Found Object Alphabet

This was so fun to make, and the kids enjoyed getting in on it too.  Some of my favorites are the "G", "X", and "Y".  Oh! and "I".

All I did was use a glue gun to attach the found objects to the board, and put it in a frame.

You got to love something from nothing.

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Sketches and Studies

 I'm trying to get back into the habit of sketching every day.  Something- anything.  From life, from my mind, from a photo.  It doesn't mater. It's one of those things that can help so much, and only takes a few minuets to do.  Here are a few I did this week:

This one was from a photo:

This from my mind:

This is a combination from a photo I took/on location

This also led to me pulling out my dusty old box of oils.

And I did a couple quick, small paintings of an orange slice, done in oil.  It's been way too long since I touched oil paints;  rich, buttery saturated colors.  Yummy.

Hopefully I can stay in the grove of things, and there will be more to come.

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My DIY King-sized Headboard

I've been having an idea brewing in my mind for some time now.  Yesterday it all came together.  Here's how I made this inexpensive  upholstered headboard (if you follow me on pinterest, you probably knew this was coming).


This is the board, soon to be beautiful.  In case you are wondering, I made mine 31 inches high, and 73 inches long.  It took me some figuring to decide how tall to make it, and I think 31 inches high was a good choice.

There's the bowl I used to trace the circle cut out in the corners.  If only I could tell my later self - I should have used a pizza pan then and there.

I cut out a curve on the top corners to make the "belgrave" style.  You can  check out this link for  types of headboards, to see what would work best for you.

While I used math to find out where to drill the holes for the buttons, Katie drew hearts in the sawdust.

I used some camping mats I got at a yard sale for the foam.  They cost me $1 each.  For the foam at the fabric store it was $34.99 per yard.  No thank you.  I used the glue gun to attach the mats.

Next, I covered it with batting (also $1 from a yard sale).  Pull it taught while you staple it into place.  I work from the middle of the sides, out to the corners.

Then I covered the buttons (with a kit I got at the fabric store) and the headboard with fabric.

I thought I was done!  Then when I woke up I realized that I wanted to make the cut-out in the corners a little bigger. 

I popped out the staples and, with a jigsaw, took out a larger section of the board. I made my own template from a pizza pan this time.

Now, I stapled it all back together.

I hung it on the wall, using D rings directly into studs.

It was a good day.  

Here's the breakdown:

Board- $12

Fabric- $20

Button kit (14 buttons)- $6

Foam/Batting (yard sale finds)- $3

D rings- $3

$44 total- Win!

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Perler Bead Cheeseburger

Jenna made this fun hamburger the other day, such a creative idea!  I just had to share.   This would be so cute as a hot dog too, with a squirt of ketchup and mustard.  

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Katie's Photos

Thank goodness Katie is so willing to model for me while I try to figure out this whole photography thing.  I must say, I am having so much fun with this.  I think this is an obsession that will stick around for a while.  Now if I could only get the other kids to pose for me.

Here's a peek at the before and after, this was done in Lightroom 4.  The temptation is to go overboard, there is so much you can do with this program, I love it!  I'm still learning everything it is capable of, and enjoying every minuet of it.

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Learning Lightroom- Black and White

My photography exploration continues.  I love how these newborn pictures of Lily turned out post processing.

Just for fun I shot these directly in black and white, I will be doing more of this in the future!

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Re-purposed Candle Jars

Don't throw away those old candle jars anymore!  Here's what I did with mine:

First, soak the candle in hot water to loosen the wax and labels.

Clean it out with a paper towel.

I use "Goo Gone" on a cotton ball to get rid of the stubborn parts of the label.

Lastly, clean by hand, or just put it in the dishwasher.  It will come out nice and shiny.

Here are just a few ideas for how your new jar can be used.

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