A little something I decided to try and make today...

So I can't say this is my own idea...

But, I decided to make something I saw online.
It's pretty easy to do and they make a cute little gift.

What you need:
-Small candle wicks
-Large sea shells
-Candle wax

These were some of the shells I picked up

I saved wax that had similar scents and mixed some unscented candle wax from some tea lights I had, in with the scented wax as well.  That way it isn't too overpowering.

Here's what you need to do:
1. Melt the wax in a microwave safe bowl at 30 second intervals.
2. Once the wax is melted (or some of it is at least - it doesn't need to be entirely melted for this part), pour a tiny blob of wax into the shell, place the wick, and hold in place.  Let it sit and harden for a minute or two.

Here's one of my shells with the wax hardening

3. *You may have to melt the wax more at this point, depending on how much you melted for step #2.*  Pour more wax into the shell until it is filled almost to the top of the shell.  I found that I actually had to pour the wax almost in layers in certain types of shells (I'd pour some wax in, then let it sit.  Once it was almost entirely hardened, I'd pour more wax in, and so on...).  It's also important to note that some shells will want to tip and spill wax out the sides (as I learned...).  So it is possible you'll want the shells leaning into something so that they don't tip over.  You could always use play dough or stick tac.
4. Trim the wick and you're done!

Here are the final candles!  Cute or what?!

This is my favourite candle :)

These are super cute to make from that leftover candle wax and seashells you bring home from trips away!

Enjoy!

A.A.

Another Wood Burning Adventure!

So I really like to personalize gifts whenever I get the chance.  Especially when it's for good friends.  So I decided to create another woodburning project for a wedding gift for my friends Katie and Eric.
So I decided to create a little wooden plaque.  Keep in mind this is only the second time I've done woodburning.  But I have to admit, I'm quite content with how it turned out!

All you need to create something like this is: A wood burner (with various interchangeable tips - mine came as a kit (by Walnut Hollow) and I used a 50% off coupon at Michaels to save some $$$), a pencil, eraser, wood, and varnish.

My woodburner kit by Walnut Hollow

I wanted to create something fun, but personalized, so here is what I ended up sketching on the wood:

Now, here are a couple of things I like to remember when I'm woodburning:

• Take a break every so often (your hands get quite sore!).
• Always pay close attention to how you are holding the burner.  It doesn't take much for the burner to slip and burn your hand! (not speaking from experience whatsoever.....).
• Always make sure when it isn't in use that it is turned off, unplugged, and sitting properly in the holder (away from anything else - the last thing you want is for your house to burn down!).
• Always have a scrap piece of wood handy so that you can brush any ash off, or test any burns/cuts you may want to make.

And here is how the plaque looked as it progressed over time:

*Drum roll please*

Here is the final product! I decided to inscribe the back as well....which took quite a bit longer than I anticipated....along with some extremely sore hands.....

The back of the plaque inscribed

The final product!!!!!! 

Before it was completely finished, I made sure to coat both sides of the plaque in a matte varnish to help preserve it.

I hope Katie and Eric enjoy it!

A.A.

A couple more nature photos...

So I actually have been creating...slowly but surely since work got out for the summer.
However, I can't post what I've just finished creating until Sunday.  I will explain in the post.

However, because it's so beautiful out (well...at the current moment it is..that could change at any second apparently), here are a couple of nature shots I've taken over the past few years.

Enjoy!

A.A.

Hibiscus plant in the front room of my house

Aruba on the beach

Waterfalls in Aruba

Quick Update...

Ah!

I'm sorry for the lack of updates!
Work has been so busy!  However...there are only a few more days until summer vacation! WOOHOO! 

Once summer actually begins, I know I'll be creating more again!

Here are some shots taken on my Nikon D70 over the years.

Enjoy!

A.A

I know, I know, it's been a while.....

I know it's been a little while since my last post....

