Now that things are finally calming down a bit, I've been looking back over past blog posts. They remind me of home and leave me feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

So, in March, two years ago, I shared a project inspired by this mixed media art, found at Ballard.

 

I shared how I created my own versions for my studio, but I realized I never posted photos of the set of three together.

 They are now hanging happily on the wall of my new space, exactly how they were designed to be.

Click through for the how to!

Total angel, right?

I call him "Captain Destruct-o."

His latest victims are the dust covers on his big brother's beloved books.

So, I dutifully removed them all and put them away for safe-keeping a few months ago. But, this past week, I was inspired to turn the Dr. Seuss covers into artwork for the boys' playroom.

I mean, why not? They are beautifully printed, colorful, and so much fun.

To frame them, I picked up some 8" x 10" stained, wooden frames for $3 a piece at Wal-Mart. I couldn't believe how great these frames looked! For $3 each!

They came with really ugly mats... so I simply traced, cut, and covered them with coordinating card stock using acid-free glue.

{By the way, I love this glue stick. It has been a hard worker through many projects. Highly recommend!}

I layered a few of the mats with different colored card stock for fun effect and added a few personal touches - including stamping each with this great old stamp that I picked up at the Country Living Fair in Atlanta. {You should go this year. It. Is. Amazing.} 

I've been dying for a project to use it on!

And here's the final collection! Total cost: less than $20!!!!!!!

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You may be sick of hearing about these playroom projects. Eventually, I'll finish and tour you through the madness. Promise!

In unrelated news... as of tomorrow night, I can tick one more course off my list in my Master's program! Whoo-hoo!! I may just make it! Unfortunately, my projects and blog posts are suffering a bit because I have to invest so much more of myself into school these days. I hope you'll forgive the distraction!

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss! Thank you for inspiring one of my projects this week.

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Check back tomorrow for the details on how I created this new artistic addition to the boys' playroom for a total of $18!

Graphic design is a major part of my professional life. However, in marketing, you're usually tied to a certain set of objectives - branding, graphics standards, a particular look and feel.

So, the idea of subway art has always fascinated me. It seems so freeing...

{You mean, I can use any words that I want, any font that I like, in any pattern that I wish? Shut the front door! That's awesome.}

So, I decided to experiment with a few different techniques to create an art piece for Ryder's room. I was also eager to put my sports letters to good use and this seemed like a perfect opportunity.

For this project, I used:

• 1 18"x24" canvas
• Scrap fabric (a piece large enough to cover the canvas and a smaller piece to run through my printer)
• Clear Contact Paper
• Acrylic paint
• Sports Letter Appliques
• Mod Podge
• Fabric glue

I started by laying out my design (to scale) in Adobe InDesign.

{Feel free to download for your own use.}

I found this vintage baseball graphic at TheGraphicsFairy.com.

I covered my canvas with fabric, adhering with Mod Podge.

Next, I began work on a set of stencils. I converted my artwork into a format that I could trace with my Silhouette software. I exported my file from InDesign as a JPEG.

I traced the artwork, which meant working with a couple of different Silhouette studio files. Because my layout is so large, I had to break down my design into pieces that could be cut with my Silhouette.

{If you would like these .studio files, I'm happy to share! Just e-mail me at rachelhgarza{at}gmail{dot}com.}

I cut the stencils out of clear Contact Paper (trimmed to a size that would run through my machine) and laid them out on my fabric-covered canvas and sponged over the letters with acrylic paint. I wanted the letters to look worn and rough so I used a minimum amount of paint on my sponge.

I've been looking for a reason to try printing on fabric so I decided to make a patch out of a different ticking fabric. I ironed my fabric onto Craft Bond, trimmed to size, and had no trouble running the piece though my inkjet printer.

I used a decorative stitch, reminiscent of a baseball's stitching, to frame around the image and trimmed the excess fabric away. I adhered my "patch" with fabric glue.

If I had it to do over again, I would have used a different fabric. In my mind, these patterns should line up perfectly when layered on top of one another... but this is real life...

I left space in my layout to incorporate a few sports letters. Once I finished painting, I adhered the letters with fabric glue.

Here's the end result.

It's not a terrible first attempt. I'm definitely going to use it in the room. However, I'm not wild about the mix of vintage lettering with more modern appliques.

It was a great learning experience and I'm inspired to do more! I have a few ideas for more subway art for the boys' playroom. So... who knows what I'll have to share in the coming weeks...

Hey! I have an extra baseball fabric print that I made, but didn't use. If you would like it for your own project, leave a comment below. I'll select someone at random next Friday to send it to.

