tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43956729271665855072024-03-13T20:35:49.775-07:00Heidi Boydis the author of eleven self titled craft books. She regular posts free crafting tutorials and images from her workshops. Follow along her creative career where she squeezes in design work for books and magazines between carpools and feeding her kids!Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-4133222679059595932012-10-26T07:48:00.003-07:002012-10-26T07:51:41.391-07:00<br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Please check out my new website here <a href="http://www.heidiboyd.com/">www.heidiboyd.com</a>. </span></span></h2>
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Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-5044696124004643602012-03-02T11:32:00.003-08:002012-03-02T18:25:20.352-08:00Gnome-tastic Tutorial and Whimsy Kit Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LFcj-2pgGPw/T1D4VzEOieI/AAAAAAAAA_A/olX74nt1sP4/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LFcj-2pgGPw/T1D4VzEOieI/AAAAAAAAA_A/olX74nt1sP4/s640/photo.JPG" width="384" /></a></div><br />
Last week during Maine's schools winter break, I entertained a huge group of children and their parents at our local library. The children came to create their very own gnome, magical creatures perfectly suited to our woodsy landscape. My friend and arborist, Jeff Gillis of Welltree introduced the activity with a fascinating slide show on gnome habitat.<br />
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My husband Jon's woodworking talents were used to prepare the wooden gnome bodies. He cut 1 to 1.5" diameter hardwood branches into 4" lengths. Then he used a belt sander to make a 1"-1.5" long notches in the bark for each gnome's face.<br />
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I assembled the rest of the materials, wood glue and wood plugs (used for flooring) from our local hardware store. From my studio stash I pulled out polyester fleece, wool roving, yarn and felt scraps. I pre-cut the fleece into 3" x 7" rectangles for the gnome coats, and cut 9" circles into quarters for the gnome hats. I quickly ran the hats through my sewing machine, and turned them right side out. This eliminated the frustration of the kids gluing fabric hat edges.<br />
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The first step was to glue on the nose and draw the eyes with a pencil. A word of caution, If you use a felt tipped marker the ink may run into the wood grain. Next children wrapped fleece around the wood body and secured it with a knotted yarn belt. I suggested trimming the fleece under the nose to shape a coat collar.<br />
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Wool roving hair and beards are attached with a dab of wood glue. Check out this little guys long mustache!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo Sheryl Palese</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The pre-sewn hat is simply pulled down over the head, fleece has enough give that it stretches to accommodate thicker branch bodies. Or you can skip the hat all together, check out this artist's original 'Yoda'!<br />
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My basket of felt scraps encouraged creativity, the children added feet hands, bedrolls, pompoms, sleeves, hands and feet.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo Sheryl Palese</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">If you love gnomes and woodland sewing projects please check out my newest book <i><b>Stitched Whimsy</b></i>. In honor of National Craft Month I'm giving away two of my new <i><b>Whimsy Stitching Kits</b></i>. They include everything you need to make your very own stitched felt creation. </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">For a chance to win these kits please leave a comment on this post. I'll select a lucky winner next Saturday, March 10th. Happy Crafting and Good Luck! Heidi</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />
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</tbody></table>Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-2597663797885593252011-08-08T11:42:00.000-07:002011-08-08T11:42:27.520-07:00Thai String Dolls Tutorial<br />
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I still have so many projects to share with you from my summer workshop series, but I'm skipping this gem to the top of the line up. Our young adult librarian had suggested making Thai String Dolls, and after a little research I realized that it could be an accessible and popular project. I had a blast making these dolls with a half dozen great teens.<br />
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Traditionally Thai string dolls are made by looping a thick cord skeleton that is wrapped in thinner cord. I knew that there could be an easier nontraditional way to make the dolls. I immediately pulled out my box of chenille stems (pipe cleaners). Starting with the big head, I spiraled a chenille stem into a ball shape to form the 'skull'.<br />
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To add mass I wrapped two more chenille stems around the first one. It doesn't matter what color the chenille stems are, as they will be completely concealed in 'string'.<br />
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Fold your fourth chenille stem in half and trap your skull in the fold. Twist the chenille stem ends together under the skull to make the neck. Then fold the remaining lengths in half to form the arms.<br />
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Fold a fifth chenille stem into the letter 'W" to make the legs. Hook the center of the 'W' over the shoulder section of the arms. This might feel a little wobbly but the chenille stem will be firmly connected by the yarn wraps.<br />
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Thin cotton blend yarn works best for this project. I had a super collection of Plymouth yarns Wildflower D.K. left over from designing projects for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Soft-Simple-Knits-Little-Ones/dp/1581809654/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312828319&sr=8-1">Soft and Simple knits for Little ones</a>. The colors are fabulous and the weight is ideal. Working directly off the skein, place the yarn end against the chenille skull and begin tightly wrapping the yarn around the head. Make sure you constantly change directions, if you make too many rotations in a single direction, the loops may fall off. If that happens simple unwind the dropped loops and rewind tighter in a different direction. <br />
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When it comes time to wrap the arms and legs, bring the yarn down to the elbow or foot first. Unfold the chenille stem and tightly wrap the yarn where it was bent. Be careful to completely conceal the chenille stem with your wraps.<br />
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Refold the arm or leg and over wrap the folded chenille stems together. Repeat the process with the remaining limbs.<br />
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Wrap the top of the legs together to form the base of the torso and make crisscross wraps across the chest. If your doll's head doesn't look big enough bring the yarn back to the top and wrap it some more. Once you're pleased with the proportions cut the yarn off the skein and use a dab of hot glue to anchor the cut end against the body.<br />
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I supplied Darice 9mm solid black safety eyes, you won't need the clear anchor piece (although one clever creator used them for the eyes). Simply push the screw end into the head. If you wrapped tightly it will take some effort and wiggling to get the screw end lodged into place.<br />
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I had stiffened felt scraps on hand (left over from the <a href="http://heidiboyd.blogspot.com/2010/01/loveable-monsters.html">monster stuffy project</a>). Stiff felt is incredibly easy to cut and hot glue in place. If you're ambitious you could thread contrasting yarn colors into a darning needle and stitch a mouth, eyes or other embellishments onto your doll. <br />
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Simply over wrapping your doll with other string colors is a simple way to dress them up. I rolled a tiny grey ball of string for this rabbits tail. This open ended craft is ideal, your imagination is the only limit to the characters and animals you can create. <br />
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Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-44068025322770541242011-07-21T18:11:00.000-07:002011-07-21T18:11:58.429-07:00French Mirrors a la Modge Podge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Teens will always keep you guessing... I knew this mirror project was going to be a hit with my DIY Friday library group. What I didn't realize is how much teens love collage and working with Modge Podge. It was the best project yet, everyone was relaxed, creatively engaged and in the end tremendously proud of their mirrors.<br />
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The first step is to locate inexpensive, preferably unfinished, wood frames. The ones we used were from IKEA, very reasonably priced at a few dollars each. It's the very same frame I covered with aluminum cans in my book Craftcyle.<br />
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I collected an assortment of black, white, ivory and red scrapbook papers from my stash. Our wonderful young adult librarian supplied photocopied iconic images from France along with an old french novel for tearing apart. I also borrowed a set of themed stamps from a crafty friend. <br />
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Start by covering the center of the mirror with a scrap of paper to prevent it from getting gunked up with glue. The teens launched straight into selecting papers and arranging them over the four sides of the frame. <br />
Once they were sure of the placement they used gluesticks to anchor the paper pieces in place.<br />
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Hands at work stamping images to collage onto their frame.<br />
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I brought my paper cutter along and it was passed between tables. It's the fastest and easiest way to cut a perfect straight edge. <br />
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Before long the tables were covered in a sea of paper scraps. The conversation was lively and fun, they were really happy working on this project. I have to mention that the teen in this picture designed and stitched her lovely shirt!<br />
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I encouraged all the teens to just cover the top surface of the frame. Bending the paper around edges can be problematic, causing bumps and uneven edges. I love the tissue tearing technique that this artist used, it gives texture to the sides of the piece.<br />
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Despite the fact that everyone was sharing the same materials and wooden frames there was terrific diversity in the way they approached the project and their finished frames. <br />
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It was fascinating to watch this frame come together, beautiful balance and design.<br />
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<br />The final step was to apply a coat of Modge Podge over the surface. In a few cases we had trouble with the paper wrinkling. When that happened we simply lifted up the offending piece and applied a layer of Modge Podge under it and then repositioned it, instant fix.<br />
