The Impatient Crafter : July 2009

Mixed Media Jewelry Project Fire and Water for Rings n Things

Fire and Water Mixed Media Necklace Copyright Margot Potter

Fire and Water Mixed Media Necklace Detail

Fire and Water Mixed Media Necklace Copyright Margot Potter

Rings n Things Stash and Crocheted and Beaded Core Strand

This is a design created from items I selected from the delightful folks at Rings n Things for their Blog Partner challenge. I've named it Fire and Water. I absolutely love this 26 gauge gun metal wire! I did a basic crochet chain stitch with just the wire. Provocraft has THE BEST crochet hook set with fabulous ergonomic handles I highly recommend, working with hard wire isn't easy!

When I finished the crocheted core chain off, I used a separate wire to thread crystals and pyrite beads into the chain. In true 'impatient crafter' fashion, I knew I could figure a way around crocheting beads into the core wire, which is futzy and frustrating. I've also done this technique with nylon coated cabled steel wire and I found it a little easier to get fluid stitches, but I love the organic feel of this piece.

I had to create wire wrapped bails for these magma CRYSTALLIZED™-Swarovski Elements coral pendants and I wanted to add more texture so I used some aged brass chain segments. The focal piece is a twist pendant again in this luscious magma color.

I've been playing with wire crochet for a while and I really love the way it looks. It's tough on the fingers, so be prepared, but it's really worth the effort.

I'll be back in the blog saddle on Monday. Until next time...craft on with your bad selves!

xoxo
Madge

I Love to Create: He Loves Me! Flip Flip Craft Project

Flip flops are the shoe of choice these days and it's pretty fun and easy to trick out your own pair. The fancier styles at the shoe stores can run upwards of 45.00!

Seriously, folks, it's a rubber shoe. Are you kidding me?!

So...being the crafty kinda gal that I am, I make my own. Here's a daisy themed idea you can take in all sorts of directions depending on the trim and flower you use. This is a great project for these last dog days of summer when the kids are all chanting an endless chorus of, "I'm bored."

(Note: Use the glue outside to ensure proper ventilation. Let the kids design and you take care of the glue.)

Avalon opted for a far less complicated project using googly eyes and mini bow ties! How cute are her shoes?!

Materials
Rubber Flip Flops1/2" Daisy Trim
2 1 1/2" Fabric Flowers
2 8mm yellow cat's eye glass pillow beads
16 4mm Tulip Glam-It-Up Iron-On Crystals
Aleene's Platinum Bond Super Fabric Glue
Aleene's Platinum Bond Glass and Bead Slick Surfaces Glue
Beadalon Supplemax
Tools
Scissors
Butter knife

1. Glue the trim to your straps using Aleene's Super Fabric Glue. Use a butter knife to shove the trim into the space between the flip flip strap and the shoe bed. Run a thread of glue along the bottom of the trim and press firmly on strap. Allow to dry for 24 hours.

2. While glue is curing, take a multi petal fabric flower apart by removing the stem. Save one of the piston segments and the two largest petal segments.

3. Thread one end of the clear monofilament into the bottom hole in your flower, through the two sections, the piston and your bead and then back through.

4. Tie the flower on the thong portion of your sandal using a Surgeon's knot to secure. Cut off excess monofilament. Center bead so it is flat inside of the flower and be sure to tie the knot tightly enough that the flower remains stable.

5. Since the straps are rubber, I decided not to iron the crystals on. Instead I used Aleene's glue for slick surfaces and put a small dab in the center of every other daisy and firmly pressed each crystal down.

6. Allow glues to dry for 24 hours.
Here's Avalon's Fabulous Design:

Saturday TastyLinks™

“Ain’t it funny how time slips away?”

It could not possibly have been a week since I last posted these links! Have I somehow and without my knowing entered a wrinkle in time?! I feel as if summer is flying at the speed of light, which makes me a little blue because winter seems to last forever. I simply must move somewhere warm and balmy.

Yesterday I dropped my daughter off at her last day of Shakespeare camp and I took a little side trip to one of our local antique malls in search of ephemera. I emerged triumphant! I found two magazines from the early 1900s in pristine condition overflowing with great images, one adorable postcard, a bag of slightly disturbing 1950s circus themed cardboard stand up cut-outs and this absolutely amazing photograph. I ask you. Is this a girl or is this a boy? I can not for the life of me decide. Note the hands and feet...and the awkward body language...and the hair which may or may not be short. I love it! This is a delightfully quirky picture!

