Remembrance of Fall

Some photos I took in September, to edit I used www.picnik.com,  a great editing site! (plus it's free for basic features).

A Little Box

Something I made for my mom this holiday season! I found this cute little box at Hobby Lobby for about three dollars and started with a real light white wash. This was followed by the watercolor of the flowers which I highlighted with acrylic paint.

Now for what I put INSIDE the box! Need: 2cup Epsom salt, 1 tbsp water, fragrance, mixing bowl, mold and food color! That's right, I made bath salts for my mom. I did it rather unconventional however. First off, one should mix the Epsom salt, water, fragrance and food coloring all together. That went fairly well except for the fact that I didn't have food coloring for my first batch, so when I mixed it all together I got a nice pink rather than a "Cheery Christmas" red. Secondly, pack firmly into molds. I didn't have any molds. The website which I found this recipe instructed the creator to pack firmly into circular bath molds which snap together (like plastic Easter eggs). From there they were to set dry for a day, then the top half was to be removed (with the idea that the sphere shape would remain intact) and then leave the whole to rest for another 3-4 days. Well, ice cube tray... bath mold... no difference right? Wrong. I could not get the dang things to hold their shape for the life of me! I let them set close to a week with no results. Granted it would've helped if the ice cube tray had a second part to allow air to reach the whole bath salt. It probably also would have helped a great deal if I had a regular, cubic, small ice cube tray. I had long, fairly wide cylinders. Face it, no air was getting to the center of that sodium concoction.

However, it all worked out well I believe. A few days before Christmas I decided waiting was ridiculous at this point. I had tried everything short of sticking it in the oven. Well what in Pete's sake is wrong with having it just the plain salt? and instructing my mom to scoop two spoon fulls, or as much as her desired fragrance, into her bath. I got a huge mixing bowl. Poured my poor mixture into it and began to use my hair dryer in an attempt to prevail against this truly evil foe.

I lost.

I used the high setting on the hair dryer. Wet, fruity scented Epsom salt went EVERYWHERE!

Round two: Used the low setting and held the dryer close to the salt with my arm wrapped around the bowl to prevent any projectile chemicals.

It worked a lot better :) And so I continued, adding in more salt, and water as needed to make it soak in. Do not bother to ask how much I put in, I just poured the Epsom salt in and added a little bit of water at a time to keep the mixture moving; the salt should be wet but not runny. I added in even more fragrance than water, and even more food coloring than fragrance. It smelt wonderful I must say. The fragrance I also got at Hobby Lobby (fragrance- $2.99 from Hobby Lobby, Espom salt- $3 from Walmart, Water- free from my tap, a fruity smelling bathroom and Christmas adventures- Priceless). Strawberry and Sugar Cookie. It smelt glorious and I have to sway a bit as I entered my bathroom later that night. The dulcet smell, I could not get enough of it. Did I mention that I was doing all of this in my bathroom? My mom was in the kitchen so this was considered a covert affair and face it, I knew I would make a mess so at least it would do the least damage in the bathroom. After I had used most of my salt and fragrance, with the bath salts being mostly dry, I felt a sense of accomplishment and scooped some into my mom's box. Concluding the momentous occasion by wrapping the gift.

Christmas Day my mom opened it.

"Oh that smells wonderful, Katie!"

I couldn't resist smelling it.

I should have put the bath salts in a plastic bag. The salts now smelled pleasantly of the wood which had been holding it these last few days. Not a hint of strawberry or sugar cookies there.

:)   Touche Epsom bath salts. Touche.

Tonight's PlayList...

If you have not listened to any one of these songs, I would highly recommend them; however my taste in music is quite varied and I enjoy a number of different songs :) 

1. Until the Day I Die- Story of the Year
2. Cigarettes- Lucky Boys Confusion
3. Set it on Fire- My Darkest Days
4. You Had Me at Hello- A Day to Remember
5. HeartKiller- H.I.M
6. 4Ever- The Veronicas
7. Mr. Brightside- The Killers
8. Country Grammer-Nelly
9. Check Yes Juliet- We The Kings
10. About a Girl-The Academy Is...
11. The Ballad of Mona Lisa- Panic!@the Disco
12. Sadie Hawkins Dance-Relient K
13. Best Theory- Jimmy Eat World
14. Tilt Ya Head Back-Nelly feat. Christina Aguilera
15. Untouched-the Veronicas
16. The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is the Press Coverage-Panic!@the Disco
17. Love Chaser- Sunseth Midnight
18. Maria Maria-Santana
19. Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year- Fall Out Boy-

".... Cuz I'll keep singing this lie if you keep believing it, are we going up or just going down? It's just a matter of time until we're all found out, take our tears, put them on ice....

