Crafty Backgrounds

I'm a sucker for a good background for any project I make.  I debate with myself which is the best background to use, or whether I should try to create something new, something no one has ever created before.  It really is a big decision for me. 
And so, when I found out my great niece was turning two, and loved Aurora from Sleeping Beauty more than any other of the Princesses, my decision of what to paint her was a no-brainer.  What to put her on, what background would showcase her true beauty, and what to actually make that would be useful was the hard part!  I decided to paint a pretty canvas with her name on it that could be hung on her wall. 

I started by painting the 12" x 12" canvas with two beautiful Folk Art Colors, Turquoise and Patina.  I double loaded a large, 3/4" flat brush with the two colors and slip-slapped them around until the canvas was covered. 

When all areas of the canvas were dry, I used a really trendy Peel & Stick Painting Stencil from Plaid to stencil through and around with Folk Art Jamaican Sea.  Over and over again.  Randomly.  I tried to be hit and miss with the pressure on my stencil brush in this step, giving the feel of clouds, which turned out to be really pretty.

To add a little more interest to the background, I watered the Turquoise paint down to an inky consistency, and with a liner brush, I added swirls from some of the flowers.

This is what I ended up with. 

I painted the princess and some wood letters to spell out my beautiful grand niece's name, and I added a hanger on the back.  I hope she looks at it over the years and remembers her Aunt loves her very much.



The Chalkboard Solution

The Hunnie and I love our condo close to the beach.  But, as with most things, there are things we're not so pleased with.  One of those "things" was the side of our pantry that faces the living room and us, and anyone who visits, with it's ugly remnants of adhesive left-overs where the last tenant removed whatever it was that they had stuck there.  Not so pretty.
Because our home accents are black and red, I thought it would be a "crafty" idea to paint that small 11" wide section with some Black Chalkboard Paint.  So, instead of really wrecking that area completely with black paint we could never get rid of when we leave, Hunnie thought it would be even "craftier" if we painted some thin board and attach it to the side of the pantry. 

After a trip to our local Home Depot, we came home with two boards, cut to fit perfectly!  Of course, I had a jar of Folk Art Chalkboard Paint, so I got to work rolling.  I rolled on three coats of Chalkboard Paint!  I also rolled the backs of the boards with Folk Art Licorice because I've learned over time that when you're painting thin board, it's best to paint both sides so the board doesn't warp.  This worked well.

I used some blue painters tape to tape off the borders I wanted and painted them Folk Art Lipstick Red.  Two coats worked well.

Hunnie used black screws to attach the board to the pantry.  He's so handy!

I'm so happy with the way this turned out.  I love Chalkboard Paint!