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Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-67432500848397378312011-07-15T20:03:00.000-07:002011-07-16T07:49:03.636-07:00Playing with Shadow Puppets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'll admit it, my job is the best. I play with art materials all the time for publication and then I get to take a break and share creative fun with kids in our community. This week our One World, Many Stories theme inspired my Bali Shadow puppet workshop. This ancient art has been practiced for centuries, as a way to honor religious beliefs and share folklore stories.<br />
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We didn't use the traditional materials of hide and bamboo rods, instead each child was given a quarter sheet of black poster board. We also passed out two to three dowel rods that were 1/8" in diameter and cut to twelve inch lengths. We had hole punches, brad fasteners and clear packing tape on hand to connect the pieces together.<br />
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My sample puppets were loosely based on traditional puppet images. The male puppet is wearing a horn shaped crown, and a decorated loin cloth. The female puppet is also royalty, she's wearing a traditional skirt and has a stylish hair do. I always encourage children to create their own patterns, the head should touch the top of the poster board and the feet the bottom. The four unconnected arm pieces, two upper arms and two lower arms, fit on either side of the body. All the pieces need to be thick enough to accommodate the hole punch. When I'm working with groups of fifty children or more I often bring templates for those who aren't comfortable creating their own design.<br />
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After the body and arms are sketched onto the poster board the cutting begins.<br />
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Holes need to be punched through the shoulder of the body piece and the shoulder of the top arm piece. Brad fasteners join the pieces together while allowing movement. <br />
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The elbow connection also requires two punches, one in the base of the upper arm and another in the top of the lower arm. Once you've fastened them together repeat on the other side. <br />
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This is a great parent and child project, love to see big and little hands creating together!<br />
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Turn the puppet over and use a strip of packing tape to adhere one dowel rod to the bottom of the body and the other to the lower arm.<br />
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Decorative hole punching along the top of the puppet lets more light through and makes the shadow more interesting. <br />
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The moment we were all waiting for, the puppets worked! The kids had so much fun playing with them I wish I was able to record video. We had arranged the tables in front of the window bays to take advantage of the natural light. Translucent (inexpensive) plastic table cloths were taped to the table top and carpeting to make a stable screen. <br />
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Here's a happy puppeteer with her very own puppet design!<br />
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This wolf puppet casts a foreboding shadow. <br />
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So glad I got a shot of the creative action behind the screens.<br />
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Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-52166954996332891262011-07-06T15:31:00.000-07:002011-07-06T15:31:07.627-07:00Don't worry, be happy! How to make your own Guatemalan worry doll.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been excited to share this project for weeks. Worry dolls are an ingenious Guatemalan craft that help ease troubles of parents and children who are working together to cope with stress associated with sickness and poverty . The idea is to make a likeness of the child and place it under their pillow at night. The belief is that the doll will take away the worry or sickness as they sleep. Like a dream catcher the act of making the craft is soothing. The project fits in perfectly with the library's summer theme - One World, Many Voices. I began the workshop by retelling the folklore story about how the craft of making worry dolls began, I found a great resource at this site <a href="http://www.sciencejoywagon.com/kwirt/mayan/">http://www.sciencejoywagon.com/kwirt/mayan/</a><br />
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With a group of almost a hundred preregistered children we set up supplies in separate stations around the room to fully utilize the space and avoid congestion.<br />
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To stop heads from rolling four 10 mm beads are separated into cups. The multicultural chenille stems are a must, we ordered them from <a href="http://www.dickblick.com/products/chenille-kraft-stems-in-multicultural-colors/?wmcp=google&wmcid=products&wmckw=61146-1000">Dick Blick</a>.<br />
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This is the clothing table, fabric is cut to 2 1/4" x 4" strips, colorful yard for tying and scissors. We had another table filled with an array of hair choices that included: yarn, embroidery floss, and wool roving in an assortment of colors. The last stop was lidded jewelry boxes with colored paper tape and adhesive dots.<br />
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After collecting all the materials the first step is to wrap the hair of choice five times around your fingertips.<br />
Slip the hair off your fingertips and trap it in the crook of a folded chenille stem.<br />
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This sample shows a pinch of roving caught in the fold. Slide the bead head up over chenille stem ends so that it rests under the hair.<br />
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Here are three dolls ready with embroidery floss hair and heads.<br />
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To form the legs and arms, fold up the length of the chenille ends so they extend above the hair. The folded ends will become the feet and the ends will fold down at the neck to become the arms. Fold over the very end of the arms to shorten their length and shape hands.<br />
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Every child was encouraged to make a set of four dolls to showcase a variety of skin tones and hair color. <br />
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To clothe your doll wrap the fabric scrap under the dolls arms use a length of brightly colored yarn to wrap and tie it in place. <br />
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This young artist was using the yarn to make the clothing, he just kept on wrapping.<br />
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To make pants cut the fabric piece in half wrap and tie them around each leg. With a fold and a snip this doll ended up with a nifty felt shirt.<br />
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Fancy braided hair is held in place with yarn bows. <br />
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This doll was being tucked into bed, shhhh....<br />
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Decorating the boxes, was almost as fun as making the dolls. I was so pleased that the boys enjoyed this project almost as much as the girls. Wishing you all worry free days of happy crafting!<br />
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<br />Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-36149056405498455942011-06-29T10:42:00.000-07:002011-06-29T10:42:05.462-07:00Flower Power - How to make giant tissue paper blooms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Summers officially here and I'm thrilled to be spending my Friday afternoons running the DIY- Make it here, take it there, teen program at our local library. <br />
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Last week was our first Friday and I was happy to see familiar faces from last year (a couple of whom are now college kids) along with newcomers. This tissue paper flower project was a huge success, easy enough that everyone felt confident and dove right in.<br />
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Before you pull out the tissue paper the first step is it twist plastic beads onto either end of three - 4" wire lengths. <br />
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I used the Toner Fun wire I had on hand, you could easily substitute a lightweight 22 or 24 gauge floral wire. Be sure to save your scissors and use wire cutters to cut the wire lengths. When you fold the three wires in half they'll create a six bead flower center. Set them aside until you're ready to assemble the flower. <br />
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Tissue usually paper comes in 24" x 36" inch sheets. Stack four different colored sheets together, fold them in half and then in half again. This will give you four sets of quarter sized sheets. Each flower takes a single stack of four sheets. I pre-cut the tissue paper but encouraged the teens to mix and match the sheets to create their own color combinations. Starting on the narrow edge, fold up the bottom edge and then accordion fold the remaining length. It's just like making a fan, back and forth, creasing each new fold line.<br />
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Fold down the top inch and half of a 20 gauge fabric covered floral stem and then trap the centers of the three wire stamens and the folded paper in the bent wire. Twist the wire end around itself under the paper. If the paper is loose enough to wiggle free, twist it a couple more time to tighten the loop.<br />
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Twist the base of the wire stamens a couple times so that they stand erect. The next step is to select what shape to cut on either end of the fan. Each of the following three cuts create a different shaped petal and flower. Making one and half inch slits into spaced a quarter inch apart will create pompom carnation like flowers.<br />
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Making a v shape will yield a pointed lily petals.<br />
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A rounded n shaped end will produce a standard rounded petal.<br />
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Once you've cut your petal shape, gently spread open either side of the fan.<br />
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Starting in the middle closest to the stamens, pull one layer of petals up to the center of the flower. Slowly bring each tissue paper layer up behind the layer before it.<br />
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Once you've separated the tissue paper petals on one side repeat the process with the other side<br />
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Here's a lily that is blooming with color!<br />
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I loved watching the tables filling up with colorful blooms! Don't hesitate to try this with younger children or even adults. It's a great project to liven up a rainy summer day.<br />
