Denim Flower

Hi Crafters!
Here's a fun project for Mother's Day!

I love to re-use stuff that outgrown its original purpose. I designed this fun flower using old denim jeans and some worn buttons, but it would be fun to try with other fabrics and centers as well. Have fun with it and make one for all the moms in your life!

The flower is made with an Amate Studios Bottle Cap Pendant. I used this because it is deep enough to hold the layers of denim and push the flower petals up. You can wear it as a pendant or glue on a pin back and wear it as a pin. I think it would look great hanging from or pinned to a straw bag for summer. (You can find more about all the different shapes of pendants that they carry at http://www.amatestudios.com/. )

Denim Flower Pendant
Materials:

Bottle Cap Pendant (PN-186)

Old denim, 3” by 8” piece

Sandpaper

Glue (G-S Hypo Cement used in sample)

Old metal buttons, ¾” and ½”

Instructions:

1. Cut two 3” circles and one 2” circle. These do not have to be perfect circles. Cut four petals in the large circles by cutting into the circle leaving the center together. Shape petals. Make each one a little different than the others. On the small circle, make 1” deep cuts around the circle creating fringe with varying widths.

2. Sand the edges of the flowers with sandpaper to fray and distress them.

3. Glue one large flower into the pendant pressing it into the pendant to shape the flower allowing petals to overlap. Glue second large flower center over the first with the petals placed in the gaps of the first flower’s petals. Place fringed small circle into the center rolling it to fit and allow the fringe to overlap.

4. Stack the buttons and glue into the center of the flower. Push buttons down into the pendant and hold until glue sets.

5. To wear as a pendant, add a chain or leather cord. To wear as a pin, glue a pin back to the back of the pendant with metal glue.

A note for using this project with children:

To modify this project for children, use a plastic cap from a milk carton, paper or lighter cloth for the flowers, bright buttons and an adhesive-backed pin.

March Projects

Before the month of March totally slips away, I want to share what I've been doing all month. It's been an exciting month for our family. We welcomed our first granddaughter into the world!

So, I spent the major part of the month away from my studio. Of course, I did take some crafts along with me--portable crafts like knitting (a baby blanket!) and jewelry. But, as you can imagine, I spent a lot of my time gazing raptly at my adorable granddaughter.

Before I left, I designed a project for Amate Studios for March, which is posted on their website. It's a Celtic Medallion and is super-easy to do. As a designer who doesn't play with clay much, my polymer clay designs will always be on the easy side!

This one has a touch of serendipity to it, which means I found a good way out of my mistake. Basically, you prepare the clay, stamp it and cut it to fit the pendant. Then, I dusted it with a resin powder. A good idea, but way too much powder. What to do now? I couldn't brush it off without wrecking the pendant. I didn't want to add water and try to wash it off because it might ruin the effect. So, I baked it the way it was. Then, the light went on! Why not sand it? It turned out to be the perfect solution and allowed just enought of the green clay to show through to give it a worn, antiqued look!

Yay, another disaster averted! Have you had something similar happen to you? How did you save your craft disaster?

Happy crafting everyone!

Terry

Happy Heart Day!

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone! Here's wishing you lots of love in your life!

Here's a quick heart that you can make today. I made it for Amate Studios with a Mardi Gras theme, but if you choose pink and red sequins, it would look great for Valentine's Day! For the instructions, go to their website at http://www.amatestudios.com/. It's under the February projects.

As a member of Amate Studios' Design Team, they provide me with the pendants, and in return, I provide them with the design. All other materials are purchased by me.

Getting organized!

I'm back from a week at the CHA show, and the first thing I noticed when I stepped into my "studio" is that no one had cleaned it up while I was gone!! Too bad! So, it's back to my perennial New Year's resolution: Get organized!

Luckily, one of the things I brought home from the show is this nifty bag from the Nantucket Bagg Co. The vendor gave it to me to try and to give it a mention on my blog. I am happy to do so, because it really is well-designed.

