DIY raffia pendant light REVISITED

THIS POST IS OVER TWO YEARS OLD NOW BUT KEEPS GETTING HIT'S SO I THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE IT AGAIN WITH YOU ALL. THIS IS A GREAT DIY PROJECT FOR DECORATING EVENTS AND YOU CAN USE ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT MEDIA TO MAKE THIS PENDANT! 

What a bright idea! 

While brainstorming for additions for our Fall window display for Road Less Traveled I kept thinking about the moon and the sun. The certain way the Autumn sky seems to glow through the leaves and cast soft shadows. I wanted to interpret this somehow into the window display that Delilah had already started. I searched for ideas and came across this idea and thought I would try it myself. It never hurts to try you know. 

BTW: Many customers love this light and ask about it. 

Raffia-Michaels Craft Store

Punch Balloons-Party City

Mod Podge-Michaels

Paint Brush-already had

Sharpie-already had

Pendant Light Base-Cost Plus Market

What You Gotta Do:

This craft needs at least 2 hrs of invested time so gather a friend or sister and a beer to help keep you company :)

 1. Inflate the balloon to desired size.

2. Draw circle with sharpie that is large enough for light bulb to go through.

3.Adhere mod podge to raffia while tying the raffia around the balloon.

4. Continue covering your balloon as desired and tie all ends of knots together. 

5. Make sure entire surface has glue to ensure that it is stable when hardened.

6. Hang your balloon over night and leave newspaper underneath in case of glue drips.

7. Wait for at least 8 hrs for glue to dry and for there to be a hard sturdy surface.

8. When ready insert light base and either hang (using s brackets) or use as a table lamp. 

We Built This City Window Display

Eloisa adding some final touches.

    This winter we made a mini city window display at Road Less Traveled! It's pretty cool what you can make from something that would have gone into the trash. We used cardboard boxes, markers, paint, cotton balls, fishing wire, box cutters & Christmas lights. We all had a blast putting this display together thanks to the reggae Christmas playlist on Pandora, highly recommended :) Stop by the shop to see in person! 

ENJOY!

Feeding the lights into the boxes.

Funny Reggae  Christmas song # 1

Funny Reggae Christmas song # 2

We built this city!

The city from behind.

Windows by: Eloisa Bordador, Maggy Slater, Delilah Snell, Leigh Slater

P.S. Here is last years window display  I designed with the help of Eloisa :) 

Roadkill Ranch Winter 2012 Window Display

Roadkill winter wonderland

    Holiday 2012 Window Displays 

@ Roadkill Ranch 

    It's holiday time at Roadkill Ranch and we absolutely love how our window displays came out this year, and want to say thank you so much for all the compliments we have received! After weeks of planning, crafting and re-working our design we invite you to explore the art of window dressing! 5 points if you know what we used to make our winter wonderland! 

Can you spot the crow?

Love the black coat.

I spy Corky of Fullerton Foundry checking out the windows!

Lovely green coat.

Those jumbo xmas lights are my fav! 

Arent the vintage lights so fun!

Cherry's and Leopard print, a match made in rockabilly heaven!

This was a team effort brought to you by the Roadkill Ranch creative team: Barb, Heidi, Julie, Maggy (myself) & Rob! 

Winter Window Display Sneak Peek...

Glue Gun vixen!

    At Roadkill Ranch we take window display's and visual merchandising  very seriously. If you knew how much time and effort went into making a store look amazing you would be surprised at how under appreciated this art form is. This is not a corporate company where everything is laid out...we brainstorm and design things from our own minds and two hands! So here are a few sneak peek pics of our latest and greatest window display designed for winter 2012! The reveal shall be coming shortly (tomorrow)

Yes I did think I would have a career in spray painting dead trees :)

Whats this? Whats this?

Can you guess what this is? 

Confessions Of A Procrastinating Emotional Painter

     Somewhere between last week and today I began painting again. I had a proposal placed upon me at work a few weeks ago to paint a Rib-cage onto two mannequins for a window display. This seemed an easy task when I was first told. But it wasn't till last week that the pressure began to cave in on me. I had to start working on those mannequins! And soon. So I did what I do best, work under pressure(little sleep). 

   I rose to the task. I felt like a student again. Anxiously awaiting the finishing line of my most recent project at hand. Unlike so many times I had felt a different kind of pressure. It was not a pressure of anxiety or stress. More like a release of pressure that had been building up inside of me. The procrastinator in me was releasing the stress that had been waiting to just come out. With each stroke of the brush I felt like a layer was peeling off. 

