Special beads

I've been asked to make some porcelain beads of a certain diameter. Not really easy as the porcelain schrinks when being fired. So I've been making and measuring and writing it down and hope that I will get the perfect bead diameter when they are fired. Fingers crossed! :)

How to make a halloween ghost?

Halloween is still some time away but most people start decorating a few weeks before already. I wanted to share this fun project with you. It's easy to make and it's a great result for decorating your window sill or cabinet. I'm sure lots of kiddies will enjoy making these ghosts. Boo!
Here is what you need:

plaster, little plastic container, clothespeg, wooden stick, water in a container,
plaster bandages, wire, paper balls (1 large & 2 smaller ones), scissors, sharpie marker

Make some plaster. Use 1/3 water and 2/3 plaster.

Poor the plaster in the little plastic container.

Add the wooden stick in the middle of the container.
To hold it there you can let a clothespeg rest on the container.

While the plaster in the container is setting, cut up pieces of plaster.
Make some big (20cm or 7,5") and some smaller ones (10cm or 4")

Take the plastic container around the plaster away.Punch with your scissors a hole in the biggest paper ball.Put the paper ball on top of the wooden stick.

Twist some wire around the stick and
add the smaller paper balls on the ends.

Dip the plaster band into a bit of water and gently
rub over it so that the holes fill itself with plaster.

Drape the plaster bands over the paper balls.

Continue draping more plaster bands over the wire too.

Let it dry for a while.

And add a happy face to it! This ghost is not so scary, is it? :)

You can make these in any size you like. If yo like to make a huge one, I advise you to dip old sheets into plaster. You will have to work quick then because the plaster will set fast.
Happy Halloween! :)

How to make a sketchbook?

Did you know I am really terrible at drawing? I am!
But sometimes, there are so many ideas in my head that I just need to scribble them down somewhere. I really wish I could draw better but hey, I've got other qualities I suppose... Anyway, I needed a little sketchbook at a certain size and decided to quickly make myself one.
And while I did that, I took some pictures so I could share this with you.

Here is what you need:
A cutting mat, a cutting liner, a cutting tool, a scoring tool, a pencil and eraser, paper, cardboard, book screws and a hole puncher.
I wanted a sketchbook in the size of a square of 15cm by 15cm or 5,91" by 5,91" so I could scribble my wall art ideas in there.
I cut my paper larger because I will make folds in them: 15cm by 19cm or 5,91" by 7,48"
From the cardboard I made a template of 15cm by 17cm or 5,91" by 6,69"
Put the template on top of the paper and make a scoring line.
Fold the paper back on the scoring line and go with your scoring tool over the paper.
Use the template to cut out the cover of the sketchbook. Make it a tiny bit larger then the paper. That way, it will cover the paper that is not folded or cut nicely. You won't see it on the outside.
Tip: I go to home decoration stores and ask for wallpaperbooks that they are going to throw away. In those books, there usually are some very cool designs paper which are a much heavier quality then the wallpaper. You can use them perfectly for little projects like these. Fun and free!
Mark on the template where you want the holes to be. I did this 2,5cm or 0,98" from the side.Then punch a hole in the template and put the template on the folded paper. Trace the hole.
Now you can clearly see where to punch the holes.
Take your hole puncher and take the back part off so you can see where to punch.
Put a bunch of papers in between and punch the holes.
Make sure to do the same with the front cover of the sketchbook and also add a scoring line.
For the front cover, you also need to score over the paper to make it easy to open up your sketchbook.
Now you have everything ready to assemble.
Take the bookscrew and put it through the holes.
Close it up on the back of the book.
An now it's ready for me to draw. :)
Thank goodness I made this babushka stamp so it saves me to draw that shape each time! I just stamp it in the sketchbook. :)
I made numerous guestbooks and picture albums this way. Instead of using the cardboard cover, I used a thick piece of felt for it to make it prettier.
This kind of bookmaking is an easy way to add more pages later on as you can buy larger book screws.