Pebble Mat

"My life is full of mistakes.  They're like pebbles that make a good road." -Beatrice Wood

Back in October, I was visiting an art gallery/studio with a group of friends when we saw some pebble mats.  One of my friends really liked them, and when I told him I made a pebble mat a few years ago he recommended I post it on my blog.  I think a good story to go along with this would be stone soup.  (Then maybe you can serve soup to guests on the pebble mats!)  

This was a dollar store craft for me.  I got the pebbles and the mat from a dollar store, so if you have E6000 on hand this is a $2.00 craft!

Materials:

• Bag of pebbles
• Tan or rock colored placemat
• E6000

Directions:

1. Glue pebbles onto the mat in a single, tight layer using a generous amount of glue.
2. Let the mat dry over night.

The rocks stay on pretty well, considering this pebble mat has moved a few times.  It looks good with plants, teapots, and almost anything on it.

Fingernail Polish Pots

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." -Marcus Tullius Cicero

Patio gardening is my new pastime.  While looking for project ideas I came across a tutorial for fingernail polish pots over at Henry Happend.  Since I had a few pots I needed to decorate, I decided to give this a try.  

Of course, I learned a few things along the way:

• Have the water be the same temperature as the outside is really important.  If it is too cold the nail polish will harder before it even gets on the pot. 
• Make sure to scrub out your old pots before doing this.  Just rinsing doesn't work because some plants leave behind an oily residue that the nail polish won't stick to.  
• Use four colors tops in the projects, otherwise it is too much.  
• Remember you can get cheap nail polish at dollar stores!

I am thinking the book Small Space Container Gardens by Fern Richardson might just be what I need to read to get my patio into shape.  

Maze Runner Terrarium

"Just follow me and run like your life depends on it.  Because it does." -James Dashner, The Maze Runner

I read The Maze Runner this winter and had the idea to make a terrarium based on the book. However, I wanted to wait until spring to make it so I could get free moss. Everything in this project actually was free except for the beetle (which I got in a set of bugs).  If you haven't read The Maze Runner yet, it is about a boy who wakes up in a land blocked off by a giant maze with no memories of his past. When he arrives things start to change, and the group must find a way out of the maze.  

Materials:

• Terrarium bowl (in this case an old fish bowl)
• Moss
• Plants
• Potting Soil
• Brown or gray polymer clay
• Rock
• Plastic beetle
• Red puff paint
• Toothpicks 

Directions:

1. Fill up the bowl about a 1/3 of the way full with soil. Plant plants and lay moss on top. Water well.
2. Make two parts of a wall out of clay.  Draw lines into the clay to make it look like a brick wall.  Insert toothpicks into the wall and bake for ten minutes at 250 degrees.
3. Write "Wicked" on the beetle with the puff paint.
4. Insert the wall pieces into the terrarium.
5. Set a rock in the terrarium and lean the beetle against it.
6. Water terrarium well top soil gets dry.

Defending Jacob Thumbprint Pendent

"We must have seemed just live everybody else, which, when you get down to it, is all I ever wanted." -William Landay, Defending Jacob

Defending Jacob is a story about a father who is DA when his son, Jacob, is accused of murdering a classmate.  The evidence against Jacob includes one thumb print, found in blood on the victims   sweatshirt tag.  As more information comes to light all he can do is minimize the evidence and defend Jacob. 

Because of the thumb print evidence and Andy's love for and faith in his son no matter the evidence, I decided to make a thumb print heart necklace.  Half of the heart is made from my thumb print and the other half was made from my significant other's thumb print.  This could be done with siblings thumb prints, or even the thumb prints of a son and a father and turned into a key chain.  

Materials:

• White Polymer Clay
• Gold Paint
• Paint Brush
• Glue (E 6000)
• Cord

Directions:  

1. Create two halves of a heart out of the white clay that would equal a whole heart when put together. Smooth so their is no prints on it.
2. Have each person press their thumb print onto a half of the heart. Make a hole that goes through one section of the heart to attach cord through later. 
3. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 225 degrees. Let cool.
4. Paint with gold paint.  The less paint you use the better the print shows up. Let dry.
5. Glue heart together using E6000. Let dry.
6. Attach cord through heart.

Let's just hope these thumb prints have more luck than Andy did in this book.

Bookworm problem

My question is, who can fall asleep when reading?  Too exciting!  

Mother's Day Clothespin Container

"To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power." -Maya Angelou

Happy Mother's Day!  If you are in need of a last minute gift, hopefully this can help.

Materials:

-Tuna can (cleaned)
-Approximately 20 clasp clothespins
-Potting soil and a flower or a tea light

Directions:

1. Clip clothespins around the entire can.
2. Plant a flower in the can or use a it as a tea light holder. 

Something simple and beautiful to give to Mom.

A Super(hero) Apron

"God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers." -Rudyard Kipling

Mother's day is coming up this weekend.  Moms are a lot like superheroes.  They save us when we fall (literally or figuratively), they clean up the mess we make, and they want to protect us from evil.  This superhero inspired apron might just be what a mom needs to keep fighting for her world.

