Ornament #2

For this week's ornament we were asked to make a star ornament out of toothpicks. Of course, I had to make a paper variation.

I cut two stars out of black paper. I kept the interior star for a later project. I wanted a cut out in the middle so that the colored lights from the tree could shine through.  The middle piece is a patterned vellum paper that is shaped as a border for the star. Instead of being a border, it becomes the middle piece of the ornament.

The possibilities are endless with this ornament. The paper could be a different color, The vellum could be a different color or a different pattern. This could be used as a gift tag or an added bonus to a present--a gift and an ornament.

To show the full effect, I had to break out my holiday lights. Here is a rough idea what the star would look like on a tree.

Iron Craft Challenge 13

This week, we were asked to create something using two of the three colors associated with the 4th of July--Red, White, and Blue. This has been a crazy week for me because we have a new show coming into the theater which means that I have been working nights again. Also, it is my turn to host the annual 4th of July orphan's party. An orphan's party is a party for those people who want to celebrate a holiday but can't travel home and for people who want to celebrate but have no place to go. With so many friends that are actors, these party's are quite common since actors have to travel so much for work.

This year, I decided to create a guest book for people to sign in and to leave comments. I wanted to surprise my friends and guests so I made a book for this use. Everyone has to sign in and answer the following question "What does the 4th of July mean to you." Each response will be accompanied by a small Polaroid picture.  I decided to use this challenge as a catalyst for my book.

The structure is a classic take on the bookbinding structure called a Dos-a-Dos. There is one cover than joins to separate booklets.  The pages are sewn using a classic pamphlet stitch (this book was designed with a 5 hole stitch). I used white 140 lb card stock for the covers and Canford text weight paper for the pages (one sheet of paper yielded 8 sheets of 7 in by 10 in pages which when folded in half equals 32 pages which are 5 in wide by 7 in tall). Therefore, the entire Dos-a-Dos have 64 pages to be filled.


Here is the top view of the Dos-a-Dos

I had to postpone posting the blog entry and the posting to Flickr because I didn't want my friends to cheat and know about the guest book. If they had know, they would arrive with some pre-arranged answer to the question.


Here are the red pages. White thread was

used to continue the theme.

Here are the blue pages.



Ornament #1

We were asked to create a photo wreath ornament for the first week of the Advent calendar.  I decided to make a wreath out of paper.  The black outline is a paper cutout that I have adapted from a greeting card that I designed before.  After cutting out the outline, I cut a border around the wreath. I cut two of these border pieces.  On the first border piece, I cut out the circle for the photo. After centering the photo, I glued the top piece to the second border piece.

Unfortately, I didn't have any pictures to put in my ornament so I found a birthday card that a buddy sent me and used the sock monkey from the card.

Beginning Boxes

So, I decided to start making boxes for the advent calendar challenge this morning--at 3:30 AM because I couldn't sleep. As I started to begin in the studio (the second bedroom of my apartment), I realized that I didn't have all of the materials that I needed to start. There is nothing more frustrating to me than having the desire to start a project and then spend time prepping materials that should have already been made.  First, I had to make some Methyl Cellulose (MC).  This is a paste product--think glue stick in liquid form. I mix the MC with PolyVinyl Accetate (PVA), aka industrial white glue, so that the drying time is increased. Using straight PVA dries too quickly when working with paper so you need some MC to extend the time before it dries.  This is equivalent to extender used in acrylic paints. This is really important right now because it is so hot in NYC that glue dries even faster.

Picture one shows MC thickening in the kitchen. It is best to let the mixture thicken overnight. Usually, you make two different versions--a thin version and a thick version depending on how your PVA is acting.  If your PVA is too thick, then you add the thin version. If the PVA is too thin, you add more PVA or the thick version of MC.  To make matters worse, sometimes you use straight PVA, as opposed to the mixture--called MIX, when working with boards. In other words, there are a lot of labelled pickle jars with white and liquid stuff in them. Thank goodness I like pickles.

