Crafts

I just finished making my very first snowman. He has been smiling at me from my desk for two days now! I can't help but smile back and return to what I am doing in a happier mood.

I must admit, I have become a fan of snowmen only recently, having been a collector of Santas for over 25 years. At first, I was quite offended as manufacturers began replacing my beloved Santas with snowmen as the collectible symbol of the season. (Snowman, of course, appeal to a wider audience).

In time, realizing that snowmen could be displayed until late February without visitors looking at me as if I am a nut case, I began to appreciate their importance in the scheme of things and began a small collection. But then I realized how much more fun it would be to create and make my own!

In this post, I am sharing an easy, peasy way to make snowmen - of any size or shape you like - 3" to 3' - plump or not so plump!

Making the pattern

1. Head. Using any object you have on hand that is the size you want the head, trace the object onto the paper you have chosen for your pattern.

For the snowman above, I used a piece of 8 1/2"x11" scrap printer paper. But for larger snowmen, you could use tissue paper or newspaper or butcher paper. Drinking glasses and cookie cutters work fine for smaller head shapes. Dinner plates and platters will work for really big snowmen!

2. Body. Draw a curved line as shown starting at the head. The shape of the line will determine the shape of your snowman. Mine is fairly slim, but you could make yours nice and round if you like!

  3. Neck. At the point where the body and head come together, draw a little curve.

4. To Make a symmetrical body. Fold your pattern in half, making sure the right and left sides of the head line up with each other.

5. Cut out your snowman pattern following the head and body lines you have drawn.

6. Open your pattern! A perfect snowman!

7. Make the base. Measure across the bottom of your pattern and make another circle about 1" less in diameter than the bottom measurement.

8. Arms. Totally optional! But if you want arms, draw a simple arm on your pattern paper. I choose to add a mitten shape to my arm, but arms can just be rounded on the end.

9. Cutting. Lay your pattern pieces on your fabric, and cut. You will need two body head pieces, one base, and four arms.

I added a 1/4" seam allowance as I cut the pattern. But you could just as easily include it in the pattern as you are making it.

Assembling your Snowman.

1. Stitch around the snowman using a 1/4" seam allowance. Leave the bottom open. If your fabric is loosely woven or ravels easily, stitch along the seam allowance a second time to give strength.

I cut a sample snowman from muslin so I could use a dark thread to show the stitching lines, but when stitching your own snowman, use a matching thread.

2. Stitch around the arm pieces.

3. Cut tiny triangles and slits into the seam allowance on all curves. Make lots of cuts as shown. Otherwise, your seams may pucker when you turn your snowman inside out.

Base construction - alternative #1

Fold the "base circle" into fourths and finger press to make faint lines.

Place pins at each line.

Divide the bottom edge of the body into four parts.

Pin the base and the bottom of the body together, matching the four marked points. Add additional pins in between as needed to hold the two pieces together.

Stitch around the base leaving most of one side open.

Turn your snowman inside out!

In her e-book "Stitch Village", Joan Gorman shared a tool for turning small items that is absolutely fabulous! How I have struggled all these years trying to turn a thin strap or casing. If only I had known about hemostats! My sweetie found mine at Harbor Freight for next to nothing. They make all the difference when turning stuffies.

Stuff your snowman with your favorite fiber fill, packing the head fairly tight and the body a little less tight.

Now stuff in a little bag of rice or beans (as shown below in Alternative base #2). This will give your snowman stability and allow it to stand without support. Whip stitch the opening closed.

Base construction alternative #2 - My preferred way to do this because it is so easy!

1. Make a pouch. Using a long running stitch, stitch around the entire outer edge of a square of muslin or other scrap, lightweight fabric. Draw the "pouch" slightly together by pulling on the thread. Fill with rice or beans. Draw the thread tightly closed and secure the thread by making several small stitches to hold it closed.

Your pouch does not need to be pretty or neat.

2. Using a long running stitch, stitch around the entire bottom edge of the body. Draw the thread up as shown and secure.

3. Stuff your "bean bag" into the opening. You may have to remove a little filling because you don't want the little bean bag to protrude beyond the base. It's whole purpose is to provide stability so that your snowman can stand without support.

