I chose to create a canvas for her. She likes mushrooms, hedgehogs, and all things dogs. An occasional frog will catch her eye. So I stalked Pinterest for some ideas and found a cute pin that included both a frog and mushrooms. I drew my own take on the pin, using colors I thought she would like.
I painted over one of my older canvases due to a shortage of canvases in my house! I have done a LOT of decluttering, but have not got rid of any canvases, so they're either leaving of their own accord, or I've been painting more than I realized! I used acrylic paints on a stretched canvas. I think she'll like it...
I just ordered something from EBay to add to my gifts for her, a little something she has expressed a desire for. And I plan to take her to her favorite restaurant to celebrate. How blessed am I that I am able to give her these gifts! That's about all for now. I'm working on a large metal wall hanging that will go out on my back deck, in addition to adding to my craft fair inventory for this Fall. Hope you'll come back to see the results!!
Hello, crafters! Today's make is an 18" round wooden canvas. Using acrylic paints, I created several layers by painting and pressing leaves from a neighbor's tree onto the wood. I used a wash (water and green paint mix) in between each layer of leaves. The covered layers of leaves were painted with Titanium white paint, while the top layer has a mix of white and green leaf imprints. It gives the canvas a lot of dimension, don't you think? I finished off the canvas with a coat of loss varnish.
I've always wanted a summer getaway ever since Girl Scout camp when I was younger. Just before COVID hit (and after turning 60+), my dream came true. I now own an RV in a park close to Starved Rock State Park in Illinois. I've spent many enjoyable days at the pool, met wonderful park neighbors and toasted many a marshmallow around the campfire on summer nights.
Enjoying s'mores with nephew and his family last Fall
My trailer overlooks a small ravine so that I can hear the water flowing past after a good rain. It's hard to find as it's completely surrounded by trees. and i can't wait to get out there again! It's a dream come true, even if I did have to wait a few decades...
How do your dreams or goals inspire you? Come show us at the Path of Positivity challenge blog this month!!
Colors often stimulate emotions in all of us. As I walk through the changing of seasons, from Spring to Summer, I look down, seeing the brilliant green of well-watered grass and look up to see the plentiful shades of green as leaves wave in the breeze of trees finally awakened by sun and rain.. Green to me is a sign of rebirth, of beginnings. To others, it's also a color of envy and dissatisfaction. It amuses me to think about the phrase "the grass is always greener on the other side." It's all a matter of appreciation. If you keep looking ahead, you will miss out on the wonders of what surrounds you now. You'll miss the beauty of your own "grass."
As I write, the day is overcast and grey. Is grey a color? I know Crayola has a crayon or two labeled grey, but it's just a messy merging of black and white, as if each can't make up its mind - should I be black or white, sunny or cloudy, happy or sad... Not my favorite color, especially when I'm painting and I merge the paints a little too much and that's what I get, a grey canvas - ugh. But just like art, grey has a place in life. No one is completely good or evil, honest or dishonest, and situations can become a confusing grey quickly. I'm not a fan of conflict and confrontation-maybe that's why I don't like grey? But I can't ignore it either, so instead of taking a shortcut or deserting my path, I try to press on. Sometimes the shortest distance between two points is working out differences or misunderstandings with others walking beside you...
Blue is one of my favorite colors. There are so many shades, and when I want to relax, I can (most days) sit outside on my deck and look up. I've written more poems about the sky than I can count. Most of my vacations are spent near water, where the blues brighten and swirl and cerate lovely shades of cerulean and aquamarine and teal. Scientists have studied colors and emotions and have found that blue is the most relaxing color in the spectrum. Regarding personality, blue often represents creativity and innovation. Maybe that's why BLUE jeans are more comfortable than Black jeans?! LOL
Back on the Path, the flowers show off their colors after having struggled to escape their earthen slumber. Before my eyes is a botanical runway of high fashion in reds, yellows and oranges. Even some of the bushes join the line-up, the burning bush with its leaves of fire-engine red and the forsythia with its vivid yellow ones. There's no ignoring those colors, and they give me a rush of energy and motivation. How about you?
