DIY Silver Sharpie Bowl

If you're a big Pinterest fan (or maybe even if you are not) you may have seen the sharpie on ceramic DIY craze? The projects were quite impressive -- and if you have nice handwriting, this could totally be great giftable! 

I wanted to try my paw hand at it...here's what I came up with:

I'm big on catch-all bowls (and bags!) -- isn't it so much easier to have your rings or necklaces or earrings or keys consistently in the same place?

Directions:

1. Clean and dry a white ceramic plate/bowl/mug
2. With your favorite color sharpie (I used metallic) draw or write on the ceramic piece
3. Let the ink dry, at least 10 minutes 
4. Place ceramics into a cold oven, turn on to 375 and let bake 30 minutes, turn off oven and let your piece cool (do not remove until it's cold)

5. Be sure the ink is set by gently washing the piece  

simple tools, simple project

I found this bowl at a local dollar store, and it fit the bill

freshly baked, cooled and cleaned

piled high

close up 

make it your own! 

I don't trust that this method is food safe, so I would not suggest doing this on a surface that will touch food (like the bottom of a bowl you intend to eat from). But, I have seen this done many times on the outer base of mugs.  Be sure you do not buy a washable sharpie (counterintuitive, I know...but they exist).  

I make it a habit of taking off my rings and necklaces as soon as I get home. This bowl sits on my bedside table -- a perfect resting place for delicate baubles. And I'm thrilled with the whimsical results! Boo was just happy this project didn't involve spray paint...

Do you use catch-all bowls? What color would you pick for this project? I'd love to hear about your bauble related DIY projects, and how you would use a bowl like this!

xx,
Mrs. Wolf

I Am An Arteeest

OMG totally joking.  I'm literally the furthest thing from artist who has ever lived.  Ever! 

I have big dreams when it comes to DIY projects. Sometimes I recognize the impossibility of my plans, other times not. This would be a not. 

Do you remember our bedroom lamp installation? Well, there's a very large painting centered between the two lamps, and for a while I've wanted to get my paws on that big boy. 

I presented my genius idea to Boo: I could paint a new piece of art for our bedroom, over the preexisting piece of art!

This was met with some skepticism (shocking, I know!). Boo suggested I try a smaller scale piece before committing to a huge painting for home display. How rational and how boring! But, we're into compromise in this Wolf den, so we headed to Michael's for supplies. Since this was my first contemporary non-spray painting project of any kind: I needed a canvas, paint brushes and paint! Duh. 

I've seen this type of art on Madebygirl, so I tried by hand at it:

Boo was my trusty assistant, refilling my seltzer throughout the whole project. Because really - how is an artist supposed to produce while dehydrated?  He also rinsed my brushes between colors, and complimented my artistic genius as I painted.  

We hung this painting on our picture wall in the hallway leading to our bedroom. Just to orient you, this is across from the hallway closets we painted and swapped out the hardware. 

I considered this project like an audition for a Broadway play, and I'm thrilled with the results.  I'm pretty sure I got the part!  I have grand ideas for our bedroom art: similar idea, different presentation. 

What do you think? Where would you display this?

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf

Silver Coffee Beans

A few months ago, I saw this pin on my beloved Pinterest and really wanted to recreate silver coffee beans. Remember my coffee bean makeup brush holders? What can I say? I'm big on the bean! 

After doing a little more research - as in, clicking the picture and being redirected to the link - I noticed these beans were not decoration! They were used to keep drinks hot. Oh well...when inspiration strikes you have to go with it, right?

And I was off! I gathered my supplies and got to it. But, like many DIY projects, this was not seamless. I couldn't get the spray paint to stick! And at the time I didn't have a sophisticated studio like I do now. 

But, you, my beloved readers will benefit from my mistakes!  Good luck...

What you'll need:

1 bag of whole coffee beans*

2-3 small-ish cardboard boxes

1 can metallic spray paint (silver, gold, copper)

1 can polyurethane spray 

1 display vase

*refer to this coffee bean post for directions on where to buy, and this spray paint post for how to apply

Directions:

1. Distribute the coffee beans equally between the cardboard boxes

2. With a light hand, spray the beans from at least 10" away, being sure not to get too close as you want a thin coat, let dry at least 24 hours

3. Shake the cardboard box to loosen the beans and "flip" them (not all of them will flip at the same time, don't worry, you'll still get a good result)

4. Reapply spray paint to beans, in the same light and even way, let dry 24 hours**

5. When you are satisfied with your work, apply a clear gloss spray (polyurethane, or any other high gloss product), and follow directions on your spray to allow for appropriate drying time

6. Display in a clear glass vase or vessel of your choosing 

**At this point you should have beans that are painted on both sides, but if you have too many brown sides, keep shaking and reapplying until you have a satisfactory amount of metallic coverage. You might not be able to finish every single side of the beans, but they will still look wildly metallic! 

