Video Episodes:
15 Views
02:58:00 02/06/11
04-07 Size Matters - Valentines Day Excess in Floral Arranging
[LESS INFO] 15 VIEWS | ADDED 02:58:00 02/06/11
Hi people! This week we have another archival episode for you. This segment is from the first season of the original show. My guest Shonda Lear shows us how to make a statement with floral arranging. Her arrangement is quite remarkable and pleases Mary Ellen no end, for unexpected reasons %ndash or perhaps those reasons should have been obvious to me %ndash watch and see. Shonda is the brainchild of David Mandel, whose company The Show Must Go On creates fanciful jewelry and objet d%rsquoart.
I%rsquom so happy to kick off the film discussion feature of this blog, inspired by Netflix . Our first film is one of my favorites %ndash What%rsquos Up Doc. If you haven%rsquot seen it, you%rsquore in for a treat. Inspired by the screw ball comedies of the 30%rsquos, Peter Bogdanovich%rsquos 1972 film features Barbra Streisand and Ryan O%rsquoNeil and has the distinction of being Madeline Kahn%rsquos first film. I highly recommend it. Add it to your Netflix queue and screen it, then post your comments here. If you haven%rsquot joined Netflix yet, you%rsquore missing out on a delightful diversion and a great value. Click here to join and support the podcast at the same time! Our next film will be announced with our next episode in around two weeks.
That%rsquos all this time!
8 Views
05:00:00 02/01/11
02-11 Give a Little Head for Valentines Day
[LESS INFO] 8 VIEWS | ADDED 05:00:00 02/01/11
Hello people! Love is in the air - It's almost St. Valentines Day and I have some ideas for you. This week on the show I'm demonstrating a charming craft project - Topiary Heads! They make delightful gifts for your valentine and are such fun to put together. Here's how:
You'll need:
A paper mache flour pot
Plaster of Paris
An 8" diameter Styrofoam ball
Raffia in black or brown
An 18" wooden dowel
Pink tint floral spray
Craft paint in brown, red or pink and blue or violet
Ribbon in pink and red
Red and white heart shaped paper doilies
Red metallic poster board
Pink poster board
Artificial flowers
Pink or white netting or tulle
Floral wire
Tiny red pompons
A glue gun and glue sticks
Scotch tape
Wire cutters
A paint brush
Scissors
White glue
Start by setting the dowel in the bottom of the flour pot so it stands upright with the plaster of Paris. Then you can create the head. Give the ball a light dusting of the floral spray, concentrating it a little more where you want the cheeks to be. Paint a face on the Styrofoam ball using the craft paint, then use the raffia to create an attractive hairstyle, pinning it to the ball using the floral wire. Use the ribbon to tie the hair into pony or pig tails, or as an attractive headband. Mount the head on the dowel. Next, create a bow for the neck by gathering up a length of tulle and holding it together with a length of floral wire. Leave the tails of the wire sticking up. Attach an artificial rose to the bow with wire or hot glue. Then insert the tails of wire up into the base of the ball to mount your bow at her neck. Now it's time to create the hat. Cut a large heart out of the metallic paper board. The heart should be larger than either of the doilies. Next create a truncated cone of pink paper board. Cut half inch deep tabs into the top edge of the cone and fold them down to create a surface to glue your heart to. Mount the heart on the cone and, once dry, you can glue your doilies, one on top of the other, down to the red heart. Mount a pouf of tulle with an artificial flower on top of the doilies using floral wire through all layers and leave the tails. Use the tails to mount the hat on the head by inserting them into the Styrofoam.
Trim the dowel by winding ribbon around it spirally from top to bottom. Tape it to the dowel to secure it in place. Your finishing touch is to fill the flower pot with tulle and stud the tulle with the pompons using your hot glue gun. Congratulations! Your Valentines Day gift is complete!
This week on my NPR podcast I'm discussing the perfect Valentines Day meal - A picnic on your living room floor! It's such a delightful way to celebrate with your valentine. Be sure and listen.
