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Happy Anniversary

Friday, July 23rd, 2010 by Alyice

On August 4th, my husband and I will be married for 20 years. Our marriage has withstood the death of a child, the death of a parent, five state-to-state moves, 2 job lay-offs, the loss of our retirement savings, financial strife, friendship strife, the start up of a business, the decline of a business, and the usual ups and downs of living with another person. And through it all, we have remained best friends, lovers, and soul mates.

I have always dreamed of renewing my vows in Hawaii, dressed in Hawaiian ceremonial clothing, with my son as the best man and my daughter as the maid of honor. Unfortunately, with the economy in the state of affairs that it’s in, that is not going to happen. So we’ll be doing something close to home, instead.

To help jumpstart the festivities, I repurposed this cute Bride and Groom wedding glass set from Consumer Crafts.

I received a complimentary set of the wine glasses to help illustrate how easy it is to frost the glasses using etching cream. (See my tutorial on the Crafts Unleashed blog in August. I show you how to use etching cream to create a “frost” look on the glasses. So adorable and simple to do!)

Though I loved the outcome and may want to frost some actual drinking glasses, I realized that as drinking glasses these wine glasses would only come out once a year.

You see, we don’t drink wine. The closest bubbly we partake in is Sparkling Grape Juice—and that’s only on special occasions. And though that would’ve been a nice substitute, I decided to create an ambience for the evening with the wine glasses, instead.

One glass will hold a few yellow roses. The roses hold a very special meaning to both of us—a meaning that brings both tears and joy. (I know the picture shows a different yellow flower. I needed a prop since the roses will be bought fresh closer to “our” date and the single fake rose I have just didn’t look good.)

And the other glass will hold a flickering, battery-operated candle to symbolize the flickering heartbeat that accompanies first love’s contact.

The clock is attached to symbolize the lifetime we’ve spent together—the beginning of a new life, the hope of eternity, the end of one era and the beginning of another, and the simple act of living in the moment with the one you’ve promised to share your life with.

Can’t you just see these glasses decorated with a newly married couple’s wedding flowers and left over fabric from the bride’s dress?

They could even tint the wine glasses, using the colors of the wedding. (Food coloring and Mod Podge baby! That’s all it takes to change the color of these glasses.)

Don’t be afraid of repurposing…

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Use It Or Lose It

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 by Alyice

When I was a little girl, I loved to draw. I’d pull out a Disney book, grab some scratch paper, and go to town. I’d practice drawing every character until I got it right.

And when I wasn’t using Disney‘s books, you could find me doodling some of the weirdest things.

Soon, however, my love of drawing, doodling, and sketching took a backseat to life.

Then one day my daughter found some of the drawings I saved and asked me why I ever stopped.

“You could’ve been so great by now mom,” she said. “Your drawings were really good. How come you can’t draw so well now?”

To which I replied, “It’s like that old saying, ‘Use it or lose it.’ Since I didn’t continue to develop my skills, I lost them.”

You’d think I would’ve picked up the craft again, but I didn’t.

I always found an excuse to avoid it. Although the excuses seemed valid, the truth is that I was just too embarrassed with how elementary my skills had become—with how little they grew or advanced.

Recently, however, I signed up for an art workshop online, hosted by Sharon Tomlinson, of All Norah’s Art and I realized that there’s simply no avoiding it.

If I want to create the type of art I want to create, I have to doodle, sketch, and draw. And the only way to do that is to practice, practice, practice.

So my advice to all the kids out there who can draw and create beautiful works of art, keep at it. Don’t give up, ever. If you do, you could find yourself losing the very talent you so enjoy.

Keep Creating

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Another Tulip In A Frame

Friday, July 9th, 2010 by Alyice

As I was looking for a place to put the glass from the frame I used yesterday I found another frame that I had purchased awhile back and never used.

This particular frame is not one of my favorites because it’s a laminate wood and not real wood. However, I remember thinking it would make a great shadow box if I removed the glass—which for some odd reason sits way back and therefore makes it difficult to use as a shadow box with the glass in place.

So I took another tulip card and turned it into this:

Then I took a picture of the card, cropped out the frame, added a texture and border in Paintshop Pro, and created this cute digital greeting card:

I have to say that it was difficult getting a good shot of the framed art as the inner edges kept creating a shadow and when I was able to get a shot without the shadow I got a lot of light glare so this photo appears more flat than it really is.

That being said, what do you think? Another lemonade or a lemon?

Keep Creating

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AlyiceEdrich.com
I'm a freelance writer, mixed media artist, SMVA, and the owner of The Dabbling Mum.

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All material on this blog belongs to Alyice Edrich, unless otherwise noted. No project, artwork, or text may be reproduced or displayed elsewhere without the consent of the creator. That includes making derivative works for resale. Please use project tutorials for personal use and/or gifts only.