AtomicKnits

Homemade Stitch Markers

I joined a new swap group on Ravelry, and I signed up for a hand-made stitch marker round robin!  I knew this would be good motivation to learn some beading and make some stitch markers of my own.  I've been wanting to learn this for a while now, and you know what? It's not really that hard at all!  I wanted to do some Autumn themed markers, so I picked up some warm-colored crystal beads and pressed glass leaf pendants at Harlequin Beads and went to work. These were really fun to make and I think they came out great!  I can't wait to swap these.

I learned how to needle felt!

Last weekend I was in a mood where I didn't really feel like knitting (I know, right?) or doing anything else.  I was bored.  I know it's a bad sign when I get bored.  It rarely happens, and it usually means that I'm not happy or stressed out about something.  I hate it when I get like that.  Last fall I bought a needle felting kit from the Thistledown Alpacas booth at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival.  It sat on my shelf since then, but I finally pulled it out and decided that I was going to make these little ducks.  It was just the thing I needed to pull me out of my boredom.

Needle felting is really easy!  It was really cool to make these little ducks.  I felt like a sculpture!  I totally see the potential of this craft to allow you to really be an artist and easily make your own unique creations.  The only thing I had a problem with was accidentally poking myself with the sharp felting needles.  I'm not sure if I'll take up needle felting in a serious way any time soon, but it was a fun little project.

38. Decoupage the cigar boxes I have - First box done!

A couple of years ago, I worked in an office where many of the men working there liked to smoke cigars in their free time.  I asked them if I could have their empty cigar boxes so I could decoupage them and decorate them and make them into artistic keepsake boxes.  I have been sitting on these boxes for such a long time, I have moved them twice.  I wanted to finally do something with them, so I made this goal, and the first one is complete!

I wanted to have this box done so I could enter it into the IndieFixx anniversary contest, but I didn't make the deadline.  I thought the theme was cool - you had to make something that incorporated the number 2 to celebrate their 2-year anniversary.  I thought I would go with this theme anyway even though I wouldn't be in the contest.  I named this box Duality.  You can see on the lid there is a heart which was created by placing 2 number 2's together, mirrored.  I also tried to only use really dark and really light paper and objects to show contrast and balance - kind of like a ying yang type of thing.

I also tried to use organic-looking objects (rocks, owl, feather) and man-made objects (chain, metal tape) that were either light and dark and put them together in a way that balanced well.  You can't have light without the dark, and you can't appreciate the orgainic with out the man-made and vice versa.  You can see more pictures of the box here.

15. Take a class that is several weeks long (on anything) - Complete!

My printmaking class that I have been taking at the Chester Country Art Center has come to an end.  It was really nice going to class and having a chunk of time every week devoted to learning and creating.  My only complaint about the class is that it wasn't structured enough for me.  I definitely want to take a class on something else in the fall, and I want more structure from that.  I am thinking about maybe guitar lessons...or maybe a mixed media art class.  We'll see.  I did make 4 successful prints in this class, though, and I'm pretty proud of them.  I did one silk screen and three Plexiglas etchings.  I think one of them is going to be a Christmas gift.  Classes are very cool to take when they don't count for anything except your personal enjoyment.  And now what to choose for the fall...

15. Take a class that is several weeks long (on anything) - My first successful print!

So, I've been taking a Printmaking class at the Chester County Art Center for the last several weeks now.  We are learning all types of printmaking including silk screen, relief printing, etching, etc.  Last night at class we completed our dry point etchings using plexi-glass plates and a printing press and I am so happy with the way mine came out.  I love the quality of the ink and the lines.  I think I want to make more prints with this plate on good paper and maybe do another dry point plate before the class is over.  The composition for this plate was inspired by the XTC song "The Ugly Underneath."

Santina came to visit!

This weekend Santina came to visit me for a few days!  We had an awesome time and we did lots of crafty things.  The first day she was here we ventured out to The Lamb's Wool in Landsdale and I ended up renting a spinning wheel for a month!  I'll have more on that in a separate post after I'm done my first yarn.

One of the things Santina really wanted to do was learn to macrame.  She had to special order the supplies because craft stores no longer carry it (haha) and she also ordered an instruction book with dozens of plant hangers patterns.  We both made one of the easier plant hangers and we were SO EXCITED with our results.  They are kind of silly and incredibly dated, but they were really fun to make and in no time we'll have lots of plant hangers to place all over our imaginary wrap around porches and huge gardens.

Another thing we did a lot of this weekend was EAT AND DRINK.  Justin and I took Santina to a few of our favorite spots in the boro including Kildare's Pub, Victory Brewing, and Iron Hill Brewery.  Now, at Iron Hill, they have a large seasonal selection in addition to their regular beer lineup.  As a result, the current beer sampler consists of 12 BEERS.  For $7.  How could we not pass that up?  After Santina ordered hers and discovered this wonder, Justin and I ordered them too.  Needless to say, we were a wee bit tipsy as we left the restaurant.  As we were walking home, we spotted Bam Margera walking into Kildare's across the street.  We were excited.

