Hi I swear I didn't die *sheepish grin*

heeeellllooo everyone, this will be the first post of a two part. The 2nd post will be about my Badger partial which I finished & wore today @ the local Badger Mt. Challenge race this morning!! More later, when I get some decent pics!!

  As for today, a couple of things. First, it's been rainy here in my hometown for most of this week & that means I'm constantly looking for mood music to fit the atmosphere. I happen to like rain quite a lot & so consequently...have a lot of music that fits that atmosphere...to me anyway. So without further ado, here is what I've been listening to most, it's a song by Bon Iver called Michicant. To me...this video looks exactly like it sounds...beautiful, of course it helps that it feautres, the woods, some awesome trees & rain...my favorite things. :) Enjoy. & be happy.

  And now for another favorite of mine, werewolves! I found out via a very good friend, that a wonderful independent film is being made...a wonderful film about, you guessed it, werewolves!! From what I understand, the project has been in the works for some time (roughly 2004-2005) & has ran into funding troubles because they decided to take their project outside the gates of Hollywood. Not only is this a non-traditional film, but the makers themselves are rather non-traditional. Attempting to please their intended audience, the director of the film has been gathering information & opinions to base his movie on, rather than just guessing @ what people should want to see. I find this not only refreshing, but inspiring & cannot wait to see this idea come to life! Here is the teaser Trailer & please check out The freeborn movie channel on youtube for more & progress on the film!! This monster movie is going to be beautiful! I even see (in some of the other videos) clips of a possibly fully lit transformation scene, which I have not seen (well done anyway) since American Werewolf in London. It looks amazing!! Please check it out & be sure to show your support in whatever way you can! Until the next post, stay wonderful. :) ~Anna

Springtime Fun - Microterrariums

Spring finally made an appearance here, today! It was literally snowing every weekday this past week, but today is sunny and lower fifties! It's gorgeous and full of happiness. Every spring, I always get hit with the gardening bug. Granted I don't have the best gardening track record, I have been better at it these past few years. Last summer, I grew a big sunflower, a bunch of morning glories, and snapdragons. They all thrived and were so much fun!

On Friday this week, I was browsing through Michael's on a trip for mortarboard decorating supplies (hooray graduation!) and I stumbled upon these cute microterrariums:

There were all sorts of plants in the bin (in the kids' stuff section). I had to stop myself from buying these two and the pine tree, the cactus assortment, the herbs assortment, and the mint plant. That would be too many, I think. But aren't they awesome!? 

So on this sunny day in Pullman, I spent my early afternoon applying the second and final coat of poly on that box that I've shown you and getting these little terrariums on their way to having little sprouts! :) 

Soil disk + ~2 Tbs of water

The soil disk grows!

The seeds! Left: butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) seeds. Right: Brain plant (Celosia amigo) seeds.

Left: The brain plant seeds in the soil. Right: My microterrariums (complete with labels)!

Hope the sun is shining where you are! 

Have some fun in the sun and get your spring projects rolling. 

Have a great week. 

- Jenny - 

04.26.2013: 

Hey all! I have finally written an update on these plants. If you're interested in seeing how they turned out, check out the Update: Microterrariums post. :)

DIY: Succulents Lantern Terrarium

There are many exciting new developments going on in my creative life & it's really exciting! I'm finishing up the woodburning project, and I have just made myself a succulents arrangement!

I don't know if you've seen it around the web lately, but there has been a boom in the interest in succulents and terrariums. I personally am glad for it; I love these cute plants and adore having plants in my life. They add a little life to your everyday decor - They make me smile! That's a good enough reason to have 'em around, right??

Anyway! Inspired by these little plants, I made myself a succulents lantern! Here's how I did it - It's quick, easy, and awesome. Enjoy!
- Jenny -

01.16.2013:
Hello, friends!
My succulents have changed quite a bit since this post about the lantern terrarium! I have moved them from the lantern and they're doing great! Check them out in the Update: Succulents post!
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First, what you'll need:

• A container for your plants. I used a small glass cylinder that I found at Walmart (affordable!)
• A lantern in which the container can fit (only needed if you want to keep them in a lantern, haha). I got mine at Hobby Lobby with Anna!
• A few small succulents. I used three 2" plants. 
• Rocks/pebbles
• Cactus mix potting soil
• Floral moss

For more information regarding succulent soil and all other matters on succulents, this is a great resource.

Here are pictures of my supplies:

Steps:
1. Put some rocks or pebbles in the bottom of the container. I made a layer about an inch thick. This will allow the water in the soil to drain, which is important for your plants' health.

2. Add a layer of potting soil on top of the rocks, pressing on the soil to pack it a bit - not too firmly, just so it's not really loose.

3. Next, arrange your plants in the container like you would any other plant into a pot. Be sure to supplement more soil where needed to secure them in the container. 

4. Water the plants and be sure to watch an see if the soil moves when it is watered. Be sure not to over-water as well. Remember, succulents are water-retaining plants and are adapted to living with less water than most plants. 

Here's what my arrangement looked like at this point: 

5. Next, cover exposed soil with pieces of the floral moss. This is optional, really. I just think it gives it a nice finished look. 

6. And finally, to make this a "Succulent Lantern," insert your arrangement into your lantern! Of course, the arrangement would look great on its own, especially if you have a particularly beautiful container/planter. I have seen gorgeous arrangements in milk glass (the milky white looks stunning with the greens of the plants). But, I was smitten with this lantern and the idea of having a little lantern terrarium! 

Here it is all finished! 

