April Bulletin 2019

Fluttering, pastels, and resurrection

Lace and Ginger

I love the softness of this scene from the '80s Anne of Green Gables mini-series.

Prevailing Pastels

Ah, the enduring colors of shabby chic: "The tones of gray, pale turquoise and pink will prevail."

--Christian Dior

Recent Thrift: Pink Pleat Blouse

I found this linen Laura Ashley top at Value Village for $6. The buttons up the back and pleats are lovely.

DIY Scalloped Series: Necklace

Materials:

Glue gun

Paint brush

Acrylic paint

Thin wooden semicircles (Note: I started with 4 circles and sawed them in half to get 8 semicircles)

Ribbon the thickness of the wooden semicircles (I used a length about 30 inches)

Step 1: Paint the wooden semicircles with your desired color or pattern. 

As you can see, I gave mine a golden edge and painted one side mint green. When I want a more neutral necklace I can wear it with the wooden side showing to match my hair and skin.

Step 2: Center and hot glue the painted semicircles onto the ribbon to make a row of scallops. 

The extra ribbon at the ends can be tied in a bow as the closure.

Ta-da!

Creation Painting

Once upon a canvas I began painting a glamorously staged room.

I wanted to cover the bottom of the canvas in bright splashes of paint, but since I wasn't sure if it would ruin the effect of the pastel-colored painting or not, I was reluctant. However, my friend suggested I could frame it and splatter the glass with paint instead. Thanks to her genius idea my painting was popped into a frame, although it was a plastic faux wood frame that I immediately painted white.  

I was about to paint a trompe l'oeil ornate design onto the simple white frame, but I realized it wouldn't have the same great texture as the real deal.

The next thing I knew, I was frosting the frame with acrylic modelling paste smooshed into a Ziploc baggie.

I kept building it up, smoothing it out, adding a little white paint here and a little podge there, and sanding the rough edges.

And that is how my art projects usually progress. They are whims of weirdness that end happily ever after! 

Springtime Tea

I found this pretty 1956 photo on myvintagevogue's photostream on Flickr. 

 Spring (although I use that term loosely right now given current local weather patterns!) seems like a great time to have a tea party, so I decorated a tiered shelf in my room accordingly.

My grandma, who taught folk art painting classes, painted these houses.

 I made this satisfyingly thick slice of cake out of paper scraps, topping it off with a fabric flower.

...And of course there needed to be some pretty tea cups involved! The chair was made of wire and a bottle cap and was given to me by my friend Willow, along with the small tea cup. The bunny was also painted by my grandma. Now warmer weather just needs to roll in so that this flowery pastel embellishment doesn't seem so out of place!