4. Attach the base to the body. You can either whip stitch it into place or simply glue it into place!

Note: Keep in mind that if you are making a tiny little snowman to hang as an ornament, you will not need to add the "bean bag".

I prefer to attach the arms after the snowman is stuffed. 

If your fabric is fairly thin, you can fold under the raw edge and slip-stitch into place.  If the fabric is fairly thick, as mine is, just whip stitch the raw edges right at the side seam.  I tacked my arms into place (near the "elbow" so they wouldn't flop around!

Now you are ready to make hats and scarfs for your snowman! This is my "snowman clothes" stash of felted sweaters that I picked up at SCRAP recently. They were already felted for me! Most are discarded leftovers from other felting projects, so I guess this becomes a reuse, reuse project!

You might recognize the hat and scarf I used on the little guy at the top of the post! Remember my Easter Bunnies? The sleeves of that little felted sweater worked perfectly to make a hat and the scarf.

Create a little face!

ACK! @%&#* I just realized I forgot a carrot nose! Ooops! I can't believe that in the past two days I haven't even noticed something was missing! That cute little face must have wrapped me in an enchantment!

Little black beads are perfect for the eyes. Stitch a little mouth using embroidery thread. If you want, you can anchor the threads in the back of the head since it won't show once the hat is placed on the head!

I used one of those wonderful blue line pencils that wipes away easily with a damp cloth to create the little face before stitching. Good thing too, because my first attempt at a mouth looked pretty stupid! Just ask for a Water Erasable Marking Pen at any craft or fabric store.

The nose - I'm working on it! Any suggestions?

I plan on sharing more of my snowmen in November so be sure to check back! And if any of you make snowmen, please post them on my Flickr with a link to your site. They will appear at random on my sidebar flicker.

I always appreciate and enjoy your company. Thank you so much for joining me for Christmas in July!.

You may remember these from Christmas 2008!  They have been a part of the past 35 years and are among my most treasured tree ornaments. They are made of whisper thin wood strips.

I have two reasons for sharing them today!

First, to officially declare it Christmas in July at Gingerbread Snowflakes!

Second, to put out a call for help!

You see I want more of these!  But all efforts to find them for sale online or to find the materials for making them have failed.

I have instructions for making them from wood strips made from shaving wood very thin with a planer, but I am hoping there might be other alternatives better suited to a woman somewhat allergic to shop tools!

You can help in two ways!

1.  Online sources where these can be purchased. (No e-bay please!  I can't stand to lose a bid)

2.  Ideas for other materials that could possibly be used for making similar ornaments. ( No Paper tutorials please!  I have seen many, many paper tutorails for making these, and although they are beautiful, I would prefer to try making them with other materials.)

Please share any ideas, resources, tips or thoughts in the comments.

Thank you and Happy Christmas in July.

I just finished my very own Earth Loom and can't wait to share!

Building the loom is very easy and would be a great family project for the summer.  Once the loom is completed, let your children weave in all the collected memories and treasures found as they stroll beaches, picnic in the forest or walk in a local park or in the countryside.

The Earth Loom is not my idea but one I have enthusiastically adpoted from an extraordinary Saori weaver, Terri Bibby. 

Saori Weaving?  A Japanese hand weaving that allows for complete self expression in the weaving process as taught by the founder of Saori, Misao Jo. I find it very meditative.

A few of Terri's latest projects should give you some idea! She has created a series of weavings for the four compass directions.  South, East, West and North.  They are beautiful.  Go check them out! 

She has been very kind to allow me to share some of her own images of her Earth Loom which she shared on her blog, Weaving a Life.  I am very grateful for her generosity because as you can see, her loom is much neater than mine!

I am thinking her loom is held together with wood screws.  I lashed mine together using my old Girl Scout training for "making with sticks"!

When Terri posted this image of her loom, woven with fall leaves, fir branches and a bit of ribbon,  I started thinking the Earth Loom would be a wonderful way for children to display their collected summer treasures.

After weaving in a few rows of garden trimmings, I made a search of the house and came up with a few items that might add a little interest to my own Earth Loom.

I am thinking a few fresh flowers now and then would be pretty.

I spaced these pretty loosely just so you could get an idea about what I am suggesting, but you can weave as loose or tight as you wish.

