DeniseDoesCouture

Friday, May 8, 2015

Sharpie + Mug Experiment

I did the Sharpie + Dollar Store Mug experiment. Turned out nice. I just drew on it, and baked it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. It was fun! The mug is no longer dishwasher safe, and it can hardly be hand washed, even very gently. Needs professional markers, otherwise the design won't last. I washed it once very gently and lost a lot of my sharpie ink. There's a professional sharpie-like marker that supposedly will prevent this, but I'm poor and I forget what it's called, anyway.

DIY chalkboard paint

1 TBL Unsanded grout + 1/2 cup acrylic paint = chalkboard paint. I was able to write on this with chalk once it dried, and the chalk wiped off with tissue paper again and again. I learned about this DIY chalkboard paint technique on various tutorials the web. This is definitely my go to chalkboard paint recipe. Pretty cool huh?

Monday, May 4, 2015

A new mixed media art project is in progress 😃

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Abstract Photography

Some old photos from when I was young and carried my Nikon camera around all the time, like a tourist...

This is the technique I use to make my silicone molds.

100% Clear Silicone

Cornstarch

A few drops of baby oil

And a few drops of acrylic paint (optional)

Here's a short tutorial video I found on YouTube. I found out about this technique via YouTube from another user, and it's a great way to save money on mold making materials. Also, the trial and error is half of the fun. These molds have been great for my resin casting.

http://youtu.be/a-wQm4bKST4

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Crushed Flowers... I don't know what I will use them for yet, but I felt like crushing some flowers, so I did.

A new handmade fabric hair flower barrette...made by yours truly, of course.

A picture of me modeling my personal pair of blue glitter button earrings. There are more available in my Etsy shop, and matching blue glitter button rings, too.

My precious jewels 💕

Business Cards in progress...

A personal throw pillow for my living space. I'm super happy I got my sewing machine up and running, though I do have a lot of trouble shooting to do like, every single effing time I use it. Hopefully soon I can afford a better quality machine. I enjoy deconstructing, problem solving, and finding atypical solutions to things, but playing MacGuyver consumes time I could be using towards things I love even more. I love this pillow. Really happy with how it turned out. I'm always on a mission to make my living space a creative and inspiring place. The little things can make a huge difference.

Remember this acrylic painting of my cat Luka I was working on?

It turned into this, and I love it..! Cthulhu Cat FTW

There's another painting I did of Luka...I can't download it right now, (Thanks a lot CLOUD - I don't even know how that works entirely and I don't think anyone else really does either) but I'll post a pic of the painting as soon as I can. I can't wait to share it!

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Paper mâché wings which will be the base of my Halloween costume this year, unless I decide on another costume idea.

I've also considered making a paper mâché decorative dress form, and attaching the wings to it. I need a dress form to photograph my scarves and cowls for my Etsy shop, because otherwise it looks kind of ghetto. Also, a paper mâché sculpture with faery wings would be pretty awesome in my living space.

This is a paper mâché wall hanging I learned how to do from a YouTube video. I adore it! I'm currently making one for my mother and my boyfriend's mother for Mother's Day.

I'm also in the process of making other paper mâché wall decor...a cat, a bird, a bow ribbon, a large decorative bowl (not to be hung on the wall) and a star. These are all drying from their latest paper mâché layer, and I look forward to showing them all off once their finished. But here's my first effort at a paper mâché wall hanging, and I dare say I'm getting so much better at working with my hands and at figuring out cool techniques to get different results.