{How to Create Large, Custom-Sized Graphics for Signs Using PicMonkey}

Hey, y'all!  Today's tutorial falls under the label (made up by me) of "Crafty-Techy Stuff."  I'm showing you how you can create specific-sized, large graphics for signs and other crafts using PicMonkey.  

  It's no surprise that I love to craft.  One of my favorite things to do is to create custom signs and art work for gifts and my own home.  Most of the time, I use my Silhouette for creating those signs because it cuts down on a lot of work, but recently I needed to design a graphic for a 16"x36" sign (my DIY Vintage Quote Sign), and, y'all, I don't have a Cameo.  Yes, I hear your shocked reactions all the way in South Carolina.  I still have a Silhouette SD, which is like the very first Silhouette to come out.  It only cuts media up to 9" wide, and I have been too scared to attempt to piece vinyl.  (Although I'm facing that fear later this week...)  I decided to design my sign graphic in PicMonkey, print it, and then trace it onto the wooden board.  But you're probably wondering how I did that since when creating a custom graphic in PicMonkey, the measurements are in pixels.  Well, I'm going to let you in on a little secret that my friend Kirsten from Sweet Tea and Saving Grace told me a long time ago: there are inches to pixels converters online that you can use for FREE!

This is the one I've been using: Image Size Calculator from Auction Repair.  I'm really not sure why it's from Auction Repair, but I'm thankful that I can use it for free.  The top section of the page is used to convert pixels to inches, which I guess could come in handy sometime.  The bottom section of the page is for converting inches to pixels, and that's the part of the page that you want to use.  I'm working on a new custom graphic for a project I'll be doing later this week.  The board I'm using in 15.5" x 20.5".  I put those dimensions into the photo width and height section of the calculator, and it magically told me those measurements are equivalent to 1162 pixels x 1537 pixels.  Knowing that is crucial to create my image the exact size of my sign.

Once you know your measurement in pixels, head on over to Picmonkey.  Choose "Design" from the choices at the top of the page.  A rectangle will pop up underneath that for you to choose the measurements for your graphic.  Choose "Custom."  A rectangle will pop up like the one in the image above.  Put your pixel measurements into the boxes provided; then click "Make it!"  A blank image will appear.  Click apply on the left to leave the image white.  (The image may not look all that large to you, but I promise that it's the correct size as long as you used the right pixel measurements.)  Then all that's left is designing your sign.

I give you lots of tips for creating custom graphics using PicMonkey in this tutorial: DIY Personalized Wedding Gift Using PicMonkey.  One thing I want to point out again, though, is the option to use your own overlays.  See the image I was working on in the screen shot above?  A palmetto tree and a South Carolina image are not graphics that PicMonkey offers.  How did I use them then?  I simply found free black and white images online and downloaded them.  Once I created my custom sized graphic, I added those images by clicking "Your Own" as seen on the screen shot above.  And don't forget that you can now use your own fonts with PicMonkey too!  So now that you have this awesome custom-sized graphic that you created, how do you print it out?  Come back Thursday for me to show you how!  

Is it mean to tease you like that?  That's what they do on T.V., right?  "Stay tuned for our next episode where you'll find out why Manny is feuding with his sister's brother's mother's neighbor and why the child down the street is tired of playing hopscotch."  Unlike waiting an entire week to find out about Manny and the child down the street, you only have to wait a couple of days to learn how to tile print using Word.  It'll be worth it.  At least I hope so since I've built up the suspense this much.  ;) Note: The triangle and striped backgrounds used in my title images are from Free Pretty Things for You and The Cottage Market.  I really appreciate these lovely ladies creating beautiful free digital paper that bloggers like myself can use.  :)

{DIY Feather Art for the Not-So-Artistic}

Hey, y'all!  Today I have some VERY easy art to share with you.  It's easy enough for those of you who think you don't have an artistic bone in your body.  Seriously.  But its art so fab that it looks like you're the type to wear a beret and stare at a painting for thirty minutes absorbing the essence of the artist who created it.  Okay, maybe I'm going overboard here, but it's really simple to make and looks very artsy.  (It's my feather art, not to be confused with my other feather art.)  And be sure to hang around until the end of the post because I'll be sharing links to five other bird themed projects AND a $70 Target e-gift card giveaway as part of this month's My Favorite Bloggers.

