This post is the third in a series featuring crafts made by members of our community.

Our May Crafter of the Month is Lisa, from Kaanapali, HI. Her passion for creativity started with a package of eight oversized crayons for kids and several coloring books. This led to a lifelong love of all arts and crafts. There’s always a project in progress and others waiting in the wings. Inspiration can strike at any hour, day or night. When it does, Lisa dives right in, eager to see where the journey will take her. Below is a small sampling of her work.

Cold Beverage Coasters:

There was a time when beer was simply sold in cans or bottles, without much fanfare. With so much competition, wine and spirits companies are vying for consumer attention with funny commercials and elaborate packaging. Who could forget the scary old tree from Angry Orchard Hard Cider or how about the headless horseman riding a hippo from River Horse Pumpkin Ale, pictured above? With a few easy steps you can turn this eye-catching artwork into cold beverage coasters. Cut out the designs to fit standard 4” x 4” or 6” x 6” cork squares, available from any craft store. Waterproof the cardboard by sealing both sides with clear, self-adhesive laminating sheets. Finish the edges with black craft tape, and glue onto cork squares.

Crafter Tip: Avoid air pockets in laminate by applying firm, even pressure using a credit card or flat plastic ruler.

Painted Wall Mural:

Hovering for a second, an iridescent hummingbird pollinates tropical flowers in this vibrant wall mural. This is only a small portion of a large mural encompassing several walls in this tropical themed bedroom. Although the majority was painted over a period of months, new additions are periodically added – lizards, tree frogs and butterflies are hidden among the foliage, creating a life-size Seek & Find puzzle for everyone to enjoy.

Crafter Tips: During the layout phase for a wall mural, use a colored pencil a shade lighter or darker than the background color, making the lines unnoticeable later. To prevent damage from the sun, ensure the painted designs are protected from direct sunlight.

Crocheting:

Philadelphia sports fans will appreciate this afghan representing the NFL Eagles and the NCAA Villanova University. Although it was completed last year, ironically both teams won their respective championships in 2018. This oversized blanket is big enough to share while watching the games, keeping you warm and showing your team spirit. When folded, one team shows on top, which can be easily alternated by flipping it over to celebrate the team of your choice.

Crafter Tip: Take the official sports logos with you to buy the yarn so that you can match the team colors.

Beaded Jewelry:

What could be more luxurious than a thick strand of beads adorning your neck? Hours of love (four to be exact) went into the making of this grapevine spiral necklace, which was created using a needle and specialty thread one bead at a time. Iridescent blue & purple glass beads are woven with blue triangular beads and aqua seed beads.

Crafter Tip: Have a lot of patience for this time-consuming project & good lighting to work with tiny beads. The spectacular results are worth all the effort.

Watercolor Painting:

Cinderella’s Castle in Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida is probably one of the most recognized buildings in the world. The soft muted colors in this watercolor painting capture the fairy tale atmosphere. As in the animated films, you almost expect to see the princess herself stroll onto the bridge to look out over the water.

Crafter Tip: When working with watercolor paints, layer the colors – once the paint has dried, you can always go darker, however the opposite is NOT true. If a wet area looks too dark, lighten it with a damp brush to soften the color, or dab with a paper towel and allow it to dry before re-attempting.

Ceramics:

Just about everyone has a favorite animal of choice on a carousel. Some prefer the fancy horses, while others take a walk on the wild side with exotic tigers, giraffes and the occasional polar bear. This ceramic carousel lion roars to life with bright, festive colors associated with carnivals, fairs and amusement parks. The realistic, sculpted details of the face, fur and saddle are enhanced by the color scheme, calling to mind childhood memories of summertime fun.

Crafter Tip: When cleaning the raw clay, be very careful with fine details and fragile areas. The tail on this figure broke off and had to be carefully re-attached and patched with clay. It’s not as smooth as the original, but blends well, and has restored strength due to the kiln firing process.

Happy Crafting!