Magnets and Car Scent Holders: DIY

                             
I’m coming up with all kinds of ways to market my art.  One attempt I came up with lately is to shrink them down, print them out and either sew or decoupage them onto these mini canvas’.  It’s a lot of fun.  I thought you might like to try it.

Do you have a favorite picture?  If so, put it on your computer and shrink it down to approximately a 2” x 2”, that would be one of the smallest settings for printing out.  If you don’t have a favorite picture, you could just grab one from a magazine anywhere that you like, flowers,butterflies, an illustrated quote, a soup can label would even do, if that’s your thing.

I found these mini canvas’ at Wal-Mart for 97 cents.  I also got a 10’ long roll of magnetic tape for less than $4 there.  The little easels are 97 cents too, if you’d rather display your masterpiece as a painting.

Here’s what you’ll need:

magnets (if you are making a refrigerator decoration)
paint (optional)
picture or fabric with the section you like cut out
needle, thread and glue

Step one:  Prep your canvas.

     You can either leave the canvas white or brush on some acrylic paint.  Here’s an example of both ways and the initial canvas is covered with lace and then painted. 



You can even cover them with material as I have done here.  Just wrap the material around to the back sides of the canvas and glue to the wood.




Step Two:  Sew on your fabric cut out or decoupage’ your picture on to the covered canvas.

Step Three:  Once the glue has dried turn the mini canvas over and glue on your magnets.




Here is a line up of the different one’s I made.



 Painted canvas with lace decoupage’ over top.


                                                       

                                   Lace covered canvas, painted, with decoupage’ fabric cutout.
                           



Fabric covered canvas with fabric cut out sewn on.


                                                   
                                        Painted, distressed canvas, material cut out sewn on.


Car Scent Holder:
Cut your design out of your fabric, hand sew lace onto the back side slipping a ribbon or sturdy sting into the seam at the center top of your scent holder, being sure to catch it as you sew across it.

Make another one exactly like it or slightly different if you like, attaching the opposite end of your ribbon or cord.  I tied a knot in mine and sewed through it also for extra security.

Clip a small hole in the back of the lace piece, spray a cotton ball with your favorite scent and then place the cotton ball through the hole.  Your done!  Hang it in your car on your rearview mirror on a doorknob inside the house.



I hope you enjoy this craft.  If you’d like to use the apple scene or the beautiful heart you can get it on fabric by visiting my shop at Spoonflower, you can click here.

If you like the verse and the art you can get a poster just go to my store at southern sky reverie.



Here’s one of the small canvas' on the easel:  Paint your easel any way you like.

Craft: All Things Bright and Beautiful

 

 

As I was working on this piece, I was thinking about God’s Creation.  We try to duplicate It’s beauty, It’s “awe” factor, It’s breathtaking moment, but it’s really not possible.  There is only One Creator and He is the Perfectionist. 

I couldn’t help but think of all the beauty in His creation while attempting to make something beautiful myself.  I stood back and looked at it and decided I liked it and it is pretty, but it is just not ever going to take your breath away like God’s Creation does.  It’s a combination of so many little things He included in His Creation to accentuate the obvious.  I love to look at the little bits of this and that He included everywhere.

If you would like to recreate this wood wall decoration, start with the basic wood plaque and go from there.  You can see how to make the wood plaque by clicking here.

To make a similar plaque to this one, use paper doilies, paper butterflies, buttons, one sewing hoop section, glue, wire and paint.

When your wood plaque is constructed and painted in the colors of your choice, do this to decorate it: 

1.  Paint the sewing hoop section, the buttons and the paper embellishments you are going to use.

2.  When dry, position the sewing hoop where you would like it to be on the wood plaque.  Mark the wood lightly with a pencil inside the sewing hoop at the inside top and bottom and again on each side.  (This is so as you are attaching it with the wire you will be able to keep the sewing hoop in the position you had originally decided on.)

3.  Poke wire up through the space between two of the wood paint sticks and slide it close to the sewing hoop.  Go over the hoop with your wire and back down through the  opening between the same two paint sticks.  On the back side of the plaque, twist the wire.  Direct the two wires in the opposite directions.

4.  Using one wire, push it up through two different wood sticks and slide on a button if you like.  Take the wire and go over the sewing hoop and then back down through the opening between two paint sticks (the same ones or move on around the sewing hoop).  Wrap the wire around the sewing hoop only if you are going to skip quite a bit of area, add a button here and there as you go.  No need to worry about not cutting your wire long enough, just join wires together behind the plaque.  Continue going in and out between openings of paint sticks and over and under the sewing hoops adding buttons here and there until you can connect the wire to the area where you first began on the backside of the plaque.

5.  Using the paper doily, I cut out several small areas and glued them inside the sewing hoop onto the wood sticks.  Lay out your whole design before you start gluing to get an idea of what you want it to look like.  I used a butterfly for my focal point.  What will yours be?

6.  Once your pieces are glued into place seal with a light coat of Mod-Podge or other water based glue sealer you might have on hand.

7.  Using the colors of your choice, make small dots of color with your brush in areas that look empty to you or add more paper cut outs.

I hope you enjoy this craft.  It’s a bit different with the wired on sewing hoop and buttons.  Get creative, come up with other different kinds of things you can do with this.