Art, design, and visual culture.
This fun easy-to-make button thread spinner is fun, easy-to-make toy that takes only minutes to make with common household items.
Mixed Media Inspiration :: Freckles and Flowers Today's mixed media inspiration comes from Freckles and Flowers. In her post, Paula shares several mixed media images to advertise an Altered Books Mixed Media workshop she was teaching. Be sure to stop by Freckles and Flowers for more mixed media inspiration. A Bit of Imperfection :: Thoughts from …
Jane Perkins works with everything from buttons and beads to shells and plastic spoons. She never manipulates their colour: she just organises them into images.
Unlock fun & creativity with 29 clever cardboard DIY projects! Turn spare boxes into innovative crafts. Ideal for DIY enthusiasts and beginners. In every home, there
(via This, that and everything inbetween: Today’s whimsy …)
quilted cover for a hand-bound book
Browse our best kids' art projects to keep them entertained, happy, and feeling creative—including painting, coloring, and toys for imaginative play.
Paper Planets are a simple planet craft that introduces kids to the magic of turning a 2D material into a 3D object.
When I saw that you could dye buttons on the Rit Website I knew I just had to try it. I've been going through my vintage stash of old buttons. I know that I have so many I just couldn't justify buying more. Especially when I found this lovely Kerr jar filled with lots of vintage beauties! Alas, big jars come with lots of buttons. I like the cool ones, so the rest, well, they just get sorted and moved and never used. I also tend to use bright colors so a whole bunch of other colors just sit. I also mainly use big buttons, so all the little buttons get left behind. Its sad. I think you get the gist. So I gathered all the buttons I don't intend on using and put the best in my Etsy shop. Take a look at them here. I did all the work for you. Rit Dye will color buttons made from nylon and plastic. Some of the buttons I tried did not dye well. I had a lot of transluscent buttons that were very shiny. Those did not take dye as a rule. Many of the vintage buttons that were semi opaque dyed in a wide range from very deep to very pale. My favorite white molded, vintage buttons came out very good or very bad. I threw a few new buttons in the mix. They as a rule took the dye beautifully. The colors were intense and bright. The top photo shows all of the buttons I dyed. You can see how glass and other plastic type buttons did not take any color on. Here is a good image showing the new buttons in the foreground. The older buttons are behind them. Here are the tools you will need. Buttons Plastic table cover Disposable gloves Measuring cup and spoons Eye Dropper or Paint Dropper Disposable cups, bowl, spoons Rit Dye Paper Towels Very Hot Water Gather all your tools together. I used 3 colors Lemon Yellow Fuchsia Teal They are close to primary colors. I was able to get a nice purple, orange and green by mixing these 3 colors. They are less than 4 dollars each. I recommend using the liquid dyes. First of all, you wont need to wear a dust mask. You never want to mix powered dyes without respiratory protection. The liquid dyes are concentrated and you don't need to use as much. Rit Dye has the formulas for dyeing over 500 colors! To get those recipes click Here. The Rit Dye website on how to dye buttons is here. They recommend that you add 1 teaspoon of dye to 1 cup of very hot water. I used a tea kettle to heat the water. I want the dye bath to stay hot for a longer time so I used Styrofoam cups. This dye is heat sensitive. Once it cools it is not as affective. To prolong a dye bath once it has cooled, add very hot or boiling water and add more dye. I used less than a cup of water. You only need as much water as it takes to submerge your buttons. I also used more than a teaspoon of liquid dye. I wanted the dye bath to have a better concentration of dye to water. Add your buttons to the dye bath. I recommend dropping them in with a spoon to avoid splashing dye onto your clothing or kitchen floor. Let the buttons sit in the dye for at least 2-5 minutes. Here is a picture of what they look like after 5 minutes. I left some of my batches in for 20 minutes. Once the solution cools, the dying process is ineffective, so why leave them in longer? The buttons were a bit darker with the longer dye time, but not by much. If you want your colors to be more intense, just add more dye. I decided to try dyeing some secondary colors, green, purple and orange. I just mixed some of the dye colors I had mixed on a disposable plate. Just be sure to cover your buttons completely. Then rinse and wash in soapy water. I used dish soap and did not see any of the dye come out. Then rinse again and let dry. I totally recommend putting the drain cover over your sink opening with holes small enough to stop any buttons from going into your garbage disposal. Believe me. Digging them out after you hear that awful clattering is something you or your hubby do not want to hear! Have fun with your new buttons! Here are some beautiful examples of fiber