Gifts Recieved - Gifts Treasured

 Over the years I find some of the greatest treasures to be those that were created or embellished by hand, not machine. Creation and art is life and means more than you can find at any superstore. We need to celebrate the hand made arts more, the people that create them, and the people who give them. They are truly beautiful.

The first is a hand made cross, I think it was crocheted. To be honest, crochet, knitting, and the like are things I know little about. (I'm just learning to knit on my own.) Someone made these cross bookmarks for me and my siblings but I can't remember who. An older family friend perhaps. (I feel bad for this, but I can't help it.) Some of them were of only one color, but I favored the one with the rainbow of colors. For years it hung on the bulletin board in my bedroom.

The little girl figurine was a gift from a my grandmother years ago for Christmas, crafted  by a friend of hers from church. The tiny book in the doll's in hand is "Christy." It is a movie and mini series that we shared. It doesn't sit more than 2 inches high.

The small chest was a gift fro a friend in high school. She found a small chest and stained it in a cedar to match the cedar chest I had made years before. I use it now to hold coins I've collected from different around the world as well as my small collection of pressed pennies. It sits on a shelf in my room amongst old family photos.

Embrace the gifts that mean the most because they were chosen just for you, made with someone's own hand.

A Puppy from my Past

Years ago (no need to get exact with numbers & ages), I learned a little about ceramics by making a ceramic puppy for a Girl Scout fair entry. It was exciting to make something that wasn't out of popcicle sticks or salt dough.

I got to go to the ceramic shop and pick out something, then take it back to the house where my aunt taught me how to clean up the edges and paint the eyes. I even got to learn to a painting technique of dry brushing to accent the brown with white to make it look more like fur.

I don't what or if I placed on it when I entered it in the county fair that year, but I remember it being a chance for me to take on something new and to learn new techniques. It still sits on one of my shelves, initialed and dated on the bottom.

Camp Tales - A Sinking Feeling

At one camp the Craft Hall and the Nature Center worked together whenever we could to combine crafts & nature. One of our favorite shared projects was to make plaster castings of animal prints. We kept our eyes at for good spots; along the nearby river or the on-site pond served rich with tracks of animals coming in for water.

One sunny afternoon a small group of staff (including me and the toy Pomeranian that lived with me on site) took a group of kids and headed towards a creek that was fed by the river. It was rich with tracks of deer and raccoon of all sizes. There were some wonderful & delicate tiny prints from baby raccoon. To make the castings the animal print in filled in with the plaster of paris mixture, let dry, removed, allowed to dry thoroughly, and cleaned. (We always made sure to put the camp name and year on the bottom as well.) This meant you had to get to the print to fill it and then again after it set.

On this particular day, some of the kids found some great prints on the other side of the little creek, that seemed rather shallow. My five foot three frame started across the muddy space, while one of the younger staffers stayed on the bank with the kids and my 5 lb. dog. The bottom was muddy and my feet stuck a few times, but mud and dirt are a part of camp & nature. No big deal, right? I thought that, until I got stuck. It wasn't just a little stuck, I sunk and as mud and water moved up past my knees and towards my waist I wasn't able to get myself unstuck. I probably would have sunk more, but I found a hard surface on a log that had fallen into. (If it wasn't a log, I don't want to know and would rather continue to believe it was a log.) A few of the kids were worried, I was drenched, and my little dog was freaking out from his perch in the dog purse. (I know it doesn't sound very camp-like, but most of the staff had dogs on site, mine was just small and elderly.) With a little help from the fellow staffer in the muck and mud with me I was able to get freed from the mud and back to dry land. I was covered in mud from toe to waist, but the dog and the kids seemed much happier to have me unstuck.

We got a number of good castings that day and I was able to sen a younger staffer to find me a change of dry shorts from my cabin while we cleaned them up. I may have been stuck in mud up to my knees and water a bit higher, but mud is a part of life sometimes... and definitely a part of camp life.

Fossil Imprints

Making paperweights or just something fun can be a great way to get kids involved in exploring nature, being interested in the natural world around them, and make something they can keep. The casting pictured was from projects I did with a three-year-old I took care of one summer (I spent everyday up to 8 or more hours with her, even traveling on vacation with the family as their nanny). We collected flowers, leaves, twigs, pine cones, and other bits from nature and mixed them with seashells as a fun way to learn about nature and fossils. (We did learning projects everyday that summer.) They could be painted when dry to add another element.

We used Plaster of Paris at one of my camps to make imprints of animal tracks. Mainly we found deer and raccoon tracks near places where they went to drink.

