Craftharsis

Cardweaving...the new addiction

2009-05-25T02:00:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, yet another new craft addiction. Derek mentioned card weaving for SCA stuff and I remembered it when I went to the convention center with my mom for a bead show. That happened to have a weaving section that had books on card weaving. So of course I bought some >.> The blue, yellow, and purple piece is the first one I did and you can see all the irregularities where I was learning. I learned to use a butter knife to beat down the threads so they are more dense. I learned that I need to color the tops of the cards when I'm weaving so that I know when I've done four turns. I also learned to use my scissors to indicate whether or not I needed to be turning the cards towards my body or away. I have a tendency to space off and then I forget which way so that can change the pattern. Oh one more thing the weft thread should be the same color as the ends it's hard to see in the photo but it was dark blue since I ran out of embroidery floss of the same color and it definately doesn't look as good on the edges of the piece because of that. Oh well it was my first one.

The second piece the red, blue, and yellow is a pattern that Derek created for me that is supposed to emulate lotus blossums in an egyptian style it didn't quite fan out as well as it did on the graph so we will have to work on it when I do my actual belt for my garb. My first piece was ten strand and the second one was 16 strands. The second piece I started out with 36 inches for each color and ended up with approximately 18 inches of woven material that's how much it condenses it down. Honestly the hardest part of card weaving is getting all the strands cut and then set up. The wewaving is quite simple and relaxing. Making your own patterns isn't too difficult either. I plan to continue to learn this craft so that eventually I can do even complex things such as creating letters of the alphabet in the weave.

Metals Class

2009-05-22T02:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the things that I've done in my past two metalsmithing classes. The first class was about learning how to cut out shapes so I learned how to use a jewelers saw. I'm not going to mention how many blades I broke trying to get the eye and the birds beak this way. The blades are super thin and tiny. The bird has been soldered together I swear I had to have my teacher explain the hard to soft soldering concept to me three times before I understood. It's pretty simple you start with the hard type and with each successive layer you use a softer one. She must have thought I'm a moron but was very patient. The metal disks are done by using a metal punch and then a dishing tool I'm thinking of incorporating them into a dancing belt with my cardweaving. What is cardweaving? Ahhh I will show you in my next post. :)

Happy Cactus!

2009-05-18T02:00:00.000-07:00

This is the card for my brother's b-day. The cactus part is a personal joke. Huh looking at the photo it looks kind of washed out but you get the idea. The blue background is actually cool Caribbean which was an in color for stampin up a year or so ago I believe. The flowers are a punch that I have and the cactus bodies themselves are the pumpkin image for stampin up's set carved and candlelit stamped in green. This is something I've seen done on splitcoaststampers several times a nice gal from the wish random act of kindness group sent them for me. :) The sand is just craft brown that was torn and then inked with a dark brown on the bottom edge. The fiber is one from my vast collection that just seemed to fit. I just realized that I didn't take a photo of my father's birthday card that I did a few days earlier I'll have to do that sometime when I'm home.

Cuttlecrazed

2009-05-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a super simple fun card I did with a cuttlebug folder and die. I really love the ribbon slider dies they are so much fun and have so much potential. Sorry the colors are so washed out and kind of blah in real life they look much better. Oh photo studio I shall have you someday. The round bit in the center of the slider is an SU stamp. I took chalk to white ribbon and used it to create a custom color. Something that is super fun to do with chalk and ribbon is to color one side with a dark chalk and another with a different color that is lighter so when you tie bows you can see both it's a really neat effect. Yup that's about it for this card I always end up using tons of thank you and that's why I chose this sentiment.

Wedding Wishes

2009-05-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

This is a super simple wedding card. I know it's hard to see but that's because it's silver embossed on silver paper in this case Wausau stardust. This color on color embossing is quite elegant and pretty in real life. The background stamp is a retired SU image as well as the sentiment which was embossed on vellum and then placed on mulberry paper in order to make it less lost in the background. The cording is the old silver type made by SU.

