Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Iris Folding

 This is Katahdin. He was one of the first cards I ever made using Iris Folding. He was also my first cat. A big all-outdoor cat who would eat squirrels (except the tails....because really, who would eat a tail when you can have raw entrails?!?!). I would find big, grey squirrel tails from time to time on the lawn. I never really understood him. But, I knew enough to keep him far away from my Munchkin because, seriously, he tended to Stalk and (obviously) he had an appetite. He ran away this past fall, and I wouldn't be surprised if he had set up his own Squirrel burger cafe somewhere out in the woods behind our house.
I digress: Iris Folding is a craft that on the surface appears to be quite complicated, but when you actually give it a try you realize how very simple it is in reality.  I found this great site with a basic tutorial and free templates here .
For my Munchkins first birthday I made this card:
It's really a lot of fun to make these. All you need is an:
Exacto Knife
Cardstock
Decorative paper (origami paper works well, too) 
Tape 
Template (you can make your own easily enough)

For instructions (with pictures) on how to do a basic template....which will give you an idea on how to do *any* template....click here.
Here is where you can find some free templates (in the center of the page there is a tab for Alphabet templates.....I can really imagine some fun children's room decorations coming out of those). There are some simplistic templates ones here.
Have FUN!! Happy CRAFTING!!

I joined these Linky Parties:
Creative Therapy
Make It Yours Day
Show Us What You're Workin' With
Whatever Goes Wednesday
We Did It Wednesday
Thirfty Thursday
Under $100 Linky Party
Get Your Craft On
Bring in the Spring Blog Party
Thursday's Treasures
Strut Your Stuff
Feature Yourself Friday
Look at Me I'm So Crafty
It's HodgePodge Friday
Frugalicious Friday
I'm a Creative Cat
Weekend Wrap Up Party
Saturday Nite Special
Flaunt It Friday
Check Me Out Saturday
Make It For Monday
Just Something I Whipped Up
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Monday, April 5, 2010

1949 Birth Announcement

Isn't this the cutest little Birth Announcement?!?! It belongs to my Mother-in-Law. She was born in 1949, a daughter of a pilot from WWII. I love those little goggles on the baby and the little Avaiator cap. 
The Announcement says:

THE ARRIVAL OF A NEW MODEL
Pilot
Co-pilot
Flight Captain Doc
Passenger
Weight____ lbs_____oz
Arrived on
INSPECTION INVITED

What a great Birth Announcement for an avid aviator. :-) This is a Hallmark. I thought maybe some of you might be interested in spinning your own idea off this card.
Here are the Linky Parties I joined up with.....check them out!!
Just Something I Whipped Up 
Making the World Cuter Monday 
Made By You Monday 
Market Yourself Monday 
Make Your Monday 
Make It For Moday 


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Saturday, April 3, 2010

A Tisket A Tasket

I
I've Made My Munchkin's Easter Basket!!!!
I've been dabbling in some very beginning basketry, and I thought I'd give coiled baskets a try. To really achieve a coiled design, you shouldn't be able to see reed/paper that form the coils, they should wrapped fully. But, as I started this project last night and didn't finish until three in the morning (can you say, **snore**) I decided to make the project a little more simple. I like the way it turned out. 
The flowers like it too. There were so many bee's in our garden this morning. I love to see honey bees. That's what my name, Melissa, means. :-)
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Friday, April 2, 2010

Easter Basketry

"I, a woman, have dropped the symbols of my sex, yarn, shuttle, basket, thread."
~Olympia Morata
I picked up most of what you dropped, Olympia.
I spent some time yesterday and today making some Easter baskets. I found a tutorial on weaving baskets out of paper and I thought, "Hmmm, I've got some marbelized paper to use up!!". So, I covered 3 pieces of paper with contact paper (for strength and waterproofing) and went to it. I think the colors meld well with the Spring feeling in the air. 70 degrees in Maine today!!
I thought I'd try it with some paper twist as well. It was lucky that my munchkin requested that I pretend to be Trusty from Lady and the Tramp....because I was growling up a storm for this basket. I just told her I'm a method actor. The paper twist was just way too easy to bend....and that made it harder to weave. But, still, I like the way it turned out:
Just don't look too closely. ;-) 
This bee couldn't help himself.
Enjoy this gorgeous weekend!!!!
Here are some places I linked this project too, check them out and be inspired!!
Feature Yourself Friday
Creative Cats
Spring Has Sprung
Get Your Craft On
Thursday's Treasures
Strut Your Stuff
Show And Tell
Weekend Wrap Up Party
Saturday Nite Special




