Working and Stamping

So the last six months have been so crazy with work and more work. I have had little time to craft (or blog). Well, at least a few things have slowed down a bit so I have finally had some time to get back into my mess of a craft room and actually work on some fun projects.

Here is my display from the Stateline Friends Weaving Retreat where I introduced the new stamp designs.

As some of you may know, I have been producing my own line of rubber stamps. I started with a few sheets of stamps and after using them myself for a few years I decided to start offering some of them for sale. A year ago I introduced four sets of baskets with accompanying words/sayings. This year I added two more sets. I barely had time to get the new sets made let alone use them, until recently. Even though I haven't had any time to craft that hasn't stopped me from buying more stamps, paper and inks.

I never do anything small. When I buy paper, I buy a lot...

I love the new sets of Darcie's and Tim Holtz stamps I picked up. I think they go so well with my basket stamps. Here are two of the cards I made using the new stamps.

While I keep one sample of the cards I make and I usually photograph them to put on Facebook I have never tried taking photos of process, until now.*

 I started out stamping a large background image in Ranger Distress Ink, Vintage Velvet on a piece of cream colored card stock.

I then added a strip of butterflies and moths along one side using Dusty Concord.

 Here is the panel with both images.

To add a little more interest to the background I added a strip of texture in a contrasting color.

 Next I used a blending tool and some more Vintage Velvet to edge the cream colored panel.

I had stamped and cut these shapes using my Sizzix eClips cutting machine for another project and had a bunch of them left over. They were on a whitish card stock, but I thought if I edged them with the Vintage Velvet they would look fine on the card.

Unfortunately they didn't look like I wanted them to, so I used some Scattered Straw colored Distress Ink and a blending tool to tint the white paper to better match the cream colored background this was going to be layered on.

Since I already had the shape of the basket stamp drawn using Adobe Illustrator and brought into the eCal software that came with my eClips machine I was easily able to cut a sheet of shadows out of purple card stock.

To assemble the cards I layered the stamped pane (I added "Shaker" to the lower left-hand corner) onto a purple fold-over.

To add a bit more dimension to the card I used a square of foam tape to raise the basket off of the surface of the card.

I usually make a few modifications after I make the first design. Here you can see how the baskets on the white paper stood out in too much contrast for my taste. I also initially stamped the word "Shaker" in the same purple as the butterflies, but I wanted to add some more brown into the card. When I make cards I always make a bunch at the same time. Once I have all my elements cut and my design figured out, it is just as easy to make a stack as it is to make one.

*Sorry if all of the photos are not the sharpest, I took all of these just with my iPhone.

Easter 3

And one more Instagram Easter photo.

Happy Easter!

Easter 2

Another Instagram Easter photo.

Happy Easter!

Over the next few days I will post some pictures of my Easter decorated fireplace mantle. I have been playing around again with Instagram. You are welcome to follow me there if you like. I am not sure how you are supposed to find me, but I think if have the Instagram app on your phone you can search for "jaskets". Maybe...

Here is one of my Easter shots.

Knotted Wax Linen Basket 2

Just about have my knotted basket completed. I got to the top of my styrofoam form, dug it out and knotted up a few more rows. I finished off the edge with a row using a thicker core. Now I just need to figure out what I want to do with all the tails of my knotting threads. I have some ideas, but need to do some experimenting before I start cutting anything.

Knotted Wax Linen Basket

My friend Joanne asked me to help her with a knotted project he was playing with. I hadn't knotted in ages, so had fun helping her figure out a few different knots that I hadn't even done. I wasn't sure if I was going to give it back to her as I was demonstrating. So, when I got home I started up my own knotted basket.

Here are some photos of the project in process. I am using 7 ply Irish waxed linen in three shades of red. The "beads" are glass headed pins that I use to hold the piece to the styrofoam block that I carved into form. I may or may not dig the styrofoam out of the basket (in all of my other baskets I have).

John C. Campbell Folk School 2013 - JoAnn Kelly Catsos Mini Black Ash Baskets

At the 2012 Missouri Basketweavers Guild convention I was fortunate to win a week's tuition to the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, N. Carolina. I choose to take a challenging class with JoAnn Kelly Catsos making miniature black ash baskets. For whatever reason I don't typically make minis on my own, so was excited to do something outside my comfort zone.

Leading up to my week at the Folk School the forecast was calling for temperatures in the 50s, but by the time the date actually arrived there was chances of snow and ice. Even so a frosty morning at the Folk School is better than any typical morning at home.

On Monday we jumped right into things and started working on a 4" lidded Shaker knife basket. Weaving the body of the basket was deceptively easy. We had no idea what we were in for with the lids.

By the end of the day we have the body of the basket completed and JoAnn had passed out the weavers for the lids (that is the little bundle of splint resting on the mold). The lids would have to wait for morning when we were well rested and the light was good.

Not being one to waste any of my time at the Folk School I start working on another basket. I had made a 10" diameter Bushwhacker style basket a few years earlier, so thought a 4" mini/small version would be perfect for this class. Working on this basket seemed like weaving a bushel basket after the mini knife.

Tuesday morning arrived and we dove into the lids. The uprights for the lids were the weavers on the body of the basket. While this doesn't look like much work it took us until lunch to get to this point. The rest of the day was spent weaving just one weaver into each lid.

Wednesday morning arrived and we jumped right back into working on our lids. JoAnn had emphasized patience in preparing us for this class and the advise was no joke. Fortunately we all stayed in out "happy place" and took our time. The materials were so delicate that it would have been easy to over power them.

Three days of weaving and we have the lids about fit to our baskets.

The edges of the lids had a saw-tooth rim treatment.

As little as these lids were and as long as it took to weave them the rims were surprisingly easy or maybe they only seemed easy in comparison to the last few days of work.

As a break from the lids I worked on a 1 1/2" diameter cathead basket with dome lid.  The uprights on this basket are 1/16" and the weavers are 1/32"!

Thursday was time to attach the lids to the basket. Nothing like drilling holes in the lids you just took two days to weave. JoAnn demonstrated and then sent us off to complete our baskets.

The 4" Shaker lidded knife basket is complete. This was a basket I never dreamed I would make.

My Bushwhaker basket was originally going to have a a swing handle like the sample I brought, but the handle I had made prior to class didn't fit as well as I wanted. So, I mad a quick switch and made a pair of ear handles out of some white ash growth ring I had in my stash.

A fourth and final basket I planed on making during the week was a miniature version of a lidded sewing basket, the first basket that I ever made with JoAnn Kelly Catsos. This 2 1/2" diameter basket was so tiny that I had to use dental floss to tie the rims on.

To complete my lidded sewing basket it needed a lid, so on the last night I wove until almost 1 a.m.

Friday morning arrived all too quickly, but even so everyone was so pleased with everything they had accomplished. I am only holding three of my four baskets. I am not sure where my Bushwhacker was.

If you haven't been to the John C. Campbell Folk School, on the last day they have a show-and-tell where everyone in all the classes display their work for the week. It is so much fun to see what everyone was working on. Here are the results of my many many hours of work and many many hours of fun.