Two New How-to Videos

Hi Guys....I created these two new how to videos on mark making tools and flattening bottle caps.....Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/pH723KBePRM

 

http://youtu.be/pH723KBePRM

 

Making Paper Beads...

I was recently inspired by mixed media artist and YouTube blogger Jennibellie to try my hand at making paper beads. I created a video post you can see here...

http://youtu.be/Zuo3QAQk5qY

I also am a huge fan of so many artists....but Jennibellie is definitely one of them. She has a great knack for using and reusing what is at hand.....

You can check out her YouTube videos here. 

http://www.youtube.com/user/jennibellie 

I think you will greatly inspired...I was....

How to make a pallet stand out of a bar stool....

Hi Everyone....I have been painting a lot lately and realized I needed something to put my paint pallet on that would sit next to my easel for easy reach of my paints and tools.....but of course I had little or no budget. So here is what I came up with.

I went to a few thrift shops looking for a bar stool of plant stand. Something about waist height in wood. No back or one that could be removed(if it was a stool) and cheap. I found this...

Then I took a trip to the hardware store....Thee a purchased a lazy susan gizmo(don't know the proper name), a round precut piece of wood and some S hooks from the plant department....

I just looked it up and I guess it is called a lazy susan swivel. They have them online here http://www.thehardwarehut.com

Then I went home to get to work....


One of the hardest parts to do was getting the old vinyl and cushion off. Those staples just did not want to come out....But some pliers and a screw driver got it done.

Then I placed the lazy susan part on top of the stool and centered it. I turned it a bit to show the holes in the bottom piece and marked them with a pencil. I then used a drill to drill holes all the way threw the top of the stool at each hole..

 Then I went into my husbands hardware stash and found four bolts with washers and nuts that would go threw the lazy susan part and the top of the stool. There had to be enough sticking out on the bottom to attach the nut....But I did not attach it yet!

I placed the bolts and washers threw the lazy susan part only....re-aligned the top of the part and bottom and flipped it over...

 I then placed it onto my pre-cut round piece of wood I bought and centered it. I got one just slightly larger than my stool top. I again twisted to lazy susan part to show the holes in the corners of the other side. I marked them with a pencil and drilled a pilot hole. If you don't do this the wood may split when you drill in the screws. I got four wood screws from my husbands stash. Try to make sure they are not too long to go out the other side. And I screwed the lazy susan part into the wood round.

I flipped the wood round over and lined up the bolts that were sticking out with the holes in the top of the stool. It too some finagling and a couple of pairs of pliers, but I got all the nuts on and tightened up.

 I used sticky backed Velcro to attach my plexiglass pallet to the round wood top. It holds it securely but can still be removed for cleaning. I used the S hooks on the stool rungs to attach baskets for paint and my color wheel. I have noticed that I may need to make a low stand for it with casters....as I love it and use it so much but may need to move it around to my work table when I am working on things not on my easel like my art journals.

I hope you all find this useful and inspiring. Go out to create and play!

Don't Throw out those old greeting cards! I can make something from them....

This type of thing is said often at my house to eye rolls and other "she is crazy" gestures. You get use to it after a while. One of my favorite things to craft with though is old greeting cards. You can make so many things from them....Ornaments, gift tags, gift boxes and more. Here I have made some gift boxes and tags. To make the boxes first separate the back from the front with a straight edge and a craft knife. then make the back about 1/4 inch smaller than the front. Mark all edges of the front and back at about one inch in from each edge and fold up. Using your straight edge and craft knife again....at each short end....cut from the fold line one inch in to the fold line across the entire short end...do this at all four corners...on both short ends....do this to both pieces of the card. Now to assemble. Glue your folded tabs to the inside of the side of the short end on all four side of the top and bottom. Decorate the top with bows, ribbon, glitter, crystals or whatever is in your stash. Now you have a cute gift box for that gift card or jewelry.

The gift tags are even easier. use cards with cute designs on the front. Cut off the front and discard the back. You can add a sentiment using rubber stamps to the front. Punch a hole in the top for string. Rubber stamp on the back To and From. using glue and glitter ...decorate the edges.....or you could ink the edges. If the card is made of slick paper use permanent ink. Add ribbon or string to the top and you are done. You could do a bunch of these ahead of time and have them ready for the holidays. Or you could box a selection of them to give as a gift.

Here are some more web sites with crafts using old cards. What have you made with them?


http://www.ehow.com/how_9171_recycle-reuse-holiday.html
http://www.makingthishome.com/2009/03/26/how-to-reuse-old-birthday-cards/
http://www.makingfriends.com/readers_cards.htm
http://www.tiphero.com/tips_3596_14-ways-to-reuse-old-greeting-cards.html
http://familycrafts.about.com/od/greetingcardcrafts/Greeting_Card_Crafts.htm
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/recycling-crafts/greeting-card-box.shtml

http://familycrafts.about.com/od/greetingcardcrafts/tp/GreetingCardCrafts.htm

New Uses For Old Jeans

For this first post I thought I would talk about what to do with my favorite cast off....Old jeans....

 

A while back I needed a heavy duty work apron. Something I could craft in and not worry about glue, paint or anything else getting on it. I didn't really want to go out and buy something. I figured I should have something around the house that I could make into a cute yet serviceable apron. I realized I had a bag of my family’s old clothes in the garage that were headed to donation. Maybe there was something in there I could use. Sure enough I found a stash of old blue jeans. The denim material from the jeans would make a great apron. So I gathered the jeans, my sewing machine, scissors, some ribbon I had for the straps and ties, thread, a pillowcase, tennis balls, and a denim sewing machine needle and set out to make my apron. I cut the legs off at the crotch. Then I split the legs open on one of the side seams. Over lapping the cut edges and not trying to hide the fraying denim, I sewed the two legs together to form one flat piece of fabric. This is the bottom of the apron. Then I took the seat of the jeans and separated the front from the back. I wanted to use the back side of the jeans for the front top of my apron. I went and grabbed a kitchen apron to use as a pattern and laid it over the leg piece to figure size and where to place the back pockets for the top. Using the same piecing technique I used on the legs I attached the top. Then using the kitchen apron again I laid it out on top of the denim and traced around it using a marker. I cut the denim just inside this line and then sewed around all sides, except for where they waist band it forming the top.  Trim seams  even on the front and cut slits into denim towards stitches but not all the way to stitches. Trim excess from back on aprons seams. Wash in the washing machine and dryer. This will give you that great frayed denim look. Then cut your ribbon for you neck strap and waist ties and attach to apron. Now you have a great utility apron that will really last and probably looks better the more paint that gets on it. Now I have a great apron to craft in, garden in or whatever. I do a lot with recycled crafts, which you can see on my web site at www.ginabahrens.com. 

I have also used them to make handbags, book covers, lunch sacks, table runners, cosmetic bags, diaper bags, oven mitts and hanging kitchen towels. What can you think of to make out of old jeans?