Iris Folding

2009-05-08T04:00:00.000-07:00

Iris fold card that I made a few years ago at Women's Own an amazing retreat held on a girl scout camp. It is so fun tons of super nice people gather together to enjoy Washington's sound and there are lots of ladies that teach assorted craft things so basically it's heaven on earth. I hope to get to go this year and maybe teach something. The iris fold in this case was done with tissue paper I find that it's best to iris fold with thin paper because it gets bulky rather quick. Honestly these types of cards look super hard but they are fun and easy with patterns. The colors were so bright and fun which you really can't see in the picture (note: the base card is actually a bright cheery yellow) so I added a macaw sticker in the middle. Here is a website if you'd like to try iris folding http://www.irisfolding.circleofcrafters.com/ it's super fun.

Wildlife Safari Thanks

2009-05-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

These are some thank yous for that I made during the summer as a thank you to the veterinarian and his intern at Wildlife Safari. They and the animals were super fun to work with. A good portion of the collection is large hoofstock with a portion dedicated to African wildlife. All of the stamps and ink are SU in this case. I used the Aida cloth to make the background and the leaves on the side are another SU background that I just blocked off. The side is hemp and twine. Overall I'm pleased with how these turned out. I'll show the other card that I made as a thank you later on.

Rainbow of Hope

2009-05-01T04:00:00.000-07:00

I made four of these the other day and have already used two. One was for a radiology technician that just had her co-worker whom I also worked with pass away and another was for another student who is having a rough time right now. I think the saying really works as both sympathy and/or encouragement. It is from http://www.yvonnealbritton.com/ they were at the last show I attended but I'm not sure if it is present on the website.

Colored with watercolor crayons on watercolor paper and used an aquapainter a.k.a. water brush to blend the colors. I then stamped the saying on vellum with white stazon, which I then stamped again with blue slightly off set. In order to make this look right I used my stamp-a-ma-jig. Then to hold the two layers together I used brads in the corners and put on a base card of Pacific Point a 2009 in color from SU. I really like this blue because it is bright and cheery without being too loud.

New Containers

2009-04-27T04:00:00.000-07:00

Lookie at what I found at the craft store the other day! My eye immediately caught on these cool little storage containers that were in the bead section that were on sale no less. I knew exactly what to put in them my eyelets which have been languishing away in old tackle boxes where I can't see them and thus don't tend to use them.
So I told Derek I think I'm going to purchase two of them and he said, "Do you need two?" >.> To which I replied that I probably would in order to fit all of my eyelets. He didn't believe me that I had that many. Hi my name is Crystal and I have a compulsive need to collect embellishments for cards/scrapbooking. What if I don't have the right color in a fit of creating? I've got to have them in every color just in case. Never mind that I might have to go to the craft store anyway to get what I want. :P
Anywho I really like these containers they have screw top lids and the whole thing is on a lazy susan. The cats haven't managed to knock them over and heck I didn't have as many eyelets as I thought and so I was able to place rhinestones in a row. Here is the website of the company that makes them. http://www.creativeoptionscrafts.com/ Not affiliated just enjoying them. I really like several of their other containers as well I just wish they wouldn't have the really bold patterns I'm more of a plain and simple person. You can see Rumisiel got in the last shot I try to use natural lighting for my photos and the door was just too interesting so he needed to trek on through my photo.

My new pincushion

2009-04-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

Ok I admit he isn't pretty but he's my first sewing project from my class. I tried learning to sew way back somewhere around the 5th grade. Well my mom's machine was having issues the bobbin ran out of thread, the needle didn't seem to be aligned right, and then finally the needle broke, which frustrated me so much I gave up crying. Turns out now when we went to get the machine a new part that it is super messed up and would be a few hundred dollars in repairs. This is really too bad because my parents paid a small fortune for it and put less than 10 hours of use on it. It had a 25 year warranty that would have been valid back when I first tried and was having problems. Oh well water under the bridge now.

