Art & Design of Kelli Murray

I’m so excited to share this DIY with you today!  But first, I want to introduce to you my friend Nicole from Bloem Hill, part owner of an amazing floral and design company based  in Southern California.  Nicole and I have partnered up to bring you a fresh new DIY project once a month, and I can’t be more excited about it.  If you are anything like me, you need someone to challenge you in your craft endeavor’s, and Nicole’s my girl!  Be sure to stop by her blog to say hello.  She is incredibly talented.

Naturally, we are kicking off our DIY series with florals!  But even better, florals that will never die! (my kind of flowers!)  We decided to put our own spin on a paper flower with an organic, natural and painterly feel.   It took a bit of trial and error, but we love what we came up with!

First, you will need a pair of scissors and some paper.  We used this natural fine paper from Paper Source.  Cut about 10-12 rectangular pieces roughly 4″ X 2.5″  in size (larger for  a larger flower, smaller for a smaller flower).  You could then use your scissors to cut them all into the shape of petals, but we preferred tearing the paper by hand so that the edges were left rough and slightly frayed.  They all don’t have to be perfect.  In fact, having them irregular looks even better in the end.  After you are done shaping your petals, you’ll want to paint them.  We used Winsor & Newton watercolors in mustard, peach and grey.  But use whatever color palette is inspiring to you! This is the part that allows you to get creative.  Mix your paint with water and start painting your petals.  I would suggest making the bottom portion of the petal darker, and then fading up to a lighter shade at the ends.  Let the petals dry.

Next you will need some rustic floral wire and some pliers.   The wire will serve as your stem, so cut it to the length you desire.  To create your flower, take the petals (they should be fully dry at this point) and begin wrapping them around the top of your stem using floral tape (not pictured) to secure them.  We did 2 petals at a time.  After you have attached all of your petals and your flower is full, it will need a “center” to cover up the exposed wire in the middle.  We just twisted solid black paper into a small ball and used a glue gun to attached it to the center.  We also added touches of black paint along the edges of our petals to give them a little definition.

A fun trick for adding a little extra sparkle to the center of your flower :

Cut a strip of metallic tissue paper and using shredding scissors, cut along the edge leaving at least a centimeter uncut. Roll it, metallic side facing in, around the top of your wire before you start attaching your petals.  This will leave you with a pretty little pom in the center when you are finished!

I hope you all love these as much as we do!  Let me know if you give it a try!

 The 52 Project – a portrait series of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2013 

These sweet little shoes are by Fox Paws.  Starting today, they are available through PS I Adore You  at a discounted rate and will go to support their Cure the Kids Campaign.  It’s such a great cause and I encourage you to head over to their blog and read about their story!

Rylee lately:

- Her feet smell worse than my husbands (and that’s saying a lot).  I have no idea how such a tiny person can have such stinky feet.  But this girl! She even says “woo wee” when we take off her shoes! I hope for her sake that changes one day, but i’m not counting on it.

- She is really funny, and she knows it.  My favorite time with her is that hour before bed time when she gets a little slap stick.  She loves to rough house, so we always play a game with her on the couch where we toss her into the cushions.  Sometimes she laughs so hard she can’t catch her breath….which in turn, make us do the same.

- Dancing is her thing.  No matter where we are…if she hear a jam she likes, she busts out the moves.  Sometimes I get frustrated that they are not entirely on beat, but I have to remember she’s one.  ha!  I kind of want to put her in a baby hip hop class if there is such a thing.

- She knows what she wants.  A blessing and a curse!  I am honestly loving the age she is at now.  I keep wanting time to stand still and let her stay one and a half forever because I love it so much.  But I guess if it just keeps getting better then i’m all for moving forward.  *sigh.  I wouldn’t mind time standing still for me though!  Anyway, she is getting so much better at communicating and more of her personality is starting to come out.  Stubborn, impatient (i wonder where that came from)…but also super funny, easy going, sweet and sensitive.  It feels like she is learning a new word every day and she is constantly surprising me!  Sometimes I feel like a baby shouldn’t be so smart. I mean, she is already learning the art of manipulation.  I guess it’s time to really be a parent.

