Acrylic Marbling

I am a HUGE fan of all things "Marbling"... marbling with food color and shaving cream, marbling with nail polish...etc. etc. etc. so when I saw marbling with acrylic paint - I of course had to give it a try.😊 Here are the results: 

It was so very simple - anyone, big or small, artistic or not, could certainly pull this one off. It may be just what you need to add a splash of color to that dark corner in your home, or maybe you're looking for a fun, messy, memorable craft to do over the holidays... this may be just the thing to do!

A few points of advice -

*watch for clumps coming out of the bottle when you squirt on the paint, and remove them before you smear... If you don't, they won't smear right and they'll look gross when they dry in my opinion anyway.😉

*Put the canvas up on something before it dries so that it won't dry to the wax paper or whatever you use to cover your work area. I used a few jar lids.

The acrylic paint will crack when it dries. It may not if you mix it with a little water before you pour it on, but I'm not sure of that.

Paint colors I used were as follows:
Paints I used: Cranberry Wine Metallic Berry Violet Snow White Metallic Zinc Fuchsia Black

Happy Painting!!

A Few Bottle Crafts

I have saved all of our bottles from our special occasions for what seems like forever (especially if you're my husband and have had to haul them from house to house with every move...;)) But this summer I have finally been able to put to good use all of that Pinterest research on glass bottle crafts... here are a few of the things I've done so far ~

3 Two-Tone Decorative Bottles: 

Because these bottles had labels that were etched into them, I needed a heavy spray paint that would coat well. I used several coats of Hammered Paint and Primer in one by Rust-Oleum and then sprayed on a metallic almost champagne rose color just around the neck and let it ombre down the bottle to give it a beautiful pop of color. I really love them... now just to find a place to put them!;)

Artificial Terrarium:

This sweet little terrarium turned out so much better than I had even imagined. It's a Crown Royale bottle with the label obviously removed, making a perfect little frame for whatever is inside. The butterflies are made from a punch and then embellished by adhesive back rhinestones. The flowers are pieces of a larger bouquet of fake flowers. Long tweezers would've come in very handy for this project, but since I didn't have any a kebab skewer worked great! Double stick picture tape was my go-to adhesive for this one -not too sticky and clear! 

Shabby Chic Tri-Bottle Vase:

I used 3 small bottles for this one. I'm loving the metallic spray paint! It took several coats, but the shimmering color brightens up the room.:) The rest of the design is pretty plain to see... burlap and lace wrap the bottles, and then is sewed tightly together to hold them in place, the bow is sewn on separately because I felt that tying a bow with the burlap would make it way too big and bulky. I think some pretty live white daisies would make this a beautiful centerpiece as well. 

So keep those bottles and make them into something unforgettable!;) 

Birdhouse from Driftwood

We love watching birds around here. We love feeding them, too! I was gifted this beautiful piece of driftwood that was just begging to be made into something special, so we tried our hand at making a birdhouse. The hole for the food was made by a few different drill bits. The wood itself is screwed into a piece of plywood for the base, large enough to give it balance. Before we screwed it in we applied some wood glue for good measure.;) The top is simply screwed on and has held so far. We found some cute little bricks at Menards for $.45 ea. and they dressed it up like I was hoping. It's a bit more rustic than I had thought it would be, but I love it and the birds seem to as well! 

A Few Paintings

Here are a few of the paintings I have done over the last couple of months. I am obsessed with texture and roses.:) 

This one was done with a thickening medium and painted layers, and then the flowers were marbled with paint and medium and then placed with a palette knife. Lots of fun, and popping with 3D expression - can't get much more texture than that!;) 

Acrylic roses have quickly become my favorite "go-to" item to paint. When there's a blank canvas begging to be made vibrant with color, and I feel that artistic craving to blend some paint together - roses it is!

Watercolor canvases... wow. Talk about fun! No taping the paper, no unsightly wrinkles, easy corrections... With all that you'd think my lines would be perfected, wouldn't you? Nope. When your imagination gets put on a canvas, imperfections highlight the fanciful nature of the captured dream. At least that's what I tell myself.;)

This is watercolor on watercolor paper. It's a painting inspired by the stories told from the "OUR Rescue" team - an organization created to save children who are in the clutches of sex slavery all around the world. I wanted the image to combine all ethnicities - a way of stating all races, all children all around the world are OUR children... OUR responsibility... OUR obligation... OUR HOPE. Take up the torch and light the way to freedom. For more information on OUR rescue visit http://ourrescue.org and while you're there please donate to the cause. Your donation WILL make a difference. 

