Craft Tuesday: Tackling Crayon Art

This project was fun. Awesome, super fun. Almost therapeutic because of the simplicity of it all, and all the colors are just so crazy and cool.

Alright, so I have seen this crayon art ALL over Pinterest. It is awesome and everyone wants to do it. There are two methods to do doing it that I know of: 1)Hot glue the peeled crayons and use a blow dryer to melt them. 2)Run crayons through your hot glue gun.

My friend Brittnee and I decide to tackle this project together, in a two-part adventure. This is part-one. We opted to try the hot glue gun method first because we figured it would give us more control over the colors and where we place them. Plus, at the end we wouldn't have crayon chunks hot glued onto our canvases.

Well, it didn't go as smoothly as we thought and I definitely have some suggestions for you if you are going to try the hot glue method. First of all, use a new glue gun (or a glue gun with no glue in it) that you are using ONLY for crayons, because this WILL get messy and you will probably never be able to use your glue gun for regular gluing again (unless you really, really clean it well). I bought a new hot glue gun the day after I did this project. I will probably be able to salvage my other one, but I use mine for LOTS of stuff, and I need nice, clean one for all the other projects I do. Second, you really have to test out the waters to see what heat setting you want to use and how your glue gun will be most effective when it comes to pushing these crayons through.

Wax melting out the side means burnt fingers :(

Our biggest problem was that my glue gun wouldn't "grab" onto the crayons to push them through, so we had to push them through with another crayon. Then the wax ended up melting out the side AND through the glue gun hole, so it was a little...leaky. This got messy and frustrating. Perhaps if you use a glue gun that uses the small glue sticks this problem would be solved. If you are buying a cheap little glue gun specifically for this project (which is not a bad idea at all) then I would recommend you try that kind.

Okay, now that I have told you all the ways that ours was difficult let me show you how awesome, and INCREDIBLY FUN this project was. Seriously. Most fun I have had doing a craft in a while. Of course, it could be because I had company this time!

You will need:

• Crayons. Lots of crayons
• Hot glue gun (that you are willing to part ways with)
• Canvas(es)
• Heavy drop cloth you don't mind getting melted wax on
• Patience

We had two 7x14" canvases. The first canvas we used as an experiment canvas. We tested the different ways the wax melted and got used to "waxing." Of course, you could use a heavy piece of cardstock or cardboard to practice on, but our canvas came in a two-pack, so we figured, why not?

By laying the canvas flat and holding the gun perpendicular we were able to achieve a very cool splatter look. It was fun and stress relieving to just have at it. Then of course, we messed up our awesome painting by experimenting with the dripping effect, which is what we all see and love all over the internet (especially Pinterest).

While holding the canvas at various angles (we laid the end of the canvas on top of our upright crayon box) and pushing the crayon wax out at the top end of the canvas, we got that sought-after drip look. Hooray!

Now that we knew our way around this project, it was time to start the second canvas. Our goal was to create a tree - a weeping willow to be exact.

First, we used a light blue crayon to quickly mark of which areas we wanted to be background, tree trunk, and branches. We used several shades of blue in the splatter technique to create the background, a sky actually. While that wax was still hot we used a blue crayon and spread it out and mixed it up. Ended up pretty neat I think.

Next we began the tree trunk. Using about 8 crayons in various shades of brown we ran the crayon through the gun, moving it from side to side of the designated trunk space. When we had finished with all of the crayons, I used the hot tip of the hot glue gun to "carve" a heart in my tree trunk. Using the tip of the gun to remelt the wax is a great trick. If you have a big clump somewhere and you want to break it up, that's a great way to go about it.

Next, we flipped the canvas over so that the other end of the canvas was now propped up. We began dripping the greens out next so that the wax dripped towards the tree trunk. It took me about 2 crayons of green to flush all the brown out and then on top of that I used about 4 more. In other words, every single green and brown crayon went into this piece, and several of the blues too. Of course, we could have chosen to do reds & oranges and made the tree an autumn tree. (Hmm. Maybe I'll do that for my next one!) I tried to fill in as much of the white space as possible, but wasn't able to.

All in all, we were very pleased with how this crayon art (or "waxing") turned out. Though I burned my finger on hot wax, I think it was well worth it!

