Serena The Crafty Mom

Blue China

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 15:34:00 +0000

So today I’m feeling a little blue, china blue that is. This first set of tea cups and saucers was given to me by my mother. She acquired a box which was tattered and torn. The marking on the box shows it was shipped from china. As we opened the box we were pleasantly surprised to find these small treasures lying in a Chinese newspaper shred. SCORE!!!!

Spice Ornaments

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:50:00 +0000

Want to make a quick and easy Christmas ornament!!!! You can purchase glass ornament balls in a variety of sizes at any craft store and fill them with anything you want, tie a ribbon on your done.

I chose spices from my kitchen cabinets, filled them and tied a cheerful red and white gingham ribbon. I also cut out mini tags from card stock and printed the names of the spices out on my computer.

Banners 2

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 01:07:00 +0000

Here are other examples of using paint.net.

I took pictures of some embellishments I use in my art work. Cropped them,

put them together and added the links.

Banners 3

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 01:39:00 +0000

Here is another example of a banner link I created for Serenascene.com.

This banner is for another blog of mine. Projects coming soon.

Serenascene building graphic

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:39:00 +0000

Another fun image I created using paint.net

The making of Sereascene banner

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 22:08:00 +0000

This was the beginning creation of the Serena’s Scene banner. It started with a great free software program, paint.net. Paint.net is like a free version of Adobe Photo Shop. You work layer by layer. It might not have all the bells and whistles as adobe, but hey….it’s free and it does the job. The other program I used was site spinner. This is a web site building software.

This is by no means a tutorial, just a glance at all the steps it took to create this banner for my fledgling website. Banners are so important because it obviously is the first image a person will see when they visit your blog or website. Choosing my font was pretty easy, but when it came to choosing the color for the background, well that just drove me absolutely insane. I wanted just the right hue, just the right tone and value. You want every little detail to reflect a part of you and the feel of your blog or web site.

Site Spinner has a color wheel with numbers associated with each shade and value, so it is important that you remember the color number

so you can match it to your other web pages. I suggest you keep a note book and journal every part of the process, even the mistakes, trust me… you will need to refer to the steps you took later on.

next, I chose my clip art and graphics. You should have your font, clip art and graphics work together in unison. For my graphic I chose my favorite ...flourishes. I love the free flowing movement which is also why I chose birds for my clip art.

Now for the final step, I added some photos of my work. As you can see, making a banner is a time consuming process and it does take a lot of trial and error until you to get just the right look and feel you want to portrait.

EEK!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:48:00 +0000

I got this idea when my mom and I went to a farmers market. They also sell lots of cute Halloween decorations. We saw a black tin with a ghost head on top and with the word BOO on the can. Well, this is my version of the ghostly tin.

We found a white and red coffee tin on clearance at TJmaxx for $2.00. I painted it with black flat RUST-OLEUM, which is an oil-based paint so it will adhere well to metal. The pumpkin I purchased at Pier One. You can use any prop you find just make sure it is hollow so it will fit over the knob on the top of the can. Adhere the head to the top of the tin with a glue used for metal. Tie a ribbon around the neck to hide the glue. Lastly, I used stickers to spell the word EEK. You can hand paint your word if you have a steady hand, which I don't.

A Little Halloween Decorating

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:34:00 +0000

Since Halloween is my most favorite holiday, I really loooovvvvveeee to decorate my place. Here are just a few corners and nooks I found to decorate.

Halloween Decals

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:12:00 +0000

Here’s a quick and easy Halloween decoration you can make very inexpensively. I bought wooden shapes at Michaels for $1.99. I then traced the shapes onto black cardstock. You can stick them on your windows or on your walls to create a mural. The kids really love to get involved in this one.

I also traced onto white cardstock for the ghost. This is very cost effective, you can save the wooden template to reuse every year and you can reuse your templates for other craft projects.

Creepy Spider

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 01:49:00 +0000

To make this cute but creepy spider, you will need…

1) A foam ball any size you wish
2) A pom pom smaller then your foam ball
3) A bag of tiny black pom pom’s
4) Some twigs from outside
5) Paint, any color
6) Ribbon

You can make your spider any color you would like. All you have to do is paint your foam ball to your desired color. You can also choose the color of the pom pom’s and the ribbon. I chose all white.

Start out by breaking the twigs to create the spider legs, paint them, then put aside to dry. When dry to the touch simply push the legs into the foam ball. You can do 3 or 4 on each side.

Then simply glue the pom pom to the foam ball, glue the eyes and pin the ribbon to hang your spider. Its so easy!

Halloween Desk

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 01:45:00 +0000

Well October is finally here, my favorite month. I love October, not only is it my Birthday month but it is also the month of my favorite holiday….Halloween!!!
So to get my creative juices flowing I start by decorating my creative space with all the fun colors and props of Halloween. Some made and some bought. I used decorative wrapping paper to line my desk. I also pulled out all my stamps that have a Halloween theme. I get my ink pads, some ribbons and other embellishments which have the Halloween feel to it out of their storage and put them all out and in site. This makes it easier to be inspired.