Follow me on Instagram @Decoaurora

     After 4 hours of painting in the heat I was left with two stunning mannequins. I would name them the Mannequin Graveyard on my Instagram. Proudly showing them off to anyone who would look, let alone LIKE them. Isn't it thrilling to have complete strangers liking your life in pictures! Social networking boggles my mind sometimes, amazing. 

Follow me on Instagram @Decoaurora

          Over the next few days I was still rolling off that high whether it was from the paint or the likes on Instagram... I was inspired and I needed to do something about it fast. 

     On a whim I entered Michael's A.K.A. the craft Haven to look for some essentials for my newly re-discovered CRAFT! To my delight I was lingering up and down the aisles looking at an array of canvas styles and sizes along with paint and brushes galore. What to do, what to do.

     My younger broke college student self would say ah F#$@! it and just leave empty handed. I chose to go with my instinct. Being the weirdo that I'am, I left my new paint friends in the car for a few days, this is a strange habit I have. I needed to sit on it, what it was I wanted to paint exactly. So after a day of letting my mind wander, (and my paint melt in the car). I decided It was time! 

     As you can see from the photo from above, I was able to paint something...with my own two hands plus a paint brush or two and my imagination. I originally had something else that I wanted to paint, but somehow ended up with this masterpiece! Isn't it funny how things happen? Its like the saying "Life is what happens when you're planning it"...or however it goes. Same thing goes for my paintings I guess. 

Do you paint or craft?

What inspires your arts and crafts? 

Foreign Visuals

     While window shopping at South Coast plaza I was immediately drawn to the window display at Foreign Exchange. I absolutely love what they did with the cups! Strange thing is, a week earlier I had just done a window display at Road Less Traveled using plastic cups and paint...great minds think alike!

Take a look at some of the shots that I got in store. Enjoy

Inside look: Anthro South Coast

Those reeds must have cost a fortune to buy, but knowing anthro they made them.  

     Come on now, you know you go all goo goo gaga over the displays at Anthro, right? The newest O.C. store recently opened in South Coast Plaza and I decided to take a stroll (drive) on over. While the store layout was a bit strange, and the "newness" of it was a bit odd I do have to say they had some awesome displays. I took out my camera and pretended to be a press photographer at their party that night :) Enjoy the shots that I took below. 

WHat do you think this is? A bone marrow? No its a geode! 

The lighting in this picture along with those plush blankets and pillows...heaven.

Oh you know, just some lovely merchandising to make you want it ALL! 

Wish I would have bought one of those white sundresses, so cute. 

I failed at taking a photo of this ladies cardigan. It was so wonderful it had a vintage seaside city painting. 

Have you been to Anthro South Coast? What did you think? 

Everyday Neon

I make it look easy :)

     I would have to say that one of my favorite things to do is design window displays! It is a great mix of fashion and interior merchandising. So how could I not love this? This past summer at Road Less Traveled we featured two of my displays that I made from recycled materials, plastic cups and cardboard boxes. 

     My vision was bright neon, graphic, everyday items in unusual forms. I absolutely love how it all came together in the end. Take a look below, and as always Im available for consultations for window display services. Let me know. 

The cups were painted to resemble the blanket.

A view from outside.

Ladders and Neon Cardboard sparked interest in onlookers.

Spring Inspirations

The feelings of SADD are slowly leaving me as the weather creeps up past the 50 and 60 degree mark and daylight savings has made its way into my life.I live in So-Cal and I hate layering, I know I got So-Cal problems. During the long winter I usually hold my self over with a blast of my space heater while listening to Bossa nova and drinking a beer. This results in me congested and the possibility of hallucination! So awesome...why do I do this to myself? The sacrifices I make to pretend its warm and sunny! 

Below: All these photos have been taken during Spring 2012 because something about them brought great feelings of Spring and each one holds a memory to me. 

Top L-R: Pretty sandals I saw at my first Fullerton Farmers Market of the season, Laguna Beach Palm Trees blowing in the wind bring calmness to my mind, Patchwork signs mean the return of the Spring showcase. 

Bottom L-R: Drawing up window display idea's while sipping mint iced tea, reading Print Workshop book on a rainy day road Less Traveled, Taking a moment to myself at Newport Beach. 

What inspires you? 

Road Less Traveled Displays Spring 2011

A few photos showcasing the displays designed for Road Less Traveled in Spring 2011. 

ROYGBIV Magazine Flower Display 

Delilah & I excited about our Spring Display

Spring In Bloom

Lovely Lady In The Garden

Picnic Basket Full of Goodies

Magazine Flowers

Caitlin and I modeling the aprons we made

Mason Jar tea towels and aprons galore

Our model wearing a wonderful white outfit

Recycled glass & concrete counter tops.