Oil Diffusers - One of a Kind - Set 4

 Daisy on Blue

This diffuser features a yellow felt daisy flower set into a cobalt blue glass holder.  

The yellow felt and the royal blue pompoms in the center are the diffuser.  Place 1-2 drops of pure essential oil in the center of the flower and sit back and enjoy some relaxing time.

This diffuser would fit into a sun room, next to a favorite chair, or a bedside table.

Glass Ink Well

This vintage glass ink well wit a silver plated lid has a navy blue felt diffuser inside the bottle.

The bottle will contain any stray drops and protect your furniture. 

Open the lid, place 1-2 drops of pure essential oil on the felt on the inside.  The lid can be closed when not being use.

This diffuser would sit incognito on a desk.  A small bottle of essential oil could be stored on the inside to be handy when one wants to use it and would be out of sight with the lid closed.

Tear Drop

A beautiful white ceramic holder with a tear drop shape.  The holder has a nice satin finish very smooth to the touch.

The diffuser are 2 wooden rods tied with a black thread.  There is a black felt in the bottom of the holder to catch any liquid which makes its way down the rods.

Place 1 or 2 drops of pure essential oil on the wood or the felt at the bottom to enjoy your favorite scent.

This elegant diffuser would look great on a bedside table, an end table next to a favorite sitting spot, or on a window sill near a cozy sitting spot.

I am super happy with how this year's collection of unique diffusers is coming along.

Oil Diffusers - One of a Kind - Set 1

I have started my creation of One of a Kind essential oil passive diffusers for this years market.  I have been on the hunt for unique vessels that I turned into special gifts for others or yourself. These will fit  nicely into a personal space such as an office, a sun room, a bedroom or bathroom.  Any place you want to chill out, breathe deep and relax.

Teal Posy 

This is a hand painted Germany bud vase with a felt flower.

Placing a couple of drops of your favorite pure essential oil on the yellow petals will provide scent in your personal space.

Essential oil scent will dissipate over time and the scent can be changed once the first one has completely gone.

With the Lady Bug diffuser I paired a beautiful olive green glass leaf dish with a lady bug diffuser.

I created the lady bug from red felt and black for the head.  These pieces were hand cut then the spots and wing markings were hand embroidered with black thread.

The drops of essential oil would be placed on the felt lady bug.

The glass container will protect your furniture from any stray drops of oil.

Last year I realized that I did not have diffusers geared to the masculine aesthetic.  After the few years we have been through everyone can benefit from a little bit of self care. 

Here I paired a glass cowboy boot shot glass with a felt denim diffuser.

I created a denim jean leg to place over the glass boot.  I hand stitched the denim with blue thread then embellished it with yellow star embroidery and yellow jean stitch lines.  

I added the star on the top to indicate where the couple of oil drops can be placed.  The glass will protect the surface.

The glass boot is a souvenir from the Big Valley Jamboree which is a country western music festival held in my province every year.

I will post more diffusers here as I complete them.

Stained Glass - Sunrise

I've always wanted a stained glass piece for my window and thought it would be a nice retirement gift but it did not happen.  So I decided that I would pursue the idea and see where it led.  In my mind I see a colorful image casting beautiful colors on the wall and ceiling, almost sparkly.

First, I had to decide what image did I want?  Sunflowers are a favorite but I chose a sunrise as it represents a new beginning, hope, and a look to the future.

Second, research as to what a piece would cost, which window would work best, and would it do what I wanted.

Third, a trial run - how? I found a site that provided a video on how to create a piece of faux stained glass art and a few steps with easily found supplies. At Art Emporium the Faux Stained Glass video used basic school glue and acrylic color to make an art piece.  

Frame-  I found a white frame in my stash that did not have a mat and was quite large measuring  16.5 inches square so it likely would not be used in my photography.  It also had words on the glass that I removed with a razor blade.  Cleaned the glass thoroughly.

I needed some original art now so I browsed online sites with stained glass sunrise projects and after looking at hundreds I started to have an idea what mine would look like.  I did not want the pieces to be too bulky or too simple.  Remember I want lots of color.  

I drew the first sketch - sun off center, water and hills in the foreground.  I did not want straight lines like in the little one drawn below the sketch. 

This one was drawn at 7 inches square.

