31.3.10

ILoveToCreate: A Little Birdy Mother's Day Card


A Little Birdy Mother’s Day Card
Margot and Avalon Potter for ILoveToCreate
Copyright 2010
“Mom crafted, kid approved.”

Mother's Day is coming soon and here's a great way to give Mom something handcrafted and from the heart.  This card is a work of art she can frame and enjoy for many years to come. You can use any layered dies and coordinated papers you prefer so your card is custom made for your Mom!


My daughter Avalon and I love all things Hello Kitty. I mean we LOVE all things Hello Kitty and particularly the array of characters in her pantheon. So when she picked out this adorable bird die and wanted to do a project with it, it was kismet. I'm really happy with how this all came together.  This card has everything I love on it and is from the person I love the most in the world. It really doesn’t get better than that, does it? You can use any layered dies you like, just gather up a variety of coordinating papers and cut the layers so they are multi-patterned. It is so easy to stick it all together with Aleene’s glue stick and Liquid Fusion glue. You can take a trip to pick up the materials and stop by your local thrift shop or Antique mall to score the buttons and have some good quality mother/daughter time. Let’s face it-every gal likes an excuse for a shopping trip!

Materials
Sizzix Hello Kitty Big Shot Die “Birdie”
Sizzix Large Folder Flowers, Spring and Paisley Embossing Set
Martha Stewart Lace Edge Punch
Coordinated Patterned Scrapbook Papers (you’ll need 5 different sheets)
Coordinated Heavy Cardstock in a solid color to match patterned papers
Various coordinating vintage or new buttons and buckles to stack in layers
Printed out text in Mia’s Scribblings 24 pt. from daFont.com “A Little Birdy Told Me It Was Your Special Day” and  “Happy Mother’s Day From Your Little Birdy”
Aleene’s Liquid Fusion Glue
Aleene’s Acid Free Tacky Glue Stick

Tools
Sizzix Big Shot Machine with accessories/platform
Scissors
Wire Cutters
Bone Folder
Precision Paper Cutter (I have a big office sized one here, but you can use a smaller one. )

1. Create your card background by cutting a large piece of cardstock to 11.5” tall and 7” wide on a paper cutter.

2. Fold paper along center, lining up edges and use bone folder to make a sharp crease.


3. Cut the Birdie die three times, using three different coordinating papers.

4. Use scissors to cut out elements in various colors for layering, following the marks left by the die cutter. I did the wings in one color, the flower and beak in another and the background in a third.

5. Use glue stick to adhere layers together.

6. Emboss a fourth coordinating patterned paper with the flowers folder.

7. Cut this on a paper cutter to 3.5” tall by 5.5” wide.

8. Cut a final coordinating paper to 4” tall by 5.5” wide.

9. Use the fancy edge punch to make a decorative edge along the top and bottom of the embossed sheet. Line the holes up with the image on the punch to make sure you get an unbroken line.

10. Print your text. Cut around text leaving a thin border.

11. Place inside text segment on a final coordinating piece of patterned paper and mark so you can cut it to frame your text.

12. Use a glue stick to layer the various elements. The front of the card starts with the centered 3.5x5.5 rectangle, followed by the centered embossed rectangle on an angle and the bird which is on an opposite angle. See photo for details.

13. Adhere text to the bottom left corner of the card with a glue stick.

14. Select buttons for top left and bottom right edges of your design, the flower and the eye on the bird. I took an old plastic buckle and cut out the center rung for the bottom left accent. I also placed the buttons so the inner buttons were flush to the edge of the central image. See photo for details.

15. Adhere the inside text to the border using a glue stick. Adhere that to the center of the inside of the card on an angle.

30.3.10

ILoveToCreate Teen Crafts: Pretty in Peeps Pendant




ILoveToCreate Teen Crafts: Pretty in Peeps Pendant
Mixed Media Jewelry Project
Margot Potter
“Mom crafted, kid approved.”
Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved

I loves me some Marshmallow Peeps candies! How about you? Last year I bought a huge pile of them just to stack them up and stare at the fabulous colors. They’re so happy and fun filled. My daughter Avalon loves Peeps too. She loves them so much I can’t buy too many or she’ll turn into a Peep.

