The Artful Crafter

Artsy Bloggers Roundup #85

2009-11-08T05:00:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving and Fall Craft Ideas
Cathie Filian
It’s apple craft time! Cathie is stamping up napkins and a simple apron. She also has a delicious recipe for apple crisp.

The Artful Crafter
Make some sweet, goofy, felt and feather Tom Turkey Place Card holders for your Thanksgiving table.

Christmas and Winter Craft Ideas
About Family Crafts
Sign up for Sherri's 12 Days of Christmas Crafts email newsletter and you will receive a variety of Christmas related craft ideas delivered to your email box every day for 12 days - everything from advent calendars to Santa Claus crafts!

Craft Books
Mixed Media Artist
Have you ever wanted to learn how to weave? Cyndi's got a book giveaway going on that could help you out!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Two fun necklace designs featuring charms made with a Faux Scrimshaw polymer clay technique from the book Enchanted Adornments by Cynthia Thornton.

Craft Inspiration
Craftside - A Behind-the-Scenes Peek at a Crafty World
Over at Craftside there is a free Japanese wave print and a how-to make pocket ATC with it, Latte Art, a sneak peek into Pam Sussman's studio from Lynne Perrella's new book, a call for entries for a cake decorating book, and good questions to ask yourself to help for a business/design plan.

The Crafting Life
Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy is super busy and "something’s gotta give!"

Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style
Two very different quilts from the same pattern and Linda shares the story of them both along with a story on getting one of the quilts published in McCall's Quick Quilts.

The Impatient Crafter
Madge shares a sneak peek of the ad campaign she shot with her lovely daughter AND the instructions to the Cupcake Glitter Shirt Avalon is wearing in the ad in this post for iLoveToCreate!

Tags: art blogs, craft blogs, Thanksgiving craft ideas, craft inspiration, fall and winter crafts, craft tutorials, craft books, crafting life, craft ideas, craft projects

Making Money Online with Recycled Crafts

2009-11-07T05:00:00.002-06:00

Continued from yesterday …

If you don’t have market validation, why not try a few things locally first? Let me just throw out a couple of ideas.

• Ask friends for their honest opinions of your crafts. Do you think someone would pay for this? How much would you suggest?

• Host a recycled craft party in your home or the house of a friend. Save up the supplies or ask people to contribute. Often guests are asked to pay a small fee to cover the supplies which must be purchased. Each guest goes home with something they’ve made.

• Offer to teach recycled craft classes at a local craft store or school event. Provide handouts with your copyright noted to be sure you retain rights to the idea with the idea of publishing online in the future.

I did a Google search for “recycled crafts” and was surprised not to find more quality sites in this field. The best example of a quality recycled craft site, in my opinion, is published by Craft Bits.

That may mean there is a niche waiting to be filled and this could be a very opportune time for you to start a recycled craft blog or website.

Do You Want Your Own Design Business or to Design for Someone Else?
There is a spectrum of ways designers can get their ideas online: from freelancing; to designing exclusively for one company; to retaining your copyrights while designing for someone else to publish; to being a one-woman show with your own blog or website showcasing and selling your ideas.

I wrote a pretty comprehensive answer to another reader who wanted to sell her plastic canvas designs online. You’ll find more information in Are You Trying to Get Your Original Designs Published?

Just substitute “recycled crafts” wherever I say “plastic canvas” ;-)

Good luck!
Eileen

Tags: recycled craft designs, getting original designs published, work from home, determining market value of your designs, selling your designs, protecting your copyright, recycled craft projects, your own blog or website

Making Money Online with Recycled Crafts

2009-11-06T05:00:00.002-06:00

Hi,

My name is Emma. I have created many recycled projects for a couple of years now. Mostly holiday crafts. I am a stay at home mom and our budget is limited so I make things.

My question is how do I sell my ideas or get them online so I get credit for creating them?

I use a lot of milk gallon jugs, cardboard, soda bottles, water bottles, anything recycled to make Halloween and Christmas crafts. I do have pictures of some.

I have a lot to offer; so how can I do this? I'm new to trying to get my ideas out there.

Thanks in advance.
Emma

=============================================

Hi Emma,

There are so many different ways you can go in order to get your designs online, it’s hard for me to know where to begin.

Recycled eco-friendly crafts are extremely popular these days. That gives you a leg up. You have the vision and artistic sense to see what something can become – and to realize that vision.

To get a clearer idea of what direction you want to go, think about the following two issues.

What is the Market Value of Your Designs?
What do you do with the things you create? Do you give them all away or use them yourself? Do you have any idea of their market worth?

