Recycled paint palette wall art

Recycled colour block Paint Palette wall art

Hey!

I'm going to let you in on a bit of a secret (well, not so much) but, anyway, here it is. I am a horder! There I said it. I don't like to throw things away if it has the slightest amount of sentimental value to me or I feel I could repurpose it in some way, even though most of the time I never get around to it and it just ends up shoved in a long forgotten draw for all of time, creating what looks to be a scene out of Wall-e. So, enough of the backstory. Recently, my school had been having a clear out in art supplies to make room for all new stuff. When I saw these paint palettes lying in the bin, I couldn't help but feel the urge to rescue them and take them home to re-use them, though at the time I had no clue as to what to use them for.

Then I decided. I could make some cool, artistic wall hart that transforms any room into a cool artist's studio.

What you will need:

• Paint palettes- Old or new, it doesn't matter, as long as you don't mind covering them in paint
• Spray paint- All purpose or any kind that sticks to plastic
• Acrylic paint- In an array of colours, depending on your colour scheme
• String
• Beads
• Glass screen wash

Method

1.Take your palettes,which might be covered in old, dried up paint like mine were and brainstorm ideas of what you want to do with them. I decided to use both of mine in the same piece.

2.The next step is to remove some of the excess clumps of paint to make it easier for the spray paint to stick to the surface and give the piece a smoother, finished look.

I used sandpaper to remove some of the larger pieces of paint and then left some glass screen wash on the palette for around 10 minutes to help with some of the more stubborn stains.

3. By now, your palette should be fairly clean and without all of the uneven patches of paint that will ruin your finish. This means that you can now whip out the spray paint. I used this white satin finish spray paint by Rust-oleum that you can find here.

Word of warning: If possible, work in a well ventilated area, or preferably, outside to disperse the fumes. Also, lay down a surface such as newspaper underneath your palette to avoid spraying all of your furniture white (unless that's what you want, of course!).

Spray an even coat over the whole of the palette's surface and leave to dry over night. Apply several coats in this fashion to give your piece an even surface that covers all of the minor flaws such as any paint that you couldn't remove in Step 2.

4. Now that you have a clean surface to work on, you can use your acrylic paints on it. I chose to create a rainbow effect to add a pop of colour to the plain white background.

Squeeze a tiny bit of the paint in to palette sections and slowly spread the paint around and up to the edges of the bowl. At first, I wanted a kind of scrappy look as if the palette was still being used, an organised mess, if you will. However, after the paint dried, I didn't like that you could see the white underneath the paint, so I added a second coat of paint to each section to smooth out the surface and give it more of a colour block effect.

Leave the palette to dry for now and move on to the next one.

5. For my other palette, I really liked the wooden effect and the paint that was already on the surface. So, all I decided to do was give it a simple tribal look to contrast with the clean, white surface of the previous palette.

Tie a knot of twine or other natural material around the thumb hole and string a bead on to it. If you want to achieve the kind of African look, then be sure to use natural beads such as wood and I even used a bone effect one. After you've done that, keep wrapping the string until it has all been used up and you have a layered and textured wrapped palette handle.

Thats it really! Now all you have to do is decide how you want to display them. You could stand them up on a mantel piece to create a background to your collection of picture frames, or you could use picture hooks to hang them individually.

I chose to attach string between them, so that they hang vertically.
I even attached an old paint brush to the top, to really nail the artistic look.

Note: For display purposes, I only used sellotape to attach the string to the palettes which is not very durable (trust me, they kept falling off every two minutes) so of a longer period of time, you might need to glue them together or drill holes through the palettes to tie the strings through.

And voila! There you have the finished product. I hung mine on the back of my bathroom door to make use of the blank space.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and comment any suggestions for future posts!

As always, follow me on Pinterest and Tumblr and Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog!!

Hope to see you again soon!
Harry x

Project 365 days 4-6/ back to school fashion

Project 365 Days 4-7

Day 4

Now that Christmas is over, the nights are getting longer, and what a better time to get out in the fresh, cool air as the still winter sun sets and casts elongated golden shadows across the landscape. It is all too easy to forget to be thankful once Christmas has finished and we all need reminding to be grateful for the life that nature has given us. When you have some spare time, make a point of getting outside to breathe in the fresh air and admire the wonders of the Earth, because, after all without every transition and flaw, the Earth would not be able to sustain our lives. (Alright, that's enough of the cheesy stuff for one day!)

