paper on paper

works in progress

yesterday's needle and thread

needle and thread

hand stitching is a meditative practice

needle and thread move up and down

breath moves in and out

thoughts cease spinning

ideas begin to flow

box of rocks

sending rocks back to Arizona Petrified Forest

let it snow

new stones in my etsy shop

pink flamingos

I like to play with bottle brush trees every year.

This year Lucy McGillicuddy had some input.

The super easy how to:

(kids love this project too)

Darice Sisal Trees from the craft store

Wooden spool or some other base

Acrylic paint

mod podge

Glitter

Bleach

First, I dilute the bleach (about 1T bleach to 12 oz water). Then I soak the trees in the diluted bleach, one at a time, about 5 minutes. They come out a pale green - which is nice too. I give them a good rinse and let them dry. Once they're dry, I paint them with watered down acrylic paint. Thinning your paint will give you better coverage without clumping. When the paint is dry, you're ready for glittering. I just brush on some mod podge and then shake on some glitter. Ultra fine glitter is a what is a like to use, but chunky glitter would look great too. Last step is painting the wooden base under the tree a fun bright color and when that's dried, gluing it onto a base if you want to.

I hope you liked this little how to ... chances are you've already been there and done that ... and I'd love to hear your own twist on the tale. 

from the car

I love taking pictures from the car

the motion adds a dreamlike quality

I usually am the passenger

I never really know what I captured until I get to the editing stage

only 1 out of 10 shots is any good

but when there's a good one ....

it takes my breath away