Crafts Inspire Me

What's Your Inspiration?

Collages: Old School vs. High Tech

Posted on March 30, 2022 by Crafts Inspire Me

Collages can be created by two different methods: 1) “Old School” Traditional -Assemble and glue groups of photos onto a backer board, or 2) High Tech – Use photo editing software. Both methods are fun and produce impressive results. Let’s look at several possibilities…

“Old School” Collages:

Postcard Collage

Many people collect postcards during their travels. Instead of stuffing them in a drawer, create a collage, frame it, and hand it up so you can reminisce about past vacations and dream of future destinations.

Vision Board

What are your dreams? A vision board helps focus mental and physical energy toward achieving your goals. Magazines, catalogs, travel guides and brochures provide great source material for collages.
For more information about traditional collage making, please click here.

Digital Collages:

Horizontal Grid (a.k.a. Photo Montage)

A horizontal collage is a great way of displaying your favorite photos, such as family members, fur babies, or anything else that warms your heart.

Horizontal Grid

Whatever you love – fireworks, lighthouses, beaches – can be assembled into a frameable work of art.

Layered Images

Compose a one-of-a-kind masterpiece by overlaying multiple images.

Symmetrical Grid

Displaying your collectibles, such as antique door hardware, requires a lot of space, but a photo montage makes it easy to enjoy your collection on a daily basis.

Asymmetrical Grid

The placement and sizes of photos can be easily modified to create a visually pleasing composition.

Custom Grid

With photo editing software, you can experiment with colors, layers, and special effects. Bring your imagination to life right before your eyes.

Hybrid Collages:

Bold Design

Much like the traditional collage making process, images from different photos can be digitally “cut and pasted” onto new backgrounds.

Action Adventure

Spice up your family vacation photos with a few thrills and chills.

Out of this World

To achieve this otherworldly image, photograph a model leaning upon a beach ball. Cut & paste it onto a star filled background. Replace the ball with a photo of the earth and add a planet or two. Enjoy!

Mandalas

Drawing, painting, or traditional collage making would take forever to create this complex mandala. Thanks to digital technology, you can create one quarter of this design and then mirror it vertically and horizontally to complete the circle. You could add three-dimensional sparkle by gluing beads to the completed composition.

Mixed Media Collages:

Siren of the Sea

This mermaid and sunken ship can be made using a combination of traditional and digital collage making. The background would be easier to create digitally. After printing out the full-size image, the mermaid and ship could be hand drawn. Based upon desired colors, textures and patterns, pieces cut from the pages of magazines can be glued in place, producing a three-dimensional effect.

Flower Power

Who wouldn’t love eternal spring? Make it a reality by starting with a photo of a beautiful flower garden. Enhance it by cutting and pasting layers of colorful flowers on top of the finished image.

Creature of the Night

A digital sepia tone background can be printed full size on canvas. The owl is drawn and detailed with a combination of markers and paint. Genuine feathers, layered and glued upon the wings, bring this owl off the canvas and into the viewer’s world.

Abstract Words

It is said you should choose your words carefully. Choose a poem or quotes, whatever appeals to you. Layered colors, words, and embossed textures harmonize, creating visual movement and a palpable sense of warmth and peace in this abstract masterpiece.

The Cat’s Meow

What do you think he sees? A bird? A butterfly? Maybe a mouse? Whatever it is, those reflective amber eyes capture our attention. The antiqued background, with embossed floral motifs and pen and ink style writing, ensures this quizzical feline remains center stage. Additional detailing of the cat’s body and punching up the contrast of the purple and green flowers around him will make it appear as if he is sitting in front of a wall.

I hope these collages have inspired you to playfully experiment with the infinite possibilities of photography and collages to create personalized art to be enjoyed for years to come. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section. Good luck with all your future creative projects.

Thanks for Reading & Happy Crafting!

Mother of Pearl – A Gift from the Sea

Posted on March 23, 2022 by Crafts Inspire Me

Mollusk
Mother of Pearl comes from mollusks, and is naturally a blend of tan, cream and white, with an iridescent finish. It can be bleached white, or dyed and color of the rainbow. Mother of Pearl beads come in an amazing range of shapes and sizes, while the thicker pieces are carved into cameos and pins, or cut into squares as mosaic tiles. Let’s turn a few round beads into a lovely pair of earrings.

How to Make Natural Mother of Pearl Cluster Earrings
Mother of Pearl Earrings

These 1-1/2” long Natural Mother of Pearl earrings swing and shift with your movements, and they’re a neutral color, which coordinates with whatever you’re wearing. In this design, five beads orbit around a dangling two bead central core. These earrings are a little challenging in Step 6. At times you may feel like you have fumble fingers. If you are looking for an easy pair of earrings for beginners, please click here.

Required Beads & Findings:
MoP Earring Supplies

Supplies:
To make this pair of earrings you will need:
12) Silver plated Head Pins – 1” length,
14) 7-7.5mm round Natural Mother of Pearl beads,
2) Silver plated Surgical Steel Fishhook Earwires with ball & coil

(Please note: Head pins are the foundation of these earrings. They are inexpensive and come in big packages. Be sure to have several on hand just in case. Craft stores carry jewelry making supplies, including beads, accents, and tools. If you get hooked on jewelry making and yearn for the ultimate selections, look no further than FireMountainGems.com)

Required Jewelry Making Tools:

Round Nose Pliers – the smooth, round tips on these pliers make it easy and safe to manipulate wire, pins, and small jewelry metal pieces known as findings. Please don’t use standard pliers, which have teeth that will damage delicate precious metals.

Jewelry Wire Cutters – a sharp pair of wire cutters makes jewelry making so much easier. Do not use them for other crafts, such as floral arranging, which can damage the blades.

Earring Making Instructions:
Beads on Head Pins
Step 1: Slide the beads onto head pins as shown.

Grasp Head Pin with Pliers
Step 2: With the round nose pliers in your right hand, grip the wire just above the Mother of Pearl bead. Hold the pliers in this position for the next step.

Bend Head Pin
Step 3: Grasp the end of the head pin with your left thumb and index finger, and bend the wire toward you. Continue bending the pin over the tip of the pliers until it touches the Mother of Pearl bead.

Beads with Partial Loops
The reshaped pins will look like the photo above.

Cut Excess Pin Length
Step 4: Cut off the excess wire. Leave enough wire to form a small loop above the bead. This may take a few tries. Don’t worry if you cut it too short. Simply use a new head pin and repeat the steps.

This photo shows the beads with trimmed pins.

Attach Earwire
Step 5: Hook the double bead pin onto the loop on the bottom of the fishhook earwire, and close the loop using the round nose pliers.

Core Beads Attached
The earring will look like the above photo.

Step 6: Attach the first “satellite” bead to the earwire in the same way.

First Bead Attached
The earring now has a center core and one satellite bead. Repeat this step for the remaining four beads. If you have trouble getting the beads to lay correctly, remove the dangling two bead central core. Shift the five satellite beads with your fingers until they form a circle around the earwire, and then reattach the two bead central core.

Finished Earrings
Congratulations! You have successfully made a pair of Mother of Pearl cluster earrings.

Black Onyx Version
Here’s the same pair of earring made with Black Onyx beads. Note how the color dramatically changes the look. You could also experiment with different gemstones, glass or wood beads.

Jewelry making is a great way to explore your creativity. There are so many options available that it’s hard to choose. After making several items for yourself, keep in mind that people love receiving jewelry as gifts.

Thanks for Reading & Happy Crafting!

Flowers – Reality vs. Illusion

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Crafts Inspire Me

Today’s silk flowers easily fool the eye and are available in an infinite assortment. Prepare to be amazed with the side-by-side photos of silk and live flowers. Which are real and which are an illusion? Can you tell the difference? Let’s find out…

Birds of Paradise

Calla Lilies

Chrysanthemums

Daffodils

Dogwood Blooms

Ferns

Gerber Daisies

Hydrangeas

Magnolias

Orchids

Poppies

Pussy Willows & Forsythia

Roses

Roses – Two Tone

Stargazer Lilies

Sunflowers

Tulips

With silk flowers, there’s no need for water, fertilizer, sunshine, or a green thumb. In the challenge of recognizing live flowers versus silk, how did you do? Please let me know your thoughts and favorites in the comments section.

Thanks for Reading & Happy Crafting!

Walk on the Wild Side

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Crafts Inspire Me

Triceratops
Whose turn is it to walk the dog – I mean dinosaur? Something tells me that 25-foot leash will not be long enough! Dinosaurs are real fan favorites. You can’t get much wilder than that. And what’s not to love?

Dinosaur Eggs
A Dinosaur Nursery – They’re kind of cute at this stage.

Dinosaur
Somewhere between adolescence and adulthood they seem to lose their charm! (lol)

Dinosaur Skeleton
Even when they’re dead, they instill an odd mixture of fear and fascination. Movie Director Steven Spielberg brought dinosaurs back to life on the big screen in the epic movie, Jurassic Park – an emotional roller coaster, that started with awe and wonder, but quickly escalated to bone chilling terror.

Stegosaurus
We love dinosaurs anyway. Want proof? Look at all the books, movies, television shows, and merchandise. At some point, every kid draws and colors his or her favorite dinosaur. Here’s your chance to feel like a kid again. Grab some paints and brushes and let’s go!

How to Paint a Wooden Stegosaurus
With a little paint you can design your own dinosaur. It can be as simple as a single coat of paint, or as detailed as you like. First we need a little inspiration.
Iguana
Iguana Closeup
Since dinosaurs lived sixty-five million years ago, there’s no one around to tell us exactly what they looked like. For this project, photos of creatures living today, such as iguanas and lizards, can be inspirational. Check out those spines!

Raw Wood Dinosaur
This carved wood stegosaurus, available at AC Moore, has sturdy legs, making it a freestanding, three-dimensional piece. Both sides and all the edges will need to be painted. Due to the raw nature of wood, it may require sanding, especially along the edges. (There are several types of animals in this carved wood collection. To see a painted flamingo project, please click here.)

Paints
Supplies:
Wooden Stegosaurus (4-1/4” high x 7-1/4” wide x 1-1/4” thick)
Acrylic Paints – black, brown & metallic green
1) Bottle fabric paint – brown
Paintbrushes
Sandpaper

Dinosaur Painted Green
Step 1 – Paint the dinosaur with green acrylic paint, including both sides and all edges. The great thing about paint is that it’s cheap. Feel free to experiment. If you don’t like the results, it can be easily changed.

Dinosaur Tail Detail
Seeing it in color revealed a major anatomical mistake in the tail design. If you loved dinosaurs as a kid, you’ll remember that the stegosaurus has spikes on the top of its tail. The artist chose to curl the tail underneath, and as a result, mistakenly placed the spikes on the underside of the tail. This poor animal would have trouble walking because the spikes would continually get caught on the ground as it moved through the forest, making it easy prey.

Dinosaur with Cut Tail
Step 2 – To make it right, cut off the tip of the tail as shown.

Dinosaur Painted Black
Step 3 – Turn the cut tail piece around, and glue it in place. Paint the entire figure black as a base coat, which will help delineate the scales added in a later step. Looks much better doesn’t it?

Dinosaur with Fabric Paint
Step 4 – Paint the top of the head, the back plates, and the tail with brown fabric paint. Paint the sides of each plate with green fabric paint and add spikes along the sides of the tail. Brown acrylic paint was applied with a brush in between the back plates, because it was too narrow to fit the tube of fabric paint.

Dinosaur Scale Pattern
Step 5 – Add brown fabric paint on top of each leg and more spikes along the entire length of body. Create a scale pattern on the body using metallic green paint, and use the same color in the sides of the plates on his back.

Finished Dinosaur
Step 6 – Add a small dotted pattern to each leg. Paint the head brown, and add a few green scales along with the eyes. Congratulations! You now have your very own pet dinosaur. Fortunately for you, he’s a “Veggiesaurus,” unlike the one in the next photo.

Dinosaur Jaws
What a view, right? Thank goodness this is only an observation tower! Because if it was real… It would be the last thing you ever saw.

