Craft Therapy

Little Acts of Kindness....

I hate to throw bits and pieces away, so when of my quilt sisters asked for bookmarks, I got all excited. I have some lovely hand-painted and -dyed papers just begging to be cut up into strips and used.

I also have a gnarly stash of Magenta's stickers that I seem to just horde.  So I got busy. Really, really busy, and made bookmarks for the Bahama library, 32 for my son's first grade... and more! So I decided to work on my random acts of kindness (RAK's) and send some out to my CPS sisters.

I used up some supplies and spread some love. Now doesn't that feel good???!!!!

More pics are listed in the Paper Crafting photo album...

More From the Holiday Gift-Nanza...

Here's one of the wall-quilts that I made for my mom and my sister... I used a commercial pattern for the bunnies and general layout, but halfway through I decided that it was too "busy" and nixed the whole outer border.

I also got tired of tracing, so I replaced a few elements within the blocks. In the bottom left-hand corner I used an embroidered iron-on butterfly (instead of a heart on it's side) and in the middle top row, I replaced a tulip with the Easter eggs. I thought it would be more "Easter-y", and I love the shimmer of the Angelina Fibers. (For instructions on how to use stamps on Angelina Fibers, see my photo tutorial in the photos section!)

So, I cut out the pieces so that I can make one of my own. Will all of the time I'm spending on my new blog Craft Test Dummies, I have less time to sew...!!! But I think I can still get it done in time for spring.

The Crafter's Arc

I posted this over at Craft Test Dummies today, but I thought I'd "reprint" my own article here.... it speaks to the personal process of crafting. Anyway....

I was chillin’ over at GRB today, having a nice chit-chat with my friend and shop proprietrix, Eva. We were discussing how new jewelry makers (or any newbie crafter, for that matter) have a tendency to be project-driven. That is, they want to see a craft and duplicate it exactly, with little chance for error.

It’s my theory that we all pretty much start out this way- we want things to be pretty safe. Then, with skill/medium/technique mastered, it’s time to move on… either adding a new technique to the same material (like adding a new stitch to your knitting repertoire) or trying a new material with your mastered technique (like like knitting with wire instead of yarn.)

In any event, I really believe that we crafters keep moving, adding techniques and materials to our creative toolbox, slowly moving up the crafter’s arc… up into the art-zone….  which is where you are no longer “project driven” but rather “vision-driven”- where you have an idea in your head, and then, using all of the techniques and materials that you’ve mastered, find a way to make it work.

Great project idea from the Crafty Chica- Resolution Calendar

I was just surfing around, and ran across Kathy Cano-Murillo's "Crafty Chica" site.... and she's got a line of crafty videos on the LifetimeTV website. Anyhoo, watched a few and found one that I LOVE.... the collage calendar. The basic gist is this: buy a cheap 2008 calendar, and collage on the "picture" part of each month, using your new years' resolutions as your inspiration! Don't take my word for it, click over and check out the video for yourself- it's got a brief commercial on the front-end...only 16 seconds or so... so wait for it. Then get crafty!

More Soldered Art- the Bathroom Wallpaper story

So here's the story: Once upon a time, when I was a young girl, I lived in a house. And in that house, on the second floor, there was a bathroom. It was an OOOOOOLD bathroom, with clawfoot tub, and some very old, funky wallpaper. When we first moved into that house, it was ugly, funky wallpaper. Four years later, when I left for college, it was ugly, funky wallpaper. Eight years after that, when I got married, it was ugly, funky wallpaper. When the first grandchild came to visit the house, and take a bath in the claw foot tub, it was STILL ugly, funky wallpaper. Then, lo-and-behold, my parents finally decided to re-do the bathroom-- after 23 years of UGLY, FUNKY WALLPAPER! And do you know what?? My parents thought it would be funny to give me a piece of that ugly funky wallpaper... and dared me to do something with it. So, a few pieces of glass, some foil tape, and a sterling silver bathtub charm later.... it became to funky, GORGEOUS ornament! And the young girl, who was now a grown up lady, loves it. And she lived happily ever-after! (Oh, and so did her mom and sister, who also received similar ornaments for Christmas.) THE END. (Of the wallpaper!) ((or is it???!!!???)