Potpourri Frames

While there are many aspects of our little apartment that we love, one downside to apartment-living is the "no painting" rule. A consequence of having no color on the walls, I am forced to craft more in order to brighten up the place. Oh shucks.

I was going through a junk box last year and came across a package of potpourri. At first I thought I would be typical and arrange the potpourri in a vase with a candle, always a nice touch. Instead, I came up with this potpourri art.
Our couch is dark green so the limey-green fabric in these frames contrasts well and helps the walls pop with color. Potpourri tends to be muted colors so I definitely suggest picking a bright and bold color for the backdrop.
Materials:

3-8x10 frames
6-5x6 pieces of fabric
1-package of potpourri
Tape or Hot glue

Instructions:

Overlap the frame backing with two pieces of fabric making the frayed edge visible (this adds dimension). Pull the fabric tight and tape or glue the fabric around the edge of the backing.

Next, scatter various pieces of potpourri over the fabric. I found that randomly dropping the pieces worked out much better than planned disarray.
Carefully place the glass and frame over the top of your potpourri. If you are very particular about your placing, you can always use hot glue to make sure the potpourri stays in place as you attach the frame.
Voila! You now have a unique piece of colorful art for your walls. There are lots of other materials you can use for a project like this so, as always, BE CREATIVE!

Still-Life Chalk Art

Have you ever wandered down the art aisle of your favorite home decorating store and thought the images were overpriced and somewhat amateur? You think, a 6-year-old can paint a red circle in the center of a white canvas, right? I have spent many hours in these stores thinking I can paint this myself, and finally one day, I did.

Painting does not have to be a difficult or expensive endeavor. I firmly believe that almost anyone has the ability to make beautiful art for their home. The most difficult part of painting is learning to work with the paints. However, if the task of painting still seems daunting to you, I have another suggestion. Pastel Chalks.

Pastels are some of the first art forms I attempted when I was younger and I have recently come back around to using them.For Christmas last year, I decided to craft some made-to-order art pieces for the women in our family. The picture above was made using a canvas, pastel chalks, and my fingers for blending.

This "painting" was created for Momma Mary (Jack's mom). She has a shabby-chic look in her home and I thought the simplicity of the piece and the colors would match well.

I am fully convinced that anyone can make this still-life piece. The fruit shape can be accomplished free-hand style or by printing out a clip art fruit of choice. Simply print, trace, and fill in the shapes with your favorite color. Be sure to have a wet rag on hand to clean your fingers from time to time.

The pictures were very well received and are a great idea if you need an inexpensive yet thoughtful gift idea. Trust me, you can do this!