Crafting Chat—7/23/02
HGTV: Welcome to HGTV's hosted chat room. Today, Carol Duvall is here to answer your questions. Good afternoon, Carol!
Carol Duvall: Hi everybody! Happy summer day everybody.
Question: Hi Carol, I have a new idea for using stencils, and stamps. If you got to see my projects that I sent you (3D little red riding hood, and others) The sand can be stamped on with stamps or stencils. You can contact me if you want to know more about it.. PS-I love your show! Keep up the good work!
CD: Send your e-mail address or contact information to webmaster@hgtv.com and it will be passed along.
Q: Hi Carol , when do your new programs start?
CD: Just a minute while I ask the Webmaster that. I don't have the exact dates yet, but I have been assured it should be sometime in early October.
Q: I really enjoyed your show on Vladimir Rozenschtein and would like to get some contact information on him... I am very interested in purchasing his Stencils.... Is that possible?
CD: Apparently, we do not have contact information for Vladimir. Send the hgtv webmaster your contact information, and I'll check to see if we can get it through Weller Grossman Productions.
Q: Is your program schedule like so many others where you go to the studio for three weeks and tape every episode BIM! BAM! BOOM! and then are "free" for the rest of the season? Carol H
CD: Well, you have part of that right. (LOL) I go to Los Angeles for six weeks. Even before we go into the studio, there is a lot of work... such as putting the voice track on our field pieces, checking wardrobe, etc. We tape for four weeks, and then there are several days of packing up, meetings to review what we've just done, and more meetings to discuss what we might do next time. Then, I come back home and spend a lot of time writing up all the directions for all the projects and segments I've just done. By that time, another batch of mail has piled up, and it's time to get going on the next series of shows...and so it goes. Believe me, I am not complaining. It's an interesting schedule. But it's not three weeks and then "play time."
Q: First time here. How does this work? Do you get to see all questions and answers?
CD: I'm still asking the question, "How does this work?", myself. (LOL) You're sitting...I don't know where...I'm sitting in Michigan. The questions and the webmaster are sitting in Knoxville, TN. I see on my screen just what you're seeing on yours. I have no idea whether we get to all the questions, or only a few...I don't know. We get to as many questions as we can. And some, of course, cannot be answered. If someone asks for me to tell them how to make something, and the directions are not on the Website...that isn't anything I can give directions for just off the top of my head without any visuals, it might take the full hour.
Q: Looking for decorating metal boxes on 7/23/02?
CD: I think the episode you're looking for is CDS-817. I'm really not that brilliant, but our webmaster is... and if you will look that up under The Carol Duvall Show on the hgtv.com website, the directions will be there.
Q: Carol, I love your show!!!! I loved the shows with Debbie Harmon. Will you have her as a guest on your show again?
CD: Oh my goodness...the show that wouldn't die. Of course, I realize that it wasn't just THAT show, but the whole week. ...that Debbie was on. That was our first season and Debbie has not been doing any crafting or anything that I know of that would allow me to have her back as a guest. I love that girl and would really love to do it, but business is business.
Q: Carol what is the address for your shoebox?
CD: It's the address that I think they still give on every show for whatever the question or problem. It's:
The Carol Duvall Show
c/o HGTV
PO Box 50970
Knoxville, TN 37950
If you will write "Shoebox" on the outside of the envelope, it would be appreciated. In any case, I will eventually get it. Thank you.
Q: What's the best kind of glue to work with glitter?
CD: The kind of glue that Barbara Trombley uses with her Ultra-fine glitter is Designer Dries-Clear Adhesive. If you're not using the really fine glitter, perhaps any clear-drying, white glue would do. But Barbara is the expert when it comes to beautiful glitter work.
Q: Carol, are you going to be doing any scrapbooking in the near future?
CD: LOL. There would be no way to avoid it! Even if I wanted to. And of course, we do want to do it because it continues to be so very, very popular. At the recent ACCI show in Chicago, the BIG craft show, perhaps 50 percent of the booths were devoted to scrapbooking. Absolutely amazing!
