Lucy Designs

Mosaic class, online learning for stained glass mosaic

2020-04-30T13:52:00.001-05:00

Hi Friends!

In February 2020 I announced the closing of my website Lucydesignsart.com. You can read why on this Facebook post. I have spent the last couple of months selling and shipping remaining inventory, supplies and closing my home studio.

I still have my online mosaic class available until September 2020. I have upgraded the class to allow the videos to be downloaded so you can keep them on your device permanently!

$55, 12 videos and over 3 hours of fun and information packed into these videos. Check out the video update below.

Mosaic heart art, Valentine's gifts. Spring newsletter 2020

2020-02-06T13:48:00.002-06:00

Read the latest newsletter and see all the new heart art just in time for Valentine's Day.

Subscribe or browse past newsletters.

Spring newsletter 2019

2019-04-19T14:09:00.001-05:00

Spring is here!

Read the latest newsletter from Lucydesignsart.com including a discount

code just in time for Mother's Day.

~Lucy

New year newsletter 2019

2019-01-29T09:04:00.001-06:00

Catch up on the happenings from the last few months in the latest newsletter.

Sent out quarterly-ish, subscribe to receive in your inbox.

~Lucy

Online stained glass mosaic class, self paced, 12 videos

2018-10-08T08:33:00.001-05:00

My online mosaic class is here!

Watch this 2 minute video to learn more and get the rest

of the details at Lucydesignsart.com

This class is watch at your own pace so join anytime!

Latest Review

Mosaic jewelry, beach styles, flowers and abstract pendants, cross jewelry

2018-09-16T16:41:00.001-05:00

Read the Summer newsletter update about my latest product, mosaic jewelry!

I'm having so much fun creating designs of flowers, beach, abstract and cross designs.

Subscribe to this newsletter, sent quarterly-ish, unless there is a special announcement :),

to stay up to date on new art and studio news.

Summer newsletter for Lucy Designs

2018-09-16T16:22:00.002-05:00

Check out the Summer 2018 newsletter for flower mosaics, shrimp boat mosaic commission and a new Lake mosaic. Subscribe to this newsletter (sent quarterly-ish) to stay in touch for new art pieces and studio news from Lucydesignsart.com

Spring newsletter 2018 from Lucy Designs

2018-04-09T10:09:00.003-05:00

Stay up to date with Lucy Designs.

Read the latest newsletter for Spring 2018 and see a tour of my studio,

new artwork and a Spring Art Show. Receive this newsletter by email by

subscribing on the right of the blog or the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

Unsubscribe anytime, sent monthly-ish.

Find me on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest and

my website at LucyDesignsArt.com

Coastal art show display, Art and craft show DIY display ideas, Art market

2017-12-17T09:33:00.001-06:00

Old Florida Holiday Market 2017

Check out the latest blog post at LucyDesignsArt.com on a recent art market I participated in along

with a behind the scenes look of creative DIY ideas I used to bring it all together.

Arts and crafts show DIY display ideas and Cyber Monday sale 2017

2017-11-23T09:50:00.000-06:00

Hi Friends!

Click to read the latest newsletter for a few DIY display ideas for

an upcoming Holiday market I'll be participating in along with a coupon code

for my store on Cyber Monday to kick off this holiday season.

If you are local, stop by, I would love to meet you!

What started as a cat scratching post became a cute palm tree that I plan to use to

display my coastal mosaic ornaments. More details in the newsletter.

We were at the beach Thanksgiving Eve and saw loads of stingrays!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube and my store

Halloween Decor DIY Hand Painted Halloween Outdoor Pillows

2017-10-07T21:01:00.001-05:00

Check out my latest blog post on my new website about these

fun hand painted Halloween pillows.

See you there!

Lucy

Coastal Christmas Ornaments Hand Painted and Mosaic Beach Style Ornaments

2017-09-01T09:11:00.000-05:00

Holiday Coastal Ornaments for 2017 are available now.

A sampling of the hand painted coastal ornaments in white.

Sold separately, free shipping.

I also created sea life mosaic ornaments, sold separately.

Discount pricing when purchasing 4 or more and free shipping.

And lastly, more hand painted coastal beach theme ornaments

on glass aqua ball style ornaments. Sold in sets of 4, free shipping.

Limited quantities.

Visit my new online store to see all the ornaments and mosaics.

Find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube

Cheers!

~Lucy

Art studio dimensional wall panels for photography DIY makeover

2017-05-02T10:43:00.000-05:00

Dimensional wall panels makeover.

I had recently been mulling over solutions to better photograph and video

my pieces like this botanical mosaic instead of on my plain painted wall.

In my home studio, I already have a good sized wall space with two windows

opposite for great natural light but hanging different sized art pieces to

video and photograph has left a messy wall with lots of different nails,

hooks and smudges... not cool, I needed a better solution.

See what I mean?

I can edit them out in photos but it really doesn't look

pretty or professional in my Youtube videos.

