November Art and Soul

Christmas Advent Countdown

November 4, 2010
7:30 to 10:30 pm
at Jessica's House
$15 for project (all supplies included)

Come join us to create these Christmas Advent Countdowns. They are made on 16" x 20" canvases. Each day will include a slip of paper with a Christmas activity for each day of December. Bring a friend--and a snack or drink. Comment here, or reply on the Facebook group if you plan to attend.

NOTE: This is a craft where the hostesses will be preparing part of the craft ahead of time. An accurate headcount will help ensure enough--but not too many--supplies are prepared. THANKS!

OCTOBER Art and Soul

BEADED SERVING PIECES

Instructions

SUPPLIES
Serving pieces (Dollar Tree, Wal-Mart, Target, World Market)
Heavy gauge jewelry wire--it's on a spool (Hobby Lobby, Michael's, JoAnn's)
Jewelry needle nose pliers
Jewelry wire cutters
Beads (Hobby Lobby, Michael's, JoAnn's)
Optional: charms

DIRECTIONS
1. Cut about 7 lengths of the handle of the serving piece from the jewelry wire with the wire cutters.
2. With your pliers, create a swirl with the bottom of the wire--twist it to create a "curly q." (See the photos above if you need help envisioning this).
3. Place this swirl at the handle near the serving part, and twist the wire 3-4 times around the handle.
4. Time to begin beading! Add a bead, then twist the wire one full time around before repeating with the next bead. (the handle will be bead, wire, bead, wire). If you chose smaller beads, you will need several in a row to go across the width of the handle.
5. At the end of the handle, you may wish to add a charm for an extra touch.
6. If you have too much wire left, cut it down a bit. Create another swirl, and wrap the wire at least 3-4 times around to finish with the swirl at the other end of the handle.

September Art and Soul--Wall Paper Wall Art

WALL PAPER WALL ART DIRECTIONS

Supplies:
16" x 20" canvas (any size works)--Hobby Lobby, Michael's, JoAnn's
Textured paintable wall paper--Lowe's (we used ceiling tile pattern)
Staple gun
Acrylic paint--I like Anita's brand at Hobby Lobby
Optional: second acrylic paint color for "glaze" (black, dark brown, metallic)
Big paint brush
rags
water in a cup
Cross or letter embellishment--Hobby Lobby (we love 50% off)
E6000 OR gorilla glue

Directions:
1. Unroll your wall paper and cut to size to cover your canvas, plus some overlap for the back to staple. Using your staple gun on the back of the canvas, TIGHTLY staple the wallpaper to the canvas. Order doesn't matter--but doing top and bottom, then the sides--or the sides then top and bottom helps. Handle the corners by wrapping like a package--hospital corners.
2. Paint the canvas in the color of your choice. Use a big brush! You can cover completely (working hard to get in the crevices) or cover lightly, using multiple colors. Your choice! Keep a cup of water near by to help you wet your brush slightly--makes the crevices easier to cover. Don't forget the sides of the canvas.
3. If necessary, do a second coat. (especially important if using red or another similar color)
4. Once that is dry completely, you can do a "glaze" by using a second color. Water your brush a LOT, and paint the second color on all over. Using your rags, rag off the top color to your taste.
5. When that coat is dry, adhere your cross or letter with E6000 or gorilla glue. If you have a heavy cross, you may need to purchase an epoxy to adhere.

Note: if you purchase a wood letter, you can paint it or mod podge it with tissue paper or scrapbook paper before you adhere it. Another alternative is lightweight metal words such as "faith" that can be found at Hobby Lobby.

MAY Art & Soul- Altered Clipboards

ALTERED CLIP BOARDS
Brown clip boards with metal clip (Staples, Wal-Mart, Target, Office Depot)
Scrapbook paper of your choice
Ribbon
Mod Podge
Scissor
Any other stickers or embellishments of your choice

1. Cut your paper to size, according to the look you want to create. Mod podge the paper on the front, and if desired, the back of the clip board. You may want to cut squares, as above right, or strips, as above left. You may want to cover the entire surface with one paper--or tear the paper up and create a collage look. (TIP: you can also use photos! Use the actual photo, a color copy, or an image from a laser printer only).

2. At the top of the board, near the clip, cut your paper and mod podge up to the bottom. Also cut your paper to fit along each side of the clip--and if there's space, at the top. You can wrap your paper around the edges--or not!

3. Add any ribbon, stickers, or detailing to your clip board.

4. For the clip, cut ribbon into lengths, and loop it to go around the clip (create a loop, put ribbon around clip, then loop the two loose ends through your loop). Keep going to create the great look above.