Drift wood, sea weed, long pine cones, cedar branches, oddly shaped sticks, branches of fall leaves, dried wheat or oats or flowers found along roadways.... 

And of course there is even the option of tying a few "unweavable" objects right on to the warp - like sea shells, or sand dollars or pretty stones.

Earth Looms are very easy to construct.  All you need are a few sticks and some twine.

The two vertical supports are about 6 feet long and the horizontal pieces are about 3 feet long. But, of course you can make them any size you wish.  Even small enough to sit on a desk!

The two little supports at the top are critical for stability.  They keep it from wobbling!

Regular old twine works perfectly for both lashing the poles together and for warping the loom.

You will notice that Terri's loom actually has another support attached to the back of her loom.  You might want to add one if you don't happen to have a handy support nearby for anchoring your loom like I do.

Once the warp is in place, you are ready to begin weaving!

Happy summer memory weaving everyone!  And send me pictures! Please.

Who wouldn't want these adorable piggys hanging out in their garden? 

You might know I would be especially attracted to the metal sculptures at the Recycled Arts Festival held in my home town of Vancouver, Washington this past weekend!

Right next to the pigs - this amazing dragon fly!  Denise Bergman, Cedar Creek, Inc. does not have a web site yet - but if you want to e-mail her to find out where she will be showing her work next, please e-mail me.

Metal sculpture was everywhere!  Steve Dietel - Howling Heights Metal Designs - was another of my favorites!  How in the world do artists like Steve look at a pile of junk metal and come up with objects like these?

How does he see a cactus in a pile of rusted horse shoes?  And
this motor scooter - just another example of Steve's endless creativity!

Tualatin, Oregon artist Marta Farris posed for me surrounded by her brilliant and colorful metal art.  I loved her use of strong pure color on her metal creations - especially that red dress made from aluminum screen and paint. 

Marta doesn't have a website yet, but if you e-mail me, I would be happy to send you her e-mail. I am sure you can find her at other crafty events this summer.

I just had to wander into the Family Craft Tent!  Everyone was invited - happy hands of all ages!

Birdhouses made from milk cartons seemed to be one of the favorite activities!

The other favorite - this community sculpture made from trash!  Everyone, big or small, who stopped by the tent was encouraged to add a piece!

Rescued from the landfill!

Our frined Terra told us about her adventures rescuing prefectly good treasures from local transfer stations.  Her enthusiasm for the project was what spurred Diane and I into going to the festival in the first place! (Follow that link to Di's post!)

After two months of collecting, Tossed and Found set up a display tent at the festival and gave out free raffle tickets to anyone who wanted a chance to adopt a treasure.

The crowds at the raffles were huge!

And competition was stiff!  Brand new grill - never used - headed to the land fill!  One lucky person took it home - for free!

Another lucky gal took home a four piece wicker patio set in perfect condition - for free!

After hanging out with all of you recyclers for the past couple years, I was shocked to see how many perfectly good items were simply thrown out.  Wouldn't a donation to Goodwill have been a better option?

Whew!  Finally - a little shade!  Festival attendees take a break and listen to live music in the band pavillion.

Ester Short Park hosts Summer Concerts in the Park.  Noon time concerts start July 8th and evening concerts start July 9th.  Get the full concert schedule here and come join the fun! It's free. 

Food and beverages are available from local vendors or you can bring your own picnic and sprawl out on a blanket and listen to some good music.

And next year - I hope we will see some of you at the festival!

Garden Art!  Sun mobile made from the aluminum can bottoms left over from the butterfly mobile.

The idea of making little suns was inspired by Midsummer Celebrations.  Midsummer is celebrated around the world near the summer solstice - the longest day of the year. This link will give you some idea of how many cultures celebrate.

Scandinavians are well known for their Midsummer bonfires, dancing and parties - I am told it is the biggest festival of the whole year.

Stonehenge was no doubt also a very important place for Midsummer celebrations in ancient times.

Here are a few videos  - join in the fun!

Midsummer in Sweden - beautiful  - don't miss this one!

Midsommar - more lovely dancing!

Raising the Midsummer pole - very short and fun!

Added June 24th

I just received a lovely note from my friend Margit in which she shared Danish Midsummer traditions and celebrations that take place on her island of Bornholm, specifically her town of Svaneke.

