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DIY shirts with Hot mess ink background
There is nothing like creating customized shirts, whether it's for yourself or a gift this hot mess ink background will add a fun pop to your design.
Easy to do and unique outcome every time!
With just a few simple supplies we are ready to make gorgeous backgrounds. Add a silkscreen image or HTV image on top and be ready for everyone to love your outfit!
Supplies Parchment paper Permanent Ink 2+ colours for best results Sticky Mat Water & dropper squeegee Shirt/fabric Place the sticky mat inside of your shirt or under your fabric-- this will prevent ink from bleeding through to the backside of your shirt as well as stabilize your fabric while working. Set aside Spread ink in random places on your parchment paper. Approximately the size you want you background to be. Drip a few drops of water on your ink. Using a squeegee gently pull the colours together to create light blends. Carefully flip the shirt onto your parchment paper & press down, applying the ink to the shirt. Remove parchment and let the ink dry. Top your beautiful background with a silk screen image or HTV. See video below for a quick visual how-to!
DIY Etched cookie jar
Etching ... simple, fun and permanent meaning your design can be washed by hand or in the dishwasher! Grab your favourite stencil some etching cream and get ready to wow your friends!
This project is part of the 12 Crafts of Christmas series, be sure to catch all 12 days!
Supplies
Glass Jar Etching cream (we use Armour etch) Stencil (silkscreen transfer) Paintbrush Squeegee Select your favouite stencil to etch. Ensure to "fuzz" it off. The stencils love to stick to glass-- "Fuzzing" the act of temporarily removing some of the stickiness will make removing your stencil easier as well as prolong the life of it. Remember they are reusable! Carefully place your stencil and remove all air bubbles/wrinkles. The etching cream will sneak under if you do not do this. Etching is permanent-- there is no fix (aside from covering it up!) Apply a generous amount of etching cream on the silk screen part, ensure full coverage. Allow to sit for 5-20 min (longer will equal a deeper etch). Using a squeegee, scrape the excess cream off, yes you can reuse this so I just put it back into the jar. Remove your stencil. Wash off both the stencil and your glass item. You want to stop the cream from etching so wash it off. Enjoy your now dishwasher safe design! Fill with your favourite cookies... try not to eat them all in one sitting. Check out our printables page for my Grandma's famous Jam Jam cookies! See the video below for a quick how-to create this project.
This DIY is a fun and easy way to enhance your projects! With just a few simple supplies and you will be creating gorgeous projects in no time!
Supplies Rope or jute Hot glue Embellishments 
I love to use embroidery hoops I have picked up at thrift stores or garage sales (for a great price!). You have two choices-- keep the hoop as designed- both pieces together.
This will create a thicker wreath look. Or take it a part and have two wreaths for the price of one. The rope will make a difference in how thick your wreath is as well so consider the rope thickness when starting your project. I know you are wondering about the one part that has the hoop tightener. I either cover it with embellishments or use it as a spot to tie ropes on for hanging my design! You can use this rope wrap on many things -- plastic candy canes? From tacky dollar store to - eye pleasing rustic wrapped in rope!
 Many times it’s what is behind your image that catches the eye. I love using a variety of techniques to create unique backgrounds. The credit card technique is simple and fun. You end up with a truly unique look every time. The best part is it’s so easy to do! Beautiful Backgrounds -- Credit card painting technique  Supplies Old credit card/gift card Wax paper Paint 2+ colours surface to paint  Start by placing your paint colours on the wax paper. Create small puddles close but not touching the other colours. Take your credit card & dip it into all the colours at once. Gently drag your painted dipped card across your project surface. You will notice that as you go the paint puddles will begin to blend a bit this can add to the unique drag lines created. Play and drag you will perfect your own technique! The best part is the paint goes on thin so your background dries fairly quickly. You can always add more of one colour or new colours if you want to change up the look. Go be creative & share your results with us when you are done!
 Looking for a super simple way to get a background that pops?! Napkins & tissue paper are super affordable and come in a large variety of beautiful designs. I love using them as a background for my designs. However you need to get them securely on your back ground so you can apply your stencil on top. This may be a surprise but I do not like Mod Podge... I mean it has it's uses ... but you can DIY it for more bang for your buck! I learned this years ago from a show called Art Attack (yeah I'm that old) and it has been the one of the best tips I have ever learned! DIY Mod Podge Equal parts white glue and water Mix together. Yep that easy!  Now use your Mod Podge or your DIY version to attach you napkin/tissue paper to your background. For napkins, peel off the extra ply layers so you are left with just the top designed piece. Brush your glue on to fully cover the background surface- in our case it's an artist canvas. Gently lay your napkin/tissue on the glue. Carefully remove the wrinkles. I like to start from the edge & then lift and set it down carefully. You will perfect your own technique as you play a little. Brush a second coat of your glue over the napkin before your first layer dries. Do not over work this you will rip a hole. Let it dry Set your stencil on top and continue on as usual. Boom a WOW project!
