painting Archives - Mine for the Making

Back to School Splatter Party

August 9, 2015 1 Comment

It’s that time of year again, can you believe it?! Back to School season is upon us! As a former elementary school teacher and a current homeschool mom, I can honestly say that I love this time of year. I get super excited to start up the new school year and I like to make it exciting for my daughter (and former students) as well. We love to ring in the new school year with a Back to School Splatter Party!

This can be as simple or as extravagant as you want. This year our homeschool co-op group opted to take a field trip to Pinspiration for our Back to School Party. And let me tell you, this was one of my most favorite Back to School celebrations yet!

I shared my love for Pinspiration before (check out this post HERE) and my daughter and I really wanted to share this place with our friends, so we invited them all to join us for some Splatter Room fun and healthy, Back to School snacks.

Pinspiration set up a darling Back to School themed table for us, complete with apple plates, plaid placemats, and chalkboard nameplates. The kids enjoyed rainbow carrot sticks with hummus, strawberries and cream, and apple & peanut butter sandwiches for their snack before we geared up and headed for the Splatter Room.

After the healthy snack, the kids were fueled up and ready for some messy artsy fun! Pinspiration provided canvases for the kids as well as protective gear if we didn’t want to get too messy. We chose to have our kids wear white shirts just for fun!

The kids had a BLAST in the Splatter Room and made beautiful works of art. There were lots of giggles and looks of concentration.

We all had such a great time during our Back to School Party at Pinspiration. I love that the kids could be totally engaged and as messy as they wanted (without me having a panic attack). They loved that they had paint in their hair, on their faces and thought it was even funnier when one of us moms were caught in the fire (aka: paint). Definitely a celebration we will not forget!

How do you get your kids pumped for a new school year? Stay tuned for more Back to School Party ideas from our party expert, Mindy Alyse!

Thank you to Brooke of Pinspiration for the beautiful Back to School table and the awesome fun time we had in the Splatter Room! Can’t wait to go back!

Thank you to SicFit Scottsdale and Michelle Mango Cakes for the delicious and healthy Back to School snacks!

Filed Under: crafts, home school, kid-friendly, painting, party, party planning, school Tagged With: back to school

Three Reasons to Attend Pinspiration

June 23, 2015 3 Comments

During the summer here in Phoenix, it’s hot. Like…triple digits HOT. We try to find things to do indoors or things involving water if we are outdoors. So when I hear of fun new places to try out around the valley, we jump at the opportunity. Over the weekend, we had the chance to visit a place where community meats creativity. A DIY studio space where people of all ages are artists! Here are Three Reasons to Attend Pinspiration… because it is a MUST.

1. The monthly rotating Pinspiration projects.

Each month the crafts and projects at the studio change based on top pinned projects on Pinterest. How cool is that? When you first walk in, they are all on display for you to choose from. Enjoy painting, jewelry making, up-cycled decor projects, clay, children’s crafts, and more…

All materials are provided for the projects and crafts offered at Pinspiration. So there is no fuss, no mess, and no excuses. The Pinspiration team sets you up with an iPad so that you have access to the Pinterest projects… meaning the directions for the projects come from the actual blogs themselves. LOVE that!! Way to promote Crafty DIY bloggers, Pinspiration.

2. The atmosphere and staff are top notch.

When I first walked into Pinspiration, I was blown away by the eye candy. I’m talking all the heart eyes. Beautiful inspiration (or “Pinspiration”) everywhere you look. It is absolutely beautiful inside. I’d have to say that my three favorite pieces were the hanging paint brushes, the penny counter tops, and the wine bottle water fountain. Just gorgeous.

I’ll be honest when I say that I have pretty high expectations for customer service. Probably because I worked in the industry for years, but regardless, the bar is high. The girls at Pinspiration were awesome. They were friendly, helpful, attentive, fun, and it is obvious they love their job. That speaks volumes to me. Not only were they attentive to my needs, but they made sure my daughter was taken care of as well. They spoke to her at eye level, made her giggle, complimented her crafts… really went above and beyond. I can’t tell you how much my 7 year old enjoyed herself.

