Month: December 2024

Now I’m dangerous

On By CarynIn Craft

My folks gave me a laser engraver, because I spent so much time at their house playing with their laser. My level of craft ability has now reached dangerous (on a scale of “beginner”, “how cute”, “nice”, “wow”, “dangerous”, “how?”, “mastery”). I started with my business logo on rock, painted brass, and a thin slice of purple heart wood that I sliced on my band saw.

Photo description: smooth river rock with a white mottled tree and roots logo for Caryn’s Creations

The rock ended up with a mottled white design that does not wash off. It has a pleasant texture but probably won’t survive a sealant (testing on that later).

Photo description: circle of purple heart wood engraved with the same burned logo.

I’m still experimenting with settings. The purple heart with logo was a little too intense and the burn carried outside the design.

Photo description: black painted brass with the paint burned away for the logo

I tried a circle of brass (I used a jeweler’s saw to cut it, the blue diode laser won’t cut brass). I originally did clean brass, but it only made a ghost image, so I spray painted the blank with black primer paint, let it dry, and ran it again. I quite like the result.

My head is swimming with all the possibilities.

Sheep float

On By CarynIn Wildlife

We recently visited Buena Vista Wildlife Safari and I snapped a photo of what I believe is a Black Welsh Mountain Sheep bounding toward us eager for food pellets. I caught just the right moment when all four feet were in the air and so the sheep looks like it is floating toward us.

Photo description: possibly a Black Welsh Mountain sheep mid-bounce, or possibly a possessed goat float (sorry couldn’t help myself)

I really hope they were Black Welsh Mountain sheep, because those are on the Livestock Conservancy threatened list. I just ordered a 4oz sample of wool to add to my Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em passport from Camaj Fiber Arts. Sheep, sheep everywhere.

Throwback Thursday: Copper Squirrel

On By CarynIn Craft, throwback

In March of 2011 I was experimenting with copper clay, which is fine particles of copper suspended in a fireable media that shapes like clay. When heated in a kiln, the organics burn away and the copper remains. I made this squirrel for my Dad, and after firing it measures about a half inch tall.

Photo description: copper squirrel sculpture with acorn side view

What I liked about this sculpture is the way I treated the tail. From the side it looks like a full fluffy tail, but the back shows that it is spoon shaped, which reduces the bulk and I feel was a nice design choice.

Photo description: back of the sculpture’s tail showing a spoon shape and lines indicating fur direction

Attempted Rick Roll

On By CarynIn Craft

I think “Rick Rolls” are hilarious. I loved Rick Astley’s song “Never Gonna Give You Up” when it came out (bass!), and it amuses me that it is now a cultural prank to deliver the ear worm in a sneak attack. I saw that someone used Minecraft blocks to build a QR code that went straight to the YouTube video. Nice. Since I have potholders on the brain, I thought maybe I could weave a QR code if it was a small one, like a Rick Roll. I didn’t want to buy black and white loops for an experiment, so I used the darkest and lightest loops I had on hand.

Photo description: Pro pot holder loom woven with brown and cream (and a couple of orange) loops into a QR code pattern

To get the right color options for each square, I strung all cream for the warp and all brown for the weft. There were some very, very long floats (floats are sections of weft that aren’t woven over under each warp thread). That made for a messy weave, and to lock in the sides I twisted the last loop. It didn’t really matter, the long floats made a messy grid and the picture didn’t scan. Bummer. When I took it off the loom the whole weave collapsed in shame at the audacity. (Ok, so not the impudence, it was the long uneven floats. I’m not a fan of floats.)

Photo description: potholder off the loom that has become a tangled mess due to the uneven and long floated weft loops

I did recover the loops for another project. The idea of weaving a QR code is not dead, I have some ideas on how to attempt future dastardly ear worm traps.

Label makers are awesome

On By CarynIn dog

I do love my little Brother label maker. I started putting the dogs’ names and my phone number on the back of their rabies tags last year, and the stickers stayed on all year. Nice. Could I have a separate tag? No. The two tags clink together and drive me mad. Only one metal tag is allowed on dog collars.

Photo description: the back of two dog rabies tags, the green one in the left is a year old and the label is still in place and readable, the red one in the right is the new tag.