Have any of your friends asked you to make something for them and offered to pay? Do people marvel at your clever ideas? Have you sold any items to friends or at craft fairs or school bazaars? Positive responses to your gifts and especially requests to buy your recycled crafts, are a strong indication of market value. Actual sales are even better.

You need some type of market validation before you should even think about going online with your ideas or patterns. If you already have market validation, it may be time to get your ideas online.

To be continued tomorrow …

Tags: recycled craft designs, getting original designs published, work from home, determining market value of your designs, selling your designs, protecting your copyright, recycled craft projects, your own blog or website

An Artist’s Life

2009-11-05T05:00:00.007-06:00

It’s still feels odd to call myself an artist. But I got to thinking; I’ve been a working crafter/artist full time for 12 years now. I’ve read and tried every medium I can get my hands on. With some I’ve developed sufficient skill that people will actually pay for my work.

I’ve studied (and gotten good marks) with people I don’t hesitate to call “artists”: drawing classes with Karl Barnhart; precious metal clay with Lauri Jensen; wire sculpting with Preston Reuther; and no less than nine digital graphics and Photoshop classes with several Scrap Girls graphic designers.

I’ve published a few of my original patterns and even written a definitive guide to decoupage which, as fate would have it, won’t see the light of day. The unit of Barnes and Noble which commissioned it fell prey to the weak economy. :-(

I designed the A above in my latest Scrap Girls class: “Stunning 3D Text” taught by Jene Parks. I rather like it. Most people will look at it; read “A” and move on. I look at it and see pattern on top of shading and the three-dimensional aspect and I think …

Give that lady an A. She’s an artist!

My “golden years” have turned into a beautiful multi-colored rainbow. Sweet!

Tags: Scrap Girls classes, decoupage , digital photography, anyone can learn to draw, wire sculpting, graphic design, learning Photoshop, adult education

How to Give a Vintage Look to New Photos

2009-11-04T05:00:00.004-06:00

I can’t believe that the vintage-look photo you used in your “BIG Kiss” layout was taken recently. How did you do that?

At first I thought you meant that was you getting kissed in the picture. LOL. Then I saw the tiny figure to the left of the statue – or actually to the right of the statue but to the left in the photo.

It really looks like an early Kodachrome that has yellowed with time. And then all the tatters – they make it look like a bunch of papers and photos that were just shoved into a “junk drawer” and forgotten for decades.

The layout is darling. I’d love to get to San Diego to see the actual huge statue. It was -7 C (that’s 19 F to you) last night on Lake Louise!

Nancy (from Banff, Alberta, CA)

==============================================

Oh Nancy, my condolences! I hope you enjoy winter sports, ‘cause I can’t think of anything else to love about such cold.

I’m showing the before and after photos so you can see what I started with. You won’t believe that the transformation only took about 20 seconds! That because I used a Photoshop Action.

PS Actions are like scripts you can run over and over again. The computer does all the steps – I didn’t count how many steps are in this action, but I would guess between 50 and a hundred. What a timesaver! The script stops running periodically so that you can tweak the results yourself if desired.

If you’re interested, you need to know a little bit about Photoshop or Photoshop Elements; but not much. The action comes with step-by-step instructions for installation and use, along with some lovely examples.

Just go to the Scrap Girls Boutique and type “Tattered Photo” (including the quotes) into the search box. The designer of the action I used is Brandy Murry and her code is 8501. Scroll down until you find the 8501 action for your software.

Tags: Scrap Girls classes, free Scrap Girls newsletter, digital photography, Photoshop Actions, scrapbooking, graphic design, learning Photoshop, digital scrapbooking

Digital Play Day

2009-11-03T05:00:00.003-06:00

I played all day today. And I don’t feel even a bit guilty. I was doing my homework for an online Scrap Girls class I’m taking. Digital graphics is the craft Siren which has been singing to me for the last couple of years. Sadly I can rarely afford to take an entire day to indulge myself.

So you know what I did? I signed up for a Scrap Girls class on creating 3D alphas using Adobe Photoshop. If anybody gives me an assignment, I’m right there – front and center. I wonder what that says about me. Never mind – I think I know. Lol.

The journaling says:

“The Big Kiss in celebration of the end of WII - This impressive statue stands just over 25 feet and flanks the WWII-era USS Midway aircraft carrier which is moored in San Diego and now serving as a museum. What an impressive sight!”

And

“That’s 5’8” me next to the exuberant couple.”

So this will be a very short blog post because I’m really …

… grrzzzzzzz . . . oh wait …

P.S. The Scrap Girls products used in this layout were crested by Brandy Murry (Tattered Photo Action to automatically “age” my photo, Melissa Renfro (Aged Folds Style on the background border and clipped to the letters of “BIG”), Mandy Steward (Epoxy Style applied to “BIG”), Theresa Kavouras (Pacific Map Combat Paper background), Valerie Randall (Vintage Postcard from SG 08 Event Collection), Thao Cosgrove (Gold Phototurns from her Earth Vessel Collection) and Jacelen Deinema (Compass from Watercolor Nature Collection).

