Let's Get Creative!

So I wanted to do something cute that I could make easily to give to someone as a gift. After wandering around Pinterest, I found this photo:

And that gave me an idea. I didn't want to create something where the letters blend in, but rather offset them with two colors different from the canvas. I liked the idea of highlighting a few words in one quote, and here's how I did it!

First you'll need:
-Canvas (I used 11" x 14". You can go bigger or smaller, depending on your letters.)
-Small can of spray paint (You may choose just to use a large paint brush with any paint of your choice, but I think a spray can is much easier.)
-2 bottles of acrylic paint, colors of your choice (Think about how these colors will look against the color of the canvas before you decide.)
-2 foam brushes
-Alphabet stencil (font of your choice)
-A couple sheets of normal printing paper and a pen
-Paper plates or bowls (I prefer bowls, as they're harder to make a mess with.)
-Some spare, large pieces of cardboard
-Scissors
-A small paintbrush or something with a similar handle (see photo below)

I got the paint, foam brushes, stencil, and canvas all at Joann. The smaller paintbrush was lying around the house. In this project, I only use the end of the handle for detail, so you can substitute that for something similar in size. See paint detail below.

The canvas I bought came in a package of 3, and if I remember was $10 or less for the bunch. The info is below.

First thing to do is take your canvas outside with the spare cardboard and your spray can. I used cardboard that was larger than the canvas by 4-5 inches all around, so as to avoid painting the cement (or grass, wherever you choose to paint). Shake your spray can for a few minutes and spray an even coat across the whole canvas. I let my canvas dry for about 30 minutes, but it still had a couple spots that weren't quite dry, so you may want to wait for 45 minutes.

While you're waiting, trace the quote you want to use with your stencil and pen (or pencil) on normal printing paper. Once you've traced it, cut out the individual words and arrange them on a canvas of the same size to see how you want the words to fit. For example, see below. (I actually arranged them before painting, then rearranged them after the canvas was dry to double check.)

Since I like working inside on the kitchen table, I used newspaper under my work space to make sure no paint got on the pretty table! I highly suggest this. Squeeze some paint into a paper bowl (or plate) and you're ready to begin the fun part.

Use only the tip of the foam brush. I like to sort of pat the edge of the blob of paint with the tip and brush it away from the blob, then repeat on the other side. Make sure to brush off excess paint. You don't need much for the stencil.

Once you have the letter lined up where you want it, hold it in place with your extra hand. Gently dab the tip of the brush across the letter, making sure that none of the base color shows through. Again, don't use too much paint, or it will seep under the stencil and become messy. Be sure to get the corners of the letter so you don't lose its shape.

Gently peel the stencil away so you don't smear what's left on it. I like to keep a couple wet paper towels in a bowl next to me to wipe the paint off the stencil after each letter. Otherwise, the canvas would have more paint than I prefer! Let the letter you just painted dry before you move on to the next one. I use the stencil to line up the letters, since they are on a perfect line on the stencil itself.

It probably doesn't need to be said, but you may want to use a different bowl and brush for your second color of words. Obviously it depends on your quote which words you want to highlight and how many, etc. But you can see my final work above.

For the period at the end of the sentence, I simply dipped the end of the small paintbrush into my blob of white paint and dabbed it onto the canvas. Very easy. I did the same thing with the flower details, which you can obviously choose not to add. Try other shapes or lines to accent the canvas. Be creative!

After dabbing the "petals" onto the canvas once, I dipped my brush end again and slid the handle from the petal to the inside dot to give more of a petal look. So there you have it. I am actually going to find a frame for it to make it easier for the recipient to hang it up on a wall, and for a more polished look, of course. I will take a photo and add it once I do! Use your imagination with colors and details. Happy painting!

Numbers, and Letters, and Bloggers, Oh My!

All right, so now that it's been (counts on fingers) about two and a half months since I've posted anything, I've decided that I really should post something, even though maybe a total of two people will read it. If I'm lucky.

Well, I am pretty sad because I just played in the community play "The Wizard of Oz" for the last time. Why? Because it's over, silly. I had so much fun playing my clarinet again, and I really want to keep playing. Alas, this is something that comes around only once a year, so I will have to wait. Oh darn.

