Baking Therapy cures Mom on Overload

Batch of molasses cookies, fresh from the oven!

When people hear I write craft books they're usually intrigued. I fight the temptation to admit that it's really not very glamorous. A creative career is truly a mixed bag. There are some wonderful moments when a new design falls together and editors appreciate my work. Other times I'm up til the wee hours of the night reworking an unsuccessful design. The scariest time for a self employed artist is when your workload hits a lull. What makes up for all the ups and downs is when I meet someone who knows my work, has followed my directions, and in the process has fallen in love with a new craft.

Our oldest in his natural habitat.

The biggest impediments to my work are also my greatest joys.  Our three children straddle high school to preschool.  Each day brings a new logistic dilemma: how do we get everyone where they need to be? All moms are busy whether they stay at home or work outside of the home. There's never ending lists of chores and emotional needs to keep a home and family running (or some days limping along). There's no way I could endeavor to do any of this alone, my husband Jon is always there with a sense of humor and an amazing ability to stay up late.

Our favorite athlete.

This week has been the perfect storm of home and work activity. The boys have been incredibly busy with end of the school year music performances and sports. Little Celia's preschool is almost finished, which means I'm using up my last mornings of solitude. I've been reading through the final edits for Wired Beautiful, wrapping up Halloween magazine work, and trying to get craft merchandise into stores. In the back of my mind I've been planning which new sewing book projects to tackle first.

The constant entertainer!

Whenever I'm stuck in the middle of chaos I bake. It's my therapy. I follow recipes and fill our home with delicious food. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and makes my family happy. It doesn't help get through my work assignments or clean the house but it offers measured moments of peace and order.

Molasses Cookies
makes approximately 30 cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together:
3 1/4 cups of flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp of salt, 2 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of allspice, 2 tsp of ginger, and a dash of freshly ground black pepper, set aside

In a separate bowl blend:
8 tbsp or one stick of butter, 10 tbsp of shortening, 2/3 cup of brown sugar, 1/3 cup of white sugar: beat until fluffy
Then add: 1 egg, and 11/2 tsp of vanilla
When combined add: 3/4 cup of molasses.

Quickly fold in dry ingredients.

Lay parchment paper on two cookie trays, grease them.
Roll the batter into 11/2 inch balls moisten them by dipping your fingers in a water bowl. Roll the ball in sugar and place it on the prepared sheets.
Bake for 12 minutes until the tops are cracked.
I find it helps to rotate the trays top to bottom halfway through baking.

Enjoy!

Preschool Posies for Mother's Day

It was a treat to volunteer in Celia's preschool class on Wednesday. I had a project in mind and her teachers graciously let me come in and work with the children. When I found 'Easter trees', simple clay pots with green floral wire stems, at the Dollar Tree store I immediately snatched a cart full. I knew that they would make the perfect base for one of a kind flower creations. 
To prepare for this activity I hauled out a bag of stiff felt scraps leftover from the library monster program. I ran the felt through my Sizzix 'Big Kick' machine to cut out an assortment of flower shapes. I've fallen in love with this versatile tool that will cut three layers of felt in a single pass. I also ran craft foam sheets through the Sizzix with the tag template so the children could write their name and 'MOM' on gift cards.

I hand cut leaf shapes out of green craft foam and used a 1/8" paper punch to make a hole in one end of each leaf. I dug through my supplies and discovered an interesting bag of plastic floral parts (salvaged from pulling apart silk flowers) and added them to a growing assortment of plastic, foam and pompom beads. I packed everything into a trusty laundry basket and tossed in a couple spools of ribbon. I was ready for action!

The children had no trouble threading the pieces onto the wires, my job was to help them figure out how to bend the wires over so that the beads and flowers wouldn't fall off. The kids jumped right into the assortment of supplies and made some gorgeous creations. They unexpectedly figured out how to thread some of the unusual flower parts onto the end of the wires. Fortunately the teachers had a glue gun on hand, after everyone finished, I was able to add a little glue to make sure their unique touches wouldn't fall off.

The children were proud of their work and I know their moms will enjoy their one of a kind centerpieces. Here's wishing you a very Happy Mother's Day!

A little faith - Beaded Necklace Tutorial and Giveaway.

I find the greatest spiritual wonder in nature, which is why I placed this beaded cross on a mossy stone. The view from a mountain top, the peace of a quiet walk in the woods, or the crashing sound of the waves on the beach all take my breath away.

