Archives for Artsy-ness

An artsy trash can??? Why not?

25th February 2012 by melody under Artsy-ness, Featured Post, Homemade Life

Hi, friends! We are in the middle of making BIG changes to our Clubhouse, and we have lots of blog posts planned to show you some of the projects we have planned, as well finally showing you the details on some of the fun and funky things we already have there! I thought we’d start by showing you the ORIGINAL artsy trashcan that Melody made out of a bucket and paint and scraps. We now have trash cans like this scattered all around the Clubhouse and WE LOVE THEM!! I thought it might be fun on this grey February day to bring out this post again and think about making things that are full of COLOR and FUN and FUNKY-NESS…all out of stuff we have laying around the house!

If you make your own Artsy Trash Can, send me a photo at kathy@bravegirlsclub.com…we’ll do a blog post about them. Won’t that be fun?!?!

xoxo

kathy

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So, the first thing you gotta do is ask your man….any man in your life will do (EDITED***all you girlfriends who have YOUR OWN BUCKETS…ROCK ON!!! Use YOUR BUCKETS!! Sometimes the chicks have the buckets instead of the dudes, or we both have buckets…or NONE of us have buckets so we gotta get ‘em at Home Depot…this is an equal bucket-owner blog )…..just go and ask….”hey, do you have a 5 gallon bucket you are not using?” It’s your choice whether or not you tell them that you are going to paint and decoupage all over it, it’s your choice whether you tell them whether they will ever get it back or not. I chose to just ask….and I got this old, used one…..so, I didn’t feel so bad when I completely changed it from it’s manly form…..

Ok…next, I took it from it’s home in the garage and said…”Bucket…..I love you!” It’s important to build trust, and I wouldn’t have said it unless I meant it. Then said “bucket, you are going to stay here in this beautiful studio with me now….you are going to be a lovely receptacle for the stuff that I just can’t find a way to repurpose….you are going to be the prettiest trash can, ever” Then, I swear I heard the bucket say “Well, that’s waaaayyyyyy better than holding soapy, dirty water or rusty nails…” and so I said…”yes, bucket…yes it is…” So we began….

Now that everything was cool with the bucket, I just went for it……now, if you are gonna make one of these…just know that you can do it with whatever fabric and paper you choose….you don’t have to make it all colorful and wild like I did. I am not the boss of you, no one is!!! So….do it however YOU want to do it….but, here’s how I did it…I chose paper and fabrics that I loved and cut them into big ol’ random scallops, freehand….cuz that’s just what I do. Then…THEN THEN THEN, I got the paint out….have I told you lately how much I LOOOOOVE paint? I always find myself smiling the goofiest, hugest grin when I am painting…..it’s kind of embarassing, but I can’t stop. Anyway…I chose some more colors that I love, and I just went for it….painting 4 big stripes around the bucket. The bucket LOOOOOVED this part. But, as you can see, I was not careful or meticulous, I did not measure……but you can if you want to….you really can….

Next, I had to do the part that is very hardest for me, always…..I had to wait for the paint to dry. Have I told you lately how much I DEEEEEETEEEESSSSSSSST waiting for paint to dry? Well, I do.

Oh, what did I do while I waited for the paint to dry, you ask? Well, thank you so much for asking!!! Actually….I played my guitar….(learned a new song and everything)…AAAND, I watched Titanic. For reals.

Can I tell you for a second just how much I love my new studio? I CAN NOT WAIT to do the studio tour here on the blog in a few weeks when I am done with THE CRAZIEST TRAVEL SCHEDULE known to man. I love love love my studio…I think you might just love it too!

Ok…MOVING ON….next, I got out my bottle of happiness….Mod Podge…and started “podging” on the scallops (stole that word from Amy at Mod Podge Rocks) This is the part that is so fun because I just slather it on, and it’s so messy and fun and freeing….

When I was finished (and you can see that I did not Mod Podge any scallops over the painted part…..because I painted it SO that you could see the color through it) anyway, when I was finished, it looked like THIS:

then, guess what I had to do AGAIN, dang it? I had to wait for the Mod Podge to dry!!! Ok, I know that inquiring minds want to know….and I am here to please….so here’s what I did while I waited for the “Podge” to dry…..I hung out with one of my little men…he’s the one that will just sit and watch me for hours…..help me with stuff….and every so often ask questions like “Hey, does dad know you are doing that to his bucket?”

and…by this time….legally blonde was on…and seriously, you are totally lying if you tell me you don’t like that movie. It’s ok if you never tell anyone that you do, because it is kind of embarrassing to admit…but you like it and you know it. I mean…who can resist this Brave Girl? She reminds me of my friend, Kat…….I totally love everything about her.

