dumb.

I can't change the look of the lights but I can change

 how they look through the lantern glass.

I figured out how to frost the glass sides using crumpled up 

wax paper from the Dollar Store.

I used Mod Podge to adhere each wax paper sheet on the glass.

The wax paper makes the glass look frosted and crackled. 

I LOVE how soft the light is coming through the semi opaque glass.

Ooh aah!

Now the lights looks soft and glowing and this lantern is exactly

 what I pictured for decor on my baker's rack.

It is just right to use as a night light and as a focal point

 for each season's decor.

And here's the baker's rack all glammed up for last Christmas. 

LOVE how that lantern accents the silver and blue perfectly!

Painted Area Rug Part 2

I used acrylic craft paint, textile medium and stencils to paint this half moon area rug on my carpet.

I really like how the colors and the stencils worked so well together!

Here's a link....

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2017/02/i-painted-area-rug-on-my-carpet.html

I'm kind of a color junkie so this is right up my alley. Exhibit One, here's 

the coffee table I repainted with chalk paint a couple summers ago...

I knew I'd like it as soon as I started using this stencil to put the 

turquoise curlicues on the brown and red background.

My original plan was a 2" wide turquoise border around the whole arch. Then, as I was painting it I had an "oops" moment when the bright blue paint escaped the painters tape.

Well, drat. 

So, this is how I dealt with it...by using the same curlicue 

stencil to add a sort of doily edge to the turquoise border.

No, it isn't perfectly even but I keep telling myself it has a certain bohemian charm, yes?

And yet I feel like maybe it is a giant floor doily now.

Or not. Hmmmm.

I'm kind of starting to like it.

Sort of.

And yes, I'm staring at it way too much.

.

So I added more stenciled curls in red.

Okay, I'm going to call it good and leave it be.

Also, I'm going to quit staring at it.

I Painted An Area Rug on My Carpet

Small area rugs in front of our pellet stove are a hazard. The edges curl 

and even with a gripper back and carpet tape, they trip us up.

I decided to paint a half moon hearth rug instead, and I like how it looks so far!

Yesterday I vacuumed and shampooed the carpet thoroughly.

I started by drawing the half circle directly on the carpet with a Sharpie. 

There is no turning back now!

I used dark brown as a base color than added irregular patches of red on top. 

I used clear packing tape to mask the edge of the hearth.

I used regular acrylic craft paint from my stash. You can see the different manufacturers here but they are all compatible. I used a bit of the texture medium to keep the paint soft to the touch when it's dry.

I mixed the burnt umber and burnt sienna together for the cocoa brown color I wanted. 

I also had these curlicue stencils in my stash and used them for the turquoise accents. I like the reverse pattern effect they give me.

I will add a 2" wide border around the whole design, probably in turquoise.

 Then I'll add a few more curlicues in soft harvest gold and maybe dark coffee brown.

You see, THIS is my inspiration rug for the colors and designs. It is on sale right now at the whopping sale price of $479, plus shipping. 

I think my project rug is a much better price, since so far it is FREE!

I'll write another post with photos when I am completely done. 

I plan to spray it with Scotchguard once all the paint is dry.

 So far, I love it!

Here's the next phase of this project. Please check it out and tell me what you think!

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2017/02/painted-area-rug-part-2.html

Making Fairy Doors

I wanted some fairy doors to use as photo props while we were on vacation.

 As usual, I made them so I got exactly what I wanted.

This oval wooden sign is recycled from an old project. 

The Welding Man cut it in two just off center.

Then I had him trim the edges of one piece. 

Now I have two uniquely shaped doors!

Using the ol' tried and true Elmer's glue and craft paint technique,

 I gave both sides of each door a fine cracked paint finish.

Here's a link to my post about easy crackle paint with Elmer's glue....

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2010/05/crackle-finish-with-elmers-glue.html

Here's how the white crackled side turned out. I glued on the wood shapes for door knobs.

And here's how all four sides turned out. I sealed them with plenty of clear acrylic spray but I don't plan to leave them outside in the weather. These are for photo props!