Wire Wrapped Upcycled Jar Vase

 This is what I made my mom for Mother's Day. Years ago I had torn from a catalog a picture of something similar . The photo was very small, so I couldn't really see the detail of how it was made and I think they were smaller. 
Well to make mine, I went out & got some glass beads (blue and clear) some 16 gauge blue craft wire (two 7 foot packs) and some silver wire from the hardware dept (it was cheaper than the craft wire, but will probably tarnish quicker). I had a neat jar from maple syrup that I was thinking of using, but it seemed a bit big. I then looked in the fridge & found an old jar of McCormick cocktail sauce that I don't even remember ever buying. I emptied it out (it's color was off) washed it out & then used some blue glass stain on it for color. 
I then slid a few beads onto the wire and started twisting the ends into curls and following the shape of the bottle. I wrapped more wire around the top & bottom of the bottle and looped the side pieces through them. At this point I got frustrated because the side pieces were just flopping from side to side. Obviously I didn't quite get the construction right. I used the silver wire strung with beads to attach the separate swirl pieces at the bottom and for additional decoration. To get the sides to stay in place I attached some more silver wire with beads & just wrapped it all around the two pieces to get them to stay in place. 
Now I'm just hoping that the weight the vase once a little water & flowers are put in won't cause it to come apart.

Last Minute Recycled Gift Bag

Finally a crafty post instead of a reconstruction one.

We got a last minute invitation to a birthday party for our friend's son. I managed to squeeze in some shopping time for a present, but when I looked through my stash, I had no wrapping paper or bags fit for a 6 year old. Most of my craft supplies, glues sticks, glues, etc. are all packed away in storage while we're doing our home renovation, so I couldn't make my usual upcycled gift bag. But if you save enough junk like I do, you can always find something usable. Another of my friends (who's received a few of my recycled calendar gift bags) now hands me down her calendars at the end of the year & I found one stashed in the bookshelf. I also had a Williams Senoma shopping bag. I just cut out 2 cute pages from the calendar & taped them on the bag. Since the sides of the bag said williams-senoma.com down them, I cut a strip of some used wrapping paper that said 'Happy Birthday' and taped over that too. Quick, easy & pretty cute to boot!

ODD DUCK BAZAAR NEXT WEEKEND

The Fabulous Odd Duck Bazaar is coming up next weekend, Saturday March 31, 2012. Although my new job prevents me from either vending or visiting the craft fair this year, I encourage all who have the time to stop by this incredible bazaar. This year the location has moved to Hollywood, Fl and more space is provided 80+ vendors. Some of South Florida's most talented Indie Artist and Crafters will be selling their wares. The venue provides both indoor and outdoor shopping areas, plus live music. Follow the link to preview the creative vendors you will find.

Halloween Decor Roundup

Here are some recent finds I've come across for Great Halloween Decorations.

Ric Rac Pumpkins at Eddie Ross

Bat Wreath at Did someone say party?

Decoupage Pumpkins at Makes and Takes

Framed Pumpkins at Indie Pretty Projects

Upcoming Event

On Saturday Dec. 4, 2010 the ReFORMatory will be setting up shop at the Pink Ghost Mini Market, 1888 Polk Street, Hollywood, Fl - Noon to 5 PM. Come shop for pillows, handbags, jewelry, accessories and other handmade recycled / upcycled crafts.

I’m a Finalist

Two of my creations have made the finals in the Recycled Denim Challenge on Ecouterre. I’m so excited to be part of this eco friendly competition. Ecouterre and it’s mother website Inhabitat are great eco/green websites to explore for inspiration, wonderful new designs and creative creations. There are links on my sidebar if you’d like to vote for me or explore the other finalists in the competition.

Jack-O-Lanterns through the Years

Today I’ll be going out to buy a pumpkin or two for this year.

  We usually cook them to use for pumpkin pies.

But our favorite part is coming up with a new Jack-o-lantern each year. 

 These are a few from years past.

The internet has now become our greatest source for ideas. 

The Yellow Green Farmers Market is here

After months of delay, the Yellow Green Farmer’s Market opened in Hollywood. It’s an open-air market featuring local produce, gourmet foods, tee-shirt shops, arts and craft booths and health and beauty items for green living. With space for over 300 vendors it’s a much-needed fresh green market for South Florida. I’m hoping it’s very successful. It’s open Thursday nights, Saturday and Sunday. Check it out.

Good Times at the Etsy Craft Party

I had a great time friday night at our local Etsy Craft Party, hosted by the Hollywood Craft Mafia. They did a great job organizing the party (check out their meet-up schedule for future events). It was so much fun, over 50 people and everyone working away on making stamps and wristlets. I met so many interesting folks and it was a pleasure being together with other crafters. I forgot my camera, so I took a picture of my 2 unfinished projects. I have a little more sewing on the edge of the wristlet and still need to put some paint on my stamp & try it out. Hope to get back to them soon.

Shop for Independance

I created a treasury for 4th of July items, check out the cute buys.

Wish I Could Hang Out in Grandpa’s Shed

My choice for this month’s Blog Carnival theme is to talk about my grandfather.
He was a craftsman. He made his living as a house painter, a skill he passed down. My siblings and I always pitched in when the house needed painting, and I still don’t hesitate to pick up a bucket of paint & brush today. But in addition to his profession, my grandpa was a woodworker. He built all the oak kitchen cabinets in my childhood home and he handcrafted many small household items. Not only did he cut & assemble the pieces, he also did his own decorative painting. I believe my mother still has a cutting board in the shape of a pig. I’m not totally sure, but I believe he used mostly hand tools, don’t remember him using power tools.

Grandma & Grandpa

I’m sure grandpa could have produced lots of items for an etsy shop, but I doubt he would have embraced computers. So much of their home was very old technology, from the ringer washer that grandma used to their telephone (which is probably the oldest style phone I ever used).  But using those old-fashioned hand techniques is what makes the new craft movement exciting to me.

While taking the photos, I noticed inside his intials and 1958 or 1968 

so this may be the same age as me

When you walked out onto my grandparents’ small back porch, you first overlooked his huge vegetable garden. He tended it meticulously & as small children we were banded from playing around in it. Behind the garden was his huge shed, which extended almost of the width of the yard. As small kids we were also forbidden to go into the shed because of the dangerous tools, but as we grew older, only my brothers were permitted inside. The only times I remember seeing the inside was when grandma would send us out to retrieve him & then we got to poke our heads inside. It was filled with all kinds of tools, hardware and furniture needing repair. I always longed to be inside. But when I was around 9, we moved out of state, so there were few opportunities after that. My younger brother did spent one summer there and he built an end table with grandpa. 

 Grandpa, Mom & either my Sis or me

I was about 18 when that house was sold and didn’t have the means or place to store most of the wonderful goodies in the shed or house. Though I pursued so much sewing and crafting throughout my teens, it wasn’t until adulthood that I realized I had missed an opportunity to learn proper woodworking. I’m not one to have many regrets in life (I feel that all our ups & downs create the person that we are) but learning from grandpa is something I definitely wish I had taken advantage of as a child. I’d love to be exploring that shed right now!

What is this?

What is this OR what would you make with it? I bought a handful of these things close to 30 years ago, probably at a thrift store, or a going out of business sale at a notions shop. They are metal, maybe brass, they are approximately 2” wide and I put one on the scale and it was 0.8 lbs.

My husband thinks they may be place holders for a dinner table, but are just a bit too small to hold a business card sideways. They don’t appear to be a buckle as the ends have points & no way to attach them. I wondered if they are some kind of weight for the bottom of a curtain or something to go on a wide ribbon, but can’t figure how that would work either. Let me know your ideas or inspirations.

April’s EtsyBlogger

This month EtsyBloggers is featuring Pam of Magdalene Jewels another talented member of our team. She has been blogging for a while about crafting and her family life.

She also has 2 different Etsy shops, one that features her beautiful jewelry and the other her incredible knitting. Please give her a look-see.

http://magdalenejewels.etsy.com

http://magdaleneknits.etsy.com

March EtsyBlogger - DizzyDragonflies

Check out the most beautiful hand dyed yarns at DizzyDragonflies. The colors are so luscious. It almost makes me want to give knitting another try. I know the basics, but never mastered gauge. Plus Florida is a bit too hot for knitted wear. But if you are a knitter, then you definitely need to visit her shop. And check out Vicki’s blog too for loads of great knitting crafts and info. She’s also on flickr too!.

http://dizzydragonflies.etsy.com/

http://knittingdragonflies.etsy.com/

http://knittingdragonflies.blogspot.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/knittingdragonflies

Congrats to TiLT Creations - Feb's EtsyBlogger

She’s one prolific crafter and blogger. She has two Etsy shops, one with a large inventory of lovely handbags, purses, etc. Her other shop has fabrics, vintage patterns and other supplies. And she’s a great team member featuring all kinds of great stories about other crafters and shops on her blogs. Take time to see her great stuff.

http://TiLTCreations.etsy.com
http://TiLTtoo.etsy.com
http://tiltcreations.blogspot.com
http://tiltcreationstoo.blogspot.com

Savy’s Room Keep Out

I made this adorable little sign for my great niece. I was told she handmade a paper ‘keep out’ sign for her room, so I made a nice reversible sign for her door. It was quite easy to piece together as the craft store had the bag of pastel letters, the castle, stars & frame were on clearance and the unicorn & coach were sold with markers to color them. I did have to cut the letter Q to make an extra O since there weren’t enough in the package, but that gave me my apostrophe. All I had to do was paint the plaque purple, arrange the layout, glue it together and add the ribbon to hang it with. I found a great picture of her with a perfect face for the “Keep Out” side.

Been Too Busy to Blog

Well I haven’t been blogging since thanksgiving, haven’t even kept up with the few blogs I follow. The last months of the year are a very hectic time for my family. Not only do we have the holidays with big family meals and xmas presents to make or shop for, but we also have 7 birthdays between the end of Nov. & the beginning of Jan. (including my own). Since I’ve gotten back into sewing and crafting, this year took a real toll on my time. I was totally wrapped up in crafting gifts, xmas shopping & shipping presents out of state. I neglecting my Etsy shop, my blog, and my xmas tree – it had lights on it for almost 2 weeks, finally got ornaments on Christmas eve. Just got the last birthday gifts off in the mail today, so things should slow down again. Now I’ll be posting a few pics of the gifts I made.
These 1st pictures are of sets of coasters I made mostly from my husbands photos, but a few photos are mine too. I found boxes of 6 coasters at the dollar store that had tacky touristy maps on them. I then had to crop all my photos to the right dimensions, print them, laminate them & glue them over the maps. I also glued a thin sheet of cork on the back of each one. I made 3 different sets, one for my brother, one for my brother-in-law & one for my niece’s husband.