Tags: Scrap Girls classes, free Scrap Girls newsletter, digital photography, digital homework, scrapbooking, graphic design, learning Photoshop, digital scrapbooking

How to Sew Unequal Angles and Curves, Part 2

2009-11-02T05:00:00.002-06:00

[This tutorial is in response to a question from Anne posted Friday.]

Now for the tricky angles. Yes they are different – but by design. The smaller angled piece may require that you cut a notch before pinning and sewing. With stretchy fabrics you can sometimes skip this. If you do need to notch, be careful not to go too close to the seam line.

Match up the edges and pin starting at the angle and working toward the fabric edges making sure that the edges meet.

Though the pattern directions may suggest otherwise, due to the bulk at the angle I thought it best to start sewing from the matched edges and work toward the angle. I used the technique described above to keep the pieces exactly aligned. Use both hands to gently pull and guide the cap through the machine and you should avoid any puckering.

Trim the seam edges and clip the corners (at the angles). If you haven’t used a serger to bind the seams, apply fray check to the seams. Turn the pieces right side out.

I hope you now have a nice curved hat back which joins to the side flaps without any puckering.

Tags: sewing tips, sewing tricky angles, sewing tutorial, machine sewing tips, sewing caps, notching corners, clipping corners, trimming seams

Artsy Bloggers Roundup #84

2009-11-01T05:00:00.001-06:00

Craft Projects
Vickie Howell – Craft. Rock. Love.
Vickie shows how to customize photo mats to go with your favorite photos!

The Artful Crafter
Make some romantic mood light candles with decorative tissue paper and decoupage medium.

Aileen's Musing
Aileen offers an easy peasy bottlecap earring tutorial. These were for the Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) but you can make them for any occasion.

Craftside - A Behind-the-Scenes Peek at a Crafty World
On the Craftside of things learn a how to fold paper ric rac to embellish your paper crafts.

Craft Inspiration
About Family Crafts
Sherri gives you an excuse to craft every day during the month of November using this calendar of events.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy found out crocheting chemo hats is trickier than she thought, but she found success.

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi has started another small quilt, this time featuring pears!

The Crafting Life
The Impatient Crafter
This is a story of a refugee who found her strength in creativity. Though she recently died, her story lives on. Please read and share the story of Haiffaa Ali.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
If you didn’t get to Stefanie’s house to “trick or treat” last night, take a peek at what you missed – she used odds and ends from her craft stash to make clever glass Jack O' Lanterns!

Tags: art blogs, craft blogs, craft ideas, craft inspiration, the crafting life, craft tutorials, decoupage, crochet, craft ideas, craft books

How to Sew Unequal Angles and Curves, Part 1

2009-10-31T05:00:00.005-05:00

[This tutorial is in response to a question from Anne posted yesterday.]

Here are the two cut cap pieces. [There should be more curve to the brim but that part of piece A was cut off in Anne's photo.] The large piece will form the top of the cap. The rounded edge goes to the back of the head. The two side flaps fold down and are joined to the rounded strip which will hug the back of the head when the hat is put on.

Determine the seam on the hugger strip and hat top piece where they will be sewn together. Fold each piece in half to mark the center. Place the pieces right side facing so the pins match up.

Work from the center to pin the hugging strip to the hat top. Notice that the strip stands away from the hat top. Varying angles and curves in pattern pieces which are sewn together are designed to create the required angles in the finished item of clothing.

Attach the hugging strip to the hat top piece, sewing from one end to the other. If you feel the pieces getting out of synch, hold them together both above and below the machine presser plate to help guide the assembly through the machine as you so carefully pinned it.

The result is a nice smooth curved seam at the back of the cap.

In Part 2 Monday we’ll tackle the tricky angle which Anne had trouble with.

Tomorrow is Artsy Bloggers Day and we have lots of fun in store for you!

LAST CHANCE - Sale ends midnight tonight!

Tags: sewing tips, sewing tricky angles, sewing tutorial, machine sewing tips, sewing caps, notching corners, clipping corners, trimming seams

Tutorial: Sewing Unequal Angles and Curves

2009-10-30T05:00:00.002-05:00

I hope you can help me. I am sewing a pattern that requires two uneven corners to be seamed together. One corner is wider than 90 degrees and the other is smaller than 90 degrees. When I sew them together, I get a pucker of fabric on the wider angled piece that I can't make go away.