The texture and color on this one are certainly not captured by this quick cellphone pic. It will hopefully be the first in a series of three paintings of similar design, but different colored shading. I'm thinking of going with an aqua green one and then a purple one as well, but maybe it should be yellow...Hmmm... We shall see. It should happen soon... I have the canvases, but need more medium... lots of medium.;) Textured paintings get pricey, let me tell ya! But they're worth it. 

:)

Thanks for stopping by and checking out the artwork! 

A Few "How To" Watercolor Youtube Videos of Mine

This first video isn't so much a "how to" as it is just an idea for a beginner. Small brush with well diluted paint making short repetitive brush strokes...

This next one is an easy "how to" to make watercolor bubbles. Be sure to use diluted color (almost runny), and only enough water on the brush to fill the bubble... too much water is a watercolor paintings worst enemy - in my limited experience anyway!=)

And this last one is how I paint detailed tree trunks using watercolor. I apologize that the video is grainy... this was actually the fourth tree painting I had recorded and although it was still flawed, was the best out of 4. Practice makes... better!:) 

Thank You for checking them out!! If you have any questions or a suggestion for a "how to" video, leave me a comment and I'll do my best to reply!=) 

How I Know God Loves me

Do you ever feel like we may take many, many things for granted when it comes to God and the glorious creation He bothered to give us? I know I do. There is so much beauty put in place to keep us awestruck and reminded of His attentiveness, His eagerness to show us the depth and magnitude of His love. My daughter (7 years old) does the narrating in the video below, and hearing her repeat the dialogue makes this mommy's heart leap at the thought that throughout her life, whatever she's going through or wherever she's at she will be reminded of the simple words proclaiming the allurement that didn't have to be, but is just because "God loves me".  

Above All Else - Be Kind...

