CREATIVE CRAFTING

Archive for the ‘Articles’ Category

I have had a crisis!  At least for me it is…I cleaned my little office/crafting space a few weeks ago this included a whole system reboot of my computer which had been giving me some problems.  I had to reload windows.

So while it is reloading I decided it was time to throw out the “trash” and reorganize.  During this reorganization I ‘lost” my Microsoft Picture Plus discs.  And of course I can’t reload them back onto my computer without the disc, I have tried from the backup, won’t work.

So now I have no new projects to show you for my digital scrapbooking nor the terrific ideas I had for making your own Valentine Cards, place settings, and party themes.

But that is all right, sort of, my friend from BusyMomsNetwork has put together a wonderful “Party Pack” of everything you need for a great Valentines Party for your kids school or at home.   And it doesn’t cost a lot!

Yes, I am plugging her new product!  It is shameful I know, but it is such a good one.  The rest of the stuff about my room, computer, and losing my disc is all true.  Now I have to go buy another one as it does everything I want it to do and more.

Hope to get something up here soon…:-(

I am not a traditional scrapbooker.  I really enjoy Digital Scrapbooking and I get the same papers, embellishments, backgrounds and layouts as traditional scrapbooking.  The only difference is that I do not have large collections of papers, embellishments and so forth sitting around my craft room waiting to be used.  In other words no clutter, and the way I do things there would be clutter.

About 6 months ago I started using My Memories Suite on a trial basis.  They had a 60 day return policy and I figured if I could not get it to work in that amount of time I would ask for my money back.  Well here it is going on 7 months and I still love it.  So what is My Memories Suite?

My Memories Suite 2.0 is a fun and creative way to keep and share memories, whether you have a Mac or PC. The scrapbooking software’s design tools will help you to build entire albums effortlessly using one of the many installed templates, or designing your very own pages from scratch. Version 2.0 includes 20+ new templates, over 1,500 new papers and over 1,300 new embellishments. There is even a new color swatch library with matching sets of papers and embellishments. And if you’re searching for even more templates, visit My Memories Suite online Design Shop, which offers a growing library of digital scrapbooking templates, papers, and kits to inspire your creativity!

Making mini designs for the dollhouse for any holiday is fun for the whole family, and with a little imagination you will come up with a wide variety of craft ideas for these miniatures The following paragraphs will talk about methods to create 3 mini Halloween dollhouse decorations created by using polymer clay.

Pumpkins are a vital dollhouse mini decor for Halloween, plus they are very easily made from polymer clay plus a knife. You’ll need orange clay and green clay. Basically begin by creating a rounded ball from orange clay. Crunch the ball a little bit to create an dimple on opposite sides of the ball. Now create a little tube of green polymer clay for the mini dollhouse Halloween decor.

Include depth on your dollhouse miniature Halloween design by developing portions within the pumpkin. Work with a knife and begin near the top of the pumpkin and rotate the knife straight down the side of your pumpkin and continue around the pumpkin. Repeat this many times to make segments in the pumpkin and crunch again. Use the green tube as the stalk and push the stalk into the pumpkin using the knife. You can decorate this pumpkin the same way you would a real pumpkin using paint. This one of a kind mini dollhouse Halloween design is fun for the whole family to make.

As an alternative to having to pay high-priced craft store charges to use with polymer clay, begin using these tips to locate low-cost and vital tools right in your own home.

There’s a device for each job, but one of the primary aspects of polymer clay is you can use nearly anything as a tool. There’s no reason to spend high-priced craft store prices to make professional-looking merchandise with polymer clay. Have a look around your own home and find out what you could put together. Will it slice? Are you able to press it into your clay to create a pattern? You’ll be amazed at what you’ll come across when you begin looking. The tiny toothpick is often an very helpful tool when dealing with tiny clay objects.

