Making your own Mosaic Art

Hi all!  My name is Bronwyn and I usually hang out at my blog, Queen B Creative Me.  I am so pleased that Karen asked me to guest post on her fabulous blog while she is on vacation (lucky girl!)

I am currently re-doing the kids bathroom, taking it from a plain, uninspiring turquoise zone (I decorated it originally when I had just given birth to my 3rd child in 4 years - I had no spunk for anything interesting!) to a fun, zippy place that will kick-start my kids for school each morning!

Like many, I have really fallen for the turquoise and red colour-combo you see everywhere these days. Bright and cheery and perfect for girls and boys (I have 2 boys and 1 girl).

I recently stenciled the main wall and switched to bright red towels and floor mat.  I have some framed pictures I'd like to hang, but other than that, there is nothing on the walls. 

 After many months searching out the perfect art for the room, I have given up shopping and started creating.  

That is how I came up with MAKING YOUR OWN MOSAIC ART.

What you will need:

~ to continue with my red and turquoise theme, I chose several shades of aqua and red cardstock

~ an artist canvas (mine is 14"x18")

~ white glue (or Mod Podge)

~ a sponge brush

~ scissors or paper cutter 

~ craft paint in your chosen background colour ( I used plain white!)

1. First, cut your cardstock into 1"squares.  I began by cutting long 1"wide strips then chopped them into 1"squares. 

2.  Paint your artist canvas using your chosen background colour. 

3. The main image in my mosaic is a heart.  To draw an accurate heart shape, I cut one from scrap paper and traced around it on my dry canvas.  I also planned where my turquoise/aqua stripes would go and drew pencil lines for those on the canvas as well.  

4.  Here is where the white glue or Mod Podge comes in.  If you have chosen to use white glue, pour some in a container and add some water.  It should be the consistency of cream.  

Spread some glue/podge on the area where you will begin your mosaic- in my case, the heart.  

5.  Using your chosen colour, begin to outline the main image with the squares.  

6.  Once the outline has been laid, spread more glue/podge on the canvas and add more squares, filling the shape.  Turn the squares until they fit.  You may have to trim some and make some smaller squares.  

7.  Begin filling the background.  I chose to add 3 bands in shades of blue.  A solid background would be effective, too.   

8.  As I filled the empty space, I tried to paste the squares in a brick-laying fashion, overlapping the squares so that they were not glued in a grid pattern.

9.  Once you have glued all of your squares, cover the whole canvas with another layer of glue/podge.  This will seal the canvas and guarantee that the squares will not pop off.  

10.  Within hours your art will be dry and ready to display. 

Here is my mosaic in my children's bathroom:

Thankfully the children are very complimentary about my foray into the "art world."

In fact, my daughter has already requested another mosaic for her bedroom.

  I wonder if I can make Sleeping Beauty out of 1" squares??

I love this!  The blue and red look so great together!!  Thanks so much for stopping by Bronwyn! 