If you do attempt this, please be careful not to burn yourself and make sure you have something to protect the surface you are working on. Wax does come up, but this wax is HOT and could do heat damage.

Craft Tuesday: Celery Stamping

 As I was browsing through the internet, on the hunt for a new craft project to try, I found the idea of using celery as a stamp. I was very familiar with using other foods (we all remember stamping with apples in elementary school), but the pattern of the celery gave a wonderful, flower-like shape. I filed it away in my head, telling myself "eventually." Well, a few days ago I saw some stamping projects and it really made me think about that celery. I checked my fridge, and my celery was starting to look like it had neared it's end, so I decided to go for it!

With very little planning (none at all actually), I pulled one of the extra canvases I have (I stocked up when they are on MAJOR sale), picked my most autumn-friendly colors, and had at it! Here is what I used (including the colors, in case you want to use the same ones I did), and my step-by-step instructions.

You will need:

• 1 12x12" canvas
• 4 colors of acrylic paint (FolkArt Buttercream, Linen, Yellow Ochre, and Autumn Leaves)
• 4 bowls to pour paint into
• 1 celery stalk (or remains of a stalk)
• 1 paint brush
• 1 kitchen knife
• Rubber bands

Start by cutting your celery stalk so that it is 3-4" long, just long enough for you to be able to have a really good grip on it. Now, take those pieces you cut off and trim them down so they are about the same length as the still-in-tact stalk.

Using rubber bands, arrange and attach the extra pieces of celery to the stalk to create a large bundle, which will give you a larger "flower." Start by adding the pieces with the bigger/wider ends, and then add the small ones. The rubber bands should all be between 1/2" to 1" of the end being stamped. To make sure they are all level on the end being stamped by placing the celery on a flat surface and pushing them gently down.

 Now that your stamp is ready to be used, prepare your paints and canvas (whether you are using a real canvas or not- my fiance used the stamp after I did and stamped onto rice paper and it turned out very well, too).

With the first 3 colors on, using only the dipping technique

 Start stamping with your lightest color (for me, it was the buttercream). Apply the paint once and that will give you 2-3 stamps worth, each one looking a little less solid. Between each color rinse off the celery with some cool water and then blot well with a paper towel (or hand towel you don't mind staining the heck out of). The celery will not come completely clean, but as long as you get the majority of the paint off, it won't matter (this is one reason I started with the light colors and worked to the darker ones).

For the first few colors, I dipped the celery directly into the paint, and it was a bit messy. For the last color I used a paint brush to paint the celery. I would HIGHLY suggest this second method; I would've wasted less paint if I had started this way, and I wouldn't have gotten as big of globs on the canvas. However, if you want the very textured look, then you can achieve this by leaving those globs on there. If you do decide to dip the celery directly into the paint, it wouldn't be a bad idea to wipe off SOME of the extra paint, otherwise the shape of the celery will be unrecognizable.

After I finished with the stamp, I took a single piece of celery, cleaned it off and used to for touch-ups and filler.  I filled in the brightest colored flower towards the center and added extra to the outside so that I had one flower that was fuller, creating more of a focal point. Also, in the corners where there was little to no stamping, I mimicked a corner of the celery flower stamp, stacking 3 or 4 stamps.

I think it turned out really well for a first try with no real instruction! I hope you can learn from my mistakes and have fun making your own! I would love to see your celery (or any other kind of) stamping. Submit them and they'll be posted on Brag Thursdays!

Craft Tuesday: Paper Towel Roll Upcylcing!

I use a lot of paper towels. Probably too many. I have been trying to cut back and use more dish towels, but sometimes it's just easier to use something disposable. So what to do with all these paper towel rolls? Hmm. How about I make some wall art!

I have seen it done before with toilet paper rolls, which are exactly the same material (and diameter), but the rolls are different lengths. Paper towel rolls are 11" long, while the toilet paper rolls are about 4.25" long. So, if you are cutting your rolls 1" thick, then that makes it a bit tougher, doesn't it? You end up wasting that little bit of roll... well, I suppose you aren't wasting it (it was trash previously), but you are making an unnecessary cut!

I made mine to hang in my bathroom, which is kind of my low-budget room. But once you get a glossy coat of spray paint on this bad boy, you can hang it anywhere!