I’ve been collecting these old photos for years. My former roommate Melody and I used to tell our guests they were our ancestors and concoct stories about them. I’m particularly fond of pictures of women and young girls wearing hugantic bows. In fact, I think I may need to create a collection of these bows for myself.

Ah, I blather on too much again. Good grief. Here’s your weekly sampling of TastyLinks™! Open wide and say, “AH!”

About Family Crafts I need your help! Be the first to submit a photo of this completed craft and be featured on the Family Crafts site!’’

Aileen's Musings Your help is needed...Please take a moment to help make a difference We have a chance to get our ovarian cancer charity project on the cover of a northern CA magazine. Your vote is needed! The project benefits the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Deadline for voting is July 23rd so hurry and cast your vote!

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner Alexa shares the mental process behind creating a post on her swell craft blog.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world Craftside's got a how-to's on bleaching photos and juxtaposing images, a mixed-media journal out of a wide variety of recycled materials and a video with Scatha G. Allison where she shows the incredible designs from her book Jean Therapy. Be sure to answer the day's questions to be entered to win a free book!

Crafty Princess Diaries Have you thought about taking your craft hobby to a different level? Tammy has some thoughts to consider before crossing over the hobby/professional line.

CraftyPod SisterDiane is thrilled to unveil her new ebook, Weaving Un-Loomed: Simple Ways to Weave Cool Things.

Cross Stitch at About.com Have fun trying out these new free Candlewicking patterns Connie's sharing. If you use one, send in a photo to show it off!

Mixed Media Artist Using two very different book pages, you can create a found poem for an altered book...or just because!

Naughty Secretary Club Jen shares clever and crafty uses for suitcases that have nothing to do with holding clothing. Side tables, laptop cases and portable craft studios, oh my!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery Drink Mermaids take the plunge into some silver paint and get transformed into some swimmingly fun necklaces inspired by the wonderfully innovative book A Charming Exchange.

The Artful Crafter Eileen shows you how to make a multi-strand fiber bracelet.

The Crochet Dude Drew reviews the new Simplicity Rotary Cutting Machine - offers up a free crocheted project using fabric strips - and he's giving away a Rotary Cutting Machine to one lucky commenter!

The Impatient Crafter Madge shows you how to make a quick and easy Altered Chinese Paper Lantern in her first post on Kid/Teen Crafts for I Love to Create!

Vickie Howell-Craft.Rock.Love Check out Vickie's free pattern for a knitted lace iPhone cozy!

Mixed Media Book Review: Fabric Art Collage by Rebekah Meier

Book Review
Amazon
Fabric Art Collage: 40+ Mixed Media Techniques by Rebekah Meier

I am delighted to give my hearty and heartfelt recommendation to Fabric Art Collage by creative genius Rebekah Meier. This is, without doubt, one of the most sumptuous and idea packed creative tomes to cross my desk in ages. Ms. Meier has filled this book to the gills with bright ideas and brilliant inspiration.

A mixed media book with a fabric focus, this will certainly appeal to quilters and fabric artists...but it's got a ton of appeal for mixed media artists working in jewelry making, collage and paper arts as well. I can not stop looking at this book and every time I do, I find something new and fascinating. There are products and techniques in these pages I have never, ever seen before and the sample gallery projects are all stunning.

What impresses me the most about this title is the vast amount of knowledge that Ms. Meier possesses and the ease with which she shares it with the reader. She writes clearly and honestly and her passion for her art comes through on every page. ANY creative person looking for some fresh ideas should buy this book. You will not be disappointed.

There are over 40 techniques and a huge array of finished projects to show you ways to integrate the techniques into your art. I am intrigued by lutradur and solvron, two items I had not heard of before reading this book. Even when she uses familiar materials, she uses them in entirely unexpected ways. In fact, Ms. Meier uses such a wide variety of interesting materials it is mind blowing. I simply can't stop gazing at the Black, White and Red Quilt and the Canvas Quilt. I love that Ms. Meier doesn't spoon feed you monkey see, monkey do projects, but shows you ways to tap your own creativity and let it flow.

Kudos to Ms. Meier and C&T Publishing for making a book that will have a place of honor at my bedside for many months to come as I thumb the pages in search of new inspiration before drifting off to sleep.

