Last year I wrote about adding a little holiday décor to our front door in the form of a heart shaped, yarn wrapped wreath. 

And, although I liked how it turned out I was disappointed at how much it faded into the dark color of our front door.  While our house does sit back from the road, with trees across the front, I did hope to be able to glimpse the wreath on the door when pulling in or even driving by.  Unfortunately, it was very difficult to see until you got right up to the front porch.  Dark red on dark black door = disappearing décor.

So, I got the idea to add a sort of lace doily effect to the back of the wreath giving it a white outline.  The hope was to make it pop against the dark door.  After considering many options (foam core board, stiffened fabric, actual paper doilies, etc.) I discovered stiffened felt at Joann’s craft store last week.  I had completely forgotten about this stuff and was super excited to see that I might have an easy option to work with for my idea. 

The only downside was that the largest piece I saw was only 12” X 18” , which meant I would need to put two pieces together in order to cover the back of the wreath with overhang.  At that point I was not really sure this was going to come together the way I envisioned, but the low cost and ready-to-go materials made for a project just my speed these days. 

Easy, I’m all about it. 

Oh, that might not have come across the way it was meant….but trust me, this prude meant it in the lazy way!

The next step was to tape the stiffened felt together using clear packing tape so it would not show through to the front.

I knew this was not going to be a permanent solution to keeping the pieces together, but it did work to hold them in place while making the design and attaching it to the wreath.

My first attempt to freehand the scallop around the heart wreath was with a disappearing fabric marker (greatest invention around!), but the bumpy nature of the felt and the felt tip of the marker were not a match.  So, I resorted to using blue tailor’s chalk instead.  Because I did all of this freehand, things were not perfect and I made most of my cuts inside the lines to eliminated some wonkiness and the blue chalk.  After cutting out the basic heart shape with the scalloped edge I used an oval hole punch to add the cut-outs within each bump of the scallop.  Using fabric fusion, I glued the heart wreath directly to the white felt backing.  Since the wreath is a little uneven due to the wrapped yarn, I also used some fabric piles to help weigh it down a little for a better hold.  After a night of drying I used a couple of T-pins shoved through the felt and into the back of the heart for an added safety measure in keeping the felt “doily” in place.

Wholla!  Revamped Valentine’s Day wreath that can be seen from farther away than the bottom step!

Kitschy, but fun for another year.  What type of holiday décor are you guys using to spruce your pads this year?

Kitsch Krafts

This isn’t anything new.  In fact, there are tutorials plastered all over the internet and lots of people selling covered button jewelry on Etsy.  But, this is what I have been playing around with lately and I wanted to share.  Not only have I made some fun stuff for myself, but I think I may join the legions and post some pieces for sale in my handmade Etsy shop, Kitsch Designs.  I know, I know, boring….well, I have my reasons.  For a long time now I have been trying to figure out the best way to use up all those itty-bitty little scraps of vintage fabric that just seem to precious to throw away.  So far they have just been collecting dust in a box.  I figure with barkcloth being so scarce any more I can’t get rid of even the smallest piece, right? 

(This last one is an old quilter’s fabric with a printed log cabin design.)

Plus, there have to be others out there that love the idea of textile jewelry, but don’t see patterns that speak to them.  I’m hoping some more Mid-Century Modern lovers will be happy to see these simple jewelry pieces in fabrics that work right into their retro way of life!

Happy Shopping folks!

Kitsch Krafts

It was decided pretty early on that the Little Guy’s Christmas tree would have a train theme.  There is not a day that goes by that when asked what he did all day, he does not answer, “played trains!”  I was sure we would find some kind of cute garland with trains to wrap around a tabletop tree, place it in his room and call it a day.  I love decorating for the holidays, but when it gets even just a little too involved I am “over it” pretty quickly.  But after searching through several local craft and home dec shops we were surprised to come up empty-handed. 

