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A Beginners Guide to Diamond Painting: Tips and Tricks

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Are you looking for a fun and relaxing craft that anyone can enjoy? Diamond painting might be just what you need. Despite the name, it is not as complicated as traditional painting. In fact, it is much simpler. You do not need any special artistic skills to get started. All you need is a diamond painting kit, and you are ready to create something beautiful.

In this post, you will learn how to make your own diamond painting. First, you need to understand what diamond painting is and the tools you need to begin practicing this craft.

What Is Diamond Painting?

This is a craft that involves placing ‘diamonds’ onto a pre-printed canvas. These diamonds actually are rhinestones with a flat side and a square or circular shape. With the square diamonds, you will create an art piece that looks more complete. Meanwhile, the round diamonds are easier to place.

To know where to put the diamonds, you should examine the symbols or colors on the template. When you place these colored diamonds next to each other, you can make an image that resembles a mosaic. Then, you can use the art piece you have created as home decor or a gift.

Generally, you can practice this craft so long as you can handle a pen with some precision. Therefore, this craft is perfect for children and adults. In fact, it can help you relax and improve your motor skills.

What You Need in a Diamond Painting Kit

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You will need the following tools to make a diamond painting:

  • Diamonds: You will need diamonds whose colors will match the final artwork.
  • Wax: You will use wax to pick up the diamonds.
  • Pen: This pen will have a tip small enough for you to carefully place diamonds. It may also have another side that allows you to pick up multiple diamonds at a time.
  • Tray: This is the receptacle for the diamonds. It will help you align them for you to easily use them.
  • Tweezers: With tweezers, you will be able to adjust the placement of your diamonds.
  • Canvas: This is an adhesive template with a grid of symbols or colors. You will place the diamonds on it to make your painting.

How to Paint with Diamonds

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This craft is simple, but it can take 15 – 50 hours to complete. The length of time depends on the complexity and size of your canvas. Yet, as you become more familiar with this craft, you will be able to complete a diamond painting faster.

To paint with diamond, you should use the following steps:

  1. Lay out Your Kit

To begin painting with diamonds, you will need to take your kit out of its packaging and lay it out on a clean, flat surface. You should make sure not to throw away your packaging since it is a convenient storage space in between your crafting sessions.

  1. Fill Your Tray

Now that you have laid out your kit, you should fill your tray with the diamonds you will need. You should examine the canvas to know which colors you will start with.

  1. Dip Your Pen in Wax

Once you have filled your tray, you should dip your pen in wax to gather a small amount of the sticky substance on the tip.

  1. Pick up Diamonds

After you have dipped your pen, you should use it to pick up a diamond.

  1. Peel back Protective Film

When you have a diamond stuck to your pen, you will need to peel back a small portion of the protective film.

  1. Place Your Diamonds

Finally, you will need to place the diamond on the adhesive canvas while matching the symbol or color on the template. You can place diamonds by color or by section. In the end, you will have a beautiful art piece you can display in a frame or even hang on a hanger bar.

Coolest Tips and Tricks to Paint with Diamonds

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You should use the following tips to practice this craft with ease:

Be organized: You should keep your kit organized to avoid losing any tools or diamonds. If you have discarded the packaging, you should place all of your tools in a clear box.

Review your crafting list: Before starting a painting session, you should verify that you have every tool you need.

Invite friends or family: You should invite others to join you in this activity. It will be an entertaining bonding activity, and you will be able to finish your art piece faster.

Work from top to bottom: You should start placing the diamonds from the top. This will prevent you from leaning on diamonds you have already placed and moving them. As for which side you should start with, you should work starting from the left if you are right-handed and vice versa.

Flatten out your canvas: If your canvas has creases, you should apply weights on it, such as books, to flatten it.

Where to Purpose a Diamond Canvas Kit to Get Started

You can get started with diamond painting by getting a kit from Dreamer Designs. They have over 600 kits to choose from, giving you a wide variety of styles. Furthermore, they print on ultra-high-quality canvas with vibrant colors.

Each of their kits comes with licensed artwork, giving you access to designs you will only find on their website. Plus, you can even make your own kit by uploading your picture to create a unique diamond painting.

Recap

Now you know what diamond painting is and how to paint with diamonds. This craft requires a kit that contains an adhesive canvas, a pen, diamonds, wax, a tray, and tweezers. With the steps listed above, you can use these tools to assemble a stunning art piece.

This fun craft is beginner and child-friendly. You can even create a diamond painting as a group. Try out this craft with a kit from a website with interesting designs, such as Dreamer Designs. With their kits, you will be able to make gorgeous and unique artworks.