Here's where we started, after my first attempt.  Can you see some of the dark spots?  They drove me crazy:

Awaiting studio admission:

More spray paint:

And more still:

Our finished product -- We display our coffee beans in a short square vase on a side table in our living room. You may have seen them here or here or here or here or here. Needless to say, I'm thrilled with the result:

I did not follow these steps meticulously until my second attempt at this project, and because of that, the paint came off a little on my vase. For this reason, I'd suggest not using a vase of great value. 

Where do you think you would display your coffee beans? I'd love to hear from you if you try this project!

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf

Lacquered Boxes

I was at Gracious Home last month and noticed this lacquered beauty for $90. Pretty? Yes. Worth the money? Unlikely. I was Inspired by the DIY lacquer box featured on Centsational Girl's blog. And, as a lover of shiny things, I thought I'll try my hand at that, too.  

This was not a typical studio project.  There was no leaving the comforts of my apartment, scurrying like a homeless lady into a stairwell with a cardboard box and a can of spray paint, and then casually slinking back home, as if I have no idea where that strong, chemically paint smell in the hallway comes from.  Not that I'm hating on my studio.  Never.  I'd never do that.  Like, really I'd never do that.  We are BFF.

So anyway, back to the important shiny things at hand: I put my thinking cap on and opted for an unfinished wood box, inexpensive paint and various tools I already had my paws on...enter: Lacquered box for under $15. 

Tools you'll need:

1 or 2 unfinished wood boxes easily available at craft stores like Michael's (if using 2, look for nesting boxes - where one smaller box fits inside a slightly larger one)

2 colors of acrylic paint (one for base, one for trim)

1 paint brush (a smaller one is ideal for the trim, and can be used for the base too)

High gloss coating (I used Minwax polycrylic protective finish in clear gloss because I already had it, but you can try any clear gloss from your favorite acrylic paint company, too)

1 small screwdriver to remove front facing hardware only (if present)*

Painters tape

1 level 

*if you remove any hardware, you may be left with small holes on the face. If so, you can fill them with wood filler. Mine are barley noticeable even without wood filler. 

Directions:

1. Using a piece of painters tape, tape off the opening of the box so that you don't paint the top and bottom shut 

2. Paint the box with your base color, paying attention to evenly apply the paint without too many brush strokes, let dry 12 hours (I did this part the day before I painted the trim)

3. If you want a second coat, apply it after the first coat dries, and be sure to let this coat dry another 12 hours

4. With painters tape, mark off the sections you wish to paint with trim color (in my case, I painted a square around 5 of the 6 "faces" of the box -- I didn't paint trim on the bottom, but I did on each other side)

5. Check to be sure the tape is straight with a level, and press to be sure there are no air pockets

6. Apply trim color with small paintbrush and let dry 12 hours 

7. Once trim is dry, coat the painted box with gloss (apply in thin layers)

8. Stand back and admire, gush, squeal...you are now the proud owner of a lacquer box

Where we started:

Supplies:

Removing the front facing hardware:

Taping off the opening:

Base coat:

Close-ups:

My finished product:

Where do you store little trinkets? 

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf

p.s. if you happen to get paint on your phone (not that its ever happened to me...) use a magic eraser. It'll take it right out. 

DIY Flowers (sort of...)

Have you ever displayed a bouquet of flowers, and a few days later some stems have died?  I find this often happens when there are two different colors of the same flower.  I attribute this to one color or variety being fresher than the other, but it's just a guess.  I'm no botanist, just a gal with some common sense. 

Anyway, I hate to waste flowers.  Actually I hate to waste anything.  But, especially flowers.  So, what's the solution to one variety dying before another? DIY another bouquet!  

This time, limited studio time is required...

Directions:

1. Remove dead stems from vase, discard

2. Cut down the stems of the living blooms and place in another vase filled with water*

3. Place around your home

*I prefer to use smaller bud vases when I do this, because if there are not enough to fill a larger vase it will look scarce and silly.  I prefer round and rotund.  A revamped candle jar would work well, too.

Here's where we started (the white blooms died first, and the pink lived on!):

Close up of the bud vases:

And another:

Bird's eye view of our side table:

What do you do with flowers when some have died and some have not?  Hope you will try this idea and let me know how it works for you!

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf

Floating Frame

Do you remember the menu wall in our apartment featuring menus from our engagement and the night we chose our wedding venue?  Here we go with another addition...  

For Valentine's Day, Boo and I went to Public.  As promised, we took a menu to commemorate the evening.  I'll admit, this is not the most special menu, but it's our first Valentine's Day as an engaged couple.  So, that's worth celebrating.  Also, Public has pencils with the restaurant's name and phone number.  We took one of those, too. 

