Melinda Chan

Made a plaster planter from a kit. It was my first time working with plaster of paris so I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out. I mixed the plaster with cold water, poured it into a mold and then removed it from the mold once it was dry. It was pretty straightforward and easy to do. Much easier than trying to handbuild a piece from clay. I didn't like how easy it was to accidentally scrape the vessel, but overall I enjoyed the simple process. I decided to keep the design simple with just marks. 

I've been making a pom-pom garland to brighten up the room. It's time-intensive, but the final result is worth it.

I'm a bit late in posting these travel photos from my trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I visited during the off season in the fall so there weren't too many tourists around, making it easier to take photos. Unique architecture, delicious food and art galleries galore. It was a nice trip to get away for a bit for some rest and relaxation.

Many years ago, my grandaunt made crochet blanket for us that we still use to this day. I've wanted to replicate it, but was never able to find out what stitch she used.

​Fortunately, a relative found a stitch called the Suzette stitch that resembled the stitch on the blanket. I gave it a try and made a scarf using bulky weight yarn and think that I finally found what I was looking for. 

It's been a while since I entered a drawing contest, but I did so earlier this year and won fourth place. I had forgotten how much work it was to draw and get files ready for submission. Hope to participate in more contests to come. Even if I don't win, it's important to get my work out there. 

In an attempt to continually learn and improve my skills/knowledge, I recently signed up for an annual subscription to the Interaction Design Foundation to take courses about UX/UI design. 

I just started some intro classes and the content has been clearly organized. Hoping to complete at least 5 classes by the end of next year!

The library had a free craft kit for November consisting of a blank banner and some felt pieces. It's been ages since I worked with felt so it was fun to give a try again. 

Decided to keep it simple and stick with autumn leaves and simple organic shapes. I like the look of depth from overlapping felt pieces on top of each other. Wish I had selected a brighter color for the "A" in "Thank". Another lesson learned is that I should have used a disappearing ink pen to mark up the felt. Because I used a regular marker, you can see outlines of the marks.

Overall, it was a simple, fun activity. Makes me want to create a banner for the other seasons as well. 

Made this beaded bracelet at a workshop sponsored by the local library in honor of Native American heritage month. It was a fun craft, though I had a bit of trouble handling the tiny beads. 

Each time I try a new craft, I get excited to learn more, but I have to control myself and focus my attention on learning fewer crafts on a deeper level. 

It was a great introduction, though and definitely piqued my interest. 

I haven't used polymer clay since I was a kid, but I had an unopened package at home and decided to give it a try. 

Ended up creating some mini pumpkins and a cardinal figurine. One advantage of using polymer clay is that I can work with it in small quantities at my regular table and not have to worry about needing fancy wheels or tools or getting the space dirty. After working with it, I can leave it out overnight to pick up the next day. I just pop the pieces into the toaster oven to dry them; no kiln needed.

However, one drawback is that the material feels different. It has a plasticky feel and it's difficult to attach parts to it, unlike traditional clay. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I'm still new to this material and don't have enough experience to know how to work with it. 

Overall, I think I would use this type of clay to make small decorations at home, but to make larger decorative items, I'd stick to regular clay. 

In an effort to decrease screen time and learn something new, my sister and I paid for a six month craft box subscription. The first month's project was making macrame planters.

We associated macrame planters with the 70's, but apparently the craft is making a comeback and it's been a popular home decor item. 

The kit came with enough materials to make 2 planters and 2 hangers. It was my first time using paper clay and I didn't like it much because I have past experience with real clay. However, it was still good to give it a try. For the pots, I used an 80's inspired color scheme. 

My sister made the planter on the left and I made the one on the right. It was an interesting experience learning macrame. I'd say that it requires a lot of focus and organization to keep track the cords that you are working with. It definitely required close attention to the instructions. We were constantly replaying the online videos to make sure we were doing things correctly. Because I have experience with crochet, I was used to the idea of keeping the tension consistent, which helped. I liked that the cords were thick and sturdy enough for me to untie them if needed to fix a mistake. However, I need to pay closer attention to keeping the cords straight so they don't accidentally get twisted.

Overall, it was an interesting exercise. I enjoyed learning a new craft and might look into other macrame items that I can make such as wall hangings. Looking forward to seeing what the next craft box will bring.