Updated Picture

I originally bought this picture from Family Dollar a few years ago which in fact they have some really nice pictures and frames under $10.This picture has been hanging in my office at work for a few years now.

I have always loved it, but it was time for an update.

Removing the backing was a little difficult but I eventually removed all the innards and got to work.

Using the same technique as my clock and pot I spruced up the outer and inner frames in red.

I then used black and silver paint and brushed over the middle pottery picture.






I really liked the pattern of the 4 squared papers on each corner so I wanted to keep that theme.

Using red and a contrasting sage scrapbook paper, I glued those in the corners.

Next I found a Fleur de lis image online and printed that out.

The fleur de lis was cut out on this silver crinkled paper.

Then I distressed the edges with more black paint.

Using mod podge I glued the Fleur de lis to the middle.

Near the very end, I decided it needed a little more something. Since the backing was basically made of cardboard, I pressed 4 upholstery tacks in the corners and 3 on the Fleur de lis. I also added some black embossing powder around the Fleur de lis to make it pop.

All in all, I think it turned out well!

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What to do with a cracked mirror

Two solutions for a cracked mirror:

This mirror got cracked a year ago during a move. Granted the mirror has only one crack and it’s in the corner, but I still could not live with this imperfection. I also could not throw away a perfectly good mirror so there had to be a clever way to save it.

My first solution was to hide the cracked portion behind some curtains. Giving it sort of “window” feel. It was easy enough, I just hung a curtain rod and curtains like a regular window and easy peasy, no more crack.

But knowing that I wouldn’t be keeping this look for long there had to be another way to disguise the imperfection once more.

Initially, and I still may end up doing this, I was going to mod podge some fabric along both sides of the mirror which would hide the crack and still be attractive enough that it would just look like a decorated mirror. But, I could not find just the right fabric I had rumbling around in my head. So, I’ll wait till the right print comes along and then go for it.

Meanwhile, my creative juices searched another pathway to ingenuity. I don’t remember how I came to this conclusion but I decided to use paint.

Since I’m a lover of swirlies and scrolls I could simply incorporate the crack right into a nice swirl pattern! Yes, this could work!

Oh, and I painted over the golden frame too. The mirror did not start out gold, I had been using this golden glaze on everything around the house and the mirror was one of the many victims.

Using regular craft paint, I painted the frame and the swirls black.

Painting on a mirror is somewhat challenging because I couldn’t pencil in a sketch first so I painted free hand.

Painting right along the crack. You can't even tell it's there.

I'm not quite finished and will post complete pictures when it's all done, but what a perfect disguise!

Please excuse the not so clear pictures. Photographing a mirror has no perks! The only way to get a halfway decent shot is to lay the mirror on the floor because it will give somewhat of a plain background.

But like I mentioned, I'm not finished, it definitely needs more swirls and a spritz of Windex.

I could have done both sides but I really liked the one side deal, it adds a bit of artistry, don’t ya think?

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http://www.decormamma.blogspot.com/

Terracotta Transformation

Here we have your basic terracotta pot.

I needed a larger pot for a plant I have in my office.

Not sure of how the transformation was going to take place but I knew that I couldn't get enough of the technique I used a few posts earlier on my red clock.

First, I brushed on a few coats of white craft paint as a base and primer.

I knew my fleur de lis stamp would be a perfect accent for this project.

Applying the black and silver paint to the stamp, I let the imperfections be to add some character.

I then painted the pot using about 3 different shades of red over the first stamped image.

And after that dried, I stamped over the image a second time.

See how flat the paint is before brushing on polyurethane.

And of course the polyurethane is what gives it that beautiful dimension.

It takes about 24 hours or more to let the polyurethane dry.

The polyurethane brings out the red brush strokes and gives a nice shine!

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