green craft: lacing beads

If you've been lurking around here at twelve crafts for a while (and chances are you haven't been), you might remember wood craft week.  In March, I hit a sewing-wall.  I just could not sew another stitch, so I spent a much needed week on wood crafts.  

During wood craft week I painted people.  Well, I didn't paint actual people; rather, I painted little wooden dolls.  I think they turned out kind of cute.  I would put these little dolls on my success list.  I couldn't keep them tucked away until Christmas, so I gave them to my girls in their Easter baskets.

On the other hand, my lacing beads project went right onto the failure list.  My niece received some lacing beads last Christmas.  My kids spent hours playing with their cousin's lacing beads.  Rather than pay $15.00 to $20.00 for a set of commercially made beads, I thought I would try my hand at it.  But . . . these little beads were tougher to master than I thought they would be, and I ended up putting them aside for a while.

I finally mastered the art of painting bobbins and other wood shapes, and I was able to finish this Christmas gift for my youngest daughter.   

If you are looking to dabble in making a homemade gift for a child in your life, this is the perfect gift to start with.  So grab the following supplies and get started.

Supplies for beads:
-acrylic paint or spray paint (Please don't use the cheapest acrylic paint you can find unless you are prepared to paint ten coats because cheap paint tends to be more watery.  Take it from me . . . this is not the route you want to go!)
-Modge Podge or other non-toxic sealer
-paint brushes

Supplies for recycled bead container:
-Clorox wipes container or other cleaning wipes container
-large fabric scraps
-ribbon
-Modge Podge (Again?  Yes, again!)
-razor/utility knife

STEPS FOR LACING BEADS:  (This is so easy that I feel silly telling you what to do, but I will anyway.)
1)  Sand any rough edges of bobbins, ball and wood shapes.  This may seem unnecessary, but I highly recommend it!

2)  Paint bobbin, balls and other wood shapes in various colors.  You will have to do three or four coats depending on paint thickness and color.  Let each shape dry in between coats.

3)  Seal each wood shape with Modge Podge.  I also used two coats of Modge Podge letting the first coat dry before I added the second.

4)  Lacing beads done!  How easy was that??!!

STEPS FOR RECYCLED BEAD CONTAINER:
1)  Strip label off Greenworks Clorox wipes or other wipe container.

2)  Wrap large scrap around to cut accurate size.  Modge Podge this large scrap around the container.

3)  Modge Podge ribbons on top and bottom.  Don't worry it dries clear!

4)  Cut plastic center out of top opening. 

5)  Bead container done!  Can this get any easier??!!  (Here's some info I should probably leave out so that you don't think less of me than you already do, but I'm going to include it anyway.  I had the great idea to personlize this container with fabric letters saying, "Monkey's Beads," since they are for my youngest daugther, Monkey.  I printed out letter, traced them onto fabric, carefully cut out the fabric, and . . . lost all the letters.  So somewhere in my house are these little fabric letters that took me hours to create.  I'm hoping I find them before Christmas!)

Place beads and laces in container, wrap and give to a cute little child in your life.

Craft on!

wood craft week: a lesson from the wonder pets!

My kid's are watching "The Wonder Pets" for a special pre-bedtime show.  There aren't too many shows they get to watch at our house.  (I know, I know...I'm such a mean mom.  I've already heard these famous words from my four year old, "But mom (insert friend's name here) gets to watch (insert just about every kids' show here).  How come I don't get to?) 

Back to "The Wonder Pets"...I have to admit that I love this show.  There's something inspiring about these two gals, Linny and Ming-ming, and their friend, Tuck.  They are always working together to creatively get the job done.  

This week I've been working with other people to get the job done too.  With the advice of some other crafty friends, I've been experimenting with different ways to paint those little wood bobbins, balls and wheels that brought me so much frustration this week. (Click to catch up on previous post.) 

I'll write more about my mode of success later in case there are a few of you out there who would also like to make these colorful little lacing beads for a tot in your life.  But to top off a great wood crafts week - a much needed break from sewing, I just wanted to show off the success after the failure.  So check it out and

craft on!

wood craft week: celebrating failure...again!

If you've been journeying with me for a while, you know that I'm a big fan of failure.  My membership in the failure fan club started at an early age after falling when learning to walk, running into the garage while learning to ride a bike, getting in an accident shortly after learning to drive.  Somewhere along the way, I realized that failure can be a good thing - if you let yourself learn something from it.  

Since starting this crafting gig, I have earned a platinum membership in the failure fan club.  (Hence the reason for starting my flickr page to celebrate failure.)  Wood craft week has not disappointed me...it has left me plenty of room for failure.  You don't know how many times I had to paint over mistakes on my wonderful little painted people.

And then there's these little wooden gems.  (Sorry about the picture quality...just another failure to add to my celebration list.)

If you read my first post for wood craft week about painting people, you will remember that I also purchased wood bobbins and balls in hopes of making them into people.  I abandoned that hope when I realized I would have to glue them all together and my laziness won out.  

So...what's a gal to do with 20 wood bobbins and 36 little wood balls?  Hmmmm...make lacing beads?  Yes!  I picked up some wooden-wheel shaped pieces and decided that I would paint the bobbins, balls and wheels in bright colors, pair them with some new shoelaces and place them in a little container of some sort...voila...fun lacing beads any toddler would enjoy.  A great addition to my twelve crafts till Christmas.  

And that's where failure comes in...

Monday night I sat down to paint - starting with what I thought was going to be a great light green and bright pink.  It took me about two coats of paint and hands covered in green and pink to realize that I would need about ten coats of paint of light green and five coats of paint of bright pink on each little bobbin, ball and wheel.  

If you've come to know me at all, you know I'm not patient enough to go to all this trouble.  So I've ditched the wood beads until I can either a) find thicker darker paints or b) get some primer.  I'm assuming primer would help eliminate the soaking in of color and the need for so many coats.  Can anyone validate that assumption for me?  

Bobbins, ball and wheels are back in the craft box; failure is celebrated because I learned something; and tomorrow I will...

craft on!