Philotic Web

I was linked to a site that specializes in these by another message board and thought they looked too cool not to do at least one, so I'm currently working on making this:



When I finish I'll upload my poorer-quality version. So far I'm done with the bag and the masks, not looking forward to doing the body tomorrow.

One last lumen print before the darkness of winter makes it practically impossible.



Somehow this one went purple unlike the last one that went blue. No clue why.

Somehow this one went purple unlike the last one that went blue. No clue why.

Concentration of chemicals in the developer or fixer? Age of chemicals? age of paper stock? differing color temperature of the daylight, or of the bulb in the enlarger?

Somehow this one went purple unlike the last one that went blue. No clue why.

Concentration of chemicals in the developer or fixer? Age of chemicals? age of paper stock? differing color temperature of the daylight, or of the bulb in the enlarger?

Concentration of chemicals are the same. The toner has hardly been used and is the chemical that effects the color. Color temp of the daylight should have any effect since I believe when one uses enlarging paper as a POP paper it is mainly effected by UV light. Plus I believe color printing is the only psper that shows the effect of different color temps. Plus I don't use an enlarger of this process, unless you count the Sun as one.

The interesting thing is that I used to get this result then I remixed the toner and made those prints for Alea, which turned blue and now I get purple again. Nothing was changed between Alea's and now.

This took much longer than expected, the hands were impossible, I had to reprint the legs and completely redo them, a lot of my lines aren't lined up, and I somehow made it off-kilter, but this is such a fun hobby. This is the first time I've ever done something like this since fifth grade, and I want to make more.

Just something that doesn't have thumbs, preferably.

Cool! This thread is still going. It's been a while since I have been here and I still lurk occasionally. Here are some gemstones I have recently cut. I hope the pictures aren't too big.

First an amethyst. This one is Standard Round Brilliant that weighs about 2.6 carats and is 11mm round



Next up is an Oregon Sunestone. This one is ~5.5 carats.



Below is a Madeira citrine pear that weighs ~2.25 carats.



Finally another Madeira citrine weighing in at 2.81 carats. This one os called "Ken's Kwik Swix"

Wow! Those are beautiful! What a cool talent to have!

That looks awesome, Mich!

I feel like an idiot for not knowing what character that is, though... who is he?


I've been doing lots of crafty things lately - including a bunny costume for my daughter, a set of butterfly wings for me and crocheting stuffed animals.
I'll post pics soon.


PS. Anyone who's into crafts should check out http://www.dollarstorecrafts.com. It's amazing!

That looks awesome, Mich!

I feel like an idiot for not knowing what character that is, though... who is he?

Thanks! He's from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, the sequel to Ocarina of Time, aka Zelda 64. It's a very colorful and depressing game, and I think I like it better than Ocarina in terms of fun-ness. Anyway, that's the Happy Mask Salesman, who's kind of the boss character in terms of the one ordering the player around, as he makes you go get the titular mask that was stolen from him. He's very creepy and awesome.

Ah, Yes! He's in Phantom Hourglass as "The Man of Smiles".

Hey Mimx, those faceted stones are awsome! Question my dad gave me years ago a Ultra Tech faceting machine and a pile of laps? etc with it. Is it a useable outfit or too old or outdated . He got it at some farm auction and we know nothing of the machine or the process.

Hi Buckshot!

It's certainaly possible that your old faceting machine is usable since there are a lot of old machines still currently in use. In fact, I started cutting on an old machine and only bought a newer one after I decided that faceting gemstones was something I wanted to persue more earnestly. As long as the machine is in good condition, I don't see why you couldn't use it. Aside from the machine and laps, you would want to make sure that you have a set of dop sticks that fit the machine and transfer block (to transfer the stone to a new dop stick in order to cut the crown [top half] of a gemstone accurately. Also, you would want to find an instruction guide on meetpoint faceting.

It took me a lot of trial and error to get to where I am even with the simplest things. Think, "How in the world do I attach this stone to the dop stick?" As with everything else faceting gemstones takes practice, practice practice.

and crocheting stuffed animals.

Here is a amigurumi bearded dragon that I crocheted (without a pattern!) awhile ago:



And a family of dinos for my niece:

Those dinos are adorable!

