Bossa Nova Style: Crafts

Art Fun - Painted Mannequin

By B.Nova - Thursday, September 04, 2014

There are times that I get in a really artistic mood. I'll start sketching new ideas stuck in my head or clothing to make at some point. When I'm feeling really inspired I paint. I'll attack anything I can get my hands on and splash it with color. You guys have seen I've already done that with my boots here. So now I took this poor defenseless mannequin head and brought it some color.

Before I painted it, I use this head to store my hats that needed to stay shaped. Now I leave it uncovered because I don't want to cover up the design. This is a great way to create functional art. You can style it anyway you want. The limits are endless!

At some point I would like to paint my torso mannequin but I hadn't decided on the exact design concept. I may do a concept piece that tells a story or it may end up like my boots!

Here is what you need:

- Foam mannequin head ( I bought mine from here)

- Paint (here I used my acrylic paints with both matte and glossy finishes)

- 2 Paintbrushes ( 1 medium size brush for coloring, 1 smaller brush for outlining)

- A cup of water

- Sealer (optional - I didn't use one but it's up to you if you want to protect the design)

Here is the final result!!

I enjoyed painting this during a relaxing evening. I left some of the mannequin white and it gave it more dynamic. I loved how it turned out I left the hat off of it. I took my time to be in the moment and now I'm ready to paint something else!

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Crafts

Dryel for Quilts?!

By B.Nova - Sunday, May 18, 2014

So a long time ago I made a quilt out of t-shirts to help with de-cluttering my drawers. If you can do it or know someone that can do it for you, I totally encourage it because not only do you keep the memories, but you can also make the space. I ended up with a 36-square quilt that has kept me warm so many times.

When the time came for me to figure out how to clean it. There are so many ways to clean quilts, but no matter the way, no one recommended sticking it directly into the washing machine. There was also no way I could or would have the time to spot clean or hand wash this massive thing. Usually when I have more delicate, dry clean only pieces, I'd place them in the Dryel bag and clean them that way. So I figured, why not clean my quilt in the Dryel bag too! Since the quilt is entirely cotton, I knew heat would mess it up.

I followed the instructions as for any other item you would clean in the bag. Well I have to say I was excited to see that not only was the quilt protected, but it was clean without a lot of work.

Now I'm not sure if this will work with all quilts - I know that handmade quilts are very delicate because of the stitching and construction, but this method worked for me and I intend to do it again the next time I have to clean it - which hopefully will not be too often.

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Crafts

Sewing Room Storage & Makeover

By B.Nova - Wednesday, March 05, 2014

I'm constantly trying to find ways to maximize my space so that I have room to be able to work on sewing and crafts. I'd searched and searched online for ways for me to store most of my fabrics. Since college my fabric and sewing creations have been spread out in different places. From my room, and the garage, there just wasn't enough space for me to keep it all in one place. Then I noticed a lot of people using cube storage to hold all types of things. So I decided to give it a try.

I bought the ClosetMaid 12 cube storage shelf. They are sold in different sizes and colors, so you can get what you need based on your living arrangement. You can even add-on shelves to the existing one to make it bigger. (For example I can add another 3 cube shelf onto the organizer to make it longer.

The price ranges from about $40-$80. It's not bad for what I've been able to do with it. They also have colored collapsible drawers that you can add that hold quite a bit. I even found some smaller ones at Target that hold my other items like patterns. There is ample space on top that holds some of my other craft items so it's the perfect mix of storage space that has emptied a lot of unnecessary storage bins into one massive cube shelf.

Yes this room is full of lots of colors.

So here is a little piece of where I like to gather inspiration and create my many creations. Where do you all like to create?

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Crafts

DIY: Cell Phone Case Remix

By B.Nova - Thursday, June 06, 2013

So my cell phone case was long overdue for a makeover. When I bought it about 2 years ago, I thought at the color would stay on it a little longer than it did, but what can I say, I bought it off of Amazon for about $6.00 so I could only expect so much.

So this is what my poor cell phone looked like before...(I know it's tragic!)

Here is what I used to "remix" my cell phone case:

Cell Phone Case (mine is the hard plastic kind)
Paper plate or working surface
Glitter - the color of your choice ( I used a solid color and an iridescent - to give it a shiny prism effect)
Foam brush
Clear nail polish (the cheap kind - I bought one for less than $1)
Mod Podge
Nail Art Pen (optional)

Step 1: If your case looks like mine, I gently washed it with mild soap and water to make sure it was clean. Using the foam brush I painted a decent layer of MP onto the case - if you put too little, the glitter won't stick and if you put too much, than it will take forever to dry! (Make sure to cover it completely.)

Step 2: Add the glitter! Make sure to cover the case with as much as you can. I used my fingers to spread it evenly over the case. WARNING: Your hands will be covered in glitter by the end of this step - and you can never have too much glitter! (Lol) Let it dry for a little while or until the glitter doesn't move on the case.

(The back of the case covered) - The white spot you see is where the glitter didn't stick as well so I applied more MP and glitter.

(Here is what it looks like after the first coating.)

Step 3: Paint a second layer of MP over the glitter to seal it. While it is still wet, I added a little of the iridescent glitter (the second picture). Let it dry for about 45 minutes to an hour. If you can't wait that long you can use a blow dryer to speed up the process. The only thing is according to the people at MP, use the cool setting and hold it at about 12 inches (5.08cm) away because heat will actually cause the MP to melt and possibly melt the case.

(It's so sparkly!)

Step 4: This step is completely optional. If you have a nail pen, you can decorate on top of the glitter to make even more personalized. I added a butterfly - an absolute must for me! - and some outlining on the front. Give this design a few minutes to dry, depending on the size of your creation. If you decide to leave it plain go to Step 5.

Step 5: Using the clear nail polish, paint a clear coat over the entire case to lock in the glitter. If you don't do this step, glitter will follow you everywhere, so this is important. Let it dry completely before attaching it back onto your phone. (I waited about an hour, just to be on the safe side, but again a blow dryer works here too).