It's good to do: soap making

At this time of year, I often do some soap.  Often, I will give them as a gift.  This year, I just made some soap just for the fun of it.  If someone need some, they will be ready to give.  What I liked the must is the colours I got from this year batch.  I used mauve and red colorant.  I also used an honey soap base for the mauve ones.  For the red ones, I used my usual soap base.

It is nice to have some dark colored soap.  I am pleased with the result.  It also smelled good as I was heating the honey soap base.  I usually use an honey soap base once a year, to give luxurious soap as a gift.  I just haven't done it last year.  Maybe I should use that soap base a bit more often.  I haven't try them myself.  I guess would be time to test drive a few, just to see if quality control is good (-;

Soap making is relaxing.  The most boring part is to heat the base.  It is the longest part of the process.  The other little bit boring part is to let it cool, before unmolding the soap.  What I like the most is having a helper with me.  It help with the whole process.

Finding application with unused items

I have some string/crochet yarn that I have.  I have a few rolls of them, in black and blue.  It is unused. It look like this:

I was thinking of using with my dyi loom.

As seen on the photo, the end result on the loom was not what I wanted.  It was fine.  I would end up with a fine cloth but I was not ready to do it.  So, I was left with the thread/yarn and no project.  Now, I have decided to use what I get for embroidery.  I think it will do the trick.  I like to take an item and used it for another purpose.  Well, I am ready to try.  If it doesn't work, I will try something else.  If I use the two together in a embroidery project, the end result will look great, I think.  I won't need to purchase embroidery floss for a long time, at least, if I don't need particuliar colour for a project.  I have a good stack of embroidery floss too, so, I don't have to worry for a while.

Embarrasing ring

My very first attempt at a beaded ring making, well before I even took classes:

It is not a really successful attempt.  It is a total failure.  No redemption possible.  A big no no.  At the time, I really knew nothing about it.  I took a project in a book, knowing nothing about what was needed.  While I was doing it, I didn't understood why I didn't having the result on the picture and I found it was hard to do.  I took metal wire.  I think I didn't have all the correct material.  I was in a clean slate state.

It is my most embarassing result I ever had.  The bigest blunder.  It is the deepest failure I ever had.  Nothing worst can be done now.  I am happy to have learned what I learned in my jewelry classes.  Since that ring, my proeject were much better.  I did have some projects that didn't come out as I wanted but they were way much better than that.  I could come up with something presentable with the other unsatisfying projects.  This one is totally waisted.  I have kept it as a reminder of what should not be done.

I am doing much better than that now.

My searhead--forgotten and found

I found this project not long ago.  I haven't thought of that spearhead in a long time.  It was a spearhead out of metal that I made while I was taken my jewelry classed near my workplace.  I made this spearhead from the lost wax technique.  I made it in wax and send it to get it in the end result, as seen above.  I show both side of the spearhead.  On one side, there is an hole and on the otherside, there is two holes.  They are small and are a bit difficult to see on the photo.  I think it was hard for the one in charge of my wax mold.  I took that spearhead as it was.  I think that the small holes give it  a certain charm.

It does not show the drilled holes on the site, on the right side.  I intend to put that spearhead on a chain.  I will have to find a chain small enough to go through the hoes but strong enough to hold the weight of the spearhead.  Or I put a heavy dury thick wire in a wire warpping way or do some eyelets.  I would put a chain in the eyelets.

It was nice to find that spearhead.  It is mainly finish, as a project.  Not much is needed to finish it.  It is the kind of project that I like to make.  It wasn't that easy to make it, especially the finish, the pattern on the spearhead.  It wasn't my idea but it was a good one, as I look at the result.

Making earring on the go

It was nice to make those earring.  Not much material eaither.  Some french hooks, chains, beads that look like cristal balls and some pins.  With varying the lenght of the chains, it makes various earrings.  There is one pairs where I didn't put any chains on them,

The first photo is the material I took to make the earrings.  The second photo are the beads are on the pins.  The beads are ready to be put on the hooks.  The last photo are the end result of the whole project.  There is one last bead that I haven't put on the photo.  I think to make an necklace with the last bead.  I haven't decided on the look of that necklace yet.  I am tempted to put that bead with other transparent beads that I have but I wonder if it will be too much transparent beads on the same necklace.

I will have to think further on the necklace.I will probably have to go throught my bead collection.  Maybe I will end up finding the perfect match for the last bead.

Soap from honey baw soap

 I made some soaps from an honey soap base.  I like the colour I got.  It is those from the photo above
On the photo below, I took the usual clear base.  I also like the colour.  But I prfer the shape.

It feel good doing all those soaps.  It also smelled goo while I was doing the ones with the honey.  Maybe I should do them more often.  Now, I have some reserve soap to give if I am asked aboiut it.  Could give some too.

I have also made two big bar of soap that I will cut up in smaller bars.  They are red as on the secon photo.  I kind of forgot how it was relaxing to do.  The most boring part is to melt the base.  The most fun is to put the essentiual oils and the colour.  Waiting for the soaps to cool is another wait to have.  Doing soaps in the afternoon is the best time to do it.  Starting after eating and early is the best.  It give the time to melt the base and the soap in the mold to cool down.  If is not cooled enough before nightime, it can be change from one place to another to finish cooling.