5. For boys, you can skip the ribbon over the clip, of course!

APRIL Art and Soul

MAGNETIC BOARDS
12" x 18" (or 12" x 24") sheet metal, pre-cut at Lowe's (I prefer the thinner metal, about $5)
Fabric of your choice
Glue gun
Ribbon
any embellishments you want to add

1. Cut the fabric to wrap around the metal sheet. With your glue gun, secure the fabric on the back of the metal, wrapping the metal like a package.

2. Cut your ribbon to allow enough length to hang your board. Secure with the glue gun on the back of the metal. Be sure and glue all the way to the top edge on the back.

3. Cut another piece of ribbon for the front of the magnetic board. Tie a knot in the middle, and cut each end to look pretty--with a "V" sorta look on the end. Using hot glue on the knot and each end, secure to the front of the magnetic board at the top.

4. OPTIONAL: you can add a button over the knot, ribbon or ric rac along the bottom--or an iron-on letter--any other idea to make it pretty!

5. You can buy magnets OR use glass beads with scrapbook paper mod podged behind the glass and a magnet hot glued to the back. You can also mod podge scrapbook paper on the front of a clothes pin and hot glue a magnet on the back to create a magnet.

*MARCH* Art & Soul Beaded Watches

Supplies:
--Bar Watch face (www.beadalgo.com or www.goodybeads.com are both good sources)

--Jewelry elastic cord (Hobby Lobby, Michael's, JoAnn's)

--Beads of your choosing

--4 Lobster clasps per beaded band

--2 Jewelry spacer bars per beaded band

--Super glue

--Scissors

Instructions:
1. Cut a length of elastic cord that when doubled, is long enough to go around your wrist. Place a lobster clasp on it.

2. Add 2-3 beads after the lobster clasp, then add a second lobster clasp, facing the same way.

3. Pull the cord so that what you have already beaded is in the middle of the cord. Add your beads to each side--you may want to bead so that both sides match. Go about 1/3 of the desired length.

4. Add a spacer bar, looping each side of the cord into the spacer bar, then continue beading until you get to about 2/3 of the way through the length. Add another spacer bar here, and then finish your beading. *It's easy to make your band too long! Don't forget the cord is stretchy and the watch face takes up space, also. So continue to check the length against your wrist.

5. Hold one end of the cord at the end of the beading. At the other end of the cord, after your beading, add another lobster clasp facing the same way as the ones on the other end.

6. Add your 2-3 beads, then the fourth and last lobster clasp.

7. Tie a TIGHT and secure knot with the cord after the fourth lobster clasp and the other end of the cord.

8. Add a drop of super glue to ensure your knot will not slip.

9. After the super glue is dried, cut off the loose and long ends of the cord.

10. You can now add your beaded watch band to the watch face with the lobster clasps.

11. Make multiple bands per watch face and enjoy switching them out!

Framed Initials (February Art and Soul Project)

SUPPLIES
Frame of your choice (Dollar Tree 8"x10" is what we used)
Paint or scrapbook paper to decoupage the frame
Paint brushes
Black initial of choice (we cut ours on our Cricut)
Triple Thick
Mod Podge if you are decoupaging
Embellishments of your choice
Ribbon to hang the frame from
Hot glue gun

1. Paint the top of your letter with triple thick. (can use mod podge, although not as glossy a finish, or any other paper glaze product).

2. Set letter aside, and take your frame apart. Either paint or decoupage the frame to your liking.

3. Glue the letter to the glass of the frame using triple thick.

4. Decorate around your letter with embellishments, using either mod podge or hot glue, depending on embellishments. Rub-on's work GREAT, as well as ribbon, buttons, stickers, etc.

5. Place the glass back into the frame.

6. Using your glue gun, place a ribbon (with or without bow) at the top of the frame for hanging.

7. OPTION: you can spell out a whole word, and hang letters together. OR, take a curtain rod, and hang the letters onto it to spell a word. If you choose the curtain rod, I'd make a loop of your ribbon at the top of the frame, then place onto the rod, and tie a bow at the top of the loop near the rod to secure.

Photo Tiles

Supplies

Tiles- we used 6x6 (4x6 photo) and 10x8 (8x10 photo) (Home Depot)

Mod Podge

Foam Brush

Decorative Paper

Ribbon

Ribbon slides (http://www.paperwishes.com/products/4009047), buttons, gems or other embellishments

Hot Glue Gun

1. Measure and cut a piece of patterned paper for the portion of your tile that will have the paper on it. Cut it so that the picture will overlap a bit. Using Mod Podge, adhere it to the block.

2. If needed, trim your photo. Using a foam brush, apply a layer of Mod Podge to the back of the photo. Place on block and smooth down with the side of your hand. Allow to dry about 10 minutes.

3. Brush another layer of Mod Podge over your entire tile. Let dry.

4. Using hot glue, attach coordinating ribbon, ric rac, or other trim around middle where photo and paper meet. This will hide the line. If desired, add a ribbon buckle or other embellishment.

Place on a easel or plate rack and ENJOY!