I've been playing with the alcohol inks again!

But before I get into that, I'd like to remind or enlighten people who work with gourds about some safety things you need to adhere to if you are working with gourds.

If you don't follow these few simple steps you could very well end up in the hospital at some point unable to breathe and very sick.

Whenever you are cutting or carving on a gourd and even when you are wood burning on a gourd you need to wear a respirator. If you're not willing to do that then you need to know you're playing russian roulette with your lungs and health. If at all possible you need to do your gourd cutting and carving outdoors, unless you have an industrial dust collector like wood turners use. You may not have a problem for years and then suddenly you're having a hard time breathing and have flu like symptoms. You've waited too long and should seek medical attention before you end up in the hospital and on oxygen for who knows how long.

Whenever you wood burn you don't necessarily have to do it outside but you should at least open a window and use a fan on low to blow the fumes away from your face. Different companies sell small smoke/fume removers that even set on the table.

If you have long hair make sure that you have it pulled away from your face. The last thing you want is your hair wound around a carver or drill and pulled out of your head!

Also, you don't want to wear rubber gloves while using a drill or carver for the same reason.

You actually want to keep all of the gourd dust off of you and your body as much as possible while you're working and take a shower and wash your hair when your through so that the gourd dust that's in your hair doesn't end up on your pillowcase which you just then breathe in. I have seen people wear shower caps and long sleeved smocks etc. while working on gourds. Then all you need to clean is whatever has been exposed to the dust.

These are just a few safety tips but ones well worth telling everyone about.

Whenever you are working with your tools, please read the safety instructions that come with them and following those instructions.

Now head on over and see the latest gourd bowl that I made with alcohol inks and a woven rim.
Tiny Tool Time Blog

Barbara

Another Gourd Project

Hey Hey! Here's a new gourd project that I just completed. You can head over to www.tinytooltime.blogspot.com   to check out the complete tutorial! For finding just the right Tiny Tool for your workshop, go on over to: www.proxxon.com

Barbara

Playing with Alcohol Inks on a gourd

These days playing with alcohol inks has become a rage. People use it on Yupo paper, dominoes, tiles and GOURDS! Go on over to Tiny Tool Time Blog to see what I did with a rather rough looking cannonball gourd.

www.tinytooltimeblogspot.com


Barbara

A Beautiful Dreamcatcher

Today I have a new post up over on the www.tinytooltime.blogspot.com that shows the steps in making a dreamcatcher. Go on over and check it out!

Barbara

Spring Blooms!

Today I posted a little tutorial over on the Tiny Tool Time Blog on how to make some pretty Spring flowers from small gourds. Please hop on over there to get your dose of gourd!

And leave me a little love.

Barbara

A Card Holder made from an Apple Gourd

If you read this within the first couple of days of my posting this, then I will be at the Missouri Gourd Festival in Springfield, MO. While getting ready for this wonderful festival, I thought it might be fun to make a special piece to put my business cards in, as I have a booth and sell some supplies.

Items needed for this project: 

Proxxon Jig Saw STS 12/E

Proxxon Belt Sander BS/E

An Apple Gourd

A simple card holder

Glue

Apple Red Paint

Jacaranda Pod

Spray Sealer

I started out this project by first drawing a line around the card holder onto the top of the gourd and then cutting out the shape, using the Proxxon Jig Saw STS 12/E.

Here's what the gourd looked like after the gourd was opened. See all the gourd pulp inside?

The card holder sitting beside the gourd is the one that was used. Then I took the Proxxon Belt Sander BS/E and sanded all of the edges smooth. I was also trying out the fit if you will of the card holder as I worked. The hole looked so smooth and really fit the card holder well.

Once all was sanded smooth and the card holder fit, I painted the gourd, glued on the jacaranda pod, sealed the gourd with a good sealer and inserted the holder and glued it in. This is the final result.

This really is a nice piece and looks just like a big 'ole apple holding some business cards!! I know I'm going to get a lot of comments on this one from the people going through my booth. What do you think? Do you have any questions about the tools that I've been using? Just ask and if I don't know I'm sure Proxxon Will!

Barbara

A Name Tag from a Gourd Scrap!

This has been a rather busy week for me and the reason being that I have a Gourd Festival to go to in just a few weeks and I must prepare for it. One of the things that the Gourd Society would like for everyone to do is wear a name tag made out of a piece of gourd. You can decorate it in anyway that you choose but they would like the base to be a gourd piece. Sooo, I've had a tag that I made the first year that I participated in the show but had said that I was going to make a new one for this year. If you will go over to Tiny Tool Time Blog you can see the instructions for the new name tag that I made and the neat tools I used to do it with!

Barbara

Making a Tiny Drum for Decor

I've posted the instructions for making this adorable tiny drum with Native American traits onto the Tiny Tool Time Blog. Please take a moment to go on over, read the tutorial and leave me a comment or two.

Proxxon Tools is a great company to purchase your tiny tools from. Go to here to see the post:
www.tinytooltime.blogspot.com

Barbara

How about some Yard Birds?

I had a request for a few of my funky yard birds at a place where I sell my gourd art. They were putting up a display for Spring. So, I've been working diligently this week on six new yard birds!

These "Yard Birds" which have actually been made from gourds and gourd pieces and can be put out in your flower bed for the Summer. Once the season is over though it is best if you bring them in, wipe them off and seal them again before putting them out in your flower bed for another Summer! I love using my Proxxon Jigsaw for gourds when I work and I'm so happy to have had the opportunity to use one. You really need to check out all the tools at www.proxxon.com , you'll have a wish list in no time! 

Please go over to the Tiny Tool Time Blog to get the instructions on how to create a few of these birds for yourself and leave me some love in the comments section.

Barbara

Trying out a new tool and lovin' it!

Hello everyone! I've done a little tutorial for you using my Proxxon Jig Saw STS 12/E and my brand new "Belt Sander BS/E". I'll tell you what, I've been so excited to receive my new belt sander! I had a terrible time deciding whether I wanted to try the jigsaw or the sander out first and chose the jigsaw first and then received the Delta Sander OZI/E to try! These tiny tools are just amazing folks! If you use or need some tiny tools, then I would definitely recommend the Proxxon brand.

If you'd like to know how I made this pendant necklace, head on over to the Tiny Tool Time blog. Please leave me a comment and let me know how you feel about my tutorials. Until next time,

Barbara

A Valentine Gourd with an Awesome Proxxon Tool!

This particular project was a lot of fun to do as it was in my favorite medium to work with which is gourds. I really enjoy using the Proxxon Jig Saw STS 12/E. I use it with the foot pedal and it is a great little saw.

For this project you will need:


1 medium/large gourd
1 bottle of adirondack ink/color: Poppyfield
1 bottle of metallic gold acrylic paint
1 bottle of black acrylic paint
Sandpaper
Xacto knife
Proxxon Jig Saw STS 12/E
Proxxon Delta Sander OZI/E

To begin with I chose what I believed to be a good gourd to work with. After you've worked with gourds for awhile you can feel the differences in them and hopefully choose one that will be good to work with. (Not always though) I then measured and drew a line around the gourd where I wanted to cut the top out. I use an xacto knife and make a slit in the gourd where I want to insert my saw blade to start my cut. I then cut the top off the gourd and cleaned the insides out until it was smooth and free from any gourd pulp.

Once cleaned and sanded smooth on the inside, I painted the inside of the gourd black and the rim of the gourd black and let it dry. As soon as it was dry enough to handle without getting black paint on me while holding it, I traced some hearts onto the gourd in four lines that I had measured to get the lines of hearts even across the gourd. I then proceeded to use the xacto to make slits in each heart so that I could insert the saw and cut them out.

After accomplishing that, I then wood burned celtic hearts in between each line of hearts.

Next up was coloring the gourd with Poppyfield, Adirondack Ink but leaving the celtic heart lines undone. I then used the Metallic gold paint to paint the lines of the celtic hearts and also to paint the insides of the lines of hearts. The whole gourd turned out wonderfully and I put a couple of tea lights inside just to see how it would look.

