Here is another version of the dove. It is a sparkly cardinal instead! Here is the template -
I know it isn’t fancy, but this is my real life and a representation of how I do things. As you can see I took the original sparkly dove pattern and changed the wing just a bit and added a pointy head. Easy peasy. Happy crafting!
Yup – again. And I only had to rake the neighbors yard for about 4 and a half hours to get there… With my kids… It was worth it! I got another little cart!!! I haven’t taken a picture of the one I got, but I did a little research and here is what I can tell you -
I got a REALLY GOOD DEAL!!! You know – free!!! Did you see the prices on these things? High price of $296.44 and a low price of $245.96. OK – It needs a little major scrubbing. I can do that! I also got a couple other finds that I can show you some other time. Really, I am soooo tired. All that raking and bagging and yelling at my kids to quit being wooses really kicks my butt. (The kids were actually real troupers – just took some loud motivation from me once in a while)
Maybe I can craft tomorrow. Good night all and happy crafting!!
Have a wonderful day filled with good food, family, and friends – God Bless You!
Geez – this is a bad picture – but it’s been drizzly and I haven’t set up a light box yet. This dove has been painted with a metallic gold acrylic paint. Then stamped with black ink. Then glittered! The end effect looks like a glittered paper bag – ha ha! I actually like it.
Happy Crafting!
I’ve seen some dove ornaments that I really like these days. And…since I’m too cheap thrifty to purchase any I thought I’d try to make some. So I got out my pencil and paper and started drawing. And erasing. And drawing. This is the shape I came up with. (Which has been inspired by other ornaments I’ve seen as well as various clip art.)
Just click on the image to make it bigger, then right click on it and choose save. Then print it out in any size you want. I cut these out from chipboard (the back of a notebook would work) with scissors. Then I painted them and then coated them with glue and glitter!!! I was happy to find a use for my coarse glitter. I’ve had this glitter for years and years – always preferring to use the ultra-fine glitter. But, bigger area – bigger glitter! (And it’s less expensive!) Do you see the gray area behind the dove? Well this is the cheap thrifty way to transfer an image. I scribble all over the back with a graphite pencil and then lay the picture right side up over the chipboard and trace. My youngest son has been helping me with these ornaments. He plans to give one to his teacher for Christmas. I just cut it out for him and he happily painted, glued, and glittered to his heart’s content. I have a few (OK more than a few) hanging from the ceiling right now and they catch any little ray of light and sparkle! I’ll show you other variations in the next couple days.
I’m taking part in a craft challenge – and this is my first project. I’m a little early – but I’m sure there will be days when I don’t get anything done so it’s OK.
Happy Crafting!!
Let this be a warning to all of you – clean your sewing machine!!! Take a look -
Oh I know – OMG!!! This isn’t my new sewing machine – this is my original machine. I’m ashamed to say I never cleaned it properly. Oh sure I blew the dust out and ran the little brush thingy around but I never took off the throat plate and really got in there. Look closer at this -
Do you see all the crap fuzz in those feed dogs?! That is how I knew something was up. I was sewing my little draw string bags on my new machine and some of them got quite small. I couldn’t top stitch around the top because the machine was too big. Got the bright idea to try my old machine. Bingo! Just the right size. Then I wondered why the feed dogs weren’t pulling the fabric through. Even though I felt I didn’t have the time I decided to dig into the machine and give it a good cleaning. Geez. Should have thought of that a few years ago! The feed dogs were packed with fuzz. Once I pried it out and cleaned the rest up until it was fuzz free I tried to sew again. The machine works like it was/is brand new. I have to say that if that machine can take that kind of abuse and keep working it has to be a pretty good machine. It is a Brother Pacesetter by the way. I think it was $199.00 - on sale - about 5 years ago?
Here are a couple links to get you started on your cleaning -
http://sewing.about.com/od/sewingmachineindex/a/machinemaintain.htm
http://craftnectar.com/2009/03/09/spring-cleaning-for-your-sewing-machine/
By the way – I will be adding this cleaning task to the master cleaning list. I think seasonally. I’ll try to clean them more often – but at least I know it will get done seasonally! Good luck!
