Chalkboard Grocery List Center

I have been wanting to add a grocery list center to the inside of my cabinet forever! I finally got it done this week. It was much easier than I envisioned.

It went from THIS to THAT!

You will need a thick acrylic paint (any color) and 1 tbsp. of white non-sanded grout for every 4 oz. of paint.  Mix together and stir for about a minute. You will have bumps of grout but these will blend in when painting.

Seal your paint between coats. I covered with foil and set a heavy book on top. Discard remaining paint in the trash, not down the sink.

Take your time to mask the area with painter's tape. Cover all edges.

Paint the area with two coats, letting the first coat dry for about two hours.

Remove painter's tape, clean up any oops areas and allow to dry at least two days. "They" say three days but I was running my ceiling fan.

I forgot to take a photo of curing the surface. Rub the side of a piece of chalk over the entire surface and erase before using.

I covered a small paper mache box for paper lists, pencil and chalk.

I covered a 3" x 6" piece of cork with coordinating paper.

I finally get to use the kitchen theme tacks I've had forever!

This is the final result!

If you don't want to mix your own chalkboard paint, there are brands of chalk paint ready to use. I couldn't find a red shade I liked and already had all the supplies. This cost me $3 in paint. You can also buy a quart size of black for large wall projects. And it does come in a spray can to quickly cover objects that may be difficult to hand paint.

Have a great weekend :)

-Molly

Miniature Quilled Flowers on Card

The background paper is my inspiration for this group of miniature flowers. I used a thin quilt needle tool and narrow English paper strips. These strips are more narrow than the American 1/16" wide paper.

This is similar to the Mother's Day card I made last year, using a different background. More how-to details are here. 

Thanks for looking!
Have a great week :)
~Molly

Wall Art ~ Altered LP Album

My friend Lori, who owns the Etsy store ItsLorraine, gave me an altered record years ago as a gift. It is beautiful, with a dragonfly theme and embellishments galore! She continues to alter and sell her work in a smaller fashion- using CDs to alter. Can you imagine shipping a record album? 

This is one that I altered for a hostess gift at NAQGCON about five years ago.

A 12"x12" sheet of scrapbook paper fits perfectly over the vinyl LP. I used a spray adhesive. I printed the text on vellum pieces and embellished with a few quilled pieces and the large dragonfly. The round cork acts as a message board and I gave her a purple polymer clay hand quilling tool like I was selling at the conference. The crop-a-dile had just come out so it was easy to punch the holes and add large eyelets. You cannot see, but there is a pen hanging at the bottom from a ball chain.

Thanks for looking! And thanks to Lori for introducing this project to me. The hostess was very pleased as it is one of a kind. I'm thinking about making another one, more updated.

Have a great weekend!
~Molly

Simple Valentine's Day Cards

Happy Valentine's Day

The heart is two eccentric teardrops using a 1/8 x 24" strip for each shape.
The balloon heart is curved at the tip and a 3" triangle added to the bottom.
The font is Courier New 60 pt.

Have a great week!
-Molly

Quilled Heart Valentine's Day Card

Whatever your heart wishes, my heart wishes for you!

The inside says "Happy Valentine's Day, Friend"!

When I finished filling in the heart, it was lopsided. I didn't want to toss it, so I added a few curved strips at the top to even it out.

Remember .. Imperfection adds character!

Happy day,
-Molly

Valentine's Day Sayings

When I need a Valentine's saying for a card or project I usually draw a complete blank. I found this blog post that has many cute Valentine's Day sayings and links to some projects. You may already follow Skip to my Lou; she is a top-shelf blogger and has a mega Facebook page.

Cute Valentine's Day Sayings

Have a great day!

-Molly

The above graphic is Shelly Comiskey's Born to be Wild 

Mini Paper Gerbera Daisies

I made these paper daisies for rings. They would be perfect for cards, tags, etc. The gerbera daisy is the fifth most used cut flower in the world (after rose, carnation, chrysanthemum and tulip).

I fringed a 12" strip of 3/8" wide quilling paper (you can trim a piece yourself using copy paper weight colored paper). If you fringe by hand, try to get the cuts about 1/32" apart. I hand-fringed strips for at least fifteen years before purchasing a fringer - so it can be done!

I added a 1/8" wide strip at the end for the flower center. I didn't measure, they are approximately 2-3" long. Using a slotted tool (Google how to make one with a needle if you don't have one), start rolling at the end with the 1/8" strip.  I added glue to the bottom and let dry before spreading the fringes.

I use metal ring blanks and put a thin glue dot on the disk before using a glue gun to adhere the base of the flower to the ring. Otherwise, I would worry about the glue gun adhesive popping right off the metal base.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week!
-Molly