Tutorial » wonderstrange arts

Vellum Shrine/Candleholder with Digistamps

May 182012

Earlier this week I released the half art doll digistamp, and today I turned digistamps, vellum, and clipart into little shrines to all things holy. Or at least all things that make me happy, and that’s close enough to holy for me!

Materials:

Half art doll digistamp
Dura-Lar matte finish
Scotch tape
Glue stick
Clipart
Cardstock
Markers, pencils, paints, or other coloring media of choice

First, print out your art doll. I wanted my shrine to have extra arms pretty much because I like the idea of actually having extra arms. I reversed one set of arms just for variety’s sake and printed them all on a sheet of cardstock. I picked out bits that made me happy out of Crap Hound, printed the Wonderstrange eyeball since anything is improved with the addition of a Wonderstrange eyeball, and cut them out carefully. If you want them colored, color it up! I did one of each.

I cut a strip of Dura-Lar 5.5 x 11″ and folded it into quarters. I used simple scotch tape to seal the open edge. Cut the top edge jagged or wavy if you want to be fancy, and you KNOW you want to be fancy! Alternatively, you could roll it into a tube for a cylindrical shrine. I made mine in varying heights so that the arms wouldn’t get in each others’ way.

Using a permanent glue stick, attach your digistamps to your Dura-Lar and attach the clipart to the hands. I can’t even express how much I love those handfuls of eyeballs.

Using a paper piercer, embroidery needle, or sterile hypodermic, poke holes through the shoulders of your art doll and the shoulders of each arm. Insert one small brad through all the arms and then through each shoulder, adjusting the arms as needed before you flatten the brads. Play careful attention when placing your arms if you have a particular order! On my colored doll, the objects the hands are holding are matched pairs, so I had to be sure to place them in the same order.

Now all that is left is to find a votive holder on your candle shelf (please tell me you have a candle shelf!), light a candle, and slip this over the top, being careful to keep the whole ensemble away from the flames. Especially the arms! I have discovered that paper is flammable. WEIRD!

Now flip the switch and enjoy your creation with the proper ambiance!

Little Monsters Gift Box

Tutorial 1 Response »

May 112012

So Mother’s Day is coming up and remember how your Mom (or WIFE) told you that you do not need to get her anything? She was lying…totally. In fact, this is one of the oldest tricks in the book and we at Wonderstrange do not want any of our tribe to fall for that this year!!! Now it may be too late to get her the monogrammed tote bag with the sail boat on it but you can still make a great little box that opens like a book and stick a gift card, a necklace or even a bag of licorice in it and get full points for being as awesome as you obviously are!

To make a beautiful box that will double as the present just follow the steps below . Continue reading »

Sci Fi Love: Quick Handmade Signs of Affection for Nerds

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May 042012

My name is Ann, and I’m a tiny bit of a nerd. I say “a tiny bit” because I don’t want to overstate my case: My pockets are free of protractors and pen protectors, and I cannot recite more than three or four lines of Monty Python’s The Holy Grail, which probably explains why last weekend, during a Magic tournament, the 24-year-old dude next to me said, “You’re kind of like a normal lady!” (Yes, grasshopper. Kind of.) At any rate, I do hang out with quite a few real nerds, including the hottiepants one I married, so I like to think of good, handmade, gifts for people with nerdling tendencies. Here are a couple of quick, easy, inexpensive ways to show your favorite nerds you care.

Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto: Making a Cool Circuit Board Cookbook Stand

Tutorial 14 Responses »

Apr 272012

For me, a cookbook stand has always been one of those things I kind of want but can’t bring myself to buy because frankly, cookbook stands just aren’t that cute. For cute, I’ll drop a little dough – but not $75, which is the price of the only cookbook stand I’ve ever seen that I could tolerate having in my kitchen. When I see price tags like that, I take matters into my own hands. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to make a super cute and spunky little cookbook stand that you can be psyched to have in your kitchen, even when there’s no cookbook in it.

Mother’s Day Bookmark or Gift Tag

Tutorial 1 Response »

Apr 202012

Mother’s Day is coming up, and as a Mama, I can tell you that the one thing moms dislike more than having you buy them an extravagant gift you cannot afford is getting NOTHING on the big day! Even if you have one of those “you shouldn’t have” moms, trust me. You should. And here are two quick, easy projects that will make mom happy: A gift tag and a bookmark your mom can show off to her buddies in book club.

Easy Mother’s Day Gift for the Crafty and Non-Crafty Alike

Tutorial 2 Responses »

Apr 132012

Receiving a half-frozen, half-burnt breakfast in bed is one of those time-honored Mother’s Day traditions that should never be abandoned, because moms treasure the proud, excited expressions on their little chefs’ faces more than anything. Know what moms don’t treasure, though? Pictures of themselves having the breakfast. Between the puffy eyes, the bedhead, and the wrinkled, disarranged nightgown, it’s just not a Kodak moment. Witness my poor (and otherwise very beautiful) grandmother:

Is she even remotely happy to be in that picture? I think not. So keep the breakfast, but skip the embarrassing photo, and instead, plan a simple, fun, inexpensive Mother’s Day experience that will create wonderful pictures for a mother or grandmother to cherish always!

Digital Stamp Tutorial: Easter Monsters!

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Apr 062012

Greetings, Mr. Bond, and Happy Easter. I’d like to introduce you to my minions. OMG AREN’T THEY CUUUUTE!!??!

Aaaand now you know why I don’t write screenplays anymore.

March Drawing Tutorial: Varying Thickness in Line Art

Tutorial 2 Responses »

Mar 302012

In this fair month of March, Cindy has taught you how to draw a face and put it on a body, Ann has taught you about cross-hatching and many other artsy definitions, and I’m going to stagger to the finish line by showing you how to easily make your line art a little more dynamic with varying line widths.

Drawing Tutorial: Hatching, Cross-Hatching, and Having Fun with a Pencil

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Mar 162012

Some time ago, I decided I wanted to get a handle on cross-hatching, but when I searched the interwebs for a tutorial to help me along, I felt more at sea than a guy trying to cross the Atlantic in a rowboat made of Snickers wrappers and stale bread. Yes, there are lots of articles that show the different sorts of lines artists make, but what about the bigger questions, like “how do I know where to put the lines?” and “how do I know where not to put the lines?” and “what if I make bad lines and look like a jackwagon?” This tutorial aims to help you through all of those crises, so grab a pencil (and an eraser, if you like), and let’s go!

Work in Progress Wednesday: A Peek inside the WonderStrange Arts Work Rooms (3/14/12)

Tutorial 2 Responses »

Mar 142012

Spring is here, and the women of wonderstrange are hoping the good weather lasts for another couple of weeks, when we will be having our First Annual Board of Directors meeting in Upstate New York, complete with numerous PowerPoint presentations, agendas, break-out sessions, and brainstorming sessions. (That’s completely true, by the way, except that you might want to replace “PowerPoint presentations” with “art-making fiestas” and “agendas” with “tattooing sessions.”) Until the 24th, however, we’re all still hard at work making wondrous things for you to give to your friends and relations, or even just to yourself.

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