Here's a good tip, when you buy ribbon buy the yard, wrap it around a piece of cardboard, this way they wont get all tangled and it makes it easier to see your supply.

Milk Glass

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:18:00 +0000

I absolutely love this pattern of milk glass. I found the big platter in a second hand store. The dessert plates I purchased on EBay. LOVE IT!!!!!!!

Paper Flower #1

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:52:00 +0000

Flower #1

I love flowers and I love paper, so why not paper flowers. They are fun and easy to make and once you get the hang of it, you can knock out a dozen in no time.

To make this flower you will need:
Crepe paper or tissue paper (2 colors)
24 guage wire
Stem wire

1)Cut 4 pieces of crepe or tissue paper 3inches by 5 1/2inches
2)accordian fold into pleats
3)twist wire around the center
4) pull apart each layer and form into flower

5)wrap extra wire around floral stem.

Tree Fortress

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:46:00 +0000

Check out this channel. www.youtube.com/theartistaj

Milk Glass

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:17:00 +0000

Milk glass got its name from its milky white color. Milk Glass was created to look like porcelain only not so expensive to produce. Some pieces have been traced as far back as the 1500’s but the most commonly collected Milk Glass is from the 1700’s. There are newer reproductions which can be determined by its color. The older pieces of Milk Glass have an almost translucent appearance on the edges where as the newer pieces are white opaque.

I’ve been collecting Milk Glass for almost 2 years. I’d like to share with you just a few pieces from my growing collection. I enjoy the newer reproductions as well as the older pieces.

Red vintage

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:22:00 +0000

I call this vignette “Vintage Red Café”. I love the retro feel this has. I purchased these items at various discount stores. Shopping at discount stores is fun and inexpensive. It’s also hit or miss and very “piecey”. With this in mind, think of a theme you would like and when you find a piece you think might work, purchase it right away because it will not be there when you go back.

How can I forget this table. My parents found this table in the basement of a house they purchased in 1975. It’s from the 1920’s era. The top is enamel and the base and wheels are wood. Wooden wheels, how awesome is that!

This vignette is called “Red Cherries”. I purchased the dishes at a department store, the chicken at a flea market and the really cute tea pot lamp was a given to me as a gift.

Trees

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 23:41:00 +0000

Trees

I really enjoy taking long walks outside and just admiring all that nature has to offer. There are so many different colors and textures and they all seem to evoke a different feeling deep with in me. For example, I love going to the ocean, I feel free and light as a feather. The Mountains make me feel adventurous and rejuvenated. The woods are mysterious and I feel cautious when walking through. But there are two things in nature which genuinely inspire me and truly captures my soul. They are Trees and Flowers. Let’s talk about the first… trees. I love trees, but trees without leaves. There is just something about the way their branches just twist and turn like snarling decrepit old fingers just waiting for someone to walk by so they can grab them. The creeper the better. The above painting was done by a French Artist by the name of Paul Ranson. You can purchase some of his prints at http://www.allposters.com/

It was my love of unruly branches which inspired me to create these wire like replicas.

1) Cut 12 strands of wire at 18 inches.

2) Hold them all together and bend in half. Hold three fingers together hold on the bended part and twist to make a loop at the bottom.

3) The loop is now the base of you tree. You need to spread two or tree loops apart and twist them to beome roots. You can make four or five roots.

4) For the trunk just twist the top portion of the wires until you are ready to break off for the branches.

5) For the branches just twist away until you are pleased with the way it looks. Just keep in mind that each branch should have a split or two.

6) To embellish your trees simply string on beads or paper flowers to the ends of the wire.

Slide-Mount Artwork

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:26:00 +0000

Slide-Mount Artwork

If you like the ATC’s, artists trading cards, you’re going to love slide-mount art. It’s even smaller than the 2 ½ x 3 ½ ATC. This little work of art is only about 1 ½ x 1 ½.

You can buy the slide mounts at your local arts and crafts store. Then you can paint, stamp, emboss or use any kind of collage technique you like on the outer edges of the slide mount, next you would insert a photo or drawing in the center. It can’t get any easier than that. The space you have to work with is so minimal you can use your scrap papers and left over embellishments to fill the space.

There is a great book with many samples of the slide-mount artwork. Artist's journal & sketchbooks by Lynne Perrella.

Artists Trading Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:17:00 +0000

Artist Trading Cards, also known as ATC’s have been around since 1996. Think of these cards as mini works of art. There are two very important rules when creating these mini masterpieces. First, the ATC card must be 2 ½ x 3 ½ inches and second you can never sell your ATC cards. They can only be traded. The concept was developed by Swiss artist M. Vanci Stirnemann. In May 1997 Stirnemann held an Gallery Event in his bookstore in Zurich where he displayed over 1,000 ATC's. He then informed the guest if they wanted one of these cards, they must create their own and trade for his. And so it began....the wonderfully creative world of ATC's.

