Kids in the Hall: Instagram Home Display

Being unemployed means cutting costs, and that includes gifts. No worries. I've always felt one of the best ways to express love is through the giving of a handmade gifts. So this Valentine's Day I decided to surprise Cory with a photo display in our previously boring, white hallway.

[Before we proceed, I need to apologize, as the quality of my step shots isn't ideal. Taking a good picture in a poorly lit hallway is a tough task, to say the least. Please excuse the lackluster lighting. Thanks!]

I was inspired by an awesome Instagram display on the Beautiful Mess blog. So cute! And so many awesome tips, like using painter's tape as the adhesive and to achieve even spacing. Brilliant!

First thing's first—print the Instagrams. Or any 4"x4" prints. I've had many printed and waiting to be used for a while now, thanks to the awesome folks at Persnickety Prints. Because I'm a procrastinator, I had to order a few of my remaining prints from the local drugstore so I could pick them up and get them on the wall before Cory got home that night. Procrastinator, I tell ya!

I've gotta say, Persnickety Prints is the way to go. They quality of those prints compared to the ones printed at my local drugstore is night and day.

Do It To It

Begin with a clean wall. I used a rag and rubbing alcohol to get a good clean. Something I read on the back of my Command Hooks package once upon a time.

Next, I added pieces of painter's tape to the corners of the photos and My Mind's Eye Record It! scrapbooking cards I wanted to use in my design.

I found the center of my wall and aligned a laser level to help ensure my display was straight. (Though, I could have done a better job here. It's slightly crooked. D'oh!)

I then attached my center journaling card.

Next, I added the next cards above and below the center, using strips of painter's tape to evenly space between each card.

Now that the center of my heart is in place, I can start to add the surrounding photos. Again, I made sure to place painter's tape strips in between each element.

For the top portion of the heart, I simply placed a photo half way between the two photos on the row beneath.

The heart is complete!

But you know I couldn't stop here. Not when I had a pile of fun prints still waiting to be used. So I extended the Instagram fun by adhering the photos along the length of the hall.

I even placed a photo in the spot between my craft room and Maggie's room.

I absolutely adore the personality this adds to our upstairs hallway. And you know who else loves it? Yup, my handsome Valentine. I catch him and his baby girl taking it all in on a regular basis. Looks like my $free.99 Valentine's Day surprise is a hit!

Insta-Awesome
If you're looking for a quick and affordable way (sure beats spending bookoo bucks on a bunch of frames) to dress up a bland area of your home, hanging Instagram prints (or any prints, for that matter) is the way to go, yo.

Your Help
I'm always looking for other Instagram display/project ideas. Any suggestions?

Cheers!

Brush Script: My Attempt

If you came to brush up on the latest there is to know about the art of creating a brush script, you're probably in the wrong spot. Scratch that—you are in the wrong spot. But if you came to see a novice test her hand at this art of creating a script font using liquid color, I'm happy to welcome you aboard!

Over on the Scrapbook & Cards Today blog, I share a great deal about the up-and-coming trend of brush script. I invite you to take a look for more about products available, trend experts and artists, and even classes being offered on creating this cool look.

Painting at Grandma's house. Circa... 1988 (ish).

Here, I'm simply going to explore a few self-taught approaches to creating my script using a paintbrush and two different forms of ink: spray and dye. I've always LOVED playing with paint and paper, so this was a fun world to explore.

Spray Ink Painting
Let's start with spray. These are the tools I used:

Mister Huey's spray ink by Studio Calico; shipping tag from Office Depot; paper towel c/o Mr. Brawny; Tulip paintbrush by iLovetoCreate

First things first—the ink. I simply unscrewed a bottle of my Mister Huey's spray ink and dipped my brush right in. No muss. No fuss.

I practiced on basic shipping tags, though any paper surface should do. Ideally, I imagine watercolor paper would be the way to go, but I'm not certain about this. And I didn't have any on hand, so the shipping tags would have to do.

As you can see, it takes some practice to get the hang it. Good thing I have a massive box of shipping tags, eh?