I traced it onto not the best watercolor paper and used my Stampin Up Watercolor  Wonder Crayons to color it.  I loved the colors but I stumbled with getting a variety of shades of green in the hills.  Of course, a real stained glass piece will not be a shaded as this one.

I asked a few folks for some feedback. 

I recognized that I had a hard time drawing the secondary rays on the left hand side.  Someone suggested that I copy the image and put then flip it so I could roughly follow what I did on the right on the left.

The hills were too similar and did not have enough pieces.

Ok, I can work with that.

So with that feedback I started on the second sketch.  This one was also at 7 inches.  

I now had light yellow pieces on the left hand side as well and more pieces in the hills.

I marked out the which rays would be Orange, Yellow and Light Yellow.  I wanted green blue and blue in the sky pieces.

Happy with that so lets move on.

Now it had to be enlarged to fit the frame I described above.  The glass could not be removed from the frame so I would have to be painted and leaded in place.  Because of that I chose to keep the design from going all the way to the frame.  That meant I did not have to touch the frame with the leading.

I enlarged it to 14 inches square and decided to put a frame around the edge which would leave about 1/2 inch between the wood frame and the lead frame on the glass.  Excellent.

Another suggestion was made that I paint it in the colors I was planning on using in the final piece just to be sure I was happy with it and still had a chance to adjust if needed.

So I traced the 14" piece onto some Bristol Vellum heavy card stock which was leftover from an art class I took years ago.  It had to be pieced together just like the sketch was earlier, to be large enough.

I sampled the liquid acrylic colors I had and made some selections.

The colors chosen are listed below:

Nick Bantock - Chrome Yellow, Deep Turquoise, Prussian Blue, Sap Moss Green, Chartreuse

Daler-Rowney FW Acrylic Inks - Flame Orange, Rowney Blue

 

Here's the Bristol Vellum piece all colored in. The yellows in the first row of rays are not all the same color.  I was just enjoying the process.  

I will be able to mix colors in the final product as well.

Of course, it will be more watercolor in tone than a glass piece will be.

I am happy with the hills this time in shape and color.

I used a Sharpie black marker with a fine tip to do the black leading on this piece.

Now I can get ready to transfer the image to the glass in the frame.

I placed the frame over the painted piece of Bristol Vellum and taped it carefully in place.  I will be putting the black leading on the glass surface on the inside of the frame. 

I chose Pure Black by Folk Art for the acrylic paint.

I reused at glitter paint bottle with a fine tip.  The black leading is mixed 1 part black acrylic paint and 4 parts white glue.  Test it to be sure it flows nicely so you can easily draw your lines.

I traced the black lines on the glass following the  drawing above.

You will see from the photo on the left that I put the art on my light table so that I kept the composition in the same direction as the original so when I flipped the frame back to the front it would be same as the original art.

Once the black leading was applied it needs to dry completely before you paint your color.  The video recommended overnight.  I painted my lines in the early morning and by the late afternoon they were dry and I could move on to the color.  The fun part was beginning.

I used some condiment cups to mix up my clear glue and acrylic color.  A cup for each color.

I applied the glue with a small wide craft brush and made sure I rinsed thoroughly before moving to the next color.

Then I followed my color chart from earlier and painted the sun and up then from the horizon line down to keep my hand and fingers away from my finished work.  

I let that dry over night.   

I discovered that I missed the top right most space when I was painting.  I did paint that several days after it was hung.

The next morning all was dry so I put the eye screws in the top middle of the width of the frame.  I chose wire to ensure it could carry the weight.  I have a second curtain rail so I slid a hanger onto the rail and screwed it tight. I then placed a carabiner between the wire and the hanger.  

I hung it in the window and waited for the sun to shine.  It took 3 days to have the sun shine and for the colors to be on the walls of the living room.

I was not anticipating it being so random as to when I would see the colors sparkling.

Of course, looking out it looks really nice but when the sun shines it is great. 

Another down side is that the sunshine only shines for a limited time through the window and the stained glass.  So I have to be around and paying attention to see the sparkle for the 10 minutes it is on the wall before it moves off the the book case.

In this photo the image is half on the wall and half on the side of the book case.

It took over a month from start to finish.  

The costs in materials was minimal. School glue on sale in early September. Liquid acrylic I already had. And my time.

Thanks to the artists who provided feedback and support during the process.

