DIY Tape Art

Seeing art hanging in a gallery or museum can leave you inspired to create some yourself.  However, painting with acrylics is time consuming and takes delicate precision.  But with a little help from a certain adhesive tape, you can make a simple piece of art that is completely mess free!

All you’ll need is colored tape, an X-acto knife and a sheet of plastic to stick the tape to while cutting it.  Eventually, you’ll want to put it on something like canvas, or another surface to hang/lean on a wall.

{Plastic cutting boards work well to lay the tape down on while cutting.}

{Let the tape hang over the edge a bit.  You might need to adjust things later}

{When everything looks just right, fold the tape over!}

{Finished product!}

Valentine's DIY

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and the convenience store seasonal aisle is overflowing with heart-shaped boxes of chocolates.  The cartoon character cards from elementary school were always my favorite.  But now that I’m older, I realize I could craft something cuter with better puns.

A great idea is to make cut-out cards.  All you need is some card stock, glue, scissors, a small paintbrush and loose glitter.  If you don't want glitter everywhere, make sure you put some newspaper down for quick and easy cleanup!

1. Fold the card stock in half and draw a heart on what would be the front.

2. Cut out the heart, and lightly trace another heart through it on the inside of the card.

3. Drop a large dab into the center of the drawn heart and use the paintbrush to fill in the heart.

4. Sprinkle glitter all over the glue, shaking loose glitter onto the newspaper or off to the side.

5. Let the glue dry and write your message on the inside!

Tip: Spray the heart with a sealer like mod podge to set the glitter before putting it in an envelope.

Chic+Easy Holiday Table Decor

Today we have yet another super easy holiday decor idea - this time we're looking to decorate our table top (or even a mantle). What I did is pull cake stands with glass bell tops and added one sprig of red berry branches from the front yard trees to each one - the end result is chic, elegant, and screams holiday decor. You can achieve the same effect - here's what you'll need:

• Any kind of enclosed glass container - apothecary jar, fishbowl
• Red berry branches (e.g. holly, ilex) OR seasonal blooms (e.g. amaryllis, anemones) OR even dried leaves + pine cones (a rustic version of this same idea)

Next, add a small portion of the chosen decor accent (1 sprig of holly, 1 large amaryllis stem, a trio of small pine cones, etc) to each glass container. Line the center of your holiday dinner table with a variety of these glass containers and voila! You have yourself a festive table. 

Safe travels to everyone heading to their holiday destinations this weekend!