Here it is zipped up and hanging on my fence. It would make a great outdoor activities bag like this. Take it on a picnic or to the gym. You can't see it in this photo, but on the other side are straps so you can wear it like a backpack.

But, this bag can be unzipped and laid totally flat, so that you have access to all the pockets on the other side of the bag. You can hang it up this way. Or, you can zip it up with all the pockets on the outside as shown in this picture. Here I've put all my knitting needles and yarn in it (and only used half the pockets!) It's ready to go for my next knitting group.

And, in the process of organizing my knitting, I found a pair of scissors and some crochet needles that had been lost under all the yarn!

Now, at least my knitting is organized!

Happy crafting,

Terry

To learn more about these bags, check out their website at www.nantucketbagg.com.

More CHA Show Stuff!

This year's theme for the Craft and Hobby show is Crafting Around the World. In the Global Gallery, the designers will have pieces that reflect the theme with crafts inspired by the country they chose. I can't wait to see all the fantastic pieces.

I chose Mexico. I love the art and crafts from our southern neighbor. It was hard to choose a craft because there are so many that I like--metalwork, bright painted bark paper, intricate cut-out banners, tooled leather. In the end, I chose a terra cotta sun plaque. It doesn't use terra cotta clay, but it is inspired by the colors and textures of Mexican pottery.

Here's the final result. I say "final result" with my fingers crossed, because I keep playing with it--adding a little paint here or there. We'll see if it stays as is. There is a point where I'll have to let it dry and wrap it up for travel, but I am taking my paint with me!

It was so much fun to try a new craft. I don't work much with clay, and I really enjoyed sculpting with paper clay. I hope you'll try a new craft this year. You never know what you'll achieve!

Happy crafting!

Terry

New Amate Studios pieces!

Hi everyone!

I'm really looking forward to the big Craft and Hobby Show this year. It's always exciting to see all the new craft materials and tools. I'm like a kid in a candy store!

Amate Studios will be there with new metal pendants to fill up with whatever you like. They've come out with some new shapes that are different from others I've seen. One is a shape they call a T-shirt. But, I thought it looked like it could be a Kimono, so I took some beautiful origami paper from Yasutomo and folded it around cardboard with some padding in between. I added a contrasting paper and some glittery gold Kreinik ribbon, and I'm really happy with the result. I can think of several things that I want to do with this shape. What would you create with it?

I am really liking padding the space inside the pendant trays and covering it with paper as in the Kimono, or with fabric, as in the Snowman shown below. He's got a stitched face and I tied a strip of plaid fabric around his neck before I glued the padded shape into the head-shaped form.
You can find the instructions for these designs on the Amate Studios website(www.amatestudios.com). Drop by the booth if you are at the CHA show and say hi!

Happy crafting,
Terry

Only two weeks before the show!

Yikes! Where does the time go? It's only two weeks before the Craft Super Show and Craft and Hobby Association trade show. And, I have a whole list of things to do.

Number 1: Finish my gallery piece for the CHA Designer Global Display. It's only cracked and fallen apart once, which is pretty good for working with materials I haven't worked with before. I like a challenge, but sometimes I give myself a little bit too much of one. I'm on version 2.0 right now. My country is Mexico and I'll show it off when it's finished.

Number 2: Put together a display of stunning designs that will awe and amaze the editors and publishers who stop by to look at all the Designer Showcases. Hmmm...

Number 3: Practice my yo-yo skills. No, not the Tommy Smothers kind of yo-yo--the fabric kind where you stitch around a fabric circle then pull up the stitches into a smaller, finished circle. After all, I am going to be helping at a workshop where I will need yo-yo skills. Karen Wiant obviously has those skills in abundance and a little innovation, too. She's designed a wreath with four different kinds of yo-yo's--one for each season. You saw that darling snowman in the last post. Then, there's a spring blossom yo-yo, a Fourth of July firecracker yo-yo and a pumpkin yo-yo for fall. Each one is a little different design. Here they are on the grapevine wreath held on with Velcro Press & Fasten, which makes them removable and interchangable. Pretty nifty!

Hope to see you at the show!

Terry