Bohemian Paper Vase

I've been taken with the beautiful paper vases that grace the origami scene for quite some time. While I admire that stark esthetic of rice paper and black or indigo ink, anyone who has been visiting this blog won't be surprised to know that I just couldn't follow the trend. Mine vase was going to be bright, bold and more than a little bit colorful. In fact, the vase would be used to hold some peacock feathers my friend gave me from her friend's peacocks. How could it be anything but bright?

Using Gwen's Decorative Medalion Stencil and a piece of patterned 12" X 12" scrapbook paper, stencil the image four times lining the stencil up with the edges.

Using another color, apply the stencil again in the middle. Add more pattern with an additional color by stenciling just the middle element in empty areas.

Once the paper is dry, fold it into the box shape of your choice. I used directions from a book I purchased in 1996 Kurashi ni Ikasu Kantan Origami 100 - Part 2. Yes, it is in Japanese. Directions for vases are plentiful in other books and on the internet. A quick google search just made my eyes go wide with the variety of options out there. 

Once folded, I chose four medallions from the Dresden Trim - small medallions  to adhere to each side. These medallions are beautiful and come in a variety of shapes. I chose four that had prominent points to keep it looking unified, though unique. The medallions were adhered with hot glue to each side making sure that the hangers were facing downwards. 

(Hint: Cutting the medallions apart and storing them in a small container, like the hard candy tin you can see in the background, makes it easy to use them.)

Some of Dresden borders were applied to the edge of two opposing sides. Liquid Pearls by Ranger were applied to the other two sides and around the medallions for accent. 

To each medallion beads of various colors were attached. The colors were selected from colors to match not only the vessel, but also the peacock feathers which would be arranged within. 

The paper vase is lightweight and easy to tip over, so filling it with some plastic beads gave it more stability. If you wish to add fresh flowers place a cup inside to hold the water. The peacock feathers were added, a bit of raffia tucked into the top and a bow was added. Let me just mention that this ribbon is one that Gwen wraps her packages in. Naturally, I save it to use and it perfectly suited my purpose here. 

Do you love that Dresden trim as much as I do? Gwen is having a sale, but hurry it's only until the end of the month. Here's a coupon code for you to use. 

Kuchi Koo Take Two - Stenciled Bracelet - for the Artist Tribe

Kuchi Koo Take Two!

The Artist Tribe is featuring Kuchi Patches from Gwen Lafleur's shop. I've already featured one, a small round one, in a fiber art brooch. (Interested? Click here.)

Look at this beauty! The color. The design. The geometry. I was smitten, but couldn't decide what
to do with it. 

That is until the day I looked up from what I was doing and saw this. The color of the Strathmore Printmaking paper cover was a perfect match. I had been saving it because, well, it's good paper and I keep such things to reuse. Also on my desk that day, was an empty cardboard roll which had been relieved of its duct tape. 

I cut the paper half an inch wider than the cardboard roll. You may want to leave 3/4 of an inch to make putting it together a little easier. 

Using a ruler, mark a quarter inch from the edge on the back side. Then using a paper punch for making tiny holes pierce the paper every quarter inch along the line. 

Now for the fun! 

I chose Gwen's stencil Art Deco Borders Stencil because I felt it would echo the angles of the kuchi patch. I lined the stencil up with the edge of the paper and applied black acrylic paint. This was where I had to make some additional design decisions. The paper was very porous and so I did not get a clean transfer. What I got was a lot of bleed. No matter, there are ways to address this. 

Next, I used the middle element and used a prismacolor marker that picked up some of the colors of the kuchi patch. 

The results looked like this. 

So far I was loving it but wanted more. Turning the paper over, I added the original stencil using black to the other side. I think you can see some of the bleed here. Next, I went in with gel pens in a contrasting color and went through the stencil again.

Here you can see the result of using the stencil in two different colors and styles and four colors of accent gel pen. 

Before attaching it to the cardboard, I checked the kuchi against the paper. When I was happy with the results I added a layer of gel medium to protect the paper. I cut a piece of felt for the interior of the circle, lined up the paper and the felt and sewed them in place using red embroidery floss using a blanket stitch. 

Remember the raffia I bought at the Bonzai supply store and used in my Welcome Wall Hanging? It was a perfect color to use on this project. Taking four strands, braid a long piece, tie off and sew to the edge of one side. Repeat for the other side. 

Here it is! I can't decide whether to trim back the raffia. What do you think? 

Top

Bottom

Products needed for this project:

Kuchi Patch

Art Deco Border Stencil

Empty roll of Duct Tape

Cover from Strathmore paper or paper of your choice

Acrylic paint in colors that complement your Kuchi Patch

Gel pens 

Gel medium

Piece of felt

Embroidery floss

Raffia

Love those Kuchi Patches? There is still time to cash in on the sale. 

and Gwen's having a Birthday Sale! 
Check in on October 30 - 31. 