3. It’s the perfect place for friends and family of all ages.

Pinspiration caters to both children and adults. There are a variety of crafts and workshops offered every month to satisfy anyone’s preferences and skill levels. Pinspiration has an open studio plus a private event room and Arizona’s first splatter room. They offer creative workshops, DIY kits, Splatter Parties, Summer Camp, birthdays, milestone events (baby showers, bachelorette parties, etc.), corporate team building, schools and community (non-profit group event, Girl Scouts, Teachers Night Out, etc.), and more. They also have a beer and wine bar where you can order drinks.

Have I convinced you? Isn’t it awesome?! We honestly can’t wait to go back. I can see future Girl’s Nights with crafting and even homeschool group field trips in the spatter room!

When we attended Pinspiration over the weekend, we were lucky enough to be apart of the Cheers to the Ears (Disney) workshop. I can’t even begin to tell you what an awesome time my daughter and I had. The workshop was held in the private event room and was decorated so cute with all things Mickey. No detail was skipped! The cost of the workshop was for one adult and one child and included a tea party with snacks (adorable Mickey sandwiches, popcorn, and tea), 3 crafts (Mickey/Minnie ears, a wand, and an autograph book), cupcake and cookie decorating, and a special visit from Tinkerbell herself! She even handed out Pixie Dust and gift bags and signed the kids’ autograph books. It was a super magical evening and well worth the cost. Before leaving, my daughter told me she wasn’t ready to go because she was having SO much fun. We can’t wait to go back!

Arizona friends, check out Pinspiration and sign up for their newsletter so you can stay up to date with the current workshops and projects. Let me know when you go… I may have to meet you there to get my craft on too!

Filed Under: Arizona, crafts, entertainment, family, kid-friendly, painting, pinterest

My Craft Room Reveal

August 22, 2014 41 Comments

Annie Sloan Unfolded provided me with materials for a furniture makeover, but all opinions and ideas are 100% my own.

Oh friends…it’s been a long time coming. I’ve needed to clean, reorganize, repaint, redecorate my work space for quite a while now. And today, I am so excited to finally share My Craft Room Reveal with you!

The biggest part of this project was the makeover on my craft desk that my husband built me. It needed lots of love after I pretty much trashed it. Here’s the before picture of my area. Did I mention I haven’t worked at that desk in over 2 years? Yeah. Wasted space.

It’s a bit embarrassing. But the after is so good, that I just have to show you the before. Here it is all cleaned out and ready to be painted.

And here is my pretty desk after I painted it. Isn’t it beautiful?! I am so in love. I used Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan in the color Provence in addition to the Clear Soft Wax.

This is by far my favorite paint to use on furniture (although it can be used on many more surfaces). It’s so super easy to use and goes on like creamy butter.

I painted 2 coats of Provence on my desk and cubbies, allowing dry time in between, roughed it up with some sand paper, and then finished it off with the Clear Soft Wax. Isn’t the color gorgeous?? I’m obsessed with it. #paintallthethingsprovence!

Usually when I use wax on furniture, I use a rag to apply it. This time I used an Annie Sloan Wax Brush and it was AWESOME! I love this brush, and I am pretty picky about paint brushes. This brush made it so easy to get into all the little nooks and crannies.

My favorite part about this Chalk Paint® is that you don’t have a whole lot of prep work to do prior to painting. Annie Sloan makes it so easy for us DIYers… she’s the bomb diggity in my book.

And look how much it brightened my space! I need a happy place to work, and now my craft room is just that…happy. I added lots of special pieces to this space to make it a joyful place… including lots of goodies and items from my creative friends. They inspire me, encourage me, and love me. Even miles away through a computer screen.

