Craft Hope Spreading seeds of hope one stitch at a time

Sunday, November 22, 2009

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
beyond fashion


'Home Rockanomics' by: Heidi Minx
home rockanomics


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


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

crafty chica

'The Big Ass Book of Crafts' by: Mark Montano
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'Alternacrafts' by: Jessica Vitkus
alternicrafts

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.

Jean's Creations
Star Spoon Keychain
Star Keychain
Turtle Shrink Plastic Pendant
Shrink Plastic Embellished Pendant
Spoon Suncatcher
Jewelled Suncatcher
Tree Spoon Pendant
Tree Pendant
A FREE TUTORIAL BY JEAN
Project Supplies Supplies:

Dremel 688-01 Cut-off Wheel Accessory Set
Safety glasses
Dremel
Spoons (stainless steel in this instance)
Pliers
Marker

Step 1 Step One:

Design an image on the spoon with a marker.

Step 1 Part Two The possibilities are endless for designs! Think of abstract images, symbols, holidays or just simple and fun shapes.
Step 2 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 3 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 4 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 5 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.

Finished Pendant Completed Project!

Add a ribbon, chain or cord and your necklace is compete!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

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.)

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Craft Swap

I'm a member of Craftster.org. I joined a craft swap where essentially you are paired up with another person or (crafter if you will) and you make crafts for them based on their interests. This is the first time I did it and I must say it was a fun experience. Here's what I made her:

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An elephant for her 2 year old!

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This sweet pincushion. I could have easily kept for myself.

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Where the Wild Things Are Series of Max mini paintings.

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I also made her a linoleum block, in which I carved a jellyfish. It's basically a large stamp.

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Leo couldn't wait to send it to the post office.

Monday was my birthday. After a long, exhausting, but fun day I found bunnyface's package on my bed. It entailed.....



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This amazingly cute whale. I call him Wally.

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'Deep in the Forest' an altered book made by bunnyface herself. It's so awesome and her first altered book. It looks amazing.

And last but definitely not least......

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MUSTACHIOS!!

It's a necklace with interchangeable mustaches!

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Thank you Bunnyface!!