What should I make for the class art project?!

Hey Crafties!   Did you do your Fitness Friday workout???

Newest obstacle .... As the all unknowing Grade mother, I was thrown into a class art project with one week to figure out what to do, get the students to help make it, and turn it in.  WHAT?! 

Of course I was panick stricken ... ackkkhhh! 

So my brain started to churn and I remembered that my sister painted some stools for my boys' rooms several years ago.  They are precious!  Ah Ha ... thats a great idea.  Paint a stool.  Now, what can I paint that 26 students can say they helped paint?  Hmmmm ......  each student can use their fingerprints .... fingerprints can make bugs .... fingerprints that are ants .... ants like picnics .... ants like sugar.... sugar is sweet .... sweet is watermelon!  YEAH!!!  That is it!!!!!!

I have my idea.  Each kid brought $1 for the project.  I was able to buy a stool at Target and lots of acrylic gloss paint from WalMart. 

I sketched the watermelons and ant lines on the stool with pencil.  I wanted the students to see where the ants should be on the stool ... so I drew a line where they would put their fingerprints.  I had each student dip their pinky finger in black acrylic gloss paint and paint 2 of their fingerprints on any of the lines. 
As you can see, some of the ants are A LOT bigger than others.  LOL.  That is ok! 

Paint your initial layer of color, let it dry, repaint more layers until you like the consistency. 

 I added an ant hill on one side. 

Put a small black dot on each fingerprint for the ant's head.

Each head gets 2 small antenae with 2 small dots on top of each head.  I used a fine tip black Sharpie marker. 

Add 8 tiny legs on each fingerprint for the legs.  I used the Sharpie here too.

Add a few streaks of green and black for some grass for the ant hill. 

Add some black ovals in your watermelons for seeds. Erase your pencil lines! 

I sprayed it with Krylon Spray Paint Clear Gloss so the acrylic paint would not chip off.    
Maybe their class stool will get a good bid at the art auction!
Amy

Mirror Mirror on the Wall...

Who's the best paint of them all? OIL RUBBED BRONZE!

This mirror was red, gold, silver and brown and although it was fun, I just couldn't' figure out a home for it in our house. Nothing 'fit.' So I got my spray on and turned it's brown upside down.

Horrific iPhone pic but you get the idea... Before ORB

Recycling a Parents Magazine

Thought my beauty of a mirror could look good above my newly distressed and painted foyer table! For now, I'm liking. For later it may turn white.

(Don't judge the phone on the floor and hideous wall plug.)


Here's our old entry. We piled everything on this entry table, I know you do the same and that's another blog entirely! And YES, that's a microwave on the floor. Again, don't judge. We like heating up nuggets in the front room! This was taken when we were renovating our house so we crammed furniture and stuff everywhere! Notice the lovely yellow paint?

BEFORE

AFTER

Me likey! You likey?

Pop of Color

These chairs have been on the screen porch for 4 years.  Yes, they have survived quite well, but they definitely need some love.

Hello ugly worn out chairs! Meet my paint can.
Paint can, meet ulgy chairs.

 

HOW TO:


1.  Clean off the chair (Remove spider webs and old food particles!)


2.  Get a sanding block from the hardware store.


3.  Go over the entire chair lightly with the sanding block.   


4. Wipe off all the sanding dust.


5. Paint - small sprays if you are spray painting and you will need several layers (I used spray paint), OR if you are brush painting get a medium size paint brush that is angled on the end.  The angle spreads paint better and is great for all of the little spindles.  Any enamel paint will cover wonderfully and be sure to get the sheen you want (satin, semi-gloss, gloss, etc).

I sprayed 3 chairs "Krylon" Avocado Satin and 2 chairs "Valspar" Mediterranean Gloss.  


The gloss is definitely the way to go for these chairs.  Now I have to spray the green chairs with a clear gloss so the finishes match. 


I'm loving POP of color they added to our screen porch ... and the boys fight over which color chair they get to sit in.  Maybe I should've painted them all the same?!  :)

To rooster .... or not to rooster?!

Ewwwww?  Yes ewwwww!

Hideous!  I know ... what was I thinking buying this awful piece of metal sculpture years ago?  The sad thing is that I paid a hefty price for it.  To keep it, or toss it?! 

I am frugal ... KEEP IT!


This rooster is begging to meet the oil rubbed bronze spray paint (a.k.a. ORB).  Please spray me!


Let us see what happens .....

WAH-LAH!!! 


You can do it! 
Go try it at your home on something you want to toss.   

OIL RUBBED BRONZE ... AMAZING!!!

OK ... here is the thing ... we are frugal sisters always looking for ways to decorate and save money.  I have had these lamps for who knows how long.  You can definitely tell they are older because of the little beads hanging off the edges of the shades.  OMG ... lets get into 2010, please.  Embarrassing!  They cost about $12 each.

So we found the most AMAZING thing on the paint aisle at Home Depot ... OIL RUBBED BRONZE spray paint!  I am in heaven :) I mean, really?! 

So this is before ... the not so beautiful gold and black laquer lamps with beads hanging off the shades(sorry to all those who love gold!)

A few quick and easy sprays on each side, and hour in the sun, and a pair of scissors to cut off the 1999 beading and WA-LAH! 

Beautiful lamps that look like I bought them at a designer furniture store.  Add some fake fruit on clearance from TJ Maxx and a yellow table runner folded in half = new look. 

Now pay attention to the table ... that is our next project.  Stay tuned.