Hilari Brooke

Simple Canvas Bow Holder

My last post was about a canvas my son made for his bedroom. This is another fun and inexpensive way to add artwork to a little girl's bedroom. It also adds the functionality of organizing hair bows and clips.

For this canvas project, I used 2 8inch square canvases, Heidi Swapp Mask stencils (for the butterfly silhouette), acrylic craft paint, ribbons, and a hot glue gun. Sounds simple enough, right?!

First, lay the stencil over canvas. Spray with one color of color shine, then a second color to create a fade effect.

Second, remove the stencil and allow the color shine to dry completely.

Third, paint around the edges of the canvas. Allow to dry.

Last, cut ribbons to desired length. Hot glue to the back bottom edge of the canvas. Allow to cool. Hang up and enjoy!!

 

Canvas Stencil Art

Making art projects is something that I really enjoy but is also a really great way to get my kids to have fun and "play" with me. I have started to include my kids in the crafts I enjoy more and have noticed how excited they get. These canvas stencil art pieces are a great inexpensive and fun project that kids can easily help with or even do themselves.

My son was about 3 years old when he painted this canvas using craft acrylic paints and a few of my Heidi Swapp masks (stencils). We were changing the colors of his bedroom and this was a great way for him to make art for his space.

Starting with the lime green color, he covered the canvas with a layer of paint. We waited for that layer to be completely dry then added the stencils. For this project we did use stencils that have removable adhesive on the back which helps keep the image from moving but is not required. Just be sure to hold the stencil in place and work from the center of the shape outward. After covering the entire canvas with the light blue color, we again waited for that layer to be dry, then added another few stencil shapes. We added the darkest color last and went around all of the edges with the dark blue. After the painting was finished, I added his name and the date on the edge and hung it up in his bedroom.

I have used this technique with my kiddos a few times in the last 2 years so keep an eye out for posts featuring more variations.

 

Transformers Rescue Bots Birthday

One thing I really love to make is decor for parties, especially my kid's birthdays. They are at the age where they are picking character themed parties and while it is tempting to grab a bunch of ready made birthday decorations, plates, and favors that all match, it can become pretty pricey and mostly ends up in the trash.

For my son's last birthday, he requested a Transformers Rescue Bots 5th birthday party. There was not a lot of goodies available for purchase in this specific request so I turned to Pinterest for a couple ideas and added a few of my own.

Favor Candy Bags-- using some primary colored cardstock for toppers, adding punched out circles and hand-cut printed logos made this perfect customized treats!

My son helped by choosing some of his favorite characters and painting them with watercolors. Using clothespins and a long ribbon, we hung his artwork up in place of a banner.

Originally we had planned to have a giant bounce house in our backyard, but the rain changed those plans. I moved most of the furniture out of our bonus room (which is where my craft supplies live) and set up a few coloring stations with printable pages. When looking for character specific coloring pages, check television network websites or google images-- Transformers Rescue Bots coloring pages we used were printed from hubnetwork.com .

Wyatt also brought out all of his Transformers toys to share with his friends and add to the theme.

This was my favorite party of the party decor. Maybe because I "saw" it so clearly in my head and it worked out perfectly. Or maybe because I used my favorite Heidi Swapp shiny Color Shine on a "boy themed" project. Either way I LOVE IT all thanks to my awesome Silhouette Cameo!!

Autobot Logo Diecut-- After finding the google image for a simple logo, turn it into a cut file in the Silhouette Studio software. Adjust the image for size -- this one measures about 10 inches-- and cut out of solid white cardstock. Using Heidi Swapp Color Shine, spray the entire page and allow to dry before removing  from cutting mat. Remove the pieces and arrange onto a solid blue cardstock. Trim around the outer edge and adhere to bucket to be filled with treats or snacks!