Sunday, February 25, 2018

Wine Cork Clover

Four leaf clover made from corks.


I had made cork hearts for Valentine's Day for my little craft boutique. As I was pondering ideas for St Patrick's Day decor and crafts I noticed I could create a four leaf clover from 4 hearts . Well, then it was off to the races.


Here is one of the hearts and you can see that I used 12 corks to create the heart. It's easy to use a hot glue gun to build the heart.I created 4 hearts to make the clover.

Start from the bottom of the heart with one cork , glue the two corks above that to the first cork , then glue the third row of corks but center the middle cork and glue that first,  then the two side pieces. These are easy just require a couple of extra seconds of thought. Just keep going and following the picture above.

Create a total of 4 hearts .
Hot glue the 4 hearts together in the center to form the Four Leaf Clover .


I'm a big fan of driftwood and it's always laying around somewhere as part of the decor so it was easy enough for me to make a stem from the driftwood. You could make a stem from twigs, or even something from the faux floral department .






Side view and showing that I used holiday napkins from the dollar store to decoupage to one side to create a little color and festivity. Make sure you let that dry well before attempting to cut around the corks to remove the excess napkin.


A little Mod Podge and gold glitter to finish off the other side. 
Hot glue some twine to create a loop for hanging. Completa.

Cheers, now you have a reason to save those corks.



With love and gratitude
Michele
Coastal Bohemian

If you are in Myrtle Beach come on down and visit us at the Coastal Bohemian Studio or check us out on Facebook, Pinterest , Instagram, or  G+ .

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Soul Cards & Funtastic Friday Link Party #167



My family has been reading tarot cards for at least 2 generations that I know about.. My grandmother was a healer and she used her Tarot cards in her healings. As a little girl, I was always sent outside to play when people came over for a reading. It wasn't until I was 19 years old that she, my grandmother , finally did a read for me. It was an honor that she did that for me.

Today , my sister is a popular tarot card reader/ medium on Long Island in  NY. In fact she has a 3 month wait for her readings.

I believe in energy and the way it plays into my life and I'm certain that when you shuffle those cards, (tarot), you are infusing your energy, (good or bad)into the cards. 
I wanted something a little different for my life and my students. I'm not sure what we'll call them but a very popular style of cards is Soul cards and that may be what I name them..."Coastal Bohemian Soul Cards" There are many varieties of cards on the market these days including,  Angel cards,  Law of Attraction cards, Energy cards , Crystal cards etc. etc.


Knowing I wanted to create a workshop, I began to work on several  examples of cards as inspiration for our Tarot card class. 

The class is set up to be a recurring class  for 2 hrs each month. In the class you'll choose 2 designs from the available 4 designs. If the students complete 2 of the designs and there is time left they can work on additional designs.

Each  class will  discuss 4  different themes, the meanings of each of these themes and the images and associated feelings evoked during the discussion of these themes. 


The students can take notes here and use the notes to begin to  create a vision for  their designs using a mixed media format. It's important that the images and quotes  connect with each student. 


These cards are meant to be very personal , infused with your energy and something you can turn to as a source of inspiration, meditation and hope.

Included with the class is a simple box that I bought at the Dollar Tree and which will be embellished and used as a sacred space for your Soul Cards.

Here's a pic of the box I created.



This is a fun class that involves some self discovery, some courage and maybe just a little faith. 
This Coastal Bohemian is keeping the faith and hoping you'll be inspired to create your own 
Soul Cards 
And now.....................................

Funtastic-Friday-Poster 600

FUNTASTIC FRIDAY 167 LINK PARTY

It's another Funtastic Friday Link Party.

Meet the Funtastic Friday 167 Link Party Hosts

We would love for you all to follow us on social media.
MOST VIEWED
Grab two spoons and dive into this chewy and delicious Skillet Brownies for Two topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! cookingwithcurls.com
Skillet Brownies for Two @ Cooking with Curls
HOST FAVORITES
What to do with rotisserie chicken? Make these quick and easy chicken adobo and black bean tacos!
Sherry's favorite - Chicken Adobe and Black Bean Tacos @ The Bearded Hiker

Michele's favorite - A Little Love @ A Day of Small Things
Grab two spoons and dive into this chewy and delicious Skillet Brownies for Two topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! cookingwithcurls.com
Heidi & Lacie's favorite - Skillet Brownies for Two @ Cooking with Curls

Debra's favorite - Mini Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Raspberry Ganache @ Giggles Galore
Fudge Easter Cookie Cutter gifts via Desperately Seeking Gina
Cristy's favorite - Fudgy Easter Cookie Cutter Gifts @ Desperately Seeking Gina
Don't be intimidated by these soft and chewy pretzel bites. They are easy to make at home and taste amazing! These bites are perfect as a party food or an after school snack!
Donna's favorite - Soft Pretzel Bites from Scratch @ Sparkle Living

If you’re a featured blogger, please grab a button to place on your blog
 (right-click on the image and save the image to your computer):
  Funtastic-Friday-Featured-Thumbnail1
If you’re linking up and joining the party, please grab a button or link back to Coastal Bohemian or one of the party hosts (right-click on the image and save the image to your computer):
Funtastic-Friday-Link-Party-Thumbnail-150x 
 We will also share your post on social media if sharing buttons are readily available in your post. Help grow the Funtastic Friday link party. Tweet about the party, please!
[bctt tweet="Add your link! The #FuntasticFriday link party is live!" username="olivesnokra"]
All features are pinned to Olives & Okra’s Funtastic Friday board.
Disclaimer: By submitting a link to this blog hop, you are giving me permission to share and/or feature your blog post and image on social media and on my blog, Olives & Okra. All links shared will either link back to the blog hop (link party) or to your blog.

