Urban Comfort

Spiderweb Lace Printing

How is it possible that it's Thursday already?! It's been a sprint this week, juggling multiple editors, magazines, and holidays. But it's been one of those awesome weeks, with all synapses firing and feeling like I'm in the zone. Getting in the zone, sometimes that's more than half the battle. 

But I thought I'd drop in here and share a quick tutorial from one of the features I mentioned in my last post. This is such a simple craft and it's no different than spray painting through regular lace. But rather than a tidy, ladylike effect, I went for a more organic, spooky feel that's better suited to Halloween.

Although I'm showing this on dinnerware (not food safe!), you can use this process for just about anything you can spray paint.  Try it on paper, bags, boxes, fabric or canvas, bottoms of serving trays (think cocktails), mirrors, even your pumpkin. No special skills required!

Materials:

Novelty spiderweb lace (See Resources below)
Fabric scissors
Repositionable adhesive
Flat, black spray paint or black spray primer
Scrap paper 

My lace looked like the lace at the top left of the photo. I liked the web design, but I wasn't so fond of the spiders. So the first thing I did was cut out all of the spiders, leaving me with the bits of cobweb lace shown at the top right.

Once I had a pile of lace pieces, I sprayed them all with repositionable adhesive (I prefer Elmer's brand) and let them dry for a few minutes. After that, I arranged them on my surface, pressing them into place.  In my design, I left some spaces open, overlapped other pieces elsewhere.  The point here is to get an organic arrangement, so don't overthink it.

After the arrangement is in place, it's time to spray paint. I actually don't use spray paint at all for this - I prefer to use black spray primer.  It's very flat, dries super fast, and since it's a primer, I know it's meant to stick. But if you can't find black primer, use a regular matte finish paint or black floral spray. 

I like to hold my paint can a couple of feet above my design and spray in short bursts, so I get more of a misting effect.  That way, I can add more paint if needed.  I also keep my arm fairly stationary, instead of spraying back and forth. What I'm looking for are some concentrated areas of color and some that fade off a bit. 

Once I'm finished painting, I let it dry for about 5 minutes, then remove the lace.  (I can usually reuse the lace 2-3 more times, depending on how heavy the paint buildup is.)  And that's it. I haven't sealed mine or taken any extra measures and none of the primer has flaked off, even after being stacked.

 

Resources:

Novelty Spiderweb Lace - I usually find this by yard at Jo-Ann, but you can find other lace versions at places like Party City, usually sold as tablecloths or runners

Repositionable Adhesive - I find Elmer's brand to be the easiest and most reliable to work with. It's often a little less expensive as well. It can be found at most craft stores.

Title image by Brie Williams

 

 

 

 

Doom & Gloom for Halloween

I know, it seems a little early to be posting Halloween stuff. (But honestly, who can tell anymore? If you go to craft stores, the Christmas merchandise is already out.) So we'll ease into it. I thought I'd start with Halloween lite, projects that aren't blatantly Halloween in feel - though guests may ask if you're struggling with depression if you display them at other times of the year.

These are a few of the projects in this year's edition of Halloween Tricks & Treats by Better Homes and Gardens. It's on newsstands now, of course, and also available online at Zinio.  

 

 

 

 

All photos by Brie Williams | Graphics available at BHG

Stepping into Fall

I am done with summer. It's not the heat or humidity, it's psychological. I'm ready to turn the page, step into a new season. Professionally, it's been fall and winter for the last couple of months already. I've worked on Thanksgiving, thought of 30 different ways to wrap Christmas gifts, and crafted my share of holiday projects. I've just been waiting for everyone else to catch up.

Personally, I'm feeling better and better.  It's a slow process, with ongoing adjustments, but I'm getting somewhere nonetheless. I'm grateful, careful of not squandering what I have, suddenly aware of how little I was working with. I'm also thankful for finding a doctor who listens to me rather than just looking at lab numbers. I wouldn't be in this space without him (and to the many women who wrote to me privately, filling me in on their own medical dilemmas, I would encourage you to advocate for yourselves and keep looking until you find a doctor who hears you and isn't afraid to think outside the box. Don't give up - it's important!). 

Creatively, I'm still in a bit of a mishmash. It's such a busy season for me professionally that I find I'd rather clean my house or move my furniture around in my downtime than pick up another creative project. But soon I'll start sharing some seasonal ideas. My brain is already in overdrive, thinking of things I want to create. 

Happy (almost) fall!

P.S. The butterflies pictured above are an easy DIY. I used store bought Monarch butterflies (found at Michaels) and sprayed them with a misting of metallic spray paint.  If you hold your paint can at least a foot above the butterflies, you can give them a fine coating that doesn't obscure the pattern underneath. Copper, bronze, and gold are all a natural fit for the season. You can also mix the metallics, spraying one color on the body of the wings, then misting the tips with a different color. They're pretty and catch the light nicely. 

 

Off the Boards: Shibori 101 Roundup

Just crickets around here, but I've been going over old territory lately, cooking things I've already shared and making a ridiculous number of paper flowers, which you've also heard enough about even if I'm hopelessly, hopelessly obsessed. I've even had to pack up my supplies until I've met my work deadlines. They're just too much of a temptation.

But I can never fully abandon new projects, especially when I'm supposed to be working, so I finally broke out my indigo tie dye kit, rounded up all the tutorials I'd pinned on Pinterest, and gave Shibori 101 a go. I'm so glad I did! It was easy and a whole lot of fun (and a great way to procrastinate when you're struggling to get into the Christmas spirit in June). 

For my first effort, I tried hard to just let go, keep it loose, and see what happened - which was exactly what I needed creatively. I'm sure on my second round that I'll get more particular with my folding and placement, but that's one of the things I like about Shibori so much - the option to be either precise or imperfect, yet still achieve something interesting either way. 

If you haven't tried it yet, it's a great summer activity and certainly a trendy one at that. It's also economical and a good excuse to get your girlfriends together for an afternoon. Here are some of the tutorials from my Pinterest boards as well as a few of my observations along the way:

 

1.  You can follow any of the tutorials for folding and get an approximation of that design. If precision is really important to you, you'll do better by ironing your folds flat and making sure that each layer is exactly the same size, meaning that an equal amount of fabric will be exposed to the dye in each layer. if you're less precise in your folding, you'll find greater concentrations of dye in some areas and less in others, making for more of an organic design. 

2.  If you buy a tie dye kit, it comes with small pieces of wood and rubber bands. But you can buy additional pieces of balsa wood from craft or hardware stores and cut your own pieces. This will increase the range of patterns you can make and allow you to fold multiple pieces at once. Also, use what you have on hand. Binder clips, clamps, rubber balls, marbles, etc. All will lend themselves to interesting patterns.