Easy Bow for embellishing your project!  Mention needing to make a bow and most will have a look of fear! I used to dread needing a beautiful bow for my project because well... I didn't have the technique to do it! Until I found how to make this easy loopy bow! Let's create a beautiful and easy bow!  Supplies Wired ribbon one or two patterns Zip Tie Greenery (optional) Hot Glue  Start by deciding if you want a 3 or 4 loop bow. Your bow will be half the size we cut so think about how big of loops (per side) you desire. For our project we will make a 4 loop bow with 4 inch loops. Cut (4) pieces 16 inches long. Fold each one in half and glue into a big loop Press down. Cut (1) piece 16 inches long and dove tail the ends. This is the tail of your bow. To easily dove tail your ribbon ends fold the ribbon in half and cut from the edge toward the fold on angle. Cut (1) piece 4 inches long (This will cover your zip tie & the be center of our bow). Glue in a loop. Layer your loops on top of the tail piece. If you are creating a 4 loop bow stack the loops 2 and 2. If creating a 3 loop bow stack 2 on the bottom and place the third in the middle of both loops. Gently pinch the center together. Thread the small loop onto your zip tie, then wrap the zip tie around the pinch you created. Gently tighten-- Do Not fully tighten yet. Add in any greenery you desire. Tighten the zip tie & cut the excess off. Fluff & Poof your loops to your hearts desire. Step back and admire your bow!
 First a few tips: Oil and water don't mix. Yes you learned this as a child but it still holds true for DIY projects as well. If you use an oil base stain or paint do not try to layer on a water based product. Water based products will keep whites white. This is important because there is nothing worse than your gorgeous white project that turns yellow very quickly due to the sealer! Outdoor projects it's more about sealing the wood from damage. I like to use a water base Spar urethane. YES it is harder to find but water based does exist. Remember our tips above as to why water based is desired. Spray sealers. I still vote for water based. The benefit of spray is you don't risk smearing your project by brushing across it. It happens- usually when you are on a deadline or used extra time being creative. Personal choice on a brand -- just remember to get WATER based.   Glass & Mirrors. So far we have not had the need to seal glass or mirrors because we either want it to be temporary, used permanent products like heat set inks or etched it. However this product is on my list of products to try as it has been mentioned in many craft groups. Here's the thing. I really don't seal a lot of projects anymore. Now that I do a lot with Chalkology pastes and inks I find I don't need to. Yes I've used ink on wood. The paste doesn't move unless it is wet AND rubbed or scrapped off, so for many projects they don't need that extra step. I seal the wood if it's an outdoor project. In this case I am more worried about the wood damaging from Mother Nature's elements than the project on top! So seal that wood really well (I use water based spar urethane) NOW go be creative and feel confident when you are ready to seal!
 Looking for an easy embellishment to add to your projects? This is it! Hit up your favourite craft store, grab a roll of burlap and let's get creative!  Supplies Burlap Hot glue Flower center (jewel, button, etc) Step one : Cut a section of burlap. Tip the longer it is the fuller your flower will be. Step two: Pull the cross threads of the burlap (save these for another project) Step three: Fold the burlap in half & glue  Step four:Roll! Tip glue as you go to hold the roll in place. Step five: Flatten, shape/fluff as desired Step 6: Add center embellishment Add to your project, step back and admire your gorgeous work We want to see your burlap flower! Share with us in our Facebook or Instagram communities.
 Wood burn projects have always amazed me. They are so elegant looking and yet so rustic and natural. They seemed so challenging UNTIL I discovered you can use stencils & a heat gun to create your designs . MIND blown! YES you can have the look of wood burn but the perfection of a stencil. There are a few different products on the market to use: Scortch pens, scortch paste, torch paste. The struggle many have is that when using a stencil would need to avoid bleeding under, yet you need to be able to apply enough product to have it work. Thanks to other crafty minds a wood burning DIY gel has been created (recipe below)! Why a Gel? Gel is thick enough to not bleed under your stencil yet thin enough to go through mesh if using a silk screen style stencil (perfect for multiple projects of the same design!)
 Ready to DIY this mind-blowing wood burn gel? Supplies: Warm Water Food colouring (2-3 drops) Thick-it Amonia Choloride In a glass bowl, combine 1 Tbsp Amonia Chloride, 8 tsp Thick-it, 1/2 cup warm water and food colouring. Stir well. The food colouring is so that you can see your application as this gel is clear. The colouring will not affect your project. Place in container. This will make plenty of gel for your project as you use very little! You may wish to 1/2 this recipe. A Tip we have picked up from using this gel. Over time it will turn back to liquid. To slow this process store your gel in the fridge.  Using your gel paste with silk screen stencils. Just like paste, ink or etching cream the gel is very easy to use! Simply apply a small amount across your image & use the squeegee to remove the excess. Remove and wash your silk screen stencil. Grab your heat gun and start burning that wood. Be sure to move the heat around so that you do not over burn one spot. You will see the wood start to change colours-- more heat = more burn, less= less burn. Play around and figure out the look that you want to achieve. Bonus of wood burning... it's food safe! Simply sand your finished item gently and apply mineral oil over top. Grab a bamboo cutting board & give it a fun design! We want to see your creations! Be sure to tag us @ChalkElegance on Facebook & @Chalk_Elegance on Instagram when posting your Burn gel/silk screen creations!
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Stephanie Nixon
A busy mom of three finding me time, therapy and fun with Chalk Couture and crafting! 
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