being crafty truly is fab

picture from biography.com
I mentioned in a previous post that I've been reading Mommie Dearest by Christina Crawford, the heartwrenching tale of the tumultous relationship between Christina and her adopted mother, Joan Crawford. Trust me, the movie does not do these painful relationship justice nearly the way the book does.
And, even though, the divine Ms. Joan Crawford may have been bat shit crazy, she still was a bit or perhaps insanely fabulous. She certainly was the height of Hollywood glam in her day. In all of the horrors I am reading, I am filled with glee every time I read mention of Joan Crawford knitting. I must admit it makes me feel like I am in on something the cool kids are doing. There is even talk about modern celebs knitting such as Rosario Dawson and her super hot boyfriend Jason Lewis of Sex and the City fame. So, pashong on those people who say knitting is old fashioned or country, even the rich and famous do it.

soft green yarn

you don't truly know me if you don't know about my odd obsession with lime green. i've been kvetching all winter about trying to find cheap yarn as i wanted to knit another scarf. so, when i saw this at the dollar store and had to pick up 3 skeins. i'm not sure what i'll make with it, but i couldn't say no. originally, i thought about a scarf, but in all honesty, it will only go with my black winter coats. i was hoping to use a color or colors to go with all my coats. it is so super soft i just want to rub it all over my face, and i have multiple times. any suggestions for someone with limited knitting abilities?

projects i want to make from around the blogosphere

i sift through my blog reader and sometimes i bookmark projects from other blogs that i want to make. my folder is beginning to get gargantuan. i thought i might share some of my nifty finds.


old bath towel + flip flops = spa slippers from crafty nest
how to make tree limb coasters at curbly
how to make a 2 colored a line skirt from old t-shirts at craft stylish
how to make a magazine reed box at craft stylish
how to make a belted skirt from a men's shirt at craft stylish
quick scarf tutorial at hope studios
how to make a button serving tray at flipt
create a yarn remnant necklace at craft stylish
making a poker chip pendant at cathie fillian's blog
another skirt from a men's shirt at wardrobe refashion
recycled towel bath mat at vickie howell's blog
scrabble tile pendant tutorial at make and takes
pleated purse pattern at my spare time
no sew scarf at my longest year
knitted felt beads by little house in the suburbs
how to make hats from recycled sweaters at craft stylish
kitchen dish scrubbie by berlin's whimsy
glass jar and bottles as frames at apartment therapy
vinyl lp record bowl at craft bits
making a pillow from an old sweater at the pleasures of homemaking
placemat purses at scribbit
sand heart photos as art at curbly
knitted beret at purl bee
dammit doll at craft bits
candy wrapper purse at candy wrapper crafts
bike wheel pot rack at fort house rehab

crayon hearts

i've been experimenting with making crayon hearts. for some reason of all the shapes out there, i can't seem to find heart shaped candy molds. i read about making them with cookie cutters placing it on aluminum foil. well, i tried and ended up with a hot mess.


all the wax just seeped out the side leaving me with a puddle of wax.

imagine my joy when i found these at goodwill for $1 for the set of 4

i'm only going to use one for crayons and save the rest for making cute little mini cakes and other adorable heart shaped deserts.

here's the tin loaded up with 8 broken up crayons.

and, the finished product

not sure how i feel since they ended up about 3/4" deep, but i think the lines of these will make them easy to color with.

looking at starting at etsy

i am considering creating an etsy site to sell my recycled crayons. however, i have no idea how etsy works. i really just discovered it through smutopia's site. its a site for selling handmade products. i know a lot of my fellow bloggers out there use etsy to sell their wares. hopefully, some of you can give me some advice on selling through etsy, how one goes about pricing goods, etc. any advice would be welcome and helpful.
also, you have to create a store name for etsy. any opinions on the title daffodils and ladybugs since they are two of my favorite things?
and, i've taken pictures to feature the colors of crayons i could offer.

