Mini Top Hat revisited

Here is the post on mini top hats. These are so fun to wear.

These were just as much fun as the fascinators. But more work and a little trickier to put together.  There are some good videos on YouTube that provide more instruction on this. One of my favorites was a video on making the Mad Hatter costume from Tim Burton’s Alice movie for Halloween. It was really cool.

I’ve said before that I love Steampunk. And in the past two weeks I’ve been getting inspired again to do some more Steampunk projects. I spent hours looking at hats, fascinators and videos on making them.

The first one shown here is actually the fourth hat I made. It’s cardstock, light cardboard, purple velvet, a black zipper, black cord, metal washers and some necklace chain. And a fabulous yellow feather. I give my husband credit for the feather. I didn’t have any purple feathers and as he was watching me go through my stash, he suggested the yellow one.  It was perfect. Then I added all the embellishments.

I didn’t have any black ribbon or trims and while going through my supplies was inspired to use a zipper as the hat band. It led to this fun Steampunk style hat.  

A glue gun is best for this type of project. It sets quickly and you can move on to the next step. I tried white glue but had to wait for hours til it dried before I could go on. And everything had to be held together with clothes pins while it was drying. What a pain. Happily I didn’t glue my clothes pins to the hats. J

 

Step one was to cut out one three inch circle and one four inch circle from light cardboard (like the back of a writing tablet or a cereal box). Then cut a ten inch strip of cardstock that is four inches wide. You can cut this strip narrower if you want a shorter hat, or wider if you want a tall, skinny hat.

Then cut out two four inch circles of fabric, a five inch circle of fabric and a 11” x 5” piece of fabric. (If you cut a wider strip of cardstock, you will need to cut a piece of fabric one inch wider than you cardstock. This lets you fold over the fabric to glue it down.

Glue one of the four inch circles of fabric to the three inch circle of cardboard. Cutting notches around the fabric makes it easier to glue down.

 

Glue the five inch circle of fabric to the four inch circle, in the same way. Then use the four inch circle to cover the other side. This will cover your fabric ends and glue. You will put trim on this edge later.

Glue your strip of cardstock together by matching the short ends and overlapping a half an inch. You will have a tube that is ten inches around.  Lay it on your strip of fabric and start gluing it. You can glue just along the edges, the fabric isn’t going to move once it’s glued down. Then before you get to the end, fold over the end edge and glue it down. This will give you a nice finish. Then cut some slits in the fabric extending from each end of the tube. Glue the pieces down to the inside of the tube. I cut the slits to make it easier. Trying to glue the whole long piece is not that easy.

For the brim piece, glue the five inch circle of fabric to the four inch circle of cardboard the same as you did for the three inch circle. Folding over the edge and gluing it down. Here I glued down the center of the fabric with white glue spread thin. Then I glued the edges.

Next, take the second four inch circle of fabric and lay it over the glued down edges on the four inch circle. It should be barely smaller than your circle, but will cover up where you glued down the first piece of fabric. I also glued the center down with white glue. The reason, after this step is done two slits will be cut through the fabric cardboard piece and a ribbon will be threaded through. Gluing the fabric with white glue will prevent it from raveling. The ribbon is meant to be used to tie the hat to your head. So cut a piece of one inch ribbon long enough to wrap around your head and make a nice ‘little’ bow. It can be tied in front of, or in back of, your neck. It depends on where you set it on your head. If it’s sitting forward, you will tie it behind your ears at the back of your head.

Anyway, next is to glue the tube to the brim piece. Run the glue around the inner edge of the tube, right on the edge. Then set it on the brim piece, centered. If you can, keep the glue from oozing out on the outside. You will put a band around but I like to try to keep it as clean as possible.

 

Next, the top. Do the same as for the brim. Run hot glue around the inside edge of the tube, or around the edge of the small circle. Do this quickly. You have to put on heavy glue to keep it from setting too fast and get the piece on. You can lift the edge a little if it doesn’t glue down.

Then add ribbon or bias tape (or a zipper) to the base of the tube where it attaches to the brim. I used a decorative cord for the top edge of the hat, this covered any glue that is showing. I also used a double row of it to cover the brim’s edge. Trim, ribbon, or beads are wonderful for covering seams and glue.

Then embellish to your hearts desire. I added the feather, chain and other metal pieces to create the Steampunk look.

