Gourd Art

I thought I would try my hand at creating art with something a little different, sketching in a design and do a little wood burning and applying some color on the surface of a dried gourd. I've had this one gourd for a while, it was fresh and green when I first got it and it had to be dried so I hung it up in the back corner of my patio away from rain and such, I left it there for about 4 months until it dried totally. I didn't like waiting such long time but what could I do, it takes a LONG time to dry. I asked my hubby to bore a hole in it for me because I thought it would make a really cute birdhouse and then I hung it in my craftroom. I stood back and looked at it then decided it needed to be altered with art!
So, the above picture is the finished project.

This was like a blank canvas.........
A Southwest design is what I had in mind and I sketched it, then burned it in with the wood burning tool. Those tools get really HOT! I accidentally gave my hand a minor burn! Ouch!


I used PRISMACOLOR Pencils, to add the color, they blend in so nicely.
Next, I'll be using a good spray sealer.
I need to get some more gourds to paint on!!!!!

Making more yummy cards...

Made a birthday card for my BFF, her birthday is in February. She LOVES collecting faux cupcakes, so I thought I make a card with a huge cupcake on it for her. I used a paper crimper and my Cuttlebug. Hope she likes it.
I also made a card for any occasion, I used a rubber stamp dragonfly and rubber stamp flower on this one. I used Prismacolor pencils to color them, then used Glossy Accents to highlight some areas. I don't think I will ever use a store bought card again!

Fake Cake (Money Tree) #5

Another fake cake money tree for a Quincenera Celebration for this weekend.
This time the colors are Fuchsia, Black and White. I think that color combination is so pretty.
The ribbons are Grosgrain, nice vivid colors. I used glittery fuchsia tulle to make the skirt and hot glued it around the bottom of the cake, giving it a nice finished look. Made a large black bow for the cake topper. The cake is 25 inches tall, from the tip of the top feather to the bottom. It is 41 inches around the largest layer. It's pretty large and will accommodate lots and lots of birthday cards.

Complete instructions on how to make a money tree cake is in my blog archive dated October 21, 2009.

This is a close up view of the bottom layer.
This is a close up of the fuchsia tulle skirt that is hot glued from underneath the cake.
This the the top view, where you can see the slot for dropping in the well wishers cards.

Stepping back I realized that maybe it needed something more............perhaps some black feathers........hmmmm. I decided to add a few black feathers to the fuchsia ones and added feathers to the bow cake topper as well.
Okay, I think that did the trick. I'm happy with it now. Hope they like it!

Quick Wine Bottle gift wrap-up

If you have a bottle of Champagne or Wine you are going to present as a gift, this is a great way to wrap it up quickly and prettily. Using some mesh tulle glittery fabric, cut into a large square (making sure it will be more than about 8 or 10 inches bigger than enough to cover the bottle), lay the fabric on a table and place the bottle standing upright in the middle of it, then bring all four corners of the fabric together and gather it right on the neck of the bottle, underneath the top leaving the sealed top of the bottle above it. Tie a ribbon around it to secure it or use tape. Attach a pretty bow and some curly ribbon, add danglies or a gift tag. You can trim the top if it is too high over the bottle.
There you go, quick, easy and pretty wrapping. Leaving the top of the bottle free will allow it to be opened and used freely without tearing the wrapping off.