Well, it's Monday folks! How was your weekend? Hoping you were able to spend much needed time with family, friends and alone if that was your desire!

 

Our weekend was pretty full but oh so relaxing and rich at the same time.

 

Today is Main Monday, where I share some of my favorite finds from sales on Joss & Main over the past week. If you're not family with Joss, you can read more about the company and what they offer here.

Here we go...some fun finds this week! Just click on the pics below if you'd like more info about any of the items! Happy shopping!

 

 

 

 

 

XO,

 

 

 

Okay, guys..I did it! Um...we did it! That would be...my hubby and I did it.

I kept my word. {Phew!}

It's Friday and the framed art is done! I'ts really pretty simple but there were a lot of
"firsts" for me on this project:

- First time using gel medium. {what's that?}

- First time doing compound cuts and measuring. {wow, can't wait to do more}
- First time getting through a project from start to finish in 24 hours.
 {Okay, so maybe that's not a first but it sure has been a long time since it happened!}

On to the tutorial for this project...

Here's the finished framed canvas. I will be adding it to a gallery wall as soon as I figure out what else I want on that wall. For now, I think it looks pretty good here on the mantel...especially since it was SO empty!

 

The inspiration for this project came from my favorite magazine that I have mentioned a bazillion times here...Life:Beautiful. If you don't know about it, check it out and subscribe. You will NOT be disappointed. And I digress...

What you will need:
Materials
A reversed template of any sort. You can download the one I used here.
Printer Paper
Gel Medium
White 8.5 x 11 copier paper
Preframed Canvas
Decoupage Medium
Four 1/2in x 3in x 3ft boards or trim to fit the borders of your canvas
Wood filler (optional)
Spray paint in the color of your choice (optional)

Tools
Spray bottle with water
Foam brush
Printmaking rubber roller (optional)
Fine-grit sandpaper
Measuring tape
Pencil
Protractor
Handsaw or Miter Saw
Hammer
Nails/Brads

Okay, stay with me. I know that list seems quite long but it's really not a lot of stuff and there are a ton of optional items. Trust me, if I can do this...anyone can!

First, apply your gel medium to the middle of the canvas where you will lay your image.

 

 

 

Then, take the sponge brush and spread the gel medium evenly across the canvas making sure there are no large clumps or bumpy areas and adhere your reverse print to the canvas.

 

You will want to take your fingers and apply pressure around the paper to ensure you get all the wrinkles out as you see above.

 

If you have a rubber roller, use that to achieve a smooth surface or if you don't have one you can just do what I did and use a silicone spatula. Works like magic!

 

 

After you're comfortable with the consistency of the medium and the paper, you get to take a break. Now you can go sip on some yummy tea or coffee, wrestle with your toddlers, take some kids to soccer practice and then come back to the project.

 

You will need to let the gel medium dry for 2-3 hours. {cue Jeopardy theme music}

 

Once the medium is completely dry, you will want to take your handy dandy spray bottle and lightly spray the paper all over.

 

The untouched portion on the pic {left} below is what the paper will look like after you spray it with water.

 

Gently begin to peel the paper. You can also take your hands and rub or use the sandpaper at this time as well to get all of the paper off.

 

Don't worry about removing the words by applying too much pressure or rubbing too hard. It won't happen. At least, it didn't for me.

 

 

 



This is what it will look like mid-process. Messy.

 

You can, at this point, allow the canvas to dry and sand lightly once more to get rid of all the access paper or you can leave it as is once it dries and move on to the framing and sealing of the piece. Either way, not a huge deal. Totally up to you!

 

I chose to move on just because I am not the most patient person!

 

We just happened to have some weather aged trim in our garage so I used this to trim the canvas. If you don't have any of that just hanging around, you can purchase this type of trim from Home Depot or Lowe's and it's normally priced by the foot so know your total dimensions before going in to purchase.

 

If you'd like to achieve a weathered look you can use the vinegar and steel wood method and then apply Rustoleum's Driftwood  or Sunbleached Stain for the perfect weathered look!

 

Sidenote: I think it would be fun to finish off the rim in gold, silver, black, gold leaf...possibilities are really endless! And I used scripture on this one because we just need more of it around our place but you could use just about any quote or image you want.

 

Sooooo, moving right along...