As I send my 7 year old out into the multi-cultural, multi-aged, two-gendered world of "play with your friends", my final instructions to her are always, "Above all else - be kind." And that's the boiled down version of the lengthy discussions on "don't be bossy", "take turns picking the game", "Even if everyone else is making fun - you don't make fun", "Even if someone is being mean - you don't be mean back"... "Above all else - be kind". I expect her to fail at that more often than not, just as I do. I will ever remind her of it, because I know it is her heart's desire. When she is pushed and every fiber of her being says "push back - harder", perhaps I can be the voice in her head telling her "Above all else - be kind"; not because I want her to be easily manipulated or a push over, but because I don't want her to do something she'll regret IF I can help it. I wan't her to stand up for herself, I want her to form her own opinions and voice them, I want her to be strong, but none of that at the expense of someone else. I want her to stand up for herself and pull the other guy up with her as well; I want her to form and voice her own opinions in a way that instructs with an overabundance of resources, sources, and information but does not belittle; I want her to be strong because she's made every effort to make sure those around her have also been strengthened. Will I be disappointed when she falls down and chooses not to keep herself in check every once and awhile? Ashamedly, yes... but only because I have failed to see how often my heavenly Father has looked past my stumbling to the next lesson... never for a moment taking the time to point His finger at me in disapproval. If He can do that with me, I am forever encouraged to do that for her. Correct her path unwaveringly, but not give her a feeling of hopelessness.   
As I sit here waiting for the bottom layer to dry on a canvas, I'm collecting all of my weightier thoughts from this last week such as "What's my purpose?" "How can I make a difference?" "Will I be successful at something?" "There's so many in need, and I want to be a part of the solution, but how?" To the simpler thoughts of "I have so much joy in my life." "I am so grateful for my family, friends, home, income..." to the paintings I've enjoyed painting and practicing on even if they are still not the envisioned masterpiece brushed on with great ease and the mellow attitude of highly intoxicated French art-eeest, but more the "Hey, you can barely see that huge mistake. Nice." And I think of the overly common phrase "Find joy in the journey"... Which is really a guaranteed failure if not given with the broader instruction: "Don't give up. Keep hoping. Keep dreaming. Be grateful. Don't blame or shame, just learn. Never look back, except for perspective purposes. You never know what tomorrow will bring - it could be exactly what you've been looking for. And if you do all of that - you will be able to find 'joy in the journey'". This next painting is something I've never tried before and if it doesn't work out you won't hear about it most likely - goodness knows, I'm not THAT humble;) - but I am excited to try it because it doesn't require any distinction in depth, no proper placement of items to give the right scope to the landscape. I am excited about this because it is something I really struggle with as I don't have good depth perception at all. Driving with me is a real delight; playing "catch" with me is better referred to as playing "pick-up" (which doesn't quite have the same enticing ring to it, oddly enough...). But painting has helped me practice at my perception of depth, and working at it always reminds me of my earliest memory of practicing my perception of depth and it involved stairs... It was before I was school age, but old enough to walk and I remember these wooden stairs in our house so vividly... their dark brown chipping paint, the railing barely within reach, the cold hard concrete at the bottom, the one 40 watt lightbulb dimly lighting the 12 to 14 stairs and that was only if someone had left it on, because I wasn't tall enough to reach the switch... I remember falling down those stairs EVERY time I tried to descend them, so much so that I remember being at the top and thinking a small child's version of "The only way I ever make it down these stairs is by falling, so... away we go". And eventually ... now you're hoping I say, "Eventually I learned how walk down them without falling", but that sadly isn't the case.... no, eventually I learned that crying at the bottom just took up time. The pain became predictable and therefore manageable. That's life. It's going to hurt a little bit and maybe even A LOT. Over time I became tall enough to grasp the railing to the stairs with both hands... But those stairs taught me a very important lesson: they were never going to change, I had to adapt. I had to get smarter, stronger, braver, and never give up. 
So to wrap up these acrobatic contortions of my ever evolving thoughts on life and learning, I will say: we'll stumble and fail - you can count on it; we may or may not be successful, but we will keep getting up every day, because you just never know; life will never get easy; but no matter what above all else - we will be kind. 
I hope this blog finds you practicing at something you love, just because you love it. And if you don't have anything (legal;) that you enjoy doing, I hope you find someone who is practicing at something they love and you practice right along with them, just for the sheer energy involved in having a "passion". Happy practicing!!                  


*The above paintings are the 'dot paintings' I was working on at the time of writing this. I hope to do a 'tips and tricks for dot painting' blog soon. 

5 Tricks to make Cooking and Cleanup Easier

You may have seen my earlier post on the effectiveness of Norwex in speeding up cleanup time... but there are a few additional tricks I've come across recently that I think may be helpful as well... -

1. Have a sharp slicing knife. You've probably heard from multiple tv chefs that the most valuable possession in a kitchen is a sharp knife. They say that because it's TRUE. A good knife will save you enormous amounts of time and effort. You will be able to slice through hard-shelled fruits/veggies easily; thinly slice raw meats evenly; slice up freshly baked anything without mashing, etc. 
Don't go too cheap, a good knife will be worth every cent. It is one kitchen utensil that will instantly decrease prep time on any given meal.

2. Start off with a sink full of hot, soapy water. I know, we all hope and pray with every dish we dirty during meal prep that "Kitchen Fairies" really exist and that they'll be popping in right after the meal to start on the cleanup... I'm very sorry to burst any soap bubble of hope that may be floating by, but that's just not going to happen. And lets face it, no one will be volunteering to scrub those pots and pans after dinner either... So, cinch up those apron strings and start making your life easier by filling the kitchen sink up with hot, soapy water right from the start, that way when you've used a dish for mixing or a pot for boiling, you can quickly rinse and throw it in the soapy water to soak. Then when you have a couple extra seconds while you're waiting on a burner to heat up, of the entree to cook on one side, you can grab that dish and give it a quick wash and rinse. You will be that much closer to getting off your feet after dinner.

