FOLK ART WALL STARS...DIY

Today I want to show you how I made these 3D paper stars to hang in my hallway..

I am nearly ready for the last bit of my hallway reveal, as upstairs is now finished decorated and looking shiny and new....post coming soon...

I am trying to find a new mirror/coat rack ....(still searching) and I am adding some details, like these lovely, easy to make 3D stars:

I have chosen to use wallpaper samples to decorate these stars that compliments my birch forest stencil, I showed you last week here

Anyway, lets get on with it...they might be easy, but they wont make themselves...

You will need:

A 5point star template

3mm grey card

Offcuts of wall paper or samples

Pencil

Ruler

Scalpel and cutting mat

Spray adhesive

Double sided tape

Scissors

I will start by showing you an easy way y to create a perfect 5 point star to use as a template:

MAKING A 5 POINT STAR....

You will need:

A piece of 21x25cm paper

Scissors

Ruler

Pencil

Fold you piece of paper in half (12,5cm)

Fold and unfold in half both ways to create creased centre lines (whilst still folded in half)

Bring corner A right to meet with the centre crease line.(Fold from the vertical crease line).

Fold corner A back on itself until the paper edges coincide.

Bring corner B right until the edges coincide in the fold.

Then fold corner B back over itself, towards the right, until the paper edges coincide.

Use a ruler to mark a straight line at an angle, as shown in the picture above, then cut this piece off.

THIS LITTLE PIECE IS YOUR STAR

Unfold the little piece of paper to reveal your perfect 5 point star!

If you use stiff card to do this, you can now manipulate the folds and create a 3D star, but We are going to use tis as our template to make some sturdier 3D stars in 3ml grey card:

MAKING THE 3D STARS

Copy your star template onto the grey card (Enlarge if you'd like)

Use a pencil and ruler to draw the lines between the points of the star, like in the picture above.

 Using you ruler as a guide, cut out the star using a scalpel.

On one side score the 5 short lines (red) from the middle and outwards..(Take care not to cut all the way through, but aim to cut 2/3rds into the thickness of the grey card)

Turn the star over and draw out the lines between the points on this side as well...

Score the long (Blue) lines.

Bend the card along your scored lines and manipulate the folds until you get a 3D star.

Have a coffee and a snack whilst perusing your wallpaper samples.

(I ordered mine online and got some from homebase for free, but you could use any leftovers you have from decorating, to match up with your décor)

You can of course use other patterned medium -weight paper, but wallpaper is perfect for this project, as the fibrous nature of wallpaper can stretch and bend better, reducing the risk of tearing when you bend the star.

When you have chosen your wallpaper, its time to get

DECORATING THE STARS: 

 

Lay your wallpaper right-side down on a clean surface.

Flatten your card star and spray the front with spray adhesive.

Press it down onto your wallpaper.

Cut the wallpaper around the star, leaving a 2cm margin all around.

At each inner point of the star, trim away some of the wallpaper (As shown in the picture above), then place strips of double sided tape along each side of each star point.

Remove the backing of the tape and fold the edges of the wallpaper back onto the double sided tape...trim away any excess wallpaper at the star points as you go.

Turn the star over and gently manipulate the folds back into a 3D shape.

I made 7 stars in 3 different sizes...with different wallpapers (and two in copper leaf)

To hang them up, I simply wedged some sewing thread in-between 2 pieces of double sided tape to create a hoop, then used little stick on picture hooks to hang them off on the wall.

And that's it: Grouped together they look great! 

...and the wallpapers I have used perfectly compliments the grey and white theme of my new hallway...whilst the copper ones adds a bit of sparkle...
And they have added a bit of interest to the other ways bare wall going up the stairs...

 Here's a little sneak peak of my stairs....no carpet yet!

 These are so easy to make, I hope you will give it a go:

They make nice little pieces of interest...even just with one casually placed in a shelf!

One of the things I love about making my own home décor, is that you can make it exactly how you want it : in this case, you can decorate the stars to fit YOUR style!!

Have a great weekend!

xxx

June

competition time!

 

 

In March I will be celebrating the first anniversary of Nostalgiecat!

 

I cant believe I have been blogging for a whole year already!

But I can honestly say that starting Nostalgiecat has been one of the best decisions I have ever made!

It has motivated and inspired me in a very positive way!

I feel like I have finally found my calling in life and it has reignited my passion for interior design!

 

I truly enjoy my new creative life, and I am constantly buzzing with inspiration and ideas!

There is just not enough hours in the day....

And I love the feedback I get on my various projects from all you lovely people!!

 

So I wanted to celebrate my first year of blogging by having a give-away with a difference....

....Nostalgiecat style!!

 

Before I started blogging I was one of those people that would see something I liked...in a shop or online, and I'd think: "I could make that!!"....But I never did!!

Now I hardly ever buy anything for our home...I make it! And it gives me a great sense of pride!

I guess that's what I hope that this blog would inspire all of you to do, as well!
 

 
How about a gorgeous crochet bowl made from T-shirts, like this one from how to turn a fly into an elephant.
 
