Inspiration From Gardens & Flowers

I love flowers and gardens.  The women in my family are influencers who shared their love of flowers with me.  My earliest memories are me with my Grandmom Fleischmann planting zinnias in her flower beds.  She always got market packs of bright colors.  My Grandmom Winter had gardens around her house full of black-eyed-susans and roses.  And then there’s my Mom, who filled our yard with daisies, chrysanthemums, tulips, and azaleas, to name a few.  

     

When I was in high school, I got to have my own section of garden to plant flowers.  I filled it with wildflower seeds, then watched as echinacea, calendulas, and cornflowers grew and bloomed.  I took photos with my compact camera, though grainy and not the best balanced composition, it was my start.

Then

Now

The digital camera had a huge impact on my photography.  No longer waiting until the roll of film was finished to send off for development, then opening the package to see if the photographs turned out or not.  With the larger display screen versus the tiny viewing window, it became easier to balance the composition.  I took photos of flowers, vegetables, and nature trails.  I captured images of butterflies and caterpillars.  I took my flash drive to my favorite one-hour printer (unfortunately no longer there.) Prints fill my photo albums.  

                               

                                                     

It was around this same time that I started painting flowers.  I always loved art in school and had even considered becoming an art teacher.  At first, I focused on daisies and coneflowers.  When I wanted to paint crocuses, I took a picture and made sketches.  The same with pansies, then lilies.  If I didn’t have my own picture, I searched online for images from which to draw.  

With the advent of camera phones, I now have a way of sharing my photographs of flowers and nature with other people.  When visiting my parents, I wander around their yard taking pictures.  My Mom has filled the gardens with a wide variety of perennials, surrounded by groundcovers like periwinkle and flox.  She has indigo clematis, orange butterfly weed, and black-eyed-susans (a reminder of my parents’ home state of Maryland.)  Some of my wildflowers are still there in my old section of the garden with mums and daisies mixed in now.  

       

Nature continues to be a major inspiration in my life; whether I am hiking in the woods or reading in the backyard beside the gardens.  I love having the ability to share my photos and share my inspiration.  With so many social media options and the adverse effects that social media can have on us, I have chosen to focus on one format, Instagram.  My handle is @snowywindgrams.  

        

*All photos taken and owned by me

Handpainted Bookmark DIY

Those that have been following my Snowywinds art journey may have noticed that I like to paint on found or repurposed objects: clothespins, seashells, bricks, and denim.  Last year I did a DIY blog post on magnetic, clothespin chip clips. Today I’m going to share a few ideas for bookmarks made using tongue depressor sized craft sticks.

In addition to painting and hiking, I also love to read.  My interest in books led me to search Pinterest for DIY bookmark ideas.  I came across this Quick Craft from the blog DIY Home.  I decided to adapt this craft to my own artistic style.  Below are the materials and steps to create your own.

Supplies:

Jumbo Wood Craft Sticks 6" x 3/4"

Acrylic paint

Acrylic varnish

Paintbrushes and a stencil brush

Mini Stencils

Paint pallet

Wax paper

   

Step 1:

Paint the solid color. I use wax paper to prevent the sticks from sticking to my painting surface. *Depending on the age of the craft sticks, you may want to apply a multi-purpose sealer prior to painting the solid color.

Step 2:

Paint your design on the wooden piece you have chosen to be the front.  For the pineapple, banana, and strawberry designs, I used a mini stencil that I made myself.  A stencil brush helps prevent bleed through underneath the stencil.  

                  

Step 3:

Once the base designs are stenciled on, next comes adding the detail.  I use a collection of very small paint brushes (I like to paint tiny.) Dots are added for extra color and pop.

                                    

Step 4:

Coat each wood piece with a clear varnish. 

*All photos taken and owned by me 

Creating with Canva

I was first introduced to Canva through an Etsy blog.  I was looking for a digital tool to assist me in making a new, professional looking banner for my Etsy shop. I also wanted to be able to set that banner at the proper dimensions for Facebook and my website as well. I was so pleased to see that Canva had formatting options in a variety of social media format sizes. Here is the first banner that I created (still a little clunky) and here is my newest banner.

