Harry Potter Melted Crayon Art

So almost everyone knows about the typical melted crayon art where you just line up crayons on a canvas and apply heat to get the streaks of melted wax. Well here is a different version of that same concept, however I added my own little geeky, fan girl twist...the deathly hallows symbol. 

What You Will Need

1. Canvas. It doesn't really matter what size or type of canvas you used. However if it's your first time trying this then I recommend using a smaller canvas just in case you mess up.

2. Crayons. In my experience, it doesn't matter what brand of crayon you use, I used both Crayola and the cheaper brands. However it's whatever you prefer. Just make sure you get different shades of the colors you want to use so it has more of the watercolor effect.

3. Masking tape. This will be used to trace the outline of your design. I found masking tape works a lot better than painters tape since it sticks to the canvas a lot better.

4. Hair dryer. This is used to melt the crayons.

And you're probably going to want some sort of sheet or something to do this on since the crayons do tend to splatter bit.

How To Make It

1. First you want to take the masking tape and outline the design you would like to stay white on the canvas. You might want to lightly draw the outline in pencil first and then tape over it. You're probably going to have to cut the tape in small strips, just try to get the edges as straight as possible in order for your design to be straight. Also I would try to stay away from more circular designs unless you have an exacto knife and can just cut away the extra tape. However, to make the circle, such as the one in the deathly hallows, just cut really small pieces of tape instead of using larger strips in order for the shape to actually look circular. It's a pain in the butt, but it can be done.

2. After you are satisfied with your outline, put down whatever sheet or trash bag or whatever you are using to protect the surface

3. It's time to melt the crayons! This part is a tad difficult to explain but I'm going to try my best and hopefully yall with be able to follow. Turn the hair dryer on High (varies with hair dryers, but high works better when trying to initially melt the crayons) and Hot. Grab a crayon, hold it away from the canvas to begin with, and start heating up the crayon; twirling it in your fingers to make sure it gets melted all the way around. Once you realize the crayon is starting to get more wet and melted, while still applying heat, put the crayon on the canvas until you are satisfied with the blob of color. Does your blob just look like a muddy blob of crayon? No worries. Just keep applying heat to the blob until the wax is melted enough that you can control its movements throughout the canvas using the hair dryer.

4. Okay here is how to get the effect like the one I did. I started using the darker colors in the corner and then just began layering the lighter colors as I went across and down the canvas. To try avoiding the sudden contrast of color I tried to pick shades that were close to each other, so the colors gradually got lighter. Another way of avoiding the sudden contrast is when you have different colors heat them enough so both colors are melted enough and position the hair dryer in different ways around the canvas until they are sort of combined. The good thing about this project that if you aren't satisfied with the way it looks, you can always reheat the melted crayons and just try blowing the wax in all different directions and adding different colors until you are satisfied. I'm really sorry if none of that made any sense, but it's one of those projects you just have to experiment with until you like what you get. And don't get discouraged if after five minutes it doesn't look the way you want it. It takes a lot of layering and melting to get these results.

5. Once the melted wax has cooled and dried (it doesn't take long but if you're really impatient use the cool setting on the hair dryer to speed up this process), carefully remove the tape so that none of the crayon around it comes off as well. Some of the crayon might have ran under the tape, but it's fine unless your design is completely unrecognizable. If your design does look horrible (and I'm pretty sure it doesn't!) you can always just cover it up with more melted crayons so the entire canvas is just melted crayons!

Thanks guys for bearing with me through this post and I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. Gotta love that work life...anyways I hope this post helps you in creating a unique version of the melted crayon art. And just so everyone knows, I found this technique on Pinterest from another crafting blog, I just added the Harry Potter effect :) Happy crafting!

She's A Rose, She's A Pearl...

This is just something I made after my initiation into my sorority, Sigma Alpha Iota. You can write whatever you want on it but here are instructions on how to do the simple layout! Also, excuse my gross handwriting on this

What You Will Need

1. Canvas or Wooden canvas, either can be purchased at Walmart or your local crafting store. I used a wooden canvas for this.

2. Paint and paint brushes. I suggest acrylic paint from Walmart or a local crafting store in whatever colors you wish to use.

3. Pearls. I purchased these in the beading section at Walmart. I also suggest buying the larger pearls, they are far easier to work with than the smaller sized.