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</div>Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-10952408228971813212011-06-24T11:25:00.000-07:002011-06-24T11:32:46.697-07:00Rainsticks!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Watch these creative kids turn a paper tube into a beautiful instrument during my first 'One World, Many Stories' craft workshop at Curtis Memorial library. Rainsticks originated from Chile and are traditionally made with dried cactus that are spiked with thorns or small nails. Our rainsticks are child friendly and recycle paper tubes!<br />
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This was a bring your own paper tube activity. We found that rigid tubes work best and you get a more interesting rainfall sound from gift wrap length tubes.<br />
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The wonderful librarians assembled the necessary materials for each tube:<br />
Aluminum foil (cut to the length of the tube).<br />
1/3 cup of rice<br />
2 rubber bands<br />
Colored paper tape<br />
Adhesive gems<br />
5" x 5" wax paper and packing paper squares<br />
Colorful yarn scraps <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some friends brought super long tubes!</td></tr>
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We cut a length of foil to match the length of each tube. It was up to the kids and their parents to cut the foil lengthwise into three equal strips. The strips are crunched and then slid into the tube. Their purpose is to slow the traveling rice and resonate it's sound. If the foil is crunched too tightly they don't slow the rice and if they're left too wide the rice can't travel freely from one end of the tube to the other.<br />
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Perfect crunching technique!</div>
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The next step is to decorate the paper tube with paper tape strips.<br />
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We intentional purchased an assortment of sizes so thinner tape can be placed over thick tape. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In case you haven't had first hand experience, kids love tape!</td></tr>
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Adhesive gemstones were applied to the blank areas (Oriental trading is a great source to buy these in bulk).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We supplied colorful yarn to over wrap the rubber bands.</td></tr>
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Lay the paper square over the wax paper square and center it over the top of one of the ends. Use a rubber band to tightly wrap the paper over the top of the tube.We had colored yarn available to over wrap the rubber bands.<br />
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The rice was premeasured in 3oz paper cups, for easy pouring into the tube. Once you have one end covered you can pour in the rice.<br />
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Add a second paper covering over the end of the tube. Once the ends are secure you're ready to invert your rainstick and listen to the gentle sounds of pouring 'rain'.<br />
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I'm starting think my library workshops are all powerful, it's been drizzling for two days now and there's no end in sight for the weekend. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serious last minute adjustments.</td></tr>
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If you missed this workshop (it maxed out at a hundred preregistered children) I'll be doing it again at the Freeport library on July 19th. Please be sure to call in a reservation. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His rainstick is taller than he is and check out that tassel!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-67776396013159556042011-05-16T02:45:00.000-07:002011-05-16T02:45:53.620-07:00Steampunk Claytraptions!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> I began this sample during my demo and added to it during the workshop.</td></tr>
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A few weeks ago I held a Steampunk Claytraption workshop for local teens at the library. To my surprise we had a full house that included a significant group of guys. These kids were well versed in Steampunk and came ready to create.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An empty watch case and strap became the perfect frame for a teen creation.</td></tr>
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<i>For those who aren't hip to the term Steampunk, it's a science fiction movement that came into prominence during the 1980s.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Clute-Grant_0-0"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk#cite_note-Clute-Grant-0"></a></sup> Steampunk is set in 19th century Victorian Britain where steam power was still widely used. Steampunk creations often feature futuristic innovations as perceived by period fashion, architecture, and culture.</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melissa caught me in action conditioning the clay.</td></tr>
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To get them started I shared a quick demo in conditioning polymer clay in their hands. Once it was pliable I showed them how easy it was to insert the hardware directly into the clay. I brought a generous of selection of silver copper bronze and black polymer clay to complement the metal.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fabulous vintage clock work pieces, we limited each participant to just two so we would have enough for the group.</td></tr>
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Our wonderful teen librarian was able to secure a generous donation of vintage clock gears and parts. I scoured my studio and turned up a plethora of scrapbooking embellishments; small hinges, rivets, brads, charms, and metal alphabet letters. I also grabbed a selection of chain, silver, bronze and gold wire, along with several pairs of wire cutters. The last step was to hit up my husband Jon's hardware supplies for small screws.<br />
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My dentist offered me sterilized dental tools for jewelry making. The kids loved working with them, they were instrumental in setting small wires and engraving patterns.<br />
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The teens created freely, using whatever combination of materials they desired. The only restriction was the two vintage piece limit.<br />
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I was thrilled with the incredible variety of the projects. Even with a similar heart theme these two pieces are distinctively different. One is flying on shards of metal and wire whereas the other floating on cloud like wings.<br />
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I circulated the room to check that the Claytraptions were strong enough to survive the baking required to cure the polymer. Thin sections of clay are apt to break. I also made sure all the embedded metal pieces were securely anchored in place.<br />
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If time permitted they would have all gladly stayed and created additional Claytraptions. We quickly decided to repeat the workshop this summer. In an amazing coincidence Jon came home from work that night with a bag full of watch parts from the repair shop down the street from his office. I can't wait to see what they'll create next time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> I love the use of the hinge and chain on this pair of golden wings.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<b>Make it here, take it there: crafts with Heidi Boyd </b></div>
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<a href="http://www.curtislibrary.com/teens/teen-calendar/">Curtis Memorial Library</a></div>
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If you're entering middle school this fall (6th grade) join the creativity!</div>
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3:30pm Friday afternoons through the month of July.</div>
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6/24 Mexican Paper Flowers, 7/1 Indian Anklets, 7/8 Parisian Mirror Frames, 7/15 Steampunk Claytraptions, 7/22 Chinese Lanterns, 7/22 Japanese Folded Books, 8/5 Thai String Dolls.Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-55544476906208334102011-05-09T09:40:00.000-07:002011-05-09T09:40:54.916-07:00Quilt Market Butterflies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's a treat to be able to share a current design project on my blog. Most of what I work on needs to be kept under wraps before it appears in books and magazines. I was delighted to make these butterflies for <a href="http://www.commonwealthfelt.com/">National Nonwovens</a> Quilt Market booth. They manufacture gorgeous wool felts and roving products. The company supplies me with a selection of their product for my publishing work. I was especially grateful to have an array of their felt on hand while I worked through the designs for my newest book Stitched Whimsy, a playful pairing of felt and fabric (October 2011 North Light books). <br />
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They choose a butterfly theme for their trade booth and asked me to make a pair. Once I pulled out my butterfly guide and stack of felt, I couldn't stop at two. I expanded the project to four distinctly different butterflies in order to better showcase their product.<br />
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To make the pattern I simply folded a sheet of paper in half and then used the guide to draw half a butterfly wing. I cut the wing shape out of both layers of paper. Once unfolded I had a symmetrical paper pattern for the first layer of felt. I continued using the folded paper technique to make two to four additional smaller patterns for the overlays.<br />
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I stacked and pinned the wing layers together. In some cases I snipped holes or cut triangular darts into the overlays to reveal the color underneath. I machine stitched the layers together, creating a decorative network of freestyle seams.<br />
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The butterfly bodies began with a twisted chenille stem armature that I wrapped in wool roving. I needle felted all sides of the body to insure the roving was tightly anchored in place. The final step was to hand stitch the back of the body to the finished wings. If you're in Salt Lake City for the show be sure to stop by the booth and check out my warm woolen butterflies from Maine.Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-43656415553167425662011-05-03T10:15:00.000-07:002011-05-03T10:33:17.498-07:00Flower Crowns for May Day!<br />
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Happiness is watching children joyously dancing around the May pole. A symbolic ritual that chases away cold winter winds and welcomes springs blooming flowers and trees. As the mom of a kindergartner this was our first time celebrating May day at our local elementary school.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The children were divided into two groups; the youngest simply skipped around the pole, the older children looped and wove the ribbons.</td></tr>
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We had a few after school rehearsals to practiced lining up skipping and dancing around the pole. During one of the practices I realized they needed someone to make thirty seven crowns. I quickly volunteered and set off to raid the spring garland display at JoAnn's Fabric store.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stacks of twisted crowns filling my family room couch. These are the easy crowns made from the lightweight garland.</td></tr>
