This month’s Craft Challenge was Terrific Tutorials! The challenge was to create and post a terrific tutorial for an awesome project! Our winning entry was created by sheepBlue! Her entry titled, “Screen Printing with Drawing Fluid and Screen Filler – A How To at Home!” is a STELLAR tutorial for screen printing your own custom creations! Check out the winning entry here. Congrats, sheepBlue!

For winning, sheepBlue has won an item from one of Craftster’s online shops!

http://shop.craftster.org/

http://www.spreadshirt.com/shop.php?sid=70592

http://www.cafepress.com/craftster

Hope everyone had fun creating for the challenge this month! Happy crafting!

Hi everybody! This week I wanted to show you the work of Miszek, who makes soft toys and needle felted figures.

You can see more from Miszek at his website and his etsy store. Great things await!

	It’s so satisfying to take old tired furniture and give it new life. Often, all it takes is a little tlc and a fresh coat of paint. If you’ve got furniture that needs some attention, maybe these projects will give you the inspiration you need to get started on the job! Polly Peanut gave this small table (and a magazine rack) some bright turquoise and white paint, and then covered their tile tops with oilcloth. The transformation is amazing!
Pink-Josy found this unloved chest at a thrift store. She removed the bottom drawer, gave it a coat of paint, and added a fun basket to make this charming new end table.
This pretty dresser also came from a thrift store. zough saw the potential in it. She brought it home, cleaned it up, then painted it a bright white. The floral motif on the top is actually wallpaper!
Polly Peanut painted this 50′s chair white and recovered it for this bold, modern look.
This bookcase is another thrift store find. grammardog cleaned it up and gave it a fresh coat of paint. Now it’s a perfect tv stand.

If you’ve got some furniture you’ve been dying to redo, here’s some great news: alwaysinmyroom has started a Furniture Re-make Craftalong, where you can share your project, ask questions, and get the inspiration you need to finally get started. Come join in the fun!

Sponsored Content

Recently, Spellbinders came out with a new line called Media Mixáge. As someone who really enjoys working with mixed media, I was so excited to see what they offered.

Spellbinders sent me the Artisan X-plorer Machine, which is a compact roller press. It’s perfect for cutting, embossing and pressing with a multitude of materials, including paper, metals, fabrics, or plastics. I also got a paper pack, some dies, texture plates, and round bezels and bezel dies. The great thing about the bezel and bezel die combination is that the dies cut the shapes to fit perfectly within the bezels! If you’ve ever tried to hand-cut a perfect circle, or worse, fit a hand-cut circle into a bezel, you know how awesome this is. The bezel set I got had three sizes of the round bezel, each 1/8″ deep, so there’s plenty of room for layering. I also received the 3 dies that cut perfectly sized circles to correspond with these bezels. Spellbinders has many bezel/bezel die combinations in other shapes, too: including hearts, squares, and triangles.

For my first project, I chose the largest of the bezels (2 1/4″) and set out to do a little collage within. I used the die to cut 2 circles from the Media Mixáge Ephemera Papers One paper pad. One I used for the sky background, and one I tore in half to look like the grass. I used some transparent markers to draw sun rays onto the sky. Then, with the house die, I cut the house out of a ticket, using a different paper for the roof. To give the house a little dimension and make it stand out from the background, I glued the paper onto a metal house blank. Sequin flowers and a butterfly charm also add to the depth of the design. Once I was finished, I used the ICE resin to fill the bezel. I have never used resin before, but this was so easy! The resin comes in a syringe which makes automatically dispenses the two part solution in equal amounts. There’s no measuring required. It was so simple to mix and use. After 24 hours of setting and drying time, I added a lock and key charm to the bottom ring of the bezel, and a ribbon to the top ring for hanging.
	There is a page in the paper pad that has pigs on it, and I just love it. For the second 1 5/8″ bezel, I used the dies to cut my favorite piggy out. The size was perfect for the bezel. I gave the pig a little pink tutu, and cut the words “oink (oink)” out of an old dictionary. I filled the bezel with the ICE resin, and again, waited 24 hours before proceeding with the work. Once it was set, I found a small rubber pig and poked an eye pin through the top so I could add it to the top. A few beads hanging from the bottom complete the look. I glued a magnet on the back, so this little piggy can hang out on my fridge.
The smallest 1″ sized bezel is, to me, perfect for jewelry. For this piece, I used a piece of scrapbook paper. I cut the image out with the die, and then used a bit of glitter on the outside edge before gluing it into the bezel. I then hand-cut the smaller circle with the bee image, and used ink to darken the edges. I attached this to the background with a dimensional glue dot to make it stand way out from the background. Once again, I used the ICE resin and let it sit for a good 24 hours before adding the bee charm to the bottom, and stringing the piece on a chain. I can’t believe how easy and quick it was to make this necklace! I know I’ll be making more.

