Sewing On Art

I had a cold med inspired drawing session, and even though it is an odd piece, I thought I'd take this chance to give you some tips on adding texture to your art with thread.

To begin with, create your piece of art. I started by drawing this guy.

Make sure you use a thick paper so stitches hold tight and don't rip through later.

Add any coloring you want. It's best to use materials that won't smudge when handled later. I used India ink and watercolor.

Once your art is dry you can start adding texture and depth to your piece by adding buttons, stitches, sequins, beads, or anything else that is sewn on.

I added button eyes and used stitches as a means to draw on the artwork.

Try this on your next art project!

Cough...COUGH!

Until then, enjoy THIS! DIY natural disinfectant. Pretty appropriate for today, I'd say.

The World's Village Idiot: Karl Pilkington

Karl, Karl, Karl. Your idiocy always astounds me, and yet, I keep listening. I've been listening and watching so much that I couldn't help but draw him up.

Karl Pilkington, for those who don't know, is the star of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's show: An Idiot Abroad.  Before they set up this TV show for him, he started making a fool of himself, a mockery of the English language, and mis-communicating news stories on a podcast called the Ricky Gervais Show. It's from these podcasts that they have now created an animated series that airs on HBO by the same name.

Yes, they make fun of him, but he REALLY deserves it. This round-headed, monkey-news-reading, munchie-eating fool is worth a listen, if only for Ricky and Steve's hilarious astonishment at his stupidity. Check out EVERYTHING they have done together and I promise laughs.

Here's a little preview of the animated series Ricky Gervais Show (NSFW langauge).

Day Out: Sydney Botanical Gardens

I had to get out of the house today (Saturday). The hubby is still in the midst of studying for his finals, but I 'm done and needed to escape the apartment for the afternoon. On this brisk, 55˚F day (my favorite weather) I visited the botanical gardens and the opera house.

I took an audio recording of the harbor so you, as my mother-in-law puts it, can feel like you were really there. Lots of water, planes, boats, squeeky docks, wind, and even some Asian tourists if you listen closely.

She's Got Bette Davis Eyes

Some technicolor Bette Davis for my Friday? Yes! I love a lady that loves her mascara.

Have a great weekend!

Little Rose

I'm coming out of my term one haze and now that it's over I have a few weeks off to conjure up more Projectville goodness. While whipping up some of that goodness, I came across some funny pictures of me as a youth that tell the future. Just thought I'd share.

First, here is one of my earliest 'what I wore' photo shoots. Those shades are magic! And pairing them with a red stripe is just one example of how ahead of my time I was.

Second, here I've DIYed a hat out of a bow. Stunning.

And third, I loved cake...and I still love cake.

Hope you're getting through the week okay!

DIY Flip Flop Cheetah Print

Have an old pair of plain flip flops that need a refresh? I updated mine with animal print.

Here's what they started as...

I practiced first on some paper with my paint pen, then started on the soles of the flip flops. This is just enough animal print to subtly update your sandals without going overboard. You don't want them actually growling at people!

 I have a few tips for drawing cheetah print like this (or any animal print):

1) Google image search the print you're looking to draw and keep a picture in front of you.

2) Make it imperfect. When you start to repeat the pattern, or copy the same shape over and over, it will cease to look like animal print.

Done! This was so quick and easy.

The Art of Baking

Have a favorite recipe you'd like to memorialise? Head on over to Articipe. They make custom wall art from your favorite recipes. This isn't a sponsored post. I just thought it was such a good idea!

I was so inspired I made my own, which you can download here if you like. Those who aren't as digitally gifted should go pick one up from Articipe.

Belted Button-Up

Today my Seychelles and I soaked up some left-over sandal wearing weather.

I also found that belting this button-up was the perfect way to give it's normal squareness a much needed waistline. If you plan on doing this make sure that the button-up is long enough to do so. It looks funny when the button-up is too short. It should reach below your hipline or lower.

What I wore:
Shirt – Old Navy
Jeans – DKNY
Belt – Target
Shoes – Seychelles
Clutch – Timmy Woods

Jar Head

Save the whales jars! Okay...save the whales too, but you can also save your empty jars. You're mostly paying for packing anyway, might as well use it! Here's how I used mine and a few other ideas.

I opened up our kitchen cupboard today and decided this is where our current collection of jars was going to be put to use. Loose spices. Geez, I hate those little bags. They flop open, they get lost in the back. Annoying! So they were transferred to labeled jars today.

Look at those darn spice packets, mocking me from the back of the cupboard!

I used a dry erase marker to label them. That way I can switch them later.

Clean!

Here are three other jar ideas I've seen lately that are tempting as well.

Feathers In Your Hair

Like I mentioned in yesterday, here are the eight hair feather accessories I've made for Kayla's wedding. Each bridesmaid gets her own fancy hair feathers to wear for the day. It was Kayla's fantastic idea and I think they'll look great!

You can learn how to make your own by checking out yesterday's DIY post.

DIY Fancy Hair Feathers

Major event coming up? Want to make a splash? Make your own stunning feather accessory!

Step 1) Get a serious hair clip to cover. By serious, I mean it should be strong enough to hurt your finger when you clamp it down. We just want to make sure it stays in.

Step 2) Starting at the top, glue on your feathers and work your way down.

Step 3) You need to completely cover the front of the clip so you can not see any of it when it's clipped in. Seeing plastic will make it look cheap.

Step 4) The last step is adding the flair feathers. Now, this I can't advise you on because it's all a matter of personal style, but I can tell you that I started by gluing down the tallest feathers and worked down to the front small feathers. Go nuts, holding it up to your head as you go.

I've made eight for my friend Kayla's wedding and will post the rest of them tomorrow.

Makeup Tips for Thick Glasses

Hey! Like I promised, here are my new glasses! I love them. And to go with this reveal here are a few tips for wearing makeup when you're also wearing glasses.

First, it depends on your frames. The thinner the frames the darker you can go. If you have rimless glasses, go nuts. But if you have dark, thick, nerd glass (a.k.a. mine) you have to be a bit more subtle.

Here are some tips for those of us with the thickies:

1) Shimmer – go easy on the stuff. Your glasses are bringing a lot of shine and attention to your eyes. Don't pile on any more. Keep your eyes matte and if you have to wear shimmer, keep it to your lips.

2) Shadow – use a complimentary shade to shade-in your crease, blending upwards to keep your eyes looking more open.

3) Eyeliner – go with a thin, but distinct and dark, line. Liquid works great for this.

3) Concealer – cover those under eye circles because thick rims can create more shadows and draw attention to the ones you already have.

4) Mascara – use a thick coat on your top lashes and none on your bottom. Again we don't want to create any more shadows under your eye.

5) Eyebrows – in my opinion, everyone should ALWAYS be filling in and shaping their eyebrows. Come on, folks! They are the frames to the windows to your soul. It's even more important when you're wearing thick glasses as they can get even more lost. Fill with shadow or pencil and make sure to blend!