May 31

The Sketchbook Project…

28,839 blank sketchbooks were sent to artists from 94 countries. Just under 10,000 of those sketchbooks were returned completed — all of which are being exhibited at galleries and museums as they make their way on tour across the country.

My mom and I took the opportunity to participate together. We both waited until the last moment – but it was still a lot of fun. It was even more fun to visit the exhibit while it was on tour and “check out” our own sketchbooks. There is still time to see the books in person if you happen to find yourself in one of these cities on the right day: Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago and Winter Park. We plan to do it again this year (I’m sure we won’t procrastinate so much).

A look at what I did and my process:

This is what comes in your sketchbook package.

When my book arrived it was accompanied with a library card and a card with guidelines for the project.

Bar code.

One of the guidelines was that you could not cover up your bar code. When you initially sign up to get a book you have to select a category. Mine was “Things found on restaurant napkins”. From what I gather – you can really take that in any direction. At one point, I was obsessed with turning my restaurant napkin(s) into origami cranes. This even included those nice, linen napkins. So – my book as something to do with that.

From there, I decided to recover my book – which was fine – it just could not be any taller than what it already was. That meant, I was going to have to cut it down. I also had to carefully remove the bar code sticker from the back and place it on the new back.

Cutting it down.
New cover – kind of.

So, you need book board for a new binding. I have this huge stack of Britannica books from my childhood that are completely dated – but the pictures in them are pretty and you can rip the covers off to use as the binding on something new. To all those Librarians out there – sorry – at least I didn’t use them for kindling.

I used a lot of this stuff.

I used Elmer’s to attach the book fabric to the binding – In this case I was using a piece of a wallpaper taken from a sample book.

Recessed detail.

By removing one layer of book board at a time, you can have little recessed details on the cover.

The outside.

Here is my disclaimer – I must admit that this is not my best work. I was pretty much at the ninth hour or is it twelfth? Whatever – I had procrastinated and need to get this puppy post marked. Want to see the inside?

The Inside.

You can’t really tell – but I did use napkins to make those birds.

Birdies in the book.

So – it took a lot more time to cut those “boxes” into the book than I’d like to admit. First, I had to add a loose extra page in between each page to bulk the book up and allow for enough depth to make a little home for the birds.

So – anyways – I mailed this off to Brooklyn, home of the Sketchbook project, and waited until it made it’s way to Atlanta. My Mom and I met up to check it out.

The Venue.

If you had your little library card with you (that was in your sketchbook packet) then you were set. If you forgot to bring yours (like me) – it was still super easy to sign up and get a new one. You could “check out” two books at a time and go enjoy them. You could check the books out by artist (that’s how we were able to see ours) or by city or state or country. It was really well organized.

My mom. She hates to have her picture taken.

I love my Mom! Look at her – what’s not to love? Even that “Get the camera out of my face – I’m gonna smack you” face is lovable. I am only getting away with this because she doesn’t really get online and she’ll never know – shhhhh!

She posed for this one.

She allowed me to take this one. She is posing with her book. The cover is a reproduction of one of her paintings – A really lovely mixed media creation on canvas entitled “Breathe”. Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of the inside of her book. It was more of a portfolio – with images of her corn husk dolls (she procrastinated too). I guess I know where I get it.

People waiting to check out books.

So. I must say. There were some really awesome sketchbooks. There were some really bad ones too. I was impressed (both with the bad and good). Here are a few of my favorites (only my favorite good ones…I’d be devastated to see my own creation in a stack of the impressively aweful sketchbooks):

Stippling.

Do you see that? It’s the artist’s iPhone – using tiny little dots. So Impressive! Here’s another…

Incredible!

And one more from this artist:

Ha Ha – to the one on the left.

Take a moment to skip on over to her website: Poornima Vaidyanathan (She lives in Bangalore).

 

Below is an incredible cover – definitely a work of art!

Lovely painting.

The inside was her testimony – a really interesting way to share!

The inside and her story.

Want to see more – go to her website: Jessie Lou Designs

 

Here is another awesome book:

Pull out tab.
Pull out tab – part II
The contact Information

Every page of the above book was a treat. There was so much work folded up in such a tiny space. She didn’t offer a website or email but her name is Jane (Sheindal) Goldblatt-Muller.

 

Us posing with our books & some random lady.

This was such a great experience.  I look forward to doing it again this year (the 2012 tour) I hope you will be inspired to participate too!

