Art Projects | Wandering Whims

Latest PROJECTs

1 dollar tree bottle, liquid gold, tape, wax seal

I started by taping off the section I wanted to paint gold. Sometimes, to help ensure the tape will come off easily I will tape the section of tape to my pants first and rip it off and then tape it to whatever I am working on. This takes the edge off the stickiness of the tape and helps it peel off easier the next time.

1 garage sale vase, black paint, liquid gold, gas mask

I was terrified to start on my idea with this one, because it meanting painting the entire vase black.

I finally got it all painted a nice, even black.

I started painting portions of the texture with the liquid gold. This was an extremely slow process, as I had to be very careful with my painting so I didn't go over the imaginary lines, and I couldn't hold the vase the way I needed to if portions of the gold were still wet. So, I would have to paintstakingly paint a small area and then leave it to dry for a while before I could move on. I also wore a gas mask and often opened the windows during all the liquid gold work on this piece, due to liquid gold's highly carcignogenic nature. (It is linked to cancer.)

Once the front and back were done it was time to tackle the sides.

With the sides finished, the top and bottom sections were all that was left.

I started with this vase I picked up at a garage sale. (I took home a box full of glassware from this dude's garage sale that day!)

I started with a gentle gradient of green from the base of the vase fading out near the opening at the top.

Once the paint was dry, I put on my gas mask (liquid gold is highly carcinogenic) and started dripping liquid gold down the sides of the vase. This was slow work, as I needed to build up the gold around the base slowly enough so that when it dripped it wouldn't go too far and over the edge, but not so slowly that the liquid gold would dry before it could drip.

I finished the project with a layer of triple thick glaze, but unfortunately I over-worked the glaze a bit and and it messed up some of the paint. I still love the aesthetic of it, though!

I started by filling the vase with a mixture of this black sand...

Next, I stuck a candle in it. I lit the candle and let it burn as I worked on other projects, but when I checked on it, the candle turned out to be magic! That candle burned almost completely down without dripping a single drop of wax ANYWHERE.

My next step, then, was to simply hold the candles as they burned and drip them over the vase.

I did this with several different colored candles and in several layers until I had built up a solid layering of candle wax.

I started by painting both canvases a sunset gradient of orange to yellow. Then, I covered the first canvas in as many butterfly stickers as I could fit on it. The many.

On the second canvas I placed a single butterfly sticker. The One.

This piece was inspired, in part, by this Pinterest pin. (Click on the photo to open the link.)

This jar was originally just a tiny glass jar, but I slathered it with glue and then wrapped it in twine.

I filled the inside with some moss like stuff that was leftover from a model I was making years ago, some pieces of fool's gold, a gemstone, and a scrap of aged paper with a cryptic phrase inscribed upon it.

Two layers of wax seals with some gold leaf leftovers sprinkled on top for extra mysterious beauty...

I basically taped off the jar at random angles, painted the in between, and peeled the tape off again! And then a lot of the paint wanted to peel off with the tape and it was a mess and I was very frustrated, but in the end it's kinda cute! I think it looks like a weird little fruitcake vase!

1 dollar tree mini canvas, some fancy watercolors, sparkly paints

This was inspired by my view of the moon on an early morning walk one day. I was just staring at the full moon, sparkling bright against the peachy glow of pre-dawn. Walked home and painted this right after. (I know my moon isn't very accurate, but whatever.)

I literally just found a pinecone I liked (my walking park has pine trees) and then painted the tips with liquid gold.

I realize this looks like the Irish flag, but I swear it isn't...

Past Projects

Yarn, branch	Glass bottle, twine, sand, pebbles, 1 seashell, aged paper, fountain pen, imagination, more twine
Yarn, branch	Red and white paint, gold leaf, leaf adhesive, triple thick
Glass bottle, copper leaf, leaf adhesive, sealer	Yarn, branch
I also made a massive stack of aged paper! Now, hopefully, I won't have to make any more for a little while!	Yarn, branch

Sorry I don't have process shots for any of these.

Rune Rocks

Rocks, paint, triple thick glaze, gold and copper leaf, metal leaf adhesive

I started this project by finding these beautiful rocks and thinking they would look great with some Elvish runes on them. I quickly switched to Viking, as Viking runes were much easier to research. I made a list of my favorites and narrowed it down to the top four. (One per rock.) They would be placed in my garden.

And finally, since the rocks would be outdoors in the weather, I coated each rock in several layers of triple thick glaze.

Rune Rocks

Rocks, paint, triple thick glaze, gold and copper leaf, metal leaf adhesive

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Finished Vase

Black paint, gold leaf, gold leaf adhesive, gold leaf sealer, Triple Thick glaze

Cheap Beginnings

My best friend and I went to Goodwill and Texas Thrift and this lovely pile of objects is what I came home with.

Finally I used a sealant over the gold leaf, but it was so textured that I had to go back to Hobby Lobby to find something stronger to seal it all off. I came home with Triple Thick glaze. Somehow the glaze took away the frosted effect on the purple glass, but I still loved it and it finished the vase off rather beautifully!

Finished Vase

Black paint, gold leaf, gold leaf adhesive, gold leaf sealer, Triple Thick glaze

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White Licorice

Thought it was an herb...turns out it is just an extremely aggressive ground cover plant. Very pretty, though, with soft almost spiderweb like covered leaves.

I couldn't get the plant to stop growing, even after I did nothing to care for it for almost 3 months! It just kept growing! Recently, a prolonged frost kicked its butt, and I felt bad and went to save it.

I will leave each "packet" there for a while until I forget about them, and then one day in about a week to three weeks I will suddenly remember them and pull them out. Time will tell if they will press well or not!

White Licorice

Thought it was an herb...turns out it is just an extremely aggressive ground cover plant. Very pretty, though, with soft almost spiderweb like covered leaves.

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The Finished Letter

Aged paper, fountain pen, twine, wax seal, pressed French lavender

I started with some plain white cardstock. I distressed the edges using a foot exfoliator that I bought at Dollar Tree.

I was sending the letter to my favorite author, so I wrapped the letter very carefully in tissue paper and filled a box with bubble wrap to send it off in. At the last minute I added a scrap of paper with my name and address in case the recipient wanted to write back.

The Finished Letter

Aged paper, fountain pen, twine, wax seal, pressed French lavender

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(Yellow cardstock, pressed French lavender, wax seal) I got a wax seal kit for Christmas and I was so excited to use it for the first time! This was a birthday letter for a close friend's 21st.

I included some French lavender that I had pressed over Christmas break in the seal.

(Yellow cardstock, pressed French lavender, wax seal) I got a wax seal kit for Christmas and I was so excited to use it for the first time! This was a birthday letter for a close friend's 21st.

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The finished bottle

Bottle, gold leaf, gold leaf adhesive, gold leaf sealer, Triple Thick glaze

The original pile of treasure from Goodwill and Texas thrift. Unfortunately, I forgot to take any process shots on this project, so the only "before" I have is this picture.

The front of the finished bottle

The finished bottle

Bottle, gold leaf, gold leaf adhesive, gold leaf sealer, Triple Thick glaze

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