Solar Powered Art

During your travels through this magical series of tubes called the internet I'm sure that you, much like myself, have stumbled across this clever craft idea at least once. As a lover of all the super cheap craft stuff that can be found around back to school time and someone in need of things to start hanging on my walls this crayon art was right up my alley.

Only, unlike so many folks I decided to save some electricity and use our extremely sunny conditions to create the necessary heat for the project. I started out with two packages of Crayola crayons, an old canvas board and some glue. I removed one grey, one black and both white and brown crayons from the bunch and glued the crayons near the top of my canvas to create a double rainbow. I let the glue set overnight and stuck my canvas out in the early sunlight on my patio, propped up against a chair with some newspaper underneath to catch any drips.

I waited. And waited. I ran outside every so often to check on the progress and it was very anti-climatic until around the 2pm mark. Then it happened:

The purples and blues started first, in thin waxy drips then large chunks of built up mush as colors collided just outside the wrappers. The greens sat on the verge of dripped, glistening in the afternoon sun.

As they finally began to run the sun had left the patio and I took out the hairdryer to coax the remaining colors into movement. All it took was about three minutes and the yellows, oranges and reds joined the others on their journey down the canvas.

I let the wax solidify before bringing it in and hanging it up on my craft room wall. Eventually I would like to frame it, but for now I'm just enjoying the textures of it.

A fairly effortless and fun project that cost me less than $1. :)

P.S. I've been spending a lot of time on a site called Pinterest where I've been curating collections of lovely things, gathering ideas for things to make and hoarding inspiration. It's seriously addicting and I've been spending my snippets of time between reading, working, cooking and sleeping pinning things to my little heart's content. If you want to check out what the site is all about or friend me, you can find my pinboards here.

Hurricane Irene

Via Fragile Oasis on Flickr.

Beautiful, terrifying Hurricane Irene is currently barreling up the East Coast heading directly to my beloved home state, Dirty Jersey. It lingered off the coast of South Carolina for a bit, but being so far inland we didn't receive so much as a drop of rain here. Our drought like conditions continue and my plants are none too pleased with the fact that my bank account can't keep up with their desire for luxurious amounts of water. The bees don't seem to mind however, nor do the hummingbirds. Mother Nature has given me many a beautiful sign or gift these past weeks, but I'm not going to delve into that right now.

For now, I wanted to just say this: All of my fellow East Coasters are in my prayers and thoughts this weekend. To say I'm worried about all of my loved ones back home may be an understatement. One look at my chewed off and sore fingernails would give me dead away. That being said, stay safe everyone. Remember, it's better to be over prepared than under and I expect every single one of your to be here to continue in the mischief making with me once this storm has, like so many others, passed.

xoxo

The Really Big Book Sale

If there is one thing that I am helpless to resist in this world, even moreso than chocolate or coffee, it is books. Everything from the smell, the feel, the look of the written work on the page intoxicates and captivates me. To me, there is no greater indoor heaven on this Earth than a cozy book nook, an old book store or a large old library. You will never find me hunched in front of my computer or lounging about with an e-reader until someone comes to pry the last of the printed words from my cold, dead hands. I'm just that sort of crazy passionate. Also, I get migraines from reading type on any sort of screen but let's ignore that for now. ;)

Given my devotion to these marvelous collections of paper, it's no small wonder that I willingly crawled out of bed early on my first Saturday off in a month to go to our county's annual book sale, appropriately named, 'The really good, really big, really cheap book sale.' It's also no small wonder that I requested the day off, but that's neither here nor there.

With pocket camera and coffee in hand, I arrived at the book sale and made a dash for the Sci-fi/fantasy section, which had already been picked over fairly well despite the book sale only being open for an hour. However, I managed to snag a mint condition trade paperback copy of The Hobbit as well as some DragonLance titles before making my way into the jungle of bodies rummaging through the fiction trade paperbacks and hardcovers.

Apparently last year's big seller, was this year's re-seller.

