Tried and True Tuesday--Sticky Situation

Seems like everyone in our neighborhood is trimming their trees back.  And (after silently wishing they wouldn't) I have a compulsion to want to curb-pick all the branches.  They're just beautiful in their own right.  I gave in to my compulsion recently and found something to do with the sticks.  Appropriate because I'm from "the sticks."  Maybe that's why nature always inspires.

I found a neat little project to try on More Design Please.  It's a top notch design blog with some fun DIY ideas. Here's what I made using many varying size twigs, an old cd, brown cardboard, a glue gun, and some fishing line.

The concept of the project is very easy.  Cover the cd with something brown, and glue a bunch of sticks to it.  It was easy but suprisingly time consuming, taking a couple of hours to complete.  But maybe that's just me, calculating the stick's sizes and arrangement too much.

When the wreath was finished, I loved the result.  Here, I used fishing line to hang it in front of a mirror.  But, I think it would look even better as a grouping of three.  Hoping I'll eventually have time to make a set.

Blessings!

Storage Solutions

Welcome to a new week!  I wanted to share a little project journey I just encountered.  We are fortunate to be able to use a shrunk, a German shelving system that usually takes up a lot of space.  Good, because we have a lot of space to fill.  Since we are living in our friends' home while they are out of town, they left the house partially furnished, including the shrunk.

Ooh, strong affinity for this piece.  However, it's not mine, and I don't have the freedom to refinish it.  I don't yet have time to tack paper in the back of the shelves.  Still I had a more serious need:  to create storage a bit out of the children's reach and divide their toys into smaller containers.  We're not doing so well with keeping a ton of toys in one big basket, emptying it, and having so much to clean up.  I'm optimistic that we would do better by getting down a little at a time and putting it away before making more messes (duh).  I like to think of myself as a recovering hoarder, so sometimes the organizational ideas come a little slower to me.

I have a lot of baskets.  They are all shapes and sizes and vary somewhat in color, and the matchy-matchy baskets are the current trend in storage.  I could spray paint these all the same color, but chances are I would spend more on the paint than the baskets are actually worth.  I was determined to spruce them up using something I already had.  Checked my decorating notebook, that thing I put together with pages from magazines before Pinterest came along.  Hey, print still has its place.  It dawns on me:  I have quite a few starfish and shells!  So, I spent a little time arranging the baskets and then gluing on the marine life.  Either I'm delusional, or it did create a relevance for the baskets.  And, now I'm excited...  making what I already have work.  Please pardon the folded laundry and napping dog; we're keepin' it real here.

Sea treasures work here because we live near the beach.  Here are some other inexpensive items that could also unify baskets:

• chalk labels
• small frames/ornaments with pics representing what's in the baskets (great for pre-reading kids)
• small frames used as mini dry erase boards
• larger silk flowers
• wine corks
• antique/repurposed knobs/pulls
• spoons (maybe my favorite and quirky pick)
• drift wood
• little wreaths
• bows

And, my mind keeps going...  Blessings!

Christmas Craft...to my parents, do NOT read

It's a handmade Christmas here at the Thompson's.  Thought I'd share my most recent project, a decorative cloche for my folks.

Cloche (yes, also the name of popular winter hats) means 'bell' in French.  However, growing up, I'm pretty sure I just thought of it as a container for cheese ball spread at Christmas time.  I bought this one at a thrift store for $1.99 and am kicking myself for passing up another one earlier in the week.  Then, I also purchased a glass candlestick holder from a dollar store, which would soon become a pedestal.

I like to refinish with a good bit of dimension, this time using three shades of acrylic paint.  First, I lightly sanded the base and painted it and the candlestick black, using a foam brush.

After it dried, I used a cotton rag to paint on a coat of light turquoise.  I tried to allow some black to show through.  After that layer dried, I did the same using a tan paint.

When, the color looked the way I wanted and dried, I sanded the edges a bit, even on the candlestick.

Now, I chose to NOT permanently attach the candlestick.  I will include some putty with the gift, that way it can be used at different heights.

You can fill a cloche with many different things:  seashells, Christmas lights, ornaments, balls of yarn (great for knitters), and just about any small objects.  I got this bag, of what looks like sugar-coated fruit, at the thrift store.  I still have leftovers I will use in creating other gifts.

The trick to filling a cloche is to fill it full, and fill it upside down.

  And, there you have it.  You could do the same in even fewer steps.  Maybe you even have a cloche at home that hasn't been getting much use.  It's an inexpensive gift, even if you need to buy one.  I am thinking of how fun it would be to have a collection of cloches!!!  I'd like to give special thanks to the blog that inspired this project, from The Speckeld Dog:  http://thespeckleddog.blogspot.com/2010/12/makeover-gets-makeover.html.  Blessings!

