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Welcome to The Artful Crafter Digest - December 2011 December 05, 2011 |
| Hi, If you are having trouble reading this newsletter or if links don't work, click here. Ooo - do you think I’m on Santa’s "Who’s Naughty" list for getting this newsletter out late? I was as busy as one of his little elves marching out our Annual Parade of Christmas Crafts. Our list of holiday project tutorials gets longer every year!
To try to make up for my tardiness, I’m giving you loyal subscribers a sneak preview of some NEW ornament tutorials which will be on The Artful Crafter Blog over the next two weeks.  Clothespin Skier Ornament  Bread Dough Candy Cane Ornaments  Bread Dough Holly Leaf Ornament  Beaded Sequin Ornament  Simple Shimmer Satin Ball Ornament  Folk Art Ribbon Angel Ornament Below, we have some heartwarming stories about crafters’ generosity and more new articles to share, so please read on. Merry Christmas and Love to All! Eileen Upcoming Holiday Calendar To Help You Plan Your Crafting
The Christmas Spirit Came Early At The Artful CrafterCrafty Happy Ending for Two Readers and The Artful Crafter I would love to have [the Free Popeil Plant Plastic offered by Alice in the November newsletter]!! If the offer is still available email me at ... Thank you so much!! I just want to thank you for all the inspiration I get from the crafts that you put up for all of us. In my "old age" I find myself alone a lot and I look forward to my Artful Crafter Digest e-mails each month. I really appreciate all the hard work that you do. Again I say THANK-YOU!!! I would LOVE to send YOU (Eileen) a gift, a small token of my gratitude for all the squeals and joy you send my way. Please send your address. I am not a stalker!!! I barely can figure out how to use this darn computer!!! Debra Hi Debra, My heavens, a stalker - that never even occurred to me! What a crazy world we live in, hey? You unwittingly gave me the best gift you possibly could have by telling me you enjoy and look forward to the monthly newsletter. My husband (business partner) and I had a looong discussion about dropping the newsletter this past month. We're having to tighten our belts and cut out frills. This weak economy is taking its toll. You just let me know that the newsletter is not a frill! Thank you!! I "work" on The Artful Crafter not just for the money, but for the joy it brings. I feel like I've been well paid this week in:
Have a wonderful day. You certainly made mine! Cheers, Eileen Eva Stosic’s Home Made Polymer Clay Recipe Thanks to Eva Stosic for sharing her polymer clay recipe and photo of her gingerbread-style house with us. I know Eva has put a lot of effort and testing into this clay recipe because we’ve been e-mailing back and forth since April 2010. Eva has plans for more elaborate houses with balconies and turrets. I can’t wait to see!  Eva Stosic’s Home Made Polymer Clay Recipe Polymer Clay 'Gingerbread House' Polymer Clay 'Gingerbread House' Materials
How to Make the 'Gingerbread House'Dissolve the citric acid completely in the water (if you do not it will leave granules and that’s a no-no). Blend the dry ingredients in a closed container. Then mix with the water/citric acid and next three ingredients to a mushy paste. Put the mushy paste into a plastic or glass container (not for food). Add the PVA glue and mix until smooth. Cover loosely and microwave 6 to 10 seconds at a time, mixing in between, until the clay starts to gel. Do not overdo or the clay will over-harden. When done, cover with plastic wrap and let cool; then knead about 10 minutes. Double wrap in plastic and store in a tightly fitting container. If you want to try this, or any, homemade clay recipe, read this article: Adjusting Homemade Clay Recipes for High Altitude or Humidity Mystery Solved!Back in 2009, The Artful Crafter received an inquiry about some Molded Cameo-Type Forms which Maxine inherited. She didn’t have a clue exactly what they were and neither did I. Amanda saw Maxine’s photos and wrote to say she has some very similar forms, but didn’t know what they were either. Just a few days ago, we received this fascinating in-depth information. Thank you, Meredith!  The reason these don't look like cameo molds is because they aren't. These are INTAGLIOS - they have a raised surface. In the early 1800's an inexpensive way to display a reproduction of a European classical sculpture was through a carved disk, or seal. "Grand Tour" intaglios were usually made of plaster, and were souvenirs of that European tour - they were a cheap and perfect medium to reproduce old coins, ancient Roman disks, etc. The reason they're wrapped is because they were displayed and collected in book form, so the wrapping would make sure they were of equal depth, a uniform display look and had a uniform flat edge/surface to glue to the rigid display page. (You can see old adhesive clinging to the paper wrapping.) The numbering on the back could be anything from a display sequence, to someone's past effort to catalog them for sale or auction, but not for a catalogue ordering process. While most plaster intaglios are white or buff, some were made of resin or wax of varying colors. But because the backs of these are whitish, it appears as though they're plaster that's been painted to make them look like wax seals. Meredith New Articles On The Artful CrafterThe History and Logistics of Yarn Bombing Tools for Cleaning Out Gourds Before Painting or Carving Paper Crafts You Can Create Any Size Envelope with the Crafter’s Companion Ultimate Tool Decoupage New Decoupage: Transforming Your Home With Paper, Glue, and Scissors Are Decoupage Plates Food Safe? Paper Napkins are Ideal for Decoupage How to Add 3D Embellishments to Make Your Decoupage Pop Crafting For Profit How to Reach Your Target Market When You Craft for Profit How to Price Your Art or Craft Work to Sell Copyright Issues for Computer Crafters  |
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