I could go on and on, sine there are as many shades of colors as there are fish in the sea. I'm so thankful I have the ability to see and appreciate the colors that nature offers us. On my list of Christmas presents to buy for family, I want to purchase a pair of those special glasses for color-blind people. My dad was colorblind, so I carry the gene (as does my daughter) and when my son was born, sure enough, he was colorblind. I would love to give him the gift of the scintillating bounty of color.
My first find was a container of dried parsley. I tossed some onto my page and fell in love with my new canvas! I was going to move my journal but the way the sun shone through the open blinds onto the pages caught my eye and I was happy to take the photo before sweeping the oregano off the page..
And then I was off on a hunt to find more leaves...my next find came out of a drawer of baking decorations. I thought the stars would be interesting, so...
I love when Spring rolls out its lush carpet to welcome Summer. I get truly inspired by all the blooms and blossoms every time I walk out my door. So after finishing a canvas for an upcoming Arts Festival, I pulled out a couple small stretched canvases and let Mother Nature guide my brush.
I used several shades of green with light sweeps of the paintbrush. Once dry, I tried a new to me technique that's been showing on YouTube for a while. Using a balloon of=r plastic bag, I dipped it into a select variety of paint colors. I then pressed the painted (crinkled) bottom of the bag onto the canvas and these awesomely abstract flowers bloomed in front of my eyes. If you like to paint and haven't tried this technique yet, I highly recommend it! It's fast, easy and fun!!
Challenges I am Entering:
Everyone has a Happy Place. A place, whether a physical location, passionate activity or rush of memories, that brings a smile to our lips and a warm feeling to our souls. Somewhere we can feel safe, or liberated, or just plain glad to be alive.
Sometimes Life throws out roadblocks and detours to slow you down on the path toward your Happy place. You have to remember that you're not alone. There are family members, from grandparents all the way down to grandchildren, to walk with you. Friends are great companions, too. Especially the ones who make you laugh when you stumble. Neighbors, school moms, church members, doctors, fellow students, co-workers. They're all over the place, throughout your entire life. At times you start out walking with them; other times you meet them on the path.
Sometimes you have to be mindful of what's on your path at the moment and savor the good things. Look up to find rainbows and race with the clouds, look down so you don't miss tiny pedestrians sharing your path and blossoms of joy. Look ahead in anticipation and look behind in fond memory.
Sometimes you have to be brave and seek out hidden treasures of happiness - they could be just out of sight. Don't give up! The path toward Happiness is paved with surprises, love, hope, kind acts given and received, family, friends, achievements, and faith. It takes the weight of the world off your shoulders at times and makes the journey worth every step, every stumble, every detour and every discovery.
I'd like you to try what I call the Smiles Collection Challenge. Yesterday I went to my doctor's appointment. Where I park is a long way from the building. I challenged myself to "collect" 10 smiles from those I passed on my way in. Sometimes just a cheery Good morning and a smile got me a smile in return. Can you collect at least ten smiles in one day? Let me know! I bet you'll have one happy day!
The above is a reprint from an essay I wrote for the Path of Positivity back in 2019. After COVID, mass shootings, political upheaval, war and new health threats, I thought this would be a nice read for those who have forgotten where to find happiness...photo by Jill Humbert, my sister-in-law
It all started with the sales of my mom's and gram's houses after my sisters and I lost them. It was difficult to give away so many years of memories, especially for my youngest sister. In order to get the houses ready for sale, I promised her I'd store some of the things she couldn't make a decision on keeping or not. Temporarily.
It's been over three years and my basement is still full of mom's collectibles, trading cards and some furniture I'm not interested in. My garage has more of the same. I have to admit that 30% of the clutter is my own, craft supplies that were overflowing, unused since I got them or otherwise not necessary.