Margot Potter
The Impatient Crafter(tm)
Author The Impatient Beader Series
Bead and Wire Jewelry Exposed
Beyond the Bead

I Love to Create: Altered Chinese Paper Lanterns

I’m delighted to join the ranks of crafty bloggers for I Love to Create. Here’s my first installment in my bi-weekly Kid/Teen Craft blogs. All of these projects are “Mom Crafted, Kid Approved.”

We’ve been redecorating my daughter’s room and she wanted to get some Chinese style lanterns to hang from her ceiling. We found these for 3 for $5.00 at Five Below. They have a built in battery operated light! We wanted to give them a little pizzazz, so we punched out circles of patterned tissue paper and adhered them with Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue. Then we added some Tulip glitter and ric-rac trim accents. We love how these turned out and they were so easy and fun to make! Avalon did a more streamlined version that looks fabulous!

You can find the larger lanterns online and do a series of these in different sizes and shapes...I’m seriously thinking about putting some in my studio. Try using different sizes and shapes of punches and adding some Tulip flat back crystals to give them even more sparkle!

Altered Chinese Paper Lanterns
I Love to Create
Margot Potter

Paper Chinese style lantern
Patterned tissue paper
Ric-rac trim
Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue
Tulip GlitterDimensional Fabric Paint in Crystal Sparkles
Scissors
Fiskars 1” and 1.5” paper punches
Card stock sheets
Bubble wrap

1. Stuff your lantern carefully with bubble wrap to give it structure.

2. I chose tissue paper for the polka dot accents because it’s thin enough to easily adhere to the surface of the textured lantern, thicker paper doesn’t work as well because it’s too stiff to be molded to the base.

3. Fold the tissue paper over heavy card stock and insert into punch. Smooth any wrinkles with your fingers. Punch shape. (Designer tip: The card stock gives you some structure so the tissue paper will cut more easily, without that base the tissue will tear.) Cut 5 large and 5 small circles.

4. Spread a thin layer of Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue on the back of your tissue paper circles using your finger tip. (I chose this glue because it’s not too runny, adheres quickly and it didn’t saturate the tissue paper, this is a better choice for this specific project than decoupage medium.)

5. Apply the tissue paper circle to the desired spot on your lantern, carefully working from top to bottom gently smoothing the tissue on to the lantern. Take your time and be patient!

6. Continue adhering circles working around your lantern. Allow them to dry.
7. Spread a layer of Tulip glitter on some ric-rac trim.

8. Adhere small segments of pre-cut trim to the front of the larger tissue paper circles. Allow to dry.

9. Use your finger to spread a thin layer of Tulip glitter on the surface of each of the small circles. Allow to dry.

Avalon and her Altered Chinese Paper Lantern!

Color Play

Our House Before Painting. Note the horrible beige trim that was EVERYWHERE!

Hallway in Lemon Curd

I’ve got some exciting news! Be sure to tune in tomorrow for my first blog post for Duncan’s I Love to Create! I’m so thrilled to join their prestigious group of bloggers. I’m going to be creating a kid/teen themed project every two weeks and will post every other Thursday. Avalon will be doing a variation to test run the idea so we can say: “Mom Crafted, Kid Approved!”

My husband has been painting our entryway this past week with a little help from my daughter and me. Some of you may recall that he already painted our entryway back in December, but we HATED the color. It was called ‘soft duckling’ and it was horrid. (My sincere apologies to ducklings.) We went back to the drawing board and after much consideration I selected Lemon Curd. My family wasn’t so sure about the color but we all agree now that it’s perfect. You can see the color below this post.

Color is one of my specialties as a designer. I love playing with color and I love surprising and unexpected combinations. The lower floor of our school house features saturated colors. Because it's a 128 year old home with simple architectural details, I've had to decorate keeping that simplicity in mind, so color on the walls has been my way of adding personality. I wanted the colors to be warm, inviting and spicy. It’s a work in progress, but it’s slowly coming together. I selected cool and soothing colors for the upstairs, periwinkle and sky blue. My daughter’s room is a pretty orchid pink she selected.

When we were renovating our retail store, I selected the paint colors carefully. Color is such an emotional thing, I wanted to be sure people felt invited, welcome and wanted to stay and look around. Walking into the store felt like being wrapped up in sunlight and warmth. We painted the outside a Chinese green with the same cinnamon red trim. It was such a great looking storefront, the camera crew from QVC kept shooting it for their promo footage. People would call us to say, "Hey we saw your store on QVC!"