I'm trying to sew a cap, the style known as "driving" or "ivy". The angle in question occurs where the top pattern piece meets the underside pattern piece. Piece A has to join piece B where they are pointing towards each other in the photo I’ve attached.

I really appreciate your trying to help! I look forward to hearing back from you soon.

Cheers,
Anne

============================================

Hi Anne,

I’ve done a little tutorial on sewing angles and curves using your example. And I do mean little – lol. This would be a doll size driving cap. I only realized at the end that the problem with this is that I can’t put it on someone’s head to show how it would look. But I think you can easily see that the method I used gives nice smooth curves and un-puckered angles.

Please come back tomorrow for Part 1 of the tutorial.

Tags: sewing tips, sewing tricky angles, sewing tutorial, machine sewing tips, sewing caps, notching corners, clipping corners, trimming seams

Quilted Christmas Place Mats

2009-10-29T05:00:00.003-05:00

[Today we’re finishing the Christmas project we started Tuesday.]

Press all the edges flat.

On the back of each stocking, place a batting piece and pin in place. Cut away ⅜-inch of batting all around. Fold the fabric over the batting and pin in place on the front.

Topstitch along the edge of the stocking.

Place two stockings on the mat where desired. Toes can go in or out as you prefer. Place a couple of pins in each stocking to hold in place. Stitch each stocking down onto the mat from top to toe and back up to the top, leaving the stocking top open to hold the silverware. This can be done by machine or by hand. If using the machine, choose a small fairly close zig zag stitch.

Press the stockings and the mat.

Now to embellish. Weave a strand of red rick rack together with one of green. Measure across the top of each stocking and cut the woven rick rack to fit. Use fabric glue to glue in place.

Use gold 3D paint to run little irregular lines down from the rick rack and place a small ball of paint on the end of each line.

Use red 3D paint to define the heel and toe of each stocking. Embellishing is the fun part so go wild. Just remember what you put on the place mats must stand up to a gentle cycle wash. After washing, lay flat or hang to dry. Press on the back side if needed using low to medium heat.

Tags: holiday craft, Christmas craft, holiday place mats, Christmas place mats, quilted place mats, place mats with sewn-in silverware pockets, teach kids to set a table, craft tutorial

Quilted Christmas Place Mats

2009-10-28T05:00:00.002-05:00

[This Christmas project started yesterday .]

Optional Tip: Since the edges will not be hemmed but rather will be bound in bias tape, pinking shears can be used to minimize raveling as you work.

For each place mat, cut two rounded rectangles measuring 17 ½ by 12 inches of the main fabric and one of the batting.

Cut one stocking from the second fabric and then turn the pattern over to cut another facing the other direction. Cut one piece of the batting for each stocking.

For the place mat, place first fabric piece right side down on your work surface, then the batting and place the other fabric piece right side up on top. Lining up the edges, pin all three layers together.

Open up the bias tape and make a ½” fold at the very beginning. Pin one edge of the tape even with the edge of the mat. This will be the front of the mat. The bias tape will later be turned to the back side and sewn to complete the binding.

Stitch in the first fold from the edge all around the mat making sure not to have any tucks in the corners. You will have a ⅜-inch seam all around the mat when done. End by cutting the tape off just past the folded end of the tape. Make little clips in the seam allowance in the corners for smooth curves.

Turn the stitched tape to the back side of the mat and pin as shown below.

On the front side, place pins along the little ditch created where the bias tape was just stitched to the main fabric. These pins will secure the bias tape folded over the back of the place mat, so you can remove the pins from the back (last picture) before running the mat through the sewing machine.

With the place mat right side up, stitch all around keeping your stitches close to the bias tape. In quilting, this is called “stitching in the ditch” and will give a nice finished look on both sides.

Come back tomorrow to complete your Christmas place mats.

Tags: holiday craft, Christmas craft, holiday place mats, Christmas place mats, quilted place mats, place mats with sewn-in silverware pockets, teach kids to set a table, craft tutorial

Quilted Christmas Place Mats

2009-10-27T05:00:00.006-05:00

Delight your family Christmas morn with these clever place mats at the breakfast table. Next year, they’ll start asking for them right after Thanksgiving. Guaranteed!

The built-in – or rather sewn-in – Christmas stocking pockets make it fun for kids to set the table as well as a fun way to teach them where the utensils should be placed.

