Finally got to paint!

Well, I have been following Sharon Tomlinson at Norah's and I have been intrigued by the process she is using to paint over magazine pictures to get a completely different picture.  I have a huge stack of cardboard from work.  These are 81/2x11 because they are the cardboard at the bottom of the packs of forms we use at work.  Usually we just throw them out, but I started saving them and in a month had more than I will ever use.

Anyway, I pasted pictures on the cardboard and then painted over it.  I have to say it is not as easy as she makes it look.  I will need to practice and practice some more to ever be satisfied with this artform, but it was pretty fun and I had no expectations, so I could just have fun!  At least I finally got back to the paint table.  I think tomorrow I will try another.  But in the meantime, here's what I did:

Can you tell that I started with a close-up of a man's face?  I can, but I just wonder if anyone else can.  She is certainly no beauty, but I am pleased with her.  I really enjoyed the collage of her hair.

Let me know what you think about her, won't you?

Pearl Rosette Bib Necklace By: Helen Slabodukh for Blumenthal Lansing

Here is a tutorial that just blew me away.  I found it on FaveCrafts and just knew I had to repost it here for you to try.  This would make everyone stand and take notice agains a boat-necked black dress!

I think I may have to make this to give at Christmas to one of my special friends who loves to dress up and dress fancy.  She will absolutely love this and look divine in it!
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How do you make fabric rosettes? Find out with this tutorial, then arrange them into a chic pearl rosette bib necklace, perfect for a special occasion like your wedding day. This feminine necklace is so simple to make!
Materials:

• Glamour Gems Buttons: #5210 (2 cards)
• La Mode® Buttons: #4612 (5 cards)
• ½” yard soft white fabric
• Kunin felt square: white
• White tulle
• Premade chain with pearls
• Toggle clasp
• 2 7mm jump rings
• Scissors
• Ruler
• 2 pairs chain nose pliers
• Wire cutters
• Hot glue gun and glue
• Pencil
   

Instructions:

1. Tie an overhand knot in the center of a strip of fabric. Hold the fabric at the knot with two tails together. Twist a short section of the two tails. Wrap it around the knot, which will be the center point of the rosette. Tack in place with glue. Continue wrapping and tacking until rosette is the size you want. Repeat for four more rosettes.
    
2. Lay the rosettes on the felt. Loosely trace with pencil. Cut felt a bit smaller than the traced line. Cut out.
    
3. Glue rosettes to felt. Folding pieces of tulle in half, glue them under and around rosettes. Glue buttons as rosette centers and accents.
    
4. Cut two lengths of chain to make the necklace the needed length. Glue the end of one chain on the back of the necklace piece at the top left. Repeat with other chain at top, back right.
    
5. Use jump rings to attach toggle pieces to loose ends of chain.

Tips:

• Refer to photo for placement and assembly.
   
• Cut tulle into 2” x 6” pieces.
   
• Cut or tear white fabric into 2” strips. The length of the fabric will determine the diameter of the rosette. Make them any size you desire.
   
• When tacking rosette with glue, use a tiny amount, trying not to let it show on the surface of the rosette.
   
• when gluing chain to necklace, use a lot of glue. Let it dry before continuing.
   
• Using a jump ring: grab ends of jump ring at either side of cut with pliers. Twist ring open. String through loop of toggle clasp. Twist tightly closed.

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Making a Christmas Door Wreath

Here's a couple of videos about making Christmas wreaths. It is getting to be that time of year, so we better get started making our decorations if we want to be ready!

Making your own perfume, cologne, bath splash and scented powder

Image via WikipediaI was watching an old Carol Duvall show recently and one of the shows was a beautiful young woman who made perfume.  I just sat, with my mouth open, as she made perfume, cologne, bath splashes and scented powder right before my eyes.

Here is how she did it:

You will need:

1.  Start with 100 proof Vodka--no other kind will work
2.  Get you perfume oils either at a body shop or online
3.  You need small glass bottles to store your perfume in--if they are clear, plan to cover the bottle with something.
4.  Glass eyedroppers

How to do it:

Perfume -- start with 2 ounces of vodka in your small glass bottle; to this add 60 drops of your perfume oil (you will want to mix scents, but only a total of 60 drops); shake it up.  Voila!!!

Cologne -- start with 2 ounces of vodka already in your glass bottle; to this add 30 drops of your perfume oil; shake up; and Voila!!!!

Bath Splash -- start with 4 ounces of vodka; to this add 1 teaspoon of glycerine; add drops of food coloring (optional); to all of this add 15 drops of perfume oil and shake up.

Scented powder -- take a 1/4 cup of cornstarch in a bowl; add about a teaspoon of mixed perfume from above; sprinkle it all over and then stir to break up the clumps.  You will let this set out in the bowl overnight and in the morning restir the mix.  Now you are ready to put your scented powder into a cheese sprinkler glass bottle. 

Not bad, huh?  I'm off to Whole Foods to pick up some perfume oils and the liquor store for my Vodka!