A couple years ago Pure Allure sent me a selection of jewelry findings that featured Swarovski crystals for use in my design work. I recently delved into the stash and discovered an amazing selection of crosses. I chose a simple earthy mix of colored glass and crystal beads to contrast the detailed metal work.

You can easily adapt this design and create your own bead mix to accentuate a favorite finding or make a custom pendant by stringing larger sized beads onto a head pin. Please check out the 'Beaded Collage Pendant' on page 97 in my book Simply Beaded Bliss for inspiration.

Finished dimensions: 17 1/4"

Materials

20" length of silver .015 Beadalon stringing wire
2 silver crimp beads
6mm silver metal jump ring
O ring toggle clasp - Blue Moon Beads
Seed beads - brown foil, steel gray, and sand-washed brown
'E' beads - silver and brown
11 rectangular beadlettes
6 4mm round crystals - Swarovski
7 4mm bicone crystals olivine - Swarovski
Metal cross pendant inlaid with crystals - Pure Allure
Clear tape

Tools

wire cutters
chain nose pliers
optional - bent nose pliers

1. Begin by mixing all the beads in the material list into a shallow bowl. If you think it's too light add some dark beads, conversely if you find it too bright add in some dark beads. This mix worked well for crosses that also featured tan and topaz colored crystals.

2. Fold a piece of tape over the end of your stringing wire and begin stringing a 'random' assortment of the beads. Even though your goal is to have a random appearance try to space the rectangle beadlettes and crystals an inch apart, so that you have sparkle and added dimension along the entire strand.

3. Once you've beaded 17" test fit the necklace around your neck, if necessary add beads to increase the length. When you're satisfied with the length, string a crimping bead onto the wire end then loop the wire through one half of the clasp and back through the crimp bead. Remove any slack in the wire and squeeze the crimp bead flat with your pliers, trim the end with your wire cutters. Remove the tape and then repeat the process on the other side of the wire to attach the remaining half of the clasp.

4. To attach the pendant open the jump ring laterally, slide on the charm.  Hook the ring onto the center of the beaded chain before closing it. It's helpful to use a second pair of pliers to open and close the jump ring. You'll hear and feel a little click when the wire ends meet and the close back in their original position.

For more beading tips and close up step by step instructions please look for my beading books: Simply Beautiful beading, Simply Beautiful Beaded Jewelery, and Simply Beautiful Beaded Bliss.

Creativity that sticks -Childrens Plant Pot Workshop

 Proud artists with their plant pot creations!

Have I told you lately how much I love our library? When we moved to Brunswick Maine from Des Moines six years ago Curtis Memorial Library was the very first place that made us feel part of the community. My older boys loved both the children's and teen programs. Four years ago when Celia joined our family I began taking her to 'baby lapsit', many of her preschool friendships started at the library. Last summer my husband Jon and I were delighted to donate our time to help them revamp the childrens play area, I promise to post shots of my murals soon. Recently I've been fortunate to be part of both the children and teen library art and craft events.

Parents and children making one of kind plant pots at library Earthday library event.

Today's craft was inspired for a design I developed for the summer issue of Crafts 'n Things. I created a trio of Mixed media plant pots that incorporated 'junk' everything from odd game pieces to hardware. I loved the 'in process' pots almost as much as the finished grouted pots. I realized that using adhesive alone would be the perfect way to introduce kids to the concept of mosaics and tiling. One of the biggest challenges in preparing for this event was collecting enough recycled materials.

 This is me intently helping someone decide which pieces will 'stick' to their pot.

A girl after my own heart, she was intent in filling the entire surface of her pot.

To make this project at home, begin by sealing the inside of the pot with a weatherproof sealer. Purchase a small container of tile adhesive at your local hardware store. Use a plastic knife to spread a 1/4" layer of adhesive onto the outside of your pot. Press found objects into the adhesive, filling the small spaces with plastic beads and buttons. Let adhesive cure 24 hours before planting your funky pot. 

Another superb original creation!

Today's plant pot activity quickly reached eighty preregistered children, unfortunately the librarians were forced to turn many people away. At a time when library budgets are being cut nationwide, the outstanding attendance for these kinds of events is a strong indicator how important libraries are to our community!

 These young men found a way to personalize their pots with letter beads.

