This bright sunflower project is full of color, texture, and sparkle. We’re painting a loose, whimsical sunflower on a Mermaid Blue background, then adding crushed glass, seed beads, acrylic bubbles, and resin for a dimensional mixed media finish.

This glass cactus art project is such a fun way to create desert-inspired wall decor using canvas, crushed glass, and resin. Instead of painting the cactus underneath, this piece is built almost entirely with glass, which gives it beautiful texture, sparkle, and dimension. It’s a great project for anyone who loves cactus decor, succulent-inspired art, or mixed media glass and resin projects!

Step 1: Prep the Canvas Background

Start with a 9x12 thick canvas. Paint the entire canvas with a layer of white acrylic paint, then add a small amount of soft gray paint along the bottom edge. This creates just enough shading for the cactus to visually “sit” on something instead of floating on a blank white background. Keep the gray subtle and blended so it doesn’t compete with the glass cactus.

Step 2: Sketch the Cactus Shape

Lightly sketch your cactus onto the canvas using a watercolor pencil. Keep the lines very soft because this project does not have painted cactus color underneath the g...

These sweet little bee canvases are simple, cheerful, and such a fun way to create a small handmade decor set. Each piece starts with a 4x4 canvas, a soft yellow-and-white background, hand-lettered words, a little bee trail, and a glass bee embellishment sealed with resin. They’re perfect for spring decor, tiered trays, shelf styling, gifts, or just a happy little reminder to be kind, be humble, and be happy!

Step 1: Paint the Mini Canvas Backgrounds

Start by adding a simple background to all three canvases. Paint each 4x4 canvas with white acrylic paint first, then add a little Golden Glow while the white is still wet. Blend the yellow loosely into the white so the background looks soft and sunny instead of solid yellow. You don’t need anything fancy here. A messy, abstract background works beautifully because the lettering and bee will be the main focus.

Use a heat gun or blow dryer to dry the canvases before adding your words. This helps keep your graphite lines clean and preve...

If you love mixed media fish art, beach decor, coastal wall art, and glass resin crafts, this colorful fish canvas is a fun and beginner-friendly project to try. This bright glass fish painting with resin combines acrylic paint, crushed glass, glass chips, and glossy resin to create a dimensional underwater art piece full of texture and sparkle! 

Step 1: Paint the Canvas Background

Begin by applying two coats of Bahama Blue acrylic paint to the entire canvas. Let each coat dry completely before adding the next. This aqua blue background creates the perfect ocean-inspired base for your fish art and gives the finished project a bright coastal feel.

To give your background movement and personality, splatter paint across the canvas using Golden Yellow, Sour Apple, and White acrylic paint. Thin each color with a little water until it becomes loose and fluid. Use a large brush or toothbrush to flick tiny droplets over the surface. Dry between each color layer.

Step 2: Trace the Fish ...

We’re making a bright, beachy palm tree on an 8x16 canvas with a quick painted background, a glass “found object” trunk, nipped sheet-glass palm fronds, a few shells and sea glass on the shoreline, and a glossy resin finish that makes everything pop. The best part? The background truly takes about five minutes, and the glass work is basically like putting together a puzzle.

Step 1: Paint the Background

Start with a thin coat of white across almost the entire canvas. This is a simple trick that helps soften the blues so they don’t grab too hard and scream neon on the canvas. 

Without rinsing your brush, dip right into your sky blue and apply it to the top third of the canvas using the flat side of the brush. Keep it abstract and imperfect - this background is meant to be soft and supportive, not competing with the palm tree. Let some of that white show through so it feels like a breezy sky instead of a solid block of color.

Using that same “dirty” brush (still with a little sky...

One of my favorite things about creating mixed media art is finding beauty in unexpected places. A while back, I dropped a ceramic bowl and instead of heading straight for the trash, I noticed the broken pieces had cracked into perfect little triangles. Right away, I saw sailboats. I tucked the shards away, knowing they’d eventually become the star of a new project.

