Using Sharpies to make bakers twine

 

"Failed to Publish" is back.  One minute I could leave comments, the next I couldn't.  It started late Wednesday and Blogger continues to reject my comments.  My sincere apologies.

I have to admit that up until this post, everything I've created in the past has been something someone else did before me.  Even the assemblages are not new concepts.  Only the materials are different.  Today, however, I can truthfully say, I am sure this is my own creation.  This is actually a Second Thursday Tutorial and I posted it on April 14, 2016.  Here it is in its entirety.

Using Sharpies to make bakers twine

It's the second Thursday in April, and time for a post dedicated to a tutorial.   It's also Day 14 of 22 days of recycling, repurposing, or rethinking a project.

My supplies are:

Sharpies, because I already had them
Index cards I found while going through a drawer in my office
Embroidery thread that was given to me

I knew I would never use the thread under normal circumstances, so instead of letting it go to waste in my craft room, I decided to put it to good use.  Since I had already purchased and paid for the Sharpies several years ago, I thought it was time I put them to good use again.  After all, craft supplies that "go bad" are a waste of money, and that always makes me sad.

The first thing I did was cut two slits at opposite ends of the index cards. I then wound the thread around the cards.  This took forever, but it was worth it.

I took one Sharpie and drew lines along the length of the wrapped thread, as shown above.  I turned the card over and repeated the process.

The next color I used was red.

I did the same with orange, drawing vertical lines on both sides of the card.

Next came green, but I don't think you need to be reminded again.  After all, it's very tedious, yet boring work.  I found that if I held onto the thread as I was drawing a line, I got a better line.  If I didn't, the line seemed to meander off course.

Although I had a few colors I didn't use, I was out of index cards and didn't want to cut old file folders and wrap more thread.  I had already spent nearly five hours doing this.  Like I said, tedious and boring.

After I finished the lines, I was mortified to think the ink had bled through to the back.   Upon closer inspection, I realized

I was looking at ink from the opposite side.  Although it had bled through the index card, it didn't affect the thread on the opposite side of the card.  The good news was, the Sharpies penetrated both sides of the thread, so no matter which way the twine was twisted, the color would still be the same.  

Now this tutorial has gone live you will find it on my Tutorials page under Making bakers twine using Sharpies.

For Day 14 of 22, I repurposed some embroidery thread I will never use for its intended purpose, and turned it into bakers twine, a product I have found to be either inexpensive and inferior in quality, or rather expensive but made with quality twine.

Thank you for your visit and if you decide to make some bakers twine from my tutorial, please let me know and I will feature it and you on my blog

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Free shrink plastic

 

Some of you may have a much larger craft budget than I have.  But even if I had unlimited disposable income, I would still recycle shrink plastic.

Shrink plastic is expensive when you buy it in sheets, but FREE when you grab it from your recycle bin.

Supplies from back:
Large circle punch
Stamp ink, color and type of your choice (preferably solvent or Staz-on)
Plastic from your recycle bin
Stamp of your choice
Heat tool (not shown)

Not all plastic is the same.   For it to be shrink plastic, it must be #6 plastic.  Look for this label embedded in the plastic.  Much of the plastic you get will probably be #1 or #2.  Be sure yours shows the #6.  Mine came from a bakery product I bought nearly a year ago.  Whenever I get food items from a store, I check the number and save all #6 plastic.

Here's what I did.  I placed the plastic in a large circle punch and punched.  Granted, I had to stand on the punch because I have no strength for something that large.

Now that the circle is punched, I grabbed my heat gun and turned it on.   I used a chop stick to hold onto the plastic, because, just like all shrink plastic, it will curl up onto itself and tries to blow away, too.  However, just like all shrink plastic, eventually it flattens out.

That thin piece of plastic has now shrunk 

to one quarter (1/4) its original size.

It's now time to ink your stamp.

After stamping the first one, I realized I needed to use permanent (solvent or Staz-on) ink instead of slow drying pigment ink.  Regardless, you now have a shrink plastic embellishment you can use in your art.  You'll find the ones I made in the Kings and Queens Altered Book I'm making.

Today is Day 3 16 of 22 leading up to bEARTHday and I brought back a post from 2015 when I recycled #6 plastic and turned it into shrink plastic art.  I also kept plastic out of the landfill where it takes millennia to disintegrate. 
   

 

Recycled wood art

 

This post is from April, 2015 and is entitled:

Recycled wood art

 Today I'm doing a bit of recycling in my basement.

In my basement studio, I got out my dedicated beeswax crock pot, plugged it in, then waited.   While I waited, I did a load of laundry and hung it on the line.  Yes, it takes that long for this crock pot to melt the beeswax.

I'm not sure why I have no step-out photos of this, because I had a ton of time.  Instead, I concentrated on this project and forgot to take photos.  The piece of wood on the left began with a few leaves I had pressed from the previous year.  I adhered the leaves and flowers using the beeswax.  I then adhered some of my gifted glittery tissue paper also applying it using beeswax.

