Origami Christmas trees

Here's some little Christmas trees that I made last week with the lovely Yuko. I added two more this evening.

Basket Impressions

I finally am ready to introduce the new line of stamps I am producing. As many of you know, my first love is basketry, so this is the perfect blend of my two passions. To read more about these you can read the post on my blog.

Tony

Eric Taylor Basket Workshop - St. Louis

If anyone is interested I will be hosting a workshop with Eric Taylor this July in St. Louis, MO. Eric is a nationally renown black ash basketmaker with a unique style that blends Shaker and Nantucket basketry into something totally contemporary, yet traditional.

Check out all the great baskets we will be making over on my blog.

Cottage Dresser Tote10.5"(l) x 5"(w) x 5.5"(h)

Tony

John C. Campbell Folk School - Shaker Box Workshop

I just got home from a great week at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC where I took a Shaker box making class. There were six students in my class and about 100 in a dozen other classes, ranging from creative writing, to open-hearth cooking, to blacksmithing. The teacher's goal for the class was for us to make at least eight boxes, of course, ever the overachiever I made 17!

If you ever have a chance to go to the Folk School jump at it. This was my 6th time and I am already counting down the months until I can go back again. It is so wonderful to spend a week with 100 plus like-minded crafts people.

Tony

eClips

I recently got an eClips with eCal software. Unfortunately I have been so busy that I haven't gotten to play with it a whole lot. I have been watching lots of videos online and trying to learn all the ins and outs of the cutter and software. As some of you may know, I have my own custom stamps and one of the things I want to do with the eCal is to make my own print2cut fines. So far so good. Fortunately I know Adobe Illustrator so I am able to make .SVG files. You can make these directly in the eCal software, but I was already proficient in Illustrator and already had some drawings made that I wanted to cut.

Here is a video of the cutter in action (hopefully it will play).

Here is one of the little journals I buy and then decorate. I sell these at basket workshops. They aren't anything too fancy, I keep them fairly simple so that I make and sell them at a reasonable price.

Tony

The Weekend!

Ahhhh, Let the weekend begin!

I love the quiet of the weekend mornings. It's "my time" to catch up on all the blogs I follow. I love grabbing a cup of coffee and catching up on the things I missed during the week. Sadly, I rarely give myself this time. I need to learn to slow down and enjoy that cup of coffee rather than the effect it gives me! LOL!

There are so many incredibly creative people out there. It's so inspiring! There are also so many different crafts out there that I would love to learn! Oh, the time....See, the coffee effect is already kicking in!

This week has been very challenging at work. When this happens I feel drawn more and more to my studio to craft and think. What a blessing it is to have a place and a "thing" to go to when things get rough. I come out of that room refreshed and ready to face another day.

This week, I have been working on albums. I have designed and written a tutorial on an album that holds 7 tags per page. I call it Policy Meets Tag Mini. It was a blast to make. Here are a few shots of it...


Masculine Version-

Feminine Version-

Thank you all for your awesome blogs and for the inspiration!

Have a Great Weekend!

Jim

The Gentleman Crafter

TheGentlemanCrafter.typepad.com

Cartonnage, another project in the making

Sunday at Christine's studio with Anh, Elhadi et Yun! Started an octagonal box. Need to get equipped and finish of work in progress. Next rendez-vous 11th March

 

TonyR Brighton: love ....

TonyR Brighton: love ....: i have been a little absent again ... sorry folks! i saw a project that sir tim had made in one of mario's blogs, and was inspired to...

New Lighting Setup

I finally broke down and built a new set of lights for my studio. So far they seem to be working well. I wrote up a description of how I built them.

Tony

Traveling Expanding File Pattern Up!

Hello All!

Just posted a pattern on my blog for the Traveling Expanding File. I have used the heck out of it and has really helped keep me a bit more organized at the office and at home.

Here are a few pictures:





Thanks for looking!

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter

TheGentlemanCrafter.typepad.com

Key To My Heart Frame

Finally Home!!

I just got home from being out of town and I couldn't wait to get in the studio to get my hands on some crafting materials.

I finished a fast little Valentine project tonight a frame that I call, Key To My Heart. Made pretty much all in chipboard. The picture in the frame is my precious niece, Liya Katherine who was adopted from Ethiopia in May of last year.

After I finished the frame, I thought I would pull out the alcohol inks. I'm so glad I did!! I've been having a blast playing with them!!! They are SO MUCH FUN!

Hope you all are well and busy crafting!

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter

TonyR Brighton: steampunk in colour!

TonyR Brighton: steampunk in colour!: second post today!! i have used my paperartsy steampunk stamp again. background is tim's stash with cogs cut from spellbinders...

TonyR Brighton: 3 simple spring cards

TonyR Brighton: 3 simple spring cards: i saw a design online somewhere ages ago and saved it, and have given it my interpretation. i'm trying to build up a batch of cards to ...

Wool Felting

Here's what happens when you intentionally wash a sweater in hot water. (Blog Post)

Tony

TonyR Brighton: Doolally Dorris part 2!

TonyR Brighton: Doolally Dorris part 2!: ok .... i admit it ... i love this stamp !!! i had another go with it this evening on a big size 10 tag , using the fabulous water so...

TonyR Brighton: Doolally Dorris ....

TonyR Brighton: Doolally Dorris ....: ok .... this is so far out of my comfort zone it's got a different postcode .... but yes i did make this!! c,") i did fall over and bash...

