Tag: crafting

Painting in the Sunshine

Painting in the Sunshine

by ehueston ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

While on my social media adventures a couple weeks back, I saw a video that inspired me. It was a really fun painting style that I knew I could recreate with the supplies I had. In the coming days I was going to be seeing some family, so we opted to do this together that weekend!

This turned out to be so much fun. I brought as many different supplies as I thought we could potentially need and we ran the experiment.

Bimg_4969asically you’re creating a stencil with masking tape. You’ll want to be sure that the tape is sticky enough to prevent bleeding, but not so sticky that it will damage the painting surface. Once you have your stencil placed on your surface, you start filling the spaces with all kinds of colours!

I chose to do a couple flowers with a dragonfly, while my sister opted for birds. I used mainly acrylic paint for the base, then topped it off with some fabric pains for the accent touches. My sister also worked in acrylic, but used my watercolour sprays to really pull all of her colours together. The final effect was wicked!

Wimg_4970e first thought that we should let the paint dry before pulling off the stencil. Luckily both of us corrected ourselves before the paint was fully dry. For those who don’t use acrylic paints, they dry as a plastic, and they can’t be revived like a watercolour can. They are plastic forever haha. So pulling the stencils off when it was fully dry would have pulled all of the paint off of the main surface. Unfortunately, this did happen to a few of my flower petals, but it worked out as a nice design element, so we’re ok. This is just a good reminder for next time.

I am so happy with how these came out, especially considering this was a full on experiment the whole time. It’s fun to try a few new techniques and to get your hands dirty. I am at my most me when my hands are covered in paint. I can’t wait to give it a try again.

Something Special

Something Special

by ehueston ♥ 2 Comments

In this time of isolation I have been able to work on a lot of projects in the evenings and that has been great for the psyche in a time of uncertainty. I don’t have anything quite finished yet, but I am hoping to have a good collection by the time I get to the March updates. Stay tuned.

I did, however, finish a project right on the curve of this madness. The owners now have this finished object so I can now share with you. Two wonderful friends of mine recently added to their little family with the welcoming of a beautiful baby boy. Unfortunately, social distancing and closures descended before I could hand it off to them. Yesterday, through the weirdest social experience we were able to make the trade. Do you know how hard it is to not cuddle a baby that’s a few feet away? Yikes! But we kept our social distances, mom/dad/baby in the lobby, Erin on the edge of the porch, box trade in the centre haha.

Anyway, as is becoming my new habit, I knit the new addition a baby blanket. This couple was not finding out the gender of the baby so it was a little more challenging to pick a colour. I am aware that gray is not your traditional baby colour, but it went with the colours that they chose for the room. I am so happy with how this project came out and the family seems happy with it too.

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The pattern I used was Dolce by Melissa Leapman. It was really nice to knit. The pattern changes every few rows so it keeps things really interesting with a lot of stitches. I didn’t add the border, but that’s mostly because I liked the look without it. The yarn I used was Estelle DK. I love all Estelle yarns. The colours are reliable, the yarn is sturdy, and it’s easy to clean which is key when it comes to baby things.

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So there you have it, a finished project! What are you finishing during this isolated time?

Keep Those Hands Busy

Keep Those Hands Busy

by ehueston ♥ 1 Comment

Originally, I didn’t want to send anything out related to the COVID-19 crisis. I didn’t want more things for people to read through about all of this, but it is looking like we might be in this for a while so I am going to send this out anyway. There’s no COVID-19 advice in here. Please be watching your local Health Units, the WHO website, and your government for all of that most up to date information. Wash your hands people!

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My post is more on the social distancing part of things. I had a thought the other day as things were starting to close down and people were being asked to stay at home. That thought was “thank goodness I have a creative mindset”. I have piles of books, art projects, knitting supplies, puzzles, movies and shows that I can use to keep busy for a while (it’s like I have been preparing for this on some level). I am more than capable of entertaining myself for a good long time. Don’t get me wrong, the lack of gym classes is going to play on the psyche, but I can feed my mind and that’s still a good thing.

Immediately after that thought, my mind goes to those who rely on human interaction and more active activities to get through the day. So here are a few ideas on how to keep busy while we are all a little more isolated than we are used to. This is mostly a list of what I plan to attempt anyway…

  • Spring clean: I don’t know about you, but I have been putting a few household things off lately. “After the holidays”, “after my trip”, things like that. Now’s the time. On the weekend I tackled little things like the top closet shelf and organizing my knitting tools that I said I’d “put away later”. These tiny victories were super satisfying and didn’t take all day. I felt productive in part of my day and felt no guilt when I say down with my book later on.
  • Puzzles: I didn’t put one out over the holidays because I was so busy, but now’s a good time. They are great for the mind, something you can do with your small gathering group or on your own.
  • Long planned projects: I am going to be putting out my easel and canvases this week so that I can get to my ever accumulating list of projects “I’ll get to eventually”. I will be getting everything set up around my apartment so that I have everything ready to go (posts to follow).
  • Reading: I have the largest reading list ever! I have to start working that down, here’s some guilt free time to do that.
  • Colouring Books: Always a great way to pass the time and you don’t need a pile of supplies. Great to do while watching TV or listen to a record.
  • Netflix shows/movies: We all have that built up Watchlist.
  • FaceTime: We can still be in touch with people while this is going on. Use FaceTime (or your equivalent) and check in on your friends and family while they stay at home. I have also seen a lot of online classes and groups coming through using Facebook Live, or by sending out and posting videos. We can still all hangout together!

