Stencils and Stamps

I've always liked buying rubber stamps more than I like using rubber stamps. I see the designs in the store ("oh what a cute goldfish!") but when I get them home to my inks, I don't like the outcome ("How the heck am I going to use a goldfish?!") So I have all these stamps. And yes I kind of keep buying them. If you're like me, this technique is for you. Take all those stamps and use them not for the individual image but for the texture the image can make.

Got Questions for Sherrill Kahn?

Multimedia artist Sherrill Kahn arrives at the Creative Catalyst studio in two weeks to film her first instructional DVD workshop. Is there something you've been wanting to ask Sherrill? Some process you'd like her to show? Now is your chance! Email questions to me at kelly[at]ccpvideos.com

Paper Scraps!

After a paper project I find that I have a bunch of scraps left over. These pieces are too small to use in a project but I hate to throw such beautiful scraps away. Now a solution: put them through a paper shredder and use them as confetti! It works as a little surprise in an envelope or even as pretty packing material for shipping small jewelry and crafts to friends, family or ETSY customers.

More Polymer Ideas

I love the idea of fun simple projects that people can use with their children or to add cute touches to holidays. I watched Dayle Doroshow's 2 "International Inspiration" polymer clay DVDs with this in mind and here's what I came up with. All of the projects are really simple and just meant to be fun and cute.

Easter Bulletin board pins:


Just use a cookie cutter to make a butterfly. Press in a pattern before polymer goes into oven. Paint. Hot glue a flat pin on the back and wallah!

Flower Pipe Cleaner Rings:


Wrap pipe cleaner around your finger to fit. Twist so that it closes and won't pop open. Use the rest of pipe cleaner to make a flat nest to glue the flower to and a leaf. Hot glue a cookie cut polymer flower to the flat nest.


Easter Tree Ornaments:
Take cookie cut flower and put a hole in the top before baking. After cools and painted, add a loop and ribbon and hang from a tree inside or out.

Easter Fun

After so many holidays using one color set it was really a treat to use a different palette for spring. (SPRING!)

Here are some of what I'm working on.

Idea 1:

Instead of Easter Baskets why not give someone a cute Easter cup?! Imagine finding one of these on your office desk or night stand!


Ingredients:
-coffee mugs in a Spring color- check your local Goodwill or thrift store. This cup was .99
-green napkins (Target is a great source)
-four different colors card stock
-pipe cleaner
-and of course CHOCOLATE!

Recipe:
I used cookie cutters to outline the flowers.
-Cut four flowers each a slightly different size.


-Poke a small hole in the center of the cut flower. (A push pin would work)
-Slide flowers onto a short green pipe cleaner.
-Cut napkin as indicated below and unfold.

-Stuff into cute mug and fill with chocolate.


-Plant flowers in. You could even tie a little tag and note with paper and ribbon to the mug handle.

More to come!

Monday Rain

Oregon is having the typical finicky spring weather. Yesterday was ride-your-bike-in-shorts weather and today is bundle-yourself-in-a-sweater weather.

I'll begin working on Craft Cat tonight after the official work day is over. I moved a bunch of my art supplies out of CCP and therefor have to do some of the work at home in an apartment still filled with moving boxes.

Issue V should hit email in boxes next week Thursday-ish. I feel like I might have just cursed myself.

In the meantime however, check out the old issues.

PS- I made the above using what I learned in Claudine Hellmuth's first two DVDs as part of the Try This at Home Challenge. Check out this month's TTHC!

Craft Cat: Project 1 (Tea)

Due to the chaos of the past week, our news letter didn't include Craft Cat. I wanted to put up some ideas for Holiday projects. Please forgive the photography. It was sort of snap and go.

But before the projects, here's some updates on what's going down here:

-filming with David Kitler finished up last night around 10pm. This was sort of a marathon shoot in that David's work has such detail. Filming didn't wrap until 11:30pm one night even! The man can draw and the DVD is going to be great. We wish him a safe drive back north.

-Zach is working on Claudine Hellmuth's DVD audio as I write, which means we are getting closer to getting that out. I'm really excited about this and have been playing with the techniques since she filmed in October. I've kept mum but it's almost too hard.

-I'm in the middle of the final rough edit of Sherri Haab Metal Clay. The Watson and Guptel book/DVD comes out I think in spring. We'll be releasing at least one more of her DVDs then. Your gifting with never be the same!

-Tonight is the Holiday Party complete with secret santas. We just got the news this morning that Lynn and Jim are giving us Friday AND Tuesday off. Very nice of them. Zach and I will both be using some of that time to make up hours. We *almost* got to leave our computers!

Onto the goods:

Project 1: Decorative Tea


Ingredients:
Assortment of Tea
Small rectangles of various papers
Stapler


Recipe:
Remove paper tags from tea bags. (Careful with the staple)
Add your paper and staple.

Wrap these in a box and give with a pretty mug for a complete gift!