*HUGE* Summer Collection Giveaway!

We're so excited to be having a Summer giveaway for all of our wonderful friends, fans, and customers! We will be giving away:

*Summer Letters Set ($21.99)
*Flowers on Dowels Set ($11.99)
*Butterfly ($7.99)
*Snail ($7.99)
*Caterpillar ($7.99)
*Bee ($5.99)
*Scrapbook Papers to finish the wood and embellishments!

Giveaway will end on May 12th - Mother's Day. Good luck!!


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TUTORIAL: How to complete and decorate an unfinished wood cutout!

Finishing your Artsy Chaos unfinished wood project is much easier than you think! If you can trace a shape onto paper and cut it out, you can decorate our wood with fun scrapbook paper! If you can glue, you can embellish too!

The first thing you need to do is trace your wood shape onto your choice of paper. Place the wood, front side down, onto the wrong side of the paper and then trace around it. Next, cut out the traced paper shape just barely inside the line. Don't worry if the paper isn't cut exactly right. Set the paper you have just cut out aside.

Next you will paint the wood. I use a very watered down acrylic craft paint. You only need to paint the sides and back of the piece. Again, it doesn't need to be perfect! Let the paint dry thoroughly.

The next step is to glue the paper you have cut out onto the wood. I like to use a craft glue like Aleene's Tacky Glue. Using my fingers or an inexpensive sponge brush, I spread the glue onto the wood in a thin layer. You can also use Mod Podge to glue the paper down but I have found you have to be more diligent in getting bubbles out of the paper with this method. Whichever you choose, smooth the paper out so there are no air pockets or bubbles. I find it helpful to turn the piece upside down to dry.

Once the paper and glue are dry, use a fine grit sandpaper OR an inexpensive nail file and carefully sand off any paper edges that extend from the wood. Again, don't worry about perfection. When you're happy with the paper, use a small ink pad like Colorbok's Chalk Ink to lightly ink the edges of the piece. This will give your project a nice finished look plus will cover small imperfections in the paper and painting. Bonus! At this point, you can add additional paper pieces if desired, like the hair and letters on our Sitting Girl shown.

You can also add eyes, flowers, and other embellishments that you would like to have sealed. Next, using a foam brush or paintbrush, cover the project with a thin layer of Mod Podge to seal, protect, and finish. You can use either matte or glossy - your choice! Things like ribbon, flowers, rhinestones, etc., can be mod podged too! Let dry thoroughly. Note: your embellishments can be attached before or after sealing the piece with Mod Podge; you can use craft glue or a hot glue gun to add the embellishments.

If you'd like to add an additional layer of protection to the piece you can seal with a polyurethane sealant. This is totally optional. Outdoor Mod Podge is also available for pieces you would like to display outdoors.

Materials needed to complete an unfinished wood cutout:
*Wood Project (available at Artsy Chaos!)
*Acrylic Craft Paint, in your choice of color(s)
*Scrapbook Paper, of your choosing
*Mod Podge and/or Craft Glue
*Foam Paint Brushes and/or Regular Paint Brushes
*Fine Grit Sandpaper or Inexpensive Nail File
*Ink Pad such as Colorbok Chalk Ink
*Embellishments, of your choice

Once completed, you have a personalized project that you can give as a gift or display proudly!

Love Heart Wood Project

Today I have a really easy project to create. It would be a great last-minute Christmas gift. Wood heart!

To begin, simply trace your heart onto a sheet of patterned paper. You could also use another shape or even a plain wood block. Cut the heart out of paper and set aside. Next, you will want to paint your wood heart in a neutral color or coordinating color to your patterned paper. Once the paint is dry, glue the paper to the wood using Mod Podge or craft glue spread very thin. If your glue is too thick, bubbles in the paper will occur. Let dry, pushing out any buckles that the paper gets. Cover the project with a thin layer of Mod Podge if desired.

Now it's time for the fun part! Use your imagination to add ribbons, die cuts, brads, flowers, charms, any embellishment. I have even used the bling from an old broken necklace. The sky is the limit! Depending on the project I am creating, sometimes I decoupage (Mod Podge) the painted and papered wood and don't decoupage the embellishments. Sometimes I decoupage the whole thing. You don't have to decoupage anything either. There are no rules! I do prefer the finished look that the Mod Podge gives to the wood project. It's just a personal choice.

