Happy Easter

Hi to All,

Happy Easter.  I hope spring is trying to come your way.  We finally got a hint of it yesterday with temperatures close to 60 degrees F.  Below is the my most recent "Wizard of Oz" necklace.  This necklace was crafted from reproduction pages of the first Wizard of Oz  with the illustrations by W.W. Denslow.   I made the paper beads from cardboard game tiles; the chains and the other beads were reclaimed from vintage jewelry.  This necklace is posted on my Etsy site now.

Wizard of Oz paper bead necklace

Front cover of the journal

Back cover of journal

My friend teaches nursery school and loves reading to her 4-year old pupils.    This is a special journal I made for her, above are the photos of the front and back covers.  The covers are collaged with prose and pictures from some of the best known children's picture books.  After gluing the papers, three coats of an ultra-thick gloss is brushed on to protect the covers.  And no picture books were destroyed in this project.

Next week I'll be at the 2013 Earth Day Fair at the Pleasantville Middle School.  I will be running a workshop on making paper beads for the Middle Schoolers.  The Fair will run from 5:30 until 7:30.

Talk to you next week.  Be sure to stop by my Etsy shop or come see me at the Fair!

anne

Here it is!

Hi to everyone,

Ozma of Oz Necklace

Well, here it is; my Ozma of Oz necklace.  You can see some of the steps in making in the necklace in my previous blog.  There is also a complete tutorial describing the process of  making these paper "beads" in my November 11, 2011 blog. I posted the necklace on Etsy a few days ago.  You can see it there by clicking on the picture caption above.

Now I am working on a Wizard of Oz project made from the pages of a copy of the original edition.

Spring is just around the corner, some of the crocus have poked their purple heads up through the ground.  The first day of spring will be March 20th and Easter is March 31st.  So the Spring Craft Fairs can not be far behind!  Here we go again, my second season of craft fairs.

First on the agenda is an Earth Day Fair at Pleasantville Middle School on April 11.  I love participating, it is really a workshop. I can teach kids all about paper beads and how to make them.  It teaches them that we can make beautiful things out of what we throw away.

Sunday Morning Paper Bead Bracelet

And here is a sample of bringing old designs back!  This bracelet is made from the pages of the Sunday magazine section of the newspaper.  Available by special order at annemadethis@gmail.com.

Talk to you soon,

anne

National Craft Month

Greeting to all,

                                   

March is National Craft Month.  The special designation was created by the Craft and Hobby Association in 1994, designed to encourage people to learn about and rediscover the the joy of crafting and all of its benefits.  You can read some of my previous posts about some of the benefits of crafting.

Many craft stores mark this month with special sales and discounts, in-store demonstrations, make-it and take-it workshops and other classes.  National Craft Month has become an international celebration of creativity with millions of crafters participating.  So get out there and learn a new craft!!  You can start with some of my tutorials!

And here is some more inspiration for Craft Month.  I have started  making a new necklace made from the pages of one of the Wizard of Oz books, Ozma of Oz.  Below are photographs of the some of the first steps of the process.

Disks cut from corrugated cardboard and the novel

After cutting out the disks from the pages of the novel, they are glued to each side of the cardboard.  Then they glazed with three coats of triple thick acrylic.  Set them to dry overnight on toothpicks.  You can follow a complete tutorial on my November 8, 2011 blog.

"Ozma" disks drying on toothpicks stuck in an egg carton.

See the finished "Ozma of Oz" necklace next week!

And special thanks to Karen, my Etsy friend for saving the pages of the books she uses for her hand bags. Karen provides the "literary" pages I use to make my jewelry.   Check out her "novel" bags  at her Etsy site, NovelCreations.  She has made purses from Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and lots of other famous novels. What adorable purses!

Happy Craft Month and be sure to visit my Etsy shop, annemadethis.

Talk to everyone soon,

anne

Beautiful or Ugly

Art is the psychic expression of beauty as revealed through truth.

                                                                Webster's Dictionary

Greetings All,

Is this beautiful or ugly?

Recently, I put together this scarf from a pile of discarded sweaters.  I borrowed the majority of the idea  from some of my fellow Etsy crafters and then added a couple of crocheted rows to the edges.  After I finished the scarf and showed it to others, I was told told that it was ugly, really ugly, so ugly it was almost beautiful!  Wow!  Exactly what does that mean?  I guess that means I am going to make another one!

We have all heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, our moms told us that many times during those terrible middle school years. What we think is beautiful now, quite possibly was thought to be hideous one hundred years ago.  For example, consider what the public thought about modern art at the turn of the century.   Those same pieces that outraged them in the 1900's are now priceless.  Think Matisse, Van Gogh and Picasso.

And then there is the cultural element.  What is beautiful in China, may not be perceived as so in India.    What American's feel is an ideal beauty is not necessarily so in the Arab world.  Finally, your own personal experiences will define what is "beautiful" to you.  Some people just like orange or landscapes or portraits etc.  What you like can be very personal to you.

"I have found that all ugly things are made by those who strive to make something beautiful, and all that all beautiful things are made by those who strive to make something useful."