I recently told someone that I am not a t.v. person, I think I fibbed. My husband hooked up a t.v. in my studio for me, and I must say….during late night deadlines, it is quite enjoyable.

OK….on we go….NEXT, (and I must admit that I did not wait until the M.P. was all the way dry) I scripted some words on in black paint….just because I love words….they are my favorite art supply

and then I decided that I wanted to fancy up the totally banged-up little plastic handle….so I grabbed some embroidery floss, put a little dab of hot glue, and started wrapping it round and round and round….

THEN, guess what???? It was done!!!! It did need to dry a little longer….so I played another few songs on my gee-tar…..

And then I introduced my happy little bucket to it’s new home….right under my favorite work table……I know it will be very very very happy here. Hope you have fun making one…if you do, send me a photo!!! I would love to see! Have fun!

xoxo

melody

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New Line with Demdaco!

23rd July 2011 by melody under Artsy-ness, Featured Post

It’s here!!! It’s finally here! And not just here, but it’s starting to hit stores! I am so over-the-moon excited about this line with Demdaco. I have loved working with the people over there…they are so kind and easy to work with AND they do beautiful work. I wanted to give you a little peak at the line I designed for them. I am VERY pleased with the way it all turned out. It’s one thing to see all of this art on paper….it’s another to hold it in your hand.

A few months ago, I got samples of everything and I was BLOWN AWAY by how much more incredible it all looks in real life. I love that. I wish I could have you over and show you all this stuff in person, but number one: I will be at Brave Girl Camp all week (yippee!!!) and number two: I don’t have enough seating in my living room. So I have the next best thing…pictures. I hope you like it!

I go through SO many journals…so so sooooo many, and if it were up to me every girl would have not only a journal (or two or three) but a PRETTY journal!

These items have JUST become available in stores, so if your favorite gift store doesn’t have it yet, there’s a good chance they will. Keep an eye out for it!

xoxo
Melody

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tags: Demdaco, Melody's Products

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Art Saves – Book by Jenny Doh

7th July 2011 by melody under Artsy-ness, Books, Featured Post

I have been a fan of Jenny Doh since I can remember. For a long time I dreamed about meeting her and knowing her was on my wish list. In February of 2010, we had the privilege of having Jenny come to our Brave Girl Camp. Spending time with her was a total treat…she is classy, she is talented, she is visionary, and she is hilarious. We had so much fun getting to know her.

Jenny came to Brave Girl Camp right when she was getting ready to launch her new, huge project – CRESCENDOh.com, which I am in LOVE with. I love all that she is doing there. I reeeeeally love what she believes and what she teaches – that Art Saves. Art saved me from so many things….through it I worked through the hardest times in my life….I dusted myself off, stood up and found my soul again. It is such a privilege to be part of Jenny’s newest project…so perfectly named “Art Saves”.

The book is a collection of stories like mine – stories of how Art Saves. I am one of 20 artists who participated and I am thrilled to announce that the book is available at bookstores everywhere NOW! I can’t wait for you to see it and to be touched as I have by stories about the power of art…to be inspired by it.

You can find Art Saves at bookstores everywhere OR click here to find it online. I hope you love it as much as I do!!

xoxo

Melody

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tags: artists, crescendoh.com, jenny doh

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Jack ‘O Lamp

13th September 2010 by melody under Artsy-ness

Oh there were so many blog posts planned for the weekend….then the flu came……and the flu stole many many days from me……..but, I am a brave girl and I will carry on….and I will START with this one! Many more to come…

