Today's Must Reads

We’ve all heard the saying “think outside the box” but today we will think outside the brush! Let’s explore an assortment of household items you can use instead of a paintbrush to create a piece worthy of being on display. This piece of mixed media abstract wall art proves that sometimes art is more about the experience than the final outcome as we will shop our home for tools. See how to add more layers and textures, including the addition of an embroidered phrase. Once complete, proudly hang this creation using a timeless frame, like the natural finish of our Tierra Floater Frame which allows your canvas piece to stand out.

Step 1: Shop your home! It’s time to grab an assortment of items that can be tools, that are not the typical paintbrush. Think about an assortment of sizes and patterns these tools may create. Consider items like a plastic fork, pencil, bubble wrap, tissue paper, old toothbrush, paper cup, and a silver chain to use as tools. Straws can apply a small round circle but you can also blow in one end to push the paint.

Step 2: Prepare! Lay newspaper or scrap cardboard down to protect your workspace. Paper plates made great palettes to hold paint, especially for larger “tools” that need to be dipped in to be loaded with paint.

Step 3: Explore! Dip your tools into the paint colors and apply them to the canvas. Tip:  practice the imprint on a scrap piece of paper or cardstock prior to painting. Don’t be afraid to overload what you just laid down for a different look.

Step 4: Layer it! Keep going to layers, depth and texture with your found tools. We used the same techniques as our other embroidered canvas with a printed template, pinpoint guide and sewn embroidery to add this “be the positive” message to our canvas. Grab this “be the positive” template to create your own happy canvas.

Step 5: Frame it! Our Tierra Floater Frame has a beautiful natural finish that lets your abstract art piece do the talking! Hang it on your wall or sit it on a shelf and surround it with other positive energy items.

About The Author

Tara Nehil is author of SpotOfTeaDesigns.com, a lifestyle blog sharing home décor, crafts, party inspiration and parenting lessons learned the hard way. Her graphic design background is evident in the home she lives in and styles with her husband of 8 years and 2 young daughters. Follow her creative journey for photo tutorials, printables, budget-friendly decorating tips and ways to celebrate occasions big and small.

Allow your art to stand out and stand up with a fun abstract textured wall art piece made with modeling paste. This thick texturing material is the perfect way to create a unique design that can look high-end and store-bought, even though it’s made by your own hands. Have fun building this abstract piece with palette knives, plastic spoons or whatever tools are handy to create this textured look. Once dry and painted to match your room’s theme, frame this stunner piece in a Coleman Floater frame with a nice weathered look.

Supplies:

• Coleman Floater Frame
• Canvas 11 x 14
• Modeling Paste
• Palette Knife
• Acrylic Paint – silver metallic, blues

Protect your surface and lay your canvas down. Apply a thick layer of modeling paste using a palette knife.

The thicker you lay it on the canvas, the more depth you can create in the design later. If desired you can mix an acrylic color right into the paint at this stuff, but we prefer overpainting it once dry so it doesn’t dilute the color.

Now comes the fun part. Use whatever tools you may have, including your palette knife, to create a pattern. Dip into the layer of modeling paste. Spin. Drag. Poke. Make it a repeat pattern or randomize the impressions. Whatever you do, have fun with the highs and lows you can create in this material.

Allow the modeling paste to fully dry. In the case of these dimensional canvas crafts, like our textured wall art made with joint compound, we tend to wait 24 hours before adding color.

Let’s paint! We chose to paint the entire surface with one custom blue color as the base.

Use a dry brush technique to add metallic silver tips to the top of the abstract design. This dual-color design enhances the 3-dimensional look of the canvas.

Once fully dry, secure the textured canvas into your Coleman Floater Frame.

The dark grey veneer of this wood frame allows virtually any artwork design to blend in seamlessly!

About The Author

Tara Nehil is author of SpotOfTeaDesigns.com, a lifestyle blog sharing home décor, crafts, party inspiration and parenting lessons learned the hard way. Her graphic design background is evident in the home she lives in and styles with her husband of 8 years and 2 young daughters. Follow her creative journey for photo tutorials, printables, budget-friendly decorating tips and ways to celebrate occasions big and small.

Have you ever seen a piece of wall art at a high-end retailer and thought “I could make that!”? Chances are, you can! Today we’re showing you how to make a high-end dupe of a wall art piece found at Anthropologie using a skein of white yarn, craft glue, and spray paint. The natural finish of the Tierra Floater Frame allows the beauty of your string maze to stand out while in your home. Lean it on a mantle, display it using the included hanging materials or hang it front and center of a wall gallery. 

