Pinterest fab or fail
WATERCOLORS( FAB) AND FIRE HAZARDS( FAIL)
By Ellie Hillenbrand
Christmas is“ the most wonderful time of the year,” and I always go all out. I like to joke that my everyday hobbies are things that people normally do at Christmastime: decorating, baking, cooking, singing, etc. Although Christmas is sadly long past, these two DIYs( if done correctly) are perfect all year round.
I am a HUGE fan of making lists: to-do lists, grocery lists, wish lists, and bucket lists. I saw a DIY on Pinterest that showed me how to lightly burn the edges of paper to“ antique” it. The picture given as an example was the definition of“# goals”. Before I proceed, I need to say, quite literally, DO NOT try this at home by yourself. Please. The directions seemed simple: hold the paper two inches above the open flame of a candle and quickly turn so each side is lightly burned. This seemed easy enough. First, I wrote“ My Christmas Bucket List” in beautiful red and green penmanship. When I finished, I lit my favorite Bath and Body Works candle and set to work. A little voice in my head told me do this outside just in case, so I moved everything out. I did everything correctly, and I thought it looked great. I have no idea what caused it, but the flame started to creep up the edge of the paper instead of just light smoke. Soon, the edge was on fire! I panicked, but blew hard on the flames until they disappeared. Luckily, I had it under control so nothing got hurt, but my beautiful list was ruined.
For a fun DIY that DOES work, is a lot less of a DIY, here’ s a helpful tip: buy watercolor pencils! My favorite way to paint something is with watercolor, but real watercolor paints take a long time to dry and are messy. Watercolor pencils accomplish everything you want minus hassle and mess! All you must do is draw your desired picture and then go over with a wet paintbrush. I have painted wedding cards, pretty patterns with quotes, and even a grapefruit that turned out amazing. To make beautiful DIY art, use watercolor pencils; I promise you’ ll love the outcome!