This is another fun project and you can make a great mess. I had fabric, trims, feathers and cardboard everywhere. I found a great way to use some of the small scraps of fabric I had stashed. Oooh, maybe I’ll do a patchwork hat.  I am also going to make some full size hats. I am having

soooo much fun. These would also be great on some of my art dolls.

I hope you are making great messy projects. 

Til next week. J

Terri

Fascinators revisited

Halloween is upon us and I thought I would share a couple of posts from last year on fascinators and mini top hats. These would be great for parts of a costume.

First the Fascinators post from last year.

Do you like hats?  Have you seen the hats they wear in England? How about those Fascinators? I am ‘fascinated’ by all things hats.

I love hats. Before I wrote this post I only had a couple of really fun hats. Now I have several miniature hats and Fascinators.

 After spending hours on the internet I got out my supplies and made a few hats and a some fascinators. I will show you a little here about making a fascinator, but I recommend checking out the videos on YouTube that give you detailed instructions. It’s fairly easy and gives you something fun, and different, to wear. I’m going to wear a different one every Sunday, and sometimes during the week.

I found some great stuff in my stash of goodies. The first fascinator was made with a feathered piece that is probably from a bridal headpiece. It was perfect.

First I cut out a piece of cardstock in a simple shape that mimicked the base of the feathered piece. This was the base for the hat.

I cut two pieces of fabric. One larger than the base, about a half inch all the way around. The second piece was the same size as the base.

I'm using a simpler piece to show the steps. I love this purple fabric.

I glued (with white glue) the cardstock base to the center of the larger piece of fabric. Then cut slits in the edges of the fabric around the edges and glued the tabs to the cardstock, with a glue gun.

A hair clip was hot glued on the underside (where the tabs of fabric are glued). This is tricky because you have to keep the clip open while gluing so it will open later. I used a little clip because that’s what I had. But a banana clip can also be used.

Then the smaller piece of fabric was trimmed just a tiny bit to make it fit onto the base. It shouldn’t hang over the edges. It was then glued, with the glue gun, to the base to covered the glued tab side. It covered the glued side of the hair clip. This left me with a nice fabric covered base for my fascinator.

Then it was time for embellishment. This is where you can get as crazy as you want, or as simple as you wish.

For the blog I have used a simple technique just to show the basics. 

I glued on a cool beaded trim. Then covered the edge with some fun rickrack. The rickrack hid the glued ribbon from the beaded trim which I thought looked rough from the folds I got while putting it on a rounded edge. I put a second piece of rickrack toward the center for interest. Trims are great for hiding glue and any happy accidents besides being nice to look at.

Then I glued the tulle on. In this case I tied a knot in it and glued the knot to the center of the fascinator. This one was done.

On the other fascinators I twisted and scrunched the tulle and sometimes tied it with thread where it would be glued down. The thread works great because it holds it together while you glue it down. Trying to hold it together with the hot glue getting on your fingers, well, let’s just say not good.

Ribbons, gold cord, and feathers are great for embellishment.

These are very light weight and will not slip. The clip allows you to place it wherever you want in your hair. I guess you could clip small ones to your lapel, or handbag. But they are great little fashion pieces. I want to make them in lots of different colors to go with everything.

These take less than an hour to make and using hot glue means you can wear it immediately. Make one today for that date tonight.

If you don’t like the hair clip you can glue your fascinator to a headband. I saw some little versions of this idea in the local dollar store yesterday. A headband with a funky flower glued on for $2, for kids.

This might be a fun project for older kids. The hot glue gun needs to be handled carefully. White glue is not ideal because it takes too long for it to dry. It won’t hold the tulle, or the feathers, in place while drying. You have to use clothes pins to hold things down, which could ruin what you are working on. Use a low temp glue gun if you do this with the kids.

I hope this inspires you to have some fun making fascinators. I know some friends at church who are already planning theirs.  I wore the one with the flowers yesterday and it was a hit. People I don’t even know said they loved it. Even a worker at Home Depot said he liked the feathers.

Start fun conversations where ever you go. Wear a Fascinator. 

Next week I’m going to share the mini top hats. I did them at the same time as the fascinators and used the same type of supplies.

I did make a huge mess this week. Feathers were everywhere, hot glue all over my fingers, and boxes of fabric and trims all over the floor. It was wonderful.

Have a great week. Create. And, of course, make it messy.  J

Terri

Burnt Glue Bat

  Today’s project is more about the technique than it is about the final product.

