Turn A Shopping Bag Into A Gift Bag, in 4 Easy Steps! Hastypearl

Turn A Shopping Bag Into A Gift Bag, In 4 Easy Steps!

Hastypearl 

Sometimes, in between projects that need serious brainpower, 

its fun to do easy art projects, that don't take a lot of thinking.

They are for Play. 

Just pure Play.

They serve a purpose...

they are kind of like "cleansing the palate" for the next important project.

My husband, likes to buy me gifts from a local gift shop.

I LIKE for him to buy me gifts from the local gift shop!

They always put your purchase in a great paper bag, 

that has their Shop Logo on the front.

I'm a gift bag kind of girl.

I admire people that go to terrific care, to wrap boxes, 

but I don't have that much interest.

I'm happy to just get my gift in a bag and add some tissue.

To me, its always whats INSIDE the wrap, that matters the most.

So, to get a Shopping Bag, into useful Gift Bag form, I simply...

Cover the store logo with some quick drying paint.

This paint is a liquid acrylic.

Whatever you have and in whatever color...Use!

Maybe you are neat and like lines.

That's cool.

Use some blue painters tape and paint inside, or just free hand a shape.

Grab some stamps and pads and Play!

I don't tend to work in These colors, but they are fun to use while playing.

This rubber stamp, is one of many that I have bought from Fred Mullett.

He has a great selection of stamps from nature prints with botanical and fish-y themes.

Grasses, flowers, fish...just go see for yourself.

There isn't anything cartoon-y about his stamps.

If you want a stamp that is realistic...these are the Ones.

(Ha! Thanks Fred. I just looked at your site and saw cartoon-y stamps. 

So...I'm Wr... Wr.. WRONG! 

You're the Master of Surprise!

Still, I love them All!)

Because the paper bag, has lots of folds and layers, I grabbed a Brayer Roller.

If you don't have one, you can press with your fingers, 

or something flat and larger than the stamp.

Layer, Layer, Layer.

 And Play, Play, Play with your colors.

Of course, there isn't a real feather that looks like this, but there is in MY world :)

I used a white Sharpie, to dot on the background.

I could have done any shape or lettering.

I just wanted something for contrast and I like how this looks.

The whole point of this is to have F-U-N!

If fun to you, is to get in and get out...then do it.

If fun for you, is to take your time, and create the Next Great Masterpiece...then, 

here is a free surface to do it on! 

So, there you are!

Not re-gifting....just reUsing a bag in 4 Easy Steps!

I hope this gets your creative juices going.

There really isn't any end to what you can reUse.

Think about the stacks of paper, cards, and tags...that can accumulate.

If it has a surface and you can cover up the store logo...then you are ready to go!

So glad you stopped in today.

I love that you do!

Please check out my new Hastypearl Etsy listings.

I've been hard at work in the studio with some new projects.

Life is Good...Laura 

Mixed Media Bird FUN !!!! Hastypearl

Mixed Media Bird FUN !!!!

Hastypearl

Those of you that know me, know that I love a challenge, 

especially in the studio.

I'm not a very cooperative directions follower, so I confess, 

I kind of like to make things up as I go along.

Last year, I had the wonderful experience of  attending

 the estate sale of a Clock Repairman, closing down his business.

Did I love it...well, I went back three days in a row!

Still, I wish I had bought MORE.

One of the items that he had lots of, were Vintage Clock Cases.

I can imagine that he had taken apart and married 

bits and pieces and ended up with lots of leftover parts.

Enter...Wood Clock Case Finials!

Yes!

I had No idea at the time, that they would end up 

being the bodies to Mixed Media Birds, 

but as you can see...they Did!

With a little engineering, and LOTS OF HOURS...

Joyous Hours, 

this little Flock...was born!

I loved thinking of different characters 

to Anthropomorphosize (take that new word, spell checker)!

 The top bird...Maybe a fine Gentleman?

Perhaps even Downtown Abbey's Mr. Carson? :)

The Orange Rebel with the big black hat below him, of course...

Argggg, Jack Sparrow...(get it?:)

A Caribbean Pirate, of Course!

Under him, Oui Oui...A French Bird with Beret and Scarf.

And here we have Amelia Earhart, Aviation hero, totally comfortable in the skies!

And finally, what group doesn't have a Clown?

Yep, there's Always a Clown.

I wrote lots of details about the creation of and description of this Crazy Crew

 over at my Hastypearl Etsy shop!

I hope You will take a look.

I'm having a ball in my studio these days!

If you have a character that you would like for me to custom make for You, 

You can contact me on the right side of this posting, 

or convo me through Etsy!

