Snow Friends Holiday Ornament Project

 

These sweet ornaments are something I've been making for years - but every time I make them - I add a little twist! :)

I've always been a fan of watercolors - even years ago before they became the primary medium for my children's book illustrations.

In order to make these sweet Snow Friends Ornaments, you will need:

- Chroma Blends watercolor paper

- Chroma Blends watercolor pencils

- OOLY Dot-A-Lot craft paint

- a pencil, permanent marker (thin tipped), eraser, scissors

- paint brushes

- hole puncher

- string

- a mug or glass to trace

Trace around the rim of a mug or glass with a pencil in order to make a perfect circle. Add a little handdrawn loop on the top as the 'cap' for the ornament.

Next, add a cute character inside your holiday ornament. Polar bears and foxes are a great choice for the holidays - and are somewhat easy to draw, as you only need the 'bust' or top half of the animal.

Trace around your pencil drawing with permanent pen and erase the pencil lines.

Next, comes the really fun part! Add some color using watercolor pencils. I love these colored watercolor pencils from OOLY because they offer a wide variety of colors, and it's easy to get precision within your artwork when using them. 

The concept pictured above is to use three similar colors blended together to achieve a stormy winter background.

After you're happy with your fully colored ornament, add some dimension with what I like to call 'puff paint'! OOLY's Dot-A-Lot neon colors are perfect for adding 'snow' and sweater embellishments to these sweet characters. 

(This step was the 'twist' I tried this year ;) )

After your art is completely dry, cut it out and add a hole and string for hanging on the tree!

As always, I hope you enjoy the ideas on this blog, and would love to see your creations on social media! Don't forget to tag @LinzerLane and @weareooly if you do decide to try out these sweet ornaments!

x

Ashley

Festive Shells & Stones DIY Project

 

I've been totally enraptured with living near the seashore, and tend to carry home shells, sea glass, and found objects nearly every day with my 3 year old son Leon.

Now that the holidays are fast approaching - I wanted to share a sweet and simple idea that anyone can make this season!

You will need:

• Flat stones or clam shells 
• White acrylic paint and a brush (optional)
• Marvelous Multi-Purpose Markers by OOLY

You can either 'prime' your shells and stones with two coats of acrylic paint as I did, or keep them unpainted for designing.

I have been using OOLY markers and paints for year, and these multi-purpose markers are great for drawing on natural materials. I would even say they worked even better on my unpainted shells - so the less prep work - the better ;)

Some easy ideas for round stones are penguins and snowmen. Clam shells lend themselves very well to hand lettering!

These festive stones and shells can be displayed on tables or shelves this winter. I tend to always leave my decorated shells out on the front stoop to greet passersby.

I hope you enjoyed this fun idea, and don't forget to say hi on all my social media pages @LinzerLane - as I've been posting ideas like a mad woman lately! (it must be all that fresh air by the sea). And give a friendly look over to OOLY as well - as their newsletters are always a joy to open!

xo 

Ashley