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I was unable to find enough of one kind of garland so my method for making the crowns adjusted with the available materials. Lightweight berry garlands could simply be cut in half and wound into two separate crowns.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heavy weight wire cutters and pliers were necessary to cut the wire vines apart. You can see the flower sprays that were pulled out of the garland at the top of the frame.</td></tr>
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The other garland consisted of a heavy brown vine and lighter green stems. I had to pull this garland completely apart. I used wire cutters to clip the heavy vines and twisted them circles that were slightly too small for my head. I wrapped the loose sprays to the vine with lightweight plastic coated Fun Wire (Toner). the green wires of two floral sprays could also be twisted together to make a single crown. It took more work but I was able to get five crowns out of each these garlands.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simply hold the berries to the vine in one hand while the other hand wraps the wire.</td></tr>
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I brought the garlands into one of the last practices and shamelessly asked for help from other moms to cut and loop three folded ribbon lengths around each crown.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished crowns on the school bleachers.</td></tr>
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The evening was a great community building event. Money was raised by May basket raffle tickets, and light refreshments sales. Koi fish were also sold to in honor of children's day and to raise money for Japanese Tsunami relief. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celia and her dance partner leaving the May pole.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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It's wonderful to be able to help with something that comes easily to me. It also makes me smile to know that each of the dancers took home their flower crowns as a keepsake from the dance.<br />
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</div>Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-83268605306235431252011-03-14T09:52:00.000-07:002011-03-14T09:52:09.740-07:00Hedgehogs: Needle Felting Tutorial<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last Friday I had the pleasure of crafting with some great teens. Needle felting is a simple accessible craft, if you can poke a needle you can needle felt. Only two of the participants were experienced needle-felters but everyone was very successful.<br />
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Hedgehogs are surprisingly popular in our northern porcupine country. Their shape makes them the perfect beginner project. I've been needle-felting lots of critters for my new book project Stitched Whimsy. In the process I've realized the importance of chenille skeletons that form a sturdy flexibility core under the wool roving. In this case the wire allows you to raise and lower the hedgie's nose. The first step is to fold the chenille stem in half and trap a thin pinch of roving in the fold. I use inexpensive wool mill scraps for the foundation of all my felted creations.<br />
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Form the chenille stem ends into two loops, twist the wire ends around the base of the loops. Interlock the two loops together to create a framework for the body.<br />
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Tightly wrap the roving around the folded chenille stem to create the nose and head. Working over a foam matt or section of rigid foam insulation poke the roving on all sides with a felting needle. A felting needle has tiny barbs that catch the individual wool fibers and knit them together, the more you poke the more the fibers are compressed.<br />
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Fill the chenille frame with roving and then over wrap the body with additional base roving. Needle-felt the roving on all sides to compress the fibers and solidify the body.<br />
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Cover the base color with brown roving, switch directions as if you were winding a skein of yarn. The combination of overwrapping and needle felting will tighten the body. Wrap the head and nose in beige roving and needle-felt in place.<br />
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Roll tiny pinches of colored roving to make the eyes and nose. Needle felt these small pieces directly into the beige head. Spiral slightly larger pinches of beige roving and needle-felt them on the matt/board before felting the bottom edges to either side of the head.<br />
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The flower embellishment is made by spiraling a piece of roving into a circle and felting it just behind an ear. Pull strands into the center to form petals. I added a touch of green roving for a small leaf accent.<br />
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This lucky critter was given a stylish purple top hat.<br />
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Three top tables and coffee tables made for cozy crafting. The bags of roving are from my favorite needle felting supplier <a href="http://www.portlandfibergallery.com/">Portland Fiber Company</a>, on Congress Street in Portland.<br />
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As always my projects are open to adaptation, it was fascinating to observe the creation of this weasel.<br />
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One of the participents came late and skipped on the chenille stem step she made an adorable mashed potato pair.<br />
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So happy our amazing teen librarian was able to leave the desk and join the fun. I was also surprised to have crafty friends join me all the way from Standish.<br />
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We had a rare albino hedgehog sighting and a camera shy multi-colored tie dye hedgie.<br />
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Don't stop at just one, they're happier in pairs!<br />
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</div>Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-90363406243224269862011-03-06T18:56:00.000-08:002011-03-07T05:33:44.809-08:00Winter Break Snow Globes: a tutorial<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This crafter doesn't need glitter to shine.</td></tr>
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While the rest of the country might be seeing signs of Spring, Maine is still under a heavy blanket of snow. Last week the kids were home for winter break. A school holiday invented to slow the spread of colds and flu, give students and teachers a break, while providing everyone a chance to enjoy winter sports. The library requested a craft and we quickly agreed that snow globes would be perfect. We were astounded by the turn out, approximately eighty children arrived with glass jars in hand! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hope it passed the test!</td></tr>
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I started the event with the perfect book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Globe-Family-Jane-OConnor/dp/0142412422/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1299461383&sr=1-1">The Snow Globe Family</a>, by Jane O'Connor. It was my first time being miked for a library event, it worked well until I moved around for the room for the demo and unwillingly broadcasted ear piercing screeches.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jane O'connors book about life inside a snow globe is a classic.</td></tr>
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Most snow globe projects require a strong adhesive to attach a plastic object to the inside of the lid. This presents two problems, the library budget can't afford 80 plastic objects and children don't want to wait a day for the glue to dry before filling their globes with glitter and water.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crafting with a crowd is exciting inspiring and also distracting!</td></tr>
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I decided craft foam would be the perfect alternative, it's waterproof and easy for kids to cut. My best discovery was permanent Glue Dots, quick to distribute, mess free, and best of all they instantly held craft foam in place!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A creative participant added a wonderful polar bear to the scene</td></tr>
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We supplied the children with two shades of green foam and scissors. I demonstrated how to cut out two tree shapes (that would fit inside your jar). Then I cut a slit halfway down the middle of one tree and halfway up the middle of the other tree. Slide the two pieces together and you instantly have a three dimensional tree.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Test fit your tree before filling the jar, it's easy to give your tree a haircut if it's too tall or wide.</td></tr>
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I had them place a glue dots inside the lid and press the base of the tree into the glue. Only a couple of trees sprang loose, to prevent this I'd suggest anchoring the sides of the trees with 1-2 additional dots.<br />
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Fill the glass jar to the first screw line with distilled water. Then squeeze in 5-7 drops of glycerin, which slows down the glitters movement in the water. Glycerin is sold with cake making supplies in craft stores but is less expensive in drugstores.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Initially the glitter floats on the top, once you screw on the lid and give it a shake the glitter is set into motion.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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The favorite step was adding a spoonfuls of iridescent and light blue glitter. For a true snowy appearance I would recommend opaque white glitter. Glitter is the one ingredient that I should have double stocked, it's impossible to have too much!<br />
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Parents (and my two high school helpers) applied a bead of Silicon Aquarium Sealant (sold at pet stores) to the inside edge of the metal lid before screwing it in place. If you're making the project at home with the kids you could easily substitute a glass and metal glue.<br />
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We also provided white craft foam strips to wrap around the base of the jar. This covered the lids and gave the illusion of a snow bank. Glue dots were used to attach the overlapped ends.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No doubt about it, kinetic crafting is a hit!</td></tr>
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I'll always wonder if our combined enthusiasm for snow ushered the ten inch storm that fell the next day. I'm already looking forward to planning a warmer craft for April break, maybe we can get flowers to bloom!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isn't everything better with a bow on top?</td></tr>
