Mum Lampshade

My grandmother bought tissue paper chrysanthemums in Chinatown aeons ago. I knew if I held onto them long enough I'd figure out something to do with them...

I decoupaged the flowers onto a plain lampshade this evening with modpodge and a flat 1" brush. I'll do another layer of modpodge when this layer dries.

resin

I bought a beginners kit of resin dyes and a mold at Ace in Arcata last week. I tried making one thing and it sure takes a long time to harden. But it's fun to put glitter in the resin!

This group, http://www.afhboston.com/revisionC.html, encases old junk mail in resin for stunning tables...very inspiring. Sure would take a lot of resin to do that, though...

roving

I bought a huge sack of dyed roving at a yard sale a while ago and thought about what to make with it...bath mats? Yarn? I needlefelted a little bit for a soap holder. Done. Boring but pretty.

But this is awesome and I'm onto something: rugs. I made a bedside rug and know how I'll improve it next time: I'll use 5 layers of carded roving instead of 3, I won't let a baby chicken run into the middle of it and stomp its way out, I will roll and stomp on it instead of scrubbing and tossing in the dryer and I will block it to make it square. But this feels luscious underfoot!

Martha still does it better

http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=5d16497c74b51110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&backto=true
I guess it helps to have a whole team and to not worry about using your good cheesecloth for dying...The best egg we got a Saturday's hunt was dyed using this method: egg wrapped in ferns wrapped in onionskin wrapped in cheesecloth and boiled for 20 minutes in water with vinegar. Beautiful!

Soft Star Shoes

I've been researching shoemaking lately in a quest for increased (work? frustration?) self-reliance. But the kids need shoes NOW and not after I learn to make them. So I went to http://www.softstarshoes.com/ and boughtthe purple/green shoes for Elia and Greta designed a pair of Ocean and Black ramblers. Hopefully the shoes will last into the autumn...

4-gore, 1-hour skirt

Last weekend I made a skirt for Greta's friend's 10th birthday...

• I cut 4 identical "triangles" of cotton batik to a few inches longer than the finished skirt length. The flattened "top" of the "triangle" is 1/2 of my estimate of the friend's waist size.


• I cut two large squares of fabric for patch pockets and free-formed a curvy design on them. I turned them right-side in, ironed them, stitched the top closed and then patched them onto the two front skirt panels.
• I flat-fell seamed all four panels together.
• Hemmed.
• Turned waistband under and stitched.
• Inserted elastic.

The process took 1 hour from start to finish. As per usual, I was surley and sewing like a madwoman for the last 25%. After all, don't you curse like a sailor when hemming?

Lice, Part 2: Diatomaceous Earth

I have become an unwilling expert on the subject of lice, since I live with two huggy little girls. The essential oil treatment I described in an earlier post does work (especially with the mechanical action of meticulous nitpicking) but I have added a new technique into my regimine. Upon first notice of lice or nits I make a thick paste of diatomaceous earth, the same essential oils and cheap hair conditioner, which, in the shower, I massage into the scalp and hair roots. It cleans up any dandruff and (theoretically) kills critters because diatomaceous earth has sharp edges which cut into exoskeletons. Follow that treatment with: a oil/essential oil soak for 1-2 hours under a shower cap, shampoo out, rub baking soda into the hair to get rid of the rest of the oil, re-shampoo, condition hair as usual, then comb and manually nitpick. Meanwhile, you're tossing all bedding into the drier for at least 30 minutes on high to kill any critters.

We noticed lice 2 weeks ago. I did this treatment and checked hair every night for a couple of nights (a cozy, snuggly time, not bad at all) and then did a hair-check 7 nights later. All clean and lice free.

