Project: Artwork - When two is better.

I am lucky enough to have two best friends, (besides my mother)

 and better yet, two best friends who not only LIKE each other, but are truly soul mates. If you ask them they will tell you that is a true statement. This is great for me because whatever I do for one as a gift I can usually do for the other, and both of them 9 times out of 10 love it. There is probably that one rare occasion where I totally screw it up, I'm human, it happens, but I try not to have that happen. Granted, usually the gifts aren't IDENTICAL, but they are pretty darn close. They both have their own sense of style, but for all intents and purposes this project totally works for both of them. 

I'm an admitted art supply hoarder. I totally need a "She Shed" or a "Crafting Cave" in order to be away from my family, get in my zone, and get my creative streak on. Men have Man Caves; so I feel that one day I'd love to have a space of my own too. Someday I hope to have a quiet little place to drum up awesome creative ideas, but until then our kitchen table doubles as a play area for kids and grown up's a like. 

Today's Project I kind of stumbled across picking up odds and ends over God knows how long…remember Me <---- The HOARDER! At least in my defense, my mother (GOD LOVE HER) just recently helped me organize the fiasco that is my working space downstairs. So now I know where everything is.  So lets gets started.

What you'll need:

(2) 16X20'' Canvas 

Acrylic Paint

Sponge Brush

1 Pack of Mambi Sheets (71/4'' X 8'' or 18cm X 20cm)

Ruler

Pencil

Chip Decor Words

Xyron Adhesive Runner/Glue

Mod Podge (Optional)

So I was at Tuesday Morning's yesterday, and they had a wicked great sale on Mambi Sheets. Before yesterday I had NO idea what Mambi Sheets were. (Yes, I'm slow to the party, forgive me) But I'm all for the DIY stuff so I picked up two packages of these originally $6.00 pennant packs, and I picked them up for $1.49. Seriously, why wouldn't you pick that up? ANNNNNNND this is why I'm now out of the closet as a art supply hoarder. So I picked up two, but in doing this project you only need 2/3 of one pack to make this project. I also had a pack of canvases downstairs already, so there ya go! 

So these Mambi Sheets are strange colors. They are a grey, beige, yellow, and white. I'm all for being a paint mixologist, but it's freaking hard to get some of these hues exactly. SO, when in doubt, go for the basics, or something as close to it as you can. I went with a warm light yellow and a grey. Jen loves warmer tones like yellows, oranges, and reds and Mander loves purple and grey. 

I can make this work! Light yellow and grey it is!

So these Mambi sheets don't tear off as easily as one would hope, be careful when you go to tear these puppies apart, they are a wicked pain. Plus there is a hole that you will have to get rid of too.

You'll need to measure down just past the hole. Remove that part.

Went to my favorite happy place - Hobby Lobby! 

Originally these chip board pieces were $4 a piece, but today they were 50% off! Seriously, who doesn't just love a sale!? So now that we've got our canvases painted, our sheets torn out, cut, and all laid out on how we envision this whole thing looking…it's time to get assembling.

NOT the final layout I went with, but you've got
to mess with it until it's just right…you get the point.

So my awesome Mother-in-Law picked me up some of these Xyron Adhesive Runners. They are incredible! HOLY SMOKES! Again, I must be new to this whole paper thing, I'm a glue girl from way back, old school style crafting. If you haven't had the pleasure of using this stuff, you must get some! I give it two thumbs up! Seriously in love with it!

I did go a little old school and use glue too.

See the sheen on the picture below. This stuff sticks like a CHAMP! I did run out at one point, and had to revert to using my old standby…glue. Either works, both have their good points, and their not so good points. The Xyron, once you put it down you have a hard time moving it again, that kind of sucked since I was trying to get the placing just right, but the glue was perfect for moving it around, but it took forever to dry. It also kept popping up in places. So either work, but if I'd have to do it all over again I'd use the Xyron.

Such good stuff!

Okay, so it took some time to get the paper placed in the right spots, but I think it really turned out nicely. I tried to get the spacing as evenly as possible too. Just don't look TOO closely, just stand back, and look at the project overall. I even put a couple of coats of Mod Podge on top. That part is totally optional, I'm quite sure it would be fine without it. I used the Red Gloss Luste' Mod Podge, if you are so inclined.

Before the Mod Podge, it looked fine.

Mod Podge will make the colors pop more.

After, the MP still wasn't completely dry, so
the paper was still a bit buckled. 

With Mod Podge, every time I use it, I'll be honest it freaks me out. It buckles the paper every.single.time. It makes me crazy! What I need to remember is that it doesn't stay like that forever, and with a little patience, a little TLC, and some manipulation, the paper turns out just fine.

Believe Amanda!

 So after everything was said and done, this is how it all ended up today. Manda's, on the left was still a little wet still from the MP, but Jen's was completely dry and popped back into shape. Hopefully both of these will look great in both of their houses!

Godmother's Day presents complete! SURPRISE!
These colors are more true to the real thing.

So all in all, if you liked this idea, you could technically use paper that you have around your house, cut it to size to fit whatever size canvases you have sitting around the house, duplicate this post in any color, with any kind of paper; plus if you are fresh out of chip board words, and you are feeling frisky, you could always paint the words on the paper. The sky is the limit crafting friends!

Go, Create, and Be Merry!