Sea Shell Crown

I got a desire for crowns so I decided to make a couple. I have been collecting sea shells and I decided to decorate one of the crowns with shells. I'm not finished with this crown yet, it needs more shells and I want to glue sea stars on each star on the crown. My husband and I decided to make a trip to the coast and I wanted to take some photos of the crown in front of the ocean, so, I had to take the crown with me unfinished. I want to share with you how I made this crown.

I made a crown of cardboard.

I covered the cardboard with newspaper dampened in a mixture of flour, white glue, and water.  The cardboard crown becomes flexible because of  the wet newspaper, so I put a support under the crown and let it dry completely.

Then I covered the entire crown with All-Purpose Compound. I put two sticks underneath for support, because it was bending a little, and let it dry.

When it is totaly dry it is good to rub it with a wet sponge to smooth the compound.

Then I started to decorate the crown with shells

I really like how the crown turned out. It looks like a crown made of stone-- I think it looks wonderful with the shell.

I wish you a wonderful day and surround yourself with beautiful things that make you happy.

 

Cutting Roses

When my roses were in bloom, the weather was good, and my little boy was excited to go outside, he insisted on cutting the roses himself and he did.

 Angel Face "Climber" She measured more than 8 feet long.

I planted strawberries along with the roses. I started with four strawberrry plants; now they cover the rose's bed, they really reproduce quickly.

With my little boy helping to cut the roses we made this floral arrangement.

Roses are beautiful and how wonderful it is to enjoy them indoors. The aroma of the roses invade my home, I am happy.

~Have a wondeful day and stop and smell the roses~

 

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 .~