Woodland "Home" Project Report 1

I love collecting unwanted items and giving them new life, as do many people who are involved in the "repurposing", "upcycling", etc. world of crafting. Sometimes, however, I collect things without knowing what I'm going to do with them, and I have to contend with the haters who tell me that I'm collecting junk. It's not junk - it's art supplies!

One example of my non-junk, art supplies include my dusty crate full of little log slices that I rescued from a fire. They weren't actually on fire when I took them. They were just sitting on a table enjoying the last few moments of their former life as rustic, candle holding, wedding decorations. But, I was told that I could take what I wanted, and that the rest would be used as firewood. Therefore, they were rescued from a fire.  I've already used some of my log slices for little woodland critter paintings, but it's been awhile since I've created anything from my salvaged wood stash. This morning I felt like my crate of "rescued" log slices were glaring at me - "MAKE SOMETHING FROM ME!!!", they were shouting at me. So I've come up with a new project for them. I've decided to use four slices at a time to spell the word 'Home', which I think will look adorable above my TV, in my kitchen, or really hung anywhere in my home. To add to their cuteness, I'm going to paint little woodland animals on them as well. I started the project today - mostly I just planned, sketched and painted the lettering. I've posted a preliminary photo, and I'll be sure to keep you all updated as the project progresses. If they turn out adorable enough I'll probably be offering them in my Etsy store as well, but we will have to wait and see the final product!

My crate of rescued log slices

The first step in creating my new 'Home' sign

In other creative news, I have decided to expand my storytelling (and hopefully scrapbooking) abilities with a free online course this summer called Find Your Voice. It sounds like it should be an interesting and fun challenge to encourage me to be creative and expand my horizons this summer. I'm sure I'll be posting about my experiences on my blog. Class starts on Monday! If you're interested in joining you can check out the details here: http://rukristin.blogspot.com/search/label/Find%20Your%20Voice Can't wait to try new things - maybe after the course, I'll feel confident enough to finally put together my wedding scrapbook that I *almost* started over a year ago.