No, seriously.

I spent the better part of Easter season last year contemplating how to turn a Peeps candy into a bead. I thought about leaving one to sit for a few months and get nice and hard and then spraying it with a sealant...and heck that might work if you didn’t live in a 130 year old school house with a small mold problem. Methinks a moldy Peep bead would lack some appeal.

I finally settled on Sculpey Ultra Light polymer clay embellished with Crafty Chica paints and glitter and Tulip Glam It Up Studs. This could become a pin or a pendant or you could make a whole bunch of these on dowels and do a fun Peeps flower pot centerpiece like my edible bouquet from last year. I decided to make mine into a necklace and just added a bunch of springy Vintage and new Lucite and wood beads for a super cute necklace. If you really want to go to town, try making some Sculpey egg beads to coordinate...or add some polka dots and squiggles to large wooden beads...or do a collar of several Peeps that circle the neckline. I am not exaggerating in the least when I tell you that making these is so much fun, you’re going to look for reasons to make more!


Materials
Sculpey Ultra Light
Crafty Chica Little Chica Paints Red and White
3 Tulip Glam-It-Up Iron-On Studs Black
Crafty Chica Glitter Sunset Pink
Aleene’s Jewel-It Glue
Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky Spray
Aleene’s Matte Finish Spray Sealant

Tools
Paint Brush
Polymer Clay Dedicated Toaster Oven
Sheet of Brown Kraft Paper

(To Make the Necklace:
Various Coordinated Beads in a Pattern That Makes a 16” or Longer Finished Length (I got the clear Lucite with green filament beads in NYC but here’s a source online and Beadin’ Path has a plethora of great vintage and new Lucite beads), 49 Strand .018 (or thicker) Beadalon Wire (always fill the holes of your beads with the wire), Beadalon EZ-Crimp Fancy Sterling Toggle Clasp, Mighty Crimp Tool and Wire Cutters)


1. Soften clay in your hands or by running it through a clay dedicated pasta machine until it is malleable. Use a real Peep as your guide to create a clay version. I bought some for research so I could get the size right...that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.


2. Use a sharp pointed object to create a hole in the middle of your rabbit’s head. This hole is threaded side to side so you can string the pendant on a necklace. Skip this step if you’re not making a bead.


3. Place rabbit on a sheet of Kraft paper on the baking tray and into a pre-heated 275 degree Toaster Oven. Watch the clay to be sure it doesn’t burn...it shouldn’t take very long to set. Mine took about 7 minutes...after I burned the first one. Oops.


4. Allow rabbit to cool. Mix red and white Crafty Chica paints to get a nice shade of pink. Paint rabbit. Allow to dry.


5. Place rabbit on a sheet of kraft or scrap paper. Spray with Aleene’s Tacky Spray. Pour a generous helping of pink glitter all over rabbit front and sides. Tap off excess and pour back into jar. Allow to dry.

6. Spray rabbit with Aleene’s Matte Finish Spray Sealant. Allow to dry.


7. Adhere the three Glam It Up studs to the face of your rabbit with the Jewel-It Glue. You’ll need to have a good dollop of glue so it fits into the recess on the stud. Use the handle of your paintbrush or a toothpick to remove any excess glue. Allow to dry.

Design Note: Do not eat this Peep.  It won't taste very good.  Trust me.

29.3.10

The Bubble Girl


This morning I woke up and read a disturbing article.  The FDA has issued a warning about four major medicines for asthma (Advair, Symbicort, Serevent and Foradil.).  I take one of them currently and I have at one time or another been on all of them.

I have chronic serious unresponsive asthma.  I do not respond to the normal asthma protocol, so I have, for the past 12 years, been living on half of the oxygen normal people do.  I have a chronic cough and I am often exhausted.  The medicines I've been diligently taking do nothing but make me fat.  I have gained twenty pounds since I started taking these medications and as I continue taking them it becomes more difficult to keep the weight under control. The FDA has just issued a serious warning on the medicine I  take because it's dangerous and people are dying from taking it.  Not only does it make me fat, it just might kill me.  Fabulous.

My asthma doctor threw his hands up in the air recently.  We've tested for everything he can imagine and we've tried all of the available medicines for asthmatics.  I have seen lung doctors and specialists and had endless tests.  No one has answers.  Nothing is working.  So now, finally, we are trying to get me to the top asthma and lung center in the country.  If we can work it out, I may discover what is really going on with me and although that may not mean concrete solutions, it will feel good to finally be able to point to something and say, "That's it." and then to be able to visualize 'it' disappearing.  If we can't work it out, I'm simply not sure what comes next, but I'll be damned if I'm going to give up seeking answers.

I have learned a lot on this journey and most of what I have learned is that if you want to get better, you simply can't rely on your doctors.  You have to do research, you have to be engaged, you have to show up with questions, you have to fight every day for better answers.  Having a chronic illness is like going into combat, if you're not willing to fight for your life, you're probably not going to survive.  Though none of us is getting out of here alive, I've got far too much to do for an early check out.

Having this condition presents challenges to me on a daily basis.  It's harder for me to do most of the things that other people take for granted. I can't run anymore, ride bikes anymore...just a regular hike or a climb up a staircase leaves me winded.  I cough often, which makes other people incredibly uncomfortable and nervous. In fact, this chronic cough is the worst part of my illness. It creates a barrier between me and the people I love and with people in general.  It makes it tough to chat on the phone, because I'm often having to rush to hang up so I don't start coughing in someone's ear.  It means that I sometimes feel incredibly depressed and alone and I have to grab my pom poms and cheer myself back up. It means that a whiff of perfume or a scented candle or a walk past the detergent aisle at the grocery store sends me into an instant asthma attack.  It means that my favorite season of spring attacks me with the ferocity of a sex starved tiger because I've got a host of allergies too.  It's like having an invisible handicap, because I look fine and people are baffled when I suddenly and inexplicably go into full blown asthma mode.  Just call me Camille.

I joke with my husband that I need a plastic bubble.  We play the REM song The Wrong Child about the bubble boy a lot around here.  "I'm not supposed to be like this...but it's okayyyy."

Hell if you can't laugh, what have you got?

It means that as a professional craft industry designer, I can't work with many mediums because they can not be in my home.  It's frustrating because I'd love to work with resins and spray paints and smelly adhesives, but I can not.  It means that going to the big trade shows becomes a stealth mission.  I have to avoid any booths with odiferous or airborne products or I'm scouting out the restroom and hoping no one recognizes me as I beeline for a stall so I can hack up a lung.

I don't talk about this much.  I don't whine about this much.  I don't want to give it that much power.  I don't want people to think I can't perform or produce, because I can and I do as anyone who knows me can attest.  I have an iron will.  I refuse to give in to this.  There are far worse things in the world.  It's just an incredibly frustrating situation and it's scary when the drugs you're taking are so dangerous the FDA is nervous about them.  I've tried alternate medicines too, so please don't start listing them.  I have tried them all.  I have meditated, medicated, breathed deeply, removed heavy metals, taken endless supplements and potions and oils and drops...bent, bowed, prayed and hoped.

So now, maybe, if all goes well, I'll finally get some answers. I want my life back.

Yes, it's perhaps risky for me to share this here.  Perhaps this is too much transparency, but perhaps it will help someone else who also struggles on a daily basis with a chronic condition to know that they do not have to give into it and that even though it may feel like it, they are not alone.  That if you keep making noise, eventually someone will hear you.  We can create joy and abundance and success and we can survive anything.  Everyone of of us is stronger than we know.

Love
Madge

27.3.10

Saturday TastyLinks with a Little Whine

Greetings Grublets:

One more work day and I can totally unwind this evening and tomorrow.  We're off to Harrisburg for a three hour book signing and make it and take it session at the Grand Opening of their new AC Moore.  If you live in the area, please join us!  You can get the 411 here.  We'll have a bunch of Beadalon QuickLinks so you can create your own fabulous necklace or bracelet and you can purchase a copy of one of my books and I'll personally sign it just for you.  Avalon is my demo buddy and we're going to enjoy some Mother/Daughter time together. 

I've been a little edgy this week...okay I've been a lot bitchy this week.  It happens.  It's not always rainbows and unicorns.  I juggle a lot of balls every day and I have many different jobs...author, freelance designer, blogger, consultant, TV spokesperson, craft industry celebrity...and this week I've been doing them all.  Add to that being a mom to a small family and a rather sizeable menagerie of animals...and sometimes I'd just like a girl's night out.  Which I never get.

What's up with that?!

My girls are all too far away.  Dangit.

The Amish ladies haven't embraced me into the fold.  Shocking, isn't it?

Maybe if I was just a little less...sparkly and bitchy...and I liked champagne a little less...

Har har.

Thanks to all of the fine folks out there who have cross linked to my blog and said such lovely things about me on the interwebs this week.  I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. 

So without further ado...here are this week's craftacular links filled with creative inspiration from The Crafty Bloggers Gang:

The Artful Crafter
Read some glass etching tips from master etcher Eric Robert.


Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
How to make a dress from a recycled tank and skirt inspired by one in the book Built By Wendy Dresses

Mixed Media Artist

Learn a more subtle approach to using the pointillism filter in Photoshop.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter

Wanna be a 'trashionista?' Join Madge as she turns old magazines into a fabulous decoupage purse in this week's project for ILoveToCreate Teen Crafts!

Crafty Princess Diaries

Tammy was thrilled to discover her new book is available for early ordering on Amazon. This is the first time she got to the see the final book cover too!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world

Craftside's got a how-to on making a zipper necklace, a free pattern template for a cute card jewelry display, a whole bunch of great cat quotes, an interview with Paula Guhin author of Image Art Workshop and announcing-Craftside authors will be doing Make and Takes at the Unique Los Angeles shopping extravaganza!


Cathie Filian

The Easter Bunny has been busy over at Cathie's workshop! Check out all the fun Easter Craft Ideas.

Aileen's Musings

Follow Aileen along her creative path and see how she transforms a 16x20 canvas and a map background into her dream piece!

About Family Crafts

Find out how to get creative while making prints with kids by using a variety of supplies you already have on hand. You can share your ideas too!

26.3.10

How to Write and Publish a Craft Book Part Two

Firstly I wanted to announce a winner of a BIG PRIZE from The Shape of Things to Come! Erika Michaels COME ON DOWN and claim a fabulous prize package!If you email your snail mail address to margot@margotpotter.com I will forward your info to the fine folks from Scrapbook Adhesives!

Secondly I promised a design here today which is MIA.  Why?  Because I was busy finalizing the details on my new book proposal... I have got to stop making promises!

Thirdly that leads us to my second installment in my How to Write and Publish a Craft Book Series!

(Sneak Peek of a Design Sample for New Book Proposal Copyright 2010 Margot Potter ALL RIGHTS RESERVED!)

Yesterday I finished the final sample design for my book proposal.  These designs are meant to show the publisher what my vision is for the book.  They may or they may not make the final cut, but they're a starting point.  It's important when you're creating sample designs that you not get too attached to them.  The editorial team may not dig what you're throwing down and you as a highly sensitive artist have to suck it up and accept that not every creation is going to change the universe.  You can almost always find another home for your ideas if they're good.

I finished my final design and fine tuned the title, introduction and chapter breakdowns.  There are five chapters in this book and since the topic is a little more complex than my past titles, there are fewer total designs.  I created ten samples with two designs representing each chapter.  This really gives a nice POV on my concept and should help the Pub Board decide on whether or not they'll buy my book.

There is a team of people that regularly review book proposals in every publishing house.  Once you've gotten the approval from editorial and worked with an acquisitions editor on creating a presentation of your idea, the acquisitions editor will present it to the Publishing Board.  They meet on a regular basis to review concepts.  A lot of the decisions revolve around the opinions of the sales team.  Why?  Because they're the ones in the front lines meeting the buyers.  If they don't think your idea will sell, they're not going to approve it.  So even if it's a fabulous idea...if they feel that they can't sell it, they can't sell it.  Even though it's a tough pill to swallow when your brilliant concept gets rejected, it would be a far more bitter pill to work your booty off on the book and watch it tank after publication.  I have a file of good ideas that are patiently waiting for the right time to be developed into full blown proposals.

Publishing is a business.  Things are tough these days for publishers which means they can't take the sort of calculated risks they could take a few years back.  Try to really be on point in terms of what is trending and what is emerging so that your title is really relevant, marketable and enticing to the sales team.  Do your research because if you can't convince them that your idea has merit, they're not going to buy it.  So go to book stores and review what's in the craft section with prominent placement.  Get craft and fashion magazines to see where color, style, texture, motif and other trends are heading.  Surf the internet and start looking for connective threads.  That's where you'll find a solid and marketable concept.  If your initial idea isn't gelling with the trends, keep reworking it until you're satisfied that it's relevant.

If the stars align, the acquisitions editor gets behind your idea, the Pub Board approves it and your title sells, you will be assigned an editor.  Be nice to your editor.  Don't cop an attitude.  If you can't play well with others, try self publishing.  Your editor is your lifeline and only connection to the publisher and if you piss them off, you're going to find it tough to get anyone to listen to your ideas.  The editor is probably not going to be the person who sold your book to the publishing board.  You don't get to choose them, though if you've worked well with someone in the past you can certainly request them again.  So when you send out your proposal, wave a magic wand over it and say a few magic words in the hopes that you get an editor who gets you and will get behind you as you forge the wilderness of creating and publishing your book.

I'm waiting to hear from the acquisitions editor on the proposal I've submitted.  She may want me to change up some of the project samples, she may want me to fine tune my idea, she may not like my idea!  If she does like it, she may need for me to present a targeted demographic breakdown and provide her with statistics for my blog, website and social networking sites.  Yes, you will be your own PR and Marketing department, so if you want to sell a craft book you'd best build up an online presence first.  That's a big factor in selling your concept.  The acquisitions editor is a very, very busy person.  It could be a month or more before she's ready to propose my idea.  So stay tuned...

25.3.10

AC Moore Grand Opening in Harrisburg!

Hey Howdy Hey Boys and Girls:

 (Avalon and Jonathon from Lens Crafters picked out these glasses for me.  Very Clark Kent, nerdy chic!)

I've been so busy I almost forgot to let you know!  Avalon and I will be at the Harrisburg AC Moore Grand Opening this Saturday from 12-3pm.  We'll be hosting make it and take its with Beadalon Quick Links and I'll be signing my books Beyond the Bead and The Impatient Beader Gets Inspired!  If you live in the area, please, please, please come out and join us!  You get to leave with a fabulous creation of your own design and if you buy one of my books I'll personally sign it just for you! 

Here's the address:
AC Moore Grand Opening Event
The Point Shopping Center
Interstate 83 & Union Deposit Road
Harrisburg , PA 17111

xoxo,
Madge

24.3.10

Redesigning Oscars Winners!

Contest Winners!

Alas and alack, the days got away from me yet again.  It is Tuesday evening and I am preparing for an early morning airing at QVC in the 9am EST hour on Wednesday, which is for you today as I am preposting this blog.  I'm just a wee bit frazzled, but such is the life of a multi-tasking gal.  I cracked a tooth that needs filling after the airing and my daughter is home sick and may be accompanying me to QVC and the dentist tomorrow with a large box of tissues and a fluffy blanky.

