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 -