The second order of business was a stylistic one.  I know that I want to make boxes based on a 2 inch cube. In other words, the single box will be a 2 by 2 inch box. The double box will be a 2 by 4 inch box and so on.  Because the boxes are doing to either be small or narrow, I need to cover the inside surfaces of the boxes before they are assembled. Therefore, I have to take binder's board and cover it on one side with the paper that I want to appear on the inside of the box. After looking at my stash of paper, I decided to use a Uhuru mulberry style paper in white (picture 2)

Unfortunately in box making and bookbinding, what happens on one side has to happen on the other.  In other words, since I would not be making the boxes tonight, I needed to compensate for the moisture that was added to the one side of the binder's board. If left alone, the board would warp as the paper started to shrink while drying. Like a math equation on opposite sides of the equal sign (what you do to one side, you have to do to the other), to compensate and counteract the warping, you have add paper on the reverse side. This side has been glued with waste paper (newsprint) (picture 3). Since there was moisture introduced to both sides of the board, theoretically it should dry flat.  When making boxes, it is always a good habit to start with straight boards or your corners will never be square.

Several hours later, I will try and go to sleep before I have to wake up to go to work.



Advent Calendar

Susi and Kat over at Just Crafty Enough have posted an Advent Calendar Project that parallels the concept of the Iron Craft Challenges. While the Iron Craft Challenges are every two weeks, the Advent Calendar Project occurs every week. Each week until December 1, we will be making the pockets for an advent calendar and a corresponding ornament to place in the pocket. I will be hosted three of the ornament challenges during which we will be making paper ornaments.

To get started, I decided that I wanted to make a collection of 24 boxes rather then the 24 pockets of the advent calendar. To make it even more difficult for myself, I will be making boxes of various sizes to accommodate a variety of small gifts, which is the tradition of the Advent Calendar. The size of the boxes will vary from a single box, to a quadruple box (four times the size of the single box).  I also had to try and figure out the layout of the boxes so that it would fit in a square. I finally calculated that I would need 7 quadruple boxes, 6 triple boxes, 7 double boxes, and 4 single boxes. I then took graph paper and played Tetris on paper to make them all fit. I wanted a collection of vertical boxes and horizontal boxes to make it appealing to the eye.  Here is the final diagram of what will be the finished project.

I decided to number the boxes from the beginning so I can make some design decisions while creating the individual boxes.

Iron Craft Challenge 12

This week we were asked to do something with photographs.  There were many options that I considered. I don't have very many pictures so I decided to use a birthday card that I received from a good friend.  I thought about making a book or a picture cube but I decided to make a homemade picture frame that I can put on the refrigerator.

The picture is a standard four by six picture.  The frame itself is five by seven.  The frame is cut out of Davey board and is wrapped in hand marbled paper.  I wanted to use a muted palette since there was so much color in the picture.

The picture is protected by a piece of mylar/transparency.

The back of the frame is covered by matte board that has been hinged so that you can have easy access to the picture should you want to change it. The magnets are attached to the matte board so it can be used on the refrigerator.

The matte board also covers all of the mechanical elements of the frame.  Here is the inside of the frame.  The picture is taped for easy access. The acetate is taped in using double sided tape.  The matte board is hinged on the opposite side of the tape for the picture.

This is an easy project with very few materials.  All in all, it took me 25 minutes to complete. Now that all of the materials have been measured, I can probably complete these in about 10 minutes.

Iron Craft Challenge 9

I wanted to start making boxes for a project that I will be exhibiting in Japan for the 2012-2013 season. The goal of my project is to make a collection of boxes that holds individual pieces of candy. In order to prepare, I decided to make mock-ups using a larger item and then "shrink" it to the size of candy.  In this case, I decided to make a box to hold macaroons--which seem all the craze in Manhattan.

 

Here is the top view of the box. There are obviously four compartments each with its own lid. The lid is recessed into the box so that the top is flush with the walls of the box. This was what took me so long to calculate and manufacture. What I ended up constructing was a box with dividers that held four individual boxes. The individual boxes were one board's thickness small that the the outside box so that the lid could recess into the divided box.

Here is the side view of the box. The outer box is covered with book cloth and I used a strip of the decorative paper as an accent on the outside of the box. The Japanese always like a blast of color on an otherwise blank surface. This is traditionally done in Japanese box making.

Here is a top view of the box with one of the lids open. Each box is lined with white crane paper. There is a removal liner in the bottom of each individual box so that the macaroons don't soil or discolor the box. I have found that macaroons should be eaten within two or three days of manufacture. Because most macaroons are filled with some type of liquid, I decided to have a removable liner so the recipient can use the box after the macaroons are eaten. (I apologize for the fuzzy picture--I don't know why it came out that way).

