Project Post: Easy Canvas Applique Art

Here's a quick and easy one.

So awhile back I needed three small canvases for a project I was doing for a baby shower. For something that seems like such a simple object, canvases can be pricey! So when I found a Bargain Pack of 10 at JoAnn's and I had a 50% off coupon, I figured I'd find something to do with the other 7. I think including this project I still have 3 to go.

Anyways, you could adapt this a million different ways, but in my case I had been hoarding two applique numbers. Backstory: the Padres hold a "Garage Sale" for charity before the start of every season. They pull tons of stuff from out of storage and you never know what you'll find --- game-used jerseys, autographed balls, surplus promotional items, old banners used on the streetlamps surrounding the ballpark, batting helmets, uniform pants... it's crazy. Season ticket holders get priority entrance and line up around the block at like 7am hoping to get their hands on cool memorabilia. But if you volunteer at the Garage Sale (and get the coveted set-up shift), you can claim first dibs.

Last year I found a box of assorted letters and numbers, the kind that are sewn onto the backs of jerseys. I was hoping to find numbers to spell out our full anniversary (12.27.08), but only wanted the retro brown numbers, so I could only find "27." Good enough. As it turned out, the 27 fit on my canvas perfectly.

I had some khaki twill-ish fabric on hand from a previous project, so after ironing it I laid my canvas in the center and cut out a square with a couple of extra inches on each side. From there I basically followed the guidelines of how the canvas was already wrapped, and like wrapping a present, I worked on one side at a time and stapled the edges and corners.

You'll need to work on the corners so that they stay snug and relatively flat. Also, I decided to tuck in the little bit of excess I had on a couple of the sides and add a few extra staples.

Once I had my canvas ready, I considered using my glue gun to adhere the numbers, but since I had this no-sew fabric glue on hand I thought I'd give that a try and hope for fewer glue-strings. The directions basically just tell you to add the glue to both pieces of fabric that you're sticking together -- but since I was sure I would get glue on parts of the canvas I didn't want to get glue on, I stuck to putting glue on the perimeter of my numbers, carefully laying them on my canvas, and then before they had time to bond I carefully lifted the edges of the numbers and added a thin line of glue to the canvas as well. 

I did one number at a time, and while it dried/bonded I laid a heavy book on top. Oh, I also recommend using something flat that fits within the frame of the canvas to give you a better working surface -- I used my 9-inch square cake pan. Then when you lay the book on top it's really pressing the two fabrics together firmly from both sides. Repeat with second number (or letter or applique shape or whatever you're using).

Overall, even though I can see that I don't have the spacing quite right, I'm pretty happy with how this turned out! In fact when E saw it laying on the table after I'd finished it he said he thought I had a Padres jersey folded up just showing the numbers. That's fun, right? If you don't have access to MLB-surplus items, you can usually find jersey numbers and/or letters at sporting goods stores, embroidery shops or sometimes screenprinters, even craft stores and trophy shops. Doing a name, jersey-style, or a birthday could be really cute for a kid's room. It's an easy way yo make something one-of-a-kind and totally personal.

So this is eventually going to be part of a gallery wall in our bedroom -- we've lived here more than four years and I've never really put any art on our bedroom walls. It's sad. But not for much longer! #AnotherUnfinishedProject In the meantime I had fun staging it with some other Padres stuff (and retro Padres-colored flowers).

So what kind of quick and easy art projects are you doing lately? Anything using these cute little 10-inch canvases? I think I bought a pack of 10 for about $20, and my garage sale numbers were like, $1 each so that makes this a pretty frugal art piece. :)

Happy canvassing,

Pinspired: Bunny Bark

I'd been eyeing those "Bunny Bark" or "Bunny Bait" recipes... stuff like this. Pretty straightforward, if you've melted white and dark chocolate to make Peppermint Bark, you can surely do this.

The recipe I more-or-less used can be found here, from Your Homebased Mom. I'm sure that her finished product, if I followed it to the letter, is fantastic--I mean it looks good enough to eat right off my screen--but I just don't often follow recipes to the letter!

I kind of took note of the ingredients then winged it based on what caught my eye at the store. I know most of the recipes use those Golden Oreos to keep everything nice and pastel-colored, but... Double Stuf Oreos are better, #AmIRight?  I also grabbed a couple of small boxes of chocolate-dipped peanuts, but I think almonds would be amazing, and I just used several snack-sized bags of pretzels since that happened to be a better deal than one larger bag. If you can't find the white Almond Bark you could use those candy melts from Michael's or JoAnn's. I pulled out the food coloring but didn't think I needed it... Really you could make this completely loaded with candy and sweets or keep it simple, it's entirely up to you!

To try to keep things on the cleaner side I lined my cookie sheet in aluminum foil first, and you might want to give it a spritz of non-stick spray just to make your life easier.

I started by breaking up and laying down my pretzel pieces and Oreo chunks, as well as the chocolate-dipped peanuts. This helped keep the color of the finished bark more pastel-ish instead of being really muddled by Oreo dust. I reserved a handful of each to add to the top of the finished bark.

Just be careful to melt your chocolate in small increments (time-wise, like just 15 seconds or so at a time once it starts to get soft) to avoid burning it!

Using smaller increments again, I spread it over my cookie-pretzel layer on my baking sheet, followed by a sprinkling of pastel M&Ms and crystal-y sprinkles while the chocolate was still nice and soft. I just did one manageable section at a time.

After working my way across the baking sheet with a layer of white chocolate, I used my reserved pretzel-peanut-Oreos and smushed them into the still-soft chocolate so that the top gave a hint of what was covered by chocolate at the bottom. Then it's just a matter of staying away from it long enough to let it harden!

Then break that ish up. I've made Peppermint Bark that basically shatters when you look at it because the layers come out so delicate, but this bark has a bit more bite, I guess you could say, and I had to pretty much slice it into squares in some cases where the chocolate-cookie-pretzel goodness was really thick.

I think the best thing, other than it's packed with so many yummy and not-good-for you things, is the sweet-and-salty mix you get by adding the pretzels. I will caution that it came out super-rich...definitely plan on giving most of this away or bringing it to a party because your tummy will not appreciate you binging on this!

Again, this is super-easy, doesn't take much time, and could easily be a fun project for kiddos to participate in with you. Throw a few pieces into a cute bag or basket with a bow and it's perfect for neighbors, teachers or friends. 

Enjoy!!! 

April Powers

Baseball is back. Grass is green. Papa's birthday is this week and my Dad's is later this month. I start a new job and hopefully bright things are ahead. Feeling positive and grateful for people and opportunities. 

I think ole' Bill Shakespeare said it best --- 

Xoxox,