Three D Effect With Hot Glue

I had this idea of adding a raised, three dimensional design on a glass vase and kept wondering just how could I do it?

I wanted it to be simple and quick and, of course, cheap. I also wanted to use supplies that I or just about anyone out in DIY land had in their craft stash. Here's the list of things I used...

Use hot glue, tissue paper, Mod Podge (or school glue) and craft paint to turn a plain Dollar Store vase into a unique decor item.

Here is how I-

 For my first design I chose a simple fleur de lis shape and drew it on plain paper. 

You could also print out the shape you choose.

Tape it INSIDE the container you are decorating.

Fill in that shape with hot glue. Be generous and fill it in completely.

 Do not worry about being too precise or getting all the lines exactly so. 

This process actually looks better if it is not too exact, because next you will be

 adding texture to the entire outside surface of the vase.

Melt any glue strings that are hanging off your design with a heat gun or hair dryer.

Tear the tissue paper in irregular shapes and crumple tightly, 

then smooth out. Have your stack of tissue

 ready for the next step.

Working on the 3 dimensional design first, brush a generous coat of glue or Mod Podge on top of it. Carefully lay the tissue over the design and gently coax the tissue into the edges and details with a soft brush. Brush more glue on top. Go slowly and carefully so you do not tear the tissue.

If it does tear, just smooth it down with your brush and place another piece over the tear.

Glue tissue over the entire outside surface of the vase, including

 folded over the top lip by about an inch and down around the bottom.

I let it sit overnight until it is completely dry. The glue or Mod Podge 

will dry to a hard surface on the glass with really interesting textures.

Next, use acrylic craft paint for the base color of your vase. 

I used Country White which has a buttery hue.

Cover all of the tissue paper and let it dry completely.

And now, the final step to bring out all that great texture and really make

 that 3 dimensional design pop. Dip your paintbrush in black craft paint

 and wipe off most of the paint on a rag or paper towel so your brush is almost dry. 

Gently drag the contrast color over your design.

 Go slowly and add more if you want the design to stand out.

 If you add too much contrast you can touch it up with your base color. 

Dry brush your contrast color over all the edges...

top rim, bottom edge and every little crease and crinkle of textured tissue paper.

And VOILA! You've turned a plain jane vase into a great looking decor piece!

Remember, this decorated vase should be wiped down only, never immersed in water or even run through the dishwasher. The paint, glue and paper will come loose.

You could do roses, monograms, cartoons, logos and Halloween skulls. 

The possibilities are endless.

AND, you probably have everything you need already in your craft stash!

Two Tissue Boxes For My Desk Redo

For my continuing desk/office space remodel I had two tissue box covers I'd found at a Thrift Store. They were flowery and oh so eighties but they were .99 each so I nabbed them. Here's the first one which my daughter, Insanely Creative Christy, Mod Podged with cleanly cut book pages. She is neat and methodical in her craftiness while I am more untidy and, um, let's say, flightier in my craftiness. ;0) But I did add the chalkboard label. See how nicely it came out between the two of us?

And it matches the Mod Podged storage boxes and the little cubbyhole shelf so well!

Then I remembered this post over at Can't Stop Making Things about making faux first editions with hot glue and tissue paper. Here's the inspiration pic....

And here's the link...
http://www.cantstopmakingthings.com/2010/09/leather-bound-first-edition.html

So cool! This is just one of many neat projects on that clever blog.

I used a very similar technique in my own blog post, but I never thought to make faux books with it! Here's my link.....

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2010/05/3-d-effect-with-hot-glue.html

So I added dimension with hot glue, then decoupaged crinkled tissue paper over everything and painted the whole shebang black. I brushed on Elmer's glue then white paint for a cool crackled look, then dry brushed with black. NOTE-let the glue get tacky and brush on the paint in one direction only. You will see the crackle magically appear as the glue and paint dry! It is VERY COOL.

Here's a link to my Elmer's glue crackle paint post-

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

I added more details and a number with a Sharpie then glued on a vintage style heart and skeleton key. Lovin' it!