 

So for my 1 year anniversary competition I would like to encourage you all to get involved!!
 

If you have seen something you like for your home, that you think would be DIY-able, or you have seen a project that you would like to do, but you don't know where to start...please share your ideas with me!

It could be a piece of art, a lamp or a piece of furniture....a decorative object or some unique curtains or any other home ware  that you like the look of!

...Or maybe some decorative plates like these from Pretty handy girl ?

Not only will I do a project tutorial on the winners suggestion, but the winner will also be given the end result!!

It can be as big or as small a project as you'd like, but I may have to ask the winner to pay for postage/shipping if it is a particularly large piece! So please bear this in mind!

If you need any inspiration, feel free to peruse my Pinterest board: Projects!

 
....Or something made from concrete, like this funky diamond from a merry mishap?
 

I am doing this competition via my facebook page, so that it is easier for you to upload pictures of your project suggestions.
So to take part you need to follow my page on facebook, so that you can easily share your idea with me...all I ask is that you help me out by sharing my  fb-page with all your friends...

In about a months time, I will shortlist all your suggestions into my top 5 favourites, and then put it to the public vote on facebook!
So make sure you get your friends to vote for YOUR project!

So keep'em peeled for décor ideas you like the look of, and maybe YOU will be the winner of a custom made piece of home décor...



 xxx
June

 



 

 

 

 

The "halfway there" hallway: Reveal

...reveal!

Hi!

So, the big home makeover plan that I announced back in January has now started in full...

After successfully turning little miss Moo's bedroom in to a big girls room a few weeks ago, I was itching to get on with the rest of the house...

Its funny how your dreams and ideas can lay dormant for so long, and then when you finally pull your finger out and get started, it can't happen soon enough!!

I was actually meant to do our bedroom first, but another twist of faith would have it that I felt inspired to the hallway next...

Whilst out and about snooping in antique and bric-a-brac shops with a friend a few weeks ago, I came across a beautiful little bargain: a white Le Klint  style lampshade for a fiver - perfect for the hallway!!...However, as I was trying to be careful with my money, I didn't pick it up (doh!!)...Something I regretted as soon as I got home! I went back to the shop the following week...but it was gone! I could've cried!! Then I figured: Why don't I try to DIY something similar??

So I did! (See my DIY paper origami lampshade tutorial)

But then I realised that with my shiny new Origami lampshade, the hallway seemed very scruffy...

Of course I already knew this...it had not been touched since we moved in over 2 years ago...and even then it was not to our taste with its beige walls and pine bannisters on the stairs...even the light fitting was something that we just made do with as the previous owners left it behind! And Little Miss Moo had been adding her artwork on the walls in the form of crayon scribbles and mucky handprints...

As it was already on my list of things to do this year, I thought why not, and jumped to it: I already had a plan: Crisp and white with a birch forest stencil in shimmery silver along the hallway wall....

So I ordered my stencil from cutting edge stencils   and got cracking....

First I Spent a couple of days painting the stair bannisters white:

When painting anything wooden, like furniture, or in this case: the bannisters, the key to success is all in the preparation: Sand, prep and prime!!

  

Because there was a lot of detail in the wooden banisters (and I am impatient), I skipped the messy and long winded process of sanding, and used some liquid sandpaper instead...I simply painted the solution on and wiped off any excess. I then painted on a coat of wood primer before adding two coats (?)of brilliant white one coat satin wood paint!

I then got to work on the walls and ceiling...painting everything white...

First I did two coats(?) of brilliant white onecoat emulsion (It is never actually enough with just "one coat" is it....no matter what it says on the tin!!??), then I painted a coat of brilliant white soft sheen emulsion over.... to make the light bounce off the wall, and enhance the sense of space...

With everything now looking crisp and white - a definite improvement - the hallway decor now blended seamlessly into the already white painted living room.

 I was now ready for the stencil, that had arrived just in time...

My friend Tamzin kindly came around to help me, as she wants to use the stencil in her home as well, and we are splitting the cost of the stencil (It ended up costing me £80,-, with £20,- postage from the US ...and UK customs charging me another £20,-...grrrr!)

It actually wasn't that difficult to do...and NOT really a two-man job! I took us under 3 hours to do the entire wall...with a few tea-breaks thrown in!!

The stencil was easy to line up, and using a rounded dense foam roller gave a lovely and even finish...the trick is to not overload the roller with paint!!

I knew I wanted a shimmery, barely there look to the stencil, and was hoping to get a pearlescent pale grey paint to do it with...however this proved to be unattainable here in the UK, so I ended up mixing some Crown "sophistication" silver metallic emulsion with some white to get a pale grey shimmery paint effect....

When mixing the paint up, it seemed to loose the silver in the pot, but it actually dried to a beautiful shimmery grey on the wall....these pictures doesn't really do the effect justice!!

Again this helps bounce the light around in the narrow hallway improving the sense of space!

 

I am so happy with how the stencil turned out...in fact, I spent a few days just staring at it!!

And I love how my old IKEA curtains' pattern works with my birch forest wall...

It all looks so shiny and new, it makes my heart skip a beat!!

