Reverse Stenciling

First the back story...

Last fall I joined a weekly Bible Study/craft group. We shared our worries and our joys and discussed our Daily Devotion and how it applied to our lives. THEN... we made a craft.
Yes, I know! THAT is a great combination!

I'm going to share the awesome book I worked on from week to week in another post. But, out of all the techniques we were taught from our inspirational leader Diana, this reverse stenciling thing was so easy and packed a punch.

I knew right away I could use it in more wedding crafty goodness.

Daniel and Katie's wedding was taking place in a barn with the reception taking place in a big fancy tent.

And in between the two was a trailer housing the bathrooms!

Then there was the thought 

"how can those bathrooms look crafty and charming?"

With some cute signs of course!

So, with the bride's blessing, I began this simple little project

•First I cut scraps of paper with mostly yellows and grays and used a mixture of white glue and water (very watery) to adhere the pieces all over the canvas board.
•I cut out photos of Daniel and Katie from when they were little.
The 'photos' were actually photocopies that I did on a laser printer at a local FedEx Office Print and Ship Center.
•please note that the photo is just printed on
regular paper not photo paper!

•Next you will need a set of alphabet stickers
You select the font and size
The color doesn't matter
you'll be throwing away the letters that you use in this project

•I placed the letters right on top of the paper scraps
that were already glued to the canvas board.

•Next I used an artist palette knife to spread Patching Plaster OVER the background of the canvas board
INCLUDING over the letters!
I went close to the photo's edge but not over the photo.
I used the Patching Plaster by DAP sold at my local Lowe's
This is actually a great compound for lots of art projects.
I keep my tub in my studio, not in the garage!
Also, it's nice to let a little of the background paper
show through here and there.

• Before the Plaster dried, I removed the letter stickers.
I used a straight pin to pick at a corner of a letter.
With the pin I was able to lift the sticker up and off of the canvas.
I did this step immediately after I finished spreading the plaster.
Once you get a corner lifted with the pin
you can gently pull up the entire letter with your fingers!

Here is the result!

When it is completely dry
you can apply a protective finish.
Then just add a ribbon to the back for hanging!

•••••
As I said at the beginning of this post
I learned this technique from my good friend Diana.

Below was my first attempt.
I will show off my little book in another post.
You'll even see how these pages
changed and took on new life.

Another thing to note by looking at this example
is how bold the paper is for some of the letters
and not for others
•Lesson learned•
use strong colors
such as what I used for "my"
and the "han" of "hand"

how to sew beads onto a wedding veil OR handmade wedding part four!

When my sisters and I got married (a long time ago!) our talented mother made our wedding veils. Well actually, she made the bridesmaids dresses for two of the weddings and even one of the wedding gowns...

that's how talented she is!

So when my daughter-in-law was trying on dresses (yes, I was blessed to be invited to tag along with Katie and her mom), I volunteered to make the veil. Katie wanted a long veil, Cathedral length, but simple in design. 

 

First I purchased a VERY inexpensive veil from a bridal website. It was sort of a 'Craigslist for weddings' website. Turns out it was long and skinny, oh so skinny! It looked like a long tail. Not to mention the color white was practically a purple/blue white. Since it was only $15 there was no harm done there. And I've since used it at a bridal shower just for fun!

In the meantime Katie's mom purchased the correct color white veil from the Bridal Shop where her dress was purchased. 

Even when it comes to tulle...there are a lot of different whites! Keep this in mind if you make your own veil.

Now, all I needed to do was sew thousands of tiny beads along the perimeter of the veil.

Katie picked out the beads and made a pattern about an inch long.

First an 11/0 (that's seed bead size talk) silver lined crystal followed by a tiny pearl. Next up 3mm pearl, then back to the seed pearl, 3mm pearl, seed pearl, 3mm pearl, seed pearl and back to the silver lined crystal.

