Faux Painting Written by Kathleen Wilson
Faux and Decorative Painting Sponge paintingSponge painting is great because it is easy, fast, requires little paint and materials, and did I mention it was easy? It can be used on walls, furniture, and accessories, and can give instant facelift to dull objects. Don’t let anyone convince you that you have to go buy an expensive sea sponge to do this. I’ve used plastic grocery bags, cloth diapers, even old clothing…(Ok, now it’s called ragging, same technique, more subtle look.) But you can use a plain old kitchen sponge, and here’s secret….tear away all hard edges of sponge, even tear chunks from center to give it an irregular appearance. Now choose your paint, and sponge! Remember to sponge sparingly at first, you can always add more later. Also, dab paint off on your plate first, you only need a little paint on sponge, or it will be too gloppy. Practice first on a paper bag, and remember to change direction of your hand occasionally, idea is not to get a pattern going. Try combining sponge painting with stenciling or decorative painting, tape off a border and use it just there, you can even sponge paint over glassware with new glass paints available at your craft store. Marbelizing There is a very simple technique to marbleizing that is popular in home decorating world today, and you won’t believe how easy it is until you try it. Simply choose two to four colors of paint within same color scheme, one light, one medium, one dark. Using a regular paintbrush, dip brush into all colors. Now simply pounce paintbrush over surface to get a mottled effect. It might help to keep a picture of a piece of marble nearby to refer to. Use different colors to add shading, or tone down an area you think is too bright. When finished with surface, take a small artists liner brush, dip it into either lightest or darkest color you used, (thin with a little water, if necessary) and paint veins by dragging brush over surface, wiggling it as you go. Don’t go overboard on veining. Remember also to bring veins over edges for a realistic finish. I think sealing it with a gloss clearcoat or polyurethane gives most authentic look of polished marble.
| | Recycle Kitchen Wastes Using a Home Worm BinWritten by Sherry Palmer
Recycling your kitchen wastes using a home worm bin is an easy, ecologically sound way to dispose of kitchen wastes. Just think about how much water is used every day when you wash garbage down garbage disposal in your sink! Besides saving water, a worm bin produces an organic compost that can be used instead of chemical fertilizers in your garden and on your house plants. This is a fun and educational activity for youngsters. They will learn something about biology of worms and also importance of reusing and recycling to preserve resources. Here are 10 easy steps to setting up your worm bin: 1.Select a container to house your worms. Both wooden boxes and plastic storage bins work well. 2.Determine what size you need based on amount of waste you generate per week. An average household of 4 creates 6 lbs of food waste per week. They would need a 6 sq ft bin. (2’ x 3’). Keeping your container fairly shallow 12”-18” helps keep bedding from compacting and makes it easier to handle. 3.Your bin should also have a lid to keep predators out and protect your worms from exposure to light and sudden temperature changes. 4.Drill some holes about 1/8” diameter and about 4” apart in sides and bottom to provide air circulation and good drainage. 5.If you keep your bin indoors, set it up on blocks and place a tray or thick layer of newspapers under it to catch any excess moisture that may drain out of bottom.. 6.Add damp bedding to bin. Strips of old newspaper, shredded paper, leaves, or peat moss all work well. Use what you have. Make bedding about 6” deep. 7.Add food waste. You can add food in piles or spread it out into a shallow layer. But cover it with about another 2” of damp bedding. Worms will eat anything that has once been alive including paper. Vegetable scraps, spoiled leftovers from fridge, cereal, fruit rinds, coffee grounds (including paper filters), and stale bread all make great worm food. Don’t feed raw meat, dairy products, or pet feces.
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