4. Hot glue gun. These can be found pretty cheap, especially at Walmart (can you tell that I do a lot of shopping at Walmart?)

5. Paint pens or Q-tips or Sharpie.  You can either make the polka dots using a paint pen or Q-tips and normal paint. I find paint pens to be easier however and the finished product looks cleaner using a paint pen. You can also use either a paint pen or Sharpie for the writing. 

How To Make It

1. Paint the entire surface of your canvas/wood/whatever you are using. It will probably take several coats to completely cover the surface and eliminate brush strokes. To improve quality, be sure to make each stroke in one direction instead of all over the place. It looks cleaner and will take less strokes. Let the paint COMPLETELY DRY, otherwise it'll be messed up and you have to start over.

2. Take either a Sharpie or paint pen and write/draw whatever you would like. You could lightly write/draw first in pencil and then trace over with the Sharpie or paint pen to make sure everything looks the way you would like it to. You may also have to trace over it several times with the sharpie/paint pen to get the color and boldness you would like. Let this completely dry

3. With either a paint pen or Q-tip, start making the polka dots in the empty spaces.  Depending on the paint pen, you might have to draw the circle and fill it in or you might just need to press down the pen on the surface. If you are using a Q-tip, dip the end of the Q-tip in paint and make the outline of the circle then filling it in. If you don't like the borders of the circle, the just make the circle a little bigger, painting over the old border and forming a new one.

4. Here comes the annoying part...easy, but annoying. Plug in the hot glue gun and after you are sure the glue is hot, start hot gluing the pearls to the board. Make a small dot of glue on the pearl, and firmly press it to the canvas for a few seconds. Warning, some of the pearls might fall off over time, so you will probably have to re-glue them at some point. It takes a while to glue all of these on but it's easy and it looks really cool! And after this part you're done!!!

Painted Letters/Monograms with pictures

These are letters I made for a friend for Christmas. I made something similar for my dorm and she asked me to make one for her as well. These are really simple to make and make great artwork for a wall.

Items You Will Need

1. Wooden letters. These can be found at any craft store.

2. Paint. You can find at either a craft store or Walmart.

3. Brushes. I like using the sponge brushes since they tend to leave a more ever coat and it's less time consuming. However, if you plan on painting the edges a different color than the top, then I would recommend using a smaller brush or a q-tip to avoid getting the color on the top.

4. Pictures. The pictures I used I just printed out from my computer and printed them in black in white. Cheap and easy. Also have a separate brush for the mod podge part.

5. Mod-podge. This is what keeps the pictures on the letter. This can also be found at Walmart or any craft store.

6. (optional) Borders. For the letters pictured above I used some leftover "teacher borders" type things that I had leftover from a project from sixth grade or something. I have no idea where they came from but I am sure they can be found at craft stores. You could also cut out small squares or scrapbook paper, and then place the picture on top of that to also obtain a border effect.

How To Make It

1. If the wood of the letters is rough, I recommend taking a piece of sand paper and sanding it down a little until the wood is smooth. I promise this will be a big help to you when painting. Painting will go on a lot smoother, requiring less coats. Also, it will just look neater.

2. It's time to start painting. I start out with painting the top of the letters first. Paint your first coat and then let it completely dry. Repeat until you get the color desired. Then I moved to the edges. This should be done carefully to try to avoid getting paint on the top you just painted. Also, depending on the letter, you might want to only paint certain edges, wait for them to dry, then paint the others in order to avoid sticking your hands in wet paint. If you get paint on the top part, just carefully touch it up, let it dry, and repeat until it's back to normal. An easy fix.

3. After the paint is completely dry, and I do mean completely, it's time to mod-podge your pictures to the letter. First, layout your pictures across the letter to make sure they fit and are ordered the way you want them. If need be, snip some of the pictures accordingly so they fit on the letter. It might take some trial and error and a little time. When you have the pictures placed where you want them put a little, and I really do emphasize little, mod-podge on a brush and brush it all over the back of a picture. Seriously guys, little bit of mod-podge. If you use too much, it'll ruin the picture and just really messy. Then place the picture on the frame. Make sure the picture is laid out evenly, if not just run your finger over it to straighten it out. Then repeat with the other pictures. If you are using scrapbook paper to create the border effects, mod-podge your pictures to scrapbook paper first and then mod-podge it on the frame. Once the pictures are on the frame, some people like to do a layer of mod-podge on top as well, but I do not and my pictures currently look fine on the letter. 