Maybe a list is better for clarity?

silver lined crystal 11/0 seed bead

tiny round pearl seed bead

3mm pearl

tiny round pearl seed bead

3mm pearl 

tiny round pearl seed bead

3mm pearl 

tiny round pearl seed bead

silver lined crystal 11/0 seed bead

and repeat

again and again and again 

and here is how much I purchased:

silver lined crystal 11/0 seed bead - 4 containers (600)
tiny round pearl seed bead - about 1,950
3mm pearl - about 1,350
I didn't use everything but this gives you an idea of what will cover such a long veil. 

NOTE: I compared the glass 3mm pearl to the Swarovski Crystal 3mm pearl. HUGE difference in price.  I DO love the real thing but, the fact is, you are looking at the veil from afar and it just becomes a tiny row of beads. Only in examining the beads up close could you tell the difference.

When sewing on tulle you can't pull very hard or it will bunch up. There just isn't a lot of actual fabric to tulle!

Notice that my sewing line is about 1/2 inch from the edge.

I tried it closer to the edge at first but it was hard with how fine the tulle is.

I realized that it would be more stable like this and it would actually look as though it is right on the edge anyway.

My tried a few sewing techniques to keep the line of beads as straight as possible and this is what worked for me.

1. I put my needle through 3 beads then I went around the last bead and down through the tulle BEHIND the last bead. 

The thread can be seen on the side of the bead but barely. And I'm telling you, it can't be seen by people who don't sew and are gazing at the beautiful bride in her beautiful veil.

2. Now the needle comes back up through the tulle in front of the last bead, then through three new beads, then finish step 1.

3. After you have strung the third set of three beads on the needle and pushed the needle down through the tulle behind the last bead, 

go to step 4 BELOW.

4. Bring the needle up two beads back from where it went down and make a knot there.

5. After making the knot put the needle back down through the tulle and bring it up again in front of the last bead.

At this point you will repeat the process all over again. Going back every third bead and making a knot every 9th bead will secure your line of beads. It will become routine and you can probably vary it a bit. I may have done 4 beads instead of 3 every now and again!

If you notice your line going crooked or pulling too tight, just unthread the needle and gently use the tip of the needle to pull some stitches out.
Don't be alarmed by how little you may progress in the first hour. When I first started this project I barely went over an inch in an hour. Once I got my rhythm I was sewing 11 inches in an hour!

I spent 31 hours sewing over 3,000 beads onto Katie's veil and I enjoyed every minute of it!
•••••
And here's a little secret...
that beautiful photo of Daniel and Katie with the veil drifting in the South Carolina breeze?
happened like this:

oh, and that's my beautiful daughter Holli!

say you love it!

handmade wedding part one • DIY felt Craspedia flowers

other than June 23rd, 1979, the closest to my heart that a wedding has ever been, happened on March 9th, 2013 in Aiken•SC

it was the marriage ceremony of my first born son Daniel to the love of his life Katie

since the wedding ceremony and reception is traditionally planned and carried out by the bride and her family, I took on the rehearsal dinner and a couples shower with joy and anticipation!

I had wanted to make felt ball flowers for some time. I was also curious about paper flowers and wondered how I could incorporate them into the mix.

I was very familiar with felt balls from my days working at Ornamentea.com. I used 2cm wool felt balls to make a flower that looked much like a Craspedia, commonly called Billy Balls.

