Spring Roses

...or spring fever! I finally figured out why I've been fixated on flowers lately... it's spring, of course! I found some lovely paper roses at Michael's Craft store and decided I wanted to give them a blush of pink on the edges. I continued my experiment with wet chalks and found something better than water to use. Keep reading to find out...The flowers in the background are the original solid color; those in front have been colored.
Still wondering what works better than water? Rubbing alcohol! It evaporates quickly and doesn't soak the flowers. I just dip the brush in the alcohol and brush it across the chalks, using one or many colors.
One final picture of some of my yellow flowers on the front porch of the Beacon Hill. Happy Spring!

Crepe Paper Rose

Something about fall makes me want to work on minis! This is a close up on a couple of homemade items in my Orchid. Just click on the picture to see them larger.

• I made the rose out of crepe paper (yes, the party kind of crepe paper!), getting the idea from Martha Stewart. The thin paper ruffles and ripples easily as you stretch or roll it using a toothpick to roll the edges of the petal. I never would have thought of it but Martha did!

Here are Martha's instructions: crepe paper rose

• The (crooked!) candle is a bit of thread dipped in melted candle wax. A little black marker tinted the "burnt" wick.
• The flower vase is an endcap used in making jewelry. Easy but intricate!
• The base of the candle is made of polymer clay. The pattern came from pressing an eyelet setter into the clay. I then painted it gold.
• I made the painting too by dipping the end of a toothpick into different shades of paint, never wiping it off, making loose "u" shaped strokes. I havent' been able to get another to work out as well unfortunately!
• The lace runner is two short strips of lace glue lightly to each other to make a wider strip. I love how thin it is... I found it in a fabric store and think it was designed for lingerie maybe?