This week’s photo was a little easier, because my husband and I took a little weekend getaway (thanks, Groupon!), so I had a chance to walk around with my good camera. This was taken in the cute town of Urbanna, VA outside a cafe. Taken with my 5D Mk II and adjusted in RAW in Photoshop.
Illuminated Tree Weekly Photo #7
Weekly Photo #6 - Sunlight Streaming Through the Trees
Here’s my sixth weekly photo for 2012…one I took at the start of my morning commute. Sometimes when I leave for work, there is such beautiful sunlight streaming through the woods. This was taken with my iPhone. The contrast and saturation were adjusted with mobile PS Express.
After being inspired by a lot of craft and home organization projects on Pinterest, I’ve been rushing home from work lately to try to fit in my own little creative projects. One of these projects is my DIY framed chalkboard. I’d been browsing Pottery Barn and Ballard Design catalogs, and both companies offered a very classy framed chalkboard for displaying the menu of the day or household to-do lists. Of course these were very costly. Here’s my own DIY version for a fraction of the cost.
1) Buy a small can of chalkboard paint at your local Home Depot, Lowes, or other home improvement store. You can also look online for a recipe to make your own paint.
2) I found an empty frame I had lying around the house. The size was perfect for my pantry wall, to replace the ratty old dry erase board we had there.
3) I found a flat piece of cardboard and trimmed it down to fit in the frame I found.
4) Using acrylic gesso, I primed the cardboard.
5) Once the gesso was dry, I painted 2 coats of chalkboard paint onto the primed cardboard, letting it dry for a day between each coat.
6) I fit the painted cardboard into the frame with the frame backing and used industrial strength adhesive-backed Velcro to attach to wall.
7) (optional) We had this little container that we also Velcro’d to the wall. This is to hold the chalk and eraser. If you use a frame that has a bit of a shelf or lip, you can keep your chalk there.
Note: I also saw Magnetic Paint next to the Chalkboard Paint at Lowes. Another option would be to create a magnetic board instead, or even layer the magnetic paint underneath the chalkboard paint to make this a multi-purpose magnetic blackboard!
I hope everyone had a great weekend. I had a productive one…I taught my mom how to use her laptop, and, in turn, she taught me how to knit! Maybe this will be another crafty skill to incorporate into the artistic life.
Also, I recently discussed how my design was chosen for Smithfield’s Public Art Project. The press release has been sent out and the pigs are going public. Not only will I be having an interview with the Smithfield Times as one of the artists, but I’ve also made the WAVY news! Hopefully, there will be more press as time goes on and as the pigs make progress and are revealed. So far, I’ve primed my pig with gesso and have drawn the design on both sides. Next step will be to start painting the pig characters on the pig. Will keep you updated! Below is a photo of my pig (we’ll name her “Bess”) being primed on her belly…
My Pig Being Primed on Her Belly
Here’s my fifth photo of the week, and I’m excited about it. I used a confetti drinking glass and played around with the lighting of it. After trying a few angles, I thought to actually put my iPhone cam right in the glass opening. I’ve always been interested in this unique view that you see when you drink from a glass. The confetti glass makes this view even more unique! For post-processing, I played around with the saturation and adjusted the exposure a little in Photoshop Express on my phone.
Happy Friday! Hope you have some fun/creative/productive plans for this weekend! As mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been running as part of my strategy of overcoming cancer and other health issues. Well, we’re almost 2 months away from my first race, Richmond’s Monument Avenue Ukrops 10K. I’ve signed up with my husband and some Richmond-area friends for this fun event. Training during the Winter months has involved using the treadmill at the local Y, but I’m looking forward to when there’s enough daylight and warmth in the evenings to run outside again. It’s a lot more fun to view neighborhood scenery than to just stare at the row of treadmills in front of me at the Y (or worse yet, whatever cheesy show is currently on USA Network on the gym TV…). My goal is to run the whole distance. I haven’t been able to work up to the full 6.2 yet (came fairly close when I ran 5 miles outside a couple Saturdays ago when it was really warm.). With more mild temps expected this weekend, hopefully I can squeeze in a nice long run outdoors and get closer to my goal!! Hope you all set or reach some of your goals (big or small) this weekend too!
Wooo! 10K or bust!
Sunrise Weekly Photo
Here’s my 4th weekly photo for 52 week photo project. When I left for work this morning, there was a beautiful sunrise mixed with early morning fog and interesting clouds. Despite it not being the safest thing to do (don’t try this at home, kids), I couldn’t help but snap a couple shots during my commute with my iPhone (the camera was already set up, just had to touch the photo icon). I later used Photoshop Express on my phone to play with the contrast and saturation a bit.
DIY Beer and Wine Label Collage
Here’s an easy DIY project for your home bar, entertaining area, man cave, media room, or wherever this might fit in with your decor. If you have some favorite wines or craft beers, save the labels from the bottles and use them to make a collage. In our household, we entertain with Belgian beers and Chianti wines. To remove labels from bottle:
1) Soak empty bottle for several hours in warm water (we put them in our kitchen sink)
2) Attempt to peel the label off.
3) If steps 1-2 weren’t enough the dissolve the glue, apply Goo Gone to the label area liberally and let this soak in for a few hours.
4) The label should peel off.
5) Save the labels and let them dry out. If necessary, use small objects on the corners to keep the labels flat as they dry.
Find a picture frame with glass. I usually have several extras in storage, so I tend to use something I already have. Depending on the size of the frame you are using, collect enough labels to fill the picture area of your frame (obviously, a larger frame will require more labels).
Once you have your collection, lay out the labels in an eye-pleasing design. Remember the artistic guidelines of creating balance in your design, by balancing colors, values, etc. to make the design attractive. You don’t want all light-colored labels on one side, and all dark labels on the other side. I usually start out with the larger labels, and then add the smaller labels as I go along.
Once you have your layout, use a method to attach the labels, such as double-stick tape or glue stick.
Frame your collage, clean your frame, double-check how everything looks in the frame, and (if everything looks good), you’re all done! Hang in your entertaining area.
Note: This project can also be created with cool cardboard drink coasters!
Here's Number 3 of my weekly photo project
Here’s my weekly photo. After being inspired by the striking pattern photos on this blog post, I figured “patterns” was a good theme for this week’s photo. I went on my lunchtime walk at work, in search for a pattern in the parking lot on base (right by my office). This is what I came up with (no particular advertisement for Ford intended, although it’s a great car). Once again, taken with my iPhone and I used the warm vintage filter from the Photoshop (PS) Express app.