Then one fateful afternoon we found these at Hobby Lobby:

8 piece bags of little wooden train silhouette cut-outs for about $2.00 each.  Each bag contained two sets of an engine, passenger car, tanker car and caboose.  Coupled with two different sizes of wooden beads I figured we were in the garland business.

The process to a kiddie style winter wonderland started with drilling tiny holes in the ends of each train and adding two coats of primer.  Next, I let the Little Guy have at it with the acrylic paints.  He picked the colors, started the job and then I finished them up to make them even.  I also spray painted the small wooden beads white and the larger beads deep red.  BTW- That’s right, he does have green paint smeared across his face and into his nearly white hair.  It took two days of washing and combing before he no longer looked like a little punk rocker.

After several base coats and some details added with a black paint pen we started the layout for stringing our garland.  Again, the little engineer picked which colors went on each train and then we divided the small and large beads between each line of trains.  Then using skinny creamy white ribbon we started stringing the lines together beginning with the train sections.

I did have to go back and recut the holes I had drilled using a small hole punch because the paint had closed them up.  Then I simply tied knots in the end of the ribbons until they were too large to pass through the holes and I strung the trains car to car with a few beads in between.  My son loved adding the beads with a little help from mom. 

Total concentration.  Tongue pushed into bottom lip, drool about to form.  Nothing could stop his nimble fingers from pressing those beads into place, nothing…well maybe playing with some toy trains…but!  that was the only thing!

After linking up the trains we hooked them to each other in one long garland with the rest of the beads strung in between.

I thought they looped around his tiny tree pretty well.

He loves pointing out the one odd ball engine, which he insisted we paint dark purple.

And, of course the number 1 engine, “Thomas”, has a special spot at the top.

Have you guys put together any special trees for your little ones?  Do you put up any other decorations with your kids or with your kids in mind?

Kitsch Krafts

As promised, I am back with the craft I had in mind when deciding to create the faux birch bark paper earlier in the week.  For our fall tabletop décor and Thanksgiving dinner display I made simple wrapped vases for some seasonal flowers.  I started with a base of, you guessed it, cardboard containers!  Yep, one oatmeal and two grits cylinders from my stash.

I just measured around the middle and the height of each container, adding a bit at the top and bottom to help hide what lies beneath.   I also added about 1.5 inches to the end for a nice overlap.  Marked those measurements on the faux birch bark and cut out the pieces.   A bit of glue and a jute ribbon and it’s Fineet-O!

As per usual, my helper was in full force.  He is always on hand and willing to lend some heavy equipment when our projects start to get tough. 

One thing to keep in mind when creating your faux birch bark AND when cutting it out for use, is that the scraggly ends of the paper look a lot like the scraggly ends of real birch bark.  Try to use these portions strategically in your project for an even more realistic effect.

I was able to use the wrinkled, scraggly ends on two of my containers as a focal point placing the jute bow right on top.

In the shot above you can see how I left about 1/8th of an inch of paper above the edge of the containers.  I just thought the faux bark made a better edge than the lip of the food cylinders.

These were quite easy to make and I think they create the rustic effect I am looking for in our tabletop display.  Oh yeah, you are probably wondering how I planned to add flowers.  I know you know, that I know I have told you before that I prefer the real deal to fake flowers, so some waterproofing was in order. 

I just popped a couple of Solo cups and an old vase into the faux birch bark containers.

Of course, if you are into faux flower arrangements a floral block glued down in the bottom would allow you to do whatever you like with your blooms.  I would recommend weighting the bottom with some marbles or gravel though, since they are pretty light weight and could get top heavy once the arrangement was complete.

These last two shots are just a sneak peek at where I am headed with the décor for the feast.  I will be posting on Friday with more on our homemade fall decorations, so stay tuned and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Kitsch Krafts

That’s right, I’m talking about birch trees again.  I know they are over-the-top popular right now, but I have always had a thing from them and I don’t care that they are being plastered on everything right now.  Birch trees are plentiful where I am originally from, so they bring a smile to my face and remind me of home when I see one.  What I am actually talking writing about today is birch bark.  so, there! 

