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April/May 2009

I have this tiny little art room that I would love to get organized. I ran accross this little shelf tutorial in a ReadyMade magazine. Check it out!

Gocco Printing

I had this dream of hand writing and drawing my wedding invitations and save the dates. I'm starting to think it will not become reality. Shane got me the PG-11 Gocco Printer for Christmas and I tested it out last night. It did NOT go well.
First I researched and I researched and I watched many tutorials. Everyone kept saying how easy it was. Well it didn't look that difficult I guess. So I followed all the instructions and pressed down to burn the image onto my screen. After opening the lid I realized there was a clear sheet that was blocking the screen from being burned. Awesome! So I wasted two bulbs which is about $8.50. On the second try I must not have held the cover down long enough or something? Maybe the machine didn't like the Riso pen I used instead of using a Laser printer. Every print came out globby on the word part and faded looking on the branch part. I still don't know what really went wrong!

Felt Slippers

I love this idea! It would be such a neat gift or rainy day project. Just Adorable! From www.marthastewart.com

The templates for the slippers can be adjusted to fit different shoe sizes.
For Branch Slippers1. Download slipper templates (2 slipper tops with branch outline, 1 left sole,

1 right sole, 1 branch), resizing as desired; print onto card stock, and cut out all templates.

2. Cut equal rectangles of heather-brown felt, salmon felt, and fusible webbing (leaving 1 side of paper backing on), each large enough to accommodate 2 slipper tops.

3. Stack brown felt and fusible webbing (paper side up).

4. Lay slipper-top templates side by side on stack. Using a pencil, trace templates, marking notches A and B as indicated on templates.

5. Place branch template on 1 traced slipper top, using marked points to position properly, and trace. Repeat on second traced slipper top, flipping branch template to trace a mirror image. Cut out branch designs, slicing through webbing and felt with a craft knife.

6. Carefully remove paper backing from fusible webbing; webbing should stay in line with cut edges of branches. Stack salmon-felt rectangle on webbing, and flip over (keep branch shapes in position). Iron, following webbing manufacturer's instructions, with brown side up. Lay slipper-top templates on fused felt, and align notches A and B with tips of branches and leaves. Trace with a disappearing-ink pen. Cut out slipper tops, cutting through notches.

7. Cut equal rectangles of heather-brown felt, salmon felt, and fusible webbing large enough to accommodate 2 soles. Stack layers, with webbing in middle. Iron, following manufacturer's instructions on webbing. Lay templates for both soles side by side on fused fabric; trace with disappearing-ink pen. Cut out soles.

8. With a sewing machine, sew closed the vertical seam at back of each slipper top with a zigzag stitch (do not overlap fabric; instead, align edges, and stitch).

9. Pin 1 sewn slipper top to 1 sole, brown side down. Starting at heel, sew around perimeter of slipper, leaving a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Repeat to finish second slipper.

For Butterfly Slippers1. Download slipper templates (2 slipper tops, 1 left sole, 1 right sole, butterflies), resizing as desired; print onto card stock, and cut out all templates.
2. Cut equal rectangles of cream felt, white felt, and fusible webbing, each large enough to accommodate 2 slipper tops. Stack layers, with webbing in middle. Iron, following webbing manufacturer's instructions.
3. Lay slipper-top templates side by side on fused felt. Trace with a disappearing-ink pen, and cut out slipper tops.
4. With disappearing-ink pen, trace butterfly templates onto different shades of pink felt. Cut out shapes.
5. Secure butterflies to cream side of slipper tops with straight pins or fabric glue. Using a sewing machine, stitch along midline of butterflies to secure to slippers.
6. To finish slippers, follow steps 7, 8, and 9 in "For Branch Slippers," using cream and white felt (cream side down on soles).

How to make an Etsy banner in Powerpoint!

1. Open Powerpoint and click on "Design" and then "Page set-up" make the banner size: Width 27 cm and height 3.55 cm.

2. Make your banner. I made mine with shapes to look similar to the business card i ordered on vistaprint.com.

3. Click "Save as", and in the format selection click "jpeg"

4. In your shop appearence section on Etsy upload your banner image!

Acorn Earrings!

My sister made this awesome wedding binder for me to organize my thoughts and budget along with two new bridal magazines. In the Martha Stewart Wedding magazine i found a tutorial on these little acorn earring made from yellow faceted jade beads and acorn tops. I just bought everything i need from Ebay to make like 10 pairs. It even shows you how to make the tree lining!

These earrings for your bridesmaids boast BFF-worthy qualities (they're hip, handmade, and look expensive) -- yet they cost just a few dollars.
The charming illustrations for the backing were created for us by Virginia-based illustrator Katy Jean May. If you like the style but want something different, you can commission her to draw something for you. Reach her at 215-356-9513.
Ours are sized to fit into a 2-1/8- by-3-inch jewelry box. The images are designed to have the larger white space toward the bottom of the box.

Tools and MaterialsPushpin12-millimeter yellow jade beads, Acorns, 1 1/2-millimeter gold ball pin, 24-gauge fish hook earring, PDFs (Tree Card 1, Tree Card 2, Tree Card 3)Stiff paper or card stockCraft knifeMetal straightedgeSmall Japanese hole punch, 3-by-2-1/8-by-1-inch jewelry box.

Acorn Earrings How-To1. With a pushpin, poke hole through acorn cap from underneath.
2. Slide bead and cap onto a jewelry finding called a head pin.
3. With needle-nose pliers, make a loop just above the cap, and cut away extra wire.
4. Slide a hook on.
Backing How-To1. Download the PDFs (Tree Card 1, Tree Card 2, Tree Card 3), and print onto stiff paper or card stock. Use a craft knife and metal straightedge to cut between the crop marks; do not cut all the way to the edges of the paper, but leave them intact to preserve the crop marks for subsequent cuts.
2. Use a small Japanese hole punch to make two holes along each branch for the earrings.
From Martha Stewart Weddings, Fall 2009

Craft Inspiration- Autumn

I found these cornhusk votives on Martha Stewart Living.

These gloves are adorable from Whiletheyplay on etsy.

Since spring flowers are no longer in bloom i thought these super cute paper magnolias from Martha Stewart Weddings would be a perfect craft. There's a tutorial and a template!

These chocolate truffles from Alton Brown on the Food Network would be a nice little treat wrapped in a hand decorated favor box!

Art Journals

I recently discovered the glory of art journals. I am the kind of person who gets really nervous before painting in fear of ruining a canvas so for this reason the art journal is a great outlet for me. I am able to mess around with ideas in a handy little book before committing to a canvas. You dont have to be good at drawing to keep an art journal you can collage from magazines instead of sketching. An art journal could just be a bunch of ideas for bigger ideas or the layout of your garden...each page is an empty canvas. Art journals can also have themes and quotes. A love journal, a contemplative journal or a "what's wrong with the world?" journal. I have one that is purely art ideas and one filled with clothes and makeup that i like and i'm about to start one for inspirational wedding ideas. I love the thought of these being around after i am no longer in this world as a keepsake for my children.