A little about Midsummer celebrations in Denmark.

This link (scroll to Denmark) mentions the holy wells.  Now that the wells in Svaneke have all dried up, the village children make little wells with three sticks and decorate them with flowers.  A bowl filled with water is hung inside the well and is visited by neighbors who drop coins into it.  The money is given to the children.  Margit sent me this little image so I could better understand what the wells look like so I just had to share!

I think next year I will make one for my own garden to celebrate!

Margit just posted a lovely new apple paper and box!  Don't miss!

Added June 25th!

Sasha (Squashed Tomatoes) just posted the most wonderful set of images from her family's celebrtation of Midsummer in Sweden!  She even shows how to make the lovely flower wreaths worn by young girls and how the Midsummer Poles are constructed and raised.  Don't miss this!

I must make a flower wreath next year also!

Besides hanging my little mobile in my split leaf maple tree, I am celebrating by sitting in the sun!  Believe it or not - here in the Pacific Northwest the sun finally made an appearance - just in time for Midsummer! And... we broke 80 degrees!

Before moving on to the tutorial for the mobile, I wanted to share these cool little "thingys" borrowed from my sweetie's fishing tackle box.

He hangs our giant snowflakes using "swivels" because the slightest breeze in the room will set the snowflakes spinning around and around.  These little guys make that possible.

I liked the idea for my little suns.

And I am happy to report, they are working great!  When the breezes blow, my little suns spin in the wind.

Below is a quick little tutorial for making these.  But if you haven't worked with aluminum before, you might want to check out the information found in these tutorials:  Recycled Aluminum Can Butterfly Mobile,  Making Punched tin Butterflies, and Making Punched Tin Light Shields.

And remember - always, always wear protective eye goggles when working with metal.

The edges are sharp and can cause cuts.  But just keep this in mind as you handle your project.  There is no reason to avoid playing with aluminum. Just be careful and wear gloves if you wish.

Since I was only interested in the middle portion of the can when I made the butterflies, I needed to go back and use my tin snips to trim the ragged cut I made when removing the bottom.

Simple cuts made on the edge make great sun rays! I just eyeballed these.

Once the cuts were completed, I used a pair of needle nose pliers to gently twist each sun ray just to make it a bit more interesting.

The factory codes come right off with a bit of rubbing alcohol.

You may find that a sturdy pair of nail sissors works very well for cutting those little slits along the edge.

Since I didn't want my suns all the same, I changed my "tweaking method" a bit - pulling first one up and the next down with the needle nose pliers.

Both sides look great!

Two "suns" can be glued together if you like!

To make petals, I borrowed a cutting technique from Alice (Futuregirl Craft blog) - check out her simple and foolproof tutorial for cutting daisies!

This is the only way I have been able to cut "petals" - if you can call them that!  From a distance - they look great. Not easy to make them perfect in factory pressed, curved aluminum!

The nail sissors are a must for cutting petals.

First cut one side of the petal all the way around.  Then turn the sun over and cut the other side of the petals.

Cutting inside a plastic box (repurposed cookie container), keeps the metal chips from flying everywhere.  I was amazed at how well it worked to contain them.

Flower power!

Check out "Candles Holders made from Tuna Cans" for the how to for these playful sun rays.

These scraps left from trimming turned out to be perfect centers for some of the suns.

That one little idea sparked a bunch of other ideas!  And the next thing you know - I had enough little suns for my mobile!

Rims and tin removed from the large tin cans I repurposed to make tin frames and sconces had retained graceful curves and turned out to be perfect for making a hanger.

Who is celebrating midsummer?  Leave me a comment and tell me how!

Since I couldn't entice a single bird family to move into my hanging gourd bird house this spring, I decided to fill it with plants! I cut and cleaned a couple more gourds to keep it company.

Some people use small saws or even electric tools to carve an opening in the gourd.  I prefer to use those ubiquitous little pumpkin saws.  The smaller teeth work better than the bigger teeth.

Before cutting, I usually draw a design on the surface, but for this project - I just cut a circle - sort of!  With all those leaves - who is to know it isn't perfect?