Happy crafting!

A Handmade Christmas

So I have yet to start Christmas shopping. Oh, I have a few things I have gotten here and there but overall, zip zilch nada. No shopping yet! I know, terrible, right? And do you know what's worse? I still want to make some handmade gifts. There's still time... I am optimistic.

There must be others out there like me. You know, the I-feel-like-I-can-be-super-woman-but-realistically-I-know-I-can't-be-but-I-really-want-to-try type? With this in mind, I have been scouring the internet, blogs, Pinterest, for easy but fabulous ideas for handmade gifts. (Click on the pics for the source.)

Have you seen all the dollar store mugs/plates projects floating around? You use sharpies to write/draw clever, sentimental, cute things on them and bake for 30 minutes at 150 degrees. I am a little worried about this one, however, since there are many failed project posts floating around also. 

I just love these sweet decorated pebbles! Plus, I have a whole box full of rub-ons that are not being used. Win-win!

There is always the option of finishing some of our wood designs for friends and family but, well, hmmm....I finish them and want to keep them! 

Little hand warmers are always a hit. And easy too!

Thank you to each blog/site for such fun ideas! Keep on crafting!

FREE Christmas Carols

I just love Christmas music and have my car radio set to the 24/7 holiday music station all December. It's just so happy, calm and carefree. 

Amazon.com is giving 5 free Christmas downloads every week for 25 days in December. Yay! This week's free songs are now available and include Little Drummer Boy and Angels We Have Heard on High. 

Run over to Amazon.com and gets yours! Merry Christmas!

Monogram Wood Frame Tutorial

So I hope everyone is busy making Christmas presents for those on their lists! Handmade gifts are so thoughtful and full of love. Here at Artsy Chaos, we've been working on some projects including this monogram wood frame. This is a great project because you can customize with whatever papers and paints suit your fancy!

Let's get started! First off, I painted the front and sides of the frame with black acrylic paint. Spray paint would work as well. There is a reasoning behind the madness of painting the frame black first! When we arrive at the distressing stage, the black peeks through the top layer of paint.

After the black base coat dries well, paint the front and sides the color of your choice. I chose grey because it seems to be all the rage these days!

Next is the distressing part. I don't mean distressing as in pain-causing, gosh! Ha! Grab some sand paper or a sturdy nail fine and sand the sides and edges of the frame so that the black paint is exposed. You can certainly distress as much or as little as you would like. I like to seal everything up next so I used a non-toxic clear varnish to give a nice top coat. 

While the frame is fully drying, pick out some patterned paper to coordinate with your frame. I think the thicker, cardstock type of scrapbook paper works best. Cut the paper to fit the back of your frame. Use a little craft glue such as Alene's to adhere the paper to the back of the frame. Let this fully dry!

The next step is to add your monogram. I used a vinyl letter and just adhered it to the center of the paper. Use your imagination though, you could add a hand-stitched letter, a chipboard letter or even paint one on the paper!

You will be needing something to hang your frame and ribbon works great. I cut a piece of ribbon 2' long and glued to the back of the finished frame using an epoxy glue. I think you could also use a hot glue gun for this part. The finished frame could also sit in a small decorative easel for a fun look if you don't want it to hang.

And you're done! Easy peasy, right? I added some additional ribbons and then hung my new monogram. :)

There are so many uses for these frames! Let your imagination run wild. There are also different styles of the frame.

Interested in purchasing a frame? Click HERE to go shopping! Happy crafting!

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Giveaway Event!! $250 Euro Style Lighting Shopping Spree! Ends 11/15 #Giveaway

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Not only does EuroStyleLighting.com carry unique lighting, but they also carry furniture and home decor ranging from bar stools and chairs to tables, cabinets and mirrors.

Be sure to check out the review and photos Euro Style Lighting Swag Style Chandeliers.

Euro Style Lighting is offering our fabulous readers a chance to win a $250 shopping spree to their store!

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