This was a great learning experience. Drawing, mixing colors, and sticking with it.   The biggest thing I learned is that I want sparkle all the time or when I need it not just when the sun shines in the window.  I am so glad I did not invest hundreds of dollars to learn this lesson.  I will enjoy it when the sun shines.

So, I have started another project to get the sparkle all the time or at least when I want it!  More to come on that project in days to come.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

On the weekend I went for a big walk at the wetlands.  It has been so dry that they are in pretty sad shape and the wildlife must be wondering what is going on.

I did find a few dozen Lesser Yellowlegs in the river.  They were feeding along the edge of the river which also very low.  

These birds are shore birds which feed in marshy areas and muddy edges.  

I expect with the number I saw that this could be the start of the migration process. They will be heading to the southern states in the next little while.

Really a gorgeous bird.

I found a masher for my processing of fruit and berries.   I visited a thrift store which I have not been to since the start of the pandemic.

It has changed hands and now supports a different charity but mostly not much has changed inside.  I am just thinking now that I forgot to visit the second floor. Darn!   It is a bit out of the way so just a few customers, easy to social distance and good variety of goods.

I could have used a masher when I did my chokecherries so I had added it to my shopping list.  This one turns out to be Pampered Chef and it cost me a buck.  

Love it!

I worked on my office chair this morning.  It has been dropping black bits so I wanted to investigate if I could find out where and why.

I have own this chair for years!  I got it when it was being thrown out at the place I was working.  It was made by Doerner Faultless in Waterloo Ontario Canada in the early 1950s.  It was old when I got it, so now it is very old.  

As you can see I tried to clean a stain on the seat and made it worse.  I will sew a cover for the seat which can be washed.

I was going to get rid of it but I think I have solved the problem.  I have put paper down under it to see if any black stuff comes down from it in the next few days.  

I did learn what the three knobs under it did and adjusted it to be more comfortable to sit on.  

The Rudbeckias are a nice hardy flower and are still providing gorgeous colors in many of the gardens in my neighbourhood.

I love their bright yellow coloring which is similar to my favorite sunflowers.

I have taken many pictures of these flowers over the summer.  

I think this one may end up in my 2022 annual flower calendar.

I found this wonderful tea light holder at a small garage sale.

It was very dirty and cruddy so I had to soak it in soapy water then in vinegar to get calcification off from some of the areas.  Not sure what would produce that kind of residue.  It took several hours and some elbow grease to make it shiny and transparent again.

It showed no signs of having a candle in it.

I love the Moroccan star design with the textured glass.  Nice to have it clear which will go with any decor.  It has a long chain so it could hang on the balcony at night.  

Very happy with this purchase.

I saw Blue Herons at the river.  They were pretty far from the path I was on but I was so excited to see them.  The second photo is one stalking some sort of prey.  It was very focused and moving very deliberately.

The first photo shows that in many areas of the wetlands it is dry!  I have not seen that ever in the past.  When it has water you think there will always be water but I did not realize how shallow some areas were.  The ducks were sitting on moist dirt not even mud, I am sure wondering what was going on.  I wonder how many have perished due to lack of water.  There was still a bit of water in the deeper areas but not a lot for the number of birds who would need it.

Fortunately, it has been raining pretty steadily for the last 24 hours

The challenge at Flickr Macro Mondays was Leading Lines.  This photography technique is used to draw the eye of the viewer to a particular area in the photo.  This example would be better if the end of the grass stayed within the frame.

You can see the shot I submitted on my Flickr Photostream (SMDPics).

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #144 and

Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #302. 

Have a great week!

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I visited one of the man made lakes in my city this week.  It is large enough to have a good selection of birds and sure enough I found a few.

Here's a male Mallard Duck going by behind the bullrushes.  I managed to capture him in focus!

I saw Red Wing Blackbirds, A Hooded Merganser,  & Red Necked Grebes as well.

It was a great day and the weather was perfect at 7:00 am.

This is a blossom on the Sakura Flowering Plum bush.  The branches generally have very close together clusters but I found this one a bit by itself.

Beautiful bush with a riot of pink blooms on it.  Welcomed sight in this grey time.

The neighbourhood has plenty of these so there were many bushes to choose from.

 Love the soft feeling to this photo.