TonyR Brighton: my first of 2012!!

TonyR Brighton: my first of 2012!!: hello friends! i am sorry for not posting much recently ... after the marathon of christmas i was a little burned out and i hav'nt ...

Quick, take a look at my clean basket room before I mess it up again!

I just wrote a blog post about my basket/craft room. I figured I had better document that it is actually clean sometimes!

Tony

Book Drawers Done

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. I'm still cleaning/organizing/rearranging the studio. As I write this, I'm sipping on some "coffee juice" in hopes that it will give me the motivation to get back in there and get cracking! Oh, but how nice is it to stay all warm in bed. That's just life ain't it! Guess I need to get up!

Here is a picture of the Stacking Book Drawer that I managed to get done in the middle of my big studio redo....

Have a great one!

Jim

The Gentleman Crafter

New Dies! YAHOOOO!

Loving these new dies from Tim Holtz and Sizzix!  Man this is exciting!  I understand that they may ship around March.  So cool!

Have a most excellent weekend!!

Jim

The Gentleman Crafter

Working on Book Drawers

Working on a stack of books that are drawers.  After watching Kathryn's class tonight, I started working on book number 2.  It will have a red spine.  Book number 3 will have a blue spine.  Having a blast in the studio!  Looking forward to the upcoming 3 day MLK holiday where I can once again be glued to my studio!!  Yahoooo!

Here's a couple of pics of the Book Drawer:

Thanks for looking!!

Jim

The Gentleman Crafter

Altered Art Box

Yahooo!  I finished the Altered Art Box.  I'm really looking forward to putting it into use.

Here it is:

The last picture shows the tray for transporting the objects found in the bins to the project.

Thanks For Looking!

Jim

The Gentleman Crafter

Starting The New Year With Some Serious Craft Goals

These are travel-size tissue holders that I make and sell in my Etsy shop.  Right now...the shop is pretty bare because I've been a very, very lazy crafty dude.

Check out my blog for all the other crazy stuff I do.

I'll be back with more craftiness soon.  I promise.

And...it's an honor to be here.

Mike
CraftyDad

Love This Stuff!

Man I love Tim Holtz stuff!  I love all the pieces in his Idea-ology line and love to mix them up! Doesn't matter what color the metals are.  The more the merrier!

Y'all Have A Great Weekend!

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter

I just finished my first project of 2012!

You can read about the project on my blog. My father is an expert woodworker and I kick myself every day that for the 18 plus years I was living at home I really only learned how to use a belt sander. I had this terrible fear of cutting off something so was terrified to use all the saws and implements of cutting and destruction. Now, 47 years later I am finally slowly learning how to use all the tools I grew up with. I am so excited to be able to go down in the basement and make the thing in my head (or at least and approximation of what was in my head). I am not ready to tackle a cabinet or even a table, but something like this stamp carousel to hold my blending tools is doable.

Tony

I'm Diggging Up Mr. Roboto

This year I decided I'm going to push myself to not only be more organized with my time, but to learn more about paper crafting, writing patterns and doing some tutorials!  Oh God!  That's scary! 

So, I guess I will dig up Mr. Roboto and do a tutorial.  I had been asked to do one on this guy several times and I guess it's as good as any other. 

The the one thing that I was working on yesterday was to come up with a different robot belly than the one I used.  His original belly was a derivative of Laura Denison's Mantle clock.  In fact the whole idea came from the "guts" of the mantle clock.  I loved how she placed all the gears on the acetate and you could see through the layers.  So I think I've done it.  This will be the new robot belly...

What do yall think?

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter
TheGentlemanCrafter.typepad.com

On my to-do list

10" custom tree-top angel of bleached cane with an ivory body, head and hand carved wings, by Maggie Silva.

This isn't something I am technically working on YET! I have had the supplies to make this tree-top angle for years and have just never gotten around to making it (I actually have the materials to make two!). My Nantucket basket-style angel will actually have a body of cherry wood, a face and halo of Corian and wings of carved wood with a dress woven of yet to be determined materials. While ivory (legally obtained of course) would be nice, it would add about a $1,000 to my supply list!

I am hoping by posting this it will guilt me into actually working on it. I will post photos of the completed project or maybe some in process. If I can just sit down and get is started it won't take that long. There really isn't much weaving on it.

As a point of reference if you don't know what a regular Nantucket basket looks like, here is one that I made.

9" Oval Nantucket Basket
7" x 9" x 5" w/o handle

 Tony

Chemo Hats for Charity

Chemo Hats for Charity

Hey Y’all…

Just wanted to introduce myself, My name is Cesar and I’m a knitter…  Well, I do many things but right now I’m knitting…  I have about 3 projects going.  One is knitting chemo hats for Charity.   Once I finish about 10 or so, I will be sending these hats off to South Africa.  Here is the link:

http://www.knit-a-square.com/

Here is a picture of my chemo hats.  One that is completed hat and one in progress…

Here’s a pic of my skull cap but haven’t decided if I’ll be sending that one.  I do plan on knitting about 8 to 9 more chemo hats.

Thanks for checking it out!

Cesar

email4cesar@gmail.com

The Gentleman Crafter's Treasure Box

I designed and created a small box that I call The Treasure Box.  My first attempt at pattern writing.  Man I have a lot to learn in that venue!

Here are a few pictures:

If you get a chance please check out my blog...thegentlemancrafter.typepad.com

Thanks for Looking!

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter