This past July, I participated in a pencil rubbing swap on Swapbot. It reminded me how much I enjoy and how beautiful this simple technique is. With all the leaves blowing around, there are plenty of things to make textures from. When Kelly C told me she wanted to learn to draw textures, my mind instantly thought about pencil rubbings. I know, not exactly what she had been talking about, but a fun project for leftover paper all the same. Love the way the mind works.

::Materials::

• Scraps of thin paper, tissue paper actually works really nicely if you are gentle.
• Color Pencil or 6B Drawing Pencil
• Scraps of cardstock – 8 1/2 X 5 1/2″ size works nicely for a little thank you card.
• Rubber cement

::Making Pencil Rubbings::

First you will want to pick out some nice leaves, the greener the better really. Dry ones will crumble under pressure.

Then, pick out a soft pencil or charcoal (crayons and markers work well too, experiment a little and see what you like best). After playing around a bit, I liked the way colored pencils worked best. I suggest a softer one like Prismacolor vs Crayola.

Rub softly with the side of the lead to discover the edges of your leaf.

Use more pressure around the edges to high light them and work softly between the veins.

I love tissue paper for making rubbings because you can really pull out all the tiny details.

Take the card stock you want to use for your card and fold it in half. I like the way the raw torn edges look, so I just tore the leaf out of the paper. You can cut it instead. I even played a bit with some decorative scissor for a different look.

Apply a nice thin coat of rubber cement to the back of the paper.

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Smooth out the paper on the front of the card stock and let dry (like a minute or less).

Play around with different papers, colors, and leaves. Here is a smaller leaf that I made into a 4×5″ card.

I’ve been trying to get into the habit of giving people thank you cards when they do awesome things – like host a great dinner party. I know it always makes me feel special and “job well done” when I get one. Try it out. It doesn’t have to be for anything “huge”. Maybe a kind word, a good meal, or an awesome craft zine that they sent you in the mail :)

Happy Crafting!

Kristin

This sweet bear is the Pu-Tai of my studio, he’s generous with a sweet smile and brings joy and bounty to my studio. Or at the very least, makes me smile whenever I get a glimpse of him. You can pick up a kit for this great jolly panda in the shop here.

Kit Includes:
50g Tatamy Tweed DK in Black
50g Tatamy Tweed DK in White
Yarn Needle
Beans
Knit Panda Bear Pattern (March Volume 2 Zine instead)

Finished Size: He stands 10″ high and 6″ wide.
You need: Size 4US Double Pointed Needles – set of 5 + about 4oz of fiberfill.

Knit Panda Bear originally appeared in Volume 2: Issue 03 of Craft Leftovers Monthly in March of 2010. So you can get a discount if you already have a pattern, excellent right?

Or if you want the whole zine instead of just the pattern, you can elect the zine option to get the March issue at a discounted price.

Enjoy and happy crafting!

Kristin

Every issue of Craft Leftovers Monthly is full of patterns, tutorials, and fun little snippets. What are these snippets I am referring to? Well, that varies from month to month. Because October’s issue was all about Falling into Fall, I filled the pages with patterns, tutorials, and thoughts on crafting outside as well as cozying up with fall crafting. Here is one of my favorite pages from this month’s issue about what I’ve learned about drying gourds:

You can get the October issue for just $7.00 during the month of October, a pretty good deal since it has 4 patterns, an interview, 2 recipes, and a collection of fun things like the page above.

Have you dried gourds before? What’s your best “learned the hard way” tip?

Happy crafting!

Kristin

Movies and shows I love you. Oh, you are seductive. But, you lower my productivity by 90% or more and I just can’t have you in the studio anymore. Hulu, you bring me my favorite new shows. I look forward to checking my queue. I find you irresistible. NetFlix, I was able to eliminate cable because of you. I learn about the world through you, Art21, a mash of documentaries, and more Law and Order than even TNT shows. I must say goodbye. I must tell you so long. I must reserve you for evenings at home.

One of the things I loved about working in my studio at university was that it eliminated the tv…but not any more.

I never fully comprehended how watching movies and shows of any kind, even ones I’ve seen before, kills my creative process. I can’t write. I can’t sew or crochet. And while I can knit while watching tv, I’m a lousy pattern writer when I watch because I get “sucked in.”

I know this about myself and yet I perpetually self distruct my own creativity and work flow by watching “just one show” or “just one movie”. Which always turns into a rest of the day hulu/netflix/youtube binge. Not very helpful. So from today on, I’m going to restrict ban tv watching to after hours. Will I be able to hold to it? It might sound like an extreme thing to do, but given my complete inability to control myself, I’m actually blocking it on my computers. Sure I could unblock it, but it will be an extra step and it will hopefully give me a little more pause before tuning in.

Replacing a Bad Habit with Good Ones

I’ll be honest, sometimes I get a little bored while working. Not all of Craft Leftovers is fun, happy, crafting time. Even when it is, I like listening to something while I’m making things and putzing around the studio.