I decided to try these textured, thin, dimensional panels to make-over the area

of the wall for photographing. These are widely available online and I chose

a textured basketweave design call "Caro". This design came with 10 panels

per box. The panels are approximately 20" x 20" and made of MDF wood fiber.

They are very thin and lightweight.

As shown in above pic, they came in the natural MDF color so I

started by priming with Rustoleum spray primer in white.

I decided to go with neutral white in semi gloss and rolled on

a couple of coats after the primer.

To install, we drew out a level line vertically and horizontally and marked lightly

with a pencil. I'm only using 9 of the 10 panels to create a

background of a large square on my wall, 3 panels across and 3 panels tall.

Of course you can create an entire wall or just a focal area with these panels

which would look amazing, but for my purposes, I'm going with a

large square.

To apply to the wall, you apply construction adhesive to the backs and

press into place. Since you started with a level line, it all goes pretty quickly

as you butt them up next to each other. We used Liquid Nails to apply ours.

If I were applying a focal area like this in the home, I would

probably frame the entire piece in wood for a finished look but

in this case, the edges won't be seen.

For my wall, I intend on placing the majority of my nails in the

middle seam to camouflage holes. I spray painted a few nails white so

that if any happened to be captured in a video, they won't be noticeable.

The textured design looks great.

I tested it out by hanging my latest crab mosaic.

I'm so happy with the look. It's clean, yet interesting and unobtrusive

for photographing my mosaics and the best part...no more

nail holes and smudges.

Visit my new online store featuring mosaic art and coastal style ornaments.

Find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube

Cheers!

~Lucy

Abstract and Colorful Flower Paintings and Mini Paintings

2017-02-04T16:13:00.003-06:00

Happy 2017!

I started this year by lightening up and having a little fun with

some colorful paintings.

I've worked with layering paint to create designs before like this

graffiti inspired dragonfly...

or this distressed layered paint design dragonfly where I

show how to create this look using a block of wood and paint.

I used the same block painting technique on this

recycled architectural angel to give it an antique feel.

A few months ago while in bed with a cold, I watched

Carrie Schmitt Surprise Garden online video course.

It's about an hour long and well worth the $20 bucks.

It gets your mind flowing about different ways to utilize

paint layering techniques.

I started with these three.

They were painted on 16 x 16 cradled wood panels that I made.

See the video on my You Tube Channel.

Colorful beetle

A dragonfly...

I added gold metal leafing for a little sparkle.

It's fun seeing what direction the painting takes you.

Second dragonfly (sold)

I love the colors and texture in these.

This pair is made on 12 x 24 canvas. Sold individually but

they look great together. See them in my shop or check them

out on You Tube.

Lots of orange and pinks in this flower painting.

Perfect for the colorful home, a nursery or girl's room.

Fresh Art...

Oh! I just added these adorable mini paintings to the shop too.

They are 4" x 4" canvases, include a mini wood easel and

FREE First Class shipping.

See them all under "mini paintings" section in my shop.

The perfect size for a desk, bedside, dresser or shelf and just right

for gift giving.

Thanks for taking a look!

Visit my new online store featuring mosaic art and coastal style ornaments.

Find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube

Cheers!

~Lucy

Santa Hat Decor DIY Tall Whimsical Santa Hats

2016-12-10T16:20:00.000-06:00

This little project all started when one of my sweet nieces mentioned that she was looking

for tall Santa Hats that she had seen at a store years ago and wanted to find them again.

They looked like this, whimsical Santa hats from Cracker Barrel but no longer available.

I was inspired to create something similar for her, about 24" tall and and narrow

enough to fit on a mantel.

I stopped at Lowe's and bought a roll of aluminum window screen

48" x 84" for $10 and a roll of duct tape. I wasn't exactly sure of my process

at this point but thought I may need duct tape for it.

Next stop was the fabric store and purchased 1 yard of beautiful stretchy red velvet.

I also spotted curly white fur fabric that I thought would look great for the hat trim so

I bought 1/8 yard of the curly fur.

I drew an 8" diameter circle on scrap plywood and cut out with jigsaw.

I used a gallon paint can as my template.

I used a staple gun to attach the screen to the wood circle.

Use the smooth machine edge of the screen at the bottom, no need to cut the

screen at this point, just start stapling around the wood circle.

Since I was stapling into plywood, I tried to place my staples

on an angle so they will be less likely to wiggle out.

You will end up with a 48" tall tube of wire on a wood circle base.

I realized the aluminum wire was not quite as substantial

as I envisioned so I used crumpled up pieces of newspaper end rolls

to beef it up. I glued the first bit down with the glue gun,

probably not necessary but it's what I did.

Since I do a lot of shipping with my Online Store, I had these paper rolls handy.

I get them from my local newspaper office for $1 each.

To secure the screen together, I wove small pieces of 20 gauge

wire through both screen pieces and folded the ends of

the wire back into the hat shape using needle nose pliers.

