In which I make a terrarium and some sweet bunny cuteness...

Terrariums - they had me at "hello."

I've always loved these miniature worlds-in-a-jar, and I finally got around to making one myself! I thought I'd share the instructions with you in case you would like to make one too...

You will need:

• A large glass container - I used an apothecary jar that I found for a very reasonable price at Ross. If you would like to use humidity-loving plants, choose a container with a lid; if you would like to use dry-loving plants, choose one without a lid. It should be deep enough to include the layers of soil plus the height of the plants. You'll also want something with a wide mouth so that your hands and plants will fit inside easily. You can get creative here - apothecary jars work well, but you could also use a large mason jar, glass canisters, a lantern, or even an old gumball machine!
• Small pebbles, marbles, or those glass droplet things - these arent' really going to be seen, so don't spend a lot of money here. I used some small rocks I found in our driveway. If you use rocks you found outside, be sure to wash them in order to kill any mold or fungus growing on them. I soaked mine in bleach water, then rinsed them thoroughly. I chose fairly smooth rocks in order to keep them from scratching the glass. You'll need about an inch of pebbles as your first layer.
• Plain charcoal - you can find this at a garden store. I found some in the aquarium section at Wal-Mart. You'll add a layer of this on top of the rocks. The charcoal acts as a filter so that the water in your terrarium doesn't become stagnant.
• Potting soil - this goes on top of the charcoal. You'll need enough to cover the bases of your plants - probably 2-3 inches.
• Terrarium-friendly plants - This is up to you, but you'll need to choose things that don't mind humidity if your container has a lid. If you are using an open container, succulents work well. Since mine has a lid, I chose a tiny little fern, a polka-dot plant, and some moss. If you're not sure what to use, ask someone at a garden center to recommend some terrarium-friendly plant varieties to you. Once you have finished planting everything, you can use a straw filled with water  to rinse any stray potting soil off the sides of the glass. (Stick the straw into a tall glass of water, seal the end with your finger, aim, then release onto sides of jar.)
• Embellishments - this is the fun part... You are creating a miniature world, so this is your chance to get really creative! Add a doll-house-sized park bench, a pebble pathway, and lamp post to create a miniature garden; a tiny bird house; a terracotta snail; some plastic dinosaurs - whatever! You could even create an "empty tomb" with some small rocks and use it as an Easter centerpiece. Just make sure that whatever you use can handle the moisture - stay away from metal items that might rust or porous items that might mildew. Check at hobby shops for miniatures intended for doll houses or model trains, or borrow some of your kids' small toys. You can also make your own - I used some Sculpey clay and created my own little bunny...

Sculpey is great stuff - it stays soft until you bake it, and it comes in a variety of colors. I used plain white, and then I used some watered-down brown acrylic paint to "antique" it after baking. I then sealed it with a clear, matte varnish to inhibit mold.

• Once you get it all arranged to your liking, add a shot-glass of water and your lid if you're using one, then place in an area that receives indirect sunlight. You'll want to avoid direct sunlight, since the glass will cause the plants to overheat. I've read that you should water it about once a month, but I would just keep an eye on it and use your best judgment. You don't want your plants to get soggy, but they shouldn't get too dry either. Ask at the garden center for recommendations for your specific plant varieties.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this little tutorial! Sorry I didn't do step-by-step photos - I got so involved in making it that I forgot to pick up my camera... But it's very simple to make, and lots of fun! This would be a great project to do with your kids. And as you can see, it makes a lovely centerpiece for spring... (or anytime, really).

If you decide to try to make your own terrarium, please take some photos and send me the link! I'd love to see them!

Have a lovely weekend.... thanks for reading.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

I hope in the midst of all the hustle and bustle, you're remembering the real Reason for the Season...

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

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I am linking up at the Nester for the 2010 Christmas Tour of Homes.

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In other news...

I'm excited... today is my husband's last day of PA school before his Christmas break, and tonight we're going to see "Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." I hope it's as great as the book, but it won't be. :o)

Have a lovely weekend...

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This ol' guitar....

...came to me as just a plain, regular, ol' starter guitar.

Its owner had moved on to a bigger, better guitar, but wanted to hang onto this as a keepsake....

I sent it back to her as a piece of wall art - with a musical theme, of course! Now it will hang on the wall in her newly-decorated bedroom and blend in with the rest of her black, white, and plum-colored decor....

(Incidentally, this is not her new bedroom. This is a bookshelf in my living room.

Oh, hey, look - there I am getting married in the background. :o))

The owner asked me to do a black, cream, and plum themed-collage that included that Scripture, houndstooth, the musical "hearts" and Ichthys, piano, and sheet music... this is what I came up with...

If you're wondering about how I did this, it's a combination of decoupaged papers, acrylic paints, and watercolors.... top-coated with Mod Podge (love that stuff).

(Please note: this guitar is a child's starter guitar that is no longer used -

I do not recommend doing this to any instrument for which you paid a lot of money or that you play on a regular basis.)

Do you have a special keepsake, piece of furniture, or home accessory that could use a little sprucing up?

This was a commissioned piece, and I'd be happy to do one for you too!

Please e-mail me for more information!

Misc. Monday - Pumpkins and Other Odd Things

Well, since everyone else is writing about Valentine's Day crafts and such, I thought I might as well write about pumpkins...