4. If you are using borders, trim the borders to fit around the pictures and lay them out over the pictures first to make sure everything is the way you want them. If they look good, go ahead and brush a LITTLE mod-podge on them and lay them down around the picture. This may get a little frustrating and messy since they are so small, but it's worth it. 

5. Enjoy!

Here is a picture of the first letter I made for my room. It's not my favorite, but here is just another option. I also added music note stickers to mine since I'm a music major and I feel like my letter needed something extra.

Polka Dot Frame

This is a frame I made for one my best friends for Christmas. These make great gifts, especially since you can personalize it to fit whatever situation. It's really inexpensive and doesn't take very long to make. Not to mention that my friend loved it!

Items You Will Need

1. Frame. This particular frame was purchased at Michael's. I normally buy all of my frames for Walmart or Hobby Lobby since they are cheaper, but I was at Michael's and they are the only store I have found with this type of frame. Also, a tip for picking out a frame, make sure to look over the frame carefully before to buy it to check if there are any cracks or anything. I try to find frames that don't have cracks, the edges are smooth, and the wood is a little bit of a lighter color (just to make painting a little easier).

2. Paint. This can be found at any craft store or Walmart for pretty cheap.

3. Picture. Again, I recommend using the instant prints at Walmart if you don't already have a picture. Or you can always print one from your computer as well haha

4. Q-tips. A good way to paint the polka dots.

5. Paint-pen or sharpie. To write the quote. Either works just as well as the other. I used a black sharpie for this frame and the outcome is just the same as if you use a paint pen. But paint pens can be found at Walmart or any craft store in the paint aisle.

6. Brushes. I like to use sponge brushes when I paint large areas of wood, the color comes out more even

How To Make It

1. If your frame is really rough, especially around the edges, I recommend taking a piece of sand paper and lightly sanding the frame to make it smooth. Not only will it look a lot better, but it will be a whole lot easier to paint. Also take out the glass or plastic in the picture section of the frame before you do anything with paint.

2. Paint the entire frame the color you would like to be your base color. However, keep in mind that the color you paint your polka dots needs to be seen over the base color, but I really don't think that will be a huge problem. Make sure you paint the frame evenly. Wait for the first coat to dry and then paint another coat. Repeat until you are happy with the outcome. It normally only takes about two coats and I don't like there to be any sign of wood at all. Also, whether or not you want to paint the back side of the frame is up to you (I always do because it looks more professional in my opinion)

3. Once the base is completely dry, then take a Q-tip, dip it in the paint that you wish to be the polka dot. Carefully draw the outline of the polka dots on your frame, replacing the q-tip when necessary, since it will become frayed after a few uses. Once you have your outlines, begin to fill them in, still using a Q-tip. You will have to do several coats in order for the color to be even. Be sure to wait for each coat to dry before you start another coat, otherwise the first coat will get messed up. Normally the coat is dry by the time you finish with the rest of the polka dots. Another option: if you are worried about the way your polka dots will turn out, lightly draw them on the frame with a pencil first and then paint. Also, no worries if you mess up a little on the polka dot and paint outside the line, just make the polka dot a little bigger. Optional: to give my frames and polka dots a little bit of more color, I outlined some of them in the color I wrote my quote with. You can either do this with a Sharpie or paint pen. 

4. All the paint on the frame is completely dry, then you can write the quote you wish to write. The one I used was from Starkid's Holy Musical B@tman, since it's an inside joke between my friend and I. And the quote was fitting for our friendship. Later on I might post some of my favorite quotes that I have used, so be on the lookout for that :) Anyways, you can either write out lightly with a pencil your quote if you are worried about bad handwriting like I am, or you can go straight to the Sharpie or paint pen. When using a Sharpie or paint pen, if you are left handed, be sure not to drag your hand or anything in what you just wrote, especially with a paint pen since they tend to be a little bit more watery than a Sharpie. Let this completely dry.

