Water Balloon Luminary: Clever DIY Candle-Making Crafts Crafting decor objects is a holiday tradition that some might find a bit dull for more adventurous designs lovers … unless (perhaps) it involves hot wax, a water balloon and the slight risk of having it all blow up in your face. The process is remarkably easy, though not without danger – fill a balloon with water, dip it up to the water level in melted wax and repeat. Go above the waterline and it might just pop. After a few iterations, the resulting (cooled) candles should be tipped over and drained – and the water balloon remnants discarded. Let’s Paint the Poplar Tree! | Let's Paint Nature! This is a picture I took about two years ago at Spears Woods. I’m not 100% sure this is a poplar tree, but I love its shape. It’s super tall and it’s the only one like it around. One interesting thing I learned is that all planted poplar trees are male, so they do not reproduce. So here we go, this is an easy one, I know you can do it. Step 1: This is a cold press watercolor block 6×9. Step 2: Wet the sky using a 1″ flat brush and clean water. Step 3: In the back, paint the distant trees using a mixture of cobalt blue and burnt umber. Step 4: In the mid-ground make some dried grass shapes (just blobs). Step 5: When everything is dry, take a rigger brush and make some blades of grass on top of your grass blobs. Step 6: Using burnt umber and a small round brush, paint the trunk and a few branches. remember to stay to the left of the making fluid…the sun will be on the right. Step 7: Use a rigger brush to make thin branches on top. Step 8 Final: Now for the yummy details! We’re done!
Inspired Entertaining: DIY Chalkboard Wine Glasses Last month I got an email from one of those "deal of the day" websites featuring a very cute set of wine glasses with chalkboard stems from a company called Chalkboard China. I've seen chalkboard glasses before, and always thought them to be a fun and chic way for guests to keep track of their glass throughout the night so you don't end up with mixed-up glasses or dozens of half-full glasses left around the house. But all the ones I've seen in stores feature a strip of chalkboard paint across the bowl of the glass, which I've always felt looks awkward and takes away from the beauty of the wine or beverage in the glass. What I did NOT like about the glasses, was the price. $19.95 per glass is absurd and totally unnecessary. So I figured, "I can totally make that myself!" Here's how you can make your own set of inexpensive chalkboard wine glasses: Materials 1. 2. 3. Method Step 1. Step 2. Step 3. Once the glasses are completely dry (about 24 hours) they're ready to use!
ArtisttTerms.com: Artist Business: Artist Statement Artist Business: Writing the artist statement The artist's statement is a brief introduction written by the artist to accompany a piece of art or to describe a body of work. It is usually placed at the beginning of a portfolio and is an important selling tool for promoting and explaining your work to people looking at your art work. This might be galleries, potential buyers, curators, art critics, fellow artists, or casual browsers and visitors. The artists' statement may vary in length, but should not be any longer than one page. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Tutorial: Homemade Sidewalk Chalk | oh my! handmade goodness by Michelle Vackar, Modern Handmade Child One of our favorite outside activities at our home is drawing with chalk on the driveway. You can play hopscotch, four-square, and of course draw and create silly stories. My daughters and I were talking one day as we played hopscotch about how to make chalk and I thought to myself, let’s try it! It ended up being quite a lot of fun. What you will need: • Toilet paper or paper towel tubes • Scissors • Duct tape • Wax paper • Small bucket or disposable container to make the recipe • ¾ cup of warm water • 1 ½ cups Plaster of Paris • 2-3 tablespoons of tempera paint • Paper bag or a “mess mat” ** we made six tubes of chalk – we simply doubled the above recipe Step 1: If you are using paper towel tubes, cut each tube in half, so it is roughly the length of a toilet paper roll tube. Step 2: Cover one end of each tube with duct table to hold the contents within. Step 3: Cut as many pieces of wax paper as you have tubes.
