I am not much of a fashion buff’; most of my knowledge comes from past seasons of Project Runway. I do have certain styles I really like, usually classic looks and tailored silhouettes. However, I never knew how much really loved color and prints until I saw the designs of Prabal Gurung. I first saw his LOVE collection for Target (I know, I know… I’m not exactly cutting edge), and then I dug around the internet for more of his work.
For more information on these pieces, visit my Polyvore board.
His prints just blow me away, from the watercolor stripes to the cascading florals to the Rorschach-like patterns. And the colors! Oh, those gorgeous colors. The dresses in his pre-fall 2012 collection are amazing, top to bottom.
As I was drooling over the clothes, I found myself wishing he had a home collection. Can you imagine that stripe pattern on a serving dish? Or the cascading flowers on a duvet cover? While I don’t have access to his gorgeous fabrics, I can create my own home décor pieces inspired by those lovely prints.
The problem is that I am not so good at painting flowers. I did a passable job on the Watercolor Tie-Dye Curtains in my daughter’s Fairy Garden Bedroom, but I wouldn’t trust my shaky hands to do anything on a small scale. Fortunately my friend Colleen has a great solution!
I am sure you have seen this pin of Dip Dot Flowers floating around Pinterest. Of course, it was a popular project! Being able to make lovely painted flowers from simple dots? Genius. Colleen from Just Paint It! is an amazingly talented painter and she has the impressive ability of making her painting projects accessible for her readers. I decided that I could follow her tutorial to create some dip dot flowers of my own. All I needed were a few inexpensive supplies.
To make a Fashion Designer Inspired Dip Dot Votive, you will need:
glass votive holder
rubbing alcohol
acrylic paints (pink, blue, yellow, and bright green)
pencil with eraser
flat head pin
paintbrushes
votive candle
After cleaning the dollar store glass votive holder with rubbing alcohol, I made the tiniest flowers using a pin head. I stuck the pin into a pencil eraser to make it easier to handle.
Success! My first itty bitty flower! TIP: Martha Stewart craft paints are great for these dip dot flowers because it is so thick.
I continued making flowers around the top third of the votive holder. In order to create a graduated effect, I used the end of some craft paintbrushes to create medium-sized flowers around the middle of the votive holder and the pencil eraser itself to create large flowers around the very bottom of the votive holder.
After the paint dried, I had a very cheerful-looking Spring votive holder. By using the dip dot method, I was able to make flowers that are MUCH neater looking than they would have been had I freehanded them with a paintbrush.
I think my favorite part of the votive holder is that the flowers cast such pretty shadows when a candle is lit inside.
My Prabal Gurung inspired décor didn’t stop there though! Come back throughout the rest of the week to get the tutorials for the rest of my designer-inspired Spring décor!
I am linking this project up to Young House Love’s fabulous Winter Pinterest Party!
My NEW ebook is now for sale on E-Junkie. Find out more about it HERE!
Did you like this post? Think it’s worth sharing? Please share with your friends using the social media share buttons on the toolbar at the bottom of the page!
Thanks, Jessica Hill
Leave a Reply