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7.25.2010

Paint Chip Mosaic - Tutorial Tuesday



Okay, I'm back with the promised Mosaic Tutorial after being preempted by the World's Biggest Slip and Slide last week! So, here we go...

I have had the idea for this Paint Chip Mosaic on the back burner since we painted our house, over a year ago. As with most things, I went a little overboard while collecting paint chips for our project. I got a lot of chips. A. Lot.

I held onto them, because soon after that we painted our ski condo and have recently been planning to paint the boys' rooms. So, all these projects yield a lot MORE paint chips that I can't seem to toss. Some of them were used to make notepads, using this method but the nice square chips hung around, waiting.

I found inspiration in this mosaic print from Ballard Designs catalog,


But $279 is a little pricey for my budget.

Kimba came up with an awesome alternative in her Tile Artwork tutorial


But grout and tile adhesive were a little too adventurous for me this summer.

I decided to put those little paint chips to work to create my own inexpensive, quick, and easy

Paint Chip Mosaic Artwork.


Supplies:

Plywood or a pine panel (my board is 20x20 inches)
Paint chips
Spray adhesive
Acrylic paint
Mod Podge Matte-Mat
Stain


Instructions:

I began by painting the sides and edges of my board black. I used a pine panel, because I had it cut out to use for a frame already, but plywood or MDF would also work. (For some reason, I began this project at nightfall, so the photos are on the dark side.)



Here is my paint chip collection, but you could easily cut squares of scrapbook paper for a similar effect. To get the randomness right, I simply shuffled the chips several times like a deck of cards:



I laid out the cards to get an idea of spacing:



The next step is to simply spray a line of adhesive and stick on the paint chip squares. Now repeat, again, and again:



See? All finished! Now, let this dry well. Go over it once in awhile to smooth any edges that might begin to come unstuck.



Once the adhesive was dry, I touched up any sticky spots on the painted edges with more paint to even out the color.

Now, apply 3 coats of Matte Mod Podge to get a nice smooth surface.



Let dry overnight, then rub stain over the whole piece with a rag. Make sure to really get it into all the cracks and seams so they look darker and defined.



Layered behind the photograph on my mantle, it gave the punch of color and textural interest I was looking for. And, for $10 total, the price was right, too!



Do you have a tutorial for me? It can be a recipe, a tip about cleaning wood floors, how you house trained your puppy, I'm not picky! Grab a button and link up tomorrow for fun and prizes!

Hope Studios




mmm button

**Edited to join Fireflies and Jellybeans party!

72 comments:

  1. This is gorgeous!! What a great idea to use up those pretty collections of paint chips! :)

    ~Jennifer

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  2. This is a great idea! I have a bunch of paint chips and this would be perfect!

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  3. Toooooo cute!! I would never have thought about doing something like this. I think it's even more interesting that you left the color of the paint and the number on there. Finishing it off with antique really toned it down and made it beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing!

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  4. This is gorgeous Jennifer, stunning! I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I linked to this post today from the new Home & Garden channel at Craft Gossip. :) My hope is to share many of the fabulous projects I see everyday with the vast CG audience. I hope you will not only stop by and subscribe to CG, but will tell your friends about the new category! Hope you see some traffic from it!

    Your feature will appear in the main Craft Gossip RSS feed, on the main home page and can be found directly here
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/mosaic-paint-chip-art/

    If you would like a "featured by" button, you can grab one here!
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/grab-a-craft-gossip-button/

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  5. YOU are BRILLIANT! THAT is GORGEOUS artwork! I'm totally in love with that and may have to attempt it! Thanks so much for sharing!

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  6. What a clever idea for all those paint chips. I love how you compare it to what inspired you that was way too expensive. I used to watch a show on HGTV that took a designer room and made substitutions to duplicate it on a budget. It was one of my favorite shows at the time.

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  7. You are joking! THat is so cool! I will feature this tomorrow morning at somedaycrafts.blogspot.com! My viewers are going to love this one!!!

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  8. Neato....now there is another great thing I learned to do with Modge Podge!

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  9. a very fun project! I've been thinking of doing the same with scrapbook paper!

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  10. Genius!! For real a great idea! Looks fabulous in your home!

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  11. That looks great!!! So glad I found your site...HOPE is my favorite word ever!!! I'm your newest follower!

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  12. That is not too difficult a project. I might be able to swing it! Awesome!

