Recycleable home decor ideas

I'm in the process of possibly buying a house.  I'm having all of these great ideas on what I can do to make it homey, fun, yet eco friendly!  I'm still trying to figure out my design style, and I think (if I go with the house I'm thinking about) I'll have a lot of fun with the back yard!  I want at least one area of the house to really be a fun area to hang out in, play board games, share a few cocktails, and be relaxed!  Back patio?  Tiki torches?  Charcoal grill?  Yes sirrrreeee!!!

Here are a few ideas I've run across on the internet that are currently inspiring me!  

Snow board bench:

I'm an avid skiier, and would love to have something to remind me of winter mountains all year long, even in the hottest summer months!

I found some used/ retired snowboards for $20 each on ebay.  I figure I can attach some L brackets, figure out something for the legs, and tada!  awesome bench!!!  (I also saw a sweet picture of a skateboard mounted on the wall as a shelf!!)  

Graffiti table:

So of course mine would look way more sweet than this one does, but here's the basic idea:  I'd find a old coffee table somewhere, and sand down the surface, paint it very basic in some way (or perhaps just stain it) and then have a box of paintpens, sharpies, and whatever else guests would like to use to make thier mark on the table!  Even if I started with a basic painted on design so it doesnt look so boring at first, I think this could be a really fun way for my friends/ guests to have the chance to "make thier mark."

Make my own hammock!!!

So I've always wanted my own hammock.  Growing up I always asked my dad for one, and he never wanted one as much as I did.  All over the internet are free instructions on how to make your own hammock.  I think that would be pretty awesome if I could pull it off! I mean I did just buy a new sewing machine!!!  :)  

That's all I've got for now.  Wish me luck :)

Money Clips galore!!

So I've been a little behind on the crafting ever since I got my new job (by the way, I love it love it!!!  :))

To get ready for the Heart of Virginia Festival coming up in May, I have been doing a little here and there.  My latest creation: money clip series!!!  I've done a few, and fallen in love with them!  There's something about those little take-aways that I love- and they're so incredibly functional!  Not to mention fashionable!  

Even though I have no image ::yet:: to go with it, I did make one for a wonderful guy that featured 8-bit Link holding up the Triforce.  Hehe- that's right.  I'm a nerd.  But I own it.  So it's cool.  :)  

If you have any interest in aquiring one, check out my website!  www.kbratcher.com

Or, just go straight to my store!  www.kbratcher.etsy.com

What is a neat? And why are his feet oily?

Well, that's what my dad asked me when I asked if he knew whether I could get any neatsfoot oil in town here.

Neatsfoot oil. Why was I looking for some? Because no matter how good I ever get at leathercrafting, I will always be terrible at staining. That's just life. And I accept it. As long as I can have me some good ol'e neatfoot oil.
No, really. This stuff saved my life yesterday.

As a commissioned project, I created a 6 piece charger set for my uncles. (Later, I'll try to post something about the whole process so my wonderful readers can see the finished product.) The chargers themselves took me probably 10 or 12 hours to do all the cutting, stamping, tooling, and other work. When it was time to stain, I realised if I screwed up it was all over. I called my respected Master Leathercrafter, and asked her if she had any suggestions to make my staining job fool proof.

Her answer? Neatsfoot Oil!

What is it? Wikipedia tells me it's "a yellow oil rendered and purified from the feet (but not the hooves) and shin bones of cattle." So much for the poor little neat with oily feet.

Why is it going to work out for me so well? When applying any wet substance to leather, the fibers of the skin are dry and thirsty, and will soak up all they can. On the other hand, leather stain will soak into anything and everything, and when it dries, it's set permanently.

Dry thirsty leather + quick drying permanent substance =not much time to be sure the staining job is even

Basically the neatsfoot oil is there to prevent the leather from sucking up the leather stain at an insane rate. This gives you a chance to move it around and not have to worry about streaking and blotching. I mean you still have to be quick. Just not lightening speed.
Water can do the same thing if you lightly and evenly wet the leather and then let it dry just enough to where the leather turns back to it's natural color. The oil is the better and healthier decision(for your leather).

Needless to say, the chargers look amazing, and I can't wait to present them.

Crocheted Detail Tank Top

I decided to be daring. Hey, I'm a risk taker! Just... safer risks! Maybe some day I'll skydive. For now, my risk was with yarn, needle, thread, and $3 tank top from Wally World. Soon, I might try another one with a full back. We'll see.

My instructions here are not so much for the crocheter (or as my best friend would call us: hookers), but for the multimedia artist. I think wearable arts are so fun, and really get art crossing into the realm of function. I know, technically that's considered a craft. Read my artist statement and I'll tell you all of what I think about that.

I can attempt to write directions on the crocheted section if anyone wants, though most of my work is free form, so I would have to go back and count. It's basically a bunch of shells on top of each other, if that helps!

So here's where I can say my how-to: how to put this awesome crocheted section onto you're once before boring shirt to turn it into a FABULOUS masterpiece! Yes?

What you need:

Crocheted piece

Tank top, or other shirt of your choice

Needle

Thread the color of the yarn

Fabric marker (well, I used a sharpie. But according to most of my professors, I'm also crazy and succeed in things that are supposed to be impossible.)

This is how I did it. There's nothing saying it's the right way, but it's a way, and it worked:

Trace your crocheted section on a piece of card stock, making a stencil. This is so you don't accidentally mark up your beautiful handy work. When cutting your stencil, cut a bit inside your lines so the stencil is slightly (about 1/8 of an inch) smaller than the real thing. This helps pull the design tight and show it off!

Place your stencil directly on top of your shirt where you want it (careful- centering is something to consider.... personal experience) and trace with your fabric marker. Depending on where you are putting your design, the next step is just cutting it out!

The assembly. Putting it all together is the hardest part. (Sewing is not my strong point. I'm learning. I'm still not allowed to use my mom's sewing machine because it was so broken last time) I pinned mine together in a million places so the whole thing wouldn't budge. Next, just sew it on! Careful of the ends, collar of the shirt, and just in case, I made sure the ends of the yarn are included. This helps make it washing machine-able.

Enjoy! :)

Leather- a more difficult design

So yes, you can do leather and just stick to your everyday stamps and shapes that you purchase, or you can do something a little more special. I've been working on a set of chargers for a family friend. He requested trillium flowers with a small border. The chargers (which in this case are going to be more similar to place mats rather than plates) extend an inch beyond his dinner plates all the way around, and will be stained Fudge Brown.

So I started out the design with a good bit of research. I needed the perfect shaped trillium blossom that I could stylize to go with the dinner plates. Here's the test piece, and how I did it:

The biggest challenge for me was figuring out how I was going to get 8 perfect circles that were all exactly the same. Improvise. I went to the kitchen, and low and behold, the top to the wok was exactly the size I needed. I set the pot top on the leather and cut with an exacto knife. Voila! I ended up using a whole double shoulder of leather for this, but it's going to be worth it.

PS... a double shoulder is the spread from the bottom of one shoulder of the cow, up over the withers, and to the bottom of the other. You can buy leather in a variety of sizes, including a double shoulder, or single shoulder!

The rest, save for scrap test pieces and other small projects!

I needed to match the design of the plates, but didn't want to take away from the design. I sketched a few versions, and put the final one on tracing paper.

To transfer an image from tracing paper to leather:

Wet your leather. It won't transfer if you don't wet it.

Set your pattern on top of the leather, pencil up. You don't want your pencil markings to go onto the leather, because it won't come out.

Here's where you're supposed to use what's called a stylus, but since money is tight, I use a mechanical pencil with no lead exposed. This is just to make a mark in your leather that is faint and usually is covered by any tooling that you would do. Trace just hard enough so that the image will transfer, but not so hard that you will rip your paper. Remember, wet paper rips easily. I almost tried to make a joke about the durability of wet toilet paper, but I'll hold my tongue today. :)

Once your design is transferred, my best suggestion is to use a swivel knife to cut along the lines you just transferred so that when stamping, the relief area will be more pronounced. Starting with the forground, stamp along the outer edge with a smooth, flat, square stamp. (B201-00 from the Tandy website)

On my trillium chargers, I did the flower petals first, and then the leaves. I then used a smooth tear dropped shape stamp to give the leaves some texture. Leaves aren't perfectly smooth, so neither will mine. I used a few other stamps to give the flower some interest, and then used the swivel knife to give the leaves veins. Use your judgement on the details and accents. Anything to spice it up will help.

Enjoy! I'll follow up with more pictures of the finished product. This image is a sample for the colors, so I don't know how it will be stained in the end.

Leather- Lets get started

So it seems there is a lost art. The art of leather crafting. Well, maybe I should say lost trade. I picked it up working at Holiday Lake 4H Educational Center this past summer, and have gotten addicted to it. It's calming, rhythmic at times, and it can annoy some one in the room with the pound of a hammer! Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting!

Before you do leather crafting, you need to know that yes, it is SKIN. I had so many kids ask me if it was real skin. I get my leather through Tandy Leather, who takes the hides from animals used in their entirety. Also the stains and paints I use are Eco-friendly and 100% biodegradable. If you're a vegan, sorry.

There are two different kinds of leather. Veg-tan and Chrome-tan. The difference is in the tanning process.
Veg-tanned leather, in short, is tanned with vegetable extracts and is the kind of leather that is easily altered, moldable and stampable. It's the more decorative leather you might see in belts, saddles, boots, etc. Any mark made on it is permanent. Even pencil marks.
Chrome-tanned leather is tanned with chromium salts. It's what is used more typically in clothes. It is very easy to cut, and you can use a lace-maker on it quite easily. But I'll post about that another day.

These guidelines are going to be for working with Veg-tanned leather. You can buy it in all kinds of sizes and thicknesses. Just think about what you want to make, and the make the judgement.

The supplies:

Marble slab- you need a very very hard surface to hammer on, and one that doesn't bounce. I got mine through Tandy.
Mallet- you can get these in plastic or leather. I went with plastic. Just don't do rubber.
Stamps- designs, letters, backgrounds, whatever your heart desires.
Spray bottle filled with good ole H2O
Leather- make sure it's veg-tan
Good lighting
Creativity!!!


Let's get started.

Your leather can be cut into whatever shape you want with scissors or an exacto knife. I would suggest practicing before you do anything on your primary piece of leather.

Wet the leather with the spray bottle. Now it's not alive anymore, so it's not thirsty. Don't drench it. Just make sure that you get the surface wet enough so the water will absorb into the leather. Then hold your stamp straight up and down, touching the leather, and hammer. If you hammer too hard, you will puncture the leather. If you go to lightly, you won't make a mark.

There you have it!! More tips and techniques will come very soon, I promise.

Proceed and Be Bold

"Hi, I am Amos Kennedy. I am an artist. No, wait, I am not an artist. I am a printer."

On of the best art professors I have had the pleasure of exchanging conversation with. He'll tell you how it is.

"He manages to piss people off of all color. Often he'll make people angry because he makes race evident. He's always talking about race and a lot of people don't want to..."

"I like to tell people I'm colored by birth, negro by education, black by choice, but don't call me an African American. Why not African American? Because everyone is African American because life started there."