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I saw a tutorial in a craft magazine years ago about a brooch made with old guitar keys. I set out to locate some old guitar keys. No one seemed to want to give them up if they might have them. I checked guitar sales stores, guitar restoration stores, but no one wanted to sell any.
I went to an estate sale company’s warehouse sale and found a bag of banjo keys. The motherload!
Then I couldn’t find the magazine that I was sure I saved with the pic, so I went for it.
For the body I used a Jenga game piece, the head a checker, the arms the banjo keys. I added some twisted wire for her hair, a watch crystal to cover her face. I printed some music images onto a transparency and then put text from book pages inside it.
I added some brass feet and seed beads and called her complete.
I love how she ended up and she proudly sits on my kitchen windowsill. I just love her. My altered angel.
Technorati Tags: altered art,angels,jenga,checker,music,watch crystal,wire,doll,assemblage,cindy is crafty
I watched some of the coverage of Whitney Houston’s funeral and was so moved by this song performed by Bebe and Carvin Winans of the famous Winans family. I was touched by the fact that none of us are guaranteed a tomorrow. Not getting preachy, but it touched my heart and inspired some art!
Bebe and Carvin Winans singing Tomorrow.
The phrase “Tomorrow is Today” kept running through my mind for the entire remainder of the day and the next until I decided to set it to paper.
It is my reminder not to put things off, but to remember that I am not guaranteed a tomorrow. Nor are any of us!
I have had spools on the brain lately. For several months, I have been collecting wooden spools to use in jewelry makings, but until this past weekend, I had not done anything with them.
I took a vintage spool with some lovely wood coloring and Mod Podged layers of pattern pieces to it.
I tried to pick the pieces with text and sewing instructions on them. Then I added a vintage pic of a Victorian lady that I printed onto typewriter paper. The first one smeared terribly, so I slowly built up the layers on the 
second pic.
I like how the pic is a bit distressed which kind of fits the spool and the “feel” of the design. I also used Mod Podge to glue town the ric rac. The ric rac I used is from an estate sale that had some water damage to it so tea stained it a bit.
On the top of the spool, I affixed a tissue sheet that I stamped using a Tim Holtz stamp. As I was coating the stamped image it smeared, so I wiped it off and then re-stamped it onto the top of the spool. I also stamped it on the bottom of 
the spool.
I am now thinking on how to finish it. I know I will hang it from some vintage seam binding, but I also want to hang some danglies from it. Maybe some sewing items, maybe some beads, I am not sure. It will be a necklace when I am finished, but for now I need to think it through a bit more.
What do you think?
Technorati Tags: altered art,spool,sewing,vintage,rubber stamps,mod podge,ric rac,jewelry,cindy is crafty
The Richmond area was home to the annual J. Crew regional warehouse sale. It is held at the Old Borders Books building on Broad street until the 22nd of January. In digging through the accessory bins, I found a journal. It had a brushed gold cover and was filled with blank pages and possibility!
I started by Mod Podging down some French dictionary pages with some of my favorite images (sewing and eyeglasses). The pages were very white as the very large dictionary is kind of new. I sponged on some tan colored acrylic paints and then watered it down a bit to make it a wash. Then on top of that I added a terra cotta color and then watered it down a bit. After the color was as I wanted it, I used rubber stamps for the images. I stamped the images using brown ink onto sewing pattern tissue and then adhered it to the book with more Mod Podge.
The card in the bottom right is from an 
Operation game that I thought fit the cover. I inked the edges of the card and the top to age it a bit. I used Mod Podge to seal it to the cover.
Lastly, I used the same process to stamp the image for the back cover.
I then sealed the entire journal with another layer of Mod Podge.
I love it antique look and funky images. How about you?
Technorati Tags: altered art,journal,dictionary,pages,rubber stamps,mod podge,operation,game pieces,cindy is crafty
One of my crafty buddies and I are meeting up for a swap today. As I hit estate sales and thrift shops I keep my eye out for cotton and linen napkins for her. She saves me her quilting scraps. I really covet the scraps of her hand dyed creations. I have made a lot of brooches from those scraps.
