ANOTHER FUN PEEK INTO THE CRAFTER'S DEVOTIONAL BY BARBARA CALL

The Crafter's Devotional
365 Days of Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for Unlocking Your Creative Spirit
By
Barbara Call

There is something elemental shared among artists and crafters, regardless of chosen medium: creative energy. Crafters dabble, collaborate, muse, and make, all in their own way and on their own timeline. For all crafts, there are established techniques to follow but wild, innumerable ways to experiment, using the basics to launch crafters to new heights. The Crafter's Devotional can aid that launch.

Each week day is allocated its own entry, on which the reader will find a daily dose of craft content that inspires, instructs, and illuminates. Weekend entries explore topics and techniques in greater depth--perfect for enjoying on a more leisurely pace.

Barbara (Bourassa) Call (North Andover, MA) is a professional writer and editor specializing in crafts, food, and health & wellness. She is the author of five books, including Beyond Scrapbooks: Using Your Scrapbook Supplies to Make Beautiful Cards, Gifts, Books, Journals, Home Decorations and More and a 4-book children's book series called Get Active!

and the next page:

Click on the images to enlarge and read all about how to make a leather journal cover and crafting from trash.

So I not only took my inspiration from one page of The Crafter's Devotional I combined two facing pages, they just kind of blended in my imagination like when you squint.

 

I call them: Our first and last flag Book Cover Cuffs.

I found these books in the trash and they were filled with good pictures for using in assemblage art and ATC's. But as my brain was on crafting for the 4th of July the covers called to me. I happen to have a cover that had out first flag with 13 stars and stripes and our latest flag with 50.

 

Here is how to make book cover cuffs.

Cut off the thick cover by cutting only through the top thick layer and peel it off from the cardboard padding.

Then cut a strip that will give you enough on each side of your image to fold under.

Fold under the outside edges with one end slightly wider than the other. This will allow the thin end to slip inside the wider end. Glue only the thin end's folds together. If you glue the wide end's folds you won't be able to slide in the thin end!

Slide the thin end in the thick end and punch holes big enough to fit cuff link posts through. Yes I am using cuff links as my cuff closure! Fun hu?

As a variation you could make these big enough to be a bangle and just slide over your hand.

If you are looking for a fun pair of star earrings for your holiday outfit pop on over here to see how to melt plastic beads into star shapes.

Are you making any special patriotic crafts? If so, what?

As a thanks for sharing you will be entered to win a free book.

Happy 4th of July!

Comments

[Jingle]

This is amazing! I am going to have to hunt down this book! I work in the same town the author is from! How cool!

[Katina]

What a great book to have on hand when you get "crafter's block"!

Simple patriotic craft for me. I'm just making an art pin using a silver concho and red, white and blue ribbon & pony beads.

[rush]

no, we won't make anything patriotic. we won't be having a picnic or going to a parade. we are content to have the jets fly over and watch fireworks from our front porch.

[Suella]

You have inspired me to re-visit melting glass beads with a propane torch and also to ttry to do some plastic beads in various moulds.

I suspect I should be doing the plastic outside or with very good ventilation.

Barbara Call's book looks intriguing. It is on my amazon wish list. I could do with that sort of daily prompt. I sometimes read and write but don't then always follow through. It would be useful to have a prompt for my proposed daily creativity time slot to get me going.

[Eliane]

I am not american so we don't celebrate 4th of July here in Brazil. But I love the cuffs idea.
Thanks!

[BrendaLea]

Those cuffs are too cute! Have not made nor plan on making anything for the 4th of July.