More Wood Burning & The Wolf Gift

                                                           

    Hello everyone! I had the best time last night @ our local high school (I feel so old when I go back haha), for the auction/fundraiser held every year there. Although I will be the first to admit I don't have much spending money, I still got to enjoy the general atmosphere, the beauty of the items displayed & oh the food! So very good! I did get lucky though & won the bid on a rather small silent auction item! & so to continue Jenny's wood burning theme, here is the little jewelry box I won. 

 
 Cute, huh? I know it's not the most professionally done, but there is a charm about this little box that made it impossible for me to pass up. It is unfinished, so I thought I might pick out a glaze & give it a little color along with some detailing depending on the glaze I choose. It will be the perfect little spring project!
    

On a completely different note, I found a book worth reading in the past week. Work has been keeping me busy though, so I haven't finished it yet. It also happens to be on my favorite subject (werewolves of course)! 

The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice has been one of the best book adventures I've embarked upon in a long time! Although I know Anne Rice is well known for her extensive works on vampires, of which I've read only one, (Blood & Gold-following the life of the Roman general vampire, Marius) she represents the werewolf in a believable & intriguing fashion. I don't want to ruin the book for you, but her descriptions have kept my mind oohing & ahhing over things described. From the scents of everyday, to the feeling of fur growing out of every pore, to the deepest sense of good & evil, this book will capture your attention & emotion for the tale (or tail if you prefer ;3) of an average reporter turned man wolf. I can't wait to see what happens next!! If you see this book, pick it up!! It's been worth every word! Until next week, stay happy & enjoy the coming spring. ~Anna

Wood Burning Project Update

So it's spring break! I made it through this past week with my life and all is well (at least for now). It's been sunny and warm and beautiful and I love it! Not only that, but tomorrow daylight saving time begins! I lose an hour of sleep but, it'll be brighter later! I'm SO ready for more sunshine and longer days. I'm over cold weather. Haha!

Anyway, to kick off my spring break, I have been putting time in on that woodburning project that I introduced a few posts ago. I have finished the burning pattern and put on the first coat of stain today! Here it is!

One coat of Golden Pecan Minwax Wood Finish stain.

I know the color difference isn't that big, but I like the color. I think it's turning out well! I might do one more coat of stain and then apply the poly! Hooray for finally finishing projects! It's good to get them done.

Hope you all are enjoying warm weather. Yay for spring!
Have a great week!

- Jenny -

Double Post:Zombies & Trees

  So, I found an awesome race that I think I might do last week!! it's a themed 5k ran in a lot of different cities & states around the country. The zombie infested 5k!! The idea is that every person that runs has a flag belt with a set number of "lives" on it. When you set out running, on a course very much like the widely popular warrior dash, you avoid zombies on your way to the finish. This sounds like a pretty intense race!! not only are zombies trying to steal your life, the terrain you face is truly a challenge, up & over wooden walls, through hay bale mazes, & tunnels! Check out the link & see what you think!! So far, I  have a tentative team set up including jenny & myself ;). Now, the training begins!! & what better motivation to run & get in shape than escaping from zombies! Check it out!! & be sure to watch the videos here- http://www.runforyourlives.com  

  As for this week, spring is finally starting to close in on my home town, even if that only means it's slightly less cold & the car doesn't need to be scraped every morning(which is nice by the way). It gets me thinking about the change of seasons, & spring projects that could be undertaken with the sun clearing out the the cold weather. That being said the prop I've been thinking about is a large tree to put in a corner of my room. It would be something I could easily decorate for any season & act as a sort of main centerpiece for the living space. Here's one idea of what it could look like when finished. Although my tree will be supported by two walls (in a corner) & not have to stand alone or be climbed upon.

Another thing, or I should say the important thing I've been thinking about is what materials to use. I would like to be able to hang things on my tree, & not have it fall apart when I or my pets bump into it. The best & easiest looking method uses spray foam, like the kind one would use in houses. I've seen a LOT of amazing sculpting projects come out of this method including life size sculptures of animals & weaponry! if you get a chance, check out some you tube videos on the subject, they are amazing!! This method also seems to be popular for building trees. I've seen a lot of Home Haunters (Halloweenies) use this method for set building also & it always looks good. I'm thinking with some wood bracing, & a chicken wire under structure, I could have the beginning of my foam tree project underway!!

Here's another sample video of some amazing work, this time done for a photography studio!! Enjoy your week & your spring projects everyone! ~Anna

Using Pinterest Correctly

It took a few hours but I did it.

I love Pinterest. It's a great tool that helps people curate and collect images, websites, ideas, and more from all over the net. These boards of images and the platform that is Pinterest have exploded with popularity in the past few months and it's a great thing. It allows us to share the things we find anywhere on the web with our friends with ease. But with any great tool comes the need for user responsibility.

Be sure to give credit where credit is due and do it properly. When you use your "Pin It" button on your browser, be sure that you are on the unique page of the image you are pinning (also called the permalink). In order to determine if you are on that page, check the URL, in the browser bar. If it has a simple address like : twofriendstales.blogspot.com - it is not the permalink. The permalink will have an extension after the main address like this: http://twofriendstales.blogspot.com/2012/02/doodling-dreaming-of-spring-things.html. On tumblrs with only images, click the image or the links below the image to get to the post's unique address.

Also, when pinning from the Pinterest pages, be sure to check the pin you are about to "Repin" before you do it. If you check to make sure that it is properly pinned, you help prevent spreading the misuse of this wonderful tool.

Please, do your part too. I know it can be tough, especially if you've been pinning for a while. I know it took me a good amount of time and patience - but I can't stress enough how important it is to protect the rights of our fellow creative minds. It's hard enough as it is with the dawn and popularity of blogging. I feel a lot better about my Pinterest boards now that I have sifted through my pins.

We try our best here on TwoFriendsTales to keep the credit clear.

Peace. Love. Creativity.

Have a great week everyone!

- Jenny -