Craftzine.com blog: Crafting with Nature Archives

Archive: Crafting with Nature

November 11, 2009

Beginner's Guide to Gourd Crafting

It's decorative gourd season, peeps! I just can't wait to get my hands on some gourds and arrange them just so. They look so very seasonal. Reputable gourd shop Welburn Gourd Farm is offering a free download of "The Beginner's Guide to Gourd Crafting." It contains some great tips and how-tos to get your started with the wide world of gourds. Keep an eye out for the next issue of our sister publication, MAKE, Volume 21, which will feature a great DIY by Diane Gilleland on how to make a gourd lamp.

August 28, 2009

How-To: Make an Apple Vase

CRAFT: Back to School

I've always been a teacher's pet. When I was in school, I loved bringing small gifts to class for my teachers. An apple is the classic gift, but this twist is sure to be sweet and unexpected. I used flowers that were growing in my yard, with one large ivy leaf in each bouquet. Ivy represents wisdom, making it the perfect greenery for any teacher.

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August 9, 2009

Tree Ring Paintings by Tracy Melton

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Artist Tracy Melton's Tree Ring paintings (featured on Apartment Therapy NY) are made from dead red and white Elm trees and acrylic paint. I love the way it looks both natural and stylishly modern at the same time. He sells his artwork in his Etsy shop, focuslineart but currently no tree ring paintings are available. So I'll have to patiently wait.

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Here's more about the artist through his Etsy profile:

Tracy is inspired by objects found in nature,wet river rocks, the insides of trees,wildflowers,spots on salamanders, negative spaces,clear mountain creek water, fungis, patterns on rattlesnakes,mosses, lichens on rocks, smells on a summer night, rain that pours straight down in the evening at night in June, the lushness of the Smoky Mountains in July, looking at creek bottoms while under water, creatures under rocks, Tennessee in the cool green spring,the grand canyon in winter, and wide open spaces.

July 14, 2009

Flashback: Dandelion Herbal Tincture

With summer sun comes summer weeds, and one of the most ubiquitous is the humble dandelion. When life gives you dandelions, make dandelion tincture! This week's flashback comes from the pages of CRAFT Volume 07. According to Wikipedia, "Dandelion leaves contain abundant amounts of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins A, C, and K, and are good sources of calcium, potassium, and fair amounts of iron and manganese, higher than similar leafy greens such as spinach." Who knew? And dandelion "flowers, roots, and leaves have been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine & medicinal teas, most notably for liver detoxification, as a natural diuretic, and inflammation reduction."

Author Brookelynn Morris teaches us how to make 3 different kinds of dandelion tinctures: alcohol, glycerin, and vinegar. She shares detailed instructions from digging up the whole dandelion plant to bottling and labeling. I love that she starts off the article by writing, "Herbalists are some of the original DIYers." True that!

Here's the full article for you in our Digital Edition so you can get started blending your own folk medicines.

You can still pick up a back issue of CRAFT Volume 07 over in the Maker Shed!

June 26, 2009

How-To: Make a God's Eyes Treasure Frame

Pam of Gingerbread Snowflakes has a great tutorial for a simple modification to the classic God's Eyes craft project that transforms the finished project into a small frame, perfect for displaying small treasures. I love the idea of doing this with kids while on vacation as a way to remember the trip!

June 16, 2009

How-To: Build a Birch Log Table

Decorideas Table
Anne Collins of PointClickHome.com shows you the process of how she made her amazing birch log table. All for only $80 in materials and a wood saw with a few screws and nails she recreated a $2,000 design piece. So stylish!

May 21, 2009

Deep Craft

Some friends of ours, Scott Constable and Ene Osteraas-Constable, are amazing artists, crafters, and builders, whereas my husband and I are merely connoisseurs of handmade furniture and big art projects. Luckily, this works out just fine, because we get to appreciate Scott and Ene's work on a regular basis!

Their latest project, Oakland Fusion, is finished and available for all to see at Jack London Square in Oakland, Calif. It's an installation of lenticular murals consisting of more than 4,500 hand-painted tiles. Painting the tiles took about 8 months, and everyone they knew was invited to help. I like how this project mixes a "traditional" craft, tile work, with a simple animation process. Here are some more details about the project from their website:

Each mural functions like a two-cell animation; the image morphs as the viewer changes position. The eight images are based upon the textile patterns of Oakland's major ethnic demographics. Mounted to the exterior wall of a new parking garage immediately opposite Oakland's main train station, the murals are intended to viscerally orient new arrivals to Oakland's cultural geography.

Recently, their Oakland Fusion project has had lots of media interest, with NBC and the Oakland Tribune running stories about the project. Ene says she thinks this installation has struck a nerve because people really need this type of arts and crafts right now. "The timing's just really good for something like this," she adds.

