Hey friends! Adrianne here with you today to share an outside-of-the-box jewelry display solution that allows you to express your inner artist in a fun and functional way. This jewelry station is a great place for all your go-to pieces - the ones I always end up leaving on my night table or the bathroom counter because I wear them so often. I'm determined to clean up some of the clutter at home and this solution was fun to make!
I started with a MDF initial, and added Gelatos® (highlighting the color of the week, Lime!), Texture Luxe, Gel Medium and Glass Bead Glitter Gel before finishing it off with a set of decorative knobs. Green is my favorite color so I have really enjoyed this week's Gelatos color!
I began by covering my MDF letter "A" with a couple base colors. I mixed a bit of each of three colors - Metallic Icing, Acqua Dolce, and Passion Fruit - with Gel Medium, spread it over the piece, and allowed it to dry before adding some geometric stencils.
Next, I mixed Lime Green Gelatos with some Glass Bead Glitter Gel. If you haven't tried tinting the gels or textural mediums in the Design· Memory· Craft® line, it's so easy! Simply cut off a small bit of the Gelatos with your palette knife, add a dab of the medium you're using, and mix them together.
It helps if you first crush the solid Gelatos - I just squash it with my palette knife before mixing! It helps to more quickly dissolve and mix with the gel. You can use palette paper for your mixing, or I just do it directly on my craft mat and wipe it clean with a baby wipe between colors.
I added a hexagon theme using a stencil from the 101 stencil collection and hexagonal knobs. I used both small and medium hexies in my piece, because while the "A" itself is large enough for this project, there actually aren't a lot of large spaces to work on with a letter cutout. If you're using a plaque or a letter with more surface area, larger shapes would work well also!
The 301 stencil pack is filled with letters and numbers. Many are pre-cut expressions, but that doesn't mean you're locked into saying only what the stencil reads! I used the word "hello" from the multi-lingual greeting design and the word "beautiful" from a stencil that reads "that beautiful smile". While I knew I wanted the shine from the silver Texture Luxe, I also wanted to begin slightly darker than the silver shine to help my words stand out as much as possible.
I mixed a bit of Squid Ink Gelatos with the first layer of stenciling. If you're wondering why I planned for more than one layer, I'll let you in on a little trick of mine! It begins with a confession: I rarely manage to create perfectly stenciled shapes and letters over other textures. When you have this kind of "oops", you can wipe it off and begin again in many cases, but what I have found is that it's also a fantastic base for building textures and raised lettering and shapes.
By starting with a darker shade and allowing it to dry, you can re-set your stencil over the same letters and brush lightly with a lighter shade (in this case, un-tinted Silver Texture Luxe). It draws attention away from a messy first try and allows you to smooth out any textures you're not satisfied with. Two layers also really makes the letters stand out! With a soft color like silver, you have to rely on more texture if you don't want the letters to blend into the background.
Once the stencils have dried, you can add additional color to get the look you want. In my case, I wanted a little more green. I applied Lime Green Gelatos directly to the board in a few select places, and blended it to soften the color. This way it coordinates with the hexies, but doesn't compete or draw the eye away.
After the entire piece has dried, there's just one step left - to add the knobs that turns your art into a jewelry display station! I drilled four holes along the diagonal of the "A" (the placement of knobs on each letter will vary! Play with the layout for yourself to determine how many knobs you want, and their ideal placement). To the topmost knob, I also added a hanger to the backside of the piece.
Finally, I finished the raw wood edge with a bit of green by applying Lime Green Gelatos directly the the edges and blending it to smooth the finish.
If you discover that the screws that are included with your knobs are a little too long for your slim MDF, you can either make a quick trip to your hardware store for shorter screws, or you can increase the number of pieces your knobs cam hold by adding something to the front side between the MDF and the knob. I added 11mm large hole crystal beads to my piece (partly because I make a lot of jewelry and I didn't have to leave the house by opting for this solution. Hey, I like to work with what I have!)
The end result is a unique jewelry display that's a reflection of you! This size is small enough to fit in most spaces, and it accommodates several pieces on each knob.
I hope you enjoyed exploring this fun and functional art piece with me today, and I'll see you again soon!
Supplies Used:
Recent Comments