DIY Air Dry Clay Sculptural Fish Art

I had purchased a package of air dry clay years ago, filled up a Pinterest board with clay and pottery ideas, but couldn't actually commit to a project until I fell in love with this stunning ceramic artwork and was (finally) inspired to make my own clay fish art.

My DIY clay art pales in comparison to the gorgeous ceramic piece that inspired me to unearth my clay, but I don't care because I just really enjoyed the peaceful process of making these clay fish!

Supplies:

(I'm still on my craft-with-supplies-I-have kick and I happened to have everything on hand to make this air dry clay craft project).

• Air dry clay
• Rolling pin
• Cutting board
• Shimmering acrylic paint (I used Artist's Loft Metallic Cobalt Blue)
• Small plastic container with water
• Small paint brush
• Fish shaped cookie cutter
• Fine grit sandpaper
• Toothpick
• Paper towels
• Textured wallpaper sample or scrapbook paper
• Cardboard
• Epoxy
• Picture frame (no glass)

The first step was to cut out my school of clay fish.  My air dry clay had hardened into one solid brick over the years, so I tried my best to stab at it with a knife to make some punctures, then I poured a 1/2 cup of water on it and let it sit in a sealed bag.  Like magic, my clay became workable again, so I kneaded and rolled it into a cutting board (like cookie dough) and started cutting out fish shapes with my cookie cutter.

I dripped a finger in water and ran it along the edges to smooth out the obvious cut edge of each fish.

I used a toothpick (food skewer works too) to poke a little eye, then I shaped my fish to curve different ways - some are flat, some curve left, others curve right.

I set my fish aside on my cutting board to air dry, per instructions.  When the clay was dry, I gently sanded any rough edges with a fine grit sandpaper and then gave them a glimmering coat of paint.  I just took some teal paint with shimmer and watered it down - adding a few drops of paint to a tablespoon or so of water.  I lightly brushed the paint on, trying to keep my application loose and messy.  I let the fish dry, flipped them over, and painted the other sides too.  I ended up doing two light layers of paint, but actually preferred just one coat.

Here's where I made a little mistake: I wanted a glossy top coat, so I tried using some leftover varnish I had, but it made the paint crackle a little.  For this project, it helped my fish look more fishy, with texture that resembles scales, but for any other kind of clay project this is a word to the wise: don't cheap out on craft supplies and try to substitute something else.

I happened to have a textural, beachy wallpaper sample on hand, but there are so many gorgeous scrapbook papers that would work too.  I glued the wallpaper to a cardboard backing for the rigidity and then started gluing on my fish.  I dry fit everything to form my "school" and then, using my 5-minute epoxy, starting attaching my fish - some to the paper, some to each other.




I let everything dry for a couple of hours - just in case! - and then checked to make sure I had glued all of the fish.  I had missed one!  But luckily I caught it and glued it down before popping everything into a simple white IKEA frame I had on hand.  I used this same epoxy for my DIY agate slice art and, almost five years later (wait, what?) it's still holding strong.

I love how this DIY clay fish art turned out - it shimmers when the sunlight hits it, and it has such a fun, modern coastal look.  This would be such an easy project to get kiddos involved with too.

The only trouble is, the best light for photographs is also the best spot for watching the lake, so I had various puppies blocking the light, making it difficult to capture how well these fishies shimmer:

P.S. Even though this clay fish project turned out cute, and I'm so happy I finally found the motivation to work with my air dry clay, I still think the original ceramic art by KaroArt is much, much, much (!) better.  If you have a chance, check out the Etsy shop of this talented ceramic artist from Dublin, Ireland.  Karo also makes gorgeous ceramic bowls, dreamy storm cloud ceramic mugs, and heart-shaped wall art.

How I'm Hiding My Closet "Gym" | Simple DIY Curtain That Hides a Track

I have an obsession with squeezing as much square footage out of a house as possible.  In both the townhouse and our current lakehouse, I've crammed closets full of furniture, art - basically treating some closets as mini rooms.  Now I'm transitioning our office closet into the most ambitious purpose yet: a teeny, tiny home gym.