I have a big thing for antique books. There is just something about owning something that was created when processes were so different. Printed and bound books are so special. Even the stains and creases of the pages give old books a unique personality.

I tend to purchase a lot of book pages, too. I count them as art.

Here is some of the history that I have framed around my home.

These were wedding gifts. This book was printed in 1899.

I found these botanical book pages from a vendor in Atlanta. 1864. They are my favorites.

I can't remember the year these fashion pages were printed, early 1900s I believe, but what makes them so special is the color. They were hand colored. 

I have them hanging in my closet for a little inspiration!

Here is a collection of pages that I purchased on eBay. I was inspired by a room in a PotteryBarn catalog. I created the same effect for a fraction of the price! 

{I did splurge on the bedding}

And finally, here is some wall art that I created from an old cowboy comic book from the 1950s. The book was in terrible shape when I purchased it so I didn't feel too bad about using the pages.

I mounted them with 3D dots onto scrapbook paper and painted the frames with a crackle finish.

Do you collect anything unusual? What makes your collection special to you?

I’ve been working to finish setting up Ryder’s nursery {can I still call it that?} and, with every box I open, I’m so excited to be reintroduced to my past projects!

For both of my boys, I designed rooms that could grow with them. Dylan’s theme is vintage cowboys. Ryder’s is vintage baseball. At any point, I can make very small changes in their rooms to adjust to their ages or changes in preferences. It’s great!!

Let me give you a quick tour.

I started with a fabric that I loved and complemented it with a red ticking. I’ve long since retired the bumper, but the crib skirt will stick around for a while. I actually have enough of these fabrics to make a cute duvet for his toddler bed.

{Don’t you know the only time I can get a decent photo of my child is when I’m trying to take a photo of something else?!}

Rather than making custom treatments for his room, I purchased navy tab-top curtains and added bands of the main fabric.

I found these really great vintage penny-punch cards on eBay. They were a GREAT find {and in mint condition}! I slapped them in floating frames and… Voila! Instant art!

I purchased this dresser for $35 at an antique store. I stripped and stained the piece a dark brown and applied a crackle finish in a navy blue over the stain. I also swapped out the pulls. I LOVE the results!

I used scraps to make a fabric bunting and a few throw pillows.

I love maximum impact on a minimum budget. Don’t we all?!

Please come back tomorrow! I want to share a window treatment project that I’ve been helping a friend with this week – during our lunch hours! Gotta squeeze in the creative time whenever you can!

Hi there… Have you missed me?

I was hoping that someone would call for a search party! I’ve been buried under a pile of boxes and whatnots! I have never felt more like a hoarder.

I remembered packing up my sewing room last year – 6 boxes or so, right?? Try 35! 35 boxes of fabric, patterns, notions, organizers, tools… that doesn’t include my 5 sewing machines, dress form, and shelving.

I am ashamed.

I am purging as I’m unpacking and it feels so good! And, it feels so bad! I mean, I might eventually need this stuff…

{exiting hoarder’s mindset}

So, as it may be a while before I’m up and sewing, I’m enjoying rediscovering some of my past projects. The ones that came before the blog.

Before the move, I designed my son’s bathroom in “preppy” robots – a great theme that he won’t outgrow anytime soon. And when he does, I will only have to swap out the accessories because the color story should last through his teenage years.

I made a fun plaid shower curtain to anchor my design and built from there. I’ll have to share the curtain with you in a future post.

I used scrap fabric (denim and leftover plaid from the curtain), simple $10 frames from IKEA, and my embroidery machine to create some original artwork.

{I took these photos with my phone. Please excuse the quality!}

I first embroidered my robots onto the denim and ironed Wonder Under between my denim and plaid layers to hold the pieces in place. I then did a quick hand-stitch around the border of the denim, just for decoration.

I trimmed the plaid fabric to the dimensions of the frame insert  - the hard backside of the frame.

I used Mod Podge (my “go to” for everything!) to adhere the fabric to the frame insert and added my hardware to hang. So simple!

The most time consuming part of this project was the embroidery. It took around 30 minutes for each robot. I ran into machine trouble, too, which slowed down the process.

So, for his new bathroom, all that I’ve added is these great wall decals that I found at Michael’s on clearance. They were completely perfect in theme and color. A fun addition, don’t you think?

So, as I’m thinning out my supplies, I’d like to share some of them with you! Who’s up for a free pattern? Dealer’s choice, but never used… I’ll pick a winner at random this coming Friday. Just leave your comments below!

Thank you for coming back to see me after such a long time! I look forward to fun and creative times to share with you as my life settles back into a routine.