Q: I'm doing a craft where I'm melting crayons and then pouring them into candy molds. But now I can't seem to get them clean- any suggestions? Thanks!
CD: Well, you didn't say what material the molds are made from... I'm guessing they might be plastic. I think I would try hot water to see if you can get it hot enough to melt the residual wax without melting the plastic. And I'm thinking that next time, a protective coating before pouring the wax in would help.
Q: Will you be doing any shows crocheting, I use to enjoy the segments with a yarn company representative? thanks
CD: We have a couple scheduled for crocheting, and a couple of knitting ones as well. It's becoming so popular again that I'm able to sneak in a few more needlework projects. But, unfortunately, knitting and crocheting don't lend themselves to television demonstration. It's very frustrating to me...but we'll keep trying.
Q: How can I prevent the last part of the femo from coming out of the pasta maker so uneven in width and length? Donna's always comes out almost square.
CD: Donna, or one of the other polymer clay experts, would probably be better to ask as they have more experience and knowledge. My guess, and it's only a guess, is that perhaps it wasn't conditioned enough before being put through the machine.
Q: I do not have a pasta machine to condition polymer clay. How can I condition it by hand, what do I roll it out with and what should the thickness be?
CD: A rolling pin devoted to just polymer clay--no baking or cooking with it afterward--will do the job for you. It will take longer and use a little more of your energy. But it can be done. It helps, of course, to have the clay soft enough before you start. Do what you can by warming it up with just your body heat and working it with your hands, and then start rolling. The thickness...you'd probably start out with it being maybe 1/4 inch, and just keep trying to get it thinner and thinner until it's perhaps a 1/16 of an inch, or 1/8 at the most. If you do a lot of polymer clay work, it might be worth the investment of a pasta machine. But try it with the rolling pin first. I was able to purchase a beautiful marble rolling pin for $2 at a yard sale.
Q: Can you emboss slick wax paper?
CD: I've never tried it, but what would it take? Five minutes and a piece of wax paper? And a stylus? Give it a try. Or, are you talking about embossing with embossing powder and a rubber stamp? I don't know.
Q: Hi, Carol, my name is Marla. I have been one of your viewers for a while. What I would like to know is are you going to have some Plastic Canvas projects on your program? That is one of my favorite crafts. Do you know what things there will be?
CD: Since the last segments we did on plastic canvas, I do not believe there have been any more scheduled. But if you missed the ones we've already done, I'm sure they'll air again.
Q: What is the difference between crafting ink and pigment stamping inks?
CD: I'm embarrassed to tell you that in spite of the fact that all these different inks have been explained and described to me numerous times, I still can't answer your question. Not being a daily rubberstamper. I forget! However, I would suggest that you simply call your neighborhood rubber stamp store and ask them. I apologize.
Q: Hi Carol, just wanted to say that I watch your show every day. Wish I had you for a next door neighbor. Try as I might, the projects I try from your show just don't turn out the way yours do. Thanks for giving me the source to at least learn.
CD: First of all, I love your attitude. And secondly, you've seen a project on the show that lasted maybe five, 10 minutes at the most, and think about how much time was spent before that 10 minutes in preparation and practice...getting a project to that point. So don't be discouraged. Just keep trying. By the time any project gets to television, it looks pretty easy. You just didn't see the 'getting there' part.
Q: Can you use liquid glue as a substitute for spray adhesive?
CD: It depends on what you're trying to glue. Mainly, the area that you have to cover. If you' re wanting to glue two large pieces of paper together, for example, it would be a lot easier to get a light coating off spray adhesive on than to cover the area with a liquid glue that would perhaps ripple the paper. So while the adhesive itself would do the job in most cases, it's how you would apply it, and what you are applying it to that would determine the better adhesive to use.
Q: Do you have to use special paint on glass or can you use a sealer or an outside coating?
