Altered Wooden Clothes Pins

I saw these cute little canvas leaves and was inspired to make some autumnal themed clothes pins. These autumnal clothes pins can be used for various decorative purposes. They can be clipped on lampshades / drapes for a fun home decor accent or used as a table decoration as a place setting name card holder for your guests. If a magnet is attached to the back, they can be decorative and functional.

Here's a step by step of how I did it.

Directions:
1. Prepare to Paint: Protect your work surface & wear gloves. Place the canvas leaves on your craft matte or newspaper. Mist the leaves with 3-4 autumnal colors. With your finger, blend the colors together so they absorb into the weave of the fabric. I worked with all paint colors simultaneously. Remember to color the back side of each leaf as well. Set aside to dry.

2. Color Clothes Pins: Attach washi tape to both sides of each wooden clothes pin. Carefully trim away excess tape with scissors and firmly press all edges securely.

 3. Assemble Bows: Cut a strip of fabric about 1.25in x 4inches in length. Find the center of the fabric strip. Pinch and twist one side of the fabric to the back and use a piece of wire to cinch the center of the bow twisting the wire to secure it. Trim the ends of the fabric if needed. Tie a small bow using jute or baker's twine.

4. Detail the Leaves: When the leaves are thoroughly dry, take each leaf and fold it in half to the stem pressing firmly with your fingers. The stiffened canvas will hold the gentle crease and the fold will appear to be the vein of the leaf giving it a more realistic appearance.

5. Embellish Clothes Pins: Use a hot glue gun to attach the fabric bow to the end of the wooden clothes pin. Next, glue a leaf in the center of the fabric bow. Finally, glue a twine bow on the leaf and embellish it with a button.

Linnie Blooms Supplies: canvas leaves, wooden clothes pins
Other Supplies: Moon Glow's Glimmer Spray, twine, buttons, washi tape, fabric, wire, glue gun
              Browse the Linnie Blooms Shop: HERE
A Closer Look:

 

 

TIP: Since I have accumulated many sprays and mists, I make a sample card for each color by spraying a mini tag and attaching it to a jump ring. Then, I can refer to the tags to help me quickly select the right colors for my project. To help me find the bottle on the shelf, I write the brand & color on the back of the tag. 

    Visit Art & Soul to see more of Karen's brilliant projects.

Meadow Silhouette Wall Hanging

Welcome...
Today Karen is sharing her mini wall hanging using a Linnie Blooms long blank canvas (5"x11") She created a meadow silhouette in a rainbow of bright and cheery colors perfect for summer home decor. Here's how she did it...


Preparations:
Prepare the canvas by securing it to the cutting matte or work surface using masking tape. I wanted to protect the very edge so that it served as a frame and remained plain un-inked canvas. To create the meadow silhouette, select stamps of flowers & leaves that have a solid image rather than ones that have a line image outline.  To prevent disappointment, you may want to practice stamping the meadow silhouette design on paper first in order to work out the placement of your stamps. Prior planning prevents poor performance!

(TIP: If you only have detailed flower stamps, it is still possible to use them. Stamp the image and then fill in the outline by painting it solid black. This is more time consuming but you can achieve the look of a silhouette.)

A Closer Look:

Directions:
1. Mist the canvas with water before you begin. Use a sponge applicator to blend distress inks or mists on the canvas. I chose to keep green at the bottom edge and blue at the top in order to emphasize the grass and sky. Allow the canvas background to dry thoroughly before stamping on it or dry it with a heat gun.

2. Next, apply an even coat of black acrylic paint to the stamp surface and begin to build the scene from the bottom up. If you find that the image has not stamped completely solid black, go back with a small detailing paint brush to fill in any whitish areas. I found that varying the intensity of the black silhouettes gave more dimension to the finished piece.

3. Finally, carefully remove the masking tape (the paint may not have dried on the tape surface) Embellish the wall hanging with butterflies and attach an inspirational word to the lower portion. Lastly, attach ribbon loops 2cm from the corner of the canvas. Insert a stick or dowel through the loops and tie on a cord for hanging.
                                   Visit the Linnie Blooms Shop HERE

Supplies: 5"x11' long blank canvas (Linnie Blooms), Distress Inks (Ranger: Dusty Concord, Faded Jeans, Peeled Paint, Spiced Marmalade), spray mists (Starburst Stains: Belles of Ireland Green, Peony Scarlet Red, Bachelor Button Blue, Yellow Rose of Texas) sponge applicator, Time Holtz Nature's Elements clear stamp set CSS27836 (Stampers Anonymous), Meadow clear stamp set (Inkadinkado,) Tall Grasses rubber stamp set (Stampin' Up), daisy silhouette rubber stamp (Stampin' Up), black acrylic paint (Ceramcoat), paint brush,  word embellishment (Making Memories), Butterfly Mistables (Studio Calico), wooden butterfly, liquid adhesive (Aleene's Tacky Glue), gems, ribbon, dowel, cord
                   Stop by Karen's Blog, Art & Soul to see more of her projects.

Journal with Blooms

Hi,  it's Ann here today from the Linnie Bloom's Design Team and the blog: AnnMakes.  I  used a Home Decor Kit from Linnie Blooms:  Rustic  Journal to make  myself a portable watercolour journal to carry in my bag.

I used some Gelatos and some water to alter the natural canvas for the cover.  I also altered the house shape that comes in the kit to make a flap for the journal.

I used pink and gold gelato to colour the blooms and enhanced the centres with big black embroidery threaded knots. I later glued the flowers to the cover.

I finished the inside cover with some vintage dictionary pages and some Mod Podge.

I cut three sheets of watercolour paper into 6 pieces to make 12 pages in the journal.  I used a very simple book making method by making two holes through the papers and the canvas.

 I then used the piece of jute cord from the kit to bind everything together with a double knot.

I sewed a zig zag line on the house/flap.  I also stitched the flap to the journal back on my sewing machine.  I added small velcro to the cover and flap.

Finally to add some whimsy to the cover I used some stamps and Staz On ink for the Bee.

I hope that you are inspired to make your own personal piece with the lovely Linnie Bloom's Kits.

Supplies:
Linnie Blooms Rustic Journal Kit
Gelatos in blues, teal, green , bright pink, and gold by Faber Castell
Staz On black stamp ink by Tsukineko
Mod Podge by Plaid
"Buzzing Bees" stamps from Blue Moon Creations / Spiced Sunshine Stamps
Velcro from Multi Crafts
Dictionary papers from my stash
Water colour paper by Loes Cornell
Sewing thread by Coats and Clark
Aleene's Tacky Glue

Thank you for stopping by.  For more of my projects and how to's please stop at http://annmakes.blogspot.com.