Selecting paint colors is tricky because they never look the same to your eye on the wall as they did on the chip. I usually try to select a color one shade lighter than the one I love on the chip. This is particularly important with saturated colors like we’ve used downstairs. When designing a house, try to think about the flow of one color into another. The yellow, green and blue you see when you enter our house are synergistically balanced. It’s good chi. Rooms should flow into one another and not be disconnected.

Take some risks and be bold. Paint a big section of a wall and live with it for a few weeks. Pick a few colors and have them side by side. I think a home should be a work in progress and should organically unfold room by room. There’s no need to rush because let’s face it, once you’ve painted it you’re going to be living with it for a while! Don’t be afraid of color, it’s the least expensive way to totally change the mood of your décor.

Check in tomorrow for my first Duncan I Love to Create blog! It’s a quick and easy project for tweens and teens to do on those ‘I’m bored’ days. Until next time...craft on with your bad selves.
xoxo
Madge

Elves on Acid Kitchen Details

Grass Green Living Room

Robin's Egg Blue Bathroom

Cinnamon R'orange Zen TV Room

Upstairs Studio Periwinkle Blue Walls

Oroboros Exterior Before

Oroboros Exterior After

Book Review: Jewelry and Beading Designs for Dummies

Book Review
Jewelry and Beading Designs for Dummies
Tammy Powley and Heather H. Dismore
For Dummies
August 2008

Ms. Powley and Ms. Dismore have created a thorough and thoroughly delightful tome on the basics of jewelry making that is a must have for any novice. They cover absolutely everything you need to know to get started and to ensure continued success. This book is designed for the beginner and the projects are totally appropriate for someone ready to dip their toes into the jewelry and beading pool, but there is plenty of information for the more advanced beaded jewelry maker as well.

The illustrations are clear and the directions meticulous and concise. My only wish is that there were more color pictures because the designs are so lovely, but there's a several page glossy color gallery of designs that helps immensely. It begins with the basics and progresses to intermediate and even advanced techniques. You get a taste of mixed media, bead weaving, poly clay, wire work and even learn how to make your own findings. They give good, solid information and show you how to do things properly which will ensure good results. That's the key component to a good how-to book.

As a professional designer and a jewelry book author, I have a discerning eye and a high level of expectation. I wholeheartedly recommend this book for every bead lover's library. Ms. Dismore and Ms. Powley are both competent and respected experts and together they've created an indispensable guide to the many facets of jewelry making and beading.

Margot Potter
Author and Freelance Designer
The Impatient Beader Series
Bead and Wire Jewelry Exposed
Beyond the Bead

Free Kid's Mixed Media Jewelry Project by Avalon Potter

The thing I love the best about kids is that they have no filters. They're brutally honest and they're not afraid of taking risks. Until someone nags the creativity out of them, they're blissfully unaware of the rules. I like to fancy myself that sort of creative soul and I try as best as I can to nurture that freeform creativity in my daughter.

Avalon and I found these AWESOME K & Company chipboard animals recently and we knew immediately that they simply had to be made into some fun jewelry. I've not had a chance to make my piece yet, but she's finished hers and it's fabulous! I love the colors she chose and how beautifully she used asymmetry. Mind blowing. We had a small craftastrophe when she tried to punch a hole in the koala, but we put on our thinking caps and used a small grungeboard shape to cover up the bad hole and add a little texture and dimension in the process. Plus it gives him a little personality, don't you think?

Kid crafts don't have to be cheesy or simple, you'd be surprised what a kid will create with a little help on the technical aspects. I'd wear this necklace in a New York minute! Great work, Miss Avalon!

Avalon's Super Cool Mixed Media Necklace
Copyright 2009 Avalon Potter
For Personal Use Only

Materials
K&Company Actopus to Zelephant Chipboard Koala and Elephant
6 8mm rose water opal CRYSTALLIZED™-Swarovski Elements rounds
4 8mm mint alabaster CRYSTALLIZED™-Swarovski Elements rounds
6 8mm black diamond CRYSTALLIZED™-Swarovski Elements rounds
3 8mm white alabaster CRYSTALLIZED™-Swarovski Elements rounds
Small Grungeboard shape
Brown Ranger paint dabber
Decoupage medium matte or gloss
All purpose craft glue
2 sterling Beadalon EZ-Crimp ends
5 10mm silver plated jump rings
49 strand .018 Beadalon wire
11" section grey Beadalon polyester chain
Silver plated large swivel lobster clasp