I thought it would be fun to turn the tags into thank-you tags to go with the handmade goods I occasionally sell, so I set to writing many "thanks!"

To create the splatter effect, I simply held the nozzle of my Mr. Huey's bottle above the tag and tapped on in . I did this after I wrote "thanks."

I liked practicing the same word over and over for a few reasons:

1. I could compare and contrast outcomes as I painted at different angles/different amounts of pressure/different quantities of ink/etc.

2. I could see how the effect would change with different ink colors.

3. Like snowflakes, no two pieces of brush script art are going to be identical. It's fun to see how they each get their own splash of personality.

This hobby is so fun, I even managed to convince Cory to try it with me. He's a good sport!

I love how everybody's handwriting is going to make their brush script unique!

Yes, it was a regular family affair.

Eventually, I spread my wings and tried other surfaces, such as little gift bags.

Now, all I needed was a little clothespin (Crate Paper) to make a Valentine's Day package for Miss Maggie D.

From bags, I decided to get real carried away and go multi-color with my strokes. Whaaaaat?!? Yes, it's true!

To do this, I would suggest starting with the lightest shade and progressing to the darkest to avoid ink cross contamination.

A few things I picked up along the way:

1. Drag the brush at the beginning and end of words to enhance the look (like the U on my bag above). It looks more hand-painted this way or something (vs. making a clean cut at a word's end).

2. If you're using a flat brush, as I was (probably not the ideal choice), hold it on its side for a finer font.

3. Be careful where you start and stop. The start/stop marks will show. I did my best to complete an entire word before lifting my brush, and then I'd simply go back over areas as needed. NOTE: Don't over go-over. You can quickly add too much color by going back over. I messed up many a tag this way.

Know Before You Go
As I've said, I'm far from a trained expert on the matter. If you're seeking more formal training (and who could blame you?), I suggest you check out Studio Calico's new Life Scripted online class, happening now. It looks like lots of fun, and students have had great things to say about it.

Image credit: Studio Calico

Ink Pad Painting
Back in the day, I worked for Stampin' Up!, where I learned this cool tidbit—If you squeeze your stamp pad when it's closed, a pool of ink will form in the lid.

Okay, maybe "puddle" is the more accurate word, but it's enough ink that you can dip your paint brush and use it to try a round of scripted painting.

So I dipped a toe... errr, brush, and tested the dye-ink waters.

How does this compare to spray ink? Let's pro and con!

Pro: It's easier to control because your brush is dryer.
Con: It has a less artistic look to it (in my opinion).
Pro: It's more even coverage (if that's the look you seek).
Con: It's harder to see.

Hmmm... I suppose there's a time and a place for both approaches.

I then decided to add little hearts to my envelope. Here's how this is done. First, hold your brush at an angle, slanting it on the diagonal, and rub it back in forth on the paper.

Repeat. This time, going at the opposite diagonal, to complete the heart.

You don't have to reapply ink to the brush between each heart. If you don't, some will have less saturation and others more, giving the project more depth.

Will, that's all she wrote. While this is far from the Brush Script-ures, I hope my trial and error process has offered you some insight as you approach your own projects. And I'd love to know which approach— spray ink or ink pad — you like better.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers!

The Bow Must Go On: Bow-inspired gift wrap

Dapper Dan, is that you? Oh, no, it's just the bow show, continuing after the fun had on Monday with Megan my bow tutorials.

I put a few of those bows to good use on a couple of debonair designs for my handsome Valentine.

Lookin' fine, Valentine.

What would my Valentine be without a matching card? Do cards get any easier than this? It's a bow on a piece of paper. Whoa! Mustn't overdo. ;)

Okay, so I also added a sentiment. Not wanting to disrupt the bow-tie feel of my card front, I adhered a new My Mind's Eye journaling card to the top of the back of the card.

So, the gift within this package is less than exciting.  

Tell me something, do you think it's smart to dress the gift to the nines when it will be opened to reveal a... meh? Or do you think it's better to set the stage from the beginning? You know, wrap my ho-hum gift in a plastic grocery sack or something. Jury's out for me. You might say it's a bow tie.  >:<

Cheers!