TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Letter From Laurieann
• Seasonal Crafts - Spring!
• Crafty Tips
• Our Featured Artist - Kim Fortin
• Crafty Q & A
• Crafty Kids
• Kitchen Crafts
• Reader Round-up
• Announcements - New Online Arts and Crafts Classes
• Contributors

Spring is finally here (at least it is in North Carolina, USA)! All the beauty in nature is an inspiration to get creative. Please enjoy the wonderful craft ideas we have for you in this issue.

Enjoy and have a blessed Easter season. And as always thank you for reading the Crafty Visions Newsletter.

Also please take some time to visit our contributors websites or send them an e-mail. With out them this newsletter would not exist.

Sincerely,

laurieann@ivisions.com

PS

If you want a condensed copy of this newsletter e-mailed to you, send a request to cvmar_apr98@wwvisions.com.

And, if you have not subscribed to this newsletter, please fill out our
on-line subscribe form as well as check out our other issues of The Crafty Visions Newsletter

Spring Bunny Painted T-Shirt

design and sample by Kim Fortin

Materials:

• A prewashed T-shirt, color of your choice (white or light colored shirt works better for painting)
• Fabric paint in pink for inner ear, nose and mouth, orange for carrots, green for carrot tops and grass, blue for eyes, the bunny can be any shade of pink, gray, or light brown and white
• A black permanent fine line pen for whiskers, to outline, the eyebrows, eyes and carrots
• Fabric paint brush
• Sandpaper
• 18" piece of 1/4" wide ribbon, color of your choice, tied in a shoestring bow
• Small safety pin

Instructions:

Trace the pattern and apply to the front of the T-shirt. You may outline the entire picture with the fine line black pen if you wish but to give definition you should outline the carrots. Beginning with the color of your bunny paint his head and ears, his arms and his feet allowing him to dry before moving to the next color.

Paint the whites of the eyes, paint the inner ears and mouth pink and the carrot tops and grass green. Again allow to dry thoroughly. Paint the carrots orange and allow to dry. Paint the iris of the eyes blue and outline and detail his eyebrows, eyes, nose, whiskers, mouth and markings on the carrots using the fine line black pen.

When completely dry go back with white and place the highlight in the blue area of his eyes on the right approximately at 1:00 to 2:00 o'clock. Pin the bow just below the bunny's chin through the t-shirt.

Carrot Earrings

by Bluebonnet Crafters

Materials:

• Bread Dough or Polymer Clay in orange and green
• Earring findings of your choice for dangle earrings
• 2 Eye pins
• Toothpick
• Craft knife or sharp knife
• Optional: Water based varnish

Instructions:

Take a piece of Bread Dough or Fimo approximately the size of two English peas and shape it into a cylinder around the eye pin beginning about 1/2" down from the eye. Shape and firm into an elongated cylinder tapering to a point at the bottom to look like a carrot. Using the toothpick make small horizontal markings to give your carrot a realistic look. Flatten a piece of green clay and cut three leaves from the clay and attach them above the carrot around the exposed part of the eye pin. Cure following manufacturers' directions on the Polymer clays and air dry for the bread dough. When thoroughly dry the bread dough should have one or two light coats of water based varnish to protect. Hook the eye pin onto the earring findings.

Faux Faberge Egg

by Bluebonnet Crafters

Materials:

• Fillable plastic egg
• Assortment of strung beads, gold cord, pearls, etc.
• Small piece of sandpaper
• Craft glue
• Glitter (I prefer prisma type glitter) or Bead Easy transparent beads
• Silk flowers, mushroom bird, bird nest, butterfly, etc. to arrange a small theme in your egg
• Spanish or sheet moss
• 4 Lentil or paddle wheel beads
• 2 Semi flattened bead caps
• 1 large bead, color to match other trims.
• Tiny metal hinge such as used on miniature furniture (optional: glue a strip of fabric to form the hinge)
• Toothpick

Instructions:

Preparing the stand:

Begin by making a stand for your egg. Place the four wheel beads one on top of the other joining them together with craft glue. Glue this stack of four beads on top of the semi flattened bead cap. Place the second flattened bead cap on the other end of your stack of wheels. One of the bead caps will be flattened enough to allow the eggs base to be glued to it.

