Anything but clothing…

I went to a cleverly themed party the other night called an ‘Anything But Clothing’ party. Now, many of you may have heard of these, but apparently I missed out on a lot in college. The premise of the party is like a costume party – but you make your outfit from something that can’t be considered clothing. The examples the host gave were a friend of his who once made a skirt out of gatorade labels, and the ever classic duct tape outfits.

I was excited for the challenge, and had a bunch of ideas. Of course, I had to can a few of them for logistical reasons (too hot, too noisy, too restrictive), but I came up with the idea to make an outfit out of shopping bags. I have a ton of paper bags from various stores, and though the details were sketchy when I started, I had an image of a nice long skirt (and I don’t care what anyone said, I was wearing real clothes underneath…), and the top was TBD.

To fashion the skirt, I took a long piece of duct tape, and started sticking strips from the shopping bags on them starting from the same top line. I made three layers, and taped them all together for maximum coverage. For the top, I was inspired by the multitudes of Gap shopping bags I had lying around (I didn’t realize I was seemingly collecting them), and the idea for a halter top using the drawstring from one of the bags. I didn’t measure anything, I just tried to make it long enough that it would cover me and fit over the skirt.

So, yeah! I think it came out pretty cute! (It was also incredibly hot and sticky under the duct taped parts and the plastic top, but I saw that coming. That’s why you get the picture early on in the evening!)

Have you designed any super creative costumes from stuff rather than fabric? I’d love to hear about it!

Glitter Nail Polish – How To

So here’s a little how-to follow up to my last post about glitter nail polish. I happened to find those fabulous colors in a retail store, however I haven’t always been able to find just the right shade.

There is a nail salon nearby that I used to frequent and, if memory serves, it [probably still] has the greatest selection of colors I’ve ever seen. Since I can’t always splurge on a mani-pedi just to get the color I want – and I also actually enjoy painting my own nails – I inquired about purchasing my favorite polishes for home. Unfortunately, they didn’t sell all the colors they stocked in the shop. However, one of the girls who worked there suggested I might make my own.

Surprisingly, it was something I’d never considered. When she recommended using extra fine body glitter, which can be found at a beauty supply store if not in a drug store, it was truly a, “like, duh!” moment. I bought 2 shades of glitter - Hollywood Lights from Cinema Secrets, to be precise – and 2 cheapo bottles of clear polish. In hindsight, as with most polish, the somewhat pricier ones are usually worth a bit more. Just a bit!

Use a rolled piece of paper, or something similar, to help funnel the glitter into the bottle of clear polish. There’s no exact proportion for this, I made sure to use quite a bit because I wanted good coverage. (I hate sparse glitter polish that requires 2 coats just to notice it!) Keep in mind, as with all glitter projects, that this has the potential to get super messy, so put some paper down in case of spills.

That’s it. Just pour glitter into your polish and stir. This could depend on the polish, but I know the glitter in mine tends to settle at the bottom, so you’ll have to make sure to mix it well before using. I wonder if a thicker polish helps suspend the glitter better. I imagine it does, since my store-bought ones don’t have this problem.

So let this be a lesson to you as it was to me- whether with nail polish, or almost anything else, if you can’t buy what you’re looking for, try to make it yourself!

Felt Cat Toys

A couple of weeks ago, I was looking to do a quickie project with purpose, and decided to make some cat toys for the girls (Walker and Sunny). The reason was twofold – first, I wanted to treat my darling kitties to some new playthings because it’s been awhile. Secondly I needed extra weapons to throw at them for when they would disrupt me while I was working (or eating, or doing anything that didn’t involve paying complete attention to them). I’ve found the best method of keeping them distracted, at least for moments at a time, is to throw toys around the room. (Otherwise, they tend towards destruction when they feel neglected.)

The supply of cat toys I’ve invested in has dwindled, and the remainder are looking worse for wear. But don’t let the picture below of these 4 remaining purchased toys fool you into thinking there aren’t a dozen neon-colored, catnip-filled mice, weird koosh-like balls, and other shapes with bells in them all hiding in the crevices of my apartment. Every now and again something resurfaces that I haven’t seen in awhile, but often another toy is lost in its place to the great unknown. (Think clothes-dryer sock monster kind of deal.)

So, on this particular day, I decided to get some supplies out and make a few. All four took me just over an hour in total to create, not too big a time investment. Also, it was a fairly simple project overall, and a quick way to replenish my arsenal on the cheap.

What you’ll need:

• Felt
• embroidery floss/thread and needle
• scissors
• batting or other stuffing

As you can see below, I just cut out some basic shapes from felt – not too large, maybe 3″ or so – then I stuffed them with some crinkly paper, and sewed them together for a little plush toy.  I used embroidery floss to sew the edges so that the stitching became part of the decoration.

I don’t know that the crinkly paper made any difference, but the cats love these. For your project, you can certainly stuff them with regular batting, and even enhance them with some catnip. Next time, I’ll want to make them heavier so they travel further when I throw them across the room. (Maybe they’ll actually make it across the room.) My concern with that was finding something that added weight, but wouldn’t harm the cats when they bit into the toy. I’ll figure something out, I’m sure. But, as is, these toys will surely delight your favorite felines.

Do you have any other ideas for cat toys? Any suggestions for something to add weight without harming those delicate but pointy teeth?

Party Favors – Custom Drinking Cups

I had a big birthday pass recently, and I wanted to throw an epic bash worthy of my new age. Aside from just hoping that good company and good food would create lasting memories, I wanted some sort of party favor, a keepsake, for each of my guests. After hemming and hawing about possibly baking some chocolate salty balls and individually packaging them with some sort of cute label, I realized an interactive project would be more fun (and less work for me!).

Something that had gone over well at my place some years ago was when I had a “decorate your own sugar cookie” station at an Easter party. All my friends got really into customizing their own cookies, and I thought it’d be great if they could create their own takeaway gifts for my birthday. While some ideas are nice in theory, did I really think everyone needed m&ms with my face on it, or a sweatband embroidered with my name and birthday? Or would the memory of a great party simply attach itself to an object when its owner fondly remembered making it at my house? I believed the latter to be true.

I set up a simple station complete with pre-washed sippy cups with krazy straws, a couple of permanent markers, and sheets of stickers with all kinds of fun designs on them. I also had a stack of regular 16oz cups on the table, in case anyone preferred those.

The plastic cups were about $1 each at a party store. I got these particular ones because a.) they had krazy straws (which I would have bought for drinks anyway) and b.) they had a wider mouth and would be easier to wash and reuse. Another unintentional bonus was that these cups were only 12oz, and inadvertently helped people moderate their alcohol intake – not that it was a real concern in this case. But since the straw was so small, and the cup had 4oz less room than the Solo cups, people were drinking more slowly.

As predicted, the cup decorating idea was a hit! While some people created scenes and patterns on their cups, some simply wanted to write their names. Overall, my friends had a great time picking from all the stickers and creating their individualized drinking vessels, which they then used for the rest of the evening. There were no rules, and everyone enjoyed the project. Some people even decorated regular plastic cups. It was a great way to cut down on waste because no one accidentally lost or casually threw away any idle cups.

This is a great, engaging project you can certainly do for your next party with guests of all ages!

You’ll need:

• Plastic cups with krazy straws (make sure to wash them before using!)
• Permanent markers
• a variety of stickers – I got skulls, owls, dinosaurs, cupcakes, fruits, and zoo animals, as well as some blingy rhinestones and stars ($1 per sheet at Target, and they had great options!)

The cups made appearances in most of the photos taken that night, and with good reason! They came out great! Lots of people even kept decorating as the night went on, and it was fun seeing them all involved – even the boys

With a little simple planning, you too can have a sippy-cup-decorating station at your next party, and drink your Creamsicle in style.

