nothing ventured

Alpine terrarium

2010-09-05T01:39:00.010-06:00

I have an early memory of roving the subarctic forests with my mother, gathering mosses, reindeer lichen, interesting bits of bark and small sturdy plants and returning home to arrange them in their very own biotope.

We'd layer pea gravel or sand, charcoal, and peat moss in a large brandy snifter or fish bowl then arrange the delicate mosses and trumpets of lichen.

Of course, the fun part was adding the final decorative elements: shells, rocks, miniature figurines (a porcelain siamese kitten the size of my fingernail! an owl sitting on a pebble!) As the days grew shorter, the small green world ornamented the frosty window. This weekend's expedition to a glacial lake was a chance to turn some cobwebby memories into green ones.

Seed envelope template

2010-07-16T23:52:00.004-06:00

Around this time, I start saving seeds from my flower and vegetable garden to store for next year. Occasionally I give seeds to friends and family, and these envelopes generated a nice response. The pretty motif is from a 1930s Chinese seed catalogue. Here is the template - enjoy!

Button baubles

2010-07-15T12:35:00.009-06:00

A few buttony things I'm wearing: a metallic flower ring, dangly french hook earrings, and a black pendant made from a Bakelite coat button strung on sheer ribbon.

I'm trying to visualize the piece of clothing that required a conquistador button.

Pre-war household labels

2010-05-28T17:05:00.011-06:00

As a matter of course, my grandmother saved everything. She especially liked recipes and clippings, and while going through a yellowed binder of recipes she compiled, I found these cute and charming household labels from the forties.

I think they'd be perfect to use on home canned goods as suggested, or even as place cards, gift tags, or on bulk ingredients stored in glass containers.
Not wanting to use up all the original labels, I did a high-resolution scan and printed them on some medium weight creamy paper. There's a benefit to preserving the imperfections from the original printing: smears, rough edges and an ink spot or two. I like the unrefined, textured look. If you'd like to print your own, here are the PDF files: fancylabels.pdf, genpurposelabels.pdf, bluelabelslarge.pdf, bluelabelsmall.pdf

Autumn Vine Pumpkin

2009-10-22T09:31:00.014-06:00

Vine pumpkins -- that is, pumpkins crafted of vines -- seem to be everywhere this year. Some are huge and have incorporated strings of lights, some are the right size to group on a table. Usually, they're made of grape vines. Lacking wild grape vines in my area, and borrowing ideas from last year's willow wreath project, I made a framework for my pumpkin using willow, Virginia creeper vines, 20 gauge black steel wire, and two 12" wire wreath frames from a thrift store. Spraying the metal frames matte black helped them blend with the vines.
A central post made of willow anchors the six structural ribs of the pumpkin. The metal wreath frames, wired to the top and bottom, add stability and a support for the vines. It's not shown in this picture, but I also put in a willow hoop 'equator' to encourage the round shape.

I'd gotten this far on the project with no real idea of what would fill in the rest of the shape. Since we'd had a hard freeze, I was a little concerned about any vines being pliable enough to bend around the pumpkin frame. Luckily, I found some Virginia creeper that was still bendable with pretty blue berries into the bargain. Since you often find Virginia creeper and poison ivy growing together and both have compound leaves, being familiar with their differences frees you to enjoy being out and about. In our northern zone, poison ivy is rare to nonexistent, but I still know the rhyme, "Leaves of three, let it be/Leaves of five, stay alive."

Florist's wire worked in fastening the vines to the framework. At the top, I gathered them in a big bunch around the core. At the bottom, I wove them through the wreath frame. After a certain density was reached, it was easy to just poke them in the top and they caught on the other vines. Hot glue was good too, if a bit messy.

Before it was completely vine-enclosed, I wound some orange lights around the core.

Here it is, mostly done. It looks a little like those 60's cane hassocks. I wouldn't try sitting on this, even if it didn't have a stem.

A warm glowing pumpkin!

