How I Became a "Replica Artist" and You Can Too! Part 1

Jacque
by Jacque
5 Materials
$1
1 Hour
Easy
How many times have you seen something and immediately said "I can make that!"...and most of the time it's followed by "for FREE/A LOT less!". Time is as valuable as money though, if not more, right? Many choose to buy, but not us!icon
Actually, most of what I see on hometalk is a version of an inspiration someone has had; Nice way to say "copy" aka replicas Right? LOL icon Even if you have the money, Why not save it for those "must have" survival items like...food? Ha ha!icon

Here are just a few items I have recently replicated after seeing for them sale:
Part 1: Personalized clothing , crafts and/or office organization storage boxes, along with both Farmhouse & Blessed signs.
Part 2/3: To come : Arrow sign, Flower & Garden bucket, Amazing Grace Frame, & Fall flower vases.
This is not really a "how to" but more or less a "why not?" I enjoy passing on ideas as much as I love receiving them!
Ex of personalized storage for sale
It usually starts with seeing a project or item that you just "had to have".
I am a sucker for storage and organization items...and have bought many baskets, boxes, folders, and stackable storage items in my life.
This idea is something I knew I could do, fairly easily and pretty darn cheap...actually a LOT less (almost free) than what these were going for.
Ex of Office Organizational boxes on sale
MY File/Folder Organization
All you need is your favorite contact paper, a box, and a box cutter. No it's not always perfect but it gets the job done!
MY Laundry Organization
So many types of material you can use, such as an old sweatshirt or sweater that doesn't fit anymore. It usually goes in a pile for Goodwill, right? Why not put it to use in a different way? Btw, Those are thumb tacks I used as a design feature at top.
The front hand pouch is perfect for storing all the loose change we happen to find in the laundry!
We save BOTH lint & used scented dryer sheets to recycle into homemade fire starters. (Use old toilet paper rolls, stuff with LINT and roll up in 2 dryer sheets! They work great for campers like us!! Go a step further and use OLD wax along with it!)
NOTE: The photo went blurry after posting. It is a Hometalk error I can't fix.
MY Arts & Crafts Organization
Here you can see this is the bottom half of a sweatshirt .
It was in great condition so, I cut it into two sections right under both arms (pits). (I have used the sleeves for a great christmas idea to come!)
Measure your box to be covered BEFORE cutting it too short.
The handle/rope is an old sweatshirt tie/string that got pulled out from the waistband-it bugs me so much when that happens but I can recycle that too. (Use burlap string if you don't have any rope.)
Just punch two holes on each end and run it through, tie a knot, and now you have STURDY HANDLES on a cute STORAGE BOX TO HELP ORGANIZE YOUR CLOSET/CRAFTS!
MY Office/Closet Organization
My Finished craft cart with several recycled boxes and canisters covered with sweaters and contact paper. ALL of it was free...can't beat that!
Amazing how those little chalkboard stickers become so handy! I suggest always having some on hand in a verity of shapes and sizes.
$50 Farmhouse Wooden Sign
I'm sure many of you have seen some version of this Hobby Lobby beautiful Farmhouse sign...On sale it's $25 but that's an evening out to dinner (fast food) with the family. These make great gifts too!!
To take things a step further, using recycled goods is another great way to show the spirit of a gift that keeps on giving.
This is an old cupboard door that I reclaimed from my parents junk pile. They had several...and I have a use for them all! (other projects to come!)
I am not the best at free hand so I typically start tracing out the design with an eraser first; preferably a colored one so it's easier to see the flakes left behind.
I make the necessary corrections as I go and once I am happy with it, I lightly trace over the eraser flakes with the pencil. Then wipe it all off (use a blow dryer if you have one).
Once it's traced in pencil, I do the same with the other design features.
Then it's ready to be painted with acrylic paint. I even used crackle medium on the frame to give it a more aged look. (I suggest a heat gun or blow dryer to speed up the drying process when using this type of crackle.)
I also make sure to choose a flat head paint brush, so I don't have to worry about the width of each letter being off. Since it's still free hand, it's not perfect and that adds charm to it in my opinion.
MY BLESSED FARMHOUSE SIGNS
I'm a firm believer that a homemade gift is priceless! It means someone actually took time out of their busy lives to think & make me something with their own hands. I love those types of gifts and I don't get nor give nearly enough of them. I'd like to change that! Wouldn't you love this as a gift? (Not mine in particular but the idea behind it.)
Hope this inspires some of you to copy my replicas! LOL If you have any questions on these projects let me know! I would LOVE to see yours. You can post a photo in the comments section below.
Thank you for looking!
Suggested materials:
  • Recycled Boxes   (Old cereal or shipping boxes)
  • Old Sweaters/Sweatshirt   (Your Goodwill Pile)
  • Contact Paper   (Dollar Store)
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