Mancrafts

Dressers

2011-06-29T15:22:00.001-07:00

It has been a long time since I have posted anything. It is not for lack of doing anything crafty, but it had more to do with working on my book Mermentau: Seal of the Forgotten. When it comes to things I make...for some reason my poor wife never seems to get anything. We were in need of some new dressers so I went to work. I got these dressers at Goodwill and with a little paint, paper, Mod Podge, and some knobs from Hobby Lobby they were revitalized. I did a little crackle/distressed finish on the orange dresser and on the pink one I cut a ton of paper pieces and made a collage on each drawer.

Ring-a-ling

2010-01-30T09:50:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of ring pics.

More Pics

2010-01-30T09:42:00.000-08:00

It is time to add some new pictures. You will notice that I have created some new styles. One is regular size, but I call it my double-double. It is double beaded and double sided, so it is really two bracelets in one. I have also added rings to the mix. You will also see the big double-double. It is just like the regular double double but the pieces are about a 1/2 inch longer. I hope you like them.

I Think They Like It

2009-12-14T10:51:00.000-08:00

First I want to thank the friends, family, and all that came out to the boutiques; it was a lot of fun and an overall success. It was really rewarding to see the interest in my domino jewelry creations. As a matter of fact it was there was so much interest in the portion of my inventory that I think I will just be focusing on that. There are so many styles and creations that I have not even introduced yet. I am working on getting my Etsy store up and running. It is ready, I just need to add the inventory. There was also a lot of interest in hosting parties which I think is a great idea. If anyone is interested in hosting a party, where I just bring out the inventory and the guests try them on and just hang out I will be up that starting mid January. Of course if you put on the party there will be some incentive for you. Again thank you to all and keep checking for the opening of the Etsy shop.

2 Boutiques this Weekend

2009-12-07T22:26:00.000-08:00

Well, I managed to get myself into two boutiques this weekend. I am pretty excited since this will be the second and third time the jewelry has been unleashed to the public. I think I will see a different crowd from my first boutique, and it will be interesting to see how it unfolds. Here are the details:

The Night Before Christmas Boutique

December 11th from 10am to 8pm

2882 E. Agritopia Loop S.,

Gilbert, AZ. 85296

Boutique in the Barn

Dec 12th from 8am to 5pm

13010 S. 71st St

Tempe, AZ 85284

I hope that anyone who can come will come. There are going to be a lot of great vendors. Above are couple of pictures of my signature Domino Jewerly bracelets. I will have my etsy store up and running shortly, stay tuned.

Urban Dictionary's Definition of Mancrafts

2009-11-03T12:39:00.000-08:00

I just couldn't resist. I was searching mancrafts on google doing some work to get my Etsy store started and this popped up from Urban Dictionary. I had to post it.

1. mancrafts

Crafts that guys do, but don't call crafts since that would be really gay; for example: building bongs, modding Xboxes, arcade video game restoration, making leather goods (but that is kinda gay if it's black leather), woodworking, modding and upgrading engines and cars, etc.

It is not a perfect fit, but the fact that someone tried to define it was pretty funny.

Table Pictures

2009-10-22T14:39:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos of my table at the boutique. It wasn't necessarily a show stopper, but I thought that overall it was a success. That to Chet for the mirror and grandma for the extra tablecloths.

Pretty Britty Boutique

2009-10-18T15:22:00.000-07:00

First of all, I apologize for not posting my most recent creations. After making just a few pieces of jewelry, there was enough interest that I decided to get a table at a weekend boutique. Let's just say I had my work cut out for me. Since my last post I have made about 100 pieces of jewelry and I even decided to create my own signature line (photo's and details to follow in the next post).
The boutique took place in Show Low, and I must say it was a success. It really gave me a feel of what people find most desirable. My one mistake is that in my haste, I forgot to take pictures of a lot of the pieces. The boutique was such a good experience that I am hoping to do it again in November and possibly December. To those who purchased items at the boutique, Thank you and I hope that you receive lots of compliments.
For those who just couldn't get enough, I still have some inventory or we could make you what you want.
I am still up in the air on my pricing. I really consider a large majority of the pieces I make to be art and in many cases, one time pieces. I also strive to only use glass, natural stones, and wood beads in my pieces. If I use plastic, the item will be priced lower to reflect.
Let the creations continue!