3.  When you're dyeing your pieces of fabric, do one piece at a time and don't let it settle to the bottom of the dye vat. Instead, hold the fabric just under the surface of the dye (you don't want to create splashing, which will introduce oxygen to the dye vat and shorten its lifespan) and gently manipulate it with your hands so that the dye gets to all exposed areas of the fabric.  

4.  I dyed my pieces anywhere from 3-7 minutes, with 5 minutes being my most used time.

5.  Heat set your dry, dyed fabric pieces with a warm iron, then wash them in cool water with a mild detergent such as Woolite. Conversely, if a piece turns out darker than you wanted, wash it with a mild detergent before you heat set it. This will cause a bit of fading. Another note about color - the wet shade of the dye will be much darker than it is when dry.

6. Make sure you use gloves (and I suggest long ones) and that there are no holes in them. I can tell you from personal experience that it takes about 3-4 days to remove indigo dye from skin and seems to be permanent on nails (judging from my single nail that was dyed a week ago). 

7. Lastly, you need to use natural fiber fabrics for this, cotton being the most popular option. But I loved the technique on linen. Buy some to experiment with after you feel comfortable with the process. Gray Line Linen has economical, nice quality linen in a variety of weights and is available by mail order if you're not in the NYC area. 

 

Tutorials:

DIY Shibori from Honestly WTF

DIY Shibori Designs 4 Ways from Design Sponge

Hand Dye Coordination from Kinfolk

Make It Happen: A Shibori DIY from Anthropologie

Indigo Tea Towels from Francois et moi

Itajime Shibori Process from Kaizen Journey

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making Paper Flowers

In the midst of the hustle and bustle these last few weeks, I’ve been making flowers. Every day, a flower in the morning with a cup of coffee, a flower before bed, a flower in the stolen moments between those bookends of time.  It’s the most focused I’ve been in a long time. Something has clicked into place. It’s a meditation, even while an act of utter frivolity.

I haven’t finished them or made leaves or attempted to coax them into perfection. I just make them, plunk them into glasses strewn around my house. I will get to the details later.

My brain is busy, already thinking beyond the confines of instruction and books. I’m learning, technique and process, but my spirit is already in the garden, thinking about what I can recreate.  It’s beyond rhyme or reason. For now, just simple medicine.

 

**I'm making flowers based on instructions from The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers by Livia Cetti

Blackberry Dye

Three times in the last month I've been to the woods where the wild blackberries grow. I've learned one thing about myself during these outings - if I see a berry that's ripe, it's impossible for me not to pick it. Impossible. So we eat some and my husband makes batches of blackberry shrub to enjoy in winter cocktails, but then I still find myself with leftovers. 

With the luxury of abundance, I opted for some experimentation outside of the culinary. I've been curious to see how blackberries work as a natural dye (since they stain your fingertips so well) and these were so juicy and almost overripe that they were begging to be used. The process was easy and the resulting color is just divine. 

I used the dye bath for a yard of linen (you must use natural fibers or the dye won't take) and I dip dyed sheets of watercolor paper as well (good for gift tags). Here's the process, very simple and so gratifiying. 

Blackberry Dye

Prep:  When working with berries, you will need to prep your fabric with a salt fixative. I used 1 cup salt and 16 cups of water (you can cut this in half if you're dyeing a smaller piece of fabric). Combine them in a pot and bring to a boil; stir to dissolve the salt. Put the fabric in the pot of boiling salt water and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 1 hour. Remove fabric and rinse with cold water.

 

 

Dye Bath:  You'll find various recipes and ratios for natural dyes, along with varying times for dyeing, but this is what I did to achieve the color that I did. Experiment for other shades.

3 cups of berries
6 cups of water

Combine in a pot, mashing the berries to release as much juice as possible. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and simmer for 30 minutes. (I read here that too high of a temp would release tannins from the berries and give me a more "tannish" color, which is not what I wanted.)

After 30 minutes, strain the berries out of the dye bath and return the dye bath to the pot. Place the wet fabric in the warm dye and agitate it with a spoon for 15 minutes (to get the color shown here. For deeper colors, you'll need to leave it in the dye for longer periods). After 15 minutes, my fabric was a raspberry color, but after washing the fabric with cold water and Woolite, I was left with the delicate color shown below.

 

To dip dye watercolor paper, I just stood a sheet of paper in the (now cooled) dye bath and let it stand for about 30 minutes to get the color here. If you let it stand longer, the color will turn more of a bluish purple. 

Great Resource for Linen:  Gray Line Linen (graylinelinen.com).  I used the open weave linen (Style #8064) in white. It retails for $9.50 a yard.

 

Inkodye Sun Print & the Inkocap Roller

It's been so quiet here, and yet my life has felt so full. It happens to me sometimes, the need to go away and do things without documenting every moment for public consumption. But then I get excited about stuff and I want to share and well, I come back. 

Yesterday was a good day. I set out with my husband just after my son went to school. We were in search of wild blackberries, which we found in plentiful supply, but first was the discovery of mulberry trees (and mulberries that begged to be picked), then photos to take and nature to enjoy. I snipped a few graceful, leafy sprigs to make sun prints with before the day turned cloudy. By early evening I had a new piece of artwork on my mantel (which is constantly changing) and blackberry cobbler in the oven. My kind of day. 

I tend to have a wide variety of craft supplies on hand, not just because it's my profession, but because I want the freedom to be spontaneous, before the moment disappears. I had a few bottles of Inkodye sitting around, waiting for spring, and I also had a kit the kind people at Lumi sent last year. It was a classic kit with a new tool - the Inkocap Roller. That roller, it changes everything! 

The hard rubber roller attaches directly to the bottle cap, with the Inkodye distributed out of a small hole in the cap. It eliminates waste and cuts my application time in half, at least. There's also very little cleanup, just removal of the roller cap and a quick rinse. If you're at all interested in using Inkodye, I can't recommend this little gadget enough. It'll allow you to make faster prints, making each session more productive. I thought it also helped me get more even coverage during application, which is helpful.

I was dissatisfied with some of my earlier botanical sun printing techniques, so I decided to shake it up a bit. I wanted a more moody, ephemeral feel, so instead of using pressed leaves or placing Plexiglass over my designs to weight them down, I focused on printing some areas sharply while allowing others to be less defined.  I love the results of this process, more organic, less structured. 

Yes, I should have taken a photo of the process, but it was breezy with the cloud cover starting to roll in, and there was a lot of moving around in search of light, so this is not the step-by-step tutorial you might have appreciated. But still, it's pretty simple and you can see some of my other tips on working with Inkodye here and here.

