« Older Artful Wednesday Newer »

Live. Love. Laugh.

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008 by Alyice

“Live well, Love much, Laugh often,” that’s probably my most favorite saying outside of the scriptures. It’s so simple and yet so profound. But have you ever stopped to ponder what it really means?

Some days, I can’t help but think how lightning fast our lives pass us by and how often we go through life on auto-pilot, never truly taking the time to slow down long enough to really live, to really feel love, to laugh so hard our guts feel as though they just might burst.

This jar contains the words, “Live, Love, Laugh” (etched into the molding paste) because I wanted to remind whoever buys it to slow down long enough to truly experience life—to experience it in its rawest form, our emotions.

The original poem was written by Elisabeth-Anne “Bessie” Anderson Stanley in 1904 for Brown Book Magazine. The poem, in its entirety, is below:

He has achieved success who has
lived well, laughed often, and loved much;
Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women,
the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children;
Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
Who has never lacked appreciation of
Earth’s beauty or failed to express it;
Who has left the world better than he found it,
Whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
Who has always looked for the best in others
and given them the best he had;
Whose life was an inspiration;
Whose memory a benediction.

Keep Creating

Posted in Artful Wednesday | No Comments »

The Ancient One

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 by Alyice

I call this one “The Ancient One” because it reminds me of something left behind in the ruins of Greece. My daughter says it looks like something that would have been found in the tomb of a Greek God. (I’m sure she’s just trying to pump up my ego—but hey, I’ll let her have that one! It’s a nice compliment.)

This was made from an old food jar. Sometimes the labels on food jars are very difficult to get off and no amount of soaking in soapy water will remove the tacky glue and left over paper. That’s when I pull out my trusty spray bottle of Citrus De-Solv-It®, by Orange Sol—just a tiny squirt goes a long way. Spray, let sit for 30 seconds, scrape residue off with a little rubber scraper, and rinse. Couldn’t be simpler.

Keep Creating

Posted in Artful Wednesday | 2 Comments »

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.

Keep Creating

Posted in Artful Wednesday | No Comments »