Crafting With Nature ~ A Cute Nautical Stick Sailboat

 

Call me crazy but I just couldn't help

myself, I just had to make a sailboat!
And isn't it cute!?

 

Front

 

Back

The bottom stick of this sweet thang was one my little grandson found and played with for a week! He loves sticks, they are his imaginary guns which I don't care for, but boys will be boys.

 

I found it upstairs the other day in the kids room and when I picked it up, I thought sailboat! Now that is crazy lol! Welllll...it had a curve to it ya see, just like the bottom of a boat!

 

I love sailing and sail-boats...and Maybe it's because my mind has been set on beach, water, cottage, decor, back home, and just plain making stuff....but with a purpose I promise. "Explained down at the end here."

 

Next, I'm out the door to find guess what...

yep....more sticks for this vision I now have.

 

Top

I was looking through my fabrics as I have a ton, for some specific fabric I was going to use for the sails, but then I spotted these dinner napkins I bought years ago to use on the patio table and never did. I loved the stripes and the colors so that changed my mind. I even liked the little fringe too. So stripy sails it is, and the colors are Beachy!!!! Just whats been on my heart!

 

Bottom

See the stick has bit of a round curve! I am not so crazy now am I.........don't you see boat too!? Knew you would! They say great minds think alike!

 

 

With my trusty glue gun in hand we got a sailboat...looks like she is ready to set a sailing by the pool here don't she!

 

 

She is sitting with a few of my other beachy decorations in a box on the patio table. The more I look at her the sweeter she looks. I kinda like her alot. When the grandbabes come next, I have decided we are going to make a great big one!

That should be fun!

 

 

 

As I was editing the photo's I took, I played with the posterizing feature. Loved how it made the pictures look! And guess what!? I already have another beachy project in mind to do (it's so cool!)And,...these pictures will go perfect for it!! I'm so excited! Funny how you can be doing one thing and find it can lead to another whole different idea! The pictures here look way better bigger in size. The posterizing doesn't stand out as much here durn it!

 

Well I said on my last post that I would share why I am in this crazy beach driven mood. So here it is.

 

Many of you know that my mom passed away in May. We all...my five sisters and I have been heartbroken. Two years ago this coming Christmas time, my mom moved into a new beautiful home that was built by the hands of her family....kids, grandkids, and mostly by my bother-in-law Cal and my nephew Nick. This was a huge deal, because NO ONE had ever built a house before! Pretty amazing!

 

They all tore down the original house that had been built back in 1920 which is where all of us girls were raised, three were born there. They had actually planned to just remodel the place but, when they started into it, they found it was about to fall down and nothing was to code. So down to the ground it had to come. Mom was sad and thrilled at the same time.

 

It was originally a two story, two bedroom, one bath home and eight of us lived in it! Because my mom had just turned 74 they decided on building a one story home still with two bedrooms. Just the right size for her to keep up.....and she love it! She was so happy and proud of her everything new place. The first time in all her married, mothering, life she had everything new. If you only knew how

tough life had been for her and my dad all those years. Their sacrafices for us girls were many and then just when all the girls were gone my father passed away at 53....mom a widow now was 49.

 

Fast forward to May of this year......the friday before Mothers Day we learned my mom had stage 4 cancer through her entire body. They gave her a couple of months, she made it two weeks. We were all shocked!

 

When the house was rebuilt, they took a second mortgage on the house, now we have that debt to pay. My mom wanted that house kept in the family....our history and life is in that place. New walls, and new stuff, but this is where our past is. In order to keep it for now we had to put it up for rent until we all have time to figure out this whole thing, and so that the financial burden wouldn't be put on one of my sisters who was put on the mortgage just before mom died. My sister and the rest of us have our own homes to pay for, so none of us are in a position right now to cover another mortgage!

 



 

We did get someone to rent it and they move in, in september....worked out great because the house is on a lake and my sisters are able to spend a little more time there this summer being close to mom, and enjoying the lake and remembering good times there through the years. It's helps some but we are all struggling with someone else being in our moms house, our world, and we really don't like it at all! But, circumstances just couldn't help it.

 

Now......if things work out for my Jack and I, we are hoping to be able to purchase the house. Hopefully in a few months God willing we should be able to. If it all works out, Jack and I will probably be spending our summers up there. Will be nice being close to family again and more often. When my mom passed that was the first time I had been home in 10 years!

 

So now you know why I am into this mood of  beachy and creating all this beachy stuff shown on this post and the two previous......I have a dream, going home part time, keeping my moms wishes and dads too......being with family more cause we are all getting up there in age!

 

It's time to unite the family.

It's time to be together.

 

Pray for Jack and I that it all will work out please! In a year this family wants to take the house back!

 

Michigan here we come!