Basically, I applied the Inkodye (using the roller cap) onto a piece of white cotton muslin that I taped to a piece of smooth plywood (directly onto the wood, so use a scrap piece that you don't mind dyeing). Then I arranged my sprigs on the fabric, tacking down some of the leaves with short dressmaker pins with a flat head (longer pins are likely to cast a shadow beyond the leaf and then you'll see them in the final print). I used about 6 pins, concentrating mostly on the leaves around the edges so that I'd have some basic structure to the print. Those leaves print the sharpest, then gradually fade as the other leaves allow more light under them.  After about 7-10 minutes exposure (since I was dealing with variable lighting), I washed the fabric until all the excess dye was removed, then let it air dry. To finish it off, I wrapped my fabric around a 16-x-20-inch canvas frame and stapled it to the back.

All in all, a super easy project. Oh, and before I forget, more good news! Lumi has finally released new colors. They were on hold, trying to work out some manufacturing issues. But the old colors are back, along with a couple of new ones, I think. I especially like the new black. It's less blue than the old version. In some light, you see a bit of a navy tone, with dusky lavender/purple tones in some of the shadowy areas. It's really beautiful. I liked the last black as well, but this version feels deeper and richer.

So fun!  I have a million different things I want to print. Have I mentioned how much I love springtime?

DIY Floral Decoupaged Tray

It wouldn't be springtime for me without flowers, even if it's just in craft form. So this weekend I decided to reinterpret a floral painted wooden bowl from Mexico that I'd taken note of in a friend's country house last year. Inspired by the design, I decided to make a papier-mache version using a manufactured base and floral cutouts from a sheet of gift wrap designed by Rifle Paper Co. The flowers are lush and bold, girly but grown-up.

This is an easy gift to make for Mother's Day and you're certainly not limited to a tray, or even papier-mache for that matter. It's also the kind of project that you can make all your own, whether it's choosing a different background color or in the way you arrange or cut out the florals. I took some creative liberties in layering, adding additional leaves, buds, or berries when I wanted to fill out an area - which is half the fun because ultimately, you create a one-of-a-kind piece for whichever one-of-a-kind woman you're celebrating (even yourself).

Here's how to make it:

 

Materials:

• Papier-mache tray (see Resources below)
• Floral gift wrap (see Resources below)
• Fine-tip scissors and/or X-acto knife
• Spray primer (in black)
• Mod Podge in Matte finish
• Flat paintbrush to apply Mod Podge
• Gold leaf sheets, gilding adhesive, narrow flat paintbrush, small stencil brush, and cotton gloves (optional)

Directions:

Step 1:  Using the fine-tip scissors, cut out floral elements from the sheet of gift wrap (I ended up using 4 larger cutouts, along with a number of smaller pieces, such as individual buds, berries, and leaves). For small interior cuts, use an X-acto knife. 

 

Step 2:  Spray paint your papier-mache base with 2 light coats of black primer (I use black primer in place of black paint because it dries very quickly and seals the papier-mache without raising the grain on it.). Set it aside to dry.

Step 3:  When the tray is fully dry, arrange the floral cutouts on the surface (if necessary, go back and cut additional elements from the paper and layer as desired). 

Tip:  It helps to take a photo at this point for reference, since you'll need to remove all of the pieces in order to decoupage them onto the surface.

Step 4 (not shown):  Usually, when you decoupage cutouts you apply decoupage medium to the cutout itself. However, if you want to apply the floral cutouts in their entirety instead of cutting off stems and leaves and decoupaging those separately, I suggest brushing the Mod Podge over an area of your tray (larger than the cutout you're applying) and then placing the cutout onto the wet tray. Smooth out any air bubbles with your fingers (Should you have difficulty working out wrinkles or air bubbles, brush Mod Podge over the cutout and use your fingers to continue working with the cutout while it's still wet.)  Repeat this process until you've covered as much of the tray as desired.  Set aside to dry.

When the first layer of Mod Podge has dried and all the cutouts are glued in place, go back over the entire tray with a thin, even coat of Mod Podge. Do the same on the back side of the tray.

 

Step 5 (optional):

If you want to create a gilded edge, brush a thin layer of gilding adhesive along the flat edge of the tray. Let it dry until tacky (about 15 minutes), then press a sheet of gold leaf along the edges of the tray. Let it dry for about an hour.

 

When the gold leaf has dried, use a small, stiff stencil brush to remove the excess leaf (you can save the flakes for future projects). With a cotton gloved fingertip, rub over the edge of the tray to make sure all gold leaf is adhered.

 

The original inspiration, above.  Finished papier-mache tray, below.

Resources:

Papier-mache tray from DCC Crafts   (other tray shapes available) 

Mint floral wrapping paper, available at Paper Source

All gilding supplies from Martha Stewart Crafts for Plaid, available at Michaels 

All other supplies available at most craft stores

 

Black not your thing? Here's how this floral looks against a pale background (Martha Stewart Crafts paint in "Cloud" with a gold painted rim). The great thing about this particular paint color is that it almost exactly matches the background paper, allowing you to include things like the berry clusters, which can't be cut out individually. Just cut around the whole cluster. You'll barely notice it in your finished piece.

I think these florals would also look beautiful against a soft white background with a gilded edge. A completely different vibe than the black.

 

 

 

 

 

Striped Eggs

 

I've done exactly nothing for Easter so far, but first up on my agenda this weekend are these striped eggs from the April issue of Martha Stewart Living. The technique is so simple I can't believe I never thought of it before! If you're less of the organic type and want a clean stripe, this is the technique for you. I think the pearl finish paint is a nice touch, too. 

You make these eggs with blown-out eggshells, which means you can keep them for next year. To make egg blowing easier, I like to use this nifty tool, but you can watch the video on Martha Stewart.com for pointers on using household objects to do it as well. 

Here's how you make the stripes:

Supplies:

Small square cardboard box
Awl or corkscrew tip
Wooden skewer
Blown-out egg with holes centered at top and bottom
Adhesive putty
Paintbrush 
Craft paint

Directions:

1. Cut three pointed notches in one side of the box, as shown below.

2. With awl, punch holes on opposite sides of the box, 1 inch below top edge, as shown.

3. Push skewer in one side of box, then through holes in egg (enlarge as needed), then through other side of box.

4. Knead 2 chucks of putty until soft. Pinch onto skewer and each end of egg to hold in place.

5. Dip brush in water, then in paint. (The larger the brush, the wider the stripe will be.) Hold brush handle in a notch, with bristles resting on egg. Use other hand to turn skewer to make a stripe. Repeat in other notches for more stripes. Let dry.

Resources:  Multi-surface craft paint by Martha Stewart Crafts, available at Michaels

All photos by Burcu Avsar

 

For more Easter ideas, pick up a copy of the April issue on your local newsstand.

 

 

The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers Giveaway

"Who needs another book of paper flowers?" you may ask. You do, because Livia Cetti's gorgeous interpretation of this timeless craft is not to be missed! The materials are humble - mostly tissue paper, bleach, and green paper, but the results are anything but. 