I use another "pumpkin tool" to remove the seeds and pulp from the inside.  The pulp is so dry,  it will come out easily.  I recommend you remove the seeds and pulp in a well ventilated area - sometimes the dust can be a bit irritating.

For fun, let the kids plant a few seeds in the garden to see what happens!

You might find this gourd preparation tutorial helpful.  Diane and I worked on this one together.  You can link from her site or link direct to the full tutorial here on Craftstylish.

No need to worry too much about getting every scrap of pulp out since you will be filling the cavity with dirt. Mostly clean is good enough.

Once the gourd cavity is cleaned, make a few holes in the bottom for drainage and a couple more at the top for hanging.  I use an old ice pick - but drills work great too.

Now simply place some soil and your plant into the cavity.  Cover the surface with a bit of moss to hold the moisture.  Place a string or cord through the two holes at the top ( I use a big tapestry needle) and you are done!

A little tip I learned the hard way!  Don't get really big plants! Unless, of course you have a really big gourd! Plants sold in the pony packs work perfectly.  I had to remove some of the root material from the 4" pot plants I used.  The plants are fine, but I don't think they like me much.

Hummmmmmm.... just had a thought!  Wouldn't a really big, plant filled gourd be cool sitting on the patio?  Gotta get my hands on one and try it out!

I will get mine at the Pumpkin Patch next week, but Welburn Gourd Farm carries a great selection including really big gourds.

I have been wanting a gazing ball in my garden forever!  This year, I promised myself I would make one for May Day.

For several months, the idea has been to create a gazing ball using an old styrofoam ball that has been sitting in my stash for who knows how long; dollar store book cover paper, also languishing in my stash; and Outdoor  Mod Podge.

But things didn't work out exactly the way I had planned!  What was that statement about blog tutorials Diane made in her introduction to her new Videoblog on Craftypod?  Something about none of the clutter and the mess is revealed!  Well here it is - THE MESS!

I had this crazy idea I would put a layer of newspaper over the ball to make a smoother surface before applying the thin, shiny green acetate.  Of course, I tried to do it all in one step because, as most of you know, I hate applying layers and layers of news paper with paste.

No photos of the ball with the green paper all over it.  I had so much Mod Podge on my hands I could hardly keep my fingers from sticking together!  And that green acetate - no way was it going to lie flat against the surface.  It was the biggest mess you ever saw! Take my word for it!

I nearly burst into tears! Completely discouraged, I threw it in the trash and cleaned up the mess.

Just as I was scrubbing the last bits of Mod Podge from under my fingernails, I started hearing voices - a virtual chorus of crafty voices - telling me to pull that horrid ball out of the trash and try to figure out another way!

So, I am standing in my kitchen, holding this gross glob of sticky, rumpled paper chaos wondering what went so wrong (besides trying to do it all in one step)!  Suddenly it dawned on me that aluminum foil would mold around the ball just the way I envisioned the green acetate would.  I grabbed a large piece of saved foil and wrapped and squeezed it around the ball.

Not as smooth a surface as I was looking for but several layers of Outdoor Mod Podge would certainly fix that!  

I applied a heavy coat, let dry 24 hours, and applied another and another - four coats in all. (Good thing I started before May Day huh!)

The image doesn't show it, but the surface is actually quite smooth. However, the Mod Podge did dull the shininess of the foil a bit and I wasn't  really all that excited about a silver ball. Kinda disappointing actually.  Probably should give up on this one. I set it aside.
 

To heal my crafty wounds, I popped on to my google reader to see what the crafty world was up to. Can you believe it? I happened to find these words on In my own Style. "Life's real failure is when you do not realize how close you were to success when you gave up". (Thomas Edison - who would know about these things).  Diane, you saved the day!

I returned to my project with a renewed committment to win!

What would happen if I applied Mod Podge colored with food coloring? 

Because I applied the tests directly on crumpled foil, it tended to pool in some areas resulting in dark and light spots.  But -  it worked! And thanks to all those layers of Mod Podge, the surface of the ball was nice and smooth! As I saw it, I had nothing to lose by giving it a go!

So, a bit nervously, I applied a thin coat of Outdoor Mod Podge tinted with blue food coloring to the surface and let dry overnight.

Yay!  Looked promising! And FYI - the color is actually quite even over the surface - it is just the reflective nature of the foil that is making it appear as if only parts of the surface are covered. 

