EASTER FUN // NATURAL EGG DECORATION

Trees are blooming, the sun is shining, and the rain is almost gone. Its still brisk outside. The trees sway in the breeze, their delicate blossom petals coming down like snow. Spring is here and that means Easter is soon. This year it's very soon, March 27th to be exact. I'm revising a simple and unique egg decorating idea from a few years back. It's got a natural feel to it, supplemented by springy pops of color in the table setting.

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Christmas Gift Wrap Ideas // Part 3

3. Peachy Watercolor + Calligraphy

 
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This year, I was particularly feeling everything in shades of soft peachy pink and anything watercolor. I've always yearned to experiment with watercolor and brush calligraphy, but also always chickened out, thinking its too hard and I can't do it. I had a few small gifts that were hard to wrap and I didn't want to put them in boxes. So, I pulled out a few sheets of thinner watercolor paper from my sketchbook. Found two tiny tubes of peachy and red watercolor and some brushes (one wide for the thick strokes, and one thin for the calligraphy). And began experimenting, conquering my doubts.

Lightly dampening the paper with water, I dabbed the wider brush (make sure its dry) into the paint, making sure the bristles weren't completely covered to get that raw brushstroke effect. It took a couple tries to get it just "right." Don't be afraid to layer the paint. You can also start with a completely dry piece of paper, if you want less colored background and more brushstroke. I alternated with dipping into the peachy watercolor and swiping the brush lightly over the red to get more depth of color. Once you're satisfied with the look of your background, set the paper aside to dry.

Once the paper is dry, give the thinner brush a swirl in the bright red paint. Gently stroke with the brush, writing the name of the recipient. This gets tricky if (a) the paper isn't completely dry, (b) the brush is too dry, (c) the brush runs out of paint mid-name, or (d) there is too much paint on the brush. I practiced on a little piece of scrap paper to get the feel for the amount of paint necessary. If you have too little you'll end up with some "dry" and "scratchy" strokes. But if you have too much, you'll end up with smudgy and fat letters. Balance is key. You want the brush to glide smoothly through all the curves.

The next step was the actual wrapping. Again, using my trusty washi tape from Etsy in the softest and sheerest shade of peach, I put the gift in the center of the paper and cinched it at the top with my fingers. To get the paper to hold that shape, just slide a piece of tape on the back of the sheet leaving an overlap and flip the overlap to the front, taping the top of the paper together. Yes, this does leave the sides exposed, so you may want to wrap your gift in some tissue paper.

For the final touch, I used pieces of garland I had made a few years back. Unevenly and roughly cut disks of thicker paper (that holds shape) strung onto a fishing line (nonstrechy). I dipped the larger brush in water used for washing the brushes, tinted by the paint and swished it across the disks to get a few painted spots. You want the brush to be wet so the paint settles at the bottom of the disks. That's it.

Get your artist on! Don't be afraid of trying something new.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!