I've followed Livia's work for years, in numerous publications, poring over the photos, wondering at the realism of her craft. Then I saw her flowers in person at John Derian's shop in New York and I fell in love all over again. So when her publishing company sent me a pdf of The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers last year, I was doing a happy dance while struggling not to tell any of you the good news. 

But the secret's out! The book was released today, just in time for spring, and I've already dipped into it with the fritillarias pictured above. They're so sweet and dainty, and they make me just as happy as real ones. I can't wait to tackle the other projects.

One of the materials that Livia uses to create realistic specimens is bleach. I had no idea it would be so much fun, but It's a simple and effective technique that contributes greatly to the finished flower. The fritillarias required hand painting with bleach and a Q-tip, mimicking the faint checkerboard pattern of the real flower. It's that attention to detail that will bring your flower making up a notch.

But enough of my blathering. The best news is that I have a copy to give to one lucky reader! Just comment below and tell me what you think of paper flowers. I'll keep the giveaway open through next Friday, April 18 (11:59 PM PST). The winner will be selected in a random drawing.

Good luck!

More projects from the book:  All photos by Addie Juell

A gorgeous spring centerpiece

 

Not your average wreath (This reminds me of a fabulous Dutch masters painting!)

 

Camellia blossoms - As a Southern girl, I simply can't resist these (or the jasmine vine in the book, either).

 

For more information on Melanie Falick craft books, visit their blog.

DIY Clay Tree Trunk Pencil Holder

If I were brainstorming gifts for my son it's unlikely that a pencil holder would come to mind, but that's exactly what he's getting from me this Valentine's Day and I think he's going to love it. It all started with pottery classes, which I've been taking since September. My son has enjoyed watching my progress, taking particular delight in my mishaps since I am always reminding him that we get better at just about everything through practice. He mentioned recently that if I ever got past being able to make something other than bowls, I should make something for him. I think he suggested something totally ridiculous that I could never make in a million years, but I appreciate his confidence.

At any rate, I had purchased a wood grain texture mat and made a vase to use for the holidays, which I liked a lot and was continuing to experiment with, working to create a more organic, slumping profile that felt treelike. While making a slender vase and working with an unfamiliar clay, it stuck to my work surface, which tore jagged edges along the top. It reminded me of the hollow, jagged cypress tree trunks rising out of the swamps here and so I left the clay exactly as it was. And as I looked at that petite little vase, I thought it would make a cute pencil holder, which made me think of my son who's always looking for a pencil, and then I thought of the book The Giving Tree, which my son still enjoys even though he's moved on to chapter books, and then the fleeting memory of his little finger always tracing the heart outline on the tree in the book...and Voila! It was suddenly the perfect Valentine's gift. The red, personalized pencils I found on the Oriental Trading site sealed the deal. Red is his favorite color and I suspect he'll be very fond of seeing his name in print.

To continue this very long story, the pencil holder pictured here is not the one I'm giving him. His is made out of fired clay. But I thought I'd experiment and see if the technique for making the pencil holder out of pottery clay would work with air dry clay. Turns out, other than the glazing and firing, the process is exactly the same. Which means you can make a pencil holder or a vase or whatever vessel you might like. Just keep in mind that it won't be waterproof. If you want to use it as a vase, you'll need to line it with a glass or plastic container. 

It's also a little more difficult to carve the heart into the air dry clay, but I made my initial carving when the clay was fresh and then went back after it had dried for a few hours and used a wooden skewer to make the carving more pronounced and clean up the raggedy edges. Overall, I think it worked almost as well as the fired version.  Of course, if you have access to a kiln (some studios will allow you to pay just for firing) and some pottery clay you can make a more durable, waterproof version by following the same steps.

Here's how:

 

Step 1: Create a base. Roll out your clay (I used a wooden rolling pin) and use a round cookie or clay cutter to cut out a circle. I often cut it freehand, too, which can give you a more organic shape. Also, I made my base a good 1/4-inch thick since I wasn't sure how sturdy the air dry clay would be.

 

Step 2:  Make slip. What I didn't know before I started taking pottery lessons was that "slip" is the glue that holds clay together. Otherwise, the clay simply won't adhere to itself and your piece will break apart. All slip is, is a mixture of the clay and some water. I found it a little harder to make slip with the air dry clay, but just keep working the water into the clay until it starts to feel sludgy. 

Step 3:  Roll out the clay to form the body of the tree trunk and press the wood grain texture mat into the clay, using your fingers or the rolling pin.  Tip:  You control how much texture the mat leaves by how firmly you press it into the clay. For this project, I made a very strong impression. For the holiday vase I made, I used a much lighter hand so that the wood grain was just barely visible. It's all up to you.

Step 4:  If you wish to carve into the wood grain, this is the point at which I'd suggest doing so (I found it easier to do when the clay was flat). Use what you can find to work with - a toothpick, wooden skewer, etc. Just be gentle at first so you don't push right through your clay. Don't worry if the design looks a little messy, you can clean it up after the clay has firmed up a bit. Also, if you carve your heart in the middle of the clay, you can control the placement of it when you're shaping the clay into a cylinder.

 Step 5:  Trim any excess clay from the bottom edge so it's mostly even.  You can use a clay knife, though the needle tool worked just fine.

 

Step 6:  Scoring.  I use a needle tool (found in craft stores), but you can use a toothpick or something with a sharp tip. Score around the base. This roughs up the clay so that the slip will cling to it, joining your pieces.

Turn your wood grained piece of clay over and score along the bottom edge as well.

Step 7:  Apply slip along the bottom edge of the wood grained piece. (You can use your fingers to smear it on.)  You can see that my slip from the air dry clay is still a bit lumpy, but it didn't seem to matter. 

 

 Step 8:  With the scored base in hand, begin rolling the wood grained piece of clay around the base to form a cylinder.

 Step 9:  When you've finished rolling your clay into a cylinder, trim the excess clay, leaving enough to overlap and form a seam.

 

Step 10:  Score along the edge of the seam, as well as the area on the trunk where the seam will meet. (You can be a little neater than I was here. I had a camera in my hand at the same time.)

 Stand the cylinder up and begin smoothing out the seam with your fingers so it's less linear and chunky.

 

Holding the cylinder gently in your hand, begin to smooth out the bottom as well so that you don't have a seam in the bottom.

This is what the cylinder looks like without further manipulation. It's too top heavy for me, so I'm going to go back and pinch clay from the top to create a rougher edge. I can also manipulate the shape of the opening if I want, just gentle pulling and pushing with my fingers.

This is my cylinder after I've manipulated the clay.  You can see that the heart carving is still very rough looking.

Drying:  I set my clay on a baking rack to dry, so that air can get under the piece at the same time. You can see after a few hours that the shape has started to set and that I've been able to clean up the heart carving a little more (You can also gently sand round edges after the clay is fully dry, using a fine grade sanding sponge.)

