Art has a Heart

Dinosaur.collective is having an art booth at the Art has a Heart fair. Essentially it's a foundation raising money to provide art and music education to low income families. I have so much to do that it's overwhelming. This is dinosaur's first art booth! I'm so excited! I will be looking for volunteers as well to help out with the booth.

Fabulous February (Thus Far)

So far February has been fan-tas-tic!!!! There was an extension on the Labyrinth Swap and I sent out on the 13th. I ended up making her a wrap around skirt, blue butterfly ring, and I also sent some sunglasses that I bought at work that look like a masquerade mask. Pictures will be coming soon (hopefully).

I'm now working on two other swaps. A purse swap and another swap for church. I'm making items for my friend Mo. I'm so stoked about it.

Oh la la Labyrinth Swap

I just got the internet at my new house. I apologize for not keeping up to beat with things. I'm participating in the Labyrinth Swap this month. I've been working non-stop on a few things. I've been trying to get a list of craft items that I need for what I can't get done right away. So far I have 1/4 items done. I have to send it out on the 5th of February. Hopefully I'll have enough time.

The Moving Process

I apologize for my inactive blogging. I'm dealing with moving and work. I've been to moody to post anything and unproductive with crafting. Considering all my stuff is packed.

My new room mate is quite crafty as well and that means I have a buddy to combine forces with to make the ultimate pieces of work.

I should be getting a Dremel here soon >_<


I'm anxious and stressed so bare with me here.

Books > Completed Projects

I've come to realize that I have a crap ton of art/craft books. I dig through them, find what I like, and then make it. However it was recently brought to my attention that I've only made a few things, out of my pseudo library of books, my book to completed craft ratio isn't where I would like it to be. Don't get me wrong, I'm learning a lot. I just don't think that I'm using them to their full potential.

So, I'm going to go through each book and make all of the contents it has to show. What do I have in my library thus far?


'Sew Everything Workshop' by: Diana Rupp


'Creepy Cute' by: Christen Haden



'Generation T: Beyond Fashion' by: Megan Nicolay



'Home Rockanomics' by: Heidi Minx



'The Naughty Secretary Club The Working Girl's Guide to Handmade Jewelry' by: Jennifer Perkins



My lost books that I must find immediately:

'Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life' by: Kathy Cano Murillo


'The Big Ass Book of Crafts' by: Mark Montano



'Alternacrafts' by: Jessica Vitkus


Bring on the motivation, coffee, and patience......and more coffee.

Wanted Tools

I stumbled upon this whilst pursuing Craftster. I now need a drill. I want a drill! AHHH!! So many projects so little time! I do love DIY tutorials even if I don't have the proper tools.

Spoon Pendants by Jean

In this article, I share a nifty tutorial on how to make a spoon pendant (as well as a few other variations made with the same process!). My inspiration was this project by Craftster member rhodora. rhodora used a jewelry saw to create her pendant, but since I don’t have access to one, I turned to my trusty Dremel! I use my Dremel for all sorts of crafty purposes such as glass etching, polishing, carving and making recycled jewelry. I’ve created some really awesome Altoid tin pieces by stripping the paint and engraving gorgeous and intricate little patterns on them with the Dremel. Around our house, I’ve used the Dremel for installing wall outlets, repair work on our motorcycles, and THE BEST THING EVER, re-slotting stripped screws.

Star Keychain	Shrink Plastic Embellished Pendant
Jewelled Suncatcher	Tree Pendant

	Supplies: Dremel 688-01 Cut-off Wheel Accessory Set Safety glasses Dremel Spoons (stainless steel in this instance) Pliers Marker
	Step One: Design an image on the spoon with a marker.
	The possibilities are endless for designs! Think of abstract images, symbols, holidays or just simple and fun shapes.
	Step Two: Cut your image from the spoon. I use a Tungsten Carbide Cutter for this step. Make an initial hole in the spoon and then slowly work outward until your entire image is detailed. I find it helpful to secure the spoon in a workbench with clamps for this step.
	Step Three: Have fun by creating swirls, texture and designs with other attachments. I like to create a hammered appearance on some of my pieces. This will eliminate any accident scratches or marks on your piece as well.
	Step Four: Cut the handle of the spoon with a Dremel Cut-Off Wheel. Be sure to leave enough handle to create a loop at the top of the pendant.
	Step Five: Use pliers to bend the top of the spoon to create a loop. Depending on your strength and the thickness of your spoon, you may need to use gloves or two pairs of pliers for this step. Make your bends slowly. Be careful not to bend back and forth too quickly or you might break the neck of the spoon. If the pliers make marks on your spoon, just repeat Step Three.
	Completed Project! Add a ribbon, chain or cord and your necklace is compete!

The Dream Sleeve Project

My tattoos, to me, aren't just silly images that are permanently inked onto the skin. They involve something deeper. These are images of my favorite things in life. I'm not saying that I'm going to get a tattoo of a plate of spaghetti, because it is my favorite food, but this ink on my skin holds the greatest impacts of my life. Okay so maybe my first tattoo was just for the fun of rebellion, however that heart with the Saturn ring around it (which is put in a place that could be concealed by a bathing suit) marked the beginning of something beautiful.

Three tattoos later I'm ready to move on to something bigger. I was once attached to the idea of a 'Where the Wild Things Are' sleeve, however I decided to get Max on my foot instead. (Let's admit there are a bunch of 'Where the Wild Things Are' sleeves since the movie came out. It would be hard to keep it original.) I wanted to at least get something done since it was my favorite childhood book.

Now I need different artwork to occupy the residency which is my arm. I'm currently doing some research on my favorite artists.
I've decided to save the images to my desktop, then compare, contrast, and dilly dally to birth the tattoo that screams, "BETH!!!"
Among the inspiring artists are:


Audrey Kawasaki





Amy Sol




Miss Van








Chiho Aoshima





I want something that incorporates nature (not new age), cutesy (obviously), zombie-esc, with lots of color. I might just draw it out myself. I'll keep you posted.


(Grandma, I know you're reading this and I know I will have this on my arm forever, but I really don't mind being an old lady with tattoos.)