art using buttons. I found these on Pinterest. I've added the artist's website when available. I hope you find them very inspirational. Some of them have tutorials and one site has an Etsy shop which contains lots of amazing vintage buttons. I'll be ordering more soon. Doh! I'm supposed to be destashing! Well, buy some of my vintage buttons here so I can go buy more from someone else. click here to find Simply Stephy's blog. It will take you to her Etsy shop where you will find more goodies. Find a cute blog and a tutorial for these cute hair pins at A Home Makers Journal These are so cute and there is a link to a tutorial on Red Brolley's blog. I love this mixed media piece. I found this one at Life is A Beautiful Place to Be, which is also a lovely blog to visit. Here is a simple button bracelet and a tutorial. I found it at Hope Studios Here are a few more jewelry pieces from the following sites in order of the images shown: Sew Many Ways and An Era's Ambiance Jewelry Of course you can use buttons on your crazy quilt blocks, glue magnets or thumb tacks on the back to use on your fridge or bulletin board. You can use them as is or stack them for more texture and interest. You can sew them on your favorite blouse or sweater to update it and make it more "you". Give this craft a try. Its fun and easy! Here are a few of the buttons I have in my Etsy shop now. You can purchase the buttons I dyed for this tutorial in lots of 100 for only $7.00. You can purchase Lot 1, Lot 2 or Lot 3. A few more tips when using Rit to dye cloth- Add salt when dyeing cotton, rayon, linen and ramie. Add vinegar when dyeing nylon, silk and wool. To determine how much salt or vinegar to use, go to the Rit Dye website I hope you give this a try. It was a lot of fun and not too messy. Just don't forget to use your gloves! Check out my home page by clicking on my logo at the top of the page to see more tutorials and musings on my blog- fiberluscious!
Breezy spring/summer weather offers a great opportunity for outdoor crafting and making fun outdoor crafts! Check out these gorgeous wind chime projects! We love that they've all been created with recycled materials and are certain they'll add a lovely musical tough to any backyard! {DIY Key Wind Chime via Inner Child Giving} {Soda Can Lightcatcher Wind Chime via FaveCrafts.com} {Button and Bottle Top Wind Chime via Parents.com} {Colorful + Fun Pencil Chimes via Design Sponge} {Aluminum Can Wind Chime via A Girl and a Glue Gun} {Rainbow Suncatcher & Wind Chime via Life in the Nuthouse} {Recycled CD Wind Chime via Adventures of a Tiny Lady} {Aluminum Can Lid Wind Chime via Maker Mama} No matter which design you choose, we know you and your crafters will have a blast artfully arranging each piece and listening to the music your DIY wind chime creates!
Your favorite depressed prisoner is here to harshen all the vibes in only the way Lumalee can! From the Mario film comes a character so unique and so melancholy all in the guise of a child's voice they immediately caught my attention! A wonderful addition to the sticker collection!
Distance learning is tough for art teachers. Tough, but not impossible. It just requires a little more thought and flexibility on your part for planning art projects. If this is your first time experiencing it, give yourself some room to make mistakes.
These incredible sculptures are made from old flipflops arranged to take the shape of angel's wings. They are the works of Filipino artists Isabel and Alfredo
Requirements: Foolproof Crazy-Quilt Projects 1 piece of felted wool 7 1/2" x 7 1/2" 1 piece of lining fabric 7 1/2" x 7 1/2" 1 piece of non-woven stabilizer 7 1/2" x 7 1/2" 2" piece of 7mm ribbon Assorted 4mm and 7mm silk ribbons Assorted Perle #8 and # 12 threads Assorted stranded cottons Chenille #22 needle Milliner’s #9 needle Small button Construction; Note: Pattern includes ¼" seam allowance. 1. Fuse the stabilizer to the wrong side of the wool felt. 2. Fold the felt into the shape of an envelope and press well. Folded envelope 3. These pressed lines form the perimeter for the embroidery. It is important to remember the ¼" seam allowance. Perimeter lines 4. Follow the stitch maps from Foolproof Crazy-Quilt Projects to complete the embroidery. Stitch map 4.1 Top Left-Hand Corner - Seam Treatment X - page 38 4.2 Top Right-Hand Corner - Seam Treatment J - page 34 4.3 Bottom Left-Hand Corner - Lid Piece 5 - page 69 4.4 Bottom Right-Hand Corner - Seam Treatment B - page 14 4.5 Center - Seam Treatment A - page 68 5. Baste the 2" ribbon to the top corner of the embroidered square to form the button loop. Button loop 6. Put the outer panel on the lining piece with right sides together. 7. Pin and sew the panels together, leaving a small opening for turning. 8. Turn the panels right side out. Gently push out the seams and press. 9. Fold the completed panels into an envelope shape and press well. 10. Slip stitch the two front seams closed. 11. Feather stitch along the stitched seams and the top edge. 12. Attach the button to the front in line with the button loop. Attached button Completed Project; Enjoy! Follow my blog with Bloglovin