Unfortunately for this little guy I had class all day before I went to sewing class so I did the first stuff on the machine and decided to take him home to finish. Did I mention I know absolutely nothing about fabric arts. Give me a dog or a cat to suture up and I can totally do it but as for getting fabric to work for me no way. So I hand stitched the rest which came out pretty wonky because I was in a hurry to try to get it done before class and when Derek looked at him he said he needed googlie eyes. I think he needs some bigger ones but this is all I have for now. Aren't the pins pretty I spent a smidge extra for them because I'm addicted to shiny things. >.> If anyone has a suggestion for a name I'm open.

Penguin Get Well

2009-04-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

Used prismacolors and gamsol to color in the image which in this photo looks a little washed out. Someday I would really like one of those photo studios so I can get pictures that more accurately represent my work. The prima flower was attached using a brad. The background is a linen background stamp which looks strange in the photo but in real life gives just a little more texture and dimension. Sentiment was stamped with white SU craft ink. Set used is Stampin Up Happy Healing.

Heat Gun Holder from Mary in PA and her hubby :)

2009-04-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

Vashiel says, "What is this contraption you are so fascinated with?"
"It seems to be constructed quite ingeniously."
This is an amazing heat gun holder that I was blessed to win from Mary and her husband as blog candy. Talk about the bestest winnings ever. :) A tutorial on how to make one for yourself is on her wonderful blog is here http://myhandsandmyheart.blogspot.com/2008/01/29-organizational-efficiency.html

Elegant Wedding Thanks

2008-07-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

I made a bunch of these in different color combos for three different weddings. Red, Green, and Blue. The background stamp is SU's French Flair the side swirls are from the SU set Noteworthy. I used the Kandi Kane to apply the jewels it's really easy with those no messing around with glue just touch the tip with the heated tool and it melts the glue and you can apply it quickly.

Native American Button Blanket

2008-07-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is a piece I made when at Women's Own a retreat on the Hood Canal. It is based off of a Native American design from a book that I traced onto felt and made into what is supposed to be similar to a button blanket.

SAR Dove

2008-07-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

I made these the Christmas before last the dove and the heart are from SAR (some assembly required) and are really quite fun to make. The dove is from the mobile kit and the heart is the smallest one from the heart set.

These photos don't really do the actual ornaments justice. They were strung on silver thread and I threaded a single light green swarovski crystal bead on each one as well.

Sympathy

2008-07-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

This was a card made for one of the office staff at school when her father passed away. I'm sorry but I don't have the paper on hand right now so I can't say who made it or the stamp either. I thought it turned out fairly well since I was pressed for time to create. I have the hardest time using patterned paper for some reason. I tend to horde it all which is silly since the purpose is to craft with it. Popped out some of the flowers with pop dots and embossed in a golden yellow color to add some dimension and class.

Rumisiel Crafting

2008-07-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here is one of my adorable squidos working hard at assisting me with my crafting. ;)

Kumihimo

2008-07-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is a Kumihimo marudai with the tamas (bobbins) all set up. Kumihimo is a Japanese braid-making technique which dates to about 550 C.E. The word when you break it down means coming together of threads. It was used by the Japanese to decorate clothing, hang, banners, and lace samurai armor together. Derek got this particular Marudai for a friend who has a Japanese persona and I was making sure it worked properly. ;)

Here is my first piece of braid I tried I was still learning some of the ins and outs of using the Marudai but I think it came out ok.

This is a simple square 8 thread braid I used embroidery floss to create it.

This is the spiral version of the braid which I think I like better personally. I really want a Marudai of my own now so I can make cords for my glass beads. Hopefully my dad can make me one someday. You can use yarn as well to make interesting textured braids of varying thicknesses.

Christmas Kitties

2008-07-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

The photos on these aren't that great but I think you get the general idea. These were made with Rangers memory frames and glass. http://www.rangerink.com/memory.htm When I first saw these I knew I "needed" them to make Christmas ornaments. Granted this is the only one I've produced so far but the rest are there so when the whim strikes they are on the ready. :P

The color was added with alcohol inks I think I could have done better with the colors except for I was under a time crunch. I wanted the ornament to go up on the vet school Christmas tree that is decorated with animal ornaments before Christmas break. Last year I made a dove with a heart with the Some Assembly Required stamps I'll have to take a picture and show how neat those are another time. So long story short I quickly whipped this up with the class appeals stickers that are done with Magenta kitties. I put two of them on there to represent my two furry kids Vashiel and Rumisiel.