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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Blue Morpho Butterfly Craft


I bought a fabric butterfly decoration at Marden's a few of summers ago for a couple of bucks, and I have gotten a lot of compliments on it. When I looked at it closely I realized how easy it would be to make one!! Recently, we took a trip to the Boston Museum of Science and we got a chance to go into the Butterfly House. What a cool experience!! You are surrounded by so many different butterflies in this greenhouse environment....with beautiful lush greenery and sturdy benches for lounging and hoping to inspire a butterfly to land on you. I happened to catch one of the Morpho's with it's wings layed out (a rare treat, as they are usual tucked up, the attendant told me). Here is my picture:
Well, I endeavored to make my own Blue Morpho. If you'd like to make one of your own here's what you'll need:

3 White Metal Coat Hangars
1 Q-Size White Waist Nylons
White Thread + Sewing Machine
Polyester Filling for Body
Blue Fabric Paint
Black Paint
White 3/d fabric paint
Paintbrush
Spray Bottle
Floral Wire
Blow Dryer
Pliers

I took the three metal hangars and formed two into the shape of the larger wings and the last one into the two smaller wings:
Then I used the pliers and squeezed/twisted them all together with the sharp ends turned in as best as I could:
Time to get the nylon. I trimmed off the very end of the stockings and sewed my own ends, rounding them a bit more to make them fit the shape of the wing. Cut off enough fabric up the leg so that it will cover one large wing entirely. Remember it will stretch (and you're going to want it to). You should have a tube that's sealed up on one side. Make another one for the larger wing and turn them both right-side out. For the smaller bottom wings you need to make a shorter tube with both ends sewed shut and a hole sliced in the center of the edge. Turn this one inside out too.
Fit all the nylon tubes onto their corresponding wings and quickly tie them together to make them stay. You'll sew them to the main body in a few steps. To make the main body, get one long flat piece of nylon, and fold it length-wise in half. Then sew in an elongated crescent shape to make the top of the head and the tail.

Sew Along the dotted lines in the picture above. Make sure to leave a large opening on the sides so that you can squeeze wings through it. Fit the piece (turned rightside out) on the middle of the butterfly and stuff some polyester filling into the head and tail. Start sewing the piece together....attaching the body shape to the wings on the front and back of the body. Leave enough of a hole to fill the rest of it entirely with the batting. Then, sew it shut.
Once that is finished, use a running stich with the white thread and sew circles around the filled body, making it look like segments. Do that to the entire body.
Time to paint!! Grab your spray bottle and add some blue fabric paint. Mix in some water as well and lay your butterfly down on some newspaper. Spray that bug!!
Forget about the glue dots you see in this picture.....I had this grand idea....and it didn't pan out. I used a blow dryer to speed up the dryer process and help set the fabric paint. Then, it was time for the black.
You might want to use some foam to cushion between the wings while you're painting. I just used my own image of a Morpho and one picture I found through google to paint the butterfly. I used the blow dryer again to dry this paint.....mostly because I was impatient. Now add some white dots (I used watered down 3d white paint to give it a little more oomph) to the wings. 

You can add some antennae.  I used floral wire,  painted it black, threaded it through the head of the Morpho and curled the tips. I squeezed the head with the wire in there and tried to make it an unusal shape on the inside so that it wouldn't slip out easily. 

And then, you are DONE!!!! Whew, that was a long tutorial. I love the effect of this Butterfly on the wall of my Munchkins room. You really could do so many things with this style of craft!!!! 
Here are some Parties I linked up to, check them out....they are so inspiring!!!!
Make It Yours Day
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