Sarilyn CraftsWhen you hear hoofbeats…dream of zebras!

Sarilyn is undergoing some major changes!  For a bit you will see only our blog, but soon there will be a fully functional website with categories which encompass all aspects of home and garden.  We will have crafts, art, recipes, gardening tips, home decor, style and much more.  We will strive to make all our projects truly do it yourself and give budget guidelines for each project. You will never see a project with a budget of over $5000, with most being well under, so even your home decor projects are honestly doable for even those of us with small incomes.  Creativity will be the key to success.

Our craft projects will be unique and user friendly, with lots of pictures to help you along the way as well as show you what the finished project will look like.We will also have a newsletter you can subscribe to in order to keep up with all our new articles and projects, so keep checking back, and following our blog so you can watch us grow!

This weekend my husband and I decided to play with our little microwave kiln and make some new fused and dichroic glass pendants and such for the upcoming craft season and to restock our Etsy store.  These are the fused, but unfinished jewelry pieces that we did this weekend.  Some needed some minor retooling (due to being dropped by our daughter), but they all turned out very well.  Now we just need to get to work on the wire wrapping and possibly the silver clay that we are going to finish them with.  I will also be making another series of dichroic and wire serving pieces to sell during the holidays - our stock of those has completely sold out!  They make absolutely wonderful gifts!Sarilyn  will be carrying supplies for glass fusing, including microwave kilns such as we used to produce our pendants pictured above.  Keep checking back if you are interested or contact us via email and we can quote you a price for the microwave kilns.  Ours are larger than most you can find in the craft stores but still easily used in most microwaves.  You will find our prices are quite similar despite the larger size.

Halloween is coming soon and it’s time to start preparing for this popular holiday.  Halloween cards are slowly gaining popularity.  Postcards were very popular for Halloween in the early 1900’s but fell out of favor and the holiday has not been much of a postal coup since.  Now, we are starting to send holiday greetings for All Hallow’s Eve again.  People love getting cards and letters in the mail, especially when they are completely unexpected.

Page title

This is a mixed media piece that I did using, among other things tissue paper, Fantasy Film, gold leaf, copper powders, and metallic waxes.  It was a very fun piece to do, the worst part was having to wait for everything to dry in between steps.  It started as a plain lotion or soap dispenser and has been made into a mixed media art piece.  It has been permanantly sealed for use and will be for sale on www.sarilyn.etsy.com.This is a demonstration that anything can be made into something unique and special.  You just need to use your imagination and ingenuity.

Fantasy Fiber Votive Holder

I love Fantasy Fibers and Fantasy Films and you will see me using these products in my projects frequently.  They add a shimmer of iridescence to your projects and are so versatile you can use them with almost any medium.

This votive holder is fairly easy to make and has a lot of depth to it.  It also gives off a soft shimmer when lit.  You do need a few items to achieve this look, but it is a good beginner’s project when working with Fantasy Fibers.

Materials Needed:

•   Fantasy Fibers in your choice of color(s)
•  Non-stick mats and/or Parchment paper
• Transparent paint
• Golden Acrylic thick gel medium
•  Heat gun
•  Craft Iron
•  Votive holder
• Glitter or glass shards in complimentary colors

Take your votive holder and clean thoroughly.  Next coat it with two or three coats or transparent paint.  You do not need to be too careful with the coverage, as this votive will have a free form look.  Brush marks are perfectly acceptable.  Allow to dry thoroughly.

Take your Fantasy Fibers and spread them thinly over your non stick mat or parchment paper, allowing voids in the coverage.  Cover with another non-stick mat or more parchment paper.  Heat your iron to the silk stage with no steam.  Lightly iron over the top layer or parchment paper for about 3-4 seconds only.  Carefully peel back a corner of the parchment paper to be sure your fibers have fused together.  Allow to cool then peel off the non-stick craft mat. 

Take your Acrylic Thick Gel Medium and apply a thin coat over a portion of your votive, working your fused Fantasy Fibers over the gel medium as you go. Sprinkle a bit of glitter or Art Glitter glass shards onto the wet gel medium.  I used glass shards in coordingating colors.  Unfortunately the colors to not show well in the picture, they are Fuschia and Violet.  Allow this to dry thoroughly. Trim any fibers sticking over the top of the votive holder.  If you have any pieces of Fantasy Fibers hanging loose anywhere on the piece, simply take your heat gun and quickly heat it up, it will shrink down onto the dry gel medium. 

Coat the entire piece with a very thick coat of gel medium allowing the texture to build up on the piece.  I used my fingers for this step as most brushes will not hold up well for this.  Allow to dry.  It will dry clear, but will take two or three days to dry completely.  Spray this with an acrylic gloss sealer.

Insert a votive candle into the holder, light, and enjoy!

Blue Faux Glazed Flower Pots

I was wanting something that would give our fountain area a little “pop” of color without detracting from the overall look we have been trying to achieve.  I decided that I wanted glossy blue flower pots, which would give us a cool accent color in a contrasting color.