Guest Post: Live, Teach, Create

Well hello y’all! Before I begin, I must take the time to be thankful for being a Guest Blogger here on “Pocket Full of Pink”. I am so happy to have been asked to come back and happy to be here. So where do I begin? My name is Jennifer Smith-Sloane and I am a 30-something wife, teacher, mother to several dogs, country girl and all around creative person. I am currently in my 9th year teaching and am doing what I love. I moved down this year to teach 7th grade (from 8th) and added in Resource Math for 7th and 8th as well as a 2nd section of school newspaper. Yep, I’m a busy girl! I have been a creative soul for as long as I can remember and love every aspect of creating things whether it be for myself, my home, my family, my friends or my classroom. I was an avid scrapbooker up until this past summer. I still love the craft but my teaching has taken over with all that is on my plate. I have now been able to express my creativity in the form of making things for my classroom. My creative side has merged with my Masters in Curriculum and formed an amazing bond. [caption id="attachment_2665" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Click on the picture to be taken to the item in my TpT store![/caption] Every night you can find me creating something for use in my classroom from activities, to games and various different Flippables (folding graphic organizers) for our Interactive Notebook. It has totally become my passion and I am LOVING all the time that I spend on creating for my students (and other’s students). Because of this passion, I opened a store on Teachers Pay Teachers where I, among over 14,000 other sellers, are able to share creations we have made for our students with other like-minded teachers who want to find amazing things to use in their classroom to improve the lives and learning of their students. Since I teach middle school, many of my products are geared to grade 5-8 but I have started creating more that are geared to lower levels (K-4) due to the needs of my Resource Math classes. [caption id="attachment_2405" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Click on the logo to be taken to my TpT Store![/caption] As a teacher, I am constantly on the lookout for new and impressive ways to benefit the learning of my students. Going outside the box is my mission on a daily basis. I’ve recently filmed some videos of things I have created for my classroom and thought it would be a great time to share them with the public. Each of these activities are things that are not only created by me but tested by my students. They are my first trial for everything and I value their feedback that middle-schoolers are so proud to hand out. Not to leave you high and dry, but I have created a freebie for all “Pocket Full of Pink” members. In this freebie you will find a nice mix of Pink items that I’ve bundled together for you into a “Pocket Full of Pink Giveaway” bundle. To download, you will need a TpT account (it’s free) and then you can go straight here to download the bundle! I do hope that you are able to use the items or link them on to someone who can. Feel free to share the link for others to download and I would love feedback to be left if you feel so inclined! Thank you for allowing me to share a bit about myself today here on “Pocket Full of Pink” and I do hope that you might come check out my blog, Live.Teach.Create, or take some time to follow me on Facebook or Twitter (personal) or Twitter (teacher side).

Monogrammed Wood Block

My name is Meg and I live over at A Little Knick Knack. I enjoy making fun little crafts, re-doing furniture, and sewing for my kids. I also have giveaways, product reviews and host a weekly link party called Everything but the Kitchen Sink. I hope you can come join!

There are times when I realize that I'm in a crunch for a personalized gift and have come up with a solution. It blends my two favorites in decorating: burlap and monograms.

So, today, I'm going to show you how to make a monogram wood block. Catchy title, right? I found a nice 2" thick, 4' long board in the remnants bin at Home Depot for $.50. They cut it for me for free, into pieces about 5 1/2" long.

I took those pieces home and spray painted them various colors. These decorative finials I found in the furniture aisle at LOWE'S (they do NOT sell these guys at Home Depot...grrrr.....). They come 2 to a package for approximately $3/package. They are wonderful because they have screws in the bottom and are very easy to secure to your block.

I use floral form to stabalize them while I paint.

Of course, I realized I couldn't paint them all at the same time if I used different colors. Duh. So, they got painted in shifts.

While I waited for them to dry, I used my drill to  make a hole in the top and then simply screwed my finials into the hole.

Get your sandpaper (I use a really rough grain, from 100 - 150) and sand the edges and corners.

Here's the fun part. Grab some burlap, your craft bond adhesive spray, and your stayz-on ink...

Use the Stayz-on ink to lightly distress the sides, corners and top of the finial.

Cut a piece of burlap slightly smaller than the front of your block. Start to peel away the first 2-3 strings of burlap from each side, as shown below.

 You will get a nice frayed edge. Lightly spray the burlap with your adhesive spray and secure to the block.

Get your trusty hammer and your steel tacks (found at my local Jo-Ann's in the furniture rehupolster section, for less than $2.00 a package),

And simply nail a tack into each corner.

I printed off a monogram that I liked and used a small paintbrush to free-hand this onto the burlap. You could use freezer paper or make your own stencil and use any font you choose.

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial and can stop by my blog, A Little Knick Knack soon and say hi!

Free Halloween Printable

Hi, I'm Valerie, visiting from Occasionally Crafty.  My sister Laura and I love to read, write, teach piano, raise our kids, and craft when we can!

