Mentor + Outcome Of Project

I havent mentioned much about my mentor for this project. I chose my mentor to be my sister because she has a lot of experience in travelling. She has been to the congo, and this past summer backpacked around europe with her close friends. Soon she is going to Honduras with a couple other nurses and engineers with an outreach program. It was fun having her by my side along this project because it was cool to hear about her own experiences in where she has gone.

Overall, I really enjoyed my passion project this year. I love learning about places and different cultures around the world, so I think it was a good fit for me. Not only was it fun, but it was quite time consuming during class periods on passion project day, which was a good thing. I look forward to presenting what I learnt + discovered this year through my project.

"Wherever you go becomes apart of you somehow."
   -Anita Desai

Here are some verses that I have found in the bible that somewhat relate to traveling.

Psalm 91:11- "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways."

Psalm 139:9-10- "If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me."

Psalm 119:105- "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

Proverbs 3:23- "Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble."

View image | gettyimages.com

View image | gettyimages.com

In my last blog post I didnt get a chance to include photos of Costa Rica, so I decided to add some now :)

~COSTA RICA~

"Costa Rica is a vibrant country full of incredible natural beauty where you can explore waterfalls, jungles, volcanoes, and find plenty of wildlife. A photographers dream location."

Costa Rica is found in Central America and lies between Panama to the south and Nicaragua to the north. It has a narrow Pacific coastal region including Cocos Island. An interesting fact about this country is that Columbus explored it in 1502. Their official language is spanish but many people speak english as well. 

Religion Statistics: Evangelical 14%, Roman Catholic 76%, other protesetant 1%, none 4%

Less known interesting facts about the country:

In Costa Rica, men refer themselves to Ticos and women refer themselves as Ticas.

Most people of the land respect it and they are known to be a very eco- green countries, 25% of the land remains protected.

They are the hummingbird captial, inhabiting over 52 different species of the bird.

10% of the worlds butterflies live in Costa Rica.

The country is bordered by both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

***Best time to visit is from december to April.

Costa Rica is very diverse. One day you can explore remote beaches, or pristine cloud forests, giant volcanoes and extreme wildlife. It is looked upon as one of the beautiful places in the world.

More Japan ---- significance to the cherry blossom tree

Japan has upon thousands upon thousands of cherry blossom trees. Cherry blossom trees symbolize the beauty of life and fragility to Japan. They have an old tradition where they have a flower viewing day each year where people hold feasts under the blooming cherry blossom trees. I think it would be pretty sweet to be out there when this event happens!

View image | gettyimages.com

~JAPAN~

For a long time I have always been interested in Japan, i don't actually know why but it just seems like a cool place to travel to. I got some information from my mom because she went to Japan for a couple months after high school. Its been really neat learning about the ways of their unique culture that they display to the world.

Japan faces the pacific ocean along the entire eastern and southern coastline. The korean penninsula is closest to Japan. To the north and west are the Sea of Okhotsk, Sea of Japan, and the East China Sea. Earthquakes are common occurences from day to day. Another eye catching fact is that they have up to 1,500 volcanoes! It is commonly known that in Japaneese culture they orient their lives towards the ocean, like its a part of them.

View image | gettyimages.com

Japan has become a highly urbanized society. Japan is growing in population because of their economic development, they are very up to date.

I wanted to highlight on their Religion(s). A big chunk of the population believes in Shinito. Shinito is a term for a system of Gods and beliefs about the relationship between the natural enviroment, the people of the land, and the state. Shinito teaches that Japan is uniquely the land of the gods. This type of religion has no scripture involved whatsoever. Buddhism also played an influence since it was introduced into Japan from Korea and China in the sixth century A.D. Ever since Shinito and Buddhism has existed in Japan they have influenced one another greatly. In the sixteenth century Japans religious life has also been influenced by christianity. When christianity was first introduced people had to hide their faith and be "hidden christians." It was a very intense time in history because a lot of people hid themselves in isolation. In 1870, the ban on christianity was lifted and everyone had a sense of freedom. Today only 1% of Japan consider themselves to be christians, it seems quite little but it is said that there are a lot of political leaders, and people that take part in that, that are christians they just don't like to admit it.

View image | gettyimages.com

~GREECE~

One of the many places I would like to visit at some point in my life is Greece. I have heard from friends and family that the pictures you see online of Greece (Deep blue skies and ocean, artistic white looking buildings, mountains off in the distance), is EXACTLY how it looks in person which tells me that Greece would be a prime place to travel to.

