Crafty Texas Girls: 2/1/11

2/28/11

Playroom Part 4: Silhouettes

I have been wanting to make silhouettes of my girls.

Found here

Found here. You know this room!

And silhouettes seem to go perfectly with my new playroom design scheme. Black and white. Fabulous!

Now I know people have been making silhouettes forever. But whenever I googled the process, it involved using photoshop (which I do not have). And how do you get a 16 month old to hold-still long enough to make it the 'old fashioned' way???

Found here

So I just decided to do it the way it made sense to me. There are probably more efficient ways. But this worked for us. Here is what you will need:
-camera
-computer
-black card stock
-a pencil

I had my girls sit still (turn on the tv to help!) and took a photo of their profile. Having a window or light source behind them seemed to help illuminate their little faces.

Then I inserted the photos into a Word document and made each picture big enough to fill an 8.5 x11 document.

Next I printed out the enlarged photos.

Then cut out each face.

And then I traced them on black card stock and cut those out.

To show off them off, I decided to place them on a newspaper covered background, like the pic above from Jones Design Company. So I used mod podge to adhere the newsprint to a piece of cardboard. And then I used mod podge again to attach the silhouettes.

And here is the finished framed project! But now I am thinking they may need bows.

There we go! Now they are finished!

Are you ready to see the finished room? Promise I will show you on Wednesday.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway at "I Love That!"- win $25 to spend here at Crafty Texas Girls.

2/26/11

Giveaway--Win $25 to Spend Here!

Spring is on the way-- time to order bows, headbands, and tutus!

I am busy making lots of new things. And the best part is, you can get some pretty accessories for free.

Click here to shop Crafty Texas Girls or click on the tabs at the top of the blog.

Head over to "I Love That!" to find out how you can win a $25 gift certificate to spend here at Crafty Texas Girls.

I hope YOU win!

2/25/11

Playroom Part 3:Painted Wallpaper

Once I had the newsprint dress and lamp done, I looked around my playroom and wondered, "What next?" Then I saw this amazing room at Jones Design Company.

Are you in awe? Me too? Tan, black and white. Feminine, but not too girly. How could I incorporate this into my Ballard inspiration?

The walls, it's got to be the painted wallpaper.

And I wondered, could I do painted wallpaper? Well, I looked again at my playroom and decided that one wall "might" be do-able. Look at the wall where the tv sits...

I knew my hubby would probably think I was crazy, so as you know, I waited until he went out of town. And I spent 7 hours working on the wall. If you don't like to sit still at night, this is the project for you!

First you hand draw (using the pattern I found here) all over your walls. You should probably use a level or measure or at least start at the top of the walls and work down. I did none of this. Like I mentioned before- nap time doesn't last long and I do have to sleep at night! Then use a thin paint brush and hope your hand is steady.

It is a lot of work, but it is turns out beautiful. And I didn't even get anywhere near "Jones Desgin Company" standards. But I love it- imperfections and all! Adds so much visual interest to the room.

And the best part about painted wallpaper is, to 'remove it', just paint over it!
But I will not be doing that anytime soon. Right now I'm kinda proud of myself for being so risky:)

2/23/11

Playroom Part 2: "Ballard Knock-off" Newsprint Dress

Now the pillows are done- feeling really motivated. So on to the walls. First, the art work.

Here is what I have on my walls.

Here is what I want to make.

Ballard Catalog

Supplies needed:
-mod podge, paint brush
-newspaper
-poster board
-bit of cardstock and fabric

Now the way I did it, was just to eye-ball the dress and start cutting out pieces of newspaper. It might be helpful to sketch the dress first, but I didn't want to take the time. (Nap time doesn't last forever.) I laid everything out and then when I was happy with how it looked, I stuck it to the poster board using mod podge.

Then I decided I needed another, coordinating piece of art. So I decided to do a cute, curvy lamp.
Notice that a bit of the 'check-fabric' I used on the pillows ended up on the dress and the lamp?

Fun, and so inexpensive to make!

2/21/11

"Ballard Inspired" Playroom Part 1: Pillows

While browsing through the Ballard catalog last month, I spied this...

And it got me thinking about my playroom upstairs.

Like the mess? I decided to show you the room in it's worst state!

Even though it is a room "just for the girls to play in", I do spend a lot of time there. So why not make it a space that I enjoy looking at?

I wanted the decor of the room to be inviting and coordinate with the color scheme downstairs. And when I saw this Ballard room, I knew it was the inspiration I had been looking for. Black, white, tan. And this dress- so feminine- perfect for our girls' playroom.

So where to start first?

Pillows. These pillows came with the couch. Probably not a good sign. But they are perfect for recovering. I looked again at the Ballard picture- patchwork, black and white.

So off to JoAnn's. I sewed the fabric together using a zig-zag stitch. (My favorite stitch.)