Who better to inspire you inner apron enthusiast than artist Donna Downey! Donna's canvas aprons by Prima Marketing are ready-to-alter into works of art. We have two altered canvas apron projects by Donna that are full of fresh, flowery designs!

Garden Apron:

To recreate the Garden Apron, start with a Donna Downey Canvas Apron and stamp the flower design with blue paint around the edge of the apron (above the ruffle area) and allow to dry. Create the flower petals, leaves and stems using various scraps of fabric in bright, fun colors and sew onto the apron. Add buttons as the flower centers. Decorate the bottom of the skirt by adding two additional ruffle layers, one with green fabric and one with a text patterned fabric. Sew a strip of blue ribbon and a strip of lace to the top edge of the ruffles. Sew a strip of blue fabric around the top/waist of the apron then sew a strip of polka dot green ribbon over it. Add a strip of blue pom pom ribbon underneath the waist line at the seam. Embellish the apron with swatches of inspirational words!

Laugh Apron:

To recreate the Laugh Apron begin by preparing your Donna Downey Canvas Apron with a Claudine Hellmuth Studio Gesso. Priming/preparing canvas is always optional but it offers an excellent surface for adhesion of acrylic paints onto canvas. Try using Claudine Hellmuth Gesso or the Golden Gesso or for a quality canvas primer. The next step is to paint the canvas with a light blue paint on the top section and blend down to a yellow paint on the bottom.

To achieve more of a "watercolor" effect you can try watering down your acrylic paints or adding a medium to the paint. Try painting the colors on with an extra large foam brush. Allow the paint to dry then stamp on faded flower images. Embellish the waistline and the ruffle seam with lace and felt ribbons. Embellish the apron using various flowers and faux crystals by Prima Marketing. Add the "laugh" iron on word by Prima Marketing. To learn more about Donna and the various products she used to embellish her aprons you can visit her website at http://www.donnadowney.com/.

About the Artist:

Donna Downey is a bestselling author, instructor and all-around creative force in the crafting industry. In 2000, she got into scrapbooking as an extension of her paper product and photography addiction. This was only the beginning. From working as a popular columnist for Simple Scrapbooks magazine, to traveling the world inspiring women to push the boundaries of their own creativity, to developing her first fabric scrapbooking line with Prima Marketing, Donna is consistently on the leading edge of all things cool related to memory preservation art.

Donna has been published in various Stampington & Company publications including Altered Couture, apron•ology and Sew Somerset. As a craft-media artist, Donna is a born experimenter, blending and transforming both traditional and unexpected items into meaningful pieces of self expression. A former elementary school teacher, she has synthesized her first love of teaching with her passion for craft and brings this to women via workshops at scrapbook stores and events, writing books, and through her popular blog and website http://www.donnadowney.com/. Donna lives in North Carolina with her husband, and is a mother of three exceptionally blonde children, and one blonde dog.