DIY ...{Luminaries}...

Friday was my first crafting day of the year.  It was quite productive.  Here's a quick and inexpensive DIY project.  Hope you enjoy creating these as much as I do.  The look is so versatile and can be altered for any room of your home.  Of course the luminaries that you see here will be added to my sOnflower shop soon.

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You'll need:

~an empty glass container ...{sauce jar, wine bottle etc}...
~tissue paper or another thin paper ...{I've found some beautiful papers at the Art Store in
   Syracuse}...
~a nice complimentary ribbon, twine or lace
~inexpensive craft glue
~a touch of water
~a paint brush
~a battery powered candle
~any other embellishments you would like stamps, buttons etc.

First eat some delicious spaghetti smothered in pasta sauce.  Okay so I suppose using an empty container that's been sitting around your home or is rescued from your recycling bin would work fine too.  Clean it out, remove the label and any stamps that have been printed directly on the glass.  If you can manage get the sticky stuff off that's great too.  I've found that removing the annoying sticky stuff with Windex and paper towels should do the trick.  ...{don't beat yourself up perfectly removing the stickiness it'll likely be covered up later}...

Second. Select something to cover your jar with.  I've used tissue paper for the base of most of these pieces.  cut your paper to fit around your jar.  When measuring the height leave enough room to wrap your paper around the bottom and top of your glass.  I cut my paper to 7" x 11" this was the perfect size for my standard spaghetti sauce jar.

A side note. If you will be adding stamps now is the time.  Select a permanent ink ...{I used Staz-on black ink}... Stamp directly onto your glass container.  After the ink is dry you're ready to continue on.

Third. Mix an inexpensive glue ...{I used a store brand similar to Elmer's}... with water.  You want to get this to a paint like consistency.

Fourth.Coat your jar in glue painting the surface ...{I find that holding the inside of my jar kept my fingers pretty clean and allowed me to rush the project along nicely}...

 Fifth. Gently lay your paper onto the jar leaving room at the top and bottom to be wrapped under the bottom and to neaten the top edge.

Sixth.Use your slightly moist brush to smooth out the paper. ...{be careful not to readjust your paper once it's set it becomes very brittle and will tear easily.  If you're like me and wind up with a tear gently smooth it out with your brush coated in glue.  Still no luck?  Add a small piece of paper to cover up your goof}... 

Seventh. Add a brush of glue to the bottom of your container.  Then gently wrap your paper around the edge and pleat it on the base of the jar.

Eighth.To finish the top add another band of glue and fold the paper down on the outside of the jar.

Ninth.Once the glue has dried you're ready to decorate.  Some of my designs are very minimal paper and a nice ribbon, others include floral petals or burlap and twine.

Ta Daa.Be creative and enjoy!  I recommend using battery powered candles for these luminaries since most jars are so deep. If you have pictures of your project to share send them my way and I'll be glad to post them.

A Conch Christmas tree!

And you're amongst the first to see the following sneak peek!

Here they are...{my beautiful little re~purposed conch shell Christmas trees}...  As I mentioned in my last post the idea jumped into my head this afternoon as these blank white shells begged me for a creative project.  Each Conch Christmas tree includes five dainty red ornaments, Swarovski Austrian crystals to add Christmas sparkle and are topped with a beautiful ball of beads. Each shell measures approximately 7" tall.  These pieces will be added to my Etsy site this weekend.

The dainty red ornaments are removable.

I'm not sure if I like it best with or without the sprigs of greenery emerging from the center.  Any thoughts?

Busy Friday

What a busy day!  In addition to boring household chores I've completely revamped my blog page, doubled my etsy listings and joined Stumble Upon.  Some call it SU but I just can't do that ...{being a proud Central New Yorker}... SU is reserved solely for a Syracuse University.  Anyhow... Stumble Upon is pretty awesome.  You can find me at: http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/mysonflower/

Very busy yet still not feeling accomplished until I turned up the pandora Christmas music and freed my mind a bit.  Then out of my imagination popped the most glorious idea.  You see there's been a few massive conk shells sitting in my studio begging for a purpose.  They're a completely blank canvas and finally it dawned on me Christmas conchs... how did I not think of this sooner.  

Time to turn on the broken hot glue gun and get to work.  I'll post pictures as soon as these masterpieces stop dancing in my head and begin their re~purposed journey as Christmas conchs.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Goofy turkey wine bottle topper.  Stay tuned... I made similar bottle cuties for Christmas and celebrating winter!  Message me to order one and I'll create a special listing for you through my Etsy site.

In our home we .L.O.V.E. this time of year.  There's so much to do and the extra time with friends and family is great to keep these chilly days warm.  We've been quite busy with Damon and holiday preparations and I haven't spent quite as much time working on my sOnflower shop as I had hoped to.  I'm confident that the next 31 days will be perfectly hectic as we shop, plan cookie baking gatherings, create new memories and hopefully if I'm lucky create a few beautiful pieces for my sOnflower shop. On a side note that's right... there's only 31 days until the excitement of Christmas morning is upon us. Beginning December 14th  I will be starting my first annual 12 days of Christmas favorites (I will be doing daily postings including my favorite local CNY things, my most prized creations and 12 things that inspire me.)