We got a few organizational pieces of furniture to help clear up the floor space in the room. My daughter helped us put everything together and she also helped me clean up and organize the room. She provided plenty of compliments along the way, letting me know that she approved of the space too. ;) My helpful 6 year old.

I love using mason jars, baskets, boxes, and small buckets to store things in. I was also sure to label things so I would have an easier time finding things and putting them away.

I’m also diffusing Annie Sloan Provence Fragrance in my craft room…and it smells so clean in here! I love it. I think it’s so fun that the fragrance I chose ‘matches’ the Chalk Paint® color I used!

So what do you think? Big improvement, right? I still have a bit to do in this room. But for the most part, it’s finished and I couldn’t be happier with it.

My next project will be painting my brown chair… I haven’t decided how yet. I’m thinking of using Annie Sloan’s Old White Chalk Paint® on it… stay tuned for that project.

Just for fun, let’s see the Before and After comparison one more time…

If you are considering painting furniture, I highly recommend Chalk Paint® Decorative Paint by Annie Sloan. This is a great product for beginning painters and the pro painter. The prep time is reduced to merely wiping down your piece of furniture. And once you apply and buff the soft wax, the surface of your furniture is just that…soft!

You can connect with Annie Sloan Unfolded here…

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Thanks for stopping by to check out My Craft Room Reveal! Let me know what you think and be sure to pin your favorite parts!

Filed Under: craft room, DIY, painting, reveal, room makeover, sponsors

Chevron Stamped Scarf {tutorial}

September 26, 2012 5 Comments

Hey there!

Y’all have a good day? We went to cooking class, gymnastics, cleaned the house, ran errands, worked on upcoming Halloween projects, and made a delicious dinner! I wanted to share a fun fall fashion project I whipped up during a little late night crafting sesh.

One of the fabulous MFTM sponsors (FashionArtProjects) sent me a box FULL of fun things to create with! Last night I decided to add a little somethin-somethin’ to the scarf they sent me!

I thought it would be fun to use my giant chevron stamp (Michael’s with a 50% off coupon = less than $4) and some fabric paint (regular craft paint mixed with fabric medium) to create a pretty pattern.

Tips for stamping on fabric:

-LOTS of paint on the rubber stamp.

-Lay cardboard under your fabric in case of bleeding paint.

-Press down firmly on the stamp when placed on the fabric.

-Carefully peal the stamp away from the fabric, using one hand to hold the fabric down.

-Place a cloth over the painted area (once dry) and press with a hot iron to seal the paint.

Thanks to FashionArtProjects for the scarf!

Check out their site for more fun fashion art supplies and project ideas or visit your local Walmart’s craft section.

FashionArtProjects provided me the scarf to craft with. All opinions are my own.

Filed Under: chevron, fabric, fall, fashion, painting, product review, stamp, tutorial

Pumpkin Kids’ Craft (and Fall Fun List)

September 18, 2012 4 Comments

Hi there!

Today I am sharing a fun fall craft to do with the kiddos! My daughter loves to craft along side her momma, so I knew she would love this.

SUPPLIES:

orange, black & brown paint

paint brushes

half of an apple

construction paper

DIRECTIONS

Paint the flat surface of the half apple with orange paint.

Press the apple onto the construction paper and carefully lift.

Repeat until you have as many “pumpkins” as you’d like.

Using the brown paint, add a stem to your pumpkins.

Using the black paint, add faces to your pumpkins.

Allow dry time and display.

So fun, right?

My daughter and I also made our Fall Fun 2012 List since we finished up our Summer Bucket List. We are so excited for fall and all the fun this season has to offer. We will be taking FULL advantage.

Now go get your fall craft of with your kiddos!

Filed Under: autumn, crafts, fall, kid-friendly, painting, pumpkin, tutorial

Simple Hoopart {tutorial}

July 18, 2012 7 Comments

Happy Hump Day!