Day 5

The other day, I wondered out into the garden, looking for some wood for a possible future D.I.Y project (hint hint) and barefoot I might add. While my toes were in the process of transforming into stubby little icicles, I spotted this pair of pegs on the washing line. While many would look upon this sight and think to themselves 'So what?, they're just pegs", they reminded me of a couple in love just suspended in balance, while the glowing sun shone through them, obscuring all other subjects out of focus. Is that too farfetched? eh. who cares, this is Project 365 after all. you're supposed to use you're imagination and alter your perspective of the things around you!

Day 6

What else does the New Year bring? Oh, yes. That's right. The dreaded place where happiness goes to die. Also known as school.

Do you know what makes school even worse? Having to walk down there in the freezing cold. So you want to be able to bundle up and be cozy, but at the same time look presentable, and not like a giant marshmallow that can barely walk due to all the layers.

It's not usually like me to talk about fashion and style but I hope you like this Autumn/ Winter look.

Blue and cream cable knit jumper from Primark
Dark Red Fairisle tassel hem scarf from New Look
Skinny jeans with leather look patch detail from Asos 
Dreamcatcher necklace from Asos
Handmade leather rucksack bought from Spain
Argyle camera strap from Phatstraps

Day 7

After my first fashion post, I decided to try D.I.Y. fashion. My first attempt was a bleached shirt, which I think was really successful. You can read the full post here. Again, the colour lends itself to Winter/Autumn fashion but the light and airy design means it is perfect for any time of the year.

Thanks for reading! Remember to follow me on Bloglovin' (button up at the top) as well as Pinterest and Tumblr!

Tune in for another D.I.Y. on Tuesday!

Harry x

Bleached shirt tutorial

How to use bleach to create a shirt design

Hi guys!

Today, I have a tutorial to show you how to use bleach creatively to design a piece of clothing.

Lately, I have seen a tonne of variations of this method around and about online, however I wanted to add a bit of delicacy to mine and actually create a pattern, rather than using a block stencil.

This is a great way to reuse or spice up old pieces of clothing that you might not wear anymore to re-introduce into your wardrobe.

What you will need

• A piece of clothing you wish to bleach-You need to take into account the colour that the clothing will turn once it is bleached. For example, black turns brown and maroon turns light pink, So do some tests on some scrap fabric before you begin.
• A spray bottle- with a nozzle that allows that contents to spray in a mist, rather than a jet.
• Bleach- (If your bleach is thick or is too strong, then dilute it with water, which is what I did. This also helps the spray to be dispersed more evenly, and you don't need as much bleach).
• Masking tape- You only need this if you are planning to block parts of your design off and to leave clean, straight lines where there is no bleach. For example, I used it to cover over my buttons .
• A craft knife- You need this to make the cut outs for the stencil.
• Acetate- Or some other material for stencil making. I used acetate because I can wash it off and then reuse it for other projects. Because it is clear it is also easier to position it where you want it on your clothing item.

Method

1. First, you need to find a pattern that you want to use. It should have enough negative space, so that it is distinguishable when the bleaching process is complete. I wanted a fairly complex design, so I found a nice lace pattern here.

2. Either print the pattern or just keep it up on the screen. Hold your acetate up to the pattern and draw around the design with a sharpie or other permanent marker that is thick enough so that you can see it when you are cutting out.

3.Your design should look something like this when you are finished tracing it. At this point it is easier to make your design simpler if needed. I missed out a few of the intricate details to make it easier for myself later in the cutting process. you also need to be aware of any areas that are disconnected, because you are more likely to cut them and the stencil will fall apart. 

To avoid this, when you are cutting, leave little strips of acetate joining disconnected pieces. If you can see, at the bottom of my piece that I cut out (the squiggly strip), I left it joined at the bottom, so the stencil remains in one solid piece.

4.The next step is to to mask off any parts that you don't want exposed to the bleach with the masking tape.

I just wanted to restrict the bleach, so it didn't splatter too far up the shirt. I also blocked off the buttons and button holes so they had a clean edge.

5. Once your clothing item is prepped, you're ready to start spraying. Place the stencil over the parts of the shirt that you want bleaching and spray the bleach directly over the stencil, so it doesn't leak under the stencil.

6. Open a window so you don't fume yourself to death. Repeat the bleaching process as many times as your design require. I repeated mine 3 times across the hem of the shirt.

Between each use of the stencil, rinse your stencil under water and dry it so that when you put back on to a piece of untouched material, the bleach doesn't spread where you don't want it because it will ruin your design. Let the bleach dry overnight to get the maximum effect as it will get paler the longer you leave it on the fabric.

This is what my shirt looked like when it still wasn't fully dried yet. As you can see, the areas where the design was close together lost some detail as it leaked into each other. I quite liked this though because it gave the shirt a kind of loose tie-dye effect, but with some detail left in so that you can still see a clear pattern.

