This is My Box!

"What are you making again???" asked Hubby ~ again.

"A box," I replied ~ again. "A BOX.... B.O.X... box," I smiled patiently.

Geez..... ok, it might seem an odd thing to build, but I'm doing the market with paper products, and it's not only outside but in a location that's windy. Ever try to sell paper crafts in a big wind? Oy. I needed a box to be storage, carrier, wind-proof display... the whole shebang. But there is nothing like it available commercially that I can find. So, simple, I have to make it.

The last carpentry I did was the cabinet in the bathroom. It needed to be shallower than anything available commercially, so once again.... It's still waiting for doors. I need to make some cupboard doors for the kitchen cabinets too. One damaged one finally broke beyond repair. I priced them at the lumber store: $100. bucks a piece! For a 12 x 17 inch door? And I need 4 of 'em. $400. bucks?! Not happening. The lumber store had some tongue-in-groove pine boards on special. I bought some. $27. for enough to make cupboard doors. But then I needed this box and I started to eye those boards. Oy... gonna have to get more!

I chose a slightly warped old drawer bottom for the bottom of my box. I figured I'd manage with it. Heh. Ok, so I owe the swear jar a LOT of nickels, but I did manage. ;p

I drilled holes in the ends to take knotted macrame rope for handles, and I gave it its own bungee cord to hold the lid in place when not in use. Yes, I could have come up with something more sophisticated, but time is short and this gets it done. I mean, it was very frustrating waiting for the rains to stop when I wanted to get this done. I don't have a basement. I have to work out on the deck. Eeeerrrggg. Just in the nick of time, sunshine.

So, this is my box. I didn't put the dividers right to the back of the box so I can jam the lid right down in against the wind. Now all I have to do is add the signage to the inside of the lid telling folks what it is, what it's for and how much. Hope it works!

This is Ezmerelda!

Ezzie is a dragon. Now the hard part ~ creating a fun and stimulating environment for her.









More to come!

How to Build a Butterfly ~ a Quilling Art Workshop

My mom made some really nice quilling art butterflies, and what I know about it I learned from her. So what I'm sharing is basically her technique. The butterfly to the left is one I recently made. The yellow butterfly below is one of my mom's.

The Wings: As you see, you start by making loops ~ 3 or 4 graduated loops deep, glued at one end, open at the other. Make 6 or 8 of these (it's up to you... it's your butterfly). Looks like Mom used 3 and I used 4 here. I used 7 to 9 inch pieces of 1/8th quilling paper for this. Experiment with a piece and see what works best for you, then try to make them uniform for the top wings. Then you need to make some more for the bottom wings. I made 6 ~ 2 each small, medium and large.

Put the loops together, then choose a secondary colour to add to embellishing it with frilly shapes. Mom favoured C scrolls, but I rather like lopsided hearts, pictured below. If you click on the pictures, they will get larger and you will see how I used the lopsided hearts between some of the wing loops. Of course, I also used C scrolls, teardrops, S scrolls, etc. Whatever you like. I have also put some double-colour teardrops inside the loops to create the "eye" affect on the wing. And I put some loose circles in there as well. You have to basically just keep going with the frilly bits until you're satisfied with wings.

Attach them with glue. If you don't want a flat butterfly, pin one wing to a quilling board and place something under the second wing to hold it at an angle while the glue dries.

The Body: I used a beading tool for this, which is much deeper than an ordinary quilling tool.

You need some black craft wire, a glass or plastic bead or two (Mom used two small beads; I used 1 medium one) and a sheet, or wide cut, of quilling paper. Cut the paper in a long triangle, point at one end, about 3/4 to an inch at the other. You'll need one for the body and at least one more smaller piece for the head, depending on how wide you're able to roll it. You can attach as many pieces as you need.

Glue the tip. You can adjust your paper "bead" by inserting a cocktail toothpick and shaping it the way you want it. This also makes sure the center is open to receive the wire. Cut a long piece of black wire and insert it through the head and body pieces, string on a bead, or two, to hold the wire in place at the tail, then re-insert the wire in the other direction. The pieces of wire at the "head"end will form the antennae. Shape it the way you want, make sure it's cut evenly. Run some glue down the underside of the body and between the pieces to make sure it stays together. Allow to dry while you roll two narrow bits of paper and glue to make the antennae tips. Glue these onto the ends of the wire.

Mount the body onto the wings, glue, and VOILA.

I hope this is helpful for those wanting to make their own quilling art butterfly. Another one I made, I chose lime green and lavendar as the colours. My teenage daughter said it was like "rock star meets old lady." I changed it to lime green and grape, but I still have that first wing and I still like it. Afterall, what's wrong with rock star meets ol' lady anyway? ;o) Back to work.