Junk to an Elegant Bulletin Board

About a month ago I was asked to think of a craft to present at the Kids Picnic for Green Week at my college campus. Since my usual crafts involve fire, sharp objects, fire, smelly paints, (did I mention fire?), etcetera, I genuinely struggled to come up with something both child-friendly and ecological. I came up with this rather unique spin on a bulletin board I saw at Office Max. I reclaimed the fabric from an old throw pillow, constructed the frame from garbage wood, and used a cardboard box instead of cork-board. The idea is that you could make a similar bulletin board from old camp shirts, favorite band t-shirts, much-loved jeans and so on. Naturally, devising my own bulletin board made me wonder about the history of public announcements. I dug out my archeological tools (computer and history book, respectively) and set to work.

What I discovered is that archeologists and historians have uncovered receipts and other public records from as far back as Ancient Sumerian cultures. Apparently, as soon as people settled down they started writing down how much stuff they had and various recipes for beer (NOT to today’s quality). However, since most ancient peoples did not educate the masses, only a few elite scribes could read these messages. In fact, the ancient Phoenicians developed the idea of the Alphabet. However, it wasn’t until the rise of Athens and, later, Rome that the idea of public notifications was born.

Athens practically patented the idea of education for many people, instead of just the very rich or the very rare. Entire “schools” founded by philosophers around the 6th century BC devoted time and energy to the spreading of knowledge. The idea carried into Rome, who taught many people to at least recognize basic symbols, signs, and notices. It seems that in Rome, you would just paint notices onto walls in black or red paint in order to spread the word. Romans even invented the first form of the “post it.” They would cover a tablet with wax so they could scratch in a temporary message for whoever needed to see it. Then, when they were done with the message, they could just heat the wax and start again. Can you imagine a Roman to-do list? Wash togas, shop at market, check the wall…

The tradition of posting notices to walls evolved into nailing public announcements to church doors during the medieval times. I know it sounds rather heathen, but where else could you guarantee that at least one person in the crowd was literate? Martin Luther (the religious reformer, not the American activist) nailed his complaints against the Papal sale of indulgences to his church door.

The next great leap forward in the public service announcement world occurred at the development of the first English newspaper in 1665. At that time only one or two announcements might make it in weekly, but by American Colonial times several pages were devoted to PSAs.

With the development of television and radio, Public Service Announcements took a final step towards being in a form anyone could understand. Now you don’t have to be literate to have knowledge of world occurrences. You only need to be able to operate a remote.

Is this a step forward in the evolution of communication? Or an example of devolution? I want to hear your opinions!

Materials:

1 Old Frame

(Or, if you are masochistic like I am,

8 feet of wood moulding)

Saw (only for the above-ers)

Modge Podge

Tin Foil

Black Paint

Accent Paint(s)

1 Large Cardboard Box

“Box Cutter” Knife & Scissors

Fabric Swatch

(big enough to fill your frame)

Spray Adhesive

Glue Gun

Duct Tape (Optional)

Thumb Tacks (“Pushpins”)

1)     Measure the length of your wood. Measure twice, (or three times…or four times) mark out four equal lengths and cut once.

2)     The theory is that you can just hot glue the ends together with overlapping sides. The reality is that I should have measured again, and I had to go back and re-saw the ends. Well . . . my boyfriend/assistant/perennial helper went back and cut them.

3)     Now is the part that the folks who had an extra frame hanging around can jump in. Coat 1 side of your frame with a thick layer of Modge Podge, also going slightly up each corner.

4)     To make the aluminum foil look like silver leaf, rip it into strips and scrunch lightly in the palm of your hand. Unfold it and smooth it as flat as you can.

5)     Layer the aluminum foil around the frame. The key is to have a layer of glue under and above the foil at all times.