 

During most of the year, I am a high school Social Studies teacher. When it came time to teach a unit on the American culture of the 1950s, my mind started to think of ways I could have my students make a creative presentation. What digital tool could my students use to accomplish this task while also advancing my students’ technical skills? That’s when I recalled Canva! Canva is a graphic-design tool website.  Canva utilizes a drag-and-drop format with access to millions of images, graphics, and fonts.  After exploring Canva more, I learned that in addition to social media and website banner templates, it also has templates for brochures, posters, and, resumes to name a few.

                                                

Through a combination of working on my Masters in Educational Technology and working on my crafting brand, I’ve continued to master Canva. I have used both the web application and the mobile app.  The mobile app is useful for creating collages from photos and directly sharing to Instagram (which still only allows uploads from mobile devices.) The main advantage of the web app is the larger screen size, but that larger screen also allows for more design icons to be viewed at once compared to the mobile app.

Screenshot of the mobile version

Screenshot of the web version

In conclusion, here are a few of my Canva projects...

Just this week, I created this Instagram post:

Here is an event post I created last year:

And here is a project for my grad class that I can also use to introduce myself to my new students in August:

Painting on Slate

My interest in painting slate goes back to when I was a kid in Girl Scouts.  Actually, a big chunk of my love of crafting, as well as my love of the outdoors, comes from my experience in Girl Scouts.  I first joined Scouts in first grade and I continued into college, at that point being the adult leading workshops for younger girls.  

About five years after graduating college, I was redoing the yard of the house I was living in at the time, and I remembered that my parents had a stack of old slate shingles in their shed from past Girl Scout folk art projects. I used some of that slate to create stepping stones for the garden and painted some ivy designs on them.  It was then that I decided to once again recycle the slate shingle for hand-painted art. Instead of traditional ‘folk art’ designs, I chose to paint in my own style; colorful butterflies, flowers, & garden designs.

The design for each piece of miniature art is determined by the shape of the slate.  Larger pieces become wall-hangings featuring flowers or winter scenes. Smaller pieces become novelty magnets, little pieces of fridge art. Most recently I completed a series of four slate magnets.  The largest is roughly 2" x 1.5". The smallest is about the size of a quarter. Below is the series of steps of my slate painting.

After washing & drying, each slate gets a solid color background.

Some ideas come quicker than others...

or I get in a certain creative flow.

I use images of real butterflies when painting. 

Currently, slate magnets are for sale in my Etsy shop Snowywinds Studios.

Wall-hangings are currently only available at in-person events.  

Sign up for my email list to get notifications of events.

Until next time,

~Stacey

*All photos taken and owned by me 

#MeettheMakerWeek 2018

During the week after Thanksgiving, I participated in the Instagram challenge #MeettheMakerWeek.  This challenge is coordinated by artist and small business owner, Joanne Hawker.  You can learn more about Joanne at her website and on Instagram. 

This is the second year I've participated in this week-long challenge.  I have also participated in the month-long challenge #MarchMeettheMaker.  Instagram is my favorite social media medium.  I enjoy being able to share pictures of what I'm making.  Additionally, I have always loved taking pictures of nature (trees, flowers, water) and I find Instagram to be ideal for sharing those images.  Lastly, I include a weekly pic and Insta-stories of my dog, Jules.  I can be found at @snowywindgrams.  For this blog post, I'm sharing my pictures, with the post, from #MeettheMakerWeek.  

~Thank you!


*All photos taken and owned by me 

Artist Inspiration

My first art gallery experience was to the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.  In particular, I remember viewing the art at the East Building.  The East Building houses the museum’s modern and contemporary art collection.  I was amazed by the bright colors of Kandinsky and Matisse, the splatter paintings of Jackson Pollock, and Giacometti's sculptures.  I decided then that I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. I remember trying to make my own version of Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist) using crayons.  

Wikimedia Commons

In this blog post, I plan to share some of my early favorites from the National Gallery.

Matisse paper cuts:

Henri Matisse used a cutout technique in which he cut sheets of paper painted with gouache in meticulously mixed hues. He used a pair of scissors to transform painted paper into plants, animals, and figures. These ensembles allowed him to continue creating art despite his failing health once he reached in his early 70s. 

culturebox.francetvinfo.fr

Pollock abstract expressionism:

Jackson Pollock developed his monumentally influential "poured" paintings by dripping and flinging intricate layers of paint all over his canvases.  His used unstretched canvas that was laid on the floor of his studio. This method introduced gravity, velocity, and improvisation into the artistic process.  Line and color stand alone, functioning entirely independent of form. 