Coffee Filter Art

I know I'm biased, but coffee filter art looks even better in person than you see in the pictures.  I need a new camera.  Anyway, coffee filter art is very easy.  It's great to do along-side children.  In fact I learned about it from an occupational therapist in the classroom.  I always love a craft I can do with my children present without worrying about what might get destroyed.  But, children are not necessary to enjoy this project, either.

To prepare:  I typically buy large frames at the thrift store to paint.  They are hideous and cheap.  You can't beat $6 and a little labor (not sure if I can say "elbow grease" if I'm not cleaning?).  The background paper you choose is important.  I like to use a solid colors so that when the filters are in place, it looks sort of like a graphic print.  In the "Olivia" art below, I just painted over the poster that was originally in the frame.  You'll need:  coffee filters, washable markers, medium size paint brush, double-sided tape, glue, background paper, and frame.

First, use your frame and filters to decide on a layout and how many filters to design.  Tip:  arrange and take a photo with a phone or digital camera, then repeat and compare layouts.  I eyeball everything.  Maybe one day I'll discover a rule of thumb.  I do know you should make a couple of extra filters, in case some don't turn out the way you'd love.

Next, use the markers to draw overlapping circular patterns on the filters.  Don't overthink it.  Random is good.  In the art above, I used three shades of blue.  It's just a matter of your palette and preference.  Then, take the paint brush and brush off most of the water back into the cup.  Start with a little water and build as you get more used to it.  Use the damp brush to make dots and swirls through the marker lines.  Lines will blur.  My personal preference is to blur about half of the lines and to use more dots of water than swirls.  Also, brush water on the perimeter of the filter to help it dry flatter.  After they dry, press them under a heavy book for as long as you can stand it.  I'm always itching to complete a project!  Also, remember, the previous detailed instructions are for those who want to know everything before beginning.  Suggestions are meant to be diverted from.  Break the rules.  Do your own thing.

Now it's time to lay out the designed filters on your background paper.  It's helpful to arrange with help from the double-sided tape.  But, I learned the hard way it alone will not hold filters for long.  The good news is that you can stick and unstick until you're happy.  Then use small dots of glue to permanently adhere filters in place (I used a glue gun).  Finally, place your art in the frame and ENJOY!

There are so many different ways to mix this up; I can't wait to try more!  For the Olivia filter, I painted it black, wrote in white-out pen, and skipped the water painting.  You could draw different or more random shapes, or cut your filters into other shapes (try cutting them before drawing and after for different effects).  Filters come in a few sizes, so you can experiment with scale.  Try the unbleached ones.  I am also dying to try melting crayon wax drips for an added dimension.

Here is a filter designed by my son, Dash : )  Maybe I should collect his and frame them.  Hmmm....

Hope you enjoy playing with this one.  Blessings!
TWEET TWEET!  Follow me on Twitter:  @jonesythompson

A Third Life

So far, my living room tables have had three lives: once with their first owner, another with me for the past two years, and its current life after a much needed makeover.  They are sassier now; you can just tell.

Sometimes, you have to have the willpower of a steam engine to get anything done.  My table makeovers may have not required a penchant for creativity, but I made up for it with stubborn determination.  What do you do with a three-year-old and a not-quite-one-year-old when you've gotta get the job done?  You let the big one ride his bike and big wheel in front of the house, and alternate the baby between the pack 'n' play and the walker.  They were actually great companions.

You can see from the background of my picture that while prepping for paint, "someone" came to do yard work (and also blow bits of grass and leaves everywhere).  Gotta laugh.

I kept the bottoms a slightly metallic gray.  They were showing some wear.  Rather than try to make them look new (I love the color), I decided to later distress the tops.  Let's be honest; in my house they're going to end up in distress anyway.  Center glass was removed.    And that brings up my only misgivings about painting these pieces...  How would they look with light wood when the glass is a smoked color?  But, I press on anyway.
After one coat of primer and three coats of ivory spray paint ($12 total, thank you, Hobby Lobby clearance), I brought them in for a bit of sanding to age a bit.  And, WOW, these tables were MEANT to be light all along.  Thanks to my friend Laura Goins (http://www.lauragoins.blogspot.com/), for giving me encouragement that it would, in fact, look good in the end.  I love them.

And, speaking of having the willpower of a steam engine, I'd like to say thanks to my hubby.  He, while pressure washing outside the house, didn't let a little broken chain get in the way of finishing the job. Nice work!