Well, Hello There

It's been a while. A long while. Since I last posted I got a new job! That, combined with a new exercise program I'm obsessed with, has unfortunately left this blog at the bottom of my priority list. However, break is coming up (I'm a teacher) so I have a little more time, especially since I'm now in the swing of things, as my mom would say.

I did, however, do some more drawings.

Lady Marian from Robin Hood (2010)

Bill and Ted from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (a personal favorite)

Michael and David from The Lost Boys

David detail

Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly and Serenity

Zoe Washburne, also from Firefly and Serenity

Zoe detail

I hope to have a few things done soon, so as far as another post before the end of 2013 goes... ::fingers crossed::

Music to Draw to: The Puppini Sisters — Christmas With The Puppini Sisters

Candle Crafting: Recycle the Remnants!

I have a slight addiction to burning scented candles. Over the years I've collected a mass of them with most the the candles coming from Bath and Body Works.

And these are the ones I hadn't melted down yet.

Initially, I threw the mostly empty containers away, but after a few, I realized that was a massive waste of materials. So, I started saving them. Recently, I decided it was time to make some "franken-candles" with the remnants of the multitude of candles. I've seen suggestions for wax removal all over the place- I've tried freezing the wax, but I prefer melting it with boiling water. Just pour it into the container and the wax melts and rises.

It also bubbles up like a lava lamp.

Leave it alone for a while and you can pop the hardened wax disk from the top. A few times I had to do it again, but otherwise this is a very easy way to get the wax out. Use olive oil to clean out any resisting wax and soot and use pliers to pull out the wick bases. Et voilà, clean.

Time to make my own candles. I didn't have enough of any one scent to make a new candle, so they're layered. After sticking in new wicks, I used the only thing I could find to keep them upright- painters tape.

It's what the pros use, I've heard.

Then I melted down on scent at a time and carefully poured it into the glass. I learned the hard way to not touch it AT ALL for a while. I spilled more wax than I'd like to admit. After one scent is completely set, pour in another. The previous layer will melt a tiny bit, but not enough to mix colors.layers/scents.

Evergreen, not long before I spilled some on the counter.

This day, I used 5 different scents of wax and made 2 new candles. I have enough wax to make at least 4 more, but I'll save those for another day. Possibly when the wax on the floor is finally gone.

That's all! This is an easy but time consuming project. Now I need to repurpose all the glass jars I have!

Music to craft to- John Mayer – Born and Raised

Reviving a Forgotten Skill: Drawing

The last time I drew in earnest was when I was in college. As an art major, I was required to take a drawing course and, sadly, I came out of that semester with a C. I just didn't get it. I was stuck in the style of drawing I did in high school, which was sub par. Unfortunately, the struggles I had in this course tainted drawing for me from then on. If I ever drew anything, It was a quick sketch on the way to something else.

However, for some reason, back in April I decided to start drawing again. Not only did I decide to start drawing, but I chose portraiture, the former bane of my existence. It started with an image I found on Enjolras, as played by Aaron Tveit in  Les Miserables. Enjolras has always been a favorite character of mine and Aaron Tveit a favorite performer, so that was all I needed. He would be drawn!

Does he look exactly like Aaron Tveit? Well, no. But he does look human, which is a huge improvement over the way I used to draw people. Since I was on a Tveit kick, I decided to try Mike Warren, the character he plays in the upcoming USA show Graceland.

Not bad. Not the best image to work from, though. But don't worry, I learned from that.

Time to change gears. I'm a late convert to The Walking Dead. It took a lot of harassment from a senior student to get me to watch it, but I'm thankful he was persistent. I fell in love. And, like many fans, I fell in love with Daryl Dixon. So, yes, he was up next.

I was very happy about this one. I think Norman Reedus my be my muse. I no longer own this (it became a graduation gift for the formerly mentioned senior) but I'm working on a portrait of Reedus right now.

Music to craft draw to: Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree

Unintended Hiatus?

I slacked off over the last few months. There are things on the way, though.

Music to slack off to: Mesita – The Coyote

Sew Crafty: Holiday Bunting

A few months ago I came across this bunting tutorial on Youtube:

And decided that this month was the perfect time to try it myself.

I found some sample sizes of 4 different wintery materials and decided to use a bone colored fabric for the back and a natural ribbon instead of the white tape suggested by Hannah.

I may have taken me over a week to do this, but I had problems sitting at my sewing machine for more than 30 minutes at a time. It's a fairly easy craft, but somewhat time consuming. At least, for me.

Happy Holidays!

Music to craft to: My Christmas Favorites

Random Recipe: Semi-homemade Soup

It's the time of year when everyone shows up to work with the sniffles. Kids come to class to share their colds. We all need relief.
And chicken noodle soup is here to help. This is a recipe I got from my grandma, who got it from someone else in the grand tradition of recipe sharing. So, now I share it with you. It's a chicken noodle soup that is, for the most part, made entirely by you. There's just a little help from Mrs. Grass.

Grandma's Chicken Noodle Soup
1 package Mrs. Grass homestyle chicken noodle soup mix
1 chicken, whole
5 cups water
1 cup white wine
8 oz. Velveeta
curry powder, to taste

Skin and trim the fat on the chicken. Tuck the wings under and place breast down in a large pot. Pour in the soup mix, water, and wine. Bring to a boil then let simmer for an hour or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Remove chicken and cut meat into small pieces. Put chicken, Velveeta, and curry powder in the broth and stir.

That's all!

This is great to make for a big group of friends or a good week's worth of lunches! And remember- don't be as impatient as I tend to be. Let the chicken cool before carving it up.

Music to cook by- The Lumineers – The Lumineers

A Warm Welcome- Salt Dough Tiles

After finally taking down my Halloween wreath, my bare door screamed for adornment. I decided to forgo another wreath until December so after pulling out the salt and AP flour, I made tiles out of salt dough.

I used the recipe from Allrecipes.com:
4 cups AP flour
1 cup Salt
1.5 cups warm water

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Mix flour and salt well. Gradually add water, stirring with a large spoon. Finish mixing with hands. Knead until soft and pliable.
3. Roll out on floured surface about 1/8 inch thick. Cut shapes with cookie cutters. Place on cookie sheets.

And that was where I stopped following directions. Instead of poking holes, I stuck paperclips into opposing sides. The instructions say to make these around an hour, but I started them at 200 degrees for an hour and then bumped up the heat to keep them from getting too puffy. Overall, I ended up baking them around 2 hours. Suffice it to say, one side of the tiles got a bit brown, but I actually love that look. That's why I chose the brown side for the lettering (that's not brown paint!). Letters where hand written with pencil and painted over with acrylic. Tiles were attached with small loops of twine and red ribbon is at the top.
You may be looking at this lovely decor and thinking "That's awfully long. It has to swing all over the place." You'd be right. For the first half hour, it did. After that I grabbed 2 small picture nails and tacked them above the C and last E and now the swinging and non-existent.

Music to craft to- Tristan Prettyman radio