Calendar Creations

At our October meeting, the Kountry Krafters created year-long calendars from original photos on the computer, printed them and laminated them for protection. We used the Broderbund Printshop program for Macintosh, but it is also available for PC. Hallmark has similar programs on its Create a Card software. You can even save the files and take them or send them online to Walmart for professional printing.

Candy Grams

On Sept. 7, the Kountry Krafters made candy grams. We made lollipop malts, jolly rancher margaritas,butterscotch flowers, A & W root beer floats, and soda popper bouquets. These make wonderful gifts. One crafter plans to give hers to her grandson's teacher to use for candy treats. They are easy to make and lots of fun.

Gourd Crafts

Crafters wood burning gourds.

Last month, Ella E. helped us learn wood burning on gourds. We started small with some pieces she sawed out of scraps. Ella says never to throw away any gourd parts. They can come in handy for ears, handles, and as in this case, for jewelry. She likes to add wooden beads and other natural ornamentation. As you can see from the examples above, she is learning her craft. I made a fish necklace for my first project. It wasn't half bad. Of course, to become good at it, a person has to be willing to invest in a good wood burner and spend a lot of time practicing. Turtle Feathers is a good place to get tools.

Dianne's Gourd Projects

I love working on gourds very much. Ella says it's a fever. So I have tried my hand at a couple of bowls. The ones above are still a work in progress. I'm going to lash some long pine needles around the rim of the frog with turquoise sinew and add some turquoise beads that look like leaves. I will also spray it with a coat of clear sealer. I used turquoise shoe dye, and just sort of dabbed it on. I didn't try to cover the whole thing. On the sun, I used a bright orange shoe dye. I burned the design using pyro paper. You can print the design on inkjet or laser and burn directly over it. It eliminates tracing, and it won't burn. It's also available at Turtle Feathers. I used a yellow oil colored pencil to color in the center of the sun. I used a technique Ella taught me on the inside. I tore small pieces of colored tissue, dipped them in diluted Elmer's glue, and overlapped them on the inside. The tissue I used was from a florist shop. It's a little thicker and more waxy than regular tissue, but regular tissue will work just fine. Ella even uses decorative napkins and wrapping paper. The main thing is just to be creative and experiment with different textures and materials. The only thing I need to do to finish this project is to seal it.

Chair and Footstool Caning

Mrs. P. from a neighboring club came out to give us a workshop on caning. We started out with footstool kits, and did a "simple" diagonal weave. Becky, who was already familiar with the technique, tried her hand at bottoming an antique chair. It was an amazing transformation for a treasured piece. Stella, who received a blue ribbon for her footstool at the local fair, cannot work hard without sticking her tongue out. This was a labor intensive workshop, but we learned an ancient, traditional skill and how to restore chair bottoms to their original splendor.

Pot Luck and Long Handles

Each December, we hold a pot luck supper to celebrate Christmas and to fellowship together with all our club members. For this meeting we also did a little Christmas craft. We took a couple of white, footless athletic socks for youth and embellished them to look like a pair of long-handled underwear. They make a really cute and rustic decoration for the holidays.

Valentine's Day Projects

For Valentine's Day, we wove paper baskets and filled them with hard, wrapped candy for the residents of the local nursing homes. We also created roses from Hershey's kisses and cellophane, placed them in Pom juice bottles sprayed white and embellished with red ribbons and glittery foam hearts.