My healthcare system offered a program called Whole Health, which covered help and support in all the facets of a person's health: physical, emotional, spiritual, social, psychological and environmental. I jumped at the chance to get my life back together (and my house). Starting with identifying my needs, which to me were physical health and improving my environment (which ultimately led to emotional).
Since I started in this program, I have sold a rare set of limited edition books and several bins and boxes of trading cards, the proceeds which were added to my mom's estate. I've also donated four trash bags full of craft supplies and kits to a young aspiring crafter, as well as a local family resource center. The Salvation Army has received several donations of clothing, small furniture and misc. items as well. My recycling and garbage cans have reached record highs on trash day. I also have pied up numerous EMPTY storage tubs, bins and baskets!
I still have a long way to go. But I can already start to breathe more easily. I take it one day at a time, even one trip to the basement at a time. When I do the laundry, I either pick something up and put it away, or clean out a drawer or shelf. My basement is not ready for me to invite people over. When it is, and it will be, I'm going to celebrate with a Brunch and invite family, friends and neighbors together to celebrate life.
Meanwhile, I rewrote the Serenity Prayer for fellow hoarders and craftaholics, and hope that they be inspired to take their first step toward freedom and organization in their own environment.
I created a yarn canvas. After drawing my scene from scratch, I enlarged it and copied it onto my 16x20 canvas. To keep me on track, I colored in the different sections with markers. I then gathered up my cotton yarns and cording and spent over a week adhering strips of yarn onto my canvas. Every inch of my canvas is covered with cotton and I have the blisters (hot glue gun) and headaches (E6000) to prove it. LOL
The background is a photo my cousin took. She lives in Tennessee. The fairy is a free image from the Graphics Fairy. The deer is a photo I took last summer while at my summer trailer. It's very close to four state parks, but the deer was walking in the ravine's creek which flows past my trailer.
While walking my dog around the neighborhood, I spied a village of mushrooms a few houses down, and added them to the scene. Finally, there's a brown bear crawling up a tree in the background. He was caught on camera while vacationing a few years ago in the Smokey Mountains.
I've actually printed my digital picture and put a nice frame around it. It reminds me to keep my eyes open to Mother Nature's own creativity.
The Path of Positivity offers monthly challenges with optional themes. Today is the midway point of the challenge. Make sure you check it out for your chance to win digital images from Scribbles Designs.
I also have a few frames in the garage that need to be filled and hung on my house walls, which will have to wait until I paint or print what I want to frame. But back to my floral metal work. It was a dull unstained metal structure. Even the flowers had no color to them. At first I was thinking of my front deck and different shades of blues, but that deck is going in a different direction, and my back deck is looking bare. So I used a few bright Spring colors of acrylic paints for my flowers after spray painting the branches white.
My deck opens with French doors from my bedroom, a zoning concession made for my wheelchair-bound husband. It is also much bigger than the limits the city usually has. The VA rehabbed the house, requiring two accessible for motorized wheelchairs. The four front steps and landing were covered by the deck and ramp. I didn't want the contractor to mess with the backdoor as its door also led to the basement, so I suggested a deck with the French doors.
The handicapped access part of the deck was a Lift with a dedicated electrical box. We also had stairs from the deck to the backyard. Sadly, my husband didn't get to enjoy the deck for very long, but when he sat out in the sun, he enjoyed every minute!
Decluttering is catching--really! My sister was ready to donate a set of three faux native American pottery pieces before I swooped in last Fall and took them home with me. It took me six months to play with them, but one of them is now decorating my back deck. I used different colors than were original, but I noticed immediately that it was a ceramic piece that someone painted and fired up. I think they go well on my deck, and you will see more photos as I "deck" my deck as Spring comes fully into bloom.
I used acrylic paints. The blue seemed a little too intense, so I had to brush and lightly wipe away some silver paint to tone it down. I can't wait to play with its matching piece (at least in size). The last piece is slightly bigger and I already put it out on my front deck (no pics, sorry). But I didn't do anything to it...
