Altered Otterbox

Sunday, it was raining and I went outside to take some photos with my phone. After I came back inside, my daughter was fiddling with my phone and said that a part of the screen wasn't working. It had JUST worked fine 2 seconds ago, so I panicked and took the protective case off and started investigating. 

I needed to change the protective screen film anyway. 

Sure enough, some raindrops had worked their way under the screen. I dried it up and it was good as gold. 

Then I looked at the case. 

You know how I hate "normal". And my Otterbox, while pink in color, looks JUST LIKE everyone else's pink Otterbox. 

I've used Sharpies and added some designs on the case before, but they wore off with use. 

So I decided I wanted to take it a step further in personalization, so I pulled out the paint. 

It's happier already! But I doodled some more...

I love a paint pen. 

I love this because it's cute. 

I love this because it is uniquely mine now. 

I love this because I overcame my reluctance of "ruining" or "devaluing" something that was perfectly good just the way it was. 

Art is good therapy!

A Door Makeover

I don't make NewYear Resolutions. I just feel like it sets me up for failure.  But this year, I decided to release myself from the self-imposed creative boundaries I had set up. Boundaries that stifled my creativity in decorating my house because I'm worried about what people "MIGHT" be thinking about my choices--- to be fair, my choices are non-traditional. Colorful. Eye catching.

Eyesore may be the word that comes to mind for many.

I'm over it.

I have a yearning to make my home uniquely mine. I certainly don't want it to look like anyone else's. A challenge since I live in a 30ish year old ranch. A box of boxes. Oh, how I strongly dislike this house. 

So on Sunday, I looked at my bedroom door. 

(Yes, those are Christmas stockings on the wall. My husband has a very strong love for Christmas and would keep all the decorations up all year long. One day, he hopes to have a Christmas room so he can enjoy it all year long. Until then bits and pieces will hang in the hall.)

I saw a blank canvas.
I spent all afternoon on my creative endeavor. I felt much like a high school decorator again. I was so absorbed in my project, I remembered to eat lunch around 4 in the afternoon.



This was the result.

 This is my favorite section. I began with the large orange poppy flower and used other clippings that echoed the colors as a border around it.
I also snuck in some turquoise to round out my favorite color combo.

 I used the sticky putty that teachers use to adhere it to the door. I've seen projects where the whole project was decoupaged, but I wasn't sure I wanted it to be THAT permanent as I tend to be a creative meanderer.
Also, the panels in the door would have been and issue.

This is the first project, in a reeeeeaaallly long time, that I've really been excited about!

Exploring New Facets of Creativity

Sometimes, I wander through the internet looking for quotes. The ones that always catch my eye are graphics like this.

 

I've always wondered how people create these cool bits and pieces and thought I would ever in a million years be able to make something like that since I have absolutely no background or knowledge if graphic design. 

Enter my new favorite person in the while wide world: Rhonna

The story goes like this:

I was scrolling through Instagram one morning and came across a lovely graphic with the cutest font I have ever seen. I fell fast and hard and asked the person who posted it if she knew the name of the font. She didn't, but told me it was an app called "Rhonna". 

Well, I hustled on over to iTunes and found it! After installing the app, (first time I have EVER paid for an app!) and a little digging, I discover that my new favorite font was included and called "Clean and Clear". I immediately had to try my hand at creating something...

Isn't that font the best?!

I am in heaven. 

I'm excited about the new facet of creativity that I can explore through this app! 

What would you make with it?