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</div>Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-791786406687645052011-02-28T08:56:00.000-08:002011-02-28T11:12:14.829-08:00Dog Gone Fun - Toy tutorial and Beefy biscuit recipe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'll admit I'm dog crazy, can't imagine my days without four paws by my side.<br />
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Just before the holidays we bid a teary goodbye to our ten year old wheaten terrier, Maizy. She was my faithful companion and an expert nanny dog. She was the inspiration behind my second book, Pet Crafts. She left us far too young but will be treasured in family memories.<br />
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We picked up Otto<a href="http://breezemore.com/"></a> at the begining of the new year. He's a spring
loaded mini aussie whose filling our days with love and laughter. Our
five year old daughter is having a great time helping with all things
puppy from training to bathing.<br />
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Puppy toys and upscale treats can be pricey, you'll be amazed how easy and inexpensive it is to make and bake your own. Over winter break Celia devoted an hour making Otto a crazy furry critter. </div>
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He immediately pounced on the crackling body and attacked the squeaky tail. This unique toy features a long Velcro body opening so that you can replace the crinkly water bottle stuffing.</div>
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You'll need the following supplies: fun fur and felt scraps,</div>
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fiber fill stuffing,</div>
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sew-on hook and loop fastener </div>
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a<a href="http://www.sitstay.com/dog/supplies/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&categoryId=13332&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=13251&top_category="> squeaker</a> , you can recycle one from an old toy or order them online.</div>
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Fold the tail fur in half and cut through both layers to make a pointed tail shape that is 12" long, 5" at it's widest halfway down the tail, and 3.5" wide at the base. Cut the body fur into a 11" wide x 12" long rectangle; which should be wide enough to wrap around a large sized water bottle. Then cut a circle that is 4" in diameter for the head. Finally cut two pairs of 1.5" high and 1.5" wide felt ears, a 1.5" wide nose, and two .75" circle eyes.<br />
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Place the right sides of the tail together and machine stitch around the outside edge, be sure to leave the base unsewn. Make a second reinforcing seam. Snip off the very tip of the tail and turn the fabric right side out.<br />
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Lightly fill the tail with stuffing, then insert the squeaker.<br />
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Stack the ears together and stitch around the outside edge leaving the base unsewn, then turn them right side out. Position the eyes and nose in the center of head and spiral stitch them in place. Place the ears point sides down over the face and stitch them to the edge of the head.<br />
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Placing right sides together stitch the bottom edge of the body rectangle to the head. The body piece should overlap by an inch and half to enable the loop and closure to work.<br />
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Reach inside and turn over a half an inch of the cut fabric edge down the length of the body. Machine stitch a single seam to finish the folded edge.<br />
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Insert the tail into the base of the critter. Make sure that the unfinished body edge overlaps the finished one. Stitch through all the layers to close the base and attach the tail.<br />
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Turn the critter right side out. Pin and sew 10.5" length of hook and loop closure to the top of the unfinished edge and the underside of the finished edge. Insert the the bottle and let the games begin! <i>A word of caution please be aware of your animals chewing habits and do not leave them unsupervised while they play. </i><br />
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<i>When your pup slows down for a snack here's a biscuit recipe that will make them sit and beg.</i></div>
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<b>Beefy Dog Biscuits</b></div>
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Preheat the oven to 300 degrees </div>
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In a large bowl/or stand mixer combine: 1/4 cup instant milk powder </div>
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1 T garlic Powder</div>
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1/2 cup cornmeal</div>
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1/2 cup wheat germ</div>
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1 cup oatmeal</div>
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2 1/2 cups flour</div>
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In a pryex measuring cup: Dissolve two beef bouillon cubes in 1 1/2 cups of boiling water</div>
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Add 1 T of Peanut butter and drizzled in some honey.</div>
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Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Roll the dough to a 1/4" - 1/2" thickness on a floured work surface. We use a snowflake or flower shaped cookie cutter so that we can break off small pieces for training or stuffing into Kongs. Bake for 45 mins. then turn off the heat and leave the cookies to cool and harden in the oven for 10 hrs. Store in an airtight container. This recipe makes a generous cookie supply that lasts us almost a month.</div>
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</div>Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-90318767599563864902011-02-09T12:06:00.000-08:002011-02-09T12:06:52.200-08:00Tweet Sachet tutorial<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The woods surrounding our Maine home are covered in a dense quilt of snow. The early
mornings are especially quiet, if it wasn't for the sounds of the
woodpeckers and chickadees I'd be convinced that the whole world was
sleeping. The last few morning robins have covered our crab apple tree
filling their bellies with fruit. I'm hoping these red breasted birds
are a harbinger of warmer temperatures and birdsong to come.</div>
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Just after the holidays a local patron had asked me to make a couple of the bird sachets that I had stocked over the holiday fair season. She was willing to wait until I'd wrapped up the copy and illustrations for my latest book 'Stitched Whimsy'. I finally delivered the finished sachets this morning, just in time for her to mail them as Valentine gifts. I took photographs while I made them so I could share the instructions with you.</div>
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You'll need scraps of muslin and cotton. Use a cutting mat, clear rule and rotary cutter to cut a 7 1/4" x 4 3/4" rectangle of muslin for the front and the same sized printed cotton for the back. While you're set up go ahead and cut multiples. When you're in stamping mode you'll be happy to have a stack of muslin ready for printing.<br />
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Cover your work surface and mix up Simple Spray (Duncan) fabric paint with brown acrylic paint. I find the loose liquid of the simple spray dilutes acrylic and helps the fabric absorb the paint. Brush the mixed paint onto the fabric stamp. I purchased this gorgeous hand carved wood stamp from <a href="http://www.mainenest.com/">Nest</a>, its a fair trade product that is also available online at <a href="http://www.connectedgoods.com/Fair-Trade-Products/Fair-Trade-Hand-Carved-Wooden-Block-Stamps-Sunflower.html">Connected</a>. Match your brushstrokes to the form of the stamp. I started at the head and worked my way down the body increasing the length of the stroke on the wings and tail.</div>
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I found that laying the fabric over the painted stamp works better than conventional stamping. Rub your fingers over the entire surface of the fabric covered stamp. If you prefer to press the stamp down onto the fabric, layer a folded old towel under the muslin. The padding will allow you to press down on the stamp and push more paint into the muslin. </div>
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Allow the printed fabric to dry before continuing. </div>
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Placing right sides together pin the printed muslin to the printed fabric backing.</div>
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Align the outside edge with your presser foot and machine stitch around the outside of the sachet. Leave a one inch opening to turn the sachet right side out.</div>
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Trim away any excess fabric and clip the corners. </div>
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Turn the sachet right side out, using a stuffing stick or knitting needle to push out the corners. </div>
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Pour a cup of dried herbs into the opening. I used a 1/2 cup each of Balsam and Lavender over the holidays. I filled this new batch sachets with a cup of lavender. It's time for me to place a new order at <a href="http://www.sfherb.com/">San Fransisco Herb Co</a>. and experiment with spring and summer scents. Tuck the raw edges of the opening into the sachet so it matches the seamed edges on either side. Instead of hand stitching the opening closed I machine stitch a second top stitched seam around the edge of the stuffed sachet. The opening will be stitched closed in this seam. </div>
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Hand stitch cut felt leaves and wooden beads by the foot of the bird. You'll be happy that you cut and stamped extra birds, this sweet sachet makes a great gift. It's too pretty to hide in a drawer enjoy it out in the open until spring arrives. If you're not in the mood to whip a sewing project I'll be stocking these sachets in my brand new Etsy Store.</div>Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-74646608457971907462010-12-14T06:14:00.000-08:002010-12-14T06:18:22.917-08:00Holiday Craftiness - Simple Gifts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This weekend I had the pleasure of crafting with some wonderful teens at our local library. I planned three quick and easy projects that used materials I had on hand to keep costs down. We made wreath ornaments, lavender sachets and beaded choker pendants. The girls were thrilled with their creations and had friends and family in mind for each gift.<br />
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Crafting wreath ornaments was a great way to work through my giant bag of scraps. You'll also need to gather: 18 gauge galvanized steel wire (hardware store), jingle bells, scissors, pliers and wire cutters. Start by cutting the scraps into 'uniform' one inch square pieces. Fold each piece in half and clip a small slit along the fold line.<br />
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Once you've prepared enough pieces String them onto a 14" length of wire. Continue stringing until you have enough felt to encircle a wreath. String a jingle bell and/or two felt holly leaves onto one of the wires.<br />
