DECEMBER DAILY: 2016 Album Cover

The time has come again to start December Daily prep work.  Which means...another fun album cover.

This year, I ordered an album, Décor 8 mini-kit, and some silk screens.  I plan on incorporating past years' supplies as well.  Use what you have...or at least try :)

(photo courtesy of aliedwards.com)

I started by applying gesso to the entire album with the intent to mute the bright red letters. 

Created my compass heart.

Then started to sketch out my design, trying to work small.

 I wanted to use Danielle Donaldson's "Be Still" class technique with winter foliage and flowers.

  Once sketched, I watercolored the images.

Applied details with pencil and white marker pen.

Adhered my compass heart. And mission complete

 

Some of the tiny details include snowflakes, stars, tiny flowers, and the number "25"

I completely love this!! 

Not sure how I will complete the rest of the album, but for now, I am HAPPY!

PINTEREST PROJECT: Wooden Spools Heart

the inspiration:

the supplies:

Collection of wooden spools from eBay, vintage store, and my mama. 

I found this on clearance at HomeGoods for $6 a few years ago, not knowing what to do.  I just knew it was cheaper than buying wood and putting together a pallet board & hanging materials.

Initially, a wooden girl, lifeguard chair, and life saver were on top, but I ripped it off.

the process:

Spray painted white over entire board.

Areas of the glue didn't take well, and some paint was already chipping off.

I created a template to use for sizing matters to get an idea of the location on the pallet.

Prearranging the spools before gluing everything down was key.

  It took about 3 tries to get it the right location and shape I wanted. 

Along the way I found this spool with my name on it so I had to keep it aside for something special.

Using a hot glue gun, I started with the outline. 

Then filled in the heart before gluing...

but I then decided the heart was too big for the initial idea and left the outline as is. I plan to add a family photo or collage inside. Perfect in my opinion! 

I took the "Alison" spool and faced it forward next to one with a star on top.

Adding a personal touch to resemble a punctuation of a period. Thus the symbol is making a statement such as LOVE, ADORE, EMBRACE. 

And the final result is completely ADORABLE!

And hung with care!!

OLW: Wall Update

The wall is up-to-date...YAY!!  This may be one project I actually keep up with since it is a once a year thing. 

As you can see I engraved "little word" under the number 1. 

The heart is up yet seems too small. However I like the idea of using a variety of items to complete the wall in all shapes and sizes and material. So I will leave it for now. 

The feather is placed in a shadow box with pins and a ribbon holding it in place. Hopefully it doesn't move too much as time goes by. I left the ribbon tail hanging off the side and out of the box for a "something different" effect. 

The hallway has bad lighting for photos and not many windows nearby, so here are close ups of the 12inch feather. 

I ordered the feather from Rachael Rice. She also makes amazing dream catchers.