Frame your own artwork

For a while now I have wanted to make an art piece of my own to place above our humble dining room table. The problem? I am no artist. That's right, sometimes crafty girls cannot paint or draw.. or it may just be me. Either way, I have created a fabulous piece of "art" using scrapbook paper, ribbon, fabric, cardstock, embellishments, and any other scraps you have laying around the house. It's beautiful and sophisticated, and I didn't have to use a paint brush! Do you want to make your own? Let's get started.

What you need:

• Large Frame with the piece of glass insert (I got mine on sale at Hobby Lobby. But I would suggest trying thrift stores or Goodwill for a large frame and spray painting it because these larger frames get pretty pricey.)
• One sheet of poster board in the color you want your background to be (I chose white to go with my black frame). 
• Hot glue gun and Elmers glue (or some other kind of craft glue). 
• Scissors
• Pencil and a ruler
• Two sheets of 8 1/2" X 11" card stock in the color you want to "frame" your individual pictures  - like a matting (I chose black to counter the white background and match my black frame).
• Scrapbook paper, ribbon, buttons, embellishments, fabric, pretty much anything you want to add. This is your project!

Here we go!

1.  Trace on your poster board how many "frames" you want to have. I like the 3 X 3 look, but it was difficult to find a square frame, so I went with 2 X 3. Make sure you measure exactly how thick you want your background border to be (I chose one inch of white) and how thick you want your matting border to be (I did half an inch of black card stock cut out into strips and glued on to the poster board). 
2. Next, lay out your designs for each individual frame. Think of different textures and give some of the elements a 3-D look by adding pieces of thick cardboard behind them. Glue each of the elements in place.
3. Now cut the poster board to the size of the glass in the frame and glue it right on top of the glass. And you're done! 

Here are some close-ups of the different types of textures I used. It's hard to see in this picture, but in the frame on the right, I gave the design an illusion of being 3-D. I accomplished this by adding a card stock backing to the design to make it sturdy (the design was cut from a piece of fabric) and then glued on two pieces of thick cardboard stacked on top of each other to the back. When you are creating your frames, try to use different textures and add some dimension to make your pieces more interesting and visually stimulating.

Here is the end result. I was very happy with how it turned out.

 This project is a little time consuming, so mommies - plan accordingly! Even though it takes a little time to make, it's super easy to do.. especially for a "non-artistic" crafter like me! I hope you will give it a try!

This is where the completed artwork will hang. It isn't hung yet, obviously, but when my husband gets home from work it will be. It's not that I can't hang a piece of artwork myself (I hung my whole frame wall by myself, for crying out loud), my husband just likes to be "involved" in my crafts. And that means leaving little things for him to do like hanging things. He says it's his way of "crafting" with me. Ha! I love him.

Hope you try this fun project. Let your imagination run wild! 

And let your husband hang your framed artwork up. ;)

Ciao bella,

Loopy Ribbon Christmas Tree

Have you noticed all of the variations of cone-shaped Christmas trees all over the home decor and craft stores and throughout the blogosphere?  Well, surprise, surprise, Sharon and I have our versions, too!  She'll be sharing a handsome tree soon--so be on the lookout--but for now, let me enchant you with this lovely Loopy Ribbon Christmas Tree.

I chose to use the same loopy-technique that Sharon introduced on the Patterned Paper Wreath with a new medium--grosgrain ribbon! 

Here's what you'll need:
1 8" styrofoam cone (found at the Dollar Tree for you guessed it, $1!)
About 6 yards of 1" wide ribbon, cut into 3.5" lengths
Some hot glue sticks
Some kind of fun topper (the possibilities are endless!)

To make this cheerful tree, simply fold your cut ribbon pieces in half and secure with hot glue.  Layer those little loops on the cone with small dots of hot glue, working from the bottom to the top and overlapping slightly.  Sorry I didn't include photos of the process, but I have confidence that our readers are smart cookies who can tell how this is done from the pictures of the finished product!  (Well, that, and I forgot to photograph the process... so sue me!)

I topped my tree with a standard Christmas tree bow 'cause it's what I had.  Altogether, the cost of this satisfying craft was $2.50.  Not bad, huh?

Display your tree proudly for all to see!