soda cans

[scarce.livejournal.com]

i normally recycle them, but i was thinking of making them into something else?

i checked the FAQ and there was nothing, and the only thing i found on google was a site that teaches you how to use can tabs to fool parking meters. errr...

candles and flower pots are the functional ideas i have, and i plan to make some "abstract art" from some others.

i was thinking jewelry might be an option, but knowing my luck i'd slice myself to death, and that wouldn't be very much fun.


i'm looking for something unique - can anyone help me out?

thanks!!!

(no subject)

[gothlinggeek.livejournal.com]

This may sound strange, but i was wondering if any one knows of any sites that have pattersn for barbie outfits? I saw some at the fabric store but they cost more then the fabric would! So thought id ask here first.

Bags and Totes

[carharttgurly.livejournal.com]

So, I have a small problem. I went out and bought a purse like this and this, but I want to make some for my friends. I have no problem with the sewing part... its the getting the image on there that I have no idea.

I've looked through the FAQ and found a whole bunch of stuff on Iron On's... but for these particular bags, I don't think that Iron On's were used? Is it silk screen?

When you iron on, is it thick? (I've totally never done this or seen it done and I have no idea). Does it stick out? I mean, I've heard of them peeling so I'm guessing the paper is ironed onto the cloth as well? It's not just the image that transfers? Is there any way to make just the image transfer?

Fabric Swap

[hfa.livejournal.com]

Back in April, I started a fabric swap. There are rules. There are themes. There's an entire community devoted to this swap: swappies.

Right now we have 12 participants, including myself. Are you interested in joining us? The more the merrier. The next set of fabric squares would be due June 15. If you're interested, email me at hfa@livejournal.com with your name, address, and lj name. And then you'd need to go join the community. But we'd love to have more participants so that we can get a better range of fabrics.

(Cross posted to quilting, sew_much_fabric, sew_hip, and craftgrrl)

decorative rope

[nightmere.livejournal.com]

looking for some decorative rope to use as a trim for some end tables that im putting together
can anyone tell me where i could find some cool rope? does lowes carry it maybe? no luck looking online so far

thx

Cleaning question...

[balamuthia.livejournal.com]

Checked the FAQ, saw nothing...need help!

My lovely, sweet, wonderful Sam used my sewing scissors to cut duct tape with. *gasp!*

Does anyone know a quick way to get the nasty-stickies off of the blades?? I've tried soap and water and it's just not cutting it. No pun intended, har-har.

that ugly closet!!

[blacksquiggles.livejournal.com]

thanks SO much for all the ideas,
I think I'm going to go with a shower curtain! nothing my cats or dog or ferret or other can get tangled in :) it sounds nice and simple and easy to clean..
this is an art studio, I hand make beads and wearable art pieces for a living, so it's a professional studio that needs to be efficient and calming, I wouldn't want the closet door to be the most interesting thing in the room :)

"why i should not stay up for 24 hours at a time..."

[scarce.livejournal.com]

thanks to everyone for their awesome responses in reference to the soda cans! i can't wait to try them!

so, upon getting no sleep last night, i decided to start messing around with an idea and wound up making really weird deformed figurines. so i painted smiley faces on them. then named them.

and then i gave them a plot (or maybe not) and now I have:

the "Bob and Fred Show!" Rated "S" for Stupid!

Just thought I would share my insomnia produced psycho children with the rest of the class.


(I promise I'll post the better stuff soon!)

Bathing Suit Fabric

[carharttgurly.livejournal.com]

Looking for a good place to get fabric for bathing suits. I was at Jo Ann's today and they had CRAP for selection. For those of you who've bought fabric from Ebay before, how was your experience?

decorating ideas??

[monkeyrawk.livejournal.com]

hey everyone, i've looked through the faq many a time but i'm in need of some fresh ideas. i am really sick of my apartment...i really need something new. you can see pictures of my apartment to get an idea of what it looks like now (although it's slightly different now because of minor rearranging, but you get the idea). i really like the hanging tapestry and the bamboo curtains, but overall my apartment is just filled with eclectic stuff and none of it goes together. it's just a mixture of...blah. if anyone has any revamping ideas, i'd really appreciate it. i kind of want to keep a hippie/indian/ethnic type of theme, if that helps.

thanks a bunch!

(no subject)

[swandieve.livejournal.com]

I have a question. A sort of off-topic, yet right on question.

Do you think there is a fine line between craft and art?

I may look at something and say, "Artsy!" and you may say, "Crafty!" What's your opinion on this?

E.G. I put a sheet of metal on the wall, added magnets, b+w photos, and forks. Now is that artsy or crafty?

