Two New How-to Videos

Hi Guys....I created these two new how to videos on mark making tools and flattening bottle caps.....Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/pH723KBePRM

 

http://youtu.be/pH723KBePRM

 

Making Paper Beads...

I was recently inspired by mixed media artist and YouTube blogger Jennibellie to try my hand at making paper beads. I created a video post you can see here...

http://youtu.be/Zuo3QAQk5qY

I also am a huge fan of so many artists....but Jennibellie is definitely one of them. She has a great knack for using and reusing what is at hand.....

You can check out her YouTube videos here. 

http://www.youtube.com/user/jennibellie 

I think you will greatly inspired...I was....

How to make a pallet stand out of a bar stool....

Hi Everyone....I have been painting a lot lately and realized I needed something to put my paint pallet on that would sit next to my easel for easy reach of my paints and tools.....but of course I had little or no budget. So here is what I came up with.

I went to a few thrift shops looking for a bar stool of plant stand. Something about waist height in wood. No back or one that could be removed(if it was a stool) and cheap. I found this...

Then I took a trip to the hardware store....Thee a purchased a lazy susan gizmo(don't know the proper name), a round precut piece of wood and some S hooks from the plant department....

I just looked it up and I guess it is called a lazy susan swivel. They have them online here http://www.thehardwarehut.com

Then I went home to get to work....


One of the hardest parts to do was getting the old vinyl and cushion off. Those staples just did not want to come out....But some pliers and a screw driver got it done.

Then I placed the lazy susan part on top of the stool and centered it. I turned it a bit to show the holes in the bottom piece and marked them with a pencil. I then used a drill to drill holes all the way threw the top of the stool at each hole..

 Then I went into my husbands hardware stash and found four bolts with washers and nuts that would go threw the lazy susan part and the top of the stool. There had to be enough sticking out on the bottom to attach the nut....But I did not attach it yet!

I placed the bolts and washers threw the lazy susan part only....re-aligned the top of the part and bottom and flipped it over...

 I then placed it onto my pre-cut round piece of wood I bought and centered it. I got one just slightly larger than my stool top. I again twisted to lazy susan part to show the holes in the corners of the other side. I marked them with a pencil and drilled a pilot hole. If you don't do this the wood may split when you drill in the screws. I got four wood screws from my husbands stash. Try to make sure they are not too long to go out the other side. And I screwed the lazy susan part into the wood round.

I flipped the wood round over and lined up the bolts that were sticking out with the holes in the top of the stool. It too some finagling and a couple of pairs of pliers, but I got all the nuts on and tightened up.

 I used sticky backed Velcro to attach my plexiglass pallet to the round wood top. It holds it securely but can still be removed for cleaning. I used the S hooks on the stool rungs to attach baskets for paint and my color wheel. I have noticed that I may need to make a low stand for it with casters....as I love it and use it so much but may need to move it around to my work table when I am working on things not on my easel like my art journals.

I hope you all find this useful and inspiring. Go out to create and play!