The pomanders are almost certainly going to be made out of paper. My mom found a great blog that provides a DIY for the paper flowers, which I will link below. The only alteration I would make to the instructions is this: When you're gluing the flower on to the styrofoam ball, keep a pen handy. Decide where your flower will go, then use the tip of the pen to break a hole in the ball, large enough for the stem of the flower to fit in to. Fill the hole with hot glue, then insert flower. This lowers the height of the flowers and prevents them from tipping over.
And now for the link: The Smith's Paper Pomanders
That's all I've got for right now, but most of my free time has been devoted to making one of these as a test product for my wedding so I've been a little hyper-focused!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
New Pomanders
So, quick note, because I am eager to workout: The pomanders for the wedding may actually be made out of paper! My mom found a great How-To for paper pomanders so we're going to give it a try.
Yep, that's it for now lol.
Yep, that's it for now lol.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Change in Plans
So much has changed dearest blog. The terrarium design, the floral curtain, my sewing skills... everything!
The terrariums will only have spirals on every other jar, which will cut their time in half. Thankfully mu MIL had roughly 20 Ivy Bowls stored in her closet, which saves us about $20, because we decided to go with a uniform kind of bowl instead of recycled jars.
We've also decided to order two beaded curtains from the Internet, which will make the floral curtain unnecessary. In the end it will be cheaper and prettier, which is why we abandoned the original idea. That doesn't mean that I have fewer crafts to do though, because new ideas have popped up!
We nixed the wedding quilt because of cost to my Bridesmaids, who were thinking of doing it as their wedding gifts. The woman my Maid of Honor was using for advice quoted her a cost of $2000, which is ridiculous. Unless they're contracting a professional Amish quilt maker, it should not cost that much. G and I have some great fabric stored in our closet that we used as a ceiling dressing in our old apartment, so we're opting to weave that with fake ivy for the altar cover. My MIL had quite a bit of ivy stored in her garage, so we've got that covered.
In addition to a wonderfully woven altar canopy, I've taken on the project of making pomanders for all of my bridesmaids. At the moment I am thinking of making them red, though I may change them to white. I know it is not orthodox for anybody but the bride to carry white flowers, but there is very little tradition in our wedding. =P
We're still planning on doing the memorial charms for my late SIL, as well as a seating chart and a few other crafts that I can't remember at the moment. This is why I have a big binder, because I can't seem to keep everything straight!
The terrariums will only have spirals on every other jar, which will cut their time in half. Thankfully mu MIL had roughly 20 Ivy Bowls stored in her closet, which saves us about $20, because we decided to go with a uniform kind of bowl instead of recycled jars.
We've also decided to order two beaded curtains from the Internet, which will make the floral curtain unnecessary. In the end it will be cheaper and prettier, which is why we abandoned the original idea. That doesn't mean that I have fewer crafts to do though, because new ideas have popped up!
We nixed the wedding quilt because of cost to my Bridesmaids, who were thinking of doing it as their wedding gifts. The woman my Maid of Honor was using for advice quoted her a cost of $2000, which is ridiculous. Unless they're contracting a professional Amish quilt maker, it should not cost that much. G and I have some great fabric stored in our closet that we used as a ceiling dressing in our old apartment, so we're opting to weave that with fake ivy for the altar cover. My MIL had quite a bit of ivy stored in her garage, so we've got that covered.
In addition to a wonderfully woven altar canopy, I've taken on the project of making pomanders for all of my bridesmaids. At the moment I am thinking of making them red, though I may change them to white. I know it is not orthodox for anybody but the bride to carry white flowers, but there is very little tradition in our wedding. =P
We're still planning on doing the memorial charms for my late SIL, as well as a seating chart and a few other crafts that I can't remember at the moment. This is why I have a big binder, because I can't seem to keep everything straight!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Guilt...
I have neglected you, dear blog. I have also neglected my crafts. Unfortunately it is because school has started again. But, I have been trying to make it up to you.
