Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Heart Art

One of our very favorite places to spend time is the North Shore of Lake Superior.  Gregg and I love to watch the waves, and I can spend hours hunting the shores for rocks, driftwood, and sea glass.

Several years ago we started a tradition of finding heart-shaped rocks to give to each other.   I’ve always thought it would be fun to do something with all of the rocks we’ve collected over the years. 

This is what I decided to do with them as an anniversary gift for Gregg…

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I started by taking the rocks and placing them on a piece of mat board in a pleasing composition.  Then I glued them down with some strong glue.
 
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I bought a shadowbox frame at Michaels, but didn’t like the white for this project.

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I painted over the white with a soft yellow color, then sanded it a little for an aged look.

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I put it all together and this is how it turned out.

Here’s another one that I just had to put in its own frame.  I found this stone with a little heart in it!

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Here’s what I did with this special heart…

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 I took a little black frame that I found in my stash, took out the glass and painted it a beige color.

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Then I roughed up the frame with a little sand paper so some of the black showed through.  I glued the rock to the back of the frame (which was already black), and finished it off with “love” using a fine point Sharpie.

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Gregg was very happy with his gifts!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Jane  <><

We love because He first loved us.
1 John 4:19

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Frogs

A few days ago when writing about the place we stayed during our trip to Northfield, I mentioned that the décor was “interesting”.  Well, I’ll be sharing some of that décor with you today in my blog.  Keep in mind that the name of the place is “Froggy Bottom’s River Suite”.  Can you guess what the theme might be?

Here are some of the guys we hung out with during our stay…

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Yup…every one of these (plus many more) were in the Froggy Bottom’s Suite.
Nothing more I can say about that.

Blessings to you…
 Jane  <><
                                    
God saw all that He had made, and behold it was very good.
                                                                          Genesis 1:31

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Watercolor Crayons

Last week during our getaway to Northfield, I had a chance to try out a set of watercolor crayons.  It was fun to play with something new!

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The crayons are a lot like watercolor pencils.  You put the color down and then add water.  The difference is that the crayons are “creamier” than the pencils, and the colors are a little more vibrant.
  
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I started out with a simple black ink sketch on a rough watercolor paper using my Prisma Micron pen

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Then I colored it in with the crayons

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I took a squirt bottle and spritzed it with water.  The colors just came to life!

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Once you add water, the colors start to bleed together.  You can add more color, and move the color around with a brush.
  
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I did this one on a smoother paper, and used a brush to wet the crayon.  This is a much more controlled method.

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I painted this one first and then added the pen and ink.
It was just fun to play around with the crayons with no expectations of creating a "work of art".  Next time I'm going to try out the crayons on a little canvas...we'll see what happens :)

Blessings to you my friends!

Maranatha!
Jane  <><

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
1 John 5:14 

Sunday, March 18, 2012

An Anniversary Getaway

Hubby Gregg and I had an anniversary last week…we always like to go on a little vacation to celebrate our special day.  Our first choice of places to travel would definitely involve a beach and an ocean...however, reality doesn’t always allow that.  So, this year we spent our romantic getaway in Northfield (about a 45 minute drive from our home).  We had never been to Northfield before, so it was a bit of a gamble.  We were very pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed this little town!
 
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This isn’t our dog, but he was so sweet that I wanted him in the picture.

We stayed at a place called the “Froggy Bottoms River Suite”.  It was actually a little apartment 2 floors above Froggy Bottoms Bar.  This was a little concerning at first (neither Gregg or I are bar people), but there was no connection between the two places.  It was a lovely old place with lots of charm, and it had a balcony that overlooked the river and town.

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This is the view from our balcony.

We spent three days in Northfield.  We walked around town, went to lots of fun art and vintage shops, ate yummy food, watched a couple of movies in the evening, and I was able to get some art time in also!

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The Lord blessed us with perfect weather!  Low 70’s and sunny...very rare for March in Minnesota!  We were able to go on a picnic (one of my favorite things to do).

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Lots of treasure hunting was done while we were there.  One of my favorite finds was a set of two vintage bird lawn ornaments (we kinda collect kitschy lawn ornaments).  It made me laugh to see Gregg walking around town with the birds...I love this man.

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We had a wonderful anniversary week together!  Everything was pretty much perfect...well, almost perfect.  Check back in a few days to see the “interesting” decor of the Froggy Bottom Suite.

Blessings to you...
Jane  <><

“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within   him.”    John 7:38

Sunday, March 11, 2012

A Creative Slump

I’ve been in a little bit of a creative slump.  Why is it that I’m starting to spend more time on Pinterest and other artist’s blogs than I spend on my own creating?  Throw in the “Words With Friends” game that I play with 6 people, and way too much of my time is being sucked away from the time I could be using toward my own art, crafts, photography, and decorating.  Is this a problem that other artists and crafters are experiencing?

Cutting them out of my life completely isn’t an option, especially the blogs I follow!  Art & crafting blogs, and Pinterest are so inspiring to me…I think it’s the motivation that I struggle with.  My blog has helped get me motivated, but I know that I could be doing much more with that too.  My brain is filled with ideas for tutorials, decorating tips, and creative projects that I want to share.  To say that I don’t have time would be a lie…I have the time, but I’m not taking the time. 

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I am going to start working on this!  If anyone has any suggestions for me, I would welcome them.
Thank you dear readers, for letting me vent my frustration!
Until next time…

Create in me a clean heart, O God.  Renew a right spirit within me.    Psalm 51:10

Maranatha,
Jane

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Daisies

I thought I would share some pictures that I took the other day.  Gregg gave me a bouquet of my favorite flowers...daisies!  When I put my favorite flowers in a mason jar, it becomes something so lovely, I just had to try to capture the beauty with my camera...






Until next time...

May God bless your weekend with loveliness!

 Maranatha,
Jane  <><