Category: Crafts

These are a couple of my favorite pens that I made. And since they are pink…I made them for myself! I use them both all the time and get many compliments on them. The first one is made of dyed maple (or boxelder…I can’t remember). This turned out so cool, but it was a really hard wood to turn and hurt when the little pieces hit your hand. And it smelled pretty bad. But all of that was worth it for the way it turned out! There are a couple small holes in the wood, too. I have since learned how to fill those holes, but since these are so small, they are hardly noticeable. This was also the first pen of this style and shape that I made. It has a slightly different kit with the center being thicker than the ends. I really like this shape pen!

Which is why I chose to use it on this pen, too! This is so smooth and shiny! People are always surprised that I make the acrylic ones. They really aren’t much harder to turn than wood. Just a little different and a bit more tedious. So they take a bit longer. But I think the result is worth it! 🙂

These are a couple pens and key chains I haven’t shown on here yet. I tend post them to Crafts On A Whim, but forget to post them here, too. The first ones are of the pens. The light pen is Bird’s Eye Maple. I also made burn lines in this one. The other pen in this picture is the first acrylic/plastic pen I had made. This material is a bit trickier to turn, but people are always surprised that I made it!

These are a couple of key rings that I made. The black and white one is made out of layers of wood glued together. I was going to make this into a pen, but screwed up one half of it, so I used this side for a key ring. The other one in the picture is one I made for Chuck out of Walnut. This was my first attempt at making a rounded versus flat style in the wood. I was pretty happy with how it turned out.

This is an acrylic pen I made recently. People I have shown it to either love or hate the way it looks. I think it looks cool, but with my small hands, I have a hard time holding this size pen.

I haven’t actually sold any pens, but I am pleased to say that I have traded one for a haircut! I was so excited!

Here are a few more pens I have done recently. They are (from lightest to darkest) Yew, Mesquite, Walnut, and Ebony.

I have also updated SimplyWhimsical.com a bit and added some new cards and a couple of these pens I showed you. I have started to charge more for items because I have been selling them too cheaply for the time they take me to make them.

I am also working on learning how to turn things other than wood. Like plastics. I haven’t done one yet, but I will post some pictures when I do!

I am a bit funny when it comes to wood. Most people want to find the most perfect piece…not me. I want to find the strangest piece of wood with the most imperfections. I think they have so much more character. I like the knots and the strange colors in wood. So this second pen was perfect! I was so pleased with the colors in it! I also took a picture of the two pens together.

This is a picture of the first pen I turned. I am so proud of myself and so happy with how it turned out! These are two pictures of the same pen, just on different sides. I couldn’t decide which picture I liked better of it! Enjoy!

I have a new hobby. And yes, it is something other than stamping. I can hardly believe that! I have starting turning wood. This is where you take a piece of wood and it spins and you shape it. You can make pens, bowls, all sorts of fun things. My hubby’s step mom does it and that’s where I saw it. Then his dad got me the tools for Christmas. We made a little wood shop for me in the basement. It’s just wonderful. This picture is of some pen tubes I turned. These were the first ones I did and they turned out great. I am quite impressed. I have just watched people and videos and this was my first go at! I am sure you will be seeing more of these in the future. Enjoy!

Yes, I am sure that is a strange thing to hear from me. I had a hand-me down sewing machine and I have been making some new things recently. So I got a new one the other day. This is the one I got.

I am so very excited about it. I made this lovely creation with it shortly after I got it home!

Take note of the button hole and button! That is a wonderful feature that this machine has. I am so excited to try all the fun stitches it has. I am going to add buttons to some of the purses I have made in the past.

This is another creation I have recently done (not on the new sewing machine).

I found a pattern for this ribbon purse in a magazine. When I made it, it was really small, so Chuck’s mom helped me make the pattern larger and this is what I created. I have seen simiar purses to this in stores made of seatbelt material. But they are expensive….Now I see why after making one. They take a long time with all the ribbons. It’s not extremely complicated, just time consuming.

I am hoping to sell purses on SimplyWhimsical.com in the near future. So this new machine will help immensely.

On a side note…After my grandma passed away, I kept some of her old jewelry. I have been using some of the beads from some of her things and creating new items. I have made a few pairs of earrings so far. I like that I am giving a new life to her things. And when I like wearing something that was hers.