Sunday, February 24, 2013

Crafting Weekend

This weekend was full of crafting for my sister, Vanessa, and me. We did a lot of stuff over the course of the weekend and spent most of our time laughing over stupid things that we said...needless to say, we laughed a lot.

My main project over the weekend was my clay masks. These aren't very big. They are probably about 1 1/2 inches wide and are going to be made into either necklaces or bracelets...or both.

This is my Cyberpunk mask...that wasn't my intention but I like it.

This my favorite mask by far. I made a huge mess with this. My laptop was painted gold and I didn't noticed until Vanessa pointed it out.

My first mask...it's very tribal. This one is for Vanessa.

It needs another coat of bronze paint. Maybe a little sanding...and a better picture.


This mask is a much larger mask. It would be able to fit on a person's face if I didn't mess it up when baking it. I plan on making more (hopefully better).




All of the masks are made from polymer clay. I painted over it with acrylic paint and I have yet to coat it in resin. I actually have a lot of things I need to coat in resin. Something to do tomorrow.

I also made a few non-clay/mask items. I actually made a something for Vanessa's scrapbooking layout. These little stick pins...it's part of my Crafting Clean Out.


Saturday, February 23, 2013

A Quick Sketch

I haven't updated in a few days but I've been so busy and tired lately, that I haven't really had the chance to do anything. I also haven't been posting my Nanny Notes like I usually do. That's because it was busy. We had an ice storm on Monday night and the oldest girl didn't have school...it was overwhelming. Lots of arguing and bickering. Little One has been grumpy so much but she also wasn't feeling well.


During some of the more relaxing moments of the week (nap time for Little One), I made this little sketch...just for fun.


I, then, went home and made a painted sketch. It was a quick one but it was fun. My sister, Vanessa, put it on her refrigerator.






This was supposed to be posted a few days ago but I nearly posted it on the wrong blog. Silly me.  

Monday, February 18, 2013

(100TC) #81 Seasons

I don't know if you can tell but the reflection of the tree is different from the actual tree. That is the seasons for me. So here is number #81 Seasons for the 100 Themes Challenge. Also note, not the best lighting. I'm not sure what happened there.





Sunday, February 17, 2013

These New Projects Keep Coming!

Newest Bracelets
I've been working on a few new items for my shop Glass Wire Studios because it is in need of something new, don't you think?

My sister and I went to the craft stores today and the other day where I bought a few new items to add to my shop. You've already seen some of the items that I'm going to post now it's time to add a few more. I also think it's time for a few new clay items. I've got a couple idea in mind but I haven't created much. Sure, I have my cactus and I'm working on my sister's desk tree from a little inside joke we made back when we both were in high school but that is all I have going for me right now.

I also have a few pending projects that I want to do. A lot of these a resin coating a thin coating so I will have to do these at around the same time. I'm rather excited to show everyone my latest projects.

And those are just for my shop. I have a few personal projects that I'm working on as well, like my smash journaling. I want to catch up with that soon.

Creative cubes

Have a wonderful day.



Saturday, February 16, 2013

Keeping Up and New Craft Ideas

So, it's been a few days since I last posted on here but I've been unexpectedly busy with work. I'm still working on things for work since the girls and I are going to make our own board game. I'm rather excited about this board game. They are going to help me color it and everything.

Now, I have all of these wooden blocks and a plan for them. I'm actually working on it right now. It will be rather fun once I finish. I'm using them with my writing stuff and will probably post them on here and my other blog than I need to start working on...yeah, I haven't gotten that far with it.

New project for my terracotta pots
I also bought these little terracotta pots (and I do mean little) for something that I'll be posting in my shop once I find my SD card for my Canon Rebel. I hate when I lose these things.

Next, I'll be working on my writing workshop that I bought a few years ago called How To Think Sideways by Holly Lisle. I think, as a writer, she presents very good material that I find helpful. I love the worksheets she gives too. It is a different approach from what I normally do.

Anyway, I'd better get back to working on my latest craft.

