Hello, Friends!

Hi! I am so excited you are checking out this first post! There is something about creating something yourself that evokes happiness. A knitted scarf, a bowl of pasta, a photograph. When you put your soul into something, you have the power to mold an extended representation of who you are.

I have a passion for losing myself, my worries, and my time in paintbrushes, ribbons, yummy (easy-to-follow) recipes, and all things cute & creative. This will be a fun platform for sharing all my projects and obsessions with friends - and hopefully it will inspire you to try something you haven't thought about yet!

Without further ado, these little portraits are my latest creations:

**I am still working with adjusting the lighting, sizing, etc., (as this is obv. my first post & kind of a trial run) so please bear with me on the photo quality.**


So those little gems are up on my living room wall right now and they are just oh-so-CUTE!!! They add so much personality to what was an empty space of bland light-yellow wall; and I have gotten so many compliments on them!! The great thing is, they didn't take too much time, $$$, or skill to make!

What I used:

 -Square Canvas (I used 5 squares) 

-Rolls of border strips (I used a different border for each square. They were about $4/roll at Michael's. Tight budget? Use same border on all squares!)

 -A tree stencil (I love stencils! They make everything so much easier.)

-Tape

-Glue (that dries CLEAR!)

-Paint (I used brown for the tree trunk/branches, green on leaves & blue on bird)
-Thin paint brushes

-Flowers, assorted colors ($3/pack)

1. Tape stencil down to center of canvas. Use brushes to paint inside stencil with steady brushstrokes. Be careful not to lay on paint too thick so that it slides underneath stencil. *Tip*: Always paint towards the inside of the stencil to keep paint within the lines. Remove stencil carefully and wash off with warm water before residual paint drys so that it is fresh for the next use. Let canvas dry.
2. Cut 4 pieces of border strips same length of sides of canvas. Remove sticky back and spread thin layer of glue on back of border (I used clear glue, but I had a difficult time making it stick to the canvas, so in the future I will try a hot glue gun) and place the middle of the strip (long ways) going down the thin edges/sides of the canvas so that half folds over the front and half covers the back. This will cover the sides with border pattern for a better visual effect upon completion.
3. Cut 4 more pieces of border strips. Glue 2 strips on the face sides first. Next, glue 2 remaining strips on top and bottom of canvas face. 
4. Apply clear glue to flowers and stick them near areas with leaves. Let dry!

These were so much fun to make; and the instructions above are only a general guideline for how to make them. There are so many possibilities for variation! Different stencils......painting the canvas with a background hue....incorporating fabric........substituting buttons, etc. in place of flowers. The possibilities are endless. :)

beijos,
MK