DIY: Blueprint-Inspired Holiday Project

Crafty Weekend My friend, Olivia, came over today because she wanted to make some painted glasses like I had done in February. Since I can not sit idly by while other people are being crafty, I made these two new glasses. The favorite for me is definitely the squid, only heightened by the fact I used purple and yellow on it which makes it look way more awesome than I could have ever dreamed. It took me a little while to finish due to all the curves, tentacles and whatnot. Also, I mixed some of the paints into a more varied tonal range this time around.

Booze it Up! 13 Rad Recycled Bottle Crafts & Projects Got a recycling bin full of glass bottles? Why waste them when you could have a new table lamp, candle holder, shelving unit, hummingbird feeder, glass countertop, building block – even a whole glass-bottle house? Reuse beer, wine and liquor bottles for these 13 fun and creative crafts and upcycling projects ranging up to a recycled bottle home and garden. Wine Bottle Table Lamp (images via: wit and whistle)

Search #d2d2d6 #967b80 #edaa2d Tornadoes and Tigers: Against the wall one. two. three. four Hi readers, my name is Amanda and I write a blog called Here Comes the Sun. Dane has been a friend of mine for many years now- in fact he was a groomsman for my husband on our wedding day and his gorgeous wife was one of my bridesmaids! We also got the chance to be in their bridal party when their wedding day came around as well, so needless to say we know each other pretty well! Anyway I am happy to be here today and share a few interior pictures that have been inspiring me. I tried not too pick things that are too girly (apart from the teacups- sorry Dane) because I’ve never blogged on a guys blog before and it’s a bit of a learning curve!

Tutorials for Recycling Books - StumbleUpon We rode bikes around our neighborhood this weekend and stopped at all the garage sales we found along the way. I love doing this because it's like exercise and shopping in one! Plus, my bike basket is perfect for holding whatever treasures I find. On this particular trip I was noticing a lot of old books for sale. My DIY craving kicked in and I knew I had to do some research on the projects I could use old books for. Painting Techniques: Lessons, Tutorials, and Resources General Topics | Watercolor & Gouache | Oil | Acrylic | Other | Matting & Framing | Art Supplies General Topics: Art, Design, and Visual Thinking -- This art course provides an excellent overview of the visual language of art and teaches students how to analyze design, thus giving a better understanding of what it takes to create a successful work of art. Learn about the design elements and principles of art, the various media employed in creating art, the history of art, and its most popular movements. Essential Painting How To's -- About.com provides step-by-step information and essential techniques for beginner painters.

Crystal Enamel Drinking Glasses My kids are old enough that we can all use glass to drink out of now. However, it seems they haven’t outgrown using a million cups everyday to drink from. There’s always a sink full of glasses because they take a new one whenever they get a drink. I thought about doing monograms or even names, but I really wanted a set of drinking glasses that were more stylish and grown up. Homemade Holidays: Crock Pot Candles Growing up in my house, we always made our own holiday gifts. We were pretty poor, and I suppose it was our only option. But it was never presented to me like that (I didn’t even know what ‘poor’ was, really, and I had a stupendously fabulous childhood full of ‘thing finding’ and ‘government cheese’. But that’s another story.)