GettinCrafty

Something I've always been bad at is documenting and taking pictures of crafts as I complete them.
So in an effort to be better at it, here's some pics of some things I've been working on and done in the past few months!

Sharpie Decorated Mugs

Making sharpie mugs all started when Jordan and I decided to gift these initial mugs for Christmas to our good friends. It's super simple, we got mugs at Walmart for only $3 and I used an ultra thin black sharpie to get the fine line. I wish I could say I free handed the initials, but I actually transferred the outline on. To do that, you find a font you like, print it off in the size you want, and then flip it over and outline the initial in pencil. After that you tape the initial onto the mug and then proceed to scribble, pressing firmly, around the border of the initial. This transfers the lead outline of the initial on the back onto the mug. From there, you just do a thick outline and then do very fine stripes to get the sketched look. After you finish all the drawing on the mug, you want to bake it in in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. Make sure you put the mug in when you preheat it or else it'll be too hot and it could crack (I think). I also recommend letting the mug cool down in the oven a little bit before taking it out. Just turn off the oven after 30 minutes and wait 10-15 before taking it out to cool on the stove. You also might want to be careful and not touch the design when you take it out of the oven because it'll still be hot and could smear!
I failed to take a picture of the completed picture, but I actually did a chevron pattern around the mug on the "M" and "A" mug. I did however get a picture of the finished "L" mug for Lindsay. For that one, I used tape to get straight lines. It was tedious, but I think it turned out pretty well!

 

For this one, I made it for my best friend Will for his birthday! I just free handed this one, so no trick to share here!

 This is perhaps my favorite one! I made this one for Shelby and really need to make one for myself. I love me some grumpy cat. (I also freehanded this one).
A trick to free handing: Get a cup of water and some Q-tips next to you when you're drawing. The sharpie comes off with water so a Q-tip is perfect to fix mistakes you make!

 I used a dry Q-tip to smudge the silver around the eyes as well. It was tedious, but it worked out in the end!

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One of Shelby's favorite grumpy cat quotes.  It's not necessary, but something cool to add to the back of the mug.



So the next 3 mugs I made, I made them for my friends in Cypress. I can't really say which one is my favorite, but I really like how the initials, the "K" and "Stubbe" turned out on them.

Sharpie Decorated Bowl

So after my success with the mugs, I thought I would try out detailing a bowl! I made this lace bowl for Ash and Rob for Christmas. It was tedious because I had to use tape to get the straight lines, but I REALLY liked how good this one turned out!

A Hand Painted Tie

For Robbie's Christmas present, I finally finished his hand painted tie the other day! It is a VERY belated Christmas present, but I think its worth it right? 

I really liked how it turned out. 

I used Angelus Acrylic Leather Paint. I bought them here: http://turtlefeathers.net/text/angelus/paint.html and I am so happy with them! The nice thing about the leather paint is that its waterproof so there is no need to worry about smearing or anything. 

Artwork from my Drawing class at BYU

Modified blind contour

Gesture drawing 

Drawing from still life paying attention to space & sighting.

Doodles and Wannabe Typography

I've been on a typography and quote doodling kick lately so these are some that I did today. 

 

Letter Doodles

Anybody want a letter? I've really find joy in decorating them. I've done a few more than these two, but these are just the pictures I found. If you notice, Jordan wanted a decorate envelope so I made her one. Never mailed it (: 

I sent this missionary themed one to my friend Jason who is currently serving in Washington DC on a mission for the LDS church.

Lessons from the Book of Mormon: 

This past week in Book of Mormon, we read at the end of Alma and the very beginning of Helaman. Part of what we read was about Helaman and the 2,000 Stripling Warriors. Something that I've really come to admire about them that I never really noticed before is where the warriors came from.

In Alma 56:47-48, we read, "Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. (48) And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it." 

I really like this passage because it explains a lot about the stripling warriors. They had grown up in the face of war, many of them losing fathers and family members and despite their inexperience, they weren't afraid to fight. Much of their character and faith is attributed to their mothers that taught them in the gospel to turn to God no matter what. Their faith was so strong that despite everything they had lost, they believed so strongly in the power of God. Can you imagine being a mother of one of the Lamanite warriors? You've lost your husband to war and after getting through that successfully raising righteous children, you have to send your son(s) to the same place. Not only that, but they have absolutely no war experience. 

The amount of faith and strength that these families had is so incredible that I can hardly fathom it. I admire these mothers and sons so much for their courage and faith and I only hope that I can be half the kind of mother that these mothers were someday. 

Laugh of the Day:

I played Apples to Apples the other day and landed with these 4 cards. Supposedly, the cards you win describe your personality.
That being said, it appears that I have all the qualities of a creeper/kidnapper. 

What? 
LOLZ.