DecoArt

Fox Storage Chest • DecoArt IKEA Moppe Challenge

18 · Jan 2, 2018 · 4 Comments

You guys, I’m so excited for today’s post! If you’ve been following along on my Instagram Stories, you’ll know that I’m in the process of making over my little guys room. I’m getting so close to being finished and I can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on. Today, I’m sharing one of the fun elements that we will be putting in his room to dress it up. It’s a cute Fox Storage Chest for all of his little trinkets and toys. You know all of the little bits and pieces that little boys tend to collect. The timing couldn’t be more perfect, DecoArt gave all of their bloggers a challenge for January. The challenge was to make over a mini storage chest from IKEA. The IKEA Moppe to be exact. It turned out so cute and I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

+ This post brought to you by DecoArt +

The Challenge

DecoArt sent out a challenge a little while back to transform this simple wood storage chest from IKEA any way that we would like. It may sound crazy but, I struggled coming up with a concept for the design. There were so many directions I could go; farmhouse, industrial, buffalo check, stripes… So many different ways I could take the design. This little chest sat in my craft room for weeks and I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do. For some reason, the word challenge puts so much pressure on me and I freeze. Finally, I decided that before I could decide on a design, I needed to figure out what I wanted to do with the storage chest when I was finished. I am in the process of making over my little boys room and I decided this would be the perfect place for him to store his little things.

With that MAJOR decision made, I placed the storage chest on the table and looked at it for awhile. Again, paralyzed by all of the different directions I could go. Finally, you’re going to think I’m crazy, I was looking at the piece and all of a sudden, I saw a face looking back at me. A cute little fox face and that’s when I knew what I needed to do.

I set to work designing my fox and preparing it to cut on my Cricut Maker. As we have discussed before, I really have zero talent when it comes to freehand painting but, with the help of my Cricut, I can create some great stencils. I may not be able to freehand paint but, I have mad stenciling skills!

Supplies

I realize that this is a rather specific project but really, This stencil and the concept can work on all kinds of furniture or signs. So, don’t get discouraged if you don’t live close to an IKEA. You can find something that this will look super cute on. Here are the basic supplies.

Mini Storage Chest – We used the Moppe from IKEA
Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint – colors; Yesteryear, Heritage & Timeless
foam stencil brush
small foam brush
Cricut machine
download my fox SVG file
vinyl
transfer tape

Instructions

The first thing you’ll want to do is paint your base coat of the Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint in the Yesteryear color. The reason why I selected the Chalky finish is that I prefer the matte look rather than a satin or enamel type paint. Plus, I think it’s a little more forgiving.

Since this piece is raw wood, it really soaked up the paint and it dried super fast (which I LOVE!) This whole project, once I had the design finished, only took about an hour.

The Fox Stencil

While I was waiting for the base coat to dry, I cut the first part of my fox stencil, you can download that HERE.

Because I was using two different colors for the fox, I had to create two different stencils. One for the inner part of the ears and cheeks, the second for the outer ears and face. Below, you will see how to weed the vinyl once you’ve cut the design.

Painting

I really don’t think the order matters but, just in case, I stenciled the inner ears and cheeks first.

Once I weeded the excess vinyl, I covered the design with transfer tape to transfer the image onto the storage chest.

I used my scraper tool to press the vinyl down especially on the ridges of the chest. Then I carefully removed the transfer tape. Take your time here and move slowly if needed.

Using your finger go around the edges of the areas that you will be painting and make sure you have a good seal with the vinyl. With the Timeless color, I used a foam stencil brush to get started. With a light amount of paint on my brush, using a gentle up and down motion, I painted the inner ears and cheeks.

Once you’ve finished painting those sections, carefully remove the vinyl. I typically don’t really wait for the paint to completely dry, you just need to be careful when lifting and removing the vinyl so that you don’t mess up the paint. If you’ve been careful and not used too much paint or pressure, you’ll have a beautiful line.

Now, you’ll need the 2nd section of your stencil weeded like the image below.

Like before, use the transfer tape to place the stencil carefully on the storage chest. You’ll need to line-up the ears and cheeks but, with the Cricut clear transfer tape that’s not hard at all.

Repeat the same painting technique with the Heritage color for the outer ear and face of the fox.

When you’re finished with that, remove the vinyl and let the paint fully dry. That will really only take 10 minutes or so. (That’s another reason why I love the chalky finish paint.)

