I am just warming up to having my own blog, I had one a long time ago and just got out of the habit. Then a creativity group I saw someone post about a DIY challenge with promotional materials and I was intrigued. I love crafting and I like play around with old things and make something new. So I messaged Jenna Kaufman at promoanalyzer.com to learn about her challenge. She sends out promotional materials that she has piled up and challenges other crafters to create whatever they are inspired to, how fun! After we talked I was very interested and I signed up for the challenge. I shared that I craft in many different ways, my favorite holiday is Christmas and my favorite color is red and she created me a box.
So yesterday I dug out the box and decided to create. I had a fun collection of randomness from Jenna, my favorite collection of X-Acto knives and my Kindle for musical inspiration 🙂 Guess I should have been listening to my Christmas playlist.
The idea is to run with the theme, in my case Christmas in July. I can use any or all of the items in the box and I can add things from around my house. I had a whole lot of fun and I just wanted to share with all of you! This is not so much an instructional post because you may never have these items sitting around to be deconstructed. But I want to inspire you to look at things in a new light and be creative.
First I decided to make a wreath out of the Frisbee. I put my knife set to work immediately, cutting the middle out. I already had loose flowers that I use to decorate at Christmas so I wanted to design a wreath that would go with it. Since the flowers are red I painted the frisbee black for a base. Most paint chips off plastic easily so you’d want a paint for plastics or you could wrap fabric around the frisbee. Then I looked through the box of promotional materials and saw a black ribbon. It was not long enough to wind around the wreath or to tie a bow, so I cut it in fourths and glued it on. Then I glued leaves from my bunch of flowers.
I added the red flowers but it needed a little something more. So I went back to the box and got a star shaped chip clip. I separated the parts, painted the star silver and added it. Now what used to be a frisbee is a wreath that will match my Christmas decorations. Due to the slope of the edge I will have to create a notch on the back to hang it up easier but I was able to get it on the door for the photo.
Now that my wreath is done I turned back to the box and pulled out a adorable keychain sock money. Now what would Christmas be without an ornament? He was pretty awesome as is but I wanted to help him prepare for the cold winter. I still had another ribbon so I took it and cut it into three equal strips. I did not have anyone else at the house to hold the end so I used the other chip clip magnetized to the fridge to braid easier.
Only thing left to do is hot glue the braided ribbon around the monkeys neck and then I removed the keychain clip and replaced it with a ornament hook. Voila a very easy new ornament for my tree this year!
I was happy with my new decorations but I was still feeling crafty. In the box I had found a paper fan. I knew I could make something pretty with that.
First thing I did was add a little hot glue to the back of the wooden base so it would stay open permanently. This is optional because it’s a trade off. Makes it harder to protect but it keeps the paint from getting messed up every time it gets opened and closed. I just plan to modpodge the finished product so it stays more stiff and is a little more sturdy than just paper. I unfortunately did not get photos of the steps of this one because I just started painting and did not think about it. I painted several layers of white paint to block out the pre-existing pattern then got creative. I decorate my tree in red, black, and silver so those were the colors I worked with. I used paint pens and had a lot of fun.
It is not specifically Christmas but I love it! It became my favorite thing I created yesterday. My husband saw it when he came home then later noticed bits of paint on the side of my hand and asked if I had painted. I laughed and said of course I did you were looking at it earlier. He told me he thought I had bought it! That made me happy.
So there you have it, I hope this post has inspired you to look at things anew and listen to your creative side!
Watercolor Wishes 