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Bend the wires at a ninety degree angle where they meet at the top of the wreath. Coil one wire end around the other, use wire cutters to trim the coiled wire end. Use pliers to form the other end into a large open spiral hanger. Give your wreath a hair cut, use scissors to trim away stray felt ends.<br />
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This simple beaded choker pendant was a very successful group beading project. Making a beaded pendant is just like making one half of an earring set. It also allows you to showcase one of a kind beads. Rubber <a href="http://www.pepperell.com/Departments/CPSI-Act-Certificates/Silkies.aspx">Silkies </a>necklace cords are my favorite new beading supply. They're manufactured by Pepperrell and are sold at our local JoAnn's fabric store. The smooth rubber clasp is built into the cord and is very comfortable to wear. <br />
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I purchased a bulk bag of glass beads and divided them in bowls for easy selection. You'll also need small bead caps, head pins, round nose pliers, and wire cutters. <br />
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Simply string three beads onto the head pin, add a bead cap into the mix if you want to highlight a bead or narrow the opening of a large bead. Use round nose pliers to turn the end of the head pin into a loop. Open the loop laterally and then slide it onto the center of the cord. Be careful you don't pinch the rubber in your pliers as it breaks apart when squeezed with metal. Use the pliers to carefully close the loop back to it's original shape.<br />
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These sweet little lavender sachets scented the room as we crafted. You could easily substitute great smelling Balsam or make use the fabric pouch as a small gift bag. You'll need two different colors of purple fabric, straight pins, <a href="http://www.sfherb.com/store/lavender,category.asp">lavender</a> buds (San Fransisco herb Company), thread, hemp cord, card stock labels (I cut my with my Sizzix Big Kick), stamps, chalk ink pad, black pen.<br />
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Cut the fabric into 4" x 7" rectangles, placing right sides together stack one color over. Pin the two layers of fabric together. Because I had a nice small group I was able to help each girl machine stitch three sides of the fabric together. For many of the girls it was the first time they'd used a sewing machine. Trim the top off the bag with pinking sheers then clip the extra fabric off the corners with regular scissors.<br />
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Turn the fabric right side out and used a pencil point to push out the corners. Pour a half cup of lavender buds into the sachet.<br />
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Stamp and write messages onto the tags before tying them around the top of the sachet with a section of hemp cord. </div>
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Fa la la la la ...Crafty girls with their creations!</div>
<span id="goog_518991070"></span><span id="goog_518991071"></span>Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-81487569119485714802010-11-24T10:02:00.000-08:002010-11-29T05:51:29.512-08:00Felt the Halls with Wooly Garlands!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The holidays are officially here and it's time to get your crafty self into action! Forget about stringing popcorn and cranberries this up-cycled wool garland project will add warmth and color to your home all winter long. <br />
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Over the last year I've been saving my wool and felt scraps from plushie making. I regularly use my stash for bird beaks, wings, leaves and flowers. However the bags get larger each day and I needed to find a craft that uses entire color selection in their existing shapes. I found inspiration at my neighbors home, she has gorgeous handmade wool garlands hanging around the door ways and windows of her home.<br />
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I turned up an over sized darning needle, some cording, and a collection of large wooden beads in my studio. Then moved the bags of scraps to the floor of our television room. The first step is to tie an overhand knot at the end of your of cording. The length of the cording is dependent on where you want to hang the garland and how much time you have. The next step is to slide a wood bead on to the cord so it rests against the knot, it'll prevent the felt pieces from falling off.<br />
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Now you're ready to begin stringing the length of your garland. Simply slide the 2" by 1" scraps onto the needle. I folded my long strips in half and drew the needle up through both layers.<br />
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I quickly discovered that felted sweater scraps effortlessly slid over the needle whereas the tight weave of the brightly colored commercial felt from <a href="http://www.commonwealthfelt.com/default.asp">Commonwealth Felt</a> was a struggle. My solution was to fold the felt and snip a single cut into the center of the piece, then unfold and string the needle through the cuts.<br />
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I'm drawn to random color stringing when I bead, it was automatic for me to distribute colors and textures along the length of the garland. Custom stringing garlands to match your decor is as simple as sticking to a limited color pattern or grouping like colors together. To break up the monotony of the stringing I periodically added beads a felt flowers to the strand.<br />
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I had grand plans of making loads of long garlands for craft sales. The results are beautiful but they took twice the time than I estimated. I stopped at five 55" long garlands and still have piles of scraps left to use. If you don't want to commit to making a whole garland consider adapting this project to make a fun scarf. For comfort I'd suggest omitting the beads and using strong yarn as your stringing material.<br />
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My book Craftcycle features projects that use felted sweaters and other recycled fabrics. For more crafty inspiration take advantage of twenty percent off your order and free download on <a href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000000033717882&pubid=21000000000270564">Cyber Monday</a> at Mycraftivity.com!<br />
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The Castle tote and matching puppets from Soft and Simple Knits for Little Ones is one of today's free download selections.Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-66409055800078793162010-11-17T09:48:00.000-08:002010-11-17T12:50:22.337-08:00Home Studio ChaosThis time of year can throw any professional crafter into a tailspin, but add a December book deadline and craziness abounds. Here's a behind the scenes peek at what creativity looks like in my house.<br />
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My dining room sewing set up, the chairs become portable shelving. Note the paper bag full of scraps they're test patterns that didn't make the cut. It all needs to be cleaned up and put away before dinner, a necessity that helps keep me organized.<br />
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This morning I've been working on vintage dachshund, cat and deer patterns for my upcoming book 'Stitched Whimsy'. I'm stitching the prototypes with flannel and Minky. I have some wonderful vintage prints, fuzzy eco felt and corduroy ready to use on the final versions. My sewing machine is a little Bernina, a twenty year old wedding gift from my parents. No bells and whistles but it's a workhorse that's seen me through years of Better Homes and Gardens costume making.<br />
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The Hedgehog Softie I created for Stitched Whimsy worked out so well I've been making a few extra for the weekend fairs. Jon cut out eight sets of pattern pieces and I've been assembling them production style. These finished arms are ready to meet their bodies.<br />
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I do have actual studio space upstairs over the garage but I find it's easier to work down where the kids are. When life is busy, part of the studio becomes a dumping area. It's hard to tell but underneath this chaos is a treadmill that has been seeing very little action.<br />
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I have an awesome felt selection from <a href="http://www.commonwealthfelt.com/default.asp">Commonweath </a>felt. I've been using their 100% wool 35% wool and bamboo felt in many of the designs for my upcomming book.<br />
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I separated my fabric collection into warm and cool colors. I owe a huge debt of gratittude to my sister for filling out the selection with wonderful prints she collected in NYC.<br />
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I'm not going to lie it's a thrill to paw through prints and felt to find the right combination for a design.<br />
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Decorative top stitching finds it way into many of my designs. I can't tell you how happy I was when this designer kit arrived from my friends at <a href="http://www.dmc-usa.com/">DMC</a>.<br />
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After my little one goes to sleep I'm too brain dead to work on book designs, that's when I nestle into the couch with piles of busy work. These 'Little Hoots' are awaiting hand embroidery. They sell so well it's hard to keep them in stock. I'm contemplating adding the pattern to my book...<br />
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More late night busy work these birds of a sweater first seen in <a href="http://www.mycraftivitystore.com/product/craftcycle/?utm_medium=affiliate&r=caff&utm_source=Heidi%20Boyd">Craftcycle</a> are in need of wings and legs they're stationed by the television remote. Despite my creative stash I still make weekly runs to <a href="http://www.joann.com/joann/home/home.jsp">JoAnn's </a>for missing items. At the top of this weeks list - more stuffing! Here's wishing you a happy holiday season filled with creativity.Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-45631799661742809052010-11-05T08:19:00.000-07:002010-11-09T10:26:42.715-08:00Brunswick's first Indie Holiday Marketplace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNQZtLuV-0I/AAAAAAAAAro/icynNfb4-XU/s1600/Artsy+logo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNQZtLuV-0I/AAAAAAAAAro/icynNfb4-XU/s320/Artsy+logo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mark your calendars spread the word and grab a friend. Thursday night is the first ever Artsy Affair at the <a href="http://www.explorefrontier.com/">Frontier</a>,
Fort Andross in Brunswick Maine. It's starts a five, don't bother
cooking dinner plan to enjoy Frontier's delicious food and wine.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNQZX9RL8OI/AAAAAAAAArk/mwUVkrQNxUI/s1600/Frontier+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNQZX9RL8OI/AAAAAAAAArk/mwUVkrQNxUI/s320/Frontier+image.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gorgeous Frontier Cinema and Cafe.</td></tr>
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Artsy is the brainchild of Brunswicks own Carrie Sullivan of <a href="http://www.sheabellatutus.com/">Sheabella Tutus. </a>She
had participated at similar
evening events in Boston and knew the concept would work in Brunswick.
