I'm struggling too but am also gonna try and pull it out over the weekend.

Okay, thanks for the feedback. I have heard from everyone in the affirmative for the March 15th deadline, except for JustLovelyJen. I'll reach out to her today.

So, March 15th remains as the final deadline. Thanks, everyone!

Dangit, I just had a _great_ idea of what to do with this penpal project. Too late now, I don't have time to get the materials. Guess I will stick with my original idea (which I hope to finish up this evening).

Mine are on their way! But I don't think I quite made it before the pick-up deadline, so they will probably really enter the mail system tomorrow.

Next time?
 

I know it’s too late to join this time. But I would loved to be involved in a future exchange. I love participating in the NANOWRIMO post card exchanges!

Mine got there today! The USPS says it was delivered at 2:24 PM.

I'm so excited, I can't wait to see what everyone has done!

Oh my gosh, so far the three packages of post secrets I have received are GREAT! And can i just say JUICYYYYYY :koolaid:

1. nycfem / Jennifer (wrangler)
2. GeorgiaMa'am (RECEIVED)
3. CCB
4. Besame (RECEIVED)
5. JustLovelyJenn
6. Tommi
7. TS_Kaijira
8. easygoingfemme (RECEIVED)
9. girl_dee

Looking forward to receiving the rest!

Hi, everyone's packages not yet received are confirmed as EN ROUTE to me, and I think we all could use a fun mailing with everything going on! So, sit tight, and I'll let you know when they are received and sent out!

Hi, everyone, I have everyone's completed packages (minus JustLovelyJenn who let me know she could not do them due to personal things going on in her life that came up). They are FABULOUS! Everyone's package has been made but will be mailed at an unknown date since I'm not going out beyond necessities. I will of course post when I do mail them but that may not be for months. Thanks for doing a great job, everybody! Be safe, and look forward to receiving a super fun package with everyone's "post secret' cards eventually! Be safe and craft away! :)

Jen,
it's unreal, it is surreal , this plague that hit. I watch Gov. Cuomo and am blown away by what is going on. Staying self quarantined here in Southern Calif. Cats love it.
Hope you and BB can stay in dooors till Dec or January.
Much love, Tommi

Hi Crafty Peeps,

I know now is probably not a good time to be mailing germ-infested packages hither and yon, but I thought maybe we could post what crafty things we are doing while we are sheltering in place. I know you folks can't resist doing something crafty when you have a little extra time on your hands!

I have been mostly coloring with color pencils. I'm trying to get better at adding light sources. I've also done some poster-type things with magic markers, just for fun. I've done a little bit of Zentangle too.

Some of my creativity is going into cooking. It's been a long time since I had to cook almost every night. I've been pulling out the old cookbooks and going through them.

So what are you all working on?

Hello Georgia, what a great idea to share about what craft projects we might be working on. :balloon:


My mom sent a couple of links to me on how to make soft cotton face masks, similar to the disposable ones you might see offered in a doctor's office/clinic. So that is what I am working on. I'm going to make 28 of them (four weeks worth).

Just today, she also gave me another idea to go with making the soft cotton face masks. You can use filter material for the filtering material that you would put inside the pocket area of the face mask.

Filter suggestions:

A) Active Carbon Filter Sheets
B) Hepa Vacuum bag filters (any brand of filters that filters dust and allergens should be okay)

Also, if you don't have any elastic on hand, you can make your own ties out the same material or use shoe strings, fresh from a package of shoe strings you might buy for tennis shoes. Also, if you don't have wire on hand, but you have pipe cleaners? You can insert a pipe cleaner into the area of the face mask to help bend it over your nose, which helps the mask to stay secure on your face.

I don't have a sewing machine at home (my mom has mine), so I am stitching them by hand, with small basting stitches and also use a reverse baste stitch, right over the original stitch, so the stitching is secure and will withstand laundering and frequent use.

Here's the two links my mom sent to me:



(1) Face Mask from Craft Passion dot Com

(2) DIY face mask with Filter Pocket

My mom ordered several yards of material for me from JoAnn's Fabrics in cute patterns (flamingos, watermelons, etc), just like some of the material that her nursing uniforms are made of (soft, cotton blend fabric).

