painting over finish?

[renai.livejournal.com]

I have a varnished/finished desk that I'm planning on painting tomorrow. The desk has obviously been sealed, but I'm not so sure that you could really call it varnished. Anyways... I don't have access to a sander, so what are my options for being able to paint over it? I was thinking that if I just used primer under the paint I would be fine, but I'm not sure.

Also, a pink desk with alternating black and white drawers: cute, or completely obnoxious? I'm moving into a new apartment in a week and I'm afraid that I may go into shock from lack of color, so I'm trying to spruce up my furniture a bit.

Any advice is appreciated!

question

[stargurl333.livejournal.com]

what would this skirt be called. and how do i do it?
( skirt undercut. )

(no subject)

[faithonfire.livejournal.com]

hi ladieees. i know this might not be all too crafty, but i have a question! first of all, i have a ring that someone gave to me, it originally wasn't meant to be a ring.. so it's made out of some kind of metal that.. smells really metallicish. haha. the inside is also beginning to rust and to leave an orange residue on my finger. so i was wondering if there was anything i could do to make it stop rusting/get rid of the smell. here's what it looks like:

(no subject)

[get-my-barrette.livejournal.com]

i have a question for all you seamstresses!

i'm using a Kenmore machine, and trying to sew on a buttonhole with my buttonhole foot.

i've read through all the directions in my manual, but still find myself stumped. i put the button in the back of the buttonhole foot, so that the length is automatically set. then i lower the foot, lower the needle, and sew. the directions just say "sew slowly and stop the machine at the starting point when a buttonhole is completed"

well, as i was practicing, all i got was one long row of a buttonhole! am i supposed to just do two long rows separately, and then do a zig zag w/ a length of 0 to finish off the sides? that sounds way more complicated than it should be.

HELP! :)

(no subject)

[alewig.livejournal.com]

What do you suppose the dimensions would be for this poncho? A girl I work with found some suede material that she fell in love with and I (like an idiot) agreed to try to make it for her. It shouldn't be too hard but I'm getting nervous now because I've never made anything for anyone else... please help :)

flocking on plastic

[hwar.livejournal.com]

Okay, so I have some plastic doll furniture (don't ask) that I want to look more...uh...comfortable. It is actually very detailed plastic with couch-cushion-wrinkles and such, so I was thinking it would look good if I put flocking on it, sort of like miniature velvet sofas. However, I've never flocked plastic before. Will it stick? If I primed the furniture, would the flocking stick better to primer than plastic?

Also, any flocking products to recommend? The only one I know if is the Plaid brand Soft Flock and there are no indications for plastic on their website.

Thanks!

Need Suggestions

[cimorenegal.livejournal.com]

Background:
I'm a "Welcome Wagon" leader for the dorm I live in (It's a program-house; our program is the environment- recycling, conservation, activism, etc etc) and next week is going to be opening week. I would like to do some cool dorm crafts with the freshmen and returning residents but I can't think of anything that would be cool to put in their room that they wouldn't have already brought. So far I've thought of:
`Recycled Wind-Chimes
`Bird-Feeders
`Dream-Catchers with wooden frames


Can you guys help me think of some kind of nifty craft that would appeal to both boy AND girl college students, most of whom decided they would like to live in a place where we're very into activism and preserving the environment?

Also- crafts from recycled items are a BIG plus.

(no subject)

[corrin.livejournal.com]

I have a pair of stilettos that have rhinestone buckles. Right now the rhinestones are clear but I'd like to make them black to match my dress. Has anyone ever used fingernail polish to paint rhinestones? I'm not sure if I want to use nail polish or some other kind of paint. Any suggestions or comments? Thanks!

felting/sweater decon

[sairyuu.livejournal.com]

i am in the process of unraveling an intarsia'd sweater for yarn (it's 100% alpaca wool).

what i wanted to ask is has anyone noticed a diffence in the yarn quality from an old wool sweater? in some places i haev to break what i've dubbed "lintballs" that join my yarn togther. it's puesdo-felted on the side worn out. (as opposed to the inner side that i'm unknitting)

are older sweaters that are more worn/"felted" harder to unravel?

ps: really hot days/weeks are great to buy sweaters at thrift stores. i got 3 huge ones for 99cents each.

Help with Jordy Bag

[butterfield8.livejournal.com]

Hi, I know many people know about the Jordy bag: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=7866.0 but for some reason I really don't understand the instructions. This is probably because I'm fairly new to sewing. I don't understand the squares cut out, nor the pinching of fabric... etc. Is there a different tutorial like this or can anyone write it differently? Everyone says this is an easy tut. but I just dont get it!

purses

[stinkycretingrl.livejournal.com]

i haven't posted anything in, like, forever. so i just thought i would share my latest bags. i've gone a little purse crazy like everyone else! the pictures are a little large, i think, so beware those with dial-up...

( groverette )

groverette is made from fake fur with white with large red polka-dotted fabric lining. she also has a felt flower applique on the front and back.
( suzy )

suzy is a smallish tote, pink with sky blue lining.
( donna )

donna's body is exactly the same as suzy, but her felt flowers are 3-D.

i'm sending them out in a swap to hopefully loving and caring homes. i think i'll miss donna the most.
--scg

Old Band Shirts

[persiphany.livejournal.com]

I was told to come ask this here

I've got a good amount of old, large, band shirts that I want to freshen up. They're all sizes L or XL, basic big band tees you could find at Hot Topic and lots of different websites. I've actually started buying the shirts in a size that's more fitting to me now (a youth large, or a regular small) because the large shirts are so unflattering and hot.

