Weekend Project

DIY String Sculpture

I've had this idea of floating letters for awhile now and really wanted to make them. I'd love to make a wall of these letters- how amazing would that be? But you don't have to stick to letters. A silhouette, simple illustration or abstract shape would work nicely too. Now I just want to spend the day making string things.

For my test I made a miniature PMA (Positive Mental Attitude, which I've blogged about before) and I quite like this little positive affirmation. Nix (who makes drop dead beautiful drawings!) of Fernbeds suggested framing it in a shadow box, so now I'm on the hunt for a tiny shadow box.

Here's what you'll need:
Thread or Yarn - I used embroidery floss
Tracing paper
Pencil, eraser & Sharpie
Freezer paper
Tape - I love painters tape.
Cardboard piece that's as large as your sculpture
Sewing pins
Craft brush
Fabric stiffener - I used Stiffy Fabric Stiffener (insert chuckles here)

1. Braid three threads together to form a thicker string. 
2. Create your pattern on tracing paper using pencil and then trace over with sharpie. 
3. Flip over the tracing paper so that it's in reverse and layer over a piece of freezer paper, matte side up. Retrace with sharpie. You only need this step if you are making text or a pattern that is not symmetrical.
4. Tape the freezer paper, glossy side up, to your cardboard piece. Your pattern should read normally, not in reverse. Pin your thread to the cardboard following your pattern.
5. Paint the stiffener on with a craft brush until the treads are fully saturated. Set aside to dry over night. 
6. Once it's dry remove the pins and scrap away the excess stiffener on the edges of the thread. 
7. Hang with sewing pins or mount in a shadow box.

Here's a corner of my studio, my reminder to keep the pma.

Hope you're enjoying your weekend. Did you make anything?!

road trips and creative business ...

Last night I attended an Etsy Success Workshop lead by Becky of Sweetie Pie Press.  She's inspiring– since 2005 she road trips every year from her home in Toronto, Canada across the US vending at craft fairs, staying with friends, visiting independent retail shops, and connecting with other makers.

photo:Stacey Bode via 

Someone asked how she balances the business decisions she makes and Becky's response hit me hard....
For her, it was more important to see the Grand Canyon than to be home where she could be making more money. One side effect of all of us living online so much is that we've created this "cult of success". We see one side of everyone's story and we compare ourselves, our businesses, our accomplishments. Instead, invest in people and your community.  I've been trying so hard to connect with people through craft, especially since I work from home by myself. It's the reason I attended this event in the first place - to learn, to support Becky, to be with other makers, and I always come away inspired, even if it's only one little thing.

It was also refreshing to hear her say, "failure is important." I think it's just part of the creative process.  Ironically, I just saw this Ted video, The Fringe Benefits of Failure, by JK Rowling.
                   
I'm aching for a road trip now and feeling a positive mental attitude...

got that attitude

a week from today i'll have finished my first day at renegade. so i have a week to get ready and much work to do to get done! you know when you have so much to do you don't know where to start? you just got to do one thing - just start. take it bird by bird....

"Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.'"

- from Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

i'm trying, really trying, to be focused, do my best, push the rest out. i came across this post, originally from giant robot, which has been great to live with lately, ....
1. do what you believe in. people have bullshit detectors.
2. think small. work with a small group of friends who give a crap. with too many people, you'll get nothing done.
3. ends don't justify the means. the process should be as worthwhile as the results.
4. keep the pma**. positive mental attitude.
5. eat well. no fast food allowed-among other things.
6. keep growing. what was good enough 10 years ago shouldn't be good enough now.
7. be a sponge. find inspiration from everything around you, and not just things with obvious connections.
8. keep improving yourself. when you're not training, your opponent is.
9. join the nfl. that means the no fun league. after you accomplish something, don't celebrate. get on to the next project.
10. have fun. if you don't like what you're doing, stop and find something else.

**i want that attitude!!! and that's the goal for me right now- keep the pma!!! and get shit done!