Heart Sweater c/o Sheinside  //  Pants – Ella Moss  //  Shoes – Nine West

The weather has been playing tricks on us here.  A few days ago it was 80 degrees and sunny (hence my last post).  And today it’s cold and rainy.  I keep thinking my warm sweater’s have seen their last days (until next winter)….but out they come again.  Although I’ll never complain about wearing this one too much.  It’s been such a strange couple of months.  But there is something about the rain that inspires me creatively.  Pushes me to get out my paints, put on a good record, and just create.  Probably because it’s just a good excuse to stay inside…but it’s honestly the best feeling.  I forget about my to-do lists and the hecticness that fills my mind so often, and I get lost in the process.  Days like today remind me to slow down, and to appreciate the gift of art.  It’s always been my outlet.  And I’ve been trying to give myself the freedom to “get lost” more often.  Lord knows we all need that escape sometimes.  What is your outlet?  Where does your mind run free…and where do you feel most inspired!?  I’d love to hear.

I hope you all have a beautiful weekend.

Photos by Erica

The 52 Project – a portrait series of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2013 

So here we are, week 9 of the portrait series and I still haven’t missed one! I have to admit, I’m a little proud of myself for that one.  Even with the best of intensions, I was sure I’d miss one by now.  I should really have more faith in myself. Ha!

So you guys….this last weekend!!?  Perfection!  It was like God gave us a little taste of summer in February and it was absolutely glorious.  When it heats up to 80 degrees….to grandmother’s pool we go!  It’s in a private community and almost always empty….and you can order food poolside!  I mean, common.  Talk about spoiled.  It feels like a vacation, and boy do we take advantage!  I can’t wait for summer!

Home tour! Just kidding!  I’m just working on my picture taking skills.  Although I really should do a real home tour one of these days.  The only problem is that I don’t want to share it until it’s perfect and I don’t think it will be perfect until i’m at least 50….and by then, i’m not sure if I will even have a blog anymore (…but I digress!).  I think i’ve used my camera more in the last two months than I have in the last 2 years.  Largely due to this project, but also because of my year’s goal of becoming a better photographer.  I feel funny even calling myself that. We’ll go with picture taker, or moment capturer.  I’m more comfortable with that.  If any of you guys have been a reader for a little while, you know i’ve been on a journey of getting to know my camera a little better this year.  Sam got me a DSLR  3 years ago for Christmas, and up until a few months ago, the setting never changed from auto (gasp!).  For a while, I didn’t mind.  But the more I blogged, the more I realized the importance of quality images.  And once I had Rylee, the game changed completely and I was all the more motivated to learn how to take a good photo.  I got tired of relying on other people to capture the images I essentially wanted to be able to capture myself.  Is anyone with me on this?  …it was just a matter of taking the time to learn the fundamentals of photography.  I was clueless.  And not to mention overwhelmed at the thought of even learning.  But only a few months in to ditching auto mode and shooting manual, I am realizing what a difference it makes!  Same camera, way better photos!  I still have so much to learn, but I am totally loving the process.  I’ve realized you don’t need the best camera or the fanciest lens to take a great photo, you just need to know how to best utilize the capabilities of the camera you do have.  Of course, nice equipment helps…but my point is, if you understand the fundamentals, you can capture images you can be proud of.

What I wanted to share with you today is the workshop that kickstarted my journey….in case any of you are local to San Diego, and in the same place I was a few months ago and looking some guidance on where to start.  It was a workshop by Photo Creatures called Amazing Photos in a Snap : An intro to taking better photos.  My mom actually forwarded me the link to a beginner’s class that she discovered through Amazon Local…and it seemed like just what I was looking for.  We actually ended up going together! (this is how basic it is, people…no offense mom!) haha.  I really can’t say enough good things about the class.  The intimidation I felt before going was quickly diminished when I realized most of the students were on the same level that I was.  The class was all about the fundamentals.  Getting to know the way your camera works and understanding how to create the proper exposure using shutter speed, aperture and ISO.  It may sound like gibberish (it did to me too)…..but take this class and those three words will make all the difference in your photos! On auto mode, your camera is playing a guessing game.  But shooting manual allows you to have full control over your exposure.  Probably the most exciting part of the workshop for me was understanding aperture, which controls the depth of field.  You know that sharp foreground focus and blurred out background that looks so amazing in photos?   Yep, that’s a shallow depth of field….meaning a larger aperture (but a lower number on your camera!).  Gibberish again? This post might help. The class goes into all of this in much greater detail…with a wonderfully patient instructor helping you along!  I can’t recommend it enough.

Photo Creatures has generously offered all of my readers 50% off their intro workshop or a single walkabout! Woohoo! Such an amazing deal!  Use the promo code ‘KelliCreatures’ when you register.  It can either be applied to a gift card or directly to registration for a specific workshop/walkabout.  Maybe i’ll see you there!