Second coat looked even better! 

And the third coat gave me the deep richly colored gazing ball I had wanted in the first place! 

I have tried and tried (and failed and failed) to get a shot that accurately shows how pretty this ball really is.  The many layers of Mod Podge give it a feeling of depth and the foil flashing through the blue tint is quite pleasing. And... my sweetie really likes it - that's a big plus!

Good thing I paid attention to those "voices"! I now have my gazing ball!

NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!

The prize!  Two 8 oz. bottles, one each of Outdoor Mod Podge and of Regular Formula Gloss Mod Podge.  Compliments of Amy at Mod Podge Rocks!

For more info about these two Mod Podge products check out Amy's excellent Mod Podge Formula Guide.

To Enter - leave a comment and if you have completed a recent project using Mod Podge, leave a link.  If you are waiting to win so you can try it out - tell me how you plan to use it!

Unfortunately due to shipping and customs regulations, we can not ship outside of the USA.

Entries close on May 6th at 6:00 pm PST. The winner will be announced later that evening.

I have had so much fun playing with Mod Podge lately!  In case some of you have missed recent Mod Podge projects:

Fabric Scrap Storage Canister

Colored glass jars and lanterns

Mosaic Easter Egg

Joanie's Stitch Village Mushroom Canisters

And don't miss this!  Take a moment to follow this link to see how beautiful Emily's vases and spice jars tinted with colored Mod Podge turned out! Beautiful deep jewel tones. She also put pictures in the flickr pool so you probably will find one or two showing on the side bar.

I only have two more things to say:

        Never give up, never surrender!
 
         And... Good Luck in the Giveaway Everyone!

Last year about this time I put together this little vine wreath for the front door.  My plan was for it to last through the summer and then to reuse the wreath as a base for a fall themed wreath.

But, when fall came, it was still growing and looking beautiful! So, just before the first frost, I brought it inside with the faint hope I could winter it over.

And here it is - back on my front door for another summer!  Those two little canisters I used to hold water really worked great!

My wreath one year ago! I never dreamed the ivy would not only survive but continue to grow with their little feet in that tiny bit of water!

I have a few old film canisters laying around - imagine that!  So I poked a little hole in the lid just big enough for a couple stems.  Plant staking wire does a great job of securing the canister to the back of the wreath.

I can pull off the lid, refill the canister with water and then replace the lid. The staking wire is wrapped around the bottom of the canister so I don't need to intefere with the hanging system when I remove the lid.

You could also use those little glass tubs with a rubber stopper that are often found in mini marts - they are used to keep roses fresh.

So - just thought I would bring you up to date!  My little intended reuse project that has become a permanent part of my home!

A great way to celebrate Earth Day?  Order a copy of "Card, Paper, Ribbon" by Kristin Roach and create beautiful, useful items from all the greeting cards, and used ribbon and wrapping paper you have been diligently saving!

Did you know that you can make paper from greeting cards?  Or oilcloth like papercloth by bonding wrapping paper to fabric? Or crochet and knit bags and bowls using discarded curling ribbon and leftover yarn?

Kristin does a beautiful job of teaching you how to do all of this and much more! And you can get all this crafty, reuseful Earth Day goodness right here!  And if you order before Sunday, April 25th, you not only will receive a discount but a free tutorial!  A $12.95 value for only $7.00! Check out Craftypod for details and the coupon code.

I just love this super strong crochet market bag created by using yarn and scraps of acetate curling ribbon.  I can't crochet but I can weave and I am thinking I could create a lovely woven market bag using Kristen's ideas and techniques.  But so many of you do crochet and a couple of these bags would make terrific, earth friendly gifts.

I can also knit - just barely but I have mastered the garter stitch!  So I will  definitely be playing with the lovely knitted bowl project- another of Kirsten's ideas for incorporating the acetate curling ribbon with yarn. My bowl, however, will be an Easter basket for next spring!

Kristen teaches each technique in a way that empowers you to be able to create projects that reflect your own style.  Of course, she also provides thorough, well illustrated, easy to understand instructions for making projects using each of the techniques she teaches in her book. 

