Aviator's Wife Inspired Wall Art

"And this was the greatest gift that aviation could ever give me; not the sense of freedom but the sense of permanence, coupling, being absolutely worthy, absolutely necessary to the one person in the world who hadn't needed anyone. Before." -The Aviator's Wife, Melanie Benjamin

I have love flying since the first time I was in an airplane.  And flying a plane, well there is nothing like it.  That is why I chose The Aviator's Wife for book club, so again feel what is was like to fly.  The Aviator's Wife tells the story of Anne Morrow Lindbergh and her marriage to her famous husband.  Most people know bits and pieces of their story but this piece of historical fiction ties the information together into a fantastic work of art.

To celebrate Anne Morrow and the love of aviation, I made wall hanging (which also fit my Valentine's Day decor).

Materials:

• Biographical Dictionary
• Picture Frame
• Pencil
• Black Permanent Marker
• Red Permanent Marker

Directions:

1. Find a page in the dictionary that matches the picture you want to make.  I chose my page to be Charles and Anne Lindbergh (imagine that!).
2. If needed sketch (or print) the desired image onto the page.
3. Go over the image in black permanent marker.
4. Add hearts (or color) using the colored permanent marker.
5. Frame the creation.

If you look closely enough you can see I put Anne's name in a heart.

I was also inspired to do one based on the movie UP! Still aviation based, right?

Tea Stained Flowers

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." -C.S. Lewis

This craft was inspired by a tea mishap, when I accidentally made a cup of tea that I was allergic to.  (Spice allergies and tea do not always go well together).  These flowers smell good and were easy to make.

Directions:

Lay paper down in a flat container. Cover the paper with a layer of tea. Let sit over night and then dry the paper.  Cut the paper into two inch squares.  Follow the directions from my paper flower post to finish the flowers.  

Valentine's Day Couple Painting

"Falling in love is so hard on the knees." -Aerosmith

Although Valentine's Day has pasted, there is nothing like planning ahead for next year.  My significant other and I went to our local art center and participated in a diptych couples painting.  It was his first time painting, but I think it turned out really well.  Check out your local paint bars, art centers, and studios to see what couples paintings are available to you.

Happy painting (and belated Valentine's Day)!

Candy Coin Purse

"We live in a rainbow of chaos." -Paul Chezanne

This coin purse was not only fun to make, but fun to prep for.  I got to eat a bag of Skittles!  This could be done with other candy wrappers as well, such as M&M, Kit Kat, or even a big bag of Air Heads.  I made mine for my 8th grade cousin (but she was disappointed I at the candy without her.

Materials:

• E6000 (or a sewing machine)
• Candy Wrapper
• Zipper

Directions:

1. Open the candy wrapper carefully and eat the candy!
2. Glue or sew the zipper to the open section of the Skittles bag.

So simple and super fun! Though the rainbow that is Skittles always makes me sing Rainbow Connection.  Go Kermit!

Valentine's Day Painting

"Doubt thou the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth move. Doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love." -William Shakespeare

I made this easy Valentine's day inspired painting, that I am hoping will be easy to explain the process.  It can go up now, and carry on through spring and summer.

Materials:

• Blue, White, Dark Green, Medium Green, Light Green, Yellow, Dark Brown, Light Brown, and Black Paint
• Different Sized Brushes
• Primed Canvas
• Water Dish
• Palette
• Painting Cloth

Directions:

1. On the palette, mix some blue and white paint together. Using a large brush paint the top half of the canvas. The paint does not have to go all the way to the sides of the painting. Let dry.
2. Starting at the edge of the sky, take a medium sized brush and add the dark green for the grass by making small X's along the way.  Do this for a few rows.  Then layer the medium green onto the canvas in the same way, mixing the dark green of the last row with the medium green of new row.  Add a few rows in this way.  Continue this process for the light green and yellow.
3. With white paint, make little circles next to each other to form the top part of a cloud.  Add a bit more white paint to the light blue you made for the sky.  Mix together, add use to paint the bottom part of the clouds.
4. With the dark green paint, use a small flat brush and start with the tip and work out to create trees along the grass edge. Let dry.
5. Paint the outline of a heart around the main part of your painting.  From the heart out towards the edge of the painting, fill in with brown paint.  With the light brown paint, add stripes in small amounts to create a wood like grain. Add a few stripes of small white paint as well to create more wood like grains.
6. Add a few dark green lines to the left side of the inside of the hear to create long grasses.  Starting from the left grass corner and working down add small white dots.  Closer to the center turn the dots into six petaled flowers.  Add a dot of yellow to the center of the flower.
7. Taking a dry brush, adding some white paint, and brushing some off, create a faint line of white around the heart on the wood grain part.  
8. With the black paint create lines to look like the wood has three pieces.  Let dry.
9. With a small with brush paint on the the embellishments as seen in the painting above.
10. Add your name or initials to the painting (I tend to do this on the side of the canvas).