6)     When the frame has been thoroughly covered and the Modge Podge has dried, it is time to add some detail to your work! At this point my brother wandered into the room and asked me why I covered a frame with tin foil . . .  after a dirty look I have patented as my “glare of death” he wandered back out. Get out an old plastic container and pour in about two tablespoons of black paint. At the time I used water to loosen my black paint, but my father has since taught me that bubble juice works much better. He has a whole theory that you should ask him about sometime.

7)     ANYWAY, the next step is to mix the black paint with the bubble juice and apply it to your frame. You want to get definition of the crinkles, not coverage, so, if you need too, wipe off/blot up some of the paint goo.

8)     WAIT FOR THE BLACK TO DRY. Now, if you have other color (metallic) paint colors you want to apply, use the same aforementioned technique in different areas.

9)     Wait for the newest paint layer to dry. If you need to touch up any wood that is peeking through at this point, you can use some handy-dandy spray paint.

10)  On to the bulletin part! Start by re-measuring your frame (trust me, it’s not the same for some reason). Lay out your cardboard on the ground and cut out the size you need (about 1/2” smaller than the frame).

11)  Glue several layers of the cardboard together with hot glue.

12)  Lay your cardboard on your fabric and cut about 1” trim of fabric around the border.

13)   Spray the adhesive on one side of the cardboard. To get the fabric on, start at the bottom and work your way up, smoothing with your hands.

14)  Flip the cardboard over. I sprayed the edge of the cardboard with the adhesive. Flip the fabric trim up and fold at edges. Duct tape the seams.

15)  Hot glue the frame to the cardboard (right side up). Start with the edges, and then run beads of hot glue along the trim until there is no separation.

16) Get out your push-pins and attach pictures, notes, or other important items to the board.

Good Luck! And tell me what you think!

Impatience & How-To Personalize Glass Your Glass Bowls

Hullo All!

This week’s lesson is on patience… and impatience…

Before you click away, I’m not going to give you a Sunday-School-Lesson. Instead, we are going to give a little looksee into the history of “patience.”

The origin of the word is derived from a Latin root meaning “to bear suffering” (loosely translated). [Suddenly the reason doctors’ clients are called “patients” makes sense, no?] Anyway, the Romans had their own special way of chastising the easily-excitable and self-motivated people of their time (uncharitably labeled “impatient”). Imagine yourself a young Roman lad or lass, grass stains on your toga's tunic as you explain to your Pa how you failed to catch the goat. He, stern but smiling, might say to you “maxima enim..patientia virtus,” and send you on your way. Thus was the overrated, but illustrious, phrase “patience is the greatest virtue” coined.

Since then, any number of wise (some more than others) people have weighed in with their own commentary on the virtue of patience. St. Augustine considered patience the companion of wisdom. Shakespeare opined, “How poor are they that have not patience!” However, I tend to agree with Ambrose Bierce who said: “Patience is but a minor form of despair disguised as virtue.” And, in the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer rejoined wittily to the old maxim with “but virtue can hurt you.”

Have I lost you yet? Before you assume I am just a patience-hater seeking to justify my wicked ways, there are two areas in which I whole-heartedly admire patience: crafting, and vengeance.

As a general rule, I am not a vengeful creature, but I can appreciate the art of others. “Beware the fury of a patient man,” John Dryden warned in Absalam and Achitophel. If that doesn’t just give you shivers up and down your spine, nothing will. “Law Abiding Citizen,” anyone?

On to crafting…

This week I was too impatient to get to the “good stuff” of my craft to sit still and think about my steps before I did them. Thus I learned several important lessons:

1)   Always lay down newspaper.

2)   Always spray paint outside.

3)   Always spray the paint AWAY from your face. (Don’t ask…)

4)   Never allow a dripping bowl to rest on newspaper to dry, instead suspend it.

5)   Never attempt to remove a *delicate* stencil while wet.

6)   Almost never spray paint over wet spray paint.

You do not need to heed my advice, but if you do not you will:

1)   Have a bowl stuck to your table/sidewalk.

2)   Have a house that reeks for several hours *cough* days.

3)   Have oddly colored boogers. (Mine were blue).

