DIY Round Up: Jewelry Holders

How many of you (like me) resolve each New Year to keep a better organized life? I've created a whole list of house, yard, and general life projects to keep me going through 2012. However, I don't want all my tasks to be drudge work (i.e., cleaning out the fridge more often). I've resolved to keep things ship-shape in a fashionable and functional way--creative hooks, repurposed wire baskets, refurbished storage units and the like. Or, take a look at these DIY jewelry holders I've collected as reference. I could certainly use any of these to keep all my Indie Craft Parade finds/treasures in order. These three DIY projects have great tutorials, and could totally be finished in a weekend using thrifted or salvaged materials. The weather here in Greenville is gorgeous this weekend. It's days like these that make me hopeful to keep my New Year's resolutions. We'll see how far I get.

A lovely repurposed type drawer from Tonya Staab.

Earring organizer using old frames and thick wire mesh from Dream Green DIY.

Necklace rack/display shelf made with a few materials from the hardware store from A Grateful Prayer and a Thankful Heart.

Open Call for MiniBook Collective

Dear Greenville County Creatives, We have a fabulous opportunity to tell you about coming up this February. Art & Light Gallery and artist Melinda Hoffman are sponsoring the first ever MiniBook Collective project. This is an open exhibition for Greenville County artists, crafters, writers, and collaborators to create a "minibook with one sheet of paper, reflecting a sense of place that shares one's experiences of Greenville County, South Carolina." The challenge is to tell your story on a single sheet of paper.

The competition is free to enter and cash prizes will be awarded. To read about further details and rules, check out the MiniBook Collective page. Submissions are due Wednesday, February 29th. And the opening reception will be hosted at Art & Light on Friday, April 6th.

MiniBook Collective is inspired by the Somethink Collective project in the United Kingdom. Check out their beautiful examples below. Quite inspiring, and we hope to see many Indie Craft Parade participants at the exhibition.

Handmade Christmas Centerpieces

I can't believe Christmas is just a few days away! I still have so much to do. Fortunately, my centerpieces for a big Christmas dinner are already made. There will be a little forest of handmade Christmas trees--so festive! I gathered my projects from the round up below. Hope this will provide some last minute handmade inspiration for you as well! Twine wrapped tress from The Thrifty Crafter.

Wax paper tree from Bower Power.

Paper evergreens from Martha Stewart.

Scrapbook cone trees fromBetter Homes and Gardens.

Crepe paper trees from Creative Chaos.

Christmas Shopping at the Swamp Rabbit Holiday Flea!

One of my favorite things about the city of Greenville is the Swamp Rabbit Trail. This 13 mile walking/biking trail established by the Greenville Hospital System not only promotes healthy living, but also has given people some new business opportunities. When the weather is nice, we're always using the trail, and its been amazing to see new trail-side businesses pop up. One of my favorite places is the Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery. This cute stand is the perfect place to get a post-run or ride snack or even better, to pick up some local meats, cheeses, and produce. The buy local ethic of Swamp Rabbit Cafe so perfectly matches our own mission, that we have to tell you about their upcoming holiday flea. 

At this event you'll find all sorts of amazing goodies that will make the best gifts and stocking stuffers. I know a ton of people don't have their Christmas shopping finished, and this is a perfect way to complete that gift list.

Here's a little preview of all the goodness.

Accessories and vintage items from Shop Keep.

Chocolates by Raw Shakti.

Homemade Jams from Sallies Greatest.

Handprinted tees by Parachute Clothing.

Goat Milk Soaps by Red Clay Soaps.

Christmas Shows You Don't Want to Miss!

I love Christmas shopping. I love picking up that perfect gift and knowing it's recipient will absolutely love it. Unfortunately, when I had the ideal opportunity to pick out those one-of-a-kind presents at Indie Craft Parade back in September...I wasn't thinking about Christmas at all. I'm sure many of you have the same dilemma as I do, kicking yourself for not gathering those treasures when you had the chance. Well, no fears. Many of our Indie Craft Vendors are involved in special Christmas events, and they've shared with us where you can find their goods in time for Christmas. Some of them are even running online sales. You'll find a lot of your favorites below. So don't procrastinate again! Get out there and find those gifts that are sure to be remembered.

I've listed the information below according to the individual vendors. You'll note that a number of them will be at the same events (increasing your chances of finding holiday goodness).

Katie Coston/Illyria Pottery

An Illyria Pottery Christmas Show We've already had our Christmas show, but we couldn't be a scrooge. Email Katie at kcoston1@gmail.com and set up a time to come by. Not only will you find unique ceramic gifts by Illyria Pottery, but you'll also find a wide variety of paintings by Annie Koelle.

