How to make a Gourd bowl with Pine Needle Coiling

This was a project that involved several techniques. I really enjoy working with gourds as you can probably tell by my posts. It's a great hobby or Artistic endeavor.

The Supplies Needed for this Project are:

Proxxon Jig Saw

Proxxon Delta Sander

Proxxon Rotary Tool

Plaid Mod Podge

Napkins

Waxed Linen Thread

Needle

Alcohol Ink (caramel)

Assorted Beads

Sealer

Mark your gourd so that it sets level and cut it open. Clean out the inside "stuff". Your Proxxon Jig Saw will make this job very easy.

Unfortunately the operator of the saw has to stay on the line. Haha! So when something like this happens you then use your Proxxon Delta Sander to sand it down to the marks that you made.

Drill holes around the rim of your gourd, cover the outside of your gourd with alcohol ink and then stitch your pine needles onto the gourd rim with the waxed linen thread. The needles that I used for this project were dyed by me at a different time.

As you can see from this photo, I decopodged the inside of the gourd with napkins that I had. I did the decopodging prior to drilling the holes on the gourd and coiling the pine needles. 

I finished the gourd off by threading some beads onto the gourd and tying them off and then sealing the gourd. The pictures that I take don't have sealer on them so that they don't shine when taking a picture. I have become very fond of decoodging the insides of my gourds because I think it gives it a more finished appearance.

Check out all of the wonderful tools that Proxxon has to offer and maybe purchase some for yourself! The folks at Plaid have many amazing products with Mod Podge being one of them and the Mod Podge line has many different types. 

Please leave me a comment below. I do read them.

Barbara

How to make a thread spool holder for your wall

 To all of our blogging friends, This one is for the quilters and craft folks that sew.

This project can be adjusted to fit your needs. Make it as small or large as you like.



Supplies

3/4" x 1 1/2" x 15 1/2" pine board
(3) 3/8" dowels (each 12") long
wood glue
(6)  1 1/4" wood screws


Equipment:
Proxxon mini table saw
Proxxon mini band saw
Proxxon mini scroll saw  (optional, for fancy work)
Proxxon OZI/E delta sander
Kapro measure mate 313
drill
drill bits  5/8" 3/8" 1/8"






The first thing I did was to cut my 3 1/2" board in half lengthwise to make 2 boards each measuring approximately 1 3/4" wide.  I used the kapro measure mate 313 to find the center of the board.  Look how easy is.  Simply line up the tool so that each side of zero measures the same.   Most of the time this is way easier than doing the math.   Nobody really likes to work with fractions.... do they?

Once it is marked I took it over to the Proxxon mini table saw and cut it.  Just set up the fence 1 3/4" from the blade.  Or set the mark up to the blade and set your fence to it.  (all this is done of course before plugging in the saw).  Safety first.  You want to keep all your fingers!

Be sure to use the push stick to guide your piece along the fence.















Next, I cut 5 1/2" off each of the 2 lengths of board. This leaves me with 2 pieces 10" each.  These will be my sides  Then I cut the shorter pieces in half lengthwise.  These are going to be my top bottom and 2 middle pieces .  It really doesn't matter how much you cut off, this length will be how wide your hanger will be.  .  Note:  IF you wanted a taller hanger, just start with a longer piece of wood. (of course then you would also make more middle pieces)  Cut as many as tiers as you want or as many as the board will hold.  Customize to your needs.

These are the pieces so far.

I wanted a little decorative edge which was really easy to do on the Proxxon mini scroll saw.

This is optional.  Square is fine too.

 

 

   

I marked a center line down each side, using the Kapro measure mate 313.

This is where I will attach the top bottom and center pieces. 

 

 But first lets drill some holes for the dowels that will hold the thread spools.  My short lengths allowed for only 3 spools per tier.  That means this will hold 12 spools.  I used a 3/8 inch drill bit in my drill and made  holes approx. 5/8" deep.  (halfway through the wood), evenly spaced across each tier so that the spools will fit.   I cut the dowels into 2 1/2 inch lengths.   I sanded everything  with the Proxxon OZI/E delta sander.  Wonderful tool.