                " .... Cuz I swear.... I'll burn the city down to show you the light...."

The Fountainhead

I went through my "stats" about page views and saw that I had 8 viewers (or views) from Russia (I deeply adore to think about the prospect of people, from ANYWHERE! actually reading my posts). This got me thinking about the book I'm currently reading, The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand, who for those who may not be familiar with her, was born in Russia.

I will be completely honest in the fact that I have no idea why I am posting this, except as a release for the build up joy and contemplation I am experiencing as I read The Fountainhead. Please note that I am only approximately halfway through the book! At first I did not like the book, however there was something that kept me reading, and now I have a hard time putting the book down. Then... there's times where I am forced to take breaks from it, from the characters, the vivid pictures and the complex, yet wholly simple, characters. It is indescribable, this feeling. I'm not too sure what makes me put down the book yet it is a feeling that I enjoy. The feeling which makes me giddy. That I can keep reading. I feel a slight ownership of the characters because there is a complete sense of realism that is attached to them.

Ayn Rand worked like an artist (who am I kidding, she was truly an artist) as she tells the life of Howard Roark as an architect and as a man. There is hardly a proper way to describe Roark, however, Rand said well in saying Howard Roark was the ideal man, man as "he could be and ought to be." His understanding extends to a multitude of subjects on a multitude of levels, yet, he still possesses innocence and a belief in what is right. He understand everything and then nothing which makes him almost pure.

Adorable Kids

Dear little girl,
               
           I was born on my birthday too, that's so weird!

                                 Sincerely, Little kids are so cute....




Saw this on www.dearblankpleaseblank.com and found it completely sweet. As well as reminding me of Christmas Eve Mass which I attended this year. It was a candle light service which I enjoyed deeply, along with the privilege of sitting behind a little girl of the most adorable and innocent nature. She squeaked with joy as we passed on our lit candles, overjoyed with the prospect of holding one herself. She wore her Sunday best outfit, a cheery dress. I had no idea where she got all her energy from! All smiles and giggles, yet extremely well behaved and fairly quiet through the service. At one point of the service the priest came and splashed the people with Holy water to remind us of our baptism. He splashed A LOT of water! It was quite funny because my dad was sitting right next to the baptismal font. Right in the face he got splashed... that woke him up! The little girl once again squeaked as the water hit her face. When my dad asked her if she got wet, she grinned and nodded vigorously. 


To all the children out there... keep being cute, innocent and full of all the creativity and wonder you currently hold... 

Old Ornaments

As I promised, my previous ornaments. I particularly love the red and white one. This one was also painted from the inside. The green one is speckled from the outside and is actually a shade darker than the picture shows (with the shine of the bulb I could not get a just picture). I used a sponge to get the look on the green ornament, with various shades of light green, finishing with a glitter paint. I made two other ornaments the year past. Another green one, which is much darker, painted on the outside. It is a solid green with four white stars, one on each "side." (Wait... globe... sides?!) The other one can be vaguely seen in the left side of the red ornament picture. It is a simple white with "2010" in gold and stars.  

                     I hope everyone had a safe and happy Holiday :) 

Map Coasters

Well here's one of the gifts I finished making in time for Christmas! Coasters! It was very simple to do and it turned out great, or so my dad tells me ... haha...haha.

ANYWAY! Supplies: a map, four pieces of wood or cork (I used wood squares from Hobby Lobby), paint (if you desire), a glue, and possibly a varnish.

How to: I started with choosing my locations, it's nice if there's memories or connections to the areas you choose. Because I was making these for my father I chose places he had gone to school or lived at. From there I cut these locations on the map. Next, I had to prepare the pieces of wood. I used plain white acrylic paint on the wood, for looks and to help make it resistant to stains. While the paint on top was still wet, I placed the pieces of map on it, using the paint as the glue (I was not aware we were out of glue!)
The website where I got this idea suggested Mod Podge glue if availble. (I find no problem with paint or regular glue as long as one varnishes the completed item. After that had dried, I used a liquid thinner/varnish (I recommend Liquitex "Gloss medium & Varnish") and went over the whole work, with extra care around the edges of the map to secure it's hold. Afterwards, as a final precaution, I used a spray woodworking varnish (found at almost any hardware store). These final varnishes will help make it water resistant (hopefully decrease the coffee stains also!) and gave it a nice glossy shine.