I started painting jars for the terrariums. You know, for the wedding? Yep, those. Pentagrams on the bottom of each for protection and spirals for decoration and/or guidance on the actual jars. Almost all the jars have lines of glue where the label was affixed at the factory, so we're going to put our own labels on the jars, saying why the plants inside were planted there. I'm loving this wedding more and more every minute.
Other than that I've been lazy. I'm sorry blog, I'll be better from now on!
I started painting jars for the terrariums. You know, for the wedding? Yep, those. Pentagrams on the bottom of each for protection and spirals for decoration and/or guidance on the actual jars. Almost all the jars have lines of glue where the label was affixed at the factory, so we're going to put our own labels on the jars, saying why the plants inside were planted there. I'm loving this wedding more and more every minute.
Other than that I've been lazy. I'm sorry blog, I'll be better from now on!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Flower Strings and Christmas Things...
After a foraging expedition in to some craft supplies I had stored in my parents' attic, I found a wonderfully full spool of fishing line. While I normally despise the snarl-y strands, it was the perfect material for the beaded curtain slated to hang behind us at our wedding. Upon our arrival home, we cut the spool in to 6 1/2 foot lengths and bound groups of them together. A bit of quick math told us we would need almost 300 such strands, and our spool was not going to cut it. Once the entire spool was cut, we added a new one to our "Wedding Shopping List" and began threading beads and silk flowers on to the cut strands. Two strands are completed to date and I intend to finish another one tonight. Aunt B told me one particular strand reminded her of the Hindu wedding she attended, which I took as a wonderful compliment. Hindu weddings are visually stunning events, and it made me happy to think we would have a little of that pizzazz in our wedding.
Wedding crafts aside, our other focus is Christmas. With an ever-growing brood of nieces and nephews to make gifts for, I never seem to have enough time! This year was made easier than last year becuase we have already cleared a few gifts with R, thought I doubt his kids will be thrilled. They're getting clothes, because they are at the age where they grow faster than most people can keep up with. I also have a special lockbox in mind for my niece H, because she has had a few problems keeping others out of her diary. I'm hoping to find the right box soon, otherwise I will have to order it off eBay. A little Green Day decopauge and a padlock... Voila! Instant security! I plan on keeping a copy of the key and giving one to H and R, so both father and daughter can access it (and in case H loses her key. R's son Dm is harder. He's a very quiet kid with varied interests, most of which require a computer cable. Thus I am utterly stumped on what to give him.
My nieces R and I are covered. Their bags were finished about a week ago and have been lying in the Gift Bag ever since. I'll take pictures later and post them in my No-Word Wednesday post. My sister A is also getting a personalized bag, though I haven't finished hers yet. My DH is harder to make something for. He's very in to books (a few Britich authors in particular) and etymology, neither of which lend themselves well to crafting. I may knit him a few things, but I think I will be sticking with books as his gift this year.
Depsite the holidays being five months away, I feel like I've fallen behind. October is my family's busiest birthday month, including my own, and there are multiple parties to attend. Not all of these are the craft-friendly kind, though I may organize a Chritmas Craft party of my own! After Halloween of course.... I might even wait until after Thanksgiving!
Halloween is another great holiday. I plan on going pretty wild with it again, and I can't wait to put some of the new crafting skills I have learned to use!
Wedding crafts aside, our other focus is Christmas. With an ever-growing brood of nieces and nephews to make gifts for, I never seem to have enough time! This year was made easier than last year becuase we have already cleared a few gifts with R, thought I doubt his kids will be thrilled. They're getting clothes, because they are at the age where they grow faster than most people can keep up with. I also have a special lockbox in mind for my niece H, because she has had a few problems keeping others out of her diary. I'm hoping to find the right box soon, otherwise I will have to order it off eBay. A little Green Day decopauge and a padlock... Voila! Instant security! I plan on keeping a copy of the key and giving one to H and R, so both father and daughter can access it (and in case H loses her key. R's son Dm is harder. He's a very quiet kid with varied interests, most of which require a computer cable. Thus I am utterly stumped on what to give him.
My nieces R and I are covered. Their bags were finished about a week ago and have been lying in the Gift Bag ever since. I'll take pictures later and post them in my No-Word Wednesday post. My sister A is also getting a personalized bag, though I haven't finished hers yet. My DH is harder to make something for. He's very in to books (a few Britich authors in particular) and etymology, neither of which lend themselves well to crafting. I may knit him a few things, but I think I will be sticking with books as his gift this year.
Depsite the holidays being five months away, I feel like I've fallen behind. October is my family's busiest birthday month, including my own, and there are multiple parties to attend. Not all of these are the craft-friendly kind, though I may organize a Chritmas Craft party of my own! After Halloween of course.... I might even wait until after Thanksgiving!
Halloween is another great holiday. I plan on going pretty wild with it again, and I can't wait to put some of the new crafting skills I have learned to use!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
In the Bag...
I finished part of the bags for my nieces last night. Their names are stenciled and painted, leaving me with decals. Once those are done they are set for Yule. We bought them crafty little knickknacks to put in which will make them happy. Yule gifts may seem premature, but considering how large our families are, last Yule would have been a good place to start for this year.
And other than the bags, I am pretty much craft-dead. We are too broke to buy any more craft supplies this month, and until I borrowed the paint from my mother in law, I couldn't even finish the girls' bags. I also found a spool of fishing line at my parents' house too, which is exactly what I needed to make the curtain that will ultimately go across the back of the wedding canopy's frame in our ceremony. With the wedding in eleven months (almost 10) it doesn't seem like I have enough time. I plan on making one string tonight, so I can show the ladies at my Meet and Greet what I have in mind. I'm not even sure if I'll like it, so tonight will be my first night stringing the beads and flowers. I hope it turns out well!
Not being able to buy new crafting supplies has really increased my rate of completion, I must note. I have finished several knitting projects, organized both my craft and my knitting areas, and have set aside the materials for several projects. My next project, set for this Friday or Saturday, is fusing together the plastic bags that I have been collecting for some time now. I have the instructions from a friend on Ravelry, so I intend to get it done soon. It will be nice to have the most complex project for my bridesmaids out of the way, I still have so much to do for them!
Being tight on cash has also made me think about purchases I have planned for the future. Do I really want to buy the wood and paint for my Yule boxes if I can't finish my wedding projects? Do I want to make the chuppah if the veil isn't done? With all these questions in my mind I sat down and really thought about my priorities. Yes, I do indeed need the yarn to knit my veil with. But I could hold off on buying the fabric for for the quilt. Eventually there will be a sale and I can get it even cheaper, right? So I came up with this list to keep track of what projects I would like to finish before I go gallivanting off to buy new materials. There are, of course, knitting projects listed but I suppose I can't keep the blogs separate forever!
1. Totes - With only decals left, I have fabric paint and hard plastic used to make personalized stencils. It shouldn't be hard to come up with the proper designs from the Internet.
2. Garters - I have quite a bit of crochet thread ready to be turned in to garters and the necessary materials to complete them (Dye, bias tape, elastic, etc)
3. Second Handkerchief - All I need to do is put the initials on the corner and I'll be done
4. Third Handkerchief - I can't buy the yarn for the edging but I can certainly finish knitting the body and weaving in the multiple ends my lovely cat created when she broke the yarn in several places. * Grumble *
(She's fine btw, I made sure!)
5. Hope Chest - It would be nice to have this done by my wedding, and we're very close. We have all the necessary paper, we just need to finish scraping the old paper out from inside and apply the new stuff.
6. Invitations - My fiance is designing our invitations, and I can't wait to finish them!
7. Giraffe - I promised my cousin a knit giraffe for Yule and bought the yarn last month
8. Sample Strand - I need to make a sample strand for the curtain
9. All my No-Knit Night projects - These are knit projects that only need sewing done, thats it.
And because I am in a list making mood (I usually am) here are the projects I would like to compelte this year, prefarably before the Yule season.