How to create a sunken trampoline - little green fingers I think a sunken trampoline has to be my favourite family garden feature. It's a simple enough idea but solves so many headaches. It's safer, less intrusive and popular with everyone. I have sunken a couple myself. So what do you do...? First, measure up - I would say buy a relatively large trampoline (ours is 14') but make sure that it won't dominate the garden. And that's it, except to say, sunken trampolines might be safer, but not so safe that you shouldn't supervise very carefully. Oh and if you want to see a couple of films about putting in sunken trampoines and how to maintain them, check these out below:
How to Make Leaf Skeletons | The Idea Room I wanted to share with you a project from one of my readers who shares with us how to make leaf skeletons. I LOVE this! I have several leafs in various forms displayed in my home and knew I needed to make some of her leaf skeletons to add to my decor. I love how a pattern of leaves can enhance the beauty in your home. I have spent hours and tried various ways of making these. You need washing soda, not baking soda! Gather your leaves. Washing soda is a strong base so you may want to wear gloves when handling the leaves. You will add 3/4 cup of washing soda and 4 cups of water to your pot of leaves. Keep going, you will need to add more water so your pan doesn’t dry out. When 1.75 hours are up fill a glass baking dish with cool water. I carefully removed them and rinsed with water and added clean water to the pan. If you’re still with me, this is what I ended up with… I have a maple leaf which turned out not so well. 37.1Kstumbleupon
Fresh Ideas for Outdoor Play By Handmade Charlotte | Now that summer has arrived, the backyard is the central spot for family activities. Here’s a roundup of unique spaces for outdoor play that break the traditional mold to bring the fun to a whole new level! nggallery id=’121260′ Kiddie Car Wash How about a backyard car wash for keeping cool during the hot days of summer? Nest Treehouse Why constrain your ideas to the traditional concept of a playhouse? Backyard Skate Ramp Give your kids a safe place to skate with a backyard half-pipe! Build your own sunken trampoline with DIY instructions that can be found here! Check out other articles by Rachel here! For more from Rachel, check out her beautifully curated blog: Handmade Charlotte. Other posts you might enjoy: • Fresh Ideas for Outdoor Play • Tiny Summer Cottages • Inspired Kids Rooms: Hidden Nooks • Beyond the squirt gun! 25 hilarious and totally absurd maternity t-shirts The 10 most disturbing baby shower cakes…EVER The 15 creepiest, weirdest dolls of all time
V and Co how to: jersey knit bracelet i don't know what it is about this time of year that makes me just want to have my bare feet in the sand, be watching the sun setting into the ocean, and breathing in the warm salty air of the beach...as i get older, more and more i find myself missing that place i used to go to almost every.single.day. as a teen. (my skin doesn't miss it. as a matter of fact, i now wish i listened more and DID put SPF on my face...hindsight is 20/20). my mom calls me from her walk on the beach almost every morning...*sigh*yeah, i get a little homesick around this time of the year. heck on my pinterest my "dreaming of summer" has the most pictures in it. ah yes. i miss my ocean. case in point. this bracelet, brought a flood of memories, not because i used to have one like it but because i can totally see me wearing it by the beach, not caring that it's gotten salty and wet, because i can totally make another one in like less than 5 minutes flat when i get home. *sigh* okay... *cut off excess tails!
Tiny Polaroid Magnets | { Ambrosia Girl } Hi there! It’s felt like forever since I’ve last blogged, and has felt like an eternity since I’ve done anything crafty and nifty. Since my morning sickness has gone into full speed (yes, we’re expecting our third this fall!) I haven’t felt like myself. But nothing like inspiration to wake one out of a reverie — or nightmare, in my constantly sick state. I came across these DIY Pantone chip magnets on How About Orange and wanted to do something similar. You will need: Cardboard (mine was the backing of a sketchbook — much thicker than the back of a regular spiral bound notebook) or 2-3 sheets of white cardstock or poster board spray-mounted together to use as a sturdy backing to the magnetsOpaque white marker (necessary only if your cardboard is not white) Craft knife Metal straight edge/ruler Clear packing tape or frisk film. Step 1: Download a Photoshop file of the Polaroid frames below. Step 2: Print out photos onto photo paper. Step 4: Trim out photos with craft knife. 487 Comments
Do-it-Yourself DIY String Wedding Lanterns Yarn Chandeliers Jessica of Wednesday Inc shows us how to make those gorgeous twine chandeliers from the inspiration shoot she shared with us this morning. Using balloons, glue and twine, you can also make these lanterns for your wedding – and then bring it home and use it as your very own mid century lampshade. What you will need are: balloons, glue, yarn, tray for glue, corn starch 1/2 cup of Corn starch, 1/4 cup of Warm water, clear fast drying spray paint, hanging lamp cord or fishing line (depending on your desired final product), and a lighting kit if you’re looking for a fully functional lantern. Jessica recommends using a sharpie to mark on the inflated balloon how much room you need to leave for the lighting cord. She also recommends coating the balloon with vaseline prior to wrapping the yarn coated with glue so it doesn’t stick on the balloon once it’s dry. You can see all the details on Jessica’s blog. Are you getting excited to try to do this at home as much I am? Instructions: 1.
Sky Garden House I think one of the reasons that many are skeptical about environmental design is because they think its terribly complex and costly. It does take a bit more effort on the front end, but it's definitely not rocket science. This architecture by Guz Architects is a wonderfully developed minimalistic design with a curvilinear flare that really brings out the organic coverings. See more at Guz Architects