Let me start by saying, I had been waiting forever and a day (or so it seems) for the 50% off Michaels coupons to appear in the weekly flier.  My dad used to have a wood burner and I have really wanted one for a while now.  The kit I wanted was normally $44 (with tax) and had 11 different ends with it.  Plus, I had read good reviews about it online.  So imagine the grin on my face this morning when I noticed the 50% off coupon! Score!  I quickly went on the Michaels website, found the coupon, and sent it as a text to my phone (p.s. I love this feature!).  As soon as I heard my phone ring as confirmation, I threw on a hoodie, grabbed my purse, hopped in my car, and drove to Michaels.  Thank goodness it's so close to my house! The anticipation was killing me (patience is not one of my finer points).

I dashed to the back of the store where my future purchase was awaiting and calling out my name, picked it up in my hand, went to the front, and paid.  Twenty-two dollars including tax! SWEET!  Now I really couldn't wait to get home!

So I decided for my first shot at using this tool, I was going to work on a sign.  I wanted to design a little sign for the new little critters I now have in my library (hermit crabs - I put in a pic below of the really active one named Sebastian).  The kids have been excited about them, but I needed a little reminder sign for my new little friends.  And, the other day when I was at Dollartree, I picked up a small, blank, wooden sign for the perfect price of $1.

My cute little friend named Sebastian. Coral didn't want to play for the camera.

So I got to work and I sketched my little sign out...

Then I let the wood burner warm up and got to work (I LOVE the smell of burning wood!)...

After it was done, I added a little spray varnish to it.  Not much to the whole process!  However, I will admit, it can be a little hard on the hands!  Make sure you take a lot of breaks!

Not too shabby for the first time using a wood burner, right?  Now I'm excited about all the other little projects I can create with this bad boy!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend friends!  I'm doing a detox from coffee starting tomorrow.  I think I need to lay off the caffeine...so tomorrow and the next few days could be quite painful....wish me luck!

A.A.

A Super Easy Gift to Make!

So this is a super easy, non-time consuming project anyone can do.

It's even a great idea for a Mother's Day gift *cough* (men) *cough. (Maybe that comment is why I remain single....). You don't necessarily need to create a tote, but you can create a shirt, or jazz up a towel....the possibilities are endless!  You could even paint up your child's foot or hands and "stamp" them onto the fabric!

Here's what you need:
-Fabric paint.
-Sponges or round thick-bristled paint brushes (not too large).
-Stencils (you can create your own if you have access to a Cricut). Also, I got some stencils cheap at Walmart that I can keep reusing, and they have a sticky back which works well for fabric if you don't want them to move while you're stencil-ing away.
-Plain canvas tote (Go to Michaels and use a 40% or 50% off coupon....that will work out cheaper than Walmart).
-Iron.
-Parchment paper.
-Access to a sink or bucket of water (for dipping the paint brushes/sponges into).

*Before you begin:
Make sure that before you jump in and just start painting, you wash and dry the tote, and then iron it out so it's nice and flat.  You don't necessarily need to iron both sides of the tote. One side (the side you're painting) works just fine!

All you need to do:
1. Layout the paint that you wish to use in little blobs on some parchment paper.  You won't need lots of paint, just a little.  It's like that saying, "a little _____, goes a long way."
2. Once you've washed and dried the tote and ironed it out, decide what you want your end product to look like. You may even want to do a test run on some old fabric or paper before you jump in.  I rarely have the patience to do that...so I usually just jump in with my fingers crossed that I don't mess up.....
*Place a file folder or piece of cardboard in the tote before you begin - that way if the paint seeps through a bit, it doesn't go through to the other side*
3. Place your first choice of stencil on your tote where you want it to be.
4. Dip your brush or sponge in the paint that you wish to apply to the first stencil.  Dab it over the stencil like you are sponge painting (even if you are using a brush) - don't apply the paint like you are painting (it never looks as good...).
4. Once the paint has been applied to that particular stencil, carefully remove the stencil.  I say "carefully" because you don't want any paint from the edges of the stencil to hit the tote as you lift it up.
5. Repeat steps 3-5 as many times as you need to (depending on how many stencil designs you wish to apply).
6. Once your tote (or other project) is complete, let it dry for a good 12 hours.  I wouldn't wash this tote for a few weeks - let the paint set in.
7. Gift it up!