I measured the sides and lined up my tiers.  On the outside edge I used my 5/8" drill to make a small countersink hole then drilled my pilot hole through the side and tier with a 1/8" drill.  I don't want my wood to split.




 Before putting it all together you might want to paint it.  I used  mushroom color from Plaid Paint Home décor/chalk Mushroom. I wanted the thread colors to be the focal point.




Then glue the dowels into the holes that we drilled and let dry well.

Now screw the sides to the tiers.  I tilted my tiers so that my spools will be easy off and on.

 

Hangers are your choice.  I used saw toothed hangers on this one.  So with 2 screws I can attach it

to my wall.   

Thanks to  all of the companies that support our Blogs. Proxxon, Plaid Paints and Kapro Measuring tools. Please visit their web sites and check them out.

Terri Sproul is our point of contact and we think she is  tops as a leader and mentor for Proxxon Design Team. Thank you so much Terri.

I should have my glasses next week and I want to make sure I thank Carol for all of the help and weight she carried during this procedure. I could not have maintained or done this without her .

Until next time take care and enjoy Life.

How to Make a Wooden Bird with a Splash of Color

This wooden bird with a splash of color is the perfect little home decor piece. This little bird with its pop of color is sure to brighten any space.

Supplies and Equipment for Making the Bird

• Scrap of hardwood 2½" x 2¾" x ½"
• Scrap of contrasting hardwood 2½" x ¾" x ¼"
• FolkArt acrylic paint
• Wood glue
• Pattern for bird
• Proxxon MICRO Bandsaw MBS/E
• Proxxon Scroll Saw DS 460
• Proxxon Disc Sander TSG 250/E
• Proxxon Bench Drill Press TBM 115
• 9/64" brad point twist drill bit 
• Proxxon Delta Sander OZI/E

Instructions for Making the Bird

1. Print the pattern and adhere to wood pieces. Cover the substrate with painter's tape; spray the reverse side of the pattern with spray adhesive; mount the pattern onto the covered substrate. The adhesive holds the pattern in place, and the painter's tape makes removal easy.
   
2. Make straight cuts using the band saw.
   
3. Make curved cuts using the scroll saw.
   
4. Cut the notch for the tail on the scroll saw.
   
5. Sand edges using disc sander and Delta sander.
   
6. Mark dot for eye. Using a brad point drill bit, drill a shallow hole for the eye. The point of the drill bit makes a tiny center hole that simulates the pupil of the eye.
7. Paint the bird's breast.
   
8. Glue the tail in place using wood glue.
   
9. Unpainted surfaces can be finished with a paste wax or wood oil.
   

Carole

How to make a really easy display easel

Hi everyone.
    We have been doing a lot of fine art lately and weve been thinking about taking some on the road with us when we go to festivals to sell our gourds.  I really want to be able to display these without having to spend a fortune buying store bought easels so thought I would see if I could make some from the wood scraps I seem to have an abundance of these days.   Look what I found going through the workbench drawers...

I found 3 packs of these sticks.  They are 1/8" thick, 1" wide and 12" long.  There is at least 20 in each bag!  They remind me of paint stir sticks, but they're not.   I think I can use these.  

Here is what I saw at the store that I think I can easily make and customize

Let's get started

Supplies 

Wood- I used my wood slat pieces  (7 pieces total) 

plus (1)-   3/4 x 1 3/4 x 12" pine ( for the easel tray

Wood glue

small wood screws

1 small nail approx. 1 1/4" long

Plaid paints

Equipment

Proxxon mini band saw

Proxxon OZI/E delta sander

Proxxon rotary tool with small drill bit

kapro measure mate 313  measuring tool

Proxxon mini table saw

screwdriver

small hammer

Cut all your wood pieces to size.  I used my precut pieces (since I had them) for my vertical members and I cut my easel tray on the proxxon mini bandsaw.