Here's the air dry version next to the fired version.  The fired is a little whiter and brighter (I glazed with a Matte Opaque White), but the biggest difference lies in the carving. I suspect with a little practice that could get easier, too.

Finishing: (not shown)  I used a liner paintbrush and some acrylic craft paint to fill in my carving after the clay was completely dry. Once the paint is dry, you can spray it with a clear acrylic spray (a fixative) to seal and protect it. You can find these supplies at most craft and art supply stores.

Resources  

Clay:  I use DAS brand air dry clay.  It's my favorite of all the brands I've worked with. I buy mine at Michaels, but you can find it at multiple online sources, including Dick Blick.

Mat: If you like to work with clay and want to do handbuilding, I highly recommend the SlabMat. The larger size will run you $10 and the clay won't stick. Available from The Ceramic Shop.

Woodgrain Mat:  The Ceramic Shop carries various wood grain texture mats in different sizes. The one I used was purchased from The Big Ceramic Store.

 

Quick & Easy Tissue Dyed Silk Scarf

I didn't mean to disappear for a month. It was an avalanche. Easter eggs, a spring party, and finally, a Halloween photo shoot. There was so much crafting, the more leisurely pace of February is a welcome relief.  A relief I celebrate...by making more things. This time it's Valentine's Day, one of my favorite holidays to craft for. All the red and hearts and sparkle...I can never resist. 

I learned how to dye silk scarves with color bleed tissue at an Anthropologie workshop I went to at the end of last summer. It felt like grade school (in a good way) and our masterpieces were completed in under an hour. One of my favorite parts of crafting in groups is seeing individual interpretations of the same materials. It always feels like magic. 

I was pretty happy with my original scarf that felt like a mix of tie dye and watercolor, but I knew there would be further experimentations, so this time I worked with a more controlled application to see what I would get. The end result is the most beautiful coral pink, with subtle variations throughout, a shade I could never have produced with just one color of tissue. It's perfect for Valentine's Day (or an antidote to winter, the welcoming of spring, Mother's Day, or just because).

The directions below are tailored to this specific design. But once you know the basic technique of layering tissue and silk (which is nothing, really), you can experiment with all kinds of designs. A single pack of multi-color tissue goes a very long way and the scarves themselves are inexpensive. If you're feeling indecisive before you begin, buy an extra scarf and cut it into pieces. That way you can experiment with colors and layouts before you begin. 

 

Choose your colors and tear the tissue into pieces (Think about your pattern to determine how to tear the tissue. Because I was covering the entire scarf and working in a striped pattern, I mostly tore my paper into strips.)

 

Starting at one end of the scarf, begin covering the fabric with pieces of tissue (a single layer of tissue is sufficient unless it's a very pale color, in which case I double up).

 

 Continue adding tissue to the scarf in vertical rows.

 

After a portion of the scarf has been covered, you will fold the scarf so that it covers the tissue layer, as shown below.

 

 

 

Continue covering the scarf with tissue, matching the pattern of the colors to the layer below. Fold the scarf over the second layer of tissue and add the last layer of tissue until the entire scarf has been covered.

 

Once the scarf has been covered with tissue, use a spray bottle and liberally spray the entire area with water. Use your fingers (if you don't wear gloves your hands will get dyed, but can be washed off fairly easily) and work the tissue into the cloth. Gently turn the scarf over and make sure the water and tissue are worked in there as well.

Let the scarf sit for about 5 minutes (or until most of the color has been transferred off the tissue, then begin to remove all the tissue paper (not shown).

 

Once the tissue has been removed, hang the scarf to dry (do not rinse), placing a few paper towels underneath the scarf if it's particularly wet).  You can air dry or use a hair dryer to speed up the process.

 

As the scarf dries you can begin to see the subtle color variations. When the scarf is fully dry, heat set the dye by ironing your scarf.

 

That's it.  So easy, you'll want to make more!  (See this post for a multi-colored approach.)

Resources:  Spectra Bleeding Art Tissue Paper (colorfast tissue will not work); I used this 15x72-inch silk scarf from Thai Silks (other sizes available), but you may find even better deals at Dharma Trading. (Dharma also carries the same bleeding art tissue, which may be a more economical choice if you're ordering the scarves from them.)

Watercolor Holly Gift Topper

I like wrapping Christmas gifts almost as much as I like giving the gifts themselves. It's my time to experiment, to indulge my many different decorating personalities. I can go whimsical, masculine, feminine, elegant, modern...for that moment I get to try on a different hat. It's fun, and I like to think that it adds a little something extra to the gift. 

My Christmas decor was all about neutrals and metallics this year, but I do have a few containers of variegated holly in my kitchen which was the inspiration for this gift topper. I've always thought that the leaves of variegated holly were reminiscent of watercolors, so I set out to create a playful paper and watercolor version, using pressed holly leaves to create the templates.  I'm using the topper to adorn my son's teachers' gifts, though I think someone other than a second grade teacher could certainly appreciate it, like your crafty friends.

The Inspiration:

 

Materials:

• Holly Leaf Templates (see below)
• Textured cream cardstock or watercolor paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Watercolor pencils (olive, emerald, dark green)
• Thin paintbrush
• Water
• Baby Q-tips
• Red crepe paper (streamers work) or tissue paper
• Floral wire
• Self-adhesive floral tape

Directions:

Step 1:  Download the holly template and print out onto cardstock (you can either use the painted holly leaves as is or cut them out to use as a template). Trace around the leaves onto textured ivory cardstock or watercolor paper and cut out. (I used the top row of leaves on the template for this topper.)

Step 2:  Using an olive colored watercolor pencil, make a border around the inside of the leaf using short strokes.

Step 3:  Fill in most of the interior of the leaf with a Dark Green watercolor pencil, going back over the initial layer to make darker strokes that resemble veining.

 
Step 4:  Make a few strokes over the Dark Green with the Emerald watercolor pencil. You won't really see the effect of this when you're making the strokes, but it will lend some variation once activated by water.

 

Step 5:  Dip your brush in water and go over the penciled area with short, quick strokes, working toward the interior of the leaf and blurring the outer border of the watercolor inside the leaf. 

 

 

Step 6:  Fold the holly leaves in half and set aside. Cut a square of red crepe or tissue paper and set aside. Cut off one end of a baby Q-tip, then cut off the narrow tip on the cotton swab to form a ball shape. 

Step 7:  Stick a piece of floral wire inside the Q-tip, then fold the square of crepe or tissue paper over the cotton swab and twist the ends.

Step 8:  Using floral tape, tape the crepe or tissue papered ball to the floral wire.  Repeat for the number of berries desired.

 

Step 9:  Place a berry stem on top of the largest holly leaf and secure them together with floral tape, but not extending the tape all the way down.