You’re finished!

How cute is that for a little guys room? You could even add some cute girly eyelashes and it would look super cute in a girls room as well. I just LOVE it!!

Now, Gage will have the perfect spot for his little things. If you had a chance to do the mini storage chest challenge, what would you like to create? How would you like to use it? What DecoArt products would you use?

Disclaimer • I am a DecoArt Blogger and have received product and compensation for my time and efforts. All thoughts, ideas, and opinions are my very own.

Spa Inspired Holiday Survival Kit with Buffalo Check Jars

26 · Dec 5, 2017 · 1 Comment

With the craziness of the Holidays, who couldn’t use a spa inspired holiday survival kit? It’s full of homemade sugar scrub, shower bombs in stylish Buffalo Check Ball Jars, one of my favorite Yankee Candles®, even a cute little Ball® jar filled with matches. It turned out so cute, come learn how to make some kits of your own to give give to friends and family this Christmas. You could even use it as a Secret Santa gift!

+ This post brought to you by the folks at Newell Brands, makers of Ball® Fresh Preserving Products +

I know when I’m working preparing all of the Holiday magic that comes this time of year, I can easily get a little run down. Nothing major, nothing a nice aromatic bath with some candles couldn’t cure. With that thought in mind, I thought it would be fun to put together this Holiday season to give to my friends, neighbors, teachers… Basically, anyone who could use a little pick-me-up as well.

Sharing Jars

I love the mission of the Ball® Sharing Jar. When you purchase the Sharing Jars your purchase will benefit Feeding America® – the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. For every package of Sharing Jars purchased, Newell Brands will donate 4 meals*! I LOVE it when I can help support a worthy cause when buying stuff I would normally buy any way.

*Newell Brands® will donate $0.36 per package of Sharing Jars sold, up to $150,000 provided to Feeding America®. $1 helps provide 11 meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks.

Sugar Scrub Recipe

Before you can start assembling your Holiday Survival Kit, you’ll need to mix-up some simple sugar scrub. This couldn’t be any easier. You can mix this by hand or with a mixer. Either way is totally fine. Here’s what you’ll need.

2 cups sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil
10 drops of peppermint essential oil

Add sugar to your mixing bowl and slowly add your coconut oil until you get the desired consistency. I don’t like to add any food coloring because I don’t like to add extra chemicals and keep things natural. Plus, you don’t want to accidentally spill on something and have the color transfer.

Finish up by adding the essential oils and package in your Ball® Sharing Jar.

Shower Bomb Recipe

The shower bombs take a little more patience. These little guys are very similar to the Snowball Bath Bombs I made the other day. They are made with baking soda and you want to make sure you don’t activate it while you are in the process of mixing up your shower bombs.

1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup citric acid
1/2 cup corn starch
2-3 tablespoons water
3o drops peppermint essential oil

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add baking soda, citric acid and corn starch. Put water and essential oil into a small spray bottle and slowly spray dry mixture while mixing on low. Continue adding water/oil mixture until you achieve a nice wet sand consistency. DO NOT rush this process.

Add mixture to a silicon mold like the one below and press firmly.

Let mixture sit in mold for 4-5 minutes and then carefully unfold. Let the shower bombs sit on a flat surface overnight to dry.

Fill the other sharing jar with the shower bombs and attach printable tag to jar.

Buffalo Check Jars

These buffalo check jars are a true gem! I have a feeling I’ll be using these year-round. Here is a quick post to show you how to make them.

Printable Gift Tag

If you know me at all, you know I LOVE to design all kinds of printable. These may be some of my favorite thus far.

You can download the tags HERE

Match Jar

Alright, I am so in love with this little, itty-bitty Mini Ball® Storage Jars. They are only 4 oz. and they are just too darn cute!

They are the perfect size for a little match jar for your Holiday Survival Kit. I filled the jar with matches, thenI cut a strip of the matchbox striker and glue it to the side of the jar.

I also cut some vinyl on my Cricut that looks super fun on the jar…

You can download the cut file HERE

Holiday Survival Kit Assembly

Now, all you need to do is assemble your spa inspired Holiday Survival Kit…

I grabbed a Yankee Candle® Small Tumbler Candle to go with my match jar and a little box and I assembled my Survival Kit with he printable tag glued on the front of the box. I also tied the gift tags on the jars with some leather that I bought at my local craft store. Now, it’s giving time!

