Monday, December 29, 2014

Crayon Abstract Art









For Christmas I made my dad a piece of abstract art from melted crayons.  It was awesomely fun to make; a great combination of random lack of control, and color manipulation.  My very favorite arts and crafts are ones that test my flexibility and willingness to go with the flow.

I made my abstract art by painting a canvas with acrylic paint, taping crayons to the top (point down), and heating them to dripping with a heat gun (according to many examples on pinterest a hair dryer will also work!)

Monday, December 8, 2014

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat, Rinse, Repeat

Just created and ordered 2 new prints...anxiously awaiting their arrival!  

I drew the bear a while ago, and a scan of him was lingering in my prints.  I couldn't figure out what to do to make him a little more interesting.  

My sister is decorating my nephew, Oscar's nursery with woodland creatures.  So, I created this for him.  I used the muted colors of the forest to make my bear a little more interesting.  I love how goofy and sweet this little bear looks.

Perfect decor for a nature inspired nursery.







I also found a little drawing of a Boston terrier I once knew named Roxie.  I had lined her face in pink sharpie, giving the image a very pop art look.  

I took advantage of that "pop" factor, and duplicated the face over and over.  I also used just her nose as an accent.


I ordered both prints in 5X7 and 10X10.   I'm extremely excited to see how they turn out!

Sunday, December 7, 2014

DIY drawer organizer- with TP

The cardboard out of my toilet paper tubes calls out to me, "use me in a craft."  So I comply sticking them in a drawer with lots of other items that *should* be trashed or taken out with the recycling.

Then it came to me -like a flash. An answer to my messy drawers AND my hoarding habit.  Recycled drawer organizer!!






Make your own!  You will need:


  • Cardboard TP innards (which should have gone out with your recycling...go get them from your hall, nobody's watching)
  • A beautiful color of spray paint
  • Glue (Elmers, glue gun)
  • Scissors (I used regular and serrated)
  • Felt (I used a felted goodwill sweater)

My organizer is for my makeup drawer in my bathroom, so I cut my pieces of TP tube about 3 inches tall.  The height of yours depends on what you are organizing and your drawer.  Go ahead and cut all your pieces.  I made one side of each piece serrated and the other flat (flat side goes on the base)
I made 2 organizers, one with squares, one with circles.

Square Organizer, with 3 sizes:

To make the small squares, pinch the piece of tube together to create a 2 points, match up the points & pinch to make a square.

For the large size, cut the piece of tube long ways, bring the sides to meet, and flatten. (so you have one long side & 2 smaller tabs)  Do the same thing again with another tube.  Glue the small tabs together to make a larger square or use them for the small rectangles.

Place your squares in a pleasing design, then glue all of the squares together with whatever glue you have on hand (elmers works well)

Circle Organizer:

Fold 2 of the circle pieces into hexagons (fold in half, unfold, then fold in half again, unfold, then in half again).  Glue the hexagons together, and glue the circles around them.


For Both Organizers:

Place structure over felt & trace with a pin.  Cut out the felt piece.

Spray paint cardboard tube design, inside and out.  When it dries, glue cardboard to the felt with a glue gun.

AND YOU'RE DONE!!!  Now time to organize!



Saturday, May 31, 2014

My Podcast Besties

A great accompaniment to crafting, cleaning, or simply sitting with a delicious cup of coffee; podcasts honestly make life better.  If you're needing some inspirational stories, and off the beaten path knowledge try out each and every one of these podcasts.

In no particular order 

1. This American Life: This is a no-duh.  This couldn't be a real podcast list without TAL.  Totally lives up to all of the hype.

2. The Memory Palace: Cold chill inducing stories.  Nate DiMeo takes slices of history and surrounds the listener completely with all of the sounds and feelings of the memory.

3. 99% Invisible: Roman Mars pulls apart aspects of every day life to find the ooey gooey center.  It's easy to miss the design, if you're not looking for it.  This podcast helps you see it everywhere.

4. Radio Lab:  Breaks complex scientific ideas into understandable morsels.  Radio Lab has made me question the way that I understand the world around me; and I like it!

5. Backstory: This podcast delves into history by tackling a theme, and investigating where American cultural traditions came from.  Looking at the past can certainly illuminate the presence.  This is definitely the podcast that I get most excited about.  You can take it with a grain of salt; after all, I did major in history.

6. State of the Reunion: Culture on a micro-scale.  This podcast identifies communities across the US, by finding surprising hidden aspects to cities and towns.  You know how it can feel like you barely scraped the surface when you visit a place, and you think, "it would take years to really understand this place and its citizens."  I'm not promising you complete insight in an hour, but you can get pretty close!


Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Davey's Wild Ambition

Sometimes I look deep into my cat's eyes, and I can see that he doesn't know that he looks sweet and fluffy.  He sees himself as a wild cat!

Look Up Ahead

Little man, going for a walk...

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Sunglasses Flying Away

Crows are known to love anything shiny, and I imagine their close cousins blue jays feel the same way!  A week ago, someone came into my work to purchase sunglasses because his had been stolen by a bird.  This is how I imagine the scene.

My sunglasses here are made with my photo of the inside of a carrot, paired with sequins, and a Rorschach test.  I drew the little blue jay thief with colored pencils, and placed the entire piece over my photo of a beautiful spring day.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Moss Garden DIY

This weekend I made a little moss garden.  The best thing about it is it was it was TOTALLY free!  I used rocks from my driveway, and moss and other plants that I found in the woods around my house.


First, I put rocks in the bottom for drainage.

Then, I covered it with potting soil and put in my various finds.  I made sure to cover the entire surface with moss.











It's amazing how many beautiful types of moss there are.  I was only able to include a small selection of the many types that I found.

Since moss is found in damp conditions,  I've been spraying the mini garden with water twice a day.  The plants still look happy.






Now I have my own little forest living in my apartment!





Sunday, May 11, 2014

Happy Mother's Day

The lovely ladies who raised my mom, to make her the most excellent mother in the world!  

Mother's day is the perfect opportunity to recognize and appreciate our individual history and the history of the nation and the world.



Women throughout time have worked hard to make the lives of their families and the lives of strangers in the wider world better.