FUNTASTIC FRIDAY 167 LINK PARTY RULES

  1. Post as many links as you like
  2. Family friendly posts only
  3. Old posts are welcome
  4. Comments are greatly appreciated
  5. Show fellow bloggers link love

With love and gratitude
Michele
Coastal Bohemian
Find me doing the blog hop here all week.

If you are in Myrtle Beach come on down and visit us at the Coastal Bohemian Studio or check us out on Facebook, Pinterest , Instagram, or  G+ .

Craft Show Haul Destin Florida #ArtistDate #TheArtistsWay #Artisans #Destin

It's Saturday and I saw that there was a Craft Show at the Destin Community Center today 2-17-18. It's a great way to support local arts, enjoy unique artisans and often times to be inspired. It did not disappoint.



The first thing I found was a bargain. 







Crocheted Rag Rug- 3' x 2' $15.75
This hand crocheted rug  3' x 2' $15.75 . The woman is apparently at this show every year so if you live in the area you should plan a visit. On my way out, I saw a tribe of ladies sitting around an outdoor table and all of their cushions were one of these handcrafted rugs. I made a little funny about how we all got ourselves one of these rugs at such a score. They promised me that they washed well and that they cannot be beat for handling sandy feet. 
The colors are a very mellow beachy mix.


Quilted Bowl Cozy - Nautical Fabric Design  $10.00 
 Ok ,so where have I been. I have never seen this little gizmo before and that's why I'm especially excited about sharing this with you.
 This sits underneath a bowl in the microwave and then it's easy to bring to the table or perfect  if you want to heat up a single serve bowl of soup and sit in front of the TV, like someone I know.


Cedar Wood Slices $.50 each 


Crafters know why these are a score. Lots of fun ideas here. Ornaments, hang in closet to deter moths,  labels and tags etc. 
                                                   .50 ea. 

At this point I had spent my budget but I was floored by
local artists from Pensacola Florida and sisters, Bellinda and Cythia who take chiseled paint chips, (yes, they get out to the bridge in the early am with hammers and chisels, I love artists), from an ever changing canvas, at the Graffiti Bridge to make their one of a kind pieces.

You can see their works here .



They sand the layers of paint down to reveal  amazing swirls of color, like the one shown here in this bracelet. They make every style of jewelry from earrings to necklaces and everything in between. 


This is the reason I go to craft shows, I want to be amazed and impressed with the creative soul. 


Here's to hoping you'll get your fill of creatives. In the "Artists Way" by Julia Cameron ,  she recommends taking yourself out, by yourself , (key word here), for artist dates. For me, this is a way to get my fix.

The Artist Date is a once-weekly, festive, solo expedition to explore
something that interests you. The Artist Date need not be overtly
“artistic” — think mischief more than mastery. Artist Dates fire up the
imagination. They spark whimsy. They encourage play. Since art is about the
play of ideas, they feed our creative work by replenishing our inner well
of images and inspiration. When choosing an Artist Date, it is good to ask
yourself, “what sounds fun?” — and then allow yourself to try it. The Artists's Way- Julia Cameron 


With love and gratitude
Michele
Coastal Bohemian

Find me doing the blog hop here all week.

If you are in Myrtle Beach come on down and visit us at the Coastal Bohemian Studio or check us out on Facebook, Pinterest , Instagram, or  G+ .

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

St. Patrick's Shelf Sitters and Image Download

These are St. Patrick's Day blocks . Great for shelf sitters, gifts, hostess gifts or for your Halloween tablescape.



I have made these blocks before in a Blog post titled, Thanksgiving Blocks. I'm swapping out the info so you have info and links to make these St. Patrick's Blocks . 

I went to Home Depot and bought some of their discounted wood , took it back to my shop and cut it to a size I thought made a nice set.  I bought 1" x 6" and 1" x 4" boards.  I did 
5" x 7" boards and 3' x 5' boards. (The boards at HD are actually milled smaller than their listed sizes so a 6 " board is actually 5.5" which was great for my publisher layout.)


I used some Fiddes Rugger Brown wax to give the wood some depth and color. Apply wax by brush , wipe off excess and then buff .










Wax.  



Buffed.

Instead of cutting the images from the paper I like to tear around the images to cut them out. I age them with the brown wax used in the same way described above. This seals in the ink so you can decoupage with out any ink bleed onto your project. The brow wax will get your edges perfectly aged and shabby looking. 



Download St. Patrick's Day Images here






After that we decoupage the images to the wood.




Add some accessories  like bows and bling . 
Done.
To me this looks like something I may find in a hometown gift boutique. I love to wrap these up with tissue paper and a small gift bag for gift giving. 


Hope you are enjoying your St. Patrick's season and I hope you enjoyed this craft project.



Michele 

Here's a link to where I  link up all week. Just take peek.

With love and gratitude
Michele
Coastal Bohemian

If you are in Myrtle Beach come on down and visit us at the Coastal Bohemian Studio or check us out on Facebook, Pinterest , Instagram, or  G+ .
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