I hope everyone has a good weekend!



Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Nanny Notes - Sick Day

I didn't just work today, I worked yesterday as well but it was for a short amount of time, so I didn't feel the need to post anything yesterday about it. Instead I will post today and tell you all about Little One.

She was very silly and playful yesterday when I was there. Sure, she had to sit in time out once but that was because she wasn't listening when I said she couldn't watch a movie. I'm very strict on movies and T.V. watching. That's partially because I think they could do more that just sit around in front of the T.V. all day. So we went down stairs and played down there. Little One dumped all of the chalk onto the floor because she wanted to see if I'd pick it up...but I wasn't falling for it. I had her pick it up while I cleaned out other mess. After her quick snack, she went to her room and grabbed this giant caterpillar/centipede stuffed animal and pretended to ride it. Of course, she wanted me to ride it too which made her laugh hysterically. She's such a cute little girl.

Today was an interesting day. I get to the house and was greeted by the Older One opening the door and the dog flying out to greet me. The dog never listens to me so it took me a few minutes of coaxing to get her back into the house. Silly creature.

The older one was home sick today because her stomach hurt. She did have moments when she had to lay down and she just didn't look well, so I believed that she was sick.

Somehow the girls convinced me to make them glasses out of paper because I told them I wore glasses. The Older One convinced Little One that the glasses helped her read better...crazy girls. Things went smoothly for us.

Then at around mid-nap time for Little One, their mother came home sick wit a stomach issue...just like Older One's problem. She relaxed, of course. Why wouldn't she? She didn't feel well. I kept the girls entertained until I had to go home. We built a huge fort and play board games like Farkle and Candyland.

We are all really excited for tomorrow. We are making chocolate for Valentine's day. And I forgot to make the boxes for them...shoot. I will have to do that at work tomorrow.

Overall, it was a fun day!











Monday, February 11, 2013

Crafting Clean Out - Jewelry Supplies (Part 2)

Here I go again, working on more projects for my Crafting Clean Out project. If you haven't read the first post, it's entitled Crafting Clean Out (Part 1) - you can just click on the link to get to it. So, I made more jewelry and stuff today for my crafting project while my sister and I watched T.V....kind of T.V. we just watched stuff on her computer because we don't have a T.V. It kind of isn't fun since I can't watch hockey.

Anyway, I'm getting off topic. Let me show you what I worked on today.

The black hearts are almost done. I just need to put a thin layer of resin on top to make sure none of the paint chips when worn. These will be sold in my shop, hopefully by the end of the month. Hopefully. I find the right lighting.

Here is my yellow hearts. This one is one of my favorites. And it is the only one with a clasp. I should have make the other one have a clasp but I don't know if I have anymore. I guess I'll have to look.

I finally did something with these blasted beads. This took me almost two and a half hours of stringing all because I had to make the hole bigger. It's on an elastic cord...

...and a lot of the beads broke in the process. The bracelet would have been bigger if I hadn't broken a lot of the bead while trying to make the hole bigger...sad but now I'm going to put these in my art journal.

While we were doing craft time, the power went out on our side of the house. We may have blown a fuse but nothing changed on our side of the house. Heck, I think we had less on than usual. So now I have to cut this short because my laptop is dying slowly. I'm going to spend the rest of the night reading fanfiction on my phone while listening to my iPod. 

Sunday, February 10, 2013

W.I.P.-ed: Black Hearts and Girls

A couple of my current art W.I.P.s that I hope to finish soon. Maybe I can finish these two by the end of the week...I will try.

Here are my black hearts. I  bought these a long time ago because they were cheap. I wanted to do something with them but then forgot about them. This is part of my Crafting Clean Out project that I started last night. You'll find the original heart in that post. I'm probably going to paint designs on these hearts and put them on a cord to sell as necklaces but that's still uncertain. I haven't really decided what I'm going to do with them.

This is a little girl who currently lives on my art journal page. I haven't been art journaling in a while, possibly because I'm awful at it. I'm too big of a perfectionist and I have a hard time working on art if someone is watching me. It's weird, I know but knowing that someone is watching makes me uncomfortable.