Illuminated rustic shelf

2009-09-27T22:35:00.022-06:00

Behold, a wall-mounted light box! It's made of reclaimed wood with a frosted glass panel. My inspiration was Pieter VanTuyl's illuminated shelf. Changing the materials to include weathered, rustic wood created more than a few obstacles.

The challenge in working with reclaimed wood is the presence of natural variations like cracks, knots, old nail holes, rotted bits. These variations certainly add character to the final product but also posed some difficulties structurally. I had a good source for the raw materials, and I went up to the family farm to look around for what I needed.

Most of the wood I found was warped or bent, but finally I discovered a beautiful solid piece of redwood. It was grey with half a century of weather, a strong grain pattern and sprinkled with dark lichen. I decided to use it for the front of my box.

First thing was to build a framework on which to attach the wood and enclose the light. The dimensions of the 1x2 framework were determined by the size of the weathered wood, because I wanted to avoid the distraction of freshly cut edges.

(just pretend the sketch represents both sides of the framework as symmetrical)

I also wanted any brackets and screws to be fairly invisible. With these limitations in mind, the logistics of the thing were puzzling. How was it going to stay on the wall? How to make the screws unobtrusive? I talked it out with my husband, and we came up with the idea that shelf brackets could be hidden inside the box and fastened to the framework. The light fixture would be enclosed in a masonite inner box to prevent light leaks.

The open place in the middle is reserved for the light fixture.

Chiseling out a spot for the glass using a VERY sharp chisel.

And the glass fits in place perfectly, yay! After I returned from getting the glass cut, I discovered I'd made a mistake in measuring. The glass was one inch longer than it was supposed to be. It was a happy accident, because making the glass longer unified the front panel with the top which suggested a connected piece.

The shelf brackets are hidden inside the box, so they are barely visible even looking up from the bottom.

Here's the finished piece mounted on the wall. If I had it to do over I would do a few things differently, but even so I really like the final result.

Iris and Tulip Bag

2009-08-22T15:21:00.015-06:00

My Aunt K is a creative inspiration to me. From cutting her own stained glass, creating a tile mosaic for her kitchen floor, sewing applique artwork, beading, crafting a five foot high Swedish straw goat, and knitting just about anything, it would have been hard not to be inspired by her energy. During a recent illness, Aunt K decided to use her time in creating notecards, and I was thrilled to get a set of twelve original designs (here are two of them). Certain motifs are recognizably hers, especially the iris, tulip, sunflower, and butterfly. I decided to make a bag directly inspired by her work.

The bag is made of green/blue broadcloth with an applique of iris and tulip in a neutral shade, satin-stitched with corresponding neutral-colored thread. I used a double thickness of material for the 20" by 20" bag and free-handed the applique. From start to finish it took about 4 hours (at best, I sew at an absolutely plodding rate).

xmas simmer pot mix

2008-12-19T14:30:00.007-07:00

When I was putting together the Christmas wreaths, the juniper and pine had such an amazing smell. If only I could make it last! I made a mixture of aromatic ingredients to simmer in a little water. Juniper berries, pine needles, satsuma peel, fresh rosemary and bay leaves made a wonderful smelling simmer pot mix.

You can use different amounts and mix up the ingredients as you like.

Some other things to throw in the simmering pot are -

cinnamon sticks or powder

allspice

rosehips

citrus peel

whole cloves

loose tisanes and herbal teas

star anise

dried lavender

Some people add essential oils, cut up candles, and other unguents to modify the mixture. Putting old spices to use and utilizing what you have in the back yard or around the house is a great idea.

I mixed my ingredients in a ziplock bag so they wouldn't lose potency immediately, and I placed the bag in a canvas sack, stitched a label, and added a gold pine cone tie. To use, put some mix in a jar over a tea light and add some boiling water. Voila, the house is warm and inviting!

