Tinting Bottles

So I am redoing my office at school in a beach cottage theme therefore I decided to try my hand at tinting some bottles.

The two rippled ones are ones I bought at the Dollar Tree store because I liked the ripples. The other three are tinted and painted.

I read that to tint bottle you could use a little watered down modge podge and food coloring. There were two methods I discovered.

One was to pour the mixture into the bottle and swish it around to cover the inside completely. Next turn the bottle upside down for five mintues and then right side up for five minutes and last of all to bake it on the lowest temperature in the oven for like 20 minutes. This would hasten the drying process.

The second method was to use a sponge, paint brush or rag to paint the outside of the bottle with the modge podge solution.

I first tried the painting one. I liked the look with a rag not a brush because the brush left too many brush strokes. I liked the frosted look. As it dried though it didn't seem quite dark enough so I decided to also pout the mixture inside and coat it. I did not put the bottle in the oven but let it dry. This left a slight ring around the bottom of the bottle but doe not take away from the over all effect.

I tried doing the pouring inside the bottle without painting the outside but I didn't get the same frosted look. So for me a combination of the two methods gave me the look I desired.

The white and blue bottle is spray painted (I read it would make it look like milk glass but mine didn't). I used a sponge to add some blue paint. I'm not crazy about it but will try painting again on another bottle

More Wooden Letters

Here's another set of wooden letters I decided to finally do something with! These JOY letters were bought on clearance at Walmart. They are actually white letters meant for a child's room, so you can spell out their name. I wanted to decoupage them and meant to use either different kinds of wrapping papers or scrapbook paper. Then when cleaning out a shelf in the craft area, I found this vintage looking scrapbook paper and decided to use it! I really do like how they turned out. They will look cute hanging above the vintage Christmas village!

Do you have a craft lingering in your "to do" pile. If so NOW is a great time to create it!

Crafty Kits: BOO

I set up some Crafty Kits back in February....a combination of all those random crafts I bought supplies for and started but never finished AND crafts that I want to create for Halloween and Christmas. I finally worked on one of the little projects...My BOO blocks. I bought these blocks (I'm ashamed to say) a couple years ago at the flea market with the intent of painting and collaging them. Here's what I ended up with...

Summer Art Journals

I love the way this art journal is beautiful and a "to do" list all at the same time. Check out her description of it at Drawing Near.

Here's another splendid idea over at Greenislecrafts.

An art journal calendar page....simply delightful! At Dreamciclejourneys

The Warrior Card

I love my Warrior card....slayer of dragons and protector always!

My Princess Card

I am the one who loves pretty things.

I am the dreamer of dreams that end happily ever after.

I am the one who dreams of leaving the mundane for the magical.

I am the one who believes in the power of love.

 

I give you the desire to explore new things, the softness of beauty, and the caress of enchantment.

I give you the wonder of dreams and the goodness of life.

I give you the doorway.

 

I want you to soar, to recognize your beauty, to pamper yourself and to indulge in the riches of life.

 

You are a princess. Your riches are inside you.

Your soul, your spirit is more valuable than diamonds or rubies.

The measure of your worth is not in dollars and cents but in the essence of you!

Hold this knowledge and do not let the weary world rob your of your treasure.

Animal Companion Cards

The SoulCollage cards are divided into different "suits" and one is called the Companions Suit. Companions can be thought of as the energy dimension of our lives. Some beleive that these cards are linked to the different chakras. Others view this suit as our animal companions or totem animals. Some believe they are a combination, animal guides who also represent one of the energy points of the body.
After much reflect and the creation of two Companion cards I tend to lean toward a combination. The first animal that I considered to be "mine" was the dragonfly. I'm not exactly sure what drew me to it. Perhaps my interest in faery folklore, which includes the idea that some dragonflies are faeries in disguise. Whatever the reason, dragonflies just kept popping up all over the place. One morning around my flowerbed in the backyard hovered a dozen or more dragonflies. It was at that moment that I thought....dragonfly-totem animal. I love Native American believes and had been reflecting on totem animals and the role they play in Native American beliefs. I have know the dragonfly was "mine" for a couple years now. It took much longer for the Fox to come into my life. Patience is important when working with the Companion Suit. You can't push the process of discovering your animals but must let the process unfold.

These cards may look as if they are single pictures but they are not. The backgrounds are a single picture with the animal cut out from another picture and integrated into them.

In my next post I will write about the meanings of the dragonfly and the fox. I will also link them to two chakras and how they seem to fit into my life. Remember that these are personal thoughts and should the animals come into your lives...they may have a bit of a different meaning to them!