I must say, a lot has happened on this lovely blog in a year's time. I have teetered back and forth between crafts and books, so I must revise my previous statement in "Ode to a White Page" (see The Ode). I must give equally to both of my passions. :)
I thank all of you who have been with me through this time! I do hope you stay on with me on my crafty, thought-filled, bookish journey.
~Alexis~
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Sparkling Adornments
For the necklace with the whimsical peacock the interesting piece is the little beads with wire artfully wrapped around them. I spotted them in the store and instantly knew they would go perfectly with the pendant I picked out. That is one reason I cannot go shopping too often at craft stores. I will always find something that is "perfect for this!" or "perfect for that!" and I will spend WAY too much money. :)
When I made the gold necklace I was going for sophisticated, but stylish. I was browsing the beads to find gold tones and I found these super cute beads with wire "netting" around them. The beads themselves were not as nice as the others I found, but with the wire "netting" you can't hardly tell. :) I exuberantly went to the checkout counter after this outing, let me tell you!
More posts are imminent!
Alexis
Reflection on Seasons
I am loving winter, but I miss summer wedding season! :) This is a design that I considered for a simple monogram pillowcase I was commissioned to make. I am not totally sure this is the design I ended up using, though, because I took this picture so long ago! Hopefully, I will be able to get a picture from my commissioner. Readers, make a point to take pictures of the gifts you give away! It is so nice to look back and see the work you have done-and then it can inspire you with new designs. :)
As I was saying, I love winter, and it has given me an opportunity to work on a small afghan and my crewel embroidery piece that I posted about previously (see Jacobian Pomegranate Take 2). I will definitely be posting pictures and posting soon about those projects!
Meanwhile, some tips for monogram design. I like to find a font that I like and then I customize it to fit the personality(ies) of the person(people) I am making it for. Sometimes this includes adding a special design around the outside of the monogram (flowers for a gardener, pink or blue designs for a baby girl or boy, etc. The sky is the limit!) and other times it is designing the letters myself. A helpful tip for finding the personality of your commissioner-their wedding/baby/etc. registry at a store! The registry will also give you guidelines on color and can often supply inspiration for designs. I really enjoy personalizing my monograms. :)
Hopefully I can get pictures of my craftiness up soon!
Alexis
Monday, February 6, 2012
Inheritance: A Excellent Ending or Fabulous Flop?
Dear Readers,
If you have not gotten the chance to read the Inheritance Cycle I would encourage you to read it. I love the way Paolini describes his country and lets us get to know his characters. Though the ending of the last book, Inheritance, seemed lackluster at first, I have decided that its simplicity compliments the intricacies of the previous books and appears to finally bring peace and easiness to Eragon's turbulent world. Overall, it is an excellent series that encourages honor, uprightness, and shows what makes a true hero-all things out young people should be reading about and implicating in their lives.
Have a Great Day!
Alexis
If you have not gotten the chance to read the Inheritance Cycle I would encourage you to read it. I love the way Paolini describes his country and lets us get to know his characters. Though the ending of the last book, Inheritance, seemed lackluster at first, I have decided that its simplicity compliments the intricacies of the previous books and appears to finally bring peace and easiness to Eragon's turbulent world. Overall, it is an excellent series that encourages honor, uprightness, and shows what makes a true hero-all things out young people should be reading about and implicating in their lives.
Have a Great Day!
Alexis
God's Wondrous Creation-In A Necklace
There is no doubt that God's creation is beautiful. Every new day its uniqueness increases, and it is virtually impossible to replicate-but we can try!
This necklace, a beauty made to replicate the fall leaf of a chrysanthemum, is a joy to create, and I appreciated how easy it was to make something that pretty.
To make the pendant of the necklace I used paper clay. In my mom's art class she introduced the technique of imprinting leaves to make an almost exact white carbon copy that would dry and you could paint. I chose the leaves of the chrysanthemum plant that grows in our back flowerbed because they had a lovely red color creeping up from the edges and I thought it would make an interesting necklace. Basically, you roll out the paper clay (which you can get at Michael's) to the thickness you would like your leaf to be. Mine was about a quarter inch thick. Then you carefully press the leaf into the clay and cut around the outline of the leaf with clay tools. (Your leaf should still be stuck in the clay) Now smooth the sides of your clay so that they match the sides of your leaf. Carefully peel the leaf off. This part is crucial. If your clay was too wet or too dry (Usually right out of the package and rolled a few times is perfect) the clay will rip or not have imprinted enough. I did three leaves so that I would be sure to have at least one nice one. Lastly, with a paperclip that is stretched out poke a decent sized hole into the clay if you would like it to be some sort of jewelry or ornament.
Let the clay dry. We shaped our leaves by laying them across foil that was bunched up and then let them bake awhile in the toaster oven.
The next step is coloring your leaf. You can make it any color you would like-it does not have to realistic. One of my mom's students had a blue leaf! We used watercolors on our leaves. Watercolors blend easily so they were ideal for showing the many colors and layers leaves have. Once the watercolors dry we put a clear varnish on the leaves so that they would last longer and be a little shiny.