Date and Time: You decide. Send an email with what works for you. Illyria Pottery Studio; 416 Perry Avenue; Greenville, SC 29601

Krista Allison/Canoo

The Big Crafty Sunday, Dec. 4, 12-6pm at Pack Place in Asheville, NC thebigcrafty.com

Presents of Art 2011 Upstairs Artspace, 49 S Trade St, Tryon, NC November 25 - December 24, open Tue-Sat 11-5 Over 60 different arts and crafts vendors in a gallery setting.

Betsy Carr/The Foundling

My studio mate, Amber Mahler of Mani Designs, and I are hosting a Grand Opening & Holiday Sale at our studio here in Asheville.  We'll be opening our shared studio space to the public for the first time, and hosting a sale of our work plus a few friends.  Our neighbor, Mimi Strang, will be doing the same.  We'll have about 10 artists in the building and local food trucks outside.

Found*ling & Mani Designs Studio Grand Opening & Holiday Sale December 10 & 11, 11-6 each day 15B Domino Lane (behind Harvest Records in West Asheville)

Stacey Budge-Kamison/Urban GypZ

I am participating in a Holiday Artist Sale with 6 other Asheville artists in West Asheville Dec. 10-11, 11-6

Cindy Jantz/The Herb Garden Soaps

The Herb Garden Open House Christmas Sale We'll be selling handmade soap including our new Winter and Christmas scents (buy 12, get one free).  In addition to the soap, we'll be offering a variety of scrubs. Gift bags and gift packaging available.

130 Rubiwood Circle, Greer, SC 29651

Friday, December 9 from 3:00-8:00 Saturday, December 10 from 9:00-5:00 Saturday, December 17 from 9:00-5:00

Rachael Madeline/Loose Tooth Studio

I am having an online sale in my Etsy shop. For the next week I have a holiday promotion where shipping is free, just enter the code 'FBfree' upon checkout. Lots of brand new original work to choose from, affordably priced, framed and ready to display.   Here is a link to my blog, where buyers can read more about my studio process & concepts.

Once Again Sam

I'm participating in three upcoming craft shows / exhibits. I'm also planning on doing a coupon code for my Etsy shop for the week of December 5th through the 11th. The coupon for a 20% off at Once Again Sam is YESPLEASE

Art & Light Gallery Now through the holidays: Open Friday & Saturday's A selection of my felted curiosities are available as well as a line of woodland-inspired ornaments created exclusively for Art & Light. www.artandlightgallery.com

American Advertising Federation's 7th Annual TWIST Art Show Thursday December 1st from 6 PM to 9 PM at the Fish Eye Studios (Greenville) Amateur and professional artists will exhibit and sell work, some of which is related to the advertising industry, but not all. This event is open to the public and there will be a silent auction where all proceeds benefit Special Olympics and AAF Greenville's Diversity, Education & Public Service initiatives and club operations.

Holiday Handmade Hoopla Saturday, December 3 10— Noon (VIP preview, $15) Noon — 6 (open to all, free) Bijou Building, 147 East Main St., Downtown Spartanburg www.hub-bub.com

Savannah Wallace/Maie Dae

We are currently promoting our holiday line on our shop. AND we just launched our very first lookbook for the holidays here.

Brandy Lindsey/Dangle and Thread

Holiday Handmade Hoopla Saturday, December 3 10— Noon (VIP preview, $15) Noon — 6 (open to all, free) Bijou Building, 147 East Main St., Downtown Spartanburg www.hub-bub.com

Bailey Ellis/Bailey O'Neal Jewelry

I am having an online sale via Etsy this Friday, Saturday and the following Monday.

Bailey O'Neal Jewelry Black Friday Sale Friday 5 a.m-Monday at Midnight Black Friday 30% (early bird special 5-7a.m),  Small Business Saturday 20% and Sunday-Cyber Monday 15% off entire purchase.

Rajshel Juhan/Jane Hancock Papers

Save 40% on all items 11/26 - 11/27 use code turkey

Hallie Gillett/Hal the Gal

Afraid all my LIVE shows are done for the year, but the etsy shop is full with lots of new additions!

Mike Merrit/Mike Merritt Art

Presents of Art 2011 Upstairs Artspace, 49 S Trade St, Tryon, NC November 25 - December 24, open Tue-Sat 11-5 Over 60 different arts and crafts vendors in a gallery setting.

