I saw this on Pintrest and then made my own… its simply a frame, and ribbon or fabric strips stapled or glued on the back.
Hair Clip Hanger (16×20 wooden frame)
April 17, 2012
Jewelry: Crystal Rose Bead Necklace
After Todd and I got married in Italy, we had 2 more weeks of our honeymoon and exploring before flying home. I really wanted to keep my bouquet of roses, so I hung them upside down in our rental car and tried to dry them out. Then I stuck them in my wedding dress bag and managed to bring them home with me! They were pretty smashed up, so I boiled the petals down into beads.
Below: picture of my actual wedding bouquet with Varenna Italy in the Background:
Unfortunately I didn’t take photos of the rose bead process, but here is a great blog about how to make them: http://members.iinet.net.au/~damian/heidikneale/rosebeads.html
So I’ve been carrying around my rose beads now for a few years, waiting for the right necklace inspiration to come along… and it finally did! I recently saw some necklaces with crystals attached, and LOVED them! I had a perfect little crystal at home that would be great for a necklace. Here is what I came up with:
Metaphysical properties of quartz crystals:
Copied from: http://crystalsecret.com/crystalblog/?page_id=271
“Quartz enhances energy by absorbing, storing, amplifying, balancing, focusing and transmitting. It channels universal energy. Quartz also enhances thoughts, as they are a form of energy. Because it directs and amplifies energy, it is extremely beneficial for manifesting, healing, meditation, protection and channeling. It is also beneficial for storing and retrieving information of all types, as information is a form of energy pattern also. This makes them particularly good for programming. Due to its ability to balance, quartz is excellent for harmonizing and balancing one’s environment. Quartz is also good for energizing other crystals.”
April 13, 2012
Do It Yourself Crafts: Paper Mache Puppets
My friend Becky and I decided to get the kids together for crafts once a month. I though it would be super cool to do a puppet theater! I vaguely remember seeing really cool paper mache puppets in an old craft book that my mom had when I was little… Thanks to the internet, it was super easy to find instructions on how to make them. Others were using different methods to create facial features… I really like using the Model Magic.
What you will need:
Small Wooden dowels (I used 1/4 inch x 12 inch), Styrofoam balls (for heads), exacto knife, Model Magic (air dry, light weight clay), Paper Mache mix (I used Celluclay), water, paints, glue, and puppet making supplies such as hair, eyes, etc. + fabric to make clothing.
The first thing that I did was pop the Styrofoam balls on the dowels and then add some facial features to the Styrofoam ball using the Model Magic. This is super easy clay to work with, and comes in handy for many different projects. You can add eyebrows, a nose, ears, a chin.. whatever you like! You will end up covering this with paper mache… so don’t worry about perfection. This usually takes around 24 hours to dry completely, so if your patient, you can wait a day to do the next step. I just went ahead and put the paper mache over it without letting it dry.
The next step is to cover the head with paper mache. Follow directions for the Celluclay to create a nice mixture of workable clay, and then spread a thin layer over the styrofoam and model magic.
After drying for a little white, you can smooth it out with your fingers a little bit while the paper mache is still wet. These can take another 24-48 hours to dry, unless you use a fan, or blow dryer to speed up the drying process. I have a little hot blow gun that I use. After all, I can only take up the kitchen table so many days in a row, hehe.
Here is a shot of my first batch of puppets after paper mache and drying over night…
After letting these dry a few days, I decided it would probably be good to add a neck so that it would be easier to attach clothing later… and what better than a toilet paper roll! I cut one into about three circular pieces, and cut the circle open to angle it tot he puppet head (make sense?). Then I duck taped it back together and paper mached it on. Check out the example image to the left. As you can see, I left a little bit of the toilet paper roll showing, which I could cover, but it probably doesn’t matter since the clothing will cover it up.
After spending a few days looking at eye options… I decided to use some clay to fill in the eye sockets, and create eyelids. While wet, I stuck in some cute little plastic googly eyes. I also added a few more details, smoothing out some of their nose and chins.
After a little paint:
Added some yarn hair, eyelashes a hat, and flower:
This is where I am going to say: To be continued! I am in the middle of making these, but will update asap with progress 
April 2, 2012
Easter Tradition: Ukrainian Egg Decorating Parties with Family & Friends
Ukrainian egg decorating is one of my favorite Easter traditions! Of course I never really stick to the traditional style of Ukrainian eggs, instead I create my own designs which can include random designs, or flowers, or swirls… anything I can think of. It is a ton of fun to do with family and friends every year. In fact, we just barely finished up a family party tonight, and the eggs turned out awesome!
I usually order all of my egg supplies from http://www.ukrainiangiftshop.com/. And over the years, I have been collecting more and more Kistky sticks so I can have parties with around 6-8 guests. If you are just starting, here is their most popular kit: http://www.ukrainiangiftshop.com/Super-Color-Kit-w_delrin/productinfo/KITSD// . BTW, the dyes are fabulous… super intense colors really makes it fun!
More about Decorating Ukrainian Eggs
You need: Wax, kistky sticks, dye, candles, paper towels, mason jars (for the dyes), (I use hard boiled) eggs. I suggest using the products from the links posted above.