Once the shirt has finished drying and you are happy with your design, rinse it in cold water to stop the bleach spreading any further. The first time you wash your item, you must make sure that it is in the machine by itself so it doesn't ruin your other clothes. After that you can mix it back in with your other clothes.

Now you are ready to wear your new and improved shirt!

I also think it would be really cool if the sleeves were dip dyed so there is a gradient of colour climbing up the arms. Maybe that's one for the future!
Hope you liked this tutorial! Be sure to follow me on Pinterest and Tumblr, as well as on Bloglovin (button at the top of the page)

Make sure to keep checking back and thanks for joining me!!

Harry x

Project 365: Day 2-3

Project 365: Day 2-3

As part of my New Year's goals, I am going to keep on top of my Project 365 photos by waiting every few dews and uploading a couple at once. Here marks the beginning of my super-organisedness and let's hope I can keep it up for the rest of the year!

Anyway, here's a short post of the past couple of days!

Day 2: I Spent the day doing a Georgia O'keeffe artist analysis page for my Extended Project Qualification. I am redesigning a book cover for 'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower'. (I'll show you the finished product when it is done). I used pencil crayon and fine-liner pen as well as acrylic paint for the studies and the painted over face which will form the basis for my cover design. I love the colours O'Keeffe uses and I want to translate them into digital format so I can further enhance things. Keep tuning in for the progress!

Day 3: I think this picture alone says how super active I'm being over the weekend. I'll have to force myself out for jog tonight if i'm going to keep on top of my New Year's goals, which you can read here.

Sorry for the rather short post. In the future I'll upload more than than 2 days at once so you can see more of a story between the pictures. I'm uploading a new D.I.Y tutorial on Tuesday, which I think you'll all enjoy and I look forward to seeing you then!

Harry x

New Year's goals

Happy 2015!

Can you believe that 2014 is over already? Neither can I. Never mind though, as one door closes, another opens, as some people say. And with a whole new year comes a 12 month window of opportunity to re-invent yourself and try something you've never done before. Make a better you!

As you all know, a common practice for the New Year is to decide on some New Year's resolutions, like 'stop eating chocolate' or 'get fit'. However, the word 'resolution' implies a firm decision to do something and to see it through, and while I do admire the people who successfully complete their resolutions and like the thought of being able to do this, to me, it feels as if I am being forced to do something, and when I feel like this, I tend not to do it (especially the whole not eating chocolate thing, because let's be real. That never lasts). So this year, instead of forcing myself to do things that I probably won't complete, I am giving myself smaller goals to be conscious of throughout the day, so that at the end of the year, which will probably fly by as fast as 2014 did, I will hopefully feel as if I have accomplished something, no matter how small it be. So let's run through my 2015 goals:

1. Get at least an hour of fresh air a day

With the ever increasing prominence of technology taking over our everyday lives, it's become all too easy to forget about the outside world, and trap ourselves inside in our little cyber bubbles, only to be interrupted by our compulsory obligations like travelling to work and getting up to fetch something to drink. So, by taking the dogs for a walk or going out for a short jog each day etc. we can reduce numbers of headaches, experience more of the environment we live in and hopefully lose a bit of weight while we're at it.

2. Get more organised

I don't know about you, but I lose things all the time, and I hand things in late. Ultimately, this impacts on my ability to complete things to the best of my ability and with all the time I spend scouting for pens and pieces of paper, I could have been doing something productive to actually sort myself out. If I get myself more prepared, then these obstacles will be less of an issue.

3. Say yes to more things

Recently, I have realised that I say 'no' to way too many things, which limits my perceptions of the world and restricts my ability to make more friends and enjoy life in general. This is why I have agreed to volunteer in a Turtle conservation project in Greece in the summer. I want to create a new and happier version of myself by accepting things, rather than letting them pass me by to improve the quality of my life.

4. Take more photos

I enjoy photography as a hobby, but I never seem to find time to get out and take photos (possibly because of what I mentioned in my 1st goal i.e. spending too much time on Pinterest). So this year, i have decided to take part in project 365, where I will attempt to take a photo everyday for a year, to create a photographic diary for myself which I can look back on for memories. I will also be uploading them to this blog so stay tuned to see the full collection and hopefully watch my photography skills improve over the year.
Anyway, this is day #1:

So there are my goals. I hope I have inspired you to change your outlook on New Year's resolutions and create some minor goals for yourself to achieve throughout the year.

Thankyou SO much for tuning in and please continue to do so to see If I actually achieve my goals.

Make sure to follow me on Pinterest, Tumblr and Flickr to see more of my photos!

Harry x

*find more information for project 365 here, and I encourage you to take part in it yourself and upload them to Tumblr or your own blogs so I can see them :) *