How's everybody doing lately? Happy Saturday to all of you. :rrose:

I thought I would share about a personal arts & crafts project that I am going to work on over the next few months.

Pebble Craft Project (LINK)

I sometimes come across uniquely sized and colorful rocks and pebbles and I began to start a collection of them, so I can make something crafty. Not only for myself, but for little craft presents I can share with family and friends, here at home (birthday prezzies, thoughtful "Thank You" prezzies, etc).

I actually want to make a frameable picture to place in a particular location in my studio apartment and I want to make my own welcome mat art, for inside my front door, by using pebbles too. That project depends on finding the right type of wood, maybe repurposed wood or maybe I will find some nice wood to use when I walk along the river front, on one of the many exercise ventures I go out on.

Creative Types
 

Throws both hands up in the air for soup, more soup, LOL

Stone, I believe the lady said soap..........:giggle:

Lavender soap at that!

Can ya all stand another post about how to make a great mask?

I hope so. :)

So, my mom (The 80 year old RN) showed me the mask that she recently was gifted. It was made from a bra. So, today, I have an strapless bra I have not worn in years and it's in good condition. Guess what I did? ;)

No bra burning here. I put my strapless, underwire bra to good use. It only took ten minutes to make two excellent masks.

And for those of you who know me really well, lol, it's gotta have bling too.

Directions on how to make the Strapless Bra Mask:

1) cut the two bra cups free, by cutting along the sides of each cup.
2) carefully take the elastic ear pieces from a used mask that you can no longer wear and set them free from the paper mask they sit on.
3) stitch the elastic ear pieces along the outside of the cup.
4) the underwire part of the bra cup goes under your chin. The top of the cup gives excellent coverage over your nose and mouth.
5) I don't think one needs to use a filter if your bra cups have padding in them already, which mine did.
6) Doll up your bra cup mask with all kinds of bling. I used sparkly gems from my craft box. So I have rainbow gems that travel across the entire bra cup. :eyebat:

Cheers + germ free air smoochies to all you crafters,
:kissy:

How's everybody holding up, lately?

I always like to have some sort of crafting project to work on and I've been working on Pointillism craft projects. I recently drew up some artful renditions of certain things I find beautiful in nature. Like, for example, I drew a sunflower using the pointillism technique. It's not exactly like the picture I found below, but the picture gives you a good idea of how a pointillism rendition of art can look as a finished project.


https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/pr...cf90084d3b.jpg


I bought a few packages of cream colored cards with matching envelopes (the wedding invitation type of stationery), a couple of years ago, and I only use these blank cards and envelopes for special occasion types of art work.

I'm actually going to attempt to draw a creative rendition of the name my dear friend is going to name her new baby girl. The little girls' name will have 3 M's (first, middle and last name all begin with M). But I have to do the background art first, then carefully emboss the baby's full name under the backdrop of the art work I intend to use. I plan to make it as gender neutral as possible, so it will be Keep-Sake quality for the newborn's baby book. I'm going to crochet some tiny baby booties too and make a tiny baby cap, the knitted kind, and put some pretty bows and ribbons on both the booties and baby cap.

Hopefully I can find a light weight receiving blanket, that matches the booties and baby cap, since she is expected to deliver tiny Madilyn by the end of June.

Wishing everyone a wonderful summer ahead,

~K. :bunchflowers:

Zentangle sounds good to me. Maybe Zentangle Art?

I was thinking maybe 3x3, or 3-1/8 x 3-1/8, whatever the regular "official" Zentangle size is. Or maybe twinchies.

I think it behooves me to put an update on the "post secret" project! Needless to say, I've been waiting to mail out due to the pandemic, but since I went to the dentist today, I guess it's time to consider that I can handle a post office. Does anyone who did the post secret project want me to mail to a different address than I have for you normally? If the address I usually mail to you remains the same, no need to answer. But let me know if you want me to send to a different address.

I can't wait!!!!!!! to get these in the mail!!! I wish I could remember what I wrote on mine, though. Hmmm.

I remember.

Oh, hai.

I'd like to get another project underway, too. So, when I mentioned Zentangle Art, I was referring to the kind of Zentangle where you draw a representative image and then "Zentangle" it. See here for examples:
https://www.pinterest.com/dhrushitraval/zentangle-art/

I think color would also be especially fun to use in this project, so color or black-and-white would be acceptable. Also, I don't want to give more of a theme, because some people feel pretty limited in what images they can draw (meaning, me!).