In case you missed it, the previous office closet makeover looked like this:

Here's the before:

I loved how we turned the office closet into a little nook and there was still lots of storage space, but eventually we realized that we didn't really need the storage space.  I had emptied those pink bins awhile ago and we spent December and January shredding files so we could ditch the filing cabinet altogether.  After a little de-cluttering, we removed the shelf, repaired the wall, rolled on a can of (slightly off-tint white) paint, and were left with this blank slate:



Now the office closet is home to our sleek new SpaceWalker treadmill and we'll be tackling some more projects, like adding a fan, installing and outlet, and storing our weights, etc.  Even though the new treadmill is so gorgeous, I still wanted the option to conceal this space so I enlisted my Mom to sew a DIY closet curtain.  When we moved here, I had to choose between the existing bi-fold closet doors and a smaller Ikea Expedit, or no closet doors and the bigger Expedit - I chose the latter, with no regrets!  A sliding door like the beachy glass one in our bedroom would be lovely but so awkward, because the bookcase is pretty close to the closet opening.  One day maybe we'll spring for a pocket door (or ditch the Expedit?), but we had leftover curtain track from the laundry room curtain system, and I found a gorgeous cream linen for only $3 per meter - so clearly the Universe was steering me in the direction of a closet curtain.

I wanted to do the closet curtain the same way my Mom and I did the laundry room curtains, because seeing the track never bothers me, but my Mom is so ambitious.  She's always thinking big and she has so many clever ideas.  With some work reflection, she came up with a simple DIY curtain that easily hides the curtain track and looks so seamless.  

Here's how to easily sew a curtain that hides a curtain track.

Supplies:

• White linen fabric
• Curtain track + hooks
• Sewing machine and thread
• Non-Woven Interfacing (ours was about 4" wide, doesn't need to be fusible)
• Shirring tape

The process was actually very straightforward.  First we washed and dried the fabric to settle any shrinkage and then gave it a quick iron.  The edges and bottom were hemmed as usual (folded over, ironed, sewn down) - pretty basic for a curtain.  The top is where we got creative.  To stiffen the top and keep it from drooping and exposing the clips and curtain track, we used non-woven interfacing, which was sewn right into the top seam to give it some stiffness.   

Next we sewed on some shirring tape, focusing the stitching on the bottom third so the top edge of it was loose. 

This is where we attached the clips from the curtain track and - voila! - a super simple curtain that hides the track!  We didn't do any ruching or shirring, we just evenly spaced the clips and so when the curtain is closed it has some soft folds.

Here's a peek at the back:

When the closet curtain is open, it looks like this:

I love this as a solution because it was fast and easy!  I know not everyone would opt for a closet curtain because it can look dangerously student-y, but living in this cottage on the lake I think I can get away with some relaxed design choices.  I wanted to share because if anyone liked the idea of a curtain track - but not how I opted to keep the track visible in the laundry room - then this is an easy alternative.

I am starting to lose track (haha) of how many curtains my sweet Mom has helped me make!  Thanks to my Mom, after that little patterned curtain misstep, both the bedroom and the office boast beautiful back tab tweed curtains (if you need a really detailed back tab curtain tutorial, here it is), the bathroom has a custom, floor-to-ceiling shower curtain, the laundry room is hidden behind some pretty polka dot drapes on a track - and don't forget the clever layered sheers she made for the townhouse and those sweet ruched curtains for the guestroom.  Speaking of guestrooms, she whipped up dreamy sheers for the bunkie too - oh, and the silk drapes and bedroom sheers in the townhouse as well. 

The only space that doesn't have curtains yet? 

Her place!  Oops.  I really owe her a sewing session soon...  

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Easy DIY Tassel Key Chain

While I was organizing the fish room (I still need to show you a tour of the finished room!), I came across so many craft supplies that I had forgotten about.  Having everything in one lovely space, in beautifully organized Ikea cabinets no less, has really sparked my creativity and I decided to challenge myself to use up some of these sidelined supplies.  I have been quite the prolific crafter lately, and I can't wait to show you everything I've made!

Today I'm sharing this sweet and simple DIY tassel key chain.  

