Thursday, 7 February 2019

Dwarf/Lutin-deco-frame in winter

I (and following me, the kids of my crafting class) changed in january the deco-frame to winter style. 
It's a little empty! But this is like winter is: a bit reduced to the basics, not overflowing a bit calmer than all the other times of the year. Don't you think so?
The little snow-man is made from branch slices and actually the same like those I made several years ago in big (actually they had been in my first real blog post!).

Enjoy the winter time!

A bientôt,
Jane

Thursday, 24 January 2019

Pulled string art

This kind of art you need to try! So much fun! Have a look at this little video I found on Pinterest some weeks ago. It looks easy and technically is, but in reality it took me quite a while to figure out the consistence of the color, the thickness of the thread and the pressure you give on the papers while pulling the string. 
I wasn't alone testing. Younger son and a friend of him were with me. This is what we produced in one hour in the late afternoon and also what I did with the results later. Warning: lots of pictures!

Little son lost interest after doing two cards:

Little sons friend was enthusiastic and developed her own style by using very little color on the thread, but making several layers one over the other. She also added some color with a brush and I got nearly jealous seeing how easy she created very unique modern art, without even thinking about it. It is not at all like the example but I like it a lot!

I tried to figure out how to obtain the clearest result, without smearing zones!
This one isn't great. Apparently on some zones of the thread there had been too much color. When I started working with my prints the next day, I didn't want to give it in the bin and put some text on it. It's still nothing I would give someone as a gift or so, but with the red letters the ugly spots are no longer in my focus. 
 
yes, it's the same picture, but one is a photo and the other is scanned.

I printed some cards that after I cut in pieces and used each element by itself.
The nicest element I cut out and used it for this week's page in my self-made art calendar (new project of 2019, maybe I tell more about later, when it worked, but the idea is a calendar, that I create a little further every day, but it's not an art-journal as I'm also writing about what's going on each day).
Another one I decorated with some drawings. The top part reminded me of a leaf and I interpreted the lines around as spraying water. I shouldn't have added the words.
The three other blue pieces I cut out and glued them onto blue cardstock. I thought some white drawings would be nice with it, but finally I think it takes too much away the attention from the printed elements. At least it is like that when I see it in reality, here on the scan it looks quite nice.
The red print is the best and stayed simple on a red background. Will use it as a post-card.

I made one other large card with 5 pulled string elements that are all very good. The only thing I will do differnt the next time is letting more space below the elements. It looks like I cut the card in half.
I had the negativ prints on scrap paper that we used to put over the card with the string before pulling the thread. I cut the elements out, glued them into my scatch book and added some music. This is so far my favorite!

Now I need to produce more pulled-string-Art! There are probably hundreds of possibilities to use them and I still don't have the impression I jet got it. They are pretty leaving them "natural", but I like to do some drawings on top too. Need to see, how much drawing is nice and how much is too much! 

A bientôt,
Jane  

Wednesday, 9 January 2019

Top, scarf and bonnet (not for me)

At her last stay with us my mother-in-law got interested in my overlock machine. She is a very good sewer and makes the nicest dresses and jackets for herself. She is working "old style" and very accurate. This would be way too long for me and I pay respect! I showed her my fast sewing with download patterns and my overlock. We bought a pattern she liked, but had some difficulties finding a nice jersey to test it and only bought one that she liked okay, but didn't started the sewing. 
The fabric and pattern stayed with me to wait and wait. Just before Christmas I thought that maybe it would stay with me forever and that it will be nicer if my mother-in-law will bring the next time the perfect fabric and we start a new thing. So I made the top for her. The pattern had already been glued together and cut out, so it took very short time to finish. 
I feared a bit the collar, as I've never before made a turtle-neck collar, but with the video instructions that had been with the pattern it worked perfect.
Neither the pattern nor the fabric is something I would have chosen, but the sewing where only fun!
There were left-overs from the fabric and what am I thinking of in the first place when I have a piece of jersey left? Right: a bonnet! I lined it with black sweat-shirt fabric. Cosy and warm! As there where even more left I also made a fitting scarf that closes with a button. And this duo I really like! Even with this fabric that's not my style, I would wear it!

By the way: my mother-in-law likes all three pieces and already send me pictures. They are fitting perfectly! 
:-)

A bientôt,
Jane

Wednesday, 2 January 2019

Starting 2019 with an unicorn

Actually the headline is not completely right: I ended 2018 with an unicorn!
It has been my last crafting project in 2018. At etsy I bought a pdf-file for a 3D paper-head of a unicorn for our goddaughter. Of course I had to try out if the cardstock I choose had been stable enough and I printed the first page to test. It was so much fun to cut and fold and glue, that after Christmas I used the lazy days with no appointments or duties to finish a complete unicorn head!
Normally I am not a fan of the unicorn hype. I don't want to have a unicorn soft toy or prints on my clothes or books or in whatever else form they are coming. But now I have one hanging over my crafting corner and I like it!

Sometimes it's good to unfocus and do something new: 
May it be useless! 
Maybe only because you like to do it and not for the result! 
Maybe just for you! 
Maybe I should do it sometimes more in 2019!

I wish you all a happy and healthy new year! May your wishes come true!

A bientôt,
Jane

Sunday, 30 December 2018

Cable ties

Back in November I had a very nice evening with a creative friend, just talking about sewing and diy and exchanging ideas. Suddenly we had the table full of stuff and tried out an idea I found on pinterest and thought this might be great little gifts for Christmas.
We made only one fish and two dogs that very evening, but I couldn't stop myself and the following weeks I started producing and testing new forms.
There are lots and lots of fishes of all kinds:
"Normal" ones, very small ones and piranhas!
I made some more dogs for the dog owners of my family and friends.
I invented a mouse pattern (this is the only shape I didn't see on pinterest before, all others I found alike in the internet)
And this are the cutest teddy bears.
If you have leather scraps this is a great project to use them! You won't stop making more and more! But it's not necessary to stop, as everybody had lots and lots of cables around, haven't you? We have one drawer looking like spaghetti salad inside. It didn't get much tidier now, as most of the cable ties I made are now with new owners.
Do you want to make some yourself? I had to invent all patterns myself, as I only found pictures on pinterest, but mostly of shops selling the cable clips, so I could get the idea, but never saw a pattern. You can download all of my patterns here:

Have fun with it!

A bientôt,
Jane

Sunday, 23 December 2018

Decorated lamp

I saw a decoration like that on pinterest and think it is a charming idea. You can use a lot of little decorations that otherwise won't be used or not recognised, because you don't have enough or they didn't fit in your concept or they are just so little. 
It just had been difficult to photograph. I had to ask little son to hold a white fabric behind so it is visible on the photo.


I wish a very merry Christmas to everybody!

Joyeux Noel a tous le monde!
Jane

Saturday, 22 December 2018

Stars burned on tree slices

My darling helped me to realise an idea I already had last year: He welded some branding irons. 
They can be heated by a camp-fire or a gas-torch and then pressed on a slice of wood. It's like stamping!
I had lots of fun and now there are wooden discs with stars on all around the house.


I also took all equipment to the school christmas market and let the kids decorate their discs. It took much more time to heat the irons in a camp fire as it did at home with the gas burner, but the fire gave a nicer ambiance!


A bientôt,
Jane