Forget Rest We Need Lumber

After a long drive home from the holidays, unpacking all of our gifts and packing all of our Christmas decorations all we wanted to do was sleep. But instead we got busy DIY-ing!

We were given an aquarium from Brian’s family but nothing to sit it on. We bought lumber and stain, and got busy.

We had to build something strong enough to hold 300 pounds! It needed to be 28″ deep and we wanted the middle to be pretty large so we could easily get into the aquarium when we need to clean or add fish. Brian designed the shelf and tried to make the book shelves on the bottom look like the rest of the furniture in our place. We added strength by putting boards in the back. The boards also keep our books from falling off the back of the shelf.

I love that we have little squares at the bottom. In about a day we had the shelf built and stained. After it dried we could add the aquarium.

We wanted a natural look so we bought real plants, real drift wood and real rock. We can start to add little fish in two weeks but until then we have been staring at the pretty plants and admiring all of our hard work.

Everything in the tank came from a great little fish store, Menagerie in Cabbage Town. We both agreed it was well worth the two hour walk for the amazing service. Nothing was pushed on us and the staff were really knowledgeable. Their website could use an update, but the store is worth a visit for any animal lover.

Edited: January 2nd, 2012

Buy Handmade? Or Ask For Handmade?

There is a big push among crafty types to buy presents handmade, either DIY or from another crafter. I think for the most part this is a great thing. It keeps money out of the hands of big business and supports someone in your community. But what about people who don’t want handmade things? They want brand names, DVDs or gift cards. I mentioned in my last post that I was unable to keep to my goal to buy handmade/or diy, and this was a big reason why. People didn’t want handmade things.

So when I was forced to let people give me gifts for my wedding, I decided to change my perspective. I didn’t want them to spend mush, so I ended up asking everyone to make us something. We got awesome stuff! It was such a good idea. A close friend learned to embroider so she could make us something beautiful. It meant a lot to both of us. Another friend made me stationary, and attached the originals so I could make copies. A very cool, very me gift.

So for next year, instead of committing to buying handmade I will commit to asking for handmade.

Keep Up the Imagination,

Melissa

Edited: December 21st, 2011

Where Have We Been?

School. And work. Not fun. And not too crafty. In the past three months I had one craft day (with the exception of some beautiful doodles in the margins of my notebooks). Not something I’m very happy about. I did manage to teach embroidery and origami, spreading the crafting love to new people. I hope they enjoy it, because both crafts are addicting and now they will need their fix.

With the holidays I get a break from essays, reading and chapter summaries so it’s time to get crafty. I never did get all my handmade gifts made. But I have a bit of a new take on “buy handmade” that I plan on writing about soon. The handmade gifts that I have put together or picked up aren’t given yet but I will post pictures after the holiday. My step-dad gets another one-of-kind gift. He loved the truck painting so much Brian and I were inspired to get a little weirder. The other handmade one is for Brian, so I can’t write about it here.

Brian is busy at work but has found some time to create some awesome things. Hopefully he gets around to posting about it soon!

Hope you have kept up the imagination better than I have,

Melissa

Edited: December 19th, 2011

The Beast

I haven’t been doing so great on my promise to give only hand made gifts this year, but I did just finish a pretty large birthday present for my Step Dad, Larry.

Brian and I have been working on this painting of his truck for a few months now. It’s a bit late but it is finally done! A lot of work and long hours went into this but it was worth it to see how happy it made him.

Brian did some awesome detail on the skeleton:and the license plate:

The Beast is a bit of a nick name for the truck. It is 30 years old. Originally bought for only $800, and still manages to start up on cold winter days.

Not sure if I will be able to get around to anything else this big for presents this year. I guess I should start now if I want to at least be able to do Christmas handmade.

Edited: August 14th, 2011

Screen Printing Update

I found some affordable screen in Toronto at Gwartzmans, of course. I attempted the fabric shops downtown and not knowing enough about the material I needed there were really no deals to be found. The staff didn’t know what I needed, one man tried to sell me tulle, but mostly they were unhelpful.

Gwartzman’s had a range of thread counts, they were knowledgeable, and totally understood when I wanted the cheapest fabric available. Someday I’ll want a lot of detail, but right now it would be too intimidating to pay that much.

This morning I cut out my perfect size and attached the material to my frame. For anyone trying this, it is probably a job for two people. One can do it, but it would be faster with two.

I removed the old fabric and it’s soaking in baking soda, I’m still trying to salvage it. I was surprised to find that staples were not used to attach the fabric, it’s just tucked around foam. I’m not sure if this is because Speedball is cheap, or it’s to keep the fabric from tearing. It was a slow process but I have the tight screen I started with. I have no idea what I want to make this time around. All the intimidation is back. It has to be perfect, it has to be artistic, it has to be wonderful! Maybe I have commitment issues.

Edited: July 28th, 2011

Tie-dyed

A few weeks ago, I spent a crafty afternoon learning how to tie-dye with some friends. I didn’t really know what I was doing, just sort of dipping the shirt into bowls of colour at random. I liked how it turned out enough that I want to do more. An old white tank top that was destined for rags is now one of my favourite shirts.

From the back

Front, looking tough in aviators and tie-dye

Edited: July 25th, 2011

An Apple a Day

We’ve turned off our giant heat making TV and have been getting crafty for the summer. Last night Brian decided to give me another chance at learning to shade. Shading is intimidating, and I’ve tried to learn it in the past only to give up. But Brian is a patient teacher and I think it’s really important to push yourself with art.

The first thing I drew was a ball:

I was pretty happy with how it turned out. There is no doubt that is a ball with light hitting it. The shadow on the table is a bit off, but I like the darkness in the ball, and I think the blending is okay in parts.

One thing I found really hard about shading was putting the first lines down they just looked wrong. I had to keep adding and blending and adding before it started to look like something. It’s hard when things look wrong until they are about 90% done, I just want to erase them, but I guess it’s important to finish before judging.

Finishing was another problem.

“How do I know when it’s done?” Me, eager to be able to shade with the masters.

“When it looks good.”

“But it doesn’t look good.” Me, losing my eagerness.

“Then it’s not done.” Not the answer I wanted.

After a few more balls, Brian had me try an apple. Have you ever really looked at an apple? They have a weird shaped. Apparently this makes them great to practice on. Also, we have a lot of apples, so easy access to supplies.

My first apple:

Not bad. My plan is to draw an apple a day. Here is today’s apple, it was a strange shape:

I’ll keep up with the apples and post a few more to show my progress. I feel like I am going to get very acquainted with the fruit market on the corner.

Edited: July 19th, 2011

Screen Printing

I picked up a screen printing kit a few months ago. I got a pretty good deal at Gwartzman’s and had always wanted to try it out. Brian warned me when I bought it,

“This isn’t easy. It will take you awhile to get good at it.”

My crafty confidence got the best of me, I would be making posters and cards with the best of them by the end of the week! In reality I would be so intimidated that I wouldn’t actually open the box for a week. When I finally did get started I went with a really basic design and it was okay. Nothing poster worthy, but it was fridge worthy for awhile. I did notice the process was a long one and the clean up was a pain.

Speedball kits claim that the screen filler can be washed out and the screen can be reused, but every blog or forum I have read tells me differently. I used almost boiling water and laundry detergent the first time and the screen eventually cleaned up with a strong scrub brush. The scrub brush was helpful but also scary, those screens aren’t that strong and can rip.

I tried screen printing a few more times but each time I struggled with the limitations. I wanted lots of bright colours and that would take hours! How do people do it? Maybe this is harder than I thought? I found myself giving up before the designs would dry. It really is an all day process and humidity doesn’t help.

After a few months of not touching the supplies I decided I wanted to make a t-shirt. The big feminist fist seemed like something that should be DIY and not corporate bought so I drew it up. The first print was awesome.

The T Shirt is okay. It’s a little smudged and not clear, but it’s definitely activisty looking. I’m so anarcho-feminist punk rock I don’t care that my tshirt is blurred. That’s a look, right?

By the time I did all of this it was late and I went to bed. The next day we threw a party and I spent the day cleaning up. I saw the screen still had filler on it and decided that I would hide it for the party and wash it later.

Two weeks later…

Hot water alone wasn’t getting that screen filler off. I tried windex and detergent like the instructions suggest but nothing came off at all. I used a scrub brush that got some flakes off but didn’t really dissolve the filler. The closest I got to removing it was with baking soda and vinegar, the filler got a lot lighter, but it’s still blocking the wholes in the screen.

So now I have a permanent feminist fist, not the worst thing, but I need new material to make more prints.  I priced a few yesterday and was a little surprised at the amount. I will find the cheapest fabric in Toronto that doesn’t rip too easily and try again. This time I will remember that not every thing is as forgiving as acrylic paint.

Edited: July 11th, 2011

Sewing and Gardening Update

With my new pillow keeping my comfortable on the couch I am in need of more sewing projects. I have been spending endless hours scouring the Internet for free beginner patterns and have a bunch of things I want to try, but I need practice fabric. I went to a thrift store yesterday and picked up some goodies.

In non-sewing goodness I found this scarf. It might turn into a sewing project, or it might just live in my hair all summer long. I love the colours and the geometric pattern.

In the same store I found a buttery yellow and a lime green cotton/polyester fabric. My mind immediately went to embroidery for these because they aren’t patterned and are a little light (see through) for the skirts/dresses I would like to try out. I brought them home and put them with my other fabric. Yeah…I have only been sewing for a few weeks but as an embroiderer I have always had the dream that I would be able to sew, and that lead to buying material when I’ve found it on sale.

I’m afraid to use some of this because it’s so nice and I’m so new to sewing. That said, I’m not going to let it stop me. I see some pretty birds and trees in there that are going to be beautiful skirts. Or awkward skirts that might later become more pillows.

The other “problem” with this fabric collection is that the material doesn’t meet the requirements of a new sewer. Some of it is heavy, some stretchy, some of it is lace. It’s going to take some practice before I start sewing with it.

In none sewing news, Brian and I have started a garden. It’s been an ongoing project, the pictures below show our pretty empty balcony to our first strawberry. It was sweet and small.

We’ve got a few plants inside as well, mainly herbs, and they are delicious.

Keep Up The Imagination,

Melissa

Edited: June 3rd, 2011

Pillow

In my last year of high school, before I even started university I bought a comfy grey hoody with Western embroidered across it. Over the years it’s been stretched, shrunk, ripped and repaired. Eight years after the purchase it’s not holding up very well. It’s too short to be comfortable to wear around the house, and it’s so wide that I feel awkward wearing it outside.

I couldn’t part with another sweater this year, or rip up more clothes to turn into rags, but it was only taking up valuable closet space; so I hopped on my sewing machine and made a pillow.

I’m very happy with how it turned out!

I remembered some of the awesome tips I learnt from the class I took at The Workroom.

• Cut slow, careful and right next to the table with sharp scissors.
• Reverse stitch at the edges to keep it strong.
• There is no need to sew fast, it’s easier to keep the stitching straight when you sew slow
• It’s okay to stop. To straighten material, to remove pins, to scratch your nose.

My pillow still needs a bit more cushioning but I love having the pouch part of the hoody to snuggle with. Also, hoody material is awesome for a pillow. It might not be as fancy as silk or velvet but it’s perfect for rainy days watching movies.

Edited: May 29th, 2011