A Fishing Creel for Kyle

Kyle, my oldest daughter's boyfriend, has been a part of our family for the past 4 years and knows how much I love basket weaving. He asked me a few months ago to make a fishing creel for his father for Christmas. I was delighted to make it, and here it is!
I shaped it so that it is flat at the back and has a rounded 'belly', it looks like a capital 'D' with the lid open. I used chocolate brown twill tape for the strapping and all the findings, clips etc., are an antique brass finish. I turned the basket upside down and traced it to make a pattern to cut the lid. My friend Jeff Sylvester, who is a local cabinet maker, cut the lid out for me. He did an outstanding job! Thanks Jeff!
The front closure is made from a piece of willow that I carved and fastened with jute through a hole I drilled in the lid. The hinges are brass, and the whole basket, lid included, is stained with Minwax, Provincial colour.

The Cat's Meow

The Shaker Cat Head Basket is one of my all time favourite baskets to make. This is a fairly large Cat Head, measuring about 10" across the base, and is woven from 1/2" and 1/4" flat Rattan Reed. I have been experimenting with dying reed lately, and although the picture doesn't do it justice, the weavers of this basket are dyed a rich chocolate brown, achieved using Cocoa Brown Rit Dye powder. I have tried the liquid and have not been happy with the results, the colours are not as vibrant as the powder, and I don't recommend it. Not sure yet if I want to stain this basket, I'll have to live with it for a while.
The handle is a commercial push-in swing handle, available at most basketry supply companies, in a variety of sizes, this one is a 10" handle. They are easy to install, and after a light sanding accept stain beautifully.
I am currently working on compiling my basket patterns into a book about basketry. I hope to have all the patterns ready this summer. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Four Snowmen, One Stamp!

 

 

"Do you guys smell carrots too?" Sorry, just had to do it! Each Christmas, like most card makers, I add to my collection of card designs. This is one of this year's creations.
I originally saw the idea for this card on Youtube in a video by Fran, from Stampendous. The awesome snowman stamp is called, "Stretchy Snowmen", #SSC1057 by Stampendous. When you apply the stamp to your stamping tool you can stretch it to make a tall skinny snowman or 'squish' it to make it short and chubby.
To make this card use an"M" or "W" shaped card base and stamp the snowman progressively taller and you move to the back of the card. The last snowman is stamped on a separate piece of cardstock then cut out and applied to the card. Cut out the first 3 snowmen about halfway down their bodies to reveal the snowman nesting behind it! I own several 'stretchy' stamps from Stampendous and I would give them a 'thumbs up'! and recommend them! Happy Holidays y'all!!

Whas' Up Gnomies??

Whas' Up Gang?? I am back!! I have enjoyed my 5 month break, but it's time to get the lead out and get back to work!
I thought this pop-up/pull-out card would be appropriate for the occassion.
There are a few card makers whose blogs I follow, and one of them is www.paperpunchaddiction.com. That's where I found this awesome little dude! This gnome is part of a paper punching 'package' that is available for purchase on  the site. It's called "In the Garden", and comes with instructions to make several punch art garden themed characters, this little gnome being one of them. The whole package costs $6.00, and is sent to you by email. *You do have to own several Stampin' Up! paper punches to complete the projects. I didn't have them all, so I ended up drawing the beard and hat freehand, using the picture as a guide.
The instructions for the mechanical portion of this card can be found in the resource section of www.splitcoaststampers.com. If you are new to card making, this site is the BOMB!! Loaded with ideas, samples and other yummy card making stuff!! Check it out!

About Face

I have recently discovered a new fun thing to do - face painting! My youngest daughter went to a fun fair at one of out local elementary schools a few weeks ago, and came home with a beautiful butterfly painted on her face. I was so stunned when she walked through the door, the painting was gorgeous! I immediately decided that I had to learn how to do it - so I did!
I did a bit of research on face paint and ordered a beginner kit from a company called Diamondfx which sells quality non-toxic face paint and supplies. I checked out a few face painting videos on Youtube and voila, a face full of butterfly!
This is my first attempt at painting and I have to say that it is much, much easier to paint someone else's face than your own! The lines are a bit 'jiggily', but like anything, practice will improve my technique! I contacted our local hair styling school and they gave me an old hair stylying 'head' to practice on, so I can stop pestering my family and friends to sit still while I experiment on their faces! I have to recommend that if this is something you would like to try, it is worth investing in quality face paint, good quality brushes and facial sponges.This type of face paint takes very little water to moisten and has a smooth creamy texture that makes painting much easier, and it washes off very easliy so little faces won't be irritated by scrubbing with soap! As well, keep your brushes and sponges clean by washing them in warm soapy water and if you are painting more than one face, a little hand sanitizer between faces would be a good idea. Have fun :)

Happy Anniversary !

I made this anniversary card for my friends who are celebrating 25 years of wedded bliss! It features a mutli-layer vellum flower. According to wikipedia, vellum comes from the latin word 'vitulinium' which means, 'comes from a calf'. Real vellum is made from animal skin that has been scraped smooth so as to let light passs through it. It's actually really thin parchment paper. Thankfully, modern vellum is made from plastic and cotton. I would feel terrible giving someone a card with a real calf skin flower on it!!
To make this flower, I stamped several five petal flowers onto vellum using Stampin' Up! White Craft Ink, then cut them out. The top layer has a touch of Diamond Stickles added for a bit of sparkle. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes, by Stampin' Up!, stamped in black, then punched with the SU! Word Window punch. Sentiment backing is silver card stock which was punched with SU! Modern Label punch. The centre of the flower is also silver card stock and is dotted with Champagne Liquid Pearls. Happy Anniversay!

The Wednesday Night Weavers

I get together with a couple of friends every Wednesday (a.k.a. Humpday!) evening to basket weave. These natural ribbed melon baskets are the fruits of our labour so far. The basket rim, handle and ribs are made from Willow which I cut about two weeks ago.  When weaving with natural Willow, it is important to let it dry and shrink before you weave with it. If you use it too soon, it will shrink and your weaving will come loose. Ask me how I found this out!! My friend, a kindred crafting spirit, added lovely beading to the rim of her basket. This is the first basket she has ever made and I have to say she certainly has got the hang of it! It's a gorgeous piece of weaving!
I made the other basket shown along side the group to demonstrate the weaving technique. It's also made from Willow and I used #2 round reed, dyed black, as an accent. The one thing about this type of basketry that I really like is the 'God's Eye' that holds the rim and handle together. No nails, no glue needed! This type of basketry is hundreds of years old, and is still as pretty and useful as it was in the pioneer days!