I finished this book this week.  It was a great story about a black maid serving in a large house set in South Africa.  The lady of the house is Cathleen Harrington. In 1919, she has moved from Ireland to marry a man she has not seen in 5 years.  She now has grown children, a son and daughter. The maid Miriam has a daughter, Ada without a husband.  The apartheid is a background to the story.  The story is told from Ada's point of view - how she learns to read, to play the piano beautifully, to serve in the house as her mother does.  Cathleen has nurtured Ada, then upon returning from a long absence from the house Cathleen is broken-hearted to find Ada has disappeared.  They are eventually reunited and the truth about the circumstances of Ada's leaving are revealed.  Highly recommend this book.

More bizarre behavior by the Canada Geese.  This one landed on the railing of a balcony on a high rise building.  It looked like it was going to jump down to a nest.

I know that they ran a story on the news about 4 weeks back indicating that if Canada Geese are eyeing your property for a nest best to discourage them early.  They are a protected species so if a nest is built you will have to leave till the goslings leave it.

Last week I saw a set  of adults walking their goslings down the back alley.   Headed in the right direction for the river.  I guess with less traffic the road offer a clear path.

The perennials are blooming.  I have not seen Siberian Squills before but I found 2 this spring. Very small flowers which could easily be missed.  Beautiful color.  The tulips in the front yards are showing their color.  The apple and plum trees are in full bloom.

The challenge this week on Flickr Macro Monday is Wabi-sabi - The Art of the Imperfect. Wabi-sabi is a Japanese word roughly translating as 'imperfect aged beauty'. It is used to describe a particular philosophy that beauty can be found in the old, the everyday, the imperfect. And that everything is in a state of transition from or to nothingness.

The photo on the right is pieces of broken tempered safety glass.  I found them on the boulevard where a panel along stairs had been broken.  I gathered several pieces because I thought they were beautiful.   You can check my SMDPics photostream to see the photo I submitted this week.

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #80
and with Mersad hosting Through My Lens #241 

Advent Wreath - 1st Candle - Hope

The first Sunday of Advent

The first purple candle is for Hope. 

It represents the expectation felt in anticipation of the coming Messiah.

Advent devotion from Ann Voskamp - The Greatest Gift

It is Advent: Come

You have a Tree, a shoot to redeem, small moments. 

He begs us to spend attention of Advent on the little, the least, the lonely, the lost.

Slow down and pay attention.  Be mindful and prepare your heart.

Recently

I bought this glass ball at the thrift store recently.  I love the colors in it as they are cooler than in the one I already had.

I have hung it in the east window so the morning light hits and provides splashes of color into my space.  I love the blurred background of the trees outside.

It is bigger than the other one at four inches and it required a sturdy hanger.










This is an experiment I did last night.  I am considering entering a show for art made from textiles. 

I took some pieces of white felt and applied some liquid acrylic and let them dry over night.  I was not sure what would happen.   I am very happy with the results. 

I am going to move ahead with the project and keep you posted here.

I just love glass.

These are a few glass ornaments I found at thrift stores in recent weeks.  They were not Christmas ornaments so I waited till now to show them. 

I love the texture on the largest one which is a peachy pink color.  The other with the star etching is similar in color.  They work well with the pink bowl.

The gold glass ones are nice as well.  Not sure where they will come in handy but for sure it will happen.

I am working on photographs for cards. 

I thought that watercolors would be appropriate for the art gallery. 

I sprayed the palette and the brush with a bit of water to add interest to the composition.

I love the variety of colors.

I attended a presentation on Golden Paints last Thursday as a member meeting of the Allied Art Council.

It was presented by Samantha Williams-Chapelsky who is a Golden Artist Educator.

The presentation was filled with lots of information on all the Golden Products.  I was very interested in the High Flow Acrylic which is the hot pink bottle in the photo.

Mosaic Monday - Recently

Bound by Rachel Hazell arrived today!  It is a book on book making and I am very excited to read it cover to cover then provide a review and make some of the projects in it.

Keep an eye out here on my blog for further posts of projects.

I have dabbled in book making but this book provides detailed instruction based on a quick perusal of it.

I love the handmade decorative paper she has created for the book covers.   If you follow this blog you will know that I love to make my own decorative paper.


I finished my second Kate Morton book today.  A friend gave me this book a month ago knowing how much I had loved The Forgotten Garden I read this summer.  I read The Lake House amidst preparing for a large craft sale which ran the few days so my full attention was not on my reading.  Fortunately, I own the book so I will be able to read it again in the new year when I have more time.