1. Veil - I will be buying the yarn next month or in August
2. Garters - All 6 (I'm a dreamer)
3. Handkerchiefs - Given that this is a great car & social project, I hope to have these done before the end of the summer!
4. Invitations - Yeah, I'm getting pushy on these LOL
5. My sister's tote - I need new paint, so I will raid my MIL's house again (I already checked my mom!) and see if I can find her favorite color. If not, I'm off to the craft store next month.
6. Quilt Design - At least. Part of the quilt itself would be nice.
7. Bracelets - I don't know what style yet, but I would like to finish the memorial bracelets
8. Memorial candle - How do you put a picture on a candle again?
9. Hope Chest - One good weekend of work and its done!
10. Altar Table - My fiance could probably do this in a few hours, then I get to paint it! =D
I'm pretty excited to see what all we can get done before Yule!!
And other than the bags, I am pretty much craft-dead. We are too broke to buy any more craft supplies this month, and until I borrowed the paint from my mother in law, I couldn't even finish the girls' bags. I also found a spool of fishing line at my parents' house too, which is exactly what I needed to make the curtain that will ultimately go across the back of the wedding canopy's frame in our ceremony. With the wedding in eleven months (almost 10) it doesn't seem like I have enough time. I plan on making one string tonight, so I can show the ladies at my Meet and Greet what I have in mind. I'm not even sure if I'll like it, so tonight will be my first night stringing the beads and flowers. I hope it turns out well!
Not being able to buy new crafting supplies has really increased my rate of completion, I must note. I have finished several knitting projects, organized both my craft and my knitting areas, and have set aside the materials for several projects. My next project, set for this Friday or Saturday, is fusing together the plastic bags that I have been collecting for some time now. I have the instructions from a friend on Ravelry, so I intend to get it done soon. It will be nice to have the most complex project for my bridesmaids out of the way, I still have so much to do for them!
Being tight on cash has also made me think about purchases I have planned for the future. Do I really want to buy the wood and paint for my Yule boxes if I can't finish my wedding projects? Do I want to make the chuppah if the veil isn't done? With all these questions in my mind I sat down and really thought about my priorities. Yes, I do indeed need the yarn to knit my veil with. But I could hold off on buying the fabric for for the quilt. Eventually there will be a sale and I can get it even cheaper, right? So I came up with this list to keep track of what projects I would like to finish before I go gallivanting off to buy new materials. There are, of course, knitting projects listed but I suppose I can't keep the blogs separate forever!
1. Totes - With only decals left, I have fabric paint and hard plastic used to make personalized stencils. It shouldn't be hard to come up with the proper designs from the Internet.
2. Garters - I have quite a bit of crochet thread ready to be turned in to garters and the necessary materials to complete them (Dye, bias tape, elastic, etc)
3. Second Handkerchief - All I need to do is put the initials on the corner and I'll be done
4. Third Handkerchief - I can't buy the yarn for the edging but I can certainly finish knitting the body and weaving in the multiple ends my lovely cat created when she broke the yarn in several places. * Grumble *
(She's fine btw, I made sure!)
5. Hope Chest - It would be nice to have this done by my wedding, and we're very close. We have all the necessary paper, we just need to finish scraping the old paper out from inside and apply the new stuff.
6. Invitations - My fiance is designing our invitations, and I can't wait to finish them!
7. Giraffe - I promised my cousin a knit giraffe for Yule and bought the yarn last month
8. Sample Strand - I need to make a sample strand for the curtain
9. All my No-Knit Night projects - These are knit projects that only need sewing done, thats it.
And because I am in a list making mood (I usually am) here are the projects I would like to compelte this year, prefarably before the Yule season.
1. Veil - I will be buying the yarn next month or in August
2. Garters - All 6 (I'm a dreamer)
3. Handkerchiefs - Given that this is a great car & social project, I hope to have these done before the end of the summer!