For instance - the photo above of papercloth is only one of several options she offers for making this sturdy, vinyl like material.  This happens to be my favorite!  But you might prefer the results from using reverse applique, or masking, or stitching!  So many, many possibilities!

I love how this little zippered pouch turned out using reverse applique.  This is the back and I am showing it because this would be just the way I would make mine!

It seems to me that since this papercloth is so much like oilcloth and is relatively strong, it could be used as place mats.  Or by sewing several pieces together, you could make a great outdoor tablecloth!  See what I mean?  Kirsten is giving you the basics - a whole new tool chest of skills and techniques and then you can move on from there anywhere your mind takes you!

I am very excited to find the instructions for stab stitching a note book included in this e-book!  The stab stitched notebook is the project that Kirsten designed for using the paper made from greeting cards. Her instructions for making paper, which include how to make the deckle and mould, are well illustrated with photographs and are very clearly written. But honestly, I will probably never make paper: however, I definitely will make stab stitched notebooks.  There is no way to fail!  Kristen provides a step by step written guide accompanied by a diagram for the stitching sequence. And on top of that, she includes photos of the process.

More stuff I love about this e-book!

It is not designed around one craft, but rather it teaches basic technique in several crafty realms - paper making, notebook construction and stab stitching technique, papercloth making, and how to make a wallet and a zipper pouch, a market bag and a knitted bowl!  Patterns for the wallet and pouch are provided as well as detailed crochet pattern for the market bag and knitting instructions for the bowl.

Printer friendly pages accompany every technique and project.

Kirsten has included resource pages for Bookbinding and for Papermaking;  Crochet abbreviations and books to turn to for help and inspiration; Knitting abbreviations and on line tutorials and yarn sources; even a Papercloth QandA!

Anyone who owns this e-book will definitely turn to it over and over for inspiration and how-to information.

Be sure to visit Kristen on  CraftLeftovers.com and join her in her quest to use resources wisely and give new life to "trash" we all accumulate. And take advantage of this opportunity to get your hands on Card, Paper, Ribbon and a crafty tutorial from Diane at Craftypod at a really great price! Diane says, it's a "screamin' Earth Day deal"! And it IS!

Another project using tin and aluminum cans from my trash stash!

I again turned to mid-1800's New Mexican tin work for my inspiration for this wall sconce. 

In keeping with the necessity of using only what was at hand at that time, which included repurposed tin brought over the Santa Fe Trail, I repurposed a large tin can, a tuna can, and an aluminum pop can bottom.  I kept my tools very simple - what almost any household would have on hand -  a hammer, nail, tin snips, screw driver.  In place of solder, I used E-6000 glue.  And of course, most importantly heavy gloves and protective eye ware.

Before I share how I made the sconce, I am going to share the inspiration for the sconce and my tin frame by way of introducing you to an incredible Santa Fe tin artist, Jason Younis y Delgado,  who is working hard to preserve the art and traditions of early New Mexican tin work.

In my "Tin Frame" post, I provided links to help share the history of tin work in New Mexico. I hope, if you haven't already done so, you will take the time to visit some of them today.

Now, be prepared to be blown away by the images of some of Mr. Delgado's amazing art which he has so graciously sent to me in response to my request for pictures of tin work that I could share with my readers.

It takes a lot of - well, courage - to show my little sconce next to these amazing and beautiful works of art!  But how else can I share my inspiration?

Notice his precise punching technique.  He designs and makes his own stamps which you can actually order here!  And just look at those perfect rosettes at the top of the sconces.  Let me tell you, laying out a rosette is not as easy as it might appear!

Mirrors and picture frames for religious images were very popular objects made by early New Mexican tinsmiths.  Mirrors are definitely my favorites - especially the round ones. 

No doubt you have noticed the similarities to Mexican mirrors and tin objects.  That is because, the early tinsmiths in New Mexico actually were  Spaniards who traveled north to what is today the state of New Mexico, but at the time was the northern most territory of Mexico. The Spanish silversmith influences are found in both Mexican and in New Mexican tin work. Read a little more about the history here.

Just so you know - you can order tin sheets from Mr. Delgado!  I wish I had known that ten years ago when I was searching far and wide for tin!   He also offers a great selection of tools and has even assembled kits which include tin, center punch, nail set, tinsnips, stamp patterns and in some kits he even includes some of his custom punches.