I got the idea of a floating frame from Young House Love, you can read their post here.  The back of the frame is removed, and whatever you are framing is affixed directly to the glass, so it gives the appearance of "floating" off the wall, next to the frame.  It looks cool on its own, but even more so when it's placed next to more traditionally framed items. 

This is a really easy project, requiring very limited studio time, and minimal tools.  In fact, we had everything we needed at home, but even if you didn't it would only cost a few dollars to procure.  Off you go:

Tools you'll need:

1 frame (ours is a leftover from Ikea - Ribba)

1 tube crazy glue

1 frameable item (or 2 in our case)

scotch tape

picture hanging accessories

Directions:

1. Disassemble your frame by taking out any backing, removing the glass front and pushing back the prongs holding the glass in place (see photo below), and place all pieces on a clean towel (this protects your work surface from the super glue )

2. Clean the glass with any glass cleaner, dry with an absorbent towel

3. Apply crazy glue to the entire back of the frame where the glass sits (this is important because there is no longer any backing to keep the glass in place)

4. Replace the glass and press down on each corner and around the edges

5. Place a bottle or two (depending on the size of the frame) on the face down glass to help anchor it, let sit at least one hour to set

6. After an hour (or more if you have the time) determine where you want to mount the item you are framing

7. With a small piece of tape, adhere the item in an appropriate spot, making sure you are not exposing more tape than need be (after this step, I glued the pencil underneath the menu by applying glue directly to the pencil and placing it on the glass)

8. Hang on a hook fit for the size and weight of the frame you are using*

*This Ribba frame is especially good for this project because I didn't need to install a new  sawtooth hanging hook on the back. Instead, because the frame's edges are so wide, it sits perfectly on a hook made for 30 pounds of art, which I nailed into the wall. 

Note: You will not want to do this project with a frame that is especially meaningful since the pencil is permanently attached.  Also, if you are hanging something on a wall in order to hide an imperfection, this won't work because the glass will expose the wall. 

Frame before applying glue:

Tools:

Applying the glue (it will look spotty, that is fine):

Close up of the glass frame and glue spots:

And again:

In an effort not to mess up my manicure (hello - important things!), I used a gift card to separate the prongs that fasten the glass to the frame (chic, I know).  This is important because the prongs will be visible if you skip this step since there is no backing on the frame:

 My "weights": Windex with vinegar and Method grapefruit:

Final product before hanging:

Finished product hanging on the wall above our frame from Perilla:

What do you think?  Do you like the pencil addition?  

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf

Silver Scalloped Bowl

My sister came over for dinner one night this week, I made her spicy shrimp + grits.  This time, I added lots of garlic and cajun spice then followed the same recipe I posted before.  I made a garbage salad for myself with roasted carrots, black beans, edamame, a chopped veggie burger and cilantro, mixed together with olive oil and truffle salt.  Oh yes...

I had a DIY project in the back of my mind for weeks.  Okay, full disclosure - that makes it sound a little more intense than this one actually is.  But, my sister and I decided to do the project together the night she came over... 

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen me post this photo...a typical Saturday afternoon with my engagement ring on a Target shelf (sorry, Boo!):

Anyway, as I was saying - big plans!  I wanted to create a decorative edge around the bowl, and of course I was going to use spray paint.  Hello! What else is there in this world, right? Just kidding...sort of.  Actually not kidding at all. 

Tools you will need:

1 ceramic bowl

1 roll of painters tape (we used 2")

1 single hole punch (we used a 1" punch similar to this)

1 can spray paint, color of your choosing

1 can polyurethane or jar of minwax (we used polyurethane in this project, but minwax in this project)

To the studio!

Directions:

1. With a large hole punch, cut circles from the painters tape (I found it was easiest to have the sticky side facing up, then guiding the punch over the tape)

2. Adhere tape to bowl in a design that is appealing to you (we laid the tape on the lip of the bowl so that half was inside and half was outside of the bowl), continue until fully covered

3. Using the excess tape (it will have holes in it, but that's fine) and scraps of tape, cover the outside of the bowl so that no spray paint gets on it - you can also use whole pieces of tape if you aren't cheap environmentally friendly like I am ;)

4. Once your bowl is fully covered, spray paint the interior part of the bowl, remove the tape and wait 24-48 hours to let the paint dry - remember, it should not be tacky or sticky 

5. When your paint is fully dry, apply polyurethane or minwax, and let dry at least 24 hours before placing anything in the bowl - especially diamonds!  No one likes a spray painted diamond...

My large single hole puncher:

The tape with one hole punched out:

The punch just slides down the tape:

 The bowl 3/4 covered with tape:

 Close up of the tape:

Fully covered bowl:

We used scraps of tape to cover the edges:

The sprayed bowl in my studio:

Finished product: 

My ring in the transformed ceramic bowl:

What do you think of this scalloped edge bowl?  What would you use the bowl for?

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf