art

BULLET JOURNAL IDEAS FOR WRITERS || it's trending and so so fun

3:16 PM

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We writers...we got a lotta notebooks. marble, binders, little minis, drawing pads, etc. And one of my new faves is this ^ grand ol' BULLET JOURNAL. It's perfecto for my calendars, to-do's, and wee bit o' inspirations for creations. As writers, we also need that INSPIRATION badly. 

Don't deny it, you know you have those _______________________ times.

So what do we do?! We make our inspiration. We pray, we doodle, and we plot. Every little sketch should have some massive significance; whether it's the old trunk where your lead character finds books from her friend's mother's past, a hammock where together they learn to have a friend in the world where both are orphans, or an anchor, a symbol of the bondage that the happy ending of the novel lifts. 


Some fonts and doodles that were used: here





I used both pencil and Prismacolor pencils and some sharpie (which as you can see was a complete whaaaaaaat did i just do o my paintbrushes sorta moment). I intertwined both two quotes from draft 2 of Gift of the Sea and meaningful icons to make a page of full-blown noveliness.

I CHALLENGE YOU TO BULLET JOURNAL YOUR NOVEL. TODAY.

 *go, and live your dream*

#wereyouinspired?

do you bullet journal?

What's your fave thing to doodle?

craft

{DIY} How to Re-purpose a Used Canvas Into a VINTAGE SIGN

1:55 PM

I made a vintage sign. It all started when my neighbor gave me a bag of used canvases and Gesso. Then it turned into an idea. Want to make your own hopelessly adorable, vintagey, real-to-life looking sign to proudly hang in your room? READ ON, crafter. You can do this.

Supplies...

  • pencil/mechanical pencil
  • acrylic paints
  • used canvas
  • possibly gesso (may not be needed...what me & mom like to call 'painter's drywall')
  • ruler
  • a computer (or a phone; or an illustration)
  • sandpaper, or for best apearance, a sand paddle

Step 1: Using Gesso to cover old your old artwork (or possibly just leaving it be)


(firstly, pray that it all goes well) Once you have acquired your old painting (and involuntarily cringed) make yourself a good workspace and prepare to get messy. If you have a 'rainbow' type of painting, consisting mostly of just different colors-abstract or the like-then you may not have to cover it up. This surface is going to be what comes through your finished product, so keep in mind that white, red, brown, or gray will look best here.
(this is another canvas I am working on; the one below has red, green and blue beneath it's top color)

Decide for youself if you need to A. cover the old painting with Gesso, B. cover the old painting with a new color or C. begin to paint your top color. For the canvas below, I just painted my top color right over a rainbow of green, blue and red.

Step 2: Sketching vintage letters


Once you have painted the canvas the color you desire, pick a quote/saying/verse and font you like. I had read in a tutorial that you can print out big letters and trace them. However, the canvas I was using was a square 12x12, and far too small for the huge letters that are trace worthy. I tried to trace small, cursive font, but it did not turn out all that great for the time I spent on the whole print/trace operation.

(you can see the pencil lines)

The best method for me was looking at the font I wanted and then drawing it onto the canvas using a mechanical pencil. You can print out the font alphabet you want online, or, like I did, use a calligraphy handbook. You can not erase the mechanical pencil from the acrylic paint, so make sure you have plenty leftover of the paint you used for booboos.
Layout is important too; go for style, yet also sensible. Once you have gotten the sketch of your letter layout on canvas, you can now draw your designs.

Step 3: Drawing desired doodles


I printed out some 'illustrations' or 'silhouettes' that I wanted to look at and copy onto the canvas. You can just use the internet to find whatever you wish, expand it, and draw it's outline with a mechanical pencil.

 Try to make it simple, something easy if it's your first time. And think that you want to 'hint' with shading later on when painting, which is the next step.

Step 4: Painting the Vintage theme


Now you can paint in your letters and designs. Try to go over the lines you drew, while othertimes keep it there (it looks great after being sanded). Make sure everything is smooth (no paint clumps!) and after you are done painting the letters, go around with another color (such as gray, brown, or black. Gray is my favorite for an old appeal) as shadowing. I even put shading on the illustration/doodles, and it turned out quite well. Again, hinting can be much more stylish than having a lot of lengthy detail. Plus, it's just plain cute.



Step 5: making new, vintage


For this I used a paddle sander. However, not every girl's Dad is a carpenter. You can get sandpaper at your local Walmart.
   When using it, sand straight across the sign (don't worry, use arm power!) in very straight lines. This way it gives your canvas painting not only a wooden look, but will age it years and take away that 'I was just painted yesterday' appearance it's loudly screaming. Do not sand in circles. Go straight. Especially sand on the sides and corners for a worn-out theme.


Voila! Sit back and smile at your creation (plus brag to me about it in the comments ;). Hope your old mistakes turned into beautiful artwork!

Do you want a Labrador puppy for $0.15?

Tips from DIY experiences?

What is your favorite paint type to use?

crafts

The Strawberry Moon and a Grape Crate turn vintage

1:06 PM



Over the bay, across wrinkles of sandbars and a back drop of smoothly painted sky, hung a 'strawberry moon', as the weather people call it. To see such a lovely ball of brightness, overlooking all the glory of the bay at night, is a summer evening to remember.