Step 10:  Just below the first berry, insert the second berry stem and keep wrapping the floral tape around it, but again, not wrapping to the bottom.

Step 11:  Place the third berry stem over a second holly leaf and adhere it to the holly stem below the second berry stem.  You can stop here if you'd only like two leaves.

Back View

 

If you'd like a third leaf, adhere it below the second leaf. Here I've placed the leaf on top of the stem (rather than behind it) before securing it with the floral tape. This gave it a more dimensional feel. 





Download Watercolor Holly Leaves Template

 

 

 

Trimming the Tree Part II - Handmade Ornaments

It feels good to finally have the tree decorated. I went all white, with touches of silver, which just works in my living room with the wall color and the quality of light.  Admittedly, I was having a moment with gold, but I decided I could get my fill of it when wrapping gifts for other people. Sometimes you just have to go with what works in your home instead of what's trendy. 

I made almost every single ornament on my tree, which feels like an accomplishment. Not that I have anything against store bought, but I feel like I've made tons of ornaments for clients over the years and then all I have to show on my tree are dozens of ornaments I've purchased. It was time to remedy that. And in fact, it was so much fun that I'll have to make it a holiday tradition. Maybe not dozens, but a few to add to my collection each year. 

Here are some of the ornaments I used, all of them inexpensive and easy to make.

 

1) The tutorial for the glittered paper stars can be found here.  2) I had lots of clear glass ornaments sitting around from last year, so I filled them with fake snow and and tiny Alder cones from Earth Beauties on Etsy (they look good with sprigs of greenery as well, though you'll want to remove it at the end of the season).  3) I reinterpreted the mistletoe sprigs from my wreath design in white velvet with beads from a necklace I found in my local thrift store. To make an ornament, follow the directions to make individual sprigs and fasten two of them together with white floral tape instead of the green I used for the wreath. Fold the taped wire to the back of the sprigs to form a loop, then trim excess wire and glue it in place with Fabri-Tac. When it's dry, thread a piece of silver string through the loop and knot the ends. 4.) The small star and reindeer silhouette were made from DAS air-dry clay, rolled to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut out with cookie cutters. 5.)  I was asked to rework my felt pinecone designs for Mollie Makes 34. While I was at it, I finally made a few wintry versions for myself. 6.) The antler ornament started off as an inexpensive ornament from Walmart. I gave it my own twist. See below for easy instructions.  7) Pom-poms couldn't be easier to make and they remind me of snowballs. I chose a white iridescent yarn which is subtle but picks up the light nicely. 8) The glittered acorns came from a winter nature display that I did a couple of years ago. I painted the acorn bodies white, coated them with a thin coat of Mod Podge, and sprinkled with a fine textured white glitter. When they were dry, I glued them to acorn caps. To turn them into ornaments I simply tied silver string around their stems. 

 

Revamped Antler Ornament:

I love to scout the aisles of discount stores during the holidays. I always pick up all kinds of inexpensive ornaments whose forms I may like, but whose execution doesn't quite fit my taste. That was the case with these antler ornaments from Walmart.  They felt too dark and muddy to me, but I bought a bunch, deconstructed them, and gave them a quick whitewash with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

1. I cut the twine, which I later replaced with silver string, and used pliers to pull the wired jingle bells from each antler.

2. I dipped a damp paintbrush (1/4-inch flat bristle brush) into white paint and offloaded the excess onto a folded paper towel.  With the paint that remained on my brush, I quickly applied a light coat to the entire ornament, leaving some of the underlying color exposed.

3. When they were dry, I strung them individually with silver thread instead of hanging them as a pair.   

 

 

Velvet Mistletoe Wreath

I'm a bit obsessed with mistletoe as a holiday design element, ironic since I've never even seen the real thing (how sad is that?!). But for the last year I've had a bag of velvet and felted balls sitting in a drawer, patiently awaiting transformation into a mistletoe garland. At the last minute I decided to make a small wreath instead, something that could work in multiple places and something timeless enough that I could bring it out year after year. 

This is one of those projects that take more than a couple of hours, but it's not difficult, just repetitive, and in the end, so satisfying. Make a single bunch, you have an ornament or a gift topper. Add a few more to that and you have a swag. Stretch that same swag out and you could have a ring for a pillar candle or an embellishment for candlesticks. Keep going and you have a wreath or maybe an embellishment for a cake stand. Double that and you have a garland (which would be so pretty - I already tested it out on my mantel). What you make is limited only by your tolerance for repetition (for which, I personally, have little patience). 

Also, don't feel limited by my interpretation of this project.  You could just as easily make it with paper leaves, printed fabric, or felt. I'd love to see it with white leaves and silver berries or white and red, or gray and white, or alternate the shades of green...you get the picture. Once you know how to make the bunches, the rest is up for grabs. 

As for the embossed velvet, I was inspired by this rubber stamp from Yellow Owl Workshop which I purchased to make gift tags (and love, love, love!). The wreath idea came from this lovely photo, which just makes me happy when I look at it. 

Need something to stand under this holiday season? Here's how to make your own:

 

Mistletoe Wreath
(Instructions for a 9-inch wreath)

 

Materials: (See Sources for buying info)

• Two shades of green velvet (a fat quarter of each goes a long way)
• Lightweight double-sided fusible web or fusible adhesive
• Iron and ironing board
• Spray bottle with water
• Pinstripe rubber stamp 
• Mistletoe petal templates
• Fabric scissors
• Silver metallic embroidery floss
• Needle
• 1 centimeter white felted balls
• 32-gauge cloth wrapped floral wire for mistletoe bunches
• 20 to 22-gauge floral wire for wreath form (paddle wire - comes on a roll)
• Green self-adhesive floral tape
• Fast-drying gel adhesive (I prefer Fabri-Tac for this project)

Directions:

Step 1:  Cut a piece of the lighter colored velvet slightly larger than your rubber stamp; do the same with the fusible web.  Position the fusible web, paper side up, onto the back side of the velvet; iron to fuse (don't remove the paper backing).

Step 2:  Place the rubber stamp face up and place the velvet, pile side down, so that it completely covers the stamp.

 

Preheat your iron on a high setting, mist the paper covered side of the velvet with water and using firm pressure, iron the fabric for 10-15 seconds. Continue misting and ironing until the paper is dry and you're just starting to see the impression of the stamp through it (essentially, you're burning the design into the fabric). Remove the velvet from the stamp and let the stamp cool for a few minutes before you use it again.

 

Step 3:  Remove the paper backing from the lighter colored velvet and using medium heat, press the darker velvet onto the web, just enough to adhere it. Trim the edges of the velvet flush with the edges of the embossed design.

Place your mistletoe petal template onto the back side of the velvet, and holding it in place with your finger, cut around it to make a velvet petal. Repeat (you can get 8-10 petals from each piece of velvet if you use the same size stamp I did). 

