Beautiful things

I make so many beautiful things. I just don’t make time to blog about them.

My life is amazing. It’s filled with art and color and adventures and love and fun and bazillions of amazing things. If only it would blog itself.

Not feeling well

Sorry I havent been posting much. I have not been feeling well. Plus its gotten hot here again. Stay tuned to my Flickr for creative updates. Im still doing my 30 day photo challenge and my 30 day drawing challenge.

Last week Grant and I went out and I finally made it to Half Price Books and More which is heaven. Their clerance section is great. I found a book called A Creative Companion – How to Free Your Creative Spirit  by a lady named Sark that has been enlightening since the moment I opened it.

I was feeling quite melancholy that day and reading just the first few pages of that book cheered me up immensely. She has some lists in there that I think I am going to turn into photo challenges. I really like the way the photo challenges keep me focused on art and creativity every day. It sucks that Ive been sick because i missed yesterday and today so thats 4 things I need to do. Tomorrow it will turn into 6. YIKES.

Anyway, I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in art and creativity.

Doll Earring Mod

Well today, saturday, is the Sabbath for us. So this is the day I rest.

I did ALOT of resting today. Check out my Flickr stream.

We are night owls normally but now that weve started school again ive been fighting to stay on a good schedule. I have been getting up around 6 am each morning and working in the garage before it gets hot. Last night I woke up at 3:30 and couldnt go back to sleep so…. about an hour ago I made myself go play to stay awake.

I had drug out my dolls to re organize them so I started putting them up when I noticed one of my faves was naked. The urge hit me to make her a dress.

So I rummaged through my fabric bin and found an old pair of zebra striped means briefs that I had used (to death) for shorts. I cut a big rectangle out that included the wide elastic waist band and some of the shorts. I sewed them together down the back and made her a cute little stretchy topped dress.

And I thought I was done but… she had on green earrings. That bothered me.

I love hoop earrings so I grabbed two silver jump rings and started looking for my tiny glass beads. Found some that were black and white striped SCORE!

Slipped them on the jump rings and then pondered how to get them in her ear.

(insert 30 minutes of looking for the pliers of which Grant took and did not put back and a good 5 minute lecture + 20 “yes maam”s.)

I grabbed some wire I had and formed two tiny little S shapes that resembled open paper clips. (sorry I forgot to take pix but ill do another pair and take some)

I put the jump ring on one end of the tiny S and closed it tight around the jump ring. I put the other end in her ear hole and I thought that was it but it wouldnt stay in not even for a second.

I thought, “If her ear hole only had a back opening…”(insert lightbulb)

Ill make one!!

First I got a straight pin and i poked it through her ear hole and out the back of the lobe where I wanted it a few times. Then I lit a citronella candle and used the open flame to heat the straight pin (CAUTION: Dont hold the pin while you do this. Use pliers because the metal will heat up the shaft and burn you.)

Then I poked the hot needle through the hole I had made. BAM! back ear hole!

I bent the earring down just a little more and it fit perfectly!

Now my gorgeous dollie has smashin hoop earrings!!

Sorry about the smudge. The needle does leave some burnt residue. I was so excited I didnt really care to clean it off (plus Im tired, remember?)

So tomorrow Ill get it all cleaned off and maybe make her some shoes or bow.

Check out the entire ensemble I made my Besty McCall today.

 

Goodnight!!

ZZZZZZZZ♥S

 

Party Rings

Youll have to get used to the way I blog. Ill go a few days with nothing then in one day sit down and write 3-4 posts to catch up.

Im not doing a tutorial on this right now. Ive just never taken any pix while im making them but heres a picture of the beautiful paper party rings ive been making.

 

Inspiration came from Pinterest but for the life of me I cant find the blog and tut to make them so if find it please post it in the comments.

Glitter/Embellishment tray

OK well this is going to be mamsy pamsy for some of you more experienced crafters out there but im going to share anyway.

Working in my art garage a couple of days ago I realized I was doing a bunch of glittering and was not having fun folding my black card stock and tapping the glitter back into the skinny tube it came out of. Balance issues and such….

So.. and this is how I think… I decided to make a glitter tray. Never mind all the art I was in the middle of… when resourcefulness hits you go with it mayn!

So here is my design for a glitter tray. It works with other embellishments too.

Supplies:

Cardstock

Ruler

hole punch

stapler

First measure in 2 inches on all sides of the card stock and draw your guidelines.

Then draw a circle in one of the corners. You can use the hole punch or just cut it out.

Cut from the corner tips up to your cross lines

 

Fold sides across each other and staple. Be careful not to close up your hole.

Crease the edges (where you drew the lines)

 

 

Now… glitter in your tray and when its time to put the glitter back it will be easier to pour. I also dump my embellishments in it when im looking for certain ones.

