Category: craft projects

Make This: Avocado Seed Dye Tutorial

Photos and Tutorial by Christie Sommers

In my last tutorial, I showed you one way to carve avocado seeds to make a pendant necklace. Today I will show you how to turn those failed attempts and carving scraps into a dye suitable for dying natural fibers like wool and cotton.

This is a simplified method that will result in a subtle, warm pink/rust color. If you are looking for deeper color saturation, or if you require colorfast results for fabric that must hold up through multiple washing, you will need to use a mordant. I’m keeping it simple and will be using my dyed fabric to make zip pouches.

You will need:
– avocado seeds, carving scraps from last tutorial (I used about 2 cups)
– 4 cups of filtered water
– 100% natural fabric or yarn (synthetic fabrics will not hold the dye without a mordant) I used a half yard of 100% cotton fabric. As with any newly purchased fabric, you should give it a run through the wash.
– fine mesh sieve
– a bowl or container large enough to hold dye and fabric. Stainless steel is great for this, plastic will stain.

To make your dye:
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil, add avocado seeds and scraps. Cover lightly.
Boil for at least 30 minutes. *note… the seeds have an astringent, cedar wood smell. You may want to crack a window or use the oven fan.
I let my seeds sit in the water overnight in attempt to pull out as much color as possible. You can skip this step if you’re feeling impatient.

When you are ready to dye:
Put your fabric into a pot and cover completely with tap water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 5-10 minutes. This should strip away anything clinging to the natural fibers… (like soap residue or oils) and make it more susceptible to absorbing and holding dye.

Remove fabric from water and set aside

Pour your dye through a fine mesh sieve to remove all seeds and bits. Submerge fabric into dye and let sit for at least 30 minutes. The longer it steeps, the deeper the resulting color.
For a color gradient effect, try submerging your fabric for 10 minutes, pulling it out of the dye bath a few inches every hour for a few hours. I fully submerged a few pieces of fabric and tried a gradient effect with the others.

After dyeing:
Taking note that your fabric will fade when it dries, remove fabric from dye bath when you have reached a desired depth of color. Allow your fabric to air dry.

After your fabric has completely dried, rinse it in cold water. Let dry again, and your fabric is ready to use!

Here’s a little color chart to show the results I got from rinsing in cold water once, and placing the other in a full laundry cycle.

When I removed my gradient dyed fabric from the dye bath, I was really happy with the result. There was a bit of sediment in my dye which clung to the fabric creating a marbled effect that I loved. I decided to frame that one without giving it a rinse.

You can save your dye liquid in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to one week.

Christie Sommers is the designer and maker behind West Oak Design. She handcrafts small batch and one of a kind goods for home, women, and kids in her Wyndmoor, Pa studio.www.westoakdesign.com

August 21, 2015
Make This: Easiest Handmade Book Ever

Photos + Tutorial by Bonnie Kaye Whitfield

I am obsessed with this book form. It is the fastest way to turn a simple sheet of paper into an 8-page book, all without gluing or sewing. Use this tutorial to whip up a quick notebook, zine or to quickly transform an old work of art.

You will need:

paper – either blank or an old print, etc
scissors or cutting knife
bonefolder – optional

Gather your materials. I’ll demo with a blank sheet of 12 x 18” paper, but I also have an old test print to make into a book, too.

Start by carefully folding your paper in half, with the shortest ends together (like a “hamburger”). If you have a bonefolder, a super handy tool for making tight creases, then use it. Otherwise, your finger/fingernail will work just fine.

Next, fold your paper once more in the same direction. When you open it, you should have 4 sections created on your paper.

Then fold your paper in the opposite direction, where the longest ends touch (like a “hotdog”). Make a tight crease. When you open your paper up you should now have 8 sections.

Fold you paper back in half again, on the very first crease you created (like a “hamburger”). Hold the paper carefully, and begin to cut into the folded edge on the crease – STOP when you get to the corner where the 4 creases come together. When you open your paper, it should look like you have a big slit in the middle.