(Image from Wikipedia)

I have been wanting to decorate with birch bark for the fall and since it can kill the tree to remove pieces of the bark I thought I might fake it instead.  Sir Google did not land as many tutorials as I had hoped.  None really.  Just a couple of sites that mentioned using wet paper and tissue for texture, and then some paint for the details.  So, with little instruction available I set out to see what I could come up with.

One online source used heavy watercolor paper and toilet tissue and the other suggested brown craft paper and wrapping tissue.  I chose the latter and even went a step further in frugality and cut open some brown paper grocery sacks to use as a base.  I liked the idea of using the brown paper over the watercolor paper not only because the expense would be less, but I thought the brown color would add more to the final product.  Also, after eyeing my watercolor pad I knew it would not be big enough for my final projects and the toilet tissue we use has little flowers “quilted” into each square.  I figured birch trees don’t have those sort of details, unless they grow in the world of Care Bears.  Although I didn’t expect this fake version to look like real bark, I was hoping for a fairly close second.

I started by cutting open the grocery sack so it would lay flat, and then tore the tissue into random widths.

For the first attempt I just tore up the tissue and did not pay much attention to the size of the pieces.  In general I would say they were about 1.5 to 2 inches wide.  For the second go around I decided to purposefully tear larger (2.5 to 3 inch) pieces and then much smaller and skinnier pieces.  I even managed to rip some of the skinny pieces into thin points at one end, which curled nicely once dry.

I even got a little help from my friend.  The next step was to slather watered down glue all over the brown grocery sack.  To prove how easy this project is (and to boost the cute factor) I included these photos of my Little Guy helping me tear and paint.

He was really quite good at the basic steps of this project and for a crankster 2 year-old cutting a record breaking 3 molars at once, I was impressed.  Of course, as soon as the “paint” ran out he had a total meltdown and we had to stop the project for some cuddle time.

After thoroughly coating the base paper I laid the torn tissue strips across the wet areas, adding more layers on top as I worked my way across the base.  Once I got to the opposite end I went back with some very watered down black tempura paint and added some of the details you see in birch bark.  I wet the area to paint and then pretty much just dragged my brush gently across the tissue, stopping periodically to add darker blobs to mimic knots in the wood.  I chose tempura paint because it was readily available since I use it with my son all the time, but also because it dries with a matte chalky texture, rather than glossy like acrylics. 

The photo above shows the two versions that I completed in a very short period of time (maybe an hour tops).  I worked across the bag lengthwise on the top piece, overlapping the tissue sheets as I went along to keep from getting any distinct lines from where the strip ends met.  The bottom piece was completed in the opposite manor, working across the bag widthwise.  I also experimented with the layers in the bottom piece.  From right to left, the first third has three large strip layers and then a top layer of thinner strips.  The middle section has two large strip layers and one layer of thin strips, and the very last third has one layer of large and then one of small strips of tissue.

The top piece in this picture was a bit drier than the bottom piece and shows more pucker and wave, much like real birch bark.

This last shot was just to show each piece with the bark patterns going in the same direction.  Because the one on the left is still a bit wet in this shot it appears darker, but I am sure it will become much lighter once it completely dries.

Just to recap, this is one of the easiest projects I have ever completed and the results look pretty darn close to the real deal.  A few tips to offer are that the tissue seems to disappear against the brown paper when wet, but will become very white once dry, so keep that in mind when layering.  Having some of the brown grocery sack showing through does add to the final look.  Also, try to overlap the tissue strips as you add them to keep from getting really dark, built up lines where each piece meets.  Adding thinner strips to the top layer adds more dimension, giving the finished product a more realistic texture.