Preparing the egg:

Lightly sand the entire exterior of the egg, the interior of the top of the egg and the upper edge of the bottom half of the egg. You need sand only enough to slightly roughen the surface. You may paint the egg or leave it the natural color of the plastic egg. Glue a string of beads, pearls, lace or decorative cord around the outside opening of both halves of the egg. Around the inside of each opening glue a second piece of trim to compliment the one on the outside. On the outside continue adding rows of pearls, beads and trims of your choice to completely cover the outside of the egg.

Completely cover the inside of the top of the egg with craft glue and add irredescent glitter or Bead-It Beads to cover (it is better to over fill, tip and roll the egg half so the glitter is well distributed). Repeat this with the inside upper half of the lower egg. Place craft glue into the bottom of the lower half, add Spanish or sheet moss. Arrange a bird nest, butterfly, etc. as a small scene glued into the moss.

Glue the top part of the egg to the bottom in the hinge area using the hinge hardware or the optional fabric hinge attachment applied with craft glue. The egg top should be at a 45 degree angle to the bottom. It may facilitate holding to glue the large bead in the angle between the bottom and the top half of the egg as a brace. Allow to dry thoroughly and glue the egg in place on the stand.

Optional: After placing a row of trim around the outside and inside of each opening the remainder of the egg can be decorated the same as the inside top in the above application.

Crafty Tips

1. Mix mashed potatoes with the egg yolk to make your deviled eggs.
2. When masking an area to paint the use of Magic brand Scotch Tape prevents your paint from bleeding under the masked off area.
3. When painting on fabric a piece of sandpaper under the fabric will grip and hold it steady while you paint.
4. If you iron the shiny side of freezer paper to the wrong side of the fabric the paint will not run as much.

Our Featured Artist - Kim Fortin

Creations by Kim is the business owned by Kim Fortin who provided us with the bunny pattern for this issues' wearable art project. Kim is a gifted artist that has chosen to display her artistic talents in hand crafted original fashions and accessories. This busy mother of two, a son Justin and her daughter Allison, still finds time to work as a sales rep for Diamond Apparel Inc. http://www.diamondapparel.com

Kim began painting her original designs on the vest, shirt and denim products from Daimond Apparel. The company was so impressed with her work they hired her to do some samples for them which eventually progressed into her becoming a sales rep for the company.

Kim tells us there is no minimum order required. You can request a catalog from her by calling toll free 1-800-388-7171.

Our project bunny directions are for a t-shirt but he would be equally at home on a denim vest. Give Kim a call, e-mail or visit her web site http://www.geocities.com/FashionAvenue/4124/vests.html

In this feature, we invite readers to ask a crafting question. Questions will be printed in each issue. We then would like for anyone who has an answer to these questions to please send them to laurieann@ivisions.com .

In the following issue, we will print the questions, the answers we received, and new questions for you to answer.

Please submit your crafting questions to laurieann@ivisions.com

Answers To Last Month's Question:

Question 1. Hello fellow crafters. . .Happy Holidays! Here's the question....I have saved up a whole bag full of the M & M mini containers thinking there is surely a good Christmas project or other project that my grandkids can use them for. Any suggestions??? , Jill

Answer - From: Terry

Have the kids (or do it yourself) wrap each of those little M&M boxes in very bright, Christmas papers...use several different ones. Tie a little ribbon around or glue a bow on each one. Use a foam or cardboard cut out of a wreath to glue lots of the decorated boxes on. You'll need to overlap and/or stack some of them. You should have a lovely wreath of gifts!

Question 2. I am wondering if anyone has a craft or idea for decorating with family photographs. Kathie

Answers

• Well, you could make a set of family placemats by collaging family photos and covering the collage in clear Contact or by laminating it. That way every time your family sits down for a meal together they can remember the great times you've shared. Anette
   
• In regards to craft for photographs, here is what I did this year for family members and it was a hugh success.
  
