Monthly Crafts

As we ring in the new year, my stepmom had this wonderful idea of doing twelve months of crafts for 2015. With us living in different states, we try to find ways to bring us closer so the idea of doing crafts together is a great idea! Around Christmas time we decided we should have my Grandma join in on the monthly crafts and we would see how it went. So here are our monthly crafts, and the process I used for each craft!

STRING ART

This month we decided to do string art! Each of us chose a different piece and kept everything a secret until the end. I chose a dandelion and added a few things to make it my own.

First, you have to start off with your materials.

All materials used.

Traditions String

Krylon ColorMaster Spray Paint (Classic Gray)

Craftsmart Acrylic Paint (White)

Martha Stweart Stencils

Green String

11 x 14 Pine Board

Listed above are all of the materials I had purchased for the project. Once I began I found I didn't need all of the materials I had purchased and I had to swap out some of the materials for others.  

STEP 1:

I personally was not a big fan of the pine look, so I used the Krylon spray paint to change the color. Despite the advice of my boyfriend, I painted my board without using a primer (it worked just fine) but you are more than welcome to use one if you choose. 

I went into my garage and set my board on a moving box with two garbage bags to ensure I didn't get paint anywhere besides those areas.

This is after the first coat of paint, it only takes about ten minutes to dry.

After adding a second coat and letting it dry in my garage I moved it into my laundry room to finish drying.

STEP 2:

Once my board was dry, it was time to start planning out where my nails would go. After trial and error I developed a great system that worked for my design. I went on to Microsoft word and used the shapes to create 4 circles within one another to  develop the shape I needed for my design. 

I unfortunately forgot to take the picture before I started nailing, but the general concept is there.

STEP 3:

I planned out where each nail needed to go and just drew them on with pencil, and placed it on my board and began nailing. Once the nails were all in, I just pulled the paper off, leaving just the nails on my board. 

STEP 4:

I decided I wanted to add my own individual touch, so I painted a quote across from my nail art. This became the hardest part of my project. Listed in the above materials is the stencils and paint with brushes. I attempted to paint with these stencils but I found my letters to be uneven and overall just horrible looking. The paint and brushes I had purchased I found were not the best to use for the project. I then went on to Microsoft word once again and typed my quote in the size and font I wanted, and positioned it on the right hand side to mimic my board. I then printed my paper out and began shading the back of the paper where the letters were. Once I had shaded over all of the letters, I placed the paper onto my board (shaded side down) and began doing a hard outline of each letter. The shading and outlining create a perfectly light outline on my board, that allowed me to paint the letters with ease. I returned to the craft store where I purchased a Craftsmart Paint Pen for $3.99 and began painting over my outline. 

After printing

Shade the letters on the backside

Outline the letters with a lot of pressure, make sure the paper is on the board during outlining. 

It might be a little difficult to see, but it has left a perfect outline for me to paint.

STEP 5:

Let's start stringing! For my dandelion I wanted to use a specific pattern. I first started with my stem, which just consisted of a straight pattern with the green string. I then moved to my inside circle, first start with a small knot and for this portion I just wanted it to look full so I just crisscrossed my string until it was at the fullness I wanted. Next came the outer circle, which was the most intricate stringing throughout the piece. It is easy to follow the pattern from the picture. After the outer circle was finished, I worked on the zigzag pattern in the second circle. Finally, after all the stringing is done, it was time to move to my whispies. I love nothing more than a dandelion blowing in the wind. 

I added a little design to the top, but this is my board with all nails and paint.

First the stem, using the green string only I took it from the outside nails to the center.

After finishing the center, I moved to my outside circle.

Then moving on to the second row, and the whispies.

The finished project.

After my fingertips had gone numb from wrapping my string, I had finally finished. I really enjoyed this project and below are pictures from my grandma's and stepmom's project! It was a great experience for all of us and we can't wait to get started on next month's craft which is Paint Chip Art!

My Stepmom decided to do two String Art projects.

                                 

My Grandma's String Art Project