Best of 2014 - A Year in Review

You guys, this has been an amazing year for The Altered Past and it's all thanks to you, my readers.  I'm so thankful for your taking time out of your day to read my blog.  It's both exciting and humbling at the same time.  I really do appreciate you all.

As a recap of 2014, I'm sharing my top 6 most viewed posts.  The ones you all chose as the best projects from this past year.  Let's do this David Letterman style starting with #6 first.

The sixth most viewed post for 2014 Is the Patio Set Redo that I made for my daughter's first apartment.  She moved in this past summer and the set has been providing a cozy sitting area for her front porch.  (Click on the photo to read the full post!)

The fifth most popular post from this past year is the Gumball Machine Snow Globe.  I think it's my favorite.  I put the snow globe in my china cabinet this past week instead of storing it away with the rest of the Christmas decorations.

Coming in at fourth is the Take-Out Boxes I made for our Thanksgiving guests.  I was honored to have this post featured in a Huffington Post article.  I'm still amazed that I found the take out trays at the Dollar Tree.  I love that store :)

The third most popular post of 2014 is a project that is somewhat special to me.  It's the Old Window Repurposed into a Chalkboard.  The window came from my in-laws home.  The chalkboard hangs in our den and I change out the message with the seasons or holidays.  

Coming in at number 2 is an easy DIY project that I've done several times and will probably continue to do.  It's the Make Your Own Rubber Stamp post.  It doesn't take a lot of fancy materials.  You probably already have most of them in your home right now.  Click on the photo and check it out.  Then, get to making your own rubber stamps!

And, drum roll please, the most popular post for 2014 is the Pottery Barn Knockoff Grouted Pumpkins.  Another super easy project and the cost was less than $5!  

There you have it!  The top 6 most popular post for 2014!  This could not have happened without you.  I appreciate each of you and I hope you will like what 2015 brings for The Altered Past.  I feel God has some pretty neat things in store for us.  

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!!

Angie

I'm linking here:
THE STYLE SISTERS
JENNIFER RIZZO
HOME STORIES A TO Z
FROM MY FRONT PORCH TO YOURS

COMMON GROUND

HAVE A DAILY CUP OF MRS. OLSON
COASTAL CHARM'S NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY

FRIDAYS UNFOLDED

FEATHERED NEST FRIDAY

ONE MORE TIME EVENTS

TWIRL AND TAKE A BOW 
SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE

STONEGABLE
UNDER THE TABLE AND DREAMING

A DELIGHTSOME LIFE
ART IS BEAUTY

CLEVER CHICKS BLOG HOP DIY SHOWOFF IT'S OVERFLOWING

THREE MANGO SEEDS

ELIZABETH JOAN DESIGNS

WEEKEND CRAFTS

PRETTY PINTASTIC PARTY
THOUGHTS FROM ALICE
HYMNS AND VERSES
MISS MUSTARD SEED
CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT
SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY
MAKING LEMONADE BLOG

Pottery Barn Inspired Horse Triptych

I've been surfing around Pottery Barn's website again and found a beautiful Plank Horse Triptych.  I loved the simple gesture drawing in black and white.  I knew I could probably do something like that with the 3 large canvases I had.  I do like the plank look better but having had the canvases, using them just made sense.

This project does require some degree of drawing skill.  However, if you can copy and enlarge, you'll have no problem.

I began by painting all three of the canvases using flat black latex paint.  Make sure to cover the white completely.

Next I rolled out brown kraft paper the size of the three canvases pushed together.  Begin sketching (or copying) the image you want for your triptych.  You can use an overhead projector to enlarge a drawing onto the paper.  Trace your image on to a clear sheet like a page protector.  Lay it on the projector and then trace the projection on the paper.  You will probably need to tape your paper to a wall in order to use the projector method.  I have been drawing since I was very young so I have had lots of practice and was able to handle this project freehand.  (Not without mistakes however!)

Ok, here's my cheater step.  After laying the drawing over the canvases to check for position, I cut the image out so that I could lightly trace around it with chalk onto the canvases.

Now comes the "fun" part.  I say that because you wouldn't believe how many tries it took me to be satisfied with the look of the horse.  My first attempt looked more like a donkey.  Great thing about chalk...easy to erase :)  I began by going over my light chalk lines and adding more sketch lines to it.  This is a gesture drawing...very loose.  So, remember that and don't try to draw perfectly straight or too deliberately.  Loose...let your hand flow (said in a quiet, yoga master voice...looooose.)

Ok, seriously, don't be intimidated.  The more you work with it, the better it will begin to look.  I sketched and wiped off and sketched and wiped off many times.  It really adds to the feel of the drawing.  Once you're satisfied and done, you don't want to risk erasing your masterpiece accidentally.  I used a clear spray sealer on mine.  WARNING:  Use several very light coats.  If you get the canvas too wet at once, it will "wash" away the chalk. 

I hope you give it a try.  Remember, it's just chalk and paint.  Don't like the horse, try something else.  If all else fails, you've got three chalkboard ready canvases to use for a Scripture verse, quote, or menu!  

DISCLAIMER:  My drawing was inspired by Pottery Barn's and I created it for my own personal use, not to be sold.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!