4. Invitations - Yeah, I'm getting pushy on these LOL
5. My sister's tote - I need new paint, so I will raid my MIL's house again (I already checked my mom!) and see if I can find her favorite color. If not, I'm off to the craft store next month.
6. Quilt Design - At least. Part of the quilt itself would be nice.
7. Bracelets - I don't know what style yet, but I would like to finish the memorial bracelets
8. Memorial candle - How do you put a picture on a candle again?
9. Hope Chest - One good weekend of work and its done!
10. Altar Table - My fiance could probably do this in a few hours, then I get to paint it! =D
I'm pretty excited to see what all we can get done before Yule!!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Inaugural Address....
I am WitchyCrafter, though Witchy will work for short. I have started this blog to chronicle my various crafting projects. I have another blog, Twisted Yarns, which follows my knitting adventures. Most of the next year's blog posts will be wedding related, as I am getting married in May of 2011 and we are doing most of the work ourselves. I have several projects in mind that I will be working on, most starting at the end of the month. Most of them are either gifts for my Bridesmaids or decor items for the ceremony and reception. I will also be posting about crafts that are not wedding related, but those are going to be fewer than those that are for my wedding. What can I say, a wedding is a lot of work!
Since I have yet to really start any of them, I think a list would be best. Most of these are simple projects that shouldn't take me long once I get them figured out, and some will require a lot of help. A few have already been started but most are on hold for various reasons. I hope that I can share a lot of my crafty joy with any who read this blog, and I plan on posting often and at great length. So, here we go!
Since I have yet to really start any of them, I think a list would be best. Most of these are simple projects that shouldn't take me long once I get them figured out, and some will require a lot of help. A few have already been started but most are on hold for various reasons. I hope that I can share a lot of my crafty joy with any who read this blog, and I plan on posting often and at great length. So, here we go!
- A "Wedding Curtain" - the area behind our officiant is not the most attractive space, sporting an old fire pit and a few benches. Campers also frequent the area we have chosen to get married in, so a beaded curtain featuring silk flowers and petals will be hung behind the officiant to block such views.
- A Chuppah and Frame -I am not Jewish and neither is my fiance, but the idea of a canopy to cover us during the ceremony is a great one. My fiance burns easily and I don't like to squint LOL. We hope to make the canopy out of a handmade quilt we will use as a wedding quilt and the frame will be reused as something else once the ceremony is over as well.
- Wedding Altar - In the ceremony space there is a water mane, covered by a not-very-attractive green dome. My fiance has promised to make me a cylinder shaped table to place over it, which will serve as the altar at our wedding.
- Fused Plastic Bags - These bags are cute, environmentally friendly and are intended as gifts for my bridesmaids. A friend of mine has shown me how, and I can't wait to get started. I will certainly link her blog when I post the project itself.
- Memorial Candle - My sister in law, who was also one of my best friends, passed away earlier this year. I plan to make a large memorial candle, including her picture, to be placed at our ceremony.
- Memorial bracelets - In addition to the candle, I am making a bracelet for each bridesmaid to wear, I will also wear one, and I plan to put an additional charm on my bouquet.
- Personalized Totes - This project is not for the wedding, but for Yule. Last year I made one for each of my nieces and they have effectively used them to death since. I am going to make them new ones this year, so it should be interesting to see if they want different decorations!
- Christmas boxes - On top of being a crafter, a witch and a student, I am an environmentalist. The amount of wrapping paper used every Christmas bothers me, especially since most of it is non-recyclable. Until I can find a gorgeous recycled wrapping paper, I have decided to use a more permanent solution. I got the idea from the Make it Green Girl podcast, which is no longer on the air, but she had some great tips. One was to designate a specific box and wrap it in fabric or reusable paper, thus creating your Christmas "Gift box". I am taking this a step farther and painting wooden boxes to appeal to each child in my family, and a catch-all for the adult I choose in our Christmas Lottery. Certified wood and non-VOC paint of course!
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