#173255209 / gettyimages.com

ABOUT/FACTS:
The land of the Greece is bordered by Albania, Macedonia, Turkey and the Cretan Seas. This beautiful country is known to have many islands. Over time 170 islands have been inhabited but still 2,000 more islands remain and are yet to be discovered! The weather out there is very HOT and there winters are rainy/cold (not freezing though). The currency is euro.

#459715359 / gettyimages.com

FOOD:
The typical greek diet on a daily basis includes grapes, cheese, lamb, olives, grains, fish and vegetables.  As a tourist you may have lots of greek salad, and their famous gyros (flat bread stuffed with vegetables, lamb or chicken, and sauce).

RELIGION:
Around 98% of the population are Orthodox Christians.

PLACES TO VISIT:
-Acropolis of Athens
-Acropolis Museum
-Parthenon
-Panathenaic Stadium
-National Garden in Athens

#144312678 / gettyimages.com

Both my parents, and my sister Holly (my mentor), have been to Greece and seen some of the places I've listed above. Its been neat to hear their perspective on what its actually like out there. One of my sisters highlights was visiting the Panathenaic Stadium because she got to sit on one of the actual podiums.

~AUSTRIA~

For the past few weeks I have begun to research the beautiful country of Austria. Austria is bordered by the czech Republic, Germany to its north, slovakia and Hungary to its east, Slovenia and Italy to its south, Switzerland and Leichtenstein to its west.

#aog62275 / gettyimages.com

FACTS:

-Austrias terrain is very mountainous because it is surrounded by the Alps. There is a known fact that 500% of the country is below 500 meters.

-The Alps cover over 62% of their land.

-Lots of Farmland in its rural area. (Farm houses are made usually of stone and wood) 

-The official language is German and the majority of people speak it.

-Known to be one of the richest countries in the world.

-Numerous villages that show their old traditions/ways.

-They have a european currency (euros).

-Very nice Architecture.
-The famous movie/play The Sound of Music was shot in parts of Austria.

PARTS OF AUSTRIA:

-Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Vorarlberg and Vienna.

PLACES TO VISIT (Tourist attractions):

-Vienna State Opera (Huge, stunning building)

-Salzburg Castle (Located on the top of Festungsberg mountain which towers over Salzburg)

-Grossglockner Alpine Road (A famous road that travels through mountain ranges with amazing views)

-Seefeld, Tyrol (Home to the the winter olympics where the cross country skiing center is)

FOOD:

For breakfast a typical meal would be coffee, bread, jam and usually a side of meat such as sausage. Austria has also has a tradition of having a mid-day coffee break. The main course of the day is lunch which would normally include soup and some sort of meat as well has a salad. Dinners consist of cold meats, fish, vegetables, cheese, wine and beer.

Since Austria has a lot of farmland local farmers grow a lot of fruit and vegetables. They grow a lot of grapes for wine making as well. Typical crops are grains, wheat, potatoes and sugar beets.

RELIGION:

The country has a freedom of any religion. Most of the land are Roman catholic. Another religion that is quite common is protestantism. In the many villages Austria has there are many cathedrals, churches, and synagogues.

#466697169 / gettyimages.com

IDEAS

Places I'd like to research/look into: Austria, Slovenia, Boston, Ireland, Turkey, Prague, Germany, India, Thailand, ect.

Things I will aim to research about:

-Cultures (Foods, Community structure, Religion.)

-Interesting facts that not many people know of about the particular place

-Top places to visit 

-Top places to stay

-Look into travel costs ($)

Other ideas i may plan to do: 

-Create a journal with maps + plans + writing

-Pin points of a physical map

-Talk to people i know about their own travels to get more of an understanding

-Work with my mentor (my sister)

Passion Project #2

So the point of this post is to let all you bloggers out there know that i am now in the process of starting a whole new Passion Project! This year i will be making a travel guide for myself. This project will include a lot of research of the places i want to go. So most of my blog posts will consist of the information i am learning about the places i'm interested in going. So if you are interested in traveling and exploring new places then follow my blog and message me if you have any questions/comments. :)

-Rach

Outcome Of Project

All in all i loved doing this project. When choosing my project i wanted to do something i could enjoy and it happened. I created things that i didn't even know i was capable of making. It was a challenge at times but this project was made to push you. This project also made me go out of my comfort zone by going in front of my whole Bible class and presenting my DIYs. I feel proud of myself of what I've accomplished as well.