5. Once the frame is completely dry, add your picture and enjoy!

Collages

Are you looking for a good way to display pictures and other memories? I think this is a great way. It's also great for dorm rooms because you can have several smaller items in a larger frame without taking up as much space and remember great times from home. And you can make one about anything, using almost anything. For example, the two above are memories from my senior year of high school. The top one is from where my high school marching band won a Band of America Regional competition and in it I managed to show off my medal, pictures of that amazing night, and notes the band parents left us the night before and morning of the competition. The second one is from where I marched in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with the Macy's Great American Marching Band and it just has pictures of my friends,pictures of New York I either took or got from Google, and this magnet thing (that wouldn't stick to anything so it was pretty useless) that I wouldn't use anywhere else. However, I also have one from my junior year prom with the prom invitation and pictures, two from vacations I took, and one for each of my best friends. So you really can do anything in these collages, whether it has a theme or not.

Alrighty how to make it!

Things that I used when making mine:

1. Frame. You can get these from anywhere. Dollar store, Walmart, Goodwill, wherever. My the ones I used were actually given to me by my mom since she had no use for them. They were wooden, brown frames but I painted them black so they would fit in with my purple, black, and white room. They can be any size, however I recommend a medium-larger size frame if you want to hold more things or larger sized pictures

2. Scrapbook paper. Individual sheets can be purchased at almost any craft store for like 40 cents a page or something. Or you can get booklets of scrapbook paper at Walmart or Target. The ones I used were from a booklet of different black, white, gray, and silver damask patterns that I got from Walmart for about five dollars because it was on sale. It just depends on what you want to use. The scrapbook paper acts as a background to your pictures, and etc. Keep in mind the frame when buying scrapbook paper. If you are buying a bigger frame, you might want to buy two pieces of scrapbook paper in order to cover the area of the frame

3. Pictures. I highly recommend getting pictures from the instant prints at Walmart. It's around forty cents a picture and you can just either bring in a memory card, flash drive of pictures you have saved from your computer, etc. Also, for the smaller pictures, I just printed them out on normal computer paper from my printer haha

4. Tape. Obviously. Tape is just not as messy as glue and doesn't discolor pictures like glue happens to do.

5. Scissors

6. Stickers and other items from whatever that you want to add. I used stickers to spell out names and dates and such since writing wouldn't show up on my dark scrapbook paper and because it just seemed neater than actually writing something. I also used these little silver, sparkly sticker things I found at Target to add extra details and elegance (if that even makes sense haha) to mine.

How to Make It!

1. If you need to do anything with the frame, do that first. For example, I had to paint my frame first. So yeah, do whatever you need to do to the frame first.

2. If the back of the frame isn't actually attached to the frame, take that part out. You know, the part you normally have to remove from the frame to put the picture in there. If that part doesn't come out, don't worry, it's still do-able, just a tad harder. 

3. Take your scrapbook paper and lay it over the part of the frame you just removed, or opened. Figure out the way you want to the paper to go. Chances are you are going to have to cut the scrapbook paper somehow in order it to cover all the frame, depending on the size of the frame and it size of the scrapbook paper. In my case, the scrapbook paper was too long but not wide enough. In order to fix this I just marked the point where the scrapbook paper went over the edge of the board thing and cut my marking or where I had folded it over. With the piece of scrapbook paper I had just cut off, I just turned it and I put it over the part of the board that was not covered yet. This is easier to do with a solid scrapbook paper, but it works with patterns as well, depending on the pattern and how OCD you are about the way the patterns face. If you're using polka dots, it won't make a difference which way the paper is turned. For damask like I used, the patterns will face different ways. If this bothers you, just use two sheets of scrapbook paper instead of one. Hopefully that all made sense haha. Anyways, once your paper is arranged how you would like, put tape on the back of the paper, I like putting tape in the corners and the middle :) and tape the paper to the board. 

4. Now the fun and sometimes frustrating part. Arrange your pictures however you want them on your board. This takes a lot of trial and error to see what fits, what looks good, and what all doesn't. There are so many options that things can get frustrating. The way I normally outline mine is to use three of the 4x6 printed pictures and then put the smaller pictures in the empty spots. You might have to trim some of the pictures for them to fit, but they can also overlap too, however you want it to look. You can also cut the 4x6 pictures to fit more on the space and you can place them any direction you would like. Then I would put any embellishments, such as my sparkly silver stickers, in the corner of a picture or in any relatively large free space. Again, it's how you want to design it. Once things are arranged the way you would like, tape them down! 

5. Replace the part of the frame that you took out and there you go! 

Hola!

Hey y'all! So this blog will hopefully give you some craft ideas and explain how to do some crafty things, or at least the crafts I know how to do! I like to consider myself creative and helpful so hopefully this can be helpful to some of you!