Here is information on what remains of this year’s tour.

Here is information on participating in the 2012 tour.

After the tour, all sketchbooks will enter into the permanent collection of The Brooklyn Art Library, where they will be cataloged and available for the public to view.

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Posted in miscellaneous, paper crafts, uncategorized

May 17

Plants in your pocket – a time sensitive post.

I feel like I should interject that I don’t have a green thumb. I want to – I try to – I fail. Maybe that’s why every year I start out in the spring investing lots of time and money into a garden. I have this fantasy of big tomatoes and an endless supply of cucumbers. By the end of May everything is yellow or brown or everything has been eaten beyond recognition. I’d like to blame it on our horrible dirt – or lack there of. It’s more like rocks and red clay. The only thing I have had success with is sunflowers and zinnias – they seem to thrive in anything. Back to the point – I am taking a different approach this year.

I got my inspiration sometime in the winter/spring when I picked up a magazine (I am pretty sure it was ReadyMade but now I can’t find it)  and started perusing through it. I always start at the back – I don’t know why, I think that’s because all the good stuff is in the back half. Needless to say, I saw an article on a backyard spruce – up that included an image of planters made out of wool. Hmmmm – this has potential! I didn’t have any wool laying around but I did have over 5 yards of burlap left over from a project. Score!

I mostly flew by the seat of my pants on this project. I didn’t really measure anything (unless you count me using the distance between my elbow and wrist). I think burlap makes a great fabric for this project because it’s natural, pretty sturdy, and cheap (about $2 a yard). I think you could use canvas or like my inspiration, wool.

Plain old burlap.

Okay – size wise (all approximate). I cut a piece of burlap about 48 inches tall and 30 inches wide – ish. Then, I folded it up – in half (just to make it more sturdy, remember – wet dirt is heavy). So, my burlap is about 24 inches tall  and 30 inches wide.

Weed proof stuff.

You will need something to line the burlap. This is for two reasons, one – the little dirt particles will wash through the holes and, two – if the dirt doesn’t escape then the water will drain too quickly and cause the dirt to dry out too quickly. I used this weed proof sheeting (you can get a roll of it for about $10). It’s really light weight and has tons of little itsy holes to let the dirt “breath” but also holds in moisture. I think that if you use regular plastic or cut apart a garbage bag then it will hold the water in too much and cause rot or even cause the roots to burn.

Cut some of the weed proof stuff.

I cut a piece of the sheeting to match up with my burlap – but left about a 4 inch tab at the top. I pinned the sheeting in place – time to sew.

Sewing.

You will need to sew all around the parameter of burlap and sew around the parameter of the sheeting. I didn’t care about the color of my thread – you may want to coordinate (:

Sheeting in place.

I have sewn all the way around my burlap (including the top tab) and have also sewn all the sheeting to the burlap. Now, fold the bottom of the burlap and sheeting up to meet the top of the sheeting. You will still have your tab. Sew up the sides and now you have a burlap envelope!

Folding time.

You will need to sew some dividers. I marked my envelope into thirds and inserted a sewing pin to mark it off. Even if you are going to plant the same thing in each compartment this is important. Otherwise your pocket will be too floppy.

Dividers

Sew back and forth a few times where your sewing pins are located (it doesn’t need to go all the way to the bottom of the pocket).

Divider sewing.
Three or so inches.

Next – notch out the bottom of the envelope. This step actually turns your burlap envelope into a pocket/bag. Doing this at the bottom will allow for a little more room for your plant.

Notch out the bottom.

Just think about it as cutting a square out of the bottom (about 2 inches by 2 inches). Once you have one cut, use the first as a pattern to cut out the notch on the other side (you will be cutting the sheeting also). Next you will sew the corners.

Open the corner notch – and line up. Sew across.

It’s kind of difficult to tell from the image – but it’s like you are opening the notch and making the bottom of the pocket meet up with the side of the pocket and then sewing across.

Sew it!.
It’s a lovely pocket now!

We are getting close to the end! Remember, wet dirt is heavy – so, we are going to reinforce the top tab.

Nylon stuff.

So, I am not exactly sure what the official name is – I call it nylon webbing. It’s the stuff they use to make straps and belts. You can purchase it by the yard for about .70 cents. I think you could also use gross gain ribbon.

Use your zigzag stitch.

