Scarf Winner

Hi all, today is the day!  I get to announce the winner of the scarf giveaway! Thank you all who left comments and became followers.

SOOOO....

The winner is....

2Dy4 !!  

Thanks again for all those who liked the scarves!!

~Bianca

Summer scarves part Deux

Well the hot has arrived! OK, so it hasn't been that bad, but it has been a lot warmer around here.

I had so many ideas for these summer upcycled t-shirt scarves that I thought it might be better to split the post into parts rather than overloading you all.

Above is one that I silk screened with a image of a young Bob Dylan.

I don't use the traditional form of silk screening, with the frame and the silk etc.

{pictured below}

Here is an example of the kind of screen I use.

 I found this..actually I saw  an alternative way being done on a craft show a few years back and loved it. The company I buy the screens from is called EZScreenprint.com
{They have a kit you can buy if you are interested. I spells out all the how to's you will need to make your own.}

I have tried the traditional way, and I find this way to take alot less time.

For this you will need

1. Premade screen

2. Fabric screen printing ink

3. Squeegee

4. fabric to screen print on

5. Iron

I took my premade screen and squeegeed the ink over it, being careful to not go over the edge.

Slowly take the screen off and Ta Dah.. I did four prints around the scarf. It is a really fast and easy as you can see, the hardest part is making sure the ink is on evenly. But some times if the ink isn't even it adds to the charm of the piece. Gives it that aged look we all love!

Wait until the ink dries and iron the image for about 2 minutes, Wash in cold water and line dry...

and this is what ya get

I think this may be going to my brother for his birthday at the end of the month..

Another idea I had was to use fabric paint  {I was feeling the cubism this day!}

I found my paint at Beverly's for about $1.99 pr. bottle

I used paint in purple, green, blue and pink. Once dry iron for 2 min , wash in cold, line dry and you are set.

OK, last but not least..How about bleach pens to draw on your scarf?? Ooo fancy!

I stretched the scarf over a wood board that I had and went to town drawing some swirls and dots.

I let the bleach sit until I saw that it was starting to do its job and then waited a little longer, and longer . In this case I let it sit a little to long and by the time I washed it out it ended up looking like this...

I tried again, and this time once any sign of turning white I rinsed it out

A little more detail!

Opps I forgot, I have one more to show..

This was already printed on the t-shirt so I just cut around it!

So which is your Favorite?? I would love to know, or see pictures of your summer beauties!

P.S  there is still time to enter you comment and check out my Guest post on Bles-id from last week for a chance to win on of the Tye Dyed scarves! Contest ends Thursday!!

Thanks for stopping by

~ Bianca

Happy Papa's Day

I have been seeing these floating around Pinterest for awhile.

So I made my own version

You will need:

1. A frame with matting, I used one that I had bought @ Michael's for $5. This frame came with a 5x7 mat .

2. various scrapbooking papers in colors of  your choice.. I used 4 different papers from the same scrap pad so they coordinated.

3. Glue

4. Stickers

First I  decided on what paper to use

Then I traced

Lily was having a off picture day!

Then I cut

Then I  (Lily) added their names on the thumb using rub on letters

Then I glued the hands on top of one another largest to smallest. I  also glued the background paper to the back of the mat from the picture frame. Then glued the hands on top of the mat.

Then I added more lettering

{ I find with the rub on letters, it is better to cut them out. I was rubbing them when they were on the sheets and letters I didn't want were rubbing off making a mess!}

And here is the finished product

All Framed up

and only one boo-boo!

Doesn't quite fit! Oh well!

Happy Fathers day crafting to you all in Blogland

~Bianca

Oh yea, you still have time to enter a comment on the Guest post blog on Bles-id for summer scarves..

Contest ends Thursday

Guest Blog Post on Bles-id !

Hey guys and gals, I have been given the great privilege of having a guest blog post by the dazzling, magnificent, radiant Julia at Bles-id

So if you feel like checking it out head on over!

Here is a little sneak peak...

If you like what you see leave a comment and be enter in a drawing for ????

( cant tell ya, gotta go check it out! )

Thanks and hope you like!

Bianca

Adventures in Canning

A few summers back  a friend gave me a jar of her strawberry freezer jam. We ( OK maybe I ) quickly gobbled it up and requested that if she could spare and extra jar we would love it! She did us the honor of giving us two more jars , which we again devoured. So the next year she invited me over to show me how to make it. It is the quickest and easiest recipe.  If you don't end up giving all  your jars to friends and family one flat of fresh yummy strawberries you might be able to keep  your fridge full for the year. Here is a recipe for freezer jam, I just use the one on the box of pectin which is pretty much that same as this.