Rose Notebook

2008-07-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

My mom and I made these last Christams with for a group she belongs to called the roses. The pen is an RSVP one that was opened and the shiny beads that don't have holes were put in. A good source for the beads is www.pennywisearts.com The image was embossed in black and then pained with twinkling H2O's the pretty shine is hard to see in this photo. The matting paper if I remember is Stardust and it also shines in the light. The paper for the book is Hot of the Press and it was ran through a large xyron machine which made it sticky on one side and then placed on a composition notebook.

Chicken Thanks

2008-06-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

This was the card I sent to my scholarship donor this year. It's one based on poultry interest so of course I had to use best of cluck images from the wish rak group on Splitcoast since I don't have the set myself. I used my new mat pack from SU to help align the holes. I didn't do a perfect job of lining it up but it came out alright I think. The background was stamped with the Aida which helps to give it something but it doesn't detract from the image. I just watercolored the image with several of the yellows off of the top of my ink pads. I also used the wonderful ticket corner punch to make areas for the brads. I just like the end look of several layers with the punch.

It must be bunnies

2008-06-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Ok so this may be a strange time to post this but I never got these done in time for Easter I know the shame >.> give me a break I'm a vet student I was studying. But they are done for next year. Gamsol and stumps for coloring prima flowers with brads in the middle and the floral background. All stamps are stamping up. You know the hardest part of coloring for me is making sure to leave some pale areas so there is contrast. I'm working on it I swear.

Stampers Diamonds

2008-06-23T08:00:00.001-07:00

When my mom saw these all stacked up out of the package she remarked that they looked like diamonds. I have to say I agree they do look awful pretty. They will probably be covered in ink in no time though.

This is the Martha Stewart one that I didn't attach the handle to because I didn't think it would help all that much it'll be great for large backgrounds now all I have to do is get some Tack n' Peel on it.

One last shot of these beauties from the side. ;) They are the ones you can get at Michael's and I like the fact that they have the waves to make it easier to hold them. They also have a cross cut into them so you can line up your stamp which is nice.

Magenta Butterfly

2008-06-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a card I'm pretty proud of the color doesn't really show up well but you get the idea. I couldn't resist putting little crystals all over it.

Here is a close up of the butterfly so you can see his magnificence. :P I love butterflies and have just a few.....er well dozen stamps of them. This one is a Magenta stamp I really like just about all of their lines.

Torch Tools and Glass Bead Information

2008-06-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

I had someone ask about making glass beads today and I just thought I'd share a couple of photos of the torches that Derek and I used for class and some resources I've found to be helpful. My father has an oxygen propane tank torch at home that I've been using but I found this set up to work quite well and it would be more affordable to start out with. When the gas can runs out it has to be replaced but I think it lasted at least 6 hours for the class. It is kind of funny when you are using these because the gas can gets so cold. Which felt quite good when I picked up a piece of murrini cane that I had just barely touched to a bead I thought it wouldn't be hot from that one second of contact. Doh.

So for a starting book I would recommend Kimberley Adams The Complete Book of Glass Beadmaking it has lots of good information about starting up and such. Since working with glass can be harmful if not done with safety gear it goes over some of this as well. A great web forum for glass beadmaking and several other forms of jewelry I would recommend Lampwork Etc it's a really friendly group and they have answered my newbie questions very readily. The last resource recommendation I have is by Corina Tettinger and it's called Passing the Flame it is a bit spendy but the color pictures are well worth it and the information is excellent she explains lots of little things that totally make sense but I would not have thought of since I'm so new to the hobby.

Sutured Thanks

2008-06-19T20:42:00.001-07:00

This is a card I made last year for a gal that works with the students for junior surgery and some during the sophomore year as well. She has gone back to Alaska now which is too bad because she was super nice and was really efficient. The strangeness you see on the T is sutured I thought it was appropriate given whom it was for.

