giddygiddy

papier maché dreams

My entire childhood, I had dreamed of making papier mache creatures!  It seems like an exaggeration to say MY ENTIRE CHILDHOOD, but I swear on my craft supplies that I spent many many idle moments planning and dreaming  of various types of life size papier mache creatures that I would create if I could. But such a project needed wire, wire cutters, starch, large space and some adult supervision.  My parents, however, were hard working immigrants doing their best to provide their children with the basics. Naturally, they didn't have the time or the desire to make papier mache creatures, even if they had the luxury of time - which they did not have.

I am coming full circle now. As a grown up (close to middle age) and as a parent of young children, I find that all I want to do is make stuff...and with my children at that. This past weekend I fulfilled my childhood dream and worked with sculpting papier mache people (while my kids completely ignored me).  Here are the 2 projects I worked on from start to finish. I am in LOVE with them, but I am more in love with the whole gratifying, goopy, messy process. 

 I made a promise to the child in me that there will be many many more to come!

If you need to fulfill your childhood urge to make papier mache people, you should know that it just takes wire (20 gauge) to mold and shape, many strips of scrap paper, papier mache paste (some use liquid starch, but mine is 1/2 elmer's glue and 1/2 water.)

DIY - Scrapbox Memories

I'm struggling with a name for this new DIY project: scrap boxes, matchbook memories, mini shadow boxes...ugh! 

I have always liked the idea of assembling memories in a lovely and creative way, but have not gotten around to scrap booking. So I came up with an idea to commemorate my daughter's birth and baby years in a way that suits me best. I never actually made a "baby book" for either daughters and honestly can't believe that I still have not gotten around to it.

This assemblage of scrap boxes incorporates memorabilia from a couple of years and includes all sorts of keep-sakes and tokens of personal significance that I've collected for my daughter. Using boxes allows me to display some items that would otherwise not work as well in a book format:  map and coin from Costa Rica (ahem....the Country where she was "made"), identification anklet from the hospital, baby spoon, photos, magnetic letters that represent names and dates, and a few other special symbols.

THE DIY:

If you have a few little boxes and some small memorabilia and ephemera, then you are 70% there! Gift boxes for jewelry work especially well, but making your own little boxes is just as great.

As you can see, this cigar box houses some of our special things.

Lining the inside of each box is pretty easy. Simply outline the box on decorative paper of your choice and provide allowance for the four sides. Cut off 4 corner squares then glue down:

Decorate each box as you would a shadow box making sure to place elements in the background and foreground to create interest. Now you can GLUE GLUE GLUE to your heart's desire. You can glue pictures, ticket stubs, shells, toys, stamps, etc.

Experiment with a pleasing arrangement by pinning boxes together with clothespins or binder clips. Then glue gun together one box at a time. And lastly, pin wire through two holes of a cardboard so you can hang the scrapbox. The cardboard and wire should be glued directly behind the center box using glue gun or epoxy.

Voila!

DIY - Snow Globe Postcards

What are DIY Snow Globe Postcards, you ask? Mailable art that will "SNOW" when shaken or flipped over.  (Please scroll down for the tutorial).

This one is an invitation for Grandma to visit us! How can she resist this????

Kremlin in Winter.  The castle is a collage I created and the snow is iridescent plastic left over from a previous Christmas project.  (the pink arrow thingie is the universal symbol for "TO ACTIVATE SNOW, SHAKE ME, FLIP ME, TURN ME OVER").

This gnome brings its recipient good luck! (too cute to give away...so we're keeping him!)

100% recycled & reused parts making this ballerina the greenest postcard yet.

Bunny Farm is made from bunny stickers and glitter. Warning: Glitter and kids do not mix.

This picture represents some of my girls' designs!! They enjoyed this creative process and ended up inspiring me a great deal! For instance, they made little planets that orbit around the little martian. (I cut martian guy with exacto knife). Sorry that this particular postcard is cropped in this image.  My kindergardener colored and cut out the little stars herself for her rainbow girl. 

Although I know I ALWAYS say " there are endless possibilities" with all the craft projects I've blogged about ....really, truly there are endless possibilities here!

THE TUTORIAL:

 

1. Supplies to gather:

- colorful card stock paper, transparent plastic film, scissors, glue or glue stick, tape or double stick tape, and your preference of fake snow (confetti, glitter, plastic snow, etc.) and xacto knife for adults only.

- Cut out an 8" x 6" piece of card stock that will be folded in half. Once folded, this size is a standard 4" x 6" postcard.

- On one side, cut out the dome shaped window with xacto knife. 

- Cut plastic film to be approximately 1/2 centimeter larger than the window itself. Tape down edges securely.

- Create or glue down snow globe backdrop as well as foreground image directly unto the opposite side of window.  Any medium would work as you can clearly see above. It can be a photograph, magazine picture, a child's drawing, collage, painting, etc!

- Place your choice of fake snow on top of artwork on in between the folds. (We used confetti, glitter, cut paper and plastic iridescent snow).  You will always need to put down more "Snow" than you think because some of the snow will tend to get stuck in the corners of the postcard so be generous here.

- Using glue or double sticky tape, fold and press down the two parts together. 

- You are done! They are ready to be mailed, but because they are heavier than the average postcard, they will require standard letter stamps as opposed to postcard stamps.

- I hope you love this project!

 

DIY Wall Calender using Color Chips

WOO HOO! I'm feeling mighty prepared for January 2010. Check out this DIY wall calender I completed in a jiffy!!

 

The DIY involves very little; a stack of color chip sample cards, rolll of painter's tape, a large surface to tape on (I used a mounted canvas that I painted dark gray), and pen of choice ( i used an opaque white jel pen). The right angle ruler keeps all the cards nice and straight. And rather than planning the color arrangement, I just taped down color cards in random order.  I was pretty surprised at how pulled together this all looks in spite of the lack of planning.  The color card samples are something I purchased for a song at a local reuse center, but I think index cards, post it notes, or pre-cut papers would work nicely as well.  

Come February, I'm thinking of just rearranging these cards or replacing the scribbled papers with new ones.  But I am not going to think that far ahead. I'm still reveling in the 1st of January and soaking in the New Year. 

2010 is going to be fantastic - I just know it!!!

      

not yer cookie cutter face

We're all on holiday now and these  DIY cookie faces make for a fun activity today

maybe i can get a tutorial up soon to show you how to make temporary cookie cutters the easy way. and i mean EASY! no metals, no torches, no sharp tools...SUPER EASY!!!!!!!!