 

I am the worst at pics for tutorials and admittedly a bit rusty so no pics of the way we made the cuts.

 

{Insert hubby help here}

 

Essentially, we measured the corners of the frame and cut 45 degree angles from the corner of each trim piece.

 

 

Does that make sense? Perfect!

 

After the trim pieces were cut to size we hammered brads {painted to complement washed wood color}, into each side of the frame to secure to the canvas.

 

Optionally, you could build the frame with wood glue and nails, let it dry and then fit the canvas into the frame. I felt as though this way made for a little more stability and would less likely come apart. Again, personal preference...

 

 

 

And here is the finished product again...

 

 

I just love the way it turned out, don't you?

Maybe this will give me just the kick I need to decorate the mantel before Christmas!

 

And I have a feeling we will be making many more of these!

 

If you make any version of this, I would love for you to share! Or, if you have any questions feel free to ask. I am sure that I left out some info!

 

 

  

Happy Amazing Friday!

Linking up with:
DIYShowoff
The Inspiration Gallery
 Feathered Nest Friday
 Sunday Showcase
Chic on a Shoestring
 WOW Us Wednesdays
Time Washed
DIY by Design
 

 

 

 

It's Main Monday, folks and a happy Monday indeed! How was your weekend?

Here in the Pacific Northwest we truly appreciate the sun and in October, even more so!

We had a weekend full of sports with NO RAIN and lots of sunshine. It was amazing!

Today, I'm sharing just a few Joss and Main finds for under $100.00 and our giveaway winner. You'll have to hangout until the end for that part!  

Linen Axel Pillow | Chic Comforts Collection

$58.95 S/2

 

Grey Side Table | Calm Home Collection

$99.95

Royston Thomas Home Table Lamp

$76.95

 

Placida Pillow | Chic Comforts Collection

$38.95 S/2 {wow!}

 Seafarer Table Lamp | Lamp Boutique

$92.95

Burlap Quote Pillow | Calm Home Collection

$52.95

 

 

Voyage Tray | A Touch of Burlap

$12.95

 

Hollins Side Table | Aspire Collection

$83.95

 

Bankfield Table Lamp | A Touch of Burlap

$65.95

{Um, yes please!}

 

Old World Globe | A Touch of Burlap Collection

$51.95

 

 

Rush over to Joss and Main to find all these scrumptious deals and more before the collections close. But, of course, there's always something for you and your home on Joss and Main. Did that just sound like a commercial? Oh, my!

 

And now, for the moment you've been waiting for... {drum roll, please}

 

And the winner is...

 

No. 1

Cassie from Primitive & Proper!

 

How's that? The Random Number Generator says so!

Thanks so much to all of you who entered and please remember to visit

The Charming Farmer for the arrow tutorial or to request your custom arrow.

 

And don't worry, folks...another fun giveaway is JUST around the corner.

 

Come back tomorrow...I'll be sharing a few fun finds from the weekend and a fun gallery wall project I am starting inspired by Life:Beautiful Magazine.

 

 

 

Happy Monday,

Two out of our four kiddos love drawing and creating things with their hands. I'd like to say they get it from...well, their mama.

They also love to hang their creations up all over the house with washi tape, Scotch tape, pretty much whatever they can find to make it stick to walls, doors, furniture...

I decided that instead of having pieces of paper and artwork all over the house that we would consolidate their masterpieces and contain them in one area of the house. A kids' gallery wall if you will.

Yesterday, I needed to run out to Target to pick up a few things and if you're a Target shopper you know you can't just go into that place without checking out a bazillion other things that SHOULD have been on your list. This is especially true when it comes to their clearance sections. Right?

I found these frames marked down to $0.88 each. What? I just knew I could do something with them and then I remembered I'd wanted to make a gallery wall for the kiddos so I snatched them up! All 12 of them! Yippee!

Since I am loving Rub'n Buff and all things gold right now, what better way to transform and accent these frames than to add a dab of the liquid gold goodness to them to help them "pop" off the wall?

 

You really don't need much when using Rub'n Buff for a project, just your finger. Since I had a lot of frames and I am an OCD crafter, I used a paintbrush to coat these frames.

 

 

I didn't get a good pic of the in-between of applying the wax to the frame but the process doesn't look amazing.