For this project, you will need:

• 6 paper towel rolls (they're not all pictured. I used about 60 pieces, with 11 pieces per roll, I had some left over)
• Hot glue gun (a very strong crafting glue will work too)
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Pen/Pencil
• Spray paint (not pictured)

First, flatten your rolls. I dragged the ruler across the creases to make them neat and crisp. Mark off every inch on each side of the paper towel rolls, then connect the lines, creating 1" sections down the roll. Cut at each line.

This is where you can get creative. Play with what you want to do. Here are a couple of different designs I played with. I really like the random look. Just spread them out and then group them back together. You can adjust to make certain pieces do something specific, and then have random around it too.

Don't be afraid to cut the roll slices to different shapes and sizes to give it a layered look. The flower-like design that has the rolls cut in half looks really good. Imagine if you continued to add those halves. It would look like a rich, layered flower! Make sure to think about what colors you want. Do you want your whole piece to be one color? if so, you can wait until after you glue it all together to spray paint it. If you want individual pieces to be different colors (for example, if you are doing a grouping of four sets of four like in the last picture, maybe you want one of the sets of four to be a different color, whether it be the corner set or that center set) then you will need to spray paint the pieces before gluing them together.

After you decide on a design and how you are painting it, execute accordingly. If you are painting first, make sure to wait a full 24 hours before gluing. If you are gluing and then painting, make sure the glue is fully dry (which is pretty quick with hot glue) before painting.

It has been a busy, rainy week for me, so I have not had a chance to paint mine yet. As soon as I do I will post pictures of the finished project! Get excited!

Inspiration Sunday: Books, books, books

My life is filled with books. They are my passion. I studied English at university and have loved to write and read (in that order) for as long as I can remember. My mother (and me) loves to tell people that I wrote before I could read; I used to copy my story books letter by letter and have her read back what I had wrote!

I am thinking a lot about decorating with books because I would love to have them in every aspect of my life if I could! So, this week's inspirational subject (and probably several more weeks in the future) is books.

We'll start with something simple. I found these Penguin postcards on Amazon and I have been wanting to buy them and frame a bunch of them, creating a wall of book covers...



Bookshelves! What a great invention. A single piece of furniture to keep some of the most cherished things in the household. I saw the bookshelf on the left on Pinterest (from Crush Cul de Sac) and loved it... organizing your books (and nick-knacks) by color makes your bookshelf more a piece of art then a shelf! Love! The bookshelf on the right I love because it creates the illusion of floating books! So simple and so effective. How wonderful! This is from Polish the Stars.


This idea is just so cool. Paint some old stairs to look like stacked books. If I ever have a large study with stairs, or just have some small concrete stairs, I want to do this on a smaller scale (because this looks a little too large).


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Craft Tuesday: Hot Glue Gun Art

Okay. So I was on Pinterest (as I always am) and saw this GREAT idea to decorate old glass jars and bottles with your glue gun and then paint them! How awesome is that? Yah. Not that awesome as it turns out. The glue chips right off of the glass. So, the gears in my head start turning. What if you do it on a canvas? Hooray!

For this easy, quick project you will need:

• Hot glue gun
• Glue for your hot glue gun
• Canvas (I used a 12x12)
• Pencil
• Spray paint

After you decide on your design, use your pencil to sketch it onto the canvas.
Now, before you put the glue on the canvas, I would suggest tracing something to practice handling the glue gun. It helps me to hold it so the glue gun is at a 90 degree angle to the canvas. After you have the hang of it, go for it! Trace your pattern carefully.

The great thing about hot glue is that is dries SO quickly! Pick away those pesky little glue strings and make sure all your glue is dry, and then spray paint.

The finished project will look something like this! This one was actually painted with 3 or 4 coats of acrylic paint, which took FOREVER. I just didn't like the design nearly as much on the one I spray painted. Keep in mind I am not much of an artist when it comes to drawing, and of course this project does rely on a little bit of drawing talent... but if I could do it, I PROMISE that you can too.

This is just super easy and is a great thing to hang in bathrooms, hallways, and little kids rooms. Try doing a series of them, each one a different color with similar (or identical) designs. You can also tape the canvas off and do several colors on each canvas. The possibilities are endless, and I would love to see what you come up with! Submit pictures of your hot glue gun art and I will post them on Show-Off Thursday!