DIY Hand Painted Polka Dot Marble Magnet Tutorial

Ahem... I accidentally deleted this whole tutorial after the first time I wrote it. Operator error I guess. :)

So, here we are again! Super easy magnets to make!

You will need:

Clear marble magnets that are flat on one side.

Assorted colors of acrylic craft paint.

Small paintbrush

Extremely strong adhesive. (I used E6000)

Magnets

Step 1: Using the handle end of the paintbrush. Dip the brush in the paint color you want your polka dots to be.

Here are marbles painted with pink and white dots.

Step 2: After the painted polka dots are completely dry. Paint your background color over them. 

Once again, allow the paint to dry completely. 

Step 3: Glue the magnets to the back of the painted marbles. Allow the glue to dry completely and you have adorable magnets to keep for yourself to use or give as a cute little gift. Hint: Teachers love them!

They make my heart happy just looking at them!

If you don't want to make your own, I have 4 sets listed in the Lanie J. and Co. Etsy shop ready for purchase. 

Happy Crafting! 

Little man's room is coming together!

Just wanted to share Kyle's room. It is coming together nicely.

Sweet bedding is from Nautica Kids. Hubs and I picked it out together.

Sailboat paintings done by me. I thoroughly enjoyed making these!

Window valances match the bedding and are also from Nautica Kids. The desk needs a new home somewhere in the house. I just haven't figured out where that is yet!

Of course I already posted his letters.

See that basket? I've stuck my nose in it for a big whiff more than a few times. Nothing like the smell of Dreft to make you ready to hold a baby!

Now I am having Hubs be on the look out for nautical themed wall stuff that will match. I would like a wooden oar for above the closet (not pictured) and maybe something to go on each side of the window. I think a painting or painted sign that says "Come sail away with me..." would be sweet don't you?

Participating here:

 

Monday Musings... Friends

“This party is not just for me, it's for my friends.”

~Mary Hayes

I've been away for a couple of weeks. A couple weeks ago on a Thursday, my 5 year old woke up with strep. Three days later after 3 separate visits to Urgent care on the same day, the rest of us were diagnosed with it. I haven't been that sick in a long, long time! I have lost my creative edge and my edge on my house and home. I am still working my way back!

On January 19th, I joined the ranks of the 40 and over crowd. My birthday plans for a day of shopping and lunch with a friend were "crushed" for that day as my sick 7 year old so eloquently put it. Fortunately for me, the Friday night before, my 3 friends (Gina, Chris and Aamie) surprised me with a night out at a local painting place.

We had so much fun painting, drinking red wine and eating a yummy chocolate cake. They showered me with gifts, but none as wonderful as the gift of their friendship. I love these ladies! Thank you all for making my 40th birthday so special!

Speaking of friends, my friend Gay at It's a Hodgepodge Life asked if she could interview me for a feature post on her blog. That interview was posted today! I'm hoping you will go and visit Gay today and leave a comment to tell her hello. While you are there, be sure and take a look at all her beautiful projects and ideas. I have been "blog friends" with Gay for quite some time. I am sure you will love her too! :)

What about you? Do you have fantastic "in real life" and "online" friends like I do? Please share!

A sweet baby gift!

I know I am at risk of showing this before the gift has been delivered, but I cannot hold it in any longer. Amanda, don't read this if you want to wait to see sweet baby Avalyn's gift!

I painted this canvas in colors that should match Avalyn's Nursery. This was my first try at something like this. Thankfully acrylic paint is very forgiving!

And, I knitted some sweet baby washclothes in Avalyn's room colors too. I really hope she enjoys mommy giving her a bath with them as much as I enjoyed making them for her!

Congratulations Amanda and Carlos on your new edition to the family. I am sure Alivia will be a wonderful big sister!

Messages can come from anywhere... even the "blogosphere"...

So, I was putzing around Friday with Google Reader and I ran across a beautiful blog called Pinch Me to See If You're Dreaming. Zom is an artist living in the rainforest of Australia and her art is gorgeous and captivating. I can't wait to read more about her. Anyhow... while perusing her posts I came across this...

My theory is that the true artist produces nothing. Only a craftsperson produces, and produces regularly.
The artist works, yes, but she works first and foremost on her Soul: that is what is specific about her work and what distinguishes it from the work of a craftsperson. The work of the artist on her Soul is comparable to Grace. (In difficult times, all her energy, all her efforts are required in order to simply maintain that state of grace.) The work of an artist is an inside one, a going in, an internalization process. Actually the opposite of what is expected of her: an outpour into an objective artwork.

Art, true art, is that miracle precisely. That the artist manages at once two diametrically opposed, antinomic, actions. In that sense, yes art is a miracle akin to the Mystery of Divine Creation.

There is Incarnation. And the artist is nothing else than divine incarnated, a Presence of the eternal in a finite being, in a finite life. The artist relives, rebirthes this incarnation of the divine inside of herself. That is how she becomes a creator, in commune with all the other artists of the past: those are her riches, the infinite quality of her (and everyone's) Soul.


The miraculous process in which an artist will not internalize anymore but actually reach toward the outside and give us a kind of photocopy of her rich, divine Soul, in short an Artwork, is not a process she can control. That process is totally independent from her and she cannot choose the time or the manner in which it happens.


She has to wait.


Of course she can always produce as everyone does, as a craftsperson does but she knows and feels that these works are products and not true works of creation. They can be beautiful goods but will contribute nothing to the fulfillment of her Soul.


~the Freedom Engineer, newsletter no 6, Paris 1990

Oh my! If this doesn't remind me of my mother and give a glimpse of exactly what I was feeling when I wrote this on Monday Musings a couple of weeks ago, I don't know what does.

To me, this is just another message from God that I am on the right track in what I want to do. Thank you Zom for sharing your beautiful art and your quote on your blog. I so appreciate it! If you haven't already, please be sure you visit Pinch Me to See If You're Dreaming to see Zom's beautiful work.

 

Chalkboard Flower Pots...

 I thought I would share a tutorial with you. I don't have pictures of the process, but plenty of finished pieces and a quick tute on how they came together.

For This Project You Will Need:

Terra cotta pot and saucer in desired size

Terra cotta spray sealant for pot

Chalkboard paint

Painter's tape

Acrylic paints in desired colors (it is great if you know the person's favorite color)

A couple of pieces of chalk

Ribbon

Cardstock (colored and white)

Decorative paper

Embellishments

Bamboo skewer (or craft sticks)

A pretty plant/flower

For the Flower Pot and Saucer:

1. Spray terra cotta spray sealant on pot inside and out and saucer.

2. After sealant is dry, paint the bottom portion of the pot with the chalkboard paint (I didn't bother painting the inside of the pot). You may need a couple of coats to really cover it good.

3. I used painter's tape around the pot just under the rim to keep a straight line with the acrylic paint then painted the rim and the saucer. Again, you may need a couple of coats to get really good coverage.

For the Plant Pick:

1. Print your saying on white cardstock using a fun font. The saying is Miss _____ Thank You for Helping Me Grow, Love ______.

2. Cut your printed white cardstock to size and then adhere it to scrapbook paper and colored cardstock.

3. Decorate it with embellishments. Here I used paper punched flowers with a rhinestone.

4. Cut another piece of colored cardstock to size (this will be the back of your plant pick) and glue the front and back together with the bamboo skewer sandwiched in between.

5. Keep your plant in the pot you purchased it in and just set it inside the pot and stick your finished plant pick in.

6. Write Thank You on the pot with chalk.

7. Take 2 new pieces of chalk and tie a pretty ribbon around them.

Tada!

Your teachers will love them!

 

Monday Musings... Creativity

A recent email thread between myself and Gay at It's a Hodgepodge Life has had me thinking. You see, Gay posted this lovely project (featured as a Friday Favorite a couple of weeks back I might add) and it was a major hit. Gay was pleasantly surprised that something she thought was so simple would get such rave reviews. I had a little "conversation" if you will with Gay via email about why we make what we do. I have also had this conversation with my "little sister" in the past few weeks.

I have a deep desire to take my creativity to a higher level, I want to bring joy to others when they look at what I do. I'm guessing the joy is in the creating and the rest just falls into place. Either people feel that same joy when they see my creations, or they don't. What one person absolutely loves, someone else might not. And... that's okay, we all have a personal preference right? So what is holding me back.... FEAR! More than anything I want to overcome this and show my daughters the joy is in creating, not what others think of your creations.

My mother for many years lacked confidence in her artistic ability and worried constantly what others thought. Was it good enough? Was it good enough to sell in a gallery? Would someone want to buy it? I have followed in her footsteps in lacking that confidence to step out and let my creativity just flow, not comparing it to others or wondering if it will be welcomed and accepted. I want to break out of this shell and move forward. Mom did, but I think she realized it a little late. Thank goodness she fought it enough that she left many lovely paintings for us to remember her artistic spirit by.

Yes, I have rambled on. But this is "Monday Musings" right? These quotes come from the margins of the book The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. I've just begun reading and am looking forward to doing some soul searching with the exercises she suggests.

We must accept that this creative pulse within us

is God's creative pulse itself. ~Joseph Chilton Pearce

It is the creative potential itself in human beings

 that is the image of God.~Mary Daly

Creativity is harnessing universality and making

it flow through your eyes. ~Peter Koestenbaum

Why should we all use our creative power?

Because there is nothing that makes people so

generous, joyful, lively, bold and compassionate,

so indifferent to fighting

and the accumulation of objects and money.

~Brenda Ueland

I think the last quote says it all. Please share in the comments why you create.

Monday Musings... Mom

Painting by Barbara Whitlock

I just thought I would share with you a treasure that my sis and I found among my mother's personal belongings. She wrote:

When I am no longer with you, and peace has claimed my soul.

Gaze upon my paintings, smile and you'll know,

As I placed each vivid color, a brush stroke here and there,

The pleasure that it gave me, is far beyond compare.

A son, strong and witty, two daughters fair as spring.

I leave them with my paintings to ease the saddening sting.

To show that I have walked here and fulfilled every dream.

A woman painting pictures was not quite what it seemed.

No one could know the way it calmed my heart and satisfied my mind,

To sign a finished painting for someone else to find.

So gaze upon my pictures and know deep in your being,

"She lived a blessed and happy life for she left all these things."

                                                           ~Barbara Whitlock

Isn't that sweet? We also found some finished paintings that we didn't know about. We thought they had all been sold. The three of us will surely cherish them forever.

Have a great Monday. Create to your hearts content, because someday others will cherish the memory of you when they "gaze upon" what you made with your hands.

Decoupaged Wooden Letters

Decoupaged wooden letters make great gifts for birthdays, baby showers, etc. I love to add color to my girls' rooms with them. You can use just about any paper and embellishments you have on hand.

This letter B is for Blake. I needed a gift for a baby shower, so I thought I would take you along on how to make one.

For this project, you will need:

• Wooden letter
• Scrapbook paper
• Misc. embellishments (buttons, rhinestones, ribbon etc.)
• Mod Podge
• Paint (unless you purchase a prepainted letter)
• Foam Brush
• Pencil
• Scissors or craft knife

1. Lay your letter face down on the back of the paper and trace. You can do the whole letter one paper if you like or chose two like I did here.

2. Cut the letter out with your scissors or craft knife and set your paper letter aside for later.

3. Paint around the edge of your letter, slightly going onto the front.

4. After your paint has dried, apply a thin coat of Mod Podge to the front of your letter and quickly place your paper on it.

At this point your letter should look like this. Let it dry while watching for any bubbles you may need to smooth out.  You can use your fingers or a brayer to do so.

5. Optional... Once your letter has dried from putting on the paper, you can do an extra coat over it. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. After completing this letter, I decided I probably won't again, just because I like the way it looks without it.

6. Once your letter is dry again, apply embellishments. For this letter, I used matching ribbon and some star buttons I had in my stash. Simply trim your ribbon and glue it and your other embellishments on using the Mod Podge.

And then you are finished!

Happy crafting!

I'm linking to...

Living a Legacy...

I have been thinking the last couple of days about what to create and why I should create it. Which way should I go first. My friend Jess at Entertaining House is watching someone near and dear to her heart go through their final moments on this earth. (Visit and leave a sweet comment if you will.) I am sad for her, because I did this twice last year, first with my father in law, then with my sweet, sweet Mom.  Reading her post here, got me to thinking about Mom and I looked back to some old posts on my other blog Misc. and Etc. and found this (originally posted in early November 2009). Something to ponder today...

This beautiful painting was done by my mother about 8 years ago. It is supposedly of St. Therese, but after having so many people ask if it was a self portrait, my sister and I have come to the conclusion that it is.

We had a memorial for Mom this past weekend. It was both sad and sweet. So many wonderful people from her life in the past few years were there. I had never met most of them. Even 4 nurses from her stay in the hospital this past year were there. The things they had to say only made me love and admire my mother more.

A friend of my sister's who is also dying from cancer right now stood and talked about legacy. My mother left a wonderful legacy. Her artistic ability lives on in my daughter and I hope myself. I am struggling to tap into it lately.

This morning I received my weekly email from Max Lucado. This week he talked about why we each have the uncanny ability to do certain things. For instance, I have always admired people who can play a musical instrument and sing like nobody's business. Or, when I read a good book, I admire an author who can make the words work so as to weave a story that is so captivating, I can't put the book down. How do they do it?

Max says "God. He knew young Israel would need a code, so he gave Moses a love for the law. He knew the doctrine of grace would need a fiery advocate, so he set Paul ablaze. And in your case, he knew what your generation would need and gave it. He designed you. And his design defines your destiny. Remember Peter’s admonition? “If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies” (1 Pet. 4:11)."

So, my question this week is what exactly God designed me to do? I know I am here to be a wife, mother, friend, sister, daughter, but I also know I was made to be creative. I pray that he will help me find the time to do this and to minister to other's hearts through my talents. I hope he will open my eyes to show me how to organize my time better so that I may continue to uphold my responsibilities but also to follow my dreams. I want to leave behind a legacy my daughters would be proud of.

God is working in you to help you want to do and be able to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13 NCV

Hug your loved ones today, hold them close and ponder the legacy you will leave.