E.G.2 I bought crafting wire and stuck it in a shoe box, made it really tall to reach the ceiling, then I took flower-arranging wire and made charms to hang on it with marbles, like a branchless tree with raindrops.

I also love the way all of you are so quick to help people with their problems. I suppose this may be due to the large amount of members, but I think it's just so great.

Plath Shadow Box

[kittykatofdoom.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone I'm new here at livejournal but I've been browsing this community for a while (and the FAQs have been SO helpful :))
So other than being new, I have a question, or rather just a general dillema...
In my school, for the standard 11th grade english class there is one term project at the end of each semester - a term paper based on a work/works of your own choosing in the winter and then the infamous June Project. The June project consists of "creatively opening up to the class" the work that we wrote about for our term paper...this includes music, acting, art, sewing, etc. Since I did Sylvia Plath's Aerial poems for my term paper, and I've always admired how well she uses very strong images that tie into a theme and a metaphor in a sort of narrative in her poetry, and since I'm a pretty crafty-type person, I decided to do a shadow box illustrating those images and such in her poem "The Night Dances". I have a lot of ideas for how it would look pretty but I want to make sure that I really open up the poem and make it accesible somehow so it's not just a random bs pretty thing that sort of relates to the work. I get 10 minutes to explain it to the class and i can give them hand-outs with basic info like the poem and a mini bio and stuff. Here's the poem:

A simle fell in the grass.
Irretrievable!

And how will your night dances
Lose themselves. In mathematics!

Such pure leaves and spirals -
Surely they travel

The world forever, I shall not entirely
Sit emptied of beauties, the gift

Of your small breath, the drenched grass
Smell of your sleep, lilies, lilies.

Their flesh bears no relation.
Cold folds of ego, the calla,

And the tiger, embellishing itself -
Spots, and a spread of hot petals.

The comets.
Have such a space to cross,

Such coldness, forgetfulness.
So your gestures flake off -

Warm and human, then their pink light
Bleeding and peeling

Through the black amnesias of heaven.
Why am I given

These lamps these planets
Falling like blessing, like flakes

Six-sided, white
On my eyes, my lips, my hair

Touching and melting.
Nowhere.

I want to show how the enjambment adds meaning to the poem and how the more cosmic metaphor/images translates into a more tangible, human message....any ideas?

vive el presidente! (x-posted)

[strange-charm.livejournal.com]

i'm looking to knit my father a pair of socks for father's day. i have the yarn.. but, i'm not sure where to find a pattern for men's socks... most of what i've found is all too small. i'm also using yarn that knits up nicely on size 3 dpns...

does anyone know of any patterns i can use? i just want a very basic sock... thanks!

(no subject)

[--routineriot.livejournal.com]

last night i finished painting my project for pottery (painting because there wasn't enough time to glaze at school) that was of course due today. not a good idea, by the way -- waiting until the last minute that is.

anyway, i had a limited supply of paint and no red or yellow. i did however find two little 1/4 oz. glass bottles with the name "testors [the brand] gloss enamel" in what else, red and yellow. they were fairly old, but worked great. the only problem was when i went to clean my brush, it turned very sticky and very hard to get off. after a lot of scrubbing i got it off the brush, the sink, and my hands.

was i supposed to clean it another way or was that the way it was supposed to be? i used warm water and soap, like i always do. the stuff is really nice and i was hoping to use it on some beads i made -- but how do i clean my brushes? or can i? there weren't any directions on the bottles.

thanks :)

red&white.

[bjorkdoll.livejournal.com]

i got some big skeins of red & white yarn, so i figured i should put them to some use. i made these bags over the past couple of days.



just single crocheted a rectangle, changed colours to do the cross and then made a longish strip for the strap and stitched that to the edges of the bag. easy-peasy.


( +1 )

Long time, no craft.

[one-more-grrl.livejournal.com]

A few weeks (month) ago, I got really depressed and forsaken everything I loved. Even crafts. I even seriously thought about selling all my craft stuff (and a lot of my other possessions as well). But I'm kinda getting out of that rut, and for the first time in a while today, I went to Michael's and did a little craft at home.

I found the makings for bath salts (dead sea salt, and scented herbs, flowers and fragrances). So I threw some of it together and tossed it into jars and it came out really nice. I made a lavender set and a eucylyptus-mint jar. they both smell amazing and I can't wait to try them out. I also picked up some glycerine soap to make matching soaps to go with the salt. I payed $6.99 for a big bottle of dead sea salt (about 2-3 lbs). I was wondering if anyone knew if I could get this cheaper at some other store, like a health food store or something?