Bear with me

Im really starting to get into this blog. Now that Im making things all the time I want to share. Positively. Its been a long time coming. If you dont understand then read my other blog The Life and Times Of a Littlegoldwoman.I just have three words for you though…

Dont judge me!

Ive been through things I hope none of you ever have to go through and im the owner of a brain that NEVER gives me peace. That blog is chock full of emotion and im hoping I can channel some of that energy here.

That being said I have some freebies for you.

I made some backs for my ATC today and I have the templates for you. Problem is… I dont know how to do that “click on the link to download” thingie. I def need help making this website awesome. Until then here is a picture. Ill post it here full size. If they still arent clear enough email me at stacy1967 (at) gmail (dot) com and ill email you the full size.

Life & Death

Are in the power of the tongue.

I hope I can keep this blog alive. I think of millions of things to tell yaull while im working but its the steps to get it from my brain to here that I hate.

Today I made Artistamps. A few days ago I made some representing my religion and some flowery ones that say Spring 2011. This morning I spent two hours on Pregnancy and Infant loss awareness artistamps. Ive been using my spring ones on my mail. They look very nice. I even found a stamp that looks like it cancels it. It says they are from Mexico though. LOL

Texas eh.. close enough.

Then I went out and finished my chalkboard necklaces. Grant helped me with that. They are very rudimentary. I would like to spruce them up. They are a boogar to drill though. I broke almost as many as I made.

To paint them with the chalkboard paint I set them on some wax paper on the floor. The wax paper looked really cool and creepy so I added a red handprint to it and the word “help”. I was on a roll when I couldnt find my razor blades so it kinda came to a halt. Yes, I know…. creepy, gory. Im tellin ya, I have a dark side. But its really not like I seek that stuff out. I mean, we dont even celebrate Halloween. Its just from years of being depressed. You have hauntings. Youd be surprised at how cleansing it is to get it out. Check out this doll I made.

Anyway that painting isnt finished. So I started making these little paper doll things I got from Lisa Vollraths site. More on that later.

Then I made two artist trading cards. More on those later too.

If you see something you want me to tut about let me know and ill tut it.

That being said… just reading this post confirms something. Yes Stacy, you did make enough today.. go to bed now.

Mini Books

Its a frigging war zone out there.

I got some yellow lights before our camping trip (early August) and somehow only made it back with one. So im back to white light which i can see better with but the bugs come out in full force.

It gets ugly.

Ive been making mini books. Theyre easy and cute.

Heres how you do it…

Supplies:

Paper (old books, craft paper, manilla paper)

stapler

1/8 hole punch or hammer and nail

jump rings

string, yarn ribbon

embellishments

I cut my paper into one inch strips.

I then fold it in half lengthwise two or three times till I get little rectangles that are about 1 x 2 inches.

These are the pages. I have a basket of old books in the Art Garage that is collected especially to be reused and re purposed. I have a bible out there that I had for years and in the clean it up it really messed up. I couldnt bear to throw it away so I used it and made some pages for my mini books that are now, mini bibles.

After you have your pages find a cover. It should be just a tad bit wider on all the edges. I used some old music sheets and a few scraps of vinyl makes them look like little leather books or bibles.

Staple the pages to the cover. Punch a hole in the top corner.

In this photo my cover isnt covering my pages. Thats ok. Just trim them all together when you have it stapled.

Add Jump ring and cord.

You can see these pages are flush with the cover.

Done.

Here are some pix of mine.

Removing labels from glass containers

Today I was motivated to make a tutorial video about how to remove the label from a jar. I saw a video of someone using a razor and there was a kid in the next picture. My way is so much easier.

HOW TO REMOVE A LABEL FROM A JAR/BOTTLE

Supplies:

Jar or bottle w labels

Lid or stopper for jar/bottle

Hot water

Basically you just fill the container with the hottest water you can get from the tap (boiling works too just not as fast) and then fill the sink with hot hot water.

Put the container (filled with hot water) into the sink filled with hot water and let it sit for a minute or so.

The label should slide right off.

Mine didnt.

Thats why im not posting my video.

I may have been in too much of a hurry or maybe its because the bottles I used were really old and had been in the hot garage for months. When I use fresh jars it works every time. I remove the labels so I can recycle them.You are basically just melting the label glue from both side. Get the glue hot enough and the label will slide off. Then just use the rough side of a sponge and the rest of the glue comes off too.

No razors

No Goo be Gone

Shalom

♥S

This is a picture from my FAIL video.

M&M

I will soon start posting pictures of the fabulous things I make and tutorials so you can make them too.

But right now I need to make a post dedicated to loss.

Last week we lost a good friend. Jake. I mentioned him in my last post. He helped us clean the garage. I wont go into that now, its a long story. But hes in heaven now.

Today, we lost one of our cats.

The boys found him out by the road quite mauled. We think maybe the armadillo got him but were not sure.

His name was M&M and I just want to take a minute to remember him and say goodbye.

Rest In Peace M&M.