Friday, 15 July 2011

Today's spotlight is on...Carol

Our post for today is very special as we’re launching a new section! Every now and again we’ve been sharing some of the things we make in our spare time like the glass magnets, the decorated plant pots, or the home-made bokeh filter. When we prepare the posts, we’re always wondering whether you will like them, if the ideas will come in useful for you or inspire you to make your own projects and we let our imagination soar…
We know a lot of you are big fans of handicrafts and DIY projects so we would love it if you shared your projects with us! It could be something you saw on PolkaDot Lighthouse that gave you an idea or any of your own projects that you fancy sharing here - we will welcome you with open arms! :-)
And we’re launching in style with an excellent project we loved by Carol, a friend and follower of PolkaDot Lighthouse.
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Hi! I am so happy that Olga and Carla have invited me to be part of PolkaDot Lighthouse with this little project I did a few weeks ago. I hope you like it too!
It all started when a friend told me she wanted to decorate one of the walls in her bedroom with many pictures, with frames of different sizes and colours. I then thought, why not decorate frames with lace? (Don’t ask me why, but my mind makes some very strange connections sometimes…) And this is what I made! 
First things first, what do we need:
Frames. They can be old or new (like the basic ones from Ikea I used), as long as their surface is flat.
Lace. You can buy it at any haberdashery or handicrafts shop, there are lots of colours, shapes and sizes, and it’s really cheap!
Scissors, small brush and white glue.
You can also add beads or adornments (I chose butterflies for one and a skull for another one I wanted to give as a present to a rocker friend).




What we have to do first is measure all four sides of the frame. You can do it with a measuring tape or, if you are brave, you can place the lace over the frame and cut directly, but don’t forget the corners have to be cut diagonally!




Move the lace you have cut and add a first coat of glue over the surface of the frame. Carefully stick the lace onto it, making sure it’s not creased and that it’s in line with the corners. I prefer to do each side separately, so I can cut the corners of the lace to make their pattern match.




When all the sides are done, add another layer of glue over the whole frame. Don’t be frightened because it’s white, you won’t see it once it dries!




If the lace is wider than the frame, you can cut it or “tuck it in”. You will be able to work better if you remove the glass and also you won’t stain it with glue, (but if you do, don’t worry, it can be easily cleaned with water).




What I like the most about this DIY is that you can combine as many colours or patterns in one frame as you wish, the possibilities are endless!
And what about you, do you have a technique for recycling old or boring frames?




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Aren't the frames great? Carol is bursting with creativity!
You can let us know what you think of this new idea to strike up a creative dialogue with you. We would love to find out what happens on the other side of the screen! The frequency of the guest posts will depend on your response but we would love to make it a monthly feature like all the others. Like we said, if you feel like sharing any project, version, photo, etc., our lighthouse is your lighthouse. All you have to do is send an email to us at polkadotlighthouse {at} gmail {dot} com.


Have a nice and creative weekend!

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