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  13. Very impressive...both the idea and the finished product. LOVE love love it!!!!!

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  14. Seriously... paint chips? Never would have guessed! Love it Jen!

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  15. The store paint sections are going to be shaking their heads at the empty paint chip displays! Have to try this - stellar idea!

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  16. Love, love, love it. Need to know how you did the sides. Thanks!

    Deb

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  17. Love love love this!! My husband and I bought our first home, and we're a little lacking in art work. I will definately be making this!! Thanks for the great idea

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  18. Hi jennifer-

    This is the kind of project I love. I think it looks better than the Ballard Design one as it is more colorful. So clever!

    I found you thru One Pretty Thing.
    My best - Diane

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  19. Awesome idea - every time I'm in a home improvement store I'm drawn to the paint chips. Then I go to home furnishing stores and stare longingly at their wall art. This is genius!

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  20. love this! come on over and link up to MMM :)

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  21. super cute! i always save my chips too, now maybe i'll try this!

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  22. Wow, this is SO pretty! The final stain step really makes it. Now I must go snoop around the rest of your blog...

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  23. Really great! I'll definitely be bookmarking this.

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  24. I saw the tweet you sent out on this...but I never got over here that day to see it...but I'm glad I got to see it in person today...it is TERRIFIC!!!!!! You truly do ROCK!!

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  25. Oh My!! Fabulous!! I'm so doing this....this weekend!!
    Thank you

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  26. This caught my eye over at craft, really smart!

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  27. Your picture with the paint chips is beautiful and so colorful! I love it!!! Thanks for the tutorial. I am going to give this project a try. Love & blessings from NC!

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  28. Great idea to shuffle the cards ... I always seem to overthink things!

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  29. What a great project, Jennifer. You have really stirred my imagination. Just think -- this could be done in whatever colors coordinate with your room. OH MY -- after this gets out all the paint dealers will be wondering where all their paint chips have gone.

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  30. I just came from Mod Podge Rocks--directly after seeing the photo. This is a great project idea! Thanks for sharing!

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  31. Love this! Off to Home depot to snag some paint chips....

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  32. I would like to exchange links with your site hopestudios.blogspot.com
    Is this possible?

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  33. I love this! WOW!

    I am having a crafty competiton using paint chips that I would love to have you enter this in!

    Check it out here: http://firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com/2010/08/iron-crafter-round-4-paint-samples.html

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  34. I love this idea! I've been looking for both easy wall art ideas and a reason to try Mod Podge. This is perfect!

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  35. So pretty! I love how you distressed it too. Beautiful!

    xoxo
    Jen

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  36. Fab idea. Loving your entire project. So tempted to run to the paint store this morning and pick up some paint chips of my own.

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  37. This is so simple and gorgeous! I love it!

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  38. Gorgeous and clever and dare I say, cheap? Love this! I can see this in shades of white, cream, beige and tan, and also beachy blues and a mix of reds...a beautiful accent piece for just about any decor. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  39. Jennifer, I loved this and copied it! I linked to your post on my blog. Hope you're having a great weekend!

    http://theboatwrightfamily.blogspot.com/2010/09/mosaic-art.html

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  40. I was totally inspired by this post (which sounds better than "I stole it". I knew I had seen this post and then I couldn't find it again when I did my blog entry about my two projects. I, too, have loved the colour block art but found it too expensive. When I saw yours, I went "yes! A use for all those fracking paint chips!!!!" I am going to edit my entry to give credit back to you now that I have re-found this.

    http://pointsforcreativity.wordpress.com/2010/09/02/point-29-just-tell-yourself-you-really-will-paint-the-spare-room-someday/

    and

    http://pointsforcreativity.wordpress.com/2010/09/02/point-30-my-fandoms-made-of-paint-chips/

    were my two posts about how I did it. Thanks for the fantastic inspiration!!!

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  41. I found you through Hope Studios, who also made paint chip art by following your tutorial. It's awesome, I'm in love!! I'm going to be featuring you over at my blog, if you don't mind, of course!

    NotJustAMommyAfterAll.blogspot.com

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  42. Oops! Sorry, that was suppose to say "I found you over at Olivia Renn"!! :)

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  43. Thanks for sharing this ingenious idea! I love the Ballard Designs catalog too & it's so fun to see others use it for a jumping off place for inspiration.

