Art Projects - You can do it!

When we last left you, I told you all about my Organize THIS! project which involved crafty thing such as creating my very own artwork. Here are the details, photos and instructions.

First up are the Quote Canvases I made; they went in the main wall in my living room.

Like this: (Digression: I apologize in advance for my truly poor photography skills. It's embarrassing, really.)

This was so simple - anyone can do it. I purchased three 16x20 pre-streched canvas and painted them in pretty colors with yummy names like Robins Egg Blue, Plum and Carmel Candy. I would suggest purchasing a whole bottle of paint for each canvas as the Robins Egg Blue and Plum took several coats of paint. After they were dry, I hand-painted some famous quotes by my favorite back-in-da-day celebrities. Since the canvas was painted a solid color, mistakes were easily fixed with a little bit of touching up.

Here's how they came out:

Usually, I am very particular about everything being perfect but there was something about the whimsy of my less-than-perfect cursive that gave this art it's charm. (Olivia has been dying to be a part of this blog so her contribution to this post is her peace sign in the first photo.)

The monogram pieces were so easy that I'm going to make mass amounts of them and give them away as Christmas gifts this year.

I purchased three 8x10 flat canvases and painted them a glossy green. It's sort of a cross between Lime Green and Green Apple. I chose a glossy paint because it reflects nicely without being over-dramatic. Then, in the largest size of my favorite fonts, I printed our initials - D, S and O to use as a template. I used scrapbooking paper that I purchased with the paint so all the colors would go and traced and cut out the templates. I simply used Elmer's school glue (because it's what I had on hand) to place the initials on the canvas. I would probably use better glue when I make them for loved ones, though.

This next part of the project was my favorite! It was so fun I hope my friends and family ask me to make one for them, too. Here's where I used this piece:

And here it is up close and proper:

I used a 4th 16x20 canvas and painted it in glossy black. This time I chose a glossy paint because of the contrast it provided against the flat paper. Next, I chose 3 different scrapbooking papers all in coordinating colors but different patterns. Using a cup as a template, I traced circles onto the paper. With the squares and leaves, I did not focus on a specific part of the paper but because the circles and dots paper was so unique, I chose a specific part to cut out. I played with the circles for a while before I glued them with more Elmer's.

This week at Michaels and A.C. Moore, the canvas is 40% off. I'm going to purchase a larger canvas for my bedroom and do something else crafty with scrapbooking paper. (Scrapbooking paper is 2 for $1 at Michaels, too.)

If you try any of these ideas or have another art project to share, please post in your blog and leave a comment here to share!