4)   Have a bowl with tiny newsprint on the rim.

5)   Have a messed up image.

6)   And your project WILL be messy up and you WILL have to start over.

And so speaks the sage of wisdom, me! Okay, maybe I should say “And so speaks the sage of experience.”

How-To Personalize Your Glass Bowls

Materials:

Newspaper

2 Glass Bowls

2 Different Colors of Spray Paint

Spray Adhesive

Spray Sealent

2 Old Cups (to suspend the bowls from underneath)

1 Stencil (old nylons, ribbons, leaves, etc…)

3 Days’ Patience

Alright, for those of you who are still with me:

What was your most patient moment? 

What was your most impatient moment?

I will give rewards to whoever answers first!

Zipper: "New" Fashion Trend?

ZzzziiiiIIIIiiiipppp.

The sound is common throughout daily life. Jeans, dresses, backpacks, purses, briefcases, hoodies, skirts, coats, baskets, bags…pretty much any necessity of everyday life comes with the handy fastener.

But just how much do we appreciate the humble zipper? This tool has slowly made its way into the world, taking 66 years to evolve into any type of marketable form. Since then, it has been a fashion faux-pas, a fashion necessity, hideous, a sign of glamour, a sexual icon and a method of keeping decent.

The original visionary of this “Clasp Locker” was Elias Howe. This ingenious little device was displayed at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, but went largely unnoticed. His other invention, the sewing machine, suitably distracted him for the remainder of his life.

When Gideon Sundback added many of the key components on today’s zippers (more teeth, a slider and a machine to make it all) in 1917 his “separable fastener” was uninteresting to most. Only the US Army thought the device useful, and troops marched into WWI wearing the time-saving zipper.

In the 1930’s a very clever ad campaign pitched the zipper towards parents of young children. Buttons too difficult for your child? Does he get frustrated putting on his clothing? Try a zipper! Now you can teach your child self-reliance. (Not to mention get him into bed faster!) [advertisement not a quote]

Then the Duke of Windsor, a noted fashion-plate and general scandal-creator, adopted trouser flies. “Heeeeey duuuke, ya barn door is open!” His noted acceptance helped push the “Battle of the Fly” in 1937 to new heights. Designers tended to distain the victor, the zipper, and thus hid them. This birthed the still-present tradition of covering the pants zipper with a flap of fabric.

Meanwhile, the fashion world was unsure what to do with the zipper. Was it useful or sexy? Busby Berkeley tapped into the indecision, portraying the zipper as the new lace negligee. The zipper promised “fast disrobing.” *wink, wink*

Elsa Shiaparelli, the designer, was first to use the gizmo in her fashion designs. Suddenly the zipper became very “a-la-mode.” Since Elsa, the zipper has been featured by hundreds of designers in every decade as both tool of dress and decoration. Madonna popularized the zippered corset, Elvis rocked a zipped jacket, and so on. 

Now the fashion trend is once again on the rise. Zippers have been reborn (no such thing as original ideas anymore, huh?) into an iconic and fashionable accessory.

This week’s craft is a spin off of the current zipper-obsession making the rounds. A zipped-up flower is perfect for this nearly-spring time of year. Everyone is starting to get cabin fever, but it is just too soon to plant real flowers. Maybe my little metal one will add some glitz to your winter.

A Zipped-Up Flower

Materials:

24” zipper

Scissors

Hot Glue Gun

2 Glue Sticks

Torque (a circlet-style necklace—Hobby Lobby has them for $1.50)

Heat-Resistant Surface

Call 'em Caps, Hats, Bonnets, Berets, Sombreros Or Fedoras

Hold onto your hats, folks. This week I want to discuss *drumroll* CAPS. Not just caps, but baby caps! No, I’m not breeding. And no, I have no intention of breeding anytime soon. However, women worldwide are.

In the less developed (consequentially poorer and less well-educated) nations, millions (MILLIONS?!?!) of babies die a year due to lack of medical care and ignorance. The babies most at risk are those born underweight and/or premature. As a preemie, myself, I have a bit of a soft spot for these young’uns. In times past I have made baby blankets, hats, booties and outfits for various local organizations. However, I have never contributed on the scale the Save the Children organization is making a difference!

            The Save the Children organization works in a two-prong format. The first goal is to help with emergency and disaster reliefs. The second, and more challenging, goal is to effect change in the world’s more conflict-ridden nations. Through long-term development that can be sustained in the communities, Save The Children is offering tangible results to global citizens.

            Right now Save The Children has two pet projects in the works. The “Rewrite the Future” cause is an effort to educate as many of the 40 million children not normally able to receive an education. In the group’s words “Schools are vital in protecting children and supporting their emotional and social development by giving them comfort, security and opportunity. The routine of school develops a sense of normality and the environment is one in which children are allowed to be children.”

            It almost brings tears to your eyes, yes?

            The second project, my own personal interest, is “See Where the Good Goes.” In 2010 Save the Children and the Ad Council joined forces to deploy more formally trained medical personnel globally. Together they have formed “GoodGoes.org,” a website for supporters to learn more about how to help children survive the iffy early stages of adolescence. 

            And finally, I get to my point: Save the Children and Warm Up America! are motivating Americans to get to crafting to create caps for babies born worldwide. Not only have these charity groups have joined forces with schools, bloggers and other charities, but they are currently looking for political backing in order to spread the warmth and health. And you can help!

            Naturally, the Save the Children has free baby-cap pattern available in knitting and crochet instructions, but the possibilities online are endless. The only restriction is that the circumference of the cap be around 12” so it fits just right on the babies. Knitting On the Net's website has dozens of clever hat ideas for the ambidextrous knitters, as do Knitting Pattern Central and Do-It-101. For my fellow crochet-i-teers AllCrafts.net, Antique Crochet Patterns, and Lion Brand Yarn offer dizzy, dazzy and daring options.

            Even if you are not a knit-artisan or crochet-creator, there are ways you can help too! The most obvious is through donations. A more worthy cause is hard for me to imagine, and you can be sure my budget is going to be taking a hit. The second, and potentially more useful, way for you to help is to raise political awareness. No, you do not have to go canvas the malls with tiny “STC” buttons. All you have to do is print a “Letter to the President” already written by the Save the Children organization and mail it. The cost is less than $0.50 in postage. That’s worth not buying my next coffee to me!

My Beret-Bonnet Crochet Pattern

            I caution my readers to have knowledge of crochet before beginning this pattern. I only used three stitches, and the pattern is decidedly simple. SC is a single crochet, HDC is a half-double crochet and a chain.

            Materials:

·      Medium-weight yarn (2 oz.)

·      Crochet hook size C (2.75 mm)

·      My Pattern ^_^

Round 1:

Chain 4, and link the 4^th and 1^st chain together. Do 10 HDC in the loop you have created. This should surround the circle. Join the 1^st and 10^th together with a SC and chain one.

Round 2:

Form 2 HDC in each stitch of your previous row (you are going around the circle ;)). Join the 1^st and 20^th stitches together as above and chain one.

Round 3:

Repeat! (40 stitches)

Round 4:

Crochet a pattern of one HDC in each of three stitches on your previous row followed by two HDC in the 4^th stitch. (50 stitches)

Round 5:

Repeat! (62 stitches)

Round 6:

Here’s where it gets a little trickier. Now you are going to reduce the number of stitches you have. Crochet a HDC in the first three stitches and join the 4^th and 5^th stitches together. Follow this pattern around. (back to 50 stitches)

Round 7:

Repeat! (back to 40 stitches)

Rounds 8-14:

HDC in each stitch. (Just keep going ‘round, and ‘round, and ‘round).

Round  15:

Single-Stitch time! Do one single stitch in each stitch. Tie off your round when you are done. Snip! And weave in the ends.

Last step: Print out the label and mail this hat to Save the Children.