Last Week of School - Tuesday

 The twins are so excited.  Their Kindergarten class is going on a field trip to Mudgy and Millie's in Coeur d'Alene today.  It's a walking trail based on the book Mudgy and Millie about a moose and a mouse.  When all three grandkids get home from school day, their project for the day will be Smartie Airplanes to go with the Graduation Hat Cards they did yesterday as gifts for all their classmates on the last day of school.  I found this one on line for Valentine's Day.

 

Rubber Bands  $1.99 at Office Depot; probably less expensive at Wal-Mart.  We'll get 2 packs to make sure we have plenty.

Any gum with foil wrappers works great; however, the gum my son brought home does not have foil wrappers, so instead of putting a wrap around the gum with the foil wrapper showing as shown on the Valentine Airplane, we'll cover the entire piece of gum.  The gum was very flimsy and kept bending when the grandkids tried to put the airplanes together, so I cut strips of card stock 2 3/4" X 3/4" and had the kids set them on the gum before they wrapped the gum with the paper.

We bought this huge 41 ounce bag of Life Savers at Wal-Mart.     The bag has over 200 pieces in it, individually wrapped.  Yes, they have to be unwrapped to use them for the wheels of the airplane.  Sonny cut one end off each wrapper and Skyler dumped the mints out of the wrappers into a bowl.  There were only 3 broken mints in the bag.  We ate them.

Smarties are inexpensive.  We got an extra bag for the kids to enjoy!








I printed the words Congrats Smartie! several times using a word document, the font is Arial as the letter were the closest I could find to the letters the grandkids learned in school.  I used size 18.  You could write them on pieces of paper if you want, but I don't have that much time to spare.  I folded the paper so the grandkids would have cutting lines.





To assemble the Airplanes, thread the rubber band through the hole in two Life Savers.  I had the grandkids put their pinky finger through one loop of the rubber band, put a stick of gum in the loop on the other side of the Life Savers, then take the rubber band off their finger and over the other end of the gum.  Next, they inserted the roll of Smartie's under the gum and above the Life Savers.  They added small stickers for a finished look.


Too much fun and totally worth every minute!  Tomorrow they grandkids will put the Graduation Hat Cards and the Candy Airplane in clear poly bags, tie them with ribbons and be ready for the last day of school!

Until next time, Happy Crafting!
              
   Captive Illusions            Captive Embroidery
    Captive Decals                 Crafty Family

Last Week of School - Monday

This is the first day of the last week of school for Trinity (First Grade) and Sonny and Skyler (Kindergarten).  We have so many projects to do this week along with keeping up with the housework, eBay, Artfire, and now that the weather has finally turned nice, yard work that we will be running around like a chicken and her little chicks.  Our after school project today is to create little 'graduation' gifts for all the kids in Trinity, Sonny and Skyler's classes.  Each class has between 20 and 25 children so we'll be making 72 gifts which should give us a few extras.  First off, I bought some cute decks of cards from Oriental Trading shaped like graduations caps.  They are on sale for $1.50 for 12 decks of cards.  I bought 6 dozen - a set in red, blue, green, yellow, purple and orange for $9.00 which is 12 1/2 cents per deck of cards!

The decks measure a scant 3" X 3".  I have labels that measure 1" X 3" that I'll set up with sayings:

Happy Graduation!  Hope you have a fun summer!  From Skyler
Congrats Graduate!  Have fun in first grade!  From Sonny
Have a great summer!  Hope to see you next year!  From Trinity

The kids will put a label on the back of each deck of cards and then decorate the label with stickers.

I'll post a picture or two when the project is finished.

To go with the decks of cards the kids will be making Smartie Airplanes.

I'll blog about that those tomorrow!

Until next time, Happy Crafting!
              
