Recycled Greeting Card Boxes

I'm always tinkering with quick and easy craft projects, but it seems that every year around this time, they take over my work area. Sometimes it's because I feel like I haven't accomplished anything all summer and I'm in a rush to make a lot of things, but usually it's because I'm already thinking ahead to all the fun stuff I want to make for the holidays. Today, I amused myself with these greeting card boxes. These are fun and easy to make, and they cost absolutely nothing! This is a great way to recycle all those greeting cards you receive for birthdays and holidays. They can be used for party favors, tree ornaments, or gift boxes. You can also keep your favorites and use them, as I often do, to store small things in your studio. Once you make a few of these, you'll start examining all the cards you receive for their box potential. I'll post directions as soon as I have a chance to take some step-by-step photos.

Covered Button Thumbtacks

I've been making things with covered buttons for a while, including these cool and colorful thumbtacks, which I've been seeing all over the place lately. It seems that I'm not the only one who likes to spruce up her workspace with something other than ordinary office supplies.



These are so easy to make, and they can be addictive! You need to be picky about the brand of buttons you buy, or you may end up with a messy, puckered edge. Avoid those that have the little teeth on the back to grab fabric -- these are rarely smooth along the edges when you're done. I like Maxant buttons because there are no teeth and they include a "pusher and holder" assembly tool (pictured below). You can also buy refill packages that don't include the tool. I prefer to use upholstery fabric for these, because the fabric is pulled so tightly that sometimes the shiny button will show through thinner material.




Start by cutting out small circles of fabric, sized according to the template on the package. Remove the shank from the button back with sturdy pliers, then assemble the button according to package directions. For detailed instructions and photos on assembling the button, go to this post. Hot glue a regular flathead thumbtack to the back, and you're done. You'll make these so quickly, you'll run out of supplies long before you run out of time.

(Edit - 11/13/08: I now use E-6000 glue for a durable, transparent bond. Hot glue will not hold for long when you're handling your thumbtack.)

Radiant Pearls

Lately, I've been enjoying some supplies that I haven't used in a while. I'm not exactly sure why I stopped using Radiant Pearls, but I'm pleased to have them out again. An interesting quality of Radiant Pearls is that they dry by absorption, so they must be used on a porous surface, or they'll stay wet forever. You can use a plastic lid or an old cd as a palette, and your paints will not dry on those surfaces. Not ever. This means that you waste less paint, and you can pick up a project where you left off, long after you last worked on it. I last used my Radiant Pearls about 5 years ago, and when I pulled out my cd palette today, the paints on it were still wet!

Another thing I like about these paints is their shimmery quality. Unfortunately, you can't see that in this photo.

Radiant Pearls are very much like watercolors. They're transparent, can be thinned with water, blended with other colors, and used as a wash. But they also have emollient properties, so they spread nicely if you're using them full-strength.

I haven't done much with Radiant Pearls beyond coloring rubber-stamped images, but I'm beginning to see the possibilities. For now, I'm still using them with rubber stamps, as in the photo above. Pictured here are some small images stamped and painted on watercolor paper, attached to mat board, and finished off along the edges with a Krylon pen. They each measure only 1 x 1-1/4 inches, so I will probably make them into pins.

Daring Cardmakers - Who's Pushing Your Buttons?

The challenge this week at Daring Cardmakers is from Keryn:

"I know you've all got buttons stashed away somewhere, whether they've been purchased at a cardmaking store or you thriftily snipped them off DH's old shirt. I'd like you to find those buttons and use them somewhere on a card. They can be real buttons, craft shop buttons, die cut buttons, faux buttons or another type of button, surprise us all."

It usually takes me hours, or even days, to come up with an idea for a DCM challenge, so I haven't participated in a couple of weeks, but this time I knew exactly what I wanted to do. This card includes a stamped background (retired SU! Filigree stamp), a scrap of mulberry paper, Girlfriends Damask paper from DaisyD, and a flower button.

Erin's Challenge

My so-very-creative niece, Erin, has challenged me to make a blue card with a chain. So, here's my submission, which is a 4x4 card, stamped with a retired background stamp from SU!, and tied up with a black ribbon and some tiny embossed tags. There were no rules placed on the type or length of the chain, so I used a short piece that was left over from extending the chains on my ceiling fans, and added a metal bead that I've been saving for someone special. Of course, that would be you, Erin!

Bottle Cap Charms - Works in Progress

I've been experimenting a bit with "supplies" that would ordinarily go in the trash, and I wanted to share my preliminary results with all those kind beer-drinkers who have so generously donated their bottle caps for my art projects.

These caps were first flattened with a hammer, then painted with acrylic paints. After the paint was dry, I pressed the caps into a Versamark ink pad, then coated them with antique gold embossing enamel, heated until the granules became very liquid, and pressed rubber stamps into the hot surface. I'm not sure yet what I'll do to these next (if anything), but after I'm satisfied with the way they look, I'll coat them with a clear sealer, drill some tiny holes for jump rings, and maybe add some dangling beads to the bottom to give them a little more weight.

