Happy Fall! 

I know! Fall does not officially start until September 22nd, but there’s something about waving goodbye to August that makes me feel like it’s fall. It puts a little bounce in my step because fall is my very favorite season! I love them all, but if I had to choose only one, it would have to be fall.

I love the transition from summer grilling to slow cooked comfort food. I love the way the air starts to feel and smell differently. I love the colors, the apple harvest and the decorations. I just love fall! 

I can’t wait to jump into fall decorating and when I do, I’ll have a couple of new items recently created using A Maker’s Studio products. 

(Please note this contains an affiliate link by which This Place I Belong can profit. However, I never recommend a product I don’t believe in.)

Remember a couple of weeks ago I told you about A Maker’s Studio and the amazing paint and Mesh Stencils that can help fight human trafficking? (If you missed that, you can read about it here.) Last Monday, we had a paint party. Actually, it was paint and wine, along with some fresh fruit and cheeses. I’m not sure which my youngest daughter liked more, the painting or the snacks, sans wine, of course. 

In preparation for that gathering, my mom and I decided to create a whole bunch of art. I thought it would be good for people to see what’s possible with these products. I also thought it would be really great for me to work with them and see how they actually perform. 

I’d ordered a whole boxful of goodies, so for a few hours last weekend, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work. My mom bought some pieces and frames from Hobby Lobby and I  visited the local Habitat for Humanity store. 

Here’s what we created! 

I love the simplicity of this little picture.

I’d never gilded anything before so I was excited to give it a try. I love how this turned out. I could have used more size, (the glue that holds the gilding to the project), and the gilding would have been more solid, but I wanted this look. It just feels older, more like an antique to me.

I purchased an old cabinet door from our Habitat for Humanity store for $2.00. It’s made of pressed board and had a plastic veneer that was peeling. I pulled the veneer off, lightly sanded a couple of spots that were rough, filled and sanded the holes left by old hardware, then sealed it with a spray polyurethane. After that dried it was ready for paint. I used Rescue Restore Paint for the background, followed by one of the Mesh Stencils and ChalkArt paint.

This was the first little project I made at the Haven Conference in July.

My mom purchased this little piece of wood at Hobby Lobby. Rather than making another wall hanging, I stained it with A Maker’s Studio Gel Stain, used the Deer Stencil, attached antler drawer pulls left over from another project and created a cheese tray. This would make a really fun gift!

This was part of a wooden wall from my parent’s kitchen. It was removed during renovations. We glued two pieces together then sanded the backside. When that was finished, I stained it with Gel Stain and allowed that to dry. Next, I applied a black wash  made by mixing Preaching to the Choir Rescue Restore Paint with water. After applying it and waiting for it to dry, I applied the Mesh Stencil. I really love this piece and love that it was made from wood scraps.

This was a picture frame that my mom purchased at Hobby Lobby. We just painted the backer board after staining the frame with Gel Stain.

This wooden Hobby Lobby piece was stained with Gel Stain before the Mesh Stencils were applied. When the paint dried, we stapled the silk flowers into place. Did I mention that I love fall decorations?!

This solid oak cabinet door from Habitat For Humanity only cost $1.00. One dollar! I simply filled the holes left by the knob and painted. The Mesh Stencil fit perfectly on the raised panel. So cheap and so easy!

Hobby Lobby sells canvas boards for just a few dollars a package. We painted the canvas with Rescue Restore Paint then washed with Metallic Silver ChalkArt paint. The wreath in the middle is one of the  A Maker’s Studio Clear Stamps. I used part of a Mesh Stencil to write  “Love”. The hanger is a partially finished piece of bead work from my mom’s craft cabinet and we used old buttons to attach it.

 

My youngest daughter created two t-shirts using Rescue Restore Paint and letter Mesh Stencils. The “Elvis” was a practice, on one of Grandpa’s old t-shirts. Sometimes he’s the premier Elvis fan. Other times he fantasizes that he IS Elvis!

This was her second attempt. The quote is from the tv show, Friday Night Lights. There are dozens of quotes that could go on t-shirts or wall art.

Last but not least, these are some of the projects created at our paint gathering. Didn’t they do a great job?!

After using the products, I’m just as excited as I was when I was first introduced to them. I look at everything in my house and wonder how it would look with paint and perhaps a Stencil!

You can see more creative and inspirational projects at A Maker’s Studio Facebook Page.

Of course, if you’d like to have a paint gathering, live or virtual, or learn how you can purchase these products at a discount, just let me know!

Happy Creating!