Kuchi Koo - Artist Tribe Challenge October 2017

One of the many fun things about being part of Gwen Lafleur's Artist Tribe is the monthly challenges. Gwen's shop is so jam-packed full of great stuff it's hard to choose what to work on. These challenges help me to focus. I'm liable to stop and chase shiny objects midway through a project, so this structure works well for me.

Well, it's not just great for me, but it's also great for people who have a bit of hesitation because they can't think of how to use a particular shiny item. Peruse the Tribe's offerings of the month and you will get inspiration and the itch to create. Like bonuses? (Who doesn't?) There's a discount coupon at the end of the post.

This month the challenge was to use her kuchis from Afganistan. Here is my project and some information about my process. I got so wrapped up in the process I forgot to take pictures at each step. 

Who wouldn't make the connection between this piece of silk that's been in my stash for near 10 years and this beautiful kuchi? 

This gold trim from the Irresistible India Happy Pack in Gwen's shop and I love the way it works with the gold thread.

Then there is this - beautiful sari yarn from Darn Good Yarn. 

The colors! So luscious! Knew that this sari yarn would have to be stitched around the edge of the kuchi. 

But before I used that great Twisted Sister sari yarn, I thought the green sari ribbon that was in my welcome pack would be a great background. A running stitch along the edge, a pulled to make a ruffle and roughly stitched to the back of the kuchi made for a strong base. 

Next, the Twisted Sister sari yarn was stitched into the green sari yarn along the edge of the kuchi. 

Later I found it disappeared into the fabric, so I ended up stitching it again to upper edge of the kuchi. It was much more visible this way. 

Next the gold trim was gathered and sewn to the green sari yarn.

Next I wrapped some of that Twisted Sister sari yarn around my hand and tacked it together with thread. By cutting the bottom I made tassels of sorts. 

Remember that silk fabric? I cut some and tied it in a knot at the end of each strand. Beads were added and the whole was stitched to the back of the kuchi. 

Cutting a strip of silk for one more round of ruffle made it very apparent that silk frays. A quick zigzag around the edge helped to stop the strands from flying away. Then the two edges were sewn together, drawn into a ruffle and sewn to the backside of the kuchi. 

Finally, a circle of felt was sewn to the back to cover all the stitching and errant threads and a pin backing was tacked in place. Viola! A pin to wear to cheer up dreary days. 

I hope I have tickled your fancy with my Kuchi-Koo. Find yourself thirsting for a kuchi? Well, my friend, you have come to the right place. Gwen is having a sale. 

https://www.gwenlafleur.com/store/c8/patches-appliques-mixed-media

Mono Print Origami Boxes

If you love mono-printing, and what's not to love, you may face a dilemma about what to do with all that luscious paper you made. You can use it in your art journals, on canvas, to make cards and so on. You know this, but perhaps, like me, you see more potential. 

Enter mono-prints as origami paper. Origami can be done will a variety of papers, not simply the ones you buy in packs. The two main things about the paper you use for origami are: 

1. It needs to be able to take a sharp crease. 

2. It needs to be able to hold up to a lot of creasing. 

While it is very popular to print on deli paper or tissue paper, these are not an ideal paper for origami. They just don't hold up to the folding. Something the weight of copy paper is actually best. 

While origami can be done with many different shapes of paper, the most common shape used is the square. To accomplish the square, I used my Fiskar's paper cutter. My paper with 5" wide, so I cut it to be a 5" square. 

I wanted to make the most of the color on the page, so I auditioned the best section I could get and shaved off each side to get the most interesting square. 

Here I have a stack of interesting squares. 

I am not going to give step by step directions for folding the box. I always use the style from Tomoko Fuse's book Origami Boxes. Full disclosure, I worked for Japan Publications Trading Company in the 1990s as a copy editor and translator. I have a fondness for this particular book because of the wonderful projects, but also because they actually paid me to fold all the boxes to see if the directions were understandable! 

If you are interested in the book, it is available through Amazon. A quick search of my state's library catalog shows that this book and many other of her books are available through interlibrary loan. Any book showing how to make origami boxes will work for you. Some of them use just two pieces - one each for top and bottom. Some require six or eight or even ten papers! 

Once I folded each of the six papers required for this style box, I sorted them into top and bottom. Find the best combination of colors. 

Connect the pieces. Here is what the pieces look like from above. 

This view shows how lovely the inside of the boxes is. 

Put the pieces together. This is a view of how the top and bottom coordinate. 

Notice how each side looks different. 

I like to rotate them to find the most pleasing combinations.

View from the bottom.

Finished box. It is lovely simply as decoration. I love to use these boxes as gift wrap. 

If you try this, I would love to see what you make. Leave a comment and a link so I can visit your creations. 

What do you do with your mono-prints?