In honor of being asked to be a judge for the upcoming contest sponsored by PLAID, where you get to trick out a pumpkin in pretty much whatever way your beautiful mind wants to do it…..I decided to repurpose some kind of pumkin-y thing to announce the whole shindig to you…..so what I did…is I repurposed a lamp that has been sitting in my garage. I saved this lampshade because I loved the shape….I saved it even though I accidentally put a candle underneath it, which burned a hole in it….(I am not so fabulous at safety……) I still have to figure out what to do with that hole….but, I’m pretty happy with how the lamp turned out. I still want to add some trim, and I’m thinking I might just do a little vignette of three lamps of different heights, but I will show you how I did this one to start………When we are done…make sure you check out THE CONTEST…

Ok, So like I said, I had this lampshade in my garage….along with a bunch of other lamps and lampshades, and a whole bunch of other stuff….yeh, I save too much stuff because I like to think someday I will do something like this with it…….

then I drew a happy Jack face on it….I’m not much of a scary Halloween person…….scary stuff freaks me out a little…so you will always find my Halloween decor to be jolly, jovial, fun and happy………but, you can make a scary mean face on yours if you want to….I’m not the boss of you.

You can see that my lampshade is kinda dirty in spots…that’s where I am going to glue some trim as soon as I make it into town. (that’s what you say when you live out in the country and you are going to go to the store….”I am going to town….”)

Well, as pretty much everyone knows, I love PLAID because I love Mod Podge more than just about anything, and I also love Folk Art paint…it is so thick and wonderful and coats everything so perfectly…….it’s not cheap and runny. I chose this orange….called Glazed Carrots. It’s yummy for home decor stuff, it’s not too bright and it has kind of a coral-ish orange cast.

So, then I just started painting. My suggestion here is that you use a brush that holds a lot of paint and has a nice crisp blunt edge so you can get a good straight line.

I just kept painting and painting and painting….

and then I was done! So….I headed out to the garage to find just the right lamp….and there it was….a black lamp with a distressed ivory piece to it….PERFECT! Good thing I saved it! Good thing I had my husband move it AGAIN each time we have moved in the last 5 years….he will be so thrilled!

I love how it turned out. I like how it looks NOT lit, and I LOOOOOVE how it looks when it is lit. You can see that if the paint is thicker in some spots, it’s not quite as transparent….but i love the way it looks when it’s lit, even if it seems blotchy-ish….it just looks super cool and artsy. I really am going to make a set of 3….can’t wait to show you!

xoxo

melody

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An artsy little idea for jewelry lovers!

1st August 2010 by melody under Artsy-ness, Homemade Life

I looooove jewelry…..and I have TONS of it….now I’m not talking about the valuable, expensive gemstones, diamonds and precious metals kind…..I’m talking about super fun costume jewelry that is colorful and funky and a little work of art in itself……

Sooo…..I can not stand to get rid of it, so I keep it forever…and I also can not stand to PUT it away. I love to look at it!!! Here’s a sweet little idea that you can implement with stuff you probably already have around the house….

Turn your jewelry into wall art!

So this is an old white frame I had….it has been in my garage with an inch of dust keeping it cozy…I brought it in…cleaned it up, took all the glass and backing out…and then painted the top of it yellow. THEN…I just added a necklace and a brooch…and I used that sticky blue stuff that holds everything but doesn’t leave a mark…so I can change it out whenever I want to!

Here are some more ideas…

Put your pretty brooches on a black background with a colorful frame and they will be beautifully showcased…this is another ugly old 90′s looking frame that I had…I painted it, Mod Podged and antiqued it…..now I love it!

This one is just a scrap of wood I found in my husband’s stash…then I Mod Podged fabric onto it, and painted a little design to showcase whatever necklace I am going to hang from the pretty brass nail I tacked into the top of it…easy peasy!!

Here’s one more simple idea……using a shadow box lid…but you can just use a frame with glass, too….it’s kind of cool to have the stuff on the OUTSIDE instead of the inside…

So you’ll need a shadow box or frame, some old jewelry (I used a bracelet and a brooch) and some pretty paper or fabric to put inside:

Now…just put the fabric or paper into the back of the frame or shadow box…I actually just put it on the wall with the tack that I put into the wall to hang it by…then I used the above mentioned blue sticky stuff to tack the corners down…then I hung the frame part on the same nail…….and put the jewelry on with the blue sticky stuff!! You could use hot glue or E6000 or Gorilla Glue if you want to make it more permanent…but me, I like change!! This is so easy to switch around….and I can also continue to wear the jewelry when I use the blue sticky stuff!!!!