Secret Santa

I am super excited this year to participate in the Ball® Home Canning Products Secret Santa Program! Their lovely crew assigned me to an amazing talented blogger, Almost Makes Perfect. I adore her style and was thrilled to send my Spa Inspired Survival Kit to her. I can’t wait to see what she thinks of it.

I was lucky enough to receive a Ball Secret Santa gift from Jamie of C.R.A.F.T. She sent me this cute little candy jar set…

How fun is that? Adding some twigs as antlers and a belt to the jar to look like Santa. Honestly guys, creating with Ball® Canning Jars is so much fun! What can you guys think-up for this Holiday Season?

Disclosure + I am a paid partner for Newell Brands, makers of Ball® Fresh Preserving Products. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

How to Paint Buffalo Check Jars

3 · Dec 5, 2017 · Leave a Comment

Love the Buffalo Check trend? Yep, me too! I thought it would be fun to use some of the Ball® Sharing Jars to create some Buffalo Check Jars to use as gifts this Holiday Season. Here’s how you can make some of your own.

+ This post brought to you by the folks at Newell Brands, makers of Ball® Fresh Preserving Products +

Ball® Sharing Jars

This project looks a bit challenging, but truly it’s not! All you need are some of those fabulous Ball® Sharing Jars and some paint and you can create this trendy look for yourself.

I love the shape of the Sharing Jars and I love the mission. When you purchase the Sharing Jars your purchase will benefit Feeding America® – the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. For every package of Sharing Jars purchased, Newell Brands will donate 4 meals*! I LOVE it when I can help support a worthy cause when buying stuff I would normally buy any way.

* Newell Brands® will donate $0.36 per package of Sharing Jars sold, up to $150,000 provided to Feeding America®. $1 helps provide 11 meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks.

Buffalo Check Jars

I’m a huge fan of the Buffalo Check trend and can’t get enough of it right now. Pretty much everyone I know feels the same way so, I thought a stylish Buffalo Check Jar would be the perfect gift for friends and family for Christmas this year. I’ve filled them with all kinds of stuff; candy, bath scrubs, shower bombs, soup starters, cookie kits, all kinds of stuff. Of course after the jars are painted, you can no longer preserve in them but, they’re great for everything else. Here’s how to make them.

Materials

Ball® Sharing Jars
Americana Decor Chalky Paint in Everlasting, Yesteryear & Carbon
sponge paint brush
1/4″ flat head paint brush
240 grit sandpaper
Americana Decor Clear Crème Wax
lint free cloth

Instructions

To begin, make sure you have washed and dried your jars. Then paint a couple of layers of the white (Everlasting) chalky paint onto the jar with the sponge brush. You can use your favorite kind of chalk paint here.

Don’t worry about brush strokes, they will get smoothed out in the finishing process at the end. Let dry, ideally for a few hours or overnight.

Next, you’ll use the 1/4″ flat paint brush to paint the gray (Yesteryear) stripes onto the jar.

You will loosely use the lines on the jars as guides. I really didn’t want a precise looking check wanting it to look more free form or hand painted. I didn’t want this project to become to crazy with measuring every little detail and taping the jar to get perfect lines. This to me makes the project so much more enjoyable and I love the look.

Start at the top points of the lines in the Sharing Jar and use your 1/4 inch brush line to create the stripes. Three stripes around the jar and then a vertical stripe in the center of the flat sections of the sharing jar. Let dry completely.

Now, you’ll use the black (Carbon) paint to paint on the black section of the check in the intersections of the gray stripes. Again, let paint dry completely. It would be best at this stage to let the paint cure overnight. It will help the paint adhere to the glass much better.

Once the paint is dry, you will use the sand paper to smooth and distress the paint. Be careful not to attach the jar with a little too much vigor. You don’t want to sand the paint right off the jar. Using a soft hand, smooth the dry paint, (this will remove the brush strokes) and then carefully distress the high points of the jar.

Once this step is complete, you’ll want to wipe down the jars with a damp cloth to remove any of the remaining dust. Then you’ll use your lint free cloth to wipe on some of the wax to seal the paint onto the jar. Use the lint free cloth to then wipe off any excess wax and buff the wax.

Now, you’re finished! You have the cutest Buffalo Check Jars ready to fill with whatever you like.