Supplies:

• Christmas fabric in two different prints – example measures 17 ½ by 12 inches and requires ½ yard of 36-inch wide fabric per place mat; ¼ yard of the second design will give you enough fabric for 7 stockings for 3 ½ place mats
• Quilt batting – enough for each place mat you are making plus two stockings each for silverware pockets
• Scribbles 3D Fabric Paints in gold and red
• Wrights Wide Bias Tape in green – each place mat requires approximately 56 inches
• Sewing machine
• Needle and thread
• Sewing pins
• Wrights red and green rick rack
• Aleene’s Ok to Wash It fabric glue
• Printout of stocking template

Instructions:

Open a new word processing program document. Click on the template above and copy. Paste the template into the new document.

Click on the image and move it to the top left on the page. Move the cursor over the lower right corner until you can grab the corner and stretch the template so that the stocking measures approximately 6 ½ inches tall by 5 inches wide. [The template will be 7 ½ by 5 ¾.]

Print.

Wash and iron fabrics. Iron the bias tape leaving the folds as they are.

Come back tomorrow to begin assembling your Christmas place mats.

Tags: holiday craft, Christmas craft, holiday place mats, Christmas place mats, quilted place mats, place mats with sewn-in silverware pockets, teach kids to set a table, craft tutorial

Unisex Knotted Scarf is a Quick and Easy Gift to Make

2009-10-26T05:00:00.002-05:00

Do you have some guys on your list who are hard to craft for? Are you looking for a teen or adult fashion craft project that is always in style?

You’ll love these knotted scarves which whip up in a jiffy.

Supplies:

• 1 skein soft and bulky acrylic yarn like Sumptuous Super Soft and Bulky Acrylic
• Masking tape
• Measuring tape
• Scissors

Instructions:

Cut 12 pieces of yarn approximately 1 2/3 times the desired length of the finished scarf. For a scarf 86 inches long, you will need the pieces to measure about 140 inches.

Lay the pieces out on a long table or counter in four bunches of three pieces each, spaced about 1 ½ inch apart.

Place a long strip of masking tape across one end about 4 to 6 inches from the end.

[If you don’t have a long area to lay out the yarn, you can place the ends inside a drawer and close the drawer tight on the fringe. You will then be able to knot the scarf out and away from the drawer.]

The knots you will be doing are simple square knots. Always start each knot left over right and then right over left so they will all look alike. Pull each knot fairly tight.

Start by knotting the right two bunches together then knotting the left two bunches together. Next make a knot using the two middle bunches.

Leave about 1 ½ inches (vertically) between the knots as you work down the scarf.

Continue in the same manner for the remainder of the scarf. Be sure to end knotting the two outer bunches as you did to start the scarf.

Trim the scarf ends to a 4 to 6-inch fringe.

Optional: Unravel the strands of yarn at each end to create a fluffy fringe.

Tags: yarn craft, craft ideas, jiffy knotted scarf, teen craft, gift idea, easy craft project, how-to make a knotted scarf

Artsy Bloggers Roundup #83

2009-10-25T05:00:00.002-05:00

Fall and Halloween Crafts
The Artful Crafter
Make a pretty fall triple wreath wall hanging for your own wall or as a housewarming gift. With a little imagination, you can adapt the design for Christmas or just about any other occasion/season.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Polymer Clay Candy Corn Beads Hot out of the Oven made using a "recipe" from the book The Polymer Clay Cookbook.

The Impatient Crafter
Madge scares up another fiendishly fabulous mixed media design for Halloween!

About Family Crafts
Sherri offers several free pumpkin carving patterns for you to download and use!

Aileen's Musings
This week Aileen offers a free pumpkin label for you to download and print. Also, a very cool photo manipulation site, so gather your favorite pictures and have some fun!

Fiber and Fabric Crafts
Craftside - A Behind-the-Scenes Peek at a Crafty World
At Craftside – find directions for how to sew gathers and a tutorial for upcycling two old man-size shirts into a cute ruffled dress

Crafty Princess Diaries
Diggity Doggity, the crocheted dog blanket is done!

Craft Inspiration
Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style
Linda revisits a quilt she made a while back.

Mixed Media Artist
Do you have a signature style? Cyndi wants to know what it is and wants to help you show it off!

Cathie Filian
Make a warm mug of Chai Tea at home with this traditional recipe from Cathie.

Tags: art blogs, craft blogs, Halloween craft ideas, craft inspiration, patterns, craft tutorials, fiber crafts, crochet, craft ideas, craft books

Guidelines for Selecting the Right Size Lampshade

2009-10-24T05:00:00.002-05:00

[Concluding my response to Jennifer from yesterday.]

There is a bit of leeway in lampshade dimensions. I think the 4 x 7 x 7-inch shade would do just fine for your canning jar lamp. The picture above is an artist’s (me – lol) rendering of how a 4 x 7 x 7 shade will look. In fact I think this look is better suited to such a small lamp than the photo in yesterday’s post.

