Art, Craft and Needlework, June 2017

A place for Artistry, Crafts and Needlework; Decorating and Holidays.
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Nancy
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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, June 2017

Postby Nancy » Mon Jun 19, 2017 12:24 pm

Got more ribbons for draw strings when I seam up the next batch of fabric bags I have some lady bug print!

I got a tackle box the craft dept. Had em for paints, I am retiring my other rock container bc no handle and it was used broke when I got it. So I am excited to give this one a go.

It is clear plastic.

Hot rocks thinking how to do this... in a car, crock pot, under glass... melt crayons on rocks.

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Harriet
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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, June 2017

Postby Harriet » Tue Jun 20, 2017 7:16 pm

Purchased an assortment of small paint brushes on sale and some Mod Podge for possible paper crafting with the children.

Dd18 got John Muir Laws' book The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds.

She ordered some nicer sealant for her polymer charms/pendants. She says some of the more available ones get the criticism of turning yellowed on the polymer after a year or two, so she wanted one with a reputation of staying the same. I don't know how you can guarantee that at all, and wonder if they all might yellow, but it was worth it to her to try.

Nancy, I wish I could come up with something bright for your experiments with melted-crayon-decorated rocks. One thing about a crock-pot - you'd be able to watch it right there in the kitchen. Reynolds Wrap to line the crock would keep things easy to clean. But I don't know how you'd lift rocks out while crayon was still not set - you might have to leave it to cool. Or, some people have lifter-thingies for their crock-pots to put in first, and then they can lift things out by it's handles.

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Harriet
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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, June 2017

Postby Harriet » Sun Jun 25, 2017 8:27 pm

Had great FUN
Made beads with the children yesterday.
I gave them a water color palette (cheap one) with Scotch tape over any color we didn't want to use and little brushes. So that gave us an automatic limited range of colors. We chose greens, blues, purples. Spread out a cut-apart paper grocery bag to keep the paint off the table. Let them paint to their hearts' content on white paper that is somewhat thick - it's not the true watercolor paper that would be perfect, I guess, but was something like a white cardstock. Toddler painted clouds of color leaving some white on hers. 5-year-old painted in boxed shapes and straight lines, leaving small square spaces of white like windows.

All of it was great for rolling paper beads! Patterns were random and fun, but exactly the same colors.
I'd say if you were going to do this with children, be ready to embrace the idea of some white in your beads. It's boring for a small child to have to paint every bit of space. Also make it clear to really little ones that the craft is over when they finish painting and leave it to dry. Don't let them get the idea they get to cut.

I cut into long triangles about 7 inches (They didn't paint all the way to the 8 1/2 inch width of the paper, and I wanted triangle ends to have some color). 3/4 inch wide at wide end, tapering to a point. Rolled up on my crochet hook into paper beads using a little Elmer's Glue and sealed with Mod Podge. So those were the classic paper bead shape, but all exactly the same colors.

Then I used plain white paper cut in straight strips for some spacing beads that would look different. I cut one-half inch strips and colored with green Crayola washable marker. Saw a youtube video called "Beautiful Black & Silver Paper Beads - Design Your Own Beads Tutorial" in which there's a trick for coloring in advance where the inside of beads might be visible so that they look "finished" at edges or inside. (this lady wanted a black bead with no chance of white paper showing inside.) Basically you put dark color on the first 3/4 inch or so inch of the inside of the bead you'll be rolling.

I let the Mod Podge on everything dry overnight (upside-down paper plate with toothpicks poked in through holes started by a pin, into the back. Each bead had it's own toothpick holding it up to dry). Threaded onto necklace this morning, easy peasy.

I loved wearing my new beads today with the children. I'm going to make enough from their artwork so that they can give a necklace to their Mommy, too.

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Harmony
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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, June 2017

Postby Harmony » Mon Jun 26, 2017 12:12 am

Harriet, they sound great! We need a picture! (Said by someone who doesn't know how to do pictures!)

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Twins' Mom
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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, June 2017

Postby Twins' Mom » Mon Jun 26, 2017 8:08 am

Very cool project, Harriet. Looking in here and caught up. The full extent of crafting lately has been adding layered panels to wedding card and stamping "For the newlyweds" on the top panel to personalize a card for Saturday's wedding.
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better [wo]man. Ben Franklin

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Nancy
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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, June 2017

Postby Nancy » Tue Jun 27, 2017 12:26 am

Update - Well we have had 99* - 100* temps. Hot rocks remelt and make a mess, and I tossed em. Out. Ic-k-k-y they messed up the bench at the trading post and ruined other rocks, I will not be putting those out.

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Harriet
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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, June 2017

Postby Harriet » Tue Jun 27, 2017 6:27 pm

Oh, I'm sorry you had that hassle, Nancy! That problem did NOT occur to me at all.

A hassle here, too, on order of sealer/coating for dd's polymer charms/pendants. As of today she had to cancel the order, which was from a catalog but they process very slowly. Today she discovered it hadn't even shipped yet. I advised her to cancel as nicely as she could. She says she's learned the lesson that when at all possible, buy known products locally and hold them in your own hands to compare. She says she only has so much summer, and this is a delay in projects, buy also in enjoyment.

Thanks for comments - I had been feeling guilty that the children were coming over and their grandmother didn't even have fun rainy-day projects for them! They love playing outdoors, but that doesn't cut it when it starts to rain. Harmony, I'll try to do that. I think dd would like some photos, too, since she gave the children polymer pendants for the centers of the necklaces.

Twins' you were prepared with a personalized card - that's huge. I saw a graduation card verse that would be for a lot of us - " Hope ya lernt somethin' " We may not have been creative lately - but maybe we've learnt somethin'.

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Nancy
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Re: Art, Craft and Needlework, June 2017

Postby Nancy » Fri Jun 30, 2017 4:08 pm

Did some jewlery work it was great.


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