Hello All! So sorry I’ve been MIA. It hasn’t been for lack of interest but mainly just not getting home until late and having no time to get anything done! But with Nemo blowing through NY this weekend I had plenty of time to get some things done which I will be sharing this week. Today I am here to share my first try at gold leafing! It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. It certainly was messy but I knew that going in so I was prepared. The project all started when I purchased a frame and was looking for a print to put inside.  I went on Etsy thinking I would purchase something.  I came across a print of a wishbone and being the DIYer that I am I thought, “I can make that.” So I found an image on Google of a wishbone, printed it, traced it and then I used a gold marker to fill it in. That’s when my clever friend Emily asked, “why don’t you use gold leaf?” Gold leaf it was! I followed the same steps as before to trace the wishbone onto thick drawing paper. I purchased an adhesive pen and gold leaf sheets from Michaels.

I used the marker to trace the wishbone and then fill in the middle.

I waited about 10 minutes until the glue was tacky. Then I just took a sheet and laid it down on the print and pressed down with a brush where the glue was. If you look closely you can see the image in the sheet.

The next part is tricky! I slowly started tearing the parts of the sheet that I didn’t need and you’ll see from the next picture that it didn’t exactly stick perfectly.

To fill in the empty spaces I simply put down more glue and smaller pieces of gold leaf. I used my fingers a little more than the brush but the brush came in handy to get the clean lines on the edge.

After messing with it I was pretty pleased with the outcome. I do love the texture that the gold leaf creates!

If gold leafing isn’t your thing then you can use a gold marker like I had originally done.

It definitely doesn’t give you the same finish that gold leaf does but it’s an alternative.

Now that I’ve popped my gold leaf cherry I can’t help but want to gold leaf something else! Maybe another stab at the paper mache bowls? Wouldn’t an ampersand print in gold leaf be awesome too! Oh the possibilities!!

I love having the ability to change the look of something over and over again and continue to get good use out of it.  With that said, let’s revisit my handy tray which has seen it’s share of changes.  The last time we saw it, it was hanging out on the console all glitterized! (Yup, there I go again with that word)

So with the holidays gone it was time to change 1. the tray and 2. the console (Miss Kelly)! It was all so very simple. I happen to be perusing the dollar section at Target and found the cutest gift wrapping paper which I knew would be the perfect fit. I snipped it to fit the tray, inserted it, and it was done! For those wondering, the tray has a glass bottom that originally had frames to insert pictures.

I just threw it on the console along with my favorite new chevron urn and a few other accessories. This space really makes me smile when I come in!

Do you have a space that you love changing? A mantel, console, entrance? Do tell!

When I was planning out my bedroom makeover in my head I knew I wanted to create some kind of art work for above my bed.  I knew I wanted it to be metallic and I wanted circles involved because of the whole “everything in my room is a rectangle” fiasco. It wasn’t very long after I thought about making something that I came across this picture on Pinterest:

I also saw a picture on Instagram that gave me the idea of using different sized circles so I headed out to Michael’s and grabbed my supplies. I purchased silver metallic paint, gold metallic paint, and a creamy white metallic paint.  I also purchased a 30×40 canvas, using a 40% off coupon. Oh and let’s not forget the foam circle stampers which came together in a package.

Now the next set of pictures were taken in my living room, at night, with my iPhone, so I apologize. There also aren’t many photos because I wasn’t really sure how it was all going to play out. I pretty much just winged it!

The first thing I did was grab some paper plates and poured out my paint. I mixed the pearl color with the silver because I wasn’t a fan of the silver on it’s own.  Then, starting with the largest foam sponge I randomly began dotting the top of the canvas (make sure you don’t overload the sponge with paint). I continued doing this with all the different colors. I just wiped the sponge on a paper towel in between color changes. I kept the large circles pretty close together, overlapping some as well.

Next, I moved on to the middle size sponge and did the same thing. This time I just spaced my circles out a little more because I was trying to create the illusion that they are starting to disappear into thin canvas air. Once I did enough of those I grabbed the smallest of the sponges and dotted those bad boys here and there.

And that right there is my gradient dot artwork! A friend of mine suggested adding some 3D elements to it which I am not opposed to just not sure what to do yet.  I also think I might want to paint the sides. I did hang it and all but that won’t stop me from taking it down and messing with it. I mean, am I ever really done with a project?