I have no idea what I'm going to do with her - she's not even finished. She drying so I can fix her up tomorrow. Well, I'll figure something out.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Crafting Clean Out - Jewelry Supplies (Part 1)

My steampunk creations.
Over the last couple years, I've collected a lot of beads, clasps, charms, etc. I mean, a lot if stuff. So, I'm making it a goal to try to get rid of everything since I only use some of it, not all of it. I use findings all of the time but how often do I use beads? Not very.

Some of the things, I'll be giving away. If I have a lot of the same stuff, I'll be making kits to sell/give to others.

I already started this yesterday when I made a few steampunk pieces for the 100 Themes Challenge. But I'll be sure to try to use some of it every day until everything is gone.

I managed to make a few things today. Nothing really special or anything I can wear but I'm getting through things slowly.

 This project of mine is going to take me weeks. Possibly months. But, since my sister, Vanessa, and I craft everyday, this shouldn't be a huge issue...I hope.I think the thing I'll have the most trouble with would be not having enough chain or the right kind of chain to go with what I want to make. I guess I could just gather everything and see where it goes.

There are a few items that I'm altering. Like the gray hearts (pictured below). I'm painting them black before I paint designs on them. It should be fun. I have a few wood beads that I want to paint as well but I want them to be bright and colorful...I've been really attracted to the color yellow lately. I'm not sure why.

Well, since I'm rambling, I'll just stop writing and let you have a look at what I've been working on tonight.
 



Some earrings


Some more earrings


That heart is actually gray. I made this for my sister.


This is a gift to my niece, Kearstin. She asked me to make this for her when we went Black Friday Shopping.


I have a bunch of these and I have no idea what to do with them. Any suggestions?
 I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.

~Tracey

Friday, February 8, 2013

(100TC) #06 Girly

Okay, here is girly. I was going to just outline the girl in a few colors but I messed up and the background turned into this. I might go over it with white paint later. Oh, and she doesn't have a face...I can't draw faces well so I just left it blank. She was inspired by Little One.

If you'd like to read more about the challenge, it is under the post titled 100 Themes Challenge, or you can go to the page where the challenge is also posted.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

25 Glasses of Wine

This is what consumed my day today. I have a couple of these glasses of wine still but, goodness it took a long time. Most of it was fun. I used resin and due to make it look like wine before pouring it into tiny little cups.

This is for a charity event my former boss is part of. She asked sister and I to be creative with it. Really, they're nothing special.

As much fun as it was, I'm glad I finished. It took far too long fastening them all into bracelets. And if I spend too long looking at something, my eyes get really messed up and start twitching...not fun. I'm in serious need of glasses (since I lost mine in an airport).


Favor Boxes Can Make A Fun Craft

So, I have a lot of these party favor boxes that I bought at Micheal's over a year ago and I couldn't figure out what to do with them. Today, I finally sat down and played around with them. The first time I made something, I made it cutesy and child like, thinking of Little One and Older One. It turned out to be this purple dino/monster thing. It's cute and the girls loved him...but didn't want to make one with me. That's fine. It took forever to make anyway.

I decided to mess around a little more when Little One went down for a nap. I didn't finish until I got home but it took me a total of 4 hours! You wouldn't believe half the things I used. The end result is worth it, though. Actually, I'm very proud of it and will give you shots of random parts of it. It turned out better than I was expecting. The mobile version my look a little wonky, sorry about that.

It might not seem like much but with all the effort I put behind it, it turned out better than I was hoping.



Shingles - I painted sand paper (60) in black.



The box inside is 2 1/4 inches on every side.


Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Nanny Notes - Putting My Foot Down

Creepy Potato Head Little One made today.
I'll make this short since Little One did pretty well today. She was a bit of a troublemaker throughout most of the day but what caused me to put my foot down was when she ignored me. I had asked her to take care of her coloring book and she just walked away, when she clearly could hear me. So, I did the count down from three. For some reason Little one doesn't believe that I will really put her in time out. She continued to walk away when I said one so I walked after her...

