Thursday, July 28, 2016

architectural elements wall hanging

Look, let me tell you right now, I did not make this.  But I love it, so I'm going to share it with you, yes?  And it clearly once again demonstrates the power of the chalk paint.

First, I love that weathered wood.  It's just a hunk of plywood for the base, but it's not distressed or faux painted to look weathered--it's the real deal.

A wonderful piece of antique tin is featured in the center, but trust me, it was pretty much solid rust, and a bit of sprucing up really helped its attitude.  I did a little picking, though, to show a peek of the original color.

On three sides are the framing pieces, with two corner elements at the top.

The frame is simply hammered to the piece of weathered plywood, and a chunky chain was added for hanging.


Chalk paint love, my friends!
Want to make something similar?

Try sawing off the bottom edges of a wooden frame and adding some wooden corner elements from your local lumber yard. Add a faux tin piece for the center, attached to a piece of wood cut to fit the size of your frame.  (Most lumber yard type stores will do this for you if you ask, so bring your measurements!)  If you like the look of the chunky chain, you can attach a length with eyelet screws--any hardware store will have chains of all sizes and colors, cut to whatever length you choose, and  the eyelet screws, as well.

You can find Dixie Belle chalk paints at DIY Design Studio, and a faux piece of tin ceiling at her sister site, Altered Pages.

A Happy Thursday to you!
:)trisha

Monday, July 18, 2016

Making Cards with Dixie Belle Paints!

I love the rustic look I can get with Dixie Belle Paints when creating mixed media cards.  You can see the full tutorial for this card on the Altered Pages blog.
 

 Dixie Belle Sea Glass Paint and Swamp Mud
 
Dixie Belle Van Dyke Glaze
 
 
Be sure to watch for more DIY ideas! 


Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Bottles to rave about

One of our contributing Artists is Ingrid Vient and I want to show you what she did with Dixie Belle paints, not just for furniture!



Ingrid's husband Mike likes to be a mixologist for friends and family.   Therefore, Ingrid always has a wide array of cool bottles left over!

For these three she did a brown primer, even though it is not absolutely necessary.  It gave her a good base to be able to sand the chalk paints to reveal the brown undercoating.

For the tall bottles, 1 and 2, she used Buttercream Dixie Belle chalk paint and allowed to dry.  For the center bottle (3), she used Seaglass chalk paint.     She sanded to remove some paint and capture the raised lettering.    On the Seaglass, she then added a coat of grunge glaze for an aged appearance.   

Bottle 1; Jute cord was wrapped around the neck and an old key was attached.

Bottle 2: cardstock was cut to create a paper flower and petals were edged with brown ink.  (Ingrid used a Silhouette cutting machine for this) and it was attached with E6000 glue for a sturdy hold.

Bottle 3; Jute was wrapped around the center and secured with a dab of E6000 glue.    Another label was cut on the Silhouette machine and glued into place.   Ingrid then added a metal medallion and a broken piece of jewelry from her stash.


These bottles, as you can see, are stunning and make a fantastic centerpiece or shelf decor.  Give them as hostess gifts choosing complimentary colors for your hostess's home.
.

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Beach Scene with Dixie Belle Paints!

Today over on the Altered Pages Blog I have created a canvas using Dixie Belle products from DIY Design Studio.  I a lot of texture on the piece was made with Dixie Belle Swamp Mud! 
 
 
See how I transformed my canvas ....
 
from this

Before
to this!
Using Dixie Belle Paints seashells and beach glass... the beach glass was collected on glass beach near Port Townsend, see my blog post about my hike to glass beach HERE!

After
Click HERE for the tutorial.



Monday, June 27, 2016

Most requested DIY Hand and Body lotion


DIY Simple and Useful! 




I have made this many times and it always gets requests for more, please!


Start with a spotlessly clean glass jar and lid.    Paint the lid and allow to dry while you make the lotion.  I usually do batches that make about 8 jars at a time.    Make a label with a friend's name to be personalized, they will adore it (and YOU)

Here is the lotion recipe:   

16 ounces baby lotion
8 ounces coconut oil (solid form, not melted)

8 ounces vitamin E cream



Blend together with a mixer until it resembles icing.  Fill the jars and shake them so it settles into the bottom.  

You can use 4 or 8 oz. canning jars or just leftover jars from everyday use in your kitchen, jelly, mustard, etc. to make it truly an upcycle project.

You can get all the ingredients at a dollar store too!   Check the ingredients for all natural, if possible to avoid any allergies or additives.

ENJOY!   Stay tuned for more DIY fun and useful projects.

www.DIYDesignStudio.com

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Make your own table decor

Any Day can be Festive 
with your very own Table Decor.



This fun video shows the creation of Mason Jar candles with Dixie Belle paints.

Make them for the summer holidays 
through Labor Day.

Dixie Belle Paints and accessories are 
MADE IN THE USA!


Monday, June 20, 2016

New Colors and a VIDEO

GRAY, GREY, no matter how you spell it, its a HOT color right NOW.


Mason Dixon Gray

Summery and cool colors to tone down the heat!

Gulf

Works great on metal, glass, wood, fabrics. WOW!
ORDER TODAY and get a FREE sanding sponge!
(valid through June 22, 2016) 

See this informative video....


...how to DRY BRUSH 
for a fantastic effect.


ZEN for me.

I chose to recycle a canvas box frame for my project.  I got this after Fall/Christmas for clearance at 90% off, so it was ninety cents!   Y...