Point of View: Pinterest | Intersecting Circle Art

So, today is the Point of View reveal! Don't know what Point of View is? You're missing out! POV is a monthly themed creative collaboration between a handful of "regulars", one guest (that's me, this month!), and, if you'd like, you. Each creative blogger shares a project based on a theme, and then anyone can link up a project relating to their view of that theme. Think of it as one of those craft competitions, minus the competition. :)

I'm so excited to be part of Point of View and share with you one of my *favorite* projects EVER. Our theme this month is Pinterest. If you've made something inspired by a pin, we want to see! (Scroll down to link up.) We have some great projects to share this month:

Keep reading to get the scoop on my Pinterest-inspired project (and link up your own), and please take a minute to check out the other fantastic projects by these amazing ladies:

Jonie from Just Between Friends

Ashlee from I'm Topsy Turvy

Amy from Ameroonie Designs

Gwen from Gwenny Penny

Leanne from Organize and Decorate Everything

My project this month is this gorgeous (if I do say so myself) intersecting circle art:

In true Pinterest and knock-off fashion, this project is inspired by this paint chip intersecting circle art by Two Girls Being Crafty, which was inspired by a piece from World Market.

World Market: $129 | Two Girls $3 | just Lu $17*

*only because I inadvertently grabbed the wrong type of wood (the $15 expensive-ish type)

The tutorial was one of my first pinned projects. I started it back in October, and being a guest here for POV gave me the proper motivation to get it all finished up.

Those Two Girls have done a great job with the tutorial, I followed it closely and made two separate pieces, mounted on wood planks instead of on a canvas.

I am completely in love with the depth that the wood background gives to the pieces. I used Minwax Dark Walnut stain and it's my new favorite (I'm planning to use it for this shelf next). I bought a 3-foot 1x12 board and had them cut it in half for me at the hardware store, so each plank measures 1x12x18 inches... almost. I will never understand why wood dimensions aren't actually the same as their names.

Anyway, after pulling out my hair figuring out the common denominator of 11.5 and 18 (give or take a 1/4 inch), I used Photoshop to help me draw a circle that was exactly the crazy-right size, and I created my football-ish template from there. (This won't make any sense until you read the tutorial over at Two Girls Being Crafty :)

After hours of tracing and cutting, I adhered each piece semi-permanently to the plank using double-stick tape, so that I could reposition the pieces as needed to make sure that they were arranged how I would like and fit properly to reach the edges of the planks. Once the pieces were where I wanted them, I used a gluestick to adhere each piece permanently, and then sealed the whole shebang (or, I guess, both shebangs) with a matte spray sealant (Krylon Low Odor Clear Finish). The tutorial uses ModPodge, but I do not have a good track record with ModPodge as a sealant for paper that needs to stay flat, so spray was the way to go!

I added a sawtooth hanger to the back of each plank, and up on the wall they went! They brighten my entryway, and I'm sure it will be even better once I choose a family picture to enlarge and hang in between them like this:

one of my favorite photos ever!

or maybe like this:

our Christmas card photo... for the cards we never sent :)

Currently it actually looks like this:

that blue painter's tape is class-y, right?

Gotta love Photoshop for its abilities to twist reality :)

Now, what have you been pinning? Come link up your Pinterest-inspired projects!

Hand-Stamped Scrunchy Tote

I am so in love with my latest creation that I had to forego the normal waiting period (of waaaay too long) to share it with you right away:

My niece turned eight yesterday. Her favorite color is purple and she has been begging for a scrunchy-style bag since I made one for myself in June and another for Debra in July (neither of which I have shared yet... but I will round up some pictures to share soon).

I put off starting this project until yesterday, thinking that I had some great purple fabric in my stash. And... I didn't. Just plain ol' purple. Rather than spend the time and money to run to the store, I decided to exercise my creative muscle that has been getting soft lately. ;)

craft paint + egg carton cups + bottle caps

 (plus a lid from a tub of frosting as a paint tray)

equals...

a fantastic stamped fabric that I couldn't be more pleased with. 

The bottle lids were from a water bottle, a gallon of milk (which is now just sitting lidless in the fridge... small sacrifice for awesome fabric ;), and one of the small bottles of juice. I cut out three individual cups from an egg carton (already empty and in the recycling... I only rob so much from the fridge!) and hot-glued the lids on, two right side up to make the solid circles and one upside down to make the circle outline. You could do without the egg carton cups, but it was SO helpful to have a little more grip on the "stamp".

I watered the craft paint down a little bit as I stamped (maybe 5 drops per medium dollop of paint?). Once the paint was dry, I ironed the fabric to heat-set the paint (since I didn't use fabric paint -- I've never bothered and it doesn't seem to make a huge difference until it's been washed a LOT).

To make the bag, I followed the basics of this tutorial from Nae of Nae Chic. (I followed the tutorial exactly for my first scrunchy bag -- it's a great tutorial for a great bag!). My outer pieces (that I stamped) were about 13"x22", and the interior pieces ended up being 13" square. I also stamped fabric for 3 interior rectangular flat pockets, which I neglected to take a photo of.  The finished bag is just the right size for the Highlights puzzle books I had picked up for her -- or another magazine, notebook, coloring book, text book, etc.

The handle is an old necktie I had in my stash. It was part of a tie skirt I made in high school that I had started to dismantle to remake in an, er, mom size (hips! who knew?) so I had already cut it down to about 16" long and undone the stitching to remove the stabilizer inside.

To make it suitable for a bag handle, I ironed in some fusible fleece (because I had a scrap that fit just right) and sewed a straight stitch down the middle to re-secure the tie in proper shape. I sewed the cut edge into the seam when I sewed the interior and exterior of the bag together, and then I attached the other end (the triangle end) by hand, using a big purple button and purple embroidery floss.

I love it, and my niece was thrilled with it! I can't wait until my own kiddos give such glowing approval of my handiwork :)

I know I've been mostly absent lately, but I am still here and doing all sorts of fun things to share with you. First and foremost, I am SO excited for next week - I am the guest for Point of View this month. The theme is Pinterest, so I finally got around to finishing one of my first Pinterest projects. I hope you'll love it! Tune back in next Friday for the reveal :)


Thanks for reading!