It Doesn't Always Have to be Storebought - Handmade Gifts

Handmade gifts are always best & I have a few from friends & family.

A friend made these metallic painted handmade little clay creations for the tables at her wedding (pictured with the green background). (An artist in her own right.) She wanted something original that she made to be a part of the decorations. They had natural variations in the process of hand forming each one. (Some of them has little hearts with her husband-to-be's initials. Mine is not one of them.) It's great to catch little things like rings and earrings or a delicate necklace. (Some of them had had little candles in them.) One of the best things about these - she did something her way and celebrated her art, incorporating it into her special day.

I grew up involved in community based groups (such as 4-H and Girl Scouts), that often put a great importance on volunteering and being a positive part of the community. It may sound corny or idealistic to some, but I would like to think it did help shape elements of my ideals and instill a sense of responsibility.

Napkin Holder

As a Girl Scout, one of these involvements included "adopting" a "grandparent" at a local nursing home we often visited. (Pretty typical community involvement project.) I got a feisty woman who liked to work on plastic canvas needlepoint, including a house design napkin holder (pictured) that she gave me. It's something that years later, I still have and still think of her fondly when I see it. It was something she shared with me.

The photo album was a birthday gift from aunt this year. She has really gotten into scrap booking projects and card making. She embellished the cover inside and out for a personalized birthday present (to go along with a handmade card and cookies from a nearby bakery).

Photo Album Cover

Inside Cover of Album

Sculpted Mermaid

This mermaid, painted with green fins and seaweed was made from salt dough (I had some extra leftover from the napkin rings and started playing around) and baked in a 200 degree oven slowly until dried through. (I also turned her over after I knew the top was dried to help evenly dry her out and dry the bottom.) \

She was painted with acrylic paints, letting each layer/color dry before starting the next one. (The salt dough absorbed the paint quickly with the first layer and I had to be careful of the paint "pulling" the not yet dry stuff as I added more or with details.) I didn't have flesh colored pain, so that had to be mixed. Once the green fins and black hair was painted and dry I added details of red seaweed through her hair and across her body, then little flowers of orange-ish and white buds.

I love, love, love mermaids and keep trying to perfect my abilities to create them as well as find new ways to utilize them in my creations. I'm sure they will show up again... and again... and again. There really are not enough mermaids in crafting, art, or life.

Bring on the mermaids!

Charm Hemp Necklace

This is just hemp charm necklace is an example of something fun I was playing around with. The charms were made with tiny bits of white Sculpey clay and bits of twisty ties inserted into the clay before they were baked (according to the direction on the package). I made a flower, a heart, a rose, a flat disc (to be used as a peace sign), and a small ball (to be used as a small globe).

They were then painted with acrylic paint (the globe with green bits, a peace sign on red, an orange and yellow flower, a yellow rose, and a black heart).

Once dry, the charms were used in making the hemp macrame necklace, made using an equal combination of simple half and square knots. (I used twenty of each in the pattern.) The clay charms were attached to the central strand in an equal spacing as I worked. The end is made from a loop and a button to act as the clasp.

Macrame is one of many of the retro 60s crafts that were the most popular at camp. I taught macrame knots pretty much every week to campers and the knots are often used in making friendship bracelets or anklets. I had a hemp and bead anklet my supervisor at my first camp made me and other staff members.

Luck of the Irish Napkin Rings & Cloth Napkins

To go with my St. Patty's Day dinner plans and appropriate-themed table setting, I need green cloth napkins and some gold napkin rings to with them.

For the napkins: I cut eight squares, 18 inch by 18 inch, out of a green cotton material and hemmed about 3/4 inch from the edge, leaving the outer edge raw to be fringed.

For the napkin rings: I made a dough using 1/2c. salt with 1 c. flour, enough water to make a dough. I also add just a touch of vegetable oil to help make smooth. I made sure it was mixed and kneaded well, then formed into the desired shape around a discarded paper towel tube covered in foil. (I made ball of dough and divided it into eight pieces, with a little bit leftover.) The rings then went into a 200 degree oven until thoroughly dry & hardened. (This took a couple hours and I turned then after the top side was dried well.)

From the oven, I let them cool, then using a gold metallic spray paint, painted them. (When using spray paint I often place the item(s) to paint inside a large box to keep the over spray contained.) I turned then a few times to get everything covered.

Once dry, they are ready for the table. (I personally like that chunky, gold nugget-like appearance.)

Bring on the leprechauns!

