CORK STYLE FRAME

Who knew that you could make neat things out of cork?!
Today i made a cork bulletin board! This was lots of fun and i really enjoy the result of it.

Supplies needed:
-Old Frame
-Staple gun
-X-acto knife
-Pliers
-Cork
-Cover for behind the cork
-Nails if needed

How to make:
First what i did was find an old picture frame that i don't use or hang anymore. Then from there i took out the picture/photo and took out the glass as well. To do this i had to use my Pliers.

After doing that, you line up the cork with your frame. Next you take an X-acto knife and cut off any extra cork that you don't need.

So once you have the cork you must find a way for it to stick to your frame.... i had many issues in figuring out how i could do this, when all of a sudden a perfect idea popped into my head! A staple gun. Staple the piece of cork onto the frame.

This project was cheap and fun. The only thing i needed to actually buy was some cork. I bought the cork from the dollar store for about $2.00. In doing this project i learnt that you have to be very exact in cutting the cork, it may involve some measuring. As well as to be careful with the X-acto knife because its very sharp! 

I highly suggest you try it out, its perfect for putting reminders, or christmas cards you will be getting in the mail sometime! 

Thanks,

Rachel :)

FABRIC CHANDELIER 

This weekend i felt i was in the crafty mood so i built my very own Fabric Chandelier. I must admit that  this was quite the project, it took me 2 days to make it the way i wanted it to be in the end. I got this idea from a DIY website i found on the internet and decided to try it out!

Things you will need to make it:

-Old fabric (I used sheets in my house that we don't use anymore.)

-String of lights

-Drying cookie rack

-Scissors 

-Extension Cord

Quick Summary of how i made it:

First what i did was i hunted around in the linen closet in my house to find old white fabric sheets that we don't use anymore. Secondly i used a cookie drying rack in our kitchen that we don't use often. The first step you do is cut the fabric into little long strips and fold them onto one of the poles on the rack and tie a knot so the fabric doesn't slip off. (I had to do this step many times because the fabric didn't stay on very well.) Next once you are done tying them all on the rack you take a string of lights (any kind) and you tie them onto the rack as well so they are hanging downward inside of the fabrics. To hang the lamp i took a hook i had and hammered it into the ceiling. For the 4 strings on the top attached to the cookie rack i braided the pieces together and made a knot at the top of all of them and hung it. 

During the project i had many challenges. For one, cutting the fabric was actually harder than it seems! Cutting and making the long strings of fabric probably took up most of the time in making this DIY. It was also hard figuring out how to plug in the lights but i realized that using an extension cord worked very well. During the day this is just a statement piece that looks creative hanging from your ceiling, and during the night it gives your room a warm glow to it. The lights reflect off of the white fabric which makes it look very artsy and cool! 

Overall im quite pleased with how it turned out, if you have any questions about making it or the process of doing so just hit me up with a message and i'll try to respond asap! 

Rachel (:

Ideas

Hey bloggers!

Sorry i haven't had much time to update you on what I've been doing recently but lately i have been doing some outside of class work on various DIY projects. Recently i have been in the process of making a light for my room that will hang from my ceiling, soon i will show you the outcome of it through pictures and how i did it. I also have some inspiration of making something out of cork i found in my house. I could either make some coasters with it or a bulletin board with a picture frame. These are all ideas that are in a work of progress. So stay in tune to find out!

Photo Transfer onto Canvas

I love when i see potraits on canvases. But little did i know that you can make them right out of your home! This DIY is actually quite simple but so fun and so worth it. I have to say there were some challenging parts in the process of doing so, but you can get through it.

So first i made my own Mod Podge because you will need it for your finishing product on the canvas to make it shine. To make Mod Podge all you need is an old jar you dont use anymore, Elmers glue, and water. Very easy. I also added a lable on my jar saying "Rachel's Mod Podge." 

To make a canvas potrait you will need the following:

-Mod podge

-Tape + Scissors

-Foam brush

-Stretched out canvas

-Printed photo (I took one of my family photos)

-Black Acrylic Paint

First you will print out a photo from a laser printer or just a regular printer at your home. I put my photo onto a word document and then i printed it out and made it black and white for a more antique look. After that i took my stretched out canvas and took my foam brush and just brushed Mod Podge all over it. 

Next i put the photo on the canvas and pressed it down because there were some bubbles because of the Mod Podge underneath. After doing that I put more Mod Podge over top of the photo and let it dry for around 15-20 minutes. 

After you let it dry i wanted to give it more of a rustic look so i took a black sponge and used my black acrylic paint to just dab around the edges. Adding paint tops it off and makes it look a lot better i find!

                                                                                                           

I was very happy of how this project turned out. You can do this anytime and use it as a gift or a present to someone as well. The hardest part was choosing what method i wanted to use to transfer the photo onto the canvas. You can do other methods with tissue paper, laser printer one too. Overall this project wasn't expensive at all! I bought the Elmers glue from the dollar store for only $2.00 as well as the canvas was only $4.00, and i didn't need to buy anything else! I highly suggest you try it out!

Hello All :) Today i decided to do an Art DIY just because i was in the mood. I made a tape painting. The process of doing so was quite simple, and fun i must say! All you need in order to accomplish this is tape (any kind), a canvas, acrylic paint, scissors, water and paint brushes. I kept my canvas just plain white for the background but you can also spray paint it to a different color before taping. I suggest you put newspaper under your canvas because it can get messy when you are using paint. Through this process i learnt that you may need water even when using acrylic paint because the paint can dry very quickly and harden so water helps smooth the paint. I was very pleased with the outcome because now i have another painting to hang on my wall. (my room is getting redone so all of the DIY's i will be doing i can add to my new room.) This project was very enjoyable to do because i didn't feel like doing a 4 hour painting. This took me probably around an hour and 15 minutes. I highly suggest you try it in your spare time! Scroll down to see the process of how i did it and the finished product. Next week i will be posting another simple DIY to do at home so stay tuned!

Dear bloggers,
     Hello! My name is Rachel, and this blog is all about simple DIY (Do-It-Yourself) projects. For one of my classes at school our task is to think of a topic that you would be more interested in learning about and blogging every once and awhile about. The thing you choose can either be a goal or skill you want to learn or improve on. I have to tell you that it took me awhile to think of an actual "good" idea. I did many brainstorming activities to figure out what i wanted to do. First of all, i love and really enjoy art so i wanted to somehow incorporate it into my project somehow. I think that DIY projects will be perfect because it is in a way a form of art. With DIY projects you can do a variety of many different things. It can expand from making home decorative things to homemade masterpieces. My quote at the top of my blog says, "Learning to take what you have, and making something worthwhile." Most of the things i will be doing are things you can simply do right out of your home. Occasionally i will have to go to art/crafts stores to buy a few things i will need in order to make successful DIY's. My goal is to make many different things, as well as master the skill of crafting.This week i will be starting on a few projects and i will update you on them as soon as possible! If you have any questions, feel free to comment or message me.