Carrie and I sat down to coffee and made the commitment to bring her idea to
reality. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNP-J1B8XrI/AAAAAAAAArM/cYyenR0dk1k/s1600/tutus+face+and+flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNP-J1B8XrI/AAAAAAAAArM/cYyenR0dk1k/s320/tutus+face+and+flower.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of Carrie Sullivan's beautiful tutu creations</td></tr>
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Enlisting the help of Amanda Smilien of
<a href="http://www.mainestreetevents.com/index.htm">Maine Street Events</a> has been the key to creating a successful evening. She has made launching this event a pure delight! From the very inception our goal has been to create a unique handmade marketplace, filled with some of the best design talents in the area. It's amazing how quickly the planning has fallen into place. We've been overwhelmed by the response of the Frontier, artists and the community. <br />
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Here's a sampling of the twenty two vendors that are sure to make this evening a success: <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNQC9P4nbXI/AAAAAAAAArg/F4vI54PGy_Q/s1600/whimsy+skirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNQC9P4nbXI/AAAAAAAAArg/F4vI54PGy_Q/s320/whimsy+skirt.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whimsy skirts feature gorgeous fabric, playful trims and a comfortable adjustable waist band!</td></tr>
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One of my favorite vendors is <a href="http://kendrahaskell.wordpress.com/">Kendra Haskell'</a>s line of 'Whismy' skirts bags and accessories. I couldn't resist choosing one of her skirts at Higgins beach fair this summer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNP_B61HFWI/AAAAAAAAArU/cCLBrdzWa9s/s1600/susan+jewelry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNP_B61HFWI/AAAAAAAAArU/cCLBrdzWa9s/s320/susan+jewelry.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original wire work jewelry by Susan Bryant Caron</td></tr>
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<a href="http://web.mac.com/cre8jewelry/new_jewelry/Welcome.html">Susan Bryant Caron</a> will be showcasing her amazing wire work jewelry - this is a lady I could learn some wire work tricks from!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNQkEl2jGOI/AAAAAAAAArw/TaL-ZNAkQpw/s1600/amazing+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNQkEl2jGOI/AAAAAAAAArw/TaL-ZNAkQpw/s320/amazing+cake.jpg" width="294" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazing cupcakes from Fields of Cake </td></tr>
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I'm looking forward to meeting Carrie Fields of <a href="http://fieldsofcake.blogspot.com/">Fields of Cake</a> in person. She's offering six packs of the following amazing cupcakes: Chocolate Cake filled with homemade salted caramel and toasted pecans, lemon cake filled with lemon curd, Triple Vanilla Brown Butter cake filled with wild Maine Blueberries and topped with Maine Maple Buttercream, Gingerbread stout cake filled with cheesecake and topped with Caramel Brown Sugar Buttercream ....Oh my goodness I'm salivating! <br />
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Wendy Jung of <a href="http://www.soggydogdesigns.com/">Soggy Dog Design's</a> photography will be on hand to photograph the evening and showcase her playful portraiture.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNRU43tJf9I/AAAAAAAAAr4/CZkworkozVs/s1600/The+Big+Lineup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="126" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNRU43tJf9I/AAAAAAAAAr4/CZkworkozVs/s320/The+Big+Lineup.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adorable kids in Little Planet fleece!</td></tr>
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To take away the chill Annie Roberts is bringing her colorful fleece hats and sweaters from <a href="http://www.littleplanetcreations.com/">Little Planet Creations</a> and Regina Kusche will displaying her elegant <a href="http://www.akosuabyreginak.com/">Akosua</a> knitwear designs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNQAED1F8VI/AAAAAAAAArY/bEz-6dv73PE/s1600/littleputland+magnets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNQAED1F8VI/AAAAAAAAArY/bEz-6dv73PE/s320/littleputland+magnets.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely bird magnets from Littleputland</td></tr>
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Casie Metcalf Hitchcock is our Maine Etsy team leader she's bringing her <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleputLand">Littleputland</a> scrabble tile jewelry and magnets. She introduced me to Anna Low of Purple Bean Bindery in Portland, I can't wait to get a closer look at her incredible handmade books.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNQAo8VTeYI/AAAAAAAAArc/Id3GWNpu4IA/s1600/purple+bean+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNQAo8VTeYI/AAAAAAAAArc/Id3GWNpu4IA/s320/purple+bean+book.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whimsical handmade book from the Purple Bean bindery.</td></tr>
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Charlotte Agell will be signing her books and offering a chance to win a child's portrait to be painted at your home. Her very talented daughter Anna Simmons has her own creative business entitled <a href="http://www.annaeas.com/">ANNAES</a> and will be selling her graphic narrative pieces.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNSmPR0aEwI/AAAAAAAAAsA/TyvKhFfxK2k/s1600/cagell+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNSmPR0aEwI/AAAAAAAAAsA/TyvKhFfxK2k/s320/cagell+cover.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlotte Agell's newest title, great reading for young people!</td></tr>
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Sitting alongside Charlotte will be illustrator <a href="http://www.ambledance.com/">Lisa Bossi</a>, who'll be selling her gorgeous prints and books.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNRitXcTaTI/AAAAAAAAAr8/aX7LfSXhXlo/s1600/warmearth1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNRitXcTaTI/AAAAAAAAAr8/aX7LfSXhXlo/s320/warmearth1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barbara Berry Palm's 'Warm Earth' necklace, takes my breath away!</td></tr>
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Our very own Barbara Berry Palm (art teacher at our junior high) will be showing the elaborate polymer clay pieces she creates for her <a href="http://www.moosewinks.com/">Moose Winks</a> line.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNWsxvMO4tI/AAAAAAAAAsE/PM1a1oOYqCk/s1600/catherine+worthingtons+belts.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fULJSbp1Ocg/TNWsxvMO4tI/AAAAAAAAAsE/PM1a1oOYqCk/s1600/catherine+worthingtons+belts.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool Earth Tone and Fish tone belts - completely adjustable so that you can still enjoy cupcakes!</td></tr>
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Chake Higginson and Catherine Worthington are two more fabulous local artists. <a href="http://www.wilderwoman.com/">Chake and Peyton</a> will have their very popular shirts on hand and Catherine will have her gorgeous fabric art pieces from her <a href="http://www.earthtonesandfishbonesart.com/www.earthtonesandfishbonesart.com/Home.html">Earth Tone and Fish Bone</a> line.<br />
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If you're looking for homemade preserves and jams <a href="http://www.bertsawesomestuff.com/">Berts Awesome Stuff</a> will have a great selection on hand.<br />
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We invited <a href="http://www.spindleworks.org/">Spindleworks </a>to be our guests, I'm looking forward to seeing what their artists have cooked up.<br />
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Also in the line up is Penobscot Porch Swings, Lacey Pots, Zinnia Clothing, Christine Detroy and Lily Pad Designs. They're so many talented people in this event, but if I don't stop posting links and photos I won't have time to get my own work ready.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jon and Heidi Boyd are adding these new coat hooks to their fair wares.</td></tr>
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If you live in the area please come join in the 'Artsy' fun. I'd love to meet you - my booth will be the one filled with birds owls and lobsters!Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-34147143947414900282010-11-01T09:15:00.000-07:002010-11-02T05:58:27.774-07:00Hometown Halloween<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our town shines especially bright at Halloween. Creativity abounds as families and friends make costumes to parade down Maine Street. Our daughter Celia loved finding her school friends and teachers in the crowd. Next year Jon and I have vowed to create costumes of our own.<br />
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Here's a shot of our pre parade party group, our little ballerina is on the left wearing her Sheabella tutu. When the junior high band walks by, we know it's time to make our way into town.<br />
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The 'mall' is our green space in the center of town. In the summertime it holds food vendors, farmers market and evening concerts in the bandstand. The junior high band leads the parade and the high school band pulls up the rear. The play a great rendition of the Adam's family theme song for this event.<br />
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Surrounded by chocolate and candy this healthy string cheese stands out from the crowd. High school students from the key club distributed glow in the dark necklaces.<br />
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This trio displayed seriously impressive techno crafting skills!<br />
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Some of my favorite creations are the stroller and wagon makeovers. Tucked inside this truck was a fireman and a dalmatian puppy.<br />
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This lovely jellyfish caught the afternoon light in it's beautiful iridescent fabric.<br />
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Who doesn't love Shrek? The teal dress is perfect.<br />
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You had to see this pup in motion the spider legs were the perfect length for his body and jiggled with every movement.<br />
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Jon calls this the money shot, the throng of parade goers getting into formation. It gives a glimpse of the tail end of our fall colors and the historic New England architecture. The police are busy blocking off traffic, once they give the all clear the junior high band starts the procession. This year many onlookers brought candy into town to fill the kids treat bags.<br />
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We spotted several men with Yellow hats carrying monkey's in the crowd.<br />
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This may just be a professionally made costume, love the Mad Hatter!<br />
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Love the brilliance of Anna's simple costume! <br />
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The parade ends at our rec department, a final chance to see friends you might have missed along the parade route. They host a fabulous costume party and give out treat bags. We always dash home to grab a quick bite to eat and then go door to door trick or treating around town. <br />