I like to create three ATC cards at a time, this way they become a series. I simply took cardstock and cut the ATC card to the proper size. This becomes your mini canvas. Then you collage until your hearts content. You can have a theme or just create an ATC card using a picture you like or a quote you enjoy. Just make sure you put your name on the back of each ATC card, The title of your ATC card and the date you created it. Viola a mini masterpiece.

I love to create collages. But sometimes if my canvas is to big I go nuts tying to fill the entire suface. By creating Artist Trading cards I have a much smaller area to work with. Love it, love it, love it!!

If you would like to read more on Artist Trading cards i recomend two books, which are in my library...

1. Artist Trading Cards, an Anthrology of ATC's.... A Somerset Studio Publication.

2. Artist Trading Card Workshop... Create, Collect, Swap...by Bernie Berlin

Pencil Rebel

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 02:03:00 +0000

This is absolutely beautiful

Lyric Journal

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 02:50:00 +0000

I love music, all types of music. I especially like songs with inspirational lyrics. So I gathered a few of my favorites, you know, the songs you like to listen to when your feeling a little down, and I put the lyrics into a journal. If you don’t know the lyrics to your song choices, you can go to www.lyrics.com .

I purchased a plain black spiral bound journal. I used Modge Podge to glue down music sheet wrapping paper. Then another layer of modge podge to seal the paper. I used a white 4x6 scalloped edge note card for the center and used wire to string letter beads and letter stickers for the title. Since the pages are black I used neon and glitter gel pens to write the lyrics down. Don’t forget to include the artist and the year the song came out. This way it becomes an heirloom of sorts. When your children are grown they can see the type of music you were into. I would sure love to see what my mom would have put into a journal like this. It would be songs from the 60’s and 70’s, what a blast.

The Journal, wrapping paper and scalloped card was purchased at Kates's Paperie

List Journal

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 20:57:00 +0000

List Journal
The idea for this journal is to re-connect with yourself. It’s like taking a personal inventory of yourself. It might sound strange at first but trust me, its fun. Writing the lists forces you to think back to your past and re-live how you felt. It also has you think about the future. When your done with all the lists and you go back to read what you wrote, you might be surprised at what you truly want or need out of life.

LIST 1
I believe that we are so busy dealing with everyday life that we sort of lose ourselves and time just flies by and before you know it we have forgotten who we really are. Please join me in this process and we’ll end with a book which will help rediscover our inner self.

List all the things you said you wanted to do but never got around to do it...

So here is my list...

Finish my web site (is it really ever finished.
Learn how to ride a horse.
Learn how to tango.

"Do not wait, the time will never be just right.”...Napoleon Hill (1883 – 1970)

So layer one is painting the cover of this journal. The journal was purchased for $1.00 and it took several coats of white gesso to cover up the existing picture. Gesso is a water based acrylic primmer used by artist. It gives the surface of what your working on more tooth in order to hold the paint. So I can have a clean base to start my creation.

LIST 2
Now this one is very hard for me. I really don’t want to revisit those feelings, I know they’re still there but I have suppressed them for so long for my own

Make a list of how you felt if you were ever deceived…..

Here's my List...

Hurt
Angry
Betrayed

These are all the feelings you would expect to have if someone was less then truthful with you. The only thing I can say about this is to except it, learn from it, then forget it!!!

“Anger so clouds the mind, that we cannot perceive the truth”… Cato the Elder

So for layer two we need to give the cover some texture. Gather some tissue paper; it can be solid or decorative or you can use both. I chose white tissue and stamped it with several images using black permanent ink. When the ink is dry tear the tissue into medium size pieces then crumple into ball. Next you flatten out tissue and glue to the cover using decoupage glue or gel medium. You have now created texture. To add more depth, paint cover with a color wash of your choice. You then want to create a focal point in the middle of the journal with a window cut from cardstock and embellish as you wish.

LIST 3

There has been much drama in my life over the past two years. I have gone through a wide range of emotional changes as well as physical.

Make a list of the different ways you have changed over the past few months or years…

I have had a second child
I have become a stronger person, able to stand up for myself.
I am definitely more organized.
I have learned to see people for who they really are.

I am still changing, and for the better. I love my life, I love my children, and I definitely love my crafts!

“A woman is like a tea bag, you never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.” ...Eleanor Roosevelt

Now for the last layer… the finishing touches. Glue ric rac ribbon around the window. I also glued some beads in the corner of the window but you can use metal photo corners or glitter or any type of embellishment. I used hot glue to attach beaded ribbon, (which I purchased at Jo-ann’s Fabrics) along the spiral binding of the journal. Next I cut out tags from handmade paper, (purchased at Kate’s Paperie) to make bookmarks for each list. If you have more then 3 lists you can make the bookmark tags smaller. I used stickers to number each tag.

I only showed you three, but you should have at least a dozen or more. Here are some ideas you can list. Have fun.

Turning points in your life
Greatest fears-Saddest moments in your life
Happiest moments in your life
How many fashion trends have you gone through
Your high school friends
Your favorite subjects in high school or college
All the jobs you have had
Your favorite or worst jobs