Here is a great close-up of his work showing his beautiful artistry.  This is WAY beyond anywhere I have been with my hammer and nail!!!

As I mentioned, most of the tin work produced in the New Mexican territory was used for religious purposes,  and in addition to nichos and frames, crosses were an important part of that tradition.  Tin crosses are still very popular today both in Mexico and New Mexico.  I am so pleased Mr. Delgado sent me this stunning example to share.

Here is a direct link to Jason Younis y Delgado.  In addition to a bit of history and his shop, you will be treated to his gallery, which you must not miss seeing!

Back to my humble little repurposed tin can project!

Here is how to make it!

Start by removing the top and bottom of the large tin can..  (Refer to my previous post). And wear gloves and goggles!

Sorry about the tuna can - I got a ahead of myself in my excitement and completely forgot to take pictures!  Cut off the back leaving a lip on the bottom section.   (Gloves and goggles!)

I have lots of soda can bottoms left from the butterfly mobile.  And I totally love the shape so it was a natural choice for the top piece of the sconce!

In order to get your punched design  as close to perfect as possible,  carefully mark the placement for each half circle using a sharpie.

Then my favorite part of working with tin - punch the design into the metal using a hammer and nail.

The craziest idea I ever had in my life was to attempt to punch a rosette into a concave surface! 

It is very important to lay out the design with a sharpie before beginning to punch.  And then make absolutely certain that you hold your nail very firmly in place when you are ready to punch.  Nails just get the biggest thrill out of sliding down that slick, curved surface just before you tap it with the hammer!

Marking is helpful when cutting the petals as well.  Once the divisions are marded, cut the edge into slits as I did for the little candle holders.  Then, using very sturdy toe nail scissors, cut first one side of each petal all the way around the disk and then cut the other side of each petal.  This works out to be much easier than cutting them individually.

A closer look at the tuna can.

Make a candle holder by wrapping a piece of either soda pop aluminum, aluminum pie plate or tooling foil around a candle base.  Glue with E-6000 and hold in place with a rubber band until dry.  Remove the candle and glue the holder in place again using E-6000. (Not exactly my finest hour with glue - fortunately it won't show!

The lip on the bottom is designed to slip through a slit in the sconce back to help support the weight of the candle.

A bit of soda pop metal left over from cutting butterflies works well as a little hanger.

You are looking at the back side.  The ends have been pushed through a little hole and bent up toward the tip on the other side.  When you attach the top disk with glue, the ends will be secured as well.

Funny thing, I designed the disk to be placed on the sconce this way!

But I ended up liking it better "backwards"!

The disk is glued with E-6000.

Now we come to the part that reveals my absolute lack of engineering skills!  Using the tools at hand, I chopped - no other word for it - my way through the back of the sconce with a sturdy screw driver and a hammer.

Remember - this is all about improvising and using what is at hand. I am sure there are ten better ways to do this.

Be sure the slit is placed high enough on the sconce back so that the lip on the tuna can will not show.

Wearing gloves, place the lip of the tuna can through the slit.

Tilt the tuna can in place so that the lip is flush against the back of the sconce and the edges of the tuna can are flush against the front of the sconce.

Once you are satisfied with the placement, apply E-6000 glue to the underside of the lip and a little to the edges at the front and tip into place securing with a couple clothes pins as shown.

(Photo quality on some of these last images is pretty bad - don't know what happened but unfortunately it's too late to go back and redo them!)

During this whole process, I was not too happy with the appearance of the dull gray tuna can and I gave a lot of thought to how I could make it prettier. 

As you see above in Mr. Delgado's sconces, mirrors were often added to help amplify the candle light. (Remember - no electricity in those days!) 

Rather than place mirrors on the sconce backing, I decided to use them to cover the tuna can!  Although the mirrors are not repurposed, they are left over stash from making Espejitos.

Once the glue is dry, remove the clothes pins. I loved how the mirrors sparkle and reflect the surroundings!!

Done!

The sconce is rather small - 10" high and 3 1/2" wide.  It was designed to be just the right size to hold all the 4" to 6" candle stubs left from burning long tapers during dinner. Now tbey can be reused in my sconce instead of hanging out in the "emergency candle bag".