Again, this story runs in 2 time periods the 1930's and the 2000's and involves a beautiful property in Cornwall England.  A young boy disappears and at the time the mystery is not solved as not many clues are found.

A detective in London is given an opportunity to take up the solving of the mystery.  Fortunately, one of the key persons at the Lake House in the 30's is still living but it will take her cooperation to get to the bottom of it.

It has a great ending!

I am working my way through this journal from one of my favorite authors Ann Voskamp.

I have read the book this is based on "The Broken Way".  It did not resonate with me as much as her earlier book 1000 Gifts did.

I am always interested in seeing things from a different perspective and working on my self improvement.


The sale on the weekend was successful in raising a good some of money for missionaries over seas.

It helps a lot when most of the items being sold have been donated so the funds are pure profit.   I purchased a set of wooden coasters from one of the other tables.  They will be useful in my photography.

I purchased some glass beads from a lady at another table. 

They have 925 imprinted on them which implies sterling silver cores.

I thought I got a great deal but it turns out I paid the going rate for them.  I bought them because I liked them and they will be a great addition to my macro photography so everyone is a winner.

I love the scissors charm as I have added sewing to my balliwick of skills this summer.

I did sell several sewing projects so I am very happy about that.





Joining Mosaic Monday #1 hosted by Angie at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.  She is the new hostess for the photo linky.  The hours are better now so I may be able to participate regularly again.

Decorative Paper Workshop

Earlier this year I developed a workshop on decorative paper for the gallery. I decided to provide the participants several techniques and papers to allow them a good variety of end result papers. 

Work Surface
You need an impermeable surface onto which you will place your color.   For the class I created pieces of heavy chipboard covered with freezer paper.  I have used an acrylic plate.  I recently acquired a piece of glass which I will us from now on.  It is about 16x16 inches which allow me to make larger prints. 

Color
I used liquid acrylic ink but any liquid color would work.  My sister and I have used watercolor in the past.  A pipette or eye dropper is used to drop ink onto your work surface. Consider the opaqueness of the color which will affect your end result.

Watercolor Paper
The ink on watercolor paper is the first one my sister taught me years ago.  You lay color onto a non permeable surface then lay your watercolor onto it to produce a monotype print.  The ways to enhance this technique is to add coarse salt which repels the color and creates these star type patterns in the color.  The other is to cover the print with plastic wrap and allow it to dry.  It creates more subtle patterns in the color. 

Photo Paper
I done a lot of this type of decorative paper for the cards at the gallery. This is again a monotype print which is done with glossy photo paper.  I use the 4x6 sheets which are often provided for free with printers.  Each sheet is unique. 

Card Stock
This sample was created with wax as the resist.   The easiest way to apply wax to paper is with wax crayons.  I have collected several white crayons which will allow you to have white space on your paper once color is applies.  My sister created several clear paraffin wax crayons.  Of course colored crayons will create a different look and the color options are endless.  Consider the color combo when choosing your ink color.  The sample above used a silver metallic crayon.  It is again a monotype print with color on your work surface.

Art Walk Experience

I attended the Art Walk in the Strathearn neighborhood on Sunday.  There were over 300 vendors in the park (check out the map in the mosaic on the right).  As you to can see from the bottom photo the weather was a bit sketchy.  I was fortunate to be there for 1.5 hours with no rain.

There was all kinds of art.  There were quite a few photographers, a few glass artists, a few watercolor artists, some acrylic painters, and more artists producing alternative and on the edge art.

I bought a vase/bottle from a glass artist booth.  The artist is Keith Walker.  The piece I bought was made by a student of his who was sharing his booth.

I absolutely love the yellow and clear glass vase.  I have picked a few new flowers from my row in my friends garden.  I think cosmos flowers are quite frost hardy so I expect that I will have few more pickings.

There was some nice pieces on this table.  I see the blue top with the clear bottom vase would be another favorite.  She had no business card and I did not get her name.  I will have to see what I can do if I decide to pursue another purchase.

This small wooden vessel was very amazing.  The crowds around this booth were very large and the news cameras were there.

The skeins of hand dyed wool were wonderful.

Beautiful colors, great variegated skeins and a few handmade items available for sale.

I am partial to watercolor. Robin Light Watercolors booth has some lovely small paintings. 

Sharing with Maggie at Normandy Life for Mosaic Monday #100.