rustic driftwood wreath

I am still here at the Oregon Coast and still challenging myself to create with the materials I have on hand! After I created my driftwood city tutorial I had a big pile of driftwood left over and I wanted to create a simple, rustic wreath from all the little pieces. I'm sure its pretty obvious by now that I LOVE making unique wreaths- they are the perfect little object to make with what you have on hand! This project (as simple as it looks) actually took me FOREVER to figure out- but I was finally able to make a wreath that worked!

I started by picking out pieces of wood that would fit together in the shape of a circle. If you don't live near driftwood- this project could also utilize tree branches, chunks of bark, dried grapevine, scraps of small wood, etc.

I began stacking the pieces and formed the shape of a wreath.

I used hot glue to get my pieces "tacked" down and went back with all purpose craft glue to secure everything permanently. (you could use wood glue or even stronger glue if you want to hang your wreath outdoors)

I layered more and more pieces of wood on top of each other- fitting corners and edges tightly into spaces.

And added even more layers until I was happy with the thickness and shape of the wreath.

Use the wreath to hang on the wall,

or use it as part of beach themed decor,

or even as a center piece!

I love this project! It is a small, simple and rustic reminder of my love of the outdoors and the Oregon Coast and I cannot wait to add it to my wall of wreaths!

redefine creativity

What did I do this weekend with this giant colorful canvas painting that I spent hours creating?

I ripped it up and handed out the pieces to everyone who attended my lecture and demo at the local library.

It is the best way to share my creative philosophy when it comes to art...

To challenge others to think outside the box...

and the easiest way to demonstrate what it means to redefine creativity!

Don't be afraid to do something a little crazy!

the north oregon rock monster

There is something quite special about Oregon forests- the trees are tall, there is moss everywhere, miles of green stretching above and below, magic in the fresh air and a wonderful silence everywhere. Often it feels that you are not alone and there are moments when you think something could be watching you from the bushes and often... something is watching.

The best part of Oregon forests- particularly those that are located north and found near the coast- are creatures that are native to this area called the North Oregon Rock Monster. They are found near water, off of mountain trails, in trees and in little green pockets of moss and undergrowth. Legend is that they come from the depths of the ocean but after centuries of living beneath the chill of coastal waters, they migrated to land for a change of scenery.

While rock monsters are colorful, they are small and quite elusive- often emerging from the brush after your back is turned. They are known to toy with hikers on the trail, popping up in trees and hiding in the most obvious places but never being spotted.

Today my dad and I set out to track some rock monsters that were sighted in our area. After hours of searching, we came upon a pod of monsters that we followed deep into the forest and we were able to get some rare shots of this family in their environment.

please note- the forest was not damaged in creating this post and the rock monsters were packed up and taken home :)

happy earth day!

Lets celebrate Earth Day every day!

today

Today was spent preparing for a lecture and demonstration that I will be giving this weekend at the local library. I have large canvas to paint, samples to sew and kits to assemble. As I have mentioned before, I have to paint outside because of my messy habits and knack for spilling paint on carpet- so my day was spent outside surrounded by green grass, wind through the trees and the sound of the ocean. Peaceful- YES- but I think it was after I spilled paint on my parent's deck (shhhh..I got it out before anyone saw!) and when my canvas blew away in the wind, that for a brief moment I really started missing my studio space!

shrink plastic statement necklace tutorial

Lately I've been having A LOT of fun playing with shrinky dinks (or shrink plastic) and decided to create a colorful and unique statement necklace completely from my own drawings on shrink plastic!

There is variety of shrink plastics out there- clear, frosted, black, white and a variety of colors. I used sheets of white and frosted shrink plastic.

I used a black permanent maker and covered the surface with lots of doodles and drawings of my favorite theme right now- FLOWERS!

I drew more flowers in variety of sizes, keeping in mind they will shrink about to about half the size that they start out.

I added color to the flowers by painting with acrylic paint on the back side of the plastic.

I cut out flowers and circles from the shrink plastic

and punched holes in everything.

I baked the plastic in the oven- preheated to 350 degrees.

It takes about 30 seconds depending on the size and it is just like magic!

The plastic shrinks, rolls up in a ball and then flattens out.

Once removed from the heat they harden to plastic.

Once all of my flowers were finished shrinking, I inserted jump rings,

added them to a chain,

and added more until I had lots of flowers in different sizes layered and stacked along the chain.

The result is a totally unique, colorful and creative necklace that is sure to make a statement!!!