“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It Goes On.”
Robert Frost
Showing posts with label crave cute. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crave cute. Show all posts

Monday, February 18, 2013

I Have Promises to Keep . . .

Many of you may look at this and think it's way too late to be posting winter poems, well technically speaking, spring does not arrive for another few weeks.  Actually spring arrives on March 20 this year.  If you live in the northern climes as I do, then it may not feel or look like spring until mid or late April. This marking of time has got me thinking though. Thinking that I better get may act together! No more hiding under the covers and hibernating till spring arrives, I have much to do!


illustrated by Lois Maloy
After checking my never ending To Do List and realizing that I was not crossing anything off, but only adding things to it, I decided I needed to take a blog break to catch up.  I find that blogging, writing and reading other peoples blogs is much more enjoyable that say doing my shop inventory or getting our taxes organized! However since I can not put them off any longer I will be taking a couple of weeks off of posting to my blog.  I may still stop in and visit on other blogs, but as the poem says, 'I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep', so no guarantees!


Take care everyone! I will be back in March sometime.
~~ Diane ~~




Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

A Family Photo

The Christmas Bears
Decked out for the Holidays!

Daddy Bear, Chubby Cubby, Mommy Bear








....and for more casual times....

Mommy Bear with Sunflowers

Daddy Bear with Fishing Pole and Fish




Some day if I ever get caught up, I will finish some of my other paper mache projects!

Linking with Tina's PicStory TWW




Thursday, November 17, 2011

The Night Before Christmas - Playbook

Another great find of mine for all of you interested in these cute paper doll/ house sets. This one is especially cute and it is designed around that most wonderful time of year, Christmas! This is another paper doll set that would be really cute put together and displayed on a shelf with some faux snow and mini lights. Very nostalgic! If you missed out on this as a kid, now is your chance to recreate those memories. Have a look at the pictures below.

Here are a few details.

The Night Before Christmas Playbook - To push out and put together, 1960, Whitman Publishing Co.
















This is an original book and has never been put together, it is in remarkable condition. The book is approximately 13 3/4" x 10".  It consists of the house, Mama & Papa, the kids, the family pets, a Christmas tree, toys, dolls, furniture, and of course Santa and his sleigh and reindeer! There are more pieces to make the house complete such as a fire for the fireplace and the proverbial Christmas mouse. Everything is here to complete the famous poem!

Update: This item has been sold to a lovely customer. Thank you for visiting today!






Friday, November 4, 2011

Retro Vintage Santa's Workshop

The days are flying by and soon it will be Christmas day...humming holiday tune...

I know you're saying "Wait, we haven't even gotten through all the Halloween candy yet!" Yes, yes I know, but really though we do need to start thinking about Christmas and I want to start with a little retro fun item.

Now while I am old enough to remember paper dolls and the punch out paper doll kits that were around, I was never fortunate enough to ever see one of these when I was a kid. I would have been over the moon if I had ever received something like this under the tree! These are pretty rare, and to find one that had not been touched, even more so. Here it is!!













Santa's Workshop to push out and put together! With Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus, his helpers and reindeer, furniture, toys to make and dolls to dress. These books were a welcome treat in homes of the late 50's and early 60's. Children could spend hours punching out and playing with these charming paper doll/house kits. It is from Whitman Publishing Company Racine Wisconsin, 1960.

This book is in excellent condition, the pieces have never been punched out! The book is a tri-fold with pockets to store the pieces. The book opens up and there are pieces to attach that make it into a 3-D winter wonderland of  Santa's Workshop. As you see from the photos there are many figures and pieces for furniture and even curtains for the windows! I have not seen an original of this for sale anywhere else, so I feel it is pretty rare.

 If you love the retro look of these images, just think how cute they would look put together and displayed up on a  bookshelf or mantel! This would make a wonderful addition to your holiday decor. Add a little faux snow, mini twinkle lights and your scene will be complete.

Just an update, this cute vintage playbook sold to a collector.

Linked with:
2805 Potpourri Party


Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Spring Slips into Summer...

Peonies & Petals

Spring is slipping away and here comes summer. My peonies are almost finished blooming and before it rains again today, I will cut the rest and bring them in. The bowl holds the petals that fell in clumps from previous cut flowers and I added a few small peony buds too. It was so pretty I had to capture it.

Swallow Tail Butterfly & Mock Orange Shrub

The Mock Orange shrub smells so heavenly I look forward to it's bloom every year. The flowers do smell like orange blossoms. There are two Swallow Tail butterflies that have been enjoying the blooms for several days. I was able to get a picture of one and it only took me about ten tries to get a few images that weren't blurry!

Marigold Carnival Glass Deer

This is a beautiful little covered dish from Jeannette Glass company from the 1950's. I've read that it was originally sold as a container for loose powder. It is so cute I am not sure that I can part with it even though I bought it intending to sell it in my shop. Maybe I will just keep it a little while...

Strawberries & Vintage Embroidery

My dear husband bought this vintage embroidery piece for me at a garage sale. It is so pretty with the little Blue Bird and lovely with those yummy strawberries!

Blush Pink Rose

I wish you could smell this rose it is divine and has a true rose scent. It starts out pink in the bud and slowly turns white as it ages. I lost the tag and I don't remember it's name so I just call it my Blush Rose.  With all of this beauty surrounding me in my own home and backyard, I would say summer is off to a good start. I hope you too will look around your own place and find the beauty there.



Thursday, June 16, 2011

My Embroidered Oriole Featured!