   Captive Illusions            Captive Embroidery
     Captive Decals                 Crafty Family

Crochet and Knit Meet Ups

I was recently turned on to Meetup.com to find like minded groups in your area that you can get together with. I popped in and did a local search and found 2 Crocheter/Knitter groups that meet near me. Yesterday I attended a meetup of the Knitwits & Hookers (yep, that's the name of the group - too funny to pass up), at a local coffee shop, where we talked shop, life, made each other laugh and shared tips and information on our projects. For 2 and a half hours we sat sipping coffee or tea (or a milkshake in one lady's case) and worked on our respective projects. I spent the time working on a shirt that is to be a Christmas present (I'll post a picture of it after the holidays), and got much further along than I would have expected while chatting. I'm looking forward to the next one.

In addition to working on my crochet project, I talked to some of the ladies there about their knitting. While most fell into the expected categories of one or the other, perhaps with attempts on the other but not totally comfortable with it, there was an exception. A very nice lady (when I remember her name I'll put it in) was sitting by me, not only does she both knit and crochet, but she spins yarn (including some fabulous yarn with beads weaved in). She encouraged me in my knitting attempts, and hearing of and seeing some of the not so successful first attempts of other knitters in the group, I was inspired to give it another try.

So after a little internet searching I found a Knitting Help site where I watched quick and easy to follow videos and learned of the Continental Method, in which you hold the working yarn in the left hand instead of the right (if you're right handed). I find I enjoy knitting with the Continental Method, and put together this little guy.

The original pattern called for just using the Knit stitch, but I wanted to practice the Knit a row then Purl a row method, so I did that instead. Not exactly prize winning, but I think she's cute. Alas, though I tried to pull away, knitting is dragging me back in. I think I'll try something a little bigger next time, wish me luck!

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Captive Embroidery

&

Crafty Family

Fairs and Festivals and Bazaars, Oh My!

Back and recovered from the First Annual September Outpost Festival at the Chapel Hills Mall in Colorado Springs, CO. It's been a while since I've done a fair, and I had forgotten much of what it was like. I do find them a great way to connect with other crafters, make some business connections, and in general have a good time.

We spent 2 days in the mall, which is great because they is no worrying about the weather. While there, we launched our new Halloween line, which I'll be adding to our ArtFire store shortly. In my downtime, I crocheted some ponchos, and thought up some new products for Christmas and beyond. Now if only I had enough time in the day to do all the projects I keep thinking up...

Here's some of my fair take aways:

1) Signage - Very important! You want the people walking by to see your name/logo somewhere, preferably big enough to remember later (when they go searching the internet for you).

2) Food - Unless you want to spend all your profits on food, come prepared. We brought a couple cases of soda and water, some sandwiches and snacks. Only thing we bought was a caramel apple from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and that's just because they are SOOOO good!

3) Change - Luckily I remembered this one, but have plenty of change! Nothing worse than someone not being able to buy something from you because you can't break a $20.

4) Receipts - If you don't want to splurge on printed receipts with your info on them, either write it on or print up some stickers to put on them. Be sure to include your phone number and website, so they can find you when they want to buy more later. This is also a good place to put a coupon code or special, to lure them back.

5) Product - Have a selection of everything you do, but don't overwhelm the tables with 50 of the same thing. Put out a couple of each, if someone shows interest in something you can let them know you have more to choose from that they can look through. And when you sell one, pull out another and replace it.

6) Business Cards - Have plenty, and when someone asks for one, give them two. Why two? Simple, if you only give them one, they won't have one to give to a friend later. Even if they just dump it somewhere, there's a chance an interested person will find it.

7) Marketing Materials - Brocures, flyers etc., are good to have, but not necessary. If you do have them, remember less is more. As someone walks around they don't want some huge magazine that they'll have to carry, instead a nice tri-fold or half size catalog would be a good choice. And, if you have bags you can give out to carry all those flyers in, you'll be the hero - make sure your logo and website/phone number are on there.

9) Set-up - Do a practice set up before you go, know how big your space is, where your neighbors are, and if there is a wall on any side of you. Set up your tables, display units, chairs, whatever then load in your product. figure out what you can fit, and if you have gaps in your display you need to make more product to fill. It's also a good idea to know how long it will take you to set up, and how much room it will take in your vehicle - make sure it will all fit!