{...Happy thanksgiving to you! Thanks for the support you've provided me this year and especially with this my sOnflower endeavor, I'm thankful for your encouragement...}

My sOnflower shop is just about there...

As I sat this morning to work on my sOnflower shop the lovely hills outside my studio window were swallowed by miles of gray sky and dreary weather.  I turned the heat up (don't tell my husband) and got cozy with an extra hoodie to finalize my shop policies.  Time for creating was cut short but boy is my head and sketchbook full of ideas.

What's to come?

Good question I'm hoping to put out a few holiday card designs that will feature room for families to include a pre-printed photo.  I'll share concepts here soon.

I've also been experimenting with wine bottle toppers.  Snazy themed charms to make any bottle of wine into a well throughout gift for the host of your next holiday gathering.

Silhouette pillows.  Save those precious moments with a silhouetted pillow.  I just cut Damon's silhouette out of black felt and it looks awesome- I'll post pictures once I have one completed.

Wreath cork-boards. This concept came out of the need to switch up the traditional huge rectangle of a cork-board in our kitchen.  Might as well be in scripted with "This board does nothing for the look of your room!"  Anyhow I thought it might be neat to combine part of my cork-board with one of my favorite recent creations a grapevine wreath.  Today I prepared the background of the cork-board and I'll be cutting it down to size and framing it with a wreath soon.  The concept in my head seems super easy and I'll include pictures so you can make one at home.

I always knew starting a shop would be a lot of work but even I underestimated the number of hours it would take for me to establish my site just the way I envision it.  I tend to be a planner intricately choreographing nearly every minute of my day so needless to say I'm certainly out of my element here.  I don't know what I don't know.  If that makes any sense.  In other words I'm still trying to figure out exactly what things I need to learn to become successful.  I'm very fortunate to be learning from other successful Etsy shop owners and local business owners.

As you'll learn I have far more ideas than I do time 

but I'm committed to bringing as many of them to life as possible.

I look forward to sharing pictures, simple do it yourself projects and 

of course new postings on my sOnflower shop!

He had more fun scooping the pumpkin guts off the table and putting them back into the pumpkin! That's our silly boy!

Pumpkin guts!

THE LAUNCH ...{my sOnflower}...

Please stop by my brand new Etsy site:  Just launched minutes ago my sOnflower shop  I'm so excited to be a part of the Etsy community.  The artists and crafters you'll find on Etsy are truly inspiring, do check them out!

I'll post more later and can't wait to add new items to my site.  Be sure to check out the coupon code at the top of my page for a 10% discount.  I'll also be emailing friends and family with a special coupon code.

...{special thanks to my great supporters!  I'm so lucky to have friends and family who encourage me to step out of my comfort zone and try something I've been dreaming of for years.  Without you my sOnflower shop likely wouldn't be here today. 

and a super special thank you to my husband Brent and our boys the guys who brighten each of my days. }...

Studio Transformation

Eek huge mess in the studio.  What a way to start the work day.

 

...{Wait for it}... 

A little organization and taa daa...

I know I know what a transformation!  I'm still patting myself on the back.  Okay not really, I'm just glad the boring part of this endeavor is over.  I think this studio is officially a pretty workable space.  Today's mission is to post items on Etsy.  The big launch takes place Sunday!  Check back for a coupon code exclusively for friends and family.

  What do you think of the pennant banner I've been working on? 

So proud of this beauty! I just made this paper holder this morning.

My promised card designs

Here are several of my one of a kind note card designs.  Please feel free to leave feedback.

On a side note CoNgRaTuLaTiOnS to my husband and all of the local Empire State Marathoners who took part in today's inaugural run!  Talk about inspiring!

 These cards will be available on my Etsy site beginning  

{10.23.2011}

...{Golden Elephant}...

...{Land and Sea}...

...{Follow Your Dreams}...

...{Polka Dotted Koi}...

...{Sunflower Thanks}...

...{Turquoise Chrysanthemum}...

...{Bursting Flowers}...

Etsy preview

A year in the making... {strike that} a lifetime in the making.  I've always loved to create and have dreamed of turning that passion into a career.  Inspired by our sons I've decided it's time to take the leap to turn this dream into an attainable vision.

Here's a preview of the home decor pieces I've created

~pieces will be for sale on my Etsy site beginning~

{10.23.2011}

Vino Inspiration

Copper Autumn

Tear Drop

Petite Beauty

I've handmade all of these wreaths from wild grape vines.  Several of the wreaths have been embellished with copper wire or ribbon. Each has it's own character and style.  I'll be adding more sneak peaks throughout the week leading up to the launch of my sOnflower on Etsy.  Please check back often.