Snow Days Mean Puzzles

Last January (2014), on the first snow day of the year, I popped over to visit my elderly neighbours and found them working on a puzzle together. They invited me to join them and four hours later we were eating pizza and ice cream, and putting the final pieces in place. It was a great afternoon and, ever since, snow days have meant puzzles.

I remember enjoying puzzles as a kid. In particular, I had an awesome Garfield puzzle -- one of him entertaining at night on the fence -- that I put together countless times. Over the years, however, I got out of doing them. I'm sure more than a decade passed before I put another one together. Then, sometime around 2007, while doing my PhD in St. John's, NL, I discovered a local company that made custom puzzles. The prices were reasonable and if you lived in the area, you could pick them up instead of paying for shipping. Clearly, this was the perfect gift for the person who has everything and wants nothing, so I ordered one of our cat Tigger for my mother for Christmas. I remember hiding it at the back of the tree and making the gift card out to "The Cabin" (a play on a family joke about everything being for "the cabin" -- as in, "Don't eat that cheese. It's for the cabin."). When I was home and at the cabin (which I refer to as the cottage, since it is more of a summer home than a shack) the following summer, I put the puzzle of Tig together and once again enjoyed the challenge of fitting the pieces together. But, as the years passed, I again fell out of doing puzzles.

This January (2015), I remembered the custom puzzle I'd ordered for my mother and thought again that it might be the ideal gift, this time for a friend. I asked her for her favourite high rez photo of her Doxie and a few weeks later the puzzle arrived in my mailbox. Again, I was happy with my purchase. But I had a lot of time to think during January and February due to an illness that put me off work for a few weeks, and I started to wonder whether I could make a puzzle with my Silhouette Cameo. After all, it said that it could cut cardboard. In the design store, I found a few templates for puzzles, but I wasn't sure I liked the shapes or the sizes, so I just left it as something for another time.

Last night, though, as I awaited the start of the storm, I mentioned to a friend that I was in dire straits. I had run out of wooden spoons and so would not be able to burn designs into them (my new hobby) during the storm. Whatever would I do? He suggested that I make something with my die cutter instead, perhaps a puzzle. Perhaps a puzzle, indeed! Today at about noon I started researching how to make puzzles and cut box board once again. Armed with a few tips, such as taping the cardboard to the mat before cutting, I purchased a puzzle design and was off to the races! Er, I mean, craft room!

I decided I would make a test puzzle out of a candy box. After all, I have several of these lying around because I use them in bookbinding. I measured my cardboard very carefully and adjusted my puzzle design so that it cut the section I wanted. Then I taped it to the mat, loaded it into the machine, selected my cut settings, and sent it to cut. A few minutes later, I had my first puzzle.

I closed the software and turned off the machine, returning everything to its place. Then I carefully pulled the cardboard off the mat and was thrilled to see that the cuts were absolutely perfect. I pulled all the puzzle pieces apart and took them to my dining room to put the puzzle back together. Luckily, it was a small puzzle (just 36 pieces), because I couldn't really remember what the image had looked like. No worries, though! In no time at all, I had it together.

Earlier in the day, my friend asked about the thickness of cardboard required for a puzzle. I thought box board would work and she didn't. I decided the only way to know would be to test it. Now, there's no question that the cardboard from the candy box I used is too thin. It holds together well enough for a small puzzle like this one, but it would be horrible for anything larger. (I will note, however, that the puzzle in my Christmas cracker this year was made of cardboard that wasn't even as thick as the cardboard I used today, so it really depends on your purpose and preferences, I suppose.) The thicker box board found in a cereal box, on the other hand, works fairly well. (I say this based on a cutting experiment that must be kept secret for now.) I'm not certain yet, however, what the size limits of such a puzzle might be.

And so I have satisfied my curiosity in terms of cutting puzzles using my Cameo. It's pretty cool. I find myself hoping that some of my friends who eat cereal will save their boxes for me so that I can make a few more. Wouldn't a Cheerios or Cocoa Puffs or Lucky Charms puzzle be fun? (I'd use one of the larger templates of 100+ pieces.)

I also find myself dreaming of owning a colour printer. I have joked many times in the last year or so that my monochrome laser printer was limiting my creativity. Now I am certain it's true! With a colour printer, I could make custom puzzles using photographs or other fun images. And who knows what else?!?!?

There may be a trip to Staples in my future.

Wood Burning: Totally 80s Wish Book

Recently, I've spent a lot of time on Pinterest. I like to click on the Hobbies & Crafts category and just scroll through the images. Sometimes I re-pin what I see, but mostly I just scroll, curious about what other people are up to and what's trending. About two weeks ago, I noticed several pins in which individuals had used a wood burning tool to embellish wooden spoons. It intrigued me and so today I headed out to Michaels.

