Bella Dia

Glass Plate + Glass Bowl = Garden Cloche

Not much of a how to here: find a glass plate and a glass bowl at the thrift store (or perhaps your own cabinets), make a pretty display on the plate, turn the glass bowl upside down on the plate and you're done. A beautiful display of found objects!

   

There's something about putting even the most mundane object under glass that turns it into a work of art.  The items I've chosen are findings from one of our last outings - obsidian, agate, other pretty rocks, shells, pinecones, and a bug (possibly a cockroach?) casing.  See?  Even a cockroach
can be art! ;) 

I meant to make a Mother's Day post but I found myself in bed for most of the weekend suffering with the flu.  Then, what happens next?  Come on mothers, you know.  Yep, my son gets it.  Luckily, so far, crossing my fingers, my other two haven't come down with it so we are on the mend.  I am very behind on email so I hope you all understand and I'll be up to speed soon. 

Another Drawing

Thank you everyone for all the nice things you said about my tree drawing.  It's hard when I do something that I like and then I hesitate to do it again because I'm afraid it won't come out as well the next time and then I'll feel like I just got lucky the first time around rather than having any real skill.  I felt like I had to just dig in and try again.  Sounds so wimpy but there it is.  Does anyone else ever feel that way?

This is a drawing of a piece of branch from our firewood box.  I'm using a mechanical pencil (my beloved Quicker Clicker) and a kneaded eraser.  The kneaded eraser is really fun and so helpful with the shading and highlights, plus you can play with it like playdough :)

 

How To Put A Button In Your Sidebar

This tutorial is for Typepad but I imagine the basics are pretty similar for other blogging platforms.  For my example, I'm going to be using my Crafty Crow button. 

You need two things:

*the button image (or any image for that matter as long as it is the right size - my button is 120 x 120)

*the url (web address) that you want to go to when someone clicks on the button; i.e. http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow

~ Let's begin! ~

• upload the image to the files section of your blog (click Control Panel tab then Files tab)

• where it says Upload A New File click Browse and find the image on your computer - then click Upload (I usually put the image that I am going to use on my desktop so it is easy to find.)

• after it is uploaded, find the filename (in the column to the left on the same page) and click the link icon (looks like a little chain link)

This is the url for your image - keep this window open!

• now open the Typelists tab in a new window

• click on Create A New Typelist

• in #1 choose a Link list

• in #2 choose a name for your list

• then click Create New List

• in the Title field put the url of your image (copy and paste it from the window you left open)

Now this is the trickiest part - you'll have to change the html a bit.

• remove the part show in red:

<a href="http://belladia.typepad.com/CCButton2.gif">Download CCButton2.gif (8.4K)</a>

• and change it to this (new part in blue):

<img src=
"http://belladia.typepad.com/CCButton2.gif">

Make sure the quotes are in there because they make all the difference!

Tricky part done!

• now in the URL field put the web address that you want to go to when the image is clicked, for example:
  

http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/

• now click Save

This new Typelist has to be added
to your blog.

• go to your blog's Design tab and click Select Content

• click on the box next to your new Typelist and click Save Changes at the bottom

Click on Order Content if you'd like to change where the button is located on your sidebar.

Be sure to click on the button from your blog to make sure it works and you're done!

I have to assume there are other ways of doing this but this is how I do it and it works :)  If any of you more experienced computer people out there have any tips please leave them in the comments!  Thanks, I hope this helps someone :)

To Draw A Tree

I've always wanted to be able to draw.  I mostly wanted to be able to put down on paper the ideas I can see in my mind but I also wanted to be able to draw a tree.  I always thought that if someone could draw a tree then they were a pretty good artist because I think trees seem hard to draw.  Inspired by Lori's drawing lessons that I have featured on The Crafty Crow, I've been practicing a lot lately.  I finished this tree drawing this evening and I have to say I am pretty darn pleased with it.  I see places for improvement but for my first real effort I'm satisfied. 

The kids and I have begun keeping nature journals so consequently we're spending more time looking at the shapes and lines of trees and rocks and water movement at the river.  I pulled out Keeping A Nature Journal that's been sitting on my shelf forever and it has been a practical help as well as an inspirational one.  Besides suggestions on observing nature and how to get started journaling, it has basic drawing lessons and exercises that I have found extremely helpful. 

A Tree Grows

pencil on stone

Miniature Cairns

I've been working on these for awhile: they are miniature cairns.  These are a familiar sight in the area where I live - hikers marking a trail or making a little monuments to remember special places.  We've made some of our own too on warm days down by the river. 


The stones are made from polymer clay and permanently stacked so they can be a source of contemplation next to your bed, on your desk, or any place you want to be reminded how to find your way home. 


