Make it Monday // DIY Cactus Art Print

Sometimes I hoard supplies.  If you watched my office tour, you'll probably have seen that.  Sometimes I hoard supplies for like ages - pretty sure this project I'm sharing today is made with supplies I've had since college.  So that means I've had the supplies for this for 5 years.  Not all the supplies, but the main ones.  

Today I want to share with you a really fun DIY using erasers to make stamps.  I've always wanted to carve up these little erasers that I've had for 5 years but I never found inspiration to do so.  Then I saw a cactus on Pinterest and suddenly the light bulb went off.  Here's how to do it:

(this post contains affliliate links, please read my full disclosure here.)

supplies // white rubber eraser, linoleum cutter, box cutter/knive, pencil, pen, stamp ink, cardstock, thin tipped marker

The type of eraser used for this product is important.  You'll need a really good rubbery eraser - not the pink ones, not the brown ones that crumble easy, but an eraser that will stand up to being carves.  I used this brand but as it is super crazy expensive on Amazon, I suggest looking in the art/drawing supply section of your craft store to find this sort of eraser.  This is key because not all erasers are made the same.

Start with a sketch of how you'd like the cactus to look.  I realized that pretty much this cactus is just a repeating shape in varying sizes.  Practice drawing the shape you'd like a few times until you get the hang of it.  The shape is pretty much a U shape fattened at the curve and narrowed at the tips connected by another, smaller arc.

Using the box cutter, carefully chop the erasers into two parts.  Don't cut them directly in half - make sure you have four different sized eraser parts when it is all said and done.  

On each bit of eraser, draw the fattened U shapes in varying sizes using the pencil.  Don't be afraid to change the shape up, after all you are drawing with pencil on an eraser so you can rub the marks off!

Once the shapes have been drawn, use the linoleum cutting tool to trace and carve out the images.  You want to carve away the negative space.  So carve around the outside of the shape you've made.  Use the size 1 blade for detail and the size 3 blade to remove bigger chunks of eraser.  Use the size 1 blade to make little divots to represent the cactus needles.  Be careful, this tool is very sharp so be careful not to stab or cut yourself.

After carving out the designs, use the box cutter again to carefully narrow down the shape.  Don't cut too much off...cut just enough off so you will be able to better guess where you are stamping the image. Again, be careful here!

When you are satisfied with your stamps, choose your ink and do a test stamp.  I found that my Memento Dye Ink did not work as well as the Chalk Ink I had.  But play around with your inks to see what works best for you.  Do a few test stamps to see how you'd like your cacti to look and figure out the best pressure to use with each stamp.  Then move on to stamping on the paper of your choice. 

I chose to stamp on some off white card stock after drawing little pots with a black fine tipped marker.

These are great for framing, for sharing, for use as a pocket scrapbooking element, etc.  If you have a bigger eraser you can carve a bigger stamp but these are perfect for 3 x 4 and 4 x 6 inch size prints.  I love these guys and really want to use these in a spread in my Memory Planner!

Hope you enjoyed this little DIY!

xoxo, Moe

Make it Monday // 10 Minute Pantone Color of the Year Wall Art DIY

We've reached the second month of the year & I haven't done a Pantone post yet which surprises me.  Why? Because any & every shade of purple really gets me.  It's literally my favorite color ever.  No question.  There was one time in middle school though where I wanted Tangerine to be my favorite color - however I will never cheat on you again purple, I promise.

I've been in a little bit of a DIY rut lately so again this past weekend I busted out some paint & threw it on canvas.  I got these little squeegee type things from a campaign with Martha Stewart crafts a while ago but hadn't used them.  They sat, unloved, in my basket of painting tools until Saturday and boy do I regret that!  They are super fun to use & make abstract paintings rather quickly.  This is why I called this the 10 minute wall art DIY.  I'm not even sure if it took my 10 minutes - it might have been less!  Here's how you do it:

Supplies: assorted paint colors (I used acrylic paints in the purple family + some yellow + some white),  this Martha Stewart Squeegee or an old credit card (or a thick piece of card board might work though you may need a few), canvas, hair dryer to speed the drying process, brushes if your paint is too thick to squeeze, 10 minutes or less.

I got this canvas at Big Lot's of all places!  Whenever I see crazy stuff in Big Lot's I buy it.  This canvas actually came from a Big Lot's in Williamsburg 2 years ago - yep, it made the trek up to Indiana.  Never get rid of art supplies.  Anyway, start by dotting a few dots of paint over your canvas.  I actually surprised myself - you don't need a lot of dots!  The less you use the better the colors show.  So just dot your paint in different colors at different places on the canvas.

