my week

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas . . .

pulled out the felt tree skirt that i made two years ago

we got our tree [harvested just the day before] from a  christmas tree vendor a few blocks away

did you know that more christmas trees come from oregon than any other state?

the capitol hill holiday market was this weekend

i was a little booth envy after seeing see jill bliss' flowy fabric cutouts!

it was great seeing a lot of familiar faces and meeting new vendors

i think i spent more time shopping than selling

i couldn't resist these lovely ceramic pieces from laura cooke [already gifted as a wedding present]

i also bought an onyx ring from resolute twig  

the silver band was oxidized natually after being sealed in a bag with a hard boiled egg- love it!

right after the holiday market, my husband and i zipped on over to

a sweet wedding in the pioneer oaks church 

the reception was at the cleaners in downtown's ace hotel

the deer and mistletoe place cards were pretty adorable

my creative week

There really isn't enough time in the day to do everything that I'd like to . . . but I try.  Here are some projects- small and big- that I tackled the last week and a half.

drawing on ceramic chimes with a sharpie // latest beach collection of rocks and shells // 11 x 14 At the Beach print // adding a bit of inspiration to vintage school chairs in the girls' study room // new stationary // notecards made from image transfer onto vintage index card // progress on a 18 x 24 wood panel painting

Fun hand-printing projects by artist Christine Schmidt

One of my favorite books on my shelf right now is Print Workshop by Christine Schmidt of Yellow Owl Workshop.  I've been a fan of Yellow Owl for quite some time now, especially their stamp sets.  So, earlier this year, when I heard Christine was coming out with a book on hand-printing projects, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.

a page of triangles with the Table of Contents- already love the book!

I fell in love with printmaking when I was in college, but, since leaving teaching, I haven't been around a press for years.  Recently, I have been thinking about diving back into printmaking, and this book has intensified my desires to pursue this medium again.  The great thing about Christine's book is that you don't have to have a deep knowledge of printmaking to start with.  In the introduction, Christine gives a wonderful overview of various printing methods and materials, plus some basic understanding of color and composition.   

This book is perfect for the design and DIY enthusiast.  Unlike some other DIY art books, the project instructions in Print Workshop are easy to follow, and there are lots of images and illustrations.  I love this picnic blanket idea.  Just like primary school, you make the stamps [quite appropriately] out of potatoes! 

Christine covers a broad spectrum of hand-printing techniques, from silkscreen printing to sun printing to image transfer printing.  And the projects range from personalized stationary to home mural design- all ideas that align with current trends today.



It's always a huge bummer when the final product looks nothing like what is pictured in the book. Thankfully, Christine includes a generous section of templates in the back of the book.  So no more fretting over misshaped leaves or unrecognizable creatures!

If I could write a book on fun printmaking projects for the home, this would be it.  Well, it probably wouldn't be as good as Print Workshop, but you get the point.  And, as an arts educator, I truly appreciate Christine's approach.  Her knowledge of techniques and materials is evident, but she doesn't talk over the heads of those just starting out in printmaking. 

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On another topic, a photo that I took for my featured seller interview on Etsy is now on Apartment Therapy! See it here.

My Week

the snow came and went 

i wore my snowflake boots that were made in christchurch, new zealand

my heart breaks for the devastating loss there this week

another project- fixing up a 1961 bike I got for $8

can't wait to ride it this spring

the girls' birthdays seem to be coming around faster

this year's craft- beaded bobbin pins

Handmade envelopes in a jiffy

This week I found myself crafting envelopes- not out of a desire to start a new hobby but out of necessity.  I've been looking for small envelopes (made out of recycled paper) for my new notecards.  I went to a couple of paper specialty shops in town but was out of luck.  Discouraged, yet determined, I sat down one afternoon and found that making envelopes is quite easy and surprisingly fun.