Gallery Direct Wrapped Canvas

Here I go again. I’m going to gush about Gallery Direct and the great quality they put out with their gallery wrapped canvases. This article makes 7 individual pieced of art in our home. Unfortunately I’ve yet to try a different material even though I know I would love the Birchwood and Mirror options. I did this gallery wrapped canvas analysis to go along with my most favorite print so far (besides my own uploads); Merrymaking IV by M. Drake. I decided that I needed to add more of the Merrymaking series to make a bigger impact in our living room. We’ve been given these high ceilings and I wanted to cover all of them. This is what we did.
gallery direct canvas m drake ferris wheel circus tent roller coaster merrymaking
I love it. The circus tent, Merrymaking I is awesome and might be nudging the Ferris Wheel out of 1st place.
Something you should know; installation of Gallery Direct art is simple. Everything thing comes ready to hang, just find your perfect spot, add a picture hanger and hang, you’re done in minutes.

gallery direct art ready to hang

There is still so much I want to try out with Gallery Direct. The Birchwood specifically would be perfect in our bedroom since it gives images a warm, organic, feel. Your chosen image is printed directly onto a solid piece of birchwood, the natural wood grain shows through giving it texture.
This one would be so pretty in Sabreena’s room, a bold contrast against her bright yellow walls.

 

 

This one I’ve been looking at for our master bathroom, it needs a remodel. The image is so sexy and mysterious I think I have to find a place for it.

 

It’s quite obvious that no matter what your personal style or home decor is, Gallery Direct is going to have a huge selection for your to choose from. Connect with them on Facebook to learn of specials, discounts and giveaways.
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Gallery Direct Photo to Canvas Upload

We got the chance to continue our Blogger Ambassador-ship with Gallery Direct for 2012. One of the first things we got to do for the New Year was re-visit their custom photo upload, photo to canvas feature. In case you don’t remember from last Father’s Day I ordered this awesome canvas of Rob and the kids. It’s one of my favorite pictures of them; it’s from our Carnival Cruise Family Vacation of 2010.

This time around I wanted to do something a bit more special and sentimental. Since I’m usually the one behind the camera there aren’t many pictures of Rob and I that actually look good. We lucked out this past Thanksgiving and Sabreena was able to snag this gem; never mind it was 1 out of 32. I knew it had to be displayed. I had it printed as a 5X7 photo and it sits in a frame on the bookshelf but I knew it needed something grander. Now it’s printed on canvas and sits at the top of the steps on the 3rd floor.
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This time I had it done in black and white, I like the effect it brings to this mostly candid shot. Gallery Direct hasn’t let me down yet. Our house has never looked so put together. I didn’t realize how much warmer and lived in a home could feel with art and larger scale photo up in the wall.

Don’t forget that your prints aren’t limited to traditional art or photos. Gallery Direct has a HUGE selection of stock images in their Photo Vault to choose from. If you have a specific theme or want to commemorate a special place make sure to search for the image that best shows it off. Remember though there is no better way to display your best memories than with a personal, custom Photo Upload.

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just a couple options to choose from in the photo vault


Gallery Direct guarantees their work 100% against defect and personal satisfaction. Hang your picture, see how it fits into your style and decor and if you aren’t happy simply return it.






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Spruce Up Your Walls with Familiar Faces

Gallery Direct, those guys that have been beautifying my home all year, are back with a CRAZY sale. You know all of those pictures you took over the holidays or the ones that you keep looking at from your summer vacation? Now is the time to get them on your walls in the most gorgeous way.

75% off Photo Canvas Prints till 2/1/2012

use promo code photo75 to get 75% off today

While we have 3 kids our walls and shelves are filled with pictures of them already. This time around I’m thinking of putting a great picture of me and Rob on the wall.  It isn’t too often that we get great pictures of us especially framed. I think this is a great opportunity to celebrate US instead of the kiddos.

tanned and fresh with no side effects from the sun

Upload your favorite photo, old or new, for instant art to complement any room in your home or office. Don’t forget to use promo code photo75 for the 75% discount.  Offer ends 2/1/2012 so hurry.







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Welcome to our Home with Gallery Direct

gallery-direct-ambassador-bloggerFor the last several months I’ve been involved with Gallery Direct as one of their Ambassadors. I can honestly say our home has never looked so good. We’ve recently received our 4th piece of art and this particular one was Rob’s pick. He’s been admiring their landscape and beach scenes and finally narrowed his choice to the below gallery wrapped canvas.

gibraltar lighthouse gallery canvas wrap

view from living room


gibraltar lighthouse vertical gallery wrap

view coming up stairs to main floor


Europa Point Lighthouse sits on the southern most point on the Rock of Gibraltar and on the clearest of days has views of Morocco, Spain and North Africa. Unfortunately this particular image is no longer available but there are others points of view of the same scene. Be sure to drill down in the Stock Images to find that just perfect print or photo for your home.