Tip:  Slightly round the edges of your petals if you've made them too pointy.

 

 

Step 4: Cut a length of metallic floss (you can use something else, I just like the color of this particular floss) and separate into 3 sets of 2 strands each. Thread the first two strands onto a needle and knot the end and trim any excess. Run the threaded needle through a felt ball (not shown), so that the knot sits at the end. Snip the thread and repeat for as many balls as you need. 

Tip: I don't like the look of loose strings, so I put a little dab of Fabri-Tac on my finger and run it up the length of the floss after cutting it from the needle. This holds the threads together, giving it a more polished look. 

 

  

Step 5:  To assemble a sprig, gather the number of balls you want and twist the 32-gauge wire around it so that it holds them together, but still allows for some movement (when you hang the wreath, it's nice for some of the berries to fall naturally, so it's not too stiff looking). 

 

Step 6:  Apply a little Fabri-Tac to the end of one of the petals and fold it around the floral wire with the berries, holding it in place for a few seconds. Repeat with the second petal and glue it just below the first. 

Trim the excess metallic floss.

 

 

Make as many sprigs as you need, some with 3 berries, some with 2, and some with 1. (I used the larger petal template for the 2 and 3-berry sprigs and the smaller petal template for the single berries. In total, I made a combination of 17 large petaled sprigs and 10 smaller petaled sprigs.)

Begin adhering the sprigs to the 20 to 22-gauge wire with floral tape, adding in sprigs as you go (if your wire starts to feel too bulky, trim the excess 32-gauge wire from the mistletoe sprigs). 

 

 

This is the back side - see the wire I've left exposed. I'll use that one to overlap the other end and secure them into a circle.

 

As you work, begin shaping the wire into a circle. This will assist you in determining proper placement and balance of mistletoe sprigs, as well as deciding when your wreath is the size you want.

 

When you're finished, trim the excess wire and overlap the ends, wrapping them with the 32-gauge floral wire to secure. If there are any exposed areas not hidden by mistletoe sprigs, you can cover the area with more floral tape.

You're done! At which point, you can move on to making ornaments (I'll be back with those after I make a few).

 

Sources:

• Leaf Green and Apple Green Silk Velvet ($6.75 for a fat quarter) from Silk Fabric on Etsy
  
  
• I used Steam-A-Seam Sticky Back Fusible Web for this project, but I often use Heat n Bond Lite for these kinds of things as well. You can find them at craft stores such as Jo-Anns and Michaels, also online at Amazon. But be sure to buy lightweight. The heavier webs will make your petals too stiff.
  
  
• Pinstripe Background Stamp from Hero Arts
  
  
• DMC Silver metallic embroidery floss (E168) available at craft stores like Michaels and Jo-Ann
  
  
• 1CM felted wool balls (Winter White) from HandBEHG Felts on Etsy. You will need 53-60 balls for this project, so if you can't find a 60-ball pack, convo the owner to see if she'll do a special listing for you. Otherwise, the balls are sold in packs of 24 (you can always use the extras for ornaments).
  
  
• Floral wires and tape are generally available at most craft stores and multiple online sources.
  
  
• Fabri-Tac fabric glue is also generally available at stores like Michaels and Jo-Ann.

 

Download Mistletoe Template

 

 

Making Merry

I know, it's already nonstop Christmas around here and we haven't even hit Thanksgiving. I'd love to just live in the moment, but I also know I run the risk of missing the holiday season here altogether as work and the holiday rush collide, so bear with me. You can always return to these ideas when you're ready.

These photos are from my Christmas feature for Family Circle, a more colorful approach than what I did for Christmas Ideas. They're all easy projects to execute, even the stockings (which only look more labor intensive and which I will discuss in a later post). But the real reason I wanted to post these photos is to direct you to Family Circle's website where they have put together a holiday workbook that includes templates for the stockings as well as 14 vintage botanical designs that are cleaned up and ready for printing and/or resizing. (Just click on the directions to download the plate designs and you'll get the entire booklet.)

You can use the botanicals to make gift tags or holiday cards, use them to decoupage, whatever you can imagine...what I'm trying to say is that I spent a lot of time cleaning them up and you should use them! There are other, more colorful designs there as well (poinsettias and holly).

Which reminds me - don't forget to thank all of the amazing individuals who spend time posting copyright free images for our creative pursuits. They are the best! (Karen at The Graphics Fairy, Vintage Printable, and Biodiversity Heritage Library are the first that come to mind, but there are many others out there, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart!)  They make my job so much easier.

 

Remember my tiered stand that held reindeer cookies earlier in the week? I had a vision for it as a cardholder, but I thought it was too creamy/ivory for this shot. So I brushed on a coat of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White, then applied a clear wax on top of it. I love the new color on it and it held up beautifully through transport to New York and back. The cards are mostly from Snow and Graham (I love their designs!) and the votive holders are from CB2. I really like the textured, cozy feel of them and they're inexpensive.

I made the stockings by needle felting cutouts onto a felt stocking base. It's a much more polished look than simply gluing cutouts to the front of a stocking and it's easy to learn. I'll do a tutorial here soon.

 

 

It takes just minutes to put together holiday vignettes inside glass (what I think of as the grown-up version of a snow globe). Check discount stores like TJ Maxx and Marshall's for lots of inexpensive options.

I printed vintage botanicals on decal paper to make these plates. You could try decoupaging them under glass plates as well.

 

Photos by Alexandra Grablewski
Prop styling by Christina Lane 

Paper Star Ornaments

 

I love buying Christmas ornaments, but they get expensive and I don't want to spend my entire holiday budget on them, so I always make some to fill in the gaps. It's more economical that way and I'm still able to keep them and use them from year to year.

When I was preparing for the shoot I showed you yesterday, I decided I needed a tree full of white ornaments, which strangely, I seemed to have very few of.  The store shelves were emptied of Christmas stock and I needed inexpensive ornaments I could make in bulk. I settled on a few paper options.

To make these stars, I used a leftover roll of white glittered giftwrap (I believe I purchased it at Michaels). I found that its lighter weight was perfect for folding stars, enabling crisp folds that kept their shape, much like origami paper. To support them, I simply glued them to shimmery cardstock. 

The resulting ornaments were light as air (my big beef with heavy ornaments is how much they pull the tree branches down), simple, but pretty and sparkly as can be. Best of all, they cost pennies to make. 

I'm completely out of glittered wrap at the moment (having made these a year ago), so this tutorial is shown with Quartz Stardream text paper, which is a good weight, in case you want to use something other than glittered paper. 

