Making Pysanki

Around easter time, I get the urge to haul out the Pysanki supplies and subject friends, family and aquaintances to the joy of wax resist egg dying. This year, I finally remembered to get photos of the process so I can inflict it on everyone!
First - you need the right tools. Empty egg shells, permanent pysanki dyes (this year's colors of choice: truquoise, scarlet and yellow), protection for your table (like my ugly and cheap blue table cloth), and a kitska - a metal drawing tool that holds the wax. Here you can see it being heated over a flame - that allows the wax to flow freely.








Next - plan your design. Pencils are helpful. Rubber bands can help give you nice straight lines.









Now for the wax resist process. Anything you put wax on will stay the color it is now.
White:









Then you dye it - light colors first.
Blue:












And add more wax and dye again.
Red:









If your colors are close in value, you can sometimes get them to dye combination colors. This year we managed a nice purple:









Finally, Melt off the wax and polish the egg. Be careful not to burn anything!
Isn't it beautiful?

I hate when things get lost in the mail. The latest loss to the post office monsters was a mushroom themed apron with embroidery and applique. It's too sad that it's gone so I'm memorializing it here in photo form.

Kith's Crafts!

Kith's chainmail is officially up for sale on ThePendragonsEye!
You can now buy his handcrafted keychains!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14660145

Tea time!

Isn't this awesome??
The tea comes out of the teacups so you can have either black or green tea. The cake in the top right is reversable - marble on this side and plain white on the other. And cookies and cupcakes. And tea sandwiches with cheese and pb&j.
The cross stitched menu was probably going overboard but it was fun.

Sent out for a Swap bot swap.

NEW CRAFT!

I've been playing with felt food!
New in the shop: Felt Donuts
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13223526










Also played with mushrooms:
(these are NFS, they were mailed out for swapbot. But if you're interested, I'll make more!)

Been a while since I updated. Been making ATC's for Swapbot.


Snowmen (atc's #13, 14, 15)






Teacups! Atc's 16, 17, 18, 19













Teapot atc's (#20, 21)









A 2007 Calendar swap (#22, 23, 24, 25, 26)









Metrocard (for a Used Cards swap) #27








Turtle #28










Pierced Fan #29







Spiderweb #30








El Geckito "Don't Panic" #31







Picnic basket #32

The Bamboo Cutter's Tale ATC's

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tale_of_the_Bamboo_Cutter





The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Japanese: 竹取物語; Taketori Monogatari) is a 10th century Japanese folktale, details the life of a mysterious girl called Kaguya-hime who was discovered, as a baby, inside the stalk of a glowing bamboo plant.
Thereafter, Taketori-no-Okina found that whenever he cut down a stalk of bamboo, inside he found a small nugget of gold. Soon he is rich, and Kaguya-hime grew from a small baby into a woman of usual size and extraordinary beauty.

Eventually, five princes come to Taketori-no-Okina's residence to ask for Kaguya-hime's hand in marriage. Though reluctant, she will agree to marry the prince who manages to bring her a specified item.




The first is told to bring her the stone begging bowl of the Buddha.












The second is told to retrieve a jeweled branch from the island of Hourai.
















The third is told to seek the legendary robe of the fire-rat of China.






The fourth must retrieve a colored jewel from a dragon's neck.









The final prince is told to find the seashell treasure of the swallows.






101 ATC's #7,8,9,10,11 and 12