Bear made me promise no new trees this year. Since you have to make multiples of every project, they are so dang labor intensive and I’m incessantly talking about what needs to be done instead of celebrating the holiday. With how craptacular this year has been, I couldn’t go full tilt.
BUT! I am eager to get things moving around here and my brain is practically boiling with ideas I need to get out of there. So instead of ornaments, I’m going to be doing another month stuffed with DIY tutorials perfect for all the people on your gift list. And since I’m doing my best to take it easy, they’ll all be projects you can make quickly. (Except for tomorrow’s, but you could make a version….I’m getting ahead of myself.)
For today, I’ve got a project that would work for anybody who likes a little bling. Teachers, tweens, sassy grandmas, anybody with a desk, anybody who could use an inspirational kick in the pants that comes covered in glitter.
Supplies are simple. You need some kind of a backing, glue, paintbrushes, and lots and lots of glitter. You could use a canvas or a flat piece of wood, but I used a wood panel so that it would have a finished look, not require framing, and I’d have a smooth flat surface to glue on.
I found this inspirational quote at Doodle Art Alley and loved it, so I just printed out one of their coloring pages and used some mod podge to glue it straight on to the wood. I cut the paper to have a wobbly edge so there wouldn’t be a visible straight line underneath the glitter.
Then it’s just a matter of coloring things in. Since I have an expansive glitter library, I jumped at the chance to get as many colors in there as possible. I worked with the smallest areas first, and then went from the center out.
To color with glitter, you just need to apply the glue wherever you want each color, working one color at a time. I love these little Martha Stewart paintbrushes for skinny little areas. I also like to water my glue down just a touch so that it’s easier to spread without clumps.
Once you have the glue all over the section you’re working on, sprinkle the glitter over the top. You don’t want to be shy here. I also like to take another piece of paper and lay it on top of my pile, then give it a gently press so that the glitter gets good and stuck into that glue.
Let the excess glitter run off onto some kind of a collector. I use glitter and beads and powders so much that I have this cool little tray with a funnel on one end, but before I had that I just used a piece of paper I’d folded in half to make a crease. The glitter collects in that crease and works great as a DIY funnel to get the glitter back in the jar for next time.
Let the glue dry thoroughly before coloring in a surrounding section.
Keep coloring in with the glue and glitter until your whole coloring page is filled in.
I think this project is destined for Atti’s room. My little perfectionist could sure use this message, and the colors work great. But if I toned down the colors I’d hang it over my own desk too. I don’t think there’s a person out there that couldn’t use this little inspirational reminder.
It looks great! I’m so glad you are back! X