Pop-Up Cards

No matter how old I get, I’m still using the same techniques and making the same projects I was making as a kid. One of these everlasting projects began on the day I figured out how to make a pop-up birthday card. I remember the teacher and classroom, but can’t remember what the lesson was, although it involved cutting into a piece of paper to make shapes (namely a rectangle) appear to pop off the page. I remember putting it together in my young mind that I now had the key to making those super awesome pop-up cards I’d previously only seen in stores.

Below is a tutorial on how to make a basic pop-up card, as I first discovered in elementary school. I started each of those cards with 3 sheets of printer paper, markers, scissors, and clear tape. I’ve come a long way since then – discovering construction paper, then marbleized construction paper, and now scrap-booking paper.

What you’ll need for a basic card:

• 3 sheets of white printer paper
• Markers (or colored pencils, or crayons)
• clear tape
• scissors

Starting with one sheet of paper (hopefully not gnawed by cats like mine), fold it in half like a hamburger. This will be the fold for your card. Feel free to cut the paper smaller to make a smaller card, but keep in mind the pop-up part takes up some of your message writing space as is, so you mightn’t want to go too small.

Bend your paper again so it’s now in quarters. Be careful not to fold and crease the paper, you’re only doing this so you can make symmetrical cuts on both sides of your paper. Depending on how big you want your pop-up piece to be, make a cut about 1.5 inches high and about 1 inch from the center fold.

Unbend the paper back to its original half fold. Bend the flap you created upwards and crease the paper. Flip the paper over and fold the same way in the other direction.

Then, pop your rectangular platform through the inside of the card. (The side with the crease facing inward.)

Now it’s time to create some decorations! Using markers (that aren’t running out of ink…) draw whatever designs you want to pop-up inside your card. I have opted for a personal favorite of my younger self, random shapes and colors! When you’re done drawing the shapes, cut them out of the paper. Figure out how you want to arrange the pieces, then use little pieces of rolled up tape to stick them together. To be safe, run a piece of tape along the whole back of your design to keep it intact. Then, use another rolled piece of tape to adhere the design to the front part of your pop-up platform. Make sure the design is high enough that it doesn’t affect the closing and opening of the card. (Will be more noticeable with heavier paper.)

You’ll notice that you can see underneath the platform to whatever surface is below. This is where your 3rd piece of paper comes in. Fold the paper in half like a hamburger, and slide it into place directly behind the card and tape it into place. Tape one half first (make sure to get the corners and middle secure), then bend the card closed to tape the second half. This ensures there’s enough leeway for your card to close properly. The hole disappears, and your card is ready for writing!

You might be wondering why I recommend using tape for this project. After some trial and error, little me discovered that printer paper was flimsy, and that adding glue made it warp and bubble and caused the markers to run. Once I discovered construction paper, that’s when I made the switch to Elmer’s.

This card took me about 5 minutes to make today for this demo. I’m not sure how long it took at 8 years old, but I’ll tell you that the birthday card I made for my father yesterday took about 5 hours. Like I said, my skills have advanced and the detail has increased.

Below are some of the cards people have received from me in the past – and note that I’m aware the first isn’t a pop-up. I can’t include dad’s latest birthday card because he hasn’t received it yet, but you get the idea. Sorry for the poor quality of the photos, it’s another skill of mine that has improved over the years.

Not that you asked, but you might be curious… I do cut out all my shapes and letters free-form. There’s nothing wrong with drawing out designs first, this is just something I like to do because it adds an extra layer of challenge for me. It’s kind of funny, how everyone has their “thing.” I’m not the kind of person who can jam on an instrument without sheet music, but give me scissors, paper, and glue, (and the occasional sticker), and I can create a whole new colorful world from nothing.

One of the head counselors at camp, which was my home away from home for many summers, made a comment once that little kids have smaller worlds, and as you grow your world expands. I found this sentiment to be particularly true when it comes to how I’ve evolved as an artist. I’m still making these cards the same way I started when I was a kid, but my medium, creativity, and sensitivity to detail have all grown up along with me. With the discovery of better quality “ingredients,” these cards have a certain sophistication about them, especially considering they’re handmade.

Now that I’ve given you the tools to make your own works of art, I’d love to hear how you’ve added your own flair and taken it to the next level.