Mark your calendars! We are very happy to host the Craft Addicts for April's First Friday from 4:30 - 8:30pm. The Craft Addicts consist of 4 very crafty local crafters. We will be posting more information about their work soon. Call us for more information.
The shop has been busy this week with crafters crafting. Did you know that you can craft at the Creating Place any time during business hours as long as there isn't a class being taught. If it's a rainy day and you want to get out of the house for an hour you could stop by and mosaic or decopatch. We will get you all set up and leave you to your artistic vision. Creating chases away the rainy day blues for a little while anyway.
There is a lot of creative learning going on this month with Cabin Fever and the Rain Forest Retreat. It's the perfect time to learn a new crafting technique. Until I started working creatively at The Creating Place I made things, however, I wouldn't say I was crafty but I've jumped right in. I am hooked. There are so many things to learn about crafting and I am looking forward to learning as much as I can.
Craft of the day for March 7th:
Repurposing Vintage Tablecloths
http://sommerdesigns.typepad.com/sommer_designs/2008/03/repurposing-vin.html
Jen has been at it again. With Easter around the corner these unique eggs are a great egdition to your Easter collection (OK that was dumb) but hey.
Decopatch Eggs
Materials Needed: Paper Mache Eggs, Paperpatch Glue, Decopatch Tissue
You'll need a soft flat glue brush too!
Start by tearing up small pieces of the Decopatch Tissue (about the size of a quarter or smaller.
Apply the glue to a small section of the egg. Next apply one of the tissue pieces to the glued area. Make sure there is glue covering under the paper, otherwise you'll get bubbles
Keep working until you've covered the entire egg.
These are great. If you want to join us and make one of your own..we're offering a Lunchtime Class on 3/12 from 12:15 - 1:00PM Hope to see you then!-Anji
Ahhhh the wonders of Diamond Glaze! The perfect stuff for a thousand and one projects. This week Jen taught a class in Bottle Cap Magnets. Our crafty Jen has also turned these bottle caps into great wine charms. What a nice reminder that your on a beer budget when your drinking a glass of wine.
Have fun with these!!
Materials
Diamond Glaze
Paper images (don't use papers printed with water based ink)
Bottle Caps
Small Magnet Strips
1) Co
llage your image.
2) Glue your image to the inside of your bottle cap. Make sure you have glued it down securely. You want to make sure there are no airpockets underneath your collage.
3)Apply the Diamond Glaze in a thin and even coat.
4)Allow these to dry for at least 24 hrs. It's really important that they don't move and are in a place they won't be disturbed.
5)Once they're dry you can attach your magnet strip to the backside of the bottle cap.
Enjoy
Ok so I didn't start off March by posting our first craft for our Create it Today section. But I am renewing my commitment today. I thought this was a great project and so many people admire the paper stars that are hanging in the store..I thought this might be fun. This comes from HGTV. We've made these and their great. The proportions are easy and they've been really fun once you get the hang of connecting the individual arms of the stars.
Hanging Paper Star Lantern:
Project designers: Holly Christian, HGTV Ideas magazine
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_occasions_other/article/0,,HGTV_3478_1383819,00.html
Materials:
paper
pencil or marker
scissors
straightedge
glue stick or liquid glue and foam brush
large-eye needle
string
string of holiday lights or or light fixture
small binder clips
hole punch (round, star, heart, etc.)
two small pieces of lightweight cardboard
18-gauge galvanized wire
wire snips and needlenose pliers
Steps:
1. Copy the template and cut it out.
2. Trace the template onto chosen paper. Each pattern piece will be folded to become one of the three-dimensional points of the star. Trace the pattern five times for a five pointed star, six for a six-pointed star and so on.
3. Carefully cut out.
4. Lightly draw the fold lines on the side of the pattern piece that will become the interior of the star.
5. To ensure that the star points fit together correctly, crease the pattern pieces at the fold lines as exactly as possible. A straightedge held along each fold line is helpful. Fold the two narrow flaps that are adjacent to each other to the outside of the piece. Crease all the other fold lines by folding to the inside of the piece .
6. To
glue each star point together, first smooth the piece flat with the
exterior side facing up. Apply glue to the single connecting flap (figure A).
Turn the piece over and fold the piece with the glue-applied flap to
the middle vertical line. Fold the opposite piece over and press in
place on the glued edge (figure B).