Angie

I'm linking here:
THE STYLE SISTERS
JENNIFER RIZZO
HOME STORIES A TO Z
FROM MY FRONT PORCH TO YOURS

COMMON GROUND

HAVE A DAILY CUP OF MRS. OLSON
COASTAL CHARM'S NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY

FRIDAYS UNFOLDED

FEATHERED NEST FRIDAY

ONE MORE TIME EVENTS

TWIRL AND TAKE A BOW 
SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE

STONEGABLE
UNDER THE TABLE AND DREAMING

A DELIGHTSOME LIFE
ART IS BEAUTY

CLEVER CHICKS BLOG HOP DIY SHOWOFF IT'S OVERFLOWING

THREE MANGO SEEDS

ELIZABETH JOAN DESIGNS

WEEKEND CRAFTS

PRETTY PINTASTIC PARTY
THOUGHTS FROM ALICE
HYMNS AND VERSES
MISS MUSTARD SEED

Grouted Pumpkins on KnockoffDecor.com

Hi all!  I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with Beckie Farrant of Infarrantly Creative.  She also has a site called Knock Off Decor.

www.knockoffdecorcom

It's a great site to find all sorts of knock off DIY projects that helps you make your own version of items from the big name decor stores.  You can even search by store name!

Today, my DIY Pottery Barn Grouted Pumpkins are being featured.  I'd really appreciate it if you'd pop over and check them out!

But, don't stop there.  Check out the archives on Knock Off Decor for some other amazing projects!

Thanks Beckie for featuring my Pottery Barn Knockoff Grouted Pumpkins and thank you guys for stopping by! God bless!!

Angie

DIY Pottery Barn Knockoff Grouted Pumpkins

Have you seen Pottery Barn's fall catalog?  They have some gorgeous grouted, mercury glass pumpkins.  The pumpkins are blown mercury glass with ribbed sides and grouted with concrete.  I loved the look of the mercury glass pumpkins but I wasn't sure about the grouted part.

So off I went to the thrift store to find a glass pumpkin.  I was actually looking for a lidded pumpkin jar but when I saw the glass light fixture globes, I thought they would be perfect.  (I didn't take a before pic so pretend with me that the above pic hasn't been finished, ok?)

To give the globe the mercury glass look, I used #Krylon's Looking Glass spray paint.  I love this stuff!  The process is super simple and there are tons of how-to's on it.  Basically, you spray a glass item from the back side of the glass and the mirror finish will show on the front.

For the mercury glass effect, spritz the glass with a little water before spraying.  Give a quick spray.  Allow to dry a minute then pat the water dry with a paper towel.  It really does look like the old mercury glass.

Now, it was time for the grouting.  I had unsanded grout on hand but I wasn't too sure I wanted to commit to covering up that beautiful mercury glass look.  So, I took the safe route.  I painted the entire globe with a white chalk paint and wiped off the ribbed areas, leaving the paint in the grooves.  I was pleased with the final look but I still prefer the mercury glass over this one, that's why I decided not to paint the other globe.

Now what to do for a stem.  I looked around my work room and thought about using small glass knobs.  Hmm...didn't quite look like a pumpkin.  I needed something that was kind of clear but malleable.

Oh wait!  Glue stick!  It was right in front of me.

I already had the glue gun out preparing to attach the leaves when it dawned on me that I could cut a glue stick in half and use it for the stem.  Ok, so cutting it in half didn't quite resemble a real stem so I used the hot glue gun (without a glue stick in it) and began melting the stick.  If you look at a pumpkin stem, it has grooves in it and it's usually cut at an angle when it's removed from the vine.  Using the glue gun, I melted grooves down the length of the stick, turning and melting until the sides were no longer smooth.  Working on what will be the exposed end, I pushed the tip of the gun into the end of the stuck and began pulling the melted glue out at an angle.  It leaves little wispy curls which is perfect as the pumpkin has little tendrils near the stem too.  Now, spray paint it with silver paint and glue it (using the glue gun loaded with a glue stick) to the top. (UPDATED:  I added these two photos to help explain how I did the stem.)

The last thing I needed to do was to make some leaves.  I had already cut out some book page leaves for another project so I tried those and I really liked the combination.  Ready to see the two pumpkins together?

I hope you give these a try.  I paid $.99 for each globe and had the other items on hand.  If you purchase the Looking Glass paint, it is somewhat costly but it goes a long way!  

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!

Angie

Here's a photo for Pinterest if you'd like to pin it.  I'd appreciate it!!

Join me here:  

I'm linking here:
THE STYLE SISTERS
JENNIFER RIZZO
HOME STORIES A TO Z
FROM MY FRONT PORCH TO YOURS

COMMON GROUND

HAVE A DAILY CUP OF MRS. OLSON
COASTAL CHARM'S NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY

FRIDAYS UNFOLDED

FEATHERED NEST FRIDAY

ONE MORE TIME EVENTS

TWIRL AND TAKE A BOW 
SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE

STONEGABLE
UNDER THE TABLE AND DREAMING

A DELIGHTSOME LIFE
ART IS BEAUTY

CLEVER CHICKS BLOG HOP DIY SHOWOFF IT'S OVERFLOWING

THREE MANGO SEEDS

ELIZABETH JOAN DESIGNS

WEEKEND CRAFTS

PRETTY PINTASTIC PARTY
THOUGHTS FROM ALICE
HYMNS AND VERSES