The Crafty Princess Diaries

Tammy Powley’s Crafty Weblog

September 2, 2018
by Tammy
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Designing Nit and Grit

When a designer sits down to to get to work, the process has usually already started in his/her brain, and then there are steps like mapping out a plan. This might include sketching, for example. Ann from the Bead Love blogs shows her readers how she approached designing some jewelry pieces when she took on the Coral Coast Challenge from Allegory Gallery.

You can see more designing in progress on the Beading Arts blog. This time Cyndi is experimenting with seed beads and ruffles. She provides a simple “how-t0” explanation so you can also make a beautiful seed beads ruffled necklace.

The good and the bad can bring on design ideas, and for Tappingflamingo a blot clot scare in her family is where her idea for another woven bracelet came from. Luckily, her family member is going to be alright, but this blogger gives you a lot to think about as she discusses this medical issue we all need to be aware of.

August 29, 2018
by Tammy
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Social Media Worm Hole for Kawaii Doll Shop

You know how it starts. You think, “I’ll just go make one little change to my Intagram settings.” Then hours later you find yourself over on Facebook and Pinterest, and it goes on and on.

Did I really get anything accomplished? I hope so, but at least my newly opened Kawaii Doll Shop now has a Pinterest page, Facebook page, and its own Instagram account. And, I would totally appreciate it if my dolly peeps followed me over there.

I’m slowly adding more to the shop. Cat dress anyone? Remember that my 25% off sale continues for awhile. Just use SUMMER25 when you check out.

I’ll be adding more doll products to my shop, and I even have some doll-related products for humans to wear too. Keep an eye out for future updates.

August 26, 2018
by Tammy
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Kawaii Doll Shop Is Open

Finally, my little dolly shop is open over at Etsy. I’ve had a shop on and off there for years selling jewelry and jewelry supplies, but for this doll shop, I decided to open a totally new shop and start from scratch. It’s called Kawaii Doll Shop, and I have a small collection of dresses and accessories for Blythe dolls and other 1/6 scale dolls over there with plans to add more.

To help get things rolling over there and as a way to say so long to summer, I have a 25% off sale going on until 9/9/18 on everything in the shop. Just use the code SUMMER25, or this direct link should also work.

Even if you may not be ready to buy today, I’d love to hear some feedback on how the shop looks, so feel free to browse and comment below if you have some suggestions or questions.

August 14, 2018
by Tammy
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Learning Your Craft

My fellow blog makers have been very busy both crafting and learning about their crafts. Technique is an important part of making. It requires learning the basics and then experimenting and learning as you go from there.

The folks at Allegory Gallery recently visited a fellow artist’s studio and learned about lost wax casting. In the gallery’s blog post, they provide a link to a short two minute or so video that demonstrates this interesting way to create three dimensional metal charms and other jewelry components.

Andrew even has some charms in his owl collection, which he shows off in another blog post on her personal weblog. Along with charms that have been made using the lost wax casting method, he has owl beads that have been made using clay and takes a look at how the artists who made these owl components used similar materials but, each piece ends up looking very different because of how they approached the technique.

Tappingflamingo has done some research about wedding jewelry, and she talks about the types of jewelry worn traditionally worn at weddings. Most of us think of the bride, but wedding jewelry should not be limited to the bride, of course.

On the Bead Love blog, the lesson is about how a simply design can be satisfying to wear and to make. While you may have loads of beads and jewelry supplies in your stash, sometimes just using a few can create the look you are going for.

Want to learn from bead bloggers? Then get ready for another tutorial from Beading Arts. This one covers a chenille stitch rope style necklace that looks amazing!

August 8, 2018
by Tammy
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Blythe and Other Doll Goodies Come and Go

My doll collection continues to be in flux as dolls come and go. I have also sold off some doll customization supplies. At first, it was hard to let go. I want all the dolls, and I want to do all the doll crafts. But, once I made my mind up that I just don’t need all this stuff, and of course, if I could sell some items that means funds for other dolls, it made the decision much easier.

I show some of my latest doll acquisitions and share some dolly crafting in a recent Crafts and Dollies vlog:

August 5, 2018
by Tammy
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New Crafting Twists

Crafters are a creative bunch. Sure, we have to first learn the basics of our craft of choice. However, once we get a handle on basic techniques and methods of whatever it is we are crafting, it’s not unusual for makers to take it a step further and change, alter, twist what we’ve learned into something far different from what we started with.

Cyndi has been on the ropes lately, as in beading rope necklaces much of this summer. Now that she’s become expert at the basics, it is time for her to twist her own take on some of the basics. In a recent blog post over on her Beading Arts blog, she shares with us how she’s changing up her seed bead weaving with herringbone stitch. Plus, she even offers a quick tutorial for her readers so they can also try it. Love the results!

Another blog crafter who likes to twist, literally, is the Tappingflamingo. She combines her wire wrapping skills with recycled discarded guitar strings. What started out as a dare from one of her dulcimer buddies grew and evolved into an array of various jewelry pieces as well as beaded ornaments.

She has made key chains, necklaces, holiday ornaments, earrings, and her designs continue to expand, all because she wanted to figure out a way to reuse old guitar strings.

What have you turned and twisted as far as your crafting skills lately?

August 5, 2018
by Tammy
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Sewing Idea Becomes Design Fail

The more I sew, the more design ideas pop into my head. Isn’t that the way with crafting and designing? One idea leads to another. You have a vision, possibly a brilliant idea!

But brilliant ideas don’t always turn out like you think.

I’m working on designing Blythe doll clothes. A lot of doll clothes for these dolls (not all, mind you, but a lot) tend to be very young looking, and I don’t usually like to dress my dolls as if they are two or three years old. So, the doll dresses I’m making I feel are a little more mature looking, and I thought back to when I used to make Laura Ashley dresses for myself. This train of thought soon mixed in with my appreciation for Japanese Mori fashion

What about adding more layers and a little more lace to the dresses?

I got to work on a skirt and trimmed it in lace with the idea that I could layer this under the dress. Plus, it could be worn alone as well, thus having more than one function.

Or, at least, that was my “brilliant” idea.

However, once I had completed the skirt and added it as a layer under the dress, I realized my idea wasn’t exactly as brilliant as I had hoped. Obviously, the under skirt was too long, but then there was all this bulk around the doll’s waist that I had anticipated.

Design fail! I’ve toned down my approach, and now I’m almost finished with two more dresses that I have shorted a little and trimmed in lace. I’m not sure if it will be the Laura Ashley Mori fashion I’m going for, but I don’t think there’s anything bad about adding extra lace when it comes to a doll dress.

July 30, 2018
by Tammy
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Space Coast Visit and Quilt Delivery

This past weekend, I took a trip to my old hometown, Rockledge, Florida, to visit with family and, of course, deliver the much anticipated quilt of my grandmother’s to my mother. We all first enjoyed a yummy lunch at my favorite place to eat over there, Grills on Cape Canaveral. It was crazy hot day outside, but the view is always wonderful there because you are right on the water. We even got a look at the recent booster rocket that was recovered by SpaceX.

Grills is the only place I can get a decent fish Ruben these days. Today’s catch was mahi mahi. I almost didn’t take a photo of it because I was too busy eating.

Afterwards, we headed back to my parents’ house, and I pulled out the quilt from a large tote I had used to keep it safe. Everyone did the right amount of “oohing and awing,” and my mother proceeded to point out various swatches of fabric she recognized. I discovered that Grandma had acquired scraps from my mom, who also sewed a lot back in the day. Then we folded it up and hung it on a quilt rack that my dad had made for my mom.

It now has a place of honor right when you walk into their home, and it look great!