Use your zigzag stitch and sew down one side and then back to the back side of the tab on your burlap pocket. You are all done with the making of the pocket – now it’s time to get it up and plant it!

This is what I used.

I used these staples/fasteners. You could also use nails or better yet – screws. Whatever you have.

Hammer time!

Oh parachute pants – how I miss thee. I never had any – but I was jealous of the other kids in my class. Notice, I am hammering the staple through the burlap and nylon webbing. This should keep the burlap from stretching and tearing under the weight of wet dirt and lots of vegetables (I hope).

All lined up.

I probably used a staple every 2 inches or so. Once the pocket is up – fill it with dirt. Don’t skimp on the dirt! You have done all this hard work so go ahead and buy the good stuff! You can plant seeds in these or the little seedling plants. I would say that if you are going to do this – this year go ahead and use seedlings.

Lots of watering.

After planting – make sure you water, water, water. Water until the burlap begins to drain at the bottom.

Little Dropplets.

You will probably want to water this every third or second day. I guess it really depends on your weather…

All planted.

So. On the far left – I used cucumber seedlings. In the middle I planted cilantro, carrots, and chive seeds. In the far right I planted garden bean seeds. I really like how these turned out – I think I will make some more. I can’t wait to see how they do! I hope you will try it out also – and let me know what you think.

Just a little update – I completed this project on April 19th – I want you to see what the pockets look like today (May 17th).

May 17th.

May 17th - part 2.

Never underestimate some sunshine and a little miracle grow.  On the bottom row, from left to right, I planted: pumpkins, radishes, bell peppers, ornamental gourds. I am curious to see how the pumpkins do – I am pretty sure that I will have to add some type of support for the vines. I will post an update as soon as it gets to that point.

I see cucumber salad in my future.

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Posted in easy projects, flowers, gardening, seasonal

May 15

A sabbatical and some cake.

Sabbatical. What a lovely concept. An ordinary sabbatical would consist of a leave of absence from work to visit a foreign land to spread the gospel or hide out in seclusion to complete a novel. I’ve never really considered myself ordinary – so, my sabbatical hasn’t been so typical. I took a leave of absence from my world of constant crafting/art making and the weekly blog post to visit the real world. The real world of a 9 to 5. One of those things that requires you to actually change out of your pajamas before 11am and brush your hair more than once a week. It’s been quite the transition and has left me little time to write up my crafting projects – but I am prepared to get back to it!

I’m not leaving my 9 to 5 – but I am ending my sabbatical from blog posting. I have lots of projects that just need to be written up and shared. I’m looking forward to my return – I hope you are too!

To celebrate the end of my sabbatical. Let’s have a little cake. Yay! Diaper cake, that is. There are lots of tutorials out there on making diaper cakes. I’d like to think mine is a little unique. So, take a minute and celebrate with me. This tutorial is so easy and it’s sure to please any mommy-to-be.

The finished project.

First, you need a package of diapers. I purchased a “jumbo” pack of newborn diapers. If you aren’t familiar with how many diapers this might be – it’s the smallest package on the shelf. There should be around 40 or so diapers in the pack. If you want to make a really large cake – you can use larger diapers and more of them.

Tiny little diapers. I can’t believe my son ever fit in them!

Time to start rolling these things. Have a few large rubber bands ready.

Start at the bottom of the diaper.

Start at the bottom and roll towards the waist – keep the diaper folded.

One down – lots to go!
Use the bottom of the 2nd diaper to cover up the top of the first.

The diapers are going to start overlapping. I used the second diaper to cover up the waist design on the first diaper. Now you are going to use the 3rd diaper to cover up the waist decoration of the 2nd diaper, etc, etc……

Third diaper.

Keep going!

Adding more.
It’s growing!

Your large rubber band is going to come in handy now. Place it around the middle of the roll of diapers and keep adding them until you get your desired size.

Rubber band!
Another view – adding more.
Got it!

I wasn’t sure how large I was going to make it – so I used a 9.5 inch round cake pan as measurement. My bottom layer of diapers fit in it snugly.

Okay  – start from the beginning and make another layer. My cake only had three layers – and the top was not diapers.

Washcloths.

I used two soft, baby washcloths to make the top layer (using a large rubber band around the top of it too).

You guessed it – ribbon…

You need something to cover up the rubber band. I used this thick, 1.5 inch wide satin ribbon. Fire up that hot glue gun…it’s time to get busy!