This art started with a piece of acrylic paper.

You can find acrylic paper in the art section of Walmart or craft stores.  Acrylic paper is thick like water color paper, but it's not absorbent.  It's the texture of a canvas but has a finish somewhat like semigloss paint.  (Sometimes it amazes me that my job deals with teaching others to use words when I have the weirdest ways of using them myself.)  I cut a piece of the paper to fit a 5x7 frame.

I also cut a feather from vinyl using my Silhouette.  This feather can be found in the Silhouette store, but I offset it so that it wouldn't be as "delicate."

I used transfer paper to transfer the feather to the middle of the paper.  Then I sealed the feather with a thin layer of Mod Podge to ensure that no paint would seep under the vinyl once I started painting, which was the next step of the process.

Painting was soooo easy.  I loaded a flat brush with a small amount of coral paint and lightly brushed it over the feather horizontally and vertically.  I repeated this process with turquoise and then gold paint. There's really no right or wrong way to do this, and you're finished layering paint when you decide you are.  :)  Once I was happy with the way the paint looked, I carefully peeled off the vinyl feather.  (This is when using the acrylic paper comes in really handy because you don't have to worry about the paper peeling off with the vinyl.)  I placed the feather in an Ikea frame spray painted aqua, and voila, my art was complete!

I'm definitely not an art connoisseur, but I think this little piece of feather art looks pretty good for the little bit of effort that it took to create.  I mean, you could seriously do this even if you can't draw a stick figure!

 The art pulls together some of the colors that I'm using in my living room makeover that is probably in the running for the longest makeover in the history of makeovers.  Never fear, though.  I am determined to finish the makeover before the summer is over.  

And now it's time for me to share five other bird themed projects from My Favorite Bloggers!

10 Minute Feather Hair Band from Melanie at It Happens in a Blink | Bird Embossed Metal Bracelet from Adrianne at Happy Hour Projects | An Upcycled Birdfeeder From A Peanut Butter Jar from Tara at Suburble | Little Bird Charm Bracelet from Amy at One Artsy Mama | DIY Feather Art for the Not-So-Artistic from Bethany at Pitter and Glink | Spread Your Wings Printable from Kara at Happy Go Lucky

Make sure to visit my blog buddies to check out their awesome projects!

And as promised, it's time for a GIVEAWAY!!!!

Do you love Target?  I know I do!  One lucky reader is going to win a $70 Target e-gift card!!!  (I'm so jealous!) The giveaway is open until July 24, 2014 for residents of the US and Canada, so get your entries in while you can. 

***Twitter is in no way affiliated with this giveaway. Only valid entries accepted. Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to reply and claim their prize.***

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

{Monogram It: A Memo Board Makeover}

Hey, y'all!  Do you have unloved stuff in your closets just waiting for a makeover?  I have stuff pretty much everywhere waiting for a makeover.  My hoarding tendencies cause me to buy all types of things and store them until I decide to make them over.  It really gets annoying after a while, and I just decide that it's either make it over or throw it out.  I've had a cork board in my closet for a couple of years now.  It was in my craft room before I did the huge craft room makeover.  It didn't make the cut in the new room, and it's just been hanging out in the top of the closet ever since.  This week I decided that it needed a makeover, and I needed a memo board near my computer, so it has now been transformed into a lovely monogrammed memo board.

This is the sad little memo board before.

The first thing I did to the board was tape the middle off so that I could spray paint the wood frame.  I used blue painter's tape and newspaper to cover the entire middle of the board.