Supplies:

• Tierra Floater Frame
• Canvas 11 x14
• White Yarn
• White Glue
• White Spray Paint
• Paper plate or bowl
• Water
• Disposable gloves recommended

This textured wall art piece from Anthropologie costs a pretty penny and while it might be slightly larger than the dup we’re creating, the steps are essentially the same.

Cover your work surface, lay a piece of white canvas down as your base, and put on a pair of disposable gloves. Things are about to get sticky! Pour some white glue into a bowl or plate, add a small amount of water and mix to thin slightly.

Cut long pieces of white thread and fully submerge them into the glue mixture. Lift out and lay onto the canvas in a pattern similar to the high-end version. This includes lots of loops and curves with straighter lines.

Allow the thread layer to dry fully and make sure it’s secured to the canvas.

Spray the entire canvas with white spray paint. This will blend the color of the yarn and the color of the canvas as one.

Once fully dry, secure the canvas in the Tierra frame using the hardware included with your order.

This floater-style canvas frame allows the canvas piece to be secured but does not overwhelm the piece with thick moulding.

The natural finish matches virtually any room making it a beautiful staple to your home décor.

About The Author

Tara Nehil is author of SpotOfTeaDesigns.com, a lifestyle blog sharing home décor, crafts, party inspiration and parenting lessons learned the hard way. Her graphic design background is evident in the home she lives in and styles with her husband of 8 years and 2 young daughters. Follow her creative journey for photo tutorials, printables, budget-friendly decorating tips and ways to celebrate occasions big and small.

YOU can create art. Yes, YOU, dear reader are an artist! Even if picking up a paintbrush isn’t for you, there are many ways to express yourself to create art for your home. Look around and you might be surprised where inspiration strikes! We found inspiration in the craft aisle of our local dollar store where we picked up a few packs of mini wood blocks and created a unique wooden block mosaic wall art! Get inspired to embrace the imperfections of wood blocks that look strong in a chunky Artic Flat frame. 

Supplies:

• Frame
• Wood Blocks
• Hot Glue Gun and Glue

Pour out your wood blocks. You might notice some inconsistencies in texture, color, wood grain or might even find some knots or holes. All these imperfections will make your piece even more unique so embrace them in your piece!

Arrange your wood blocks on the frame. Then apply glue and place them down. We did this one row at a time since hot glue isn’t always very forgiving.

Add the hanging hardware and add to your wall space.

We took advantage of this tall, skinny spot in a bedroom and create a mosaic of wood blocks that seem to dissolve at the top. Not bad for only $8 of wood blocks!    

About The Author

Tara Nehil is author of SpotOfTeaDesigns.com, a lifestyle blog sharing home décor, crafts, party inspiration and parenting lessons learned the hard way. Her graphic design background is evident in the home she lives in and styles with her husband of 8 years and 2 young daughters. Follow her creative journey for photo tutorials, printables, budget-friendly decorating tips and ways to celebrate occasions big and small.

Creating watercolor art is such a unique experience in trying to tame an element that naturally spreads. Watercolor artists spend lots of time trying to perfect their technique to create beautiful florals, landscapes or abstract pieces. But we’re here to share a way to capture the same beautiful watercolor effect in a much shorter time frame. Learn how to create faux watercolor art using basic washable markers and a plastic food storage bag. Frame these water-based pieces of art in minimalist style frames, like our Bianca frame, to allow the art to stand out, while still providing a contemporary look in your home.

Supplies:

• Frame
• Watercolor Paper
• Washable Markers
• Gallon Plastic Food Storage Bag
• Spray Bottle
• Paper Towel
• Optional: Look for Stars PDF File 

First, cover your work surface. Lay your food storage bag down flat and color on it with your washable markers to lay the color down. Experiment with different color palettes, like rainbows, cool colors or warm colors.

Fill your water bottle up and spray some water on the bag covered in marker. This will add droplets to the plastic and possibly plenty some colors. 

Place a piece of watercolor paper over the bag and press or rub down to capture all the marker material. Lift straight up and if any colors are starting to pool, dab with a paper towel to slow that pooling effect.  

Once dry, you can frame it as is, or take a step further and put it in your printer and print a phrase of your choice onto the paper. If you want to create this exact project, you can download our Look for Stars PDF listing in our supplies.

The thin molding of our Bianca frame is perfect for these colorful faux watercolor pieces as the minimalist style allows your art to stand out in your home.

About The Author

Tara Nehil is author of SpotOfTeaDesigns.com, a lifestyle blog sharing home décor, crafts, party inspiration and parenting lessons learned the hard way. Her graphic design background is evident in the home she lives in and styles with her husband of 8 years and 2 young daughters. Follow her creative journey for photo tutorials, printables, budget-friendly decorating tips and ways to celebrate occasions big and small.