Tag Archives: crafts

Gizmodo Challenge Light Box

Goose Egg Entry Photo
Goose Egg Entry Photo

Kevin Building Lightbox
Kevin Building Lightbox

This week’s Gizmodo Challenge was a husband and wife collaboration.  We were supposed to build a light box and take a photo of something interesting inside it.  I had  no idea what a light box was or does…but now that I do, I am sure it’s going to come in very handy in the future.  All the things I’m learning…who knew!!

We didn’t do too bad either…kinda like the 49’ers!  We almost won!

Trying Out the Lightbox
Trying Out the Lightbox

Monkey See Monkey Do

Picnic Blanket
Picnic Blanket

Here’s a calorie free project for you to try. It is simple and cute and it is also a no sew project…now we’re talking!!

The hardest part for me was choosing the fabric and it took me three visits to Jo-Ann Fabric store.  Each time I would load up the cart with numerous different rolls of fabric…walk around for about three hours

Fabric Chosen

until I felt nauseous and then when I couldn’t take it anymore,  I would walk out with nothing.  I thought for sure I was going to have my picture on the “Unwelcome Customers Wall” by the end of it.

But then my friend Rose came to the rescue and between the two of us, we ended up choosing this combo. These, plus a few more scraps I had at home, ended up being more than enough.

 Here’s the recipe 

1 yard Crypton home decor fabric
Calico Fat Quarters  8-12 purple, 3 gold, 3 green
1 pkg HeatnBond Lite
Poster Board Circle Templates 8″, 7 1/4″, 6″, 5 1/4″, 4″, 3 1/4″
Pressing cloth

Scrap of poster board for leaf pattern

Directions

From Crypton Fabric, cut 30″ x 42″ rectangle. Round the corners by tracing around with small plate.  Cut off square corners.  St Fabric aside.

Flower consists of 3 calico fabric circles, 8″, 6″ and 4″.  Cut 15 circles of each size from purple and gold fat quarters.

From HeatnBond, cut 15 circles of each size, 7 1/4″, 5 1/4″ &  3 1/4 ”

Follow manufacturer’s insturctions to fuse HeatnBond circles to back of calico circles; leave 1/4″ raw edge around. Peel off paper backing; arrange circles on RS fabric rectangle. Using press cloth, fuse circles in place.

Make two leaf patterns on poster board scrap.  Cut one pattern 1/4″ smaller all around. Cut 17-20 HeatnBond  leaves from smaller pattern and cut the same number of green fabric leaves from the larger pattern.  Fuse the HeatnBond leaves to the back of the leaf fabric, leaving 1/4″ raw edge all around.  Peel off paper backing; position into place; fuse in place.

Stitch around each fused leaf and flower circle 1/4″ fro raw edge.

Rub edges of flowers and leaves with toothbrush for a soft, raveled look.

picnic blanket

It took me about four days to make from start to finish.  Now I want to go on a picnic…

My first entry…

Ha ha, how exciting is this!!  I feel like I’m the master of my domain…

So here goes…

Lately I have been trying my hand at card making.  I think I’m more frugal than crafty…and the way this started was because I saw a beautiful rose bloom that had been blown off the bush by the wind and I did not have the heart to throw it away, so I decided to dry the petals in a kit I had bought for my daughter and who never used it.

Months later, a Gizmodo Challenge had us take a photo of something  on our Iphone.  The Bay Area was going through a series of storms and there was NO WAY I was going to go outdoors for a photo shoot in temps less than 60!!  So I had to think of something creative to take a photo of, and that’s when I remembered my drying petals.  The result was quite neat…

Ancient Bloom
Ancient Bloom

And that was what inspired me to do another one…and another and another….snail red butterfly blue butterfly vertical yellow birdcage+pot birdcage