Immediately upon hitting the area my mind went blank and I was powerless to come up with anything in particular that I wanted to look for. I had no choice but to join the crowd of book zombies as they muddled about, scanning every box for a title that caught their eye. Having managed to find a few things that I wanted I next made my way into the dangerous fray of the classics and collectibles section.

While in hindsight, I should have purchased the manual of plant diseases that I photographed above, I emerged from the table in tact grasping a 1960's hardcover copy of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe to my chest. Since Joe was outside at the time due to the bank calling and letting him know some jackass stole his debit card number and was attempting to use it in California, I surprised him with an antique book of woodworking and wood finishing.

I perused the rest of the sections quickly before heading to the check out, stopping to chuckle because I had the entire collection of these growing up:

The total damage to my wallet was less than $1 per book and super pleased with myself, I collected Joe and made my way back to my car with my purchases. Since the husband was kind enough to feign interest in my extreme literary addiction (he enjoys reading, but is nowhere near my level of book crazy) I went to the local gun and knife show with him, where he acquired an antique russian rifle and a broken bone in his foot, though not at the same time and not related to each other. Now he's stuck on the couch with constant ice packs and anti-inflammatory medication while I enjoy the spoils of my book addiction. In between changing ice packs and yelling at him to quit trying to walk all over the place. ;)

We're so going to need bigger bookshelves.

On Your Wings

I will write peace on your wings and you will fly all over the world”
Sadako Sasaki

Work in Progress Wednesday - Pickles and Jam

I've been busily making things out of the last of some of the summer crops, creating strawberry and peach jams as well as pickles. My cucumbers have succumbed to some sort of worm that burrows into them and pushes out the insides in a spectacularly gross and smelly fashion. So, these pickles are the last of my crop. These are my first ever attempts at canning, so I'm hoping they all turn out tasty and hold up well!

I'm thinking there may be enough time left in the growing season down here that I could possibly start another batch of cucumbers and squash. I fully intend to plant spinach and lettuce for a fall crop, so if I could get one more hurrah from some other veggies too that would be awesome. Any thoughts from anyone in this area? I'm in agricultural zone 7a.

What are you working on this week?

P.S. For those who aren't over on the Whimsical Cottage Facebook page and didn't see the announcement, I've ended my summer vacation and re-opened the Etsy Shop. Stop by and take a peek, I'll be adding new things as I work on them.

Lughnasadh Blessings

The Harvest God - Oil Pastel

Marking the beginning of the end of Summer, Lughnasadh is one of my favorite sabbats. The earth is near bursting with ripe grains and vegetables, the summer fruit season begins to ebb making way for the apples of Autumn. While the days will remain hot and humid for a while longer, the sun will set sooner giving more time to the darkness. Autumn is creeping in and the old woman of Winter, the Cailleach, begins to stir. Lughnasadh is the sabbat on which I take stock of how the things I began in Spring are coming along, to begin to see the benefits of the seeds I've sewn whether they be physical or metaphorical.

This time of the year, as the harvest comes on and the year wanes I focus on the Horned God, that primal masculine force of nature, as he prepares for his descent into the Underworld. Today, my attentions are on he and my bright patron, Lugh. The Goddess is not forgotten and is given offerings and recognition alongside the Gods, but just as her altar shines brightest at Imbolc, Lughnasadh is a day that I focus on them.

A fresh harvest of cucumbers, the first three tomatoes to ripen this year as well as several sunflowers, fragrant sprigs of rosemary and sage and corn muffins straight from the oven are offered up at the thicket on the edges of my yard. Nourishment to the spirits and critters of nature, brought forth by the fertility of the Lord and Lady with help from my two hands.

A bright and cheerful day, filled with a buzz of activity from the drawing of the Harvest God above, several loads of laundry, baking and the fashioning of a new necklace will be followed by an evening of relaxation, thankfulness, fresh chili and a few cold pints.

Merry Lughnasadh to you, my lovelies. May the harvest's blessings be plenty, whatever the seeds you've sewn.