A strip on the end.

I squeezed a small bead of hot glue across the rough end (on the wrong side) to fold it over and make it nice.

See.

Now, fold it over and hide the scraggly end.

Finished end.
Covering the rubber band.

Cut a long enough length of ribbon to wrap around your bottom layer. Now – wrap it around and squeeze another strip of glue (now on the right side of the ribbon).

Bring the “finished” end around and pull so it’s snug.

You want to pull it super snug so that it doesn’t slip down. You also want to make sure not to get hot glue on the diaper (you do want your mommy-to-be to be able to use these diapers).  Set your diaper layers aside. Get out the streamers!

Streamers!!

Oh crepe paper! It couldn’t be a celebration without you!! This part of the tutorial could actually be a completely different tutorial…but bear with me!

I used one roll of crepe paper – cut strips about one foot long and then crumple them up in your fist.

Straighten them out a little.

That’s right – undo what you just did. They need to be crumpled up to soften the paper – just smooth them out some. It’s time to start making flowers for the cake. Get your glue gun and be prepared to burn your finger tips.

One end of the crepe paper.

Go to one end, pinch it at the bottom and start rolling. You will need to add little dabs of glue to keep the paper together.

Another view.
Another look at it – keep rolling.

Pinch and roll, pinch and roll – add some hot glue…yell a out loud because you burned your thumb and it makes you feel better to verbalize the pain.

Pinch and roll.

It’s starting to look like a flower.

One finished – lots to go.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Make a lot of these little things.

Once your have made a lot of the flowers, set them aside. You need a cake base.

The base.

If you have a real cardboard cake base – use it. If not. Trace the circumference of your bottom diaper layer and then cut it about an inch larger. You are going to use it to glue the flowers to.

Adding flowers to the base.

Hot glue the bottom end of your paper roses to the cardboard base. If you get hot glue on your fingers during this step – I have no sympathy – by this time your finger tips should be completely numb from prior incidents. I used 14 paper roses on the bottom layer. This will vary depending on how large your cake is and how large your flowers end up being.

Just in case you could visualize the base complete.

Now, make a base for your second layer – and one for your third..if you so desire. I didn’t make a flower base for the third layer (it was almost too small for one). Now, it’s time to start putting it together. Place your diaper layer rolls on the paper flower bases.

An after thought.

Once I started putting it together – I remember I had this smaller ribbon and decided to add the layer on top of the 1.5 inch ribbon. Use the same method as before. I lined the seems of the ribbon up on the back over the last diaper’s waist decoration. This way, you have a definite backside.

The pencil.

This isn’t completely necessary – but neither is a diaper cake so…. I slid a pencil into the middle of the second layer and then up through the top layer. This way, it’s a little more stable and it gives you something to use as the anchor for whatever you decide to put on the top.

The top layer.

It’s beginning to come together! Now, all you need is some sort of decoration for the very top.

What about a pacifier?
And a bow!
So close!

Fluff up the bow and anchor the tails of the bow to the cake.

Using hot glue to anchor the tail.

Remember to only glue the tails of the bow to the other ribbon (you want the diapers to remain usable).

The last touch.

Cut a notch or angle on the bottom of the ribbon. I also use a lighter to melt the frazzles at the bottom of the ribbon and keep it from getting stringy again.

The finished product.
Up close of the invite.

Doesn’t the invitation look familiar? You can go way back here to see how I made them.

It always looks better on a nice plate. (Thank you Kami).
One last look.

I have to give props to my friend…she took the pictures at the actual shower. Thank you Alison!

Well…if you have made it this far, thank you for taking the time to celebrate the end of my sabbatical with me. I have some fun stuff making posts in store!

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Posted in decorations, easy projects, no sewing, paper crafts

Dec 11

Stockings were hung by the chimney with care…

Everyone loves a little something personalized. Why not get handy with your scissors and a stack of felt? These types of stockings are super easy and economical to make.

This year’s stockings.

All you need is felt, scissors, thread, and a little creativity. If you have seen my post from a few days ago you will see that I leaned towards a shell/sea themed mantel.

You can start with your typical sheet of craft store felt for the body of the stocking. You can also purchase your felt by the yard(s) from your favorite fabric store. I had some sheets of grey felt  – so, that’s what I used.

The felt.

