I’ve been practicing! And I am going to be devoting more time to this. I enjoy it, it relaxes me, it challenges me. It is all good, all around.
— KM
dIY & doodles
candles by you | diy home roundup
Candles! No matter the season, I love them. In the winter they’re perfect to take off the chill and add warm light. In the summer they make our long summer days last just that little bit longer when they light up patios and balconies.
Rooting through my link collection I’ve rounded up my favourite diy candle projects. There is something for everyone here! From natural beeswax, to pretty painted pots and industrial copper, I see a lot more homemade candles in my life.
- homemade beeswax candles | a beautiful mess
- diy faux speckled candles | almost makes perfect
- diy copper candle | the merry thought
- scented soy candles | paper & stitch
- diy pink mason jar candles | hello natural
– KM
blue bird | watercolor practice
half of a pair of pears | watercolour practice
Want to master watercolours? Practice, practice, practice.
I’m very pleased with this one!
– KM
first flower | watercolour practice
Watercolour may be my favourite painting medium but I find that it is one of the most difficult. The best way to learn? Practice, practice and practice.
This is the first watercolour practice that I liked. Please enjoy.
-KM
coasters by you | diy home roundup
Feeling a little restless, I starting thinking about moving apartments to shake things up. Then maybe just upgrading my furniture, and then after realizing I haven’t the funds for either of those things, I looked into switching up some of my accessories when I came to the (tiny) realization that I’m missing a key accessory, coasters!
How could I have missed this accessory opportunity for so long? Silly me.
Looking to correct this horrendous (joking) wrong, I have been scouring the interwebs for the perfect coasters to make.
Here a some of my frontrunners:
- cement coasters with gold accents | a daily something
- color theory coasters | for the makers
- geometric leather coasters | design*sponge
- marbled tile coasters | design*sponge
- ombre leather coasters | almost makes perfect
- it’s recession time cork coasters | my dubio
Have you ever made coasters for your home? What’s your favourite material to use? Did they hold-up over time? I’d love to know!
– KM
learning to make a linocut print | DIY art
This past weekend I dug into my art supplies and rediscovered a linocut printing set that I had purchased. Feeling adventurous, I dug in (pun intended?) and crafted the block below:
The steps were simply as follows:
- Choose your design
- Draw it in reverse on the block
- Remove access material using the cutting tool (cutting yourself minimally, ouch!)
- Ink and press
the start of the cutting process
freshly inked from printing
the print
For those that have tried linocut printmaking, show me your stuff! I’d love to see it!
– KM
growing a little lemon tree
today I’d like to share my latest plant achievement – a little Meyer Lemon tree. it’s only a tiny seedling so far, but over time I hope it flourishes into an indoor fruit tree.
if you’re interested in sprouting your own lemon tree, I recommend the guide I used from growingwildceeds.wordpress.com. It’s wonderful!
watercolour doodle: birdy I
watercolour doodle: cactus
simple earring display
need a super simply (yet stylish) way to hang your earrings? try this!
This little earring holder took only part of an evening and I’m so pleased to have found another use for this ridiculously bright pink shade. It’s a Martha Stewart craft paint and it had great coverage on this wood embroidery hoop.
I think I’d like to try making a batch of them. like little bubbles of colour ready to burst!
Simple tile coasters
Sometime the simplest projects are my favourites!
Supplies:
- Con-Tact cork shelf liner
- Scissors
- 4 Tiles (approximate 4″ x 4″) | I got mine at the Re-Store
- Metallic spray paint | I used a Rust-Oleum product in Soft Iron
- Spray clear coat
These coasters were very easy to make and only required a little time to spray the tiles, and stick on the self-adhesive cork.
Don’t they look lovely?
Notice the crinkled paint effect. This actually happened by accident from painting too thick of a layer.
The cork self liner will keep the tile bottoms from scratching the surface the coaster is protecting.
All tied up with a bow and ready to be gifted. <3
Big Black Car in Watery Colors
Another sharpie and watercolors combination featuring the incredible lyrics of Big Black Car from Gregory Alan Isakov. Simply wonderful song. I highly recommend you give it listen.
Advent Calender Idea: Brass Stampings
I’ve been messing with my metal letter stamps and some brass washers and voila! Markers that I think could be really cool for an advent calender. ‘Tis the season.
Itty Bitty Watercolor Gift Tags
Watercolor Doodles + Craft Punch = Tiny Watercolor Gift Tags
I am a smitten kitten! These little gift tags are adorable and great little pieces of functional art.
For my little sis
The countdown to Christmas has begun, but more importantly the countdown to my sister coming home for Christmas is on!
Miss you dearest sibling.
Watery Little Chat
love love love – of monsters and men
I think that Of Monsters and Men are totally brilliant and fell hard for their song Love Love Love when I first heard it. It’s certainly tortured.
I haven’t been able to do it justice yet. Nevertheless, here is a small token of my appreciation for this wonderful song.
Check them out here: http://www.ofmonstersandmen.com/
Etsy Treasury: Polymer clay
Check it out! An Etsy treasury devoted to the wonderfully diverse material that is Polymer Clay.
Warm wood. A note on refinishing glory!
This summer I undertook my first major refinishing project! For my birthday my parents bought me a small dry sink that had seen better days. It was coated with black paint, candle wax and the door was in pieces. With a lot of time (I like to work slowly, not one to rush), paint stripper, sand paper and wood oil she was transformed into a true beauty!
The photos I’ve included here highlight the wonderful nail holes that remain in the door from the cabinet’s previous owners. A lovely bit of character!
Playing with clay
While I do enjoy making monsters with polymer clay, I’ve also tried my hand at beads! Inspired by dismountcreative.com, these are pretty simple to make, and add some much needed whimsy to my typical business attire.
Simple circles.
Do you ever have a failed project that totally bums you out? Last night I was mucking around with my watercolours and I totally botched a purple painting. Today I decided to chop it apart and make it something new. Eh, voila! Perfect watercolour drops on a blank background.
ta-da!
Life is …
This is the other side of the plywood post from yesterday. It was inspired by a bench photo I saw with the same inscription.
It might be a little bit rude and pessimistic, but I love it’s cheekiness and I couldn’t be happier to share it with you.
mind open. be present.
This hunk of plywood is one of my pride and joys. It is typically displayed on my desk and was simple to make. (Plywood, Martha Stewart Multi Surface paints, sticker letters.)
Bright Eyes done in Watery Colours
A sharpie and water colour duo I whipped up yesterday. The lyrics I wrote out are from one of my most loved Bright Eyes songs, First Day of my Life.
Playing with paint
I love paint! All sorts! I love the pops of color, and the textures you can create with these magical tubes and pots of goodness.
Unfortunately I’ve never had the opportunity to take a painting class so my skills are limited. But that doesn’t seem to stop me from trying.
Over the weekend I hit up Pinterest for inspiration and got to work. The task was simple.
- Paint a canvas in an interesting pattern with colours I liked
- After drying, cover the canvas with masking tape with the intention of painting over the whole canvas
- Paint the whole canvas a solid color, then remove the tape to reveal!
And ta-da! Here they are.
While they won’t be hanging in the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) any time soon, I’m still pleased.
A note for next time … I recommend really good masking tape. Frog Tape seems like one of the best, so I will likely try that.
monstermonster 