Childhood Crafts Revisited #1 Rock Paperweights

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Swap Coordinator:	Alaindrea (contact)
Swap categories:	Challenges Crafts Newbie
Number of people in swap:	2
Location:	Regional - US and Canada only
Type:	Type 3: Package or craft
Last day to signup/drop:	August 25, 2009
Date items must be sent by:	September 15, 2009
Number of swap partners:	1
Description:
Most of us made some pretty horrible art projects as children, that we typically gave to our parents as gifts. Many of our parents still proudly display our first scribbles and misshapen ashtrays. The childhood crafts revisited series is about getting a second chance at the projects and examining the way we learned our artistic styles. For this project, we are revisiting rock paperweights. As children, we had to find a rock and paint it (typically all one color with our name printed on the bottom by the teacher in Sharpie). Many of our parents still use these. This time around, we are going to find a rock, then use any medium we choose to decorate it according to our partner's profile. Then, we will send our partner his or her brand new paperweight. (Yes, you may paint the rock.) In the photo, the rock shown is decorated with polymer clay. Photo Credit: cc: by-sa Sarah Klockars-Clauser, used under Creative Commons License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/ Send one paperweight made from a decorated rock to one partner. Paperweights should be based on your partner's interests. The finished paperweight should not be much bigger than your fist, but should be larger than a silver dollar. Newbies welcome with a filled out profile. If you aren't new please have a 4.8 rating or higher, and no "1" ratings or unexplained "3" ratings in the last 3 months. Please put some effort into your rock. Don't just glue on googly eyes (a la the "pet rock") and call it done. Cost for this project should be almost free, excluding shipping, so please make your best effort. This one should not look like the one you made in grammar school! Other thoughts (completely optional): Maybe decorate a polished rock or gemstone? It could be fun to include any or all of the following with your rock: A note about rock paper weight memories. Photos of your first rock paper weight. A note about how you made your rock. A note about how you found your rock. A photo of a rock paperweight given to you by a young person in your life.

Discussion

NoiseComplaint13 07/27/2009 #

such a cute idea!! I'm in.

Alaindrea 07/27/2009 #

Thanks! Next, I want to do "tin can pencil holders". :)

somethingblue 07/27/2009 #

I love the idea for this series! I made a sort of "stained glass" candle as a child for my mother where I decoupaged tissue paper on a little candle. She still uses it in her bathroom. And the ornaments I made for her in elementary school still dangle from our tree each year!

raeraethejetplane 07/27/2009 #

That sounds like a heavy package. But I am still intrigued.

Alaindrea 07/27/2009 #

@somethingblue my mom sitll has a lopsided plant hanger I made in woodshop in her kitchen window, and the ceramic wind chimes I made with cookie cutters are still in the bathroom. She has an entire box of scribbles and cut out heart valentines cards, and there is still a tin can and string pencil holder somewhere in her house. :)

@raeraethejetplane It should be pretty heavy, that's why I said USA/Canada only ;) I love international mail, but I won't pay to mail a rock to Australia ^_^ When we had an exchange student from Korea, we mailed her family a set of dominoes, it cost $20 to mail the set of double Six.

Alaindrea 07/27/2009 #

@somethingblue I made ornaments too. We had ones where we wrote our names on a solid color glass ball in glue, then rolled it in glitter, and we did ones where we bought a ceramic blank and painted it.

I'd love to hear more suggestions for what we'd like to do again. My husband did make me promise that we wouldn't do Macaroni pictures, though. He suggested hand turkeys, lol. I like that Idea.

somethingblue 07/27/2009 #

@Alaindrea I love making hand turkeys! Last year my pals and I threw a Thanksgiving party and I drew Turkey-versions of my friends. I think that could be really fun. Maybe we could make a Turkey version of ourselves and another special person in our lives? I would so join that.

LittleCakes 07/29/2009 #

Love this idea! My parents still have my rock "art" on the window sill in their kitchen and wonky clay bear pencil holder! Anyone remember the masking tape decorative boxes?

Alaindrea 08/ 4/2009 #

@somethingblue I was thinking more along the lines of "artistic" hand turkeys...Aka no crayon, nicely embellished?

How do you do hand turkey people?

@littlecakes

That's a new one to me, tell me about it?

Alaindrea 08/ 4/2009 #

I was also thinking about friendship bracelets :)

ostera15 08/20/2009 #

What about things made from popicle sticks? I remember doing lots of those!

Alaindrea 09/10/2009 #

@ostera15 ....ME likee! Very Big Grin

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