I know Easter is l just a few short days away, but I want to share the couple of decorations I made from inexpensive materials as some inspiration for the little time that's left or for next year.
To start, I purchased this wall-hanging decoration at the Dollar Tree.
I really like the image of the chicks and nest in the center, but the glittery frame just wasn't my thing. I knew it had to be altered.
Fortunately, the back of it was uncovered chipboard.
Start by coating the egg-shape with a layer or two of
gesso before using
Mod Podge to cover it with torn pages from an old dictionary.
Be more concerned with covering the frame completely than with whether the pieces hang off or not.
Once the glue is dry, use scissors and a
sanding block to remove the excess dictionary paper.
To tone down the words on the pages, paint the frame with a layer or two of watered-down gesso.
Here's where the fun begins! Stamp several colors of
Distress Ink onto a
non-stick craft sheet and spray it with water.
From there, quickly dab the frame in the ink to cover as much area as possible. Pick up and move the frame around to get different colors in different areas. Try not to drag it through the ink.
This is how it looks before the ink dries. LOVE!
While waiting for the ink to dry, punch out letters from some
Grungeboard, coat them with gesso, and paint them in a pretty violet shade of craft paint. (Of course, you could use stickers or other letters and any shade of craft paint you want.)
It doesn't take long for everything to dry. Once it is, glue the letters onto the frame.
I worked on filling the center of the frame between steps. This started with basic, plastic Easter eggs. These were also from the Dollar Tree and had two holes in their tops and bottoms.
Measure out about how many would fit in the frame, with space between. Then, use
waxed linen cord or other material (fishing line would work) to string the eggs together. Knot before and after each hole, using one short strand of cord for just the top of the first egg and one longer strand for the rest of the eggs. This longer one should begin at the top of the last egg and end in the bottom of the first egg. Let me also not that waxed cord will stretch some. I advise you to pull and stretch it a little so it doesn't do it on its own. (I did not, and I regret it.)
Here's a really bad diagram of how these were tied.
Once the eggs are strung, secure them with washi tape. (Masking take will work just as well.) Collect your Mod Podge and dictionary paper again for the next step.
Tear the paper into smaller pieces. Stick it to the eggs by painting on the Mod Podge, layering on the paper, coating the paper with more mod podge, and rubbing the paper flat (I used my finger). Start around the holes with the cord first. Also, begin with larger pieces of paper, then use smaller pieces to fill in missed areas.
Allow the decoupaged paper to dry then attach the string of eggs to the frame by simply tying them on.
Another quick decoration I created used a frame from the thrift store.
I realized that the one on the top there (with the picture) had no glass, but that the picture is just a canvas board that pops in and out pretty easily.
See!
When I painted the egg frame with gesso, I went ahead and coated this frame and the canvas board all at once. From there, sketch out your general shape onto the canvas board in pencil.
Sort through your buttons to get the colors you want. I went for pastels to keep with the general Easter theme.
Once you have what looks like enough buttons, simply glue them down in your shape with gel medium. I used a
slow-drying medium so I could move them around as needed. Please note that once the medium coats the pencil marks, you will be unable to erase them. Once your buttons are secure, erase the pencil marks that you can and paint over the rest with a thin brush and gesso.
Once everything is dry, pop your canvas board back in the frame.
Arrange your decorations on the wall in a pleasing pattern.
Because of the window and door on either side of where I hung these, I had a difficult time getting good pictures, no matter the time of the day.
In any case, here's a better look at them.
After the inks dried on this, the colors toned down a bit and are fabulous!
The buttons for this are not near as dark as they look in the picture. Like I said, the lighting was wonky.
I'm so pleased with my happy, little collection that came together quickly and inexpensively.
I hope this post inspires you to take a look at the supplies and decorations you may already have (but don't like anymore), and alter them to suit your tastes more.
Happy Crafting!!