blue green and orange

green and red

purple and blue

a closeup of the pretty colors

finally, candy mold crayons

so, i finally mastered candy mold recycled crayons. instead of microwaving the broken crayons, i made a bowl with aluminum foil to hold the broken crayons in the oven and pinched an edge into a lip.

much like my rainbow crayons which i baked in the oven in muffin tins, i set the oven to 265 degrees and watched for the crayons to liquify. then, i carefully filled the molds. i then, placed them in the freezer for half an hour to set. as you can see, i bought an ocean fun mold. the crayon not pictured is a starfish.

my first attempt at rainbow crayons

after my craftastrophe, i was a bit apprehensive about using candy molds to make crayons until i got the melting down. so, i thought i would try making some rainbow crayons in a muffin tin which i picked up at the dollar store specifically for crafting(so, please have no fear in eating my baking.). i wanted the swirly colored look.

so, i tried to alternate colors of the broken crayons as much as possible to allow tons of color variation throughout the final product. preparing the crayons is really the most time consuming part in all reality. peeling the paper became easier when i used a pair of scissors opened up like a exacto knife since no exacto knife was on hand. and, i broke the crayons into at least 4 pieces, so they would melt easier. i placed them in the oven which i preheated to 265 degrees and allowed to bake for about 10 minutes until they are completely melted. warning: you will want to open a window to air out the kitchen as a nasty smell will eminate from the oven. and, after you are done, keep the oven running with the door open for at least an hour to try to rid the oven of the smell. then to harden them, i placed them in the freezer for a half hour to cool. they popped out super easy.

i let a customer's grandaughter have one a try it out. she really had a great time with all the colors that came out of the crayon. here are my results:

craftastrophe

that's the nicest way to refer what happened to me friday evening. so often on blogs, we just talk about our successes. now, maybe i'm the only one who has screw ups when i try new projects; but i seriously doubt it. so, i will begin to explain how i ended up with red crayon wax all over and i mean all over my kitchen. i would have taken pictures had i not been so embarrassed and busy with cleaning up my mess.

it all began so simply. for quite some time, i've been trying to figure out what to do with my growing crayon collection. i asked for suggestions to no avail. in my websurfing, i've come across lots of examples of people recycling crayons especially into larger crayons. so, i thought this might be a cool use for all the crayons i have amassed(trust me i literally have amassed hundreds.). i went out and bought a cute little train set candy mold. i thought this would be a totally adorable craft idea. and, it would be if i was more patient. seems like a running problem for me. i began by heating some broken crayons in the microwave. this is a slow process especially since i was using a little dixie cup. i got one train done, but thought i could speed up the process by putting the crayons in a coffee mug and left them microwaving for about 12 minutes. this allowed me to go into the living room have a bit of a snack and watch some tv. perfect plan or so i thought. when the microwave went ding, i ran excitedly into the kitchen thinking i now had enough wax to fill the entire mold at once. i should have worried when i saw the wax was bubbling. stupidly, i then began pouring wax into the mold. the mold almost immediately started melting and my countertop and floor became a river of red wax. the wax then hit my fingers. from the scorching wax on fingers, i let out a squeal that sent my kitties running and caused me to drop the mug launching wax onto just about every surface in my kitchen. dear me, i immediately went to scrubbing and pouring boiling water onto the waxed areas to help remove the wax followed by heavy doses of bleach to remove and color that seeped in. sadly the whole wax removal seemed to take over an hour and a half. i, of course, would try again hopefully with less drama.

