Greetings! I finally completed a project I've been mulling over for a while, and am very pleased with the results. I'll try to remember to post updated pictures of all four lamps. The back-story, so to speak. I needed a wall sconce, one that aimed the light upwards (I hate downward lights other than over the table), and one that I could just plug in instead of having to do wires and switches, and I needed four of them, as I needed the symmetry in my geodesic home (and that in itself necessitated some other criteria). There was nothing in the stores or online that met my criteria, so I had to make my own lights. I made all four, and that's all there will ever be! I don't write tutes, but I'll try to give a rough idea as to what I did and what I used so as to inspire your imagination (because I went over this site a lot for inspiration).


Mostly Finished first wall:

Mostly Finished 2nd wall:

This is a pic of most of the materials I used:

And this is the sconce lit (with an 800 lumen LED bulb):


I have since hung live plants (in a hanging pot) on the four lights I made, which helps to hide the cord a little. I still want to try out my "twigs" idea-- using tree branches as a deco/cover-up. Let me know if you want to see how that looks, and I'll try to remember to get pics taken and posted.

Materials listed are basically x4, as I made four lights.
*DIY pendant plug-in light fixture (bought at hardware store)
*Plain linen lampshade (hardware store)
*Brushed bronze swirly metal shelf brackets (hardware store).
*Wood "boxes" (open and wider at the top, like a planter) for stabilizing the pendant lamp piece (purchased at craft store)
*Cork roll, to cover the wood (wouldn't have had to do this, but there were only four boxes and one was already painted orange, which is NOT in my color scheme); also hoping for some sound dampening effect, as living in a geodesic house is like constant surround sound-- not always a good thing!
*Tacky glue, to glue cork to wood
*Acrylic artist paint, to paint top portion of wood so it wouldn't stand out so much
*Bolts and nuts and washers, to attach wood box to bracket
*Screw anchors and screws, to mount brackets to walls

The only non-manual tool I used was my drill, to drill the holes into the wall and into the bottom of the boxes to accept the bold without splintering the wood. All the rest was just screwdriver, pliers (to hold nut tight enough). . . and I think that's it. Oh, artist brushes to apply the paint, scissors to cut the cork. . . .

I guess I'll have to post the "absolutely completed" pics later. I haven't decided if I'm going to decorate the lampshade (or how, if I do) or not, and I still want to find a way to "hide" the cord that runs from the lights to the outlet. That'll come later.

So there you go. I hope you've found inspiration!

Comments welcome.

~~bentindahead

Greetings!

Now that colder weather is moving in for the norther hemisphere, I thought I'd share one of my failures-- how not to make a "snood." As it turns out, the type/weight of the yarn is key in the hat eventually slouching. This yarn was a wool and nylon mix, if I recall correctly... and thick. It didn't um, you know, slouch like it was supposed to-- so I call it my Dr. Seuss hat.

Okay, what's the opinion on this failure?

Greetings all!

I am finally getting around to posting this blanket I made around winter 08/09 (I think). It was done as a special request. The man wanted a blanket for his California King size water bed. The finished blanket was 8' x 8'-- yes, that's feet, not inches! Heavy and beautiful.

I used a 'ripple' pattern that I made up (probably), using two strands of yarn held together as one throughout; if I remember correctly, one was a solid (blue) and one varigated (blues & white). The trim was worked using only a single strand, and again, a pattern I made up to 'square off' the blanket, so to speak.

That's an adult cat in the middle of the blanket!

Enjoy. Comments and questions welcome.





~~C
p.s.
There are more pics of items I've created--mostly crochet-- here through my profile. If you want ideas for crocheting 'something', give it a look-see.

Holiday Greetings!

This is my second post, for a second completed project. This time it is for a Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) ornament made for the same friend that I'd made the original FSM. Again, I had no pattern to work off of, and I wanted to make this ornament FSM similar to the larger one I'd made earlier. I believe it was successful, as the recipient loved it and her husband had a really good laugh when I pointed to it on their tree saying, "There's C---'s gift!" 

So, the picture provided is of his noodley appendageness, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, on my friend's Christmas tree. I think if you click on the picture you'll get taken to the gallery where you can see a larger version, and thus a better view.

Would love to hear thoughts on this, as I am considering the possibility of making more of these for other reasons.

Thanks, and may the new year bring many new ideas to all the crafters here! 

~~C.S.

Greetings, all. I've posted replies to people's projects, but this is the first time I'm posting mine. Hope I am doing this correctly.



In September 2009 I decided to give my atheist friend the best present-- one that was created specifically for her, lovingly designed, and to my surprise, quickly made! Now, please understand, my friend is a shopping freak. She doesn't "do" crafts at all, but she does have an appreciation for those of us who can and do. So, I was a little nervous because of past experiences in giving hand/homemade gifts (not including her, however). I reassured myself with "It's the thought that counts," and began my design of the "Flying Spaghetti Monster" (FSM, for short). If you don't know who it is, then google it or something.

So I crocheted this thing, starting with the meatballs, each separately and attaching them at the end. I then made a kind of crochet round of about 3 or 5 rows, then off of that (still in one piece), crocheted the "noodlely appendages" using a chain and slip stitch back to the round base. After all the "Noodlely appendages" were completed, I did about two more rounds on base to finish it off. Then attached the meat balls. The eyes are also fully crocheted, although I reused the heavy-duty twist ties from my coffee bags to stiffen the "shaft" of the eye.

Obviously I need to work on a better model, though, because my friend's two-year-old keeps wanting to play with this! She even took it to the grocery store!

I shoved the FSM into a box that had been previously used (probably more than once), with some 'tissue' paper (that felt like fabric) from the Dollar Store, and taped it shut. A gift on the cheap! Oh yeah, and I stuffed the meatballs with an old, clean sheet that had been cut up into rags. So, I achieved my constant goal of recycling/repurposing, and creating a one-of-a-kind gift. How was it received? She LOVED it! 

I hope you enjoy, and would like to hear your thoughts on this project. Sorry, but I've only got the one picture!
~~C.S.