Here are some hints to help you pick out your oils:
*Earthy – vetiver and patchouli
*Fruity – lemon, grapefruit, lemongrass, bergamot, orange, mandarin, and lime
*Woodsy – cypress, sandalwood, pine, cedar, and cassia
*Floral – rose, violet, jasmine, ylang ylang, neroli, and geranium
*Spicy – cinnamon, black pepper, ginger, juniper, clove, cardamom, and nutmeg
*Herbal – basil, clary sage, chamomile, lavender, rosemary, and peppermint

Wouldn't a whole set of a scent make a wonderful gift for a teacher or co-worker?

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• Perfume As Medicine - Sleepless Nights, Aches And Pains And More (olfactoriastravels.com)
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Here's a beautiful autumn wreath to make to adorn your door, or hang in your window, or on your wall. Such pretty colors and so delicate looking. This was from Styrofoam Crafts. 

This designer has another beautiful wreath that I will put up at another time.  First, lets get crackin' on making this beauty.  Enjoy!

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Halloween Ribbon Wreath

Looking for harvest-season décor you can put up October 1st and keep up through Halloween and Thanksgiving? Look no further - unique sunflower-like effect is gorgeous!
Completion Time - 1 hour
Designer - Kathleen George

STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam

Wreath, Round Face, 12" x 2-1/2" x 1"

Other Materials

Foam-safe black spray paint
Black ultra-fine glitter
Pony beads, one package each: black; orange
Ribbon, 1-1/4" wide: black grosgrain, 1 yd.;
sheer orange, gold, black wire-edged, 5 yds. each
Wire or thin black ribbon, 6" length

Tools Needed

Ruler
Wooden skewer
Scissors
Low-temp glue gun and glue sticks
Thick, white craft glue
Optional: Large cardboard box

Instructions

• 1. If desired, place foam wreath inside large cardboard box
  outdoors or in well-ventilated area. Spray paint wreath black;
  sprinkle with glitter while wet. Let dry completely.
• 2. Tie grosgrain ribbon into a bow with tails; set aside. Cut
  approximately twenty 4" lengths from each sheer ribbon color;
  cut more as needed to fill out wreath shape.
• 3. Apply dot of glue to opening of a black pony bead;
  immediately insert one end of a sheer black ribbon length
  through hole until tight. Let dry; trim excess ribbon above
  bead. Repeat to bead all black and gold ribbons black; bead
  all orange ribbons orange. Let dry.
• 4. Refer to photo to join beaded ribbon lengths to wreath.
  Beginning just inside wreath opening, dot wreath with glue and
  use wooden skewer to push free end of one ribbon length into
  foam. Continue adding ribbons in concentric circles around
  wreath, cutting and beading more ribbons as needed. Offset
  ribbons slightly from circle to circle.
• 5. Use fingers to bend ribbon lengths toward outside edge of
  wreath as shown. Twist wire ends, or knot thin ribbon ends,
  together to create hanging loop. Glue ends into center top
  back of wreath.

A Faux Fox Stole Tutorial!

Here's a wonderful and funky tutorial I found over at Craftster.
This post is by a wonderful crafter named p.kok and I absolutely love this faux fox stole!
To see this post on the original site just click the link. 

I can see many of these in my future.  I can't wait to go look at fabric.  Can you just imagine what you could make?  Oh, my!

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I wanted it to have eyes, but i couldn't find them in any store in town (i orderd some form etsy, since I plan to make more of those scarfs), but i kinda like it the way it turned out.



If you want, i can make a tutrial and post the pattern for the head in the next days. C&C very welcome

edit: THE TUTORIAL!

1. cutting the fabric:
You will need approximately half a yard of some soft warm fabric like wool (fake fur would also probably work pretty well). So first you cut out two head shapes and two rectangles. the rectangles should be around 15 cm wide and the length depends on your wishes (or on the width of the fabric you chose, if you actually bought just half a yard:)). Then you fold the rectangles in half. (you can cut both at once if you have scissors good enough to cut though 4 layers of fabric). Cut them as shown on the picture (that is really really bad, but stupid illustrator won't work so i had to use paint instead:))).



also a "pattern" for the head. just copy it to a word document and size it the way you like.



2. embelishing

If you want to put eyes or noses or any other embellishments on anything (like contrasting fabric on the paws or on the tail) or do any embroidery, do it now (so the stitches won't show later).

3. sewing

put the right sides of the fabric pieces for the head together and sew almost all the way around- leave a gap to turn everything inside out. Then turn everything inside out, iron it and top stitch around the edge and close the gap that was left. Now do the same with the body. Sew the head to the body and voila- you're done!:)

*i hope you understood everything- english is obviously not my first language:) if you have any questions, feel free to ask:)

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Remember the Heroes from 9/11!

We have much to be thankful for, but especially for the courage and strength of all those who acted bravely on this day in our history.  May God bless them and keep them safe from harm always.