More Cranes (go figure) & a WIP

I have finished turning all the dipped cranes into charms ... these six:



are headed to CA to be part of the HeArt Collective Charm Swap
(five for the swap and one just for the hostess)
After these leave, I'll still have a little over a dozen in my possession.


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In other news, I have thrown caution to the wind and am focusing on the Under the Sea Swap.

... I don't believe that I am spoiling anyone's surprise as it is
my understanding that my partner does not have a blog ...

I love the cat head from the free Pointy Kitty pattern (found HERE) so much that I decided to use it on a ... drumroll, please ... CatFish for my swap partner:



here's the head attached to the body:



and a view from above:



(would you believe I came up with the fish body shape? me, either, but I did.)

with a "spine" of sorts added:



and a few scales, too:



I have to admit that I am not really planning anything out, but simply just going with the flow ... also known as stalling cuz I can't quite decide how to do the face. Hopefully it'll come to me at some point before the deadline.

International Charm Day - a Tutorial ... I hope

Many of you already know that I have a thing for paper cranes, so in honor of

International Charm Day
(click above to be directed to the event blog)

I give you my step-by-step on taking a paper crane from ... paper to charm.

(fingers crossed)

Materials: Assorted Origami Papers
Petal Porcelain (or other preferred setting agent)
Paint Brush
Wax Paper
Needle (or straight pin)
Head Pins
Various small beads

Step 1: Select your paper.

I highly recommend using thin paper (thinner than copy paper, but that can still hold an edge - tissue paper is out). The sheets below are 6"X6" origami papers.



Step 2: Cut your papers into 1" or 1-1/4" squares:



Side note: The smaller your squares, the more difficult they will be to fold, but practice - I promise it's worth the effort.

(I used the 1-1/4" squares for the photo's below)

I like to cut up a bunch of squares in one sitting, so I'll have a nice stack to work with:



Step 3: Put on some favorite crafting music or pop in a movie
(preferably one that doesn't require your full attention and is good for a giggle)

Step 4: Fold yourself some little paper cranes - I usually fold at least a dozen at a sitting.
(more is better as I almost always have a few casualties in the dipping process)

Another Note: If you don't know how to fold a paper crane, I recommend CLICKING HERE. (There's even a printable PDF link on the page - don't be daunted by the instructions; they look more difficult than they actually are. Also, practice a few on larger 6"x6" squares first.)

The picture below shows a nutshell progress of the folds:



Step 5: Once you have your flock, take a photograph of them!



Sorry about the bad photo - happens when you wait till after dark to take pictures.

Step 6: Dip each crane in The Setting Agent.
(I generally dip them twice - one time I hold the crane by the tail and the other time by the head)

**** Sorry - I don't have pictures for Step 6 Through Step 14 ****

Step 7: Brush off the excess Setting Agent and allow it to dry completely.
(at this step, it is common for the beak and wings to want to turn up - try to push them down gently with the paintbrush as you are removing the excess Setting Agent - also, if you are really careful, you can sometimes "reshape" them once they are completely dry from the first dipping.)

Step 8: Repeat Step 6

Step 9: Repeat Step 7

Step 10: Carefully poke a hole through the bottom of the crane
(if you brushed the excess Setting Agent off, there will still be a hole in the bottom - you'll see)
up through the center of the back
(as close as possible - it's fairly easy to find the center as you will be able to see where you folded the paper)

Step 11: Feed a head pin through the hole, add a bead (or beads).

Step 12: Trim any excess length off the head pin.
(keeping in mind that you will finish the head pin off by making the end into a loop for hanging)

Step 13: Can you guess?!? Yep, finish the end of the head pin by turning it into a loop for hanging.

Step 14: Add a coat of clear varnish for shine
(optional ... you might choose to paint your cranes prior to adding the varnish if you used a solid color paper)

Viola!



Yes, I know, this isn't a crane from this batch - the first flock is still drying. Thank goodness I save ALL my photo's.

As an added bonus, I'm offering sets of six dipped cranes to two people. If you'd like to be included in the drawing, please leave a comment on this post by midnight EST time on Thursday, April 30th. I'll let Sadie draw two names from the hat (or bowl, or bag ... ) on Friday, May 1st

BONUS that'll be May Day ... the first day of my birthday month!

Have fun visiting all the participants from the first ever

International Charm Day!
(click above to be transported to the event link)

Thank you, Amber Dawn, for hosting such a FUN event!!

Cranes Revisited

Sometimes I get an idea in my head and reason doesn't seem to fit in ... the sky is a strange gray (remnants of Fay and her continuous rainy bands - she pretty much passed us by with only a day of high winds and rain; we've actually had more rain in the days since she traveled north and expect even more throughout the weekend, but we've been really lucky) and it's a bit gusty outside, but I just HAD to try to take photo's of the cranes earrings that are done. I didn't get a single decent shot of the first set that I took, so uber-spouse tried to convince me to wait until morning when the light would be ideal ... stubborn is as stubborn does ... and sometimes it pays off.

Here's a shot of the black and white pair:

and a close-up of one:

and a close-up of one from the light blue pair:

I have about 18 fishhooks left, so can make 9 more pair before I'll need more materials. I also have it in my head to start a canvas covered in cranes ... one of these days.

Dont forget about the Pink Artist Drawing :

As of August 23rd, $1,557.85 has already been raised! Woohooooo!!

AND there's still time for you to participate, too!

Click the picture above for more information.

Cranes, Cranes and ... more Cranes

When in doubt, fold cranes ...

lots and lots of little cranes ...

you don't have to count them ... there are 52 cranes ... or ... 26 pars of matching cranes

matching cranes? now, why would a girl do that???

Crane Charms

It's time to share a little mixed up progress on the crane charms (first mentioned HERE) ... this first image is the first batch of cranes post dipping into the Petal Porcelain Setting Agent. I had used decorative papers (rather than thin origami sheets), so the paper was a tad too thick for the size crane (1 1/4" square) I folded:

I was really happy to learn that the setting agent really fortified the cranes - they have hardened really nicely. With this first batch I followed the directions on the bottle and dipped the cranes in the goo and brushed the excess off. I set them on wax paper overnight to dry. Due to the amount of product on them, the bottoms "puddled" slightly which took away the crisp points ... since then, I have thought about how to improve on this and think that simply brushing the setting agent on (in stages) might work better ... that and using thinner origami papers ... so I have folded a bunch of little cranes (there are about 10 more than pictured ... if I'm going to fold one, it's just as likely I'll fold 10 or 20 or 100 ...) ... these are folded from 1" squares and 1 1/8" squares:

The papers are still very pretty and the cranes came out much more precise.

The picture below is a condensed version of the process. The papers in the background are (or were) 6" squares of origami papers - in pinksl, of course. The diamond shapes are cranes in progress, the two completed cranes on the left have not been dipped or brushed and two cranes on the right are two from the original test batch (dipped):

Below is another dipped crane from the first batch. I still like the decorative papers that I originally used, so will be trying to slavage some if possible. Here's one that I am hoping to save (it has also had a coat or two of diamond top coat polish applied):

Even though I have a feeling that this second batch is going to be better than the first (fingers crossed) I did want to do a prototype of the charm that I was picturing - the next two pictures are the first completed prototypes:

Amber Dawn let me know that she can only accept one set of 12 charms from the participants for the Very Special Think Pink Charm Exchange. Considering the whole idea is to provide Monica with additional raffle items, this totally makes sense. I already completed a set of twelve sparkly pink ones (see the previous post), so I'll be sending those out to Amber Dawn for the exchange ... BUT ... she has given me the go ahead to send two of the completed crane charms, too - if they are high enough quality, she will be use them on the raffle bracelet(s). Wouldn't that be cool?

Being involved in both of these projects has been more satisfying than I could possibly ever explain. I am humbled by the experience and grateful to have been exposed to such an inspiring, kind, creative community of generous hearts. My faith in the world & humanity has been restored ... tenfold.

fairy homes and pink charm progress

It's been a great Sunday ... and to think, it's just the first day of my weekend, too!

Sadie and I decided that today was a good day to try our hand at building a fairy house. Originally we thought we'd build it under a tree in the back yard, but due to a rain shower (and the fact that neither of us much like red ants) we chose the small ficus tree's pot:

Considering neither of us has any background in building (other than that of the Lego variety) we were utterly clueless. She thought we should just sink "walls" right into the dirt - brilliant plan! We made sure to use a few twigs that branched so we could rest twigs lengthwise across them and then layed smaller twigs across them to build a second level (there are two small rooms below the floor). The roofing is a combination of skinny dried vines and a little bit of hay. We're hopeful that one of these days we'll go out there to see that some little creature has claimed the home ... fingers crossed!

How about an update on the The Pink Charms Exchange? First, I have done a couple of tests using the Petal Porcelain Setting Agent that I purchased on Friday and am happy to report that I think it's really going to work! There are a few minor details that I need to work out, but I am hopeful.

I'm am still interested in trying Paverpol (Marilyn @ As Seen Through My Eyes recommended the product - she's been posting about her recent trip to France and it sounds like heaven!). I checked out there website and from everything that I have read about it, it sounds like some pretty amazing stuff. It's been added to the top of my Christmas wish list!

While I was shopping on Friday, I picked up a few "just in case" items ... I wanted to have a definite back up should the paper crane experiment end up a bust. This is what I bought:

The above is a little pack of metal links, some ultrafine pink glitter and some pink faceted glass beads ... bet you can tell where I am going with all this. I took Amber Dawn's comment, "make sure to have the pink stand out, make them pretty, sparkly if you can" totally to heart! So far I have only completed the first step ... I completely pink-glitterified the links (simple white glue) and am on to the second step of coating them in a high gloss varnish - one coat down, but at least one (if not two) more to go. Here they are drying in my fancy drying rack (those would be toothpicks for holding the links and masking tape over a small glass bowl for a rack).

Here's a closer view:

Once they have all been varnished, I'm going to use silver "pins" to sandwich a pink glass bead between two tiny clear Swarovski crystals and make the loop for a hanger and add a jump ring ... voila! Honestly, the photo's don't really do them justice - they are much prettier in hand (even at this stage) than photographed.

Ok, the cranes are calling me back to finish folding (folding 1 1/4 inch squares is a bit taxing, but tiny cranes look very sweet).

How's your weekend shaping up?

does anyone know how ...

... to make paper more durable/solid?

I have been working on a few ideas for the Think Pink Charm Exchange, but nothing is hitting the mark ... I really, really want to figure out how to make paper cranes that are sturdy ... they'd be perfect for the project (remember the Sadako Sasaki story?) - appropriate, don't you think?

I have these wonderful pink papers that would be perfect to use, some super fine glitter and pink Swarovsky bicone crystals that I could suspend from the center for an extra little sparkle ... I can totally see them and really think they could be terrific ... if anyone has any suggestions, I would be most grateful.

Updates

It was a really good weekend (if not a day or six too short for my liking). I was able to spend some serious time working on a number of projects. Some are coming along better than others, but I will allow myself an "E" for effort. :) First up ...

I don't know if you recall Karla and her Great Aunt Caroline ... Caroline is about to turn 100 and Karla came up with the BEST idea ... in a nutshell, she wants to give her auntie 100 home made birthday cards (contributions to be made by anyone willing to "create for the cause") ... how lovely is that?!? Of course I was in (even though card making is seriously not my forte) ... here's what I'll be sending:

I could seriously benefit from a class or two (something that makes texture mixes and color combo's click), but I have to admit that the knot itself is pretty cool. I used origami paper. The top part of the knot is from a cloth like paper that has wonderfully intricate designs and the bottom is bright red foil. Like I told Karla, it may not be a masterpiece, but it sure had a lot of love poured into it. I'm not sure if she's reached her goal, so if you are interested feel free to visit her at Karla's Cottage. I'm sure this is one of those more-is-better situations. :)

Next ...

I worked a little more on the Black and White charms - I added the elephants and a couple of coats of high gloss varnish:

Now that I'm at the more than half-way point I am wondering if I should have just cut the images (paper and all) the size of the tiles and just put the high gloss varnish over that (without painting each side) and painting the edges with the silver paint. I just might have to try a couple that way in the future ...

Uber-spouse gave me another extension on his challenge (he's a seriously good egg). I had God's eye stuck in my head, so ... I decided to try my hand at a beaded God's eye ... here's how it's coming along (please remember that this is a first attempt ... I have a feeling it won't be my last - don't be surprised if I suddenly have an Etsy shop one of these fine days). I used two small skewers, heavy duty thread and glass seed beads:

you know ... I think I just might like the back better than the front ...

I started playing around with papers and things for Karla and Beths Birds and Bonnets Vintage Workshop Swap - there's no photo's to share just yet, but I am hopeful ... feels like the creative juices are a sloshin ...

OK, this last item is just for fun ... when I got home from work today, there was a card from my father-in-law (seriously - my FATHER-IN-LAW - if you knew him, this would be even funnier) ... well, I think it's a riot, so I thought I'd share it:

Ciao bella's! ~M~

oh, we do hope we're not too late!

That's Tink. She insisted on coming to the party & I couldn't refuse ... she hasn't been to a party in more than 100 years, poor thing (neither have I, for that matter).

Of course she didn't have anything to wear. Together we were able to find just the right fabric to make a new party dress and wouldn't you know it, it took much longer to make than we anticipated. When she'd gotten dressed and was ready to go, we were in such a hurry we nearly left all the lemon poppy seed bread on the table (please ... help yourself - we brought plenty to share). If it hadn't been for faithful Fern ...

... I'm certain that we would have left it behind.

We decided to take a short cut to the party. Little did we know that we'd come accross a most amazing butterfly crossing (first time I've witnessed this magical moment). What an amazing sight that was! I do wish I had my camera with me ... 10,000+ butterflies in any and every color you can imagine (silver, gold, magenta, blue - even speckled like robin's eggs, jeweled toned & calico, too). They flew in on the whisper of a silken sweet breeze & blew kisses to us, the sky and the trees and then, almost as quickly as they appeared ... they were gone.

Before too long Tink was wiped out, so we stopped to rest our feet. While we rested I remembered the elements series I had done:

Earth & Fire

Air & Water

I realized it's been way too long since I have played with my colored pencils. Not too long after that, we were on our way again and now we are finally here. Hope we are not to late ...

Thank you for having us, eb, everything looks so beautiful, the food smells divine & your guests, well your guests look so joyful ... please excuse us while we mingle.