3. Nonstick pans are invaluable. I've recently purchased a Gotham steel frying pan, and although it doesn't allow me the freedom of not using cooking spray or butter as shown on tv... it does make the clean up of anything fried or sautéed a breeze. And it cuts down on dishes used when whipping ingredients together as I can throw all of the ingredients together in the same pan I'll be cooking them in. In addition to nonstick pans I use aluminum foil and parchment paper (up to 420F, *be careful that it's oven-safe) for almost anything I put in the oven. Rewarming rice, baking fish, pizza, or cookies - put down aluminum foil/parchment paper first and then for cleanup - just throw it away! What could be easier than that? And did you know that they make disposable liners for crockpots? Best. invention. ever. Your melted chocolate almond bark has never been easier to clean up!!

4. Plan meals with similar ingredients that can all be prepped at the same time.  For instance, if you plan tacos for one night and omelets for the next, you can slice up (with your newly purchased sharp chef knife I might add...;) green onions, peppers, jalapeños, tomatoes, olives, avocados, etc... enough for both meals at one time. Then have the throw together meal on an evening you're cramped for time.

5. Use baggies or storage containers as serving dishes when possible. I know "classy," right? But in all reality if you don't have time or energy to do the after meal dishes, and you go to a drive-thru instead - guess what your family will be eating out of... That's right. Bags and throwaway containers. So save yourself some money and energy, and meal prep with cleanup in mind. Serve the entree in a pan that has a lid for leftovers, or in an aluminum foil-lined dish for easy cleanup. Put those sliced, raw veggies and toppings in baggies that can be easily zipped-up and thrown into the fridge if there's leftovers. Martha Stewart will not be stopping by, and even if she did, she'd probably say "Easy cleanup - it's a good thing!"

What are some tips and tricks you use to make cooking and cleanup easier? I'd love to hear them and put them to use!!     

I'm just glad you're here.

"Don't you ever feel sorry for yourself, kiddo. There is always someone worse off than you are. No matter what. Always someone worse off who's not feeling sorry for themselves, so you shouldn't either," said the van driver as he flicked his cigarette onto the ground early that cold fall morning. I was 10, I think. My mom and I were set to begin our biannual trip on the "short bus" for low income families to the children's hospital for crippled kids. And just in case the wheelchair ramp, or the old guys with the funny looking hats didn't give away where we were headed, it was plastered all over the 15 passenger van: "Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children". They did that so other drivers cruising down the interstate could peer in and stare as we drove by. Some would even flip us off for fun.
 I've had dozens and dozens of people give me the exact same unprovoked pep-talk that bus driver gave me that morning. People I don't even know, people I'll never see again - "don't feel sorry for yourself, there's always someone worse off." I don't remember responding to him that day, but I doubt I said much. I rarely talked on the 12 hour van ride there, and never talked to the doctors and nurses once we arrived. Couldn't they see, if I were worse off I'd belong here at this hospital, or if I were better off I'd belong in the world I lived in every day. I didn't feel sorry for myself from what I could tell, I just wanted a category that I fit into. Someone to tell me - "you fit here; we want you. You don't embarrass us. We're not ashamed of you. You won't be the best, and you'll most times even be the worst, and that's fine - we're just glad you're here."  How many uncomfortable meltdowns in front of my peers those words could have prevented. No one knew that was what I needed to hear, not even me. I mistook my pride throughout childhood and the teen years for low self-esteem. I thought if people could just really praise me for the few things I could do, I would feel so much better about myself. I'd feel good about being "me". But that wouldn't have been true. I needed to find out - it's ok to be the worst, the last... to fail. The loser belongs here just as much as the winner. We all play the game together. And the loser who loses gracefully and graciously is really the winner after all. He gets the position all the winners in the world combined, could not have filled. Take a bow, win the crowd - they choose you as their champion! And I mean that as someone in the crowd - YOU are the people's choice.  