  I got about a mid life picture (graduation) and a small child picture of each one and had them reproduced on a color machine at Kinkos. I used a glass ornament ball and made a circular template exactly the size so the glass ball would fit into the template and hold the ball exactly half way. I cut the pictures out just about 1/4" bigger than the template. It was easier to do it this way than to cut them out separate. I used stick glue and glued the picture onto .005 acetate plastic (this has to be .005). The acetate can be found at Art Stores. The craft stores do not carry it here. Cut out the picture and acetate after it is dried. Remove gold or silver top of glass ball. Roll acetate around a pencil and insert into glass ball. Pull pencil out and acetate will pop open. Use tweezers to position picture. I spotted with glue gun to hold into place. Replace top of ball and wrap ribbon on some other kind of trim around to cover up glue and to hang ball.
  
  I attached an ornament on each gift (two for each person) and the person that passed out the gifts had to figure out who it went to.
  
  I hope this is clear. If not, e-mail back to me and I will try to make it more clear.
  Jan Van Gundy Javan9@aol.com
   
• I saw a wooden cut out of a Christmas tree with mini frames hanging from it like ornaments. Each frame was to have a photo in it. There was a little sign that said "our family tree" near the bottom of the tree. This could be done with any type of Christmas tree. Robin in OHIO
   
• You can make a memory quilt with them. You just transfer the pictures to a quilt block, then make a beautiful memory quilt, you can find instructions at any fabric shop im sure. I have seen them, are gorgous. You can also do one of your grandkids as they grow. Hope this helps. Doll1craft@aol.com
   
• In answer to the family pix question, I have seen in some magazine a wonderful quilt someone made, with all her son's sports photographs forming the blocks. There is some technique where you can copy them on fabric, and they were really clear. Maybe someone else can elaborate. Our Grandma made my son a quilt for college out of the fronts of all his swimming t-shirts, which got a lot of compliments, so this would be the same idea. Kay
  
   
• Editor Note: To learn more about photo transfer to cloth for memory quilts and more please check out the class we are offering online at Crafty College.
  
  Photo Transfer
  (Photo Memories on Fabric)
  by Sandra Huszar-Kyman
  For more information check out Crafty College (http://CraftyCollege.com)
  
   
• Hello, you can photo copy your pictures and make quilts, t-shirts, book covers, shrink jewlery, xmas ornaments. I hope this gives you some ideas. Mary
   
• My husband's uncle, an avid photographer, had gathered literally thousands of family photos throughout several decades. As a wonderful Christmas present to his sister-in-law (my mother-in-law), he used an Exacto-knife to cut out the heads of her, her husband, their kids, daughters-in-law (including me), and grandkids. Then he arranged them in collage format and framed it in an 8-1/2 x 11 photo frame. As you can imagine, the faces are tiny and everyone loves to look for themselves and each other - especially kids! Best of luck! --Jen Merkel

Crafty Kids

Mosaic Butterfly

by Bluebonnet Crafters

An after Easter project using saved broken colored egg shells

Materials:

• Piece of posterboard or light cardboard 3" X 4"
• Black marker
• Craft glue
• Pieces of egg shell sorted by color
• Magnet
• Toothpick or craft stick to spread glue
• Scissors

Instructions:

Trace the picture above onto the cardboard. Outline each line with a bead of tacky glue. Allow to dry and color with a black marker. Spread one section of the butterfly at a time with craft glue. Pace the broken pieces of egg shell into the craft glue fitting them as close together as possible. You can break the shells into smaller pieces to completely fill one area. Proceed to cover the whole butterfly in this manner. Set aside to dry.

The children can use the colors as they wish mixing them within a section or making a section all one color as they choose. The body of the butterfly and the antennae should be black as well as a thick line around the outside of the wings. When completely dry cut around the butterfly shape on the outside edge of the black line. Glue the magnet to the back of the butterfly.

Bunny Finger Puppets

by Bluebonnet Crafters

Materials:

• 2 pieces 1 1/2" X 3 1/2" Felt in white, gray, brown for body and outer ear
• 2 scraps pink to line ears
• Embroidery needle with large eye
• 3 strands of embroidery floss to match the felt
• Pink & blue embroidery floss
• Scissors
• Craft glue

Instructions:

Trace the picture onto the felt and cut two body pieces, 2 ear shapes and 2 inner ear shapes. Using a satin stitch embroider the two eyes in blue and the nose in pink. Add stem stitch lines for the mouth on one body piece of felt.

