Nifty landscape-like pendant from random vintage button

Watched a video on the Beads Baubles and Jewels their web site. They were using covered buttons.
 Aha! I thought, I have many vintage covered buttons from the button-snagging I did last winter.

 I brushed a bunch of likely candidates with Mod-Podge and this one came out looking super cool!

I adapted their design... mine is a little bigger(about 1.25" across), I used the vintage button, and my beaded bail is embellished with size 15 picots.
 I just love the way the design looks like a landscape with clouds... I think it is part of a medallion pattern but I'll never know because I just had this one button.
 
 You can find the pattern here:
http://www.beadsbaublesandjewels.com/projects/2100_Serie/2102/BBJ_2102-2_INST.pdf


I have a few more buttons to try and will update this post when I have more.

Here's a photo of the view outside here today:

Blizzard of 2015! Good day to stay inside and create!



Doesn't 'Random Vintage Button' sound like a good name for a rock band?

Marketing

I've been having so much fun creating and am backed up on my ideas for posts but I wanted to write about the thing that has kept me occupied for over a week.
In order to assess the ability to sell from my home, I decided to have what I ended up calling a 'marketing party'. Who knows if I thought this up or was inspired by something I saw on the web but I can't point to a particular source.
Here's how it worked ...
I turned my library into a 'showroom' where I displayed several of the items I've made.
I made 'stations', one for each type of item. I wrote a short description of the source/inspiration for the item and asked 3 questions at each station. There were about 8 stations.
I then asked some friends over to go through the stations and provide their feedback on little forms I made up(example below).

For their 'trouble' they got a free pair of earrings. I also provided 'light fare' which consisted of some apps, quiche, salad and wine and cookies and dried fruit for dessert.
It worked pretty well! I didn't make any sales, but that wasn't the main point. They all loved the items and I'm hopeful they'll be back to make purchases in the future.

I also described a 'custom' service: I could make a switch plate to match a shower curtain(for instance) or make up a style of earrings with different metal or beads.
The trick will be timing. I need to be available when they are in need. I'd love to be known as the 'go to' lady when a decorating or jewelry 'emergency' occurs.

I learned SO much from the first small party with three friends from work.
First there were either too many stations, too many items at each station or both.
It took them WAY longer to go through the room than I thought it would. This means they were really engaging and putting some thought into their responses.... so I think that is some measure of success. However, if there had been 10 people there, it would have taken AGES as I think only about 3 people can be in the room at once.

Also, it might have been better to have some food first and then send them in.With only 3 of them they could take a break but another challenge will be organizing a larger group.

Another thing I learned was that I can host a party, prepare the food, and prepare the displays, without feeling like it was WAY too much work. It was a lot of work but it was doable.
I think I'd change the menu next time. Something less greasy, maybe finger sandwiches... and I made 3 kinds of hot savory apps which were cold by the time anyone ate any. My husband and I ended up eating them... not so good for the diet!
I want to figure out something more healthy to offer.

Here are some of the 'posters'  from the display:

 The three questions fall into these basic categories:

• Style
• Display
• Price

 I told the participants they didn't have to go to all stations. I also said they didn't have to answer the questions exactly if they had something else to say.
What I wish I had done was make sure they did the 'final stop' station. None of them got that far.

The feedback I received was good but I didn't really learn anything earth shattering I didn't already know about my products. One of the main benefits was their reaction to my pricing. I also learned a lot about hosting this type of event! Even without the 'final stop' feedback.

Here's the starting point:

 Here's the feedback form:

I've got some more people to ask to go through the stations.
I want to get some of my artist friends to come and see what is going on, also some teenagers and college students. I have a cousin who works in marketing and want to ask her how I've done.

Eventually I envision the 'showroom' would be a room for selling things and the 'marketing' display might move up to the studio. The marketing party would only happen occasionally. A 'sale' day could be an open house for one day every few months.... maybe more often if there is more demand. I'll post updates when I have digested the results after a few more showings.

Stay tuned for more posts:
- the new 4-sided display project that is under way but on hold for the marketing party and Christmas.
- tote bag using 'tube' method (like pillowcases)
- more ideas all the time!

Creative burst

Two very successful creative attempts this weekend.

First a pair of shell button earrings:

I loved these buttons when I got them in a batch of buttons last year. They are so full of character. I have enough to make 6 more pair. I made the oval jump rings myself. I think I might try a heavier gauge. I wonder how they'd look in silver?

Then I made some clay things for the first time in over a month. This one stood out:

It is about 1.25" x 1.5". I used a rock to make the texture, then mica powder of various shades sort of trying to mimic mother of pearl.
I'm very pleased with it although yesterday I glued a metal 'button back' to it to wear it as a pendant and I used E-6000 glue. Maybe I didn't give it enough time to set but it didn't hold and seemed like rubber cement. I was expecting something hard. I guess the E6000 is good for bead jewelry where it needs to give a little. I'll investigate other types of glue.

Elephant!

I made this pendant by enclosing a disk of clay in matching wire. The relief image on the disk is a copy of the motifs on the dress. In person the purple color of the tree trunk is a better match. Too bad you can't see the tree on the dress better.
I'll try to take separate picture and add them here for a better look at the pendant with the very cute elephant, and the dress bodice.
I'm also thinking of making earrings from another of the motifs on the dress. Stay tuned!

Little Green Men

Saw a tutorial on these guys a while ago. Never thought it would be something I wanted to try... I feel like I'm saying this a lot lately... anyway, my brother's birthday was coming up and I thought I'd like to send him something hand made.... and this seemed like a project he might like.
So... I'd also seen another tutorial about an old witch's face out of clay and kind of followed what I remembered from that.
Here they are:

They certainly have their own unique personalities!
I think I'll try more of them and see if I can perfect it a bit. The second one is going to be a fridge magnet for my husband who really likes them although he thinks I put too much stuff and color on the first one.
There are 3 different leaf colors. A dark green mix (next time I'd do a Skinner blend first) with gold leaf on it, then 'crackled'  through the pasta machine; same color with more translucent and white added,; and some light green leaves I'd made a while back, intending to string them as jewelry, they looked great added to the darker colors.


Addition in 2016:
I've started 2 new Green Men. I'm thinking I might make a 2-sided one to hang in the new garden (see post in  May 2016).
I started with an 'ultralight' base:

 Sorry, there is no size reference... it is about 5" tall.


 Next I covered the base in a green/black blend and added features... using as a guide the witch face from  this You Tube video:

I tried making the face appear happier and more tranquil than the witch.... I also looked at this video.

Next, I made as bunch of different leaves. Some I had made a while ago, others I made from cane leftovers, some I made new. The variety was impressive and made a nice effect:

I like it but it seems a bit 'crowded' and I want to make some larger leaves that will stick out further to balance the large face...maybe in the ~NW and ~SE directions.
 One thing I had forgotten is that for the smaller ones, I'd set the face onto a base that was large enough to support the leaves so they could stick out away from the face more.
 I can fix this by putting the whole thing on a base layer and adding more leaves, and even use that base to attach a hanger of some kind.
I have a second ultralight base.... I was thinking I could put the two of them back to back and hang it from the 'teepee' so a face can be seen from 2 sides.
I need to make a lot more leaves for another face... maybe I could make them quite different.... stay tuned!

Stay tuned for a catalog of items...
 by the C for you at:

http://bytheC4u.blogspot.com

Sew Fun!

I'd forgotten how long it has been since I sat at my sewing machine. After an inspiring visit with my creative mentors and former neighbors, I found myself with some lovely upholstery fabric samples:

Each one is ~25" square! It is not enough for many patterns but since there are groups of coordinating samples, they are begging to be a patchwork... something.