Are you ready for another Christmas in July: Workshop Wednesday?! I am loving the motivation this series is bringing me to create gifts early. If you are visiting from Flamingo Toes, WELCOME! We am excited you are here. Be sure to stop by The Answer is Chocolate after you check out my gift idea!

Today’s gift idea was inspired by the fun #hoopartswap that my sweet bloggy friend, Mandy (of Mandipidy) put together on Instagram. I had never made hoopart before and have always wanted to, so I thought this was the perfect challenge for me. Let me also let you in on a little secret…I have NO clue how to embroider, so my hoopart does not have elaborate embroidered designs and images. But I had so much fun creating this little piece of art (without having the skill of embroidery under my belt) that I just HAD to share it with all of you.

Simple, but lovely right? My inspiration for this piece came from the momma I was sending it to. I knew her choice colors were orange and grey and that her family is very spiritual. I also saw the scripture Deuteronomy 30 on one of her Instagram photos and knew I wanted to incorporate that. I thought white linen and lace along with burlap would look pretty with the orange and grey.

Supplies:

embroidery hoop, embroidery floss and needle, craft paint, sponge brush, burlap, felt, lace, linen, thin Sharpie, scissors, hot glue and gun.

Steps:

-Cut a piece of linen to write your message on with your Sharpie. I frayed the edges of my linen to give it a shabby appeal.

-Make felt rosettes by cutting circles out of your felt, then spiral cutting the circles, rolling them up and securing with hot glue. Check this tutorial.

-Paint the outer hoop with craft paint and set aside to dry. I painted mine with orange and added grey polka dots using the wooden end of the sponge brush.

-Lay the inner hoop on the burlap and cut an over-sized circle around it.

-Layer the following materials inner hoop, burlap, piece of lace, then the outer, painted hoop. Push the outer hoop down until the burlap is secure that the hoops are snug. Gently tug your burlap and lace until they are snug in the hoop.

-Using your hot glue gun, glue your felt rosettes onto the burlap.

-Place your linen message onto the burlap and using your embroidery floss, stitch around the linen securing with a knot.

-Trim off the excess burlap and lace that stick out of the hoop.

VIOLA!

Are you inspired to create hoopart for Christmas gifts this year?

You don’t have to be a master embroider to make one!

Plus there’s a TON of inspiration on Pinterest…check HERE.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Be sure to visit the other creative masterminds in the series.

The Answer is Chocolate

The Scrap Shoppe

My CreativiT

Flamingo Toes

Filed Under: burlap, Christmas in July, decor, DIY, felt, gift, hoopart, painting, Workshop Wednesday

DIY Kitchen Canvas Art {tutorial}

June 25, 2012 6 Comments

It’s the beginning of a new week!
Lots of projects going on in our house, plus we’re still working on our Summer Bucket List.

I mentioned last week that I’m trying to add more color to my kitchen and dining room on an almost $0 budget. I shared my DIY Kitchen Towels that I made for less than $5…did you see them?

Today I’m going to share the DIY Kitchen Canvas Art I created in less than 30 minutes and for free (I had all supplies on hand).

Want to know how I made it?

Supplies:

Small canvas (Dollar Store)

Spray paint or craft paint (white and turquoise/aqua)

Sponge brush

Vinyl stencil

Tape

Instructions:

-The small canvas I purchased from the Dollar store originally had a picture of a bird on it. I gave it 3 coats of white spray paint.

-I made my vinyl stencil using my Silhouette but if you don’t have one you could cut it out free hand with a razor.

-Apply the stencil to the canvas carefully (I taped mine down) and press smooth.

-Sponge on the turquoise/aqua paint. I did two coats.

-Allow dry time and peel off the stencil.

DONE!

I also added some spray paint to some of the old kitchen decor that I had.

Such a big difference, right?

I used chalkboard paint for the front of the tile and then I sprayed the black iron with Krylon’s Satin Aqua.

I really love what a little spray paint and color can do.

Have a great week!!