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After marching in the parade this great bunch of girls are heading out on a candy quest. Check out little miss smarty pants on the left!Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-42915792310464154772010-10-24T20:31:00.000-07:002010-10-26T08:59:11.233-07:00How to make your own Zombie Plushie<br />
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For the last month I've been all about creating felt and fabric for my new sewing book. I spend more time pushing the pedal of my sewing machine than I do driving my car. I'm completely immersed in the stitching zone. When it came time to plan a library event I knew I wanted to share my enthusiasm for plushies with teens and zombies were the perfect way to grab their interest.<br />
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Coming up with this Zombie pattern was a snap, I folded a piece of loose leaf paper in half and then outlined a large head, short neck, arm and foot. Cut through both layers of paper and unfold, you'll have a perfectly symmetrical pattern. I use this trick whenever I design patterns.<br />
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Stack two layers of fleece over each other and then pin the pattern ontop of the layered fabric. Cut a quarter inch away from the edge of the pattern, this will be your seam allowance. You've just cut out the front and back of your zombie.<br />
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Set the pattern aside, re-pin the two fabric layers together to stabilize them while you seam around the outside edge. Leave a two inch opening on the outside of the leg. <br />
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This is where all the teens started the craft, we had pre cut and pre sewn zombie bodies to this step. Trim away any excess fabric and turn your zombie right side out through the opening. Start feeding Fiberfil stuffing through the opening. It's important to tightly pack the head arms and legs and then cram more into the stomach. The fleece will expand to accommodate the stuffing and tighter fabric is easier to embroider.<br />
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I passed out sewing needles and a thread for them to hand stitch the openings closed, I was amazed not single person had trouble with this step!<br />
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I laid out pre-cut circle eyes (thanks to my Sixxiz Big Kick and circle template) and passed out a crewel needle with a full strand of DMC embroidery floss so that they could stitch a face on their zombie.<br />
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It's a good idea to pass the needle inside the head between the eyes and mouth so that you can use one continuous strand of floss. The most popular mouth design was a single horizontal stitch that gets intersected by a row of three or four vertical stitches. I taught them to tie the ends in a knot under the edges of the felt eyes.<br />
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I love the creative stitching on the right eye of this zombie! I had a pile of straight fleece strips that we free for the taking, they made great bandages to wrap around the zombie. I wished I'd brought some red paint to make these creations a little more gruesome.<br />
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<br />Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-29572310555624790002010-10-19T06:24:00.000-07:002010-10-19T10:47:33.623-07:00Hootenanny!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A couple weeks ago I had the privilege of putting on a birthday party for a special seven year old girl. I came up with an owl project that encouraged the party goers to color, stitch and stuff. At the end of the party each child went home with an owl softie of their very own.<br />
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Before the party I created a simple pattern with folded newspaper. I made a top and bottom piece for the owl front and a single piece for the back. I pulled out assorted fake furs, and white cotton knit from my fabric stash. This is a great time of year to purchase fun fur, it's on clearance with Halloween novelty fabrics.<br />
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I pre-stitched the owl heads to the bodies to cut down on machine stitching at the party. <br />
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The first step was to have the children decorate the white owl bellies with fabric markers. Be sure to place a piece of scrap paper under the fabric to protect the table.<br />
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Next we outfitted each girl with a crewel needle strung with a full strand of embrodiery floss. They stitched felt flowers, circles, large button eyes, and a triangle beak to the owl's head. I encouraged them to keep the embellishments away from the sides where they might get trapped in the seams.<br />
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After a quick demo the kids pinned the fronts and backs right sides together. This is when the line began to form at the machine, fortuantely not everyone was ready at the same time. It took me a couple minutes to make a continuous seam around the outside of each owl. Many girls left their owls with me while they enjoyed snacks and cake.<br />
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I left a three inch opening at the base and snipped the excess fabric off the top of the ears. I showed them how to turn the owls right side out and sent them to stuff their owl. This is a favorite step, I've yet to meet a child who doesn't like to stuff! For time sake I needed to stitch the opening closed on the sewing machine. We found that lightly stuffed owls were much easier to get through the machine. Be sure to tuck under 1/4" of the cut fabric edges in before seaming up the opening closed.<br />
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This party took place at one of my favortite creative places Art Mind and Soul Studios in Fort Andross.<br />
Wishing the party girl many happy returns of the day!Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-64802380063611873802010-10-09T19:22:00.000-07:002010-10-09T19:22:27.220-07:00Autumnfest Craft fairFall is one of the loveliest times to visit New England, and this weekends weather was perfect for Autumnfest in Bath, Maine. We were overwhelmed by the fantastic response to our booth, so grateful for all the kind words and many purchases. Half of our customers were local and the other half were on vacation enjoying the peak color.<br />
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As expected the owls where the hit of the day both the Hilarious Hoots and Little Hoot ornaments literally flew off my tables (not just because of the wind!). I'll be spending many nights stitching up new flocks before the holiday season is over.<br />
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Scentsational sachets were a new product I unveiled today. They're filled with a combination of Balsam and Lavendar. I hand stamped the images with Fair trade textile stamps from India. They're backed in bright cottons and embellished with wooden beads and felt leaves.<br />
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The owl version has a felt bead in an acorn cap, thanks to my husband Jon for drilling the acorn caps!<br />
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I had such great reactions to the seashore bracelet I made for Crafts n Things on-line newsletter that I whipped up a bunch for this sale, they quickly sold out!<br />
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After the successful library workshop these Mermaid and King Triton Kits have become a new staple in my fair inventory.<br />
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This much admired felt trio were a hit in the booth. Originally featured in this falls issue of Crafts n Things magazine, they're still in need of a good home!<br />
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The ponytail holders were a hit, I'll be replenishing this supply before the holiday fairs kick in!<br />
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Wire Beach Blooms with sea glass centers made great mementos for tourists to bring back home.<br />
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These new little wood fish feature spiraled wire hangers with glass beads. It's a little early for tree ornaments but we'll be working on several more editions with different brushstrokes. Lisa Marie would like a set for her store in Bath were hoping to add inventory to Penobscot Porch Swings in Brunswick as well.<br />
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I love single day local fairs, it's wonderful when friends stop by our booth. I make new connections and meet interesting vendors each time we set up. Tonight I'm completely relaxed, tomorrow I'll try to put the house back together before the work week begins. I've got a big book deadline this Friday!<br />Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-83450626538825725592010-09-28T07:22:00.000-07:002010-09-28T07:30:32.586-07:00Free Double Loop Earring project from Wired Beautiful!Wired Beautiful is filled with unique projects that I'd love to share with my blog followers. After much deliberation I decided to post instructions for the earrings that I was happiest to get back from the photo shoot. They're straightforward and simple with an original twist, making them a perfect introduction to beading with wire, Enjoy!<br />
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Shaun was the lucky winner of the book drawing hope she sends her shipping address to my e-mail heidiboyd@suscom-maine.net so I can mail a copy off to her!Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4395672927166585507.post-69975146819119477772010-09-20T09:30:00.000-07:002010-09-20T09:36:09.227-07:00Shameless self promotion and Wired Beautiful book giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wired Beautiful has arrived ... and it's absolutely gorgeous! I'm head over heels in love with the design and photography. <br />
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This book is intend for people who love to string beads and are looking to branch into wire work. This approachable book takes you through the basic process of making your own clasps, jump rings, earring wires. Never again will you need to search stores to find coordinating findings, when you can easily make them yourself! The projects also include non traditional wire techniques like wrapping wire cages, using a knitting spool, crochet, and macrame. <br />
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I destroyed my hands creating wire designs for this book through spring and summer of 2009, then flew out to Cincinnati to photograph the detailed step by step shots that fall. A year later the actual book is in my hands. When the advance copies arrived I was apprehensive to open the package. What a delight to have the finished book exceed my expectations. I'm relishing the great reactions of friends and family. What a relief to know colors and designs I labored over are fresh and current.<br />
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The box of original projects from the book arrived last week and I can also enjoy wearing my creations!<br />
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Please leave a comment if you'd like to win a copy of Wired Beautiful, I'll draw a random name Sunday 9/26. Stay tuned I'll be sharing a free project from the book soon.<br />
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If you'd like to order a copy on sale for $16.49 at My Craftivity please use this coupon code <a href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000000032552072&pubid=21000000000270564">Crafty1035c</a> for 10% off your order your total order of $35.00.<br />
<br />Heidi Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08630613611768083325noreply@blogger.com16