I made a template for the shape of the body of the stocking – minus the toe and heel. One of the reasons being that it would not fit on the regular sheet of felt and two, I wanted a contrasting color for the toe and heel.

Cut out the “body” of the stocking.

You will need one for the front and back of the stocking. I only used grey for the font of the stocking.

Toe and heel.

So, I don’t have a picture of a template of my toe and heel, but there they are. Your everyday toe and heel. Nothing special. Cut those out, pin them to the body of the stocking and sew away.

Sew. sew. sew.

Shapes I want to use.

These are my sea themed shapes that I’d like to use on my stockings. I just cut them out of regular printer paper.

Choose your felt.

So, pick out your different felt colors and cut out your shapes.

Pin your pieces in place.

Sew it down.

Keep going.

Hair detail.

The seahorse stocking.

Coral, sand dollar, starfish design.

Embellishment time.

I need to give a shout out to my sweet friend, Faith. While I was sewing, she was going through my large jar of buttons – hunting for the perfect buttons. Nice choices – thank you Faith!

Mermaid’s top.

Mermaid’s starfish.

Little eye for the seahorse.

You can get as detailed as you’d like on your stocking. I used DMC embroidery thread to add a strap to the mermaid’s swimsuit.

DMC thread.
Stitch. Stitch. Stitch.

Once the designs are complete, it’s time to add a back. You can use the same method you used for the front of the stocking. You could also just trace the front of your stocking – and have a solid color back for your stocking. Call me lazy, I chose the later.

Back of stocking.

Lay right sides together and sew all the way around, leaving the top open.

Right sides together.
All the way around (leave the top open).

Turn it inside out.

Getting close to being done (oh wait, I have two more – never mind).

Scrapes of faux fur.

I had some left over white, fake fur. This stuff looks good when you use it – but it sheds like crazy. I kind of loathe it. You could use felt for this part as well. Cut a thick strip that goes all the way around. I folded over the top edge for a nice hem.

Strip of fur.

Once you have the hem, sew the strip together on the short ends. Then, slide the cuff over your new stocking, right sides together (with your nice hem at the bottom).

Faux fur cuff.

Line up your raw edges and sew them all the way around.

Raw edges.
All sewn up.

Now that it’s sewn, flip the cuff up – and there you go!

Mermaid.

I cut a piece of grosgrain ribbon – made a knot at the top and stitched it to the back of the stocking.

Sanddollar. Coral. Starfish.
Seahorse.

I like the new stockings. They are smaller than your typical Christmas stockings – but they have plenty of room for little treats. The following are a few images of stockings that I made last year using the same method. They are much larger, I didn’t use the single sheets of felt – I cut them from felt yardage.

Living room mantel.

3 Large felt stockings.

Boo Young - Go Titans!

A little birdie told me.

Planes for my little man - he doesn't have a choice...

These lovelies are hanging from the mantel in our living room – perhaps by next year I will have added a cuff with our names on them. We’ll see.

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Posted in christmas, decorations, decorative decor, easy projects, seasonal

Dec 07

A Christmas tree that won’t die.

I love the smell of real Christmas trees. I hate dried up needles in my carpet. The pine needles definitely trump the lovely aroma – I purchased the “holly wreath” candle from Bath and Body Works (I am sure there are a dozen other companies that make candles that rival that of a real Christmas tree). Back to the tree – I made my own out of some fabric. If you like them, you should make some too!

Three trees around the mantel.
Without the lights.

Okay – here come the instructions…

A bolt of “seconds” fabric.

You probably already know that I have a thing for the damask pattern – and if you don’t, now you do. Anyways, I purchased this bolt a few years back with the intention of cutting some pillows out. As you can tell, I haven’t cut any pillows out of the fabric. Perfect for this project!

Cut out triangles.

No need to worry about the blemish in my fabric. For this larger tree I cut out tall, thin triangles. Three to be exact. I also made a couple trees with four triangles. No need for this to be exact, the trees are going to be shabby.

Wrong sides together…stitch your tree up.
All sides stitched, the bottom is still open.
Lovely Rit Dye!

Whichever type of dye you use – just follow the instructions on the package.

Dying the fabric.

FYI – dark green dye looks dark blue when you are working.

These are important.

Don’t forget about the gloves, they are really important – that is, unless you’d like to have smurf fingers for days to follow. Trust me.

All dyed up!