••• this is the look I was going for•••

and this is how I did it

photo 1

poke a hole in the felt ball with a very sharp needle • poke ALMOST all the way through but don't ACTUALLY go ALL the way through! this hole is just to get you started

photo 2

the second needle I used was thick and dull • this needle came in a pack of upholstery needles • keep in mind that some of these were sharp but this one needs to be a fat dull needle so that you can create a hole big enough for the stem to go into the felt ball

this time you REALLY do not want to go all the way through the ball

but what you DO want to do is move the thicker needle around in a circular motion to create a bigger hole (see photo 3)

photo 4 

dip the end of a floral stem wire in white glue • I used green covered wire stems that I purchased at AC Moore • 12 pieces in a pack for $1.99 • I poured some glue in the bottom of a butter tub, it's easy to use and you can put a lid on it to store it • I bought a gallon of white glue years ago for all my projects • sometimes I need a mixture of 3 parts water to 1 part glue so these butter tubs are handy for that

dip about 1/2" of the stem in the glue and immediately insert the stem into the hole (see photo 5)

photo 6

no need to worry about any glue showing on your felt ball as it will dry clear • you can lay them on your work table to dry or stand them in a glass or vase to dry

NOTES

sometimes the green thread on the stem wire will push back as you insert them into the felt ball • no need to worry about that as it can make them look more realistic!

Ornamentea.com has a great selection of felt balls in many color combination packages. However, for this project I needed many of one color so I purchased 100 in Lemon from Felt Supplier on Etsy • and don't be fooled by the fact that they came from Poland, the turnaround time was pretty fast

you'll notice that some of the stems are curled • that's simple!

 the first bouquet of felt ball craspedia flowers ready for a party to 'shower' Daniel and Katie

 next up... paper flowers

after craft camp - finishing things up

While Craft Camp was a huge success in both fun and crafty accomplishments, I still had some loose ends to call my projects complete!

after the airport run I immediately got back to my kitchen valances

 

I forgot to take a photo of my old valances

but they were in the background of a few old pics

not very sharp photos but at least you can see the color and style

{they are much more teal and pink than the photo represents}

They were actually pretty awesome when I made them 18 years ago!

All I had to go on was a photo of my friend's valances.

Julie H had them made for her kitchen in Iowa

I loved them

so I picked my own fabrics and figured out how to construct them

time changes styles and colors

I wanted less of an emphasis on the teal and more of an emphasis on the black and greens

I added about 5 inches to the length so that I could move the rod above the window frame but still have it come to the same spot on the window

moving the rods were tedious

but with Jeff's help it was a success

I love the new look

especially with the new farm table, black chairs and bench

next up...

whatever happened to the baby quilt?

1st annual Craft Camp

That's correct! 

It was craft camp at 

the Peterson home in August

Holli and her friend Courtney flew in from Nashville
Katie and Daniel drove up from Aiken
Daniel didn't participate in craft camp
He had other things to do around Raleigh and Cary
and Jeff graciously took on the role of camp cook!
We even squeezed in a movie at the theater and a fun game of Canasta that we picked up and continued each night.

Everyone arrived on Thursday afternoon. The girls shared with each other what we wanted to accomplish. Then we heading out to purchase whatever supplies we still needed.

Holli wanted to make a pillow, cover a pad for a tiny bench, make a couple pillowcases and make new curtains for her bedroom!
Katie wanted to make an apron and some earrings.
Courtney wanted to cover some pillows for her sofa and some for her porch.
I wanted to at least start on a baby quilt and maybe even new valances for my kitchen!

This was going to be a big undertaking as Courtney was learning to sew for the first time and Katie and Holli were adding to their learning curve!

We purchased fabrics to go with what we had and found the perfect fabrics for both Holli's windows and mine.
We were already on a roll!

Here is day 2 when
the campers are really getting started.
Holli in the background at the ironing board
{sweet child of mine even ironed all my skirts and shorts in my to-do pile}
Courtney is in the foreground cutting out her first pillow cover
Katie is designing and cutting out the first part of her apron

 

Katie piecing her apron front

Katie was 'getting to know' the sewing machine that she got for Christmas from Daniel. Not to mention designing and figuring out how to make this apron WITHOUT a pattern! She's well on her way to being a pro at this sewing stuff!

here's me - piecing on the baby quilt
Holli did most of this while I was helping the other two. She is good at this piecing stuff!
But, I wanted to make this quilt so she saved some of the piecing for me!
And at the end of day 2...
we had a couple pillow covers for Courtney {background}
a pillow case for Holli {yellow bicycles on white}
a pieced pillow for Holli {bottom center}
an apron front for Katie {left}
a baby quilt top for Lois {right}

On day 3 Katie learned how to etch metal,
all this, while still working on her apron!
First the hole punching
then the stamping
then the actual etching

the finished earrings are fabulous

Katie is a quick study and has this down now too!
Plus, she has given me new etching ideas for
it's by design


There was lots of 'team' measuring and cutting for the two sets of window treatments.

