Saturday, April 12, 2014
Saturday, March 22, 2014
DIY Decoupage Mannequin Head Crafts
For some reason I love these mannequin heads! My first head is the newspaper crossword puzzle one I made to model my earrings. It was decoupaged with a matte finish to prevent shine for the photographs. I get my heads at Sally's Beauty Supply; I have seen them online but they cost quite a bit more. This map head is my latest, made with an old Alberta road map! If you use a map, the older and more used, the easier it is to decoupage because the paper is "softer" and will mold to the shape of the head. Here is basically how I made mine:
I cut several "leaf" or oval shapes out of the most interesting parts of the map following the roads or geography and working in a north south direction. Here are Banff and Jasper National Parks, one of my favorite areas! I then dipped the map in water to soften it even more and painted the Mod Podge decoupage glue on the back then placed the paper on the head adding more Mod Podge over the top. Be sure to cover your work space with newspaper and use a sheet of waxed paper also so the head wont stick. When this glue dries it is difficult to get off of counter tops! The nose was a small triangle, the lips a lake. I find stippling the brush helps with the wrinkles and getting the paper to mold around the nose, lips and chin; fingers tend to stick and make things messy. I use my fingernails to smooth things also. Sometimes working in sections and letting it dry may help but that isn't always easy to do, I am usually anxious to get them finished! I will let the heads dry overnight then smooth any wrinkles with my fingernail before painting a thick coat of gloss.
Using thin paper made especially for decoupage is a lot easier plus you can find cool designs and patterns. I get mine from Ornamentea.com. Two sheets should be enough unless you are cutting certain elements out of the design then you would need more. Here are my two craft room heads I made using decoupage paper:
 |
| Modeling my button earrings! |
There is something really addicting about decoupage... and for me, these heads! I want to try a silver leaf one next... or maybe my version of a phrenologist's head in cobalt blue! Be sure to check out my mannequin bust made from decoupaged sheet music too!
Do you think I am strange for wanting to make more? Are you addicted to crafting? Please post your comments below, I would love to see what you have to say!
Click here to tweet: Are you addicted to decoupage? Try a mannequin head!
Click here to tweet: Here's a super fun decoupage craft project->
Friday, March 21, 2014
Monday, March 17, 2014
Mysterious Circles Everywhere on Etsy; Jewelry, Art , Craft
Aliens on Etsy ?
'Mysterious Circles Everywhere!' by BluKatDesign
Sponsored by send bulk email from excel.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Upcycled Art Made From Bread Clips
This little project seemed to take forever! Collecting enough bread clips or climps as they call them in the right colors took awhile but I did get some help from my friend Lisa, from Beadsoul on Etsy. For some reason her husband collects them so she sent me a bunch! The other reason is I wanted to use a square frame; Ikea has these cool square frames with big mats but they were out of them! Ikea is not my favorite place to go (I am an online shopper!) so I waited until I absolutely needed something else like a little cart for my craft room!
First I laid out my climps to make sure I had enough colors in the pattern I wanted on a sturdy silver piece of standard size square scrapbook paper.
I made an "X" to figure out where the center was and just glued the four center climps and worked out from there. I used Yes glue but I am sure a glue stick could work. The cool thing about Yes glue is that with the plastic climps, it takes a while to dry so you can adjust things if necessary. You will notice the climps are not perfectly square or all the same size so I alternated the directions and fit them as closely as possible so a small border was left on the outside edge of the scrapbook paper, that allowed it to fit perfectly into the Ikea Ribba mat. I let it dry overnight before framing though.
What do you think? Perfect little art piece for my kitchen? Comments welcomed!
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Before And After Acrylic Painting, Updated Mixed Media Art
 |
| BEFORE: an experiment with texture |
This painting above, I did a couple years ago was an experiment in creating textures in acrylic paintings. (be sure to check out my old post to see the tutorial on how I made the textures!) It looked like an experiment! Even though I liked it, I wasn't totally happy with it...it just needed something else. I love collages and maps so I thought I would try decoupaging some map parts to it. I love the effect of the paper going over the textures and looks like part of the painting now, like mountains or underwater mountains! The maps seem to fit nicely:
 |
 |
 |
My next map project is a decoupaged mannequin head and another mixed media using topo maps so stay tuned! Be sure to check out my Polyvore art collage post featuring fabulous, unique collages from other artists and myself!
What do you think, almost too good for my bathroom now? Comments welcomed!
Monday, March 10, 2014
Craft Workbench Tip: Attach a yardstick to The Edge of Your Table or Bench
Never lose your ruler or yard stick again! I simply drilled some holes and attached the yardstick with small screws so I have a permanent ruler that can't go anywhere! Now I have a more efficient workspace.
See my previous post about how not to lose your scissors!
For more useful tips and ideas for craft room organization follow my Pinterest board,
Do you have any useful tips for a more organized work space feel free to share them below. Comments welcomed!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)