Refold you paper long ways (like a “hotdog”) and begin to squeeze the two ends of the paper together so that the hole in your paper closes to form 2 more pages. Fold these 4 page “spokes” together to close the book. Sometimes the book has a mind of its own, and you just let the pages tell you how to close up the book.

And there you have it, your new 8-page, no-glue, no-sew book!

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Bonnie Kaye Whitfield designs and screen prints home textiles + paper goods under the name, Bonnie Kaye Studio. Products are created to inspire memories at home and around the table. A donation is made with every purchase to help feed hungry Americans.

www.BonnieKayeStudio.com

July 30, 2015
Make This: Avocado Seed Pendant

Photos and Tutorial by Christie Sommers

If your household goes through as many avocados as mine, you may have thought “there must be something I can do with all these pits!” (cue exasperated infomercial actor). Well there is! In fact there are a few things you can can do with them. I will walk you through two options over the course of this,and my next, tutorial for Art Star. In this tutorial, I will show you how to make a hand carved pendant, and later this month I will show you one way to turn the carving scraps and pit skins into a natural dye. So save those scraps!

You will need:

*Hass avocado pits (at least two)

*Xacto blade or other carving tools. No experience necessary! I have no “official” carving training aside from a brief period of self taught printmaking. Just proceed with caution, these tools are sharp! You can get creative with items in your kitchen or toolbox. Use a Phillips head screwdriver for “x” shapes, metal skewers for dots, drag a fork for perfectly spaced lines…. you get the idea.

*a drill or Dremel for making holes

*a length of rope or string from which to hang your pendant (I used waxed cotton cord, hemp works well too)

You will need to allow your your seeds to dry out for at least 3 days before carving. No more than around 2 weeks or they will shrivel up and solidify, making them very difficult to carve.

Avocado seeds are dicots. Simply put, they are in two parts. You need to find the natural split that separates the two sides. If you don’t split them prior to carving, they will split on their own later.. most likely straight through your nice design. I learned this one the hard way.

After your seed has dried for a few days, peel the outer layer of skin away and set skin aside.

Pinch the seed between your thumb and forefinger until the natural split begins to appear.

You may need to stick a flat head screwdriver into the split to pry them apart, otherwise just get a finger in there to separate.

You now have two halves… two potential pendants.

Start by deciding where you would like to drill the hole for your string. Don’t go too close to edge if you want to avoid unwanted cracks.

Drill a hole through the seed being careful not to press too hard, let the drill do the work. Too much pressure may cause the seed to split where you don’t want. You may have to go through a few practice seeds to get a feel for it.

Start carving! You can lightly scratch designs into the seed with a pencil first as a guide.

For this tutorial I carved one pendant with a little mountain landscape, one that was inspired by mud cloth designs, and lastly a pendant with a more simplistic organic shape. I tried to make the drilled hole an intentional part of the design.

String your new pendant onto your rope/string and tie in the back at your desired length.

If you’d like to give your pendant a nice finish, try wiping with a cloth that has been lightly dipped in mineral oil.

Now throw those seed shavings and skins into a ziplock bag and toss them in your freezer until next time when I share a way to turn those scraps into a natural dye.

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Christie Sommers is the designer and maker behind West Oak Design. She handcrafts small batch and one of a kind goods for home, women, and kids in her Wyndmoor, Pa studio.www.westoakdesign.com

July 9, 2015
Make This: Quick + Easy Matte Medium Transfer

Photos + Tutorial by Bonnie Kaye Whitfield

Here’s a quick and simple image transfer for using matte medium and a photocopy of an image. It’s a helpful trick for adding layers of imagery to mix media works of art. On the other hand, it can also be a beautiful way to create a piece for your home or a friend that encapsulates a memory or person.

You will need:

photocopy of image to transfer / copy in reverse if it matters to the image
thick paper, canvas, or wood to use as background
matte medium
foam brush or wide brush
old plastic card or brayer
container for water
sponge (optional)
hair dryer (optional)

Gather your materials. Make a photocopy or laser print of your image that you want to transfer. You need the toner in the paper, so an ink jet print will not work. I recommend starting with a small image the first time you try this process.