I spray painted the frame with Krylon's gold metallic spray paint.  I'm going to skip a few steps now because there was a craft fail in the middle.  We're just going to pretend like it didn't happen.  After the fail, I taped of the frame of the board.

I sprayed the cork part of the board with white spray paint.  Then I cut a monogram from vinyl with my Silhouette.  (You can learn how to create a monogram with your Silhouette in this post.)  Cutting vinyl with my Silhouette is definitely my favorite use for my Silhouette because I can create decals, stencils, and reverse stencils, which is what I used for this project.

I transferred the monogram to the bottom left corner of my memo board.  (I should have used a different color vinyl so that you could see the monogram better, but hopefully you can still see the white on white.)  I taped around the monogram so that I would have a rectangle roughly 1/4 the size of the cork part of the board.

I then sprayed that section with Valspar's spray paint in nautical.  (It's the same spray paint I used for my Thrift Store Lamp Makeover.)  White the paint was still a bit tacky, I removed all the tape and the monogram sticker.  I normally do this to keep the paint from peeling, which can happen sometimes when the paint is completely dry.  I had a few places where the white needed a touch up, so I just used craft paint and a small brush to fix those places.  There was one place where a little of the white spray paint got on the inside edge of the gold frame.  I used a gold Sharpie to correct that.  Then my memo board makeover was complete!

Isn't it fun?  The push pins are simply gold tacks with pieces of my Polymer Clay Faux Agate super glued on.  They pull together all the colors that I used on the memo board.

I'm going to attach the memo board to the inside of my computer armoire that's in the living room.  The board is going to be so helpful, AND it'll be something pretty to look at.

Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

Thirty of my Silhouette Challenge buddies and I are all sharing projects on our blogs today that use our favorite Silhouette supplies, so peruse the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette inspiration!

1. Just a Girl and Her Blog // 2. The Frill of Life // 3. A Time For Seasons // 4. The Thinking Closet // 5. Ginger Snap Crafts // 6. Grey Luster Girl // 7. Simply Kelly Designs // 8. Home At Eight // 9. Please Excuse My Craftermath... // 10. My Paper Craze // 11. Mama Sonshine // 12. Practically Functional // 13. Adventures in All Things Food // 14. Two Purple Couches // 15. Dragonfly & Lily Pads // 16. Sowdering About // 17. Cutesy Crafts // 18. My Mom Made That // 19. Pitter and Glink // 20. Pineapples And Pinecones // 21. Dream a Little Bigger // 22. McCall Manor // 23. TitiCrafty // 24. unOriginal Mom // 25. Persia Lou // 26. Lil Mrs Tori // 27. Home. Made. Interest. // 28. Sandpaper and Glue // 29. Silhouette School // 30. Creative Ramblings // 31. My Favorite Finds
Have an awesome Monday!

{Faux Agate Earrings Made with Polymer Clay}

Hey, y'all!  I have a new DIY jewelry tutorial to share with you today!  Have you seen the agate jewelry that is all the rage now?  I am totally in love with the earrings and necklaces and rings made from these pretty stones.  I decided to try my hand at making my own agate from clay, and I used the faux agate I created to make some earrings.  I love the way they turned out!

 I've had polymer clay in my craft stash for years, but I haven't used it in forever.  After seeing some of my bloggy friends use it for different projects lately, I knew it would be the perfect medium to try to create faux agate.  

I used a pearly white and silver, along with turquoise and two shades of blue.

I kneaded the clay in my hands and then rolled it into balls.

I used a marker to flatten the clay.  (What can I say?  I don't have any fancy clay working tools.)

I then rolled the flattened white clay into a tube shape.  I wrapped the different colors around the white tube and rolled the tube into a thin snake.  This is when I just started experimenting.  I cut the clay snake into pieces and cut some of the pieces in half.  I rolled some of them out.  I cut small sections of the snake and then flattened the end with my thumb.

I ended up with different swirly pieces of clay with different patterns.  I used a circular-shaped cookie cutter to cut out my clay.