I would also like to stick to the original official Zentangle tile size, which is 3.5" x 3.5" (because anything bigger is too much work!) or smaller like twinchies 2" x 2" (because I have lots of twinchie tiles left over from another project).

I would give us a week to sign up, 5 weeks to finish the project, and the final-final deadline of a week after that.

Does anyone have any suggestions about the above? I can open signups this week if people are interested.

I like the option of each participant being able to choose between 3.5" x 3.5" and twinchie size. I would definitely sign up.

Just a thought: A totally optional theme might be nice because some people are more comfortable with not coming up with their own. In other words, individual participants might enjoy having the option to pick between a given theme or doing whatever they want.

Sounds good. I'm down.

I see advantages for either size and I know it's fun to use up stuff you already have but I'm going to throw my hat in the ring for the traditional size of 3.5 x 3.5 if we're doing one or the other. I feel it gives the rest of you more of a chance to actually be able to figure out what the Hell I might be trying to draw. However, you could always Zentangle some twinchie pieces and then piece them together into a larger size if you'd like. Just a random thought for you to ruminate on.

I'm double down on this. I like options!

!!!Zentangle Art!!!

For this kind of Zentangle Art, this will be the kind of Zentangle where you draw a representative image and then "Zentangle" it. See here for examples:
https://www.pinterest.com/dhrushitraval/zentangle-art/

THEME: flora and fauna - totally optional, draw something else if you like!

Color or black and white images are acceptable. Go crazy and have fun!

SIZE: the standard "official" Zentangle tile size of 3.5" x 3.5", OR twinchies 2" x 2", OR four twinchies that fit together to make one tile (4" x 4") - your choice!

Make one piece for each person who signs up (or four pieces if you want to make four twinchies that fit together as one tile for a project). When you send your pieces to me, please include $7 for shipping. Remember to put the name of the person it goes to on it, and also your name. If you don't put a name, I will distribute them randomly.

DEADLINE: The deadline to have these to me (Georgia Ma'am) is Monday, September 14. The final-final deadline is Monday, September 21.

SIGN UPS start NOW! and the deadline to sign up is Sunday, August 9 at 7 p.m. EDST.

1. Georgia Ma'am
2. Clay
3.
4.
5.
6.
etc.

Fine print: (subject to amendment - see next post)

RULES AS AGREED UPON TO BE ADDED AT THE END OF EACH PROJECT:
"For 2019, the rule is if one of our projects is received by the wrangler more than seven days after the due date, or one of us drops out of a project for whatever reason, that person is welcome to continue posting but is not allowed to sign up for a group project again until six months from the latest date that the project was supposed to be due. No exceptions. This rule applies to participants and to wranglers. Wranglers must mail out projects within one week of the latest date that the projects were supposed to be due. In addition to waiting six months before being able to join a penpal project, the person who has not met the latest deadline must post directly on the penpal thread within a week of missing the latest deadline stating that they have not adhered to the deadline (reason is welcome to be included or does not have to be) and, most importantly, the date on which they will be able to return to participating in the penpal projects. They must scroll back and add themselves to the bottom of the list of any other participants who have not met the late date for any project for 2018 & 2019. If that is not done, then the member is welcome to participate in the thread with "thanks" and reps and thread chat but not to participate in any future projects for 2019. The reason for this is personal responsibility, so that we have a running record right on the thread that is easy to refer back to when needed. And for the purposes of clarification, if someone drops out before the deadline to sign up has been closed then they are not excluded from future projects because they are still following the rules.

Example: Bitsy misses the late date for a project. Within a week of that late date she must scroll down and find the most recent list of people who have missed the late date in 2018 and copy that list to a new post and add herself. Bitsy's post would look something like this:

'Sorry, I had the bird flu and missed the late date of 2/21/18. I can start participating in new projects on 8/21/18. I have added myself to the list below:

1. Tony (missed the late date of 1/28/19, able to participate 7/28/19)
2. Bitsy (missed the late date of 2/21/19, able to participate 8/21/19)'

This rule must be posted in its entirety at the bottom of all new projects that are being wrangled so that members can thoughtfully consider whether we wish to commit to a new project."