Now this is a Valentine Gourd! I love my Proxxon Jig Saw
If you think that you might be interested in one of the Tiny Tools that you see here just go to www.proxxon.com and check them out.
If you would like to read more and see more projects that use the Tiny Tools. Please hop on over to http://tinytooltime.blogspot.com

Barbara 

A New Project on the Tiny Tool Time Blog (Valentines)

I hope you will all head on over to: Tiny Tool Time and see how I made this Valentine Garland:

Easy Peasy to do with the right Tools!

Barbara

A trip to Remember!

I hope that everyone reading this post had a very Merry Christmas and that you are very blessed in this coming New Year. If you've read my posts lately you know that my husband and I got to go to Japan and spend some time with our oldest son who was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and his family that is with him in Tokyo. We had a great time while we were there but had a lot to do when we returned home. I had some pieces to finish up for people before Christmas and also a very special piece to make and send to our family that we left in Japan. I plan on blogging about several of the things that we did while in Japan very soon, but today I would like you to go to Tiny Tool Time and see the project that my husband and I made to send to the family in Japan. Please let me know what you think about it. I really appreciate your comments.

Barbara

I've got a new blog post up today over on Tiny Tool Time Blog , why don't you go on over to check it out? I think you'll find it very interesting.

Thanks,
Barbara

I am currently in Tokyo, Japan and this is an exhibition that I went to see today at the Museum of Natural History.

However, prior to leaving I made and sold quite a few gourds. If you would like to see a project that I did head on over to the Tiny Tool Time Blog  and see one of them: www.tinytooltime.blogspot.com

Barbara

My first PROXXON Design Team Post!

As everyone knows by now, I've been chosen for the new PROXXON Design Team. I feel very fortunate to have been chosen, but most of all I'm having a blast playing with the tools that I've received to date. My first tools are the PROXXON Delta Sander OZI/E and the Jigsaw STS/12E, along with a Foot Switch FS. These tools are fantastic and if you would like to see how I made this little cutie for the Christmas tree head on over to the PROXXON blog and see all of the details!
                                                   A Tiny Tool Time Christmas Moose 

Thanks for checking out this new post!
Barbara      

Wonderful News of Upcoming Events!!!!!!

Yes! You guessed it, I'm on the Proxxon Design team for the next nine months!! I'm so excited about it and can't wait to show you some of the wonderful things that you can do with the tools that Proxxon has which are on a small scale and are just made for hobbyists, crafters and artists. You are really going to be amazed at the things that you can create. I will start posting projects made while using the Proxxon tools starting in November. I hope that you will all follow the posts for the blog hop we'll be having during the next nine months at some point. You will get the opportunity to win some tools for yourself!

Please stay tuned for the wonderful things to come!

Barbara

Modes4you fat quarter giveaway

This is a fantastic Christmas Fat Quarter giveaway.
Here's the link: http://craftgossip.com/win-9-fat-quarters-of-christmas-fabric-from-modes4u/?utm_source=CraftGossip+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=9f25fbea6b-CraftGossip_Daily_Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_db55426a84-9f25fbea6b-196077597

I hope everyone joins in!

Barbara

Should I come back to the blogging world?

It has been soooo long since I've posted anything on my blog, that I honestly don't know if I should ever come back to blogging. I would dearly love your opinion on this. Would you like to see me keep blogging? I have to say it will be mostly on gourd art and all the things related to it. I do still dip into other things but gourd art has become so important to me. I teach classes and create my own works. I go to shows and have my work in shops. I have been selected to participate in an artist studio hop and have loved every minute of my experiences. Would you like to hear about them? Please leave me a comment and let me know.       More to follow,,,,,,,,,,,I hope.

Barbara

Sweet Repeats: Soul Food and Something for YOUR Soul....

Sweet Repeats: Soul Food and Something for YOUR Soul....  Check out this amazing giveaway! This could be your opportunity of a lifetime!