I also showed Santina how to carve rubber blocks to make prints with.  She did an awesome job with her first block.  She made a rotary telephone stamp.  I don't have any pictures of the finished project, but I'm hoping she'll post some!

We had a really awesome weekend, and I miss hanging out with Santina so much.  Hopefully I will see her and her family again soon at the shore!

92. Make a block print - Complete - Rogue River Note Cards

I am currently taking a Printmaking class, and we are learning lots of ways to make prints with an emphasis on silk screening.  I think my favorite way to make prints is block printing.  I remember making a block print out of Styrofoam in high school and I dipped my toe back into the process by making my rubber stamp for letterboxing.  After my recent river trip, I thought it would be cool to do something to commemorate the trip.  I made a drawing that I thought would make a cool block print and then decided to make something practical with it, hence the note cards.  I carved the block a couple of weeks go, and today I decided to print them.  After a few wonky test prints, I became a bit more consistent and ending up with 21 "good" note cards.  I might get some good paper and make a print that I can hang on my wall.

Now, they are all lined up in my living room drying and I think they look pretty cool all set up like this.  I already have some sketches done for my next block-printed note cards!

54. Letterboxing - How to make your own rubber stamp.

One of my 1001 goals is to try Letterboxing.  It combines the two elements I love most in gaming - collecting things, and quests!  Letterboxes are boxes containing a unique rubber stamp and log book.  Each Letterboxer carries their own unique rubber stamp and log book as well.  Letterboxes are hidden all over the world, and clues to their locations are passed on to Letterboxers via the Internet or word of mouth.  This hobby is a brand new discovery for me, so I am anxious to get started.  One of the things I wanted to do before I began hunting for boxes is create my own rubber stamp to use on my quests.  There are a lot of different ways to make your own rubber stamp.  Below, I'll detail the method I used to make mine.

1. Gather materials.  I used a cutting mat for my work surface, and gathered all of the materials I needed to complete the job - X-acto knife, metal ruler, soft drawing pencil, a Speedball Speedy-Cut carving block, and the drawing of my design for the stamp.  You'll need a picture or a drawing of a design you want to make into your stamp.  I just drew my design on a Post-It note I had at work.

2. Trace over your drawing or design.  You'll be making a mirrored imprint of this drawing on your cutting block.  To make the transfer of this image easy, trace over your drawing or design with a soft pencil.  I used a 7B drawing pencil. You could probably get away with using a regular 2 pencil, but the imprint will probably come out very light.  This will create a layer of soft, loose graphite over your design.

3. Transfer a mirrored imprint of your drawing onto the cutting block.  Put your cutting block down on your surface.  Carefully place your drawing face down in the area of the block you want to use.  With a blunt object (I used the back end of my pencil) rub all around the back of your drawing.

4. Your mirrored imprint is ready to cut.  Pull your drawing off of the block, and you should see a mirrored imprint of your drawing on the block!  It should be mirrored, so when you use this as a stamp, it will stamp right-side up!  If the imprint is not dark enough for you, rub some more, or re-trace over the image with a softer pencil.

5. Cut your stamp away from the block.  My Speedball block is way larger than the size of my stamp.  I simply cut away only the part I am using for my stamp from the rest of the block.  I put the rest of the block away so it won't get dirty when I re-use it later.

6. Carve away the light parts of the block to create your stamp.  Carefully use your X-acto knife to cut away the blank portions of your image.  Everything colored in should not be cut away.  Take your time.  Speedball blocks are designed so that they are very easy to cut.  It is easy to accidentally cut away parts of your stamp that you don't mean to.  You do not need to cut that deep into the block, just deep enough so that the dark portions of your image are the only parts to hit the paper when you are stamping.

7. Continue cutting away until all light portions are cut away.  You should have something like this.  You'll make kind of a mess, but that is part of the fun.

8. Clean your stamp.  After I was happy with the cutting, I ran the stamp under some water to wash away loose graphite dust and carving block bits.  Dry it thoroughly.

9. Test out your stamp!  Now's the time to get out some paper and an ink pad and try out your new stamp!  If you are not happy with your cutting job, you can always go back and cut more of the block away until you get the effect you are looking for.  If you like the way your stamp looks, you are done!  I may add a wood backing or something to this stamp at some point, but it is ready to go!

I want to venture out today to find my first letterbox, but we've been experiencing a nice "Wintery Mix" all day, so I may have to postpone my adventure until tomorrow.  I am so anxious to start finding letterboxes, and making more stamps for my own letterboxes in the future!