The wood on the right was left over from when I attempted to repair a strip of wood outside my back patio.  I had already painted it, and it was screaming for me to not throw it away.  Instead, I adhered three leaves that I had pressed the previous autumn.  I used beeswax in lieu of glue.

I was hoping for a better view of this one,

and a better view of the two together.

Even though I adore my camera, there is only so much I can do

in the poor lighting I must contend with in the basement studio.  Although these are probably not finished pieces, they are started and that was all the time I could spend on this project today.  

Thanks as usual for joining me on this journey.  Your comments mean the world to me.

 

Today is Day 15 (tax day in the USA) of 22 in which I brought back a post where I altered two pieces of scrap wood using beeswax to adhere pressed leaves and flowers. 

 

T Stands for a bit late for Easter T

 

"Failed to Publish" is back.  One minute I could leave comments, the next I couldn't.  It started Friday and I STILL can't publish the comments I tried to leave.   

This recycled post from April, 2015 has an appropriate title:

T Stands for a bit late for Easter T

I originally planned to use this T post before Easter, but Easter came before the first T in April this year.  Even though that presents a problem for the tutorial's timeliness, it doesn't diminish the recycling effort or the fact the finished product can be used for other purposes.  So let's get started.

Just like with every tutorial, whether I show it for T Tuesday or not, I like to show my supplies.  From back left clockwise:
Empty plastic recyclable water bottles (2)
Distilled water (tap water will work equally well for this project) in a spritzer
Kitchen or heavy duty scissors/shears
Crafting scissors (not shown)
Water soluble pens, colors of your choice
Coffee filters (2 for each bottle)
White PVA glue of your choice (not shown)

Using the water soluble pens of your choice, scribble, scribble, scribble.

After scribbling all over the filters with the pens, I spritzed them with distilled water.  Now you can use regular water, but I had distilled in my spritzer, so I opted for that was in a hurry to complete this part of the project.

Not particularly satisfied with the colors I got,

I added some green handmade shimmering mist.  Then I walked away and allowed the coffee filters to thoroughly dry.

Once the coffee filters were dry, I cut a water bottle in half using heavy duty scissors.  If you don't own a disposable water bottle, ask a friend for one of theirs.  That's what I did!

Now get out your favorite white or PVA glue.  It can be cheap glue you probably wouldn't use for anything else.


Using paper scissors, cut scallops around the edges of the two coffee filters after you have folded the filters in quarters.

While your white glue is still wet, wrap the coffee filter around the outside and shape.  Try to cover the entire outside of the water bottle.


Add glue to the inside of the bottle and place the second coffee filter inside.  Be sure to 

work your way around the bottle until you are certain all the plastic is covered by the outside and inside filters.

Now if it had been Easter, I would add a few jelly bean eggs and place one completed basket at each person's place setting for Easter brunch or dinner (which I did).  However, if it is not Easter, you can add a few cut flowers from your garden to give to a friend for May day.  Color the filters pink for a Valentine's gift, red for "hiding" a Christmas gift, or brown for Thanksgiving (if you celebrate it).  The opportunities are endless.

For Day 7 14 of 22 leading up to bEARTHday, I shared a post where I recycled a plastic water bottle. I also used two coffee filters, some glue and colored pens.

Now it's your turn.  How did you spend your day?  Were you making or viewing drink related art, or perhaps spent the day out and about.  Regardless, share your link below and Bleubeard, Squiggles, and all of us T Stands For Tuesday gang will be by to visit.

 

 

 

New Wind Chimes From Old

 

"Failed to Publish" is back.  One minute I could leave comments, the next I couldn't.  It started Friday and I STILL can't publish the comments I left then.  You will hear from me soon, I hope. 

Today I have brought back a post from April 12, 2015.  It seems to have been a favorite by many commenters.  It is appropriately titled:

New Wind Chimes From Old 

I have these wind chimes that had fallen completely apart.  I wish I had taken a photo of them hanging on my front porch, but I forgot until I had them down with the help of a step stool and into the basement.

This is all that is left from these wind chimes I purchased a few years ago.  Most of my wind chimes last a bit longer than these have, so I wanted to make sure I repaired them so they would last.

I have lots of old (but not vintage) silverware that I've either been given, or picked up for pennies at the thrift store.  I think at one time, spoons were going for 5 cents each ($0.05 USD).  Now I'm sure they are much higher in price, but at the time, I had considered making jewelry or some such nonsense that was beyond the scope of my grip abilities.

Nothing matched, and that was what I was going for.  Even though I've seen lovely art made from spoons and forks, if I couldn't make jewelry or other adorable recycled art, I needed to find a way to use these.  Somehow, I've collected a HUGE amount of these pieces and it was time to put them to good use.

It was time to deconstruct what was left of the original wind chimes.

As I removed the strings from the base, I noticed they were held together by metal bands.  I also noticed the eye bolt on the back of the base, which I assume was for the clanger.

I cannot tell a lie.  It took two days for me to get to this point.