MAP DIY COASTERS

So today i realized that i had some extra cork remaining from my last DIY project so i decided i'd look for a project with cork so that i could use it all up. I found this project on Pinterest. If you are a regular coffee, tea, steamer drinker this project is perfect for you :)

Things you will need:

-Cork (got mine from Dollarama for around $2.00.)
-Mod Podge
-Any sort of Map
-X-acto Knife
-Scissors
-Sponge/Foam

I found this project was very quick and easy to make. If you are planning to have a cup of coffee with a friend these coasters look wonderful and work very well.

So first i traced a circle on the piece of cork and then took out my X-acto knife and cut around it. Then i took my map and traced a circle and cut it out with the Scissors. I then took my Mod Podge (its a gloss/glue) and spread it with a sponge on the cut out cork circle. I then placed my map piece on top of it and put a gloss of Mod Podge over top of it as well to give it more of a shine.

 Things i could of done better:

When cutting the cork i wish i would of been a little slower and took my time cutting it with the knife because the cork made some rough edges. I also wish that i could put glass over top of the coasters but i don't have any source of how to cut glass..Other than that i am pleased with how they turned out.

My passion project so far has been really fun. I really enjoy making things and doing hands on type of work. It has shown me a different type of art that i wasn't use to doing before. I highly suggest you try out this DIY! Message me if you have any questions.

Mentor

So In the process of doing this project I selected a mentor. My mentor for my passion project is my mom because she has helped me throughout making different crafts/DIYs for my project. I chose her because she pushes me to challenge myself. She also helps me work on and finish different projects I've done. 

CORK STYLE FRAME

Who knew that you could make neat things out of cork?!
Today i made a cork bulletin board! This was lots of fun and i really enjoy the result of it.

Supplies needed:
-Old Frame
-Staple gun
-X-acto knife
-Pliers
-Cork
-Cover for behind the cork
-Nails if needed

How to make:
First what i did was find an old picture frame that i don't use or hang anymore. Then from there i took out the picture/photo and took out the glass as well. To do this i had to use my Pliers.

After doing that, you line up the cork with your frame. Next you take an X-acto knife and cut off any extra cork that you don't need.

So once you have the cork you must find a way for it to stick to your frame.... i had many issues in figuring out how i could do this, when all of a sudden a perfect idea popped into my head! A staple gun. Staple the piece of cork onto the frame.

This project was cheap and fun. The only thing i needed to actually buy was some cork. I bought the cork from the dollar store for about $2.00. In doing this project i learnt that you have to be very exact in cutting the cork, it may involve some measuring. As well as to be careful with the X-acto knife because its very sharp! 

I highly suggest you try it out, its perfect for putting reminders, or christmas cards you will be getting in the mail sometime! 

Thanks,

Rachel :)

FABRIC CHANDELIER 

This weekend i felt i was in the crafty mood so i built my very own Fabric Chandelier. I must admit that  this was quite the project, it took me 2 days to make it the way i wanted it to be in the end. I got this idea from a DIY website i found on the internet and decided to try it out!

Things you will need to make it:

-Old fabric (I used sheets in my house that we don't use anymore.)

-String of lights

-Drying cookie rack

-Scissors 

-Extension Cord

Quick Summary of how i made it:

First what i did was i hunted around in the linen closet in my house to find old white fabric sheets that we don't use anymore. Secondly i used a cookie drying rack in our kitchen that we don't use often. The first step you do is cut the fabric into little long strips and fold them onto one of the poles on the rack and tie a knot so the fabric doesn't slip off. (I had to do this step many times because the fabric didn't stay on very well.) Next once you are done tying them all on the rack you take a string of lights (any kind) and you tie them onto the rack as well so they are hanging downward inside of the fabrics. To hang the lamp i took a hook i had and hammered it into the ceiling. For the 4 strings on the top attached to the cookie rack i braided the pieces together and made a knot at the top of all of them and hung it. 

During the project i had many challenges. For one, cutting the fabric was actually harder than it seems! Cutting and making the long strings of fabric probably took up most of the time in making this DIY. It was also hard figuring out how to plug in the lights but i realized that using an extension cord worked very well. During the day this is just a statement piece that looks creative hanging from your ceiling, and during the night it gives your room a warm glow to it. The lights reflect off of the white fabric which makes it look very artsy and cool! 