Materials:

• One yard of superhero printed fabric
• 1/2 yard of red fabric
• Red thread
• Sewing machine
• Tape measure
• Pencil

Directions:

I followed the instructions at a Ribbon Retreat to get this beautiful apron completed.

Until next time!

Star Wars Day Wine Bottle Light

"Remember... the Force will be with you, always." -Obi Wan Kenobi, A New Hope

Happy Star Wars Day!  In keeping with the comic book theme, I used a Star Wars comic book to make this lovely table decoration. 

Materials:

• Previously read Star Wars Comic
• Scissors
• Wine Bottle
• Modge Podge
• Sponge Brush
• Indoor/Outdoor lights

Directions:

1. Cut out background pieces and images you want to use for your design.

2. Modge Podge the back ground pieces onto the bottle.  Modge Podge the images you want to highlight on top of the background images.  Cover entire thing in Modge Podge and let dry. 

3. Insert lights into the bottle.  Plug in to enjoy the glow.

I love the silhouette effect that Darth Vader has on the bottle.  Of course this project could be done with other comics.  

And, since it has to be said, May the 4th be with you! 

Comic Book Headband

"I don't see a need to retire, as long as I am having fun." -Stan Lee

Happy Free Comic Book Day (a day late)!!!  This is what I am wore to celebrate the occasion.

Materials:

• Comic Book Printed Material
• Sew Machine with Thread to match your fabric
• Felt (color of choice for leaves)
• Fabric (color of choice for flower)
• Hot Glue Gun
• Velcro
• Scissors for fabric and scissors for felt

Directions:

1. Cut the fabric to enough to fit your head plus a little extra room.  Cut width to about 3 inches.
2. Sew a hem around the entire outside of the headband.
3. Cut a piece of velcro ad sew to opposing ends and sides of the headband.
4. Cut out two leaves from felt. Sew onto off center of the headband.
5. Cut out a circle from felt.
6. Cut out a long strip of fabric about a 1/4 of an inch in width.  Fray on entire side.
7. Starting on the outside of the felt circle, glue the not frayed side of the fabric down working towards the center to get the flower shape. Cut off any excess fabric at the end.
8. Glue the flower down onto the center of the leaves.

Here is a spring headband done using the same concept, only the ends are longer to tie in the back instead of using velcro.

As Stan Lee would say, " 'Nuff Said".

Comic Book Coin Purse

"Wise men say forgiveness is divine but never pay full price for late pizza." -Michelangelo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

As part of getting excited for free comic book day tomorrow, I made a comic book coin purse out of my comic books from last year.  

Materials:
Scissors, Comic Books, Ruler, Felt, Large and Small Needle, Zipper, Felt, Embroidery Floss, Thread, Sewing Machine, Spray-on Modge Podge

Directions:
1. Start by cutting 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 inch rectangles. Total of 60.

 2. Fold in half.

 3. Unfold and fold both sides in.

 4. Fold both sides in again.

 5. Fold back in half again.

6. Fold in half the other way.

 7. Fold both flaps in.

 8. Insert the flaps of one link through the flaps of another link. 

9. Once 20 links are hooked together, take the last link's ends out and tuck them into the first link. Add tape to hold in place if necessary. Make three chains total.

 10. Tie embroidery thread onto the bottom link.  Tie the thread to the large needle.

 11. Interweave the thread over and under through the links first through the back and then through the front.  Continue all the way around.  Do the same with the third chain.

 12.  Through the loops, thread over and under in an x shape in order to thread the bottom together.

13. Cut out a 7 1/4 by 6 1/4 inch piece of felt. 

14. Using the sewing machine sew the zipper onto the felt.   Measure to make sure the pouch fits into the comic book woven section.  Cut off excess felt.  Sew up the sides.

 14. Sew the pouch into the inside using thread and the small needle.  

15. Spray with spray modge podge to seal the pages. 

Super Hero Paintings

"We have no choice.  So we fight...and we win. There are no other options." -Steve Rogers, Earth 616

Part two of my super hero postings, comes from an idea I had stumbled upon on the internet (though I cannot seem to find the original link).  I think these paintings would look great in a man (or woman) cave or in a child's room.  

I will give directions on how to make the Iron Man inspired painting.  

Materials:

Paint (Maroon, yellow, orange, and white paint)
Brushes
Three canvases of the same size

Directions:

• Paint the background of the canvas maroon. Let dry.
• Find four circular objects of varying sizes.
• Trace the largest circle onto the canvas. Center the smaller ones onto each other to get the size of the arc reactor.  Four overall circles (or five if you can find one small enough).
• Draw lines through some of the circles on the middle circle for the reactor lines. 
• Paint the out circle yellow. Paint the reactor lines yellow. Let dry.
• Leave a ring of maroon and paint the next ring white. Also paint the inside circle (or paint the circle in) white.
• Paint the circle below the white circle orange. Let dry.

I found that adding some white paint to the yellow and the orange paint help to make it less transparent.

Now, on to framing these and finding somewhere to put them.