Christmas wreaths

2008-12-07T00:54:00.006-07:00

Just in time for Christmas, here are two more wreaths that I made out of pine and juniper over a willow wreath base. I used locally gathered snowberries, pine cones, and raffia ribbon for the embellishments. The first wreath has been hanging on my front door since Thanksgiving and has held up really well. I had to replace a few sprigs of berries that had dried out in the sun, but overall I think both wreaths will last into January. I thought about adding some bits of rosemary, since it smells so Christmassy. But then I didn't. Maybe next year!

Driftwood & tea lights

2008-11-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows I looove candles. A while ago, I saw this wooden candle holder for sale at Anthropologie. Ever since then, I've been tossing around the idea of making a simple candle holder out of driftwood. Rather than place the candle cups on top of the wood, why not make a place for tea lights set into the surface of the wood?

Materials I used for this project were a drill, a 2" hole saw bit, a standard glass tea light holder, driftwood, and a screwdriver.

I chose a pretty piece of driftwood (this looks like it was part of a fence post), that rested easily on a table without tipping. Since I didn't want to ruin the beautiful line of the grain, a vertical design seemed the best choice for this one.

Drilling with a hole saw bit requires powerful torque. I used a Makita 14.4V. It was helpful to have a friend hold the piece of wood steady as I drilled. First I made a pilot hole so the bit went right where I wanted it. After the circle was cut, it was a fairly straightforward process to pry out the wood inside the circle with a screwdriver. Once I got the big pieces out, there were small jagged pieces of wood sticking up which I removed with needle-nose pliers.

The glass tea light dropped right in. The insulating properties of glass keep the wood from getting too hot as well as giving a more polished look to the end result. I'd like to find a similar shorter piece and make a grouping of two.

Here's a different one. A larger piece than this could accommodate three candles in a row.

Willow wreath

2008-11-03T14:21:00.009-07:00

Last week I was up at my parent's farm to celebrate my mom's birthday. My mom and I decided to make willow wreaths for autumn decoration. We discovered the best thing about making things out of willow is that fresh-cut willow gives off a wonderful aromatic apple and cinnamon scent.

It's best to have two people when bending and wiring the willow, as it can be a bit springy for one person to handle. We gathered some wild grasses and native plants and wove them into the branches. It looked best to have odd number groupings and to have the sprays facing the same way.

The finished wreath hanging on the sun room door.

Except for some faux leaves, all the grasses, decorative plants and willow branches were gathered on the farm. The plants didn't look especially pretty in the field, but they were very attractive when woven into a wreath. We had a great time doing this!

corrugated!

2008-10-16T02:03:00.015-06:00

Mechanical contraptions with wheels and interconnected moving parts, paintings in corrugated board, graffiti, abstracts---I'm thinking Michel Gondry found inspiration from the spirit of books like this. This little book was written by Dick van Voorst and originally published in the Netherlands under the title "Golf Karton." One of the reasons it appeals to me is the many different combinations of objects, and the rather surprising possibilities of discarded cardboard. The drawings and typography also appeal from a design standpoint.

Side view of a mechanism with wheels and endless belt

Plenty of material...free!

House made of bent and straight strips

Illus. 32. A biplane

Illus. 30. A bridge

Wrapping up my previous post and the current post in a nice little congenial ball of pet-friendliness, here are downloadable templates for cardboard cat toys. My cat likes the cardboard mouse the best. See his first encounter with it on YouTube.

XXX catnip

2008-10-15T01:38:00.006-06:00

I saw this in Craft magazine and decided my cat Jack definitely deserved a catnip cocktail treat. The project was pretty simple using just four things: soft durable fabric (felt for the label and cork, and a terry knit scrap of fabric for the bottle), thread (regular and embroidery), batting, and dried catnip.

He looks like he could use a pick-me-up...

Fresh, pungent catnip from my garden (it took about a week for the catnip to completely dry)

I cut out the bottle slightly larger for the seam allowance. After stitching the two pieces face to face, and turning them right-side out (leaving a little part undone for room to stuff it later), I used embroidery thread to decorate the label and then stitched the label to the front of the bottle. Then I stuffed the bottle with batting, sprinkling in catnip as I went, and lastly stitched the bottom closed. If I had to do it again, I think I'd make the cork go all the way around because as looks now, the bottle is flipping me off. :)

Jack taking a nip

checkerboard cookies

2008-10-14T16:05:00.005-06:00

These are super good and yummy!

They are the prettiest cookies I've ever made, excellent for enjoying with a leisurely cup of tea. The combination pleases people like me who can't choose between chocolate and vanilla. Thanks to www.dyannbakes.com for the how-to, and Cook's Illustrated for the chocolate and vanilla sable recipe.

New art

2008-10-03T13:14:00.006-06:00

This isn't really a project in the sense that I produced anything, but I wanted to post about it anyway. I found this piece of painted sheet metal amid the ruins of a 1920's farm truck. The oxidized paint makes some interesting effects, and the vibrant colors caught my eye.

Where it came from...one of many junked trucks in a row from the early days of farming.

The metal was right behind what used to be the driver's seat.
Here it is in my house, waiting to have cross-pieces put on the back so it doesn't twist in the middle under its own substantial weight.

This detail looks like toxic rotoscoped clouds.

DIY reupholstery for lounge chair

2008-08-02T23:30:00.011-06:00

This is a leather Eames knock-off lounge chair I found in a thrift store. The leather seat was pulling away from the side, and there was a button missing. I'd never done any sort of reupholstering before, so I was kind of nervous about it.

First, I matched the leather. A great place to find leather remnants online is

www.brettunsvillage.com. They have wonderful customer service.

The missing button was replaced by making a new button using a standard coverable steel button cap and thin leather. Carpet thread attached the new button to the chair frame. New batting went over the foam, then the new leather cover was stapled into place.

I reused the welting, since it was in ok shape.

And it's done! Here are the chair and matching ottoman in my living room. The chair + ottoman were $45, and the new leather was around $50. DWR sells the real Eames lounge set for $3600, so for someone like me who wants the iconic look of the original but not the price, this was a much more affordable option.

Linen paintings (Oct 2002)

2008-03-15T01:07:00.009-06:00

The idea for these paintings came from fabric designs manufactured by Hable Construction. To begin, I bought 8 30" canvas stretchers and stretched natural linen fabric over the frames. "Scarlet Flower" was first delineated with black dye (Jacquard's Dye-Na-Flow for natural fabrics), then filled in later with gouache water-color in alizarin rose madder. "Sky Straw" was a more complicated pattern and took a long time to complete (mostly because I procrastinated). I used an angled brush and Jacquard's black dye.

Stenciling and painting tees

2008-01-04T14:52:00.000-07:00

Stencils, screen-printing, transfers, painting over transfers, freehand, spray paint, appliques, tape, bleaching, all these and more can be used when applying a design to a t-shirt! I copy designs I like or make up my own. This Vertigo records tee started as a meticulously cut iron-on transfer, with matte linen fabric painted on top of the transfer. The paint is cracked by stretching and washing between applications, giving the design a distressed effect.

The 'Rejected Unknown' tee was taken from a piece of Daniel Johnston artwork. Just drew it on with markers to stay close to the feel of the artwork.

This Fiction Design Co/TransAm tee is an example of the self-adhesive stencil method, my favorite method. I draw or print the design on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of peel-off labels (available in office supply section of almost any store). Then I cover the top of the page end to end with clear packing tape. This is to keep the labels together when the backing is peeled off. Before peeling off the backing, the stencil is cut out following the guidelines I have drawn or printed. If the design is on the elaborate side, I use an exacto knife. Once the stencil is cut out, I peel off the backing and place it on the item to be painted. (This method can be used on anything. I've used it on skateboards, canvas bags, To make sure the paint doesn't seep under the edge of the stencil, it's important to press down every inside edge with a fingernail or coin. The paint shouldn't be wet when peeling off the stencil, but if you try this, don't be afraid to check before it's completely dry, since it's better to fix any mistakes and scrape off excess paint on the outline before the paint has cured.

Origami Christmas tree with cranes and stars (Dec 2006)

2008-01-03T23:29:00.003-07:00

Mini-shrine

2008-01-03T23:26:00.001-07:00

This idea is indebted to Greg Der Anian, who outlined the how-to in his crafty book, "Bazaar Bizarre." He encourages re-use of things you have around the house, recycled scraps, postcards, wrapping paper, etc. This shrine is actually an old Altoids tin fitted with florist's foam and a stiff cardboard backing with various embellishments. The mini-shrine doesn't have to be religious. It can feature whoever or whatever you want. I like the look of Mary combined with the coral and sea shell halo, sort of like Botticelli's Aphrodite. Greg also suggests using an old action figure or a Christmas decoration. This figurine was found at the local St Vincent de Paul's charity shop.

Oval mirror

2008-01-03T23:06:00.002-07:00

3/4" birch veneer plywood, cut into an oval using a wood router, then fitted with a 1/4" custom cut mirror.

Utilizing a little geometry...
My husband performing the initial rough cut...

...and a final coat of paint

Plaster Moon Rock Sculpture

2008-01-03T15:24:00.001-07:00

This project is from Todd Oldham's Handmade Modern book, which is quite a fun book with lots of mid century modern home decor projects. If you'd like more detailed instructions, I recommend picking up a copy.

This is a very messy project; outdoors is a must!

First, I mixed up the plaster and water in a bucket then poured it into an empty plastic milk gallon. When the plaster was firm but not quite dry, I cut off the plastic milk gallon, then used a paddle bit and drill to create some interesting holes. A rough screen, designed for smoothing plaster, sanded off the rough bits. When the shape I wanted was emerging, I gradually moved down to finer grit sandpaper. The surface of the completed moon rock is satiny smooth.

White latex chandelier (Mar 2005)

2007-12-29T23:13:00.003-07:00

This project was inspired by Tobias Wong's white rubber coated crystal chandelier. Since my budget didn't allow for an all-crystal chandelier, I found a rather ugly brass toned chandelier from the thrift store and used a combination of white spray paint, crystals, mardi gras beads, and white liquid latex to transform it.

The first issue was how to wire the thing. Rather than hard-wiring it into the ceiling (I lived in an apartment which had dangerous pre-war wiring), I attached a plug to the wires and screwed in an outlet to the light bulb socket, allowing for easy removal. It hung securely from the existing fixture with a couple of S-hooks.

The starting basic chandelier can be seen here. Like I mentioned, it started out as imitation brass. I spray-painted the whole thing white and shortened the chain.

In order not to ruin the hanging crystals, I didn't paint them. Instead, I dipped them in white liquid latex which peels right off when desired. One note about liquid latex: two items coated in latex will stick to each other and make holes in the latex! Giving them a dusting of baby powder really helps. The mardi gras beads (bought cheaply at a party supply store) were spray-painted white and attached with bits of wire to the chandelier arms. The candle cups were impossible to find, so instead I substituted aluminum baking molds, also painted white and also second hand. The aluminum baking molds were easy to puncture with an awl, and I hung five crystals from each mold.

I loved this project! It was very involved, but the result put an elegant spin on my modest hallway. Thanks to Tobias Wong for the inspiration.

78 Scrapbook (Feb 2004)

2007-12-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

I loved the fun design of these 78 rpm jackets picked up at a thrift store. Since the records were broken or missing, it made sense to use them in a different way. So I decided to replace the sleeves with new pages, enabling use as a scrapbook or something. First I cut out the individual sleeves as close to the binding as I could. Then I pasted an inch-wide strip of stiff brown paper at the fold (front and back), to create something that the new pages could be fastened to. The new pages are beige art store paper, fastened with 1/4” cut off screws (used a dremel) and a very thin threaded nut, the holes punched through both the pages and the strip of paper at the beginning and end. I liked how these turned out, and they are handy for sewing ideas and projects, some which I may include here.