And of course, my DIY origami lampshade now looks perfectly at home in my "new" hallway!

My decorating efforts so far has only taken me to the top of the stairs, and I am planning on finishing the rest of the hallway off next week...including creating a January cure style Landing strip.

 We also still need to replace the dirty old carpet on the stairs..... and it really wont be completely finished before we have the new laminate flooring put down...

But for now I am happy that I have actually made a big start on our home improvement plans for 2014...and just coming down the stairs to our crisp and clean hallway in the morning is like fuel to my motivation to get all our decorating updates done this year...

What do you think of my new hallway?

Do you like the stencil?

All white...yay or nay

See the rest of the hallway transformation, including the stairs here

I'd love to hear what you think!

Please leave a comment below!

xxx

June

DIY Origami paper lampshade...

Paper Origami lampshades are very fashionable at the moment, but for what they are, they can cost a bomb!

Today I want to show you how YOU can create your very own paper origami lampshade for next to nothing.

Origami is one of those skills that looks more complicated than it really is....which is basically just folding paper. But you can create some stunning effects...and a paper lampshade looks smart and gives a warm glow...

The second most important thing to consider when making an origami lampshade is the paper you use:

You can use any colour paper that suits you, but it needs to be a certain thickness: Between 160-200gsm is ideal, as it will be thin enough to fold neatly, but thick enough to hold its shape.

I am using A3sheets of premium 180gsm artist paper.

The MOST important thing to consider when you make a lampshade out of paper, is safety!

So before I show you how to fold your very own origami lampshade, I am quickly going to show you a simple way to fire-resist your paper: 

Boil up 4-6 cups of water in an old saucepan, and add 2,5 tablespoons of borax per cup of water.

Stir until the borax has completely dissolved to make a saturated solution.

Place your paper in the sink /a large bowl, poor over the solution, and leave to soak for 5-10 minutes:

Carefully lift the paper (it will be quite fragile when wet) out of the solution and blot off any excess liquid. Hang to dry. If your paper has curled up a bit in this process, simply iron flat.

NOTE: Paper can never be fully fire-proof, but this will make the paper fire-resistant (meaning it won't burn without contact with a flame or ignition source).

 Now for the Paper folding!

You will need:

A3 paper

3 sheets of FIRE RESISTANT A3 paper (160-200gsm) 

A ruler

A clean, flat work surface

String

A hole puncher

A pencil

Clear tape 

The first thing to do, is to draw out THE GRID to guide us when folding the paper.

You can do this on "normal", non-fire resistant paper. as this will be a guide and practice piece only:

On an A3 piece of paper , use a ruler to draw up 9 vertical lines(red) 4 cm apart.

Then draw up the blue and green diagonal lines as in the picture above.

THE FOLDING

Step 1: Fold the vertical (red) lines all the same way...

Step 2: Turn the paper over, then fold the (green) diagonal lines...all the same way.

Step 3: Don't turn the paper over, and fold the (blue) diagonal lines.

 Next up you have to manipulate the folds into shape....The paper should naturally want to do this! It is quite hard to explain, but please use the pictures below as a guide:

 It is not difficult to do...You should end up with a folded flat shape like this.

Now that you've made up the grid-guide,and had your practise: unfold this piece of paper and lay it flat over one of your  fire resistant papers...

 ...make some small marks with a pencil where the folds should go.

(As you don't want pencil lines on your paper lampshade)

 

Repeat the folding process described above, using these marks and the edges of the paper as a guide.

Try to be precise when folding and use your fingers to create sharp creases in the paper.

 

Repeat on all 3 sheets, then manipulate the folds into the shape.

Next: Use the hole-puncher to make holes in the top and bottom inner fold.(See pictures below).

 

 Make sure the holes are in the same place and line up so that the lampshade will be beautifully symmetrical.

You are now ready to assemble your Origami lampshade:

 Stick the 3 pieces of folded paper together with some clear tape on the inside,

then re-shape your paper shade:

Thread the string through the holes... 

 

Pull the string tight and tie off the bottom of your paper shade on the inside.

Then thread the top of your shade...

 

...and pull it tight over your light fitting and tie it off.

All done!

NOTE! Use a low wattage light bulb to further minimize any risk of fire!

I hope this has inspired you to give origami a try...it really is a beautiful art form!

 What do you think of my origami lampshade?

I will be back with a big reveal post on my hallway makeover at the weekend!

So please pop back then!

xxx

June

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

I wish you all LOVE!

Just a quickie post today to wish you all a Happy Valentines day!

This is the card I made for Mr ....in the same way as I made my Graphic gold-leaf art  ..inspired by Oleander and Palm's geometric heart art.

I also stamped up my own design wrapping paper using the stamp we made for Little Miss Moo's DIY Valentines cards....in the same way I did my DIY print christmas gift wrapping

Little Miss Moo was so excited to give her friends at school her home made Valentines cards this morning...and Mr loved his Larger version she made him!

Short and sweet today...I have a big post coming up...still a work in progress...so stay tuned for that one!

Happy Valentines every one!

xxx

June