10) Have Fun!!!!! - If you're having fun, you will draw in more people - customers and other vendors alike. If you aren't having fun, why are you there in the first place? These should be a fun way for you to get out there, meet people, and make a few bucks.

How about you? What takeaways and tips do you have for making fair life a little better for your fellow crafters?

Until next time, Happy Crafting!
De'Anna

Jewelry Box Make Over

Project of the day – Jewelry Box Make Over

Trinity is 6 years old. She is already a consummate collector…of anything and everything. She thinks everything is good for something and someday she will find a use for it. While she is visiting her maternal grandparents today, her paternal grandma (me, Grandma Cat) will hopefully be turning a broken down, unattractive chipboard sewing or jewelry box (that Trinity found and had to have) into something special.

Gathering Materials

Check my scrap drawers, bins and boxes and found a wonderful piece of purple satiny silky fabric (purchased long ago, have no idea what it actually is) with black flocked flowers. Trinity has seen this fabric before and I know that she loved it. I’m sure I have a bit of black velvet somewhere to line the inside of the box. While hunting for fabric, I also found a bit of black fringe that I might be able to use,. Grabbed my box of glue and fray check, scissors, and I’ll add whatever I have to run and find as the need arises to the list.

Time to Begin

It’s almost 9 am on a Saturday morning. First, I’ll carefully take the box apart. I used a small screwdriver ( yup, already had to find something not on the list…a screwdriver), and gently pried off the hinges so they could be cleaned, painted black, and used again.



After pulling them out I see that I will need a pair of pliers to straighten out the points so the box can be put back together. Once all the hardware is off, I’m left with 3 separate pieces to the box…the top, the bottom and the inside ‘drawer’. It took 8 minutes to find the screwdriver and take all the hardware off. Not too bad.

Covering the Box with Fabric

Couldn't find the velvet, though I know it is here somewhere. My only excuse is that we moved from California to Idaho 6 weeks ago and haven’t exactly gotten everything in its place yet. I did find some black polished cotton that will work for the lining. I started with the ‘drawer’ since it was smallest and would either be the easiest because it was small, or the hardest because it was small. Either way, I would get it out of the way first and be happy it was done. I cut a rectangle ½” larger than the ‘drawer’. Then glued the fabric inside the ‘drawer’ using a flat craft paintbrush to spread Elmer’s white glue over the inside surface .

For the outside of the drawer I cut 1 rectangle 1 ½” larger than the drawer, then glued the fabric to the outside, over the edge of the box making sure the fabric ended slightly over the black lining. I used paperclips to hold everything in place while the glue dries. If you’ve got clothespins handy they will work just as well. After everything dried, I took off the paperclips andI used fray check along the edge of the fabric to prevent stray threads later that Trinity or her boys, as she calls her twin brothers, could pull thus ripping everything apart. The box bottom was done pretty much the same as the ‘drawer’, just had to adjust the measurements as the bottom was bigger than the ‘drawer’.

Okay, now for the top. To give it a little bit of ‘wow’ factor (I hope), I cut two layers of quilt batting slightly smaller than the top and glued them in place, one on top of the other, and then covered as the bottom and ‘drawer’. I glued the bit of black fringe that Trinity liked around the top and held it all in place with straight pins until it dried completely which took about an hour.

Putting the Box Back Together

I painted two coats of black model paint onto all the hardware pieces after scrubbing them with steel wool to make sure they were clean and give the model paint a grip-able surface. Put the hinges on the back, hooked the drawer back on the inside rivets and put the front clasp back on. Done deal.

Until next time, Happy Crafting

Grandma Cat

Ode to a Craft Room

Ah my craft room, so organized and neat

No more straight pins poking my bare feet 

My glue gun sits on it's assigned shelf 

And I can find anything all by myself 

No need to dig through boxes to find the right tool 

Such a crazy person, acting like a fool 

My sewing machine sits ready, my iron is on hand 

Yarn organized in boxes is a sight so very grand 

Rainbows of beads, buttons, zippers and more 

Supplies of all kinds, ready for crafting galore 

When I'm ready for a project, I can get to it fast.

