Lovely Sunday Photograph

Cinque Terre, Italy by Sergio Del Rosso

First Tutorial: Chalkboard Glasses for our wedding in two parts

Hi everyone!

I know I missed blogging yesterday, but let me tell you that you will not be disappointed with today's post!

I am going to show you step-by-step how I am going to make chalkboard glasses for our wedding as favors for our guests.

Let me first say that if you are someone that follows directions to a tee you are going to be horrified by how I do projects!

I stink at following directions, especially when it comes to crafts.  I don't like to measure, I cut things where I think they should be cut, and I don't always use the materials that you should.

Let's just say, that some things work and out some things don't, but it is ALWAYS an adventure!

So here are the ingredients that I am using:
White Dry Non-Sanded grout that can be bought at any hardware store
Acrylic Paint (I chose black but it can be any color)
Glasses (I bought mine for 97 cents at Walmart!)
Tape to make the square or shape on the glass (I couldn't find our painters tape so I am actually using medical tape)

The first step is to tape off the shape on the glasses to be able to paint the chalkboard paint.

Using my medical tape I cut strips and put them onto the glasses in a square, overlapping.  I think you could probably do it in any shape and I am thinking maybe a heart might be cute?!

I think with painters tape or masking tape it would be easier to get straight edges, but I work with what I have!!

Next step was to mix up the chalkboard paint.
The original recipe called for :
1 cup paint
2 tablespoons Dry White Non-Sanded Grout

I was only doing two glasses so honestly I squirted some paint into my bowl (acrylic black) and poured some grout on top.

The next step is to stir the paint together, and it seems the most important rule is to try and get out all of the big lumps.

I then painted the mixture onto the glasses, pretty thick so it would cover completely, because one of the last steps is to sand it down so that it is ready to use with chalk.

Now, I need to let the paint air dry (you could probably use a hair blower if you want), but I need to go cook dinner, so we will finish the tutorial hopefully tomorrow!

Hope you enjoyed it and it was easy to follow!

Love,

Jess

Blogs I love, Gift for Christmas, Wednesday Musings...

Hello Everyone!

Happy Wednesday!  I actually really love Wednesday's and I know not a lot of people do.  I feel like Wednesday is a day full of possibilities.  You can start to think about the weekend because you only have two days left of the work week!  You can congratulate yourself for working hard for three days and only having two days left to go, and I like to think on Wednesday that the week is still full of possibilities!  Not always easy, but since my neck surgery I have been trying to think of the glass as half full.

So that my lovelies is my Wednesday musing.  On to a christmas gift I bought Meridyth!  Meridyth and I are both artists.  I majored in black and white photography and fine art in college, and Meridyth minored in art and majored in Computer Science.  So, she needed/wanted a new pencil case because she loves to draw with graphite pencils.  I have been looking everywhere for a pencil tin with no luck.  I tried all the major chains and ebay and art stores.  Then I realized I didn't look at etsy!  So silly.  So I looked last night and found a man who sells handmade wooden pencil cases.  His name is Dallen Wright and his shop is Rexburbia.  Here is what I bought for Mer last night.  She was really excited!

Now onto some blogs that I follow pretty religiously.  One photographer whose blog I love reading is Katie Jane Photography.  I found her a few months ago because I love looking at elopement photography online.  Something about two people running away together and tying the knot just makes me swoon!  Well, she is a great photographer out of New York, and does a lot of elopements.  If you want some eye candy and people in love, I would definitely check her out. 

Another site that had me actually laughing out loud last night was The Knotty Bride.  I had never known this blog exsisted until last night and now that I do this is going to be a regular read!  She is sassy, and witty, and also talks about weddings!  Not for the meek of heart but I am a little bit in love.

Hope you enjoyed my musings for a Wednesday!  Until tomorrow...

love,

Jess

I am a Tortoise

I spend a lot of time looking at things online.  Being a wedding photographer and lover of pretty things I love, love, love, sites like dwellinggawker or pinterest which lets me look at those pretty things in an easy space.  I also love looking at other wedding photographers blogs and this morning I found a Nashville wedding photographer that not only has amazing images, but also wrote something personal on her blog that really rang true.

The photographers name is Alex Bee, please check out her site if you haven't it's awesome, and she wrote something about being a tortoise instead of a firecracker.

When I read this I immediately thought to myself, this is me!

To me, being a tortoise means that accomplishing things is never easy.  Not only do I second guess myself, but there also seems to be so many roadblocks in the way.  I know a lot of people go through ups and downs, but have you ever looked at someone and just thought that even though they had to work to get what they wanted you bet you would have to work twice as hard for the same thing?

I honestly am not trying to be negative, but I have always been one of those people that things just never seem to fall into my lap.

To make a point to this post:  There are a lot of things in my life that feel hard right now.  I'm in pain from my surgery, I can only work a few hours a week, I'm questioning if my art is good enough to sell or if people will even like it, Meridyth is still looking for a job (she was let go from her company in August).  Things are hard and kind of suck.

Then I remember...I'm A Tortoise!  I go slow but will eventually find my way.  Remembering that not only gives me hope, but makes me smile.

So here's to all the tortoises out there!  May each of you find your way as slowly as you must!

love,

Jess

(Source: Demetri Martin)

LoveUPaperly

Hello all!

I am very excited to announce the beginning of my etsy shop and the start of this blog. I have always loved crafting and like many artists have tried multiple venues for selling my wares. Some successful and unfortunately some not!

Well, I have been busy this past year with many ups and downs in my life. Perhaps the major down and up is that a few weeks ago I had to have neurosurgery and because of that had to slow my life way down. Basically, by slowing down I had to stop everything I was doing which included working full time, taking classes, and photographing events.

While I have been healing I picked up a craft that I have done on and off for a few years, but had fallen to the wayside because of everything else that has to be done.

That craft is quilling. For those that don't know, quilling is the art of taking strips of paper and rolling them into different shapes to eventually form objects, letters, animals, and anything else imaginable!

Not only has quilling kept me sane these past few weeks and helped me through pain and a few crying fits, but I forgot not only how much I enjoyed doing it but how much other people enjoyed it too!

So this blog will be an adventure. Of trying to open my own etsy shop, healing, sharing inspiration and beautiful things I find and hopefully a little home away from home for everyone that reads it. This is a crazy life and I plan on making the most of it!

Love,

Jessica