Over the next couple of weeks I'll be working with the librarians to plan more creative summer activities for both children and teens. I can't wait to get messy and share more smiles!

Happy 40th Earthday!

To celebrate the Earthday I'm giving away a signed copy of my Craftcycle book to a lucky winner. This book was a labor of love, it's filled with craft ideas, recipes, and green living tips. A random winner will be selected from my blog followers, please post a comment here to let me know you're interested. I'm loading up my chip purse and heading out the door to teach teens how to fold a java wristband, Good luck!

Thanks for all the wonderful comments! Wish I could give you all a copy, Amanda W. you're the lucky winner!

Stitching up Spring

The last few weeks have been all about stitching chez Boyd. It started with working up sample projects for my new sewing book and then moved on to stitching together a blog header. While I was selecting fabric for the header at Alewives in Damriscotta, I couldn't resist picking up a Modkid sewing pattern. Patty Young designed this gorgeous 'Emma' dress that is actually a versatile skirt and top set. Celia and I had so much fun picking out the fabrics, there's no shortage of inspiration in the gorgeous fabrics that line Alewives shelves.

Taking time out to make my own project is always a challenge, there's usually a list of things that need to be made for publication. I rewarded my self with time to work on this dress after I sent the finished stitched header to my sister. She graciously offered to photograph it and add the type to create a logo.  I'm anxious to see what she comes up with and finally make my blog official with a handcrafted banner.

The last time I made a sewn garment I was pregnant with my son Jasper (who is now 17) and had outgrown all my maternity clothes. What a joy it was to follow this wonderfully clear pattern and settle down to something that wasn't going to be shipped away. It was also a delight to whip something together with just a couple yards of fabric, knitting and sewing for children is the best! I'm curious to see how floaty this design would be in lightweight voiles that are recommended, I might just have to make it in a different colorway.

On one of our many trips to Jo Ann's for odds and ends I treated Celia to a little felt sewing kit. We had a few relaxing afternoons sitting together, her stitching and me unknotting her tangles.

She did surprisingly well and was excited enough to make four different little softies a butterfly, cat, flower and heart. While I was helping Celia stitch and working on her dress, my sewing book passed through North Light books proposal process. I have a deadline of January to make up all kinds of sewn personal and home accessory projects. It looks like this springs stitching frenzy might last through the new year!

Green Bling, Java Bracelet - Free Tutorial

With Earth day around the corner, there's no time like the present to get crafting with recyclable materials. The Chip Wrapper Purse is one of the most popular projects in my Craftcycle book. Unfortunately many crafters don't have the time to commit to making the whole purse. I decided to pare the project down to it's gum wrapper bracelet roots. This way you can try out the technique and be able to wear your new creation in about an hour. I substituted the wrappers for long lasting coffee bags that can easily survive hand washing.

Materials

Foil Coffee bags, the more colors the better! Some high end pet foods are also packaged in the same type of vacuum sealed bags.

Rotary cutter, cutting mat, and clear ruler

Scissors 

 

Cut the bottom seal off the bag and then cut open one side of the bag along the seal. Flatten the bag and use a paper towel to remove any coffee bean residue. Working over your mat, cut the bag into 1 1/4" x 3 1/2" strips. You'll need approximately 26 strips.

Follow Gary Duschl's Gum Wrapper folding directions to fold your strips into links. Continue to following the instructions to connect the links. Test wrap the bracelet around your wrist to gauge the size, you don't want it to be too tight. Make sure you have an extra half inch of length so the bracelet can slide over you hand. Make necessary adjustments by adding or removing a link. The final link is the hardest to place, prefold it, then open it and weave it through both the first and last links. Your goal is to have it fit seamlessly into the existing pattern. 

Once you get the hang of this technique you'll be folding up bracelets in no time, experiment with different color combinations, repeated patterns and/or solid colored bracelets.

 

I'll be teaching this craft as a free teen workshop at the Curtis Memorial library on Earth Day, Thursday April 22nd at 3:00pm.

For more fun green jewelry making projects check my Barbie Shoe bracelet, Bottle Cap pendants in Craftcycle, and Credit Card Bracelet in Simply Beaded Bliss. 

My friend 'eco' Heidi Borchers has some great on line tutorials on green jewelry making at to Cool 2Craft, it's the time of year to check them out! Wearing green creations is a great reminder to live as green as we can.