Today, I'm sharing a quick, last-minute printable for Halloween.  This would make a great decoration or even a card for a friend, with a bunch of Halloween treats!

I have mine displayed in my home and everyone comments on it!

If you'd like one for yourself, simply click on the arrow in the top right corner.  From there, you can print it our download it.  You can print this up to 8x10 with great quality!

Thanks so much for having me! I'd love to see you over at our blog, and you can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

 Happy Halloween everyone!

Halloween Door Decor

Hi! I'm Emily from 52 Mantels, a blog about all things home including weekly mantel makeovers, easy DIY projects, seasonal crafts and simple recipes! I'm blessed to be the stay-at-home mother to one adorable little girl and the lucky wife to an ever-supportive hubby (who puts up with my endless projects!).

Halloween is less than one week away and the countdown is officially ON! I don't know about you, but this coming weekend is full of Halloween festivities for my family. If you're planning a little Halloween gathering, or simply want to make your home the best Trick or Treat spot on the block, you'd better get your craft on soon! Today I've got 5 crafty ideas to help you finish your Halloween decor in style! 

I love decorating my mantel seasonally and Halloween is no exception. To see the last 4 Halloween mantelscapes that have been on my mantel, go check out my Halloween Mantel Round-up!

A little Glow-in-the-Dark paint and chipboard pennants come together to create this fun Glow-in-the-Dark Halloween Banner. It's the perfect amount of spooky fright to delight any trick-or-treater.

Another favorite of mine in seasonal decor are free printables! I typically have one simple, white frame that I rotate printables through all year long. To download my Free Halloween Printable, click here!

If you're looking for a wreath alternative for your door this year, try out my easy Burlap Door Hanging. It's fun, whimsical and slightly unexpected!

Have you ever tried tracing an image using a charcoal transfer method? That's exactly what I did to create this easy, hand-painted Halloween sign. Once you learn this method, you'll try it out for all sorts of home decor projects (I promise!)! 

From 52 Mantels, have a Happy, Crafty Halloween! 

DIY Pretty Pillow from Placemats

Hi Pocket Full of Pink readers! I'm so excited to be here with you today!  My name is Barbara and I blog over at Chase the Star, where I share simple and inexpensive craft tutorials, furniture transformations, and even a recipe or two!

I'm always drawn to throw pillows everywhere I go.  I certainly don't need any more, but of course I can always make room for one more.  Well, while perusing the GW (Goodwill Thrift Store) this past weekend, I spotted these pretty placemats:

Another thing I didn't need more of, and especially a small set of just 2..BUT...they were new with tags from Target, a rare occurrence at the GW.  They were my fave color, blue.  I was digging the Ikat pattern, and they were just 99 cents each.  Duh, no brainer! 

More throw pillows for me!

Pretty Ikat pattern I dig

Placemat to Pillow Tutorial:

Once I ran them through the washer (they are from a thrift store after all), I ironed them gently to remove any wrinkles and creases.

A seam ripper easily opened up one of the short sides of the placemat:

Recycled a pillow insert I already had and put it inside the opened up placemat:

Folded the ends down and held them together with sewing pins:
















Lastly, I sewed a simple straight line across with my sewing machine (by the way, this is the only sewing I can do, with or without a machine.  Don't judge me!)

Side Note:

Special thanks to my MIL for the sewing tute a few weeks back.  Otherwise, I'd be sharing with you on how to add fabric glue to 'sew' this baby up! 

Again don't judge me, and don't knock the fabric glue; it's how I made these pillows (and so many more that I don't have pics of)!



Pillows on my front porch

That was all it took to go from this:

To this!



!!99 cents total price for this project--!!HOLLA!!

I had one pillow insert, so I made just one throw pillow and still have another placemat to get creative with!

Thanks so much to Karen for having me here today, I love your blog, and it's an honor to get to share my project with your fabulous readers!

I'd love to have you visit my blog soon, and look for me here:                    

                                


Thanks so much for hanging out at my blog Barbara!  What a great idea:)