Place the two body pieces wrong sides together and blanket stitch around the outside from the flat bottom around to the bottom on the other side. Glue the inner ear in the center of the outer ear and stitch both ears to the top of the body using the picture for positioning.

Beaded Heart Barrette

by Bluebonnet Crafters

Materials:

• Scissors
• 3 colors of heart beads color #1 and #2 five beads and color # 3 four beads
• 20" rattail cord
• 3" barette clip

Instructions:

Insert one end of the rattail cord through the clip end of the barrette and even the ends. Alternating the three colors string 8 beads onto both cords. Thread one cord through the hole end of the barrette. Tie a double knot over the hole. String three beads on each cord using the same color sequence as you did on the barrette. Knot the end of each cord below the final bead.

Kitchen Crafts

by Bluebonnet Crafters

Bunnies & Candy Flowers Decorated Cupcakes

Materials:

• Recipe of cupcakes or mix of your choice
• Frosting (can used purchased canned frosting)
• Jelly Beans
• Large, small and rings of gumdrop type candy
• Large and mini marshmallows
• Scissors
• Toothpicks
• Waxed paper
• Granulated Sugar
• Rolling pin
• Sharp knife

Instructions:

Bake and cool the cupcakes. Prepare the frosting and use a small amount as the glue for your bunnies and flowers. Set the rest aside covered to keep it fresh. Prepare the bunny and flower decorations.When finished frost the cupcakes and place your decorations into the freshly spread frosting.

To build a bunny place a large marshmallow on its' side and using frosting as the glue throughout place a second one on top of the first. Snip a small triangle of pink or red gumdrop for a nose and position it on the top marshmallow. Add two thin lines of snipped gumdrop for a mouth and half a jelly bean for each eye.

Cut a large marshmallow in quarters and attach to the top of the bunnies head for ears. A miniature marshmallow is placed at the bottom back of the lower large marshmallow for his tail and two more are placed on the front as his feet.

Option: You can use a broken toothpick to join the marshmallows together forming your bunny but if for children use just the frosting.

To make the gumdrop flowers place a gumdrop between two pieces of sugared waxed paper. Roll and turn as you would for pie crust until you have the gumdrop approximately 1/8" thick. Cut the shape of the petals out of the gumdrop, add a half a jellybean as the center and set aside to add to the cupcakes. Using the cut off portions of the gumdrop cut them in short snips and place them in the center of a different color gumdrop standing them on end to make the second type flower. Arrange five jellybeans in a circle on a scrap of gumdrop and stand one different color jellybean on end in the middle to form a third flower. Using these as a beginning continue to design your own candy flowers and decorate the tops of your cupcakes.

Deviled Egg Gifts

Using your favorite deviled egg recipe make your deviled eggs. Place two halves together to reform the egg shape. Wrap in the colored plastic wrap and arrange on a serving plate. These are ideal for an Easter picnic.

General Crafts

Spring Basket Centerpiece

Materials:

• Basket, size and shape of your choice
• A piece of Styrofoam or floral foam cut to fit bottom of basket
• Greening pins
• Craft glue
• Assortment of Spring flowers
• Greenery
• Spanish moss or sheet moss

Instructions:

Place the foam in the bottom of the basket and from the outside of the basket place a greening pin dipped in craft glue through the basket into the foam to anchor it in place. Spread your craft glue over the foam and cover with sheet or Spanish moss.
Dip each of the flower stems into the craft glue and then position them in the foam.

Begin with the tallest flower or greenery in the center and gradually decrease the height to the outer edge forming a mound or half ball look to the flowers.

Option: You can add plant pokes or bees, butterflies, etc. as you like.

Special Day Markers

Materials:

• Yarn and embroidery floss scraps less than 1 yd. in length
• Plastic Canvas pieces cut 9 bars high and 10 bars wide

Instructions:

The block is filled using the Continental stitch. The Easter egg uses colors of your choice following the graph. The flower block is completely filled in the background color (we used white) and the flower is embroidered using the Lazy Daisy stitch with 6 strands of embroidery floss in color of your choice.