Even Piper got in on the action! {Holli waits patiently in the background}
and because we were ALWAYS having fun at this craft camp
here is Katie on her magic carpet ride
AKA strips of my new kitchen valance

and MORE fun...

while Holli presses and pins the hem to her curtains
I just stand next to her and entertain!

more from day 3
custom reversible bib apron
by Katie

Katie checking out the reverse side {upper left}.
Just before the front and back were sewn together
tucking the bib, neck sash {not quite tucked yet}, and the waist sash inside the edge. Then side 1 of the apron could lie on top, right sides together {upper right} and the final machine seam could be sewn all around the rectangle. A small opening was left so that it could be turned inside out. After everything looked good and the sashes and bib were released from their captivity, the opening was hand sewn shut.
{arrrggg! the girls learned that lots of projects end with hand sewing}
Side 1 of apron {lower left}
Side 2 of apron {lower right}
Yes, that's a pocket on both sides!
we're officially professionals

the hand sewing begins

and here we are on day 4 just showing it all off!

Katie had to head back to South Carolina on the afternoon of day 4.
Holli and Courtney and I still had a full day 5 to finish hand sewing all the pillow closures and Holli's LINED bedroom curtains.
That was a big project
mainly because there was so much fabric!

the Loot photo on day 4
pillows, pillows and more pillows

and earrings that Holli commissioned me to make
the pearl necklace is a custom order for a special bride that I finished during craft camp. So it became part of the loot!

when the Tennessee girls returned to their homes
here's how they showed off some of their projects

Courtney's sofa pillows
Courtney's porch pillows
{there are actually two of each}
and a sage green pillow {pictured in the loot photo} for her sofa

lots of crafty additions to Holli's already crafty bedroom
the burlap type fabric curtains are lined with blackout lining
Holli LOVES to sleep in when her schedule allows!
the little black bench that Grampa made now sports a new cushion of salmon and white polka dots {left}

the cute little pieced pillow is backed with the polka dots
it's home is on the palette couch we made last fall

the bicycle pillowcases brighten up her new bedding
AND
hide her guest pillows
for when someone passes through town and sleeps on the sofa
{she and Courtney even built the trunk at the end of her bed}
this little apple doesn't fall far from her mama's tree!

that's it for craft camp 2012

my kitchen valances and baby quilt were not completed at craft camp but they will be blogged about soon!

testing one of my Pinterest pins!

I am always trying to come up with a great backdrop for taking my product photos.

I love the outdoor shots but sometimes that can be too busy for the jewelry.

So one day this summer I see this pin on Pinterest.

I bought a square piece of wood so I would have lots of surface

for taking my jewelry photos.

I soaked the steel wool in the vinegar just as instructed in the original blog.

and this is what I got...

brown

wouldn't you say?

not black

So I tried it again for another overnight and it didn't change.

I'm not sure if it was the fact that the wood was new and quite hard or why it didn't change it to a nice grey/black finish.

Not to be defeated, I bought some black stain and rubbed it on.

I thought it would rub off easily with a rag for the look I wanted.

no, it didn't.

So I grabbed some sandpaper and sanded away.

I even added more black stain

rubbed it 'off'

and sanded some more.

Eventually, I decided to be satisfied so I rubbed a finish on it.

Here is one of the ways I use it.

