PBS Remixed

Isn't PBS the best? Everyone I know has at least one past or current PBS favorite. And now I want to introduce you to PBS Remixed! First, let's start with the fabulous Mister Rogers singing "Garden of Your Mind".

Now you NEED to watch Bob Ross performing "Happy Little Clouds". This is Emily's favorite. I think she likes watching him paint. Who doesn't?

Next up, good ol' LeVar Burton from Reading Rainbow.

Didn't that make your day better?

Arts and Crafts

I have decided that crafting is therapeutic. It's something that is just for me. An activity that doesn't have anything to do with my identity as a wife, a mother or any of my other roles. This is Alicia stuff only! And I'm going to start sharing my art-ing and crafting here. You can be sure that whatever groovy things you might see here, I've got lots of other struggles (see my post about keeping it real).

Let's begin with my crafting bio. Generally, I'm a Recipe Follower, meaning I'm not usually creative on my own, but I do great if I'm following someone else's example, especially if it comes with instructions or a tutorial. I like re-purposing, upcycling, making things for my daughter, crocheting, and most recently, paint-by-numbers. I usually craft after Emily "I-have-to-touch-everything-even-if-you-just-told-me-not-to" is in bed. I find it relaxing, but stimulating in an oxymoronic way.

Here is my latest creation:

(Don't you just love the toddler easel? The belly photo bomb was an awesome bonus!)

This particular piece of art started out as a crappy painted canvas board from the thrift store. I bought it (and a couple others) with the optimistic idea that I could just paint over the original amateur art and reuse it. I scrolled through my DIY and Crafts board on Pinterest and found a couple of projects I wanted to do. These were my inspiration: 

Source

Source

Originally, I was planning to make it look more like the first idea, so I bought primary colored paint, but the more I looked at the second idea, the more I liked the metallic gold underneath. So, for better or for worse, I combined the ideas.

I used Folk Art acrylic paint and your run-of-the-mill painters tape. I painted over the original painting with about 4 layers of metallic gold. This didn't cover as flawlessly as I would have liked. It was a little streaky. Next time, I'll try spray paint.

I was pretty random with my tape placement, but I did try to make sure to press it down securely so the paint wouldn't leak underneath. I wanted an overall metallic shine to the piece so I mixed each color with some of the gold. I wish the photo reflected the shininess better. 

Next time I think I'll try using thinner tape. I'm also thinking about trying one with black lines and making it look like stained glass. Wouldn't that be cool?!