Hunkering Down into Craftsy Mode

Sometimes I feel artsy. Sometimes I feel craftsy. Sometimes I struggle with who I want to be... artsy me or craftsy me? Then I wonder... does it really matter? Nope. Just enjoy both.

This week I am starting to get ready for an arts and crafts show I will be doing in late November in Savannah, Georgia. It is a small show in my mother-in-law's island community. I've decided to focus on creating things that might actually sell. Crazy notion, right? Sometimes I feel like I am a sell-out to trends when I decide to make cutesy things that might sell. Then I have to slap myself upside the head and say, "girl, what do you think you are trying to do here?"

So... my focus for the next few months will be to enjoy the making part. The cutting, the gluing, the painting of the same thing over and over. I will save the bold and experimental statement pieces for later.

I think it helps to think about producing a "line" of projects, a set of colors and themes that work together so that the booth will look cohesive. This is tricky for me and my squirrel brain. I get bored easily and usually go from one direction all the way over to the other side about 10 times a day. But I am buckling down and I mean it. I will stay on track. This is a great opportunity and I refuse to let my inner 4-year-old mess this up.

I have done a few shows before, but never with a full force effort.  So here I go.

My first project: some trashy birdhouses that can also be used as Christmas ornaments.

Here's the how-to:

Supplies:
wooden birdhouses (I found mine in the bargain bins at Michael's)
scrapbook paper
scissors
pencil
cardstock
raw umber acrylic paint, regular and transparent
matte gel medium
liquid matte medium
satin varnish
paintbrush
ric rac trim
string
small scraps of fabric
mod podge for fabric

1) Trace the sides of the birdhouse onto cardstock to create a pattern for each style of birdhouse.

2) Choose a variety of scrapbook paper prints and trace the pattern, cut.

3) Paint your birdhouses with one coat of raw umber acrylic paint.

4) Use a thin coat of matte gel medium to glue the pieces to the sides of the birdhouse. Cover each piece with another thin coat of matte gel medium.

5) Using transparent raw umber acrylic paint and liquid matte medium, create grungy smudges around the edges of each side. I use the brush, a paper towel, and my fingers to get the smudginess just right.

6) Cut tiny "patches" out of the srapbook paper scraps. Glue these to the sides using the matte gel medium and cover each with a thin coat of matte gel medium.

7) Using the transparent raw umber and the liquid matte medium, create more grungy smudges around the patches.

8) Once dry, coat the entire piece with a thin coat of satin varnish.

9) Insert the ric rac as a hanger.

10) Cut the string into an 8-10 inch piece.

11) Using your fingers, coat the string with raw umber paint. Allow to dry.

12) Cut fabric into tiny triangles

13) Fold the top edge of the triangle over the string using the Mod Podge and coat each flag with a generous amount of Mod Podge to prevent fabric fray. Allow the flag garland to dry on a piece of plastic or other non-porous surface.

14) Once dry, peel the flag garland up, trim excess glue, and adhere to the birdhouse with small pieces of paper and matte gel medium.

 Now back to work!