 I don't know why the New Blogger rotates my pictures. It really is an annoyance and wish that I could have the older Blogger back.

Iron Craft Challenge 11

As mentioned yesterday, we were asked to combine text or typography into our Iron Craft Challenges. I decided to do a paper cut for this challenge and I had so many alphabets to choose from.

After looking in several of my reference books, I chose the letter R from an early 19th century French alphabet that I found in the book, Fancy Alphabets by the Pepin Press.

There were so many options from which to choose but this really stood out for me because of the overly Romantic nature of the alphabet. I cut out the letter first and then cut a background. I have always enjoyed the purple and black combination.

Practicing for Iron Craft Challenge 11

For Challenge 11, we were asked to feature typography. For those who have been following along know that I have always loved typography and have always enjoyed combining paper cutting and typography. These are two letters dedicated to the organizers of Iron Craft challenges--Kat and Susi.

This alphabet was designed in France around 1870. I cut out the original letter and then cut out a border in the opposite color. These actually aren't my contributions for this week. Instead, I did a letter R from a classic French silhouette alphabet from the 19th century.

I can't decide if I like the red on black or the black on red.

Iron Craft Challenge 8

This week we were told to refurbish, renew, recycle, or repurpose something. After viewing Silvia's Iron Craft #7 challenge I decided to do a paper weaving project.

The front of the book

I receive free paper products every time that I visit Japan to go paper shopping. I have been shopping with some of my vendors for over 25 years so I am always receiving gifts when I go and visit. One of the most common gifts that I receive is a new calendar. I usually come home with several new calendars after every visit. I have always wandered about what to do with these outdated calendars and this was a perfect chance to use one.

The back of the book

 I decided to do a simple pamphlet book with a card stock cover. I then used 1" strips to cover the card stock. There was no rhyme or reason to the placement of the strips but I tried to use parts of the calendar that had some color. I also wanted to make sure that I used some of the lettering and numbers.

For the endsheets, I decided to parts of the calendar header so that it would be a little bit more pleasing to the eye.

Overall, I am very pleased with the way that the booklet turned out. While the paper weaving was a little finicky, I would be willing to do a similar project. I would like to go on the record to say how much I have the new Blogger setup. It really sucks.

Front cover endsheet

Iron Craft 2012--Project 10

This week we were asked to create something with "stitches" in honor of Kat getting "stitched up" in surgery (or something like that). Let me first wish her a speedy and full recovery from her surgery.

I have been toiling with this idea for some time and I didn't quite know how to attempt the project that I wanted to do. I wanted to combine thread into a book project. I first started thinking about embroidered book cloth since there is a historical tradition within bookbinding where this was done beautifully. I also remembered my love of string and nail art.

String and nail art used to be one of my favorite crafts growing up. My dad was a carpenter and loved working with wood. This was a craft that he and I could attempt together and he still has some of the projects that we worked on.

After seeing an exhibit of book arts called "Thread," I was even more convinced that I could do something along these lines.  Here is the prototype of the book that I will be developing fully. Normally, I would never share a rough attempt like this but having seen Kat and Susi share their difficulties this week, I felt more confident in doing so.

This is the cover of the book with the peephole showing one side of the threading. While the circle is centered on the board, I should have realized that it is would not be centered on the cover because of the quarter inch gutter of the text block.

Here is the inside cover of the book which shows the alternate side of the threading. The circle is off center because the endsheet has to pass through the gutter of the text block.

In the future edition, I will sewing the text block onto a hinge to alleviate this problem. In this case, I will be able to center the hole and the endsheet without difficulty.

I will share projects 8 and 9 when I get a free moment. My boss has consented to let me blog at work as long as I do it on my own time after hours. The projects are done, I just need to photograph them and write them up.

Thanks for still reading--russ

Still here

My computer has had a malfunction so I haven't been able to blog. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to blog at work.

Iron Craft 2012--Project 7

For this challenge, we were asked to "refresh" something in honor of the spring season. I had some ideas but I also had several projects in the hopper that I was simultaneously working on. I was very fortunate that this project dovetailed with a prototype that I was making for one of my customers.

The brief that I was given was for a paper project for an 10 year old girl's room. The room was designed in a French Provencal style in black, white and pink. As I was walking through Bed, Bath and Beyond, I can across these plain craft paper lampshades and thought--I could do something with that.

