Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Make a handmade art stand!

Don't you love those gorgeous wooden card holders that so beautifully display artwork and postcards? I sure do! While I do love Nova Naturals and other various Waldorf supply shops, I don't so much love the thought of spending so much money on something that seems so simple...
Over the past week, I've found that making these "art stands" is easy and fun!
First, go outside and play...sit under the trees, make dandelion chains, gaze up at the clouds....
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Good. Next, start searching for thick twigs. They should be about 1-1.5 inches in girth and between 4-6 inches in length (depending on what you will be displaying!)
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With a circular saw, cut a slit in the top of the twig about 3/4 inch deep. This is where you will place your artwork. This job will take 2 people; one to safely work the saw, and the other to firmly hold the twig with pilers or a wrench. Don't forget to hold it nice and steady!
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Slide your artwork into the slit you have made and see if it will stand upright at this point. We found that sometimes the weight of the postcard would cause the twig to topple forward or backwards. After some troubleshooting, we drilled a small screw into the back of the twig to catch it from falling over. It worked!
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Use your art stand for displaying seasonal prints...
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On your nature table...
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I used ours at a picnic for labeling food and drink!
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Sometimes, being on a budget is sort of a bummer. However, most of the time I find that it yields so much creativity, discovery, and humbleness. Happy Creating!
**p.s-- does anyone have any resources for felting wool clogs/slippers? (baby size)**

29 comments:

  1. Gorgeous! I can't wait to try these out - they look so natural and beautiful. I know how you feel - we're on a budget too! But sometimes it works out for the best!

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  2. ACE! I ahev never seen these in the european Waldorf catalogues, but they are exactly what we need! We have a parent run Steiner Parent and Child group funded solely by fee's and fundraising which is almost always in the form of craft/baking stalls at local events.
    Labels, and how to effectively label things in a 'waldorf' way has been a bit of a headache for us, but this is, as I think I mentioned, ace! Thank you so much! I will post photos if they turn out well!

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  3. How wonderfully creative of you! I wish I had a circle saw, I would make these in a heartbeat.

    As for the felt slipper resource, here's a link to a pattern I'm getting ready to try: http://hurpeknagg.blogspot.com/2008/01/felted-slippers.html

    And here's a link to a post I found (on one of my FAVORITE blogs) where the author shows the results of the above pattern - so cute! http://www.gsheller.com/2010/06/princess-in-forest-giveaway.html

    Warmly,
    Mari-Ann
    Counting Coconuts

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  4. Thanks for the frame tutorial. It is just what I need, as I have been debating buying several for our home, especially our newly created nature table. (We are new to the Waldorf theories on education & implementing it where we can.) Now I will make my own :)

    I found a post for making felted slippers as I was perusing the Syrendell blog. It is not a complete tutorial, but offers some guidance here: http://syrendell.blogspot.com/2010/07/recreating-human-vessel-handcraftsand.html

    BTW, I live in Lancaster County, so we are nearly neighbors!

    Do you mind if I add a link to your blog on mine? ( http://howthesunrose-lalagirl.blogspot.com/ )

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  5. love this idea! (I need to find someone with a saw!) Thanks for sharing this. :)

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  6. What a great idea! I have the saw... so now to find the branchesl.

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  7. Namaste! Printing this out - and handing it to my dear husband! Perhaps it will be his first project on his new work bench.

    Beautiful photos.

    L, N

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  8. Oh how beautiful and creative! I love it. I am also enjoying your nature table and I really like all the different ways you use the stand. Sometimes, I find being on a budget can be freeing. Sometimes I feel like, "oh man!" It is neat to see what you can do without and what you can make yourself. It's better for the earth, the purse and peace of mind.
    And I am very interested in your sparkling basil lemonade! Peace, Angela

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  9. fabulous idea, they blend so effortlessly into your nature table.

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  10. That is so incredibly cool! And it looks pretty easy too. You just need the right tool and partner for the job. Thanks for posting! And thanks for stopping my blog!

    ~Alyssa

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  11. Thanks for stopping my blog. Glad you liked it. I just came over to check yours and it is very pretty and inspiring. Love the Waldorf school it looks calm.
    This art stand is awesome! It's so neat to recreate what you see.

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  12. I love these stands. Great idea! But, I think you could sell them. Because so many people don't have the right tools, they would probably be willing to pay for them. ;)

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  13. What a great idea! I agree with you about spending all that money on something so simple! After all one of the things I so love about the Waldorf theory of teaching our children is to encourage simplicity and creativity and to discourage consumerism! (Even if consumerism is buying really cool "natural" things!)Thanks for posting this little tutorial!
    Rachel

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  14. these are wonderful~ now to get my husband to help us make some! :)

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  15. Hi Rebecca...

    Not sure about a pattern, but the holders look great...I totally understand about being on a budget!...It does make one creative though :-)

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  16. What a fantastic idea! I love the way these look-- especially wonderful for a nature table!

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  17. love it! where did you get your mother earth felting? beautiful...

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  18. Fabulous! I too appreciate the DIY attitude that living on a budget can create. And I am *so* making these, not only for our nature table, but for the wall too. Simple and brilliant!

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  19. thanks for the kind words, everyone:) and angelina, the mother earth doll was made by me:) one of my most favorite projects to date!

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  20. I'm not sure if someone already mention it but have you checked out Ravelry.com for a felted clogs pattern? That is where I go whenever I need a pattern for something and I'm sure they have lots for you to choose from. If you aren't on Ravelry and you are a knitter you should definitely join!

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  21. Awesome!!!!Thanks for sharing this. I couldn't justify spending the $ either on the postcard/photo card holder. My husband could easily make these! Thanks for the idea!

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  22. How wonderfully creative, love them.
    No circular saw where we live these days, so this will be a project for the near future..
    :) Christina

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  23. What a wonderful and creative idea!

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  24. I love this idea!! We're currently thinning out some of the maples on our property that are growing too close together to be healthy for them. This would be great for some of the smaller branches.

    Thanks for visiting my blog!

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  25. So very inspiring! Thank you very much for posting and sharing. I'm going to try and make some this weekend. Just goes to show you don't need to consume - we just all need to learn how to be creative and make from what we have around us - NATURE. Thanks again. Tamara from Australia

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  26. Thanks so much for posting this -- I LOVE this idea and am so delighted to find such fantastic examples of true DIY spirit!

    We, too, are on a very tight budget -- but I have found that we can be very happy and comfortable, and, like you said, use our imaginations and found objects to make our lives more beautiful.

    To tell you the truth, I like your picture holders even better than the Nova Natural ones! ;) We will certainly be making some.

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