quick and easy last minute christmas decoration gifts

wow what a long title, anyway a last minute idea for some home made and hand made tokens very much in a handcrafted/victorian/steampunk sense.

you will need:
scraps of fabric (christmassy, nautral linen, gingham etc)
needle and thread
template shapes or biscuit (coookie) cutters
scraps of lace (optional)
ribbon
remnants of stuffing or more fabric scraps.
some whole spices such as cloves and cinnamon

1. get your template or cutter and draw around the shape for example a star in pencil on the back of your fabric.

2. cut the shapes out with a little seam allowance. put 2 of the same shapes with right sides of the fabric together and sew around the edge leaving at least a 1" gap for turning. trim all the corners for neat points and curves.

3. turn inside out. stuff with scraps or toy stuffing loosely and add the whole spices (or a cotton wool puff with essential oils dropped onto).

4. fold a 3" length of ribbon in half and as you sew the gap in your stuffed shape, sew in the ribbon for hanging. (this part could also be done beforehand by more experienced sewers)

options:
hearts in natural linen with a scrap of lace overlaid make a more zakka/country style, as does ginham, stars in sparkly fabric for a more christmassy feel, felt snowmen etc etc

these are really easy to do and a small group of these as a last minute gift or for an unexpected guest will be a welcome token.

FELIZ NAVIDAD, FROHE WIENACHTEN, JOYEUX NOEL, GOD JUL, MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE.
have a peaceful and happy end to the year.

Making my bjd is still going on. Slowly, but still going. After reading posts on The Joint forum it does make me wonder about people you know.


First, they think that the forum (and every other of its' kind) is there to tell them step by step actually how to sculpt, materials etc, then second, they think that it is cheaper to make a bjd than it is to buy one!





What can i say...it's a very personal process and no-one can teach you how to sculpt, joint, mold, cast etc. Every maker has a different process, every country has different products available. It's all down to research. But then nowadays everyone seems to think that you don't have to read and search for information, it should all be provided for you with buckets of people to hold your hand and tell you exactly what you want to hear. As to the cost...it costs a hell of a lot more to get to the stage where you have a decent looking bjd than it does to buy the things.





It also takes dedication over a lot of time and of course motivation. From a complete novice stage to getting a head that looks like a head and not some alien it took me 2 years. It has taken me another year and a half to learn about resin and moldmaking. I actually think that is pretty good for someone who never learned how to sculpt before and also had energy limitations.





I still have a lot of work to do to get a master decent enough to send away for casting but i think i have actually achieved something for myself getting this far.

wow, with many computer crashes and problems of health i actually LOST this account!!!
Anyway i have things planned and need to sort out some more japanese inspired projects and patterns for free.

I've also got back into Steampunk and have even started making Steampunk USB 8GB flash dives. I will post up some pictures soon as i'm going to be starting work on them soon.

I have also in the time gone by been sculpting, mould making and casting a small BJD and i'm very close to getting the point where i have a master that i'm going to send away to be cast.

I found a very interesting article through the Brass Goggles forum about precious metal clay and actually making the stuff. With a small amount of brass powder i have sitting around it is very tempting.

Recycle, be green and get great Items!

Mays' newsletter hit my inbox today from Doy bags.
If you don't know what Doy is then you are in for a treat!

http://www.doybags.com/index.html

They are a co-operative based in the Philippines and use recycled juice cartons and other items that would just be thrown away and turn them into desirable bags, belts, picture frames and more.

I initially found them after a bellydancing friend had a fantastic orange juice bag. I loved it so much i asked her where she got it and i then went online and bought my own bag in a different style but in red apple.

SO please check it out!

Yayness

YAY my first items have now been listed on Etsy!
Just a couple of things to start with though, the clothing and other stuff will be coming later on.
For some reason it takes me ages to list items, maybe because i'm not used to it yet.

Ready to list are:
Pale blue gingham bar apron
a set of zakka owls
2 pairs of mini kokeshi

I was always curious as to how body shape has changed over time and with a couple of vintage patterns in my hot little hands i spent some time typing up the charts so people could also compare.

List goes from modern sizing backwards:

I was about to upload the pictures to the owl making tutorial and i remembered that i had seen another tutorial on Moonstitches Blog.
Moonstitches has done a better job than i ever could, so check it out here:
http://moonstitches.typepad.com/photos/tutowlrial/index.html