At first, I thought that I would decorate the outside of the lampshade with silhouettes. These patterns are traditional French silhouette style patterns.

Once, I glued the silhouette to the outside, I thought that I could do better. While this was pretty enough to look at while the lamp was off, I wondered how I could make it look even better. I decided to add three more silhouettes. Two of them, I put on the outside of the shade (north and south orientation--when looking at the lampshade) and two of them on the inside of the shade (east and west orientation). The magic occurs when the lamp is turned on and you get the two shadow silhouettes as a surprise.

To add a little bit more girliness to the lampshade, I added a beaded fringe to the bottom of the shade.

In the end, I think that I might look for a white lampshade rather than the craft paper brown but the brown shade give a nice golden glow when lit. Overall, I am very pleased with the final project and I think that the mother will be surprised when I show her. I love it when Iron Craft Challenges help me with work.

Box a Week Challenge--Box #6

This week's box challenge was one of my favorites and one of my most difficult--not in style but in execution. I decided to make an orange (favorite color) square (very difficult) box.

My favorite color has been well documented on this blog. I love and hate making square boxes only because everything has to be precise and it is too easy to get the pieces mixed up because they look to be the same size.

Although the side pieces theoretically need to be the same size, in reality two sides are slightly (1 board thickness) long that the other two sides. This is done so that the pieces fit together. Also, all the pieces must fit perfectly because the lids, inserts, and base all have to be perfect squares so that all the pieces fit together to give you correct reveal on the lid and the base.

Iron Craft 2012--Project 6

For Challenge 6, we were asked to create something with, or based on, Peeps. Unfortunately, after last year's challenge, I have an unnatural aversion to the texture of Peeps. I have never eaten a peep (either bunny or chick) nor do I have a desire to do so.

I knew that we would probably to an Easter based project but when I read that the most requested repeat challenge from last year was the Peeps challenge, I was floored.

After picking myself up from the dust covered floor, I decided that I would do a project based on Peeps. I thought about cooking a cake and decorating it like a Peep. Then, I thought about doing a felt Peep hand puppet but Captain Kangaroo already had a bunny puppet. So, I reached back into my comfortable bag of tricks and took out some pastel colored computer paper.

Here is what came out--a yellow bunny Peep.

One thing led to another and there appeared more Peeps but in different colors:

I had all of these bunny Peeps and they seemed to be multiplying:

So, I had to do something with them--

how about Bunny Peep PostIt notes!

Box a Week Challenge--Box #5

This week was a crazy week because I started my night job at the theater again plus I was trying to finalize my Peeps project for Iron Craft challenge. Also, for some reason, I took on a more ambitious project for the box challenge so I was a little crazed this week.

This week for the box challenge, I wanted to create a non-traditional shaped box. This week, I decided to do a curved box-with a hinged lid--with an interior tray--with a divider. WOW. I just got tired typing that.

The difficulty with making a curved shape is that you have to wet the boards so that they will bend. Also, you have to work very symmetrically.

I decided to use some of the double sided paper that I love for the structure (this paper is purple on one side and white on the other). I also decided to use a tie-dyed mulberry paper for the interior tray.

Here is the outside of the box:

(l) top view of the box

(r) front view of the box

One of the problems with doing such an intricate structure is that rounded shapes are harder to fit and harder to glue. Also, the lid has to match the base, the interior liner has to match the shape and dimension of the opening of the box and the tray, etc. Like sewing, curved surfaces have to be cut in a fringe-like fashion so they will cover the rounded surface.

(l) the opened box with tray

(r) the opened box with tray removed

While the structure isn't perfect, I believe that I am on my way as for a working model. With a few tweeks, I think this might be a keeper.

Box a Week Challenge--Box #4

This week's box challenge is a little bit of a cheat. I used box making techniques but instead of a standard box, I decided to make a slip case. A slip case is a very important model to learn to master because they can be so useful in protecting books or for using as a gift presentation.

The problem with making a GOOD slipcase is that there is a lot of pre-planning that needs to happen. First, you must line the inside of the box before assembling it. In my case, I went with a blue Canson paper. Because the boards can warp while drying, you must also line the outside of the box so that it dries evenly. The outside lining can be any waste paper that you have since it will be covered with the book cloth. In my case, I simply used newsprint. The problem with lining boards is that you must have an idea of how much board to line so that you don't waste board or paper. I usually will line an entire sheet of binder's board and will save the leftovers. The other problem is that it is much easier to cut the board once it is lined rather than line individual pieces.