I hope this helps anyone else out there interested in attempting to fake some birch bark.  I can’t wait to start cutting into this paper to finish up my Thanksgiving décor.  Whew! Just in time!  So, how are you guys decorating your spaces for the big Turkey day?

Kitsch Krafts

PS- I just entered this project in the Show Me What You Got! link party over at Not JUST A Housewife blog.  Go check out all the cool projects that are listed and add yours too, if you like!

I promised earlier this week to add some more details on the Thomas costume I made for my Little Guy.  So, here it is!  Nothing fancy, really, just cardboard and paint.  Let’s get started.

Of course, you know I pulled out one of the many diaper boxes I have collected.  This is a Target, Up & Up brand club pack sized box.  To start I flipped the box over, using the bottom for the top. 

Then I used the top to an oatmeal container as a template to mark three circles, along what were the top flaps, to make the wheels.

Next I marked along the top edge of the box where I planned to cut away an opening and create the “cab” portion of the engine.

If you look closely in nearly every picture you will see my Little Guy “helping” through the whole process.

After removing the top portion and creating the opening where my son would stand, I cut down that same piece to use for the front platform of the engine.  I also cut down the oatmeal container to use as the rounded part of the tank.

I cut around each wheel and using some leftover cardboard from another project I cut two more wheels for the front platform and to balance the entire look of the costume.  I attached everything with blue painter’s tape, as well as, covered all cut edges with tape to create a smooth edge.  Brass paper tacks, along with a dab of glue, were used to hold the front wheels to the front platform.

An underside view shows how I added some support to the flaps that create the wheels.  I tucked the side flap in at an angle and taped it into place.  This was surprisingly strong.

I used the front side flap, flipped out and upwards to help secure and strengthen the front platform piece.

After putting all the pieces together and priming the whole thing, I realized (along with from hints from The Mister) that the tank portion was really just off and out of proportion.

So, before adding color I removed the oatmeal container and added a “Party Pail” ice cream bucket instead.  I did trim the upper lip and handle off the pail before taping it into place. 

I didn’t toss the oatmeal container, though!  I cut away about a third of the side and bottom, then pushed them together to close the gap.  I tucked the bottom portion in to create a funnel as I pushed the sides together and then taped the whole thing in place.

Then it was time for the color!  Lucky for us we had all the colors in our paint stash.

If you are wondering, I used painter’s tape to make all the lines nice and straight, eyeballing all of it as I went along.  Then I went back with a small brush and touched up any bleed-through. 

When I got to the wheels and the face my confidence and energy, sort of wilted.  A quick Google search later and I found a head-on shot of both the face and the wheels.  I was able to enlarge them in Paint.net and print them out on light blue cardstock.  A few cuts later and I just glued them into place.  The very last edition were the bars or rails that connect the wheels.  These were made from strips of cardboard cut to fit the measurements between the center of adjoining wheels.  To clean them up I cut a curve at the end of each strip.  I covered the edges in painter’s tape, painted them and attached them to the costume using more brass paper tacks.  In order to keep the costume on, I cut strips of heavy fabric, folded them in half and sewed them into straps.  I made them wide so they would not dig into my son’s shoulders.  To attach them to the costume I figured out where they needed to be placed, taped them down and then used heavy floss to stitch straight through the box.  If you have a heavy duty needle it will slip through the cardboard like budda’!

And, here we are…a finished Thomas the Tank Engine costume!

The Little Guy loved it and has been playing with it all week.  Even with all the abuse over the last few days it is still in one piece and looking pretty decent.  I never would have imagined that painter’s tape would hold so well.  This is one of those projects that did not take very long, does not require any special skills and had a lot of bang for the buck.  Since I owned all the parts it was a virtually free costume, too.  Always a bonus!

Hope this helps you make your little engineers very happy next Halloween!