When going through your home or going to a garage sale, search for items like carving tools, punch tools, and knitting/crochet needles, dental tools. Something for cutting such as razor blades, cutters and any kind of pliers are much more handy than high-priced ‘official’ clay cutters. Toothpicks are ideal to etch patterns into your clay or to smooth rough sides on hard-to-reach places that are far too little for fingers. Old candles as well as, vases, and planting pots may be embellished and made new with clay. Pretty wine glasses, possibly from your collection that is not complete, make attractive pieces with clay vines and flowers twisted about the stem.

Polymer Clay is a versatile product to use. Making the correct flesh tones for an individual sculpture can be a little overwhelming for the novice. Here are some tips to help.

Every brand of clay makes a variety of flesh toned clays. Most are translucent and produce a realistic impression, but that same quality, translucence, can cause problems. The sheen of unbaked clay, especially translucent clay, makes it difficult to detect seam lines, fingerprints, or tool marks. These flaws become noticeable when the sculpture is baked. Wet sanding, scraping and wiping the surface with acetone will eliminate most surface flaws, but not the problem of “plaquing,” which is a problem with translucent clays. The surface will feel smooth, but appear to be pocked with blisters shaped like crescent moons, which in fact is trapped air in the clay.

For this very reason when creating a flesh tone use only semi-opaque flesh tones. However after baking, glazing with acrylic paints or water based oils you will have created the illusion of translucent flesh.

Flawless flesh tones begin with a color that will capture the ideal of the figure you want to mold. The masks to the left illustrate what can be achieved using a blend of translucent beige and a least one part of opaque clay.

• a. Asian ancestry…6 parts beige+ 1 part Ecru
• b. Northern European…8 parts beige + 1 part Ecru
• c. American Indian…8 parts beige + 1 part Raw Sienna

Every once in a while I come across an written article that catches my eye and imagination.   The techniques used in this article can be used for any invitation or card.   Birthdays, Halloween, Anniversary, Christmas, and so on.

Author: Mark Etinger

If you’re looking for a fun, affordable way to get together with
friends, you should most definitely host a dinner party. With
the right menu, décor, and cute homemade invitations, you can
really make a night in, something special and memorable for you
and your friends. A great way to send the message that the
dinner party is something special, is to make your invitations
special! That means that you should skip the card aisle at the
drug store and hand-make them. Even if you’re not the most
crafty person on the block, with the right printable paper, a
couple of accessories and some colored envelopes, you’re on your
way to receiving quite a few RSVPs for your next dinner soirée.

1) Before you buy any printable paper, or even address the
colored envelopes, you’re going to need to compose an invite
list and draft up the text for the invitations. You want the
basics: briefly describe what is going on, where it is, when,
and what they can bring (if anything). Keep the text minimal and
make it easy to scan.

It isn’t often I am overwhelmed by the vast scope of someone’s artistic talent.  I live in a household of talented individuals. So when I went to check out my favorite flicker page, that I haven’t seen in months, I was very overwhelmed and proud of the accomplishments of this lovely young woman, who also happens to be my daughter.

Our children are our greatest gifts.  I hope you enjoy  looking at these one of kind artwork as much as I did.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23205417@N03/

The arts provide a language that is universal and helps to bring more coherent meaning to our world. They foster individuality, freedom and self-expression; the very ideals on which our nation is built.  Nurturing an artistic passion in our children is critical to their future. The arts provide children with opportunities to develop creativity, to learn the tools of communication, and to discover multiple solutions to problems.   They educate children about their feelings, not just their analytical thought processes. Enhance the life of a child by promoting, encouraging, and creating opportunities in and around the arts.”

This was a short article written in a local paper about a art festival being held in one of the local communities.   I reprint it here to remind all of us how important art is in the education of our children.   Too many schools throughout our country are eliminating art and music from their curriculums due to the economy.

A friend of mine, who reads this blog, recently told me that her daughters’ school punished the kids for bad behavior by not allowing the class to have art.  This disturbs me and my friend as we both feel art is not a reward but a necessity!