Okay – when I dyed this particular tree I went ahead and dyed a great deal more fabric so that I would have enough to cut out a bottom to the tree and make some additional trees. Speaking of – you need a triangular bottom for your tree.

Triangular bottom.
Pin the bottom and sew around.

I love the frayed edges, it adds to the folky appeal.

Sew all the way around.

leave a large enough opening to insert your hand/arm for stuffing the tree.

We all have some of these.

Oh grocery sacks, how I loathe thee. I can never bring myself to throw these away. They just add up and add up, etc, etc. They are very handy for stuffing.

Start stuffing.

I used 40 of these handy bags to stuff my tree. You could use real polyester pillow stuffing, but these work just as well!

A little hole in the bottom – for the trunk.

Pinch the fabric and make a hole for your trunk. I used an old curtain rod for the large tree’s trunk. I made some smaller trees and used wooden dowels for those trunks.

In goes the trunk.

Okay, slide the trunk in. Finagle the trunk in around all the grocery bags – all the way to the tip of the tree. Hold your tree up, admire your tree – find somewhere to stick it.

In a pot perhaps.

I grabbed a strand of white lights and fed them up into the tree, through the hole I used for the trunk – and viola…Christmas cheer!

Tree with lights.

I used a small pot here – filled it up with sand to weigh it down and slide the pole in.

The set up.

I made the smaller ones on the mantel as well. I like these little fabric trees and I really like that I can reuse them next year.

The Lettered Cottage

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Posted in christmas, decorations, decorative decor, easy projects, re-purpose, seasonal

Dec 06

Away in a Manger Atop My Mantel.

I feel like I am a little behind the eight ball in all my Christmas decorating glory. I guess it’s better to be a little fashionably late than to have everything up before Thanksgiving. I guess.

For the past few years, during the Christmas season, I have scooped up my shell collection and hid it away in a box. I pull out my traditional nativity (you know the kind, pale and blond baby Jesus) and set it up on my mantel. I add some lights, some greenery, a couple of bows, and I’m done. But, not this year – I want to keep out my shells and do a little something different.

How my mantel always looks.

Another look.

And yes, I picked up all of those.

All done and there was a little room for the important part of the Nativity.

The lights off.

Okay, Here come the close up images.

Left side of the mantel.

Garland and stockings.

Seahorse stocking.

Mermaid stocking.

Coral, starfish, sand dollar stocking.

Want to learn how I made these stockings? Come back in a few days and see how I did it – better yet, subscribe to my blog and it will show up in your email box!

Right side of the mantel.

Away in a manger – under the stars.

Starfish and bead garland.

Starfish wreath.

FYI – the large, golden starfish in the center is the only “shell” in my collection that I purchased.

An overall look – it’s kind of busy with all that going on.

You haven’t seen my light fixture and table yet – here it comes…

Fixture and table.

Fixture.

The fixture.

You’ve probably noticed by now that the white finger starfish are not real. Want to know how I made them? Come back in the next couple of days to learn how I made them – or subscribe to my site and the instructions will show up in your email!

Table with the lights off.

Table top.

Table. Table. Table.

The tree.

The trees on the left too.

I made the trees – and you can too! You know the drill, come back in a few days to find out how I made them or…

One final look (with the lights off).

I’d love for you to join me over the next few days to see how I made some of my decorations. If you’d like some other inspiration, please check out the Holiday Home Mantel Link Party over at The Lettered Cottage. There is some awesome stuff over there – I hope you check it out!

The Lettered Cottage

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Posted in christmas, decorations

Nov 24

Not In The Studio – Studio Photography.

I wanted to show you how easy it is to set up a “studio” in the privacy of your own home/yard. Nowadays, everyone has a digital camera – so why not put that puppy to work? You don’t need expensive backdrops or lighting to take high quality images.

2009 Portrait Innovations

Last year, I took my son to Portrait Innovations for his 1st Birthday pictures. You really can’t beat their deal. You get 40 or so pictures for about $10. The catch is that you can only choose one pose…they take a ton of pictures and make you sit through a sales pitch to up sell you. It really isn’t so bad if you go in with your mind set to only spend $10 – the pressure is intense… Well, the above image is my $10 picture and it’s so sweet. I wanted to recreate it for his 2nd Birthday.

A few things.

You really just need a few things. The most important is natural lighting. If you have a nice big window inside your house, you can set up indoors. If you don’t have natural light indoors, choose an overcast day or an area that is shaded from direct sunlight.