CD: A lot depends on what the item is to be used for. Generally speaking, glass paint works better on glass, but if you have a sealer and some other paint, I would certainly do a practice run on a sample. I firmly believe there are a lot of 'special' products out there that are special only that they have a different label on them. So go ahead, experiment.
Q: Hi Carol, I had the great pleasure of meeting you in Traverse City a couple of weeks ago. I was the one with the sock monkey. haha Anyway, my question is... During how much of the year do you actually tape your shows? and how many guest appearances do you do?
CD: Generally, these days, it's about 2-1/2 months of actual studio time. But that's plus eight months pre-production time. And the rest of the time is filled with, well...chat rooms for example, mail for example, and just miscellaneous. I do very few guest appearances these days...and I stopped in at Debra's store, which is where I think we met, just to do a friend a favor.
Q: Will you be taping new shows with more polymer clay crafts?
CD: LOL. And if I said "no," I think that all the polymer clay people would be storming the gates of HGTV. Yes, of course, we will be doing more shows with more polymer clay segments, and more wonderful, talented people.
Q: I want to learn how to make and put together German stars.
CD: First of all, I'm happy to hear from the last remaining person on earth who hasn't made one yet! I'm teasing, of course. This certainly has become the rage again. To answer your question, on the hgtv.com website, they have the written, illustrated directions as well as a video. Look up under The Carol Duvall Show "German star". And I am almost positive that the show on which I did the very slow, step-by-step demonstration will play again sometime during the holiday season. Good luck, but be warned! Once you learn how to do them, they can become addictive.
Q: Hi Carol -- love your show! I want to seal my painted suitcase. Do you recommend the spray on kind or the liquid?
CD: I almost think that's a case of 1/2 a dozen one; six of the other. Personally, I think I would use the brush-on. If you do use the spray-on--and it's really, I think, a matter of choice--you might need to add more than one coat.
Q: Hello, are you familiar with knitting socks on circular needles?
CD: No, I'm not. I wish this was possible to do a back-and-forth thing on these chats because I would have questions. How could you get a circular needle that's small enough for the circumference that a sock would be? If you have knowledge of this method, perhaps you could let our webmaster know. I've only done them on the old four needles.
Q: Carol ,did you have children that also share your craft talents?
CD: I have one son who earns his living as an artist. And he is truly an artist, far beyond what I do.
Q: Have you ever had reverse painting on your show?
CD: Yes, a couple of times as a matter of fact...although I can't tell you exactly when. ...other than to say it was quite some time ago. If memory serves me right, I think we even had Jan Dressler do reverse stenciling one time on windows.
Q: What pigment inks are the best to use when embossing? Meaning what pigment ink will embossing powder best stick to? I guess I'm asking a 2-part question. Thank you. :) And I love your show, Carol. I'm a new stamper and your show has shown me different exciting techniques.
CD: I would suggest that you ask that at your rubber stamp store. To really be able to answer your question, I would need to be more familiar with all of the different embossing products rather than just the one I might have on hand. And I'd hate to steer you down the wrong path...so again, it's asking the experts in rubber-stamping.
Q: Carol, do you all the projects that are on your show?
CD: The guest experts do their own projects. Even if I had the talent, there wouldn't be enough hours in the year to do that many projects. As for the projects that I do, some I do completely by myself... some, Cherryl (my assistant) does, and some we work on together. But even if Cherryl has done the preparation, I still go through them all before I do anything on the air.
HGTV: Well, everyone, our chat hour has ended. Thanks for joining us today. And thank you, Carol, for answering our questions.
Carol Duvall: I enjoyed it. I always feel badly when I can't give full and complete answers...but it's always a question. Shall I admit I don't know, or shall I make something up? I try to stay honest because I appreciate you all giving up your time to join us. I won't be back until September 25th, because I'll be leaving for LA soon to tape a bunch more shows for you. Thank you again, all of you. And thanks to our expert typists, Lisa and Julie.
