Fabric Art

Ok so this is so simple I feel almost silly posting a "how to" for it. Nevertheless I wish to prove a point with this mini tutorial:

You don't have to spend mucho-bucks to have fabulous customized wall art... not only that but it is so simple to make anyone could do this. I made mine while eating lunch!

Remember the recovered ironing board from this post in all it's yummy fabric glory? Well I had a bit of fabric left over that I know would be just perfect for something, I just didn't know what yet.

Save the scraps! You never know when they'll come in handy.

So today as I sat at the dining room table eating my quesadilla it dawned on me: why not take a few portions of this fantastic fabric and frame them. Instant color plus it helps carry the pattern from the ironing board up to the walls without being too overwhelming.

See, I really was eating lunch!

My first thought was, "I need to buy a few frames, Dollar Tree here I come!" Then I remembered a gorgeous frame my sister-in-law had given me for Christmas several years ago. It was a deep chocolate {perfect!} with a cuter than life bow. I have always loved the frame, but had grown tired of the photos I had placed in them. This was the perfect chance to spruce the inside up and hang once again.

I laid the fabric out on the table and played around with the placement of the frame in between munches of quesadilla. Here are some of my faves:

Here's the one I decided on:

Now came the tricky part - cutting this piece out while making minimal damage to the remaining fabric. I want to do at least one more frame and am not sure which portion of the pattern I will choose.

So I got some painters tape and put a bit on each of the four sides on the inside of the mat. That way when I cut it out, I would remember where I had placed my mat and get it centered.

Once taped off, I cut 1/2 inch away from the tape, leaving plenty of room to attach to the back of the mat and not damaging a nearby flower that might make it into the next frame.

Then I took one more piece of painters tape,  placed it sticky side up, and laid the top portion of the fabric on it.

Using the tape to center fabric in mat.

That way when I used the other pieces of tape as my centering guide all I had to do was press down from the front and the top portion was adhered.

All that was left to do was remove the tape from the front and use it to secure the other sides on the back.

Stepped back, admired my work, washed down the quesadilla with fruit punch {nutritious, I know} and put the frame back together.

Easy-Peasy!

Place in frame, clean glass {wow there were a lot of finger prints!} and enjoy my instant art!

Have you used fabric scraps to fill your frames?

EDITED TO ADD: I have had a few inquires as to where the fabric came from . It was from Walmart and I spent all of $1.49 to recover an ironing board and make some art.. and there is still more left! Can I get a happy dance? :)

All photos taken by yours truly.

Radio Gifts

Remember this frame that I had made to giveaway on the radio program I co-host? Well on that same post I shared that I would be making 4 more to giveaway on that same program. This last Sunday we hosted another giveaway and here is what the winner received:

I am so pleased with how it turned out!

Last time I made these little flowers I found round objects to trace around and cut the circles out with scissors. This time I wised up and used my scrapbooking templates with little blades. {Is there an official name for those?}

And just to prove that I am pretty much always a crazy-haphazard-crafting-housewife, here is where I worked:

on the floor, in a dimly lit bedroom, next to the clean laundry pile.

It was 12:30 at night and I had been reading my scripture to finish preparing what I wanted to say on the radio the next day. The theme was " Establish." {Psalm 90:17} Asking God to make the work of our hands fruitful for His kingdom and for future generations. It is a word that has been such an encouragement to me for several weeks now. And as I shared on the radio, it has become the word for our home. One which we have been praying for and He was faithful to give. I'll be sharing more on that later on... along with a beautiful reveal of home decor that reflects that. 

That cream paper is textured with little polka dots. So Pretty!

Since the the majority of our audience is Spanish speaking, the words on any frame I make are in Spanish.

This one says, "Confirm the work of our hands." It's the second part of Psalm 90:17 Spanish NIV.

Today my challenge for you is to take any and every task that you may face - no matter how small and insignificant - and see it as an opportunity to impact someones life with love and service. Ask God to Establish the work of your hands, so that any task you do will have a positive impact on someone.

Maybe you are crafting/decorating your home. As you do, pray for the people who will enter your home and be blessed by the peaceful and lovely surroundings. That they would feel comfortable in the nest you have so lovingly made.

What everyday task could you change

into a blessing for someone today?

All photos taken by yours truly.