Today, I’m pairing those pieces with a simple painted background, a bit of glass, and a layer of resin to make a coastal sailboat scene that’s charming, dimensional, and beginner-friendly.

Step 1: Create Your Background

Begin by dividing your canvas so that the top third will be your sky and the bottom two-thirds your ocean. Paint the top section with white and gently blend in a touch of Bahama Blue to create a soft, airy sky. Keep some of the white peeking through for depth and lightly scrub in clouds with more white.

For the ocean, start at the horizon line with Stormy Blue. If you want a very straight line, you can...

If you’ve ever looked at a pretty vase and thought, “I could make something out of that…”, this project is perfect for you! In this tutorial, we’re cutting up a recycled vase, painting a beachy background, and transforming it into a stunning tropical palm tree scene with glass, resin, seashells, and even coconuts. This piece is 8x16 inches and perfect for adding a touch of coastal charm to your home.

Step 1 – Safety First!

Before you start cutting glass, make sure you’re protecting yourself. Cutting vases with nippers can send tiny shards flying, so gloves and eye protection are a must. A simple pair of cut-resistant gloves from Amazon works great, and any safety glasses will do, even your everyday glasses can help protect your eyes. Place a grid or bin under your work area to catch little shards and chips, since they’ll fly as you nip. Once your vase pieces are cut, run the edges across a honing stone or sanding pad to dull the sharp points. It only takes a few swipes, and it make...

Got a broken bottle sitting around? Don’t toss it... turn it into a stunning mixed media art piece that captures the spirit of the ocean! In this tutorial, we’re creating a coastal-inspired canvas with a reclaimed glass bottle, resin, sea glass, and real shells. It’s the perfect project for beach lovers, shell collectors, and anyone who wants to transform “trash” into treasure.

Step 1: Prep Your Canvas

We’re working on an 8x16 canvas. To start, I prepped the background by painting the top portion with a soft ocean blue, blending in white acrylic paint to mimic the look of distant waves. For the sandy shoreline, I used a color called Oyster Beige and topped it with Coarse Texture Gel to give it a beachy, gritty finish just like real sand.

Let your background dry completely before moving on to the resin layers.

Step 2: Choose and Clean Your Bottle

For this piece, I chose a broken bottle that had a sliver missing but still looked beautiful and safe once honed down. If your bottle...

If you've got a stash of special seashells tucked away from beach vacations and don't know what to do with them, this Beach Book Box is the perfect project for you. In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through how I turned a wooden book box from Hobby Lobby into a gorgeous coastal keepsake, complete with a painted beach scene and real shells encased in resin. It’s perfect for holding your beachcombing treasures or gifting to a fellow sea-lover.

Step 1: Prep Your Wooden Book Box

I picked up this raw wood book box from Hobby Lobby and got started by sanding the inside to remove any splinters or loose wood bits. Then, I gave the entire inside one coat of Bahama Blue acrylic paint using a large flat brush. The raw wood really soaks up the paint, so I plan to do a second coat (and maybe even seal it) before adding resin later. Pro tip: sealing raw wood beforehand helps prevent it from eating up your paint and resin.

Step 2: Paint the Outside Base

For the outside bottom of the box, I blen...

If you’re looking for a fresh and simple way to bring a coastal vibe into your home, you’ll love this charming driftwood and seashell art piece. In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through how to paint a minimal beachy background, layer driftwood, glass, shells, and even a sweet little bird, all finished with resin for a beautiful glossy look.

Step 1: Create the Beachy Background

I started with a simple canvas and chose a few soothing beach-inspired paint colors: Bahama Blue, Sea Breeze, and white.

First, I loaded a 1-inch brush with white paint and brushed it across the bottom third of the canvas to mimic ocean water. I blended a little Sea Breeze and Bahama Blue for extra dimension, working left to right using a flat brush for gentle horizontal strokes. I left “skippies” (small unpainted gaps) here and there for a natural look, and even added a few extra streaks of white on top to simulate seafoam.

Moving up the canvas, I used white as the base for the sky with just a bit of Bahama...