 "Shoot for the dreams within your ever shrinking horizon" - that's my life's motto. My dad took me for a walk one day, I don't think I was much older than 7. He, as any good father would have done, clued me in on the life that lay ahead: "...You're going to have to try for a career that's within your abilities. Maybe a secretary... Something like that..." "Oh no I'm not," I thought to myself, "I'm going to do whatever I want to do!" Many years later as I listened to my husband on the phone to my then employer telling them I wouldn't be coming in that day or ever again, because I couldn't lift my head off of the pillow - "I guess, maybe I'll try for something within my abilities... if I just knew what they were..." I am physically capable of doing just about anything - once. What limits me physically, is met equally by my limits mentally. An ocean of limitless possibilities if only it weren't for... the limits. But that's okay, I won't feel sorry for myself, I don't need to - because I'm here. And I belong here. And I will have to get up the nerve to do that thing everyone else does without a second thought, and I will be awkward and blush at all of the wrong times, and I will make people roll their eyes or feel bothered. I probably won't do whatever it is - right, and I probably won't start being good at it today... But I'm here, because I belong here, doing this thing called "life", I enjoy doing so much.  I'll do my best not to hurt anybody, and maybe even let someone else know - "you fit here; I want you. You don't embarrass me. I'm not ashamed of you. You won't be the best, and you will most times even be the worst, and that's fine - I'm just glad you're here."  

Planters for Pennies a Piece

If you have extra water jugs waiting to go to the recycle bin, you may just want to save them! If you think you may need some extra pots for starting seeds, or a very inexpensive planter to give as a gift this Mother's Day; or maybe you're in need of a super festive napkin holder, or candy bowl - these may be just what you are looking for!!

Let's get started on making them!!


Supplies you'll need:
Your basic crafter's tools...

If you'd like to use this as a planter you may want to add drainage holes first, as putting them in later may prove to be very difficult, structurally...

Then, we'll tape off the jug for a nice clean straight line, or at least as much as possible... It is very easy to gouge out a big piece of your jug with the slightest, unintentional pressure on the scissors in the wrong direction... Not to mention jugs are the most surreal cylindrical optical illusion... ever. You think you're going straight, you think you're cutting right, you think it's going to work out perfectly... nope. You're going up when you should go down and visa versa... To counter this twilight zone illusion, we use tape as our straight edge... easy peasy.

Next comes cutting off the top. I poked a starter hole with a knife and then snipped out the rest along the line with scissors....

Then comes the painting! I wanted a heavy texture on my pots to camouflage the jug shape as much as possible... So I picked a Hammered paint and primer in one... Keep in mind when choosing your paint, that the jug is not a porous surface, so acrylic paint (among others) would rub off very easily...

After the paint dries, you will be able to apply your colorful duct tape! I tried to put a little more than half on the outside of the pot.... Making it straight is tricky, and if you have to peel it away, some paint may come as well... But it's very doable if you're patient and work your way around slowly. If you choose a tape that has lines on it, you can easily use those as guides.

I snipped the corners to make the four sides lay down smoothly rather than crumpling up inside.

Fold the tape down. Lookin' good! Just press out any wrinkles.

I added a bow to mine, but you could bedazzle your pot however you wish! I found this blog to be very helpful in designing my bow.... Then I hot glued it on, but if I had something stronger like cement glue for instance, it may have worked better.... It stays put with the hot glue, but it is anxiously awaiting the chance to dislodge... Super glue does not work on duct tape, crazy huh?!

Ta-da!! Pots for pennies a piece! And to think, you were about to throw those jugs out!!;)

But wait!! There's more:

You can upcycle your pop cans too!!!!!!!
 Unbelievable.



;)Thanks for reading!! Happy Planting!!

5 Helpful Thoughts to Overcome Frustration While Chasing Your Dreams

Sometimes it feels like the road to success is paved with gold for everyone else, but you. All of your energy, talent, willpower, drive - poured into your quest for attaining that dream - and yet here you are again at the base of another gargantuan mountain... You're frustrated. You're nanoseconds away from throwing in the towel and giving up on that dream completely - Wait! Maybe, just maybe these thoughts can help you, too!!

This state of being you're in right now, is only your CURRENT state, not your everlasting state of being -  You are only going to improve. You may have failed a thousand times before, whereby eliminating a thousand ways to fail. Look at how far you've come now! Going over that preceding mountain was not a waste or a misstep, it was part of YOUR journey. If you wouldn't have learned what you learned from that mountain, you would have had to learn it from another... 

Have you spent a thousand hours attempting, practicing, trying, but still missing the mark? Those are hours that had to be spent; they were a deposit that had to be made. Now you are that much further ahead. You are moments away from your next milestone, if you just keep moving forward. 