The items I am using to recreate the white backdrop…a white flat sheet, two white rectangular table clothes, and duct tape. I am also going to use a piece of plexi glass – but this is completely optional.

Taping up the sheet.

The table clothes that I am using are thin; I am using the white sheet to block out more color. This would be even more important if my garage door were any other color than white. I am now going to unfold one of the white table clothes and tape it on top.

White table cloth on white sheet.

Make sure that the table cloth is not even with the ground, you want to have a little “tail” that you can pull forward over the bottom table cloth.

Time for my plexi glass. You can pick up a sheet of this at Home Depot or Lowes for around $50. This piece is just the regular, thin, plexi glass.

Sheet of plexi.

The purpose of the plexi is to one, hold down bottom table cloth, but also offer a nice little reflection. If you don’t care about the reflection, just use your duct tape to secure the bottom table cloth to the ground.

Just a tip.

Here’s a little tip – never, never clean plexi glass with any type of cleaner that contains ammonia (some Windex formulas have ammonia). If you use ammonia, it will make the plexi glass permanently foggy. Ask me how I know? When I was in college, I cleaned the plexi glass protecting my odometer/speedometer in my car with Windex. For the remainder of the time that I had my car – I could hardly see how fast I was going.

Clean the plexi glass and lay it on top of the table cloth that you have laid out on the ground.

Set up.

You can’t tell now, but when you take your pictures (crop out all sides, tape, etc) with the view finder of your camera…you pictures are going to look fantastic.

Oh - another tip.

Oh, and another tip…don’t stand on the plexi glass with stiletto heels.

I think it’s best not to just leave your camera set on auto. Start by adjusting the white balance – and see the difference in the tones of the images. Time to take some pictures!

  • Wyatt is 2 - 01
  • Wyatt is 2 - 02
  • Wyatt is 2 - 03
  • Wyatt is 2 - 04
  • Wyatt is 2 - 05
  • Wyatt is 2 - 06
  • Wyatt is 2 - 07
  • Wyatt is 2 - 08
  • Wyatt is 2 - 09
  • Wyatt is 2 - 10
  • Wyatt is 2 - 11
  • Wyatt is 2 - 12
  • Wyatt is 2 - 13
  • Wyatt is 2 - 14
  • Wyatt is 2 - 15
  • Wyatt is 2 - 16
  • Wyatt is 2 - 17
  • Wyatt is 2 - 18
  • Wyatt is 2 - 19
  • Wyatt is 2 - 20
  • Wyatt is 2 - 21
  • Wyatt is 2 - 22
  • Wyatt is 2 - 23
  • Wyatt is 2 - 24
  • Wyatt is 2 - 25
  • Wyatt is 2 - 26

I hope this has helped you save a little money at the photography studio.

Happy 2nd Birthday Little Fella!

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Posted in easy projects, gifts, miscellaneous, no sewing

Nov 23

Time to Party – Hat!

I don’t know why we reserve party hats for Birthdays – they should be a staple, like the baseball or beanie cap. Anyways, It’s the eve of my sweet little one’s 2nd Birthday and he needs a hat he can party in! This project is super quick and inexpensive to make. I typically make your run of the mill cone shaped party hat but I was inspired by the Halloween Max costume that I made to make a Birthday Crown.

Closer look at the cone hat.

All you really need is some felt, paper for a pattern, elastic, and  your sewing machine to put it together.

Crown shape - half ways.

You need to fold your felt in half, place your pattern on the fold – and cut.

On the fold.

I cut 3 of these on the fold – so that they would be sturdy enough to stand up. You could always use some type of interfacing to do the same trick.

All cut out.

Stack them up nicely and then sew them together. I am using thread that matches the felt – so you can’t see my wobbly stitches.

Stitching together.

I like to use super short stitches, it makes it easier to maneuver around the edges (one eighth of an inch in).

The number two.

I cut out a number 2 – out of felt. You could cut out initials or a name…which ever fits your needs. I am going to stitch the number in place – you could also glue it in place.

Number stitched.

Also, I am going to add a few “jewels” to the crown. You could use glitter or plastic jewels. I am going to use felt (since glitter and sparkly doesn’t go over well with the boys).

Pin in place and sew.

