Saturday, July 20, 2013

Dragonfly Beauty


 l love dragonflies.

 I have this really large metal sculpture on 
my wall. I bought it at the Ann Arbor Art Fair a 
few years ago. I think the artist was 
Steve Anderson.

Today I found this real creature on 
my floor. It was no longer alive.

I had to take pictures of it's stunning beauty.
I took this photo with my iPhone.

It looks like a piece of jewelry that
an artist created, doesn't it?


Even the details in their wings are stunning.


I used a closeup lens on my iphone and saw details on
their little legs that I wasn't even aware of.

Nature is so beautiful.



Sunday, July 7, 2013

"Ghost Flower" outdoor YARD ART candle lights....cheap and easy DIY how-to instructions.

I saw some similar Ghost Flowers on Pinterest but they had
no instructions on how to make them. So I had to go 
on a learning mission because I had to have some of these
fun candle lighting yard art flowers.

I wanted to be able to make a bunch so they had to be 
simple to make and not cost too much in supplies.

The best features of these silvery Ghost Flowers is
that they are fast & easy to make and inexpensive.
And no painting or hot glue is required.

I'll show you how.

First, these are the supplies I bought at Lowe's:

• silver aluminum screening 
36" x 84" ($8)

• 36" metal rods 1/8" diameter
(with or without threads...each will
be around $2-$3)

• alligator clips (about 50¢ each)




• tea lights (I had some leftovers that I had
purchased at the Dollar Store)
 They are lightweight
and come in a little silver cup and last about 2 hours.
We're going for light-weight here so heavier candles
or candles in glass holders won't work here.


You also have to find some plastic 
pop or water bottles...cheaper and
lightweight is best and as close to
flat on the bottom and inside as you
can find. Usually there is a small bump but
I have a fix for that.
Use some gummy floral tack or candle holder
adhesive in the bottom of the cut off bottle. 
Then set the candle on top of it.

Cut a square of the aluminum mesh about
18" square and round the corners so 
you have a loose circle shape. You don't have
to be exact here. Grab the middle and pinch it
together and clip the alligator clip on it. 
Then insert the clip over the rod.
You could super glue the clip to the rod or
twist it onto the rod if it has threads.

Put the plastic bottle bottom in the
middle and scrunch up the wire mesh around
the bottle bottom.

Now the fun begins.

Maybe you want to wear gloves for this part 
because now you are going to bend and shape
the flower. You can fold down the edges or
roll them over...either over or under. It doesn't 
matter. Free form is what you're going for.
Something graceful and nestling around
the plastic candle cup.

You'll find that each one develops into it's own
look and some you'll like better than others. 
Just like real flowers!


And they glow so beautifully at night!




I want a yard full of them!