If you haven't signed up for my mailing list yet consider joining now. Each week, in addition to getting information about my shows, I feature editorial content that you can't get anywhere else. This week I'm featuring my recipe for brownie cookies. They're delightful cut into heart shapes and frosted with pink icing!
That's all for this week. Be sure and join me next time!
22 Views
23:31:00 04/21/10
Needlepoint - It's Not Just for Men Anymore!
[LESS INFO] 22 VIEWS | ADDED 23:31:00 04/21/10
Back in the 60's and 70's needlepoint was as popular as knitting is now. It was enjoyed by housewives, celebrities, free wheeling single girls like myself - even football players! And the interest in the medium made fertile ground for talented designers who created beautiful projects for themselves and others. It was such a popular hobby that books were published and magazines had countless features on the craft.
What I like about needlepoint is it can be easy or difficult, simple or complex. You can decide how involved you want to get in fancy stitches and shading, but simple projects can be equally as compelling.
This bandana pillow is a good example of simple. The design is easy to recreate. It's from one of my favorite needlepoint books from the 70's - Better Homes and Gardens Needlepoint, 1978.
Slightly more complex are these needlepoint flowers from the same book. The petals are each done individually, then wired and taped to a stem - such a pretty detail in a room!
Of course you can get as complex as you want to. Also from BH%G This freeform design breaks all the rules and is a lovely example of needleplay.
Our last Better Homes example is the beautiful kresh done in an abstract style. The detailed shading and elegant painterly quality of the faces is just lovely - so modern and sophisticated, yet still retaining a sense of humor.
Men took to needlepoint in the 70's, like they're taking to knitting now. There was quite a faction of male needlepointers, The most famous was perhaps Rosey Grier, the LA Giants tackle.
He loved the art and published a book all about it and the men who do it.
Here's Rosey with some of his projects
Another talented male needlepointer was Louis J. Gartner, Jr. He published a book in 1970 (Needlepoint Design, A House and Garden Book) that featured some of the beautifully detailed work he did.
This is a good example of his work. Notice the sense of depth he was able to achieve in a medium not unlike digital photography. Each stitch is like a pixel. Take note of how he uses the diagonal tent stitch (the basic stitch in needlepoint) to his advantage by lining them up to create a pin that holds objects on the wall. I particularly love the shadows cast in this still life.
Needlepoint is due for a revival. It's languished in the land of teddy bears and folk art long enough. If you're interested in the more creative side of needlepoint look on eBay or Amazon for the books mentioned above. I also have a few books on the art for sale on Etsy . Have a look at those too!
We did an episode on the art of needlepoint a few years back. Here it is again if you missed it:
5 Views
00:56:00 04/10/10
04-14 Corn Bread with a Happy Surprise - Wiener Loaf
[LESS INFO] 5 VIEWS | ADDED 00:56:00 04/10/10
Hi people! For my April episode, I'm again joined by my friend Margot Potter - The Impatient Crafter. She's showing Mary Ellen and I how to make Wiener Loaf! It's remarkably easy and lots of fun. Here's how:
You'll need:
2 corn muffin mixes
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 package of hot dogs
Butter or crisco
Begin by greasing your loaf pan. We used crisco, but you can use butter or cooking spray if you like. Then pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Make up one of the corn bread mixes as directed on the box and spread it in your greased pan. Next, place three of the wieners on top of the dough. Place them so that any slice will have part of at least one of the wieners. Then prepare the next mix and spread it on top of the first. Slice horizontal parallel lines into the surface of the last two wieners and place them on top of the batter. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.
To watch the episode, click the little gray "Pod" log next to the title. Margot, who you'll see in the show will be my co-host of the Crafty Cabaret Cruise this coming September. It's going to be a great time! We'll both be teaching a class in crafting techniques, and doing a cabaret night. You'll come away with lots of free swag and memories of a fun time in the Caribbean. We'd love to see you there!
02/06/11