Ok here is the end result of those random photos

2008-06-15T23:31:00.000-07:00

I'm still not quite getting the photo thing right I'm going to have to read up.

1. Essentially you take the tack n peel and trace your block onto the yellow portion.
2. Then you cut it out with scissors and take off the yellow portion and stick it to the block. Be careful because once it's stuck it's there until you decide to rip it off.
3. You now should make sure to label the clear cover with a sharpie since you don't want to throw this away because you use it to cover the tacky portion when you are not using it. So it doesn't stick to random objects say like your cat. ;)
4. Remove plastic cover place stamp on and ink away.
5. Stamp just like you normally would.
6. Enjoy result of a crisp clear image that you can see where you are placing it instantly.
7. Repeat.

Seriously it's that simple no fussing with glue or cutting out cling adhesive. I found that so far the ink comes off quite easily with normal stamp cleaner or water. Then just place the plastic cover back on and it's all ready to go again. It's a pretty sweet way to use unmounteds. Especially for those of us that are lazy like me. I used to just take hermafix tabs and attach the stamp that way because I was too lazy to use cling mount, halos, or tack it over and over glue.

More photos of tack n peel

2008-06-15T23:24:00.000-07:00

First shots of how to use tack n peel

2008-06-15T23:10:00.000-07:00

More beads

2008-06-15T23:03:00.001-07:00

Here are some more beads. Isn't the turtle one awesome. :)

Beads!

2008-01-14T22:13:00.002-08:00

So it's been awhile partially because I wanted to show pictures of beads before moving forward. Studying for finals sucked up all my time and then taking them and leaving was priority. I forgot to grab the beads before I left so here are some of them. The necklace was made on Thanksgiving break and was pretty easy to complete. I'll show some of Derek's beads tomorrow my fave of his is a turtle one that's super neat.

Lampworking 101

2007-11-18T22:55:00.001-08:00

So my father got interested in lampworking this summer when we went to an outdoor craft show in Oregon City. He purchased a Nortel minor torch and some glass from a guy he found on craigslist and later on purchased a kiln. I made my first beads when we were camping on the sound up in Washington. I don't have them here right now and they aren't much but we had so much fun with them we set up the torch outside on the back deck a couple of times. My dad also went ahead and found an oxygen concentrator so we wouldn't have to be constantly purchasing tanks. Well I come back to Corvallis and I'm reading online about lampworking on a really great forum lampwork etc... drooling over peoples beautiful work and reading assorted tutorials. So now I'm really craving getting more torch time in and I think huh I wonder if the craft center for the school has the facilities for lampworking. I check the little pamphlet and sure enough they do! So I sign Derek and myself up right away so we can play. Oddly enough all throughout undergrad I never even thought of doing anything at the craft center. Silly me now that I've been I want to do so many things it's not even funny. Anyway took the class at the beginning of November and I'm already wanting to do more. Gotta sign up for some open torch sessions soon. After all that's part of the reason we paid the craft center fee is to be able to do some more. :P It's interesting to play on a MAPP gas torch vs. a oxygen propane one. I'll post pictures of Derek's first beads and the ones I created soon. We got to play with millifori and I got to try frit for the first time. Wahoo for yet another hobby.

Pet Sympathy

2007-11-16T19:15:00.001-08:00

Sympathy cards are some of the hardest ones for me to make and pet sympathy cards are even harder. I know there is the rainbow bridge poem but I don't really have a stamp that seems to fit that quite right and some of the others seem....almost too human which sounds strange but it's true. I get quite a few requests to make pet sympathy cards probably because I'm in vet school and everyone has multiple animals and often they take on ones that have pre-existing conditions that may not have as long to live. This card was made for one of our awesome dean's office staff. The cat was done with gold pearl-ex and I used the Tsukineko glue pad. I have to say I'm not super thrilled with that pad for glitter but it works pretty well for mica powder. The sympathy stamp is actually ones stamp that I used a marker to color to selectively stamp and my stamp-a-ma-jig to get the positioning just right. Then it seemed bare so I added the paw prints, gold cord, and brads. All in all it's not the best card in the world but I got it done so my class could sign it and get it to her right away I really wish a company would make a pet sympathy set a generic cat and dog that are cute but not too cute perhaps some wings that you could mask on maybe the rainbow bridge poem and a rainbow that seems appropriate. I think that would be an awesome set if it was done right and I know I would get it right away. Oh well until then I'll just have to be creative.

