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rachael rice on free people blog

May 25, 2011 in craft, doilies, dream catchers, feathers, jewelry, nature, necklace, sculpture

rachael rice on freepeople blog

sweeeet.  got a guest artist spot over on the always-inspiring free people blog.

i love sharing how to make stuff.

here’s a basic way to make a little dream catcher. riffing on the round object with danglies (found in every culture) i’ve been (finally) finding uses for my slightly embarrassing doily collection.

also featured here are diy doily crystal necklaces. my friend heather treasure cautions mindfulness about sourcing quartz and other crystals, and recommends arkansas crystal works.

free people diy blog post

from the building 25 free people blog

sculptures by rachael rice

dream eyes & god catchers

large object outdoors

object with vintage trims and detail view

supplies

start here

step 1 & 2

start here. i used a bangle. tie string, loop around.

keep looping around, and when you get to the beginning...

keep looping around, and when you get to the beginning...

how-to

catch the loops and weave the string through each one. back to front or front to back, it doesn't matter as long as you are consistent

final product

keep spiraling in until it gets too small to work with. add a bead and tie off. add feathers, etc. and you're done!

doily art
object with doilies and painted feathers

 

supplies

pastels or crayons, watercolors, collage elements

 

 

painted feathers

draw with pastel or crayon, add collage elements, and paint over.

 

 

feather detail

cut out, draw designs with markers. i like sharpie paint pens.

 

 

finished product, and "dark star"

finished product, and "dark star"

 

 

doily, lace & quartz necklaces

doily, lace & quartz necklaces

 

 

necklace detail

wrapped in wire, held by a piece of vintage lace

 

 

quartz necklaces

quartz necklaces & lace

 

 

the piece i sent to julia at fp

the piece i sent to julia at fp

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diy terrariums

April 27, 2011 in nature

…terraria?!  i made mine by getting some activated charcoal from the pet store, and put a layer of that, a layer of pebbles, a layer of soil, and tromped around the woods for fun mosses and whatnot.  i even made a tiny one out of a horseradish jar.

 

terrarium

from the front with the lid off




terrarium interior

terrarium interior


terrarium overview

from above


terrarium

lid on


terrarium interior

terrarium interior


terrarium from above

from above


terrarium interior

terrarium interior


tiny terrarium

tiny terrarium


tiny tiny terrarium!

tiny tiny terrarium!



dreamy interior


dreamy interior

terrarium

nature!

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vegetable prints

October 19, 2010 in art, craft, garden, nature, print, reuse, trash

all those leftover veggies from the garden can make some nice prints!

these were made from cut lettuce heads, apples, and leaves with acrylic paint on canvas:

lettuce core rose

lettuce core rose

apple core & parsley print

rose from lettuce

rose from lettuce core

apple core detail

apple core star print

apple core star print pattern

apple core star print pattern

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holiday nature ornaments with deer and butterfly

December 20, 2009 in craft, holiday, nature

another in a long series of deer-obsession pieces…a project for a snowy afternoon in Vermont: holiday nature ornaments.  these look pretty nice even though they’re plastic and not glass.   I used some scrap sheepskin but cotton batting would work too.  Craft foliage and random little animals are so cute — if I had more globes I would put in some acorns and whatnot.

deer & butterfly ornament

deer & butterfly ornament

deer ornament

butterfly ornament

butterfly ornament

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holiday craft with trees and deer

December 14, 2009 in craft, decor, nature, sculpture

i’ve been saving these cardboard craft cones…now i know why.
i took a lot of leftover scraps of yarn, buttons, velvet, beads and lace and glue gunned them onto the trees.  they sit like a tiny mighty forest on top of my piano.
Trees and Deer

craft cones covered in yarn, beads, glitter, etc.

detail

detail

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plush wool owl project

December 9, 2009 in craft, nature

so here’s a little guy (about 12″ x 8″) I made from some old wool skirts, a piece of rust colored velvet, and upholstery pattern scraps for my friend kate sprout for her 17th birthday.  All materials came from the ReSTORE in Barre, Vermont.

hoo!

hoo!

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dendrochronology, tree rings, and art

August 20, 2009 in craft, decor, design, nature

i truly cannot comprehend how an acorn can become a tree.  but more on my acorn obsession later.

because right now i’m completely captivated by tree rings.

Bryan Nash Gill's "Hemlock 82" print

Bryan Nash Gill's "Hemlock 82" print

dendrochronology

dendrochronology

dendrochronology or tree-ring dating is the method of scientific dating based on the analysis of tree-ring growth patterns.

Chris Harrison made “digg rings” by visually representing the “most dugg” stories of the day for one year.  i don’t really get it either but you can read about it here.  but  i dig the graphics he made:

digg rings

digg rings

Tracy Melton's tree ring paintings

Tracy Melton's tree ring paintings

tree-ring themed poster design i made for the band The House Carpenters

tree-ring themed poster design i made for the band The House Carpenters

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heart shaped rock collection

June 19, 2009 in decor, nature

one of my collections: this one is of heart-shaped rocks

hearts on table

hearts on table

heart rocks up close

heart rocks up close

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