Monthly Archives: July 2015

There’ a good reason I’m doing the happy dance in this odd place

There’ a good reason I’m doing the happy dance in this odd place

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I can’t imagine a stranger place to be dancing. Here I am, somewhere between Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota–wedged between cupholders and suitcases with two teens, a tired husband, a 90-pound dog panting bad breath at my face and a 13-week-old golden retriever puppy chewing his way through his crate–somehow doing the happy dance.

My reason for cha-cha-cha-ing amid backpacks, books and binoculars is perfectly reasonable. You see, today is the day I get to announce that I have been selected as a ColourArte Design Team member.

I’ve been keeping this news secret for awhile now and am thrilled to be able to finally share it with you.

Please check out the official ColourArte announcement.

Now showing . . . At a craft studio near you

Now showing . . . At a craft studio near you
Now showing . . . At a craft studio near you

 

 

 

The movie Paper Towns hit theaters earlier this week. Although, I’m not particularly interested in this flick, the title caught my eye. Paper Towns–could a more perfect title for a crafter exist? If you want to learn how to make this Paper Town Three-Drawer Night Light Unit, featuring rows of paper houses, please check out the free tutorial.

 

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This three-drawer night light unit had simple beginnings as a leftover gift box and some foam core.

There’s an interesting side note about this project. Although he never said so directly, it was clear my Dad was not a fan of my art. Endless layers, textures, ephemera and more are the exact opposite of his style. A purist architect, who had once worked for the famed Eero Saarinen, my dad believed that “more did not make better”.

Due to both my journalism and graphic design backgrounds, I appreciated, understood and applied this approach in my professional work. However, crafting is my escape from rigid rules and precise measurements. As a result, most of my art has lots of “more”.

He suggested more than once that I design sympathy cards because there were none simple enough for his liking. I gave him a couple of samples containing a line art flower surrounded by lots of white space, yet those were still too ornate. At some point I gave up. Honestly though, I think the only card that would have pleased him would have been one teeny, terse phrase written in Helvetica All Caps:

SYMPATHY

 

It is safe to say he was a no nonsense man.

My dad passed away in June. As I was working on Paper Towns, my sister noticed it and chuckled, “You are channeling your inner father.” She was right. I finally made some art he would have liked.

So, Dad, this one’s for you. Thank you for being my night light and unwavering beacon of safety.

Christmas in July–Add some whimsy with Whoville trees

Christmas in July–Add some whimsy with Whoville trees

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It may be the middle of summer, but the folks at Smoothfoam and Robins Nest are celebrating Christmas.

Smoothfoam gave 2015 Robin’s Nest Design Team members the challenge of creating a Christmas themed craft for a bloghop that takes place today at Designer Crafts Connection, a group of premier Arts & Crafts industry designers. Read the rest of this entry

Make colorful flower napkin rings from paper bags

Make colorful flower napkin rings from paper bags
Make colorful flower napkin rings from paper bags

 

 

These beautiful napkin rings humble me. Why? Because I attempted to create some mother-daughter bonding time by crafting floral place card settings. As I struggled in vain to figure out how the flowers could uphold the name cards, my daughter breezed in, took one look at the project and said it would be much wiser to make napkin rings. I had to admit, she was right.

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That, my friends, is just the beginning. It turned out she was right many more times. She was right when she suggested we scallop the edges of the flowers, she was right when she said the flowers would look better if we made the centers with a paper fringe, she was right when she said we should add leaves and she was right when she suggested running the pipe cleaner through the leaves.

Just who is the professional crafter around here? I pride myself on my creativity, but it is nothing compared to the unhindered mind of the young.

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Who knew? I should use my Playstation to craft altered tags?

Who knew? I should use my Playstation to craft altered tags?

Question: How do crafters solve problems?

Answer: Just Like everyone else. They Google it!

The problem I need to solve is that I think I must be the slowest crafter in the world. A visit to Facebook leaves me frothing enviously at the astounding rate that many of you produce your art. DO YOU PEOPLE NEVER SLEEP?

Wait, a minute. I never sleep (well, just about, anyway). So I have been trying to figure out how I can be so stinkin’ slow? In desperation I turned to Google for wisdom.

Oh Google, how could you fail me so?.

 

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You won’t believe your eyes when you see what this ancient tile is really made from

You won’t believe your eyes when you see what this ancient tile is really made from

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Take a look at this time and weather worn sun tile. Now, look again. Can you believe I made it from a simple sheet of foam?

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