 

 

First, I dropped a little of the wax on each side of the frame. A little really does go a long way.

 

After that, I just took my brush and begin to spread it {in one direction} along the sides of each frame. You really don't want to go back and forth with the wax. It begins to cure pretty quickly and if you do, this will happen...

 

 

See those areas that look a little thicker than the others? That's because I got a little crazy with the dolloping. {yup, that is a word!}

 

 

 

I ended up going back after the wax cured and sanding very lightly to get rid of the rough spots and then waxed over with a VERY small amount. Hey, practice makes perfect and I am still getting to know the product.

 

This little project only took about an hour from start to finish. That is, of course, since I decided I am SO BAD at hanging pics so I used Dap and Museum putty instead of nails for pics until the hubs could work his magic. Yep, sure did.

 

I think it turned out pretty good. What do you think?

 

 

Have you used Rub'n Buff or any other products to transform your home décor lately? I'd love to see them!

 

 

 

 

Partying with...

Wow Me Wednesdays

Wow Us Wednesdays

Home Stories A to Z

Transformation Thursdays

 

 

This year I volunteered to help with décor at our church MOPS group. May I start off by saying that this is one of the most amazing groups of women I have ever had the pleasure of serving, loving, laughing and doing life with...ever!?? Seriously.

 

Anyway, we decided to simplify décor this year by only doing four basic themes based on each season versus previous years of creating a different decorative theme for each meeting.

 

This year's national MOPS theme is "A Beautiful Mess: Embracing Your Story". I'll have to write more about that later...but, it really is a beautiful theme.

 

{PAUSE} Just a bit of backstory here before I go any further...

 

I was approached last year to lead a table at MOPS. With hesitation, I accepted and while the year was a challenge for me for many reasons, I am SO happy that I was able to lead in that capacity.

 

This year, I was asked by our group's coordinator to consider being a part of the hospitality team. At that time, I didn't even know if I wanted or would be able to be a part of MOPS at all with such crazy sports schedules, church involvement, etc. but after talking to the hubs and a bit of prayer, I decided to go for it.

 

Honestly, why wouldn't I want to do it? Having the ability to use my creative talents to bless other moms? Yes, please!

 

Sooooo...when I finally had the "go" from hubby and Jesus, I had about a week left to decide what the first meeting would look like. I then went back to the theme...

 

"A Beautiful Mess..." I was stumped for a few days. Yes, a few days that I didn't have.

 

Funny, there's always that moment that I am freaking out on the inside. I'm always waiting for that time that my brain just won't kick in and the ideas just won't make it through and everything fails. It hasn't happened yet...thank you, Jesus.

 

Then...it came. The "aha! moment".

 

I decided that I would take lots of naturally beautiful but messy elements add a few pops of color and go from there. Honestly, it still hadn't all come together in my mind but I had to get started. At that point, there were only a few days left. Insane.

 

I knew I wanted to use moss, wood, burlap...so I gathered those things and got on Pinterest, looked through old magazines...anything for inspiration.

 

I used sheet moss, wooden letters I purchased from a local craft store and some planks I found in our garage to create a sign for the welcome table. This is how it turned out. I really needed another board on top for the "a" but didn't have another and didn't have time to make a trip to the hardware store after my 20th to the craft store so I decided this was okay for now.

 

I used two different stains on the wood. Rustoleum in Kona and Varathane Driftwood. Both just happen to be my favorite stains right now.  

 

 

 

I am also in charge of centerpieces so I decided to use Mason jars {They will never get old}covered with burlap, filled with moss and topped off with mini buntings for a little bit of color on each table. I also added frames with an inspiration quote and all sorts of other goodies that I didn't get to snap a pic of so I will have to post those another time and hopefully upload a tutorial for some of it for those of you interested in doing some of this beautifully messy stuff!

 

 

A little bit of flower foam, moss, scrapbooking paper, dowels, burlap and a jar and voila! You've got a centerpiece. In keep with the Beautiful Mess theme, I added moss to each jar in different textures and shades.

 

 

Do you spy that blue jar? Yum. 

Hoping to post a few tips and tutorials on the sign and the jars within the next week!

 

So, come on back next week for detailed tips!

 

 

Hoping you're enjoying your week to the very last drop,