DIY Doily Lampshades

PART 1-

 I've been buying and collecting doily's for a long time; sure I could crochet them myself, but when I go to the thrift store or to a yard sale and they're .25 It's hard NOT to buy them rather than make them...besides, it's upcycling! So go out in yonder world and return with a whole bunch of beautifully intricate doily's. Most of mine we're round, but some were 'runner' style, long rectangles, and some were obviously practice crochet because they were a bit wonky. Regardless- Your going to be stitching them around a lamp shade which is no perfect circle or square so no worries! I will eventually remove the fabric that's on the metal frame of the shade, but I wanted to make sure the dye worked out and that I had enough doily's before I had a naked lamp chillin' in my living room- I'm doing this on the sly anyway, so I want to destroy the original at the last moment.

 I just sort of eyeballed the amount that I would need- I'll probably overlap them in some areas...

 I then laid down some plastic and sprayed the fabric. I used Tumble Dye by sei in pink and blue. And I also used Color Shine by Heidi Swapp in teal, mustard, chartreuse, and primrose. Color Shine is typically a scrapbook/mixed media type spray- but I figured, ink is ink-right?!?

I also decided while I was at it, that the doily would make an awesome stencil for one of my canvases- so I laid it across the canvas in progress and sprayed away- I think it'll be a cute background element!

My next steps will be to let them dry completely and iron over them to heat set the ink. I'll post about that and how I finished the project on Thursday! Stay tuned!!

The yummiest recipe evahhh!

I make this soup at least twice a month and it is insanely good! The hub adds chicken to his, I add tofu, but really, you don't need to add anything, cause it is PERFECT!

Thom Kai Gai

2 cans cooking coconut milk

1 stalk lemongrass(bruised)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 inch Galanga sliced thin

1 inch Ginger sliced thin

1 can of peeled straw mushrooms

1 can of baby corn

7ish kefir lime leaves

vegetarian fish sauce

1Tbs green curry paste

I rinse and drain all of my canned vegetables in the sink before i put them in the coconut. Even the tomato a tiny bit. I start with a tsp of curry paste and add throughout the simmer. Usually it will cook for about thirty minutes just to get the best of the flavors out of everything. Try not to let this boil as the milk will break up somewhat...and remember that the galanga, lemongrass, lime leaves, and ginger are not very edible so i pick those out before i serve it. To finish it off i squeeze a half of a lime over it with a hand full of cilantro just ripped off the bunch and tossed on top. Nom nom nom- so yummy, and soul satisfying!

New Workshop!

My friend Rachel and I are going to have a Gastonia Paint Party Studio! It's going to be wonderful!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

7:00 PM - 9:30 PM

A fun activity for date night, girls night out, work parties or just for pure fun!
Adults are invited to attend this 2.5 hour evening class where each person will create a version of the “Painting of the Day.”
Students can be beginners to advanced painters. The goal is fun through creativity. Canvases, paint, and brushes will be supplied.
Attendees may bring a beverage to sip and/or food to munch during the event, if they so desire.

If you're within driving distance, we'd love to have you!

Minus the Bear

I'm still working on this one but besides a few minor details, I'm done. This was a crazy trip and started out completely different, the growth and stories it tells through the layers is personally astounding...This may be mine...

stamps!

(ignore the beer...it's my night off...)

I may be slow on the uptake, but I finally figured out how to create stamps without having to carve linoleum for hours! I got these garden 'kneelers' at Big Lots for two bucks and I already had a wood burning tool with different tips (I think I got it at Micheal's or Hobby Lobby a few years back when I was playing with transfers). I put in the smallest cone tip with a point and just free handed into the foam. Then I carved the rest of the foam I didn't want to show up in the stamp with an Exacto. Next, I put some fluid acrylic onto palette paper and rolled a brayer through it to get it even. I then rolled the brayer across the stamp and printed it on paper! Wah-la! (You could also just press the foam into the paint and then onto the paper.) The cheapest doggone stamps evaaahhh!

Wednesday Pretties!

Fiesta Necklace




Green Pumpkin Photo Card




Hot Water Bottle Cozy




Handmade Tiles




SweetDreams Shadow Boxes




Mini Colander Ornaments




Embroidered Cardigan