Category Archives: Home Decor

Upcoming class: Mosaic Plant Stand

Events, Gardening, Home Decor, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mosaic Plant StandI hope you can join me on June 18, 2016 as we make a mosaic plant stand! Build an attractive and sturdy stand for plant pots or other decorative objects while learning the basics of building a wood frame to contain mosaic tiles. You’ll learn how to set, grout and seal the tiles so your stand will hold up to outdoor use. You will also learn how to attach wooden feet to your stand. This project is a good introduction for those who would later like to make larger projects such as tables and shelves.

Mosaic Plant Stand
Date: June 18, 2016
Time: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location: Studio:art, 7403 Manchester Road, Maplewood, MO
More information and registration: Class Signup

Classes are designed so that each participant will complete one project during the class. Each class attendee will recieve a printout with a written tutorial for that class so if you forget anything we learned you can refer back to it later. For details about what is included in each class and what if anything to bring, click the links below.

NEW! At each class, there will be at least one door prize randomly awarded to an attendee – probably a craft supply item of some type that relates to the theme of the class. Past prizes have included a necklace kit, a polymer clay frame kit and a craft stencil. That’s my way of saying thank you for coming!

Upcoming Class: Build a Pollinator House

Conservation, Events, Gardening, Home Decor, Mixed Media, , , , , , , , , ,
Upcoming Class: Build a Pollinator House
Upcoming Class: Build a Pollinator House

Build an attractive garden home out of wood for native bees and other valuable pollinating insects. We will paint our homes to make them pretty and decorate some of the surfaces with stencils. All materials except the bamboo segments shown in the picture will be included. The wood will be cut ahead of time. The skills you will use in the class are: sanding, nailing, painting and stenciling. You will be instructed on what kinds of materials to fill the house with. The bamboo shown in the picture is one option you can use but there are others.

Class Title: Build a Pollinator House
When: June 04, 2016 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm
Where: Studio:art 7403 Manchester Rd., Maplewood, MO 63143 Map & Directions
Price: $40.00.

REGISTER NOW

Some of the stencil detail on the side of the pollinator house
Some of the stencil detail on the side of the pollinator house

Decorate a Terra Cotta Plant Pot with Acrylic Paint and Stencils

Gardening, Home Decor, Mixed Media, Tutorials, Upcycling, , , , , , , ,

Terra cotta pots decorated with paint and stencils

Painting and stenciling terra-cotta pots is a fun and inexpensive way to enhance your patio or garden decor. Younger and older crafters alike can join in. Small decorated pots can be used as party favors. Medium-sized pots might provide the base for a table centerpiece. A large pot could function as a gift basket that you can fill with items for a loved one who likes gardening. Gardeners can always use extra small items such as gloves* (they tend to wear out with regularity), seeds*, bulbs*, bug repellent*, gardener’s soap, hand lotion*, sunscreen*, lip balm* and plant tags*. You can also throw in a gift card* so they can get exactly what they want!

To learn how, read my article on the Schnarr’s blog: Decorate a Terra Cotta Plant Pot with Acrylic Paint and Stencils

Decorating Ideas for Battery Powered Candles

Home Decor, Outdoor Fun, , , , , , , , , ,

LED Water Lights
LED Water Lights
My part-time employer Schnarr’s Hardware sells a variety of battery powered candles. Some are even designed to be displayed in water. I enjoy using these lights for a variety of decorative effects. If you are doing any holiday entertaining or just want to brighten your home during the gloomy winter months flameless candles are both safe and fun!

Read my posts on the Schnarr’s blog for ideas for displaying flameless votive candles and submersible water lights.

Make a Shadow Box Ornament

Holiday Crafts, Home Decor, Paper Crafts, Rubber Stamping, Tutorials, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Shadow box ornament featuring a Santa rubber stamp
Mixed-media shadow box ornament by Carolyn Hasenfratz.

The Holiday 2015 issue of RubberStampMadness is out and I want to let you know about it because my article “No Ordinary Ornament” is published within! If you want to read it check the newsstand at your favorite craft retailer or go to the RubberStampMadness web site to order a copy. My four-page article contains step by step instructions and templates which you can copy and enlarge. Here are some other highlights of the holiday issue – Current Issue.

Some of the rubber stamps I used in my samples are from other stamp companies and some are of my own design and are available in my online store, Carolyn’s Stamp Store.

Kitchen Backsplash Project Part III – Filling in the Tile “Murals”

Ceramic Clay, Home Decor, Upcycling, , , , , , , , , , ,
Frame of salvaged tiles filled with handmade tiles, salvaged tiles and purchased tiles.
Frame of salvaged tiles filled with handmade tiles, salvaged tiles and purchased tiles.

It’s a good thing I make detailed notes as I work, because this kitchen backsplash project underwent a two and a half year hiatus! I didn’t really plan to neglect the project for that long, but in 2013 and 2014 I did a lot of art and craft shows and my studio space and time was necessarily diverted to that pursuit rather than home improvement projects. In 2015 I’m doing fewer shows and determined to finish some of what I started earlier!

Read more:
Kitchen Backsplash Project Part III – Filling in the Tile “Murals”

Kitchen Backsplash Project Part II – Beginning Work on the Walls

Ceramic Clay, Home Decor, Upcycling, , , , , , , , , ,
Tile strip in my kitchen made from handmade tiles, purchased tiles, and salvaged tiles.
Tile strip in my kitchen made from handmade tiles, purchased tiles, and salvaged tiles.

After absorbing inspiration and stockpiling tiles for my kitchen for three years, how did I begin the process of actually getting some tiles on the wall?

Read more

Decor Idea Book

Home Decor, , , , , ,
Fabric and paint swatches for my bedroom
Fabric and paint swatches for my bedroom

It’s going to take years to complete the decor in my condominium – if I ever complete it. My timetable won’t work for everybody but it’s ok for me – decorating is a satisfying hobby activity and I enjoy doing as much as I can myself, for example even to the point of designing rubber stamps that I use to make ceramic tiles to incorporate into tile work.

Read more on the Schnarr’s Blog.