Wiki Art

Kandinksy brilliant colors:

A pioneer of abstract modern art, Wassily Kandinsky believed that the act of painting was deeply spiritual and transcended cultural and physical boundaries. His abstract style allowed for conveying human emotions and ideas.

Wiki Art

Sources:
www.nga.gov
www.moma.org
www.theartstory.org

Back From a Break!

It’s been more than a few months since my last blog post!  Part of the reason for this long gap is my position as a high school Social Studies teacher.  A lot of creative energy goes into engaging high schoolers in a discussion about our country: its history and current issues.

On a more personal note, I needed to take a step back from my art & Etsy.  My shop success or lack of was really weighing on my creativity. I was doing that comparing thing where I read others successes and think “Where is mine?”  So much of what I was reading about running a handmade business in Facebook Groups and Etsy blogs didn’t jive with what I wanted as an artist. There is a lot of emphasis on finding what sells, looking for trends, and making what the market wants.  But as an artist, I want to create what I envision. I’m not in this to be another ‘worker bee’ producer in the market.

So after taking this much needed time off, the creative juices started flowing again and I started painting.  A teacher friend gave me clothespins from a classroom that were headed for the trash can. They had student names written on them.  I came up with 3 design ideas; dog bones, flowers, and turtles. From there, I was inspired to paint daisies for my new logo and my handbags, followed by the urge to sew, followed by more dog themed clothespin ideas; fire hydrant, ID tag, and dog house.

                                  

My art will find its market.  I feel so much better about what I am creating and much more fulfilled inside.  Also from this break, my new logo and updated website banner emerged.

I look forward to sharing my art and more hiking adventures throughout this summer and into the fall.  

Happy July!

~Stacey

Holiday Gift Guide by Snowywinds

This time of year finds me busy painting; snowmen and evergreen trees, candy canes, and stockings.  Then, there is the pair of jeans I am hand painting for my 8 year old niece; a hippie style flower.  I love being able to share my art.  Ever since high school, I have given handmade &/or hand painted gifts to family and friends; framed prints, Christmas tree ornaments, original t-shirts.  

It can often be difficult coming up with the perfect gift.  There are your parents who have everything, the office Secret Santa with a $10 spending limit, and the fashionista who always has a cool bag.  To share the variety of gift items I make, I have put together a 2017 Holiday Gift Guide by Snowywinds.  

Paw Print Clothespin Magnet DIY

Of the many household tools, one that is starting to go obsolete is the clothespin.  Not as many people hang wet clothes outside to dry on a clothesline anymore.  So what can you do with that basket full of clothespins just sitting in the laundry room?  Clothespins are finding new life with other purposes like a chip-clip or to hold papers on the fridge.

In this blog post, I will be providing you with instructions to DIY your own clothespin magnets. I was inspired to make these by one of my favorite Etsy shops: Sugar and Paint. The style I am making today is pet inspired; paw prints!  I am looking forward to featuring these at my Snowywinds Booth on August 26 at Dog’s Day in the Park.

Supplies:

Clothespins

Acrylic paint

Acrylic varnish

Paintbrushes and paint-sponge

Paint pallet

Wax paper

Round magnets

Hot glue gun

Step 1:

Make sure the clothespins are clean. Separate the spring from the two wood pieces. Make sure to keep the springs lined up with their wooden pieces. Early on I forgot to do this; when I went to put the clothespins back together they didn’t all line up correctly! :(

Step 2:

Paint the solid color. I use wax paper to prevent newsprint from sticking or transferring to the clothespin. *Depending on the age of the clothespins, you may want to apply a multi purpose sealer prior to painting the solid color.

Step 3:

Paint your design on the wooden piece you have chosen to be the front. To make a paw print, paint an upside-down heart, round off the top point, and add four toes. *Remember, dogs & cats have 4 toes!

          

Step 4:

Coat each wood piece with a clear varnish. Let sit overnight. This is important.  You do not want the varnish to be tacky when putting the clothespin pieces back together. If so, the mouth of the clothespin will stick shut.

Step 5:

Get the hot glue gun warming up. Assemble the clothespins making sure to use the correct spring for each wooden set. Using the hot glue gun, attach the magnet to the back of the clothespin about level with the spring. Remove any glue strings.  And voila! You have your clothespin magnet!

*All photos taken by myself