 

And, I am going to decorate this cottage beach lake house with lots of pretties on my budget! As much handmade as possible! Including this silly boat. This will give my kids something to laugh about when I'm gone!

 

Thank you for visiting and sharing your time

with me.....God Bless and be Well!

 

TaTa till the next pretty is made!

 

P.S....Not meaning to make this post any longer but I just realized something pretty amazing after now posting this five days ago! And it put me into tears, no acutally bawling my eyes out!

 

That fabric napkin that I decided to go with for the sails of this silly little boat matches the color scheme my mom choose for her new lake side house! She choose a striped sofa in blues, greens, and white, and had a chair from her mother redone in blue. My sister Terrie made her a coffee table out of pallets that the lumber to build the house was delivered on, and she painted in blue. Her few accessories are in the greens and blues also.

 

This silly little sailboat also matches the decorative bottles I made my mom for a house warming gift when she moved back to her home in the new house! Without even realizing it at the time, this little sailboat fits right in with moms colors! Even if no one else likes it, my mom would have love it! This sailboat needs to be in that house!

 

Makes this sailboat kinda of special now and even more so because the main stick used to create this boat was a stick my little grandson found and played with not letting it out of his site for a week. A memory for me! Blaze and his crazy stick toy inspired this whole thing and now I am missing my mom something aweful again!

 

Who knows, maybe this is a little sign from God letting me know that our prayers will be answered. I'll be able to put that little sailboat where it belongs right in that house with my hubby and I being able to buy the house....keeping my parents wishes and dreams to keep this place in the family, and continuing to build memories for our family (my sisters and I) with our families

now. That will be just wonderful!

 

 

My mom the day she moved back home. The house wasn't totally finished, but done enough to get her in there before winter set in. She is soaking it all in. What a gift from her family! See her colors?

 

 

The decorative bottles I made her which I brought back home after her death. With renting the house I didn't want to leave them there as the house was being rented furnished. The sofa and chair have gone to my sisters for the time being as the renter had her own she wanted to use.

 

 

The silly little sailboat.....see how it fits in with moms color scheme!? Blew me away! Must be because we are still grieving for mom is the reason I broke down and cried.

 

 

And this is my sweet grandson Blaze....he and his little stick toy who inspired this whole thing, and now the wacky long post! This is the latest photo I took of him on July 3rd at our towns Independance day celebration. Even his face painting fits in with moms colors too lol!

 

The End....Finally!

 

 

Linking Up With:

 

Life On Lake Shore Drive - The-Bouquet-Of-Talent

Coastal Charm ~ Show-and-Share

Glass Fishing Ball Floats With Netting Knockoffs

Yea! Another knockoff project on my list done!

 

 

I have always loved these glass fishing floats and would love to find some real ones one day. But this for now is the next best thing! As luck would have it once again, I had everything needed to do this project...and I already had learned how to do the netting on the demijohns which is the same needed to put on the glass fishing balls!

 

On my last blog post of my Ballard Designs demijohn knockoffs  here, I had been searching the web for making the netting for the bottles I did and came across a blog with a tutorial on how to create a knockoff of these glass fishing floats here. How cool was that!

Photo Courtesy

Photo Courtesy

 

These two photo's became my inspiration...

don't you just love the colors!?

 

So beachy nautical!

 

So this is what I needed to create my glass fishing ball with netting knockoffs.......

 

twine

glass balls (clear glass Christmas balls)

I had four large ones....lucky me!

modge podge

food coloring

glue gun and glue sticks

scissors

 

First I poured a little modge podge in a small glass bowl, then added a drop at a time mixing with each drop until I got the color I was going for. Pretty how the color swirls as I was mixing. Once I got the color how I wanted it, I poured a little of the mixture in the balls and swirled it around until the whole inside of the ball was coated. I got out four coffee cups and set the balls upside down so the excess would drain out of the inside of the balls and left them for a few hours until they dried. I forgot to take a photo of the balls before I did this, but you all know what a clear glass ball looks like anyway....right?

 

Here is a couple of them after they were all dried and now ready to get to making the netting. Pretty color aren't they...I was excited how good they came out. I was on a roll! So far so good!

 

And here is the finished glass fishing ball float with the netting all done!

 

Not bad for my first try!

 

As soon as I can find some more large glass balls, I'm going to make some yellow, red, and greens ones to add to this group. Will be pretty!

 

Here they are with my demijohn knockoffs! I even had a couple of bags full of sand dollars my sister had given me a few years ago that popped into my memory while doing all these, so I got those out and painted a few. I then went hunting for a bowl of shells my kids and I had found at the beach when they were little and laid them all together for a real beachy look. Almost completes my beachy decor theme! One more thing I want to make....or maybe a few more things.

 

 

 

I really love my bottles and balls!

 

Next up......my boat! Sailing one that is!

