Tuesday, May 25, 2010

The crafts classes continue...

(Click on an image for a larger view.)



Between the volunteering I do for the senior center and a decorating project I'm working on for my daughter's high school, I've been too frantically busy to write about what I'm doing. I'm going to try and condense things here in an effort to catch up.

For a change of pace, we switched from card making and began making other things from paper. Thanks to a very successful visit to Material for the Arts as well as some generous donations of craft materials from private donors, I had lots of new materials to work with. Here you'll see a pretty pink and black memo holder complete with cards for writing little notes. These have small round magnets on the backs that allow them to stick to a refrigerator or filing cabinet.

Then there are two different styles of gift bags. The one pictured here is in a blue floral pattern but the seniors were able to choose from a variety of floral colors including chartreuse, peach and gold. This bag came with a coordinating gift tag and a matching little gift holder crafted to look like a matchbook and perfectly sized to hold a single square of Ghirardelli chocolate.

The other gift bag was made to look like a pale green mini tote bag and features a matching gift tag and a velcro closure. Class participants even got some coordinating tissue paper to place in the bag so they could be ready to wrap that perfect little gift.

The card you see here will be this week's project, a generic birthday card that is suitable for both men and women. It's generally more difficult to choose colors and themes that are suitable for men so this is a welcome change. This will be my final project for this season until I return in September to continue the craft classes. I must dedicate myself to completing the project for the high school in time for the graduation ceremony at the end of June, then spend time preparing my graduating daughter for her transition to college. So many things to do, so few days in which to do them.

Oh yes, the remaining photo. The senior center will be conducting it's own version of American Idol called "Dorchester Senior Idol". The photo represents the scoring paddles the judges will be using to score the participants on a scale from one to four. I created the paddles from some old hand fans with wooden handles by removing the original cardboard fan and replacing it with one that I designed. I just thought I'd throw them into the mix here as well since I had some fun making them. Oh yes, one more thing. I not only got to make the paddles, I'll get to use them. I've been asked to be one of the judges for the talent contest. This should be fun!!

Okay, no more time for chatter. I'm off again to put nose firmly to grindstone. I've got flowers to create and floral arrangements to make and a prom to prepare for and a graduation coming up and...

Boy, I need a vacation.


Ballo ergo sum- Gitana, the Creative Diva

Thursday, May 6, 2010

My Thursday Tip

Oriental Stamp Arts, the Yahoo group to which I belong, solicits tips and tricks from its members every Thursday. One tip is selected from among the entries for a weekly prize. One recent tip that I submitted was seen by Nancie Waterman, the editor of Vamp Stamps News (http://www.vampstampnews.com) who contacted me for permission to publish my tip in the June 2010 issue which I granted. I never thought my little tip, discovered quite by chance, would garner so much attention. Read it below.

When using acrylic stamps, I have found that when I'm stamping a verse or image that is long and thin, it is difficult to get the stamp to cling in a straight line. It always seems to curve ever so slightly up or down when I try to lay it on the mount. By chance I discovered that if I lay the stamp face down on my cutting mat, the grid lines help me align the stamp properly. Then all I have to do is lower the stamp mount onto the stamp and, presto, it's straight.

I hope you find it helpful. Thanks for stopping by.

Ballo ergo sum- Gitana, the Creative Diva