My middle son and I had a great time cutting and gluing the other evening. It all started when I decided to start a new rule. The TV must be off until 6:00 PM. My kids get home between 2:30 and 3:30 – so this is quite a stretch of time with no TV or video games. Good! Nobody complained!!!!! Amazing. Here is what my little guy came up with -
It’s an alien. How cool! He’s excited to do it again…I can’t wait. PS: He used a magazine to make this masterpiece – cut out shapes and glued them together…
Do you ever have those days when you try to craft and your glitter won’t stick to your glue? Well, I not only had one of those days I had one of those weekends!! I couldn’t muster up any enthusiasm on Saturday to craft and when I tried on Sunday the glitter wouldn’t stick to the glue. How does that happen? I’d try different things and nothing was working out. I wanted to cut more glass to make some of these ornaments – look -
And…the glass cracked…not on the line I had scored. I ended up with some irregular pieces. Well – I wasn’t getting any nice rectangles out of that mess. But as I looked at the pieces I noticed some triangular shapes and my brain said Christmas tree – duh! So this is what I came up with -
Again – glitter is the WORST to photograph. Here is a bigger one almost ready to be soldered -
I’m going to my friend Julie’s later in the week for some sparkly yellow Swarovski crystals to adorn the tops. So far I’ve made these in medium ornament size, large ornament size, and a couple pendants. They sparkle!! I have to be careful in my craft room these days though – with one careless move I’m in danger of getting glittered and/or stepping on a shard of glass. Crafting ain’t for sissies!!
I finally got my new stamps and started making some new ornaments. I’m not lovin them (the ornaments – not the stamps). Look -
I think the stamps are beautiful and will make wonderful cards – just not such wonderful ornaments with this technique. I know it is hard to tell but I lost the delicate lines in the stamp in the making of this ornament – looks kind of blobby.
Also, as those who know me know I’m just not fond of squirrels. I don’t usually think they are cute. At all. But this little guy/gal tugged at my heart strings a little bit.
It was a cold and windy day and he/she was sleeping on this branch that is right outside my kitchen window. Awwww. Poor cold little squirrel. From my window his/her eyes were all the way shut…and I’ve found out you can’t sneak up on a squirrel – eyes pop open right away!! Well, it is back to the craft room for me – got another idea for an ornament. Happy crafting!!
Do you remember way back when I said lets make a cleaning list? Well, I’ve made a series of lists because sometimes the job of keeping a clean house can be overwhelming. If I make a list and check off chores as I do them I can be assured that these things get done at least four times a year. Do I stress out about getting everything done in a day? NO! Just take your time and go one chore/list/or room at a time. Some of this gets done more than seasonally – but sometimes life gets in the way -
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter Cleaning List
Clean under and behind:
Clean out (REALLY WELL)
Wash
Wipe down
Oil the woodwork
Vacuum/ShopVac
Sort and purge
Just Fall
Just Spring
Daily Chores
Weekly Chores
Monthly Chores
NOTE: The type in blue has been updated since the original post.
And for crying out loud! Get the kids involved! Why did you have them? So you could wait on them hand and foot? NO! You’re trying to raise self-sufficient adults here. I used to think it was my job to do all the cleaning cause I’m the mom. And a stay-at-home mom at that. And it is usually EASIER to do it myself. Then it occurred to me that I wasn’t doing my kids any favors – how were they going to cope without knowing how to even run a washing machine? It starts with you teaching them how to do this stuff. Bonus: if they have to clean it they are less likely to make such a mess in the first place. My daughter uses way less towels in the morning cause she has to fold them and put them away now. Sneaky - I know!!
If you’ve gotten this far you must like lists as much as I do. Or you’re shaking your head wondering what this crazy woman is going to do next. hehe!! Well, I’ll be updating this list as things occur to me. Ahhh, I can sleep. A master list that’s in one spot that I can tweak… at last!!
