Front Porch Friday

Hi everybody!  Hope you're having a great week!  My family and I are wrapping up our vacation...we've spent the week in Florida, and it has been wonderful...much needed. I've definitely got beach brain...I just now remembered I was supposed to do this post this morning.  Oops.  Please forgive me....I'm not prepared like I wanted to be (my plan was to do a step-by-step tutorial on how I did the heart canvas from the kit) but I think I can still give you a good idea on how it's done.  Ready?

But before I start, let me just say that I've been blown away by inspiration this week.  The colors here are breathtaking.  I get so caught up in the sights here, all the beautiful little details, and let's just say....my boys don't appreciate it at all. ;)  Lol....at least they are mostly patient with me while I take it all in.
As much as I love the beach, I think my favorite part of the trip was visiting this little town (pop. 1200ish) called Seaside.  It's about 15 minutes away from where we're staying at Santa Rosa Beach, and it's the most picturesque, darling little town I've ever seen.

All of the stores have these sweet porches, beautiful displays....my brain was on overload. ;)

I mean, seriously....these colors?  They spoke to me. ;)

And I found this paper tree in a little children's store called "Duckies." I mean...STOP IT. :)  Love.

I expected to walk away from this trip re-energized, rested, and ready to make the most of the rest of our summer.  I didn't expect to be so inspired by everything I saw....but I have been.  Ready to get home and get busy on some home decor projects, and some scrapbooking as well. Can't wait. :)

Ok...the canvas.  Here is one closer up shot of the heart itself.  I have been playing with this concept for awhile, trying different techniques to get it right, and I bombed every time.  When I finally decided to simplify things a bit, I finally got it right...mostly.  Still have some tweaking to do, but overall I'm happy with the outcome.

I used an 18x18 square canvas, and  painted the edges and sides black.  Next, I drew the heart. I free-handed it, wanting it to have more of a whimsical look, and then placed scraps of all different sizes from the kit around it using mod podge, inking them first. I opted not to put a coat of mod podge over the top of the scraps, but that is a matter of preference. 

Next, the scary part. ;)  The heart.  Here's the secret to making the heart: joint compound and polyurethane.  Yep...that's it.  I took a spoon (a butter knife will work too, but I felt like I had more control with the spoon) and started scooping out joint compound and spreading it all over, filling in the heart outline I had drawn.  You want it nice and thick.  After I was happy with the size and shape of the heart, I took a pencil and drew in my swirls.  Next, you have to wait for it to dry COMPLETELY (that's important), which takes 24 hours.

The next day after it had dried completely, I painted it with a higher quality acrylic paint.  You want it to have a thicker consistency than some of the cheaper ones do. I chose a dark red, and then brushed a little bit of black and turquoise over the top after the red had dried somewhat.  It blends better if the red is not completely dry.  After all of that dried, I brushed on polyurethane over the top. Two coats...it has to be the type you paint on, NOT the spray.  After that dried I added the "X" and the "you are here" letter stickers, using a little liquid glue.  And then....you're done!  See?  Not nearly as scary as we thought. ;)

So there you go...hopefully this little tutorial was helpful.  And as a bonus....we've had a couple of rainy afternoons this week, and luckily I brought my scrappy stuff.  When I was in TX in April I visited The Little Blue House, and bought the stuff to make this Fancy Pants journal.  I have really missed journaling, and figured if I could combine that with scrapbooking it would be just what I needed to get back in the habit.  I can tell I'm going to have so much fun with this....I'm making mine a family journal...things about us, our favorite things, places we go, people we meet, etc. 

Do you recognize the pinky-red trim along the spiral?  Yes...it's from the Sew Artsy kit!  It was one of my favorite trims in the kit, and I'm so glad I had some leftover to add to the journal.  I've got some more ribbon to add to the spiral, and then I'll be ready to start filling it up. :)

Have a wonderful weekend....take a little time to record something important, scrap your latest favorite photo, or take some new pics of your favorites.  See you again soon!

Kid Venture Wall Art~ Done!!

Back in March I was hired to do my first real official wall art job, painting the children's area for Sugar Hill United Methodist Church. I was really excited, and a nervous wreck too. Worried about my abilities and if I would really be able to get what was in my head onto this big gigantic "canvas." ;)  When I started it was four walls painted blue, and after hearing the children's director's vision for what she hoped it would look like, I learned that we have a very similar, whimsical taste. :)

This is the main wall of the kids' area....we wanted to portray the idea of an adventure, 

a journey that is kid-friendly and fun.

 Happy flowers and a butterfly...and a tiny little ladybug on a long blade of grass.

 The registration corner...tall sunflowers with scrapbook paper centers....because it wouldn't feel like it was mine without some paper involved. ;)

 The main doors, where the road ends and the adventure begins.