The radio:

I love the radio and I’ve missed that in my office/studio. Our old clock radio (who’s alarm clock function is broken) now has a home in my cube.

Here in Iowa we have great local, national, and international programing through Iowa Public Radio (AM640). In Ames, we also have a pretty nice college radio station that plays a diverse selection of music (88.5FM). The classical music station (90.5FM) has a really well rounded selection of classical music. Sometimes, it’s nice to just chill out and listen to a roaring symphony.

Podcasts:

I like listening to a range of podcasts, but most have to do with either being creative, running a creativity based business, crafting, being an artist, or music. Here are my favorites:

The CraftyPod – All about being crafty. Started out as more of a how to and slowly morphed into a gem of an inspirational podcast covering topics from blog tune ups to the culture of free. Really interesting dialog on craft, entrepreneurism, and, of course, crafting!

Craft Sanity – Fun interviews with all sorts of people across the creative field, from editors to shop owners to bloggers like myself. A longer listen, but usually because Jennifer and the person she’s interviewing are just having a really great conversation about creativity (been there, she’s fun to talk to and asks great questions!).

The Accidental Creative - This has been the newest edition to my podcast listening. Each show is a discussion about a particular aspect of being in a creative job, where you are expected to come up with creative content on a regular basis. It covers ways to keep from burning out, staying true to your own creative practice, and regularly features great guest interviews–like the author of Getting Things Done for instance.

Bad at Sports - Chicago based podcast, but features interviews and reviews of art happenings all around the world. I think it was started when they were in college at the Art Institute, and then as they moved to separate parts of the world, they kept on as “reporters.” Really fun, kind of vulgar sometimes,  and very honest look at a broad base of contemporary art practice.

Ruby Fruit Radio – all girls all the time (music that is)

There are a lot of great video podcasts out there too, but like Hulu, YouTube, and Netflix, I try to keep that to after hours.

Pandora

Most of you have heard of this, but if you haven’t you are in for a treat. Essentially the idea is to make your own radio station based off one band you love. If you sign up with your Facebook account, you can see what “radio stations” your friends like. My favorites are Bon Iver, New Pony Experience, and Bjork. You can also browse by genre and select radio stations Pandora puts together. I like the Chill/Downtempo and Classic Indie Stations.

And with that, I’m going to get back to making stuff to the sound of a little Bon Iver Radio.

Happy crafting!

Kristin Roach

Hey, can you believe it? It’s been a quarter of a year since the last swap! It’s now time for the October Craft Leftovers Swap!

Are you tired of working with the same fabrics, papers, and yarn?

Is your stash a little “blah?”

Could your fabric use a fresh face in its mix?

Well, here’s the answer! Join the Craft Leftovers Swap and release 1 package of your goodies into the world and receive one in return!

Sign up on Swap Bot from now until October 25th.

Deadline to send out is November 1!

{have you joined the swap? grab this button, add it to your sidebar, and link it to the swapbot page}

Here are the details:

One of the hardest parts of not acquiring more craft stuff is resisting the desire for new inspiring craft supplies. Get inspired while continuing to work from what’s on hand–just work from someone else’s stash!

The Craft Leftovers Swap allows you the chance to trade in some of your stash for someone else’s! You don’t gain “more,” you just swap for some new inspiration!

Join me in my mission not just to destash, but to find wonderful uses for all our cast offs.

:: While everyone is encouraged to participate, do not do so unless you know for sure you can send out your package on time. If you have swaps under your belt, your rating must be 4.9 stars or higher on average.

:: This is an international swap, so make sure you have enough spare change to send a package to Japan if needed. Who knows, in return you may just get a sweet package from your favorite part of France. I do not plan on having a region specific swap any time soon. It’s quite a bit of work hosting a swap and so I want to include everyone I can in the few I do host (quarterly: July, October, January, and April).

:: You will send one envelope of your leftover goodies to one partner. I cannot assign more than one partner to any one swap member, so please do not ask. I’ve tried. Can’t do it.

:: Each package must be at least 6×9″ – cram it full, all you can fit but don’t go larger, we are doing an equal trade.

:: You can send any kind of craft supply – stash, recycled, vintage, or leftovers, DO NOT Purchase anything for this swap.

:: Check your partner’s profile to see if they have a crafting preference. And as such, only swappers with completed profiles will be allowed to participate. If you are new, make sure to add a few details about the kind of crafting you like to do.

:: All supplies must be in good shape – no stains, holes, or funky smells.

Not sure what to do with little bits of this and that? Check out the project archive for all kinds of ideas, inspirations, tutorials, and projects on what to do with leftovers!

Happy crafting & swapping!

Kristin Roach

Recycled Bead Earrings

Quick as a Flash Glitz!

