Paint Me Plaid

Designed by:  Holli Long – To see more of Holli Long’s craft projects, please check out her blog, Every Day’s a Holli Day.

At the end of the summer, I’m getting a Granddaughter!  I’m very excited, and looking forward to having a new member of my little family.  My daughter registered for her baby shower at Target, and as I was perusing her choices for the nursery, I had an idea.  She picked a wonderfully whimsical bed set by Tiddliwinks called, Butterfly Medallion.  The quilt looks like this:

Very cute, don’t you think?  Well, I thought it would be a good idea to use this as a reference, for color and a little for design, and make something that could accent it in the baby’s room.

I got busy gathering my supplies:  Folk Art colors Wicker White, Sheer Blossom, Lemonade, Lavender and Light Lavender, Soft Apple, and Pink, a sanding sponge, tape, transfer paper, and a wonderful Plaid frame with lots of painting room on it!  I was ready!

I started by base-coating the entire frame, front and back, with Sheer Blossom.  This color is wonderful!  It has a very rich consistency which makes base-coating with it so simple!  Then, because I wanted to get the feel of the quilt, I sectioned areas off with a little masking tape.

Here, I’m taking the Light Lavender and a little of the Sheer Blossom, and slightly mixing the two on one of the sections of the frame.  I used this method on two sections for balance.

Then, with a little water on my brush, I side loaded into the Lavender color and added a shadow along the edges of these sections.

I also made two Wicker White sections that I shaded with the Sheer Blossom.  Then, I added a tiny polka dot pattern with a toothpick and my ruler to one of the sections.  I simply placed a dot of Pink with the toothpick every quarter inch.  It’s a little challenging to keep the ruler straight, but a few well placed markers on the sides of the frame will keep it straight.

On the second Wicker White section, I used quarter inch masking tape and masked off some stripes.  I usually place the tape by just eyeballing it, but, if you need a little extra help, make a few measurements with your ruler and mark it with a pencil on either side of your section, and it will be a snap!

Again, using the Pink color, I lightly brushed the stripes with an almost dry brush.

And because I really wanted to incorporate the butterflies of the quilt into this frame, I used some of the wood heart shapes from Plaid to add some dimension to the project.  I simply painted the wings, added some details, and then placed them where I wanted them on the frame.  I free handed their little bodies with one of my favorite colors, Soft Apple.  The antennae are Lavender thinned with a bit of water, and painted with a liner brush.

I added details to the wings with the tip of my paint brush and a liner brush.  You can really make them anyway you want, but I’m not the best at butterflies, as anyone who has crafted with me over the years can attest to. This simple method is my favorite!

I used the inside edge of my masking tape roll to lightly pencil in circles on the Light Lavender areas of the frame.  Then I took my small round brush and painted some daisies, using the guide lines I made to keep them round and even.

I added thick stem lines with the small round brush, and added some One Stroke leaves with a size 10 flat brush.

And there’s the finished project!  A very nice addition to any little girl’s room. I think it will look so cute with her new bedding.  I love to add to any decor with projects that coordinate.  And it’s so easy to use something like the quilt as reference for colors or patterns. What do you think of this project? Have you ever made a baby themed craft project?

Baby Shower Frame Supplies

Folk Art Acrylic Colors: 410 Lavender, 413 Pink, 516 Light Lavender, 526   Soft Apple, 901 Wicker White, 904 Lemonade, & 2243 Sheer Blossom

Plaid Memory Frame 96271, Plaid Wood Shapes “hearts” 97405, large flat brush for basecoating, #10 flat brush, liner brush, masking tape (1/4″, 3/4″), sandpaper, pencil, ruler, & craft glue.