Also, I am kicking myself for not having enough courage. Just throwing that in there to make you wonder.

School is starting again in a couple weeks, and so of course I've been stressing over the money to afford it, and then I realized I could apply for a Pell Grant. Der de der. Problem solved. I also can't register certain necessary classes because I waited so long to send my AP scores to the college. Der de der, again. Hopefully I can actually get into the classes once the scores are posted.

After writing so much of the "guts" of my "Superman" novel, I decided to actually write the beginning of the book. And let me just say, I surprise myself with the characters' personalities as they come forth. Never did I suspect that the lead character would have such a fabulous sense of humor. Stephenie Meyer (please forgive me) was right about one thing: characters do invent themselves. I really have no control over it. Also, the actual plot of the story has been created and I'm feeling more and more confident about it. OH MY GOSH--I just cannot contain my excitement! I want to share it with the world!

But that will have to wait. For now, I will sit under the dim lamp during the wee hours of the night, typing (or scribbling) madly. Maybe I will allow people to read the first couple chapters and give me some feedback soon. Maybe. I have one person hooked already (thank you, Grandma).

Ta da! This has been a post!

Memorable Moments from "The Wizard of Oz" Live:

1. Toto peeing on the fire.
2. Scarecrow dropping his hay into the pit and proceeding to say "Shoot."
3. Trees throwing their apples into the pit.
4. Wicked Witch (a.k.a. Elphaba) throwing her fireball into the pit.
5. Dorothy kicking her ruby slipper off into the pit.
6. Dorothy, continuing to dance, cleverly putting the slipper back on and getting to her spot before the cue.
7. The "witch" getting stuck on the zipline, therefore ceasing the show while the stagehands took her down.
8. Toto following the Winkies around the stage. Multiple times.
9. Glinda geting caught in the pretty strings.
10. Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion getting caught in the pretty strings.

Procrastination. It's what I do best.

Okay, so I know my last post said to look for a post in the first week of May... Clearly, that did not happen. I've been a little busy freaking out about my grades and work. So. Yeah. I also kind of had a little internet retreat, so my facebook was slightly neglected as well. Also, I'm thinking that the whole list-a-month idea is a little lame. I will just post a list when I feel like I have a good one. Anywho.

So I recently discovered pretty paper products and Mod Podge. Pictures to follow.

Yeah. They're pretty epic. Composition notebooks, if you were wondering. I'm thinking about making them for people. Money may be involved. Mua ha ha! Just kidding. Almost.

So I recently finished the game "Epic Mickey" for the Wii. Let me just say how incredibly hard that was. That was extremely and very incredibly hard. But I did it. And apparently there are two ways of playing that game: being good or being bad. I chose being good and it worked out pretty well for me. I don't think I'll be trying to be bad for a very long time. I have had enough of that game for a while. I almost cried at the end.

College grades suck. Just thought you should know.

Things I'm excited for:

1. Spending a whole lot of free time at Lagoon. (season passport, baby)

2. Owl City!!!! (concert on July 13th)

3. My flippin' pay raise because I've worked at Payless for 6 months now!

4. Getting my summer tan (which isn't much, but, eh, I'll take it)

5. The world not ending. Again. :)

So long!

--Celeste

PS: I have decided that I was not mature enough to name this blog when it was created. Therefore, it needs a new name. I have created a poll on the page at the top right corner. Please only pick your two favorite titles, no more than two. If you hate all of them, leave a comment with an idea. Thanks! :)

Five Things to Say That Will Make You Sound Smarter

No joke. Here's the list:

1. When someone explains something to you, don't say, "Oh." Rather, say, "Ah." Try it some time. And try looking thoughtful.

2. Do not say, "it's not." Try, "it isn't" instead. Then people can't accuse you of talking about mucus.

3. When speaking in comparison with someone else, use the proper grammar. For example, "We all know that she is a better chef than I," not "than me."

4. Use the word "rather" when appropriate. (Can't you see how well it's worked for me so far?)

5. When your name is requested after you've answered the phone, reply with, "This is she" or "This is he," depending on your gender, of course. Yes, it is proper grammar.