Depending on your design or what you want to make, if you want a background to your image then you’ll want to do that first. Go crazy, if you like, with painting a simple background using paint or ink washes. Let the background dry completely.

Cut out the image that you want to transfer, removing any excess paper. Using a foam brush, brush on matte medium on the frontside of the entire image, using a smooth and thick coat. Foam brushes are ideal since they don’t leave many streaks, but any brush can work.

Flip the image over onto your background. Use a brayer or old plastic card to smooth out the image and make sure that it has solid contact to the background. Any air bubbles may result in small areas of the image not being transferred. Let dry completely. Feel free to use a hairdryer to speed up the process.

Once the image dries (the paper will turn opaque again), grab your water container and sponge. Slowly use a damp sponge (or your finger) and work in a small circular motion to begin to remove the paper backing. This might take a while so put on a good podcast or your favorite Netflix show.

Try to work slowly, but if some of the transfer rubs off, it will just add to the rustic quality of the image. You’ll likely need to repeat this process a few times. As the image dries, any fibers that are not rubbed off will continue to cloud the image. Once you get the image to your satisfaction, give the image a top coat of matte medium to seal it.

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Bonnie Kaye Whitfield designs and screen prints home textiles + paper goods under the name, Bonnie Kaye Studio. Products are created to inspire memories at home and around the table. A donation is made with every purchase to help feed hungry Americans.

www.BonnieKayeStudio.com

June 26, 2015
Make This: Cold Brew Infused Water

Photos and Tutorial by Christie Sommers

I don’t know about you, but when it’s this hot out I need something refreshing to drink and anything sugary or sweet is just no good. Here’s a little cold brew herbal tea recipe to enjoy all summer long, and you don’t have to heat up your kitchen to make it.

You will need:
*a large pitcher or jar
*spring or filtered water
*fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth
*large wooden spoon
*clean scissors or herb snips
*fresh herbs (suggested combos listed below). Anyone can grow fresh herbs, whether you have a garden or sunny window ledge. I highly recommend buying a potted herb plant over the prepackaged cut herbs from your grocery store for the obvious reason that you get more out of a living plant. They are very easy to care for. The more you cut and use them, the healthier and more abundant they will be. Packaged fresh herbs are fine if you’re really not a plant person.

Start by cleaning your herbs well. Let them soak in a bowl of cold water for a bit and swish them around to remove any soil. Rinse.

Place herbs in pitcher.

Bruise herbs with the wooden spoon to release the oils from the leaves. You basically just smash them with the spoon.

*The more herbs you use, the stronger the tea will be. Because we are cold brewing, your tea will be very subtle. If you prefer stronger tea, add a cup of boiling water now and let steep for about 5 minutes before adding your cold water to fill.

Fill the rest of your container with spring/filtered water and place in your fridge. Let steep overnight. The longer it steeps, the more flavor your water will have.

You can filter out the herbs when you pour yourself a glass or just leave ’em in there if you don’t mind snacking on them;)

Your tea will keep for about a week in the fridge.
Enjoy!

Some herbs/combinations to try:
Lemon Balm & Rosemary (used for this tutorial)
Lemon Thyme
Mint
Chamomile & Lavender
Hibiscus & Raspberry Leaf
Ginger & Basil

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Christie Sommers is the designer and maker behind West Oak Design. She handcrafts small batch and one of a kind goods for home, women, and kids in her Wyndmoor, Pa studio.www.westoakdesign.com

June 18, 2015
MAKE THIS: 3D Geometric Wrapping Paper

Photos + Tutorial by Bonnie Kaye Whitfield

It takes just a few extra minutes to turn your gift into a conversation piece. Here’s a super simple tutorial to create fun 3D Geometric shapes on the top of your package for the next upcoming summer party you attend.

You will need:

box to wrap
colorful tissue paper
brown kraft paper
cardboard or chipboard
scissors
exacto knife
self-healing mat
tape
pencil

Gather your materials. Grab whatever tissue paper and solid wrapping paper you have on hand.

First, wrap your packages in the tissue paper.