Overall im quite pleased with how it turned out, if you have any questions about making it or the process of doing so just hit me up with a message and i'll try to respond asap! 

Rachel (:

Ideas

Hey bloggers!

Sorry i haven't had much time to update you on what I've been doing recently but lately i have been doing some outside of class work on various DIY projects. Recently i have been in the process of making a light for my room that will hang from my ceiling, soon i will show you the outcome of it through pictures and how i did it. I also have some inspiration of making something out of cork i found in my house. I could either make some coasters with it or a bulletin board with a picture frame. These are all ideas that are in a work of progress. So stay in tune to find out!

Photo Transfer onto Canvas

I love when i see potraits on canvases. But little did i know that you can make them right out of your home! This DIY is actually quite simple but so fun and so worth it. I have to say there were some challenging parts in the process of doing so, but you can get through it.

So first i made my own Mod Podge because you will need it for your finishing product on the canvas to make it shine. To make Mod Podge all you need is an old jar you dont use anymore, Elmers glue, and water. Very easy. I also added a lable on my jar saying "Rachel's Mod Podge." 

To make a canvas potrait you will need the following:

-Mod podge

-Tape + Scissors

-Foam brush

-Stretched out canvas

-Printed photo (I took one of my family photos)

-Black Acrylic Paint

First you will print out a photo from a laser printer or just a regular printer at your home. I put my photo onto a word document and then i printed it out and made it black and white for a more antique look. After that i took my stretched out canvas and took my foam brush and just brushed Mod Podge all over it. 

Next i put the photo on the canvas and pressed it down because there were some bubbles because of the Mod Podge underneath. After doing that I put more Mod Podge over top of the photo and let it dry for around 15-20 minutes. 

After you let it dry i wanted to give it more of a rustic look so i took a black sponge and used my black acrylic paint to just dab around the edges. Adding paint tops it off and makes it look a lot better i find!

                                                                                                           

I was very happy of how this project turned out. You can do this anytime and use it as a gift or a present to someone as well. The hardest part was choosing what method i wanted to use to transfer the photo onto the canvas. You can do other methods with tissue paper, laser printer one too. Overall this project wasn't expensive at all! I bought the Elmers glue from the dollar store for only $2.00 as well as the canvas was only $4.00, and i didn't need to buy anything else! I highly suggest you try it out!

Hello All :) Today i decided to do an Art DIY just because i was in the mood. I made a tape painting. The process of doing so was quite simple, and fun i must say! All you need in order to accomplish this is tape (any kind), a canvas, acrylic paint, scissors, water and paint brushes. I kept my canvas just plain white for the background but you can also spray paint it to a different color before taping. I suggest you put newspaper under your canvas because it can get messy when you are using paint. Through this process i learnt that you may need water even when using acrylic paint because the paint can dry very quickly and harden so water helps smooth the paint. I was very pleased with the outcome because now i have another painting to hang on my wall. (my room is getting redone so all of the DIY's i will be doing i can add to my new room.) This project was very enjoyable to do because i didn't feel like doing a 4 hour painting. This took me probably around an hour and 15 minutes. I highly suggest you try it in your spare time! Scroll down to see the process of how i did it and the finished product. Next week i will be posting another simple DIY to do at home so stay tuned!

Dear bloggers,
     Hello! My name is Rachel, and this blog is all about simple DIY (Do-It-Yourself) projects. For one of my classes at school our task is to think of a topic that you would be more interested in learning about and blogging every once and awhile about. The thing you choose can either be a goal or skill you want to learn or improve on. I have to tell you that it took me awhile to think of an actual "good" idea. I did many brainstorming activities to figure out what i wanted to do. First of all, i love and really enjoy art so i wanted to somehow incorporate it into my project somehow. I think that DIY projects will be perfect because it is in a way a form of art. With DIY projects you can do a variety of many different things. It can expand from making home decorative things to homemade masterpieces. My quote at the top of my blog says, "Learning to take what you have, and making something worthwhile." Most of the things i will be doing are things you can simply do right out of your home. Occasionally i will have to go to art/crafts stores to buy a few things i will need in order to make successful DIY's. My goal is to make many different things, as well as master the skill of crafting.This week i will be starting on a few projects and i will update you on them as soon as possible! If you have any questions, feel free to comment or message me.