I hope you enjoyed this little tidbit. Until next time!

EDIT: I think from now on, I'll do a post like this at least once a month. A list of something, anything, useful or no. So, keep your eyes peeled for the first week of May!

Celeste

"Your momma wears wooden galoshes!"

A Whole Lot of Random

So... first off: Maroon 5 just made me believe they're even cooler because they're doing this 24 hour session live, online, in order to let the whole world influence/inspire this song they're making. So far they have the background piano, drums, and some electric piano. Up next: melody and lyrics?? Please?? We're already halfway through and no main melody or lyrics?? Come on people! Anywho. It's pretty amazing, actually, because they said it usually takes them about a month to create each song. And they're doing this in 24 hours. WOW. Epic. Anyway, if you're interested, go to www.coca-cola.com/music. It'll last until 11 am 3-23-11 Mountain Standard Time. Or Utah time. Whatever works for you. While watching this, I've discovered that Adam Levine is a bit of a control freak. And kind of arrogant. But, hey, isn't that how most lead singers are? It sort of comes with the package. Also, he's left-handed. Okay, so guess what? I'm such a freak that I came up with yet ANOTHER novel idea. Not novel as is "new", novel as in "book." Yeah. Because I don't already have (let me count them...) five other book projects in progress [EDIT: I actually have about seven... so yeah.]. I just HAD to come up with another brilliant set up. Anyways. I can't really say much about right now because I'm still working out the plot, but if you want a sample, let me know. Like, just comment, or email me (celeste.the.solstice@gmail.com) or something. I've already got the teaser in motion. Have I mentioned that I haven't even gotten a quarter of the way through ANY of my books? Yeah. I'm a freak. Well, I've been putting off the rest of this post for about an hour now, so I guess this is it for now. Until next time!

I'm "A Dolt" Now

That's right, I'm officially a legal adult! Woohoo! To celebrate, here's a list of things I can now do:

1. Drive my car between 12am and 6am
2. Get sent to jail (not gonna happen, but it's officially possible now)
3. Get my own bank account
4. Get a loan
5. Buy a house (not going to happen for a VERY long time)
6. Vote
7. Get married without permission (REALLY not gonna happen for a VERY long time)
8. Get a hotel room
9. Get a lottery ticket
10. Sign my own contracts (for everything!)

I scrambled around for the last few on the list, but there you have it. Yay for being a-dolt!

A Little Piece of Me

This is, as you could probably tell, a little piece of me. Then again, pretty much every post in this blog is, but whatever. By the way, I'm in the middle of writing a paper. But not really, because I'm writing this blog post now.

So I've been listening to Pandora (just one of my many hecka-amazing stations [ask me sometime]) and I got a little emotional when "Kryptonite" came on. I know what you're thinking: "Why? Nobody even knows anything about what that song means, except that maybe it has something to do with Superman."

And you're absolutely right, because nobody even knows anything about what that song means, except that maybe it has something to do with Superman. So here's the thing: you probably don't know this, but I love writing. Not just blogs, mind you, but novels too. And sometimes poetry, if someone makes me super mad (ask me about that sometime, too). What does my writing have to do with some song by 3 Doors Down? I'm so glad you asked.

I'm sort of writing a novel about Superman. Sort of. It's a new (and completely different) take on the story. At least, I'm pretty sure it's different, because I came up with it and I haven't seen anything similar anywhere. So there. Anyways. This book is pretty close to my heart. And yes, I know that's such a gag-inducing cliche, but it's true. There's really no other way to describe it. I've put my heart and soul into writing it, every feeling and thought I've ever had (okay, not really, but pretty dang close). My emotions go into what I'm writing. So when I hear the song "Kryptonite," my mind subconsciously connects to my own experiences. Weird, right?

So, yeah. I'm super strange, and now you know it. You also know that whenever I think of my unfinished novel, my heart fills with a rush that I can't even describe. I've worked on it so long, but I really haven't gotten far. Hopefully one day it will be finished and I can share it with the world. And maybe be famous and earn some petty cash along the way.

Bottom line: I love music, and I love my novel, and I love ice cream. Thank you, and good night.