Jessica and Britt/Owlette Collective

Porter Flea Nashville, TN, Dec. 3rd, 12-8 The East Nashville Community Center

The Big Crafty Sunday, Dec. 4, 12-6pm at Pack Place in Asheville, NC thebigcrafty.com

K.D.'s Treehouse Holiday Pop-up shop Columbia, SC, Dec. 10, 1-4 KD's Treehouse

Audrey Laine Cunningham/Audrey Laine Collections

Holiday Market and Fashion Show Asheville Art Museum Friday December 2nd

Holiday Handmade Hoopla Saturday, December 3 10— Noon (VIP preview, $15) Noon — 6 (open to all, free) Bijou Building, 147 East Main St., Downtown Spartanburg www.hub-bub.com

The Big Crafty Sunday, Dec. 4, 12-6pm at Pack Place in Asheville, NC thebigcrafty.com

Jennifer Bedenbaugh/Crave Studio

Presents of Art 2011 Upstairs Artspace, 49 S Trade St, Tryon, NC November 25 - December 24, open Tue-Sat 11-5 Over 60 different arts and crafts vendors in a gallery setting.

Laura Ray/Pogo Shop

The pogos and I will be joining other local artisans at the 3rd annual Sustainable Midlands Holiday Celebration in  Columbia, SC. Monday, Nov. 28th. 4:30 - 8:30 pm at the lovely 701 Whaley St. Gallery. Tickets are available at http://www.sustainablemidlands.org/?p=2986

Erin Godbey/17 Dove Street

Holiday Handmade Hoopla Saturday, December 3 10— Noon (VIP preview, $15) Noon — 6 (open to all, free) Bijou Building, 147 East Main St., Downtown Spartanburg www.hub-bub.com

Lauren and Jason/Marisol Spoon

Porter Flea - Nashville - Dec. 3rd The artisan market will be held on Saturday, December 3rd, from 12-8 PM indoors at the East Park Community Center, 600 Woodland Street, located in East Nashville.  Porter Flea: Holiday will feature handmade gifts from over 60 local and regional artisans and designers, half a dozen popular food trucks, and live DJs.  This one-of-a-kind market event will also benefit the East Park Community Center and Metro Parks.

Chatty Crafty DIY Holiday, 2011 Saturday + Sunday, December 10 + 11 Warehouse Row, North Bldg, Suite 118 1110 Market Street Chattanooga, Tenn. Chatty Crafty is a juried DIY/Indie Craft Show in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This event plays host to DIY and Indie crafters & their wares from around the country.

The Rock & Shop Market Motorco, Full Steam Brewery & The Trotter Building - Durham, NC December 17th 2011 12-6pm An indoor shopping, music & fashion event spotlighting emerging local bands and designers selling their wares. Grab a beer at the bar, shop local from talented designers and hear great music.

Thanksgiving DIY Round Up

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love that it's not over commercialized. I love the time spent with family. I love the traditions we've made over the years--Oh and the food. This girl has a Southern family that can cook like nobody's business. Perhaps the only thing I don't love is our lack of great decor for the Thanksgiving holiday. Admittedly, I put so much more effort into decorating for Christmas, that I feel Thanksgiving gets ignored. Well, not this year. I've got just over a week till turkey day, and I'm loving some of these DIY projects I'm sharing today. I hope you will find these as inspiring as I do!

These linen napkins from The Purl Bee seem so easy to make, and I think they're quite beautiful with this ombre look.

I've seen a lot of ways that people count and record their blessings, but this might be my favorite. I love how the tutorial from Craftzine.com uses chalkboard paint "leaves" for Thanksgiving guests to write on. I think this project would be especially fun for kids to get involved.

I love this idea as an alternative to place cards. Elizabeth Anne Designs salvaged vintage spoons and hammered guests' names into them. They look so pretty with a finished table setting.

Ok, I've seen countless cake toppers. But a pretty pie topper--Who knew? I think pies are generally under-appreciated, and this swag from Oh Happy Day just makes me smile.

Greenville Open Studios

Many of you probably work or live right around the corner from a Greenville artist, and you don't even know it. Local artists don't always work out of galleries or official studios, which is why you should take advantage of Greenville's annual Open Studios. This event not only gives the community a chance to meet more of Greenville's artists but also to tour their work spaces, to get to know their processes, and to connect on a more personal level. Open Studios this year falls on Saturday, November 5, 10am - 6pm & Sunday, November 6, Noon - 6pm. A few artists are even open on Friday evening.