Glazed flower pots can be fairly expensive, and if you are like me, you like to change out your décor frequently, so I decided to try a faux technique to achieve a similar look.  I could see the bright blue in my mind, looking like there was some depth to the color.  The next question was how to achieve it.  I love spray paint, so the how was easy, which ones to use took the most thought.  The instructions and supply list is below, and you can easily change out the effect by choosing different colors or combinations of colors.

Blue Glazed Flower Pots

First make sure your pots are clean if they are used.  If they are new make sure any adhesive residue from the tags has been completely removed. Set out and let dry thoroughly.

Shake your Krylon Fusion spray can thoroughly.  Once that is done spray several thin coats onto your pots until they are covered thoroughly on the outside, and down about two to three inches on the inside.  Allow to dry thoroughly between coats.

Once the Fusion Spray paint is completely dry, spray several thin coats of your metallic silver onto your pot, again allowing to dry thoroughly in between coats.

 When this is done, take your transparent spray paint and again, coat several times lightly until you have an even coverage.  This is the most difficult step as the transparent nature of the paint makes any mistakes easy to see.  This also takes the most coats of paint to achieve an even look.  Mine are not perfectly even, as I decided I liked the slightly imperfect look of the paint. 

When the above step is done to your liking, spray 2 to 3 coats of outdoor sealer onto all painted areas of the pot.

Have fun and use your imagination, a fun colored outdoor accent is only an easy project away!!

I love art, all art.  I love viewing it, I love making it, most of the time.  I have no certain medium that I work in, although I do have a few I work best in.  I find my must to be the ability to move from one type of project to another, to another, and then back again when I feel I am ready to continue with the first.  There are so many different types of arts & crafts that it is impossible for me to choose just one.  This mirrors my life exactly.  I can go from wallpapering the kitchen (Sadly, still not done) to working in the garden to painting a room or tea dying curtains for the kitchen.

Most artists and crafters I have heard speak say that found their one thing by accident and knew it the minute they started working or playing around.  Some say the took a class in order to learn something different and never looked back.  I cannot say this, at least not as of yet.  I work with Jewelry Making, Ribber Art Stamping, Polymer Clay, Warm Glass, Paper Crafting and Painting, using several different mediums to name my current favorites.

They are my salvation from the everyday drudgery of my job.  I sit at my desk and from nowhere, completely unbidden, ideas start to show themselves, sometimes with such force I find it hard to stay in my seat until  5 p.m.  I carry an art journal with me so when one of those overwhelming ideas do come, I can put them on paper.  When I do get to leave, it’s home to make dinner, spend time with the family, then some laundry and housework.  Hardly any time is left for my creative side, which is screaming for attention by this time.  Right now I am working with my husband to get the websites up and running (one of which you are currently at).  The technical aspects for the store alone are mind boggling!

I plan to be up and running, able to work from home by the time school starts in the fall.  I will be able to cater to my muse and my family.  I will have studio time while I am home alone, with limited interruptions and family time where I do not feel distracted by the many things that have been left undone.  In the meantime I will keep my drawings and ideas fresh in my journal.  This way I am in no danger of forgetting them. 

Stay with us as we grow.  Rest assured there will be growing pains, although hopefully mostly behind the scenes.  In the meantime, don’t forget to stop by and say a quick “Hi” at http://www.bellaonline.com/site/rubberartstampingwhere I am the Rubber Art Stamping Editor for Bella online.  There you will find lots of techniques, how-tos, reviews, and a forum for you to join in the fun!

During this recession, a lot of different types of businesses have been forced to close or file bankruptcy - not so for most arts and crafts businesses.  As the Allstate commercial states, and I am paraphrasing here, people tend to go back to basics, and crafting is one of those basics.  Whether you are the artsy type who enjoys making things for yourself and your family, or a more business minded person, who enjoys the challenge of running your own business, these days you will win.

 In this blog, I will cover both the business and the hobby end of things.  Some projects will be beginner level, but not short on impact. Some will be a more advanced stage, but easily do-able with a little effort.  As for the business end of things, I will cover both fear and fact in the art and craft business.As for the businesses that have found it necessary to close, I say a very fond farewell to Luminarte.  If you have ever heard of or used any of their wonderful products, such as Twinkling H2O’s,  you know who they are, and most likely you are not a light crafter or artist.  I think their main problem was not overpricing their product, as it was well worth the money invested, but the lack of exposure in the common marketplace for most crafters and artists.  Other companies have similar products more readily available to the general public.  We will be losing a truly promising line of products.On the lighter side, there is a neverending line of products - both new and old and proven. 

 There are also endless possiblities from looking at things in new ways.  For instance, I love going to hardware stores!  You never know what you will find that will be useful to you - in arts and crafts.  Office supply stores are another favorite.  Then there are the millions of products available online.  Never be afraid to think outside the box.  You will be surprised what you can come up with.