This project is using up a supply that will really date me: embroidery thread.  I found a big bag of it, but it's not from my abandoned embroidery project.  Nope, it's from those ubiquitous knotted friendship bracelets - when they were trendy the first time around.  I've been really loving the tassel trend, but couldn't think of where I wanted a tassel (pillows? throw blanket? nope - can't be anywhere the puppers can reach).  Then I came across my collection of vintage skeleton keys (they used to be framed) and it suddenly dawned on me:  make some cute tassel key chains or purse fobs!  As luck would have it, I also happened to have two large bead caps that I had purchased about 15 years ago for another project and these caps made the finished tassels look very polished.

When I was done, I had re-purposed a lot of pretty bits and bobs, which were all collecting dust, into two pretty key chains - one for my Mom and one for me.

If you want to add some flair to your keys or purse, here's what you'll need to make a large embroidery thread tassel.

Supplies:

• Embroidery thread (I used three skeins per tassel)
• Large bead cap (mine is approx. 1" L x 3/4" W)
• Small bead (optional)
• Eye pin
• Small jump rings
• Key ring
• Vintage skeleton key (optional - you can add any charm, or no charm) 
• Needle nose pliers 
• Sharp scissors

Although you can make a tassel by simply folding a skein in half, I wanted to really mix the different colored threads together.  My Mom offered up a second set of hands and I wound the thread into a loop, working the coppery hue evenly in with my bright aqua.

Then I folded the loop we formed in half and tied it tightly with a length of embroidery floss.  I wrapped it a few times, tied it, then kept wrapping and tied it again so the knot was secure.  Then I just let the ends of the knot blend into the rest of the threads.

 

Before moving on to the next step, I grabbed the sharpest scissors in my arsenal and trimmed the edges.  Five or six times.  There's always that one that thread skips a trim!  Luckily I am a pro at this, because it seems like I always need to re-trim my hair when I come home from the hair salon.

I opened up the loop on my eye pin and slipped on the thread before closing the loop with needle nosed pliers:   

Then I added my bead cap and a turquoise bead at the end (optional), before cutting the end of the eye pin shorter and forming a loop with my needle nose pliers.  I have a great how-to for creating eye pin loops in my tutorial for beaded Christmas spiders, linked here.

I added a jump ring, which I connected to a slightly larger jump ring, which was then attached to my vintage skeleton key.  Easy peasy!  I added a key ring and was happy to add a splash of aqua to my truck keys (which were worryingly devoid of my favorite hue). 

For my Mom's blue ombre embroidery thread tassel, I used a ball chain instead of a key ring:

I love the embroidery thread tassel on its own, but the addition of a vintage skeleton key is fun - and I get to use pieces of my collection!  Skeleton keys have always fascinated me, but my framed collection didn't really jibe with the beachy look I'm cultivating in the lakehouse so I had packed them away.  It's nice to be able to enjoy them again. 

Plus there's something really soothing about smoothing out the strands of the embroidery floss - it's kind of like a stress ball.  When I hold my keys, I started to calmly fiddle with the strands and it's interestingly meditative; it makes me feel very chill.  

   
If I can find some more bead caps, I'd love to use up the rest of the embroidery floss and vintage keys to make these key chains as gifts - I already have a couple of friends dropping heavy hints...

P.S. you can also purchase a cute tassel key chain, like this adorable one with a horse, this chic leather one, or this cute monogram version.

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Sleek, Modern + Compact Treadmill | SpaceWalker Review

When Hubby and I moved from our suburban townhouse to our rural lakehouse we happily traded interior space for lake frontage, but losing a full height basement and third bedroom has proven to be a little more challenging than we thought.  We miss some things about our old house - including a spot to stash a treadmill, which we actually used quite often.  I had a friend who was a real fitness enthusiast and when we were too busy to connect in person we'd schedule "treadmill dates".



