It’s no secret that I love browsing the booths at local arts and crafts fairs. Last Sunday, my family and I went to visit the 33rd Annual Palo Alto Festival of the Arts on University Avenue in Palo Alto, CA. It also gave me some inspiration for easy decoupage ideas (more on that later though).
33rd Annual Palo Alto Festival of the Arts
One of the main attractions that was not to be missed was the Italian Street Painting Expo. There several artists created masterpieces of chalk on the once colorless asphalt street. It was amazing to see how they were able to create such powerful, detailed pieces on such a large scale. The funny thing is that they used the same method we teach children when young – creating a grid and filling in one box at a time, according to the corresponding square on the smaller art piece.
Since I was at the festival as a #VZWBuzz Lifestyle Ambassador, I got a little extra treat. The talented Cecelia Linayao (aka Cece) was asked by Verizon to create a piece that had ties to the local culture of Northern California. She chose to create a tribute to the late Maya Angelou. Many don’t know that she once lived in the SF Bay Area and that she was the first African American female street car conductor. Cece even edited a one-page biography so passersby could learn more about this amazing woman.
And on this very special project, I had the privilege of helping. Well, I only colored and smeared a little bit in as I didn’t want to ruin Cece’s amazing work. What an experience!
With some 300 artisans, it took quite some time to see everything. Despite a lot of indecision, we finally settled on an artist whose work we all fell in love with. Bright colors, cheerful vibe, and images we could relate to moved us to buy a few of her pieces mounted on bamboo. Munchkin chose two that made her smile and Frans and I had to get the one with an elephant and mouse, a long-running “thing” for us as a couple. Aren’t they adorable?!
Easy DIY Decoupage Ideas – Photo Mounting on Wood
To continue our #MoreNorCal experience, I decided to recreate the items we purchased with a little DIY craft project. But first, one important piece was needed– the wood to mount our image on. Here’s a quick video of the shopping trip, thanks to the GoPro Hero3+ from Verizon. It was my first time using it and I was trying to be discreet in holding in the store so please excuse the shakiness.
- Attach hanging fixture to wood base, if not already present.
- Apply two thin, even coats of protective sealant. Allow each coat to dry thoroughly.
- Print image on thick piece of card stock and cut to exact measurements of wooden surface.
- Apply layer of decoupage (I used Mod Podge Satin finish) and quickly affix photo/artwork to base. Press firmly and smooth out completely. Allow to dry.
- Apply layer of decoupage to image and sides of wood. Allow to dry. Repeat.
- Spray on one last layer of sealant and your piece of art is ready to display.
Well, that was a fun and productive trip. We had some outside family time, drew with chalk, picked up new decor, and even got crafty. There’s nothing like enjoying the local offerings from home.
What local activities have you enjoyed this summer?
I was compensated for this coverage as part of my participation as a #VZWBuzz Lifestyle Ambassador. All opinions are my own.
48 comments
That sounds like a fun festival! I love the decoupage ideas, I love doing crafts and I am always open to trying new things!
These are fantastic photos! Decoupage is so fun! Thank you for sharing.
Wow! That sidewalk chalk art was amazing!! …and how did you know that I love decoupage? I hadn’t thought to make a canvas photo with it though. What a fun decorating idea.
That is so cool! I have never decoupaged anything – one of these days I am going to try. Love your picture – and the ones you got from the festival.
That looks so fun! I can’t believe this is the last real weekend of summer — it almost felt like fall today in our spot in the Midwest!
What an amazing festival! We’ve gone to local farmer’s markets and the water park this summer.
That sidewalk art is SERIOUSLY impressive! And I love that decoupage on wood idea.
We haven’t done too many things locally because it’s been too stinkin’ hot.
That looks like so much fun. I love your art project as well.
What fun! I love arts and crafts festivals, There is so much creativity going on, and I get so many ideas when I go.
Oh wow, I love how vibrant the pictures are. Looks like fun.
We’ve been doing a lot more exploring of our neighborhood & surrounding tourist attractions. There’s so much to see & do within a short distance. The kids have been loving it, and I appreciate not having to spend days packing suitcases.
That cat in the top photo looks awesome! I haven’t done much locally this year.
I was just complaining that I couldn’t find just the right thing to hang in the downstairs bathroom. I should totally make my own! Thanks for the idea!! 😀
I love that idea! I’m going to try something similar with my kids.
What an awesome festival!
cool art festival , its really impressive not just for artist but for everyone to appreciate artworks, I wish we have that here.
Love the portrait you and Cece was working in, such a fun event. We didn’t go to any festival this summer just mini vacation, trips to the beach and the water-park.
I love that picture at that top, such awesome art. We’ve done lots of swimming, museums and just playing outside this summer.
What a fun day you had! That chalk art looks amazing and what a fun way to discover new things about Maya Angelou!
I’ve been dying to try the wood photo transfer technique. I have some great cell phone photos I think would be cool to put into a big collage to hang on the wall.
Those are incredible! It must be something to see them in person!
Sidewalk art is SO amazing! I would love to go to an art festival!
What an awesome festival! I would love if they did something like that in Boston!
Looks like you had a great time! I’ve always wanted to try to decoupage – you make it look so easy!
I’ve been following along with your adventures on Facebook and Instagram and was quite jealous! It looks like you had a lot of fun getting hands on and the chalk artwork is just amazing! How great did it feel to play in the chalk?
Great pictures! That festival looks amazing. I would love to attend something similar in my area.
Looks like an amazing festival! We have gotten to enjoy little this summer, but love heading out to our local farmers markets and enjoying all the local artists and foods!
The sidewalk art is absolutely amazing. Your decoupage art is really neat too!
I always enjoy attending festivals like this. I always learn something new and usually come home with a purchase or two!
That would be such a fun festival! I would love to see all that art and culture! I love the sidewalk art!
I actually did those photos on wood as Christmas presents for the family last year. Everyone loved them and they were very simple to do 🙂
This festival looks like it was a lot of fun. I’ve been to a couple of festivals this summer.
Such a fun project. My SIL use to do things like that all the time.
Love this! We have done a few local things around town this Summer. I really would like to attend more. Such fun interacting with your community
Wow that is super talent! Love to decoupage! I am going to teach my kids this technique.
This looks like a great festival. I love the arts, and art festivals are a great way to be exposed to a lot of different art styles.
Art festivals are so much fun. There’s so much to see. That’s a great decoupage project also. You did a great job.
Looks like you had a ton of fun. I love festivals of any kind, but art festivals are the best. There’s so much to see!
What a great project. My daughter would love to help me with this.
I love art festivals. I drag my kids to them whenever possible. They need to see something other than their various apps.
the chalk art fascinates me. i’d probably spend the day there!
That looks like so much fun. I love following along in your adventures. They recently started doing a street (art) festival in my area. I was not able to make it but the photos in the news looked as awesome as yours.
How fun!! They are drawing a tiger with chalk….and her I am, not being able to make a perfectly round circle. Hehehehe
What pretty pictures. I love festivals like that. they have them at our area. I haven’t done that decoupage in years looks fun!
I would love to go to a festival like this. I love arts and crafts and love seeing the amazing things that people create.
This looks like a really neat festival. I would have loved to go just to take pictures.
Our town has a car show, a carnival/festival, and we had a Pride fest this year too.
I just love attending festivals, farmers markets and art exhibits, but we don’t have nearly enough here in Las Vegas. I think our city officials are working to change that and I always enjoy my time spent taking in some local culture.
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