You will need 

(5) 1/8 x 1 x 12 inch pieces

(1) 1/8 x 1 x 8"  

(1) 1/8 x1x5"

(1) 1/8 x 1/2 x 2"

(1) 3/4 x 1 3/4 x 12"

I used the kapro measure mate 313 to do my measuring.  It has a triangle shape and sits on my wood piece making it easy to mark.  It does a lot of other things as well and you should check it out.

I cut my pieces on the proxxon mini bandsaw.

Sweet.... it is so easy.

In this picture I am cutting the small angles that are needed on the outside legs so that it will sit straight on the table.  I simply copied the angles from my go-by piece.

The 8" piece needs a 45 degree angle at the top.  This will hold the easel up.  

Easy to do on the proxxon mini table saw

The other cut that needs to be done is a cut out on the center "leg: so that it can pivot.  I cut it on the proxxon mini bandsaw   before I cut this piece I glued a second piece to the back of it so that it would be stronger.  We are going to drill a hole horizontally through it to pivot so I felt 1/8" would be too flimsy.  So this piece is 1/4" thick.

Let's put it together

 I layed it out like this and glued the cross bar to the back.  Later I will  add some screws for strength.

I glued the sides to the tray bottom and clamped them, then let it dry.

I added screws to strengthen the hold.  Then this was glued to the front of the easel.  The bottom of the tray is level with the middle leg.

Here comes the tricky part!👀👀👀

This little piece of wood with the green on it gets glued to the center leg of the easel just under the top cross bar.  (gads I am showing it on the front in the picture),  trust me it goes on the back!

Where it is marked green add some small screws after the glue dries.   Then lay the cut out piece (the leaning 8" leg with the 45 degree cut on top) like the picture shows and drill a hole where the red line is, through the leg and the piece that you just secured.  Run a nail through the hole  This creates the pivot point.

Tricky part done   whew.... Now lets get creative.. 

I ended up making several, all different sizes.   The big one (blue one)  I used 1/2 wood slats and made it taller and wider for bigger pictures. 

 I painted them with plaid paints because I love their colors.  The green one is not quite done.  I'm thinking frogs maybe?

Hey, I had fun, and I'm going to make some more.  It was a whole lot easier to make than it was to try to tell you how I made it.   Hope you can follow these directions.    Take care now but have some fun.

Thanks everyone for visiting.  Thanks Proxxon, Kapro, Plaid.  Thanks Terri, our mentor.

till next time   Carol

How to create a tombstone with the Hot Wire Cutter

As we head toward the end of summer, it's not too early to think about Halloween.  Steph Ackerman here today to show you how to create a tombstone using the Proxxon Hot Wire Cutter.

I love decorating for Halloween and realized I didn't have a tombstone!!  So I decided to use a sheet of Smoothfoam with my Hot Wire Cutter to create a tombstone.  So quick and easy and so much fun to create.

Supplies:
Proxxon Hot Wire Cutter
Smoothfoam
Plaid Paints - Delta Ceramcoat - Ink Blot, Antique White, Charcoal
Folk Art Coastal Texture Paints - Sand Dollar, Seal Grey


I began by drawing the tombstone on a sheet of Smoothfoam.

Using the Hot Wire Cutter I then cut the pattern.

Next I painted the tombstone with Coastal Texture Paint in Sand Dollar and Seal Gray, mixing the colors together.  Then I put it aside to dry.

Once dry, I used the Hot Wire Cutter again to create the "cracks".  With no specific plan in mind, I created assorted "cracks" around the tombstone.

Check out how defined the cracks are and how small I was able to cut them.

For definition, I paint the cracks with black and white paints.  Using a stencil, I added RIP down the center with blue paint.

To give it a more aged appearance, I added more black paint around the edges and used a baby wipe to blend it in.

Finally, I added some mesh along one side creating a cobweb effect down the side.

What do you think?

I love using the Hot Wire Cutter for projects like this.

Thanks for stopping by.

Steph