I created a fun Holiday Survival Kit and filled the jars with a homemade sugar scrub, some shower bombs and included a Yankee Candle® along with the cutest little match jar ever… You’ll have to check it out. It even comes with free printable gift tags.

Disclosure + I am a paid partner for Newell Brands, makers of Ball® Fresh Preserving Products. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Farmhouse Black and White Striped Home Decor • Winter Decoration Idea

6 · Dec 1, 2017 · Leave a Comment

I love dressing my front porch for the season rather than the holiday most of the time. Less turnover, less expensive & I just love celebrating the seasons. Here is my Fall front porch and I’m still in love with it but, it’s time to turn the season and start working on my winter front porch. One of the elements that I love for winter is a vintage sled that I found at a garage sale. I dressed it up with some greenery and some large bells that I found at Michaels. However, I didn’t want them to just be simple bells. I want them to stand out! I busted out some Americana Decor Satin Enamels and added my own special touch to the bells. Come see how I transformed them just a touch but added some real WOW factor.

+ The post brought to you by DecoArt +

Design Decisions

I’ve been in love with black and white LONG before Joanna Gains hit the scene. That has always been my color profile with a touch of red or green at times. I love that it’s so popular now. Those are two colors (or, non-colors) that are simply timeless and classic. I’ve also been a huge fan of stripes. They also, if done well, have a timeless quality too. They are perfect to add to a metal tray or a wood side table to add that classic farmhouse look to your home.

I wanted to add some timeless elements to this beautiful sled and greenery. When I found the large bells at Michaels, I knew that was the ticket. However, I wanted to put my own stamp on it so that I don’t look like everyone else on the block.

I guess that has always been my MO (method of operation.) I’m totally fine gathering fun things at Michaels, Target or Home Goods lets say, and then putting my own simple touches on them. That’s why I LOVE the Americana Decor collection. For this project I used the Americana Decor Satin Enamels in Pure White and Classic Black. I selected this paint for a few reasons.

I love the smooth satin finish
How easily it adheres to slick surfaces without any priming
This paint acts more like and enamel rather than a paint and I love that look for this application
Smooth brushability
Minimizes grain raising on wood
Non-toxic
Soap and water clean-up

Materials

wood or metal home decor item
DecoArt Americana Decor Satin Enamels in your color choice
sponge brushes in the size of the stripe that you desire
painters tape (optional)

Instructions

This project is crazy simple. It just requires some patients and a slightly steady hand. I don’t have the perfect artist hand and I managed to create these simple stripes just fine. My secret… I use foam brushes instead of your typical bristle brush. This eliminates the bristle spread that you typically get when painting with a traditional brush. I just buy the size foam brush that matches the size of stripe that I am looking for. You may find that you need painters tape and thats totally fine. With my round surface it was almost easier to follow the line on the bells using my brush as the stripe guide than it was to tape it.

It may not look like a perfect stripe here but, after I go around the bell a few more times it looks better. I’m not really wanting a nice crisp line anyway. I like the more rustic imperfect look.

I did layer about 4 coats of the Satin Enamel so that I had solid coverage.

Then, after the white is totally dry, I carefully used a flat brush that was the size of the small stripe that I was looking for to create the small black stripe. This one, you need to be careful and watch for the bristle spread. Again, I wasn’t looking for perfect and I LOVE how they turned out.

Once they were completely dry, I waited overnight, I affixed them to the sled.

First, using floral wire, I wired the greenery onto the sled with some floral wire.

I then made a bow out of some red and black buffalo plaid ribbon that I found at Michaels and wired it to the sled as well.

Then, I hung the bells on the sled with some think rope and wired that onto the sled as well.

Aren’t they fun? What would you like to add a little black and white farmhouse flair to?

By the way… My front door is painted with the Americana Decor Curb Appeal Paint. I LOVE it!! I’ll have to share how I did that soon. You’ll be amazed!

DecoArt

The Challenge

Supplies

Instructions

The Fox Stencil

Painting

Sharing Jars

Sugar Scrub Recipe

Shower Bomb Recipe

Buffalo Check Jars

Printable Gift Tag

You can download the tags HERE

Match Jar

Holiday Survival Kit Assembly

Secret Santa

Ball® Sharing Jars

Buffalo Check Jars

Materials

Instructions

Design Decisions

Materials

Instructions

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