Wednesday, September 5, 2012

How to Chevron

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My latest obsession (and it seems like everyone else's too) is the Chevron pattern!  I absolutely adore it! I love it in all colors and sizes and I want to cover everything with it!  Check out my Monogramed Chevron Poster!

So I am going to teach you how to draw using the computer :) I love computers!  So here we go:

First you need to decide how thick you want your stripes to be.  I like 2 inches so it is a nice, bold pattern, but depending on the size of your object you may want to go smaller or larger, if you do, just follow the steps with your number instead of 2 inches.

Next you need to cover whatever you are making (in this case we will say an 8.5" x 11" sheet of printer paper) with a grid of 2" squares, like so:

As you can see if you only want entire squares there will be excess on the edges when using a 2" square.  

Now we start the pattern.  I like to draw all of the lines in any one direction first, that way I don't have to keep shifting my ruler back and forth (the ruler is when I draw this, not do it on the computer lol)
So here are the first lines you draw: 

Then fill in the blank squares with lines going from the opposite corners:

Your final result before color:

A bunch of triangles!
How did it go? Please leave me any comments you have! You're almost done :)

Finally, add your color!  Do so as seen here:

Now the only step left is to erase the extra lines (assuming you want white as your 2nd color) and you are done!  Here is my virtual navy and white Chevron:
What do you think?  Easy enough right?! Now you too can fall in love with this great, easy DIY pattern!  The possibilities are endless!


Orange and Blue

Black and White

Lavender and Mint

Rainbow


Ombré

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial! Comments always welcome :)
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Sunday, September 2, 2012

Gift for Mom

If you are like me then your mom is the most important person in your life and your best friend!  One of  the greatest things about crafting is making things for others.  And who better to make something for than your favorite person?

So with my inspiration from Deal Wise Mommy and a few minutes of free time I was ready!  The gift would be a Post-It note holder, made from an inexpensive frame, some scrapbook paper and embellishments, and a pad of sticky notes!  So simple yet actually useful and all moms love anything you make for them :)

So here is my result:
 What do you think?

All I did was:

1. Select coordinating sticky note pad and scrapbook paper
2. Cut scrapbook paper down to size
3. Add 'mom' sticker embellishment to the top of the scrapbook sheet
4. Put paper behind glass
5. Glue sticky note pad to the glass
6. Tie a pretty ribbon on and tape into place on the back

Voila! A really simple gift that made my mom so happy!  I'm sure she will display it proudly on her desk at work (I hope!)

Why not take a few minutes to do your favorite thing, craft, for your favorite person?  It is the little things in life that make it worth living so make someones day, it is as simple as that :)


Have a great and safe Labor Day!


Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Dorm Décor

So this weekend I was trying to come up with some ways to liven up my dorm room - white cinder block walls aren't really my thing.  So I have a few posters and a multi-picture frame but there is still a lot of blank wall.  So I turned to crafting!  The best solution for any situation :)  Considering I am in my dorm room with limited crafting supplies, I could not fully create my ideal decoration, seen here (last picture).  However, this is what I came up with:

Although it is small, I really like it! Plus I still have plenty of room left for more art!  You can so easily make this yourself, it would make a great card for someone too.  All I did was:

On an 8.5" x 11" sheet of cardstock, draw lines 1" apart all the way down the page, then alternate shading in stripes with a black crayon (thats all I had!).

Next cut out a heart from red construction paper or card stock and glue in the center.

Finally write something, love, in the bottom right corner and you are finished!  Your art work is ready for display!

If you are wondering about the hearts on the top corners, those are what is holding it to the wall:

I used pink but the orange version is pictured above.  These are really great for dorms because they look nicer than tape and are really strong!

Happy Crafting and Dorm Beautification :)