   Oscar Wilde 1885

And speaking of beauty, here is a beautiful wedding card made from recycled paper including the bride & groom's wedding invitation.  Here, Amelia used the lattice card technique which I have detailed in my September 18, 2012 blog and appliqued it with stars.  It really turned out lovely and what a keepsake for the new couple.

Amelia's Wedding Card

Thanks again for reading my blog and your support!  Please visit my Etsy shop, there will be more journals and Literary Jewelry made from the pages of Wizard of Oz.  Great Fun! I will preview them here first.  

 Let me know if there is anything special you need to see either on my blog or in my Etsy shop.

Talk to you all soon,

anne

Your Brain and Crafts Part 2

A few months ago I devoted my blog to the effects of crafts on your brain.  Research has shown that crafts actually help your brain, crafting can put you in a meditative state, relieving stress and actually relax you.  It does not matter if you finish your project, it is just the process of doing it that is so helpful.  And all of you know it is so much easier to spend hours crafting and working on a project than it is to clean the kitchen or reconcile bank accounts!  Crafting just makes you feel better.

As Dr. Seuss realized, your brain has a right side and a left side, each half has it's own way of thinking, but they work together to get things done.  The right half is the creative, emotional side and the left half is the more analytical side.   So, the right half comes up with new ideas and the left half figures out how to execute them.

Crafting is a "brain sport", it is exercise for the brain like crossword puzzles and reading.  By trying new ideas, new techniques and doing things a different way; your crafting helps release serotonin, dopamine and endorphins.  These are all neurotransmitters that make us feel better, remember things and relax us.  Crafting can actually change and support the structure of the brain.  Brain exercise can help you learn new tasks, reduce your short term memory loss and help with multi-tasking in your everyday life. So craft away...it is so good for you!!

Want to know more?  Try these links: Brain Creativity  and Can Knitting Give You a Runner's High?

Don't forget Valentine's Day is coming soon.  Check out my Etsy site for gifts for those special someones!  I am always posting new things, so take a look.  Use coupon code FREESHIP to get free domestic shipping for Valentine's gifts.  Below are pics of my new journals, each one of a kind.

Red Heart Button Journal

Woman Journal

See you online!
anne

Monday Morning

Happy Birthday Tori!

Greetings to all,

I have to start today with happy birthday wishes to my sweet daughter, Tori.  She has helped me immensely with  annemadethis, so special thanks and love go out to her this weekend!

And here is a new bracelet, Tori designed and I created.  It is three strands of leather closed with a toggle clasp.  Porcelain and paper beads embellish the leather cords.  if you make this bracelet, be sure that all of your beads have holes large enough for the leather cords to pass through.  You can use a combination of  leather, hemp or even a ball chain to add some variety to the bracelet.

Tori's Bracelet

Journals with hand decorated covers is another great use for recycled paper and embellishments.  It makes a great project for groups of all ages and I thought might work well with some of spring workshops.  The journals start with inexpensive hard cover composition books or sketch books.  You can use any size for this project.  Magazine scraps, colored paper, fabric and even fibers are glued to the covers until you get a pleasing design.  Be careful not to get glue on the inside pages.  Stamping, buttons, beads, ribbons, paints and pastels can be used for finishing touches.  Sometimes I even decorate the first page or add a cute bookmark, just for fun!  Then I put a few generous coats of Triple Thick acrylic gloss to protect it all.  I'll be making a few of these journals for my Etsy shop, if you'd like to take a look.  Here are some examples.

So please stop by my shop annemadethis, I'll be adding some new things.  And like my Facebook page!  If you have any questions about this post, or any others please feel free to contact me.

Thanks for checking in,

anne

Pretty Things to Make

Tori wearing my new scarf

Here's a picture of my new scarf.  I knitted it on #50 needles, it took about two hours and one skein of Mo'Puffs yarn by U. Knitted Nation.  Great yarn and great scarf right! Locally the yarn is sold at Flying Fingers Yarn Shop in Tarrytown, NY.  So... this morning I wore my new scarf to the Farmer's Market.  The first comment I got was from a guy who really thought the scarf was an homage to the brussel sprout!  His family loved brussel sprouts, that is what he was buying at the Farmer's Market.  The scarf reminded him of his little cabbages of goodness.  And even though I love brussel sprouts too, really?

Next a woman came up to me and asked if she could take a picture of the scarf for her blog.  Ellen Margulies is a knitter and writes a fiberarts blog.  She will have a picture of me wearing the scarf at the Farmer's Market on her blog.  Hope I look good.

Memory Wire Bracelet

I have a few jewelry workshops planned locally during the school winter vacations.  This project is a memory wire bracelet especially designed for middle school children.  They will make a few paper beads crafted from recycled cereal  boxes.   They will roll, glue and glaze the beads, just like I do.  While the glazed beads are drying, they can choose from various sizes and colors of seed beads to complement their paper beads and design a unique one of a kind piece.  I will help attach charms and other adornments or if the student is familiar with using jump rings and head pins they can complete their own.  You can contact me directly for more information.

I got my first international sale last week!  Yahoo!  Hope to see you soon on my Etsy site.  New Valentine's Day gifts for your sweetheart!! 

Talk to you soon,
anne