Thanks for Reading & Happy Crafting!

Picture Framing Do’s & Don’ts

Posted on March 2, 2022 by Crafts Inspire Me

You finally found a photograph, painting, or drawing, which speaks to your soul, evoking special meaning in a style uniquely your own. Before rushing out to buy whatever frame you can find, you might be able to refresh a one you already own, or you could personalize a readymade frame.

Painted Frame

A room’s lighting & color scheme will have major effects upon your artwork. Be sure to view the item in the room you wish to hang it. The frame can be easily painted to match or contrast with existing décor.

Sponge Painted Frame

Sponge painting is easy and fun way to add color and texture. Paint the base color first with a brush and then apply two or three additional colors with sponges. Experiment with different colors and techniques on scrap paper first until you find the combination that works best.

Decoupage or Scrapbooking Frame

Decorative scrapbooking papers, wallpaper and contact paper offer infinite possibilities. Whether you decide to cover all or part of the frame, simply glue on your designs.

Seashell Frame

A plain picture frame gets a fashionable update with a seashell border. Beads, glass marbles, pom poms, flower petals, and anything else you imagine can be applied for a unique finished art piece.

Fabric Wrapped Frame

Textile designers continually push the limits of color, geometry, and texture, ensuring you will find fabrics you absolutely love.

Gilded Carved Wood Frame

For a museum-quality finish, apply gold or silver paint on the surface details. The recesses will remain dark, while enhancing the three-dimensional carvings.

Background & Border Colors

Look for colors, patterns, and textures within the image, which can be coordinated with matboards, metallic trims, fabric wrapped edging for needlepoint, and decorative frames. The same applies to plaque mounted artwork.

Do’s & Don’ts:

Triple Matted & Framed -Options 1 & 2

This neutral gray mat will work with any décor but choosing colors within the image, such as blue, creates a more dramatic piece of artwork.

Triple Matted & Framed -Options 3 & 4

Green is also a great border color to harmonize with the artwork. Although there is a small amount of red in the image, the red border pulls the viewer’s attention away from the image.

Carved Wood Frame

This field of wildflowers grows outward onto the floral, carved wood frame.

Metal Frame – Options 1 & 2

This frame is pretty, but the cool silver tone works in opposition to the warm pink flowers. The cool grays in the owl photo harmonize with the frame.

Ornate Metal Frame – Options 1 & 2

The bold silver frame overpowers the delicate baby’s breath flowers. The frame’s scroll designs resemble shells, while the strong geometry and saturated colors of the seashells hold your attention.

Floral Frame – Option 1

While orange provides the maximum contrast to blue, this floral frame is too “busy” for the multitude of leaves in the photo.

Floral Frame – Option 2

Here we see a perfect match between subject and frame. The bluebird and delicate crabapple blooms harmonize with the blue hydrangea frame.

Wood Dentil Edge Frame – Option 1

The rigid geometry of the border and heavy appearance of the frame competes with the delicate butterflies and flowers in this springtime photo.

Wood Dentil Edge Frame – Option 2

The rounded, faux wood grain frame borders resemble tree trunks in the forest.

Wood Dentil Edge Frame – Option 3

The warm wood tones coordinate beautifully with the soft orange and green in this nature scene.

Wood Dentil Edge Frame – Option 4

There’s quite a bit of “masculine” energy in this photo, including the high-performance sports car, raptors in flight, and the rugged desert landscape, which are perfectly showcased in this tailored frame.

Gilded Carved Wood Frame vs. Color-Coordinated Frame

This ornate gilded wood frame freezes the motion of the ship upon the stormy sea, while the second frame extends the movement and accentuates the purple sky.

Gilded Carved Wood Frame – Options 1 & 2

The cheetah’s spots and the surrounding colors are echoed in the frame, as are the textures of the leaves and bricks in the second painting.

As you can see, choosing the right frame to showcase your artwork is easy to achieve. Let your artwork tell you what it wants by observing colors (warm or cool, pastel or bold, light or dark), patterns, textures, and themes. The most important thing your artwork should do is make you happy!

Thanks for Reading & Happy Crafting!

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