As a team, they've also built treehouses, art studios, and set up miniature golf and audio tour installations in San Francisco. Besides these high impact projects, Scott also makes skateboards, chairs, tables, and writes thoughtful prose about the world we live in on their Deep Craft and WOWhaus websites. They have a large, thriving garden and orchard, write poetry, throw great parties, are raising a lovely daughter, and come up with clever inventions such as the bicycle composter and a mobile biodiesel processor.

As interesting to me is that they still find time for a walk around the forest, cataloging flowers on the web, volunteering at the school, and helping with local events. They move through the mundane spaces we all inhabit with an eye for the beautiful and have the ability to add to that beauty. Can anybody say inspirational?!

But don't take my word for it. Check out their blog; it's not just a nice way to see what Scott and Ene are up to, but a neat window into their projects, local blossoms, and philosophical outlooks.

May 8, 2009

Compact Design for Cozy Quarters: Seating Trays by Tanya Aguiñiga

CRAFT: Crafting with Nature

Compact Design for Cozy Quarters: Seating Trays by Tanya Aguiñiga
By Angelica Amesquita-Carter

Tanya Aguiñiga, furniture designer/maker and resident of Los Angeles, Calif., gets functional in cozy spaces with these beautifully handcrafted, low, stackable seating trays with a container that doubles as a table. The idea behind the piece is to create a unique seating surface that stores easily and has minimal upholstery, perfect for compact apartment living. Materials consist of Italian bending poplar, cast silicone, molded industrial felt, and walnut veneer.

Some of her other woodsy wonderments not to be missed include a whimsical Birch Bench, an intricately designed wooden Plaid Table, and my personal favorite, the elegantly simple Mono Table, made of minimal materials consisting only of bending poplar and a round glass tabletop. Aguiñiga loves to work with wood because, in her own words, "It's amazing to work with something that was once alive and that contains memory and depth. Natural elements that then become functional and useful are incredible."

Find out more at www.aguinigadesign.com

—Angelica Amesquita-Carter

About the Author:

Angelica Amesquita-Carter describes herself as an introverted extrovert, a lazy crafter, an eclectic music junkie, and an ever-changing work in progress.

May 7, 2009

Masterful Maloof

CRAFT: Crafting with Nature

Masterful Maloof
Renowned woodworker Sam Maloof reflects on a lifetime of inspiration.
By Heidi Kellenberger

"Craft is a dirty word to most people. It isn't painting. It isn't sculpture. But my pieces are sculptural pieces. I don't know why people think crafts is a bad word," says woodworker Sam Maloof. A self-taught founder of the modern studio craft movement, master woodworker, and teacher, Maloof has produced over 5000 pieces and has a waiting list of more than six years. His work is included in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian and other museums across the country.

He began woodworking over 60 years ago. "I had some hand tools that my father-in-law had left back. I didn't have any power tools at all. The first job I did was for my own home. I didn't have any money to buy wood, so I used plywood that they had been using for cement farms. I had a sander and sandblasted it." In his early work, he also used scrap wood, or dunnage, found along the railroad tracks. Over time, he learned to work with a variety of found woods this way.

"I use mostly walnut. I use other exotic woods, but I'd say 60% of what I do is walnut." He prefers black walnut because of the color and the way it handles. "I use very exotic woods also. I use fiddleback. I use a lot of Ziricote, which is a very, very hard wood and very beautiful. I use Macassar ebony. Well, I use all kinds of different ebonies. It depends on what I'm doing and what the client wants." Even with the most exotic woods, the materials aren't what cause his pieces to sell from $10,000 to $200,000. It is the design and labor involved in each piece. Every curve and every edge is done by hand.

In contrast to most commercial furniture, Maloof emphasizes joinery, visually celebrating the places where the joints are crafted. He combines hard and soft lines, which are most evident in the classic swoop of the arms on his chairs. Above all, he values function and sensuality, and each piece he creates is made to conform to the human body. "I hope it sits the way I want it to sit. You don't know until you make it. If I make eight chairs, I make one and sit in it and see how it feels. Then we go ahead and do the [other] seven," Maloof says. "But my rocking chairs, we make a lot of those. I don't have to test those. I know exactly what it's going to sit like."

At 92, Maloof says, "I just have hundreds of things I want to make. I try to do two, three new pieces a year that I've never done before. One idea begets another idea. I may be working on something and I'll say that the next time I do this [I'll try something different]. But I do a lot of repeat and each one of them has its own character. Everything is trial and error. You make a new chair. If it doesn't sit well, it's a lousy chair." He defines comfort as success, but also takes proportion and form into strong consideration. If a client requests an extra thick table, Maloof makes sure that the chairs are beefed up as well so they won't appear too delicate next to the table.