Put your packages aside and begin to draw and cut out simple geometric shapes out of your cardboard or chipboard. Keep your shapes small, under 1” in any given direction.

Next, cut a sheet of your solid wrapping paper, large enough to wrap your package for a second time. Place your package in the middle of the sheet and trace around the edges of the box.

Grab your cut out shapes and begin to trace HALF of the shape within the outline of the box. For example, if you cut out a circle, only trace half of the circle. You want to make sure that half or at least one side of your shape stays connected to the wrapping sheet. Play around with patterns and arrangement with your shapes.

Using an exacto knife, carefully cut along the lines that you traced.

Place your box inside the outline that you originally traced and now wrap your package with the wrapping paper. Flip the box over and carefully fold back all your cut shapes. (Tip: I like to use the blade of my exacto knife to help get under the cut slits. Makes for easier grabbing and folding of the paper.)

Now you can go wow all your friends at your next birthday/babyshower/wedding!!

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Bonnie Kaye Whitfield designs and screen prints home textiles + paper goods under the name, Bonnie Kaye Studio. Products are created to inspire memories at home and around the table. A donation is made with every purchase to help feed hungry Americans.

www.BonnieKayeStudio.com

June 4, 2015
Make This: Mini Knotted Planter

Tutorial and Photos by Christie Sommers

This mini planter is great for 3″ terracotta pots or even planted votive holders…no candles!!
It makes a great little handmade gift… quick & easy!

You will need:
*scissors
*yard stick or tape measure
*brass ring (can be purchased at AC Moore in the knitting/macrame section…OR you can just use a key ring.
*16 feet of rope. I am using parachute cord in this tutorial but hemp, cotton rope, or even twine works well.
*you will need something to provide resistance as you tie knots. Duct tape, a wall hook, a coat rack. You’ll see what I mean below.

Start by cutting the rope into 4 pieces, each 4′ long

Gather the 4 strands and fold in half.

Tie the rope to the ring with a larks head knot.

Tighten the larks head knot.

Tape down your ring. You will need a bit of resistance when you are tying your knots to simulate the weight of the plant. This will help you to line up your knots properly. You can also use a wall hook or even tie it to your shoe… if you are sitting down;)

Separate the strands into 4 groups of 2 as shown.

Working from left to right, measure down 6″ and tie your first two strands into a knot that falls 6″ from the larks head knot as shown.

Continue from left to right tying knots 6″ from top as shown.

Separate again into 4 as shown

You will now tie together one strand from 1 and one strand from 2
continue with 2 to 3, and then 3 to 4 (tie this row of knots about 3-4″ below the last row of knots)

You will notice that there is one untied strand at the beginning and end (1 and 4)
Tie these two together with the knot lining up with the last round to complete the circle.

Gather all strands again into one hand

Tie into one large knot

Pop a 3″ terracotta pot or any small pot/votive holder into your new knotted planter and enjoy!

PLANTS ONLY! NO FLAMES!
just had to say it….you never know these days;)

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Christie Sommers is the designer and maker behind West Oak Design. She handcrafts small batch and one of a kind goods for home, women, and kids in her Wyndmoor, Pa studio.www.westoakdesign.com

May 29, 2015
Make This: Fabric Storage Bins

by Christie Sommers

I have way too many “things” in little piles all over my workspace. It was time to do a little organizing so I made some storage bins and bowls in various sizes to store loose buttons, bobbins and more. They have really brightened up the place so I’d like to share them with you:)

You will need:

-a pencil compass
-scrap paper
-fabric (one outer and one liner)
-fusible interfacing (you want something very rigid, I recommend Pellon Decor Bond Fusible)
-an iron/ironing board
-a sewing machine
-scissors
-ruler

You will need to draft up a little pattern for this one. I made a bin that was 6.5″ in diameter and 4.5″ high. To figure out how long to cut your rectangular pieces you will need to break out the calculator… or your brain. To find the circumference of your base, multiply the diameter by 3.14. The circumference will be the length of your rectangular sides.
In my case: 6.5″ diameter x 3.14= 20.14 ….
Use this calculation to make your bin in any size.

OR….

You can just use my dimensions and make the same sized bin.

Cut:
(3) rectangles: 21″ long by 5″ high (1) liner, (1) outer, (1) interfacing
(3) circles with 3.25″ radius (1) liner, (1) outer, (1) interfacing

You will iron on the interfacing to the backside of the outer fabric.
Take the shiny adhesive side of the interfacing and line it up to the back of your outer fabric.
Iron on holding firmly for 6 seconds to establish a good bond.
Do the same for the circular outer fabric.

Now you will sew the side wall (rectangular piece) to the base (circular) for both the liner and the outer fabric.

Pin as shown.

Straight stitch the liner wall to the liner base

Do the same for the outer wall and base making sure to place the fabric “right” sides together, right side being the printed side that you want to see on the outside when the bin is done.

Line up your two ends of the rectangular piece and stitch up the side wall. Trim

You should have two pieces now (liner and outer) that look like this….

Cut into the seam allowance around the base so that the basket sits evenly when assembled. Take care to not cut into your stitching.

Turn the liner inside out and fit (right sides together) into the outer piece.

Line up your seams and pin all the way around

Sew all the way around leaving a small section about 1.5″ unsewn. You will turn the whole bin right side out through this hole.

When you turn it right side out, use your iron to get all of your seams looking nice and clean.
I liked how it looked with a little of the liner as a trim at the top.

Top stitch all the way around and be sure to carefully seal the opening with your top stitch.

Toss in some sewing notions, or whatever bits you need to wrangle and enjoy!

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Christie Sommers is the designer and maker behind West Oak Design. She handcrafts small batch and one of a kind goods for home, women, and kids in her Wyndmoor, Pa studio.www.westoakdesign.com

April 18, 2015
Make This: Striped Screen Printed Clipboards

Photos + Tutorial by Bonnie Kaye Whitfield

Sometimes things just needs a little sprucing up. This time of year, when many of us try to focus on spring cleaning and organizing, I find that I need a bit of motivation. Here’s a speedy screen printing method to jazz up old clipboards, but could also be used on other flat office supplies, such as binders, folders, box lids, etc.

You will need:

clipboards
screen printing frame
screen printing ink
spatula or plastic spoon
squeegee
packaging or blue tape
a friend to hold down your screen / or a hinge clamp board

Gather your materials. I had a few old clipboards lying around my studio that definitely needed a facelift, but you can always purchase plain ones at Staples or Target. The screen printing frame that I am using is from Blick. It’s pretty amazing what you can do without fancy screen printing equipment. With screen printing, you are masking, or blocking, parts of the open screen to create a stencil. Whatever is “open” will print, whatever is “blocked” – in our case with tape – won’t print. I find that you can create fun geometric designs by simply using tape. If you’re looking for something more complex, try cutting a stencil out of contact paper. Same idea.

When you screen print, the screen needs to be directly flush and in contact with whatever you are printing on, with the frame facing upwards. Place your clipboard underneath your screen, as you’ll be printing, to get a sense of size. Your screen should be larger than your clipboard, and needs at least a 2” border buffer, as printing too closely to the edge of the screen is tricky and just doesn’t print well.

Flip your screen over. You’ll now block parts of the screen using tape. Begin with the sides and bottom of the screen so that you get closer to the actual size of the clipboard. Then have fun with creating open stripes or geometric patterns with your tape. Just keep in mind that you’ll eventually have to flip your screen over again, so remember that your print will come out in reverse of what you are taping.

Before printing, flip your screen over to get a better sense as to what will print. I’m going to print off the edges of my clipboard, which is why the open area is larger than my clipboard, but feel free to keep the printing contained within the printing surface. It’s definitely less messy that way.

To print, you’ll need the frame to be held in place, either by a handy friend or in my case, a hinge-clamp board. Gather your ink + squeegee.

Position the clipboard directly under the screen where you want to print. Using a spatula or spoon, spread ink to the top of your screen in a line.