The kistky sticks are used to draw with wax onto the egg. Each time you dip the egg into a new color, you must add wax to wherever you would like that particular color to stay. It is best to start with light colors and work your way to darker colors… this will help keep your colors vibrant and not muddied. The Ukrainian egg dyes are super intense and will stain your clothes and hands, so latex gloves are optional as well. When finished, just melt and wipe off all of the wax from the egg. This is best done by putting the egg in the side of a flame, rather than the top. Otherwise, you could get some black carbon stains from the flame.
Here are some pics from our party tonight…
July 20, 2011
Crafts, and all that Jazz: Feather Earrings, Fake Stash & Steampunk Piece
Sometimes I make stuff… Today it was feather earrings, a rockin fake stash and a clock + gear piece to go on my top hat for a steampunk photo shoot I will add updated photos of these items in use over the next few days/weeks!
Here is the Steampunk piece (above) officially a permanent part of this Steampunk hat that I put together:
More pictures coming soon!! …
March 31, 2011
March 2011
I LOVE ART. I saw this at the Peterson Art Center today where I take pottery classes (ending April 2011 due to moving) and loved it, had to take a picture of it and post it…
Speaking of Pottery, I recently made some super rad mugs… they are the best thing I have made so far. I think it would be SO COOL to put little frogs in the bottom of the cups. Since I didn’t make them and attach them before they got too dry, I would need to glaze them in during a firing.. not sure I want to take the risk… Maybe I will try it on one of them! Here is a picture of them in the “Green” phase:
(April 15 2011) Update: I made little frogs to go inside the mugs that I made! I am thinking I will glaze the mugs blue and the frogs green…
I am taking another makeup class, this time at Skinworks (Christel’s crash course). It’s awesome, she is a great teacher, and I am getting more needed experience (YAY!). Here is a shot of her giving a demonstration: (Can you tell, I love posting pictures, hehe)
Other than that, we are just packing and getting ready to move! April 16th April 30th is the moving date… Can’t wait for my master bathroom with a jet tub! First priority this spring is to get a killer swingset for the girls!!
March 15, 2011
Pottery Buttons
I have been making pottery buttons! Some of them are stamped with cabinet knob handles, and others I carved my own stamp or just carved the button itself. It’s actually a lot of work to make one batch and since I have to wait for my pottery class to bisque and fire them, it can take 2-3 months to have the finished buttons! Maybe one day I will buy a little kiln. Here is a picture…
February 24, 2011
Learning to Sew…
I have been contemplating the idea of going to the Fashion institute at SLCC this summer or fall… I want to learn how to do costuming and wardrobe for our photo shoots! Not sure I will ever get that far with it, but it would be nice to be able to make custom pieces that no one else can get anywhere else. Several ideas already come to mind for photo shoots we have planned. In the mean time, I decided to do a little learning on my own. Simplicity “Learn to Sew” patterns are super easy to follow and my first project was pajama pants (pics below)… my daughter picked out the material and I finished them the other night within 1-2 hours. She is so cute… she is also learning to sew, and is taking classes at The Finishing School.
My next project is to sew a skirt for my 6 year old… I don’t really know how to pick out materials, so I hope what I got works, lol.
December 4, 2010
Felted Wool Scarf
I bought a felted wool scarf tutorial on Esty a few weeks ago, and finally got all my supplies today. I spent most of the day researching You Tube videos about felting wool, buying the right type of sander, and putting this scarf together. I made two tonight, and not sure I want to make any more, lol… my hands are tired from the actual felting part, but it was all worth it. Here is a pic of me wearing it…
November 25, 2010
Some Recent Sewing Projects
Every once in a blue moon, I have a random inspiration to sew. The last time I went wild was about 12 years ago… I hand stitched several baby blankets for my daughter (no sewing machine). So last year I bought a sewing machine from Costco (knowing I would want to use it one day) and finally got around to sewing some projects this month (Nov 2010). The funniest little things inspire me, lol… I saw an herbal pillow at Golden Braid Books for about $30(?) and decided that I should just go home and make my own. So I did… and I loved it! It only took me about 2-3 tries of trial and error to figure out how to sew them nicely. They are filled with flax-seed and lavender. Usually recipes call for essential oils, but I decided to only include the herbs in mine, w/out the oils. These pillows inspired me to have a Christmas Bazaar at my house (Dec 18th) so that I can sell them at a good price to last minute Christmas shoppers. I have also made some lovely herbal pillows filled with buckwheat hulls and rose buds. Of course I will be selling several of my other crafts as well (pottery, photography etc).
I don’t know why I decided to make a Victorian collar like this! I don’t really even know how to sew, lol. But it actually turned out quite nice. I LOVE big necklaces and goddy neck pieces for photo shoots, so I thought it might be cool for some sort of vintage fashion shoot. I am going to have my 11 year old wear it, along with a dress and white gloves. I will post pics of the final images here once we do the shoot.
I think that’s it for now… I think I have had my fill for sewing, and plan to put the sewing machine away for a while as soon as I am finished sewing a few more herbal pillows for Christmas gifts. I do plan to make some scarves, but that will be created from felting wool and is a whole different, crazy process.
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