After these have been sewn down, the crown needs a band. You could use a ribbon and tie it – but with a little one, this could be cumbersome. I like to use thick elastic. Measure your child’s head and cut to size. Then, pin in place and stitch down. You may want to back stitch a few times so that all the tugging and pulling doesn’t free it from the felt crown.

1 inch elastic.

View from behind.

Now, it’s time to get some use out of the party hat!

Turning 2!

The crown is just a little floppy – but it gives it character (yes, that is marker on his belly and knee, compliments of Sharpie).

The Party Hat!

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Posted in accessories, costume, easy projects, gifts

Nov 18

Holiday Card Display…

For the last few Christmas’ I have made a really large bow with long tails out of red velvet ribbon to display my Christmas cards from. I don’t have a good picture to share with you. This year I wanted to make something a little different – but just a little.

Card display.

Here’s another one of those frames, rescued from the clearance isle at Hobby Lobby.

Original frame.

Use sand paper to rough up the surface and get it ready for paint. Because the original is black, I want to lighten it up, so that it will not show through the paper.

Paint it a lighter color.

I used just regular old white acrylic craft paint. This was only one layer – but I painted two.

Gel medium.

I am going to use scrapbook paper to cover the frame. First, you will need something to adhere it. I used gel medium, you could also use modge podge.

Layer it on.

Lay your paper over the medium.

Lay the paper over the frame and smooth it out best you can.

Flip it over.

Flip the covered frame over onto it’s face and cut the opening out with a xacto knife.

It’s looking good.

I painted another layer of gel medium over the paper covered frame. Let it dry thoroughly.

Cut paper strips for the sides.

I used a coordinating paper for the sides – but you could use the same – or just paint it a solid color.

Paper for the sides.

Paint medium on the sides, lay paper over it, and then add another layer of medium.

Sand paper.

Let the paper with medium over it dry completely before you sand it. If you don’t, it will rip the paper and not simply weather or distress it. Once it is dry – use your paper on the edges and opening to distress the edges.

A little detail.

I used a paint pen to paint “Tidings of comfort and joy!” You can add whatever you like…the possibilities are endless.

Time for the drawer pulls.

Measure where you’d like the knobs and use your power drill to make holes.

Drill some holes.

Holes are ready!

Back side of frame.

Almost ready.

Now, it only needs a picture and some ribbon.

A simple loop for the ribbon.

Or a bow.

It’s a little early for Christmas cards, so I fished out some of my cards from years past. I don’t throw away my photograph cards/announcements – I will show you where they end up in just a few minutes!

Another look.

There are several ways that you can attach the cards to the ribbon. If you want to save your ribbon and use it year after year or use it as a bow on something else  – the best option is clothes pins or paper clips.

Small clothes pin.

Even smaller clothes pin.

Paper clip route.

You could also use a stapler or double sided tape – whichever you like best or have laying around!

And – for those of you that have been sticking around to see where your Christmas cards to me end up…

dun du dun du….

Ta Dah!!

More where that came from…

Don’t get upset if you don’t see your picture there – we have lots more cabinet doors (:

Back on subject - another view!

I’d love to see what you come up with!

The Lettered Cottage

Visit thecsiproject.com

The DIY Show Off

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Posted in christmas, decorations, decorative decor, easy projects, frame, paper crafts

Nov 17

Plates for the holidays…Part II

This post is a follow up to “Plates for the holidays…Part I“

Waiting for the kiln to complete the firing cycle – and then to cool down before opening can seem like an eternity. It can also be nerve racking to see if your “pieces” turned out how you had envisioned them…I have lost a lot of cool pieces to the kiln! This was the first time that I have fired my kiln since this time last year and I was delighted that everything turned out beautifully – I did learn that one of the elements was burned out and needs to be replaced, but the only real effect of this was causing the kiln to fire a little longer than expected – no biggie!

But, enough of this rambling…I am sure you’d like to see some pictures…

Pre-firing...

Post firing!

Pre-firing.

Post-firing!

Okay – now to pull them out of the kiln…

All the nice lovelies...

Gobble - Gobble!

They look great!

Front of Christmas ball.

Back of Christmas ball.

Go team!

Tiles...

I really like the versatility of the tiles. They are great to use as hot plates or coasters. You can turn it into a wall plaque with a little hot glue and fancy ribbon or you can pick up a frame to pop it in – and make it a little more masculine/office appropriate.

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Posted in accessories, christmas, decorations, decorative decor, frame, thanksgiving

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