White Paper Roses

Roses have a special place in my heart. I love to paint them and there's no time more perfect than summer to bring beauty and romance to our gardens and homes. My home is flower filled, adorned with laces and doilys. I cling to traditions and I'm unafraid to be sentimental, surrounding myself with special things. And thinking about roses, I decided to decorate my mantel with paper roses. I couldn't find the right paper rose for my project, so, I started to think how to make a large open paper rose. This is what I came up with.

I used photo resolution coated paper for my roses--it holds the shape of the rose better. You could use postboard but you would have to glue the petal with hot glue.For the base, I tore a piece of paper shaping it into a circle of about 9inches in circumference.

I tore a piece of paper and shaped a petal with a long tail.

Then I took the long side of the petal and rolled it holding the end of the petal with the tip of my fingers. Gluing while rolling.

Make 4 cross cuts on the base of the center petal.

And glue it on the center of the base circle.

I placed 3 or 4 papers together to tear more petals at a time. Then I made cuts on the base of the petals with scissors.

I glued the petal around the center base. Tear or cut more petals, increasing the size of the petals .

Increase the size of the petals as you aproach the border of the base circle.

 Keep filling with paper petals until you reach the edge of the base.

I think that my roses look beautiful on my mantel. It gives me satisfaction to have made the paper roses with my own hands. Nothing says romance better then a rose. Like Thomas Christopher said:Roses like debutantes, do not appear unannounced, they must be formally presented."

As you can see, I arranged them on my mantel. I think they look so romantic.

I took these pictures without light, I like the diferent tone of white on the roses.

I love the reflection of my painted sky ceiling on the mirror.

I made this paper cone and I wrapped it in fabric, then I made a small paper rose and glued it on the cone. I really like the cone hanging in front of  my vintage dress, I found this idea in a magazine. 

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~Have a wonderful day and keep yourself crafty~

Painted Sky On Ceiling

At last, I finished painting the only unpainted ceiling in my house.

In the beginning I was thinking about painting roses on the  blank circles but when I saw the finished project  I changed my mind.

I made my own stencil, so it took me a long time to fill the surface because I had to paint each stencil pattern one at a time.

I painted this mural on my living-room ceiling with acrylic paint. To make the circle my husband removed the ceiling fan and we measured how big I wanted the circle. Then we placed a tack in the ceiling to mark the center of the circle. We then attached a string, that was long enough to make the largest circle, to the tack. We drew the twelve circles that make up the outside border by tying the pencil at different places along the string to make circles at the different diameters desired.

I found this chandelier for $10 and I painted it white; I wanted a cristal chandelier but they are too long and my husband is 6'6inches tall and he didn't want to hit his head everyday.

I want to thank you for your comments and I wish you success in all to do."....Friendship, indeed, is one of the greatest boons God can bestow on man. It is a union of our finest feelings; a disinterested binding of hearts, and a sympathy between two souls. It is an indefinable trust we repose in one another, a constant communication between two minds, and an unremitting anxiety for each other's souls.~J. Hill."

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~Have a wonderful day and surround yourself with beautiful things~

Palmiers Recipe

                                                         

These crispy pastries are known as  Elephant Ears, the French call these pastries Palmiers, or palm trees. When I was a little girl, I remember going to the bakery and buying these delicate pastries on my way home from school; I have always loved them. So I want to share with you how I make these Palmiers. You could buy  the frozen puff pastry dough, but I like to make my own pastry dough. You will love these crispy treats.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups regular all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup margarine

1 cup water

 1/2 cup margarine

Sugar (to be sprinkled on top to your liking)

Combine flour,salt, and 1/3 cup of margarine into a bowl until it forms a dry lumpy flour. Add water and beat until dough is smooth and elastic. Turn out on lightly floured board, roll into a square about 1/4 inch thick. Spread 1/2 cup margerine over one half of the square. Fold the other (unbuttered) half of dough over the buttered half to encase it. Pinch edges together to seal. With a rolling pin, lightly pound dough to about 12 by 16 inches. Fold 1/3 of dough over center, then fold remaining 1/3 over center. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes, or in freezer for 10 minutes (don't freeze it). Pound dough lightly again into a rectangle, then roll into a 16-inch square and fold side thirds over center again; chill. Repeat pounding, rolling, folding, and chilling three times more. After final chilling, roll  into a rectangle, sprinkle with sugar. Working from the short sides, roll up dough jelly-roll style until the two rolls (one from each side of the rectangle) meet in the center. With a sharp knife, cut roll into 1/2-inch slices. Place on  baking sheet. Bake at (450) for 12 minutes or until crisp and gold brown. Remove from pans quickly to wire racks.

Moving Mountains~If you only laugh, things don't come so hard. If you laugh at it, the trouble will not seem so real. I know, for I laugh away a mountain. Jesus told of the faith that removes mountains. May not cheerfulness in the face of difficulty and privation be an evidence of that wonder working faith?~ John T. Faris.