I really love to take thrift store finds and cast offs from neighbors (and sometimes sisters) and give them new life. Do you like it? With all the decluttering I've been doing, I plan to entertain often this summer. I now have an (almost) cleared out) basement, my house is well into its Spring cleaning shift, and my deck should be awesome for parties. Anybody live in the Chicagoland area?
Meanwhile, just because it's the end of the month, I'm not abandoning my decluttering. I still have hills (at least it's no longer mountains) of craft supplies to weed through and keep or donate
When I started this decluttering challenge, I was looking for a more organized and less cramped craft area. The broader goal was to feel less anxious about the state of my surroundings. Ever since my sisters and I cleaned out my mom's and gram's houses after they passed, I've been storing furniture, collectables and memorabilia for one of them. It was supposed to be temporary! It's been two years.
While the major part of the basement is filled with this inheritance, my craft supplies were overflowing and unorganized as well. So this month I tasked myself with attacking my supplies with a heavy hand. Having a budding new crafter to whom I am donating my stash has really motivated me.
We are almost to the end of March. I set my goals for the 31st of this month. That's when my other sister who lives in Germany will be visiting for a month. Here's a peek at my progress. The photo above doesn't show all the cardboard boxes that I broke down and recycled, as well as the things that weren't worth donating.
My basement is still full of bins and boxes of the "inherited" stuff, but as soon as my one sister goes back to her home in Germany, I'm pinning my other sister down to a reasonable estimate for removal of those items from my house (and garage).
Maybe I can start to actually craft downstairs again! gasp Or even entertain friends for the holidays!! Um, maybe by Christmas...
I painted the sides with Posca markers, but left the top unfinished wood. I added a line of small pearls around the top border, and added a line of adhesive dots to the inside top of the frame. I could have stopped there, but...I had a packet of flowers and a glue gun plugged in. So I created a spray of sunshine and added a set of charms with the theme of Wanderlust.
My box now has a place in my bedroom for trinkets and stuff. It was totally worth taking the time off from decluttering my stash or creating cards from the leftovers. Tomorrow I'll be back to work creating an organized craft area.
After that rewarding chore, I sat down with my box of leftover goodies and created another batch of cards, along with one more bookmark. I have to ask myself, who still reads real printed books? I know I and my sisters do. Many of my friends read both printed and online books, but there are several who only read on their Nook or Kindle.
I can't say it matters either way. I love books, I love reading, whatever the media, and children love getting bookmarks (and some adults). The cards are all put together from pieces and bits of crafting supplies. There's even a lone novelty playing card with Charlie Brown and Snoopy on a birthday card. I used to belong to a Yahoo group that offered challenges like on Blogger. Sometimes a challenge would pop up that asked a crafter to use what was lying on their crafting desk/table. That's kind of what I'm doing, only I gather up the extras I've discovered while decluttering and bagged them for cardmaking later.
Next on my declutter list is the small stuff. That's right, the jewels, brads, Skittles, etc., that have been housed in t tool tower with 50 small clear bins. Maybe (no promises) I'll remember to take a before photo of the tower before I declutter. Remember, I'm not just throwing away or sending stuff off to a thrift store. I'm giving all my selected supplies to a young girl who loves crafting but has no means to buy her own. Not only does she get to discover all kinds of techniques and media, but since she's young her mom joins her and that's some quality time they have together!
Happy crafting, all!_
I started with the bookmark since I found a watercolor that I had made last year. When I'm not happy with my watercolors. I cut out the part(s) that I like and keep them for future projects. Using leftover die-cut stars, macrame string and a die-cut butterfly, I finished off my bookmark with a sticker that reads dream.
I had two pre-cut cards and envies that I discovered in my decluttering and used leftover papers as card fronts. I cut out the birthday cake from a transparent sheet of scrapbook paper and added small paper flowers and a sticker reading wish; I used a stamped Thanks sentiment on the other large card and added a die-cut paper butterfly.
