Making Glass Totems

Do you ever wonder what to do with the crystal bowl your grandmother gave you or the vase from the last bouquet of flowers you received?  Let's get creative with them!   The next time you are hosting a bridal shower, a baby shower, birthday party or are just having a few guest over for wine and cheese, what better way to use up discarded glassware than to make serving totems.  Mix and match glass, colors and patterns to create beautiful setting for any occasion. 

 

 

You can add miniature LED lights, flowers, and greenery to create any setting. 

I will be selling totems so if you see something you like, email me for the cost.  My goal is to have something online before too long with pictures and prices. 

 

Cake Toppers

 

Shower Cake Toppers or Serving Totems

 

For girls

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Try using glass totems at your next party as the focal point of your table.  You'll be amazed at the response you'll get from your guest while feeling good that you took those discarded dishes and have put them to good use. 

Metal Clay World Conference 2009

The 2009 Metal Clay World Conference is next week! I will not be able to attend but my sister, Jen Lowe, will be teaching classes and is taking some of the pieces I've done to display. There will also be lots of diachroic "teardrops" for sale but there are only 2 diachroic hearts, as seen on this blog in the piece "Bleeding-Hearts". Jen can take orders for more but there is no guarantee of the size or color. I will try to keep them similar in size and shape as the one you see at the convention and on this site. For those of you going to the conference, have a great time and maybe I'll see you next time.

Clinics:   I have started giving clinics at the  Home Depot that I work for in Canon City, CO.  If you are in our area and want to attend one of our clinics, look us up online and give us a call or just stop in and ask when our next clinic will be on and what it will be about that week.  If I'm not busy, I'll be happy to talk to you on how to faux paint or do stencil plastering or one of our other DIY clinics.  

 

 

Faux Finish Walls

 

I painted this picture years ago and never liked it but recently my husband decided he wanted to hang it on his office wall.  It looked terrible on the white walls so I decided to paint the wall it was on a dark green as an accent color.  After rehanging the painting I still wasn't happy.  Since I like the glow I had gotten on the stencil plaster background, I decided to use different shades of Modern Master's Metallic Paints.
Using various large soft bristle brushes I added several colors and blended them to create a soft, almost Venetian plaster look.  I applied a matt finish on the finished wall and rehung the painting.  What a huge difference it made.  The once unwanted painting became a huge success.  Sometimes your artwork just needs a "WOW" background to bring out the colors.

 

stencil painting

This wall was painted with metallic paints. I used both Modern Master Metallics and Martha Steward metallic paints to create glowing shades of brown. I used 4 mil mylar to create aspen tree stencils. (If you don't want to make your own you can order very nice stencils from http://www.victorialarsen.com/default.htm
She also carries the blank mylar if you want to make your own. I found that using a wood burning knife worked much better than a stencil burner.
I mixed 20 minute drywall mud and a 4" drywall knife to apply the drywall mixture over the stencils. Once the drywall mix dried I painted about half of the leaves with Modern Masters "Flash Gold" paint to add more shimmer and light for more realistic aspen leaves. The 2 aspen trees form a framed setting and would look great with a white wicker bench and potted plants sitting around it. Just another fun wall to bring walls to life in your home.

Another Tree

I'm having so much fun leaning about painting on walls. This is a simple tree that I painted freehand on the wall. I wanted it to look like there is a gentle breeze and some of the leave are falling off and drifting around. Since my bedspread is white right now and it is winter I liked the idea of bears dressed for an winter outing sitting under the tree. What little girl wouldn't love to play and snuggle under her covers at night in this room?

You can't see the color on the leaves very well but I painted a metallic "Flash Blue" over the black leaves. When the light shines on them they become a brilliant peacock blue.

With a simple tree like this in a child's room it would be so easy to change the decor with each season. I can visualize tall dolls sitting and standing around a small child's table having a tea party for the a summer look. Add a lace table cloth and baskets of flowers to brighten the setting. Hang a noose from the ceiling and sit scarecrows under the tree for fall with fake spinderwebs criss crossing from the walls in the room. If you chose to have a winter setting all year, try painting snowflakes with Moder Masters "Flash Blue". It will hardly be noticeable on light walls but you will catch a glimpse of color for the impression of falling snow. How about stuffed bunnies, chicks and little fluffy lambs under the tree for spring. So many fun things to do with a simple design.

Oh, all the bears were found at various thrift stores on Seniors half price sells. Another fun project for the budget minded!

Funky tree painting

I've been in Denver the past 10 days having fun with my sister. We decided to paint a funky tree on the bedroom wall. We painted the wall black and the tree white with black vines. The leaves are a metallic paint called "Flash Copper". A plain beige wall became a fun place to retreat at night and it only took one day.