Folding an envelope is essentially basic origami.  (By no means do I consider myself an envelope craftmaster, but I do have strong origami folding genes.)  To make a standard envelope with a triangle flap, you need a square piece of paper cut an inch wider than the diagonal measurement of the notecard.  My card measures 4.5" from one corner to the opposite corner, so I needed a 5.5" square paper. 



Many origami patterns have you start by folding in all four corners of the paper.  Centering your card on the paper, this will be the first step of folding an envelope.  In the photo on the right, you'll see that I've highlighted four little triangles created by the folds.  You'll want to cut these out.  Then all you have to do is fold two sides in and, with a gluestick, glue the third side down on top of the other two sides.  And there you have it- your very own handmade envelope!

I started playing around with some other designs and was able to come up with a few more envelope patterns.  Here's an envelope I created with a top opening.  I prefer this design because it's a more efficient use of paper.  The one thing you'll need to keep in mind with this design is that you'll need to taper (just a tad) the large side that folds in.  And, to help even out your creases, I found that a spoon can do the trick! 

For additional decorative touches, you can use corner punches.  I like to have rounded corners on my notecards, so I find that repeating these kinds of features on envelopes creates a more cohesive look.

For more interest, you can use patterened paper.  I created my own triangles pattern and printed it on recycled paper.  I also love the idea of using found paper with printed designs, whether it's magazine pages or recycled business envelopes (which is the envelope in the middle). 



Hope I've inspired you to create your own envelopes.  No more shuffling around drawers or quick runs to the grocery store for last minute birthday cards.  Just make your own, and what a wonderful treat for the recipient!

   

When craft becomes art

For the past week, I've been leisurely going through the book By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art. The book features 32 artists and their collections of handmade works, from pillows to quilts to fashion to books.

Aritsts like Rowena Dring of The Netherlands creates "paintings" out of fabric.

I realized that I could make paintings that masquerade as quilts and quilts that masquerade as painting.

Shown above is a close-up of one of her appliqué works called Big Daisy (2004).  A large piece can involve 1200 hours to complete- and I can believe it!

These stunning chandeliers were made by Brooklyn-based artist Kristen Hassenfeld.  Like many artists who are part of the handmade movement, Kristen's works are a response to consumption and wealth.  Appearing jewel-like in the light, her chandeliers are actually comprised of "un-precious" materials.

I have handstitched a few quilts myself so I can appreciate the intricate work that Anna Von Mertens puts in each of her pieces.  I absolutely love the color blocks in this collection. 

By Hand showcases the artists' handiwork in beautiful photographs.  These large doily-like creations were made by London artist Shane Waltener.  You can see the exquisite craftsmanship of Shane's work in the detailed shot.



I thoroughly enjoyed looking through this book, but more than anything, I was so encouraged by the artist's stories and messages.  Living in a world that seems to demand faster technology and mass production, it's truly refreshing to read about artists who value manual work and tradition as well as ingenuity.

Third time's a charm

I just finished this mixed media on birch panel titled walk on the beach.  It's been quite the journey with this particular wood panel.  This is actually the third art work on the wood panel.  I experimented with different finishes with previous compositions and ended up having to strip them from the panel with an xacto knife.  I talk more about this process here and here.



This process of taking away and adding creates a very textured surface.  You can see some of the carved and layered details in the photo below. 

I've been thinking a lot about the beach lately.  I take it as a sign that I need to go back soon.  When I think about my last trip to the Oregon coast in November, I remember it like walk on the beach.  The beach grass had a lovely golden hue and the ocean and sky seemed to blend into one. 



To read more about my latest work, go to my Etsy listing here. 

I'm still painting on these old bingo markers I found on Etsy.  In addition to magnets, my friend suggested that I make them into push pins.  I loved the idea, and I happened to have a box of flat head tacks on hand! I'm wanting to sell the hand painted push pins as a set of six, so I need to come up with a couple more designs.  My guess is that I'll have the first batch ready in my Etsy shop within the week. 

