My Other Passion ~ Floral Crafts

When I was working at an MNC few years..years back...I always see my staffs will have something to do during breaks...usually I do not pay any attention coz'I am the type if I want anything I will go look for it and buy..but one particular day..I see almost everyone was at it..doing the straw flowers..it looks so simple and cute..I remember too about the straw cube I use to make when I was about 10yrs old or so..Hmm..I wonder if I can learn this..So..it started with the straw flowers...than the sponge soap...a few more other things..Than I started making flower swags and wreath and decoupage at the same time..I also make those cuties in the small bottles with potpuri and stuffs....I dont have any of my decoupage stuffs in photo..but I make plaques..candles..soap..on bottles and boxes..

OK..but what I want to show here were the flower crafts that I have make recently and is taken up..plus the ones that I put up for myself...I can always make another...

Paintinq Try Outs...

I tried painting on these items..again free hand...I don't advise this as I have difficulty getting the arrangements right and sizing up the whole design. Anyway..it's good practise for me on these surfaces....

I figure that what I should do is :-

• How to convert the S, C, Comma, U etc... strokes into the ones that make the flowers or leaves etc...He..he..it seems easier than it actually is just by reading what the painting book authors say..especially if your hand is crooked and stiff like mine. But like they say..this craft is something that you can learn. Just be patient and keep on trying..I keep telling myself that whenever I feel disheartened if it doesn't turn out right...There's always next time and next pieces....


• Get a real teacher if one is available near you...this will show you tips and pointers...like how wet your brush should be, how to hold the brush, load the brush..do the strokes, highlighting, floating etc...Or..get a DVD or watch from Youtube as the next best thing... these are much more helpful than just books and painting packets...


• How to choose colours...especially if the type that is indicated in the books are not available at your locality..

This is actually a cutting board with legs...saw it at Ana Zul's house party and ask where she gets it..says it's not hers but rather belongs to Ana Ahmed instead...dear me go and ask it from her.. I am going to use it as a cake plate stand or a water bucket stand etc....This is done free hand...the base was painted with Raw Umber..the streaks on the surface were actually wet colors I tried to wipe off but it keep sticking. So, rather than paint the whole thing again...I just let it be since it's for me...

This next piece is also a cutting board....based it with wood stain 2x..than for this I draw a design first and paint accordingly. But..my weakness was and is still...I will tend to steer away from the design and add or minus as I like part of the original design.

This tray I got it from the Women Exchange for SR30..it was originally with paste up design and I peel most of it off...originally color was dark grey blue somewhat...Had to scrape the glue.. sandpaper the surface to smoothen and than paint it with Linen...about 3x..and sand paper in between layers...Draw the desin with free hand pencil sketch not transfer like above piece... The design looks like below....Than I proceed to apint them and ended up with I feel too much leaves in it..Hannah & Azlan likes the color and again the leaves..and me..well..ok..so be it...Yet..I still ahve to apply varnishes before I can use it...again for myself...

The KIKA Step Stool...

While the previous entry pics were old records....this is new attempts after getting the book from Nora. These two pieces were requested by Zahrah & Linda....they said doesn't matter how long I will take and not too beautiful because they want to step on it...He..he....

This is the raw piece....

This I have applied with sealer....transparent...

This I have just base coat the top with Plaid - Forest Green. The other sides was painted with Lemonade but all were just 1x application...waiting to be sand papered..

The wood is raw with some oozing of rubber like goo or something..I read in the DP books that I have to apply something called tannin to stop the ooze...I don't have it...what I have is some sealer and gesso. So..again...since the wood has just too much of burrs..I wash it again with thin paint....dried and sand it for the Green piece..as for the Maroon piece..I straight away apply Gesso....Still haven't completed pass the basecoating stage..am still thinking what next...

This piece is with white Gesso applied 2x and sand papered in between...I feel this is easier to handle as compared to the above when I want to basecoat them and sand papered...

The top is basecoated 2x with Plaid - maroon and the other sides with Raw Sienna...the bottom rod will be painted with maroon or something lighter...This piece looks and feel smoother than the other piece even before sand papering..

Next..I will ahve to decide on a design..but will use transfers so that it become more uniform since it is for others. Also to decide what kind of roses its going to be..I am still practising the strokes with knowing how to have enough water in the brush so that paint is smooth...I just have no feeling or idea how this is..probably more practise on paper...

Next Few Pieces...Welcome Plaques...

I started the next few projects by making these Welcome plaques...the two top most are using design transfers..so it turns out better. But this is before I learn how to do the writings..still not good at it but already with some ideas for the next time.



This is my first plaque...so eager to see how it turns out. I guess this is my actually 3rd..painted piece...Hannah love the flowers but not the writings..Azlan likes thewriting but too much flowers he said...so I got an idea for next of somewhere in between. Again this is free hand...

This is also free hand but the writing using a template. Everybody hates how the words turns out but like the yellow roses.

All the pieces is using wood...I had a difficult time smoothing it as I try sanding before painting and it was a mess. The wood is quuite cheap though if compared to Walnut Hollow...but it gets easier to smoothen if I applied a thin wash of colr first and use a medium sand paper once it dries to make it smoother. But I still leave it rough as I like it that way...all the pieces were just for me to learn something new and see how the skill improves...I haven't sold anything except for the golf iron commission..maybe if I am happy how things turn out than I can start with joining the local crafts sale in December...

First Few Practices for Decorative Painting

This is an old golf iron that was full of scratches requested to be given a new image. I was hesitating as my skill was not yet anywhere hence the blotches and image built up. But it was good to practise on a real object instead of just paper. The base was initially painted with gesso to amke it sticks..I had a hard time making the painting stick...actually this was the 2nd. painting as initially used an enamel paint and it lifted up from the metal surface..not sure why though...

This blue & green thing is actually stove plate covers...bought an already painted piece which was commercially made with a black and white irises...scrub the surface with metal wool and coat with gesso again...next put 2 layers of base paint before painting...this was done with the design being sketch first on the objects..many of my practises were fee hand direct too the object..was a bit impatient but than it depends what is your objective..


This is just free hand painting to get the strokes..still did not get it well...