Thursday, March 09, 2006

Cufflinks...

Brad and I spent the better part of a recent Saturday searching for a new suit for him and also gathering materials for me to make him a new cufflink box. Brad is obsessed with fancy cufflinks. When we first started dating, I made him a cufflink box (approximately 7 X 9) to store all of his pretty cufflinks, but he has long since outgrown it (the Tiffany cufflinks he got for his birthday deserve their own darn box heehee) and had been hinting that he needed a new one. I can’t possibly say “no” when someone comes up with a new crafty project for me, so of course I agreed.

We searched high and low for the perfect box and finally found a faux red crocodile leather letter box in Barnes and Noble (after we purchased a different box in Michael’s Arts & Craft Store which we later returned) and had to go to another craft store called the Rag Shop near our house to get a piece of soft foam to make the inside of the box.

After I got all my materials home, measured the inside of the box (height, width, depth) and then cut the soft foam to fit snuggly inside. I then measured the foam itself, and cut it into 8 long, equal width strips. I then pulled out this beautiful black silk velvet that I had left over from a skirt I made myself a while back, and cut the fabric into strips so each piece of foam could be completely covered in velvet before inserting it into the box. I got out my glue gun, and I was ready to roll! I glued the velvet onto each individual strip of foam. After the glue dried, I placed each velvet covered foam strip into the box to be sure of placement. When I was about halfway done, I realized that I was running out of space! There was no way that all eight strips of foam, covered in velvet, were going to fit inside the box. Seven strips, however, did fit perfectly. After all 7 were placed in the box and I checked to make sure they were snug, but not too snug, I glued each strip individually into the box. After all the glue dried, Brad had a grand ‘ole time placing his cufflinks into the box.

I was very pleased with the way this cufflink box turned out, and considering how much you’d have to spend on one of these babies in a shop or online, I’d say Brad and I go off pretty cheap. The crocodile leather letter box cost $20, the foam was $3, and the velvet originally cost me around $14 a yard when I bought it, but I only used around a ¼ of a yard. It took around an hour and a half to put it all together—and a day of running around gathering the materials. Not bad I tell ya!



Tuesday, March 07, 2006

The Bridal Shadowbox--Click me!

Here's a link to my blog about a shadowbox I made for my bridal bouquet and wedding invitation.

I actually have to make another one very soon! Since my husband and i got married on Halloween, we bought these really beautiful masks--I went as a fairy, he as a demon. Well now our masks (which set us back quite the pretty penny let me tell you!)are sitting in a box in storage with a whole bunch of other things from the wedding. Well I need to get those pricey masks into a shadowbox themselves! I'll post pics of that when it is finished.
Here's my husband and I in our Wedding Halloween masks:

The First Blanket--Click me!

Here's a link my blog about the first crocheted blanket I ever made :-)

This is the original plan for the blanket that I sketched out when I started:

Scarves, scarves, and more scarves...

Of course, as a crochet beginner, the first projects I took on were of the scarf variety. I crocheted my little heart out during all of December to make sure I had some comfy, cozy homemade presents to give my loved ones. I experimented with various types of yarn, and thanks to feedback from my mom, I've decided that I do not like the Lion's Brand Homespun. It sheds all over everything! I prefer working with chenille and cotton thus far for scarves because they just hold their shape nicely and are very soft.
Here's a sample of a recently-made scarf:


I made this one as a prize for a poetry contest my husband and I ran at our last poetry reading. Here's Will, the recipent of the scarf!

Thursday, March 02, 2006

I'm a krafty lady!

I decided to start a blog dedicated to the various crafts I work on (or krafts as I like to call them) because I spend so much of my free time working on them. Krafting is something I do because I love making things and working with my hands, and because it is very soothing and zen-like. In today's crazy, stress-filled world, it's nice to do something that doesn't put added stress in your life. To me, coming up with a project, gathering the supplies, facing obstacles and then problem-solving through them, is very satisfying. The name of this blog (and my website) was coined by my best friend Jenn--whenever I'd tell her about my latest krafty project, she'd start singing the Beastie Boys song "She's Crafty." Though that wasn't what the BB had in mind when they wrote the song, it sort of became my krafting moto :-)

I'm currently obsessed with crocheting, but I've enjoyed all sorts of kraft projects over the years: sewing, tiling, making boxes, collage, candle-making, soap-making & beauty products (like salves, scrubs, and perfume), and the list goes on and on.

The first thing I can remember making were clothes for my Barbie dolls (who were very far from normal looking Barbies with their marker dyed hair and punk rock make up, but that is a whole other story). I used scraps of fabric that a neighbor gave me (left over from her quilting projects)and first started draping, and then moved on to actually sewing them together. I think I was around 8 years old when I sewed my first Barbie outfit. I still remember it: a knee-length pleated skirt in grey with small white polka dots. I have always loved polka dots. I wish I still had it, but I have a picture of it in my head. I probably remember it better than it was, but still. I remember using hook-and-eye closures on it, so the skirt actually stayed on the doll! No safety pins! But I'm getting away from the topic.

This is a blog dedicated to all of my various kraft projects. I'll probably start out with some pictures of recent projects that I've already completed, and then move onto the ones I'm in the midst of. I'm looking forward to getting feedback from other krafty-minded people, and discussing all things krafty. I am in the middle of building my website, www.sheskraftyonline.com, where I will be selling some of my handcrafted and homemade products. Looking forward to hearing from everyone!

Enjoy!
xoxo
christine