This is what I used, I happened to have it on hand.

As you go along, stuffing paper, and "sewing" your screen together with the

wire pieces, you will want to keep standing it up on it's base to make sure you

are liking the shape it is taking and that it is standing straight.

As you get closer to the top, you have to put your hand inside the cone

shape to really start twisting it tighter and smaller.

I ended up cutting some of the bulk of the screen off when I was

getting to the end to be able to make it small enough.

I saved this chunk of screen I cut from each hat to create the

pom pom ball for the tip of the hat.

In addition to "sewing" the screen with the wire pieces, I also used duct tape

as I got closer to the top to help get that pointy shape.

I used duct tape on a couple of other areas that were kind of "pokey"

from the cut edges of the aluminum . Just use it as necessary and you

may even be able to use duct tape for the whole piece without the wire "sewing" part.

To give a smoother finish to apply my fabric on, I used Mod Podge and more

of the newspaper end rolls to decoupage a final layer on the hat forms.

I only used one layer of paper. I left them to dry in my heated room

for about an hour and they were dry and ready to go.

I used hot glue to secure the red fabric at the base and worked my

way around the form. I only used the glue at the bottom, the very top

point of the hat and at the seam I created.

The glue did seep through and leave a mark on my fabric at

the bottom but it will be covered with the white fur trim.

I made a seam using hot glue along the side of the hat to secure the ends together.

I know I took a photo of the ball making process but they weren't in

my photos...not sure what happened!

To create the pom pom, I shaped the scrap screen pieces into a ball shape, "sewed" the

ball top closed with wire and left the end of the wire exposed. They looked

like metal lollipops if you can't visualize what I mean.

I used hot glue to cover the balls with the white trim and stuck the

exposed wire end into the hat tip and secured with more hot glue.

I think they turned out pretty cute and will get these in the mail to her.

They are about 27" tall, 8" diameter and are lightweight but stand sturdily.

I spend under $20 to make 2 hats and it took just a few hours.

Here they are in her home on her fireplace mantel.

Thanks for reading about my Santa hats!

visit my new online store featuring my mosaic art and coastal ornaments or

Find me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest,Youtube

Octopus and Sea Turtle Coastal Mosaics, Stained Glass Mosaic Surfboards, Octopus and Sea Turtles

2016-11-16T19:48:00.001-06:00

I've been in a mosaic frenzy lately.

I've made several octopus surfboards in this wonderful red and teal

color combo over the last year... that I realize I'm just now blogging about.

I adore octopuses and I love these colors together.

I still offer this design but wanted to create a more versatile octopus

that could be hung vertically or horizontally.

This is the new octopus surfboard design I came up with.

And I think he looks great hung in either direction.

See the video.

Oh yes! Forgot to mention, I have created a YouTube Channel.

I've been using short videos on Instagram here and there to share current work

and love the way videos can capture detail that photos

sometimes can't. I figured I would expand on that and add short clips

of current artwork on my own YouTube Channel.

While I was in octopus mode, I decided to retire my previous

octopus designs and create something new.

The first one I made was in a beautiful teal and purple glass color.

This one has sold but you can still view the video

I used the same pattern to create a blue/green mosaic octopus.

See the video of this octopus .

This mosaic octopus is large, about 34" wide and looks great in a coastal setting,

bathroom or anywhere you need a one of a kind piece of octopus art ;)

Since I was in the mode of revamping designs, I also retired the previous

sea turtle surfboard design and created this entirely different version.

This sea turtle mosaic depicts two sea turtles swimming in beautiful Caribbean

blue water with ribbons of kelp or sea grass. I love how it turned out.

For the fins and head, I use broken tempered glass,

it's perfect for this application and gives a great look.

See the video of this surfboard.

I actually created these two mosaic turtles a while back

before I made the new sea turtle surfboard.

They are both sold.

I used the tempered glass again on the fins and head.

I'm thinking of creating more pieces using the tempered glass,

it's so cool and fun to work with.

I tried to create dimension on this piece using lighter and

darker areas of the glass and I think it gives it a great look.

I used the WallApp tool again to place this turtle in a

virtual room. It really helps you see the scale of a piece of art.

Thank you so much for visiting and reading about my mosaics!

Find me on Facebook, Instagram,

Pinterest, YouTube or my Online Shop.

Don't forget to sign up for my free newsletter,

delivered to your inbox approximately once a month

How to paint decorative ceramic objects, DIY makeover with spray paint tutorial

2016-10-16T19:56:00.000-05:00

Did you know you can paint decorative ceramic items? Well, you can!

I'm one of those people that will paint pretty much anything.

I've painted shoes, metal mini blinds, Christmas stockings, couches and fabric

to name a few, so I didn't bat an eyelash over the thought of painting over

a pair of of ceramic vases I had.

This is what I was starting with.

I love these handmade vases that I bought years ago at a fancy shop.

They are large and heavy with hand applied ceramic petal pieces.

Although beautiful, this beige color just wasn't jiving in my new home

so I decided to change them up rather than get rid of them.

I started by spraying them with light blue satin spray paint that had

built in primer. This part can be a little scary because they

look horrible at this point, but keep going!

Next up, I dry brushed a warmer aqua color on top.

The before is on the left, after the aqua is on the right.

***Important...You must spray with a clear satin sealer at

this point and let dry before going to the next step.

If you haven't sealed and start applying watery paint in the

next step, you will remove your previous paint layer.

Make sure to use satin finish. If it is too glossy, the brown

wash in the next step will not adhere at all.

After they were sealed and dry, I brushed on watered down brown

acrylic paint over the petals. I turned them upside down so the

paint could seep into all the nooks and crannies.

While the paint is still wet, quickly...and patiently in this case with

all the petals!...wipe away the excess brown paint with soft rags.

"Before" the brown wash is shown on the left and "after" on the right.

The brown adds a lovely toned down look with lots of color

variation.

Seal with several coats of Rustoleum clear laquer, it gives a great high gloss finish.

I almost exclusively use Rustoleum spray paints (unless I can't find

a certain color) because they are just wonderful... and they didn't pay me to say that.

I didn't show this step but before I sealed with the laquer, I

dry brushed a little gold metallic paint on the edges of the petals.

Metallics are so hard for me to capture in a photo but you can see

glimpses of it in this photo.

Dazzling metallics in glorious gold is my go-to gold paint.

The "new" vases fit much better in our color scheme.

While I was at it I had a large cut work ceramic orb in bright

white that didn't really go with our decor either, so I applied

the same technique.

I used the same color paints as the vases. After completing all the

steps above, I used Rustoleum Bright Coat in gold and sprayed it very heavily at the

top of the ball until it puddled and let it drip down randomly around the ball.

I coated with with the high glass laquer for the final coat.

It looks much more shiny and metallic than this photo shows!

Thanks for stopping by!

Visit my new online store or

Find me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

Visit my all new Youtube channel where I show short

clips of current artwork in my Etsy shop

Dollar Store Mosaic Pumpkin, Dollar Store Stone Planters and more Dollar Halloween Ideas

2016-10-02T17:57:00.002-05:00

Sharing a couple of quick projects I completely recently that

happen to be dollar store projects including this mosaic pumpkin.

It started when I decided to cover a couple of planters of

artificial grass with stones. These grasses are the type

you can find in lots of stores where the fake grass is embedded in foam

and glued into a ceramic or clay pot. I didn't care for the pots they

were in and hunted for other pots to stick them in but then just decided

to cover them with stones.

I grabbed a couple of bags of rocks from Dollar Tree.

I smeared the existing planters with a very thick layer of

ceramic adhesive. I tinted my adhesive with a little

brown Tints-all colorant so it wouldn't be stark white.

This adhesive is not recommend for constant water exposure

and I'm not sure if it can be used in areas that freeze.

We live in Florida so that's usually not a problem and I have

them out on our covered patio so they don't get wet, unless you

count the humidity!

After adhesive is smeared on, simply push the rocks into the adhesive.

It's easier to do sections at a time but I'm impatient and did it all at once

very carefully, except for the edges at the top and bottom.

Just make sure the adhesive is thick enough to really grab your rocks.

I forgot to take a "before" pic of the other planter but I applied the same

technique with this planter...I had two of them so you can see the

before on the right and after on the left.

When completely dry, I sprayed them with clear lacquer to bring the

color out and add a glossy finish. I covered the artificial grass

with a plastic bag to keep the lacquer from getting on the leaves.

I have them out on our porch for a little extra color/greenery.

In my defense of using artificial greenery...I do have a live palm

tree out here as well!

While I was at the dollar store, Halloween decor was out so I snagged

a mini foam pumpkin. Wow! They used to have decent looking little faux

pumpkins like I used for my studded dollar store pumpkins years ago.

This one was pretty hideous, but... I bought it anyway.

As you might know, I'm a mosaic artist and had beautiful

red/orange stained glass scraps that I thought would be

perfect for this sad little pumpkin. I snipped the scraps into

little triangles.

I use Weldbond glue and I love it because it's non toxic and no

fumes but it is not an instant set glue. This is fine when I'm working

on mosaics on a flat surface but on this guy I worked in sections

on it's side letting each section dry before moving to the next.

Glass is complete

I grouted with sand colored grout...cute, but...wasn't the look

I had in mind...

So I painted the grout with orange acrylic paint...

better, but not exactly sold on it.

And yes you can paint grout, I use this same technique for my

octopus mosaic surfboard to get the red background color on the tentacles.

Simply paint, then quickly wipe away any excess paint from the tiles.

Lastly I added a wash of metallic gold over the orange paint and

this was more the look I had in mind.

You can see the DIY solar pumpkins I was working on the

background.

Before and after.