My Gamsol Toolbox

2007-11-15T17:52:00.000-08:00

So I've seen the question of how to store Gamsol odorless mineral spirits several times now on a couple of message boards and I kept thinking that it would be easiest just to show what the container that I have looks like so I went and grabbed it and took some pictures. Then I figured while I was at it I might as well show some of the other stuff that I personally use. So here are my essential Gamsol tools. ;) The container is from Michael's and it has a nice sponge top and when you depress the little button with your stump it wets it quite nicely and the excess is caught by the sponge. It has a nice screw on cap as you can see in the photo of all the stuff and so far I haven't had any problems with it and it travels around with me to Portland and back to Corvallis so I think it's pretty darn durable. The funky not pencil thing is a stump or tortillion I think the creative mark ones are the best and it's best to get the ones that are kind of solid paper material not just the wound up paper. I have lots for all the different colors and as you can see I've marked them with my pencils I find it's easier to do that then having to switch and sand in between each color. I did that for quite some time but I think it's better to have a few. Then you can see I have a little hand held sharpener and a nail file for sanding off the color when I say switch from a light purple to a dark purple. Last of all I have my new baby the case that is pictured here it's from Dick Blick and I really really like it. I've got slightly over 120 of the pencils in there and my white plastic eraser the clicky type. I just got it earlier in the term and I think it will make it a million times easier to move my pencils around. I figure if it's easier to move them around then I will use them more. We shall see if that's true or not. ;P

Halloween and Christmas

2007-11-11T22:26:00.003-08:00

So here are two Halloween cards and one Christmas card. Confused? The very top Cinderella card was for a friend to give as a thank you. Someone bought her little girl a Cinderella costume with all the extras wand shoes etc... Raduse from SCS was kind and sent me some images so I could whip a card up really fast. Nothing super special but I thought it turned out ok. Just whipped out the cuttlebug and did some swirls and then rubbed a silver brillance pad over the top to get the nice sheen. The second with the spider that actually isn't a spider if you count the number of legs was more or less a case because I got the idea for the web from SCS (splitcoaststampers) the card itself is elegant eggplant which is hard to see in the photos. All of my Halloween cards were super late because I was dealing with a sick kitty and vet school craziness but I sent them out anyway. The Christmas card is a super simple one that my mom and I whipped up so she could have something for a stamping club. We pre-embossed the reindeer and plan to have the ladies sponge on the color themselves. I think if you put the colors on the card stock and then emboss over the top you get a slightly better white which I prefer but this will work better with the 10-15 minute time limit. I liked how it turned out so well that these may become the Christmas cards for this year. :) Well I've got to get back to studying for large and small animal medicine.

Polar Bear Box Chain Bracelet

2007-10-21T21:56:00.000-07:00

This is my first chainmail bracelet made for my mother's birthday. She loves polar bears and the color blue. Made of 18 gauge anodized aluminum rings from The Ring Lord. The charm is one I got a few years back when I was at a beadshop on the coast. I learned how to do the boxchain from Maille Artisans they have a ton of great information and lots of tutorials on different weaves. I really like the box chain pattern a.k.a. idiots delight because the links scrunch together in a really neat way. I have this penchant for jewelry that can be played with. I used to have an amazing puzzle ring that unfortunately broke a few years back, which was replaced with the rolling ring that I wear now. I do recommend having two pliers to work with the first night when I was playing with the rings I only had one and my fingers told me they weren't too happy about that. Chain nose pliers are pretty useful because they hold onto more surface area of the rings. I put tape on the nose of the pliers to reduce the amount of scuffing. I still got a little bit so I'm looking into getting some tool magic which is a plastic that you dip your tools in so they won't dent the rings. Once it gets beat up you can peal it off and then dip again which sounds pretty sweet.