Embroidery Floss Organization

I've been working on getting my Arts & Crafts room organized, and last night I spent some much needed time with my embroidery floss. I've had some of these bundles of floss since I first started crafting. Friendship bracelets were my first ever craft, and my dad was always buying packs of them for me. My grandma got me this cute little stool from a thrift shop...

And inside of it hides my collection of embroidery floss, a giant mess:

So after dinner and three hours (off and on) of winding and organizing, I ended with a beautiful rainbow of floss.

The containers were just basic organizing containers from the dollar store. I've had them for what seems like forever, and never put them to this much great use. I'm so glad to be getting things organized. 

Helena Nelson Reed

This week for my Mid-Week Art Feature, I'm sharing the artwork of Helena Nelson Reed, a self-taught artists who works mostly in watercolor. "Rendered in luminous watercolor technique often described as ephemeral, Nelson-Reed’s paintings are created in extraordinary detail, pushing the medium of watercolor past the usual limits. Her work may be found in private collections, book covers, magazines and CD covers. Nelson-Reed also has a line of jewelry, calendars and greeting cards."

"My images can be interpreted many ways, and for some will serve as portal to the mythic landscape. Descriptions providing background about each painting are available by request. Navigating and translating myth into contemporary wisdom is the traditional way of transmitting information, shamanic practice, a multi - cultural practice.

Myth, fairy, folk and spiritual lore describe divine beings and supernatural life forms arriving unbidden and disguised. In our earthly dimension, mortals often play similar roles in the lives of one another. Destinies and energies collide and interact, visible and invisible forces are at work. The mythic realms are timeless, offering insight and inspiration. While my paintings have a positive energy, many have roots in the shadows of life experience and human psyche; like the lotus blossom rooted in pond mud. For many, life is one challenge followed by the next, like so many beads on an endless string. Take heart! Like goddess Inanna, one may navigate the underworld, move through dark places yet return to the realms of light battle scarred but wiser, richer for the experience. Read the ancient tales, the great mythic literature; draw strength, for they are repositories of wisdom."

-Mission Statement from Helena Nelson Reed

To learn more, purchase work, or read her blog, check out her website.

Pink DIY Wrap Bracelet

I was inspired by a DIY Wrap Bracelet tutorial I StumbledUpon. Hobby Lobby happened to be having a sale today that included 50% of stickers and jewelry supplies. I gave myself a $20 limit and went shopping. I got stickers, ribbon, beads, ball chain, and leather cord.

I used the ball chain, leather cord, and some beads & embroidery floss I had at home to make an altered version of the bracelet in that DIY. I didn't read that the chain was only 4-inch pieces, so that's how it came to be an altered version.

I was going to take pictures of each step and perhaps make my own tutorial, but I was cooking dinner and cleaning among other things. I forgot to take a picture at each step. Pictured above, I just made a loop with the leather, started wrapping it with embroidery thread, well, knotting it actually, just a basic forward knot. Added a bead that fit, did a few more knots, and added another.

Using the same knot, I added the ball chain, placing each knot between the balls. Eventually, I flattened it out so the balls were on one side of the cord, and the knots were on the other side.

Then I finished it with a smaller loop, added some chain just in case, and then used a sparrow charm to hook it.

I love it! I am going to make more in other colors tomorrow!

Everything used was purchased in Hobby Lobby at some point, except for the 6 pink beads. Those came from WalMart.

Buttons!

I was supposed to be grocery shopping, and I found myself in the arts & crafts section in Meijers. It was partly Brandon's fault. He wanted  pipe cleaners for some reason. I started browsing and came across this big bag of mixed buttons, Blumenthal Lansing Company Favorite Findings . I immediately loved it because it was very colorful. I bought it thinking it was only $3.99 (turns out it was $5.99), but it's wonderful. I tried Amazon to see if there were bigger bags by the same company and found out that if I had bought the same exact bag of buttons on Amazon, I would have paid around 2 bucks more.

Date a girl who creates

"Date a girl who may never own completely clean clothes, because of paint and glitter hidden among the fabric. She’ll have many hidden treasures in her studio, which will always be a mess. Her laptop is surrounded by piles of creations, and you're never bored because there is so many images, so many created worlds that she’s scattered throughout her turf. Folders open and shelves stacked, filled with vintage and contemporary art movements. Interesting factoids about the origins of paper art, and the luminosity of scorpion. Laugh it off when she tells you that she didn't forget to clean her room, she just found an old creation that inspired her to create anew, that she lost track of time, and hasn't even started getting ready. On her floor you'll find a few years worth of Juxtapoz and Rolling Stone scattered around with notes in the margins. You'll show up as she's washing paint off her face and you'll help her get the glitter out of the corner of her eye. You'll wait for her to shower and change her outfit 4 times before she's ready to go, but she'll still ask you 50 times if she looks okay.

The Big-Ass Book of Crafts

I have an Amazon addiction. I guess it's contagious. I introduced my boyfriend to Amazon, and now he's addicted, too. To top it all off, his addiction fuels mine. He started buying things to play Dungeons & Dragons, and every time he gets something, he orders something from my wish list as well. Yesterday, The Big-Ass Book of Crafts by Mark Montano arrived. It's listed as $19.95, but we got it from Amazon for $13.57, and also got free shipping (orders over $25). 

While I like the book, I'm uncertain if I will be getting the second one. There are a lot of great crafts, but only a handful I would actually do. If nothing else, it has some great techniques you can use for other projects. There's also a couple recipes for some organic body products. I will definitely be making custom plates, switch plates, and envelopes. Looking at the ratings and reviews, it looks like there are a lot of people who prefer the second one to the first. I'll have to run to Barnes & Noble and check it out before I buy it.



I also found this video review by BeachBrights after I bought it. It's a fair review, and gives a good look inside the book before you buy it.

Lora Zombie

I wanted to start giving props to some modern artists that I'm in love with. I'll start showcasing an artist every Wednesday. For the first ever Mid-Week Art Feature, I'm presenting Lora Zombie, a young, self-taught artist from Russia, who amazes me with everything she does. Specializing in grunge art, she has yet to produce something that hasn't given me butterflies.

The Creation...

So, I'm kind of nervous about starting up a blog. I don't know how well I'll do at keeping it updated, and I feel that there are too many topics I want to blog about. I love everything arts & crafts related, and I want a place that I can connect with others to share and gain new ideas. I hope this blog will be my motivation to find time and energy to do what I want to do. Right now, I'm 19, living with my boyfriend, on our own, working at a bar, and in the process of transferring schools. I have a room designated as my art/craft room, but we might not be here much longer. That kills my motivation to get it organized. Hopefully soon though, I'd like to get some pictures up. I should know something by the end of the month about getting it finished. *Fingers Crossed*
Until next time,
Sara