Wall Murals

Again I must apologize for being MIA for WAAAAYYYY to long from the blogging world. As a result, I'm extremely behind in my creative antic updates. Well, Husband, baby and I recently moved and settled into our new home by painting EVERY wall and decorating...I'll post more on that later...so time has drifted elsewhere but with the cold weather settling in (and the gift of a new Serger sewing machine!!!) I'm feeling the tug to settle down into comfy pants, sip an irish hot chocolate and get crafty!

A recent new venture is {wall murals}. Who needs a silly little canvas? Lets go BIG! While anyone can go out and purchase wall vinyl's, it gets way too expensive when you want an entire wall sticker or looking for "just the right thing".
Insert.the.designer.
"Hi, Let's chat".

I'm sure there's many approaches to producing the perfect wall, but I've found taking photos of the space and using photoshop allows me to digitally create a visual mockup and show the client EXACTLY what the wall will look like.
"Exactly"? you ask? "How"?
Well, yes, i could redraw everything on the wall by hand---taking more time/money -- or I can use a hand dandy projector. If you don't have access to one, check this DIY projector or this one which uses your iPhone (so easy!).
Then just match your paint chips to your computer image, grab your brushes and go!

A huge trend lately is tree's - and i love the birch tree's- and animals.

Top: Digital Mockup of wall mural.
Below: Physical, finalized version on the wall. A whimsical forest for a 2-3year old classroom with 3D tree's. 

Another great idea to make your own wall murals pop is to add 3D elements (see above). Using simple ply board (stiff but lightweight) and securing to the wall using 2x4's, you can push the mural further.

I can't wait to get started on my next classroom for 5-6 year old's. Here's the digital mock up:

Monogram Christmas Wreath

'Tis the Season...already!? I love this time of year and Christmas is our favorite holiday. We love to decorate with a lil Bing playing in the background, a roaring fire, while sipping on Irish hot chocolates (adults only :)).  It's usually the one time of year my husband REALLY comes over to the creative side with me- the tree, mantle and wreath are big for us. But how do you get that Potterybarn look, on a Target budget?? You get crafty! :)

I've seen so many great contemporary wreath's, but seriously, who spends $100 on a wreath each year?
After seeing some Pinterest links, I thought 'Yea I'm crafty, I can do this!'. You can too!

For more of a contemporary look, I decided to make a monogram letter wreath. Luckily our last name's first initial is C, also standing for Christ, Christmas and our son's first name :)...convenient, though any letter will look stylish on your front door.

Budget suggestion: 

• {for NEXT year} Buy supplies after Christmas on sale. Those red berries can get expensive. 
• Large wooden letters seem impossible to find (14-18"). Online, expect to pay at least $30 for a cut wooden letter. Instead, buy thick poster board from your craft store ($5) and draw your own letter. PLUS you can draw any font or create your own!
• Look for early season specials - Michael's had 40% off some supplies. Also check online for coupon's. 

Monogram Christmas Wreath Tutorial:

{Supplies}

• Red berries (3-4 stems about $6 a stem). Style and size is up to you. I went with more natural small red and black berry stems. Amount needed also depends on your letter size and chosen letter.
• Burlap ribbon ($1.50) - gives a stylish country feel. Make sure your ribbon has some stiffness to it, to hold it's shape.
• 1/2"-3/4" thick poster board
• Red craft paint (I got it 'Tomato Red' on sale for $0.49) Try to get a red close to your berry color.
• Foam brush ($0.25)
• Glue gun ($2) and tubes of glue ($2)
• Scissors
• Box cutter or large Xacto knife
• Cutting Board

{Tutorial}

1. Draw out your letter onto the poster board. Don't worry about neat lines- you're painting the letter. I made mine about 18" in height. You'll need a sharp cutting tool and steady hand to cut out the shape. Put a cutting board underneath to ensure you don't carve your initials into your counter :).
{Note}: Don't make your letter TOO THIN! It makes it difficult to cut out and you need enough width to glue on the berries

2. Paint several coats of paint on both the top and sides of your letter. This way if there is any space between berry's, horrible white board won't show through. 