About Greenville Open Studios from the Metropolitan Arts Council:

Now beginning its tenth year, Greenville Open Studios began as an idea cast about during a casual conversation between a small group of artists several years ago; they discussed doing something to raise awareness in the greater community of the tremendous creative energy in the area. The idea has evolved into a full-fledged annual event. The goals of Greenville Open Studios are to provide free and convenient community access to visual arts, to educate and create a dialogue between artists and the general public by opening artists’ place of work and inviting the community-at-large to participate in the creative process, and to create new marketing opportunities for artists. It is the organizers’ desire that the project will open up the world of visual artists to everyone – from the seasoned collector to the first-time art buyer to the curious general public.

Also check out the Open Studios page for more information about their mobile site which is complete with studio maps--very handy in finding which artists are closest to you.

Every year this event proves the great talent we have in and around our town, and you really don't want to miss out on the chance to enjoy it. Mark your calendars!

Muse Fest

Last night we attended the opening gala for Muse Fest 2011 in Old Town Rock Hill, SC. It's a weekend long music, film, and art festival that is centered on an indie craft show. Muse Fest is very much a sister event to Indie Craft Parade, and we were so happy for their invitation to join in the festivities. If you're near or traveling to Rock Hill this weekend, please check out Muse Fest. It's free and open to the public and runs all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Tell your friends!

The event is held in Rock Hill's super cute Old Town at the historic Post Office and Court House. Although the Post Office/Court House has been converted into the UP Gallery, it still holds tons of original charm.Muse Fest decked the building out in their iconic hot pink--complete with a crocheted lamp post out front!

Works by Jay Owens (from Indie Craft Parade's jury) are on display in the permanent gallery.

Check out all of the interior's gorgeous details! We're in love with the vintage PO boxes.

Some of our favorite vendors from the evening:

The Cordial Churchman - handmade bow ties and neck ties, and a former Indie Craft Parade Participant

Bounden Studio - handmade books

Other friends from Greenville and from Indie Craft Parade: Sew Sew Lovely, Emily Clarke Studio and Phoenix Fire Studios

To see the full list of participating vendors, check out the Muse Fest Craft Vendors page.

Artists at the Saturday Market

The art scene never slows down in Greenville, and we have another exciting event to tell you about. The Art & Light Gallery at the Flatiron studios is hosting four crafters this Saturday, some of which were exhibitors at Indie Craft Parade. There will even be a tutorial for felting. Don't miss it! Here's the information from Art & Light's website:

Saturday, October 22 is Market Saturday at Flatiron Studios.  Fine craft and Indie Craft Parade exhibitors will spend the day with us selling their wares - to include Bess Whittington, Deb Potter, Joanna Bursch, and Angie Craft.  Deb Potter will also offer a pumpkin felting class - $10 which includes materials (continual 20 min. sessions 1:30 - 4:oopm).

Angie Craft Ornamental Gourds

Joanna Bursch Fiber

Deb Potter Yarn and Scarves and Felting

Bess Whittington Fiber

DIY Round Up: Scrap Fabric Projects

Happy weekend everyone! I've got a DIY round up today that's particularly dear to my heart. I love fabric. I practically collect it, which gets me into trouble particularly when I piles of scraps to deal with. I can't throw them away. There's always something more that you can squeeze out of them. So while jewelry making is usually the fate of my scraps, I've come across a number of adorable projects that might require me to dig deeper into the scrap bin. If you don't have a fabric fetish like me, you probably still don't need to go out and by any for these projects. Old tee shirts, blouses, sweaters and even neckties usually make crafting fabric.

Craft away!

How cute are these covered bobbies? You'll have to buy the hardware for this project, but this tutorial from Christina Williams spells everything out nicely.

These fabric feathers featured on 100 layer cake are easy to make and so versatile. They'd look great as hair pins, gift wrap embellishments or little pops of texture in a flower arrangement.

Need a functional and still cute way to contain your fabric scraps (or anything else for that matter)?  The Sometimes Crafter put together a great tutorial that will keep you from using your good tupperware to organize your odds and ends.

Tattered fabric roses, though not a new craft, still have an elegant charm. My favorite thing about them: you can use them to customize just about anything. Pin them onto bags or coat lapels; stitch them onto cardigans or scarves. Everyone will be amazed when they find out you did it yourself. Tutorial found on Everyday Chaos.