7. Glue all the star points together as above and allow to dry.
8. Use a hole punch to perforate the star points to allow light to shine through the star when lit.
9.
Assemble the star flat, with the connecting flaps of each star point
glued to the corresponding edge of the next point. Then carefully open.
Arrange the first star point with the flapped edge facing up and the
flaps at the top (figure C). Apply glue to the exterior side of
the flaps. Place the second star point on top of the first one in the
same position, align the top edges and fold the glued flaps of the
first starpoint to the inside of the second starpoint (figure D). Hold the corners together with clips.
10. Use the same method to glue each star point to the one below it.
11. Glue the flaps of the top star point to the inside.
12. When all the glue has dried, carefully spread the points of the star to open it. Glue a small piece of lightweight cardboard on the interior of each side of the opening to reinforce string ties. Use a large-eye needle to attach the string to each side.
13. Fit the paper star around the light source and tie the opening together.
Follow this link for the paper star pattern Star Pattern
We are issuing a challenge to create something everyday in March. Starting March 1st we will be posting a craft a day on this blog site. We're also everyone to pitch in and join us. If you email us your creative idea, with pictures if you can, and we post it, you'll receive a $15.00 gift certificate to our store. Ideas don't necessarily have to be something you have done...if you have a cool project from another blog site we'll go ahead and post that too...here's a sample
Craftzine published some great ideas on reusing plastic bags. OK we all know they are a horrible nusaince and believe me I am doing everything I can do reduce my reliance on plastic bags..but I still have a huge stash in my drawer. This post gives some awesome ideas of reusing plastic bags.
Have fun-Anji
So I was a bit surprised to see the fresh but beautiful (and heavy!) new snow that fell last night this morning...it made everything look so fresh and new!! It's funny, after those two days of sunny almost spring like weather (that looked good but were cold underneath--a bit of a facade), to see such a start over. I keep attempting these projects, around my house, the studio--but never finish--so it reminds of this--an attempt at ending winter but--oh no--a beautiful new start. A new blanket of fresh white to cover everything and start again. Make a new commitment. Ok--maybe that's what we need to do. Make a new commitment. Start over--restart and attempt to finish, see this one through. That's the beauty of art, in many ways, just like nature, it lets you try over and over, until you, or someone else, says, hey--that says something. So come in, or go to your creative space, and say, ok--I'm gonna try over again, keep working on it for now. Until things feel...well, finished. For now. --amy
It's quiet in my house and I have some definite alone time to wander around the internet perusing so many interesting and fascinating places. I have found some really great links for DIY people. Here are a few:
www.chocolateandsteel.com ooohhh love this site. Looks like I could sit right down and join in here and spend hours and hours. I love the use of PMC along with so many other materials.
www.homegrownmarket.com It's a big wide talented world out there...there are some great artists on home grown market.
www.skinnylaminx.com These designs are so fresh and inspiring. I have a whole sketchbook of ideas for so many projects after looking at her work.
www.designsponge.com I have been a little hungry for great design ideas after living many winters in Juneau. Design sponge has a world of ideas for every space in your life.
I'll keep searching...
-Anji
Going along with the idea of crafting everyday I (Jenyfer) want to host a craft night at the Creating Place starting in March. I would love feedback if anyone is interested in a crafting circle and if so what nights you think might draw Creating Placers out. This craft circle will not have a teacher and you will need to bring your own supplies and projects. It would be social. I look forward to hearing from you.
Creating Placers, Let's craft! I challenge you to craft everyday. It's doesn't have to take more than 30 minutes. Make a card using old newspaper and packing tape or whatever. Whoever you give it too will be impressed that you made them something. People love to receive handmade gifts even if they fall apart or aren't really their taste. For example, my sister got married a couple years ago so for this occasion I decided to make my first quilt, my flaw is that I never use patterns, so I tried to figure it out. When I gave her the quilt, she loved it! She said it was the best gift they received. A few weeks later she put it away because some of the thread was coming undone.....but she still cherished it. Wouldn't you love to receive something made by hand?
Our lunch time crafting classes are a great way to squeeze in a little craft each day. I will be teaching a lunch time bottle cap magnet class on March 4th (see calender) it's a great way to create recycled personalized art.
If you need ideas stop in and check out our crafting magazines, they are full of inspiration.
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