Definitely a Case of Spring Fever

So, I finished my last post and was off to do something-I honestly don't even remember what-when I recalled a picture on a craft site I follow where the lady had made some carrots for her dough bowl. DO NOT ask me why, but, before I knew what was happening, I had this out on the table in my sunroom.

Right now, if you follow any craft sites, you have probably been inundated with pictures of carrots. Some of them I like better than others but most of them didn't interest me for some reason. But then, I remember this lady saying she made hers of aluminum foil wrapped with masking tape and covered in jute twine. It sounded simple enough and I already had everything needed to make some.

Since there were no real instructions, I just ripped off a piece of foil and scrunched it to look carrot shaped. Then, I cut off another piece and rolled the original shape with it adding any extra as I rolled to the top half so the carrot got larger where it needed to be larger.

I compressed them as much as I could and then used the end of the paint brush to push in a hole at the top so there would be room to add the greenery when I was done.

The next step was to cover the carrot with a layer of masking tape. I wasn't sure why this step was needed but after taping one I realized just how much it smoothed the form and also made it a bit more rigid. I think if I had skipped this step, the aluminum shape might have bent.

Now comes the best part but also the most tedious at the beginning and the end. I used a dab of hot glue at the small end to begin the wrapping. And, make no mistake about it-hot glue is HOT. It is almost impossible to get that end covered neatly without a bit of a hot glue burn. Once that part was done, all I did was lay down about an inch of hot glue at a time but this time in a vertical direction up the carrot. That way, the twine was adhered to the carrot each time it went around once. I made sure to add the twine with no gaps and to pull it fairly taut as I turned. When I got to the top end, I also added more glue because as the carrot curves in, it is harder to keep the twine in place as well. At the very end, I cut the twine and pushed it into the hole for the greenery.

I knew I wanted at least three of the carrots orange and thought I would leave two natural. But once I got the paint on, I loved the color so much that they all got a quick coat. I watered down the burnt orange paint quite a bit so it just kind of soaked into the jute and did not leave a solid layer of color.

Since the paint was so watered down, they were pretty saturated so they will dry overnight before they get their final touch.

Hello. I'm back. After a quick trip to HL, I found what I think is the perfect carrot greenery and, after the whole night, the carrots are finally dry and ready to be finished.

And, voila, they're done.

And then I got sad that they were done. I was waiting for a delivery so I didn't want to get too involved in a project that would take me outside or get too messy...and I was having fun crafting...and, before I knew what was happening, this was added to the table in the sunroom. Since there is so much spring in all of the stores, I decided I needed something that could stay out for awhile but get embellished for each of the seasons or holidays. And, what better than a set of the books I have been seeing everywhere?

I had everything it takes except the letter stamps that I would have liked. I was actually ready to wait if I could find anywhere that sold the stamps within a decent distance, but they were sold out everywhere and so, I went with the ones I had...not a fan, but they will do.

The first order of business is to rip off the covers. At this point, you can paint everything but I like the shabby look of the raw, ripped binding.

And, I guess it is a good thing that I do like the shabby look because getting the letters on perfectly is nearly impossible-but, I think that might be the simple charm of this item.

Once they were stamped, I tied them together with some jute twine. I put the bow on the side because I intend to slip some kind of embellishment to match each season/holiday through the twine on the top of the book.

I added a carrot just to give me an idea of how it would look. I think maybe a shamrock for St. Pat's and some lamb's ear with a sprig of spring flowers for Easter, etc....the possibilities are endless.
 

Luckily, my delivery has arrived and I have a few other chores to tackle, so I am done with my spring fever crafting for now. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. Stay tuned.