My second go at this. Now that I know most of the basics, it's a lot easier, and I almost succeeded at getting the hands right this time. Really happy with it, mostly because it still can stand on its own, and it is just cool. I highly suggest anyone who likes making things to find something relative to their interests that they can make in papercraft and try it out.

An update on pear-shaped citrine:

This was a commission piece for a lady at work. I charged her my cost for the rough, $30 and $100 for the 10 hours it took me to cut this stone. She had it mounted in a pendant yesterday. One of the questions that she asked the jeweler was how much he would pay for the stone. Based on the size, rich color and the extra set of facets on the pavillion, the barion facets, she was told by the jeweler that he would pay $250 for the gemstone. I think that made both of us pretty happy.

BTW - I absolutely <love> the crocheted dinosaurs Luet! Simply adorable!

Experimenting with toning Fuji Instant film on my 4x5.
This is a scan of it toned in a gold toner.

Selenium toning didn't seem to have an effect, nor did split toning with gold and selenium.

I made a case for my Nintendo DS in the style of an old school controller.





It's not the greatest sewing job in the world, but it was fun to make!

Jan, that's awesome!

Also, these isn't mine, it's Brian's, but since he doesn't post, I'll brag for him!



These are Brian's designs of Marshmallow Guns. There is the standard, the kids size, the SWAT style and the pistol. Brian and my brothers and cousins used to go to a park and play (paintball style games) for HOURS once a week after dark. They had fun perfecting their designs. These are the results! They are also great for shooting kids and cats with.

Anyways, if anyone needs a gift for a niece or nephew or something, he's selling them on etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/marshmallowwars. They're cheap and so is the ammo!

I am loving the SWAT-style gun! That's awesome!

And JL, I'm jealous. Seriously.

old school controller

Psh, NES. You want old school, what about an atari 2600 controller? Don't gimme none of that "that's not a practical shape" nonsense.

(seriously, though, that's awesome)

I love seeing the whole postcard project all together!

I've been making Christmas cards this week, and second guessing which ones look good.

Of course, then I managed to send them without taking photos of them. I'm silly like that sometimes.

Ratey, my memory is pretty awful sometimes so if I never told you I got your card, I did and thank you, it was lovely.

The teens had a silk-screen program today and my coworker invited me to make one. I showed up with 20 minutes to go, so it wasn't as spiffy as I'd have liked but I'm still proud of how it came out.

I love it, Alea! You should teach me how to silk screen when you come visit me!

I wish I could show you how but the program involved us paying for someone with the screen and other supplies, so all we had to do was advertise to patrons and supervise.

Double post; apologies.

This is not a craft, really, but I didn't know where else to put it. I drew the woman from Destino today and as usual, came up short on the face, foot, and hand. I also couldn't tell where the other arm was supposed to go. But all that aside, I think it looks okay.

ETA: And looking at it again, some ear issues too. Well, phooey.

Consider me impressed, as always.

Alea, I love when you share your drawings. Keep em coming!

That's a beautiful figure drawing, Alea. I can never make them that streamlined...

Thank you.

My first attempt at making a book. This one is from a kit but eventually I want to make everything myself.

Ooooh, pretty, Twinny. Be a doll and explain how these kits work?

Bookmaking always reminds me of illuminated letters -thanks to Cornelia Funke's Ink series - which I <3.

I have my first original crochet pattern design published on ravelry! It's offered for free but still, I'm excited. Twelve people have marked it as a favorite in the first day! I think you have to be a member to see it but in case anyone is:

Chunky Basketweave Cowl Neckwarmer

Ooooh, pretty, Twinny. Be a doll and explain how these kits work?

Bookmaking always reminds me of illuminated letters -thanks to Cornelia Funke's Ink series - which I <3.

So I should keep reading, Alea? I got a few chapters in and got sidetracked.

Ooooh, pretty, Twinny. Be a doll and explain how these kits work?

This kit basically just came with the pages (which i've been reading up on and they sound pretty easy to make, or at least attempt) and the hard cover's for the book.

I picked out the paper, measured and cut it to size with flaps for folding. Glued the covers and spine onto the paper, folded the flaps I cut earlier over and glued them to the covers. Then I just had to glue the pages in and let them dry. It's actually really fun, and you can do whatever sizes, colors, patterns you want!