Draw your Own Mandala

I spent the afternoon drawing and coloring in a mandala. I drew it following this tutorial:

Draw-a-Mandala

This is what I drew:

Then I scanned the drawing and printed it out on cardstock. Card stock takes markers well and that is the medium I wanted to use. I used a lot of different colors.

When I was done, I scanned the finished piece, then played around with it in Photoshop. I got several different color schemes:

                                               

I enjoyed making a Mandala. The instructions were easy to follow and didn't require a lot of tools.  Here is a link to an even easier Mandala tutorial. Perfect for kids or the artistically challenged.

how-to-draw-a-mandala-using-grids

I hope you try drawing your own mandalas. There is really no right or wrong way to draw them using the basic pattern. It really becomes your own creation. I would love to see what you come up with.

Crochet and beaded Medicine Bags

I love how these crocheted and beaded medicine bags turned out.

This green one has a small frog.

Pink with a dragonfly. I made this one with a flap.

Yellow Sunflower.

I used crochet thread in different colors, beads on beading wire and of course the findings.

I didn't have a tutorial for these, I just made them, but I did find a couple of tutorials to get you started on making your own crocheted Medicine Bag.

This one uses a heavier yarn instead of thread:

Crochet-Bag-Patterns/Medicine-Bag-Pouch

This one looks like it uses thread about the same size as I used, just a different result:

crochet-medicine-pouch/

With patience and a little time, you can make your own Medicine Bag.

Have fun and use whatever feels right. I would love to see what you come up with!

Paper Pieced Rooster

This is an old post from another blog I've worked on...I thought it fit in well with my other tutorials, so I wanted  to include it here:

I've been wanting to try my hand at doing something with book pages...I've seen many ideas on the web and Pinterest and wanted to try my own version...first I decided on a design...
for some reason a Rooster kept popping up in my mind...so...

I didn't want to cut up any of my good books so I found some out in the shed I was going to get rid of...

Tore out several pages with some having an interesting type...traced out the shapes from the rooster pattern I had made...

 then cut out all the shapes...

Now I had to decide on a background...a funky sunrise...little house and fields...

I chose my new Inktense watercolor pencils to color my design with...but you can use whatever you might have...colored pencils...watercolors..markers..your choice...

I love watercolor pencils...I can color with them and then wet with a brush and blend...

The one thing I love about art...it's all up to the individual how you do something..the tools you use...change colors...change a line here and there...you can take a tutorial like this one and make something that is unique and has your own twist to it...which makes it one of a kind and yours alone.

I used a glue stick and glued on my paper rooster...one piece at a time...it's a good idea to try him out first without the glue so you know where to position him...

The picture was beginning to take shape...but I decided I wanted more color on my rooster...so I used red and brown markers to color him in...my markers were permanent Sharpie ones...I think colored pencils would have worked as well...

I got out my Fiskars Gel pens and added details to my picture...shading...plants...flowers...crops in the fields..then I used Tulip slick paint to outline the rooster...

Oh, and he needed an eye...you can paint one on or glue on a button or jewel...I used an old button..my fun picture is complete...

Paper Beads

Paper beads are simple and fun to make.  There are so many different types of beads you can make. Here is a sampling of the different types and how to make them:

http://www.ilovepaperbeads.com/

And another one, with the history and more instructions:

http://big-bead-little-bead.blogspot.com/2011/05/making-paper-beads.html

I made this necklace using paper beads mixed with plastic and glass beads.

The large beads are double hole paper beads. I found this quick little video showing how to make them:

-Double-hole-Paper-bead-Tutorial-

I used a print I found on the internet to cover the beads. It reminds me of turquoise. The large rectangle is also paper. I used a small cardboard rectangle and covered it with the paper.

if you look closely, you can see where I used a small rectangle of paper to cover the back.

I then made a wire twist around it to hold it together with a bead and feather decoration.

All the beads were coated with varnish to protect them, then strung together to make the necklace.

The finished product is lightweight but looks expensive. 

I hope you try to make some paper beads of your own! If you do, please share your creations!

Painting Mandalas on Rocks

I've wanted to try painting on rocks for awhile. I love the Mandala ones I've seen on Pinterest and elsewhere. Youtube is full of Tutorials on painting rocks, including painting Mandalas on Rocks. I wanted to find a Tutorial that I could easily follow. Youtube tutorials are great but go a little too fast for me unless I pause...rewind...pause...not what I wanted. I looked all over the internet and finally found two Mandala Tutorials on the website http://colorful-crafts.com

Here is the link for the blue and green one:

Mandala Stone Tutorial

Here is my first Mandala Rock using this Tutorial:

I started by picking out some rocks in my yard and washing them.

Then I painted black circles on them for the Mandala backgrounds.

I found this punch set in my craft collection:

They make perfect dots for painting the mandalas. You can use paintbrushes, dowels, special tools for making dots or just use what you can find around the house.

After my first try, I painted several other rocks playing with patterns and color:

For more ideas for painting your rocks Colorful crafts has a nice Gallery:

Gallery

Youtube is full of tutorials, I liked this short video for beginners:

You Tube Beginners Guide

Have some fun and try painting your own rocks, with Mandalas or any other design of your choosing. I would love to see what you come up with!

Hiding Painted Rocks

Before I tried painting Mandalas on Rocks I joined a group on Facebook where people paint rocks and hide them around town for others to find. A simple way to brighten another's day. I loved this idea and it was one of the reasons I did the painted rocks tutorial. Today I hid my rocks around town.

This one is in a place where healing takes place...

This one I had at a local park...

A tree hides this one close to a place of learning...

In a tree outside government offices...

and the last two were both placed where people gather for different reasons....

I had fun hiding them during my lunch break today...I hope others find them and they bring a smile or two...if you'd like to see more of my painted rocks...hop on over to one of my  other blogs:

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7091666994614940989#allposts/src=sidebar

If you're local and would like to join in the fun...here is the link to 

Winnemucca Rocks

on Facebook...

If you're not local and would still like to join in the fun...search for a local group or start one of your own!