I baked the clay according to the package directions.

After the clay cooked and cooled, I used a gold paint marker to color the edges and back of the clay circles.

Since agate is shiny, I covered the unpainted part of the clay with a layer of Dimensional Magic.

I used super glue to glue earring posts to the back of the clay circles.

And then just as an extra precaution, I covered the gold paint with a layer of gloss Mod Podge.

I love how each pair of earrings is unique.

I can't wait to think of more uses for this faux agate, and I look forward to working with polymer clay again.

RELATED POSTS:

 DIY Rhinestone & Chain Earrings

Simple DIY Earrings

{DIY Vintage Quote Sign}

Hey, y'all!  I know my post today is a little later than normal, but I wasn't able to get the pictures I needed for my post yesterday because it was cloudy and raining off and on during the day.  But I snapped a few this morning and finished my post in time for lunch!  I want to share my awesome new piece of art that I made with you.  (If you follow me on Instagram, you've seen sneak peeks.)

This is my new vintage sign.  ;)  I made it myself, and while it takes a while to make, it's a pretty easy process that most anyone can do with a little bit of patience.

I started the whole process with this board I bought from Lowe's for around $7.

I knew from the beginning that I wanted this sign to look vintage, and I knew that part of that was having layers of paint.  The first layer of paint was a bunch of different shades of turquoise/aqua.  I just squirted a lot of the paint in different places on the board and spread it all out with a brush.

I squirted more paint where I needed it, and finished blending it all.  When the paint dried, I covered the entire board with two coats of white paint.  While that dried, I worked on my quote.

This quote comes from "Desert Song" by Hillsong.  It really stuck with me when I first saw it, and I knew I had to have it somewhere in my house.  I used PicMonkey and fonts that I downloaded for free to create a graphic the size of my board.  (I also used a couple of free graphics from Happily Ever After.  I used one of her Free Hand Drawn Embellishment Graphics and one of her Free Vintage Borders.)  I then used Word to print it out.  It almost took me just as long to figure out how to print the large graphic as it did to make the sign!  Ugh.  there are lots of tutorials online to show you how to do tiled printing.  None of the ones I found used the versions of Photoshop or PowerPoint that I have.  I finally ended up just cropping the image and printing it out on individual sheets manually.  I would have to do an entire different tutorial to explain how I did it.  If you'd like one, just let me know, and I'll work on it.  :)

I pieced the sheets together and scribbled on the back of the words so that I could trace them onto the board.

I taped the graphic down and traced it with a ballpoint pen.

You can see in the pic above how the trace graphic turned out.  Then I meticulously painted in the letters.

After the sign dried, I sanded it.  This is definitely the scariest part of the project.  You're essentially messing up all the work that you just did, but even though it's a little scary, it's totally worth it.

See what I mean?  The sanding is part of what makes the sign look vintage, and it allows the bottom layer of paint and even some of the wood to peek through the white paint.

Then to enhance the vintage look even more, I used a rag to wipe stain all over the sign.  I used the tiniest bit--just enough to age the sign even more.

I then sanded off some of the stained places a little just to make sure that the letters popped.

I waxed the entire sign.  The last step was that I ripped down some screen porch molding to create a wooden "frame" to go around the sign.  I stained the pieces of molding and glued and nailed them around the sign to give it a more finished look.

I LOVE my new vintage sign.

What I like most about it is that it really looks vintage!

I'm more than likely going to hang it above my mantel, but I just leaned it agains the mantel for now. I attempted to decorate a bit around it for these pictures.  I have so much trouble with "staging" tables and mantels and such.  I think it's because I'm so indecisive.  Or maybe it's just because I know how I want it to look, but can't quite get that look?  I don't know.  I hope that it'll look better when I finally hang the sign though.  So what would your vintage sign say if you made one? Need more inspiration for decorating your walls?  Check out all my art posts {HERE}. RELATED POSTS:

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