I sorted and constructed a lot of beads during that time.  Then I wrapped the wires around the silverware.  No drilling, no punching, just a lot of wire wrapping.  And not anything especially good enough to write home about, either.  But these were for me, and they didn't have to be perfect.  They just had to be artsy.  The observant person will note that all three spoons have beginning and ending gold beads that are made from tyvek and embossing powder.  I made 100 of them for a swap one year.

When I strung the wax thread, I started doing it wrong.  I got a bit frustrated because I had already assembled one when I realized my error.  You have no idea how much I dislike rework!

Finally, I was back on track, and was able to assemble the unit correctly.  As I took the wind chimes upstairs, I realized the spoon I was calling the clanger, was too long.  So I shortened it, and now

I have some lovely artsy wind chimes I can be proud of.

Not only did I make them myself, for Day 12 13 of 22, I reused the "Welcome" base and recycled seven pieces of old silverware and a ton of beads, including six I made from used tyvek and embossing powder. 

Thanks again for your continued support of my projects.  It's difficult to recycle items and make them not look like some six year old made them.  But I'm trying and I appreciate all your comments that continue to push me through these days leading up to bEARTHday.

Trash or Treasure?

 

"Failed to Publish" has once again reared its ugly head.  One minute I could leave comments, the next I couldn't.  You will hear from me when blogger sees fit.   

This art work was first shown in April, 2015.  It was called:

 Trash  or Treasure?

I've explained to a few people who've asked, it's hard to create NEW recycled, repurposed, reused, reclaimed, or upcycled art every day for 22 days after I've been doing it for several years.  The particular type of art using recycled or recyclable materials I see on the internet can, for the most part, be placed in two distinct categories: high end and kids crafts.

Neither child craft nor high end, this mixed media piece I made one year shows how I recycled a can lid I burned in my chiminea.  For the background and owl, I used magazine images.  Over the body, I placed a found metal spacer and two found bird feathers that reminded me of an owl's feathers. For the legs and feet, I used calligraphy pen nibs. The bottom color is a bit distorted due to my previous scanner.

This is Day 12 of 22 and I recycled art from April, 2015.  Thanks for dropping by today.  I appreciate it.
 

Recycling Pony Beads for Your Altered Books, ATCs, or Cards

 

It appears the dreaded and hated "Failed to Publish" has once again reared its ugly head.  One minute I could leave comments, the next I couldn't.  I am sincerely sorry since this happened yesterday right before Friday Smiles. 

This is another post that was well liked.  It is also from April, 2015.

Recycling Pony Beads for Your Altered Books, ATCs, or Cards

How many of us got sucked into buying pony beads way back when they were popular.  I'm thinking the 90s, but the craze may have started even earlier.  You don't have to raise your hand, because I bet you got at least ONE bag of them at one time or another, especially if you had kids begging for them.

I got sucked in when they were on clearance one year at Hobby Lobby, a big box craft store in the US.   I thought they would look cute attached to fibers I hang between pages in my altered books.  Unfortunately, they ended up looking like cheap beads.  So, I put them away and put out feelers.  I got a couple of people who told me I could paint them, but I wasn't about to do that.  Someone else told me I could use them as armatures for polymer clay.  But that didn't seem to interest me, at least not at the time, and I let them sit until now.  Of course, I also have a full container of those tiny beads I got at a rummage sale one year.  Be aware, these are NOT the beads with a backing you iron on to fabric.

I remembered someone else told me I could melt them, but I didn't remember much else.  So, with the help of the internet, a few days ago I found a few places that confirmed it.  However, no one site agreed to the temperature or amount of time needed to cook them.

One site had 8 minutes at 450 F (230 C, Gas Mark 8).  Another had 10-12 minutes at 400 F (200 C, Gas Mark 6).  I cooked these for 15 minutes at 400 F in my dedicated bake oven I keep in my basement studio.  I kept watching them, hoping they would melt properly.  I finally got discouraged and removed them.

Some turned out lousy and needed to be recooked,

while some were really lovely.

Even after I recooked the ones that were not "done" before, I still threw a bunch away.  As an aside, I was told in comments that I should have kept them because they could be used for various projects.

I definitely decided to give up on the small beads and went for the pony beads.  Easier to place on the tray,

they also cooked faster and easier.  These were in the bake oven for 9 minutes at 400 F.

Next, I cooked a few yellow beads, then

blue beads.  I've seen people use something similar in their scrapbook pages and on cards, although I can't remember what they call them (They are called Card Candi and were sold on strips of paper).  It was a great way to find an alternative to the cheap looking pony bead, and now I'll use them in all sorts of my AB or journal projects.  I might even use them as centers for flowers, or attach them to paper clips.

Today is Day 11 of 22 leading up to bEARTHday, and I shared a post from April, 2015 where I recycled some ugly plastic beads into embellishments for my altered art.  I also saved the parchment I "cooked" the beads on, because I think the parchment will look great dipped in beeswax or baby oil.  Nothing gets wasted in my studio.

Thanks beyond belief for dropping by today.  I am grateful.  So is Bleubeard.