Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

Returning Guest Blogger Gillian from the Blog “Dried Figs and Wooden Spools”

Who wants to make Craysanky Eggs?

OK, I made that word up, but with good reason. As Easter approaches and the supermarket aisles are filled with PAAS kits and plastic eggs, I find myself itching to attempt some interesting egg crafts. Once upon a time, Easter would have seen me pulling out my pysanky decorating kit and teaching my fifth graders how to draw fine lines of bees wax to create intricate patterns. Psanky, or Ukrainian Easter Eggs, are truly an art form, they require a steady hand and a good deal of concentration, neither of which my 1st grader has. So, what’s a mom to do?

Answer: Scrap the thin lines and beeswax and go for the crayons! The premise behind psanky eggs is similar to batik. You draw wax patterns on an egg, dip it in dye, then add another layer of wax, more dye and so on. At the end you warm the eggshell over a candle, wipe off the melting wax and behold the beautiful patterns that have been revealed. And it turns out, it works just about the same with crayon.

I started with plain white eggs and four dye colors, yellow, red, green and blue. The eggs need to go in from lightest to darkest so if you want to just mix one dye at a time, that can prevent food colored water spillage on your counter. With a crayon (we started with yellow but then switched to black since it’s easier to see once the first layer of dye goes on) draw the beginnings of a pattern on a dry, hardboiled egg (psanky eggs are traditionally blown out but this makes them pretty fragile for little hands). Remember that whatever you draw now will turn out white in the end. Lower the egg into your lightest dye and let it sit until it has reached the color you are looking for. Pat the egg dry and draw a little more, this time covering the parts you want to be this light color (yellow in our case). Dip into the next darkest dye and repeat. Traditionally, Ukranian Eggs are finished with black so that the colors really stand out. The more color steps you do, the more complex the end result.

When all the dying and coloring has been done, hold the egg a few inches above a candle flame and as the wax turns shiny, wipe with a paper towel. The effect, though not as elegant as genuine psanky eggs, was still pretty impressive and from my son’s reaction, I know our Easter basket will be brimming with Craynsky eggs this year.

Craysanky Eggs!

For more of Gillian blog posts, read them here.

My friend Vicki with Debra Norville

My friend Vicki can knit and crochet anything! She’s just a genius. I first met Vicki when she was an editor with several wonderful magazines.  She got me hooked on beads, beading, and jewelry making! She now works for Premier Yarns. Debra Norville has a line of yarns with Premier Yarns and also a book on knitting, Knit with Debra Norville published by Leisure Arts.

Julie taught me how to write instructions and many more important lessons!

I met Julie Stephani when I attended my first Society of Craft Designers Seminar (SCD no longer exists, membership went to the Craft and Hobby Association). I took her class on writing instructions! She used the example of writing instructions for making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Not as easy as you might think.  I’ve gone on to publish more than 1,000 craft projects so I think Julie did a great job! Julie is now the editor of Home Arts Magazine!

Two heroes, Bill and Tim!

And last, but not least!  Bill (left) has been my editor for trade and consumer writing for over 15 years! He’s the best. We wrote a book together, Creating Your Family Heritage Scrapbook. The funny part of this story is that after the book was published, Bill and I found out we were cousins! We had no idea! And the gentleman to the right is Tim Holtz who is a true leader in the arts.  His work and product lines are brilliant!

Do you have a creative hero? Tell us about who you admire and why!

Welcome Guest Blogger Gillian from the Blog “Dried Figs and Wooden Spools”

I have a thing about space. I have to like it, to use it. I have a hard time working in an ugly building, singing in a church that doesn’t look just right, or writing at a cluttered and disorganized desk. In fact, when I started writing my book last spring, I set myself up at my pretty little desk in our bedroom. It’s simple, dark wood, straight lines, no drawers just a small platform that slides out for a keyboard (or for papers if you are like me and haven’t owned a separate keyboards since…. well since ever, I’m from the age of laptops baby) I picked up a few funky teal cut glass vases at a thrift store for dried hydrangea’s (my perennial favorite) and my pens and set to work. Then my laptop’s screen died and I had to drag my husband’s giant old Sony monitor up from the basement (while he pointed out over and over how many times I had tried to get rid of it over the years, of course, if we didn’t have it I could make the excuse to go out and buy a nicer looking screen, but that’s another issue) So then my desk was less pretty, due to the giant ugly monitor, but still tidy enough to write. But I still had chair issues. As in, I didn’t have one.

For a long time I was dragging one of our dining room chairs in to work because a) they are comfortable and b) they match my desk as well as my table, and yes, that was a factor. My husband tried to get me to sit in one of the ugly oak chairs that he accidentally inherited from our elderly neighbors (read, he has a hard time telling them no, which has resulted in two funky, but when recovered, useful, armchairs, four very ugly, very uncomfortable oak dining chairs and boxes of books and toys found at the recycling center; fun times) but it was, as I said, very ugly and very uncomfortable.

Before picture of the Chair

I was searching for THE chair. I had been inspired by a photograph in an old Domino of an all white studio apartment where the modern-ish desk was paired up with an elegant and compact Louis the something-th style chair painted white and upholstered in fun fabric. The magazine, as they always do, claimed the chair had been purchased for some trivial amount of money, $3 at a yard sale or something. Well, Charlottesville yard sales do not have $3 Louis the something-th chairs. Antique stores have them, but not in my budget. So I kept dragging a chair from the dining room in and out of the bedroom every day.

I’m still looking for THE chair, but in the meantime, I found this one. Our local Salvation Army has either nothing, or lots of cool things that the husband would kill me if I brought home. Last week they had a beautiful piano and a thirteen-foot tall mahogany kitchen queen. Sigh. The chair was a whole $5, and while it might not be perfect-the back isn’t padded and is a little high and the wicker is a little too 1990′s instead of 1790′s- but a little paint and half a yard of the fabric I bought just for this purchase a good six months ago and TA DA! A whole new chair. In fact, maybe it’s THE chair after all!

and AFTER!

So what has been your best “transformation” project? What crazy, ugly, or plain thing did you make fabulous? And where did you get that extra spark of inspiration to take it from BLAH to HAZAAH!

For more of Gillian blog posts, read them here.