Tools
2 pairs chain nose pliers
Wire cutters
Crop-o-dile
Paint brush

1. Paint decoupage medium on chipboard. Allow to dry. Repeat for opposite side.
2. Paint grungeboard shape and allow to dry. Adhere to forehead of koala.
3. Mark and punch hole in center top and bottom of koala and top center of elephant.
4. Attach and EZ-Crimp end to one end of an 8" segment of wire.
5. Slide on your beads in the following order: black diamond, rose water, blk. diamond, mint, blk. diamond, rose, mint, rose, rose, mint, rose, blk. diamond, mint, blk. diamond, rose, blk. diamond, three white alabaster.
6. Thread wire into second EZ-Crimp using chain nose pliers to grasp and pull. Keep wire slightly rounded to prevent from being too stiff. Attach end and cut off excess wire.
7. Thread a jump ring on elephant and attach to center front of beaded segment.
8. Attach a jump ring to bottom of koala and attach to left side of beaded segment.
9. Remove poly chain segment and attach with a jump ring to top of koala.
10. Attach a jump ring to open end of beaded segment.
11. Attach lobster clasp to open end of poly chain segment.

Enjoy!

Until next time...craft on with your bad selves!

xoxo,
Madge and AVALON!

Mixed Media Jewelry Project Idea L'Africaan Choker

I created this necklace recently for the folks from Beadalon. It’s called L’Africaan. Unfortunately it didn’t really work for their catalog pictures because it’s designed to curve snugly around your neck and not to be flat on a surface. So I got it back, which is actually great because I have to tell you that I’m simply mad for this design! I usually wouldn’t spend this much time on a personal piece...so it was kind of like a surprise gift from me...to me!

Yay me!

Now I wouldn’t want to keep all of this fun for myself...so I’m sharing this with you!

Yay you!

I did a few cool things here. I love designs with color, movement and texture, so this one offers all three. I used rubber tubing segments threaded with a 4mm CRYSTALLIZED™ bead (in padparascha, Indian sapphire, black diamond and pink opal) on a head pin alternated between loops of the fabulous new Beadalon white wire strung over a memory wire base threaded through an 8mm white alabaster bead or an 8mm black vintage plastic bead with 4mm CRYSTALLIZED elements in jet or crystal AB on the wire ends. Size 1 crimp beads secure the wire ends and size 2 crimps attach the top of the wire segments to the base. I just flattened those with chain nose pliers. I used larger vintage faceted plastic beads around the base, but I’m thinking I’ll make another one of these with just the tubes and one with tubes and wire segments. Memory wire makes the perfect foundation for collar, bib and waterfall style designs. It’s tempered steel and it retains its shape no matter how many beads you load on it! You can add a clasp on the ends if your design is heavy like this one.

L'Africaan Detail

I love this exposed wire tendril look originated by the 2002 Saul Bell Design Award winner Nancilee Woodyard. (I believe it’s important to give credit where it is due.) It’s one of those techniques that’s endlessly inspirational. I made u-shapes by threading both wires into a core bead, so it’s a different kind of tendril with a more structured look. Since I have to expose the wire in my designs for Beadalon and I hate to repeat myself endlessly, I’m always trying to come up with new ways to crack the nut.

Madge in L'Africaan Choker

I imagined this as an African tribal collar, interpreted in totally modern materials. When you wear it you feel regal and fierce. You could go even further with this and alternate the lengths of wire and tubing for an even more dramatic effect. I hope this inspires you to explore something new in your work!

I like to think of these ideas I share with you as craft recipes, you make them your own by adding a dash of this and taking out that...tweaking the ingredients to suit your personal taste. Copying someone’s work is...well...boring and frankly, lame. You have it in you to do great things, so don’t be afraid to take risks and on occasion make glorious mistakes. If you do make a design inspired by my work, please email me and I'll post it here with links back to you! I love to see inspiration in action!

Until next time...craft on with your bad selves!

xoxo
Madge

The Balancing Act for Beadalon

Well folks, here it is! It was my distinct honor to appear on The Balancing Act for Beadalon. I love their products and have used them since I owned a bead store 11 years ago. They're good people and they make a good product right here in the USA. They are the only wire company that manufactures and spools their own wire and they have been 'green' since they started making wire thirty years ago. I'm truly honored to be a member of their Design Team.

Enjoy the segment and I'll be back tomorrow!
xoxo, Madge