This image along with our Ferris Wheel canvas from Gallery Image represent our love of the ocean and remind us of the beach, our favorite place to be. We chose a tall appealing print to be the welcome as people come into our home. I love walking up our entrance steps and seeing this monolith towering over me. The colors are ethereal and inviting but it really makes a beautiful statement.

Gallery Direct.com has become a favorite place to go and play around with different images and photographs and framing options for different rooms in the house. We personally like the gallery wrap aesthetic but there is a framing option for every style of home and décor.
frame options from gallery direct
Visit GalleryDirect.com, on Facebook or on Twitter to get the latest sales and seasonal deals.






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This one brings back memories

Home Décor has never been so much fun now that I’m working with Gallery Direct. You seen Rob’s Father’s Day Gift and our bedroom addition, now it’s time to see the unique twist I installed in our living room.

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Merrymaking IV from M Drake

I had a long wishlist of art that I wanted for the house in all different styles. I am particularly drawn to florals and landscape scenes but when I found M Drake’s Merrymaking collection I was in love. It reminded me of vacations at the beach and how little time we spent there this past summer. I wanted to capture a piece of those memories and be able to see it each day. Merrymaking IV is the Ferris Wheel installation and it’s so much fun to look at. With greens and purples it doesn’t match our living room at all but it doesn’t matter. Each person that has seen it is instantly taken a back and mentions how much they like it. I’d love to get another piece but I am all out of wall space in this room.

gallery-direct-ambassador-bloggerGallery Direct is proud to be a sponsor of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. We’ve all seen the extraordinary transformations of families all over the nation. If you take a closer look inside the homes you’ll see lots of my favorite pieces and artists being represented. You can see M Drake’s pieces here at Boys Hope Girls Hope Baltimore.
m-drake-gallery-direct-art-home-extreme-makeover
Take my word for it; Gallery Direct has so much to offer and the quality is awesome. Take a peek around and don’t forget to check out their Facebook page; they often have coupon codes and giveaways going on.

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The next step in our bedroom makeover

Our bedroom makeover has been a working progress. It started with bedding, a new headboard then a make-up vanity and television. The next big purchase is new dressers. Until that happens I wanted to give the room some personality, a bold look. I went to Gallery Direct and picked out Laura Gunn’s Red Magnolia wrapped canvas print for above our bed.

The Red Magnolia print is a bold floral print with hints of blue, green, brown and of course red. This picture goes perfectly with our dark wood headboard and rich brown bedding. Right now our curtains are red but will be changing to cream but the picture will still look fabulous.

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red magnolia from gallery direct

This is our 2nd experience with Gallery Direct and I’m still overjoyed with the quality. I recommend Gallery Direct to anyone looking to decorate or redecorate their home. Don’t visit your high end design studios anymore. One peek at Gallery Direct will give you tons of inspiration for any room style or personality. I’m proud to be a part of the Gallery Direct Blogger Ambassador program and look forward to what the upcoming seasons bring.

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Early Father’s Day Gift

For Rob, Father’s Day came a little early. I presented him with a custom framed canvas of him and the kids from our Carnival Cruise family vacation last year.

rob and the kids on our family vacation cruise 2010

close-up of frame and canvas finish

that's where the picture will be going, it just arrived this weekend

Gallery Direct has provided a really high quality finished product that is proudly being displayed on our living room. Using a heavy duty canvas and beautiful dark wood frame ensure this will last many many years. We can glance at this picture 10 years from now and remember the great time we had that week at sea. As a family we aren’t art collectors but when it comes to family photos they are in every space available. Having this canvas is a beautiful addition to our growing collection.  I contemplated going larger but glad I didn’t; anything larger than real0life would have been overwhelming for the space.
john-lennon-abstract-artI know Father’s Day is literally right around the corner but I recommend Gallery Direct not just for “turn yourself into a work of art” prints but also themed photography, abstracts and illustrations. Spruce up his mancave with a gorgeous canvas of John Lennon or vintage golf. Put the finishing touches on the home office with Americana art. What every theme, subject or artist you choose you’re going to be delighted with the superior finish, order process an selection of features available.

Come back and see the other great pieces we’ll get to review as LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! has been invited to be a Gallery Direct Blogger Ambassador. We’ll focus on seasonal and holiday art and hopefully bring you great specials and deals for gift-giving for others or for yourself.

 

 

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