So don’t let yourselves go stir crazy. We can all get through this. This is the time that we have always been looking for with no stores to shop in, no events to go to, you get to stay at home with your families. So try to use this time to do things that you want to do, that make you feel fulfilled and productive, that help to keep your mind off of all that is surrounding us in the world while staying safe. If we work together we can definitely get through this thing.

How are you keeping busy through it all?

 

Year End Recap

Year End Recap

by ehueston ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

img_1646Whew! We made it.

42 posts, new followers on the blog, gram and Facebook page. Lots of comments and feedback. It’s been a good year.

I’ve really enjoyed getting back to this. Now that I have more material to work with, not like when I was in school writing papers, this is a much less stressful process.

I have loved sharing my art and knitting projects with you all. Creating is my happy place and it’s so much better when you can show it off.

My goals for 2020 are simple. More of the same! Well, ok, more of the same but different. I have really been looking to get back to my paints and markers, so that’s where I would like to steer things in the new year. I have a lot of ideas that I have been looking forward to spending time on, so I’d like to make that more of a focus.

The year will already be off and running with a few new projects, some travel, and lots of new discussions.

I am still finding my footing here, dear readers. There’s a little of this, a little of that, trying to sort out what you like to see. If there’s anything you’d like to see more of in the new year please send me a message!

I hope that you have all had a wonderful year and here’s to an even better 2020!

Happy Holidays!

DIY Christmas

DIY Christmas

by ehueston ♥ 2 Comments

I did it! I have thought of doing this for the past few years but it has been too late to do anything productive about it. I planned, I organized, I made a list, and I did it. Wait for iiiiiit…

I made my own Christmas cards this year you guys!

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I bought some blank mixed media cards from my local art store and I painted 14 unique Christmas cards and sent them out to my closest friends and family.

I sat down to sketch and I went with my gut. There’s snowmen (my favourite), mice, ornaments, snowflakes, and trees. I was so happy with how they turned out that I had to have a talk with myself to make sure that they all actually went out.

Each card was made using watercolour paint, some fine liner marker, and white acrylic paint to put on that perfect finishing touch.

I hope that everyone liked them this year. I really enjoyed getting some media to paper on these. It’s a good head start into what I’d like to see as a more artsy 2020.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Something for me

Something for me

by ehueston ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Throughout the year I work on a bunch of different things, as you’ve seen. Art projects, reading, knitting, crafting, all for myself and others.

Around the holidays though I try to do something for me. I pick out a book that I have been eager to hang out with by the tree, and I pick a project that I have been looking forward to and that’s just for me. This past weekend I finished the last of my “for others” projects I had planned for 2019, so I am able to get to this project for me sooner than I had thought.

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I have a bit of a list going on what I’d like to work on, so decisions do have to be made. For right now, I am working on a hat for myself made with one of the Blue Brick’s new colourways. I have to decide now between socks, a shawl or a sweater for the holiday season. Hmmmmm…

What are you plans for holiday chillin’?

November Update

November Update

by ehueston ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

As the lead up to the holidays begins, things get a little busy around here. I’ve been spending the month getting through Christmas projects and working on some projects for the people around me.

Projects that I can share include a hat that my Mom requested for the cold weather. She purchased the yarn back in the summer and we chose the Astra hat. It is usually intended for DK weight yarn, but we had worsted and bulky on hand. To accommodate I kept the needle size required for the ribbing, went up a size for the body. I decided to go down a hat size to allow for the larger yarn. It all worked out really well. The contrast colour was a bulky yarn so it made the overall fabric of the hat really warm and cozy. Overall, the colours worked out really well and the hat looks great!

I was also able to participate in a local Paint Nite at the end of the month that revolved around the holidays. It included the making of Christmas ornaments and it was a lot of fun. I think that they turned out really well. I highly recommend them no matter what your experience level is. The classes walk you through every step of the process. I have had a paint brush in my hand for as long as I can remember and I learn something new at each one of these sessions. They are a great night out, and I know that my parents had a really good time too.

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I have a few other projects underway that I can’t share right now but hopefully soon. That’s where things are at heading into the holidays.

Thanks for checking in readers! More chats next week.

A Dangerous Game

A Dangerous Game

by ehueston ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

While knitting my final piece for the Joji Fall KAL, I won the closest game of yarn chicken yet. Check it out. That’s all that was left!

E8E4CB56-000E-4B9A-BCFA-BE710C716763_medium2This is a scary game that all us crafters play in some way shape or form. Making that last little bit of perfectly mixed paint fill the background, spreading the beads out evenly so the cluster is not too obvious, scraping the bottom of the bottle to glue that one last photo on, etc. It can get the heart going, especially if you’re not able to replenish the supply.

A friend pointed out a true fact about this game to me. When you play chicken, you tend to “craft” faster. What, like you’re going to trick the yarn into being longer by going faster? Proooooobably not. Somehow though, it makes you feel better about the whole thing.

Oh well, it was just so close I had to share. You put up a good fight yarn, but I won this time. Until next time!