The Latest Completions

2009-09-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

You will find mostly earrings in this post. There are two necklaces and one bracelet that is paired with a set of earrings. My wife had a good idea to add two additional bracelets of solid purple to thicken things up and to not be totally matchy-matchy. I will see about putting that together. Please let me know what you think. P.S. Sorry the photos aren't all that great. That is not my expetise.

More and More Jewelry

2009-08-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

The earrings I posted earlier have been getting a lot of love so I decided to try my hand at some other items. I am posting pictures of a necklace (modeled by the oh so fabulous Kristi Adams) and a chunky bracelet modeled by my wife. I think a lot of the items I will be displaying over the next few weeks will be chunky or big. The board of advisors wants it so that's what they get. Stay tuned for more Jewelry and some pretty cool frames.

Board Of Advisors

2009-08-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

This is me and the craft board of Advisors (minus one, my wife taking the photo). They were all taking a turns with the power sander on the table renovation project. This project is going to take a little while, but I will be excited to post the before and after pictures.

(LtoR Addie, Bailey, Ellie, Gracee, and me)

Framed

2009-08-24T14:27:00.000-07:00

Frames may have started it all for me. That was the first item I had seen where wood, mod podge and paper meet to create a new product. The other things have just branched from that. They may not, be completely connected but that was the original spark. The frame you see here was an old one that we had and it used have a travel saying on it that broke off so I decided to transform it.

This was for a baby shower that my wife went to on Saturday. My wife picked out the buttons and came up with the idea to add the choo choo. I actual cut those letters out with an Xacto knife. Some day I will add a plotter to the collection for flawless lettering.

How About Some Jewelry

2009-08-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

I must admit I am pretty proud of this piece. Would I change some things? Definitely...but over all when I made these last night and had my wife try them on...I was feeling pretty proud. Mostly because my wife is smokin hot, and second because I thought the earrings added to that hottness. (ps when working with colorful beads the kids must be in bed...otherwise Disaster)

First Try

2009-08-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

My mom pointed me in the directions of a blog called modge podge rocks which has a lot of good ideas. I had never really heard of the stuff, but once I saw the concept I thought "easy enough". I grabbed this little bottle we had up the cupboard, grabbed some decorative paper (two pieces the designed print and the solid) and here it is.

Truth be told, there are some serious flaws in the work. I just strategically placed the bottle so that those flaws are hidden (much like people do when they are selling cars).

What the heck

2009-08-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

So you may be wondering if my Man Card should have a lifetime ban for the blog name alone....it's debatable. What is guy to do when is he has four daughters. You can either fight the current or join the flow. Not to mention I grew up with three older sisters right above me. The good thing is that I am completely comfortable with my manhood and I can still tap into my creative side.

Some would call my constant desire to create a form of ADD and to be honest I would not argue with that statement. Since the time I was eight I have started at least a few thousand projects that I have never finished. That my friends would be the ADD flaw. Although, I think I had a small breakthrough. In late February I finally decided that I would write an action fantasy book. I had always wanted to do it, but who has the time or energy for that. I wrote a few pages and decided it was pretty good so I vowed that I would not stop until it was finished. Just a few weeks ago I completed the final edit of Mermentau: Seal of the Forgotten. It is 261 pages of 12 pt New Times Roman one and half spaced. I have had a few "wow moments" where I just can't even believe that I completed a book. So, I started the second book of the series. If I can finish a book, I should be able to start and finish other projects. With that said, I decided I would start doing some crafts and displaying the work and possibly selling to those who enjoy them and are looking to take them off of my hands. I would claim this as a novel idea, but you and I both know that this is craft blog number 12,345,908...but it is the only Mancrafts!