...she ran into her castle tent thing in her room. I just pulled the giant ladybug pillow pet (or whatever it was) out because she was sitting right on top of it and made her walk to time out. After that, she cleaned up her mess...and then she sat on the counter even though we have a strict rule about counter climbing - she's not allowed to do it. Since she decided not to listen again, she got sent to time out with a clear warning that if she didn't start listening, there would be more time outs.
Little One washing her hands.

After that, she was perfectly good. There was one point where she was scared of the bathroom. It was completely random. She usually likes to use the potty alone but she wouldn't let me out of her sight today. But I did teach her to wash her hands really well. I'm a stickler on hand washing after using the bathroom..

Oh, and about the Mr. Potato Head. Little One has been really into making these...and she never fails to creep me out a bit. I posted another one on twitter. I'm going to take a picture of every single one of them. It would work well if I ever decided to write horror. They will be my inspiration.



Wordless Wednesday - Sleepy



Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Nanny Notes - Little One the Monster

Meet Atlas. One of my turtles from my collection.











Another day watching Little One. I watched her yesterday too but there really wasn't anything to talk about since she slept the whole time.

Today, she is a mischievous little child, constantly getting into trouble. She is still testing me to see how far I'll go. Little devil. Maybe that's what I should call her instead. The Little Devil and her sister could be the Drama Queen. Nah, I wouldn't call them that. They are sweet girls most of the time.

Anyway - I'm getting side tracked - she was a monster. She wasn't listening, she kept telling me no when I asked her to do something... I consider this normal behavior but it's not something I enjoy. She just got lucky that she didn't need to go to time out today.

Toys are just ridiculous these day. We had to use our imaginations.
Other than that today went well. She did my hair which was a painful experience but Little One was happy.  Can't go wrong there. She made me fix her hair dryer...the toy one. Whenever I look at this hair salon kit, I just shake my head. They certainly added a lot of things since I was a kid, that's for sure. I know we didn't have a flat iron in our kit. We did have a hair dryer that turned on. Oh, and we didn't have a hair washing station. That makes me laugh though it took me awhile to figure out what I was looking at. Man, toys have gotten elaborate since I was younger.  I guess that's just how things are these days.

He was hiding from her (playing hide and seek)
I guess you're probably wondering why I have a picture of my stuffed animal turtle. That's because Little One fell in love with him when she first saw him and wanted to keep him, so I told her that I would bring him today but she wasn't allowed to keep it. Usually, when I walk into the door, she asks me for my phone. Today, she asked me for my turtle (well, she called it a frog but I understood what she wanted). It was nice that she didn't ask for my phone. I think that child is obessed with my phone.

Speaking of that, does anyone know of any good apps for children? I would love to put a game on there that she would benefit from in the end.

Hmm...what else happened today?

Paris napping. Tomorrow, I'm going to post my favorite picture of her.
She went down for her nap without a problem. The Parents decided to give back her pacifiers. She isn't ready to let go of them but I'm sure they are going to try again soon-ish. The Older One came home and she was great. No whining, no arguing. We played school and she made us books and folders when she was at school today. Seriously, this girl was awesome today. The Older One was the teacher and she was trying to read a story to us, making it up as she went. Honestly, I think it is cute when kids to that. They look at the pictures and make up their own stories. Half the time they don't make sense but that is why I think it's cute. It's also a good creative exercise.

Little One didn't pay attention. I never expected her to but she was rather rude to everyone who got in her way. I had to talk to her, and told her that she was going to sit in time out if she didn't stop yelling at people.

Okay, now, I'm just rambling. I'll stop now and let you know that I finished my 2nd 100TC artwork done. I'll be posting it on Thursday.

I hope you have a good day!

~Tracey

* I decided to call these Nanny Notes. I only post these twice a week (unless I work more than twice a week) and they will be about my adventures working for this new family. I wish I did this with the other family I worked with...it would have been interesting.