Now I realize everyone doesn't have access to stained glass pieces

but I'm thinking your could do the same process with glass stones,

pennies or even stones like the planters above. They had "pebble" sized

stones that were much smaller than the rocks I used on the planters.

I added the little mosaic pumpkin to other Fall decorations in

our entryway.

While we are on the dollar store train, you might remember the dollar

store spooky skull candlesticks I made a few years ago.

One of my sister's wanted them so they live with her now.

I saw more skulls when at the dollar store, I kind of wish

I had picked one up to mosaic it too!

My pumpkin is shown with the DIY large Halloween raven

I also made from scratch and I tell you exactly how I made it!

I love the challenge of taking something simple, like a bag of rocks

or cheap foam pumpkin, and making it look like a million bucks...ok maybe not

a million but at least $10 bucks! lol

Thanks for reading about my dollar store ideas.

Visit my new online store for coastal and nature themed mosaic art, and

coastal ornaments.

Find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube

Cheers!

~Lucy

Solar Halloween Pumpkins, Turn Artificial or Edible Pumpkins into Solar Pumpkins, Quick and Easy DIY Tutorial

2016-09-25T09:12:00.002-05:00

I can't take credit for this idea, I read somewhere about using a solar light

in a real pumpkin but I had not seen them made with artificial pumpkins.

I've had these plug in artificial pumpkins since my boys were little.

They are 18 and 20 now, just goes to show how long this foam lasts!

We still like to put them out at Halloween but I wasn't happy about all the

electrical cords everywhere. We use solar string lights at Christmas

and solar pathway lights that work beautifully so I thought this

would be a great solution... plus...free energy, what's not to love?

To start, I cut and removed all the electrical cords and light bulbs.

Solar lights...about .99 each, found at Walmart

I removed the bottom stake part that you would normally stick in the ground.

For this pumpkin I loved the stem on it since it was natural looking and

didn't want to cut it off so I decided to put the light towards the back of

the pumpkin. I drew an outline in the diameter of the plastic globe

part of the solar light, predrilled a large hole and used a tiny serrated knife

to cut the rest away.

Inserted the plastic "globe" part. It fit snugly, I didn't use glue.

The solar charger part screws on to the clear globe.

The whole process took about 5 minutes.

I was in my garage studio when making them but had to go into the

closet to check it out...success!

I had two more pumpkins in a smaller round size that had plain

foam stems. I cut those off and repeated the steps above to insert the

light directly on top to mimic a stem. I brushed on a little

brown paint and polyurethane to seal.

You can see how beat up this little guy is. I ended up applying a quick coat

of paint then poly to freshen all of them up.

Since it's not Halloween yet and I live in Florida and it's still like

90 degrees...not good for fresh pumpkin life... I simply turned

the pumpkin faces to the rear so it looks like I have whole

pumpkins on the porch.

Of course now that I placed the solar light in the back of the

large pumpkin to save the realistic stem, it doesn't look so

great turned around so I just left it out of the pic.

In hindsight I would have cut the pretty stem off !

Shown with my painted pumpkin topiary I made last Fall.

Sorry for the grainy pic but I took this at night, they really do work well.

When it's closer to Halloween, I may have to move them to the edge of

the porch so they get a good dose of sun for maximum solar charge but

even with the morning sun they've been getting, they seem to work fine.

The rest of the porch is decorated with cats ;)

Thanks for reading about my solar light pumpkins!

Visit my new online store for coastal and nature themed mosaic art, and

coastal ornaments.

Find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube

Cheers!

~Lucy

Heron Painting, Egret, Turtle, Octopus, Seahorse and Crab Paintings, Sea Life Paintings, Coastal Art

2016-09-17T14:31:00.002-05:00

Hello!

I thought I would share some of my latest paintings with a coastal theme.

We live at the beach and try to go at least once a week to swim or walk as well

as a beautiful wetland conservation park nearby where you will find

us biking nearly every Saturday. The herons, egrets, turtles, fish and

sea birds we see are great inspiration for me when painting.

Nature is my muse!

Blue Heron Painting 24 x 48

(sold)

I found a great website that lets you place your artwork on

a virtual wall so you can see how it will look in your home.

It's called WallApp and it comes with room scenes already

installed for you to drag and drop your artwork or you can

upload your own room view.

Very easy to use, I highly recommend if you need this type of app

and I'm not compensated to say that ;)

This painting was a commission based on a

photo my customer took while on vacation.

This was the inspiration photo.

Lots of texture in this painting.

A cute pair of small textured starfish on a

watery background (Sold)

Another large 24 x 48 painting of a white egret (Sold)

White egret.

The first sea turtle painting I made sold on my birthday (!)

so I created another.

One watchful eye...

So much fun creating this turtle!

Blue crab painting (Sold)

Foamy sea water...

He scurried off to his new home near the Mobile Alabama Bay.

This colorful crab painting has a little more going on ha!

lots of fun playing with color on this painting.

He even has a few touches of metallic gold.

Colorful seahorse painting on 24 x 48 canvas.