I love working with customers:)

Keep me in mind for your 2015 Gifting Needs!

I love that You stopped by!

And Hope that You will again, soon :)

Enjoy these Wonderful Days....

Laura aka hastypearl

Eco Dyeing Hastypearl

Eco Dyeing

Hastypearl

Its funny how you get used to seeing things in your home day after day, and maybe even take them for granted.

Well, I tell you, I look at this Cayenne Eco Dyed Vintage Embroidered runner, and its just as beautiful to me today, as when I first pulled it out of the pot.

The embroidery isn't the star of the show, but it sure makes it unique and beautiful.  

I love everything that came out of the pot that day!

I am sooo looking forward to doing much more.

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Placed under our humble paper dinner napkins, it elevates the mundane!

We inherited both the Amber Depression Glass and the shells.

Its wonderful to be able to see them and remember the family that they came from.

The Vintage Yellow Fiesta Ware is part of our collection.

They came in a huge box that I found in the early 80's.

You don't want to know how li$$le I paid for them, 

before they became such a huge thing to collect!

I found the Laura Ashley table runner at a local estate sale, for a few dollars.

I think it makes for a great contrast and vignette.

Thanks for stopping by and seeing whats going on in my world.

I hope that you will sign up to receive email alerts for my postings.

You'll see the box on the right column.

I promise, I wont be a pest :)

Enjoy these  amazing days....

Laura

The Making of a Mixed Media Blue Bird Hastypearl

The Making of a Mixed Media Blue Bird

A Letter to a Girl, Yet to be Born

by Hastypearl

Dear Sawyer Anne,

I thought that You might want to know, 

even though you haven't been born yet, 

how Hastypearl...I mean Cousin Laura...

made your Birthday gift!

Little Sawyer, There will be some Life Lessons 

along the way, in this letter :)

I know that your parents love animals and beautiful land 

and ranches and aren't afraid of things like rusty wire, 

so I made your little birds legs out of real rusty ranch wire.

The Trouble is, when you hammer it, 

it can get hot and brittle and break!

So, for every one leg that I was successful making, 

I broke five.

First Life Lesson...Some things can take a long time to do, 

but if you stick with it, you will be glad that you did!

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Sawyer, I also know that your parents aren't afraid 

to get their hands dirty.

Your Cousin Hastypearl...I mean Laura...often has dirty hands.

I am actually kind of proud of that.

Second Life Lesson...Don't miss out on some fun things in life, 

because you don't want to get your hands dirty.

Sawyer, I once went to an estate sale, three days in a row, 

in Fredericksburg, Texas. 

Each day, streams of people walked away with 

full bags of Vintage Finds.

Why?

Because the owner of the home, was a talented 

and eccentric Antiques collector and clock repairman.

I found a whole bag full, of Vintage Wood Clock Case Finials.

I used the prettiest one for the body of your little bird.

I didn't know how to build a bird.

I had Never built a bird like this before, but I figured it out!

Life Lesson Three...If you don't know how to do something, 

its OK. 

You can sit quietly and think about it and 

you will always be able to work it out.

Don't be Afraid.

Don't be Afraid of making a mistake.

Mistakes teach us.

Sawyer, I asked your Aunt Becky what your 

nursery colors were going to be. 

She sent me a picture of the bedding 

that your Mother and Father wanted for you.

The colors of the bedding were 

Teal and Aqua and Fuchsia.

That is what I used for your bird! 

Life Lesson Four...If you don't have the answer to your questions, 

you can ask for help.

Everyone Loves to Help!

Your little bird, needed wings, so I fashioned some, out of 

painted cardboard and some Very Old Keys.

The keys from long ago, used to be beautiful and

 were works of art.

You don't see that any more.

Sawyer, I know that you are already a Daughter of a King.

The King.

He knew you Before you were even in your mommies tummy.

I gave your bird a Crown.

YOU wear a Crown in the eyes of your King.

Don't ever take it off!

I don't think He would mind if you twirl in a fluffy tutu, 

so at the last minute, I gave your bird a tutu.

  

Life Lesson Five...Don't take your eyes off of the King.

Sawyer, it took a Joyously long time to make this little bird for you.

But the whole time that I was working on it, 

I thought about you and wondered what you would be like.

I prayed for you and your parents.

They don't understand yet, how hard and wonder-full,

 its going to be to meet you.

No one ever does, until it Finally happens.

That's because its a special secret that The King keeps for each of us.

They don't Know the extreme highs and lows that they will experience as you grow.

But I know, that they will love you and love you and love you some more.