3. Glue berries. Simple! I started with the clusters and then chopped off individual berries or small groupings to fill in the spaces. Variation in height is fine and adds a more natural look. I didn't bother to glue on the sides as I wanted to keep the letter edges crisp. Plus, you'll only really see the front of the wreath.

{Extra}: Try adding some of the berry leaves as well for a wreath variation.

4. Add your burlap ribbon and tie with a single or double tiered bow. Placement of your bow will vary depending on what letter you use. Hang over your door. See how the simple wreath add cheer to the greenery and berries outside! :) Merry Christmas and happy decorating! 

NO-SEW Gentleman outfit

Nothing's quite as cute as a little baby boy dressed in little manly outfits. Here's a great tutorial on how to make a cheap, no-sew onesie for your stylish lil dude, complete with bowtie and suspenders! AWWW!

TUTORIAL:

{Materials}:

• Onsie (just grab out of you child's closet - cheap :) ).
• Fabric Square (used for quilting, can make a dozen bowties out of one square)
• Washable fabric glue 
• Bias tape
• Scissors
• Warm Iron
• Pins

{Bowtie}:

1.  Cut a 4x3" rectangular piece from the fabric square. Fold into 1/3's length wise, using the iron to secure the edges. If you're using striped fabric, keep in mind the direction of your lines when you cut your rectangle.

2.  Fold edges of your skinny rectangle into the center, overlapping a bit. Lightly iron edges for a crisp edge or leave for a more poofy bowtie edge. Secure the overlap with a dap of glue. If you want, place a pin as well until the glue dries.

3.  Form the center piece of the bowtie: repeat step 1 and 2 but using a 2x3" rectangle of fabric.

4.  (Sorry i forgot to take a picture of this step but its pretty straight forward). 
Pinch the bow section in the middle to form a "W". While pinched, wrap the bowtie center around the middle of the "W" snuggly so that the fabric overlaps a little. Place a dab of glue over the overlapping center fabric. Push a pin through the entire center of the bowtie until the glue has set.

{Suspenders}:

1.  {TIME SAVER}: Use bias tape as the fabric is wide enough and thick enough to look like suspender fabric. Its also already folded over so gives you finished edges. PLUS the glue won't bleed through, giving a clean look.

2. Start on the front side. Line up your suspenders with the tape beginning below the pant line. Use pins to hold in place. Flip onsie over and also pin on the down the back. Don't make the tape too tight over the shoulders or the onsie fold can't expand when worn. 

3. {IMPORTANT}: Make sure you don't glue the tape over the folded shoulders as the onsie needs to expand over babies head. Use WASHABLE fabric glue. Make sure you put cardboard on the inside of the onsie to prevent gluing the sides together. 

4. To make the back buckle, cut a rectangle of fabric and fold over each edge. Glue to the suspenders on the onesie's back where the suspenders would join together. 

5. Let the suspenders dry over night before removing the pins and cardboard. (your glue's instruction's may vary).

END RESULT: All smiles and a stylish explorer. Add a poor-boy hat, and the outfit is complete (getting baby to KEEP the hat on is another story :) ).

Having fun outside during the last warm days of Autumn. What a cutie! (biased of course)

Nursery Nesting

It's a boy! :)

Now to tackle designing the nursery- but what theme to go with!? how to select a color!? and why do the girls have all the cute stuff out there!?

{Mission}: Design a modern, cute, non-blue room for baby that a girly girl {muah} would love to retreat in.
GOAL: Stop looking at pink stuff! Blue is fun too! :) In fact, there's almost TOO MUCH design inspiration out there!

{Online Visual Inspiration}

Ok, being a visual person, I sketched some basic concepts for nursery {THEMES}. Furniture placement was pretty set but wall color and decoration had a million directions it could go...how to choose....

Here's some concept sketch ideas I came up with:

I went with the whimsical tree look. Painting and decorating was so much fun - like creative nesting. Make sure you use No VOS paint to keep you and bubby safe from the fumes. 

{COST SAVER}: 

• Paint is the cheapest way to change a look. Instead of spending $$$ on vinyl stickers, I found some designs I liked and free-hand sketched similar looking images. 