Once you have your boards lined, you must cut and assemble your slipcase. This leads to another problem--you must be very careful in gluing your joints because excess glue will be seen as it discolors the liner paper.

Once you cover the box with book cloth, you are presented with a final problem--exposed turn-ins. Because your turn-ins will be exposed in the open end of the box, you must be exact in your cutting, gluing, and turning in. If your measurements are off in any direction, your turn-ins won't line up.

Iron Craft 2012--IC5

This week we were challenged to go to the 99 cent store and buy materials to inspire us to make a project. I knew exactly what I wanted to make this week. Last year Thing1 and Thing2 made this project. Rather than recover the front and back covers of the composition book, I decided to make new covers. Rather than use fabric for the covers, I decided to use paper that I would buy at the 99 cent store. The only materials that I used that weren't from the store was the thread (which was allowed) and book cloth (which I cheated and used scraps that cost less than 99 cents).

(above) The before and after shot

To do this project (I will have a step by step tutorial later), you need to cut two boards to cover. You also need two pieces of book cloth. One piece will act as the spine between the two boards and the other will act as the hinge that will connect the text block (the pages from the notebook) to the inside of the book. You also need two end sheets for the interior of the book.

Second, you must separate the pages from the original covers. This is easy to do since the manufacturers use a running stitch to connect everything. I use a big clip to keep the pages together. Using a piece of book cloth for a hinge, you then use a pamphlet stitch (I used a five-hole stitch) to connect the text block to the hinge.

(above) here is the text block sewn to the hinge.

The next step is to cut your coverings for the front and back boards. I used a large gift bag to use as a covering. While the material was a little difficult to work with (cheap materials usually are), I eventually used half of the bag for my purposes.

(above) the deconstruction of the gift bag. There

is still a lot of material that can be used.

Once everything was connected, all I had to do was use scrapbook paper for the end sheets. As luck would have it, there were no duplicates so I had to use coordinating paper. I thought that the juxtaposition of the circles on the interior fit well with the boxes on the exterior.

Box a Week Challenge--Box #3

This week, I decided to make another box for my own use. I was under a time crunch because I procrastinated. First, I didn't know what I wanted to make (I have so many box ideas that I want to make that I have a hard time deciding exactly what to make each week). Secondly, I received news that I was chosen to exhibit a work(s) at the Louis Vuitton exhibit space in Tokyo during the 2012-2013 season. Here is a link to their current exhibit. Because of the good news, I think that I celebrated a little too much and should have concentrated on making this week's box. Having said that--We also lost an hour to Daylight Savings Time.

I know, I know. The box looks a little pedestrian on the outside. A tallish box with a thin spine. What could it be? The answer is that is a variation on a classic clamshell box. The clamshell box is comprised to two trays that are affixed to a hinged case. Here, I used a double sized Unryu paper from Thailand. The beauty of this paper is that it will usually stand the time of opening and closing in the joints so that you don't have to use book cloth for the hinges.

In January, we were challenged to make sleeves for an iPad or electronic reader here . So, I decided to make a box to hold my iPad. I know, you can buy cases to do the same thing but I wanted to be able to make my own. The Unryu paper is the blue/lime green combination. I decided to use the blue for the outside and the top tray so when the box is closed it looks as if the entire structure is blue. When you open the box, you see that the bottom tray and the hinge uses the lime green side. The lining papers are crayon decorated wax paper that was sealed.

(above) The opened box

I wanted the box to seem as if nothing special was inside so that I wouldn't get mugged for my iPad. Also, when carrying my iPad in my bag or backpack, there is even an extra layer of protection which will provide very useful when traveling.

(above) The opened box with the hard case and smart cover.

I might have to color coordinate my smart cover with my new box but orange is my favorite color and I might have a hard time getting rid of it.

(above)--My iPad with the cover in back

One of the beauties of making an item yourself is that you can customize the item to your own tastes and liking. One variation of the clam shell box that I made is that the bottom tray has a cutout to allow the iPad to be charged while in the box. The top tray disguises that cutout when closed.