So does anyone have simple, good ideas for turning these shirts into something funner?

I know a few things I could do
-Make them into pillows
-Cut off the band logo and use it as a large patch
-Handbags

I'm not much of a seamstress when it comes into altering shirts ... so thanks for any other suggestions.

(no subject)

[crazynun7.livejournal.com]

I would abosolutely love it if someone could aid me in my project. I putting a design on the top of an old coffee table and i want it to follow one of these two patterns:

( Read more... )

The colors are just to show that i was thinking of using either two or three different materials and repeating its use. I could also put something different in each of the 12 sections.

However, my problem comes in what materials to use to fill in the spaces. I'm really at a loss as to what materials I could use to make it look good. Any ideas? I need three...

I was thinking torn up magazine articles might be nice for one section...

I need help making natural ingredient creme perfumes, or finding a new source for some

[dejablu503.livejournal.com]

My favorite perfume in the whole world was made by a woman who produced a line called Eastern Star Creme Perfumes. I am about out of the last of the scent I always wear that I had on hand, and went to order some online only to find out she had died suddenly.
http://simmonsnaturals.com/natfrag.html
The perfume looks almost like tinted vasoline in the tin, ( I suspect there is actually bees wax in it), they go on so smoothly and the scent lasts all day.... I can't go back to spray perfumes. Does anyone know of a company that produces a similar style of perfume, or can someone who dabbles in homemade natural scents tell me how to make this kind of perfume?

mail-based art/installation piece

[blueicing.livejournal.com]

i'm working on a project and could use a little help from some (or even many!) of you. the project involves 1inx3in (aprox. measurements; i don't have a tag on hand to measure) white gift tags. i need a bunch of these suckers decorated. i already have tons, but i seriously would love to have massive amounts.
the plan is to cover a wall with small hooks and hang a tag from each hook as an installation piece. the more tags, the more impressive it would be. i've gotten many people to help me out in this, including my dad. (!)
you can do anything you like with the tag. some ideas are as follows:
write (poetry, dictionary definitions, etc)
draw, paint, collage, cut, transform in any way
replace the string with different string or ribbon
trace the tag onto entirely different material and re-thread

if you're interested in helping, please fill out this poll and i will get back to you asap.
[Poll #336787]

tags will be mailed to you. if mailing them back (postage) is a serious issue, i can include a stamp, as it is my project and i don't want there to be any unwanted expense for anyone.

please delete this post if it can be considered spam. post comments if there are any questions.

A new HP doll..this time it is Neville Longbottom

[ex-jenniepan481.livejournal.com]

http://www.gfxbank.com/is.php?i=24217&img=DSC02512.jpg

Not as good as I had hoped, but soft and cuddly like Neville should be! i have no idea who I will be making next...I want to make some Slytherins..but damn walmart doesnt have the right colored ribbon for the tie..and neither did joann's. So I might have to wait till Yule for the right shade of green. Til then maybe Frank and George??

A painted black blazer

[greenmuse89.livejournal.com]

Hi. This is my first post here on craftgrrl, but I've been lurking for a while. I love all the stuff you guys make. Very creative bunch. ^_^

I made this jacket yesterday. I just got a 98% cotton, 2% spandex blazer from Forever 21 for $28.99 and some acrylic fabric paints from Michaels, each around $2. I know it's a bit expensive, but I love the results...

( Click here to see the jacket )

fall leaves purse

[campfires.livejournal.com]

i love autumn. you love autumn. we all love autumn. except when we have to go back to school. to chase away the back to school blues, i made myself an autumn leaves purse.
( autumn is nifty and so are you )

ENJOY!

Test tube fun?

[spookyzo.livejournal.com]

Bought a load of various sized pyrex test tubes and those tale tubeular science jug things the other day- too many for me to use- so i wondered if anyone out there might be interested in some? Theres all sorts of sizes of test tube, and a couple of heights in the flasks. They would be great in a bathroom for your favorite oils, or as alternative to a vase for each stem of a flower- ive seen them wired together to form a squiggle which looks really good. Going cheap- the more you buy, the cheaper they get!also would be great to store seed beads etc!
This is not me pushing these items to sell- but ive got an awful lot- is there a craft sale lj or anything?

Vintage coats. Projects?

[murdercitygrrrl.livejournal.com]

I have a ridiculous number of vintage winter coats. Unfortunately, I live in Mississippi, and rarely get to wear most of them because it doesn't get cold enough to wear a 1940's wool nurses cloak very often when you live in the deep south. (We often we shorts or tshirt on Christmas.)
So, I guess I could maybe makes some pillows, but I honestly can't think of much to do with them. Any ideas? Most of the fabrics are wool or synthetic, and range in color from black, to more black, a couple of reds, a green or two, and some black.
x-posted to hip_domestics

Oh, and I'm working on a screen printing tutorial now, here's a sneak peak!