386 Vintage Cards

Sometimes I just luck out. That's what happened to me yesterday when I shopped at the Town Peddler Craft and Antique shop in Livonia. I was on my way home from Madonna University, looking for a magazine called The Country Register. Town Peddler was all out of them, but I found the greatest treasure!It was a scrap book from 1952 filled with valentine, birthday and Christmas cards. The cover of the scrap book said 386 cards for $27.00. The great part was, everything in the booth was 50% off, so I grabbed up that scrapbook and headed for the cash register.

You might be wondering what I'm going to do with these cards.

Well....

• Scan them for images for collage
• Resell sets of them on ebay
• Admire them & cherish them
• Be inspired to start my own scrapbook

I just love the idea that some little girl, over 50 years ago, was loved by so many people that in a two year time span (52 to 54) she filled a scrapbook with almost 400 cards.

There's a story in this scrapbook, waiting to be written.

Many cards are signed by "grandma."

This is my favorite.



The scrapbook itself is tattered and worn, but the cards are in great shape.


This card was made from another card. It was glued to construction paper. There were a few handmade cards in the lot.

I took the scrapbook to my classroom yesterday and the girls seem to really enjoy looking at all of the cards. The boys feigned interest for a few moments. Even the custodian took a break and looked through the book. There were so many questions. Who did this belong to? How could she get so many cards in such a short time? I wonder why it was found in the antique shop, didn't anyone want to keep it in the family?

I think that's the appeal of things we find that are old. It's not a significant event in history, but it still is a little bit of this little girl's history. I was reminded of all of the cards I used to receive when I was a kid. I don't know what the little girl's name is yet. I still haven't looked at all the cards. I do know she was someone's friend, someone's sister, someone's daughter and someone's granddaughter. She had some Aunts and Uncles too, judging by the signatures on a few of the cards.
The next time you are in an antique store, take your time looking. You never know what great treasure you will find!

Spring Giveaway...

In the next few days I'm going to do a tutorial on a spring bunny pin. Then, I'm going to have another giveaway...the prize will be the pin. Everyone will get the free tutorial, but only one lucky person will win the pin. Check back tomorrow for details!

Leprechaun tutorial

With St. Patrick's day less than a week away, I thought I would show you a quick tutorial for making a Leprechaun. If you have children, make a Leprechaun trap with them (How to trap a Leprechaun) While they are sleeping you can make this little elf and in the morning, when the children wake up, they will have caught a Leprechaun.

I have done this project in my class room; usually it takes a few days. We decorate a box with green shamrocks and prop it up a little on the floor. We put gold coin (chocolate is fun) on the floor under the box.

The first day I leave glitter on the floor before the children arrive. I tell them that the Leprechaun must have been nearby the night before. There are a few gold coins missing (They tasted pretty good!)

Then the next day, when the children arrive, they find the Leprechaun. However, sometimes they are disappointed that it is made out of clay. They were expecting a real Leprechaun. Once I told them that the Leprechaun turned to clay but at night would turn back to a real Leprechaun. That was fine till someone dropped him and both of his legs fell off. One child was so distraught it took me a while to convince her that I really made the clay Leprechaun and that we were just having fun.

Now for the tutorial..

You will need Sculpey III Green, pottery, black and beige.

Click on the pictures to read the tutorial

You can add more details to your Leprechaun, like boot buckles or a pot of gold.

When you are finished, bake for 20 minutes at 270 degrees.. I suggest testing your oven first though. If you don't have an accurate oven temp..the clay could burn.

Let it cool before you touch it, as it will still feel soft (and will be very hot).. As it cools, it hardens.

Have fun! If you have any problems or questions, feel free to email me at garritygal@yahoo.com.

P. S. My internet provider has been having problems in my area (possibly due to high winds and a lot of rain, so I haven't been able to blog for a few days.)

Melted snowman tutorial

I thought I'd show you how to make a cute and super easy melted snowman. It's a great little clay baby to give as a little gift. It's also very easy for kids to make.


Flatten a piece of white clay. I use Polyform products, Sculpey III for this project.
The piece is approx. 1 1/5 inches wide.



Roll a ball of white, approx. 3/4 inch. Place on top of flattened piece.

Flatten a piece of black clay, about the size of a quarter (25 cents)..place firmly on top of head.




Roll a tube of black clay, about 3/4 inch, and place on top of head, push gently.



Use a toothpick to pick up a seed bead and place onto face.




Now you should have two eyes on your snowman face.



Next, roll three 1/16 inch black balls and press onto base. Those are the buttons.




Roll two 1/8 ovals of red. Place one on each side of the snowman's head and press.
Roll two 1/16 ovals of red. Attach and press to the 1/8 red. These are his mittens.



Roll two 1/8 inch green ovals and press onto the hat. Take a toothpick or exacto knife and score a line down the middle, then the sides. That is the holly leaf. Add two or three tiny red balls for the berries.




I use a straw to make the smile. Cut away 1/2 of the tip and insert it into the clay. Makes a clean perfect smile every time. Panera Bread has the best straws. (for their frozen coffees)..

I actually turned the straw upside down to make a frown. You'd be sad too if you were melting!



Opps, I almost forgot the carrot. Roll out a 1/4 inch tube of orange and taper it at the end. Use the knife to make impressions like a carrot. Make impressions over the eyes too. Remember, up to the center of the face is sad or surprised, down towards the center of the face is mean!

I use an eye pin or cut wire to push into the top. That way you can hang it from the tree.

Bake at 275 for twenty minutes. Let cool. Use pastels to add colors to cheeks.

Quicky Tutorial

Here is a very quick tutorial on how to make a gingerbread girl holding a cupcake. If you have any experience working with clay this will be very easy. If you have any questions, please email me. I'll be happy to help you out.


Gingerbread Girl...

Form the body and the legs first...




Drape with pink clay....

Form two apron
straps and attach to front of body...



Flatter darker pink



and then pleat it....

Attach apron to front of body...flattened gently....make two tubes for arms and attach to body....
Roll a brown ball and attach to top for the head. Make two small brown balls for the hands....











Add light brown for the base of the cupcake and top it off with frosting. Add white clay to feet and head to give appearance of the gingerbread girl being frosted. Top cupcake with cherry...bake at 275 for 30 minutes..let cool.

Step by step picture tutorial

Here's a quick and easy way to make a turkey. You can adjust the size by adding more quantities of clay. I've included a penny in the pictures to give you an idea of size.

First you roll a ball of brown clay about the size of a walnut...



Then roll smaller ball of yellow, one of red, one of orange and one of brown...






Roll the smaller balls into snakes....


Then, twist all the colors together,,kind of like a candy cane...





Smooth the candy cane and break into 7 equal pieces (we will call these feathers)






Roll out each feather smoothly in your hand and bring to a point. Flatten slightly. Place one on top, one on each side, then fill in the back with the remaining feathers. Put slight pressure to attach to back.

Roll out a tube about 1/2 inch long, this is the neck and head. Attach to middle front of body.
Add a yellow beak, red wattle...
Back in oven for 20 minutes at 265 degrees..let cool.

You can use this as a decoration on your table, or make several and use for each person's place setting.

If you have any questions, email me at garritygal@yahoo.com.