« Older Archive for July, 2008

Wooded Adventure

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 by Alyice

I call this Wooded Adventure because it’s reminds me of the bark of a tree. The vibrant colors (oranges, greens, reds, and yellows), along with the whimsical pattern, make me feel as though I’ve entered a mysterious, magical place filled with fairies. As I run my fingers along the sides of the jar, I can’t help but wonder where my next adventure will take me.

I used Judi Kin’s Diamond Glaze™ to add a high definition gloss over the hand painted paper strips that were added to the vase. The Diamond Glaze™ shines even brighter than the glaze I used for the rest of the vase. I really like using the Diamond Glaze™, but you have to be really careful with the stuff because it tends to get a lot of air bubbles as it dries. And if you don’t use a hot air blow dryer or heating tool to help set the top layer of the glaze, it tends to run off the area you want to keep it.

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M & Buttons

Thursday, July 24th, 2008 by Alyice

Here’s one of my favorite jars. I love the way the cracks in the plaster make the piece look ancient and old. I also like the swirls and the way the paint blends so perfectly that you can’t tell where one color ends and another begins. I’m especially fond of the top, or the lip. The gold isn’t nearly as bright as it appears to be in the photo, I think that was the special lights I used—but it’s definitely as shiny.

I used Decoart’s Triple Thick Brilliant Brush-On Gloss Glaze. I love this stuff! But you have to use a sponge brush because if you use a regular paint brush it pulls the hairs out of the brush and leaves strands in the finished artwork. It also leaves brush strokes.

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Awakened By Birds

Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 by Alyice

The other night my daughter and I had a camp out in our backyard. We set up tent, played “Connect Four Stackers” by flashlight, watched the fireflies dance, and waited for the stars to come out before telling each other stories. I shared one of my many variations of “The Three Little Pigs”—I’m not a good story teller so whenever they were younger and wanted a story, I took old nursery rhymes and elaborated on them—and she read me a few of the stories she wrote. We laughed, and laughed, and laughed. It was a wonderful evening of bonding.

We awoke to the beautiful sounds of birds singing. I must admit that I pretty much love everything there is to love about birds—except their need to poop while in flight! The way they glide in the air is both graceful and majestic, and their signing is like praises until the Lord and lullabies until small babes. The above is my tribute to birds everywhere.

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