Category Archives: Techniques

Inheriting a true treasure

April 25, 2016All things fiber, My life, Techniques, Weavingbaby wolf, fiber, loom, Schacht, yarnhappylifecrafting

Words cannot say how greatful I am, to have inherited a schacht baby wolf loom. I am excited to share photos of this beautiful workhorse. Learning how to weave has always been on my list of things to do. My fascination with tea towels is a direct link. Now that I have this awesome tool, there will be lots of weaving going on here, to make dish towels.

Having absolute zero knowledge of how to weave, a huge transition and learning curve is before me! I am thrilled to embrace this age old craft!

(LOTS of you tube videos started the night this loom came into my house)

Having been stored for a few years she needed a little cleaning. The rods on the harnesses needed a good sanding to remove the rust. Other then that, a good wipe down and a bit of bees wax to condition the wood was all that had to be done. We did remove the purple warp that was on it.

After sanding…. I also wiped the rods with a little wd40. Now, the heddles glide with ease.

My weaving journey begins- warping, dressing the loom, sleying the reed, threading the heddles, winding the beams, sett, epi- this is only the beginning.

Have you ever looked at a weaving pattern? Oh my!

Thank you Kathy, for helping a girl out. This loom is a true treasure, and I am over the moon to have received it!

Be happy …and have a happy life crafting!

Janette

Crochet for the Grand Girls

April 10, 2016crochet, Techniquescrochet, crochet tiered dress, dress, girls dress, Knitting, yarnhappylifecrafting

Those angels I call my Grandchildren are always on my heart and mind. I find great joy when I “yarn” something for them. It’s a way of keeping them close to my heart, when they are not with me. I feel that way about everyone I knit for. I’m sure all you knitters and crocheters can relate.

My “yarning” technique of choice this time was crochet, one of my first favorite hobbies taught to me, by my Mother. When I saw this cute pattern for this crochet dress I couldn’t wait to start. I knew it was going to be one of those projects that won’t let you put the hook down. I have many UFO’s in my collection, (unfinished object) this was not going to be one. In fact, I said “I’ll make two” and here they are. The pattern kept my attention and they were finished in record time. I can’t wait to see the girls in them….. My hope is to get a picture of Karolina and Reagann together wearing the dresses , with bare feet.

This Grandma has dreams.

You can find the pattern on ravelry.com; it is called Crochet Tiered Dress. I have more pictures posted on Ravelry and yarn information. You can find me as Boasj on Ravelry.

If you have ever wanted to learn to crochet or knit….. I say, take lessons….. Take the plunge…. It’s worth every stitch. Don’t worry about being patient, you will learn patience along the way.

Be happy ….and have a happy life crafting.

Janette Boas

Bokeh made simple

May 29, 2015Techniqueshappylifecrafting

During the storm yesterday, I kept myself busy re vamping a card using a technique that I learned a few months ago. The technique is referred to as the Bokeh effect. In photography, bokeh is a technique that photographers achieve with lighting. It’s when a photo has a fuzzy backround that’s quite colorful, and circular lights appear on the picture. You can duplicate this with water colors, in art. The method I chose to achieve a similar look is a bit simpler then water colors. There is no drying time and moves a little quicker ; and I’m all about quick, so I can move on to the next project.

This first picture, is the card we made in one of our Tuesday classes. I’m sharing this one, to show the difference from the one I re vamped, yesterday. If you look closely you will notice that the black, stamped image is dull. This is because the white pigment ink or craft ink I used to soften the colors , and create the bokeh effect, which are the circles, muted the black ink.

In this picture, the black, stamped image is much brighter, the colors are brighter too. I used less craft ink or white pigment ink. The next few photos are my attempt to share with you the steps to make this card or one similar. My future goal is to make quick, video tutorials, but for now this will have to do. I still need to learn how to do a few more things on this blog, to get it dialed in….. Please feel free to contact me for questions .

These are the stamp sets used to make the card above. See online Store for more details.

All the supplies are from Stampin’ up and are available in my online Store.

The cardstock I chose to use are the new in colors. I labeled the colors of the paper in the photo. Except for the tip top taupe, which is the card base. You can see the measurements to cut each layer before starting, as well.

In this picture you can see the ink used to stamp the chosen images. Stamp them on the whisper white card stock (card topper). After stamping the images, heat emboss the images with black embossing powder. This step is what made the images brighter and shiny. The embossing also made the image resistant to absorbing the colored inks and craft ink. You certainly can omit the embossing step, like I did in the first one I made. It just won’t be as bright. As you can see by looking at the two different pictures above.

This next pictures shows the colored inks I used, which match the colors of the card stock. I took the sponge wedges dipped them in each of the colored ink and inked up the whisper white, piece of paper with the images already stamped on. Just randomly smear on the 3 different colors over the black image with the sponges.

Here, you can see a piece of acetate paper that I punched 3 different size holes in, to make a stencil. Use the stencil to create the circles on top of the colored ink. In this picture you can also see the craft ink, which is white pigmented ink. I used a sponge dauber to lightly sponge the circles. Moving in circular motion and slightly over lapping them; also allowing a couple of the circles to go off the paper. This adds more dimension and character.

Tips: use the craft ink sparingly. Blot it off on scratch paper after dipping into the ink before applying it, to prevent botching.

Refer to picture of completed card to see placement of circles. The craft ink mutes the bright colors creating a fuzzy look and the circles represent the lights ….. This is a version of Bokeh, in card making.