Making Candy Apples…

October 7th, 2009

I finally decided to get some crafting done! My candy apples sold quick last year, so I figured I would make some more for those of you who missed out.

apples1 

Cutting them out… not so fun. Stitch them up… stuff them…

apples2

They look a little silly, like lemons or something!

apples3

Ah, there we go… starting to see an apple shape!

apples4

Then comes the paint! I always use my “jackson pollock” towel! he he 

I took a break to take care of my little one, cook some dinner, get the kids fed, washed, and in bed… then decided to finish up my apples, when I realized I had forgotten to go hunting for sticks!! By that time it was getting dark. I decided to try and dunk them in the wax without the sticks… how hard can it be, right? WRONG! I ended up burning myself and making a mess of things… but I was determined to get these apples finished. So, you can guess what comes next… yup… searching through the woods in the dark. If you know me, you know I must have been really determined to finish this project to actually go out in the dark, by myself, into the woods… Eeeek!!

So, I grabbed a flashlight… and a saw… yup a saw! I told myself it was to cut the branches (but did I actually use it? no..). Anywho, wondering what my neighbors must think of me yet again – doing my crazy stuff outside again (like last week when I packed up 55 pounds of mica in little baggies with a mask and goggles!) I stomped through the woods freaking out about sounds and spiders hoping to get this done quickly.

apples5

I did manage to get what I needed, but came back tired, freaked out, and up to my ankles in mud (whoops, was that a big swamp I just went through!?) uggghhh…

On to gluing the sticks, melting the wax (again!), dunking, and dipping…

Anyway, I was able to finish them up… as you can see by the stove clock, it was almost 11pm! lol But they’re finished!!!

apples6

If you’d like one of my works of love, I have listed them on Etsy HERE. I love keeping a few in my kitchen, they always make me smile! :0)

apples7

Comments Off

, ,

Getting Artsy!

June 26th, 2009

My mother in law invited me to join the town’s art league on Tuesday nights… of course I readily agreed! I haven’t done much drawing or painting since college, so I am so excited to have a set time to do some art. Over the past couple years I’ve been researching and enjoying collage art on the internet; I’ve even collected my share of books. But, I’ve never really had the time, patience, or motivation to actually dip myself into the world of collage. I’ve taken this opportunity to get myself into it and just do it! 

 My first project… although now that I’m into it, I think I should have started out with a more experimental piece… is a collage piece of elephants to go in my baby’s room. I’ve been wanting to do a piece for her room since she was born, but never had the time for it. I’m glad at least now I know it will be finished before she graduates from her crib! lol It was so great to just work on it for hours at a time with no distractions. I meant to take photos along the way, but kep forgetting; sorry! But here’s a photo how it looks now… this is with four hours of work. It’s taking me a lot longer than I imagined it would!

 elephant collage

I think next time, I will just do the whole background, then put my image on top. It’s hard to work around the elephant shapes! I can’t wait until its finished… I can’t wait even more to see what else I can come up with when I’m just playing around with no set ideas in my head! ;0)

Comment ( 1 )

, ,

Inspiration Has Struck

March 16th, 2009

So, I was browsing blogs the other day, and came across a wonderful post by an artist named Martha Brown. I have always been intrigued by collages; have even bought dozens of books and magazines.. and have also tried many techniques and failed. But, as I sat there reading her post about a collage in progress, it all came clear to me.  The technique was so simple; and yet I struggled for years to understand it.

At first, I was just excited to learn a new technique that I could someday use… but, as I started thinking of Create a Prim again and how I will be updating it; an idea popped into my head. I could recreate my house graphics in collage art! You see, a few days ago I had decided that I will be changing the business name “Create a Prim” to “Crafty Avenue”; so that it would appeal to a broader audience. Looking at all the prim colors and graphics, I knew that will have to be updated too. So, then I got really excited! I set up my easel, taped down some bristol board and dragged out my paints. I was itching all day to get the kids to bed so I could get to work!

Finally the time came to play, and I had a blast! I tried to take photos along the way, but I was too excited, so I kept forgetting! lol First I drew up a sketch on paper the houses I needed to create. Then, I sketched them out on my bristol board. I pasted down some black and white scraps of paper that I got from newspapers, and images I made on the computer then printed.

houses1

Next, I did a very light gesso wash over the papers so it wasn’t so dark. Then painted color washes over the houses. I forgot to not color over where I wanted the doors and windows! uh oh! Good thing I know how to edit photos in PhotoShop. I’ll take care of that later..

houses2

I added finishing touches with colored paper, some text from newspapers, and my favorite part: charcoal pencil! I love how the charcoal pencil finishes it all up.

houses3

It was a really messy first try; but I think over all it was a success! I have some major cleaning up to do in PhotoShop. Here’s a sample of what I’ve done on the computer so far:

houses4

As you can see, I’ve cut the houses out from the original messy background; then added in a drop shadow. I’ve also enlarged the text on the houses so you can read it at this small size (still need to do the shop one!). I also changed the color of the windows and doors a bit so they stand out more. A little more work, and we have new graphics for Create a Prim… I mean Crafty Avenue! ;0)

This has been so much fun; I can’t wait to start on some collage art that I can actually hang on the wall! My easel will not be put away until I give it another try. But first I have some cleaning up to do around it! lol

housesmess

Comments Off

, ,