Filed Under: decor, DIY, frugal, kitchen, painting, silhouette, stencil

DIY Kitchen Towels {tutorial}

June 23, 2012 5 Comments

Ahhhh…the weekend is here.

Any big plans? I’ll be working on projects around the house, sign orders, attending a birthday party, and finishing up the weekend at church with the family. Sounds like a great weekend to me!

Today I’m sharing the new kitchen towels I made this past week. I’ve been trying to add a bit more color to my kitchen/dining room color pallet lately, so here’s what I came up with for new towels…

Super cute, right?

Check this…. It only cost me $1 to make both towels! I purchased a 2 pack of kitchen towels at the dollar store and used crafting materials I already had on hand. If you had to go out and purchase all of the materials, you’d spend no more than $5. For two kitchen towels, that’s awesome!

Materials:

Towels, craft paint, fabric medium, sponge brush, freezer paper stencil, cardboard, iron, rick rack, sewing machine and essentials.

Here’s what I did…

-Prewash and dry the towels (don’t use fabric softener).

-Design and cut out your freezer paper stencil. I made mine using my Silhouette but you could do this free hand by tracing and using an xacto knife.

-Place the freezer paper stencil on the towel, shinny side down. Iron in place.

-Mix your craft paint and fabric medium. I used Martha Stewart’s Pool color provided by Plaid Crafts.

-Gently sponge paint within your stencil. Allow dry time or blow dry with your blow drier.

-Peel off stencils from you towels, place another towel over the top of your painted image and iron to lock the paint in.

-Pin your rick rack to the towel and sew, being sure to back stitch at the beginning and end of the rick rack.

DONE!

I love my cute towels, don’t you?

Now go forth and make new kitchen towels for your kitchen!

Have a great weekend!

Filed Under: decor, DIY, frugal, kitchen, painting, stencil, towels, tutorial

Monogram Hair Clippy Organizer

June 4, 2012 4 Comments

Quite a heafty title for such an adorable and simple project.

But the title says it all really.

I was lucky enough to receive a package from Plaid and in it contained beautiful Martha Stewart paints and a Martha Stewart Spray Paint Kit. I was so excited to bust out those pretty paints and try out the spray paint kit!

The directions on the kit were very easy to understand and I followed them exactly. The kit worked perfectly and the clean up was quick and easy too!

Here’s the first project I used the spray paint kit for…

a Monogram Hair Clippy Organizer for a friend’s baby shower gift.

I chose grey and purple to match the baby’s nursery colors and I made several hair clippies to get baby Griffin’s collection started.

I LOVE to spray paint things… and this spray paint kit makes it so easy to quickly paint something using the pretty Martha Stewart paints that I have a ~~huge~~ small obsession with.

Thanks so much to Plaid for the fun kit and paints to play with!

Check them out here…

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Plaid supplied me with the mentioned materials to craft with and review.

No monetary compensation was provided. All opinions are my own.

Filed Under: accessories, baby shower, gift, hair, hair clips, kid-friendly, monogram, organization, painting, plaid crafts, product review, spray paint

Zip Screen Tote

May 19, 2012 1 Comment

Happy weekend!!

Yesterday was my niece’s 10th birthday party. Her momma (my sister-in-law) is an amazing party planner. Not only is she creative and thoughtful, but she’s frugal and a DIY-er like myself. My niece had a sleepover (with all the fixings)… my sister-in-law even made all of the girls matching pajama bottoms and “morning essentials” swag bags. Way cute!

I’m a handmade gifter… if you’ve read my blog for a while or know me personally, then this is old news to you. I decided to make my niece a tote bag for her to carry her summer time things in (she’s also a new fan of roller derby, so this tote could be used to carry her skates in too). Here’s how it turned out…

FashionArtProject.com supplied me with the blank tote (perfect canvas for artwork!) and their newest product, Zip Screens & Paint.

I will be honest…was was a little skeptical this new product would work as well as the package showed. I read the directions thoroughly and did exactly as it said.