I had a little Momma crafting time recently. I wanted to make something with the snail shells and beach stones that we collected in Maine. I thought about an ornament or a mobile, but I couldn't figure out a way to attach wire to the beach finds. So I went digging in the garage to see what I could find. Sometimes it pays to have a husband who is a packrat! I found this awesome slate shingle that my husband had saved from a house remodel several years ago. I didn't even know that he had them (I don't spend much time in the garage - it is the only place that is "his" and it drives me nuts.) It happened to be just the perfect size and shape.
I attached the shells and stones using very environmentally non-friendly Gorilla Glue. The irony of taking pieces of natural art, created by Mother Nature, and then glueing them to another natural object does not escape me. However, the end result is better than buying a generic art print from a box store, so I did it. It is a handmade way to remember our pre-holiday trip to a place that we love.
The piece of slate just happened to have two holes perfectly situated for hanging. I asked my husband for some copper wire from his metal recycling stash, what he refers to as the little babe's college fund, and he cut me two pieces about an inch long. I placed one piece of copper horizontally on the front of the slate, stuck a piece of green metal twice through the hole from the back, and wrapped it around the copper. Then I pulled the wire almost taut across the back and did the same thing with the second copper piece. I am a bit proud of myself for figuring out a way to hang it. I hung it on the wall at the end of the shower and I love the way that the steam from the shower "wipes the slate clean" and hides the imperfections for a bit.
Note to self - Gorilla Glue does actually expand quite a bit - just like they say on the bottle! The first couple of stones didn't seem to be sticking and I was getting frustrated, so I went a little heavier on the glue. I then had to spend time slicing and chipping the expanded glue foam away with an Exacto knife. Not the most efficient use of time.
Any crafting going on in your world? Do you have paint covered fingers, sawdust in your hair, stitch markers in your pockets, or piles of fabric lying around?
I shared this post on the The Self Sufficient HomeAcre for the HomeAcre Hop.