Craft Chi

Did you ever buy something that came in a really pretty box that couldn’t really be used for anything? We live in a society in which alot of money is spent on package design, even on lotion, apparently. Anyway, that’s what happened to me today. I bought some lotion (from Biore) that came in this pretty tinted plastic box. The only thing I didn’t like about the box was all of the text on it. So, I decided to turn the parts of the box that I liked into jewelry. Packaging can also be used to make embellishments for scrapbookers and altered art artists. That’s basically what you’ll need to make these, in addition to basic jewelry-making tools, is paper craft tools.

First take apart your box to create a flattened sheet. Then, use assorted paper punches or just scissors to cut assorted shapes out. Then, use a small hole punch to create a hole to insert a jump ring or what have you. If using paper you can use an eyelet to be sure the paper doesn’t tear when wearing.

Attach pieces together using a glue appropriate for the material your using. I used a gem glue that adheres plastic, non-porous surfaces and that dries completely clear, since there was transparency to my plastic. I applied the glue with a toothpick.

Use tweezers to position small items on the glue.

Gather basic jewelry-making tools and create away!

Here’s some more pieces I made from this same box.

For some reason, I’ve been obsessed with costume lately, especially costume make-up. I can’t really afford to go out and spend a bunch of money on that right now. So, I decided to make a mask just appease some of my urges. Here’s an easy fabric mask I made, not much to it.

First outline a design onto fabric and cut it out. I downloaded this pattern from: www.makingfriends.com. A web search will give you many patterns to choose from. It’s a good idea to start off with a simple pattern like this one. Then, it can be altered and the eye positions moved or sized.

Next, spray the fabric with a fabric stiffener until well saturated.

Then, position the mask onto a plastic mask form until it dries. I used tape balls to flare the edges out.

When dry, you can embellish with acrylic paints, fabric fabric paint, glitter, sequins, feathers, ribbon, buttons or whatever you like.

Finally, glue or sew ribbon onto the edges. Or paint a wooden dowel and attach with a fabric strip.

I did some research into temporary tattoos as apart of an art project I did with the RCYF kids. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to do tattoos, but I know the kids really wanted to. I found this great Henna website that gave me instructions on how to transfer designs onto the skin here. After I transfered the design, I colored the image in with non-toxic permanent markers*. I found that permanent markers work best for my needs, although water-based markers could be used for easier removal. I wanted the image to stay vivid for several days and not to peel and crack (like some paints do). I also wanted to be able to blend the colors.

Tattoo markers and stamp pads are available here. Some people use body paint, liner and/or airbrushes and others recommend sumi-e inks applied to skin surface with sumi-e brushes.

*Use rubbing alcohol to remove permanent marker ink. Also, make sure to read the MSDS sheet for permanent markers and use at your own risk. Also, check out this Flickr pool to see some cool (mostly drunken silliness) Sharpie marker tattoos. If your interested in some truly inspiring body art check out some of these Polynesian and Henna tattoo resources: Skin Stories: The Art and Culture of Polynesian Tattoo, Tiki-Styles Polynesian Tattoos and Their Meaning, Arca Henna - Gallery, The Henna Page.

Sneaker tread makes a wonderful stamp. Combined with a stencil and fabric paint, they add texture to any design and they also work great on paper.

First, print or draw design on cardstock or freezer paper and cut it out using a craft knife. Then, use stencil adhesive or iron the stencil onto fabric. Also, make sure to place a piece of cardstock inside the shirt to protect from any paint seeping through.

Next, use a foam brush or a paint roller to apply paint to the bottom of a clean shoe. Make sure to use an opaque fabric ink if stamping onto a dark t-shirt.

Stick your hand in the shoe (I didn’t do this, but it’s much easier) and stamp the tread onto the receiving surface. Re-ink and stamp again, until you have the stencil area filled in. You may need to use a scrap piece of card board to mask off the edges, depending the placement of the shoe.

Remove the stencil and heat set the fabric paint if needed. *Tip: I like to use parchment paper over the paint to protect my iron. It also allows me to dry the paint with heat.

I used a wet scrub brush to clean off the bottom of the shoes and the paint came off easily. This took me all of 15 minutes to complete, so easy and fun!