Artist, Writer, Teacher...

Another simple and satisfying project

techmom236 — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 19:34:38 +0000

As a tech support person, I carry a lot of flash drives. At first there was only one or two and it was easy to tell them apart. They either looked different or had different charms on them. Now however, they are mostly black and with so many of them, the charms were getting tangled and I couldn’t tell which was which.

Which holds programs? Which has manuals? Site specific files?

Now, with a little label tape and names from the Wizarding World, I know which has current programs, which has reference materials, which has programs for older OSs, etc.

With a little help from Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna

A simple yet satisfying project

techmom236 — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 03:44:17 +0000

I’ve been seeing these all around the internet and finally made a bunch of the last month. It was surprisingly satisfying and I plan to make more. What was this satisfying project? Beribboned paperclips!

Easy to make and so much fun

My friend Sandy was there and she took a bunch of them too. It’s a great way to use up those 2-inch bits of ribbon. Even better, it is easy to find one when you need one.

We used wider ribbons on the wide clips. In addition to day to day use, I plan to include some themed ones in my holiday notebooks. I found a box of black paper clips at Staples and will add Halloween ribbons to them. These will be fun to include in gift bags at a Halloween Tea Party.

Another “Molly Weasley” inspired sweater

techmom236 — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 06:18:32 +0000

My friend Sandy liked my “Molly sweater” and wanted one for herself. Like the one I made for myself, I used the body of an existing sweater. I’m very pleased at how this one came out. Of course, the second one you make is always better but this one is really satisfying.

Black trim around the hood and hem

Detail of sleeve

I’m really enjoying making these. The next one I make will have more variation in the stitch patterns.

Scrapbook paper star garland

techmom236 — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 04:56:27 +0000

I saw these stars in an ad recently and thought they would make a fun garland. Here’s what I made.

There are 9 stars, each with a different pattern paper. I added “stitching” along the edges to emphasize the sewing theme. Since it has buttons, thread, and “stitching” I think I will hang it on the window above my sewing machine.

Here’s a close up of a star.

Scrapbook paper on the front, crochet cotton ties and buttons from my stash.

To make the star sturdy enough to support the buttons, I used left over red poster board for the backing.

The stars were all drawn freehand and I like how different they all are. This was a very satisfying project.

Fabric Covered Book

techmom236 — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:08:45 +0000

Liz and I got together on Saturday and made these books from Ali Edwards blog.

http://aliedwards.typepad.com/_a_/2009/06/tuesday-tutorials-jamaica-edgell-fabric-covered-spines.html

Thank goodness Liz is better than following directions than I am or my book would still not be finished!

The book started by making the covers: mat board, book cloth, scrapbook paper and two snap binder rings.

I’m a sucker for envelope books. It seems like all the books I’ve been making have at least a few envelopes in them. This one is all envelopes.

On Sunday, I decided to finish the book. It’s to be a remembrance book, of people who have passed away. I’ll put a photo on the right page and tuck things into the envelope on the left.

One of my favorite books about death is “The Fall of Freddie the Leaf” by Leo Buscagalia. I’ll include lines from it on the title page.

Here’s a sample layout.

I’ll do some journaling on the left page and put memorabilia in the envelope. The rubber stamped girl is one of Alan’s stamps and one of his best sellers.

The Molly Weasley Sweater

techmom236 — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 06:23:37 +0000

Like most crocheters who are also Harry Potter fans, I dreamt of the sweater Molly Weasley wore in “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.” It was amazing! Full of colors, pattern with enormous bell sleeves. It has become quite a hot item to make, both in wearable size and in miniature. Here’s what the original looks like.

The colors are brighter in the movie

I imagine Molly making the sleeves with the leftover yarn from each year’s Christmas sweaters. If I was going to make this, I wanted to actually wear it. Molly’s sweater has a simple double crochet pink body. Since it was the sleeves I loved that was the part I would make. I cut the sleeves off a red sweater I had and unwound the yarn to include in my sleeves. Here’s the result.

An old sweater gets new sleeves

It’s been a lot of fun to wear and quite comfortable. It is a winter sweater however, as the sleeves are heavy & warm. I am surprised at how often people recognize it as being from a Harry Potter movie, even if I don’t wear a witche’s hat with it!

Christmas Words Frame

techmom236 — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 05:47:55 +0000

Chrismas crafting goes on year round here. Here’s one that I made last May. The frame was a Goodwill find and very inexpensive as one corner was damaged. It made a good place to glue a large jungle bell.

Fun with fonts

Christmas Ornament Tags

techmom236 — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 05:30:57 +0000

I like small things and these are a good example. The images on the tags were originally vintage postcards. I cleaned them up and printed them trading card size. Choosing the right image for each person, then embelishing the cards was the fun part.

Shrunk & embelished vintage postcards

Button Tree

techmom236 — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 05:17:00 +0000

Okay, so I am way behind, posting Christmas items on Valentine’s Day. Still, I liked this tree a lot and hope you do too. This is another foam cone tree, a button one.

Wrapped in seam binding & rickrack and stuck with pins and buttons

I liked how the rickrack reminded me of branches. See what refusing to use a paintbrush results in?

Recycled technology Christmas Tree

techmom236 — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 06:04:56 +0000

Made of tractor feed paper on a foam cone with a CD base

I’ve loved all the paper trees that I have seen online. This was my first attempt at one and it was a great way to use up the last of the green tractor feed paper. The colors on the paper were so intense, I couldn’t throw it away.

Not only is the tree sitting on a CD, I store it in an empty 100-CD spindle. It does a great job of keep the paper fluffled. I just remove the tin foil star and put the cover back on.