It has been so long...

Hello all,

I promise I have not abandoned my projects! I finished the first samples of my sister's wedding invitations. I am sending them to her this Monday so we can discuss which style is best. I am up for redrawing or just reworking the styles. The mediums used to create the cards and envelopes include: cardstock, recycled paper, various textured paper, stamps and ink, watercolor, fine-tipped permanent markers, ribbon, and etching stencils.

Three Samples

The Two Different Inside Designs

Kosmo out!

Project #3 Complete and Rendering for Project #4

I completed my Vases!! I got the idea from Todd Oldham's book Handmade Modern but I changed it a bit. Instead of using a pigment and natural alcohol epoxy, I went a cheaper route and bought stained glass paint. The brand is Vitrail bought from my local crafts store. After coating the bottom of the vase in paint I simply held it upside down until the excess paint poured out. This created a smooth paint effect. I used two colors per vase (green and purple, and green and yellow). I then used silver liquid leaf on the rims to give it a finished look. To give the vases a personal, one-of-a-kind touch I enscribed the enitials and wedding date of the couple I made them for. I finally used transparent sealent on all painted areas so the vases can be wet or dry vases in any decorative setting.

Here is my rendering for the my mom's porch! My parents are trying to redecorate their house and my mom has the idea for a Key West Style. She asked me to paint their porch while I was home for the summer. We discussed what she was looking for and here is the rendering for the main section of the proch. I will base the section above the bar and the smaller section off of these palm trees with maybe an illusion of a sunset. The main background color will be a sea green and she wants the ceiling to be yellow. It's very Floridian but I feel it will be fun to do! (don't get too excited... just to warn you: I can't even get started for another week)

I was thinking for making more Vases and maybe selling them on Etsy or Ebay. Let me know what you think!

~Kosmo out!

3 new project ideas!

Ok so I have three definite projects that I am going to complete before the end of the summer! Two of them came out of those wonderful (basically free) craft books I mentioned in the previous post.


Project Wedding Invitations: My oldest sister, Anne, is getting married October 17 and since she is going to have a very small wedding I thought personal homemade invitations would be a nice touch. As I was looking through one of my craft books (Decoupage Made Easy) I found this beautiful project. I sent her the idea and she is very excited. I am going to make her an example with the image of her choice and then from there she will send me additional images as well as discuss small adjustments so they can be just right for their big day.
Pic of example:
Project Porch: I asked my folks to put me to work this summer as a way for me to pay them back for letting me stay rent free while I save for the move in Sept. So my mom has asked me to paint the porch. Easy, right? Not so much. It's not incredibly difficult just a bit of detail work. We have a bar out back and a we eat dinner on our porch table when the weather is nice, so my mom would like to give it some character. She is looking for a Key West Style porch with bold colors and a relaxing feel. Her idea is a beach scene and palm trees. I am going to make a simple rendering this or next week and then we will go to Home Depot or Lowes and pick out the paints together once we have discussed it further.

Project Wedding Present: One of my really good friends from high school is getting married in two weeks to her high school sweetheart (who is also a friend of mine). I am trying to save and am unable to spend a lot on a gift so I decided to spend time and thought on making a classy gift for their new home together. I am going to paint a set of vases for them. The idea was taken from once again one of my free craft books (Handmade Modern).

I will keep you updated on all the projects!

~Kosmo

Project 1 complete and Upcoming Projects

I finally finished my dress! It really should not have taken me as long as it did but I have had a lot on my plate lately. I know it seems I should be simply sitting on the couch eating cereal and watching cartoons... not that I haven't been doing that part of the time, however, I have been organizing, cleaning, and running around to get ready for the summer. My major accomplishments have been arranging my room, so it feels like someone actually lives there, and writing lesson plans for the summer.

Anyway, what you have all been waiting for:

Upcoming projects: last weekend there was a Hillsborough County Public Library book sale. Since I got there in with only one hour left in the sale they were basically giving the books away; I got a bag of craft and theatre books for only $1. I am going through the books this weekend and I will post the projects I am interested in. We will see what I accomplish by the end of the summer!

Kosmo out!

Project #2

So I still have not finished project one. I only have one cuff and the hem to do and the dress is complete! Today I went to put on the second cuff and because of the stressful day yesterday I miss placed it. After searching for 30min or so (longer than it would have taken to make a new one... but lets face it I am stubborn) I decided to complete the mother's day gift my mom is patiently awaiting.

My folks have been working on a picture hallway for a couple years. In my house we have a long back hallway that connects all the bedrooms. My dad had the idea to line the hallway floor to ceiling of family photos (since we are such a photo-happy family). My dad spent years organizing all our photos and placing them into labeled shoeboxes, after scanning and saving them on CDs. My mom has been compiling frames and my sisters and I have on occasion given them personalized frames and artwork including photos to add to the hallway.

I decided to make them something along the lines of photos for the wall but put an original spin on it. I wanted to take pictures of my sisters and I when we were young and find pictures of us now where we are posing similarly. It would have been ideal to do a "recreation" of our childhood photos but there was not time and we are so rarely all together anymore. But taking pictures that were unintentionally similar actually turned out great!

I got a shadow box from a local craft store and then covered the inside foam backboard with different fabrics, colored tissue paper and catologue cut outs. The different textures and colors acting as a background helped make the pictures pop. I then went around my house to find gift bags, game peices, fake flowers, and coloring supplies to help bring the shadowbox to life. I ended up not putting as much in just to keep it from getting too busy.


I hope you like it!

Some Things Never Change

--Kosmo

Project #1

For my first project I will be finishing a dress I started a couple weeks ago but put it aside as quickly as I picked it up. I got the pattern from the costume shop I used to work at. The pattern is a little too big for me so I will need to take in the side seams and I think I will embroider on the collar. Here is the pattern (the long dress):


and here is the main fabric:

-Kosmo!

This Summer

Hello all,

I graduated with a BA concentrating in drama, just a mere two weeks ago. Over the past five months I have been making contacts in various theatres and have decided to move to NYC. In order to afford the grand move to New York I have moved to my parents house for the summer. I got a very exciting job working for the Florida Aquarium. However, I am afraid that I will not be creatively stimulated SOOOO I have a slew of projects that I would like to complete before this summer is over.

I will be reading new plays every week and writing reviews and ideas I had while reading. I am in the middle of making a tunic style dress and am open to sewing more. I am scrapbooking a bit of my past four years at college. I would also like to make a t-shirt as well as a scrap fabric quilt. Lastly, I am looking to apply to a fellowship with the Goethe Institute, however, I need to be conversational in German; therefore this summer I will be starting to learn German.

During the summer I will add on more and more projects always reporting back to this blog! For each project I will describe it, say where I got the idea, how I am going about it, and finally will take pictures to document the process and the outcome.

I am excited for this summer to begin!

-Kosmo. Over and out.