moss Archives - Linda Nelson

GETTIN’ GRITTY WIT IT

November 28, 2016

Do you know that a “pain in the a$$” is actually a real thing? If you’ve ever experienced sciatica, then you most certainly know it to be true. But, sciatica doesn’t just park itself at one of your “cheeks”. No, it also takes a little joy ride down your leg and tortures you to no end. It debilitates you. It robs you of all energy. It makes you miserable. It is also your body’s way of telling you that your sensitive nerves may be getting pinched by your misaligned and compacted spine……. well, at least in my case. That’s what years of landscape gardening can do to the body.

My spine is responding well to the chiropractic adjustments I’ve been receiving, but I’ve had to limit the amount of time I spend sitting down; hence, I haven’t been at my computer much lately. Yesterday’s spark of spinal relief prompted me to, of course, get creative.

So, here’s a gritty little faux cement tutorial just for you!

white gesso
white pre-mixed sanded grout
black acrylic paint
brown acrylic paint
soilless potting mix or peat moss
green Spanish moss
glue
paintbrush
objects d’transformation (I chose a classic ball ornament, tiny clay pots and pine cones)

Mix two parts gesso to one part grout together in a small bowl. Add a tiny drop or two each of black and brown paint to obtain a cement-like base color. Paint the concoction onto your object, then let it dry. Next, brush on (in a patchy-like fashion)some gesso tinted just slightly lighter than your base color, and let it dry. Do not use any grout with this layer. Then, using only the white gesso, dab some areas with your fingertip and smudge/blur it in to create the look of limescale residue. Now, put a few pinches of Spanish moss and peat moss together into a coffee grinder and grind them up to create a coarse powder. Brush some glue onto your object and sprinkle the powder onto those areas. When dry, buff the residual particles off with your hands.

©Linda Nelson 2016

That’s all there is to it.

Now, go grab something, make it gritty and get creative.

And, most importantly, take good care of your back.

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MAKE SCENTED MOSSY EGGS

February 19, 2016

It’s that time of year again when all of us crafters will be laying and displaying our handcrafted eggs. Dipping, dying, batiking, painting, decoupaging, stenciling and glittering are some of the many techniques that will be used in the creative process. Let’s add “mossing” to the list. The pictured examples are not just any mossy eggs; they’re Linda’s mossy eggs, and I think you will enjoy making some. I certainly did.

Grab your supplies –

Styrofoam egg(s)
skewer(s)
brown and green acrylic paint
paint/sponge brushes
Elmer’s glue
dyed/preserved spanish moss
soil-less seed starter mix/potting mix (or a handful of peat moss)
dried lavender buds
small container
spoon

You will also need an electric coffee grinder or some sort of food processor, and a sieve.

©Linda Nelson 2016

Poke the skewer into the rounded end of the egg. This step is just for practical egg handling purposes. Next, mix some green and brown paint together to create a drab and muddy or mossy hue. Add to it a few drops of glue, mix well, then apply one coat of paint to your egg. Let the painted egg dry.

©Linda Nelson 2016

Grab a tiny handful of the Spanish moss(torn into little pieces) and a few pinches of lavender buds, and place them in your coffee grinder. Grind/pulse until the mixture is somewhat fine yet still maintains a little bit of texture. Continue making up batches of the lavender moss until you have about one half to one cup’s worth; that will be enough to cover a handful of eggs. A small Chinese takeout soup container is ideal for storing the ground moss.

Apply a generous/even coat of glue onto the egg’s surface with a paintbrush. Hold the egg over the container of moss, and using a spoon, scoop up some moss and drop it over the egg. Continue doing this while simultaneously turning the egg until it is completely coated. DO NOT dip the egg into the moss; it smudges the glue coating. Gently tap the skewer on the edge of your container to help the loose particles fall away, then place it somewhere to dry. I like to set the skewer down into the neck of a small bottle. Use a clean, dry brush to remove the rest of the loose particles; they can go right back into your moss container.

©Linda Nelson 2016

To make the brown egg, simply strain the soil-less/peat based potting mix thru a sieve until you have collected enough of a fine textured amount to work with. I didn’t add the lavender to this one, but you’re more than welcome to do so.

I’m not a big fan of providing exacting instructions for creative embellishing; you own that part. I figure that if you don’t have it in you to do it yourself, chances are that you’re not reading this post.

Do you like my Thumbelina-sized envelope? See how I made it?

Hmmmm…… what else have I been up to? Oh, I made a “chippy” egg. Just mention in a comment if you’d like me to share my technique for that one.

There you have it.

Now, make some scented mossy eggs, and get creative!

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