Watery, bubbly background with brightly colored coral...

He looks great in my virtual room!

I'm also offering these as sea life note card sets sold in sets of five.

Octopus painting 12 x 24

Thanks for taking a look at my paintings.

If you follow on Facebook or Instagram you may have seen the

new mosaic octopus design in progress.

I've retired my previous mosaic octopus design

so I hope you stay tuned for that.

Visit my new online store or

Follow on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Houzz and

swing by my Etsy shop for clearance prices on remaining paintings.

Thanks so much!

Table Leg Dragonflies and Butterflies, Moving On!

2016-04-09T08:45:00.000-05:00

April 2016

Visit my new website LucyDesignsArt.com for contemporary mosaic art

Hello! If you follow me on Facebook, you may have read my post

a few days ago about shipping out my very last dragonfly order when this

cool zebra dragonfly flew off to Massachusetts.

I've decided phase out recycled art and dragonfly making

so I can concentrate on my stained glass mosaics.

I created these table leg dragonflies almost 10 years ago

but first blogged about them about 5 years ago when I came

up with the idea to use old ceiling fan blades for the wings.

When my ceiling fan blades ran out, I cut the wings out of wood

and added butterflies and bugs to the mix as well.

Prior to that, I sold my table leg dragonflies locally and made wings using

wire, then wrapped in hand painted canvas. This was way before

digital cameras and before documenting my pieces ever crossed my mind!

I've made wings using fan blades, wood, metal, wrapped wire,

glass beads, shells, stained glass and molding.

I've painted zebra patterns, giraffe and peacock feathers.

Reversible ones, one out of an old painting, vintage, stripes, dots,

leaves, fleur de lis, graffiti inspired, flags, a Mardi Gras mask

and even one out of a croquet mallet!

There are probably 30 more designs I never blogged about haha!

The possibilities are endless!

I've shipped them all over the country and overseas.

I've created and sold well over 300 and I have loved creating each

and every one of them and I thank you for your support over the

years in purchasing my art dragonflies!

I thought it would be fun to put together a few collages of some

of the past designs I've made over the years.

Click on the photos for a larger view,

Enjoy, and thanks for looking!

I hope you visit my online store featuring stained glass mosaic art.

Find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube

Thank you again for following, sharing and supporting my art pieces~ Lucy

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Kitchen Pantry Makeover, Replace wire shelves with wrap around wood shelving for under $130 DIY

2015-11-19T09:39:00.001-06:00

Almost five years ago, I made over my pantry

by removing the deep wire shelving and replacing with wrap

around shelving.

Today, I did it again in my new home and I love it!

It's been on my to-do list ever since we moved in.

This is what I started with... ugh.

I didn't even pretend to straighten it up before taking a photo.

I'm so over this ~~deep, constantly messy, can't find anything,~~

~~have to move five things out of the way to get one thing~~, pantry.

Just like my last pantry makeover, I started by removing the

wire shelving, patching the holes and adding touch up paint.

I was having a bit of a difficult time getting the Closet Maid wire shelf anchors

out of the wall but found that a tiny flat head screwdriver helped

pry the nail out just enough to be able to grab with the pliers

and remove it.

I'm not gonna lie... if you remove these types of

anchors, you are going to be left with giant holes to patch.

It will be worth it, I promise!

Just like last time, I bought all white pre-primed wood boards

for the shelves as well as pre primed 1 x 2's for the supports

from Home Depot and that is such a time saver.

I bought 8 ft lengths and cut to the sizes I needed at home.

I did not paint over it, just used as is.

I spaced my shelves about 13" apart.

You can always adjust the spacing to fit your needs.

**This is a pantry with potentially heavy items like canned goods.

When attaching your 1 x 2's to the wall you must screw the majority

of your screws into the wall studs so your shelves will be super strong and sturdy.

It goes without saying you must also use a level as well when

installing your 1 x 2's... you don't want lopsided pantry shelving.

I used this type of screw I found at Home Depot to

mount the 1 x 2's.

**You must drill pilot holes in the

1 x 2 wood pieces before using this screw or you will split the wood.

I mounted the back wall 1 x 2 supports first. Once they were in place,

it was easy to rest the level on the edge of the back support to level the side 1 x 2's.

Then I forgot to take more during pics, but here I'm starting to

lay the shelving boards on top of the 1 x 2 supports.

After laying the shelving boards on top of the 1 x 2's, you then need to secure

them to the 1 x 2's to keep them in place. To do that, I used regular wood screws

along the back edge of each shelf to screw down into the 1 x 2 supports.

I placed my screws about 6-7 inches apart along the back of each shelf.

**Since you are screwing into the very back edge of the shelf and down into

the 1 x 2, you must predrill your holes again so the wood

won't split on the edge.

This pantry is a little different and a little larger than my last one.

In this pantry, the door swings open into the pantry,

in my old pantry, the door swung out into the room.

This means there is no end wall for the side pieces to butt up

against like last time which gave them extra support, instead

my shelves are open-ended...

To remedy my lack of an end wall for my side shelves, I used metal mending

plates on the underside to secure the side shelves to the back shelves

and it worked like a charm.

To reiterate and ease any fears or confusion on whether there is enough

support for the shelves, just remember...

The deeper back shelves are fully supported on THREE sides.

They are supported across the full length of the shelf by the back wall 1 x 2's

as well as being supported on each end by the side wall 1 x 2's.

The side shelves are only 6" deep and are supported by the side wall 1 x 2's

as well as being anchored to the (supported on 3 sides) back shelf

with the metal mending plates. The metal mending plates also

serve to help the corners line up perfectly.

And as mentioned. all shelves are then screwed into the 1 x 2's

that have been securely screwed into your wall studs! :)

I used 12" deep shelves on the bottom two back shelves,

8" deep for the remaining back wall shelves and 6" on the sides.

Looking in to the left...

Looking in to the right...

Straight ahead...

*starry eyed*

The lowdown on this makeover...

I've gotten so many emails about my previous pantry makeover

from people worried they will lose space. In my last makeover

I felt I had gained space but had not measured before and after so

I didn't know for sure.

This time, I measured the wire shelf space before I removed them

and calculated I had 21.56 square feet of shelf space.

The after measurements with my new wrap around

wood shelves measure 21.36 square feet.

So it's practically the same but you will feel like you have more

space simply because you can see everything.

I'll take being able to clearly see what I have in the pantry

over a negligible loss of space any day!

I spent a total of $127 for this makeover including primed wood,

screws and mending plates, yours could be

more or less. My pantry is 33"w x 34" deep to where

the door swings in and a 9ft ceiling.

$130 bucks for a lifetime of pantry happiness? yes please!

I started this project one evening by removing the wire shelving

and patching the holes so it would be ready to go the next morning.

I finished the next day so these before and after photos

show the exact same food and items in the pantry.

Thanks for reading about my latest pantry makeover!

Would love for you to visit my new online store. You can also

find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube and Houzz

or swing by my Etsy shop for reduced prices on remaining paintings

and mermaids.

Until next time!...

Recycled Wood Reindeer, Large Repurposed Christmas Sculptures

2015-11-14T21:09:00.000-06:00

I can't take credit for this adorable idea.

I saw something similar in a catalog once where they used spindles as

reindeer legs and filed that memory in my head for later.

This year I decided to create reindeer and put my own spin on them.

Recycled Reindeer by Lucy Designs

One idea I came up with was using metal ceiling fan blade

holders as antlers.

When I first started using the fan blades for dragonfly wings,

I had an overabundance of these metal fan holders.

I got rid of so many of them but did save a few and was so

glad I did because they made great antlers!

I drew a pattern and cut the bodies from plywood.

I added a textured pattern using a stencil and my own texture

compound to create the raised pattern. You could also use

joint compound to create the texture.

In addition to the fan blade holders, I came up with other ideas for antlers too.

For this recycled reindeer, the antlers are cut from scrolly sections of a

wooden picture frame.

He has wooden coaster ears and a jingle bell nose.

I made two sizes, a large and small. This large size reindeer is

32" tall. I used more ceiling fan blade holders as antlers, painted in

gold along with recycled tin for the ears and a bottle cap nose.

Most of the small size reindeer stand 24-28" tall and they

look adorable in pairs.

The little reindeer has more scrolled pieces from a wooden

frame as antlers, ears cut from old license plates and a metal nut for his nose.

I painted this set in muted gold.

I guess they are all male deer since they all have antlers but

they look so much cuter with the antlers!

This little gold reindeer has decorative pieces from a clock that I

cut apart for his antlers. His ears are wooden coasters, already in

the "ear shape" and a jingle bell nose.

The majority of the spindles I used matched but this one has

mismatched spindle legs and I think that just adds to the charm of

this hand made reindeer.

All the tails are made using aluminum flashing that I

cut into a tail shape and painted.

More fan blade holder antlers and license plate ears

on this large reindeer sculpture.

They are all fairly lightweight but stand very sturdily.

What a unique addition to holiday or Winter decor that

will last for years to come.

Update December 2016

I am no longer creating the reindeer and remaining deer are sold out

Thanks so much for taking the time to read about my reindeer!

Visit my new online store featuring my mosaic art and coastal ornaments. You can also find me on Facebook

Pinterest, Instagram and Houzz

Christmas Ornaments and Kissing Balls, Giant, Black and White Check Ornaments, Angel Ornaments, Bird Ornaments, Leopard Ornaments and Hand Painted Kissing Balls

2015-11-08T18:13:00.001-06:00

I've been creating these hand painted ornaments since 2011,

Click on the Christmas Category to see all the posts.

These are my most recent ornaments for Christmas 2015.

Update all ornaments are sold out and

I am no longer making the hand painted ornaments.

