Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Swooping Handcrafted Lamp in Cherry

I am taking a break from all the ornament posts to share with you a beautiful new addition to our home.  David and I have been searching for contemporary lamps that please us for years and just haven't found anything. We were happier with our $29.99 lamps from Target. We finally replace one with the Beach Stone Lamp we made but hadn't found anything for the other. That is until we visited the Paradise City Arts Festival in Northampton, MA over Columbus Day. There we saw a lamp we liked.

 

Graceful, contemporary lines. The artist, Michael McCoy of Castlewerks was willing to make it a little larger and in cherry which was better for our location. We ordered it and it was delivered over the Thanksgiving weekend. Here are some photos of the new lamp in our home.








Beautiful!

Michael has an entire collection of contemporary lamps. Here are a few more.






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©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

DIY Christmas Ornament #4 • Loop Tree

I am totally enjoying working with the aluminum screening.  The ideas keep coming for new ways to use it. Today's design was suggested by my husband, David. He suggested another tree design using loops. So today is a tutorial on the Loop Tree.



Again I am using the same aluminum window screening that I picked up at Lowes and the red wooden beads. This is my fourth tutorial and if you like this style of ornament you should also check out the following tutorials as well:

Supplies needed:
  • 1 piece aluminum window screening 2" w x 30" long - I purchased 1 roll of 36" x 84" bright Aluminum screening at Lowes. You can vary the size to create different sized ornaments.
  • 12  - 1/2" wooden red beads - I bought a red bead garland and cut them off.
  • 3 feet 1/8" wide green satin ribbon
  • dull scissors (Save your old ones for this type of project. Don't use your sewing shears!)
  • big darning needle (large enough to thread 1/8" ribbon through)
  • gloves - to protect your hands
  • ruler
  • marker
  • pliers


Steps:
  • Using a Sharpie marker and ruler measure 1 piece of screening 2" w x 30" long.
  • Use dull scissors to cut the screening. I like to wear garden gloves during these first steps because the edges of the screening are extremely prickly.

  • Fold over both long edges along the entire length of the strip.
  • I bent it over the edge of my desk top to form a straight fold.

  • I used first my finger to crease back the folded edge and then ran the handle of the scissors along it to smooth it out. 

  • Cut the ribbon into 5 pieces - 8", 7", 6", 5",and 4" long.

  • Pull a strand of aluminum "thread" off the edge of a scrap piece of screening.

  • Bend each strip into a loop.
  • Overlap the ends by about 1/4" and stitch them together using the aluminum thread.  You don't need to use a needle. The aluminum has enough rigidity to thread by itself.
  • Twist it around itself to knot it.
  • Clip the ends and bend the ends back out of sight.


  • Repeat this with all five loops.
  • Be careful to keep an elliptical shape and not crease the screening.


  • Loop the green satin ribbon in half and tie a knot about 3" down from the middle. This will form the loop to hang the ornament from.
  • Thread both ends of the green satin ribbon through the darning needle and thread through 1 red bead.  You might need to do the ribbon in two steps, 1 with each end depending on how large the hole in the beads are compared to your needle.


  • Next thread one end of the ribbon through the SMALLEST screen loop. Start on the side away from the seam.
  • Thread it through a red bead.
  • Thread it out through the bottom of the loop through the double layers of the seam.

  • Thread it through the top of the next loop in size order.
  • Add a bead in the center.
  • Thread it out through the bottom of the loop again at the seam area to help reinforce the seam.
  • You will be bringing the secong end of the green ribbon through this same path.  I waited until the end but it would probably be easier to bring the second green end through after every two beads.
  • If the needle is difficult to get through, grab some pliers and pull with those. It helped a lot.

  • Continue threading each loop with a bead in the center until all five loops are attached.
  • Bring the second end of the green ribbon through as well.

  • When both ends of the green ribbon are threaded through all five loops pull both ribbons through so they are snug.  
  • Tie off the bottom with a knot right up against the screening of the bottom loop.
  • This will hold your tree form.

  • Thread two more beads onto the bottom of the tree.
  • This will be the tree stump.
  • Again, tie a knot up tight.

  • Add two more beads at the end of each of the green ribbons.
  • Put knots at the end of each ribbon and cut at an angle. 


Here are photos of other ornaments I have created using similar materials but different techniques. The links are to tutorials. I have made all of these and many more with just the one roll of aluminum screening!






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©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Monday, November 28, 2011

DIY Christmas Tree Ornament #3 • Daisy

Using the same aluminum screening that I used for the Ribbon Tree and the Rosette DIY ornaments, I crafted a Daisy design.


It combines the red wooden beads with the silver screening in a totally different circular motif. And, just like the other two designs I am creating a tutorial so you can make the same ornament. This series is truly easy to do and they are very universal. They are unbreakable so a great solution for a house with kids or cats!

