Art Project Tutorial: Follow the Star

Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.

~Joseph Campbell












This little piece was created with our We Three Kings Healing Art Challenge in mind, as well as for a Michael's store craft challenge this week that asked us to use wrapping paper, a frame, and wire in a creative way.

I really love the concepte of following something deep in yourself when life gets mucky and complicated, and especially love the idea of a frame looking out onto the world.  Hang this piece in your window when you are finished to remind you to follow your instinct, your inspiration, your creative spirit, as you become tangled up in life's complications.. and  you will be rewarded with a deep connection to the world around you.


Materials needed:
black jewelry wire
inexpensive wooden frame ( make sure the edges aren't rounded)
silver wrapping paper
modge podge
glass beads
children's suncatcher paint
black ribbon

Instructions:
1. Pop out the back and any inserts to your frame, including glass.  (Thrift store frames are perfect for this project!)  Neatly wrap and glue down piece of silver wrap until the paper is fully covered.   Try to use as few pieces as possible.. You aren't really looking for the texture of small pieces glued down like you would normally have with regular decoupaging.

2.  Wrap wire around one side of the frame and twist to hold.  Bead a few beads on the wire and stretch across the frame and wrap again.  Bead a few more beads and stretch across to another side of the frame.
Once you have a  number of criss crosses in  the open area of the frame, begin to twist your wire  around other wires as you cross on the insided.  Continue beading, and crossing and twisting until you have a "nest" of beads and wire.  It is like a "dreamcatcher" effect.

3.  You can actually do the coloring in different ways.. I first tried using sharpie markers as I'd seen a really nice effect on aluminum foil.  But I think there may have been coating on my paper that made the marker ink not adhere properly.  Instead, in the clearance aisle of Michaels, I found this children's suncatcher paint, left over from all the summer camp projects.  I used one whole set for this frame.  You will begin lightly globbing the paint into the areas.  You will need to brush the paint in, let it dry, and paint some more a number of times to get the instensity of color and in order to fil the entire areas with color.

4.  Create a hanger of thin black ribbon and hang in a window with a suction cup.   Lovely!!!  Your own stained glass window to your soul!