paint

Make Your Own Constellation Art

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Hello World,

It’s no secret I love anything outer space related and stargazing. Before I discovered my passion for design, I actually wanted to be an astronomer or a physicist. I even was almost going to be a galaxy for Halloween this last year.  To bring a little of the night sky into my home, I DIY-ed some simple wall decor featuring one of my favorite constellations- Ursa Major.

Check out the tutorial to make your own:

constellationart

1. Gather your supplies: a small canvas, black and blue acrylic paints, Mod Podge, glitter, a Sharpie, studs, and a brush.

2. Paint your canvas. I painted black paint on the top half, and blue on the bottom half, and then blended them together to create a gradient night sky.

3. Allow paint to dry, and then apply a layer of Mod Podge.

4. Sprinkle glitter onto the wet Mod Podge and allow it to dry. Once dry, add a second layer of Mod Podge to seal the glitter.

5. Once all your Mod Podge is dried, draw out your favorite constellation with the Sharpie.

6. Dip the back of each stud in some Mod Podge, and place it on the canvas at each star location. Allow to dry and enjoy!

If I can get my hands on more small canvases, I think I’ll make a series of these and hang them up in a row. What is your favorite constellation?

Happy Crafting!

Hand Painted Sunflower Stool

Hello World,

I went thrifting recently and found this solid wood stool for only $4! If you are sensing a pattern here, I like to buy thrift shop items and give them makeovers. The stool I bought had dents and wear on it. Instead of just sanding it and staining the wood, I decided to give it a cheery update.

stool

I started by sanding the stool by hand to remove the shine and painted the entire stool with white primer. Next, I applied two coats of periwinkle interior latex paint. At this point I thought the stool looked too perfect, so I took a fine grit sand paper and started sanding the edges of the stool. Some parts I sanded more than others, so the white or original wood would peek through.

I next used acrylic paint and painted my sunflower. I did a base of white first, as yellow paint always seems to be slightly transparent. I used black for the center, and used a fan brush to texturize dark grey paint over it.

After painting my sunflower, I sanded it (going with the grain of the wood) as well to give it some wear. I then sealed it with some clear spray paint.

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My mom loves sunflowers, so *spoiler MOM* I might give it to her. If I find another stool at that low of a price, I might make another with a daisy painted on it. Do you like to makeover thrift store items as well?

Happy Crafting!

Thrifted Dresser Facelift

Hello World,

I bought this dresser two years ago for $25 at a thrift store. I liked that it was made of real wood and with some TLC it would be like new again. I even has ‘Massachusetts’ stamped on the back, so I’m guessing that is where it was made. Well, two years passed and I didn’t do anything to it except line the drawers with pretty contact paper.

Fast forward to last week, and I finally decided to give my dresser a well-needed makeover. I have started replacing or updating my mismatch broke-college-student furniture, and am aiming to decorate my room in neutrals with pops of metallic.

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This dresser needed some love. It had a crooked drawer, and dings and dents like nobody’s business.  I started by removing all the hardware. These drawer pulls in particular left dents in the drawer faces, so using a different set of knobs would mean intense sanding.

dresser

At first, I hand-sanded the drawers, but that was going to take hours, so I borrowed my dad’s electric sander. I used a rough grid sandpaper first to remove the stain and most of the dents. Some of the edges were hard to get with the electric sander, so I folded sandpaper and sanded those areas by hand.

Next, I sanded the entire dresser with a finer grit sandpaper to smooth it out. After sanding, I wiped the dresser down with a damp rag and let it dry. To paint my dresser, I whitewashed it by watering down interior satin-finish paint. (Roughly 1/4 paint 3/4 water in a small bucket.) I did two coats of the whitewashed paint, and spray painted my knobs.

I actually wish I had left the knobs in their original color, but for now I am just letting them be. My dresser matches my room so much better now, and I might go in and sponge darker paint on some of the edges, for a more distressed look.

Happy Crafting!