Start from the top left (or right) side & with your squeegee, squeegee the paint down.  Start all the way to one side, on the edge & all the way at the top.  It helps to hold the canvas with your free hand.  Once you reach the bottom of your canvas move the squeegee up back to the top & an inch (ish) over.  Continue to squeegee down until you've covered your whole canvas.  If you find that you've reached the other side & need to go back over places, just place the squeegee & drag.  It creates a beautiful blend of colors.  The uncontrollable nature of this project really inspires me!

I definitely thought that I would have needed more paint to get the look I wanted but boy I was surprised that I didn't need a lot!  Now run the canvas upstairs (or wherever your bathroom is with your hair dryer) & dry that bad boy for a minute or so.  If you're counting you've probably only been working for about 2 or 3 minutes, so the dryer might take 5, which gives you 5 more minutes to add the contrasting paint.  You want the paint to dry before you move onto the next step because you want to create defined vertical & horizontal colors.

Run your canvas downstairs (or where ever you were painting) & turn your canvas 90 degrees from the original orientation.  You are now going to add much fewer dots to the canvas than what you did before.  This time with your squeegee start at different places on your canvas.  I ran my squeegee down one side, half way down on another side, half way up, in the middle, etc to get a random look.  This time you're just adding movement & balance to your painting.  Should take no longer than a minute but at this point you can be a bit more careful & precise - if you want to add more color here add another dot, etc.  But don't fill it up all the way like you did before though, (unless that's your jam, then go ahead).

And you're done.  Go over it with the hair dryer if you're going to hang it right now & you won't get paint on your walls.  Can you believe this took less than 10 minutes?  I can't. Seriously, I surprised myself!

Hope you enjoy!

xoxo, Moe

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Make it Monday // Dorm Decor - A Website to Make Posters

If you're still looking for something to put on your drab dorm room walls - I mean it's October, you've got to be nearly done decorating right?  Well, if you're not I've got a really cool site to share with you today called recitethis.com.  If you're not too design proficient to used a free site like PicMonkey to make some art for your walls (like this tutorial), this site has already done it for you.  Here's how:

Visit Recite This & type in a quote you like - there are thousands out there & zillions on Pinterest!  Don't have one in mind or can't find on there? Click on find a quote and explore.  I pin my quotes to a board called Hello Monday so I can have a pick me up at the beginning of the week.  Heck, you could even make a whole quote wall in your dorm room or apartment.

You can then choose from quite a few different poster styles.  Once you've found the one you like click it to be directed to the screen to download.  Don't want to download? Share it on your social media sites!  You can even go back if you've decided you don't quite like the poster style you've selected.

Once you've downloaded your image print it on a standard sheet of paper.  You can do this at home, at the library, or take it to a print shop - just print it out.  Then either frame it like I've done or use decorative washi tape on the corners to stick it to your wall.  If ever you're feeling down you'll have something to pick you up.

xoxo, Moe

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Wednesday Decor // Choosing Wall Art - a post from Entanglements

Turning a room in your home from generic to intimate is easier than you think with a beautiful piece of wall art. Decorating a blank wall transforms a space instantly. Walls actually can talk if you give them the chance. The challenge is getting the perfect piece that fits your space. The aesthetic potential of art is infinite, so when thinking about a wall hanging in your home the possibilities are endless. Because of this, you must follow your instincts and your intuitions. Remember, you will live with the art in your home for a long period of time. It has to be perfect, and perfectly reflect you. You can begin by choosing the colour, as colour is part of our primary sense of perception. You can choose your colour according to what will blend with the existing colours and features in your room, or you can ignore that choose a piece that will carve its very own visual pathway out in your home. There is nothing wrong with unexpected colours in your artwork. Have a look at this exemplary outdoor piece that reflects and complements the blue water of the pool:

Remember, the only rule is that there are no steadfast rules. That said, size and scale always have their different effects on a space. Large shapes make bold, determined statements. Pieces of a smaller scale, meanwhile, give a delicate and compartmentalised impressions. If you like small pieces, look into purchasing a series of matching pieces that will hang next to each other or in different parts of a space, meaning that they link the room by a common thread. For example, these creative planter boxes:

You can use shape as a theme as well. Contrast straight lines with curved lines and vice versa, like these round wooden plates:

Whatever you choose, just make sure you love it. If you haven't yet found something that you like, don't worry. You can always commission the perfect piece. Browse wall art and commissions at Entanglements.

This post was sponsored by Entanglements, an Australian based studio focused on outdoor metal wall art & decor.  Thank you for supporting the brands that support Five Sixteenths!

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