How To Make A Bird Birthday Card

Here I am painting mod podge over this lovely bird birthday card that I created for my niece’s birthday. I love to spread a coat of mod podge over many of my cards to give these a lustrous and painted look. Take a gander at the other videos I have created of my very cute and fun birthday card project.

Buster The Final Painting


009, originally uploaded by JewelandtheSun.

I finally finished my Buster painting the other day and I am very proud of how he turned out.Buster is a dog I truly loved and he will always be missed. If you want to know more about what inspired me to paint Buster then check out this article I wrote over on the examiner.

Finished Painting Buster




I am so excited because today I have finally finished painting Buster! Even though he is a male dog I made his collar pink because I thought it would be a nice contrast to his banana nut bread colored fur. Also, men can also wear pink, so anyone who thinks otherwise should be more open about that!

His eyes are a rich chocolate brown, and catch the reflection of the light.I love how I decided to make the background for Buster aquamarine, which compliments his fur so well. The one thing I hate about painting is cleaning the paint brushes, and lately I have to be careful doing that because my sink has clogged up a few times. Now I will be using the non-toxic paint remover/soap and a jar of water to clean my brushes. At the bottom of my blog our a few paint sets I wish I could buy, but I will just have to finish using the ones I have on hand.

Painting Buster Today







Today I have begun to paint my dog Buster. First I feel in the light sandy colors of his fur. After filling in the lighter portions of Buster’s face I begin to outline his jaw, and other prominent features. The next step is to add the darker colors to Buster’s face. Of course this will be an on going process, and this is just the beginning of painting Buster’s, my beloved dog.

Do you have a dearly departed pet that you would love to commemorate with a beautiful piece of art work that can grace your living room wall? If so, head over to the crafting store today to buy a canvas, or use materials on hand. You will never regret drawing and painting the animals that have touched your lives. Have you seen the movie Marley and Me? I love this movie, and when I watch it reminds me of how much I loved my dog Buster. Painting Buster is a long drawn out process, but I am enjoying every minute of it.

Nominate Me!

I truly enjoy providing many arts and crafts tips over at the La Examiner, so I would be tickled pink if you nominated me as the best blogger to follow! I know the examiner.com is not exactly a blog, but I consider myself a blogger because of the several blogs I maintain. Maybe next year mashable.com will have a category for the best examiner to follow! I truly hope so because I love writing about arts and crafts as you know!

The Progression of The Buster Painting


I continue to adding sketching details to Buster’s face. Eventually I will be painting my doggy, but my goal right now is to take my time slowly adding all of the important details. For me it is much easier to paint once all the details have been laid down rather than just painting directly on the canvas.

The supplies I use for my projects are basic canvases and oil paints, so I truly believe in creating artistic pieces without breaking the bank. If I were a millionaire I am sure I might buy more expensive supplies, but honestly why bother? I think the cheaper supplies can work just as well. Stay tune for my updates on Buster the painting!

Happy Labor Day Card

Today is Labor Day and you can make a fun craft with your kids. Take a piece of used paper and fold it in half, and then fold it into a quarter to make a quarter fold card. Draw a red, white, and blue theme on the card for Labor Day. I enjoyed Obama’s speech to the AFL-CIO and I must say, happy Labor Day!

How To Create Vegetable People

Vegetable people are a creative way to use ornamental fruit and vegetables that are sitting in storage. As a young girl my neighbor created the crafty vegetable shown above. I love how she made so many hand crafted items with love at a time when most people just bought things at the store. When we were little we wanted to mimick her hand made decorations, so my sister and I even tried to make these out of pine cones and pine needles. Life can be fast and hectic, but crafting and revive the soul and uplift the spirit!