There's a difference between long-term goals and short-term goals - Are you trying to empty the ocean with a 5 gallon bucket? It won't happen overnight... But could you take that 5 gallon bucket and fill up a small pool? All in a days work! Do you feel like you are choking on your talent? Take smaller bites... You may not be able to learn to paint a "Picasso" overnight, but in a good days work, you could learn to draw some killer stick figures! You've got your google maps zoomed out on the entire country as your long-term goal, now zoom in to the turn by turn roadmap... The outcome will be the same, but the journey will be far less frustrating and much more rewarding. 

The "struggle" gives your product "value" - Think - coal to diamonds; think - pebbles to pearls; think - caterpillar to butterfly; think - Sistine Chapel! It's the struggle that gives your product value. It'll be the struggle that makes you stronger. It's the struggle that sets you apart. There's no cheating, or taking short cuts, just one struggling feat at a time. And no matter what - the struggle is unavoidable. You won't get ANYWHERE if you aren't struggling against anything, even if only struggling against space itself... 

You are unique - Billions of people on the planet, and there's only one with your story, only one with your skill set, only one with your path, only one with your ambition, only one with your character, only one on your journey - and it's YOU! You have something to offer unique from ALL others, because there can only be one you, and you're it! Wear "You" as a mark of distinction. Your meandering journey against the rocks and ridges, raging rivers and babbling brooks have edged away at a shape to create the artwork that is at the heart of who you are. Don’t wish that uniqueness away - embrace it. Let it lift you to higher heights.

There’s a time to be whimsical – The mind, body, and soul can only take so much focused, nose to the grindstone “training”. Every now and then, you have to recalibrate. You have to breathe in the whole experience from another perspective. You have to retrace your steps, your motivations, your hopes… What path led you here, and where is it taking you next? How far will it take you? Does it reach your full potential, or will you need to merge onto another path? Will you get to see everything you want to see on this path or is a detour in order? 

What inspired your dream in the first place will most likely reignite the fire of ambition to propel you towards your goal once more. Start over again from where it was fun, new, and adventurous. Sand off the marred imperfections of doubt and worry and coat on a fresh layer of enthusiasm.

You’ve got this! You’re going to strive forward from one mountaintop to the next, each time gaining a new perspective and a clearer path forward. Don’t give up now – you’ve come too far. Detour; meander… do whatever it takes to keep moving towards your dreams!!

Thanks for reading!! Feel free to comment below - I love to hear your feedback!!

Girlfriends: stay safe!

All of the recent news surrounding public restrooms has really brought to light a vulnerability in society that, I think, would be prudent to address and give thought to... 
Public restrooms/locker rooms/dressing rooms are not safe environments no matter what the law is... A quick Google search of "tiny cameras", "spy cameras", etc... will give a better understanding of what a person needs to be watchful of. If someone is invading your personal space in any way (a purse or any personal effect is set down encroaching your stall) be mindful of the risk that you could be being recorded or watched... A quick glance of the fixtures in your stall before disrobing for things that don't belong or anything out of the ordinary is always a good rule of thumb... 
Most malls have a long, long creepy hallway back to the restrooms - watch for people who may seem to be "keeping a lookout", people who are loitering... The more distracted one is, and the longer the "pit stop" is, the more vulnerable a person becomes. I like to make a mental note of the safest and most private restrooms at any given business and then if my kiddo and I are able to use those rather than others, that's what we'll do. 
If I'm clothes shopping, I really prefer that my husband escort me while I'm in the dressing rooms... The locks and doors in most dressing rooms are notoriously flimsy, and you are generally at the most vulnerable state you'll ever be in public while in a dressing room or locker room... 
Get in, get out, don't be distracted, be mindful of your surroundings and those loitering, and then - watch out for your fellow man. If you see someone who is putting themselves at risk, or is being "stalked" by someone, or something just doesn't quite feel right... Be vocal about it. "Do you know that person?" "There's someone outside the door, just so you know." "Is everything ok - if not, I can find a security guard to walk you out." 
The more people power we claim, the less power predators will have. We don't ever live in fear, but we aren't going to become victims either. 
What other things do you do to keep yourself and your family safe in these public places?