Oh to have more hands and more hours and a team of evil minions...

So I have not a lovely creation to share made with a lovely Claspgarten clasp...but I shall not make you wait with baited breath any longer for the winners of the Redesigning Oscars contest!  The necklace will have to wait for a few more days to make it's bloggy debut.

Please email me at margot@margotpotter.com with your snail mail address and I'll get your prizes out lickety split!

Karen

The Craftylaydee

Congrats on winning and enjoy your prizes!

xoxo
Madge

23.3.10

ILoveToCreate Teen Crafts Trashionista Mixed Media Purse


ILoveToCreate Teen Crafts
Trashionista Mixed Media Purse
Margot Potter

"Mom crafted, kid approved."
Copyright Margot Potter All Rights Reserved

I have an ever bursting at the seams pile of fashion mags that sit by my bed and on the kitchen table. I peruse them at night before I go to sleep and while I’m noshing to trend spot. The problem is that they start to take over my house if I’m not careful! What I don’t recycle, I love to use to make accessories. The words and images on this purse are all made of recycled paper. This is all about layers of paper, inks and paints and every purse will turn out differently. I love that! 

Teaching our teens about the many ways they can recraft, reuse and repurpose is crucial. Plus this project will be a lot of fun for them to personalize. You can do this with old cigar boxes and get hardware and a handle to retrofit. Avalon loved this one and I’m hoping we can whip up some more soon together.


Materials

Wooden purse blank
Aleene’s Traci Bautista Collage Pauge Matte
Crafty Chica Little Chica Paints Red
Fashion Graffiti Paint Cannon Fabric Paint White
Fashion Graffiti Big Phat Fabric Marker Black
Fashion Magazines
Vintage book pages or newspaper
Inkadinkado Animal Print Clear Stamps
Fiskars Clear Stamp Block
Sizzix Big Shot Flower Die

Tools

Sizzix Big Shot
Mini-screwdriver
Paintbrush
Foam Brush
Old toothbrush
Scissors

1. Remove hardware from purse. Sand, clean and coat purse with a layer of racy red paint inside and out. Allow to dry.


2. Use Big Shot and die to cut three vintage book page or newspaper flowers.


3. Select words and images.  Decoupage flowers and cut and torn magazine words and images to the purse front using Collage Pauge matte and a foam brush. Allow to dry. If bubbles form under the images, wet your finger with water and work them out from center. Don’t fret about bubbles, they’ll go away once the medium is dry.  (I had to remove and replace a word at the top of this purse...which you can do while everything is still wet.) 

4. Use the Big Phat marker to put a layer of ink on your stamps and randomly stamp the leopard and tiger prints around edge of purse. Allow ink to dry.

5. Use marker to make angled stripes on thinner edge of purse. Allow ink to dry.


6. Dip an old toothbrush into the white paint and flick it across purse front. Repeat using red paint. Allow to dry.

7. Reassemble purse.

22.3.10

Design Inspiration Part Deux

Although I'm constantly inspired by an endless array of images, ideas, concepts and motifs, there are some that fascinate me endlessly.  I can't really say why, they simply do.  As I mentioned last Tuesday, I'm a huge fan of the nautical theme and in particular the vintage French Sailor look.  What is it about those stripes...the jaunty red anchor...the nautical stars...the navy, black, white and red combination?  Why do they never fail to make me smile?  Perhaps it is because they're so whimsical and endlessly chic.

Perhaps in a past life I was a sailor...or maybe even a good natured pirate.  One never knows...

Here are some designs from the past few years inspired by my on going love affair with vintage French nautical goodness. 

Mixed Media Necklace with French Nautical Theme Copyright Margot Potter ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Nautical Necklace with Vintage Plastic Charms and CRYSTALLIZED-Swarovski Elements
Copyright Margot Potter ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Vintage Plastic, Turquoise, CRYSTALLIZED-Swarovski Elements
Copyright Margot Potter ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

20.3.10

TastyLinks Saturday and New PR Photos!