Kitsch Krafts

By now most of you know about Pinterest, the online “bulletin board” for pinning neat things you find while web surfing.  As usual, I have been slow to the game, but like most internet activities it’s a total time-suck.  If my laptop was up and running I would probably be able to do more Pinterest damage, so to speak.  Right now it is so infected that I can’t even open the browser without it slowing to a crawl so that a million pop-ups can load first.  I’m waiting for my tech guy (big HA!) to help me fix it all up.  With the popularity of pinning for DIY ideas many bloggers have started to submit challenges for themselves (and others) to make something they find.  The most well-known is probably over at Young House Love.  The challenge is to use the images as inspiration, or a direct plan for trying to knock-off something much more expensive, but way outside of the budget.  It’s a good idea, really.  At least it helps to get some of us away from the internet for a while.  ;o)  My few little pins so far have been more of the latter.  And, while I have not been interested in jumping on the Pinterest Challenge bandwagon yet, I did stumble upon something this past week to help change my mind.

Here is a recap of the circle of events to bring me to this place:

Months ago a friend of mine mentioned having seen an image of a wall with family photos arranged in a heart-shaped collage.  The first image to come to mine was that of an outline of a heart in photos pinned to the wall with thumbtacks, and it did sound like a really cute idea.  My friend said she liked it, but wanted something more permanent and would rather do one with small framed photos.  Later I realized the idea was to have a collage of photos making, not just outlining, a heart shape.  DUH!  Again, I thought it was a cool idea and then I promptly forgot about it. 

Fast forward a few more months and I’m sitting on my bed staring at the large blank wall that I have to look at every morning when I get up and every day as I pass through to the office.  I’m thinking to myself that I would really love to do a family photo collage of just the three of us, and wouldn’t this spot be nice to house it since it is such a large expanse of open space?  After these thoughts passed through my mind they were followed with a little laugh in realizing how FAR down the “To-do” list this wall and that photo collage would be.  Oh well, back to reality.

Over the course of the last few weeks I started noticing a large number of small wooden frames whenever I browsed at the local Sal. Army store.  I never have time to really look through them because stopping means the Little Guy, who is usually in tow, will begin rummaging crazily through anything within reach.  To avoid having to pay for broken hideous tchotchkes I usually take note and quickly move on through.  When I ran in to purchase the mini-hutch that is still drying down in the garage, after a second coat of stain, I took some time to look through the frames.  I was happy to see that many were wood and still had decent glass.  I was also happy to see that they were all $.99 and about half of what I wanted had mats too!  Score!  So the collecting started and I figure after a few more weeks I should have enough to put together a nice collage.

Then I was sifting through Pinterest and I found this image,

Heart Shaped Photo Collage, I believe from the blog, Click It Up a Notch.

I had already pinned this image earlier,

from Milly Bee.  And, the thought of centering our handprints and surrounding them with lot’s of fun family portraits had me over the moon!

So, I’m doing it!  I’m taking on a Pinterest Challenge.  Just me…lil’ ol’ me.  Hey, I’m gonna do it anyway, so why not make it a challenge?

I have the frame collection started, I just need to get the handprints completed ASAP, since The Mister is about to embark on a record breaking amount of work travel over the course of the next few weeks.  Yeah, we know, who makes people travel all over the country right during the holidays?  The company my husband works for, that’s WHO!

For my version I will be using mismatched frames painted out in white with black and white photographs.  At least I’m leaning toward black and whites right now.  I have a pretty good idea of what pictures I plan to use already since I have been wanting to do a family collage for a while, and once I figure out all the sizes I will need I can order up the prints.  I think the handprints will be white on dark gray paper with the Little Guy’s in red.  We will have to play around with that part. 

As per the norm around here at Kitsch Designs, I’m keeping this project on a retro sort of budget, collecting the frames from junk stores and sale racks over the course of the next few weeks.  The challenge ends the week after Thanksgiving, unless I somehow finish before that time and I will keep you posted on the progress over the next month.

Do you have anything pinned on your “To-do” boards that you would like to knock out over the next month with me?  Please share!

Kitsch Krafts