::CraftyChica™ - Kathy Cano-Murillo::

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Pumpkin TV Set

Believe it or not - this idea came to me in a dream! That's what the fall TV season will do to you, I guess. I cut the front of a foam pumpkin (do not try with a real pumpkin!) and then I printed a picture on vellum paper and secured it from the inside. HERE ARE THE DIRECTIONS. Rock on, it's October!!!

* By Kathy Cano Murillo, copyright 2005. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

• Posted by Crafty Chica, 10:16 PM | Link | (6) comments

Candy Sorter Placemats

Like everything else in life, you gotta sort the bad from the good. Sadly, even when it comes to Halloween candy. What else to do with those spongy orange fake peanut looking things. Ew. Here is a fun way to do the duty!

* By Kathy Cano Murillo, copyright 2005. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: Halloween

• Posted by Crafty Chica, 1:48 AM | Link | (0) comments

Friday, September 23, 2005

Fall Book Reviews

New season means new books! Check out these fun titles below. CLICK HERE for mini-reviews. These authors are all very talented artists!

- The Complete Guide to Altered Imagery: Mixed-Media Techniques for Collage, Altered Books, Artist Journals, and More

- Beading for the Soul

- Collage Discovery Workshop: Beyond the Unexpected

- New Knits on the Block: A Guide to Knitting What Kids Really Want

- Photocraft: Cool Things to Do With the Photos You Love

- Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter

* By Kathy Cano Murillo, copyright 2005. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

• Posted by Crafty Chica, 10:14 PM | Link | (0) comments

Crazy Mosaic Mirror

This is a kinda wacky idea I came up with when I gathered a gob of odds and ends together. I incorporated them into a mosaic. I made it the traditional way with adhesive, followed by grout.

* By Kathy Cano Murillo, copyright 2005. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: collage/paper, home decor, inside

• Posted by Crafty Chica, 11:55 AM | Link | (2) comments

Friday, September 16, 2005

Flirty Girl Necklaces

This week my husband challenged me to use only black and white in my project. These retro pictures worked perfect for that dare! But once I was done with my column project, you know I made oodles of more items using my normal bright colors...Anyway, the outcome is some flirty fun necklaces I made using "EasyCast" resin mixture and images from Art Chix Studio.
Here are the directions.

* By Kathy Cano Murillo, copyright 2005. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: collage/paper, jewelry, wearable art

• Posted by Crafty Chica, 11:25 PM | Link | (0) comments

Friday, September 09, 2005

Art Collage Totes

Here in Phoenix we are hosting more than 500 hurricane Katrina victims. The Red Cross and Salvation Army are accepting donations for all kinds of things and I thought it would add a nice touch to deliver them in hand-decorated totes. Wouldn't it be cool if everyone made a tote and then fille dit with goodies for our guests? Here are my versions.

Here are the directions.
* By Kathy Cano Murillo, copyright 2005. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: fabric, sewing, wearable art

• Posted by Crafty Chica, 1:23 PM | Link | (0) comments

Monday, September 05, 2005

More belt buckles

A few months back I hit a gold mine when I made some belt buckles. I had some blanks leftover so I whipped up these little puppies. I coated them with resin for long shelf life.

* By Kathy Cano Murillo, copyright 2005. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: resin, wearable art

• Posted by Crafty Chica, 5:32 PM | Link | (0) comments

Chica Fabric Collage

I've been on a fiber marathon lately - sewing like a Project Runway finalist. I'm still using the cheap $99 machine Patrick bought me five years ago for Christmas. I can't believe it still works! This is a panel I made from scrap fabric. I love purple. When I was a kid I always wanted purple hair, but my mum wouldn't let me. It wasn't until after I finished this that I remembered that. If you have scrap fabric, make a self-portrait collage. It's really fun and revealing!

* By Kathy Cano Murillo, copyright 2005. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: collage/paper, fabric, sewing

• Posted by Crafty Chica, 5:23 PM | Link | (0) comments

Canvas Collage

I didn't make this for my craft column, I made it just for me. I took a 16x20 canvas, painted it and then used didfferent kinds of papers, stamps, embossing powder, gems and glitters to make this. My mom-in-law gave me a huge envelope of these old pictures from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. This is one of them. I used it to mount in the center. I call this piece "Los Novios" because I think this couple looks tough. Like they are ready to go kick some fiesta booty.

* By Kathy Cano Murillo, copyright 2005. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: collage/paper

• Posted by Crafty Chica, 5:18 PM | Link | (1) comments

Sunday, September 04, 2005

Beaded Flip Flops

I made these because I got tired of seeing bows and flowers on flip flops. I'm just not a bow kind of girl. I like dangle and sparkle. So I took a chain link bracelet, used eye-pins to add on beads and then E6000 to attach it to the straps. I used clothes pins to hold it in place while the glue dried. Now I jingle when I skip along...

* By Kathy Cano Murillo, copyright 2005. Photos property and courtesy of Arizona Republic and AzCentral.com. For more artsy goodness, check out CraftyChica.com *

Labels: wearable art

• Posted by Crafty Chica, 5:28 PM | Link | (2) comments

: Name: Kathy Cano-Murillo; Location: Phoenix, Arizona, United States

I'm a mommy, wifey, artist, author & left-handed middle-child binge crafter Sagittarian. I love chocolate, coffee, and I collect Chihuahua stuff (we have 4 live ones). I have my own product line coming out this summer. I write a weekly nationally syndicated craft column for The Arizona Republic. My 7th craft book comes out next year, as well as my first novel. I make a line of Chicano Pop Art with my hubby and we have sold it all over the country since 1990. Doing my best to live in the moment and savor it all!

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Note to visitors: Hola! This site is the archive of all my past projects for Gannett News Service and The Arizona Republic. These ideas are for personal use only. I make a living as a craft designer, so I will be using these ideas in my published works. If you are thinking of selling or using these ideas for profit, please give respect and "twist" them to make them your own - put your own stamp on them to make them different. It will work out for the best for both of us! Thank you and much respect from one creative person to another! — Kathy

Have a burning crafty question? Visit my Ask Crafty Chica blog or drop me a line!