Jessica Backup

Today’s DIY comes in video form, where I show you how to make your own golden twig wreath! I’ve made similar things before, but I was going to make a tutorial for school and wanted to make a golden one of these. I actually really like it, so that makes me happy! It’s hanging on the inside of our door now (the gold kind of didn’t go with the outside of our door, where I had planned to hang it) but the light there is so bad so you’ll just get this picture of it hanging on my wall! Lumos had a VERY UNEXPECTED (lol no) cameo in the video. He’s always there when I’m making stuff.  Here’s what it looked like while I was working. Idk I just wanted to show you another screenshot from the video.  

This post is sponsored by Creativ Company. For the Monthly Makers theme that was “Paint/Colour” I experimented with creating abstract art using acrylic paints diluted with water. (You can check that out here!)  Since then I’ve wanted to try it again, but it requires quite a lot of room and an area that’s safe for splashings of paint, which means I just haven’t done it in a while. But I finally got the opportunity to start again and have spend a few months playing with this technique! I used our dining room this time, and to make it paint safe I purchased a gigantic wax-cloth to protect the table. And it worked! So that’s a pro tip from me. This is an amazing activity to do together with friends (I have since I started working with these tried it out with both my sister and Mikaela and they both found it a lot of fun – which it is!) and I thought I’d give you some advice about how to do it yourselves! Here’s what you’ll need: ac...

Alright, with the theme for Monthly Makers being “Saga” (check out the presentation here ) I thought I would teach you all one of my special techniques to make pictures dreamier – and more fairytale-like. It’s REALLY easy, and just requires some kind of editing software where you can use layers, change opacity and use a gradient tool. It works best on pictures that are shot facing towards a light source, but can work when you had the light source from the side as well. The secret to this is actually looking at the picture a little bit and see where it would make sense for there to be more light . So I started with this picture of a horse! If you look at the shadows and the faint halo on the horses mane you can figure out that the light is coming from the side/slightly behind the horse. Also, if you took the picture recently (this one is like 6 years old haha) you can just think about where the sun was. Keep that in mind when doing this.   Step 1: Make ...

I’ve made a Christmas Wreath for our door!  It’s all really easy! I used this base, some wire, two birds and some green moss! (Though I don’t think it’s actual moss but I don’t know what the other one is called.) And then I just fastened the moss to the base with the wire until it covered it all, added the two little birds and then hung it on our door! Super easy and 100% Christmas.

I have sorted out my window for Christmas now! I decided to hang some copper and gold baubles around the cloud I made for Monthly Makers last month. The window wasn’t super festive before so it was needed.  The baubles are white terracotta ones from Creative Company that I’ve painted with gold and copper metallic paint! Super easy way to customise your Christmas decorations. 

Time for me to post another DIY for the Monthly Makers advent calendar, and today we’re making these antler brooches! They work all year really but are perfect for Christmas parties and/or gifts.  What you’ll need: Brooch backings White polymer clay Super glue Some kind of sharp tool Instructions: Start by grabbing a lump of clay. Knead it in your hands for a while to make it warm and soft.   Then make a flat shape that fits an antler and simply draw an antler on it using your tool. You can make a paper template for this if you want, as you’ll be trying to make another one that looks the same and it might make it easier. I love paper templates. (Didn’t make one this time though, for some reason.) Then, following the lines, cut out the antler. Remove the excess clay and refine the edges with your fingers and generally shape it like you want. Just make it nice and smooth. Put the antler on baking paper and do some finishing touches. If you have to move it afte...