The card in the very front has a pop-up vase of flowers in the middle. I created this card from a leftover card kit I had made for a workshop before Covid. The others are card and envie sets that I used patterned papers, ATCs, stickers and flowers to create feel-good note cards. The one on the very left is actually a three-fold; I decorated the front and left the inside clear in which wo write a note to someone special...
During this declutter so far, I have learned that:
I have another appointment with my Whole Health coach. I'll continue to work on decluttering my craft supplies (Lord knows I have enough to keep me busy for another few weeks). My next target is punches and scissors and wooden-block stamps. But I'm seriously trying to get my A1C numbers down as well as cholesterol, which ties in with weight loss. Luckily, I have access to a dietician, kinesiologist and my very own spin bike (okay, the spin bike is an old Schwinn without a working display, but I can still pedal).
Today I created 10 notecards from a pile of misc. crafting supplies I left out on my desk last week. I mostly used die-cuts, ATCs and stickers, so it went pretty fast. The history behind the cards is interesting...
I have a habit of naming the New Year. 2024 is the year of Whole Health, I joined a program offered by my hospital and they offer so many programs that touch on the concepts of whole health: physical health, emotional health, personal development, weight loss, mindful meditation, sleep therapy, spiritual awareness, kinesiology, surroundings and social activity.I even have a coach who guides me to plan out how to reach my goals, which also means accountability. If I don't reach my goals in the time allotted, we revise the steps I need to take to succeed. For the next two weeks, I'm working on my surroundings.
My house has become a storage building, holding furniture, collectibles and items from my mom's and my gram's houses, which my sisters and I cleaned out and sold after their deaths. Most of my basement and garage are filled with furniture and things that my sister can't let go of, but doesn't have room for.
I admit that the rest of the overcrowding is from my ever-growing stash of craft supplies. This situation is making me feel overwhelmed, anxious and depressed. My mission is to declutter, organize and label my crafts, creating order out of the chaos. I listed the craft supplies by category; for instance, this first week I went through my alpha stickers, printed images, 12x12 papers, diecuts, lace, ribbon, trim, buttons and envelopes.
I emptied 12 containers and bins, and found a ten year old girl whose passion is crafting. Her mom works with my sister, and she has received a large bag of craft supplies from me. She and her mom created a vision board together and had so much fun. I have filled another large bag with papers, stickers and card kits I made for some workshops. And I am just beginning!
So now you know how I came to create these notecards. I also made 9 birthday cards which I'll post another time. Meanwhile, happy crafting, y'all!
Meanwhile, my crafting mind hsas already turned to Spring projects. I pulled out a rusty metal wall decor from my garage yesterday (pre-snow). I had bought it sometime last year and forgot about it until now. I had to sand it, using WD-40, and clean it well, before applying gesso and paint to it. My front porch is painted blue, and the railings are white. So that's the colors I chose for this project.
I used spray paint as a base, then went over areas of the leaves with acrylic paint in a few shades of blue for some depth. After I got the effect I wanted, I sealed it with gloss varnish so it can weather the weather. It looks great on my back door right now, and as soon as it warms up a little, I'll place it on the front of my house.
Oh, forgot to mention the wire butterfly I added to my decor. I actually used gloss varnish on it as well in hopes of making it last long into the Spring and Summer. Have fun crafting, peeps, and don't trust that groundhog!!
Having some time on my hands, I brought up a small vertical shelving unit from the basement. I found it years ago and did nothing with it except use it in the laundry room to hold detergent, dryer sheets, etc. While my gf gave me her double-shelved shoe rack when she moved, it just took up so much room by the front door. So I finally got to work on this skinny set of shelves.
It had gathered a lot of dust and stains from being the "laundry cart", so the first thing I did was to clean it thoroughly. The cleaning was not enough, so I brought up my paints, brush and a sponge. I decided to try my hand at mixing colors to give it a marbled effect. My colors were black, copper, rose gold and silver.
I'd never tried this painting technique before, so I came into it blind. I chose to go from dark to lighter colors, and it paid off. Using a damp art sponge, I dabbed on enough black to almost cover the surfaces (I started with the top). It was still almost wet before I added the copper and then gold.