I found many patterns on the web but this bag intrigued me most: (http://www.heirloomcreations.net/archives/free-schlep-bag-pattern/)

Here's my finished bag made from 3 samples:

This was a very difficult fabric to work with. I think if I had bound all of the edges of each piece first it might have helped. This was a particularly loose weave. I knew it would be difficult but wanted to use it as my test bag because I REALLY liked the other set of 3 samples I have and wanted the more refined bag to be made from them.

It was also difficult to line up the patchwork squares when sewing them together. They seemed to shift so the top piece always ended up longer. I'm not sure how to deal with that. Maybe more pinning although that didn't seem to help much. I wonder if there is a special foot I should use on the machine?
 I found myself reluctant to rip any more seams than I had to because the fabric ravelled so badly, so I left them as is.
Another issue is that the fabric snags very easily. I can't imagine using it on furniture.


Regardless of the difficulties, I love the results! It has a very cozy feel to it.

I'm planning to try to use the scraps to make some accessories:
Cup Sleeve: http://craftystaci.com/2011/01/10/reversible-coffee-cup-sleeves/
Business Card Holder: http://craftycupboard.net/how-to-business-card-holder/
     and/or:
  http://tamdoll.blogspot.com/2008/03/business-card-holder-tutorial.html

I even found this cute rooster pattern:
http://www.redtedart.com/2012/02/10/pyramid-juggling-bag-chickens/
I saw these made as door stops and juggling bags, as well as pin cushions. In fact the first time I saw this is was from the same folks who gave me the fabric samples!

When I get any of these done I'll either add them to this post or include them in a future post.

Some technical details of constructing the bag:
- There is a paper edging glued all around each sample.

Removing this took a careful iron. These samples were 70% rayon and 30% polyester so they weren't too sensitive to the heat. I also used a towel on top. Perhaps I was too cautious but the remaining samples I have are 100% polyester so I'll have to be as careful there as I was the first time. Sometimes it seemed to come off more easily in one direction rather than the other.

- The pattern called for 'fat quarters'. I had 3 swatches 25" square. Here's my calculations to determine how many samples it would take out of particular sizes of squares:

I figured out that 3 samples would make a bag with 6" squares. The original bag had 7" squares.

- Another challenge was that the original pattern used 8 fat quarters, potentially 8 different fabrics, and I only had 3. I decided to make the triangle pieces(body and lining) and the handles out of one sample(nice as the handles attach to these triangle pieces) and then use the other two samples to make the 24 squares I needed(12 for the body and 12 for the lining). I could get as many as 36 of the 6" squares but I only need 24 for the bag, so I'll have a spare 6"x25" strip from each sample to use for accessories,  as well as a small piece of the third sample which I used for a pocket inside.
I also figured out that if I used 4 squares of the same fabric for the bottom of the body and 4 squares of the other fabric for the lining bottom, it was the only way to get the patchwork of the rest of the body to work 'correctly' (none of the same fabric next to itself), and this makes the lining not quite match the body, but since the triangles inside and out are the same it isn't noticeable.

- In retrospect, I think it makes sense to make the bottom 4 squares be all one piece. I think I'll try that next time.

- The pattern called for a lining made of 'batting'. I had old quilt batting scraps but I think something like an iron-on interfacing might have been a better choice. It would have helped with the ravelling and made for a 'crisper' feel. I think I want this for the next version. I think the accessories will benefit from this as well so before I make them I'm going to get some.

- A final detail, I think I should have top stitched all of the seams as they do not want to iron flat. If the next fabrics are like that (they are very different than the first ones, tightly woven and thinner, although of a similar color) I'll try it.

At this rate I'll be headed back to my friends for more samples! I feel a little silly for being so instantly attracted to this and distracted from what I've been doing(polymer clay), but I'm thinking of making a decorative button out of clay for the bag so it is all part of the creative process.... I know one thing, the longer I work in this room the more I want to be here! :)