For future reference, here are some guidelines for determining lampshade size for a well-proportioned look.

How to Select the Right Size Lampshade for a Table Lamp
Measure the height of the lamp base from the table to the bottom of the bulb socket.

• Shade Height should equal between five-eighths and seven-eights the height of the base as measured above (base + socket stem).
• Shade Bottom Diameter should equal the base height (base + socket stem) plus or minus two inches.

How to Select a Lamp Harp for a Table Lamp
The harp which slips into the sides of the light bulb socket should not be visible when the lamp is viewed at eye level. In other words, it should be hidden by the lampshade. Consequently, the harp should be the height of the shade plus or minus approximately one half inch.

Tags: selecting lampshades, best size lampshades, table lamp lampshades, canning jar lamps, Mason jar lamps, craft ideas, lampshade guidelines, making table lamps

How to Select the Right Size Lampshade for a Canning Jar Lamp

2009-10-23T05:00:00.003-05:00

Hello,

I am looking to find some suggestions, please.

I am making 1 quart wide mouth canning jar lamps and have gone to the Fogg lighting website to purchase the lampshades. What size lamp shade do you suggest?

The 4 x 11 x 7 seems like it may be too big for the 1 quart jar. I am using standard light bulbs, so I was wondering if you thought the 4 x 7 x 7 shade would work?

Thanks!

Your website is so helpful and neat!

Jennifer

============================================

Hi Jennifer,

Thank you. I’m so glad you’re enjoying The Artful Crafter website.

I agree with you that a 4 x 11 x 7 inch shade would be too big for a standard 1-quart canning jar lamp.

The picture above shows a 1-quart canning jar lamp which measures 8 ½ inches in height from the bottom of the jar to the bottom of the lamp socket. I think the shade looks pretty well-proportioned to the lamp base. It measures 3 inches in diameter at the top, 8 ½ inches at the bottom, and 6 inches in height.

Come back tomorrow for guidelines on selecting the right size lampshade.

Tags: selecting lampshades, best size lampshades, table lamp lampshades, canning jar lamps, Mason jar lamps, craft ideas, lampshade guidelines, making table lamps

How to Cut Bamboo Slats for Your Craft Projects

2009-10-22T05:00:00.003-05:00

[This saga of the custom made blinds which didn’t fit started yesterday.]

Two months later when we picked the blinds up and got them home, we discovered that an inch and a half had been added to the width for an outside mount. Not wanting to rewrap the blinds, tie them to the roof of the car and make the two hour trip to the store only to get into an argument over whose fault it was, I decided to DIM (Do It Myself).

How to Cut Bamboo using a Dremel Tool
Lay the woven bamboo item flat. A cutting mat with a measurement grid is nice to help get the corners square. Mark the length you want at intervals. Connect the marks with a straightedge and draw the cutting line with a pencil.

Place two layers of corrugated cardboard under the area to be cut. Attach a rotary blade for wood to the Dremel. Holding the blade perpendicular to the cut line, turn on the Dremel and press down. It’s easy to feel when the Dremel touches the cardboard. When you feel the cardboard, move the blade slowly forward along the cut line.

You may have to lift the blade and restart from time to time if you meet resistance. I feared that some of the bamboo slats would split or fray. They did not. My DH and the two carpenters who turned down the job were quite impressed. LOL.

I kept my bamboo scraps because I figured they would come in handy some day. They just did!

Regards,
Eileen

Tags: buying bamboo, bamboo crafts, cutting bamboo, using a Dremel tool, craft ideas, collage, handmade cards, upcyle scraps

Where to find Bamboo Slats for Your Craft Projects

2009-10-21T05:00:00.003-05:00

Bamboo slats are handy for lots of craft projects. I’ve woven them into place mats and used them to embellish picture frames. They make good paint stirrers. I’ve used small scraps in collages, on journal covers and on cards.

Here’s yet another use for bamboo slats from one of our readers.

=============================================

I am looking for bamboo staves for making large feather fans. Can you help? A Canadian company would be preferred. Thanks.

=============================================

You can search online for “bamboo slats”. You’ll find some suppliers of raw slats sold in bundles or rolls. It may be difficult to tell if the slats have the correct stiffness for your fans just from the pictures. If you connect with a wholesaler, they would be willing to send you samples.

However if you don’t need or want to spend the time developing a relationship with a wholesaler, there is a quicker, easier way which may even save you money.

Go to your local Home Depot or Pier 1 and look for bamboo place mats or an inexpensive bamboo blind made of the type of slat you need. Cut the item to the length you need using a Dremel Tool. Pull the slats apart as needed when you make your fans.

This is not as tricky as it may sound. Let me tell you how I know. We ordered custom bamboo blinds for our dining room, giving the salesman the exact width to fit our recessed window.