If large canvases scare you, you could always try this out on drawing paper and use erasers to create your circles or even a q-tip and simply frame it!

The long awaited time has finally come! Well, long awaited time for me at least.  I finally got around to painting my bedroom and changing things up.  I have been wanting to do this since last year. Literally. On January 2 of 2012 I wrote a post about finding the perfect “greige” color and I set out to do so.  I searched, took some time off, sampled, got a little ADD and then got back on track again.  I found the color that I wanted and it’s name was Pashmina by Benjamin Moore. The next step was painting. The way I looked at it was it was time for me to move everything out of my room which was no fun. Needless to say more time went by. The only way I could get the ball rolling was to start buying the new items I wanted for the room to get me motivated to finish.  Here are some “evolution of my bedroom” photos: (don’t forget to keep the cursor over the pictures to remove the “fog”)

My biggest concern were the many rectangular shapes from the headboard, to the mirrors, to the side tables.  I wanted to bring in some more roundness.  I knew for sure I wanted to replace the mirrors so you can imagine how excited I was when I came across this mirror at Target!

I also wanted to change out the lamps and bring in some type of art piece for above my bed.  So without further ado here it is! A before and after!

As far as the mirror placement I didn’t want to place them too high even though the lamp shades would cover them a bit so I measured them 9″ above the dressers.  I also added some fun table side accessories to add a little glam to the space.

I love this space so much now.  It feels like a hotel suite in here! I will be back later this week to talk more about beside table styling, the DIY glitter vase and the 30″x40″ DIY canvas art I made for above the bed!

**Update**

Click here to see how I DIY’d the glitter vase
Click here to see how I DIY’d the Gradient Dot Canvas
Click here for some tips on styling bedside tables
Click here to see how I added ribbon trim to my lampshades

Thanks for stopping by! xo

Happy New Year everyone! I’m finally starting to get back to reality and back into the swing of things. Of course work starts up again in just a few days which kind of stinks but I’ve still got some time to enjoy this winter break.  I wanted to share with you some awesome gifts that two of my students made me this year for the holidays.  I love how well these kiddies know me and know how much I love a good craft and there is nothing sweeter to me than a homemade gift. 

The first gift came from my sweetheart student Olivia. She made me a paper mache bowl!! She also filled it with some clementines and used Christmas wrapping paper as the paper. I absolutely love it!! I certainly know how messy it was for her to do this so I am very appreciative of it.

The next gift might be the coolest, “PIN” worthy gift anyone has ever made me! My awesomely amazing student Jolie made me rose pens out of…what for it…Duct Tape!

How insanely cool is this?? She found a video on Youtube and used colored duct tape on the end of a pen. Completely gorgeous and functional! My kind of craft   If your interested in trying this out I found a video that has a tutorial here.  Did I mention these ladies are only 8 years old! So proud of my little crafters!

On another note, if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook then you may remember back a few months ago when I posted this picture of this gorgeous buffet that I found at my local thrift store for $175.

Well, my friend Beth snagged it right up and even negotiated a cheaper price! She also gave it a makeover by sanding, priming and painting it and I am obsessed with it!!

She did such a great job on it and I am so happy someone I know was able to buy it because it’s a gorgeous piece!

Have a great first weekend of 2013!

Like most of us in the past few days I am at a loss of words for the heinous acts that took place in Newtown, Connecticut. As a teacher you never imagine that your duties would include shielding your students from bullets and evil. My heart goes out to the families of those teachers and administrators who became heroes after Fridays events. Those heroes include not only the teachers whose lives were taken too quickly but also the teachers who protected those students and live to tell about it. I pray for the families of the 20 little boys and girls who won’t be opening their gifts this holiday season but rather, gaining their wings. My heart is very heavy.

When I step into my classroom tomorrow my main goal for the day is making sure that each and every one of my students feel safe and cared for. Some may know of the events and some may not. I only hope that if the topic is brought up that I can find the right words to assure them that everything will be alright. I can only begin to imagine the hugs, kisses, and I love you’s that will be given tomorrow morning when parents send their children off to school. As the students walk into the building this week, I hope they know just how much they are cared for and loved.

In honor of those lives that were taken, Made2Style will be silent this week.