Walking through his workshop, Maloof shows off a large menorah he's working on and his first chaise lounge rocker, which lay in large pieces on a table. He explains that on any rocking chair, the rocker is the last piece to be added. He positions the unfinished chair on top of the loose rockers, and without attaching a thing, he finds the center of gravity, pushes the chair lightly, and sets it rocking. When he picks up the limb of a table and shows where it will attach to the base, he is confident of how the finished piece will turn out, even if it is still in burl form. Watching him, he places the wood pieces with such conviction, that the lines of gravity almost become visible. As he shows off his work in progress he says, "This may sound sort of cocky, but my clients have no say about how I make the chairs. I show them different things. I show them sketches. If they want it, fine then. If they don't, well it's fine. Sometimes a client tries to tell me how he wants it done. I say yes and then I go ahead and do it the way I want. This is a very, very individual-type business. I could put curlicues on something, but I just don't work that way."

The walls of his workshop are lined with layers of large wooden templates hanging from hooks, ready to be used the next time a similar design is needed. Maloof often works freehand as well, using the band saw as a pencil. He designs every piece himself and is involved in the construction of every component of the furniture. When asked what advice he would give to a younger woodworker, he says, "Just work really hard. It's awful damn hard trying to make a living. I have a lot of friends who are very good and don't know where their next job is coming from."

In Rancho Cucamonga, California, at the Maloof Foundation, visitors can tour the house that Maloof designed and built by hand in 1953. The house features Maloof furniture and a wide variety of handmade arts and crafts. Today he lives just below the museum and walks back and forth between the properties, still tinkering with the way the artwork is arranged, bringing in new pieces that please him, and making the house still feel like a home that is very much alive. Speaking of his long hours, many creations, and the houses that he has built, Maloof says, "If it weren't fun, I wouldn't do it. It's been a lot of fun. I don't think very many people get to live their whole lives on their own grounds, have their shop on their own grounds. I've never had to go to work for someone. I don't think I could do it."

At the end of the hour-long tour of the museum, visitors are invited to sit in one of Maloof's chairs. It is a blond chair with a beautiful glow and a deep, low seat that curves in the middle. The joints are a few shades darker, highlighting their precise connection, and the slope of the arms and headrest are classic Maloof. The surprise comes when each visitor sinks into the chair and smiles at how deliciously comfortable it feels. Woodworker or not, every visitor leaves educated by Maloof's designs and inspired to continue crafting their own projects with an eye to function and sensuality.

Visit malooffoundation.org to learn more about supporting the artistic mission of the Maloof foundation and tours the property.
Check out woodfinder.com for a library of woods.

About the Author:
A renaissance soul, Heidi Kellenberger loves crafting, playing Boggle, and exploring new places. By day, she manages the custom packaging division at Walter Foster Publishing. By night, she is a freelance writer and editor satisfying her curiosity with a variety of projects. You can check out her latest project at heidisloveletters.etsy.com where she is sharing the art of the love letter and writing poems for beloveds around the world.

May 4, 2009

Tree Pedestal Cake Stand

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Once Wed has a DIY project by Laurie on how to make a tree pedestal cake stand. I love the look and I think it would be lovely decor in the home year round, not just at parties and weddings.

April 30, 2009

Rock Knobs For Dwellers of Earth

CRAFT: Crafting with Nature
Rock Knobs For Dwellers of Earth
By Wendy Tremayne

Stone Knobs Finished2

We live on a rock so large that often we fail to notice it. It is easy to take for granted that each day the Earth meets the soles of our feet with a just-right gentle tug of gravity that assures our stability. "Grandparents" is how the native cultures refer to the rocks, mountains, and the still, stationary aspects of the Earth that have seen the passing of time.

Geologist, maker, and matron of stone Maggie Hanna is in the practice of finding, naming, and discerning the story that rocks contain. When she picks out a bunch to transform into knobs, she is gathering a whole lot more than a backpack of heavy objects. She seeks their embodied clues. According to Maggie, "Stones have a life cycle that has taken them from an angular piece of a rock formation that has perhaps fallen off a mountainside into a river or onto a shoreline where the sharp corners are knocked off. The shape is worn and rounded and smoothed." She relates this process to the human trajectory: "This is much like what happens to human beings as we mature from the beautiful raw material of a child to the gracious and refined manner of a kind, mature personality." In rock knobs she sees "unstressed nature and a constant radiator of beauty which acts as a reminder of our connection to, and dependence on, a healthy Earth." Here is Maggie's earthy how-to, an invitation to bring the story of stone into your home by way of the rock knob.

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How-To: Driftwood Wall Art

CRAFT: Crafting with Nature
There are so many things to like about driftwood. For instance, you have to go to the beach to get it. Also, it's softer than other wood (or at least it usually is — more on this later), so it's easier for children and wimps like me to nail into it. And, of course, it's beautiful!

A couple of years ago, I saw a piece of wall art in a catalog that was made out of driftwood. I decided it was too expensive to buy and would be a fun project to try with the kids. In a couple of afternoons we successfully built a passable driftwood fish skeleton that made a nice Father's Day gift. It's hung in our living room ever since.

This year, we decided to make a couple more as gifts for the grandfathers. It really couldn't be a simpler project.

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