Live from Brooklyn, Live in Greenville: Printmaking Show this weekend

This Friday evening, there's a great indie printmaking show in Greenville that you won't want to miss. Dapper Ink (as you may remember from our Indie Craft Parade/Etsy Craft Night) is hosting a show by former Greenville artist Dailey Crafton, the creator of the Live from Bklyn studio. This show called "Live from Brooklyn, Live in Greenville" will feature unframed linocut and silkscreen prints as well as printed home goods and letterpress items.

The event begins at 7PM on Friday, October 14. If you can't make it to the opening, the show will be hanging for the following week. Dapper Ink is open weekdays from 9:00 to 4:30. Or you could contact the folks at Dapper Ink for evening and weekend hours.

Check out the Live From Bklyn Etsy Shop for a preview of the home goods.

Handprinted flour sack towels

Handprinted greeting card

Featured Sponsor: Etsy

Etsy supports many local events across the nation, and we are so excited to have their support. Each year they not only contribute funds to help us put on the event, but they also help us spread the word about Indie Craft Parade. In addition, many of our artists have Etsy shops, and we use some of the Etsy tools (like treasuries) to promote our show and get people excited about what kind of goods they'll see at Indie Craft Parade.

From the About Etsy page:

Etsy is the world's handmade marketplace.

Our mission is to empower people to change the way the global economy works. We see a world in which very-very small businesses have much-much more sway in shaping the economy, local living economies are thriving everywhere, and people value authorship and provenance as much as price and convenience. We are bringing heart to commerce and making the world more fair, more sustainable, and more fun.

The Etsy Booth at Indie Craft Parade

This year we had the privilege of having official Etsy representation at our event. If you stopped at the Etsy booth, you talked to a member of the South Carolina Etsy Street Team. Volunteers from this team handed out information about their team members and explained how the site works to those who weren't familiar with Etsy. This is a great support group if you're an Etsy seller or would like to be. You can join this team if you're an artisan "living in South Carolina who maintains an etsy shop containing a minimum of 5 items" Visit their page for more details.

Etsy is a great tool, especially for artists who are just getting started and want to quickly and easily set up an online shop. They also have many great resources for finding handmade goods.

We've often explained Indie Craft Parade as Etsy in person. So if you missed the show, or want to know where else to buy handmade goods, Etsy is a great place to start. Use their Shop Local tool to help you find artists near you!

Autumn Craft Round Up

Happy first day of fall everyone! This is officially my favorite season. I love it all--the colors, the fashion, the food. And I totally plan on spending part of my weekend making some autumn inspired crafts. Here's a few great ones to consider. Have a great crafting weekend!

Fabric pumpkins from ever creative Martha Stewart team. I love the color combination of plum, velvet, and metallic fabrics.

Leather leaves necklace--a super cute DIY from Missie Krissie

Not your average book-pressed wildflowers. I love the combination of the pressed flower with vintage book page and frame. Tutorial courtesy of Country Living.

Have acorns scattered across your yard? Turn them into a wreath for your front door. I love the brilliant green color Katie Miller chose to paint the acorns.

Ad Space for Grabs

Hey Indie Craft Parade Vendors! We just wanted to tell you about a cool way to get a little more attention for all the goodies you sold our festival. There's a new website being launched called Indie Show List, a source for all things crafty. Although the website isn't fully operational just yet, they do have a social media presence. Besides being a great resource for craft news, Indie Show List wants to give you some press. They're currently hosting a competition on their Facebook page for the best booth display. Simply upload a picture of your booth to their wall with your information. If they decide your's is the best, they'll give you 2 months ad space on the new www.indieshowlist.com. With all of the amazing booth designs we saw at Indie Craft Parade, I'm sure you'll make their decision very hard. Check them out. All the details to the competition are here.

Children's Art Auction for the Pendleton Place Children's Shelter

Hey everyone. We want to tell you about an awesome opportunity that the people of Greenville have to give back to their community through the arts. Next week at Spill the Beans downtown, children's paintings will be auctioned off to benefit the Pendleton Place Children's Shelter. Pendleton Place provides for kids who have been either abused or abandoned. As part of their program, they teach the kids to paint and expose them to the arts. In turn these kids have created paintings to help bring in funding for the organization that has helped them so much.

The event is Thursday, August 25 from 6-10 PM. We've included some pictures of the kids' work. They're really great, and this would be an awesome organization to contribute to. Please consider attending.

