pin toppers

here's a how-to on making the pins... as well as what not to do O:) I threw fire in there for fun, actually :P if you're going to intentionally set the plastic on fire (it does make nifty looking pin toppers, too) do it outside! I have ash floating around my bathroom still.

lil jar pincushion

I saw a canning jar pincushion a while back and have been wanting to make one, but I don't have cute small mason jars.

so I used a pimento jar and poked holes in the lid to stitch the cushion to like a button.

similar to a baby food jar pincushion, just sewn on instead of only relying on the glue - and I like the little tufted part in the middle. the ring is a needle rest made from spandex and a ring blank with a bead cap I flattened out on the bottom.the pins are made from a #6 disposable plastic casserole lid I colored with pencils and cut out and melted onto regular straight pins via candle flame so I could shape them and to get that round look from over-heating the plastic without killing myself trying to do this in the oven.

sea glass

Galveston sea glass I beach combed for, silver, and wire wrapped faceted crystals.

the teardrops reminds me of the wistful feeling I get on the last day of vacation when I'm looking at the treasures I've found in the sand and wishing I didn't have to go home yet.

copper and clay

copper metal pieces and polymer clay beads

(Christmas gifts I wanna keep for myself!)

ornament project

found this tutorial online and loved it :) but I made it a little easier with less fabric to pin. I might try another with all suggested 8 rows, but I think they still came out looking good as is.

paper calculator

thought this was pretty cool... but I'd never seen it before, so maybe I'm alone on this one :P

Nutcracker 09

after a few months, I finally finished my mom's nutcracker today :D


Sep. 16
sanded and stripped down the store-bought nutcracker



sometime between Sep & Oct. (yes... it's a big gap, shaddup)
painted him a solid white and stared at my blank canvas for a while


Oct. 29
finally picked out a beautiful Japanese paper for his "clothes"



Oct. 30
painted his legs and... mouth knocker-thing. I really should know what that's called




Nov. 1
painted his shoes and faux marbled his pedestal


Nov. 2
painted his head and gold trim, and cut out a pattern for the paper to put on his arms and torso




Nov. 3

decoupaged the paper on his body

Nov. 4

gave him blush - doesn't seem like much, but it was a headache to get it to look right. finally went with real blush instead of paint


Nov. 5

gave him a clear coat of paint

Nov. 6

made his hat from a paper mache box I painted gold and put a little round knob on, and painted his face... which was easier after he was sealed because I re-did his face soo many times! I learned that trick the first time I make a nutcracker

Nov. 9

added gold trim and blue pearl-like beads to his waist and added my mom's initials and the year on the bottom... which I know you're asking "why not your name?" but when I lived at home, we had all our nutcrackers out together, and one year decided to start putting our initials on the bottoms to be able to tell them apart (we had too many to remember), so I still do that to hers for nostalgic reasons

Nov. 10

made a cape from a table runner, cut out the beard and hair from a rabbit pelt, glued red jewels down the front of his "shirt" and attached his cape, fur, and hat.

at some point I added a scepter in one hand, and then he sat like that for a while until I decided what to put in his other hand.

Dec. 2 - today! :)

I got up in the attic and found an old key I found as a kid, sanded it down, painted it and put it on a red ribbon and threaded it through the other hand

Finished!

knitting needles

I did similar knitting needles for a swap last year. the case is faux suede from a place mat I found. I love the blue :) I used 50 yen coins my brother brought back from Japan for the closure with a strip of leather and some blue pearl-like beads. staining the dowels was the hardest part. I actually started them back in the summer! but the case went together really quick. I might post a how-to if anyone is interested in doing one.

spiderman

okay.... so I thought I'd give it another try. I still don't like freezer paper. I have no idea how other people are able to reuse the stencils, either. I had a really difficult time peeling this one off. it pretty much came off in small strips. and don't criticize.. it's suppose to look this way. Matt said he liked a sample I did from the other one that wasn't completely covered solidly with paint. I hope this is what he had in mind! I think the only part I like is the spider on the shoulder on the back. I guess I could always pick a random name from the phonebook and pawn it off on them! ;)

knit slippers

my mom mentioned she'd like some slippers like ones I'd knit myself a long time ago.

I don't remember how I did them, so once again, going from no pattern other than my foot - don't ask how I did them 'cause I dunno ;) - I whipped these up.

I used 4 strands of a natural bamboo yarn. I think I like it and would probably use it again.
even made the buttons from polymer clay and metal buttons I found in my craft closet.

stenciled Christmas gift

I've decided I suck at stenciling. I used freezer paper and a thick fabric paint, but it made its way under the stencil here and there anyway. there's just no winning. I'm going back to shelf liners.
I fixed the real bad spots (the F was really screwed up) with some black paint which I hope works out after its been set and washed!
I have a taker for it if my brother-in-law doesn't like it, so I'm not too down about it.