Next is my favorite part-shopping! I went to Michaels for a toggle clasp-rose gold colored- and beads to match to my leaf. I felt that the red part of the leaf was key to making this necklace really neat so I picked up a few different beads in reddish tones and only a couple in green. I used all natural beads-stones-because my pendant was a natural looking and feeling element and I wanted to accentuate that.
Final step-stringing the necklace. I used beader's wire which is very flexible and is unlike normal wire in that it doesn't hold shape. That makes it excellent for a necklace. Since the leaf's hole was too far in from the edge to secure it to the necklace with a loop I did a slip knot with the beading wire and it gave it a rustic look. I used a crimping tool to secure the beads and a cutting tool to trim the excess.
Voila!~A finished necklace that is an excellent gift and a fun accessory!
"Try something new today"~Alexis
This necklace, a beauty made to replicate the fall leaf of a chrysanthemum, is a joy to create, and I appreciated how easy it was to make something that pretty.
To make the pendant of the necklace I used paper clay. In my mom's art class she introduced the technique of imprinting leaves to make an almost exact white carbon copy that would dry and you could paint. I chose the leaves of the chrysanthemum plant that grows in our back flowerbed because they had a lovely red color creeping up from the edges and I thought it would make an interesting necklace. Basically, you roll out the paper clay (which you can get at Michael's) to the thickness you would like your leaf to be. Mine was about a quarter inch thick. Then you carefully press the leaf into the clay and cut around the outline of the leaf with clay tools. (Your leaf should still be stuck in the clay) Now smooth the sides of your clay so that they match the sides of your leaf. Carefully peel the leaf off. This part is crucial. If your clay was too wet or too dry (Usually right out of the package and rolled a few times is perfect) the clay will rip or not have imprinted enough. I did three leaves so that I would be sure to have at least one nice one. Lastly, with a paperclip that is stretched out poke a decent sized hole into the clay if you would like it to be some sort of jewelry or ornament.
Let the clay dry. We shaped our leaves by laying them across foil that was bunched up and then let them bake awhile in the toaster oven.
The next step is coloring your leaf. You can make it any color you would like-it does not have to realistic. One of my mom's students had a blue leaf! We used watercolors on our leaves. Watercolors blend easily so they were ideal for showing the many colors and layers leaves have. Once the watercolors dry we put a clear varnish on the leaves so that they would last longer and be a little shiny.Next is my favorite part-shopping! I went to Michaels for a toggle clasp-rose gold colored- and beads to match to my leaf. I felt that the red part of the leaf was key to making this necklace really neat so I picked up a few different beads in reddish tones and only a couple in green. I used all natural beads-stones-because my pendant was a natural looking and feeling element and I wanted to accentuate that.
Final step-stringing the necklace. I used beader's wire which is very flexible and is unlike normal wire in that it doesn't hold shape. That makes it excellent for a necklace. Since the leaf's hole was too far in from the edge to secure it to the necklace with a loop I did a slip knot with the beading wire and it gave it a rustic look. I used a crimping tool to secure the beads and a cutting tool to trim the excess.
Voila!~A finished necklace that is an excellent gift and a fun accessory!
"Try something new today"~Alexis
Friday, February 3, 2012
The Completed Beaded Clutch
 |
| The finished product! |
Because the lining was easily frayed and slickery, I put a simple cotton fabric between it and the outside fabric to add extra support.
This was a really enjoyable project to do. I did have to use a small "TV" tray to keep the beads contained, but this project is easily done in front of your favorite television show or while listening to a book on tape.
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| The multiple layers of fabric, and shiny gold! |
Have a fabulous day!
Alexis
Friday, January 27, 2012
"Project Christmas Card"
Well, it certainly has been awhile, hasn't it? I was unable to post quite a few projects last year because they were Christmas presents, but now I have all the pictures uploaded! Soon there will be incredible amounts of blog for ya'll to read. :)
This is "Project Christmas Card". The card itself is an original watercolor that my mom painted. (You can see her amazing crafts on "Life In Watercolor", her blog) We had them printed as cards to sell. What we do is emboss the gold star on the card and on the envelope. It is a really fun family project. :)
Embossing is an easy, inexpensive way to dress cards up. I enjoy watching the embossing glitter melt and form a shiny image on my cards. It definitely brings new meaning to the term, "liquid gold".
If you are interested in purchasing them and getting a head start on this Christmas, let me know! :)
 |
| The Christmas Card and Envelope |
This is "Project Christmas Card". The card itself is an original watercolor that my mom painted. (You can see her amazing crafts on "Life In Watercolor", her blog) We had them printed as cards to sell. What we do is emboss the gold star on the card and on the envelope. It is a really fun family project. :)
Embossing is an easy, inexpensive way to dress cards up. I enjoy watching the embossing glitter melt and form a shiny image on my cards. It definitely brings new meaning to the term, "liquid gold".
If you are interested in purchasing them and getting a head start on this Christmas, let me know! :)
 |
| The gorgeous watercolor |
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