When I got home, I received a BBM from my sister wondering what I was up to. I told her I had bought a wood burner. She replied, "That's totally 80s Wish Book." She was right. In fact, I remember one Christmas that I picked out a wood burning craft kit from the Sears Wish Book and asked Santa for it. It was a basic set -- I'm not even sure if the burner had more than one tip -- and it included several pieces of wood that had been stamped with designs to burn. That was probably the 80s. And the kit was probably a lot like this one. I remember how excited I was to set up at the kitchen counter with it and let my crafty juices flow. Alas, it never really worked the way it should and I remember the handle feeling very hot when I held it. Like so many craft kits for kids, it was a disappointment. I think my parents packed it back up and returned it to Sears. (I can't recall how they explained returning defective gifts to Santa, but I sure wish I could, because I'm sure it was priceless. Likely as good as the time an Easy Bake Oven refill kit arrived from Sears a week after Christmas and they told me that Santa had found it under the seat of his sleigh and made a special trip back to bring it to me...)

Not surprisingly, then, I was skeptical of the tool I had purchased, especially since I thought I had "cheaped out" on it. I was very reluctant to invest a great deal of money into something that I knew would be a passing fancy. But as I opened it, I noticed it was of a reasonable quality. I plugged it in (side note: it definitely could use a longer cord) and waited for it to heat up. I was almost afraid to pick it up, remembering the sensation of holding one as a kid, but, to my surprise, it wasn't hot at all. Let the burning begin!

I tried the general purpose tip on my first spoon, but really didn't like the results. Then I switched to a pointed tip and was happier with the line it produced. There's no question that wood burning is an easy craft that requires practice to master. Still, I had fun trying it out and the more burning I did, the more ideas I had for future craftiness. I could imagine burning designs on wooden ornaments for a Christmas tree or on inexpensive cutting boards to snazzy them up.

Of course, when I decided that I needed a wood burner two weeks ago, I hadn't thought about the fact that a wood burner would actually burn wood and cause some smoke and a burning smell. (I know, Duh!) As soon as I started and smelled it, I started to worry that it would somehow set off the smoke detector in my apartment. I realize that probably was a ridiculous thought. It didn't produce that much smoke, but I have an irrational concern about this sort of thing after living in Burton's Pond Apartments, where the smoke detectors were extremely sensitive and would alarm if you even thought about making toast. Instead of doing what many did back in the day to disable those hyper-sensitive devices, I closed the doors between the kitchen and hallway, and turned on my kitchen fan. Sure, it was probably overkill, but I'm happy to say that I didn't set off the alarm. (When spring finally arrives, I'll open the balcony door instead.)

So, what can I say? It looks like I've got a new hobby (at least for now). I've got a few spoons left to practice on and I'm looking forward to pinning some new inspiration for future wood burning projects. If you've got ideas, please share them!

Crafting for a Cause

When I moved to Cape Breton (the second time), I made an effort to become more involved in the community (though I freely admit that I'm still trying to find where I fit in). In 2013, when I learned through a friend that the Cape Breton Chorale was hosting a fundraiser in support of the palliative care music therapy program, I wanted to help out. But I had no idea what one should contribute to an auction.

Auctions, both live and silent, are popular here in Cape Breton. I'd go so far as to say that you could attend an auction every week during the year if you wanted to (but that is perhaps exaggeration on my part). I might even suggest that they are overdone and that greater creativity in fundraising initiatives would help diversify events and improve the financial outcome. But that would probably be an unpopular standpoint... Auctions are popular here.

So, I turned to a few "locals" to guide this CFA (come-from-away). I asked them what I might be able to contribute to an auction, not having been brought up in the auction tradition. Some suggested drawing on my musical background (a certificate to serenade someone on Valentine's Day, for example, or voice lessons), but I wasn't certain that such a certificate from a largely unknown musician in a land of many musicians would even get a bid. One thought that I could offer up a custom cake, having completed all of the Wilton courses at Michaels. While I loved the idea, I wasn't entirely confident that I could produce something to my own standards, since I haven't had a lot of time to practice these skills. Others suggested I get my craft on. They noted that painted wine glasses, such as the then popular chalkboard wine glasses, were good options. Having recently watched a friend working on a set of them one afternoon, it was clear that they would be easy enough to make even though I had never attempted them before. And with similar products on Etsy, I could identify the appropriate value for the auction sheet. As an added bonus, it would be an opportunity to try something new. I headed off to Michaels and Dollarama for supplies.

It didn't take long or much money (less than $20) to assemble what I needed. Black chalkboard paint, a paint palette, four wine glasses, some alcohol (for cleaning the surface), and painter's tape. I already had paint brushes and Goo Gone to remove the price tags from the glasses. I followed the directions on the paint, used the tips shared by my friend, and consulted this tutorial for baking instructions (which I modified slightly). I worked on them for a few minutes each day and less than a week later had the finished product. I visited a Walmart to purchase chalk that could be packaged with them.

