Handmade Home Dec

Mum always said that it was bad luck if Christmas decorations weren't taken down by "Twelfth Night".  That's today - January 6th.  I have a feeling 2013 is not going to be a good year.......  not only did I break a mirror yesterday, it's almost midnight and my tree is still up.  I took all the decorations down and would have taken the ornaments off the tree, but didn't have time to round up the empty boxes to put them in. Ne'er mind, it will get done tomorrow.....  I'm not superstitious, so no worries, I hope

If you read my earlier post, you'll know I'm leaving for the CHA (Craft & Hobby Assoc.) Winter Trade show on Thursday.  Thursday!!!  That's only 3 days away!  Putting Christmas decorations away isn't exactly at the top of my "do do" list at the moment.  The show is much earlier than usual this year.  It's normally held at the end of January/beginning of February, and was a conflict with either Paper World, the European trade show and/or the Super Bowl.  There were lots of complaints over the years, so now it doesn't conflict with either of those events - it's just waaaay too early - another example of - be careful what you wish for.........

Today is also First Monday for Designer Craft Connection bloggers and our theme for January is Home Dec - handmade projects for the home.  The house always looks so bare after Christmas has been packed up, so one or two new things is definitely in order.  Here's a couple of ideas I worked on last night that I thought I'd share.

Both projects use a 12x12 sheet of Smoothfoam™ as the base.  For the first project, I outlined a 7"x7" square at the center using the rounded edge of a craft stick.  To add dimension around the edge I gently pressed the edge of the craft stick into the surface at 1/2" intervals to create the lines from the center to the outside edge.  I've mentioned before that I collect shells, so I glued small shells to the center as shown.  Once the glue had set, I painted the edges, the front, and the shells, with white acrylic paint then glued the large clam shell at the center.  This is going to look perfect on the wall in my guest bathroom.

This second project also started with a 12"x12" piece of Smoothfoam, which I then cut to the same width as the wood frame.  I painted the Smoothfoam with light tan acrylic paint and sponged the frame with white.  Note:  I use a round sponge pouncer to paint the laser frame.  It's so much easier than using a brush.  I glued a 5 x 7 page from an old dictionary at the center then glued the frame on top.  Once that was dry I glued a Starfish, purchased from my local craft store to the center.  Another project for the guest bathroom.  I love it when a plan comes together.

Shells can be surprisingly heavy, so using a light weight surface as a base for these projects is really helpful.  It's also much easier to cut to size.  Don't forget to click on the DCC logo to hop forward for even more creative ideas..... 

It's time to call it a night.  Next time I post will be from CHA in Anaheim, California so, y'all come back now........  in the meantime,

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!

Yours truly,
Julie  :)