Yes, I realize the timing on this post is a bit odd, but hey, that's what Misc. Mondays are for...

The truth is, I can't show you what I'm currently working on due to its being a surprise for someone from the person who commissioned it, and on the very slim chance that that person might actually read this blog, I can't post the pictures yet! So this will have to do for my creative offerings for today.

Once a month, I do art lessons with my home-schooled nephews, and January's project was papier-mâché. I unfortunately do not have any photos of the pieces in progress (due to the hazards of touching any type of electronic equipment while completely covered in Elmer's glue mixed with water - let me just warn you - papier-mache with three kids and one overly-ambitious, grown-up craft nut is not unlike a somewhat-controlled trainwreck..Do it outside if, like a normal person, you decide to make your pumpkins in September rather than January), so we'll just have to make do with the after photos... I will give you some brief instructions, however.

The boys chose to make the following:

• a self-portrait bust
• a race car
• a cactus
  (Theirs aren't finished yet, so I have no photos of them to show you today....)

I had been wanting to try pumpkins ever since I saw my friend Barbara's papier-mâché pumpkins at a farmer's market last fall, so here we are...

Not quite up to snuff, but it was a rather long day, and I gave out about midnight - there's only so much Elmer's glue that already-chapped hands can take, anyway (I should add here, that the poor little children were NOT kept up doing papier-mache until midnight. No, they were taken home by my sweet husband, who was not covered in Elmer's glue, and had their dinner and were put snugly to bed at a reasonable hour). But I think they're okay - kinda quirky and lumpy, but I think they'll look cute tucked in around my other fall decorations (when fall actually rolls around again). (I'm talking about the pumpkins again now- not the kids, who are not lumpy and will not be tucked around in my fall decorations).

So, for simple papier-mâché projects, you'll need the following:

• strips of newspaper (they rip easily - make your strips about 1 1/2" - 2" wide - a variety is good)
• Elmer's glue - a lot of it (I got mine at a Back to School sale a year or two ago and wound up getting about 20 bottles for $2 or something crazy like that!)
• water & a large container (plastic bucket, cool whip container,etc.)
• balloons, cardboard, toilet paper/paper towel tubes, etc.

Start out by creating a "form." For the pumpkins, I used balloons of different sizes, then modified them slightly with cardboard to make the stems. Pumpkin stems apparently have five ridges, so I took two rectangles of cardboard, notched them and connected them, then taped an extra "rib" in between two of the other ribs. Then I used masking tape to attach this to the ballon (over the knot)

For other forms, you can fashion them with wadded up and taped newspaper, cardboard, ballons, or a combination of all three. Just make sure they're taped together tightly so they hold the shape.

Once you get your form created, then the messy part begins.
Mix 1 part glue with 1 part water in your container and stir well.

Then, you simply begin dipping your strips of newspaper into the glue mixture, "squeegee" off the excess with your fingers, and begin layering the wet strips over your form. Be sure to overlap each piece with the next, and make sure that they are tightly pressed to the form with no "bubbles" or loose ends flapping.

It's best to completely cover your form with about 2 layers of paper, then allow it to dry before adding more. (If working with kids, you may want to spread the project out over several sessions - they get restless, and allowing it to dry before adding more layers will help with the final results).

To create the "squashed-in" bottom and stem ends for my pumpkins (pun intended), I allowed my pumpkins (with 6 or 7 layers) to dry overnight, then "popped" the balloons the next morning with a straight pin. Once the balloon was popped, the paper was still pliable enough to allow me to push it down a little (so it would sit flat). Do this carefully though. (And make sure you have plenty of layers and that they are mostly dry first - I lost my first pumpkin because I didn't have enough layers of paper and only allowed it to dry about an hour... which led to a deflated, rotten-looking pumpkin. Gross. Bummer.)

Once they are thoroughly dry, you can paint them as you like! I used acrylic craft paint... and may touch them up a little still. The green lines are a little too prominent, I think. But we'll see... I've got other things I should be working on!

So there's a little tutorial... maybe I'll re-post this again in the fall, when you might actually WANT to look at or think about pumpkins, but I had to have something to show for myself.... :o)

In other news, I was honored to have my watercolor, "Sparrow's Nest,"  featured on the Christian Artists Street Team (CAST Team) on Etsy blog today. The direct link to the post by Phyllis Ducey is HERE. Her post, "Word Pictures," discusses the fact that throughout the Bible, God uses "word pictures" to illustrate Truth. Creation itself is full of evidence that is pointing us to our Creator, if we just have eyes to see it. A driving goal behind all of my work is centered around this concept - I hope that if you see anything beautiful or appealing in my artwork, it will point you back to the One who inspired it, whether it's a little attempt at conveying the beauty of His Creation, conveying the message and images from a great and theologically-sound hymn, portraying some aspect of what it means to be a godly woman, or some other Truth from Scripture.

 So, I'm excited and honored not only to have been featured on the CAST blog, but also because Phyllis saw in my work the quality that I am striving to put into it... yay!

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. - Matthew 10:29-31

(Prints of this and other pieces are available in my website and Etsy shops -

 check the sidebar for the links!)

Hope you have a lovely week....

Original Available

For you Beatrix Potter fans,

this charming little stepstool is available on my website --

hurry though if you're interested --

there's only one!

It would be perfect for your nursery

or as a baby gift!