Baltimore Oriole
Flour Sack Dish Towel
Hand Embroidered

I was excited to get a message that my embroidered Oriole dish towel was featured on the Lark Crafts website. It was very nice to be included with all of those wonderful artists. They are showing examples of state birds depicted in different types of crafts and art. My towel is the first example featuring the Baltimore Oriole. Very interesting and fun article. Thank you Lark Crafts! Click here to see the entire article.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

More Paper Mache Tips...

Today I want to add a few more tips about making paper mache pulp. The recipes I posted yesterday are for the frugal crafter and use a minimal amount of purchased products. However, if you would like a smoother sculpture try the following.
                                           
Add about 2 cups of Instant Paper Mache Mix (available at art or craft stores) and a bit more water. Mix with your pulp base.

Soak one roll of white toilet paper, remove the cardboard core, pull the paper apart with your fingers. Squeeze out excess water and mix into your pulp base.


Feel free to add your tips in the comment section.


And there's more...
This has nothing to do with paper mache, it's just cute!


Have a fantastic Wednesday!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Paper Mache Pulp Tutorial

Last week I had a request to add on to my blog more about making Paper Mache and to include a recipe. Here are a couple of basic recipes that I use. I will add a few pictures as well to help explain the process. All of the ingredients for the recipes can be found at the grocery, hardware or craft store. Making the pulp can be quite messy but once it's mixed up it can be fun to work with. Some people wear gloves when mixing but I prefer not to. The glycerin helps to keep the pulp from sticking to your hands and makes the pulp more clay like. You don't have to use the boiled paste recipe but I use it in my paper pulp and I find it very useful when using traditional paper strips over plastic bottles or styrofoam. It makes a good base for adding on the paper pulp.  For other examples on my blog click here. Hope you enjoy this tutorial and please leave a comment or question for me.

    BOILED  PASTE
    This paper mache paste recipe requires boiling which makes it a little stronger than the no-cook version.
    Materials Needed:
    5 cups water
    1 cup flour
    Instructions:
     Start out by putting 4 cups of water into a pot on the stove and bring it to a boil. While you are waiting for it to boil, mix 1 cup of flour into 1 cup cool  water. Beat this mixture briskly to remove lumps.
    Once your pot of water is boiling, slowly stir in the water and flour mixture. Mix well and let it boil for 2 - 3 minutes. It should be smooth and have the consistency of thick glue. If necessary, you can add more water or flour in small amounts until you get the desired consistency.
If you live in an area with high humidity, add a few tablespoons of salt to help prevent mold. Two tablespoons of antiseptic mouthwash also keeps the glue from spoiling. If you don't like the smell of the glue mixture you can add a few drops of wintergreen or lemon oil.

Store unused glue in a covered bowl or jar, in the refrigerator, and use within a couple of weeks.
                                  

BASIC PULP RECIPE

MATERIALS:

4 double-page sheets of newspaper (torn or shredded)
1 tablespoon salt
2 heaping tablespoons of joint compound
2 tablespoons white glue or Mod Podge
1 tablespoon glycerin or linseed oil
2 drops oil of wintergreen - OR - oil of cloves
1 tablespoon of antiseptic mouthwash
2 tablespoons wheat wallpaper paste - OR - flour and water paste

A pulp mixture is great for making smooth, fine details in your paper Mache creations, or for creating small objects. It would, however, take a lot of it to complete a larger project. I use it over an armature such as scrunched up paper or old Styrofoam or cardboard.  A combination of traditional paper mache using the strips and then doing the details with the paper pulp is a great way to get your project moving faster.




You can use just the paper pulp also. After you completely cover your figure it should dry in a warm location for several days before painting.

Pulp Method

Tear the newspaper into tiny pieces or use shredded paper and put it in a large bowl  or bucket.. Add just enough  hot water to completely cover the newspaper. Let soak overnight or at least four hours.


Once your newspaper has soaked for several hours it's time to pulverize. This can be done using your hands for small batches.  At this stage I use my drill paint mixer. I add a good amount of water so that my paint mixer attachment  for my drill easily mixes through the paper.


Shredded Paper Soaking

 If you have a small batch do the following.  With your hands or large wooden spoon stir the mix and try to break up any big clumps. Squeeze it through your fingers until it has an oatmeal type texture. Try to get as many lumps out as possible. If necessary, add a bit more water and let it soak a little more.


Once you have it as smooth as possible, add a few tablespoons of salt to help retard mold. Mix it again with your hands.


Once mixed thoroughly, transfer to a double thickness cheesecloth lined colander. Gather up the sides of the cheesecloth and squeeze out most of the liquid.  Transfer your pulp to a large bowl or plastic dish pan.


Break up the wet pulp into smaller clumps.  Add the joint compound, white glue, glycerin, mouthwash and paste. With your hands mix the pulp and other ingredients until you get a clay like consistency.

 Now you are ready to use your Paper Mache pulp! For some ideas check out some of my previous posts on making chicks and bears.


Store your leftover pulp in an air tight bag or bowl in the refrigerator and it should last for several weeks.


Sunday, June 12, 2011

Something Pretty & Something Cute

For Sunday I wanted to put up a couple of pictures I took last week. One is from my garden and the other is of some cute little critters I collected a few years back. They are on my Flickr photo stream. Some day I hope to have time to figure out how to connect them with my blog.

Purple Allium & Tulip


Cute Squirrel Salt & Pepper Shakers