Can you tell where this is going? Come back tomorrow for the rest of the story.

Tags: buying bamboo, bamboo crafts, cutting bamboo, using a Dremel tool, craft ideas, collage, handmade cards, upcyle scraps

Reader Question Leads to New Homecoming Mum Weave

2009-10-20T05:00:00.003-05:00

I have tried to do the diamondback braid for a mum, following directions on your website. I don't know what I am doing wrong, but I get a "candy stripe" weave instead of the diamondback.

Please help!

Thank you.
Patti

=============================================

Hi Patti,

I went back to the directions and tried to follow them myself. Guess what? I figured out how you're getting a candy cane stripe!

So I’ve revised the instructions for the Diamondback Weave. I found the weave is easier to describe if you hold one color in each hand. I came up with a mantra that helped the work go without mistakes.

I've also added a new tip. If you run out of pole to weave on before the braid is long enough, remove the rubber band. Slide the woven length partially off the pole. Secure the top with a paper clip. Clamp a pinch clip on the braid and pole to hold the braid in place. Continue weaving.

I'm sorry for your trouble, but thank you for writing to let me know. And also for the new Candy Cane Stripe Weave. I’ve put that up as well!

Regards,
Eileen

===========================================

Thank you so much, Eileen, for your help. I can't wait to get started with the diamondback braid.

Actually, the candy striped braid is pretty cool, too ... and I am using both the diamondback and the candy stripe on the next mum that I am doing!!

Wahoo! A new braid design!!

Patti

Tags: homecoming mums, award-winning website, The Artful Crafter, Knol, homecoming mum rules, love chain weaves, how to make homecoming mums, homecoming mum supplies, homecoming season

Readers Weigh in on New Homecoming Mum Corsage Trends

2009-10-19T05:00:00.002-05:00

My Ten Commandments of Homecoming Mum Corsages has a pretty funny thread going on. I thought you might enjoy it. Feel free to join in the fun and leave a comment of your own.

=============================================

A Creative Dream said …
LOL...This is just hysterical! I love it. I'm not sure if we have the homecoming mum tradition here, but I'm going to call a friend of mine who covers sports here for a local station and ask. If we do ... I am going to make sure he gets pictures for me!

I said ...
I'm glad you enjoyed my tongue-in-cheek directions for making a Homecoming Mum Corsage :-D

I don't know if the tradition has reached Kentucky yet, but it is definitely spreading far from its Texas/Oklahoma roots.

Maria said...
LOL...

Cyndi L said...
ABAHP...as big as humanly possible. That's what I've heard ;-)

I said...
You got it, Cyndi!

andrea said...
Can you take multiple single round backings and connect them to make one big round backing? If so how?

I said...
Well yes, I suppose you could. But who would wear it, Andre the Giant? LOL.

But seriously, I have seen a double corsage with a larger mum on top and a smaller one attached below. That was done by cutting a backing and matching cover shield slightly smaller and downsizing the floral arrangement to fit them.

To do a really large single corsage, I would use plastic canvas and cut out a single large backing and matching cover shield (rather than stapling “multiple single round backings” into a larger circle).

=============================================

I find it really fun to see what new and creative ideas my readers come up with – whether it be for Homecoming Mum Corsages or any other craft category. Creativity is what it’s all about!

Tags: homecoming mums, award-winning website, The Artful Crafter, Knol, homecoming mum rules, love chain weaves, how to make homecoming mums, homecoming mum supplies, homecoming season

Artsy Bloggers Roundup #82

2009-10-18T05:00:00.003-05:00

Halloween Crafts
Vickie Howell - Craft. Rock. Love
This week Vickie launched her new PBS Parents column, Craft Apparent. Check out her first article, a how-to on making utterly adorable baby costumes, starting with just a plain onsie!

About Family Crafts
Follow these directions and discover how easy it is to sew a felt tote bag that is perfect for trick-or-treating!

Aileen's Musings
Come meet Aileen's friends Herm & Ethel (they're baccck!). Download a couple of freebie e-postcards and send Halloween greetings to your friends!

Cathie Filian
Cathie's made a quick video on how to spook up china ball lanterns for your patio or yard.

Craftside - A Behind-the-Scenes Peek at a Crafty World
Check out all the great creativity that happened last weekend at Halloween Swap-o-Rama-Rama clothing and costume swap in Venice, California.

The Artful Crafter
Eileen shows you how to create a simple but festive Halloween cupcake stand from terracotta pots.

Fiber and Fabric Crafts
Cross Stitch at About.com
Connie has another inspirational pattern, this time with an abstract flair. The chart is easy - whole cross stitch and a wee bit of back stitch.