We would each put on our bluetooth earpieces and chat while we walked, neither of us minding that conversation was made more difficult by the whir and buzz of our treadmills.  Before Hubby and I moved to the lakehouse we sold the treadmill because we had no place to put it and we assumed we'd just naturally get fit by spending our time in the great outdoors.  We were right - in the warmer months.  We swim, stand up paddle board, bike, walk, canoe and sail (it's a surprising core workout).  In the winter though, we hunker down and eat indoor s'mores in front of the fireplace.  A wonderful way to embrace hygge, but terrible for our health!

Determined to get active during our hibernating months, Hubby and I started to shop for a small treadmill that we could fit into our office closet - formerly a nook with a filing cabinet and antique trunk:
  

We spent months emptying its contents until we had a beautiful blank slate that we plan to morph into a mini home gym with some additional DIY-ing (like adding some ventilation, an outlet, maybe a shelf for some weights and a small TV?).  But the first step was finding a durable treadmill that is compact enough to fit in there.  Many treadmills on the market need a massive walk-in closet to hide them or,  like our old one, they are too heavy and bulky for me to move on my own.

Eventually I found THE most perfect compact treadmill that's small, sturdy and capable, but it looks so stylish that it doesn't even need to be tucked away.  It's the Spacewalker by BodyCraft.  As my lovely Mom is demonstrating, it is so compact that not only can we store it in the closet, we can use it in there too!

I reached out to BodyCraft and they generously provided one for review (I was not otherwise compensated) - but I would purchase this treadmill in a heartbeat.  Most of the treadmill is a gorgeous creamy white but it does have a glossy colorful side, which comes in black or red.   Let's petition them to manufacture one in turquoise!

It is shipped fully assembled and although it weighs 90lbs, once it's out of the box it is surprisingly easy to move around.  Both my Mom and I can do it alone, thanks to a sleek design that's easy to hold on to - and a pair of sturdy wheels.

Once it's folded up, it's unbelievably compact - there are so many places I could tuck this in my home: beside the tallboy dresser in the bedroom, into our coat closet, or even behind the TV!

You can also flip it onto its side and tuck it behind a sofa or place it at the end of a bed as a bench.

Did I mention that this compact treadmill doubles as a small treadmill desk?  It's the perfect size to rest a laptop.  I have to admit that I will need some more practice to be able to walk and reply to an email, but it's perfect for watching YouTube tutorials or easier work tasks that don't require quite as much brainpower or coordination.

In terms of using it, I love how simple it is to operate.  This treadmill has everything I need: cupcake cup holder, built-in pulse sensors, quick access start/pause button, LED display, and a safety key that immediately turns off the machine.  Even though it's small, it's very sturdy, with a steel reinforced laminated melamine under the deck that can support someone up to 300lbs.  Although the deck is compact in size, even when I am walking at a good clip (you can do up to 4mph), it feels perfectly stable and I never feel like I'm going to run out of room.  I actually like how low it is to the ground because I used to feel a little dizzy on our old treadmill, which felt so high that I was convinced I'd get decapitated if I was running while the ceiling fan was on.  

You can read about all of the treadmill features on the BodyCraft website. 

 

BodyCraft is offering readers $200 off (using the code DANSLELAKEHOUSE) which brings the total to $799, plus free shipping in the US.

Hubby and I are thrilled with this treadmill because it can be a bit of a struggle to find that perfect balance between form and function in a small home.  I'd love a six bedroom home or epic finished basement where I could have a photography studio, a sewing room, a home gym, a proper guestroom, a room for the pups, a chest freezer...  But I don't.  I have a perfectly lovely two bedroom house with a weird little fish room, a bunkie I only use in the summer, and a basement that's five feet tall with no visible stairs leading to it (what a mystery).

Products like this help me feel so much more content with the space I have.  Who needs a massive home gym when I have a compact treadmill that looks sharp, functions beautifully, and helps me make the most of the space I have?   



Stay tuned for the rest of this closet turned home gym transformation...

A huge thanks to BodyCraft for sending me the compact SpaceWalker treadmill.

P.S. Thanks also to my beautiful Mom, for being my model.  Her striking leggings and teal (!) top are designed by a local designer who has her own factory in Katmandu, Nepal, with two retail locations (Elfarrow Apparel): one in my hometown and another on Salt Spring Island, BC.   

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