Flower Pot Patio Candle

by Bluebonnet Crafters

Materials:

• 4" or 5" Terra cotta pot
• Votive candle cup
• Candle, citronella or candle of your choice
• Acrylic paint in colors of your choice (at least three)
• Masking tape or magic tape
• Foam brush

Instructions:

Using the lightest color paint the entire pot and allow to dry. If too much of the paint has absorbed so the color of the pot shows through add a second thin coat and again allow to dry. Place a strip of tape around the pot just below the band. Using color # 2 paint the band around the top of the pot. Remove the tape and allow to dry thoroughly.

Beginning at the bottom of the clay pot place a piece of tape up to the band. Evenly space your tape strips around the pot. Since the pot is larger at the top than it is at the bottom you will have a slightly fanned strip, narrower at the bottom than it is at the top. Take color # 3 and paint each open space. Remove the tape and allow to dry.

Option: If you wish to use more than three colors you can make each strip when using color # 3 a different color.

Place the candle in the votive cup and place it in the painted pot and set on the patio.

???? I am looking for the poem that goes with the boo-boo bunny. Can you help me? Need asap. Thanks from a Mom in need. Karen - wozyb@flash.net

???? I engrave eggs, glass etc. I am searching desperately for letter or legal sized adhesive backed, CLEAR acetate stencil sheets. I can not find any local suppliers down here in FL. Please let me know if you carry this product,and how much for a box of 100 sheets. If you do not carry this product, I would appreciate any and all suggestions. Thank you. Fla Bikers FlaBikers@aol.com

???? Hi I'm looking for a Xmas placemat pattern done in needlepoint on plastic. I've been looking all over. I had a pattern book--but not able to find it. Would appreciate some help. Thanks Cherub4958@aol.com

???? Does anyone know where I can obtain cross-stitch patterns which would provide me with a pattern suitable to stitch onto the front of a Roman Catholic Deacon's Liturgical Stole? (The symbol must be Christian but not specifically Catholic.) My husband is being ordained as a Deacon in June 1999, and I am slow at my work so I need to get started soon! Thanks in advance for any help available. My email address is: gallantfam@cyberus.ca   Liana

???? I have been having trouble locating a place to purchase raw tubing to use for a chime project I have at home. I have asked many a chime maker, but have not been able to get an answer. None of my local supply places have anything like it. Any help or direction would be appreciated. Sincerely, Clodene <CLODENE@aol.com>

???? Hi, I am looking for a paint that will adhere to plastic bottles (baby bottles) that will withstand washing in the dishwasher. Please send any information. Thanks, Jan@lindenwood.edu

???? Does anyone have a pattern for a knitted hat for a ten year old boy? Roanne <rhlin@agate.net>

1) New on The Doll Net :
(http://TheDollNet.com) 
 

• Jean & Ken Nordquist's Collectible Doll Company
  Supplies & Molds for Porcelain Dolls
  http://www.JeanNordquistDolls.com
   
• Casey Dolls
  Cloth Dolls and Patterns
  http://www.caseydolls.com
   
• Dollightful
  Beautiful Porcelain Dolls!
  http://www.thedollnet.com/dollightful/index.html
   
• Pokin' Holes
  Dolls, Quilts, and More from the 50's
  http://www.thedollnet.com/pokinholes/index.html
  
  

2) Crafty College - New Classes - ALL TAUGHT ONLINE!
http://CraftyCollege.com

• PHOTO TRANSFER
  Photo Memories on Fabric
  http://CraftyCollege.com/academics/phototransfer.html
   
• Doll Hair
  Another doll making class
  http://CraftyCollege.com/academics/dollhair.html
    
• There are also new dates for many of our other classes including
  
• Beginning Teddy Bear
• Design Your Own Doll
• Painting Doll Faces
• Pattern Making - Doll Clothing
• Info on all these classes and more at http://CraftyCollege.com

• Bluebonnet Crafters

e-mail: bluebonnet@BluebonnetVillage.com

URL: http://www.BluebonnetVillage.com



• Kim Fortin

e-mail:creativevests@usa.net

URL: http://www.geocities.com/FashionAvenue/4124/vests.html

Thank you for reading the CRAFTY VISIONS NEWSLETTER and a very special thanks to our contributors! We are now accepting Mother's Day craft contributions, as well as contributions for all our newsletter features. Please send all contributions to Laurieann@ivisions.com