handpainted canvas shoes :: coral ombre

I love the ombre trend. And coral too! So I combined these two beautiful things in a pair of handpainted shoes that I made for a friend.

It was extraordinarily easy. I basically did a coral base coat, then while it was still wet (so the paint could mix a little) I layered the white paint. At the local craft store I got the brush-on permanent, washable fabric paint that I used(Tulip brand soft paint, in Velveteen Red and Matte White.) Then I just touched up the areas that needed it.

I didn’t even tape anything off, I just freehanded everything. For clean up, I used nail polish remover and a Q-tip to wipe off the paint that had migrated onto the rubber sole and the holes for the shoe laces.

Coral shoes! I need to make some for me now.

my leetle terranium

Succulents always seemed so tiny and cute – and terraniums were so lovely and charming.

Then last week or so I stayed up late researching them, and I decided that I needed to make one. I work at a local farmers market, so I picked up a succulent and some moss there. Then a few days later I got a round glass vase and a cork coaster to go underneath, and then another succulent.

Today I assembled it! First I added rocks, then some charcoal, then a small layer of moss, then soil, and then my succulents! And lastly some decorative moss. And if I find some dinosaurs or small people to live there too, I’ll add them.

I read a very helpful how-to about terraniums at Apartment Therapy.

The cluster of three succulents is called a Hen and Chicks plant (Echeveria spp.) The taller green green one is an Elephant Bush (Portulacaria afra).

This was what I started with.

And my finished terranium! I hope it lives and thrives.

 

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crown braid

french braid all the way around my head! and then some. my hair actually goes around one and a half times. (it’s not exactly a french braid, more of a dutch braid, because i weave the strands underneath rather than over each other.)

i start the braid right at the bottom of my hairline. also, i part my hair going diagonally across the back of my head. and i bend over so that my hair is kind of evenly distributed. then i french braid (or dutch braid), putting the strands underneath each other rather than over. i direct the braid up the side of my head and go around my whole head french braiding like this. its kinda tricky, and you’ll have to work with how your hair likes to go. i finish with all of my hair by just braiding down normally, and then pinning it into the other braid.

i don’t think that makes sense. i’m writing it late at night, and i’m more of a “show-you” explainer.

 

photos by clara 

backyard living, no. 1

[this one is for claire.]

and now, dear readers, i shall now feature a series of posts about how to live in one’s backyard.

to start, one must have a place to sleep, such as a treehouse, or perhaps a tent. i have already featured such a post here.

next, one must have  a restroom facility (fully equipped with toilet paper), like an outhouse in the corner, like my sisters and i had in our fourth-acre backyard of sand in new mexico.

one must also have a way to prepare food, such as a firepit, bonfire, or grill.  the main diet of  a backyard camper may consist of hotdogs, chili, hot cider, and smores.

more examples of backyard living to follow.
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(re)made

^ please disregard the slight grimace.  taking pictures with self timer doesn’t always work so fabulously.  anyway, i made this skirt out of an men’s shirt i got at a garage sale.  from an idea from readymade magazine.  it’s incredibly easy, just cut through the shirt below the underarms and make a place for a drawstring.

^ i’m really liking this hose thing.

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polyvore.

polyvore is this amazing website that you can basically make collages of photos.   it’s pretty awesome.

these are some sets i’ve made.

you should make an account and mess around on there.  it awesome.  just go here. and while you’re at it, add me.  email me to find out my username.

this one is one i made for clara, and she made one for me.  i might put it up here later.

recycled clutch

this is what my workspace looked like for a while.  the clutch is made out of plastic bags, fused together with an iron.  hence the name recycled.  i then painted the plastic with acrylic paint, and sewed crazily over it.  and i don’t think i’ll post my trade secrets all over the internet, so that’s all i’m telling you about how to make it.

and artistic photos of the clutch finished.  and me.

dark alleys…

so i was taking pictures in the dark, dangerous alley behind our house.

and, thankfully, i didn’t meet up with any nasty characters.  just honda tires.

wait, technically this isn’t an alleyway photo.  it was on the driveway.

this blossoming tree is really beautiful.

and so is this vintage basketball hoop.  beautiful in it’s own way.

and i hope they neighbors don’t mind.  me taking random photos of their house.

ipc [integrated physics & chemistry] was really fun today.  we played with batteries and alligators.  and laughed about brain transplants.  at least, i laughed and the others looked at me like i was crazy.

and the highlight of the day: hand tinting photos in photography class.  mrs. sweet came and instructed us in the art of hand coloring photos, and then we brought out the creativeness.

we basically painted on the photo paint with q-tips.  and smooth it with cotton balls.  and let it dry.  and be amazed with your work.

later i will scan in the photos (once they are dry) and post them here.

ravioli & cream puffs

this is a post in honor of auntie steph. because we made ravioli!  with the cutters she gave us.  we didn’t use her recipe because we couldn’t find it…

and we used this really old pasta machine.  that mom has probably owned since she was married…

at first we didn’t have the machine figured out all the way.  but eventually we figured out that we needed to use the 5th setting, to make it thin enough but not too thin.

beautiful little ravioli.

that was our valentine’s dinner.

also, totally unrelated to ravioli, except that it is something with filling, are my cream puffs.

after church today, we were at a korean supermarket, and at the little bakery inside, they were making cream puffs.  right before your eyes.  i got two fruit filled ones.  they weren’t filled, like to overflowing, but it was nice to have the strawberry.

creative brainstorm

this is what it looked like during the creative brainstorm.  really messy.

this was one of my key tools. no pun intended.

stack of beautiful readymade-inspired valentines cards.  made out of paint samples, double sticky tape, sharpies, and a typewriter.

i stuck them in this little can.  it’s my valentines can.

one of my faves.

another one of my faves.

maybe you’ll be inspired by this.  who knows.