Video Shoot Segment with Cheer Bows (This pic is just for fun)
My High Fashion Editor Look...Don't Even Think About Messing with Me!
 Retrofabulosity
 Retrofabulosity Take Two
Fab New Limon Dress from H&M
New and Improved Studio Madge

We had a great shoot yesterday, though I have to admit that in retrospect I wish I'd have been ahead of the curve more so I could have had a little more fun. Having this first set under my belt means I know what to expect next round and I can make better plans. The videos we shoot ourselves are totally fly by the seat of your panties affairs. I make everything once and we show the seams. The videos that we shot yesterday have to be shot in distance and in close up, which I didn't realize until the videographer got here. Oops. That meant I had to figure out how to shoot it all twice with the supplies I had on hand. Nothing like thinking on the fly! Hopefully it turned out well and as soon as these go live, I'll fill you in on the details. I'm really excited!

Here are some shots of me in the new and improved studio we took after the shoot. I'm always looking for new PR photos, because I keep getting older dammit.  The studio is currently neat, but that will change. As soon as I get into a new book or get a big freelance gig, the glitter starts to fly. I'm going to do my best to keep the scene clean though, because it keeps my mind clear and helps me focus.  Let me know which shots you think work best for PR purposes!  Please!  Disregard the first shot, that's just for fun!

We're having a taste of spring this week and it's gorgeous outside. So before the pollen goes into overdrive, I'm going to get out there and enjoy it with my lovely family. I hope you have a lovely weekend too.

xoxo
Madge

My friends from ArtGirlz are selling their craft business.  If you're interested in finding out more information, you can contact them at:

Did you know that my pal Brini Maxwell has started a simply fabulous blog?  Check out this post showing you how to make lovely embroidered fabric napkins.  So chic!

Here's what's happening with the Crafty Bloggers this week:

About Family Crafts
Celebrate spring with Sherri and these fun craft projects!

Cathie Filian
Check out Cathie's silk screen projects for Better Homes and Gardens. She has something for everyone.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside there is a fun Steampunk style socket set bracelet, how to repurpose a canvas tote with applique and make faux patches, a peek into some cool art from the book Digital Illustration, a hot water bottle gets Re-Bound and a how to and tips on vampire drawing.

Crafty Princess Diaries
The Crafty Princess has done some house cleaning, at least she's been cleaning up her blog that is.

Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style
Looking for an easy way to paint coloring-book art on the walls in a kid's room? Linda walks you through how she did it.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Where do you find inspiration? Madge wants to know! Share her process from inspiration to design in this inspired post!

Mixed Media Artist
See how you can achieve the look of a hand-tinted print with Photoshop!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
How to make recycled plastic bunny ears inspired by the techniques in the book Upcycled Accessories

The Artful Crafter
Have you seen Xyron’s Creatopia? Prepare to be amazed by the baby booties going through a Creatopia in the video!  

19.3.10

Promises, Promises

Studio Rehab Part Two!
Demo Step Out Samples Video Shoot!

Me and my big promises!  I've been working my pretty little fingers to the bone this week to prepare for a video shoot this morning.  The studio was totally rehabbed (with a lot of help from my wonderful hubby.)  Samples were made and step outs were planned for seven segments.  At one point yesterday I was starting to worry I wouldn't get finished on time...but I did!

Huzzah!

The video crew gets here today at 9am.  I'll spill the beans when this goes live, just trust me when I say this is really, really good!

So I won't have today's promised contest results or project to share until next Wednesday.  That gives you plenty of time to play!  Come on...don't be shy!

Until next time...craft on with your bad selves!

xoxo
Madge

17.3.10

Design Inspiration

I am knocking on wood as I type this, which is quite a feat let me tell you.  People often ask me where I find my inspiration and the truth is, I am endlessly and constantly inspired.  Everything excites me to the point that I sometimes feel total sensory overload.  I thought I'd share a small glimpse into my design process and how it functions.  Here are two designs and inspiration images for a book proposal I presented a couple of years ago to two different publishers that wasn't accepted.  I think it's a brilliant concept, but perhaps it's just not right for the craft industry publishing focus.  Or maybe I'm totally delusional.