Its so easy to craft now, wonder how long it will last. 

Until next time, Happy Crafting!
De'Anna

And the Knitting Continues... Maybe

Well, I gave knitting a fair shot. First the can cozy, and to really give it a go, I decided to make a quick scarf. I grabbed a spool of ribbon I had purchased to crochet with (that I never decided what to make out of), and set about making a skinny, cute scarf.

Using my size 8 needles (still my only set), I cast on 15 times. Sticking with the regular knit stitch, which is the only one I know, I stitched until I ran out of ribbon. Well, the scarf is a little shorter than I would like it, by about half. I admit, it looks really cute, and if I had enough material to finish it, I would have.

But I did discover something about myself. I am most definitely, NOT a knitter. More power to all you knitters out there, I'm going back to my crochet hooks. After more than 25 years of crocheting, that is definitely in my blood. When I crochet, I can feel the stitches, and can sometimes work on my project without looking at it (which amazes my husband). When I knit, I have to stare at every stitch and totally concentrate, I'm always worried I'm going to drop a stitch, and I panic when I do. I like to relax and enjoy myself when I craft, and knitting is not the way for me.

After taking the time to make a real attempt at knitting, and falling a little short of my completed product, I elected to reuse that ribbon to crochet a scarf instead. By using a really big hook (size ) I did a quick skinny scarf (11 ch, skip 1st ch, sc in remaining 10, ch 1 turn, repeat). I'm quite fond of my new scarf, although it won't exactly keep me warm this winter, it will look so cute!

The more I think about it, the more I believe that anyone just learning to either crochet or knit, should really learn both at the same time. I think exposure to both of these crafts at the same time would make it easier for someone to switch between them, and find a love for both.

So to my knitting friends in blogland, grab those needles and knit something I can't. And to my crocheting friends out there, grab that hook and make something fabulous those knitters can't. Lastly, to those lucky few who can do both, I'd love to see them combined into one project, blend those two arts, and do up a little something none of the rest of us can.

Look Out For UFO's

In the process of moving, and organizing my new craft area, I discovered just how many UFO's (Un-Finished Objects) I have in my crafting supplies. Shame on me, 3 boxes full of them, not to mention the ones that are actually tucked in with the supplies themselves. A half beaded belt, A half crocheted poncho, my son's old t-shirts for a memory quilt, patterns cut out and never sewn together, the rest of my Christmas village I haven't painted, and so many more that I don't want to think about.

So I'm making a promise to myself. After the crazy Christmas crafting is done, I will start tackling my UFO's. Guess you can call it my New Year's Resolution. January 1st, 2011 I will start knocking out a craft project each day. That's my goal. Perhaps there will be some larger projects that take more days, but why not squeeze in a quick 10 or 15 minute project in, then work on the big one for a while? Well, now that I have a plan in place to get those taken care of after the holidays, I feel like I can relax and enjoy getting ready for Christmas this year. Plus it will give me plenty of time to take a peak at all those projects and figure out if I need tools or supplies to finish them (would be a great thing to add to my Christmas list).

How about all you in blogland? How many UFO's do you have around? How many ideas in your head that never quite make it out? I issue this challenge to you all, find those UFO's, make a list of those ideas, and join me in bringing in the new year with some crafty projects.

Until next time, Happy Crafting

De'Anna

Who Are We?

We need a new blog name. What do you think? Cathy owns and operates Captive Illusions, an eBay based store which sells things such as quilt fats, sewing patterns and ceramic decals. And De'Anna owns and operates Captive Embroidery, a new spin-off from Captive Illusions specializing in machine embroidery on anything from tote bags to baby blankets to Christmas stockings through ArtFire. Between the two of us, we sew, quilt, crochet, knit (a little), and do whatever fun projects we can. Now that we are 2 separate companies, but still one blog, we need a new name for it.

So help us re-name our blog by commenting with your suggestion. Something fun an crafty sounding. We'll pick the suggestion we like the best, and the suggester will get a little something special. Don't know what yet, it's as much of a surprise for you as it is for us. :)