happy weekend!

creating with jules: concrete garden wall hanging

You will need:

-Paper

-Cement

-Cement additive (I use a product called Bondcrete)

-Sand, for strength I have used a mix of fine sand and coarse sand.

-Corrugated cardboard

-Duct tape

-Hot glue gun 

-Decorative pebbles and tiles

-Wire; thin, and thicker for the hanger

-Wire for reinforcement ie. chicken wire

-Acrylic paint

-Beads

Other useful items: Printer, rags, plastic bags, pliers, wire cutters, disposable gloves.

First, print off your templates. You can download templates here, here and here. Fold a large piece of paper into quarters and use the print out on top, placing the dotted lines against the folds, trace around and cut out the whole shape. Unfold and use these shapes as your templates.

Start with a flat piece of cardboard an inch bigger all around than each shape, and cover it well with duct tape. Make three, one for each shape.

Cut long strips of cardboard with the corrugated lines running vertically so that the strips will bend easily. Cover with duct tape.

Place one template onto the flat cardboard and trace around with marker, then using hot glue, attach the strips around the outline to make the mold. Repeat for remaining two shapes.

If you have good tape coverage on your molds you will be able to reuse them, yay!

Cut the reinforcement wire to fit inside each shape.

Cut a length out of the thicker wire for the the hanger. Cut a slit in the back of the mold where you’d like your hanger to be and poke the loop through. Tie the wire around the reinforcing wire will gain extra strength too. 

Make Three little wire loops from thin wire for each shape for hanging the beads from later.

Following instructions on the cement package, mix up your concrete. I used a mix of 1 part grey cement, 2 parts fine sand, and 1 one part coarse sand. I always add some cement additive for extra strength and add it to the mixing water in the ratio specified by the product I’m using. Add water a little at a time to the dry cement and sand mix, until the mix is just wet. The drier the mix, the stronger the final product. 

Scoop the concrete mix into the mold, and smooth. I used my hands with rubber gloves. Decorate your hangings by pressing glass pebbles and tiles in, and use a tool to create some decorative lines. Add your little wire loops for attaching beads later on. 

Once done, cover with plastic completely and leave to cure for at least 3 days. Within this time, you can check to see if the concrete has set and you may be able to clean some of the tiles and pebbles off easily with a rag. 

After they have cured, pop them out of their molds and use something sharp to scrape away excess concrete from the tiles, and polish with a damp rag. 

I used a wash of dark blue acrylic to paint over the shapes then wiped back with a damp rag. I then dry brushed some white over the tops to highlight, and finally, cleaned up the tiles again using a clean, damp rag. 

Thread some pretty beads onto some wire and attach them to the loops. Glass ones that shine when the sunlight hit them work well!

Jules :)

You can find more of Jules here:

Blog http://julesmadden.blogspot.com.au

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/julesmadden/

Shop https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/artbyjulesmadden

a peek inside my process

happy weekend!

24 hour flash sale!

Hey friends! I've got a 24 hours FLASH SALE happening! I've bundled all of my flower classes together for major cost savings! If you are interested in learning all kinds of ways to create floral art this is the deal for you! Head on over to the shop HERE for more details or to register!

offer ends Friday, October 5th at 12am EST

ACRYLIC BLOOMS

Flowers and acrylic paint make the perfect pair! In this class I will be sharing all kinds of really simple techniques for transforming your favorite flowers into expressive, beautiful and colorful acrylic paintings.

PASTEL BLOOMS 

There is something so colorful and expressive about creating with pastels. In this class we will use my favorite subject: flowers, to explore a variety of wild and expressive ways to use pastels.

INKY BLOOMS

There is something so simple and beautiful about creating with ink. In this class we will use my favorite subject: flowers, to explore a variety of expressive techniques. From using brushes to found objects to items from nature, we will experiment with creating dynamic and bold floral ink brush paintings.

WATERCOLOR BLOOMS

Flowers and watercolors make the perfect pair! In this class I will be sharing all kinds of really simple techniques for transforming your favorite flowers into expressive, beautiful and colorful paintings. 

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a peek inside my process

make time for creativity

I get a lot of questions sent my way about how to make time and space for creativity. So many of your have shared that you wish you had time and space to create. I've rounded up the most practical advice I can give when it comes to carving out space and a little time for making art:

Regardless of the space that you have or your daily routine, take some time to designate a place for painting and it doesn't have to big or grand- the kitchen table, a counter, a desk will all work!

Give yourself permission to be messy, creative and "in the zone" in this space.

Always keep your favorite supplies in this location (or in a couple of locations) so you don't have to go looking for them. I find when my supplies are available and within reach, I can jump right into the creative process.

Even if your space is small, try to decorate or have things around you that create a creative and peaceful atmosphere- candle, bouquet of flowers etc.

Be open to changing up your space- if life gets crazy and the only free time you have is standing in the kitchen while pasta boils- keep small projects or favorite supplies in a kitchen drawer and take 10 minutes to play while you wait for food to cook! 

Decide how much time you want to dedicate to creating and look for places in your schedule to fit that time in. .
If you don't have lots of time to dedicate to creating, try to carve out smaller chunks of time. You will be surprised how 20 minutes a day of creating adds up by the end of the week! 

Take an honest look at your life and your schedule to see if there are things that you can get rid of, move around or change. Often the biggest obstacles in having the time to create is simply time management! Taking an honest look at your schedule will help you prioritize and fit in more time for creativity. #tipsfromalisa

last chance!

Hey Friends! My new class Paint Your World launches today and so many of you have still been purchasing the class, I decide to extend the early bird sale until the end of today! So today is your last chance to get in on the sale price before it goes up.

You can head on over to the shop HERE for details or to register.

happy weekend!

summer in september