Porcupine tissue holder

[akiheartfelt.livejournal.com]

Inspired by a craft book... i bring to you... 






My first handmade tissue holder!

( When a porcupine visits Cinderella... )

dying fabrics...(is it almost halloween already?? D: )

[o-nikki-o.livejournal.com]

i'm one of those moms who hates buying costumes for halloween & i usually make them for all 3 of my kids.  the oldest is no problem this year: he wants to be the Phantom of the Opera xD  i can reuse vampire capes & make him a mask out of felt.  The youngest is going to be Pippi Longstocking - again not much of a problem.  the middle kid, however, is causing a bit of an issue.

i plan on making him a mummy costume (no TP involved...lol)  by buying super cheap white fabric & dying it to more of a tan-ish color using coffee or tea. so far so good. 

the questions i have, however are this:
-should i cut & wash the fabric (to fray it - thinking about using my pinking shears for this part or just ripping it) before washing it so the dye doesn't wash out?
-how exactly DO you dye with tea and/or coffee?  just let it soak?  can you keep it from rinsing out?
-are there any other (cheap) ways of getting the aged/antiqued look that i want for the fabric?
-lastly, where the hell am i going to find REALLY cheap white fabric?  all the walmarts around me have stopped carrying fabric (SOB!)


( and just so this isn't all text... )

Outdoor crafts

[hyperallergina.livejournal.com]

 Hi all,

I've been crafting again. This time BIGGER than ever before....

Remember when I posted this little video announcing this project I was working on? Well, time has passed and the project has gotten well underway. This past Saturday I put things together and installed it on the site that is going to be it's home until October 30th. For this installation I was able to get a PROFESSIONAL (ie: not me and my crappy instant camera) to photograph the art and the process and he decided to also make a video! It is AMAZING! Although, if I had of realized there would be a video I might have worn something nicer or shaved my armpits....
Whatever, check it out!

Transplant from Jeff Ngan on Vimeo.

The project is called Transplant. It is made out of branches held together with strips of kozo and adorned with handmade hemp, flax and abaca papers and seeds. The thing you are looking at stands about 5' wide, 8' tall and is about 2' deep... and no where near finished. In the next 2 weeks there will be 2 additional arches like the one in the video and with any luck the 1st arch will have begun to grow things.

Here is the blurb that we wrote about it...

Transplant is an outdoor living book installation. Constructed from found natural materials both living and dead, this installation is subject to the whims of nature and the designs of man. Each page of this book resembles an arch inviting the audience to enter the immense tunnel book. Within the pages are paper pockets where seeds will begin to sprout as the structure is gradually beaten down by the weather. Additional arches/pages will be added throughout the exhibition as the evolution of decay and growth take over. This evolution speaks to the ebb and flow of construction and decay as the manmade world interacts with the natural one. The story of this project is one of transformation and reclamation of the urban landscape by nature. It is the story of a cycle of decay and rebirth and of a balance that can be achieved when nature’s collaboration is desired rather than fought.

You can check out the work in person here.

An opening for the project is scheduled to happen on August 28th from 2 - 5 at the Arts Court in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Come by if you can!