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi is starting a new quilt ... this time featuring pears!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Stefanie made a Vintage Hankie Scarf using the tutorial from the Indygo Junction book "Hankie Style".

The Crafting Life
Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style
Linda visited a few quilt shops in Toronto and shares her finds.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy has a package ready to go out the door for her new jewelry making book.

The Impatient Crafter
Martha, watch your back. Madge is on her way. Check out her upcoming appearance at the Grand Opening of Michaels in Manhattan!

Tags: art blogs, craft blogs, Halloween craft ideas, craft inspiration, patterns, craft tutorials, fiber crafts, quilting, craft ideas, craft books

Make Turkey-Embellished (or More Formal) Clay Napkin Rings for the Fall Holidays

2009-10-17T05:00:00.003-05:00

[This project started Thursday.]

Cut the cardboard tube into a 1-inch length.

Roll out a good size piece of clay until it is just a little over 1/8-inch thick (but no more than ¼-inch). Lay the cardboard piece down on its side on the rolled clay and bring up both ends of the clay to completely cover the outside of the tube.

Use one of the sculpting tools to cut the excess clay off the ends of the tube. The easiest way to do this is to keep the tube on the work surface and simply roll it towards you as you press off the excess clay with a trimming edge tool.

Smooth the edges of the clay and smooth out the seam.

Roll two thin ropes of clay long enough to go around both edges. Lightly press the ropes on the edges smoothing out the tiny seam.

Take a very small rubber stamp and make impressions into the clay all around the smooth area of the tube. Placing two fingers inside the tube will allow you to hold it and press the stamp into place.

In the example I used a very small fall leaf stamp.

Place the turkey and the ring on a metal pan in an oven preheated to 275F. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Let pieces cool completely before handling.

Follow the topmost photo in Thursday’s post to paint the pieces. Seal with water based varnish

When completely dry, glue the bird on top of the napkin ring with the tacky glue. Let dry 24 hours before using.

Tags: polymer clay craft, Thanksgiving napkin rings, clay project, holiday craft idea, clay turkey napkin ring, fall napkin ring, fall table decor, clay project

Make Turkey-Embellished (or More Formal) Clay Napkin Rings for the Fall Holidays

2009-10-16T05:00:00.002-05:00

[You’ll find the list of supplies for this project in yesterday’s post.]

Instructions:

Roll out five large pea-size balls of clay. Roll each into a cone and then flatten as illustrated.

Lay one flattened clay shape on your work surface; then one to the right and one to the left overlapping a little at the bottom. Do this again with the remaining two flattened pieces.

Take a small flat edge sculpting tool and make indentations in each tail feather to create the look of feathers. The tail section is now ready for the body.

Start with a medium size pea shaped ball and roll into a cone. Flatten slightly leaving some fullness for the body. Refer to the close-up below to place it wider end down on the tail feather section.

Take another ball about half the size used for the body. Roll into a cone shape and lay it with the wider end up on top of the body to form the head and neck. Lightly smooth out the bottom to blend into the lower body.

Roll two tiny balls and place at the bottom for the feet. And another very tiny ball rolled into a small cone and attach the larger end where the beak should go.

Roll out a tiny piece of clay into a rope; slightly flatten and cut off to about ¾-inch in length. Attach one end to the top of the beak and let it lay down onto the body. This is the snood. Use a pencil lead to poke two tiny holes for the eyes.

Set the assembled turkey aside for baking.

Come back tomorrow to finish up!

Tags: polymer clay craft, Thanksgiving napkin rings, clay project, holiday craft idea, clay turkey napkin ring, fall napkin ring, fall table decor, clay project

Make Turkey-Embellished (or More Formal) Clay Napkin Rings for the Fall Holidays

2009-10-15T05:00:00.005-05:00

To make the turkey-embellished napkin rings as shown above, follow the entire tutorial over the next two days.

If you want more formal-looking fall napkin rings as shown below, take tomorrow off and come back Saturday for the stamped ring directions.

Supplies:

• Sculpey Polymer Clay – white
• Delta Ceramcoat Acrylic Paint – brown, tan and yellow
• Small paint brush
• Clay sculpting tools
• Small rubber stamp in fall design
• Cardboard roll, e.g. from toilet paper or plastic wrap
• Country Colors Water Based Varnish and Sealer in satin finish
• Aleene’s Clear Gel Tacky Glue
• Pencil
• Oven for baking

Gather up all your supplies and come back tomorrow when we will start clay crafting!

Tags: polymer clay craft, Thanksgiving napkin rings, clay project, holiday craft idea, clay turkey napkin ring, fall napkin ring, fall table decor, clay project