These dies, blanks and bezels could be used in so many different ways for any mixed media project! I’m looking forward to seeing what else I can come up with using different shapes and bezels and my new Artisan X-plorer machine.

Every two weeks we pick our favorite 15 projects that Craftster readers have voted for with the “This Rocks!” button. Here are our latest picks which were lovingly and painstakingly chosen (so many amazing projects to choose from!), this time by jungrrl. We hope you enjoy them!

Ukulele by pinokeeo	Girl with Kite Pincushion by pottermouth	Link and Zelda felt art by P_E_S_T	SHAZAM! by Homerof2	Doctor Who Allons-y Hoopla by deathbeforedishes
Sequined Skull by teapotdnky	Screen Printing with Drawing Fluid and Screen Filler – A How To at Home! by sheepBlue	Changeable Bird-Headed Paper Doll by BananaAmbush	Lavender chicken coop by puppybreath	North Korean Propaganda by _trains__derail
Poison…Poison Ivy (And some Steampunk Robin) by Chocolate_Jo	Thundercats gored skirt a.k.a. back to my childhood!! by FruityLoops	Yay keys (slight picture overload) by yzzilnoaj	Decorated Rolled Cake by patty_o_furniture	Captain America Cocktail Dress – Inspired by Art by BenaeQuee

Matthew Cox is an artist from Philadelphia who works in a range of media, and is gaining attention for his embroidered x-rays.

“About ten years ago I began to respond to x-rays and Medieval tapestry as objects of beauty at about the same time. Because I had been thinking about redefinition of materials that have an expected purpose for some time it seemed natural to lay these two items over one another.

“The x-ray decides the outcome. Often x-rays have areas that are crisper, lighter or just more interesting than another area so I choose to leave that area exposed and improve the other space with embroidery. And, yes, there is a clear idea of the final design from the beginning.

“Until this past year the embroidery was about decorative embellishment of a material that has a somewhat dark presence. But in May I began to use iconic imagery, characters and symbols and the Heartthrobs and Avatars were born. This gives me an opportunity to not only redefine materials but also imagery that comes loaded with preconceptions. Also, prior to this group I had worked within the confines of the rectangle but these new pieces extend the body part outside of the box and extends the possibilities for imagination.”

I think Matthew’s work is great. It’s colourful and playful – there is no guessing who the x-rays will belong to and Matthew surprises us with his choices. The use of satin stitch adds texture to the pieces and it’s great to look through his site and see how this concept has evolved. Great stuff!

—–

The Cutting & Stitching Edge is brought to you in association with PUSH: Stitchery!

	Cardboard is not only generally free, but it’s one of the most readily available craft supplies around. If you use your imagination, there’s practically no end to what you can create with it. Look what these clever Craftsters made!  teag made this adorable tiny mailbox for Valentine’s Day out of a cardboard toilet paper tube and a cereal box. Who wouldn’t want to receive a wee little love letter?
Talk about some lucky kitties! blupaisan started with a simple shoebox and added lots of cat-friendly features to create this entertainment center for her cats. You can tell by her photos that they love it!
katara not only used cardboard to construct this wee house, she made almost all the furnishings inside out of cardboard as well.
the_trademarks needed a shelf to house some of her collection, so she cut a box into strips and reconstructed them to make this sturdy display.
Every kid knows that a large cardboard box is the best toy out there. quilted and her 6 year old son used cardboard and imagination to create this almost-working model of a Star Wars X-wing fighter jet.

Get out an old cardboard box and see what you can do with it. You can find these projects and many more (even furniture!) by going to the Craftster Tag Cloud and searching under “cardboard” or “cardboard box”.

Hi everybody! It’s that time of year again – time for Plush You!

Plush You! is a HUGE gathering of plush toys put together every year by Kristen Rask of Schmancy. Here’s just a few of the awesome things that were made just for Plush You! this year.

Tempus fugit by Diane Koss

Coffee Pot by Scrumptious Delight

Adorare by Moxie

Strong Men by Pink Cheeks Studio

Pacific Giant Octopus by fog and swell

Untitled by mr muju

Excellent stuff. If you’re in the Seattle area, be sure to check out the show! You’ll be glad you did.