That's a piece of bleach-discharged black velvet in the background - another project for a future blog post!

Inspire Me Thursday - Watercolor

Sunflowers, 6 x 8.5 inches, watercolor and ink

OK, so I'm cheating a little bit. This isn't "new" art. But the prompt today at Inspire Me Thursday is "watercolor," and this piece, which I had forgotten about and recently rediscovered, just happened to be propped up on my desk. I had planned on further developing my watercolor skills after I had completed a class a few years ago, but lots of things got in the way and it just never happened.

Now that I'm rediscovering my creative self, I've been digging through all my stuff, and a few surprises have been waiting for me, in the form of materials, completed art, and some sketches that I'd now like to further develop. The little painting pictured here was among those surprises. It isn't quite what you're used to seeing from me (in terms of both style and size), so that's why I'm posting it, and I wanted to show you that I don't always work with colored pencils! It made me feel happy as well, and isn't that what it's all about anyway? Actually, this piece motivated me to take out my nice, new, clean John Pike watercolor palette, and to think about how I want to lay out my paints (although I haven't opened any of the tubes yet!). So I promise, I really will post a new watercolor soon.

Inspire Me Thursday - DNA

5 x 5 inches, Prismacolor pencils, Pigma Micron pen, Sharpie marker

"DNA" is the prompt this week at Inspire Me Thursday, and after admiring the entries that have already been posted, I thought I might pass on this one. But instead, I decided to offer up a simplified double helix and a few random doodles to represent the creative, colorful, and fun life I'm seeking to live.

Unfortunately, my favorite Pigma pen gave up the battle in the middle of this, and I had to resort to using a Sharpie, which I'm not entirely comfortable with. Hmm, my green pencils are getting a little short, too -- I may be forced to shop for some new supplies. Oh my!

Inspire Me Thursday - Dear Diary

I'm coming to the table a bit late with my Inspire Me Thursday submission, but I didn't really expect to post anything this week. That's because the prompt is "Dear Diary" and I don't keep a diary. Never have. Sure, I've had diaries before, the kind with the leatherette cover and the tiny lock and key, but I never actually wrote in any of them. Maybe I was always afraid someone would read what I had written, and I would be exposed, and vulnerable. I was also expecting to skip this week because I've not been feeling myself the past few days. On Saturday I cleaned up my desk and my studio space so I could actually find things, but I still haven't been able to get motivated. There are just too many other things going on, and they're wearing me out. But when I finally arrived home last night from one of my usual evening activities (I really need to stay home more), I sat at my desk looking at my stack of lists, and was struck by the idea that, in a way, my list-making is a form of diary-keeping. You see, I make lists for everything -- creative ideas, things I need to do, websites to visit -- you name it, I probably have a list for it. All my lists are on scraps of paper, and they tend to get mixed up, or used for jotting down something else, and I end up rewriting that list. So, I remembered these tiny composition books (3.5 x 4.5 inches) I found at WalMart. And why not turn some of my collage and image transfer failures, which of course I had saved, into covers for my little books? You already know that I like to work small, and I enjoy making things to fix up my work area. Well, in less than 30 minutes I had completed two little "list diaries" and I think I've recovered my creative mojo. Sometimes, a little glue and some metal leaf will work wonders, and will help you get organized as well!

Rockin' Girl Blogger!

I am so pleased and honored to have been nominated by Pattie Mosca as a Rockin' Girl Blogger! Thank you Pattie, not only for the award, but for your continued inspiration and motivation. I continue to be amazed by the generosity of my fellow blogging artists, especially all those who contribute to Inspire Me Thursday. I consider this group of talented, inspirational, and genuinely caring souls to be my friends, although I've never actually "met" any of you! Thanks, all of you!

I think I'm supposed to nominate 5 other Rockin' Girl Bloggers, but I will need to think about it for a little longer than the minute I have. Unfortunately, I'm in the midst of changing my e-mail address in all the dozens of places where it matters. I'm afraid I have the distinction of having received over 200 scam e-mails in the last 5 days, all of them variations of the Nigerian scam. Apparently, I have quite a few rich, deceased relatives who have left me their fortunes. I've also won the Irish Lottery multiple times, and have received many job offers, contingent upon me revealing my bank account numbers. I don't know how I made the list, but I'm sure the FTC will be glad when I stop forwarding notes to their spam account. My advice to everyone -- be very careful with your e-mail address!

Leonardo da Vinci at the Aerospace Museum of California

If you live in Northern California, you might want to check out

The Da Vinci Experience, a special hands-on exhibit at the Aerospace Museum of California, featuring models of many of Leonardo's conceptualizations, including hang gliders, a robot, a bicycle, and a chamber of mirrors. Most people are aware of the "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper," but not everyone knows that Leonardo was a leader in science, mathematics, music, and much more. He was so far ahead of his time, that technology didn't allow for the construction of many of his blueprints.

I live over 2400 miles away, so I won't be able to go, but if you live in the Sacramento area, you may want to take advantage of it. The exhibit runs now through September 30th.