Unique Christmas Baubles

Christmas! Baubles for your tree are quite expensive so why not make them yourself? Knit or sew small santa sacks or mini stockings and pop a surprise inside; cut out a piece of card and paint or decorate each side (perhaps wrap some tinsel around the edge); make some bows from bits of ribbon; thread some beads or bells to twirl and dangle; paint some cones - or combine some of these ideas. If you've kept small boxes from, say, moitsuriser, they can be wrapped with old scraps - add a ribbon et voilà! Make your decorations to suit your style, whether glittery or natural. Have fun, save money.

Pattern for baubles in the photo, available from Etsy.

Express yourself: watercolour or acrylic?

 

Both mediums are water-based but behave very differently. Most people believe that acrylic is easier for beginners because you can paint over any mistakes with an opaque acrylic colour. It is certainly versatile in terms of thin-or-thickness and colour-blending. 

On the other hand, using a 'wet' technique, watercolours can also be allowed to run together on paper for a natural merging of colours, e.g. where the sky changes from dark to light or different hues. A difficulty people find with watercolour is to leave the unpainted surface as the white element of the painting, as it is not easy to use white watercolour over another paint colour. 

Great places to view paintings are Pinterest and Instagram.