So my neighbor and I got to chatting the other day and I told him about my cabinet. Come to find out he loves going to the dump too – so we made a pact that if he has to go he’ll take me. And if I have to go I’ll take him. ha ha! Now I’ll have muscle with me!!! Well, we went today and this is all I found -
The Tupperware salad forks were still in the packaging!! The little shot glasses with stems are just perfect for that batch of dandelions the kids bring me. That little vase could be covered in polymer clay…the little bells are great for tons of holiday projects…and that basket! The shape of the basket caught my eye first. I thought I could recover it. Well, then I got it home and looked at it a little closer. It is in great condition – just filthy. So I washed it. And set it in the sun to dry. It is made of an oilcloth material. Sturdy and basically waterproof.
Still has the tag – although this one doesn’t fold.
Geez – I love the dump. Anybody need to go???
Uff-da! My mom came for a couple days and kicked my butt! She brought with her a trunk full of apples. Then she made me process them with her – ha ha! We ended up with something like 64 quarts. Yes. SIXTYFOUR QUARTS!!!! I used every quart jar I have and then started freezing some, then left an ice-cream bucket full in the fridge for the kids to snack on. It took us 12 hours. I was so tired I woke my husband up by snoring. I never snore! Look -
And take a look at the size of the apples – amazing!
I tell ya mom – you may be older than me but you still make me eat your dust!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!
Now look at what I pulled out of a dumpster at the dump/landfill yesterday. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know you aren’t supposed to do that because some idiot hurt themselves and wrecked it for everybody else… but you’d have pulled this out too!!! I used my super human strength to get this out. I pulled and tugged and finally got it balanced on the edge of the dumpster – then I dragged it to the trailer and ran out of oompf. Luckily a guy pulled up to dump his own stuff and he said “Looks like you’re changing your mind.” I said noooo, I just pulled this out. Well, he looked at the dumpster, the cabinet, and then me and I could read the how in the hell… on his face. Hee hee. A determined salvager can lift almost anything.
Huh – funny how that camera angle made it look narrower on the bottom – but it is square in real life. Check out the knobs – they are what caught my eye to begin with. Oh – and the pull for the drawer is soaking and ready to be cleaned and put back on. I did the knobs last night.
And how cute are the hinges?! So can I paint it? Or do I have to leave it in its crackled state? Oh yeah – the top is enameled metal. I put a regular milk crate inside so you can get an idea of the size. Isn’t it AWESOME! Why do people throw stuff like this away? It really makes me crazy. All they would have had to do was stick it on the roadside with a free sign and I know someone would have taken it. If nobody did take it within a week or so then throw it away. But nooooo, lets bring it to the dump and trash it! Does that make sense to you???? There was another one in that dumpster – I couldn’t see the front so I don’t know really what it looked like, but it killed me to leave it. I’ve gotta start bringing a screwdriver to at least remove knobs and hinges. Have a good weekend and happy crafting!!!!!
So, I don’t think I’ve ever shown anything that I’ve soldered before.
Wow – was that hard to photograph!! These ornaments really sparkle – Martha Stewart glitter is AWESOME!! Anyways, I’m going to be making up a couple dozen of these for the craft fair. I can see I have to add a bit more to solder around the edges of this one – amazing what a camera can pick up. I’ve ordered more glass to be cut for me – they will measure 2” by 2”. This one is 2” by about 1.5”. I think I’ll like the square shape better. I ordered some more snowflakes too and am hoping that there are a couple small ones – I think this would be a cute pendant. I’d wear it. ha ha! Well, happy crafting!!
Oh – how was your Halloween? We had a great time – the kids trick-or-treated through the neighborhood as we handed out candy. We spent the evening with friends and neighbors – lotsa fun! Here’s a picture -
OK – you can quit laughing now!! (I’m in the cowboy hat with the yarn braids on the left!)
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