When I moved, I carefully packed up my jewelry box. I wrapped it in tissue paper and tucked it into a safe place. Since then I have been 100% without any jewelry save my engagement ring and one necklace I tend to wear just about every day–no earrings though. I decided it was about time I changed that. Earrings are easy to make, take only a few supplies, and just a few minutes of time.

Materials

• 2 – Fishhook earring loop
• 2 – 2 inch post
• 2 – 6mm beads (blue ones)
• 2 – 1cm disk bead (recycled glass green ones)
• 2 – 1.25cm round bead (recycled glass whiteish ones)
• 2 – 3mm seed bead (itty bitty wood ones)

Tools

• Round nose pilers
• Wire cutters
• Optional: flat-nose pliers (helpful in wrangling the wire post)

Directions

Arrange your beads on the posts. I put the little wood seed beads on the bottom because the holes in the recycled beads were too big.

Give the post a bend about an eighth of an inch from the top bead.

Grip the post about a half inch from the bend and roll it toward the top bead so you get a loop:

This is what the loop will look like.

Grip the loop with your pliers (the round or flat nose will both work fine). Using your index finger of your left hand, wrap the end of the wire around the post below the loop. Make about 3 rounds like that. This is where the flat nose pliers come in handy. If you do not have perfect little wraps (takes a lot of practice), you can wrangle them into place by applying pressure with the flat nose plier.

It should look like this.

Really wedge the wire cutters in there as close as possible to the wrapped wire and trim the end. Use the round nose plier to try to push it as flush as possible to the post and into the top of the top bead.

Open up your earring hoop with the around nose pliers by rolling it open.

Put the loop over the open hoop. Then roll it shut again with the round nose pliers.

And that’s it. Once you get a few done, you can start whipping up earrings in about 10 minutes a pair or less. They make great Christmas gifts, birthday presents and “you’re swell and I’m glad your my buddy” gifts. :)

How do you like to use up your leftover beads?

Happy crafting!
Kristin

After so much intense sewing for the book, that pile of yarn is looking pretty inviting. Hi ya yarn, how’s it going? What have you been up to? Oh a sweater you say? Knit a sweater? I think I will. In fact, I think I’ll crochet one too.

It’s been fun pushing my pile of yarn WIPs and seeing what I want to finish up next. I’ve fallen back in love with these two projects.

Gabrielle from Rialto by Debbie Bliss


I changed up this pattern quite a bit, the size of the yarn I used dictated that I must. Thankfully it was just a few tweeks in gauge and I was actually able to just use a few sizes smaller instructions instead of re-writing the pattern. I did make it significantly longer than the pattern called for to. I’m using size 4 Crystal Palace needles (circular) and Brown Sheep Prairie Silk in Black and Charcoal Gray. I just finished the back and am casting on for the front. So let’s say I’m about 1/5 done because of the sleeves and hood (each probably about the size of the back, as far as yarn goes). I have about 17 balls 50g of yarn, hopefully that’s enough.

Short and Sweet from the Happy Hooker

This little lady has been languishing on the hook for over 16 months. And when I put it down, it was over half way done. Well, I’ve hooked a few more row on and shortly will be working on the edging, blocking it out, and wearing it around. Though I think it is starting to get a bit chilly for such a lacy short sleeve cardigan. Ah well, I’ll set it aside for the spring or wear it around in the office.

I am crocheting with a size G hook and 3 skeins of Brown Sheep cotton fleece.

Woven Scarf Sampler

I’ve continued to make progress on my weaving, which not as much as I would have hoped. I have 3 inches of a birds-eye twill pattern and another inch of plain weaving. My plan is to have bands of twill and green and gray. In theory it will make a nice square and rectangle pattern color pattern with different types of twill in each “band.” No picture, I totally spaced this morning while I was getting all snappy happy.

Reversible Convertible



Then of course, my Craft Leftovers Monthly crafting resulted in making this great pair of knit mittens, so warm. Just in time too, it’s getting colder every day. I knit two strands at the same time: a bulky domestic wool and a dk merino. I love the flecks of colors.

Warm like a Sunny Beach

And I made this great scarf. I really love my vintage jacket, but with a huge flat collar, it leaves my neck pretty exposed. I’m excited to wear my new crocheted goodie with it. Molly wouldn’t get out of the shot, so I stuck it on her. It’s odd how it seems to fit her. I swear it fits me too.

I used two large vintage buttons to hold it around. Because the crochet fabric is so thick, it actually works really well as a warm snugly collar that can be folded down or flipped up.

What have you been yarning it up with lately? Used any good leftovers :)

Happy crafting!

Kristin

I just wanted to post a quick note that I’m changing templates here on Craft Leftovers.
Read more →

The latest and greatest issue of Craft Leftovers Monthly is now available in the shop! This month’s issue is all about the current cool down we are going through. I went out to the garage for my last bit of outdoor crafting this month to bring you projects that take advantage of the last few weeks of bearable weather. Pick up your copy in the shop or on etsy today. Read more →