And now I have TWO tissue box covers for my desk. Hmmm. I like them both. Instead of choosing between them, I'll just have to put one on each side, lol!

These were both fun, easy projects and cheap, too. That's a win win in my book. I'll be linking up to the parties in my sidebar, come visit and see what's cooking in blogland this week!

3 D effect with hot glue

I've been kicking this idea around in my head for awhile and I just decided to do it. How can I get a dimensional, 3 D image on a vase, jar, box or even a canvas? I considered cutting shapes out of foam and gluing them on, or gluing on store bought appliques or even jewelry charms. But all of those require a bit more effort or money and I knew there was a simpler way. So here's what I came up with.....

The standard thrift store cheap glass vase. The sticker on the bottom says fifty cents, so it was a bargain. Now for my design....




Aha! It's my "leaving the house and my hair is a mess" hat. I got the pretty applique for $1 and it makes it look less like my "bad hair day" hat and more like a stylish statement. That's what I tell myself, anyway. Lol! So, I love the look of the fleur de lis and went for it....


I drew a symmetrical design on paper, folded it up til it was positioned correctly and taped it in place on the inside....


...and filled in the shape with hot glue. I stayed inside the lines but was a bit messy filling it in. I knew I could trim the edges with a razor cutter if I wanted to, and the next part of my project would minimize the messy appearance of the glue. Trust me on this, the finished deal is awesome!




Crumple up about 1/2 sheet of tissue paper. You could use other types of paper but the tissue is the best for this technique. Tear it into pieces less than 3" x 3".




Now Mod Podge those babies on the outside of your vase, putting the MP on the vase only, since the tissue paper is fragile and tears very easily. Just lay the tissue gently on the shape and pat it with a fingertip. If your finger gets sticky, switch to another finger and continue patting gently. Once the paper is sticking pretty good take a small, soft brush and more MP and gently ease the paper into all the crevices of your design. Gently, ladies, gently. BUT, if you do end up tearing the tissue here and there, it's OKAY!! This technique is very forgiving of mess ups. Trust me on this.
Smooth the torn edges with your soft brush and cover any tears with small pieces of torn tissue. Once they are Mod Podged they will disappear. Then MP the edges of the paper down over the bottom and up over the lip for a smooth appearance. Let it dry thoroughly.



Now paint your project the background color. I chose Antique White by Plaid which is a bit of a buttermilk white. By the way, can you see the little smiley face guy with a mustache on the vase? Curvy eyebrows, curly mustache? Little goatee on his chin? Come on, tell me you see him! He looks a little French to me. I'm not kidding, there really is a smiling guy there. Lol! It's okay if you can't see him, I KNOW he's there. ; 0 )


Once the paint is dry on the smiling guy fleur de lis vase, take a soft brush and stroke just a bit of your accent color on there. I used black. You may want to use burnt umber or even a color to match your decor, like blue or even pink. Make sure your brush is almost dry, blot the paint out til it is barely there before brushing it on your project. It is better to have too little than too much, BUT, if you do get too much on there it is fixable. Trust me on this. Let the paint dry then fix your dark spots with the lighter color, let it dry and dry brush again with the darker color. Seal it with clear acrylic spray. See how the roughness of the hot glue and the texture of the tissue really give this a rustic, vintage feel? As my dad the engineer always said, "If you can't make it look perfect, then emphasize the imperfection."

This is the first time I tried this technique and I am jazzed at the way it came out! The hot glue tissue paper decoupage idea worked and it came out just as I hoped! Don't you love when that happens? I'm going to try it on different surfaces and see how it looks and I'm already thinking some kind of swirly damask design on another vase and maybe some dots and circles....!

WARNING-your vase or glassware will NOT be dishwasher safe. Also, do not submerge it in soapy water. Just dust it with a cloth. The inside is still safe to hold water since the technique is all on the outside, so your vase is fine to hold real flowers. Submerging the finished project will "lift" all your hard work right off.

I'm so glad you're visiting me here, please leave a comment if you would. I'll be linking up to the fun blog parties in my sidebar, come see all the great projects posted there!