Hippy Themed Chess Set

A Hippy Themed Chess Set

There is something that sometimes happens when one is working and living at a camp, depending on living arrangements... a lot of quiet time. This was especially true one summer when I was living at a camp in which I had a cabin to myself and my little dog (much of the staff actually had dogs that lives with them on site). I was living in the middle on nowhere, surrounded by an on-site staff that had a lot of range in ages, with no cable, no Internet, and limited cell reception (which usually resembled me on a hill trying to find the right spot to get the best service and resembling a cell phone commercial). I wrote, I watched moved on my portable DVD player, I cooked, I took walks, I hung out with staff, and I found ways to keep my hands busy (I'm the type of person who usually can;t just watch tv, I have to have my hands busy doing something). Over this summer I took various crafting projects, including designing and creating my own themed chess set.

King, Queen, Bishop

I grew up playing chess as a kid and over the years have seen a ton of themed chess sets from King Arthur to 'Gone With the Wind' to 'The Simpsons.' What I had never seen was a 60's Hippy theme. (Maybe there is another one out there, but I hadn't seen it.) I thought about carving the pieces, but my limited carving background includes a nativity scene I carved one year out of bards of soap and pretty much nothing else. I'm not afraid of new challenged, but that is a big one to take on involving a knife and limits on how to fix ut ohs. I decided on sculpting it. While I didn't have a lot of experience here either, I knew if something wasn't turning out the way I liked I could always smash it back into a ball and start over. 

For more on these board: http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/handmade-clay-hippy-themed-chess-set

I brainstormed tons of ideas for the pieces, including making a few phone calls to friends for ideas. I had some interesting feedback, but some seemed way too complicated for my limited sculpting background (Like Paul McCartney as a knight or a gun with daisy hanging out the end) & I still wanted to keep this accessible to my abilities. After a few trial attempts with clay I decided on the pieces and set out with some white Sculpty Clay to create the entire set over a few evenings in my cabin. (While I did not have a full kitchen, preparing most meals in a communal kitchen across the way, I did have a toaster oven in my cabin that I could bake the pieces.) Each piece was hand sculpted, baked, and painted. Instead of going with a tradition black/white theme I chose a fire/water theme with a marbled/tie dye appearance with flesh tones as needed. The board was made from a scrap of something leftover from some house renovation and painted with the same color theme. Once painted (acrylic paint was used for this project) and dry the pieces where sprayed with an acrylic sealer and let dry again.



The finished set got a lot of attention from some of the staff who had seen them drying or being worked on and a few campers. There was a teen girl who wanted to learn how to play chess after seeing them and I was ready to teach her, unfortunately schedules just did not work before she headed home. Hopefully, her desire to learn led her to someone else who could teach her.

For interested parties the pieces were as follows:
King - A long haired hippy male complete with head band, outstretched arms, bell bottoms, a beard, and a peace sign on his shirt.
Queen - a long haired hippy mama with flowing hair, a long flowing dress, headband, and outstretched arms.
Bishop - A shaman themed old man with long flowing beard and hair. (I fought the urge to put a joint hanging out of his mouth.)
Knight - My version of a VW bug. (This was really probably one of the hardest pieces for me to make.)
Rook - A psychedelic mushroom. (These probably turned out the coolest.)
Pawn - a dove (and boy did I make a lot of these).

For More Information About Chess


For instructions on how to play:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rules_of_chess
http://www.chessguru.net/
-OR- find do a simple internet search
-OR- find a friend or relative who can teach you.

Peace Sign Ornaments

In the last few years I started to make new ornaments for Christmas, for myself and often for friends & family. This past year I chose a Peace Sign ornament (time to promote 'peace on earth' anyway we can).

I started with a simple salt dough recipe, which you can find all over the web. (Check out these for some recipe ideas - http://giftideacenter.com/Holiday/Christmas/dough_ornaments.php
  http://www.artsncrafts-ideas.com/salt-dough-recipe.php.) Of course, you could use any clay you prefer (I often use a Sculpty for projects). I formed the dough into various peace sign designs free form with the aid of a narrow knife in some cases. All the peace signs were baked until a light brown and baked thoroughly (check out the directions for the salt dough or other clay and follow drying instructions).

When cool, the peace signs where painted with a multitude of mixed rainbow, tie dye themed marbled colors. (Retro Rocks!)  I used a green marbling (greens, yellows, white), orange marbling (orange, yellow, red, white), pink marbling (pinks, white, a touch of red). I wanted a nice rainbow of colors to go with my mix of shapes, sizes, and designs. I painted one side, let dry, them painted the other.

When all the peace signs were dry I used hemp cord attach as hangers. Now they are ready to hang.

You can check out this also on http://www.cutoutandkeep.net at http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/peace-sign-christmas-tree-ornament.)

Maybe it's time to set up that hippy themed tree.