• Curtains- I found a great twin sheet set at Target for $20. Split the top sheet in half. I used the bottom sheet as a skirt to the crib to tie in the pattern.

• Furniture- Baby's bureau is actually a repurposed filing cabinet. Works great! Top drawers for diapers and small items, bottom for blanket/sheet storage.

{Busy at work!}

10 Months later and he's still happy to wake up here each morning :)

BLOGGING MIA

{creatively sidetracked}

HELLO blog world.

I realized my posting record has been deplorable of late (as in 11/2 years, eek!). And while my excuse for busy-ness is amazing 

{ I now have a permanent assistant :) }, my computer availability for creative craftiness has been...limited.

However, I am determined to catch you up on our crafty antics and plan on posting more INSPIRATION down the road.

Headbands modeled internationally!

 Australian model Ella rocks one of Auburn Antic's headbands during a Ninjacupcake photoshoot. How precious is she! Thanks for sharing Renee. If any of you out there have lil models of your own, I would love to do photo shoots with them this summer to showcase some of my products.

Spring Fashion: Headbands

Finally getting around to posting another branch of baby fashion i've been playing with -  {headbands} for those lil bald heads :)

Tempting {Typography}

Get inspired by Fonts in Use - a great catalog of real-world typography in use. It showcases the importance of the most basic element of communication: {type}. A great tool for inspiring you how to rethink your next project. Don't think of simply "letters" or "WORDS" , but expand and see shapes, form, and expression.

Great design isn't just about WHAT you're saying, but HOW and WHERE - color, size and placement can sell or sink your communication.

I design magazine covers for a travel company and have been getting tired with the 'same old fonts' - and while you want to stay within branding, I'm reminded that there is SOOO much creativity within a typeface, (I know, I'm a design nerd :) ), you just have to explore and have fun with it.

New challenge for myself: Find the NEXT big font family to represent communications and not to get too stuck in the fashionable- think forward!

Freezer Paper Textiles

{New discovery}: Freezer paper!! 
Can't find the exact pattern or color in fabric you're looking for? Create your own stencil from freezer paper. It's so simple and turns out a great image or textile. Only drawback: each stencil is really a one time use BUT its the cheap route to designing your own pattern :).

Here's how:
Materials:
Freezer paper - from the grocery store, 50ft for a whoppin $1.99, yea baby! :)
Fabric paint- Michael's craft store, $1.99 ( pick one that doesnt require heat setting to save time!)
Printer
Iron
Exacto knife
Cardboar
Fabric


Find an image online or free-hand it. For my first dress I thought i'd try a bird. The possibilites are endless! Granted I should have painted this BEFORE sewing the dress together but oh well (do recommend it, to have fabric lay flat).

I had sewed a simple sun dress
...but it was missing something

Cut freezer paper to 8.5x11 piece of paper and insert it into the printer with the non-shiny side up ( or whatever direction so that the ink is on the non-shiny side). Print your design out.
Cut out the negative space.

Place cardboard beneath fabric and lay flat and smooth. Position freezer paper, sticky side down and iron with a warm dry iron. This will form your leak-proof stencil (or so the box said...i had a few small leaks).

Use a foam or stencil brush and paint evenly onto the fabric. 
Tip: paint from the outside in and in thin layers.

Let fabric dry - my bottle said 24 hours- then simply peel of the freezer paper to reveal your personalized fabric! :) Let the imagination {go wild}!

Another idea: Go online to find free animal silhouette vectors to use as stencil templates.

Posh up a party with paper!

Check out this link - Pretty Up a Party with Paper - CraftStylish - to follow Jeff, who's job is to cut and create with paper- his stuff is aweseome!

Make a cake special without the fussiness of fondant

LOVE coral - will try this out, but around
a white cake- what fun!

 I love to bake cakes and love the graphic simplicity Jeff has used to create a beautiful cake! :) Will definitely be trying this out the first chance I get!

Don't forget to create that special Thank-you note with an exquisite, though time-consuming, personal touch. Perhaps this would be for very special occasions only :) Though it inspires me to try this effect elsewhere.

Who wouldn't love to get something this thoughtful in the mail!