Here is what shows up in my Etsy Shop

better at projects than posts...that should count

I've actually been quite crafty since my last post,

just not diligent with my crafty blog.

Let's catch up.

First I came up with a good use

for two of the old doors

that came out of the back hall remodel.

I had been contemplating something new

for displaying my necklaces at shows.

cut down the doors

remove the knobs

pull out my favorite paper, scraps and maps

 and the white glue/water mixture

and

voila!

I added corkboard to the other side

and then hinged it together.

Here it is in action

at The Handmade Market!

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Then there was the pillow for Piper.

I got out the fabric samples that Holli had given me

from when she worked for an Interior Designer

I began by cutting squares and rectangles

out of the samples

and sewed them together.

As I got closer to the overall pillow size

I had to sort of work it like a puzzle.

 

side one

side two

The pillow insert is a very used insert from a chair.

That's what led me to make this in the first place.

My favorite chair and a half had lousy pillow inserts.

I finally purchased some great feather inserts.

I couldn't just toss the old ones!

They looked sort of flat and even split in the center.

But, for some reason it just looked like a comfy doggie pillow to me!

look at those sad pillow inserts

before...

after...

one happy Piper!

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Next up

 the paper poms

*

Oh, the paper poms

who knew the paper poms would be tricky to make?

certainly not I.

I had this great idea to make paper poms

for decorations for a

Bridal shower I was hosting 

for my dear friend

Alison.

My friends and co-hosts 

Becca and Libby

got in on the fun.

My first shock was that the flowers would turn out so large!

For some reason, I thought they were going to be 

these small little flowers that would turn into

a garland.

They could have been,

but as we tried them

we found out that the smaller the flower

the harder it was to work

First you cut a width of tissue paper

about the same size as what you want

the finished diameter of your pom to be.

Libby had just folded her purple paper accordion style

and was adding the floral wire.

We followed the directions

on 

Martha Stewart.com

I worked on the green poms.

We rounded some of the ends

as shown on Martha Stewart.

Some of them we trimmed to a point.

 Becca worked on an orange one

with rounded ends,

Carefully pulling layers

of tissue out from

each end.

Here is a green pom in progress.

The funny thing is that we thought

our poms were awful at the time!

Looking at these photos now...

They were actually

some pretty great poms!

No one can see the torn pieces here and there!

The holidays came and went

and

it was time to use our tissue paper poms

for the shower.

Our original plan of a garland

was replaced with

this awesome bunch of flowers

hanging

from a light fixture.

Cheers for Libby

and that idea!

If you look closely

you will see 

additional flower poms made of tulle.

They were made on the spot

out of lots of loops.

It was the perfect filler.

I know that I learned more than just a new craft

with this little project.

Three capable artists

thought they could whip through

this little project.

When the tissue paper

started tearing,

the frustration level

starting growing.

We expected perfection

from the start.

But, after a few hours

and a lot of laughs,

it turned out

we made some

pretty nice

tissue paper poms!

Thanks Becca and Libby

for the memory!

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And finally,

the sweetest project of all...

Footprint pictures with "the greats"

I like to call my great nieces and nephew

"the greats"

After all,

they are pretty

G R E A T

!!!

We spent part of the holidays

with family in Des Moines this year.

That gave us the priceless opportunity

to hang out

with 

the greats!

We searched Pinterest for a project idea.

Made a few creative additions of our own.

And here is how it went.

Camryn

Sat perfectly still

not one bit ticklish.

Gage

Super ticklish!

Hayden

Another ticklish one.

It was a challenge

to keep those toes

out of the green paint!

This one was Camryn's.

I added the star.

Holli added the trunk.

And for our crafty addition

to these mini masterpieces.

Holli added song lyrics.

Camryn's and Gage's

Auntie Carol and cousin Emma

wrapped them up

to surprise

some happy parents.

T H A T

was a fun afternoon!
I
L O V E
my greats!

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