It nice to be inspired

I like it when I see a piece of jewelry and a few instant or hours later, I get an idea.  I am not into reproducting exactly the piece.  I like to put my own spin to it.  Sometimes, I put what I saw to a different piece completely.  It is a nice sensation.  I find it fascinating that only by looking, it start a process that end in something concrete.

Lately, I had been mainly inspired by jewelry.  Maybe because I put more attention to them.  I had a period, before that where I got inspiration for characters, for their physical attribute.  It was my focus then.  I guess the area of focus will change again on a later date.  I am not affraid of those changes.  It only show where I put the most of my attention.

I wonder what happened in the time of prehistory.  I wonder what was the process of getting an idea.  They had to invent everything.  They didn't have anything to look upon for ideas.  At first, there was no jewelry.  Where did they got that idea first?  It is just an example.  It can be apply to other areas of life.  It is easy to say that need is the mother of invention.  Jewelry is not really a need.  Not an essential one.  If basic needs aren't filled, the jewelry need is not existing.  It is a need that is linked with how we show ourselves.  Of course, it show our individuality.  It is more easu to be an individual when we are well fed, have a roof over our head, a sense of security.  After the basic is met, the individual self kick in more easily.

I am not an expert in inspiration and the whole need thing. I am just curious how the first human start the process of creating and inventing.  How did they got their inspiration without having the crutch I have.  I would like to try the inspiration channel they had.

Reflecting on past projects

There are some times where I like to look at past projects.  It happen out of the blue.  Nothing is attached to those moments, not even the nearing the present year.  I don't really feel nostalgic while looking at those projects.  It is more a down to earth process.  I like to remember the original idea, the steps of fabrication, the modification and improvements I had to make, what I learned from the project, if I had comments on the results, etc...

I like to trace my evolution throught time.  I can see where I started and what to explore next.  It is all in my head right now.  I had done a few sketches on paper.  Those sketches are really basic.  Makes me think that a portfolio or a projects journal on my progress would be a good thing.  Everything would be assembled all into one notebook.  Cool idea when thinking of it.

I do this tour of my past projects on an irregular basis.  It is not something that I need to do often.  I do have a positive vibe when I do it.  It is not vital in my life.  It show my creative evolution.

I miss doing that!

I learned a lot in the past years.  I took a lot of classes.  I've learned a lot of interesting facts.  There are well defrined periods that I miss.  They were intersting for a particuliar reason: a book, a craft, classes, some people I was with.

Nostalgia is in the air.  It is trendy lately.  Some people makes money out of this.  Nostalgia is nice for a short period of time.  «I miss this and that!»  I just don't like when people are constantly in it.  It had become «glitterly good», as if there was a paradise.  It is better to remember the good part only, it seems.

I do have fond memories.  I would have liked those memories to last longer.  At the same time, I remember that those time were not perfect.  There where some flaws in it, as if it was there to make me feel a tiny bit incomforable.

It is not lost time.  It is not perfect time.  It is just periods of time that where pwerful and meaningful. Those moments had an impact on me.  They may become useful one day, as an inspiration.  They are part of my source material that fuel my creativity.

Packaging products can be an artwork

Well, I think the images are saying all:

This one is a wooden box containing The Mythical Creature tarot.  There was a card on it:

I don't know if it will be a trendsetting but right now, it look original.  Of course, it may lead to a more expensive product.  There are other examples that are greatly done.

If I would create an product, I would put great effort in the pruduct itself, of course but I wish to have a original idea for the packaging.  Sometimes, we judge a book by it's cover.

Space travel

There are times where I would like to do a space travel.  As for earth destinations, there are place in the vastness of space that have a certain appeal.  Of course, I would start with our own solar system.  Each planets of our solar system have interesting attraction.  For example Sarturn's rings, Jupiter red spot, etc.  What I would like to see are Phobos and Deimos (Mars' two moons) from the surface of Mars.

There are also sightseeting the new discovered planets.  Also, to see if there is some habitable planets.  On the other hand, doing the travel should be something awesome too.  I would like to travel on an Entreprise-like ship, with the uniforms.  Would also be fun to become friends with some individuals of alien species.  It is a bit an fantasy that I have.  It would be my wish space bucket.

I wonder if this desire is due to our earth bound state.  It is not possible for the majority of us to go into space right now.  It is a new possibility we have but it is not fully developped.  It is not to the Star Trek or Star Wars level.  I still wish right now even if I don't know if it will be possible one day...

Inspired by spiders

I found this video on new speacies of spiders:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34ncuLLy-g4
Those spiders are really stunning.  I find their pattern, on them, to be inspiring.

I know that spiders are not everyones cups of tea.  The same goes for snakes.  Both are in the unloved animal category.  On the other hand, they are great for inspiration, for design, at least, as seen in the video on spiders.

Nature really have something great, we just have to look at the right place at the right moment to get inspired.

I quite forgot about it

I forgot that I had stones.  Remember that makes me want to work with them.  I also have great stones in my possession.

They are not expensive but I would like to do something with them.