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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

diy pinterest challenge: birds nest necklace




My sister and I fell in love with these birds nest necklace designs on pinterest, and had to try our own! We made one for our mom and I made another for my mother-in-law.
Materials needed:
*jewelry wire- we used 20 gauge in bronze color
*beads for the eggs- pick the size and color you prefer
* chain for the necklace, with loops(2) and fastener
*jewelry pliers and snips for cutting and bending the wire.

Thread beads onto wire
bend wire into a hook at the end to hold the 1st bead.

begin wrapping around the base of the beads using fingers or pliers( using pliers makes it look a little less predictable)
Once you have a good base, like above start wrapping around to form the real nest shape!
Continue to wrap until its the desired size.
Snip wire leaving about an inch to work with and hook the end again.  Put on  fastening loop (needed to loop the chain through) and and wrap and tuck jewelry wire into base of the nest securely. Attach chain and fastener.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

paint a house.

These paintings are another holiday endeavor that I embarked on to create personal gifts for people that I love. 

For both of my grandparents, I created a painting of their houses. My grandmother just recently moved out of her home- so it was a perfect memory for her to hang in her new home!

Interiors and architecture have always been present in my art, and its something I really enjoy doing. AND I love preserving the memory of a home through art- like I did ours here. Remember these?


These were so meaningful for me to create:) Both were done in watercolor.



Original photos of homes....

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

paper sculptures

 

I just have to share the paper sculptures my Kindergarten and 1st graders have been making! They loved learning about abstract art and did such a great job creating an abstract composition! These are 100% out of recycled materials. Cardboard from old boxes and paper scraps out of the scrap bin.  These are just a few that I hung up in the hallway.

We used my favorite glue to construct these! Elmer's ART PASTE. Its actually made for paper mache, but has just enough hold without being runny.  I gave each table an assortment of strips and showed them how to easily roll the strip around a pencil.  Using a small brush,apply just a little paste to form the circle and then put paste on the edge that will touch the cardboard and hold for a few seconds!

Monday, January 9, 2012

diy:button hair pins

For this project you need:
*hair pins with a flat plate at the end to add things to (found at local craft store)
*E6000 glue
*an assortment of buttons in different sizes/colors/textures
1.Plan out which button combinations you would like to create and see which ones can actually work- sometimes the buttons have different fasteners on the back that prevent them from laying flat- or that need to be stacked.
 2. Using a small amount of the E6000 glue stack and glue buttons together for each pin, let dry at least 12 hours.
3. Put a small amount of E6000 on the flat plate of the pin and glue down your dried button stack, let dry 24 hours.
 
ENJOY!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

a handmade holiday...

This Christmas, we opted for more handmade, personal gifts. I spent most of my December days painting, jewelry making, and taking pictures, so we would have a little something handmade to add to everyone's gift!
 
 I made these Corgi prints for my in-laws.
Silhouettes are such an easy DIY project that can be great art for any room!


TO CREATE:
STEP 1 gather:
*watercolor paper slightly larger than your frame
* acrylic paints in your choice of colors for background, and black acrylic paint
*brushes
*2 frames with mats (these were 8x10)
* find images of your desired subject
STEP 2:
* enlarge your photos to desired size by using a projector or enlarge and print out  the pictures
*trace just the outline of your subject onto watercolor paper.
* Begin painting! Paint background color first, then add black for the silhouette.
* Let dry then frame!








Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Looking to 2012...

Here's some snapshots from some of the DIY projects I'll be posting about for the start of the year!






<<<<<<<<AND A LITTLE INSPIRATION I FOUND THIS MORNING>>>>>>>>>>>