 

MATERIALS:  

• Star template (See below)
• Glittered wrapping or other lightweight paper (not glittered cardstock)
• Pencil 
• Scissors 
• Bone folder (optional) 
• Cardstock 
• Quick-setting gel adhesive, such as Beacon 3-in-1 adhesive
• Ornament string (or metallic embroidery floss)
• Metallic pipe cleaner or mini tinsel garland 
• Small metallic bead

 

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Download the star templates and print onto paper; cut out. Turn the template face down onto the back of a piece of glittered wrapping paper and trace around it with a dull pencil. Cut out the traced design.

 

2. Layer the printed template on top of the glittered cutout and use it as a guide to make all of the valley folds (folding inward) as marked by the heavier dashed lines. Once you've made the folds, you can use a bone folder to make sharper creases, if desired. 

 

This is what your paper should look like after you've made all the valley folds.

 

3. Make the mountain folds (folding outward) as shown.

 

4. Fold the edges over as shown to form star points. Remove the template and sharpen any folds that may need it (fingertip or bone folder).

 

This what your star should look like after all the folds are made.

 

5. Turn the star over and glue the edges together as shown. This will give your star dimension.

Tip: You can adjust how shallow or deep you want your star to be simply by adjusting how you glue the back edges together. If one edge comes all the way over to the opposite edge, you'll have a sharp peak in the front of the star, which is better if you're not gluing anything to the center. If you're gluing an embellishment, you might be better off with the edges meeting somewhere near the middle. This is purely a personal preference.

6. Glue the glittered star to a piece of cardstock, leaving one of the tips unadhered (for ornament string placement) and trim the excess cardstock.  Glue a loop of ornament string or metallic floss behind the unadhered tip, between the glittered paper and the cardstock.  Glue the tip to the cardstock.  

7. To embellish, make a small circle of metallic pipe cleaner or tinsel garland and glue it to the front of the star, then glue a bead in the middle. 

 

Click here to get the star tag template and see how I used it as a gift topper (just fold the valley folds as mountain folds and the mountain folds as valley folds and don't glue the back edges together).

Resources:

Star Template from BHG (resize as desired, if you want larger stars)
All other supplies found at stores such as Michaels

 

See these links for other configurations and ideas:

Super Simple Paper Stars from Annekata 

Several tutorials from How Did You Make This? - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

 

 

Book Review: Made By Hand

 

As I was thinking about creative collaboration earlier this week, I thought of another collaborative project I wanted to share with you - Lena Corwin's new book, Made by Hand, hit bookstores last week.

From 2009 - 2011, Lena held workshops in her home studio in Brooklyn. The first classes she offered were based on techniques from her earlier book, Printing by Hand (one of my all-time favorites), but then she began inviting friends and designers to contribute their expertise as well.

Made by Hand is a reflection of those workshops, with 26 "classes" presented in book form. As expected from Lena Corwin, there are plenty of textile arts in the book, taught by various artists. These include an easy rotary printing technique, using a rolling pin as the rotary tool. There's also screen-printing, sewing, knitting, tea-dyed applique, batik dyeing, crochet, embroidery, weaving, marbling, and tie-dyeing fabric. Then there are a few other techniques such as soap making, jewelry, weaving, coiled bowls, even making your own beeswax birthday candles. All are presented in a user-friendly format, along with observations and advice for what you can (and can't) control.

With winter nipping at our heels, it's the perfect time to start gathering with friends to acquire new skills. Even if none of you know where to begin, you can easily use the projects in this book as a guidebook to hosting your own classes, however informal they may be. Some projects take more time and space, so perhaps you'll just have a couple of friends over. Others, that are more stationary (such as knitting and needlework), are easily adapted to larger groups.

Another nice thing about craft groups - you never know what you'll learn.  Last year I had a friend who brought a different cheese and beer pairing with her for every group. I faithfully wrote them all down (because they were brilliant) to remember for the future. It had nothing to do with crafting, but it sparked all kinds of possibilities for me. Not to mention, craft groups are a great excuse to get away from your computer, to walk away from the tedium of everyday routines, and to just find the space to settle in a bit, to relax. I highly recommend them!

Of course you don't need a craft group to benefit from the pojects and techniques offered in the book. Any self-motivated crafter will enjoy it as well. But why not take a friend along for the ride? 

See the book trailer here.

 

Book Review: Modern Calligraphy

I've been going through changes in my creative life over the last year, finding myself drawn more and more to what I think of as elemental crafting, techniques that require patience and lots of practice. Usually a fan of instant gratification, I find instead that I'm searching for something more soulful, embracing process in a way I haven't before. I want both the modern and the timeless.

Calligraphy is one of those pursuits. It's been on my bucket list of things to learn for so long that it's almost laughable. But when my friend Tristan came to visit, she helped push me over the edge, introducing me to the right nibs and ink, printing guidelines and offering resources. I was less intimidated when she left, but I still felt stymied by one issue that I always bump into - being a lefty. For the most part, I've learned to be ambidextrous over the years, but that's not really an option for me with calligraphy.

So I was excited to see that a new book, Modern Calligraphy, by the talented Molly Suber Thorpe, had a section in it specifically dedicated to lefties. It's a small section, but it's specific and helpful and enough that I felt the door open a bit wider for me. This is not to say that it's not going to take a lot of practice for me to be good enough to showcase my lettering, but I've finally gotten my foot in the door!

It's easy to be drawn to this book. Molly's hand is so beautiful and feminine, a look that I personally aspire to, and she includes 14 pages of handwriting specimens (each letter drawn in multiple ways) that will help you find your own style. But just as important, it's filled with accessible, useful information on everything you need to get started. You can stick with the first two chapters as you begin your journey. When you've mastered the basics, you can move on to Chapter 3, introducing new supplies to your tool kit and learning six new techniques (such as writing with watercolor and gouache). From there, the book launches into a variety of DIY projects. I'm still in the first two chapters, where I'll be for awhile, but I highly recommend this book for anyone's even remotely interested in hand lettering. It's a wonderful addition to your library, especially if you're feeling intimidated, like I was.

 

Read an interview with Molly here. 

Drawn Like a Moth to the Flame

I've been trying very hard not to hurry into the holiday season, ironic considering that I've just completed a New Year's assignment and started a 4th of July one. But personally, I'm trying not to rush into things, to savor the slow change of summer into fall. Admittedly, it's difficult for me when my magazines start arriving, full of holiday ideas. I do start to falter a little, then, and my heart rate picks up. What can I say? I'm addicted to magazines.

An arrival I'd been eagerly awaiting was Country Living, a perennial favorite of mine, knowing that one of my blog projects would be featured in the October issue. Remember the vellum moths on a lightbulb? That project inspired a Halloween craft feature based entirely on idioms and phrases (such a great concept!) that is at turns creepy and spooky, clever and whimsical. The editors and stylist did a great job and I love that my project became part of the story!

Of course the entire issue is great, which almost makes me want to start working my way through my list of Halloween ideas. But I'm going to restrain myself for at least another week.  And then...well, all bets are off after that!