Kids roll around on the rugs at school, hug each other and get close: it's tough to eliminate infestations entirely but if you do the above (which takes several hours) upon first notice, you'll take care of the problem.

felt rugs

I’ve been thinking about what to do with my old wool sweaters and came across the Felt Rug concept. In essence, you make a big ‘ol piece of felt and call it a rug. Laser cut felt rugs (Google it) could be replicated with an X-acto knife. http://www.peaceindustry.com/ has beautiful pictures of abstract designs. 3-D versions are at http://artculture.com/interior-design/celebrate-designs-that-embrace-the-season. Pet hair can be turned into felt and, after a couple of years, you’d end up with a rug, if you use instructions from http://www.getcrafty.com/blogs.php?user=Project%20UK!&entry=4560. And my favorite concept would be to make a plain felt rug and apply laser cut felt ribbon from http://www.queenandco.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2246 to the borders.

bath bombs

What not to do when making bath bombs:
- Make up a recipe as you go along
- Have too much water mixed with the citric acid
- Dry it out in the oven

Why:
A big fat mess you chip out of the stove.

Glow, Inc.

Have you ever wanted to make glow-in-the dark paints, glass, molded items, etc? I found this company when I was researching grout add-ins. I didn’t do anything with the knowledge but it’s satisfying to know, all the same.

From: Express Email Marketing [mailto:mailer_response@emailcounts.com] On Behalf Of Glow IncSent: Sunday, March 01, 2009 7:39 AMTo: bonserbishop@yahoo.comSubject: Glow Inc Newsletter March 2009


Glow Inc. March 2009 Newsletter


Glow Inc. Introduces New Particles Sizes
There are three factors that determine the charging speed and brightness of a glow pigment. First, is chemical makeup. For example, strontium aluminate is generally 10 times brighter than zinc sulfide.Within strontium aluminate products, there are several grades determined by the purity of the chemicals and manufacturing process. Higher grades are brighter and of course are more expensive.Within a grade, larger particle sizes are brighter. However, the larger particles create rough surfaces and grainy texture. Therefore posing a problem in small or detailed projects.Glow inc.'s Ultra Green V10 is the highest grade material manufactured. However, until recently Glow Inc only sold our popular V10 product in 55-85 micron particles. We are happy to now stock the V10 in 55-85, 35-65, 15-35, 10-20, 5-15, and 2-8 micron.You can find a comparison chart of all our green products on the Which Green? page.Ultra Green V10 in the new particle sizes can be found on the Specialty Powder page.We also now offer a Green Sample Pack that includes every green powder in every grade and particle size.


Bulbs for Charging Phosphorescent Paints
It is common knowledge that black lights are the best way to charge glow in the dark paints. However, they are not always practical.Compact Flourescents Lightbulbs (CFL), which are the spiral type bulbs are a great alternative, especially in the "Daytime" versions.If you want to use a laser or LED, forget about using red or green. Only blue, purple, or ultra-violet will actually charge glow in the dark pigments.For much more detailed information on charging bulbs, visit our new article: Light Source!

Isn't That Special
It has been a while since Glow Inc. offered a good powder special. I think the masses will be thrilled with this one:Buy $85 worth of any products at Glow Inc., not including shipping, and we will add 1 pound of Ultra Green Glow in the Dark Powder for FREE!!!To get your free powder, go to our Specials Page and add the Green Powder Special to your cart. Then add at least $85 worth of additional products like paint, powder, or sand to your cart. Checkout as normal.Offer ends May 7th, 2009 at midnight EST. If you send us an email on the 8th saying that your dog ate your computer and you missed the sale, then we will only laugh at your misfortune. Also note that you must add the above mentioned "Glow Powder Special" to your cart. Offer can not be combined with any other discounts or specials.


Project Pictures
If you are looking for project ideas for your glow in the dark purchases, then we highly recommend that you check out Glow Inc's Gallery. All of these pictures have been taken by our customers. We encourage you to add your completed project as well.



© 2009 Glow Inc

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I pale in comparison

Claire Joyce is amazing and currently has a show in Eureka.

She's like glittery Diana Bryer but with more focus on the present and self-awareness.

Yummy art.