    Warmly, Michelle

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  44. You inspired my latest little project. I gave you a nod in that post. =^)

    http://smilemonsters.blogspot.com/2010/10/paint-chiptransformation.html

    Jo

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  45. What a great idea! Do the names of the paint colors show thru? Can I cut them off? There are a few good ideas out there for paint chips. Yours is the first one I'm doing. Thanks.
    See you at the next party!
    Cheers!
    Rita

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  46. This has been sitting in my bookmarks for a while and I finally got around to making one of my own!

    http://lifewithliane.blogspot.com/2010/11/paint-chip-mosaic.html

    I wanted to let you know because I linked to yours. :)

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  47. this is wonderful and amazing. i l-o-v-e it. i can't wait to do my own...like THIS weekend! thanks!

    also...made those amazing starbucks cupcakes from your blog and they were delish. yum.

    www.valley-mama.blogspot.com

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  48. So... My sister-in-law and I are both so excited about this project! We're both making it now.... But she's in Colorado & I'm in Texas!! We're having fun texting each other updates and photos as we make progress--- and can't wait to compare our finished projects! So far, we've managed to raid our local home improvement stores and have acquired large collections of paint chip squares.... :) thanks for the inspiration!!!

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  49. This seriously is amazing. I'm in awe, and I don't think I'll ever look at paint chips the same again. I'm new to blogging, I'd love if you'd come by for a visit to my blog.

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  50. I finally made one!

    http://lifecraftsandwhatever.blogspot.com/2011/01/paint-chip-wall-art.html

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  51. I love this! I just made my own serving tray based off what you did here! Thanks for the inspiration!

    http://stephanieeh.blogspot.com/2011/04/3-months-later.html

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  52. What kind of stain did you use after the mod podge?

    I love your project, attempting it now :)

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  53. Love it. I did the project and love it in my home. I wrote about it on my blog: http://wanttogetcrafty.blogspot.com/2011/06/ballard-design-knock-off-paint-chip-art.html

    Thanks for the idea

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  54. I LOVE this! Perfect for my newlywed budget and my art major taste! What kind of stain did you use?

    Kelly

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  55. LOVE THIS! just what I need for an empty spot in my house. I am SO going to do this - thanks for the inspiration!

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  56. I love this!! I have been wanting to make this for quite some time now, and I finally got a chance to start. What kind of stain did you use?

    Paula

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  57. I love this! I have been wanting to make this for some time now. What kind of satin did you use?

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  58. Thank you for the idea!! I just finished mine and I'm so super proud of the turn out.

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  59. I LOVE this idea! Brilliant, truly. I love art but can't afford it. This is absolutely right up my alley! I can't wait to be able to try this for my house (probably one for each room! lol). Thanks so much for the post!
    I'm a new follower and am so glad I found you!
    Melissa (Mo)

    http://mosmomstuff.blogspot.com
    www.facebook.com/MOCreations

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  60. I love this! Will be making one of my own soon. What stain did you use and what brand of black paint? Thank for the inspiration! Jamie
    Carbon636@yahoo.com

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  61. I was hoping you could tell me what paint you used ie. brand/shade and the same for the stain. This is the most brilliant idea. I would like to make one to go on my mantle. So glad you shared!

    Jamie
    carbon636@yahoo.com

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  62. Hiya, i came across your blog from the Life Crafts & Whatever blog, and i think this idea is fantastic. I actually did something very similar but painted each square. yes, time consuming! But also it wouldn't have the same richness of color being acrylic. Would you mind if i shared your post with my blog followers?
    love, Janine

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  63. Really love this! What kid of stain did you use??

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  64. Love this! What kind of stain was used??!!

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  65. what kind of stain did you use? many thanks!
    cheshamstudio@sbcglobal.net

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  66. أفضل شركة بيع وشراء اثاث مستعمل اثاث مستعمل دبي اثاث مستعمل الشارقة اثاث مستعمل عجمان اثاث مستعمل الفجيرة و اثاث مستعمل العين نقدم خدمة اثاث مستعمل ابوظبي ي جميع أنحاء والإمارات بأفضل الأسعار. نشتري اثاث المستعمل من الفلل والشقق والمكاتب .

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  67. Great Post!!

    Thanks for sharing this wonderful post with us. This post is more useful and helpful for decorating your walls. Cheap wall decoration provides an opportunity for easy and frequent updates to your living space. Since they are affordable, you can change them more frequently without feeling a significant financial burden.

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