making your own envelopes

i like making my own cards whether it be for holidays or mailing letters via snail mail. so, i decided i needed to make envelopes to go along with them or even just for sending letters on store bought stationery as a special touch. it's probably one of the easiest crafts i've ever done. i start by taking an envelope i already have that is the size i want and open it up all the sides either with a butter knife or letter opener. once it is laid out flat, i use it as the pattern on the the paper i want to make the envelope from. i trace around the envelope onto the paper. then, remove the pattern and cut. i fold all 4 flaps. i take the two side flaps and glue them down to the bottom flap. when i am ready to send the card or letter, i use a sticker to close the final flap or glue it down with my handy glue stick. the options for paper to recycle into envelopes are endless. this first envelope was made with a paper bag i got from a specialty store. one of the flat long ones usually used to sell stationery or books. here is one made from the comics. i think these are cute for kids birthdays. when i taught high school, i often had paper left over when i made bulletin boards. the paper we used is especially sturdy and perfect for envelopes. my mom has saved some for me as well. here are some of the ones i still have.
i also find brown paper grocery bags work well both for making cards and envelopes. i don't have any envelopes right now, but here is a card i made from a grocery bag and stamped with a grape leaf painted with some yellow paint.
another great source for paper is wrapping paper and a good way to recycle it once you've opened the present.

i finally dyed my jacket

as i mentioned in my current projects post http://rebos2003.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-current-projects.html, i have been meaning to dye a stained jacket for months. by months, i sadly mean i needed to redo this jacket for almost a year. i bought the dye back in november but was deterred when my previous dye job didn't turn out as well as i hoped. the first problem was that i was hoping to dye a white cotton shirt burgundy to match the deep auburn i had dyed my hair. it turned out a heathered pink many shades lighter than the burgundy i had hoped for. then, there was the dye stain i got from my hair from trying the shirt on while dying my hair to see how the color looked on me. i have a problem with patience.

i figured out the main problem was me not thoroughly reading the directions. I used rit dye which has special recommendations for dyeing dark colors. apparently, not only are 2 boxes recommended but so is dyeing the garment on the stovetop. would have been helpful if these suggestions were on the exterior not the interior. i bought black dye for the jacket orginally firguring that's what i needed. after bleaching the jacket a few more times since buying the dye, i thought maybe i could do charcoal grey. i have way too much clothing that is black anyway. i think it turned out well looking almost a purplish grey. i didn't expect the thread not to take the dye as dark as the rest of the garment but i think it actually looks modern and intentional. seems like dyeing clothes is a good way to change the look of and item of clothing or saving a stained item of clothing.

before

after

my current projects

i know just from growing up with a crafty mom how easy it is to get ton going especially in your head at the same time. i currently have fallen prey to that disorder. sadly, most of my projects have only made it to the point of gathering the materials and not even beginning them. first, i have boxes and boxes of coffee mugs i got from my work when we changed our color scheme for our mugs. i literally have about 40 some coffee mugs i got from my work. i have probably 50 or more coffee mugs in my cabinet that i have collected over the years. pretty funny for someone who doesn't even drink coffee. i thought i could decorate these mugs and use for gifts, but til now have done nothing with them. the boxes have been sitting for months taking up space. i really need to work on these.

from work, i also have a ton of chopsticks we no longer needed after a stir fry promotion. i orginally got them to make a satellite chop stick bowl. since, i have seen a ton of chopstick folding backs that i want to figure out to make.

i have a white cotton pea coat that i liked terribly when i got it despite the fact that my boyfriend seems to think it looks like a chef coat.

sadly, last spring i left a pen in my pocket for unknown reasons; and of course it leaked leaving a few grey spots around the front right pocket. in november for my birthday, i bought some dye to change the color of a shirt that being white was see thru and picked up some black dye hoping to color the jacket as well. still haven't dyed that jacket but thought about with this week's warm weather.

my boyfriend being an ex dj has tons of records that are too scratched up to be play. i asked if i could have them for craft purposes, and he said i could. i want a record bowl like i've seen in a ton of decorator magazines. it seems like it would be simple to make, but i just need to get around to making.

since looking online, there are several other projects i've finally got directions for that i want to make such as a string lantern, recycled sweater pillow, candy wrapper purse(i'm thinking this might be a good use for the hundreds of magazines i've accumulated and can't bear to just throw away.), and a dammit doll.

hopefully, after looking at the ridiculousness of this list, i can get off my butt and get to work on some of these.

looks like one crafter may have taken it too far

i grew up with a mom who was a quintessential crafter. she knit,crochetted, embordiered, cross stitched, tatted, sewed, well the list goes on and on. i learned early if you stand still too long you will be crafted. i immediately thought of that when i saw this http://www.craftycrafty.tv/2009/02/embroidered_valentines_condoms.html where the link name says it all. good for a laugh.

cheap yarn

i want to get back to knitting. i really do miss it since it is super relaxing, plus you get the joy of creating something useful. i remembered that last year the dollar store had speciality yarn that i thought would be perfect for making some scarves. of course, now that i want to buy some they no longer have any. i can't justify spending a ton of money on yarn. so, i thought i would look on the net. i found a couple of sites that have some cheap yarn.
http://www.elann.com/productlist.asp?ProductType=5&Cat=Bargains&OrderBy=Bargain,Desc this seems to be limited, and from what i can tell, they go fast. the yarn all seems high quality.

http://www.smileysyarns.com/ they have yarn as cheap as $.77

looking for adult uses for crayons

as you can see, i have a few hundred crayons in this box all blue, green, red, and orange. i have these because my work gives away 2 crayons with each kids menu to keep them busy. generally, the crayons get left behind, and i can't stand to see them thrown away. so, i collect them with the hope that they will come to good use. i tried giving them away to friends who teach small children, but i don't see them enough to hand them all away. so, i'm looking for adult craft uses for my excess crayons. i'm sure they exist. any ideas let me know. and, if you're in the area and need some crayons in just these four colors, please let me know i'll be more than happy to hand some over.

button picture frame

a few years ago, i was inspired when i saw a coworker with a picture with buttons on it. she had received it as a gift from an aunt and had no idea how it was made. i knew i could piece something together on my own that would be just as good. i have made several through the years since but these are my two most recent that have their home in my office. for others i used novelty buttons depending on the occasion ie baby shower done in blue and white with baby bottle buttons as accents.

i bought the unfinished frames in packs of three at ikea (only available in stores) for $2.99. then just hot glued the buttons til the whole frame is covered gluing buttons on top of other buttons to cover holes where wood shoes through.

for the pic of my kitties, i tried to choose brightly colored buttons to go with the orange chair which is the background for the pic.

something to make sure of when adherring the buttons is to make sure the bottom layer of the buttons are not so low that will prevent the frame from sitting flush.

i've also tried some variations using colorful puzzle pieces(a great way to reuse a puzzle that is missing peices or garage sale finds) and beach sand accented with beach finds like shells as seen below.

i applied the beach sand with wood glue, let it dry for 24 hours, and then hot glued the rocks, shells, and beach glass to corners.

painting with bubbles

i was inspired by the continued spring like weather. i wanted to come up with a cool way to make some unique curtains on the cheap. i thought why not trying to paint with bubbles since i love bubbles so much. its an obssession really. i decided to try out my theory by sitting on the porch and blowing bubbles on some paper to test my theory and see how it might work out. i just added a few drops of red food coloring to some liquid dish detergent and water since i had somehow spilt my bubble bottle. i really liked the way you could see pretty marbelized swirls in the paint from the detergent when the bubble pops. despite how cool it looks on paper to me, i don't think i can use this for fabric. of course, there is the issue of the the detergent washing off the fabric. i thought i might look into that later, but the second issue discouraged me from even bothering. the bubbles can catch the liquid in such a way that they leave large dark spots. so, while i doubt this works for fabric, i think it will make some cute notecards especially with some handmade envelopes i made which i promise to tell you about later. also, this was tons of fun. bubbles, time outside, and i created something. i am so sure kiddies will love it too especially if you use several different colors.

recipe for bubble paint
a few drops of food color or tempera paint to the color
either use already made bubble solution or use 2/3 liquid dish detergent to water