I learned to do this from an old craft show “Alene’s”. It was on tv years ago.

The original project calls for several layers of brown paper bags but since those aren’t used much these days I just used a piece of cardstock.  I found a bat shape online and printed it out. Then cut it out and glued it to the cardstock. I also cut out a couple of hearts to use as examples.

Then…. I covered one side with white glue. Alene’s Tacky Glue works best because it is thicker than most other white glues. Anyway. I covered one side of one of the hearts with glue. Making sure the edges were covered is very important, otherwise the paper catches on fire. The glue keeps it from really burning.

Here is where it gets tricky. You need a candle. The secret is to move the glue covered side of the heart back and forth over the flame. You want to hear the crackle of the moisture in the glue. Keep moving it over the flame til you don’t hear the crackles. Being careful not to hold it too long in one spot (it does catch fire). It will flame up every so often but usually goes right back out when you move it. Keep turning your glue covered paper to get the whole surface.

You do get black smoke and it doesn’t smell too good. You should do this outside or in a room with lots of ventilation. Don’t breathe the smoke.

Once it is done on the first side, repeat the glue and flame on the other side. You will notice that if you swirl the glue you will get nice swirl designs under the soot.

When you are done burning the glue, let it cool a minute or two. Then use a soft tissue or paper towel to gently wipe the soot off. The surface will be shiny in some spots. If there are wet spots put it back over the flame for a few seconds. Then wipe it again. Your piece may curl a bit, but it can be curled back with no effort.  The bat looks cool with the curling affect.

You can leave the surface like that, or you can put acrylic paint on it. I like to rub my finger in the thin paint and just lightly brush it across the surface. The paint will only catch on the raised spots and leave lots of black showing through.

I did the bat because this would be a fun way to make some scary bats for Halloween decorations.

I don’t recommend you do anything very large with this technique. Besides using a lot of glue, you want to be able to see what you are doing with the candle. It would also take quite a while to burn a large piece.

I like the idea of using this technique to add cutouts to a greeting card. You could make a small Christmas tree and use green paint on it to add it to your holiday card. Or hearts for a Valentine’s day card.

I hope this technique inspires you to try it and use the results on lots of projects.

Til next time. J

Terri

New this week in my Etsy shop: Spirit Guide and Angel Portraits, plus a couple fun tote bags.    Check it out at www.etsy.com/shop/1krazyrtist

Healing Talisman

 Thought I would post this Sunday night instead of Monday morning, since I got all the photos finished. 

In addition to being an artist, I am a Reiki Master Teacher and ordained minister. As such, I am always looking for tools to assist me in my healing work. I decided to combine the knowledge of both art and Reiki to create my own healing talismans.

I learned this week that there is a difference between amulets and talismans. An amulet is used for protection, to keep away or send away something negative. A talisman is used to bring luck, prosperity, love, health, etc. They should be created during the right phase of the moon also. Amulets during the waning moon, talismans during the waxing moon.

Today’s project is a pendant to be worn for supporting health and for me to use to enhance my healing work. The moon is waxing, or growing, so this is the right time to create a talisman and draw in powerful energies.

First was the choice of gemstones to be used. I decided that amethyst is best since it is a stone that will affect all parts of the body. It transmutes negative energy into positive and never has to be cleansed. While working on the piece, I also decided to use some turquoise. Turquoise is a wonderful healing stone but also works to protect the wearer from negative energies.

For a backing piece I chose polymer clay. The clay can be shaped and carved and I can etch symbols into it before baking. I can also put on embossing powders or metal flake (gold flake) to give it a nice look.

I conditioned the clay, combining the blue and green colors. I formed it into a ball and rolled it around until I got a swirl effect, and then pressed to flatten it. Using my roller I evened it out a little more until it was about a quarter inch thick. Blue and green are both healing colors and compliment the purple amethyst.

To cut it out I used an oval cookie cutter. First I laid some plastic wrap on the clay then pressed the cutter into the clay. Thi

s gives it a nice smoothness instead of a sharp edge.

In the center of the clay oval front I carved a Rune sigil to represent healing, victory and man. A sigil is a combination of Runes that create a powerful symbol. I wanted to combine several metaphysical healing modalities to create a strong and powerful talisman. On the back I carved the Usui Reiki symbol which stands for “universal life force energy”.

I decided to add some embossing powders to change the look of the green/blue clays.