Make your own embroidered portraits of family and friends

For Christmas, I made embroidered portraits of my nephews and nieces.  The project is more time-consuming than the silhouette portraits, but still relatively easy if you are familiar with embroidery.  Each 5" x 5" portrait took about an hour and a half to complete, which includes framing the work. 

Here is a list of materials and equipment needed to make a 5" x 5" embroidered portrait:



computer with photo editing application

white printer or copy paper

black felt tip pen

10" square of linen fabric

10" x 10" IKEA Ribba frame

black embroidery floss (I used DMC perle cotton 12)

embroidery needle

embroidery hoop

fabric scissors

art tape

iron

Instructions.

1.  Take the mat out of the frame and trace the mat opening onto the white copy paper.  Then, choose a photograph on your computer to use as a template.  If necessary, resize the picture so that it fits within the 5" x 5" mat opening.



2.  Secure the white paper over your monitor with removable tape.  Carefully trace the outline of the portrait with a felt tip pen.



3.  Take your fabric and line drawing to a bright window.  Center the fabric over the portrait and trace the line drawing with a black pen. 

4.  Secure fabric in an embroidery hoop. Using a backstitch, embroider over the line drawing. (Periodically refer to the actual photograph when working on fine details.)

5.  Iron the finished portrait.  You'll want to trim the edges of the fabric so that it can be taped to the back side of the mat. 

6.  Arrange the portrait and mat so that they sit in the back of the frame, like a shadow box.  Secure the back of the frame and you're done!

Since the frame is deep, you can add small memorabilia or decorative details to personalize the portraits even more.  For my nephews and nieces, I painted small wooden letters (just the first letter of each name) that could be glued to the bottom ledge of each frame.  I included the letters with each framed portrait. 

Felt gift bags for any occasion

Christmas is a few days away, and the wrapping frenzy has just begun at our house.  I normally use kraft paper and twine when wrapping gifts, but odd-shaped items seem to go best in bags.  I decided to make some gift bags this year out of felt scraps leftover from my Christmas tree skirt project.   The felt is made from recycled plastic bottles, and, best of all, the handmade bags are reusable. 

To make your own felt gift bags, you need the following items:



felt

fabric scissors

pinking shears

sewing machine (or you can handstitch)

buttons

embroidery floss and needle

bias tape or yarn (optional)



Instructions:

1. Cut out two identical rectangles (the size depends on your gift).  The proportion of length to width should be similar to a brown lunch sack.



2.  With right sides together, sew along all the edges except the top. 



3.  To create a base for the bag, pinch the corners so that the bottom seam touches each side seam. Then run the two corners through the sewing machine, creating new seams perpendicular to the bottom seam.

4.  Turn the bag right side out and trim the top edge with pinking shears.  The basic bag design is now done!

5.  For the button detail, flip down the top edge and cut a slit in the middle of the flap.  The slit should go through both layers of the flap. 

6.  Sew the button(s) onto the bag with embroidery floss.  

7.  Just add embroidered designs to the front of the flap, and the bag is ready to gift!

Another option, especially if you're running short on time, is to skip steps 5 - 7 and tie the felt bag with yarn or bias tape. 

I can see the felt bags being a great project for young crafters.  They will most likely need a little help with the sewing (especially the corners).  And, instead of embroidery, kids could glue felt shapes onto the bag, like hearts for Valentine's Day. 

My Weekend

it's getting a bit chilly at night, so i brought out an extra blanket for the bed

i started stitching the quilt by hand in college and finished it my first year of marriage

{i have only handquilted small blankets since then!}

brought home a package of scrap chipboard from the art store and drew these a few hours later

i've been wanting to do something with this beautiful yarn from my swap-a-thon,

then i saw kenzie's lovely yarn wrapped branch at the little winter market

i already had a branch in my house that was perfect for this, 

and i wrapped it last night while visiting with a friend

i think i'll hang it above my work desk and string from it 

a few origami cranes folded by my late grandmother