Scraps of Life–the 64 Arts | …better living through creativity!

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May I Have Your Attention, Please…

04/11/2013

Gauche Alchemy is looking for a few new Alchemists! I have to say that this group of women are some of the best I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with for quite some time. The products they carry are fantastic for mixed media work and general craftiness, and I’m honored to be continuing on as an Alchemist. To find our how you go about becoming an Alchemist yourself, read on! * # * # * At Gauche Alchemy, our goal is to support and encourage creative thought and expression by providing materials that help artists of all types and skill levels think differently about their creative pursuits. We endeavor to be the “jumping-off point” for your next great idea! We are all about upcycling, as well as digging up the best manufactured products we can find. We are all about being inclusive rather than exclusive. And now is your chance to get in on all of the fun, snark, and gauche awesomeness we pride ourselves on. We are on the hunt for a few new faces to add to our team of Alchemists. “What does an Alchemist do??” I’m glad you asked! “Alchemists” are more than just “oooh lookie what I [...]

38 Stones & Gems | Jewelry Care

04/09/2013

While I often feel like I’m the reason we can’t have nice things (klutziness does not a jewel protect–good thing diamonds and sapphires are tough!), I do try to take care of my jewelry and keep it clean and shiny so I can wear it any time I get the notion. I mean, even the Hope Diamond wouldn’t look like much covered in dust and grime, right? But different types of jewelry require different types of care, so let’s take a look at caring for our shiny bits. You never know, you might have an heirloom in the making! Precious Stones Since precious stones tend to be up there on the hardness (Mohs) scale, these types of jewelry are the easiest to care for: warm water, a soft toothbrush or paintbrush, and some gentle detergent and you’re pretty much good to go. If you prefer to clean a lot of jewelry all in one go, a table-top ultrasonic cleaner can certainly be used for this type of jewelry with no problem, and there are also affordable steam cleaners for jewelry on the market, too. When we were shopping for engagement rings the halo ring was (and still is, I think) [...]

38 Stones & Gems | Birthstones 101

04/02/2013

Moving on from home decorating to decorating ourselves, it’s onward to the next art on this list: 38 Expert Knowledge of Stones and Gems Despite the fact that I have serious issues with the way the word ‘expert’ is bandied about these days, let’s see what we can dig up about precious and semi-precious stones, starting with the first ones many of us likely encountered: out birthstones. Matching stones with dates of birth (astrologically speaking, at least) goes back to biblical times, but the list we know as the birthstone guide only goes back to 1700′s Poland and was only set in stone–if you’ll pardon the pun–by the National Association of Jewelers in 1912. And while they don’t come right out and say it, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it wasn’t in an attempt to encourage more spending back in the day. These poems were put out by the famous Tiffany & Co as early as 1870, though, so the practice of shopping by birthstone certainly isn’t new. By her who in this month (January) is born No gem save garnets should be worn; They will ensure her constancy, True friendship, and fidelity. The February-born shall find Sincerity and peace [...]

37 Home Decor | It’s A Frame Up!

03/26/2013

Now to decide where on my wall this one should go!

Displaying Art in Your Home Space You know, I used to think it was terribly vain to display my own art at home. For the longest time the only painting of mine to be on the wall was the one I had to frame for the student show back in 2004 or thereabouts. Some time last year, though, I changed my attitude. I don’t know if it was anything major that shifted or just that I was running out of places to store finished work except the walls, but I started with a cork board above my computer and then started hanging different projects I created for Gauche Alchemy, etc. Now my gallery wall is a nice piece of inspiration in my home office and I look forward to filling up the rest of the wall space in there! There’s really no rhyme or reason with my gallery wall, I just pick the best place by size when i have something new to hang up. Overall I try to keep a certain balance going, but since this wall is a work in progress, it’s going to be a bit off now and then. We did something similar in the dining [...]

37 Home Decor | Bedroom on the Orient Express

03/19/2013

Have you ever seen something that makes you stop in your tracks as your eyes widen and you lean in to get a closer look, utterly captivated? That’s how I felt when I saw this picture : Isn’t it delicious?! For quite a while I’ve been “over” the current color scheme of our bedroom. It’s a watered-down version of what I dreamed up in my last apartment, kind of a Moroccan boudoir sort of vibe with deep reds and plush drapes, only when we moved in together I never got up the gumption to hang up the sheers over the boring off-white walls or even hang any pictures. And in the meantime the comforter that I searched high and low for is showing its age–the room desperately needs a makeover. I’ll even show you what I mean. Technically there’s nothing wrong with the room, it’s perfectly functional (if a bit snug), and we’re the only ones that see it and most of the time we’re asleep. So why the big deal? I like having a pretty space to sleep in. A nicely-decorated room is relaxing to me. So a course has been set, based on my inspiration photo and a few more I’ve found [...]

37 Home Decor | Crazy For You: Crazy-Quilted Pillow Covers are Tops for Upcycling Fabric

03/12/2013

Quilting is an age-old tradition of making lovely textiles from bits and pieces of fabrics. While many times these fabrics are purchased with a certain project in mind, quilting can be a fabulous way to use up leftover scraps or rescue fabric from clothes that are headed to a rag bin just because a portion is worn or stained. But a lot of quilting patterns require cutting certain shapes, which can make using those scraps a little tougher. Enter the Crazy Quilt. Not quite a scary as it sounds, a crazy quilt is simply one without a set pattern. You can see the basics on my How to Crazy Quilt article (back from my eHow days), but the gist is you layer bits and pieces of fabric onto a foundation piece and create a fabric collage of sorts. Then you can embellish to your hearts content. By the way: Not only is March National Craft Month, March 16th, 2013, is also National Quilting Day–why not give crazy quilting a try? In our discussion of throw pillows last week I did, rather casually, mention making your own. This might seem like a big task if you’re not handy around needle and thread (much [...]