Decoupage
Posted by: deidre421 on: February 23, 2012
This may be hard to believe with all the crafts I have had my hand in, but up until last week I had never actually decoupaged before!! I got the oppurtunity to take a class for free at Artmart on this and couldn’t pass it up. I made a decoupaged plate. We chose a paper to used and also got to paint a premade wooden plate. All things that you can buy at Artmart or art supply/craft stores in your area! Here are some photos of my finished piece. I used some turquoise paint and a marbelized handmade paper.
Patterns
Posted by: deidre421 on: February 13, 2012
I made a new batch of thrown pottery the other day that I am practicing some pattern making on. Some of it is wheel thrown that I have put pieces of lace and ribbon on the impress a delicate pattern. So far these have not been coming out as I would hope, but they are working somewhat. Just a bit more practice in application and it will hopefully look cleaner.
The other one are rolled slabs that are cut in various shapes I may use as ring catchers or little plates. There is also some lace and ribbon on these, as well as some sea shells and other materials. It has been some fun experimenting to see what different things will do.
Lastly I have also been working on a drawing a new pattern I filled up more of a page, but have a tiny picture of what it will look like. I am thinking of doing it on the larger thrown piece in the photo with some yellow slip.
More postcards
Posted by: deidre421 on: February 7, 2012
I made some more postcards. This time based on television shows. I used Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job for one and Parks and Recreation for the other. They are okay but I wish I had some better paper to collage with I need to get some more magazines to cut from. The T&E one kind of blends together, but came out better than I expected going in. I really like the background on the Parks and Recreation one. I used packing tape to seal them which also helped flatten them out.
Now I have a couple of days off so I am going to go down into my dungeon and work on some more swap crafts and of course working on some ceramic stuff. We brought some larger sculptures that myself and my friend had still been working on in the school studio over to my dungeon so we can work on them here. It is becoming a regular studio! Updates coming soon.
Kawaii Postcard
Posted by: deidre421 on: January 26, 2012
Made this cute little postcard for a swap. That is one down! I kind of wish I had like a mini laminate machine instead of using packing tape, but it works for now! Hopefully it make it all the way to its destination in Norway.
I used cut up pieces of kawaii memo pads and little note sheets, and some stickers, also some glitter glue!
Ready to craft
Posted by: deidre421 on: January 24, 2012
I have been busy the last few weeks and a bit sick recently so I haven’t had much time to get any projects started. However, I do have some swaps coming up with some handmade postcards which should be fun. 
I have a couple of weeks to send them out but will start working on them this week sometime. I have a few more pieces to take to get fired too. I makes me nervous taking unfired dried out pieces in my car to go get fired, but so far there have not been any disasters. Once I get some things fired I fully plan on trying out some of the ceramic paint and sealer I inherited around Christmas time from people at work. I have a handful of teabowls that would make perfect test subjects. More to come soon once I get more done. I also have been getting so many ideas and tutorials from Pinterest, too many for me to handle, but maybe sometime this year I will have time to try a few.
New rings to ring in the new year
Posted by: deidre421 on: January 11, 2012
Awhile back I found this video on youtube and thought it looked like an interesting technique to try. I got the Tacky Glue weeks ago but just hadn’t had time to make anything of it. Last week I made some little forms with some white sculpey I had lying around and did the technique shown in the video which is super simple. The video shows them using some forms made with a casting product, but I just handmade some little gem like shapes with the white sculpey and baked it. I used the same burning technique with a normal candle. I painted them with some Jacquard Lumiere, Dynaflow, and Pearlex I had. They are marketed more for fabric but work on other surfaces. My favorite it the ball shape that came out pinkish purple. Look at the photos below. Not sure yet, if I will sell these or keep them/give them to friends. I still have some ring blanks to use for ceramic rings!
Secondly I worked a bit on the wheel today and have some pictures of the pieces. The large bowl is the best, but I may use the other two pieces in an attached together piece. Also I had a day to unpack all my boxed up ceramics pieces, and put them on shelves. The bottom shelf is 2011 work, (and will have 2012 soon), the middle shelf is 2009-2010, and the top is older work. Clearly I need more shelves
End of the year wrap up
Posted by: deidre421 on: January 4, 2012
We are already a few days into the new year, but I still have some things that never got put up from last year. These are some random things that didn’t fit in with other posts or I didn’t have time to make a separate post for.
First off I made another Christmas stocking this year, this time for my best friend. He came with me to the fabric store and picked out some fabric himself. I still have enough to make another stocking and may do so before next Christmas. It has Rudolph licensed fabric on the outside and some swirly beige fabric on the inside.
Second are some pictures of the first items to be made on my at home wheel. I made one bowl, a curvy vessel, and 5 little off the hump things which may be used as teabowls. They have all been trimmed and are now just awaiting being fired.
For the new year expect to see a lot more sewing projects and items made in my in home studio as I continue to expand it. I have a heap of fabric just waiting to be used and plan on making a purse with it I have already made one bag, which I actually do not think I ever photographed! Save that for the next wrap up post I guess I also am planning on making more jewelry and expanding to more than earrings. Happy New Year! I look forward to hearing from you guys in 2012.
Paper beads galore
Posted by: deidre421 on: December 28, 2011
Recently I signed up for a swap to do some paper beads, it is a beginner swap and sounded like fun, but then I had to go find some tutorials so I could get an idea as to what I was in for. I found this little video from EvelineUK and it was just perfect. Like she says in the video it is quite addicting, especially since each one comes out a little different! Eveline also has a blog which can be seen here, I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet but I look forward to seeing if there are any other crafty tips.
I used some magazine pages, mostly from arts or craft magazines with interesting fun graphics on them, and some patterned paper I had in my pile o’ paper at my crafting table. The nail polish trick mentioned in the video really does work, and something I found to be fun was using tinted nail polish that was still transparent, giving it a glimmery colorful look but still sealing it and giving the beads shine.
Here are some pictures of my first handfuls, I have made a couple handfuls more so I am sure you will see more pictures of these in the future.
Dog stuffies: a tutorial
Posted by: deidre421 on: December 27, 2011
I have done my fair share of sewing projects over the last year, and shown pictures of many of them. I thought that I might do a little bit of a tutorial on one of my favorites to do and that my little dogs really seem to enjoy. This project does not take very long at all, I made the one seen in the photos in one night. They are also easy to personalize.
Materials :
- Fleece fabric – Do not need much, I got half of a yard and still have plenty after making 2 stuffies.
- Cotton quilting fabric or other strong fabric – again not much is needed and it can even be scrap if the size is right, mine was leftover brown from a purse project.
- Stuffing! – I like to use Polyfill, or polyester fiberfill.
- Embroidery floss or thread – I hand stitch everything so I use embroidery floss a lot, if you have a working sewing machine though the thread used with it will be fine. While not necessary I recommend using a thread that will match the fleece.
- Felt – I personalized mine with initials of the puppers, you can generally get one 8″ x 11″ sheet at a craft store for .25-.40 cents in multiple colors.
- Scissors
- Pins to hold stuff in place while you sew.
- Fabric glue – I use Sobo glue for almost everything, but if you have a different one the works for you that is fine as well.
- Recommended White chalk pencil – I used one to draw out the letters to give me a guideline for cutting them out.
- Optional squeaker - I got a package of them on Etsy and used them in these stuffies, my dogs love squeaks!
Step 1 – Make you initial or other personalized feature. I started with this first so I would know how large to make my shape. The blue initial featured in the photos is for my brothers dog Bastian, the pink one for my baby girl Buddy. Still have to make an L for our new baby Lola. I used the chalk pencil to draw a bubble letter B, that I was comfortable with and then cut it out. If you are unsatisfied with the initial cut out you can always trim away until you find something you like and set this part aside.
Step 2 – Make your shape and cut it out. I made a simple small circle for one of them and a large oval bean like shape for another. Also keep in mind the size of your dogs mouth. I made the smaller circle for a smaller dog. Cut out two of these shapes in the fleece and two of them in the cotton fabric.
Step 3 – Attach the felt initial to the fleece. Take one of the fleece pieces and the felt letter. Spread a light layer of the fabric glue on the back side of the letter and press down on the center of the fleece piece. Once it dries for a bit Add some stitching to the outside of the letter to hold it securely in place and for an added decorative touch.
Step 4 – Sew the fleece and the lining together. The reason I added the brown fabric is to make this stuffy extra tough! Our newest dog rips toys apart and this added some extra structure to the toy. Simply line up one cotton piece with one fleece piece (make sure the initial is facing out) and sew around the edges using a simple line stitch. Repeat with the other two pieces.
Step 5 – Sew your two pieces together. Line up the two pieces you have sewn together with the fleece facing inward. sew around the edges again using a simple line stitch. Leave about one inch or so of space to stuff the toy.
Step 6 – Start stuffing! Turn your toy right side out by pulling the inside through the hole you left. Take your polyfill and start stuffing it into the toy, make sure to use plenty and make it big and fluffy.
Step 7 – Optional – Add the squeaker simply shove the squeaker towards the center of the toy and surround with more fluff.
Step 8 – Finish sewing together. Sew together the hole and make sure there are no gaps where fluff can get through.
Step 9 – Let your pups enjoy! So far our tearer up of toys has not been able to tear a hole in this stuffie, of course each dog is different. Watch and supervise your dog to make sure they can play with the toy nicely and don’t leave a fluffy mess in your house. She has gotten it very dirty but a toss in the washing machine will fix that.
There is a wheel in my basement!
Posted by: deidre421 on: December 22, 2011
Yes it is true I finally saved up enough to afford a wheel and my parents helped a bit as part of Christmas, and I still have money to spare! I ended up getting a Shimpo VL Whisper, which does make me feel quite traitorous, since I have used Brent for much of my 9 years working in ceramics. But… the Shimpos are soooo quiet, and I got it as part of decent sale. Also from what I have heard from some former teachers, the Shimpos hold up a bit better over time. the one thing that does irritate me about them though is how stark white the tops are, they got instantly dirty and never look clean afterwards. Especially since the clay I got to play with is brown. I got mine at a local pottery shop called Krueger Pottery, that you can also access online. Next purchase is a Giffin Grip for sure!
Speaking of, I got a new clay body as part of my gifts with purchase. I chose this one because it has a nice speckle when fired, it is also a tan colour. Working with a new clay body is fun but I kind of cut into it a bit much on my first piece when trimming the bottom on the wheel. It was just so smooth. Anyway I am going to go play with the wheel some more, the first pieces I threw should be ready for a trimming!
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