diy project: kate’s uncommon valentine

What You’ll Need:
1. one sheet of watercolor paper, any size you want (this is 11×15)
2. vintage jewelry pieces, knick-knacks, keys, buttons, etc.
3. paper punch (i used a butterfly punch from the martha stewart craft collection) (optional)
4. colored paper
5. hot glue gun
6. paint (i recommend spray paint)
7. frame

Instructions:
1. gather your pieces and make any paper punched shapes you want so you have all of your materials ready.
2. lay out your design on the paper. if you are not comfortable with freehand layout, sketch the shape on scrap paper and lay it down as a template. you can also trace it very lightly so you can erase it.
3. if you decide to paint everything, i recommend taking a digital photo of your layout so it will be easy to place back together.
4. paint your objects. if you use spray paint, do it outdoors on a piece of cardboard.
5. once dry, replace all your objects on the paper in your design and make sure your image is set out evenly on the paper.
6. pick up one object at a time and dab glue on the back. place back down and clean off any hot glue strands. you can also use a hairdryer to make them disappear (it works!).
7. once dry, frame your piece.
8. write a love note in the corner or on back of the piece and expect a great response for your beautiful work.

DIY photo lampshades

SUPPLIES:

* LAMPSHADE –  The simpler the shape of the lamp, the easier this project will be

* GLUE – I used a hot glue gun for the first lamp. I tried repositionable scrapbooking tape for the second, but that didn’t work as well. You could experiment with spray adhesive or other, more permanent scrapbooking type glues/tapes. If you choose to attach something to the inside of a lamp, you can just use tiny pieces of tape on the corners

* VELLUM – I buy this in packs of 20. I used clear vellum – but you could also buy tinted vellum for a different look.

* CRAFT KNIFE OR SCISSORS, PENCIL & RULER – to trim the vellum, I used a ruler and pencil to mark the cut lines & then used a craft knife and self-healing mat to cut the vellum. Scissors and a steady hand work too.

* PHOTOS

* PRINTER – I have a color inkjet printer. I believe you can also print on vellum with a laser printer.

If you are using photos – you wouldn’t have to do a collage. Next I printed the collage on the vellum.

Once the pages are trimmed, make sure they fit around the lamp the way you want them to. On the tall lamp I made, I had to tweak some of the edges because the lamp was a tiny bit bigger at the top than at the bottom.

Two important notes on the vellum (in case you’ve never worked with it before). Be careful not to bend it – because the vellum will crease & once it creases, a line will always be visible in that spot (this is the main reason I cut it with a craft knife – the less you have to handle it, the less chance of creasing it). Second thing to keep in mind – if the vellum is printed with and inkjet printer & the vellum ever gets wet – it will most likely smear.

How to make rainbow flowers

Step 1- Find some pretty white flowers.
 ( carnations work best! )

Step 2- With a sharp knife and a superhuman steady hand, split the end of the flower's stem into four sections and put each section in a different cup of colored water.

And Bam! 

You've just made some awesome rainbow flowers.