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| .: Quote of the Month :. |
"What I know is, is that if you do work that you love, and the work fulfills you, the rest will come."
~ Oprah Winfrey
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| .: Craft Tip :. |
| Mirror Mirror If you're interested in seeing your creations - graphic or otherwise - in an objective way, hold the item up in front of and facing a mirror from a distance of 3 to 5 feet.. You'll be better able to critique your item and tell where another detail may be added, or another color repeated, or an area needs to be broken up with an addition of something.I rely on this method with everything I make and it never fails to give me success!
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| How to Fade Fabric |
| Monday, February 26, 2007 |
Fading Fabric
You will be using bleach when fading fabric so please work in a well-ventilated area, wear rubber gloves and an apron to protect your clothing- better yet wear old clothes you care nothing about.
Materials
3 large plastic storage bins
Chlorine bleach
Chlorine neutralizer ( this stops the fabric from continuing to fade and eliminates that terrible chlorine odor
Directions :
First bin: combine 1 part chloring bleach with 10 parts very hot water
Second bin : fill with cold water
Third bin : mix chlorine neutralizer following manufacturers instructions
Run fabric under the tap in hot water. Then submerge the fabric in the first bin; watch it closely, keeping in mind that it will look brighter when wet than it will when it dries. The fading process takes anywhere from 10 seconds to 15 minutes. Add a little more bleach if you don't see results after 15 minutes.
Submerge the fabric in the bin of cold water, and swish it around, rinsing thoroughly. Wring it out.
Transfer fabric to the bin of chlorine neutralizer, and soak according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Launder the fabric with detergent, and dry it in the dryerLabels: crafting, fading fabric, how-to |
posted by Debbie- Two Old Crows (www.2oldcrows.com) @ 6:29 AM   |
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| Folk Art Painting - Wood Preparation |
| Tuesday, January 02, 2007 |
Folk Art Painting- Wood Preparation
As a folk artist I have found that wood preparation before painting is very important- if you want a beautiful finished product you must take the time to prepare your wood properly- no amount of painting will cover up the flaws that should have been fixed before painting. Below are a few tips and techniques that I have found helpful in wood preparation.
Choose your wood carefully- avoid wood that is warped and has knot holes and is marred
Fill in all holes, scratches and gouges with wood filler and let dry completely, sand and refill if necessary
Spot seal any knots with Jo Sonya's Tanning Blocker or product like it- knot can bleed through paint and make terrible brown rings
Sand wood with 150-220 grit sand paper making sure to sand with the grain. If you sand against the grain you will have scratches.
Be sure to sand all edges and wipe with a tack cloth
Seal the wood on all surfaces with a water based sealer- if you don't seal because wood is a porous material the grain will raise when the paint is applied making the surface bumpy .
Allow the sealer to dry completely following instructions on the product
Sand one more time with 220-400 grit sand paper to remove any grain that may have arose - this will give the piece a nice smooth surface to paint on.
Wipe the piece completely with a tack cloth.
Now you are ready to Paint !
For more great crafting tips and techniques visit us at Two Old Crows
Labels: crafting, crafts, folk art painting, how-to, wood preparation |
| posted by Debbie- Two Old Crows (www.2oldcrows.com) @ 3:05 PM |
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| How to Rust Items for that Primitive Look |
| Monday, October 30, 2006 |
Rusting Items
This recipe will nicely rust safety pins, jingle bells, or anything else you want to 'age' for your primitive creations.The most important thing to remember about rusting, is that you will want to buy the cheap brand of pins, safety pins, bells..ect that you can find. The more expensive brands have a shellac coating on them that you will have to sand off before rusting. Makes sure they are NOT brass either -brass will not rust.Do this outside away from children and pets.....the fumes are terrible !
Ingredients:
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup bleach
1 teaspoon salt
Directions :
Combine the ingredients in an old quart jar.
Add items you want to rust and cover loosely - place in a safe spot and let set for at least 2 days.
Line a tray with a couple of layers of paper towel and remove the items with an old fork from the mixture. place in the sunshine .......the items will begin to rust as they dry. Move them around so that they dry on all sides.
Perfectly rusted bells, pins, and any other item you wish to rust.
Caution: do not throw the mixture down the sink- dispose of properly where no animal or child could come in contact with.
For more great crafting tips visit us at Two Old Crows Labels: crafting, crafts, how-to, primitives, rusting, rusting bells, rusting pins, rusting safety pins |
| posted by Debbie- Two Old Crows (www.2oldcrows.com) @ 11:57 AM |
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| How to Distress Wood and Metal |
| Friday, October 20, 2006 |
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Distressing Wood and Metal
Distressing is one of the most effective and easiest ways to age furniture or a painted piece. We can take a new piece and make it look like it has been around for years and been touched by hands many times with a very simple technique using candle wax. I prefer using beeswax candles for this but any white candle may be used.
First look at the piece and decide if you wish the finished piece to look like a piece that has been painted many times over, if so you will need to paint two colors. If you wish the finish piece to be bare wood where rubbed off you will only need to do a topcoat.
Sand the entire piece with a fine grade sandpaper and wipe with a tack cloth
If you wish a color beneath the paint rubbed off apply it now and allow to dry for 2-4 hours.
Using the candle on its side rub over the entire piece, paying special attention to the edges and corners, anywhere the piece may have been touched alot ( around handles) areas where it would have naturally gotten distressed
Now paint the entire piece going over the wax with a topcoat, be sure to paint with the grain of the wood. Let dry thoroughly
Using steel wool rub the paint in the direction of the grain of the wood. Where there is wax underneath the paint will come off revealing either the bare wood or the color beneath. Avoid rubbing the steel wool against the grain as this will create an ugly scratch effect rather than a smooth distressed look
If you wish you can repeat this process to make the piece look like it has been painted several times in different colors
When completely finished wipe the entire piece with a tack cloth and protect the piece by varnishing.
Distressing can be done on both metal and wood.....just remember to follow the steps given before to prepare the surfaces for painting
For more great crafting tips and techniques visit us at Two Old Crows Labels: antiquing metal, antiquing wood, distressing metal, distressing wood, how-to, patina |
| posted by Debbie- Two Old Crows (www.2oldcrows.com) @ 3:01 AM |
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