Yesterday my Mom surprised me by bringing a grape crate into my room. Together we styled it a bit, and then I added some personal touches. Ah! How long I've been trying to capture that vintage/rustic/simple/pretty style. And there it is. A piece of it, at least. just a touch of the vintage life. My Mom also had the creative idea of putting a mason jar with flowers inside a pantyhose (see where I get my random creative ideas ;) And thennnn....I made a chalkboard (yes, I like chalkboard stuff. Yes, I could possibly be overdoing it.) on a square of poster board, with seashells from our beach.


Did you see the 'Strawberry Moon'?
What have you crafted lately?
Which project did you like the most?

crafts

DIY Your Room You: Vintage Chalkboard

12:20 PM



Today were going to make a chalkboard out of a normal picture frame! All you need for it is the following...

Picture Frame
Cardboard
Chalkboard Paint ($4-$6, available at Walmart)
Brush 
Acrylic Paint
School Glue
Mod Podge


~Vintage Chalkboard~

Okay! So, first were going to make the chalkboard by painting a very thin, flat piece of cardboard.



While it's drying (You will need to apply 2 coats, so let it dry for a hour) we can make the frame. First off, I painted the frame with a dark-ish grey as the first layer, then once it is dry you can add a layer of school glue (because yet again the crackle style is needed) and in only around 3 minutes I added a layer of white (if you would like you can finish it off with a layer of Mod Podge).

Grey Paint


Glue & White Paint



After an hour you can add your second coat of chalkboard paint to the cardboard, and then comes the part of waiting for 24 hours. You must wait this long, and not scribble on it, or the chalk won't come out. Assemble the cardboard into the frame when dry...and Tah Dah!


Simple, right?

crafts

DIY Your Room You: 2 Versions of Light Letters

1:52 PM




Today I continue my DIY series...as you see above the letter decoration is the new craft. Now, you may not have something that is specifically like my own craft project, but whatever you have that you'd like to renovate, or make into something new, you can use this as an example.


~Light Letters 1~
Spring Phase

As with the last project, I made these letters 'distressed'. Here you have the original object below. 



First, I'm going to go through the same steps as with my picture frame here. White, The first paint layer on each letter, school glue, next paint layer, etc (I also pulled off the fuzz).

White Paint


School Glue


Second Layer (main outside color-please ignore my slight mess-up)


Textured


Finished.


You can keep it just like this, if you would like too. Or...you can make it beachy.



~Light Letters 2~ 
Beach Phase


Now, I used two sea shells & sand (from D.E) to make this a beach-lover's product. First off I covered the bottom in school glue and then sprinkled a good helping of sand over it. I also put a sheet of school glue over pieces of the glued-on sand to prevent too much sand-scattering.



Then I glued on two shells, and watered down my teal, pink and purple colors to make it fade into them.




I also changed the color of the flower stem to a more palish-green, and made the blue bird a Seagull, by painting him white, giving him a black neck ring, and a wing outline. I also put some glue around the flower stem's foot, and sprinkled sand there. 


    Tah-Dah!


What object reminds you to smile?

...and happy craft month! More crafts coming soon!

crafts

Love Birds || A Bottle of Sand

1:11 PM



Guess What? Our family has adopted a pair of Ring-Neck Doves! The one closes, with the black ring on his neck is Ferdinand, and the other is Isabella. Just yesterday we discovered Isabella was hiding an egg!


These photos really do not do justice to how beautiful they are...hopefully I will take some more shots soon. I also, doing all the crafts I have been lately, worked on this bottle of sand from Bethany Beach, Delaware. It is a great way to display it, and the tag was so easy to do, and I also threw in a few painted shells. I painted a couple jar's lids that were holding sea glass, and gave them some twine to add a fish net flavor.









Do you LOVE the beach.....and it's decorations? Have you ever held a Dove?

crafts

DIY Your Room You: Distressed Picture Frame

7:25 PM



Today I'm kicking off a new blog series, one to give you all ideas on how to fully make your room reflect YOU!


~Distressed Frame~

First up we have a picture frame (I must give this distressed texture idea to the blog Uniquely You)
and it's a cute simple one, but honestly it's just not my favorite colors nor does it match my room. So here we start the transformation. The first paint layer will be the underneath color, glue will make the frame 'crackle', and the paint layer over the glue will serve as the main color, First I paint it white, which may take several layers. This will be the underneath color that will crack through.




Then I take school glue and give it a good layer, spreading it around.



After this, wait about three minutes or more, but not above seven, and once your ready paint the top color on.



Mine took awhile to start fully cracking, it depends on how soon you put your pain on. Here's the distressed product below...



Now, make sure it is FULLY dry. When mine was dry I took a flower stamp and stamped it by the top left corner and top right corner, with acrylic paint on the edges.





Then I added a little writer's flair to the frame, and stamped 'Writer at Work' on the surface. Even though mine came out uneven, using a ruler helps.





...and tah-dah!!! The finished product below!


What are all of your thoughts? What do you do to make your room your style?
Thanks & God Bless!