Showing posts with label benfranklinpc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label benfranklinpc. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Spring Gardening Fun!

If you are an avid gardener or someone who loves to collect cute succulents, then
Ben Franklin is definitely THE place to be right now!
We just got in a bunch of cute little plants and succulents that are great for
 Spring décor and require no watering at all. (Haha!)  They are so fun to look at, that
with all the different varieties we have, the selection isn't always the easiest. 
At the Pearl City store, we've dedicated a small area to our
Spring Gardening collection!
 
  
The area gives a real Gardener's Shed and home with stacks of terracotta pots
and hanging macramé planters.  It really feels like there are live plants growing everywhere; out of drawers, pots and even on the doors (We tied some air plants onto them!).
All these little details adds to the magic of the space!
You will find crates and pots overflowing with colorful succulents
along with a few chic pieces of vintage décor like distressed wooden doors
and glass floaters.  Natural textures like wood, stone, terracotta and rope all
make a great backdrop for the plants, which are the real stars here. 
 
 
These little beauties can be put together to make a beautiful bouquet,
flower arrangement or an eye-catching wreath perfect for Spring and Summer.
Here, we matched succulents in soft green and blue hues to create a refreshing
focal point on a natural grapevine wreath.  For a little extra something,
a copper strand of twinkling firefly lights were wound around it.  
 
The copper wire gives it that "industrial chic" look.
 
Another special feature that was added was
the Faux Brick Wall.  The warm colored brick texture is what created a more rustic atmosphere. It was also very simple to create!  All you needed to do was blend the right colors and
use a brick sponge that you can find at any convenience store to stamp the pattern. 
First, we used painter's tape to create a clean border.  Then, we painted the
pillar black to act as a dark grout against the arm-colored bricks.
 
 
 
We mixed rich terracotta reds and deep browns with an antique off-white and mossy green.
On a piece of palette paper, which is a convenient disposable palette, we blended all the colors.
No measurements or ratios! Just mix up the colors, press your damp sponge into the paint and then stamp it onto the wall. It's always best start a row with the brick "breaking the margin" so to say.
 
 
If you look at the finished pillar, what makes it look realistic is that the bricks don't follow a perfect grid pattern.  Each row starts and ends with maybe half a brick or so.  It's like laying down real bricks!  After the bricks are dry, we rounded off the corners of the bricks using some black mixed with antique white. This helped add more depth and dimension to the bricks so that they actually looked like they were sort of jutting out of the wall!
 
 
 
 If you are ever able to stop by our stores, peruse the Spring section!
We hope that you will find inspiration and think of some great ideas
for decorating your home this season!
 
Erika @ PC


Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Skellington Centerpiece

This is Halloween..  This is Halloween.. Halloween.  Halloween!.. 
Well, actually, it's late summer, BUT it's never to early to get started on holiday crafting!  Especially for one as fun as Halloween!  
What's this?  What's This!?

 Why, it's a centerpiece of the Pumpkin King himself: Jack Skellington!
This classic character is the hero of one of the best animated films of my generation: The Nightmare Before Christmas.  I remember being obsessed about it when I was 6.
This film, which has both Christmas and Halloween flair, makes a great and very popular theme for both holidays when it comes to parties.   
Here, I have an easy and really cool project for such an occasion!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  

You will need...
- Glass Bubble Bowl
- Terracotta Pot
 - Hot Glue Gun
- Black Montana Marker  
-Black Spray Paint
- White Spray Paint
- White Acrylic Paint
- Silver Acrylic Paint
- Black Felt Sheet, Foam Sheet or Cardstock

(Note: Black glitter paint is optional.)

Let's get started!

Step 1. Spray paint your bubble bowl white.  Try not to spray a certain area to much for it might drip and dry that way!  You may need two coats depending on the opacity of your paint.  Set aside. 


Step 2.  Turn your terracotta pot upside down!  Hot glue the design of Jack's collar onto the pot.  This will create more texture on your piece.  It may look weird now, but it will all be worth it!  I left the small "spider webs" of glue on there for a more aged look.  
 

Step 3:  Spray paint your Terracotta pot with a jet black and set aside to dry.  (If you want, here is where you would spray the glitter paint on as well for some extra sparkle.)  Here I have both main pieces of the centerpiece all ready for some dressing up!

 Step 4:  Using a dry paintbrush, rub some metallic silver acrylic paint onto your pot.  Make sure the hot-glued areas are given extra attention.  You want this base to look like weathered iron.  


Step 5: Use the white paint to for Jack's shirt and to give a little more highlight to the ribbing on his tux.



Step 6: Use your Montana marker to draw on Jack's face. 


 Step 7.  Cut the pieces of the Jack's bat bow-tie out of the black felt sheet.  Add some detailing with the white paint.  You could draw the pieces on the felt sheet using a white paint pen before cutting.


Step 8.  Time to assemble!  Hot glue Jack's head onto the over-turned terracotta pot and then hot glue his bowtie onto the piece.  

Now he's all set for your special event!  Firefly lights could be put inside his head for a really cool effect.  This would look AMAZING if your venue is going to have dim lights for that eerie feel.  You could also fill his head up with candy if he will be set up in an office or classroom!  

See you next week!
Erika @ PC