To Create: Art and Sewing Show haul

A couple of months ago I went to the
Art and Sewing Show Sydney Expo 2012 and I got some really cool stuff!
(I've had this blog ready to go for ages and forgot to post it)

There was a lot of the same stuff from last year. In fact there were some exact same stalls with the exact same gear but of course I've come across different techniques and arts and crafts so some stuff I wasn't interested in last year but took a second look this year. But I'm rambling

I got some new big XL plates for my Big Shot. The box cutter my fiancé gave me doesn't fit on the regular plate and it doesn't really cut evenly without them.

I also got two new Distress Inks. Weathered wood and Broken china.

11 pens for $20. They are really cool, one end is a big writer marker and the other side is like a felt tip pen. The felt tip pen didn't come out perfectly but I'm hoping it's because I haven't really used them..
A few little chipboard bits n pieces.. Love the little soccer balls for some scrapbook pages for my boys.

I'm just doing our place up and the loungeroom is beachy/nautical theme so I'm thinking about doing a shadow box with the lighthouse and buoy and anchor bits. My sister has that theme in her place already so I might make one for her too.

I got a cute little Cuttlebug embossing folder that is just a heap of die (which I used in my BigShot because I read elsewhere you can use pretty much any plate in any machine-within reason).

I got a few things for the kids. A little Spongebob and two Lightning McQueen stickers. I also got a pack of fabric paints (I am desperately finding ways for them to stay amused inside without plonking them in front of the TV). I can't wait to see what crazy shirts they create haha. I also got three different packs of window/glass paints. When I was younger I painted a frog on a window at my Dads place and when he moved he took it to the new place and it's still kickin'!

To Create: Name plaque

Hello readers,

<3 My Sweet Boys <3

Just thought I'd share this little project that I did a few months ago when I cleaned out and redecorated my boys' room.

You can get all different shaped plaques for this or you could even cut your own from some MDF or something similar.
I just bought one from Spotlight for around $7.

I painted my plaque black and did the edges a beautiful aqua colour which really stands out! I had to do quite a few coats though, because the wood really soaks that stuff up.

I was originally going to hand paint the boys names onto the plaque.
I bought these white foam letters from KMart for scrapbooking ages ago but I thought they'd be super cute on a black background and could give it a bit of dimension and some added texture (which my little one loved touching very much).
Plus, if you don't have super steady hands and are worried about making a mess of handpainting those letters on, stickers are a great way to avoid ruining your efforts so far.

I also read somewhere (one of my scrapbooking magazines I'm sure) that things in threes are the most attractive or appealing to the eye which is why I chose three buttons with that same aqua colour as the edging for the plaque. I picked them up from Spotlight out of the $1 bin

I just used a cute little iron-car and glued it with wood PVA glue. I also got this out of the sales bin at Spotlight (Stingey!).

When I showed Aaron that I'd painted the face of it black he kept saying how morbid it was, especially for a child's bedroom. Even he had to admit when it was finished it turned out really well.

I really like the way that when I look at it, my focus isn't on the black but the pop of aqua and the bright white letters.

My next name plaque project on the way...

I totally forgot to take pics along the way!! I have a ton of other buttons and a new iron-on car and a little motorbike too, so I may just make another!!

Hope you enjoyed my little project and it inspires you to get even more creative and make a really fun entrance for your little boy or girls rooms.

Have a great week and stay tuned for more tutorials!