Would you like your own acrylic painting of your Warframe companion?
8.5x11 Full Colour, no background - $500
2 Slots available
Screenshot required
International shipping +$250
Too much yellow + $50*
* After finishing The Cavia Portraiture series, I’ve discovered I get horribly depressed when I paint in yellow tones. As such, the painting will take longer but it will get finished.
I expect these paintings to have a 1 month turnaround otherwise.
Surgical masks are ineffective at protecting you and others from respiratory illnesses. That said, any mask is better than no mask and some people just don’t have easy access to KN95 or better. Here’s how you can improve the efficacy of the protection a surgical mask offers you and others in four simple steps.
fold mask in half (hot dog style)
Tie a knot close to the mask’s edge with the ear loop.
Expand the nose and chin area (it should be concave, coming to a point where you tied the knot)
push the outer surface of the mask inward under the knot (to form a better seal)
You ever see something innocuous, minding its own business on the clearance shelf at Michael’s and before you know it, it takes over your life for a few weeks?
So it was with this desktop greenhouse.
I took it home and after taking an appropriate time to “season” my idea in my mind (read: a month or two) I set to make my vision of a mini botanical garden a reality.
I started by removing the heavy glass panels and building a raised floor above the latch. I wanted to use the base as a foundation on the building.
I wrapped the foundation in plastic stone textured flooring (meant for Christmas villages) and built a pond at one end of the same. I then gave it a more realistic paint job and designed a rough layout for my plants and displays.
I also knew I wanted to make the ironwork significantly more intricate, but I wasn’t sure how just yet…
Up next - PLANTS! I went wild making all kinds of plants. Some were specific species and some were more conceptual.
I made several trees with polymer clay and moss, cacti out of beads and flocking, cattails out of raffia, hot glue and coffee grounds, and giant monstera leaves out of paper and wire.
This part should have taken me a long time, but it really came together fast. I loved finding ways to replicate natural shapes and patterns using bits of this and that.
I did make adjustments to my plans as I went like eliminating benches in favor of a simpler overall design.
Then I needed to fill my pond with water. For this I used resin. Lily pads were added to the top layer, and I wired in simple LED fairy lights. The batteries are kept in the box under the foundation.
In a weekend frenzy I added more plants, metal (paper) steps, new (plexi)glass windows, a roof, wrought-iron vines (paper again), doors that open, and a hose reel disguising the latch. Suddenly, a project I thought would take months was finished…
I love my desktop botanical garden. Right now it sits on a simple lazy Susan in my office. But I’d love to get it a proper display box to protect from dust.
Thank you for coming on this little journey with me. This piece packs a lot of joy into a tiny space. I always love building miniatures, and I’ll be doing more in the future I’m sure.