Here are some more details from the Pendleton Place website:

A group of volunteers from Origins Church are working with local Greenville artists to help teach our children the joy of expression through painting! They will be helping children create canvas paintings to be auctioned at a community event to benefit the shelter. We are so grateful to be a part of this project and to be able to expose the children at Pendleton Place to the therapeutic advantages of art. The Art Auction will take place on Thursday, August 25 from 6-10PM (bidding ends at 9PM) at Spill the Beans on Main Street. Please consider supporting our volunteers by 'friend-ing'Pendleton Place Art Auction on Facebook to learn more information about this event! If you cant' attend the event, but would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to support our young artists, please click here.

DIY Round Up: Fun Paper Crafts

I don't know what your plans are for this weekend, but mine will be spent crafting up a storm for a friend's wedding. I'm making a paper and vellum garland, which I'll show you at a later date. But all my work with paper inspired me to share a few paper more paper crafts that I'd love to tackle. Hopefully you'll find some time to craft this weekend...particularly if the crazy hot South Carolina weather continues to keep us all in doors.

Recycling paper bags and other odds and ends into cute, cute wrapping paper; Courtesy of A Creative Mint.

Decorative Paper Lanterns; Courtesy of Martha Stewart.

Dip Dye Paper Cups; Courtesy of Design*Sponge.

Garden & Gun Made in the South Awards

We always want to let people know about new opportunities to get involved in the art and craft scene, and today we have a good one! You must check out the Garden and Gun Annual "Made in the South Awards."  This is an awesome chance to show off your handmade goods.

Check out the official information from their website:

Artists and designers, don't miss this great opportunity to share your work! If you live in the South and make amazing things that fall into one of these categories — food, sporting, fashion, home — then you need to enter this contest! Garden & Gun hosts the Made in the South Awards each year to celebrate "the rich cultural traditions of Southern craft, design and ingenuity." The deadline to enter is August 1st, so make sure you get your work in fast. Winners receive a cash prize as well as being featured in the Dec/Jan issue of Garden & Gun.

August 1st is coming up quick, so if you want to enter, be sure to do it quick. Check out the application here.

Also, take a look at some of the featured winners from last year. Some seriously gorgeous stuff here!

Leather bags from Emil Erwin

Handcrafted Furniture from Holler Designs

Lace designs from Gabrielle Jewelry

CoCraft This Upcoming Weekend

Just wanted to let everyone in the Greenville area know about a super-fun crafting opportunity coming up this week. This Saturday, July 23, is a CoCraft night hosted by Mandy Blankenship. You can either learn how to make cloth napkins or bring your own crafting supplies to work on personal projects. The party will be held at 514 Glenwood Ave. in Anderson, SC. Please RSVP here if you can make it! For further details, check out the CoCraft page.

Exciting Book Release

Here's some fun news from the world of design and crafting. Design*Sponge is releasing a book! For the past few years this enormously popular blog has inspired its followers with its posts on home decor, fashion, food, graphic design, and of course crafting and DIY projects. The new book features an entire section of Do It Yourself projects, providing tutorials on a variety of subjects. So, check out the book trailer below. It's beautifully produced. If you're already a D*S fan, you can imagine all the goodness that will come from this publication. If you're just now hearing about this blog, you'll want to check it out. You'll be amazed at the inspiration that's in store. http://vimeo.com/22861096

Do It Yourself: Creative Wall Covering

New DIY Project for you. I learned  about this one while at the craft night we hosted a couple of weeks ago. Melinda, one of our participants, recently moved, and she was looking for a creative way to fix an unsightly wall in her bedroom. The previous renter had torn up the some of the wall, and there were bits of peeling paint all over the surface. So Melinda came up with the bright idea of using this tutorial to make tissue paper flowers from vintage sewing patters. Compiling the flowers with other odds and ends from the thrift store, she put together quite a lovely display and managed to cover any ugly splotches in the process. Thanks for sharing the paper flowers and the finished product!

Making the paper flowers at the Etsy Craft Party.

The Materials:

Various sizes of tissue paper flowers

Thrifted frames (contents and glass removed), spray painted a pearly off-white--some of the frames she filled with coordinating craft paper which turned out super cute!

Small nails for hanging the frames--1" nails for lightweight, empty frames work fine

Wall safe sticky tack--a tiny bit for holding the edges of the frames level

A level

Thumb tacks

The wall, tastefully covered.

The Process:

First Melinda laid out all of the frames on the floor to see which arrangement she liked best. It's always a good idea to play with composition before you start nailing things to the wall. After she tacked the frames in place and made sure they were level, she thumbtacked the paper flowers over the nasty wall splotches to hide remaining evidences of peeling paint. The entire project was quite easy, about 4 hours from start to finish. And it looks absolutely great!