She commented on my neighborhood charms and I asked her if she wanted one. She did so I decided to jazz it up a bit for her using some of her scraps. The material I used for the cord is some of her fabric. I added a lavender ribbon and some fancy yarn, too. I also added some purple seed beads to give it a bit of sparkle. I braided the cord after seeing the latest Martha Stewart magazine. I cannot find a link to the article, perhaps later and I will link it. I am definitely going to try the braided show laces it featured.
I hope Vicki likes her charm and its holder. I think it is really cool and wish the sparkle showed up better in the picture. Oh well…
WordPress Tags: rummikub, altered art, charm, house, rubber stamp, braiding, martha stewart living, fabric, ribbon, yarn, seed beads, cindy is crafty
There is something about a co-worker’s birthday celebration at work. It tends to turn into a popularity contest. The more presents and cards the more liked the person. I prefer to do my giving quietly and try to go unnoticed. I don’t do it for show, I do it because it is a nice thing to do. Since I make stuff, I am never at a loss for gifties. It seems I always have stuff at the ready to go.
So, I quietly slip my gift to the co-worker when no one is around. In most cases, I just leave it in the co-worker’s cube when they are out.
To go with the cup cozy I gave the Starbucks addicted co-worker in my office I made a tag. She is an avid scrapbooker so I knew she would appreciate it. And she did!
I love making tags. It is a quick, easy process and good for some quick crafty satisfaction. Anytime!
I solicited advice for how to finish these ladies. I took all of the suggestions under consideration, but in the end wanted something a bit more subtle. I used gems to embellish the front a bit and give them some sparkle. I glued down the gems so they would stay put on the brooches and would hold up under wear.
I like how they ended up. How about you?
WordPress Tags: brooch, movie stars, audrey hepburn, marilyn monroe, grace kelly, gems, embellish, mod podge, dominos, altered, art, cindy is crafty
First, I should give you a bit of background. I recently consigned some jewelry made from scrabble tiles (pendants and earrings) and dominos (earrings) and some of the customers asked for domino sized brooches. I, being the lover of brooches that I am, like a big bawdy brooch of 2 inches or so. These are 1” by 1.75”.
I have the images mod podged on top of the scrapbook paper backgrounds, but know they need something more, but am at a loss for what to add. This is where the assistance part comes in.
I could add a ribbon border around the domino, but that doesn’t feel right to me.
I could add some text like on Princess Grace either Princess, Elegance or Grace or perhaps a word.
I thought about glittering the edges, but they will be worn on coats or blazers and I wouldn’t want the glitter to come off on their clothes. You can coat the glitter, but then it loses some of it sparkle.
I have some microbeads and that is a thought as they would not come off, but I need some suggestions.
Help me! What do you think?
WordPress Tags: brooches, altered, dominos, game piece, audrey hepburn, marilyn monroe, princess grace, collage, mod podge, cindy is crafty
This month’s challenge on Art & Soul was to create a Garden Goddess doll using this template, embossing powder and glitter in the construction.
This lady was fun to make and she came together slowly. First, I picked the background paper. I then inked the edges. Then I stamped fern leaves to her front which I then embossed with gold. I added paper and silk flowers and jewels to the front also. I used stickles to enhance the jewels and to give the body a bit more oomph. I also used Stickles for the centers of the green flowers.
Her face is created using sculpey which I then painted and sanded. I was going for a weathered statue out in the elements kind of look. Her hair is a combination of blue nubby yarn and some reddish metallic that has a lit of sparkle.
The wire was shaped using my new toy, the thing-a-ma JIG.
Can’t you see her hanging out in a garden among the flowers?
WordPress Tags: garden, goddess, art and soul, doll, collage, embossing, glitter, stickles, yarn, mixed media, cindy is crafty
Cindy Is Crafty...and she makes things, too! 