 

Thanks for taking the time to visit and for letting me share my excitement and fun with you!

 

There is a reason for all this beachy theme going on and I'll share that with you on the next post!

 

Have a blessed day!

TaTa till later!

 

Linking Up Here:

 

DIY Showoff

Life On Lake Shore Drive - The-Bouquet-Of-Talent

Coastal Charm ~ Show-and-Share

From My Front Porch To Yours ~ Treasure-Hunt-Thursday

Fynes Designs ~ Be Awesome

Dwellings-The Heart Of Your Home

Cupcakes And Crinoline ~ Project-Inspired



My Ballard Design Demijohn Knock Off Only Better With Bling!

 Something I have wanted to try

to do for months now........and

I finally did it!

  

I have seen fish netted demijohns all over the stores in all sizes and shapes but lordy are they expensive! Even to buy the bottles without the net could break the bank! A luxury I can't afford! So this was my next best thing!

This was my inspiration from Ballard Design. Love that place! I get their catalog in the mail and I am always so excited to dive into it! And then reality sets in and I'm crushed.....it's just another daydream day.

But I said to myself...."use what you have girl!"

Bottles I'm using from my stash.....and I found this old picnic basket I forgot about too!
That's what happens when you hoard gobs of stuff!

I save darn near everything....and I got bottles up the ying and yang! I spent several days looking at pictures all over the net, studied knots and realize that making the netting on these bottles is really quite like macrame...I did a little of that back in the day so this wasn't to hard to do at all! I grabbed all the supplies I figured I needed and luckily had all that too!

So I set a plan to motion....adjusted this and that, here and there, had a couple of cuss words slip out a time or two lol, and then....WALA! I did it!!!

And if you know me, I gots to have sparkley too! It gives the bottles some pizzzazzzz don't ya think?

I like my bottles much better....just wished I had some of those big fat bottom bottles durn it!

I was really struggling with how to photo my new pretties as my house is not beachy cottagey, so I went out and bought a bag of sandbox sand and dumped it on our brick patio out by the pool. Now the pictures have a bit of a beachy feel.........JUST what I was looking for!

Now I just need to buy a beach!

In my new dream!

The two largest bottles had a green hint of color to them. The small one was clear glass. I loved how the twine and green meshed so well together.

I got sidetrack with beach on my mind and remembered I have two large bags of sand dollars, so I got them out and painted a few. The color is softer more pastelly in color than shown here. Is pastelly a word? hmmmm Blame it on a cloudy photo day!

I covered the bottles bottoms too. They sit more stable this way instead of knots on the bottom causing them to rock a bit. After all the hours of making them, I durn sure don't want them to fall over and break! I would cry!

I did different designs on each of the bottles to make them more interesting and not like everything else you see out there. I like it!

Looking pretty on my patio table by the pool.

I love the added sparkley on them too!

I got side tracked again and made those nautical balls too...you'll never guess what they are made from....I'll be posting about that next! And wait till you see my sailboat I'm making! It's just silly cute!

There is a reason for this nautical beachy madness I'm in here lately....I have a new dream if the good Lord is willing...I'll tell you about it later too!

I had so much fun making these and was so excited I could figure it out! 

Now I want more!

I looked up what a Demijohn really is and this is what it says.....A large narrow-necked bottle made of glass or earthenware usually encased in wickerwork. A Demijohn is just a fancy word for a "giant wine jug."

Image Courtsey of Siemawines

This is the real them! Huge aren't they?

Darn near as big as me!

Image Courtsey of Antiquaire - Awesome shop!

Look at all these! I think this person should take pity on me and just give me a couple and I can make them pretty too! Fat chance! These are antiques and for sale too!

They look really great empty set in clusters on a table or on the floor for decorating. Mine aren't large bottomed, but they got narrow necks!

Works for me!

I can't help but wonder with as huge as some of those bottles are, how in the heck did one lift these babies to pour the wine in a glass!!!? Lord help ya if you were tippsy!

Thank you for the visit!

Have an awesome blessed day!

For the tutorial on how to diy click here:

With Sincere Appreciation I Would Like To

Thank The Following Websites Below!

My Ballard Design Demijohn Knock Offs

Were Featured At...

Knock Off Decor And Face Book Knock Off Decor

Hometalk And Face Book Hometalk

Too Much Time And  Face Book To Much Time

Completely-Coastal

What a lovely surprise! Thank You!

Linking up with:

DIY Showoff

Life On Lake Shore Drive - The-Bouquet-Of-Talent

Coastal Charm ~ Show-and-Share

From My Front Porch To Yours ~ Treasure Hunt Thursday

Fynes Designs ~ Be Awesome

Dellings-The Heart Of Your Home

Cupcakes And Crinoline ~ Project-Inspired

Ivy and Elephants