Before printing, you need to “flood” your screen. Using your squeegee, which should be a little wider than your design, in your dominant hand and holding the frame up in your other hand, pull the ink towards you at a 45 degree angle. This is filling the open screen with ink prior to printing. (Since I was taking a picture, I just rested my frame on my tape roll.)

Once the screen is full of ink, place the screen down directly on the clipboard. With the screen firmly in place, pull the squeegee down again at a 45 degree angle. Don’t be afraid of really applying some pressure here. In fact, you may want to do 2 or 3 pulls, as wood will absorb some of the ink.

Gently pull up the frame and you should have a new, fancy updated clipboard. If you are printing on various size clipboards, as I did, be sure to print in order from large to small. And with printing, the time is in the setup not the printing, so why not line up a pile of flat items to print on while you’re at it!

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Bonnie Kaye Whitfield designs and screen prints home textiles + paper goods under the name, Bonnie Kaye Studio. Products are created to inspire memories at home and around the table. A donation is made with every purchase to help feed hungry Americans.

www.BonnieKayeStudio.com

April 9, 2015
Naturally Dyed Egg Tutorial

Tutorial and Photos by Christie Sommers of West Oak Design

Here’s a fun little tutorial that you should be able to do for under $5… unless you use what you already have! Just about any vegetable, fruit or herb that will stain your clothes, will stain an egg. For this tutorial I used red cabbage and blueberries for the blue, and turmeric powder for the yellow. My original intention was to make a nice set of color gradient ombre dyed eggs but it didn’t exactly work out that way. I was able to somewhat achieve that effect with the blue ones, but the turmeric eggs seemed to stay about the same shade. If you’re looking for perfect, evenly dyed eggs, this may not be for you. I personally love the earthy mottled effect you get from using natural dyes.Here are a few suggestions you can try:

RED/PINK: beets,hibiscus tea, frozen or canned cherries, pomegranate, paprika
YELLOW/GOLD: yellow onion skins, chamomile, turmeric, chili powder
BLUE/PURPLE: red cabbage, blueberries (fresh, canned, or frozen), grape juice
GREEN: spinach, dill

*NOTE last year I used curry powder for the turmeric…. my eggs tasted like curry. If you’re into that.. go for it!

For the blue eggs I used:

– 1/2 dozen hard boiled white eggs (to hard boil: cover eggs completely in cool water, bring to a boil, remove from heat and let sit covered for 7 minutes, then place in cold water to stop cooking process, drain and set aside in the fridge until your dye is ready)

– 1/2 head of red cabbage cut into 1″ chunks

*I had some blueberries in the freezer from last summer that were looking freezer burnt so I tossed them in too.

– a large stock pot

-mesh sieve or cheesecloth

-4 cups water (distilled is recommended but I used tap water because that’s what I had and it worked out for me)

*a lot of the resources I checked recommend using vinegar but when I used it last year, all of my eggshells became soft and weird… so I left it out this time and the shells stayed in tact.Start by adding the water & cabbage (& blueberries if you have ’em) into your pot and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for at least 30-45 minutes. You will notice the liquid becoming opaque and the cabbage will start to look drained of its color.

At this point you can strain the solids by pouring through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer.You can reduce the liquid at this point making it more concentrated, OR proceed to the next step.

Place the dye liquid into the fridge and let it cool.For an ombre effect:

Place all eggs into the cooled dye liquid and place back in the fridge

Every 15-30 minutes, remove one egg from the liquid.Otherwise, add all eggs to the dye liquid and let sit refrigerated until they reach the desired depth of color.

*This method can be used for any of the vegetables, fruits, or herbs listed. If you would like to try this with the turmeric powder, Use 3 tablespoons turmeric to 2 cups of water and boil until the turmeric dissolves (this is the ratio that worked for me).

Your naturally dyed eggs will have an soft matte color. You can brush a light coat of vegetable oil on them for a nice shine that will really make the color pop.Hope you give this easy & inexpensive technique a try!————————————————————————————————————————————————

Christie Sommers is the designer and maker behind West Oak Design. She handcrafts small batch and one of a kind goods for home, women, and kids in her Wyndmoor, Pa studio.www.westoakdesign.com

April 3, 2015