for all you crafty people...

texas*princess · #1 12-07-2002, 05:00 PM

ok this is totally random, but a couple of questions for all you crafty people!

firstly, this christmas break i am planning on creating a scrapbook for my first 2 yrs. of college life ... i have a ton of stickers, a ton of paper, those super fun crazy-edged scissors, and glue sticks... what else could you use on a scrapbook to make it fun & cute?

also.. just wondering if anyone on here cross stitches? sounds like a grandma past-time, but I have cross-stitched for a couple of months now and it's really fun.. I even made some DSP magnets for my 'fridge and they are super cute. would you cross stitch random stuff ( like pillows maybe ) for your sisters as big/lil or 'just because' gifts?

AchtungBaby80 · #2 12-07-2002, 05:44 PM

I'm one of those "crafty" (in more ways than one

) people who likes doing the stuff you mentioned. I've done a sorority scrapbook every year since I've joined, but I don't normally buy all that fancy stuff like printed papers that cost 50 cents a sheet and those precut paper objects. All you need is a bunch of scissors that cut cute designs, some glitter, some markers, and your pictures...and voila, you can come up with some neat-looking stuff if you're creative. It sounds like you're pretty much set. And I also cross-stitch...well, I've been doing it since I was five and old habits are hard to break! Do you do your own designs or use cross-stitch books, texas*princess?

aephi alum · #3 12-07-2002, 06:30 PM

I love to cross stitch. I actually did do a cross-stitch gift for my big - I made up a pattern with our letters and a spray of lily of the valley. I made two and kept one.

How do you do the magnets? Do you use those magnetic picture frame thingies, or what?

Can't help you with the scrapbooking, but it sounds like a great idea.

texas*princess · #4 12-07-2002, 09:54 PM

I usually "make" designs from other designs.. for example, I will use a crown design and then the greek letters under it. I only own a couple of leaflets though.. i have found a bunch of cute patters online for free

and for making my magnets, I used plastic canvas to stitch on. I stitched the letters.. about 24 stitches high and cut them out of the plastic canvas. I went to hobby lobby and bought magnet pieces (they have magnet strips 6 per pack for 99 cents!) and cut the magnets to fit behind the letters and hot-glued them on.

what interesting projects have you made with crafty-things?

LuaBlanca · #5 12-07-2002, 10:51 PM

I LOVE scrapbooking! You'd really be amazed at what you can do with just plain construction paper cut out in the right way. The only real "tip" I have for you is not to have an idea of what you want it to look like. Just let it go. And also- worship the diagonal! (Like, if you have a rectangular picture w/ a rectangular paper to act as a sort of "mat" for it, put them at different angles, or slightly askew of each other. It makes for an interesting contrast...and ALWAYS lay out what you want it to look like FIRST...THEN do the gluing!!! (use acid-free stuff so your pics don't ruin!!) have fun!!!

Jadey28 · #6 12-07-2002, 11:45 PM

Has anyone ever seen the rub-on transfers? Well, if you haven't, they are kinda like temporary tattoos where you rub them on from the front to transfer the picture. Well anyway, I took a budvase and used sweetheart rose transfers to decorate it. I then painted over the outline of the roses to make it look prettier. I figured that in my chapter we are constantly giving out roses (or other flowers) that it would be nice to have a special vase to hold it in.

Another crafty idea that I had was to take our family pattern and make each sister within the family a pin pillow from it. I decorated them with glitter glue paint stuff and roses (our sorority flower, can you tell?)

All of the sisters that are not in my family are so jealous because they can't have one!

Hope these ideas bring some fun to your chapters! Keep sharing your ideas so I can "borrow" them

chideltjen · #7 12-08-2002, 12:05 AM

Make sure everything you get for your scrapbook is acid free. Someone mentioned construction paper in scrapbooks. That's great and all for a while but if you don't get acid free cardstock, it can ruin your pics. And avoid the magnetic pages like the plague. They don't hold up over time and also turn yellow. Some groovy things I own:
Die cuts
a circle cutter
templates for making shapes and cutting pics
sticker squares (god's gift for those who hate glue)
those groovy gel pens... journaling

curvy rulers for making squiggly lines for borders
time... something i don't have

deltaphi94 · #8 12-08-2002, 01:05 AM

I learned to cross stitch when I was 12. It's funny that you called it a grandma past-time because I always tell people that I do old lady things for fun in reference to the cross stitch.

Our version of the Greek paddles is to personalize a crest for our big/little. (not really the crest, but you get my drift.) Anyway, I did a cross stitch that I designed with the help of a mini pattern I have and put a blessing in the middle. That was glued to one side of my little's crest.