They will do their very best to help you be who you will Be.

Then, when it is time, you will Fly!

They will wonder how it was possible that 

so many days passed...

but they will be so proud of you 

and thankful that you were a part of their lives.

We really can't wait to meet you...Sawyer Anne!

Really!

x's and o's...L 

Hastypearl in the Tomato Garden!

Hastypearl in the Tomato Garden!

Well, I know that its not universally true, but its getting Time in Texas, 

that gardeners start getting itchy to get their hands dirty.

I Am One of Those :)

After almost 40 years of gardening, I finally got a little help 

and for the last two years, hired two men, 

to spend two days, cutting back my perennials.

I have miles and miles of them and  

I cant TELL you how much weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.

That subject could be its own blog posting...but if you are 

burdened with an area in your life...get help!

It has made being in the garden Joyous again, 

and given me back some time for other areas in my life that I enjoy, 

like being Hasty in my art studio:)

So, our local grocery store has recently enlarged 

and added a beautiful garden center.

I was extremely surprised this week, 

to find a number of Heirloom varieties of Tomatoes 

and like a moth to the flame...I bought them!

Heirlooms tomatoes are often less acidic, which my body loves, 

and also usually, a bit smaller in size.

So, if you are looking for one of those softball sized tomatoes, 

I don't think that Heirlooms will accomplish that.

Otherwise, the flavors, colors and shapes are Amazing!

One thing that you can do to get your tomatoes up and going and larger 

at planting time, is to get them into pots, 

larger than the size that they generally come in.

Sure death for most plants, is to plant them below the crown, 

which is the junction where they were growing when you bought them 

(unless they were originally planted too deep).

Tomatoes on the other hand, love to be planted deeply 

and will just sprout new roots along the buried stems.

More roots, stronger plant!

I took my small plants, some empty 1 gallon buckets that I had saved 

from previous purchases, my shovel and I headed for my soil pile.

Every couple of years, I have a load delivered 

that is mostly compost and fertile soil.

It waits patiently for me to use up, and then I get another delivery!

That's not necessary to have of course, 

a nice bag of potting soil will do the trick.

I placed a small amount of soil in the bottom of the pot

 and then placed the small plant deep in the bottom of the pot.

You can see how much of the stem that got covered with soil.

Don't forget to place the plant identification tag in its pot.

 There's no WAY that you will remember which is which

...even though you're sure that you will!

After I got all of the transplanting done, 

I moved them into the greenhouse 

and gave them a good drink of water.

A nice sunny window will accomplish the same thing.

It will be fun to see the plant begin to settle 

into its new pot and begin to Grow.

Don't be surprised, if you even see a 

beautiful yellow blossom appear, very soon!

I will periodically give them a little sip of some organic food.

There are lots on the market, FINALLY! :)

When you are past your last frost, 

you can pop them into the garden 

and just think how much farther along the plants will be,

 than if you were to plant the small plants.

The Bigger at planting, the sooner you'll harvest those Juicy Tomatoes!

Don't think that you have to have a separate Vegetable garden.

Tomatoes look fantastic next to your flowers, shrubs, perennials or roses.

I love a full bed mixed with wonderful variety and surprises.

This little project, is a wonderful thing to do with your little ones.

There's SO MUCH to learn from gardening.

It hurts me to think how many children never eat a tomato 

or even know where one comes from.

I Hope that you enjoyed this garden project 

and that reading this posting 

got you all Itchy for Spring!

If its still a long way off for you, most nurseries will begin 

carrying bulbs and seeds that you can force to bloom, right on a windowsill.

Go talk to any nursery worker bee and you will see that 

they LOVE to teach you how to plant!

Send me some pics of your garden...and tomatoes!

I would LOVE to see them :)

.....as always...thanks for stopping by....Laura 

ps. You will notice along the right side of this posting, lots of opportunities to follow hastypearl.

If you are into FB, or Pinterest or Instagram, I am, too!

I'd love for you to add me to your list!

There's so much Hastiness to share :)

Hastypearl Mixed Media Angel

Hastypearl

Mixed Media Angel

Well, this posting is Both a Happy :) and Sad :( tale.

Ill get the Sad part over first.

I lost the photos that I took to make a step out tutorial, for this piece.

OK. So, not sooo sad, but I was certainly disappointed. 

Not only those images were lost, but also, 

the ones that I took of a family luncheon that I hosted.

You know how it goes.

I am constantly trying to learn more about photography.

Wow, what a steep learning curve it is.

So, I followed some steps for changing 

my camera from the settings that it came with.