They will be for sale in my shop very soon.  I hope you like them :)

Kvetch and Sketch

I keep a little sketchbook (3½" x 5") next to my bed and have been trying (key word here) to do a little drawing before I go to sleep every night.  This is my most recent one and one of my favorites so I thought I'd share.

I have had a horrible cough for almost a week and I am ready to be rid of it.  The coughing is wearing me out, zaps all my energy and makes my head pound every time I cough. Complain, complain.

We got out a little bit over the weekend to see if spring really is here to stay and I have to say I believe it is.  Snow is melting, rivers are running and birds are taking up their summer homes.  Picture taking was making me dizzy so I only took a few but it's nice to know that winter is behind us and we have greener days in our future.

Baby Bootie Contest!

This is exciting!  Michael Miller Fabrics is sponsoring a Baby Bootie contest where the grand prize is a Singer Curvy Sewing Machine!  You can also win a $100 gift certificate to Reprodepot, some Michael Miller fabric bundles and a feature on Craftzine.  The rules are simple (you can read them here) and entries must be posted to the Flickr group by June 18th. So get your creating caps on and start designing some booties! 

Above image is from Google patents.

Robots!

I've been working on these robots for about a week - building, gluing, painting, varnishing - and it has been so much fun!  Do you like playing with all the different filters on Photoshop like I do?  I don't know how to do much in Photoshop (another thing on my to-do list) but I love clicking through the various filters and oohing and aahing over the different looks.  I thought the robots look like vintage toys in this photo. 

Here they are under normal conditions.  I haven't given them names yet because I am so name-giving challenged (see, I can't even think of a name for my short coming, good grief!) so I am open to suggestions.  Hopefully I'll have some of these guys and a few other new things I've been working on for sale in the shop fairly soon.

And Now for Something Different: Watercolors!

Sometimes it's easy to overlook a craft or art project because it's labeled for kids but going though all these new projects for The Crafty Crow has really gotten me itching to try a bunch of them.  I think it's good to remember to experiment with new mediums and give those creative muscles a stretch every now and then, so when I saw the watercolor tutorial by Arounna I decided to jump right in along with my kids.

You begin with a very abstract watercolor and after it has dried you go back with India ink and a bamboo skewer and create flowers out of the watercolor splots (sorry, couldn't think of a better word.)

The freedom and unpredictability of the medium was really fun and different from the controlled detail work that I usually do.  I'll definitely be doing this again.

Need a creativity boost? Look here:

Decal papers for a variety of uses that
you can print at home - oh my, the possibilities are making me swoon! 
Found via Swiss Miss.

The Importance of Creativity for Children and Other Living Things

Sir Ken Robinson, "an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation and human resources," speaks about the importance of creativity: why we need to be encouraging it and how modern schools "are educating people out of their creative capacities."  The video (taken at the 2006 TED conferences) is about 20 minutes long but so inspirational and very funny too - try to take the time to watch it.  Every time you put a blank piece of paper or a lump of clay in front of your child or just go on a nature walk to see the change of the seasons you'll know that you're doing the right thing, the right thing for your child and the right thing for our future.

What TED celebrates is the gift of the human imagination. We have to be careful now that we use this gift wisely, and that we avert some of the scenarios that we've talked about. And the only way we'll do it is by seeing our creative capacities for the richness they are, and seeing our children for the hope that they are. And our task is to educate their whole being, so they can face this future -- by the way, we may not see this future, but they will. And our job is to help them make something of it.
~ Sir Ken Robinson

Learning New Things

My daughter and I and my sister and her daughter took a beginning jewelry making class the other night at our local bead shop.  I haven't made jewelry in a long time and wanted a refresher on all the little tips and tricks.  The class was two hours long but we spent the first hour oohing and aahing at all the possibilities and trying to decide on what we wanted to make. We had so much fun and I wanted to share with you the results.  My necklace is a choker length but adjustable by two inches - it's made from tiny seed pearls, a favorite, that took forever to string but I am so happy with the way it turned out.  I forget what the bracelet is made from, silver-like beads, and the stones on the earrings are some sort of quartz I think. I love their watery blue color.

These are the items my daughter made - can you tell she's a cowgirl at heart?  She took to it right away and I believe a new hobby has taken hold - oh no, what have I done?! 

My Big News: The Crafty Crow!

I am really excited to be sharing this with you!  I have a new blog called The Crafty Crow!  I have seen so many great kids crafts in blogland that I wanted a blog to keep them all in one place with a bit of organization thrown in.  I would love it if you would check it out and tell me what you think.  I've got lots more posts queued up so I hope you'll stop by frequently :)  My daughter has made a button that you can find in the sidebar (and below) if you would like to add that to your blog too. 

Thanks so much for letting me share this with you!