My chapter is really small now, and I got to go to formal in the spring. I wanted to do something for the "family" I had on campus this year, so I took the same mini pattern and stitched it on black cloth, then stitched the shape of our badge in gold metallic floss around that. Note: I will NEVER stitch on black again, and I hate the metallic flosses.

I made my hubby a cross stitch for Christmas last year, and I'm working on one for my mom now. If I ever finish that one, I'm going to make the same design for myself. (It says, "Our family is a circle of strength and love..." and I want to hang in in the middle of pictures of our family.)

Peaches-n-Cream · #9 12-08-2002, 01:21 AM

I wish that I were crafty.

justamom · #10 12-08-2002, 08:48 AM

I made the scrapbook for our Krewe for 5 years. It was a pretty big deal and remained secret until the revealing of the new court. I always did it in sections and kept several item from each party-like the doubloons and programs, table decorations... The section dividers were always highly decorated, glittery and colorful.

For humor, the photo shops have these little stickers that you can put directly on the photo and there are some pretty funny sayings. You can also write your own captions underneath the photos. Also think in terms of cartoon panels. Put a series of three or so pics in a row and "create" a story.

The BEST pictures are not posed-they are the random shots of your friends looking a tad foolish... Save the still shots for a separate section.

texas*princess · #11 12-08-2002, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by chideltjen
curvy rulers for making squiggly lines for borders
time... something i don't have

I don't know if you would like this idea, but I don't have those curvy rulers either.

I have just used the crazy-edged scissors to cut out borders instead of using curvy rulers and then cutting out the borders

deltaphi, those are really cool ideas to incorporate your craft with your chapter!

There is a computer program out there that you can turn photos into a cross-stitch pattern. It even gives you the color key

So it could be fun for cross-stitching your crest, or something cool like that.

I wanted to cross stitch some more of those magnets, but for some DPhiE friends I have from back home.
I don't know if I will have them done before Christmas break, but if not I could surprise them and mail them to the girls

texas*princess · #12 12-08-2002, 01:41 PM

Jadey, those sound like awesome ideas - thanks for sharing!

\

Quote:

Originally posted by Jadey28
Has anyone ever seen the rub-on transfers? Well, if you haven't, they are kinda like temporary tattoos where you rub them on from the front to transfer the picture. Well anyway, I took a budvase and used sweetheart rose transfers to decorate it. I then painted over the outline of the roses to make it look prettier. I figured that in my chapter we are constantly giving out roses (or other flowers) that it would be nice to have a special vase to hold it in.

Another crafty idea that I had was to take our family pattern and make each sister within the family a pin pillow from it. I decorated them with glitter glue paint stuff and roses (our sorority flower, can you tell?) All of the sisters that are not in my family are so jealous because they can't have one!

Hope these ideas bring some fun to your chapters! Keep sharing your ideas so I can "borrow" them

AXO_MOM_3 · #13 12-08-2002, 04:04 PM

Back when I had time to cross stitch, I made one our crest. It is beautiful! I have it framed in my office!

deltaphi94 · #14 12-08-2002, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AXO_MOM_3
Back when I had time to cross stitch, I made one our crest. It is beautiful! I have it framed in my office!

I hear you on the time issue! I have to do all of my stitching if and when hubby is working and the little one is sleeping. Of course, that's when I get to do all of my other chores, too. So, unless I skip cleaning -- which I can't -- it takes forever to get something finished!

Oh, and when my son was newborn, I learned to make those padded photo albums. I have some that have baby Looney Tunes covers, and I gave one to my son's grandmother with lighthouses on it for Christmas the year he was born. She collects lighthouses, and I've heard it's full of pictures of him now.

I haven't done any of those since he passed the constant sleep stage, though.

pinkyphimu · #15 12-08-2002, 11:37 PM

you absolutely must have your own personal paper trimmer for scrapbooking. i think it costs $10. it is perfect for cutting pics, trimming pages, etc. i have seen them in both ac moore and michaels. i also got a laminator/sticker maker/ magnet maker. it was a pretty pricey investment ($50 or so), but i have so much fun with it.

the one thing i would avoid like the plague......spray adhesive. the first scrapbook i made, i used that and i managed to glue myself and everything around me to the scrapbook. i found double sided tape that is photo safe and it is sooooo much better!

i just recently tried soap making. i bought the mold for the relaxing massage bars. it was pretty easy, but i think it could get expensive if you want to make them very complicated. has anyone else done that?

i also cross stitch...and i am trying desperately to get one finished for my friend for xmas. i have to say that i was never particularly crafty until i joined phi mu. when i had to make a quatrefoil for my big, i was introduced to the world of ac moore....and slowly, but surely, i have been sucked right in!!! lol

ooh, before i forget....is anyone good at crochet? i try so hard but i make everything slope...it is awful!!!