I was very pleased with the way they turned out. I packaged them in a gift bag along with the chalk and passed them along to my contact with the Cape Breton Chorale, who incorporated them into their auction. I also attended the auction -- my first ever -- and have to say that I do see the appeal of the live auction. It's strangely exhilarating to bid on items with a paper plate!

Since then, I've made several sets of chalkboard wine glasses for various fundraisers in Sydney. They are valued at more than they cost to make -- often found on Etsy for about $20 for 4 -- and obviously after the initial investment for paint, etc, the cost of supplies is now only that of the unadorned wine glasses.

So, do they sell at an auction?

I'm happy to say that I have never had the embarrassment of no one bidding on the glasses that I made and donated. Even better, they have been bid on by people I don't actually know (although people I know have bid on them as well). They have sold for between 60% and 210% of their value, so as auction items go, they aren't bad (I recently read that items in silent auctions often sell for 50% of their value -- after all, people go to silent auctions for a bargain, right?). The great thing is that I really enjoy making them. As someone who likes to craft, it's nice to have something to do with the end product. Since I don't sell my crafts, they usually become gifts for family and friends. Making them available to raise funds for good causes makes me feel good. And during a recent illness that left me apartment-bound for almost a month, making them was even therapeutic.

Do you craft for any causes? I'd love to hear about your experiences!

Addicted to Die Cutting

I'm sure that for many years I saw demonstrations on the home shopping network and infomercials on weekend mornings for the Cricut cutting machine. I was always pulled in by them and watched intently, contemplating the amazing things I could do with a die cutting machine. Of course, I saw them as largely being related to scrapbooking, a hobby that I have resisted because it seems as though it could take over your life and all the free space in your home. (I realize that could probably be said about any hobby, especially a craft-based one, but scrapbooking seems particularly vulnerable to craft-creep.) With no immediate use for such a machine, I only admired them from afar.

My attitude, however, started to change in November 2013. Our department had decided to make a wreath for a silent auction fundraiser and I found myself at a colleague's home getting my craft on. She too was an avid crafter who sold some of her knitted and crocheted items, and she had a Cricut. When we finished our wreath, she thought we should make a tag for it and naturally turned to her die cutting machine. There's little question that I was enthralled with the close up demonstration of how it worked and what it was capable of. She was aware of my new bookbinding hobby and suggested such a machine could be valuable for designing custom covers for the journals I was making. She had a point.

For the next month or so, I thought about die cutting machines. I conducted some research on the latest models and the features available for each. How large was the cutting mat? Did I want to depend on cartridges which can be expensive, but I could share with my friends? Or was I content to use it near my laptop and be able to purchase only the designs I knew I would use? What fonts were available? There was much to consider. I read reviews. I checked and rechecked prices. And while I was home over Christmas and brought the idea up with my father and sister, they both asserted that there really was no contest: I should purchase the Silhouette Cameo because it would allow me to import and cut my own designs. And so the first Saturday of January 2014, I made my way to Michaels and purchased my die cutting machine. 

The set up was simple and the software was relatively easy to use. For my first project, I made a bookmark for a friend. Over the next few months, I tried other projects, including several designs for envelopes. But it wasn't until November 2014 that I really got serious about the cutting machine. Earlier in the year, I'd seen a beautiful Christmas village that fit over battery-operated tea lights and I knew that I needed to make one to decorate my apartment. I purchased the designs for the church, cottage, and townhouses. The designs were intricate, so they did take some time to cut, and putting them together required some patience as well, but I was thrilled with the result (I lined them with waxed paper to create frosty windows).

About the same time, I became intrigued by the idea that it was possible to buy sketch pens to use in the Silhouette Cameo. Again, Pinterest was my introduction to this feature. I had seen online examples of envelopes addressed by using the sketch pens, creating a beautiful calligraphy effect. This was enough to hook me. I located a set of 24 sketch pens on Amazon.ca and began watching them. When the price was right on Boxing Day, I added them to my cart and had them shipped to my apartment. I couldn't wait to get back and test them out.

Of course, the best laid schemes of mice and men oft go awry. Not long into January, I was stuck down by an evil virus and it put me out of commission for a month. Now that I'm feeling better, I've had the chance to test them out. Sunday night, I removed the sketch pens from the package, loaded one in my cutter, selected a design that I thought would work for a test, and printed a few snowflakes on card stock. Snowflakes seemed particularly appropriate, since we have been hit by so much weather lately!

I have to say, I was surprised. First -- and I suppose I should have realized this by the name -- the sketch pens were actually ball point pens. Somehow, I had expected something different (markers, perhaps?). Second, the colour I chose for the test had a beautiful shimmer to it. This impressed me greatly. Finally, the consistency and intricacy of the drawing were impressive. I cut the print out into several small gift cards.

Last night I viewed a tutorial for how to draw with sketch pens and then cut the design, without removing the mat from the machine. I can't wait to test this out sometime very soon!