 The children's director's favorites are dandelions and dragonflies....so I 

was sure to include plenty of those. :)

 Big turquoise tree with a paper bird and nest....

 close-up view

 another tree, but this time with paper leaves :)

and the sun...which I think ended up being my favorite part.

They ordered green trim for the bottom of the walls...I can't wait to go up and see it after that is installed!

Hoping this is the beginning of a fun new journey for me....it was without a doubt one of the most fun jobs I've ever had, and I can't wait to see what lies ahead.

Sew Artsy's Big Day! ;)

Today's the day!! 

 So happy to finally help reveal this month's Front Porch Kit!

I know...it's a little overwhelming, isn't it? ;)

In a good way, of course....there is SO much to work with in this kit; the hardest part is deciding where to start!  I know I've blogged a lot about the papers (they are beautiful!) but I had so much fun working with the other elements too...definitely my first time to use a dress pattern in a layout, and I loved it!

And now, here are my projects:

"Smitten"

 

"Beach Baby"

"A Boy Named Finn"

Mini layout (5x7)

"Bloom"

(Hattie the Hoop;)

"You Are Here"

18x18 canvas

I'm planning a tutorial for this one, so check back soon!

The "Sew Artsy" kit is available today, so visit

www.thelittlebluehouseonline.com

to order yours!

The online gallery is loading up as you read this...there are SO many projects to give you inspiration that it's taking longer than expected...thanks for your patience!

In the meantime take a look at all the designers' blogs, and of course, order your kit!

Have "sew" much fun!

Last Peek before the BIG Reveal!

Happy Monday!! Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

I'm home with a sick kiddo who has amazingly perked right back up after
I decided he should stay home today.  Hmmmm. ;)

I guess sometimes a mental health day is needed no matter how old you are. Lol

Here's the last sneak before tomorrow!

Hmmm....what's that ruffle made out of, you ask?

You'll see soon.  Very soon.

Have I mentioned how much I love the papers and trims in this kit?

LOVE.

That's it until tomorrow...again, you can pre-order your kit TODAY!

Just visit www.thelittlebluehouseonline.com

or call the Little Blue House directly at 817-431-7930

or even better? If you're in the area drop on by. :)
They'd love to see you!

Sew Artsy Sneak #2~ An Ode to Scraps :)

Welcome to the Sew Artsy Sneak #2! Happy Mother's Day! I hope all of you mamas out there are being spoiled rotten by your family.  I'm feeling blessed beyond measure for these 3 who call me "Mom"...undoubtedly my favorite title. :)

 And now, I'll get on to business.  I know you didn't hop over here to see me and my boys, but thank you for indulging me. ;)  For today's sneak peek, I'm being less sneaky and giving you more of a peek than I maybe should, but today's a special day, so what the heck. :D

This project was the result of months of trial and error...something I've seen in several craft shows, boutiques, and other retail stores and was determine to figure out.  I'm getting there. ;) I'll explain more at the full reveal on Tuesday, but for now~ shout out to Susan Tidwell for teaching me the importance of saving my scraps. ;)

 See you tomorrow!!!

Sew Artsy...new Front Porch Kit peek!!

How fun is that name?!?

 There is so much excitement surrounding this month's kit. :)

Several new Design Team members have been added,

and it's been so fun getting to know them through their blogs.

 I can't wait to see what they have done with their kits....I'll be blog hopping all day. :D

As always, my ridiculous (but really fun;) addiction to paper is what determines my love for a kit

and my excitement for starting new projects;

and this one?

Love, love, LOVE.

 Here are a couple of sneaks....aren't the colors of these papers FAB?!?

And yes....it wouldn't be me if I didn't include a bird SOMEWHERE. ;)

There are so many fun, UNIQUE embellishments as well.
Can't wait for you to see.

Pre-orders begin TODAY.

More sneaks will come tomorrow and Monday,

and the full reveal of the kit and projects will go live on TUESDAY. :)

Visit www.thelittlebluehouseonline.com

for more details.

AND be sure to visit www.thelittlebluehouseblog.blogspot.com
to meet the new members of the design team and see their sneaks!

See you tomorrow!

Biggest Canvas EVER :)

The past couple weeks I've had the opportunity to paint a mural for a children's area

of a local church.

It was my first "real" job like this, and I was nervous.

I've painted lots of things for our house, family, friends,

but a real, paying job?

That's a whole different story.

 It started out as just a big blue room,

and the children's director, Terri, and I shared our visions for the final result,

coming together with this.

 This is my progress so far on just one wall.

Terri was wanting this main wall to be a journey scene, heading toward an adventure.

Their theme is Kid Venture,

so we wanted it to be fun and happy and whimsical.

Who says trees have to be green?  Turquoise, purple, and orange are WaY more fun. ;)

Next week I'll be adding in paper embellishments...that's what will make this project feel complete....it's just not right without scrapbook paper involved somewhere. :)

I will post the finished product as soon as it's done.

This has been SO much fun~ can't wait to see it finished!