When it came to adding the silver, I lightly dabbed the paint on, not only filling in unpainted spots, but going over the whole surface o blend in the colors. I really like the outcome. When it came to the inside of the shelf area, I used black. After all, our shoes would be going in the cubbies as we go through the front door, as well as guests.
My next furniture upcycle is a credenza with cubbies for those fabric bins everyone loves. I have an overabundance of these bins, and will replace a smaller unit with the one I'll work on.
I'm starting in the safety zone. A simple Bee drawing for the letter B, and a simple House drawing for the Home key. I used Posca paint markers, and had to cover each key with white to get the colors to be true. What do you think? To me, I am really pushing my creativity limits. Painting and upcycling thrift store finds is one thing. My computer is another. But so far, I'm happy with the results!
Of course, I had to cover my composition book so it reflected the pages in side. I gave my cover a door with a peek-hole into other worlds, which is exactly the kind of journal this is. Other pages include books from Anne McCaffrey, Fern Michaels, Carl Hiaasen and more. Lately, I've been reading cozy mysteries, like the Donut Shop mysteries and the Deepwood Witches mysteries.
What do you like to read? Do you carve out some time in your busy days to relax and live a different life through the books you read? This is a habit I'm trying for my whole health plan, under Personal Development. My previous post describes my whole health plan for the new year...
Whole Health means taking care of all aspects of my life: Moving my body, Food and Drink, Professional services, Personal Development, Surroundings, Spirituality, Relaxation and recharging and Circle of support and socialization, When I say WHOLE health, I mean it! LOL
I'd already started the year by covering a few of these goals, like mindful meditation, deep breathing and sleep therapy. when it comes to my surroundings, I get overwhelmed and frustrated because I'm storing lots of leftovers from my mom's and grandma's houses for my sister. My livable basement has become unlivable with a maze of bins, boxes and furniture. I'm waiting for my sister to make some decisions. Why doesn't she have all this stuff?..because her house and garage are full of the rest of the things she couldn't let go of.
My plan is to inventory, research and try to sell the collectibles, trading cards, and Star Trek memorabilia that mom accumulated the last 20 years. I am trying to make myself comfortable in my surroundings, Which brings us to today's project pictured above. I inherited a small wooden bookcase from gram's house, but it was in bad shape with scratches and discoloration on the wood sides and top.
I decided not to wait until better weather to sand and paint or varnish it, so I did the next best thing. Using spray adhesive, I covered the bookcase with some faded tie-dye material from my sewing stash. (think of it as wallpaper made of cloth) Then I brought it upstairs and put it in my bedroom. I think it looks great and fits in well next to my bed.
It's sitting on a wooden console table Ik rescued from a neighbor. Not only does this free find give my new boocase the perfect height, but there's room under the table for my extra blankets and a small bin or two. PLUS my basement is just a tiny bit less cluttered! Win, win, don't you think?
How have you started your new year? I found my Fitbit and am spinning again; am looking into taking an art class; and have had three doctor appts. this month with another four in February. Whole Health!! Hope your year is full of happiness and good heath...
Today's make is very fitting for the passing of the old and arrival of the new--a clock! It is a gift for the owner of (you guessed it) a Nothing Bundt Cake bakery. My daughter has worked at the store for two years, after five years at another location. She loves where she is now, and has made assistant manager as well.
While thrifting, I had found this empty round Pottery Barn box that had originally held dessert plates. When I saw this box, I knew it would make an awesome clock. I dug out a package of clock workings and drilled a hole in the cover of the box. I pulled photos of the bundts that this bakery sells and adhered them to the clock's face with Mod Podge, including the NBC logo. My daughter asked that I blur the owners names and location. I sealed it all with more Mod Podge and it is keeping time accurately (yay, me). Finally, I adhered a 3M Velcro fastener to the back from which to hang the clock.
Challenges I am Entering:
