Showing posts with label tutorial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tutorial. Show all posts

May 02, 2014

May Basket tutorial

Cut a circle of any size out of wallpaper or other heavyweight paper. Use straight or wavy edged scissors. Create scallops if you want to get fancier! You may also start with a half circle and skip the next step.


Cut a wedge out of the circle

Wrap the circle into a cone shape

Staple the cone at the seam

Admire your cone!

Cut a second circle to cone shape for a liner.  I used vellum, but any paper works! Doilies are wonderful additions!

From the remaining paper or another coordinating paper cut a hanfle.

Staple the handle on to the cone.

Voila! You can tie a ribbon on the basket or punch holes around the edge and thread ribbon through.

Fill with flowers, candy, pussy willows and hang on a friend's door knob, ring the bell, and run! 


December 02, 2010

Snowflake string tutorial


Just a simple little tutorial for some wintery decoration fun. We made these for our gallery window and I am pretty jazzed about them!

First - procure as many popsicle sticks as you can. Don't attempt to make 100 of these from actual popsicles unless you have a lot of friends! You need three for each snowflake, so plan accordingly and start next summer - or - go to your local craft store and pick up a few packs of their naked cousins - craft sticks! Grab your hotglue gun and plug it in. Have a can of white spray paint handy as well as a container of white glitter. Newspaper keeps it all tidy whilst making these things.

Lay out the sticks on a piece of paper - making one cross the other like an "X" with a dot of glue holding them together in the middle. Glue the third stick across the "X" to bisect the "X". A little this way or that makes no difference. Remember, snowflakes are all different in real life!
When you have created as many snowflakes as you need place them on newspaper or other protective paper as you are going to start painting them now. In a well ventilated area (like outside) lay down the paper with the snowflakes spread out across it, one layer thick. Spray one side of them all to cover and then let dry. We like ours sprayed lightly. A little wood peeking through looks good to us. You might like them more shiny and lacquered. Flip them over and do the other side.
While they are wet, sprinkle them with glitter. We like the white translucent kind which imparts a snowy sparkle to them. Some of you might go Vegas-style and use the more bold silver or two tone iridescent type. To each his own I say!
Once they are dry you can simply hotglue them to some monofilament line or invisible thread. Hang them up and put on your holiday lights and enjoy the sparkle! During the day they have a lovely glow too, from the glitter. Bonus! the paper you will have used to protect the surface you are working on becomes this lovely stenciled work of art too...

October 11, 2010

Printing with Leaves and Watercolor


one of mine - as a card
one of the littles work
one of the children's work

one of my adults work
another one of mine - my favorite!
Today my adults and our preschoolers printed with leaves. The process is simple and fun and you can enjoy finding your favorite leaves outside before you start!
First - go out into the sunshine and find a leaf or two or three whose shape you admire. Then, take your watercolors and paint all of your favorite colors - fall like or not - onto a piece of paper. Let them dry.
Take some black printmaking ink and roll it out onto a smooth surface with a brayer.
Using the brayer, roll some ink onto the back of the leaf to cover the entire surface.
Flip the leaf over and press it gently onto the original watercolor painting.
These pantings can be used for cards, gift tags and wrapping paper if you wish - or just frame up your favorite and hang it on the wall.