So this year after making my freezer jam, I thought to myself.."self, how hard it is to make other canned goodies" I love jardiniere ( spicy pickled cauliflower) of course we are always out of pickles and apricot jam runs out as often as the strawberry. I ventured over to amazon to look at books and found two I thought would work

1. Canning for a new Generation

2. Put 'em up

Both of these books offer great recipes. The canning for the new generation goes by seasons so you know what to look for at the market and what will be truly fresh. And I think the Put 'em up book has very straight forward easy classic recipes.

The adventure begins...Off to the farmers market with the kids..

also got a few must haves... kettle corn, pistachios , strawberries, cherries

I see jardiniere, dilly beans and pickles !

Note to readers, The books mention a few supplies for canning you might need. I was being defiant and decided I could make due with what I have... NOT a good choice when dealing with boiling hotness.. I do recommend going out and buying

1. the canning kit that comes with the special tongs for lifting said hotness out the the boiling hotness!

2. canning pot.. so much easier I promise!!

After a few hours here Is what I ended up with

Jardiniere.. The books did not mention when you could start eating your yummies, I waited a few days to let the flavors set in. This batch is a little sweeter than I like , so I have decided I will be adding some spicyness to it next time. But it is way yummy!

1. Dilly Beans.. I don't think I have had the pleasure of eating these, but they sounded so good so I had to try.

2. Pickled Asparagus.. also never have tried but looking forward to it.

3. Spicy Carrots..had to try this for my friend Sarah who eats these like candy!

Any my lovely's..I am going to wait at least a week to try these. There are so many spices in there that I know need time to blend.. I and crossing my fingers that these are going to be as good as I think they are!

 Apricot vanilla Preserves...This was the only one of the recipes that I could taste while I was cooking it. Love at first taste. I only made three jars and have already used one and am half way through two!

Here is a little sample of what you can do with apricot jam

 Crispy Apricot pork chops, I got the recipe for Martha's Great food fast,

but I found a similar recipe Here.

I  would  love to know if any of you experienced canners or even beginning canners have any recipes you think I should try. I think I am in this for the long run as they say. I really love the idea of being able to do this myself. I only wish I had enough garden space to grow all these fruits and veggies myself!

thanks for stoppin By..

~ Bianca

Artsy Fartsy

I have a confession to make.. growing up I never considered my self an artsy person. That was my sisters roll, she was the one who you could always find coloring at family functions and I was always the one you would find hiding in a bedroom watching MTV..  Not to many art works on the wall growing up were mine. It wasn't until I was looking to change jobs, or should I say find a new job because I hated the one I was at, that I realized how much I loved art, creating art, and crafting.

I had been working at a microbiology laboratory , the craziest of crazy places for me to have had a job for so long. I have great respect for science and scientist, but this job was BORING. But hey It paid the bills, payed for me to move out of my moms house, buy my own car etc etc. .. I also had a boss with so many personalities that I lost count. I needed out! So I started taking classes at the JC. Interior Design was what I thought might be a good career change. After taking a Period and Contemporary Furniture class where the teacher made us draw the furniture I decided I needed to take a drawing class.And the rest is history as they say.. My art has definitely not led  to me paying the bills, in fact I know I spend way to much on supplies but it has led to new friendships and higher learning.

I guess that was a pretty long intro to what I was planning on showing in this blog, but I didn't want to be like here ya go take a look at me!! But here ya go take a look at this.. LOL

This is from my first semester in ceramics. I was inspired by the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

These guys are from last fall. Still taking ceramics.. I am trying to work out a deal to get my own pottery wheel, but It hasn't happened yet! I have a newly acquired obsession with all things school related , such as paper airplanes, pencils, paper. ( more examples to come!)

This is from an old picture of my grandpa that I found.  His nickname for me was Bonkers, I never quite figured out why or how he started calling me that but I think it is so fitting for me today! I water colored this one. I have yet to try oil painting ,but of the couple mediums I have tried watercolor is my favorite.

this one is a linoleum block print. I carved the finger print out of a piece of linoleum and printed it  ( kind of like a stamp just a little more complicated)

Here is a tutorial from YouTube if you are interested

This one is really recent. I saw something similar in Pottery Barn and they wanted like $300 smackers.. Ahh yeah..NO thanks.. I painted the 3 canvases with chalk board paint and drew the bike on with a charcoal pencil. It is very whimsical I say.. right after I hung it my brother in law asked me why the pedals look like golf clubs..now that is  all I can see when I look at it!

What inspired you to create?

~Bianca