The jury is still out on that one!

I just put an 'inspiration board' up in my studio.  I'm going to fill it with whatever is spinning my design wheels at any moment.  I usually just let everything simmer in my head, but lately it feels a bit crowded. Consider this post as a virtual inspiration board.  I gathered up all of these images that were suddenly ringing bells in my brain and they inspired two designs. 

O'Keefe Poppies-this painting has been a favorite for years.  

Marimekko Uniko Poppy Fabric-I've been mad for their prints since I was a pre-teen

Warhol Poppy-I love this.  

This is my pop art poppy polymer clay set I created inspired by the images above.  This is intentionally streamlined and less of a literal translation.Copyright 2008 Margot Potter.  All Rights Reserved.

 Black and white detail photo of a white poppy.


Billie Holiday wearing her signature gardenias.

This White Poppy set has a far more dimensional and literal interpretation of the poppy motif.  I built this flower using Sculpey Ultra Light and painted it with acrylic paint and silver leafing pen. Copyright 2008 Margot Potter.  All Rights Reserved.


For me, design is an adventure.  I become obsessed with an idea and I have to make it real. How do you design?  Where do you find your inspiration?  I'm curious!

xoxo
Madge

16.3.10

ILoveToCreate Teen Crafts: Anchor's Away Necklace T-Shirt



Anchors Away T-Shirt
Margot Potter for ILoveToCreate Teen Crafts
“Mom crafted, kid approved.”

I have a long standing love for all things nautical and am a particular fan of the French sailor look. I’ve been wearing variations of it for years. Avalon and I went shopping this weekend and she kept fawning over necklace embellished t’s and stripey sailor style tops. Thusly these concepts came together and this idea started formulating in my creative noggin.

You can change this up to suit your style and ditch the nautical theme for a rocker tattoo inspired look or a prim and proper girly look with flowers and pearls. You’ll just need a pre-made stencil (check out the Tulip Fashion Graffiti line) or a permission free image you can size and print to create your own. Tulip fabric paints and Aleene’s Fabric Fusion will help bring your idea to life. Then just sew on some jump rings and attach some chains to make a removable faux necklace look.


Materials
Striped Cotton T-Shirt Pre-Washed
Permission Free Anchor Image sized to fit scale of shirt
Tulip Slick Red Fabric Paint
Folder or thick cardstock for Stencil
Aleene’s Fabric Fusion
Sewing thread (I used red to match the anchor)
Beadalon SP Rolo Chain
2 Swivel Lobster Clasps
3 SP 10mm jump rings
2 SP 6mm jump rings
Scrapbook Adhesives EZ-Runner Tape Runner
Offray Nice and Narrow black satin ribbon with polka dots

Tools
Craft Knife
Cutting Board
Foam Brush
Sewing Needle
Sewing Scissors
2 Pairs Chain Nose Pliers

1. Select image. If you are making your own stencil, size it to fit scale of shirt. Print image.

2. Attach image with EZ-Runner to thick cardstock or a manilla folder. Use craft knife to cut out stencil.
Leave a bar or two around the anchor hole at the top so you don’t lose that hole when you stencil.

3. Use foam brush to stencil image on shirt on the left side. Allow to dry. Remove stencil.

4. Create a tiny bow and adhere to top of anchor with Aleene’s Fabric Fusion. Allow to dry.

5. Sew the large jump rings to the top seams on either side of the neckline of your shirt. Sew a third large jump ring to the top of the anchor on the left side of shirt.

6. Drape chains to find best length and attach the ends to lobster clasps on both sides using a small jump ring and two pairs of chain nose pliers. Thread the longer chain through the jump ring at the top of your anchor.  Attach a second chain length that is slightly shorter to the jump ring at the bottom of your clasps. Remove chains when washing garment.