See!  Easy! It makes a great gift idea! *cough* men *cough* for Mothers Day from the kids! *cough*
Here's the one I created for part of my mom's birthday gift:

A.A.

Who doesn't LOVE Dr. Seuss?!

Sometimes it's hard to find good inspirational quotes about reading......but I needed one for this particular canvas.....especially seeing as it's another one that I've made for my library.  Who better than Dr. Seuss for a good quote about reading!

So here's the final quote I decided on (courtesy of Dr. Seuss of course!):
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”  Perfect, isn't it?

Materials I used for this piece:
-Canvas
-Gesso to prime the canvas
-Parchment paper
-Paint brushes in a variety of sizes
-Acrylic paint in a variety of colours (I did some mixing as well)
-Bucket of water
-Pencil
-Eraser
-Paint brush cleaner (for afterwards)

The Method to my madness:
1. I primed my canvas with gesso and let it dry 24 hours.
2. I sketched my pal the Cat in the Hat on a piece of paper first.  Once I was happy with him, I actually put a piece of parchment paper over him and traced him with a sharpie (I knew if I didn't do this I was doomed to mess it up on the canvas....).
3. I flipped the parchment paper over and traced what I had just done with the sharpie (the hard thing to remember that when you go to trace an image you've put on parchment paper and flip it over on the canvas.....is that it will be backwards...that's why I always flip it over and sharpie it on the other side as well....).
4. I put the parchment paper over the canvas (the "backwards way" - aka the last tracing I just did is the side you want down ON the canvas).  Then I go over it/trace it on my canvas.  I'm a perfectionist which is why I sketched it on paper first and then traced it on parchment paper.  You'll have to go over it in pencil, but this helps make sure your sketch looks as good as it does on the paper.
5. I had to do a bit of research into the Dr. Seuss fonts.....because other fonts just didn't look right when I sketched them out on paper...the quote NEEDED this Dr. Seuss-ish font.  You can find them actually to download no problem into Word, but the problem I had was the spacing aspect....it didn't look right when I typed the quote in.....so I did it the long way......I printed out the whole alphabet in the size I was happy with and traced the letters in the quote on parchment paper.  I tried doing it by hand...but it just didn't look as good....and it had to be perfect.....Once I finally had the whole quote written out, I flipped it over (remember, it will be backwards otherwise) and sharpie traced it onto the other side.  Then, I went over it with my pencil on the canvas, took the parchment paper off, and touched up the letters with my pencil.
6.  I did a bit more research for this part - the books needed to look like they were done in Dr. Seuss style.  So I looked at Cat in the Hat images online and found some pictures where the Cat was balancing books as a part of the stack of items he was balancing on his head.  So I took my pencil to the canvas and sketched three books in different directions, at different angles in the top right-hand corner.  You're probably wondering why 3 books?  In art you always want an odd number.  It always looks better from a design aspect...so that's why I choose 3 books.  I was going to add the fish from Cat in the Hat...but I didn't like how he looked on my canvas....so I took him off and painted over him....

Here's the final sketch!

7. The most exciting part of the process!  Time to paint!  I painted the light background first.  I had to mix a couple of colours to get the final colour to look just right.  After I had painted the background, I did the letters.  Once the background and letters were painted, I painted the books and the Cat himself!  Touch-ups were the final step, which of course took quite a while believe it or not.  It had to look just right.

Here's what the canvas looked like over the whole process of painting:

*Don't mind the quality of the pics - they were taken on my phone!

Here's the final product!

Enjoy the break!

A.A.