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~Have a wonderful day, wishing you a joyful heart full of happy thought and good cheer .~

Making your own furniture applique using All-Purpose Joint Compound

Last year I was playing with All- Purpose Joint Compound decorating my faux fireplace. I  used the same compound to decorate my table to make it look like carved wood. First I sanded the entire surface because my table has a glossy varnish.  I used my cake decorator kit and filled it with All-Purpose Compound and applyed some roses and leaves just like you would do it on a cake. Then I let it dry completely. I used a primer-sealer and painted the detail and table. Then I painted my table white.

It just looks like those commercial furniture appliques.

You could follow a commercial applique design as an  idea. I really love how it turned out.

Before table.

Would you like a sweet treat? I have not stopped playing with Joint Compound yet, I made these faux mini-cakes. My husband was annoyed when I told him that he could not eat those mini-cakes, :) He said that I was evil making them because they made him hungry for goodies.

I filled the baking cups with joint compound and smoothed the top with a wet spoon. Then I let it dry. To speed the drying process, I took them out of the cupcake baking sheet and transfered them onto a flat surface lined with paper.

I removed the cupcake paper and placed the cupcake on paper or a paper plate. With a butter knife, I decorated it just like I would do with a real cake and let it dry. Then I decorated it using my cake decorator kit and let it dry.I first applied a primer-sealer, and let it dry completely.

Do not attempt to remove the mini-cake from the paper, cut around the edge with scissors.

Then I painted  with acrylic pastel colors.

This is how my faux fireplace turned out using All Purpose Joint Compound. It's really important to use a primer-sealer when we are working with All-Purpose Joint Compound, otherwise the paint will peel off after painting it.

"Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report...think on these things."Philippians:4-8

I want to wish you a wonderful day and keep yourself crafty.

I'm Linking to The Stories of A to Z Party

Collage and Turquoise Colored Easter Eggs

Probably you all ready know how to decorate these eggs, but I couldn't resist sharing how I made these turquoise eggs for my bird nests that I made to display on my mantel.

One at a time, I pricked the eggs at both ends with a needle and carefully blew out the entire contents, and let it dry about an hour. I covered the hole with gift wrapping tissue; just glue a little piece of wrapping tissue like you see in the photo, and don't worry, the patch will not show when the egg is submerged in the water because the paper will absorb the color.

I get this beautiful turquoise color using a 1/4cup of warm water, 1tsp.vinager, 4 drops of blue and 2 of green. My little boy helped me color the eggs, and we let the eggs dry.

Then I sprayed the eggs using a toothbrush. I used an acrylic burnt umber paint color diluted with water to consistency of milk.

 I left some eggs white but I sprayed them with paint using the toothbush, you could use a sponge for this effect.

I found this amazing free clip art at the Graphics Fairy blogspot.

 I made little cuts all around the image, so it can be glued without wrinkles onto the egg.

Add a little bit of glue on the image and rub it with your finger to remove any air bubbles.

 I love these nests. I found them at the Graphics Fairy too.

"Do right, and God's recompense to you will be the power of doing more right. Give, and God's reward to you will be the spirit of giving more; a blessed spirit, for is the Spirit of God Himself, whose life is the blessedness of giving. Love, and God will pay you with the capacity of more love; for love is Heaven--love is God within you. F.W.Robertson.

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~Have a Wonderful day and keep yourself crafty~

Springtime Mantel

Welcome Spring! And nothing said it better than bird nests. Nothing better expresses the warm feeling than the fireplace, a place for displaying our creativity, accessories or mementos that have a sacred place in our hearts. Now that I have a fireplace, I can turn it into an attractive showplace year round.

Five years ago I bought this mirror in an antique store. In this store they lower the prices every month, so, I ended up buying the mirrow for $15. The mirror is quite heavy. It had a gold frame, but I decided to paint it white using a sponge because I wanted some gold showing--for a shabby look. I think it is a treasure find bargain and I love it hanging over my faux fireplace.

I decorated these eggs with some graphics that I found at the Graphics Fairy blogspot where you can find tons of clip arts. I chose the religious graphics because I wanted an  Easter look on my eggs, and bird nests as well.

Colored eggs are traditionally associated with Easter, but these easy- to-make painted eggs will look decorative throughout the year. I painted these  turquoise colored eggs; I  love how they turned out.

SHEPHERD"Who is it that is your shepherd? The Lord! Oh, my friends, what a wonderful announcement! The Lord God of Heaven and Earth, the almighty Creator of all things, He who holds the universe in His hand as though it were a very little thing,-He is your shepherd, and has changed Himself with the care and keeping of you, as a shepherd is changed with the care and keeping of his sheep. If your hearts could really take in this thought, you would never have a fear or a care again; for with such a shepherd, how could it be possible for you ever to want any good thing?" H.W.Smith.

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I want to wish you a wonderful Easter whether you hunt for Easter eggs,  or reflect about Jesuscrist and His sacrifice and resurrection in communion with your loved ones. Enjoy this wonderful Spring.