Visit my new online store featuring my mosaic art and coastal ornaments or

Find me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest,Youtube

I'm kind of proud of myself for working on them throughout the summer

and have most of them listed in my Etsy shop... yay!

Some of the styles have already sold out but I am sharing them anyway.

This year I painted several sets of these cute shatterproof

bird ornaments in whimsical leopard print with dotted gold wings.

People seem to love the black and white check ornaments so

I painted more of those. Painting free hand checks on a round

surface is not the easiest task but once I get going, it starts to flow.

I painted black and white check star ornaments and

gold check star ornaments. They are lightweight paper mache and

painted on all sides so they look great from any angle.

Large whimsical ornaments with dots, checks and leopard print.

I create these by combining new ornaments to create one of a kind

large finial ornaments.

They are quite large at up to 15" long and about 6" diameter.

This is the last remaining set in the large finial ornaments.

Lots of hand painted details go into each ornament. No stencils or

patterns are used so they are all unique.

I also had some fun painting these metal angel ornaments

in bright whimsical colors.

Who says angels don't like animal print? ;)

These animal print angel ornaments are large also, about 10" including

the hangers but super lightweight.

This set of black and white check angel ornaments have touches

of leopard on their robes, deep pink tops and metallic wings.

They are all painted in solid metallic gold on the back.

More large painted ornaments... about 10" long.

Last year I added a couple of giant hand painted "kissing balls" to my

ornament selection and decided to add a few this year too.

They are pretty large, about 22" long, and pretty fantastical, which

is the first word that popped into my head, and to my

surprise is a real word because I had to look it up.

This one started with a huge metal jingle bell and I added other ornaments,

flowers, ribbon, beaded fringe and lots and lots of hand painting.

These kissing balls are wonderful ornaments to hang in an archway, entry, or use

for other holidays as a fun party decoration.

A giant red striped kissing ball with feather boa trim, leopard flowers,

jingle bell trim and lots more.

Another large checked kissing ball with a giant metal jingle bell,

touches of leopard print, beaded fringe, acrylic crystal knob and pretty ribbon.

Thanks for taking the time to check out my hand painted ornaments!

Update January 2017 all ornaments are sold out and

I am no longer making the hand painted ornaments.

Visit my new online store featuring my mosaic art and coastal ornaments or

Find me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest,Youtube

Hand Painted Pumpkin Topiary for Fall and Halloween

2015-10-08T09:15:00.000-05:00

My latest Fall creation, a large pumpkin topiary using artificial pumpkins.

I didn't take "during" photos but it's a simple process and this is what I

started with. The huge white pumpkin I used for the base was purchased at Michael's.

This size can be pricey but it happened to be on sale the day I bought it.

The medium sized black pumpkin was found at Target last year and the small

pumpkin is one I already had that I had painted with dots and stripes years ago.

I also purchased a few fall leaf garlands at Michaels.

I love that you can reinvent and reuse these artificial pumpkins!

Here they are before assembly when I was still painting them.

For the large bottom pumpkin, I spray painted it off white. I was already a

cream color but I wanted a crisper background. After it was dry, I

painted thick, black stripes using regular acrylic craft paint.

The middle pumpkin was already glossy black so I only

painted gold metallic dots. I used several layers of

DecoArt Dazzling Metallics in Glorious Gold to get the opaque look

I was going for. I love this particular gold, it is my go-to gold color.

The top pumpkin had to be primed with spray primer to cover the previous orange

stripes and dots and then sprayed with orange spray paint. If you already

have an orange pumpkin, you are good to go.

To create the top pumpkin design, I grabbed a small swirly stencil

I had and just held it in different areas over the pumpkin while I sponged on top of

the stencil with dark metallic gold to get the scrolled pattern. It doesn't have to

be perfect. You could also free hand gold swirls, or paint whatever

design you like!

I added a few highlights by loosely painting over the stenciled area with a lighter gold.

After dry, I brushed the whole piece with watered

down brown paint and quickly and gently wiped away the excess to give it a little

depth. I painted the stem gold and sealed the whole thing with spray satin sealer.

All the pumpkins and the leaves are glued in place with hot glue.

I already had the black pedestal planter on hand and the topiary actually just sits on top of the urn with a few spots of glue to hold it in place so I can remove it later.

The whole pumpkin stack is surprisingly light.

I love the look of it on our front porch along with our solar pumpkins.

You can spin the pumpkins with the cut outs facing to the back for just a regular pumpkin look.

I originally created this post in 2015. It is Fall 2019 and here it is today. This

year I set it on top of a wooden basket for the base.

I added a wreath that I found at a local store but plumped it up with

more fall foliage sprays and small foam pumpkins that I painted with

black and cream stripes.

See my other Halloween and Fall decorating ideas

Dollar Store Skull Candlesticks, Solar Pumpkins,

Handmade Raven, Dollar store mosaic pumpkin and

Dollar store studded pumpkins and Halloween painted pillows...shown below