DIY Word and Arrow Canvas Sign Lake Decoration

This DIY makes you feel like an artist while requiring zero art skills. You can have it say or be anything. If you can print it you can make it. With a home printer and some old school transferring technique the sky is the limit. 

When I got my new house the #1 thing that made me fall in love with this house was that you could see the lake from every single room in the house; living room, kitchen and bedroom. This is when I became lake obsessed and my house (and co-workers) payed the consequences. I saw this amazing canvas on Pinterest from Etsy but at $150.00 plus shipping I couldn't afford it. When my husband was looking at my Lake House board on Pinterest and said "I like that lake sign" it was clear I had to make it. I only had to buy the canvas and found it for $5.00 at Walmart so I saved $145.00 by making it myself plus I got to choose the font and the color I wanted. That my friends is what I call smart. A.K.A. faking fancy.

Inspiration:

$150.00 Canvas Art

It took some brainstorming and some trial and error but look how beautiful and cool they look in my kitchen. All that printer ink sacrificed was totally worth it.

Ok lets get to it!

Materials:

- Canvas (I used two 7 x 14")

- Computer

- Printer

- Printer paper

- Pencil

- Tape

- Scissors 

- Ruler or Tape Measurer

- Acrylic Paint

- Brush

Steps:

• Pick your canvas size and word or clipart. Decide more or less how to arrange it. As I said your imagination is the limit. You might need to print one word per paper or use several papers for one word (the Microsoft Word banner format is great for this). Here are some other examples of what you can do. You can use one canvas or a hundred. Everything at this point is up to you. You can even do one like mine that says Beach or Fun with an arrow. 
  

• Print and cut your words and arrow so that they fit comfortably in your canvas. This is your trial and error phase. You might have to re-size and re-print several times. Now you have your templates. 
• Play with your paper templates over your canvas until you are happy with what you see. I measured to make sure everything was centered and looked nice.
  
• Turn your template papers around so that the back of the paper where nothing is printed is facing you. Color with a pencil around the outline of your template. If you are from the '80s or '90s you know how to do this. Millennials here is one more thing for you to love from the '90s.
  
  
  
  
• Arrange the templates on top of the canvas in the position you would like your words to be and tape them. The printed side should be facing you and the pencil side should be facing the canvas. If you want your canvas to be something other than white, you should paint and wait for it to dry before this step.
• With a pen or the same pencil trace the outline of the template. If you want perfect straight lines use a ruler. After you are done un-tape one corner of the template and make sure the complete design was transferred. You might have to go over it a few times but in my case once was enough. You should now have a perfect outline in your canvas to paint.
  
  
  
  
• Paint your canvas following the outline. It's like a coloring book but with paint. I picked a font that would look ok if I messed up and was really careful with the arrow. This part was super fun. I felt like Picasso, if Picasso was a 5 year old coloring inside the lines. You might need two coats for some colors. If you are using more than one color I recommend you wait until each color dries before moving to the next one. 
  

You did it! Once again call yourself an artist and, who knows maybe you can sell them for $150.00 too!

If you like Lake decorations com back soon for more and check out these super easy Word Art Frames for your bathroom.

I truly hope you all have a wonderful day and lots of good vibes.

DIY Mermaid Jewelry Organizer

Look at this DIY mermaid jewelry organizer I made with some nail polish, shells and a bath sponge. Remember last week when I said that I rarely do something 100% original? Well talk about selling myself short because I've been all about original ideas this week. Look at this mermaid I made with some nail polish, shells and a bath sponge.

I've always liked mermaids. It comes from my fascination with everything Sea, nautical and coastal. I've been loving all the new mermaid clothes, decorations and accessories drowning the internet but it is way too hip and young for me to admit I want them (my goth child still lives in me). I decided to keep the Coastal theme on my vanity but go really Glam Sea with it and that's where this beauty was created. I got a chance to get my mermaid on.

The only thing I knew starting this project was that I wanted it to be a mermaid. I had no final product in my mind or a clear idea of what I wanted to do. I just started playing with the materials I had at hand and collected some on my walk home from work (shells).

The hole entire time I was making this I had the Little Mermaid sound track in my head. This DIY is so easy and neat. The color options are endless. I dare you to make this without singing Under the Sea and Part of your World on your head even if you think you don't know them.

You can find a jewelry organizer like the one below on thrift shops, flea markets, yard sales and even dollar stores. The other materials you probably already have or can easily get.

Materials:

- Mannequin Jewelry Organizer

- Small Shells
- Nail Polish

- Make up Sponge
- Bath Sponge
- Rope or thread
- Scissors
- Painters tape
- Hot glue gun

Steps:

• Undress the mannequin. You might have to scrape the glue holding the dress together.
• Paint the metal part where the jewelry goes. I used a gold sharpie loosely so it looked aged. The gold sharpie did an amazing job at hiding the rust.
• Try some shells on for size. Find two that look good with each other. This might be harder than it seems, keep in mind each shell is unique you will not find two identical ones. 

  

  Living on a lake shells seem to appear everywhere.

• Paint the shells with desired nail polish color. Pearly or metallic nail polish works great because it allows the details of the shells to come through. Acrylic paint was too thick.

  

  I wasn't sure if my mermaid was a B or C shell cup

• Draw a tail with a pencil by making a waist and a division of the fins.
  
• Color the tail with nail polish or paint. I gave it two coats to make sure you couldn't see where the white and the black met. Wait for the paint to be completely dry.

  

  First coat of paint. This is where I got really exited because it started to look like a mermaid.

• While you wait cut a piece of a clean sponge that is about as long as the tail. (I had a new one I bought my husband and he never used). 
  
• Cover the outline with painter's tape to protect what will be the skin of the mermaid.
• Pick a color for your scales. I used a holographic dark purple. Pour some nail polish on a flat surface, like a plastic container, and wet the makeup sponge with it lightly.
  
• Place the sponge fabric on the first spot you want to paint. Hold the fabric in place with one hand and dab the paint on with the makeup sponge with the other hand. Repeat this process until you have the entire tail painted. It doesn't have to be perfect. Mine definitely wasn't. Leave it to dry.
  
• Place two sea shells on her top and one for her necklace with the glue gun. Do not let any mermaid tell you shells make great bras they are terrible. I'm sure it was a merman who invented it.

  

   I found a tiny version of Ariel's necklace

• For some finishing touches make a tiny bow with rope and hot glue it as the bikini string. Do the same with the necklace gluing only where it meets the shell(I used gold rope for this). If you want to add tiny pearls, glitter or anything else this is where you do it. Be creative, make your mermaid unique.

  

  I went even smaller with the bow

• Take the painter's tape off and let the mermaid watch over your treasures.
  

There is a few other mini DIY I made to complete my vanity Sea Glam theme that I'll be covering on another blog post. 

I truly hope you all have a wonderful day and lots of good vibes.