I turned left when I should have turned right 

on one of the steps, and I don't know how to 

retrieve the missing photos.

At least I figured out WHY it happened 

and corrected it so that it doesn't continue.

I've learned along Life's way, to try to not have regrets.

There will always be another time, for more photos.

So, the Happy part of the tale, is that I had 

a Wonderful time creating this piece.

It just came together with ease!

I love it when that happens.

Basically, it is comprised of layers and layers.

Starting with a Very Old Lace tablecloth, 

I built up, I think it was 10 layers.

The wood piece in the middle is a paper thin 

piece of wood, that came out of a beautiful wood cigar box.

I thought it gave the piece a little more structure...stability.

I ultimately used grommets in the front and back, 

so that the rusty wire that I strung through them, 

would feel a little more finished.

There is a layer behind the angel wings of some of my 

hand painted watercolor paper, some tulle, 

some stenciling...I used Roxanne Evans Stouts Stencil Girl stencils...

they are beautiful, 

and of course, I used a Ton of ephemera.  

I ran a border of checked ribbon that I saved 

from a purchase, from Trudi Sissons.

If you've never bought anything from her...you should!

The explosion of wrapping fun starts on the OUTside 

of the envelope and the surprises go on and on!

Both artists are as Great as it Gets for Mixed Media Art 

and they constantly provide me with Inspiration! 

So, the recipient of this gift, 

is our newest baby family member.

Girls have been little hard to come by in our family, 

however, it seems to be finally turning 

a bit with this new generation!

There's NO real protection from this angel...

That will come from God, 

but it will be colorful and fun for her little 

busy eyes to enjoy as shes growing.

Her name is Blakely, so that's why you see 

the Vintage Letterpress Letter B.

I hope you enjoyed the "Very Short" Step Out instructions :)

I guess in the end, a tutorial just wasn't meant to be.

Maybe this Mixed Media Piece, 

was just meant to be Viewed and Enjoyed! 

Lesson Learned?

Yep! 

We just need to roll with the punches and enjoy the ride!

Thanks for stopping by!

If you would like to get email alerts when I post, 

just sign up in the space provided in the right side column.

I promise I wont overdo it:)

And as always, I hope that you will pop over to 

my hastypearl Etsy shop periodically, 

to see what's going on. 

I hope that you will keep me in mind for your 

2015 gifting purchases.

Etsy has made it Very simple to shop.

All you need is a credit card and the rest is Easy.

Handmade is Best and even Better, it gets Delivered right to your mailbox!!!

xo...as always ...Laura    

Happy 2015 ! Hastypearl

Happy 2015 !

Hastypearl

Yes, another year has rolled by.

My father told me when I was a child, that the years would go by quickly, 

but I was young and "smarter" than he was and 

told him that that wouldn't be true for me.

Well, Five Decades later, and I wonder how it could have happened.

I mean, that the time has gone by so fast, not that my father was smarter than me ;)

So, now its my turn to be the parent.

And its my turn to wish that I could tell my boys everything that they 

need to know to grow and mature, but that job is over for me.

The amazing thing is, they seem to be doing just fine without my input:)

They impress me, constantly.

They are both Kind.

They are both making their way in the world and Contributing, to it.

The three of us, have recently started doing something fun together.

It happened rather impromptu, actually.

Because we are all so busy, along with a little texting, 

we are also sharing with each other, 

favorite song tracks...tunes...that we enjoy.

Its a way to give and take and learn more about each other.

I love participating in that process.

We are also known to send each other 

images of things that Visually Amaze us.

This activity makes me very happy.

It seems that they both have a great eye for Natural Beauty.

They both know how to slow down and catch the Gifts.

The Visual Gifts that God gives us...daily...by the gillions, 

if we Choose to see them.

One son lives near the Texas Gulf Coast and I love 

seeing the long views of the water that he captures.

I never dreamed that he would live near such Beauty.

During Christmas, while visiting with us,

one of my sons was playing with my camera. 

I was aware of it, because I handed it to him, 

but I had a houseful of guests, and was busy with that.

After he left, and while downloading my pictures, 

I found the surprise images that you will see, below.

It makes me emotional just thinking about it.

One, because I continually miss them, 

and two, because he took the time to slow down and 

See the Magnificent Wonder 

of a humble, common houseplant 

and drop of water, back lit... just so...

For So Many reasons, 

I think that they are two of the greatest people

 in the world and I couldn't be prouder of them...

   

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I Hope for You, an Amazing 2015.

There is So Much Good, in front of us.

I hope that you will See it All...

And Share it with those that You love :)

xo Laura