Let's Make Something Together! Upcoming Holiday Craft Classes

The holidays are a perfect time to gather friends and family and get crafty! Handmade gifts are often the most cherished as nothing says love quite like 
"I made this just for you!".

I have a couple of upcoming classes that I will be teaching here in my hometown of Concord, California. Both are super fun to make with lovely results!

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The first project will be on Friday, December 1st beginning at 6pm. We will create a charming Christmas tree made from buttons. We'll center the button tree on a picture frame for easy display - it'll be the center of attention during your holiday gatherings!

One of the cool things about this craft is that any holiday is open game for button art. In February, our class made beautiful framed button hearts. We loved the project so much that we're trying our hand at the Christmas tree design.

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The second project will be on Saturday, December 2nd, beginning at 1pm. In this class, we'll make a gorgeous wreath using tulle fabric and embellishments. So many options here to make a unique door decor!

White tulle wreath - with removable poinsettia's - perfect for using at other occasions

Here are further class details:

WHERE:  Raquel Amaral Art Gallery – 1856 Colfax Street, 

                  Suite 6, Concord

COST:      $35 and includes all materials

PAYMENT DETAILS: advance payment is required to hold your place. Email me at kimlawson2000@gmail.com and I will send you a Paypal invoice.

                  

Let's make something together, make new friends, and start the holiday season with something beautiful made just by you!

See more of my artwork by clicking on the Etsy and Society6 tabs here. 

Put A Cork In It

With the 4th of July approaching, I thought it would be fun to create a craft project that would be a nice nod to the holiday but would also be attractive as a year-round wall decoration. 

I introduced this idea to my craft class and they got busy gluing corks to wood bases that they brought in like trays, bulletin boards, and round wood slices. I found a great oblong wood slice at JoAnn's to use as my base. I really liked the interesting bark edging on this slice which gives the final creation a nice look.

Here's how to make this:

SUPPLIES

• Wine corks - I used 64 corks for my project but yours will vary depending on the size of the base you use
• Oblong base - wood slice/board, very heavy cardboard, bulletin board, wooden or acrylic serving tray, etc. My wood slice is about 10"x13".
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Red, white, and blue acyclic paints
• Paint brushes and water pots
• Hacksaw, serrated knife, or scissors (optional)
• Twine or fabric ribbon (optional)
• 1 - 2 picture hooks, hammer, and nails (optional)

HOW TO MAKE THIS

• If your flag will be hung on a wall, hammer 1 or 2 picture hooks to the back of your base.
• Tie the twine or ribbon to these hooks long enough for a nice drape from another wall hook.
• Arrange corks on the surface of your base in a pattern that appeals to you.

Nicole's wooden tray 

• Using the hacksaw, carefully cut each cork in half lengthwise. This is an optional step. It took me several hours to cut enough corks for all of my students projects. ugh! I did this because I thought the corks would sit better and looked nicer but skipping that step and just using the whole round corks turns out great too.

• If you find that there's a space at the end of a row that you don't like, carefully use a serrated knife, scissors, or the hacksaw to cut a cork to the size that will finish the row evenly. In my case, I liked the uneven row edging so I didn't worry about cutting cork end pieces.
• Use the glue gun to adhere the corks to your base.

Lin's bulletin board base

• Once this is completed, decide whether you like the natural look of the corks or if you want to use the paints to add the traditional flag colors to your piece. For a light wash of color, add water to a bit of acrylic paint before brushing the color to the cork. The corks have such interesting words and images that the water downed paint allows the cork artwork to peek through.
• Pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

Your finished piece can be hung on the wall as a holiday or permanent decoration, used as a hot plate, or bulletin board. Make smaller ones to use as drink coasters. 

Come up with your own designs and uses for your new cork creation then celebrate in style!

Glue Gun Stencils

If you don't already have a glue gun, you're going to want to run out and get one after you read this! Not only are glue guns handy for tons of projects but making re-usable stencils may be your next favorite craft to try. These stencils are great for use in your journal, making greeting cards, bookmarks, and more. Warm up your glue gun and let's get going!

Here's a list of supplies that I used:

• Glue gun - either low heat or high heat type
• Glue gun sticks - lots of them because you're going to want to get crazy making more of these things
• Non-stick craft mat - a heat resistant teflon sheet (found at craft stores and online - excellent for all craft projects to keep your workspace protected and just wipes clean)
• OR a non-stick baking sheet or teflon pan would work fine (a piece of glass from a picture frame would work but you need to cover it with a light coat of vegetable spray first so that the glue doesn't stick to the glass and, of course, be careful of the frame's sharp edges)
• Picture or image outline to use as inspiration - optional

How to make the project:

• Cover your work surface with the non-stick sheet 
• Plug in the glue gun and let it warm up for a few minutes
• If you choose to use an image as a guide, slip it under the sheet so that you can see the outline clearly (The image should be a black or dark image because it can be tough to see through the sheet otherwise. You might try outlining the image with a black marker first to make it easier to see throught the sheet)

• Once the glue gun is heated, slowly pull the trigger laying the glue down following the outline or try free-handing a design. I found that the heavier the line of glue that I layed down, the more sturdy the stencil became. If the stencil is made too thin, it may break and won't hold up to repeated use.
• Once you are happy with your design, let the glue cool and harden - it takes just a couple of minutes.
• Remove it from the teflon sheet and get busy making another design! 

I made clouds, trees, and birds for starters. I liked repeating patterns like bubbles, hearts, squiggly lines, etc. Make sure that the shapes touch each other which keeps the design sturdy.

Try making large and small sized pieces. Large ones are great to fill a journal page or cover a greeting card and small ones work well for a "hint" of a pattern on your designs.

Once you've got some completed stencils, use them as you would any other stencil. I brushed acrylic paints over them and spray misted paint colors over the designs. 

Bubbles and Hearts laid over each other and sprayed with paint

To clean the stencils, carefully rinse them in the sink and let dry. I found that sometimes certain paint colors would stain the stencils. That's ok and won't harm the stencil when you're ready to use it again.

Happy stenciling!

2016 Summer Journaling and Crafts Classes!

Can you believe it? Summertime is coming! And with that said, get ready for new art journaling and craft classes brought to you by your favorite artist...me!

  

Marla's Plate

My classes have been such a success! I've met and been inspired by really great people in these groups. Some of their work is seen here and on a few of my "Make-it Monday's" posts. Come join us as we learn all new projects and make new friends!

Haley's Wreath

Classes have been
expanded to 1 1/2 hours short (because our classes are never long enough for all the fun we get into!), and Saturday morning sessions are newly available (to get your weekend art on!).

Sandra's Journal

Sandy's Journal 

Art Journaling
Art journaling is a great way to explore your creativity, get your thoughts on paper, and enjoy the process of making your own kind of art. We’ll play with different techniques such as line drawing, watercolor, "windows" and pockets, and layering papers. There’s no right or wrong style in this fun craft for ages 15 and up!

Course #100520 --- May 5 - June 2, Thursdays - 6pm to 7:30pm
Course #100519 --- June 30 - August 18, Thursdays - 6pm to 7:30pm
Course #100754 --- July 9 - August 20, Saturdays - 9:30am to 11am

Lana's Sunburst Flower

  

Nicole's Watercolor Collage

Exploring Crafts

Each week you’ll learn a fun new craft project using low cost materials perfect for home décor and gift giving. Projects may include jewelry making, decorating birdhouses, Shrinky Dink fun, garden art, altered books, wreaths, canvas painting, and more! Fun crafts for ages 15 and up!

• Course #100521 --- May 5 - June 2, Thursdays - 7:30pm - 9pm
• Course #100522 --- June 30 - August 18, Thursdays - 7:30pm - 9pm
• Course #100755 --- July 9 - August 20, Saturdays - 11am - 12:30pm

Visit www.concordreg.org for more information and to register on-line. Just click on "Activities", and enter the course number. Questions? Email me at kimlawson2000@gmail.com

Let's make something together!

Students' Bottle Wrapped Vases

Let's Make Flowers...From Q-Tips!

Let's say you find you're in the mood to make a craft project. And, you have a box of Q-tips plus a few foam balls left over from a project you never got around to making. What do you do? Make flowers, of course!

This simple and easy project is fun to make and creates a cute flower in just an hour.

Supplies needed:

• Styrofoam balls - I used 1.5-inch, 3-inch, and 5-inch balls
• 1 large box of Q-tips
• Glue gun and glue sticks
• Food coloring
• Rubber gloves
• A glass bowl
• Floral stem with leaves (pop the flower off and save it for another project) or bamboo skewers

How to make them:

Cut Q-tips in half. I used about 150 halves to cover the 3-inch ball. That makes for a full looking ball but you may use fewer spaced farther apart.

• Heat up the glue gun. When it's ready, dab a dot of glue onto the cut end of a Q-tip and poke it into the ball. You don't have to use a glue gun but I found that it helps to hold the Q-tip in the ball permanently.
• Timesaver tip: squirt a small pool of glue onto a paper towel and dip the end of the Q-tip into the glue rather than directly from the glue gun.
• Keep dabbing the end of each Q-tip with glue and poking it into the ball - not too close together because it will take too long to finish but not too far apart that the ball looks half done.
• I made a single line around the ball then made a second line of Q-tips going the opposite direction so that the ball was in quarters. You don't have to be that precise - just start glueing and poking!
• Fill in the rest of the ball with the Q-tips until it is full.

• At this point, you can admire your "snowball" and you are done. Imagine how cute a bowl of snowballs would be!
• If you choose to add color to the balls, get on your rubber gloves.

• In a glass bowl, add a few drops of food coloring to a small amount of water and stir together. 
• Dip the Q-tips into the food coloring just enough to saturate the cotton tips. Do this over the entire ball (the food coloring will stain clothing and skin so, wear the gloves and watch your shirt!)
• Set the balls aside to dry on a plate.

Lana's sunburst flower

• You can display these just like that as a table top display or move on to the next step.
• Once the balls are dry, use the glue gun to put a bit of glue on to the top of the floral stem or skewer. Poke the stem or skewer into the ball deep enough to keep the ball from flopping over.

That's it! You can make a garden of these flowers in an afternoon. They would be pretty for a springtime party or shower!