Then I put holes around the edge to run copper wire strung with the turquoise chips. A few more holes were added to let me use wire to hold my piece of amethyst in the center over the rune sigil. I made sure to put a hole at the top center so I could also use the wire to make a loop for hanging. Then I baked the clay piece according to package directions. It is only a quarter inch thick so it only had to bake for fifteen minutes. Then it took another fifteen or so to cool before I could continue.

I used a fairly thin copper wire so it was easy to manipulate and so it would go through the turquoise chips, which have really small holes.

Copper wire is a conductor. It will conduct the energy of the stones and the symbols throughout and around the whole talisman.  The wire runs through all the turquoise and then is connected to the second wire that holds the amethyst on. This is so the energy runs around and through all stones and connects both symbols, front and back. The wires all connect on the back. This one isn’t particularly beautiful on the back, but it is exactly what I wanted.

I hung the piece on a copper chain just to continue with the idea of the conductive material. I want this to be really strong and powerful.

Once the whole thing was done I did a Reiki session on it to infuse it and consecrate it to the use it was created for.

I am working on a series of talismans for luck, love, healing and prosperity. I will also be creating some amulets for protection. Here you see two of the luck talismans in gold with a clear quartz crystal. Below is another healing talisman, minus the Reiki symbol. It looks different from the larger one above. Each talisman or amulet is going to be different since the clay always turns out with different designs and every crystal is unique.

These three pieces will be available for sale on my Etsy site on Tuesday.

For information on amulets and talismans, please check out the many websites on the internet. There are also some awesome books available at your local bookstore or on Amazon.

Til next time. J

Terri

Stop by my Etsy shop for new arrivals www.etsy.com/shop/1krazyrtist

Halloween Scary Face Necklace

This is a fun project. We are going to make scary face necklaces from polymer clay. It’s so easy too.

We did a similar project with the developmentally disabled adults I worked with in Las Vegas. They loved the jewelry and we all wore these for the annual Halloween party.

The rubber molds can be purchased at Michael’s, Joann’s, or Hobby Lobby. You can find them in the stores or online. They are also sold through Dick Blick Art Supplies online.

You will need the polymer clay, rubber face molds, bamboo skewers and either baby powder or a spray bottle of water to use as a release on the molds. Acrylic paint is optional, depending on what clay you use and the finish you want on your pieces.

The clay has to be conditioned before you start. I am using small scraps and leftovers so I can paint the pieces with acrylic paints if I don’t like the results of just the clay.

 

I tried several things and below you can see the results.

Sprinkle a small amount of powder into the mold then shake to spread it, then turn it over and tap it very lightly to remove the excess.

Press a ball of clay into the mold (I used the ethnic faces mold here). Make sure the clay is pressed into the face completely. Then use a blade to trim off the excess. 

Turn the mold over and let the face fall into your hand. If it doesn’t come out easily, use a small piece of clay pressed into the flat back to pull your face out.

The next step is to stretch the face. Pulling the face and gently squeezing the cheeks. You can put holes in the eyes and mouth at any time. The earlier you do that the larger the holes will become as you pull. I like the look they give when the light shines through from the back. I also put some small holes into the nose to create nostrils.

I used three different face molds for these three necklaces. But that is too many photos to post so I am only showing the process of one of the faces.

Put a hole at the top to put a cord into. If the face is thick enough you can put a hole from side to side instead of front to back. That’s your choice.

On the two large faces I stretched them then baked them. Then I used acrylic paint to make them look like zombie-alien faces. First I rubbed a little red paint on and wiped most of it off. I just wanted a tint. Then I did the same with some purple pearl paint. Then I used the white around the eyes, wiping it off too. Each time I left a light layer on that let the other paint show through, but that would give an eerie look. Then I used black over it and wiped it too. After all those colors, I used some metallic bronze as a final layer, wiping most off, but leaving enough to let the other colors create a cool effect.

 

One trick is to rub your finger in the paint getting a thin film on it. Then slide your finger across

On the small one I used Ranger Perfect Pearl Powders on the raw clay face and then baked it. Once it baked and cooled I sanded it with a nail file to remove some of the color and let the dark clay show through. I wanted scary and weird so I played around with the look.

Once you have finished your face, you can put it on a piece of hemp cord or nylon cord  with a larks head knot and tie it around your neck.

I think the kids will love making these and wearing them to school and for Halloween.

Til next time. J

Terri

Stop by my Etsy shop for new arrivals www.etsy.com/shop/1krazyrtist