Supplies needed:
  • 8 pieces aluminum window screening 2" w x 6" long - I purchased 1 roll of 36" x 84" bright Aluminum screening at Lowes. You can vary the size to create different sized ornaments.
  • 8  - 1/2" wooden red beads - I bought a red bead garland and cut them off.
  • 2 feet 1/8"wide red satin ribbon
  • dull scissors (Save your old ones for this type of project. Don't use your sewing shears!)
  • big darning needle (large enough to thread 1/8" ribbon through)
  • gloves - to protect your hands
  • ruler
  • marker


Steps:
  • Using a Sharpie marker and ruler, measure 8 pieces of screening 2" w x 6" long.
  • Use dull scissors to cut the screening.  I like to wear garden gloves during these first steps because the edges of the screening are extremely prickly.



  • Fold over both long edges on all 8 pieces of cut screening.
  • I bent it over the edge of my desk top to form a straight fold.

  • I first used my finger to crease back the folded edge and then ran the handle of the scissors along it to smooth it out.

  • Using something round as a form, bend each of the 8 pieces in half but a curved half - not a crease.


  • Pull a strand of aluminum "thread" off the edge of a scrap piece of screening.


  • Use this thread to stitch together the two ends of each piece of screening.

  • Take a piece of 1/8" red satin ribbon and thread it onto a large darning needle.
  • Thread it through the screen about 3/4" up from the stitched seam.
  • Thread a bead onto it.
  • Thread it out the other side of the petal shape.


  • Thread it into the next petal shape again about 3/4' from the stitched seam.
  • Add another bead and continue through and out the other side.
  • Add another petal shape, then a bead, continuing until all 8 have been threaded together.



  • You may need to adjust the shape of your 8 "petals" so they form a complete circle.
  • When you have all eight connected, tie the two end of the ribbon together leaving enough to make a hanging hoop.


Simple and elegant!



Add them to your collection from my previous two tutorials.




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©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Sunday, November 27, 2011

DIY Christmas Tree Ornament #2 • Screening

I have found aluminum screening to be an excellent material to work. I have only just begun to explore the possibilities of using it for Christmas Tree ornaments.  It started with the first ornament in yesterday's post here. Today's is a rosette design combining the aluminum with red wooden beads.



Supplies needed
  • 1 piece aluminum window screening 6" w x 20" long - I purchased 1 roll of 36" x 84" bright Aluminum screening at Lowes. You can vary the size to create different sized ornaments.
  • 20  - 1/2" wooden red beads - I bought red bead garland and cut them off.
  • 3 feet 1/8"wide red satin ribbon
  • dull scissors (Save your old ones for this type of project. Don't use your sewing shears!)
  • big darning needle (large enough to thread 1/8" ribbon through)
  • gloves - to protect your hands
  • ruler
  • marker


Steps:
  • Measure a 6" x 20" strip of Aluminum screening.
  • Use a permanent marker to mark it.
  • Put on some thin gloves to protect your hands.
  • Using old, dull scissors cut the screening.



  • Place the screen along a sharp edge (I used my desk surface) and bend back about 3/4" along both long edges.  
  • The desk edge helps create a straight line. This finishes the rough edges.




  •  Fold back both long edges and crease.



  • I used the handle of my shears to crisp the crease.



  • Fold the entire length of the the 20" piece into a zig zag fan with each fold being about 1".
  • Crease them as you move along.



  • Thread a piece of 1/8" red satin ribbon and stitch through the center of the fan.
  • Create a loop about 2" longer than the ornament and thread back down through the center again. This will form a loop to hang the ornament from.



  • Tie a knot close to the screening on both sides of the the aluminum.  This will hold the pleated screen together tight in the center.



  • Get another pice of ribbon about 2' long and thread it on to the needle.  
  • Thread the needle through the first fold of the fan about 3/4" down from the end. Leave about 4 " extra ribbon dangling at the end. You will tie up to it again when you have completed the circle.
  • Thread a red wooden bead on to the needle.



  • Push the needle through the next fold of the fan aiming for the same placement - about 3/4" down from the end.
  • Add another bead.
  • Thread through another section of the fan fold.


  • Continue working your way around the circle.
  • Connect the split between the two halves of screening.
  • Continue until you have completed a circle of red beads. 

  • Tie the end of the ribbon to the beginning pulling tight to hold the beads in a circle.
  • Take some leftover screen and pull off an aluminum thread from the cut edge.
  • Use this aluminum thread to "stitch" together the seam where the two halves of the fan meet. You don't need a needle - just thread it through and twist the ends together.
  • I found two stitches on the front and one or two on the back joined together the halves. It smoothed out the opening between the halves and made for a more complete circle.


The end result is a beautiful rosette ornament.




You can vary the size and the number of fan folds to change the proportions. A trio of these rosettes in varying sizes would make a wonderful window ornament.


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©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy