D.I.Y Pallet Art By The Sugar Cube

The Sugar Cube on Facebook

For this piece I have deconstructed a pallet and nailed it back together in the shape and size I wanted. I have three supporting pieces of pallet on the back, left, right, and center.

I then found a bird silhouette and made a stencil by printing the picture on paper and cutting it out.

I then positioned the stencil on the pallet canvas and painted it in with chalkboard paint. I then removed the stencil and went over the design again by hand. Because the wood undulates because of te wood grain this step is necessary to tidy the design up - but it does not need to be perfect.

Once the paint was dry I have gone over the entire pallet canvas twice with a clear gloss acrylic finish to really bring the color of the wood out.

Let dry completely and there you have it!!

This piece is hanging above my cubed book shelf in the lounge room. The natural color of the wood looks fantastic and I find it quite refreshing. You however could hang it anywhere you like. I am making another one for a family member who will be hanging it over the headboard of the bed in her guest room.

I also do custom orders

Happy Creating !

Gingerbread Men Christmas Gift Tins

One thing I love to give at Christmas are Home-Made Gifts. Each and every year I make something for my close family, last year it was diaries, this year it was gingerbread men and chocolate boxes.

Christmas can be an expensive time and we pretty much cant afford to give expensive presents as much as we'd like to, especially with a special needs kiddy in our home.

Home-made goodies is the one way I like to show my family how much we care about them. It takes time, preparation and effort.

First I purchased the tins from the cheapy store, then I purchased the gingerbread cutters and ingredients. Then I got baking ! The receipe I used was this one Gingerbread Man Receipe , and I can attest that its a good one, every good chef should taste test ;)

To finish I placed a generous amount of gingerbread into the tins and then wrapped the tin and a box of chocolates with some nice ribbon.

I can assure you that gingerbread men, women and dogs were harmed during the process (nom nom).

Upcycled Computer Key Magnets

The Sugar Cube Present My Latest Creation;

Now Available at The Sugar Cube for Purchase. Please send all orders and enquiries to sweetcadygirl@gmail.com or msg me at The Sugar Cube on Facebook.

Thanks xoxo

Free Aztec & Geometric Printables

Just Right Click and Save Image

For The Love of Pet Shop

 Horsey Pet Shop

Lady Bird Pet Shop

The Sugar Cube Art & Illustration

Little Red

Nimbo The Friendly Fawn

Prints Available Soon.

I also do custom artwork and illustrations. For contact information and more artwork head over to my Facebook page at The Sugar Cube .

How to Enlarge Patterns

Now obviously this would only apply if the pattern you were trying to enlarge was bigger than you could perform on a photocopier, or you didnt have access to one.

These instructions are courtesy of The Australian Womens Weekly.

METHOD NO. 1

Step 1: First look at the diagram you plan to enlarge; for example, the elephant shown in the image above. The diagram is covered with small squares. Close to the diagram is a sentence stating that each square represents 5cm. This method would apply to any diagram you are attempting to enlarge and their corresponding sizes.

Step 2: You will now require a pencil, a ruler, and a piece of paper slightly larger than the size of what the finished pattern will be. On this paper, rule a large grid which has 5cm squares (or the size collerating to the pattern you are attempting to enlarge).
When attempting to make a pattern twice as high and twice as wide, you would make the squares twice as high and so on. You would reverse the procedure to make a large design smaller.

Step 3: Copy your small diagram onto your larger grid by copying one square at a time.

Step 4: Follow the squares, checking the work as you go, until completed.

NOTE: This method does not require you to be 'good' at drawing etc. It does not have to be exact so do not stress over perfection.

METHOD NO.2

The second method lets you enlarge a design to any size you want/require, instead of following the designers idea. For instance if you want to enlarge a motif to suit a cushion, but you dont know how to copy it accurately. This method breaks the design/motif into much smaller components.

Step 1: Firstly draw  rectangle around the small design/motif you are attempting to enlarge (you can also use a square). Rule diagonal lines from corner to corner across the design/motif, the centre being where the lines meet.

Step 2: Now draw a vertical line from top to bottom down the centre of the design. Also rule a horizontal line through the centre of the design from left to right, the centre being where these lines meet.

Step 3: Now rule a diamond shape using the lines already drawn by starting at the top mid-point going down towards the left hand side horizontal line and so forth until you have a diamond.

Step 4: Your rectangle, will now have four smaller rectangles within it. In each smaller rectangle draw a horizontal line and vertical line through it.

Step 5: On a separate piece of paper, rule a bigger grid to the required size of your finished design and copy your design section by section.

NOTE:
Once again these methods only need to be used in the event that the action cannot be performed on a photocopier, or you dont have access to one.


Another method I have used in the past if you have one is to photocopy your smaller design onto a piece of projector paper (clear sheets can usually be purchased from your local newsagency), and project it onto a larger piece of paper on the wall. You will need a projector for this method though.