I'm all excited about the July 4th holiday this year! My Mom is coming up from Florida to visit with us and stay in our teeny apartment. She hasn't seen our DC place since we moved in last August and then it was just a pile of boxes. But without her it probably would still be a pile of boxes. With her help we unpacked and settled into this place in record time!I'm excited to show her around the neighborhood now that I know it better! I have a long list of things I can't wait to show her.We'll be having some friends over on the 4th and going up to the roof of our building to watch the…
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claudine hellmuth
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happy independence day weekend!
1 Jul 2009 | 8:11 pm -
the puppies + kittens need you!
30 Jun 2009 | 6:33 pmHere's a video that is 100% sure to tug at your heartstrings. It's a photo slide show of all the precious lives saved by Bernie Berlin, of A Place to Bark animal rescue. Every-single-one of these animals wouldn't be alive if it weren't for Bernie. Watch this video and feel the impact of what she does!Bernie you're amazing!!! How you can help A Place to BarkDonate just $5 or $10 will help save another life and go toward helping A Place to Bark finish the much needed indoor shelter!Even though Bernie has money in her 6 degrees badge that money is already accounted for in vet bills. I can not… -
linky shout out time!
24 Jun 2009 | 7:09 pmLots of exciting linky shout outs and a big THANK YOU to everyone who used the Claudine Hellmuth Studio products on their blogs! I found some more great projects that you don't want to miss!GET INSPIRED:Tanya Watts created a Claudine Hellmuth Studio sticky-back canvas mirror with stamping!Jessica Acs has a great tutorial on her blog and demonstrates the difference between Multi Medium and Liquid Laminate for gluing!Jessica Acs has another super tutorial on her blog an altered paint can as message board! Love it!Crystal Jefferey Rigger shows how she altered a 7Gypsies binderie using Claudine… -
stitching party!
23 Jun 2009 | 5:40 pmTomorrow I am headed over to the amazing Amy Powers' house for a day of embroidery with a bunch of fun gals!artwork/photo by Amy Powers of Inspire Co.I can hardly wait! I keep "saying" that I want to incorporate more needlework/sewing into my work and then I never actually get around to doing it -- maybe this will be just the push I need. We'll be making little sampler's like this one above. This photo is of Amy's work from her amazing blog. Check it out! -
i'm in stuffed magazine!
22 Jun 2009 | 5:06 pmI have an article in the new issue of Stuffed Magazine (volume 2)!In this article, I have directions show how to use my Claudine Hellmuth Studio Sticky-back Canvas to create photo dresses!I love this magazine, if you haven't seen it yet, check it out at Barnes & Nobel or Borders!
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HELLOmynameisHeather
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Frozen Bozo
2 Jul 2009 | 4:32 pmThis photo cracks me up. Can anyone guess what my concept was here? That's right, it's a dessert interpretation of a 70s clown. You're not afraid of clowns are you? My new ice cream recipe from Father's Day this year... -
I'll Get You, My Pretty.
1 Jul 2009 | 11:34 pmIn the spirit of summer picnics, I've added three colors of gingham to the variety show, in long and standard lengths: She's No Picnic - Red Gingham My Pretty - Blue Gingham Check Please - Pink Gingham And a pack... -
Red, White, and Blue All Over
27 Jun 2009 | 10:13 pmJune has been beautiful this year. Normally it's breath-suckingly hot in June in Arizona. We've been camping and canoeing, working in the yard, and eating outside at every chance. Being outdoors with my family more than usual this month has... -
Black, White, and Read All Over
26 Jun 2009 | 12:11 amI always forget to post these things, but not today. Check out the big ol' cover story in today's Arizona Republic newspaper -- on me. In the article photos, I'm talking it up in my studio, one of those mid-sentence... -
Scruff n Stuff
21 Jun 2009 | 3:44 pmBobbin is in heat. In the heat. Not so fun. But, she has a fresh haircut and a bow in her hair, so that's something. We can all relate. I get regular requests for dog updates. Pupdates. Bobbin and Pixel...
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Tim Holtz
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final store booked for the year...
2 Jul 2009 | 11:11 amhey bloggers! don't you just love the feeling when there's something you can check off of the proverbial daily check list? well today i've booked my last store visit for the year! woo-hoo! it's been a crazy whirl-wind this year... -
the ten seconds event....
30 Jun 2009 | 10:14 amhey bloggers! getting everything unpacked here and happy to be home for the next week and a half! can you believe it? lots of things to still do around here though with deadlines, project plans, etc., but still home no... -
heading home...
29 Jun 2009 | 12:39 pmthank you TEXAS! we're just sitting at the airport in dallas and had to share this with all of you bloggers... the very talented, funny, and "sweet as tea" melody who works at stamp asylum created this hysterical photo of... -
greetings from the asylum...
27 Jun 2009 | 12:20 amhey bloggers! well today was a great first day teaching here in texas, and yes, it's hot, but we're inside all day creating our little hearts out so it's all good... i wanted to share some pictures of one of...
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CRAFT
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Twitter Giveaway: Follow Us and Win a CRAFT T-Shirt!
2 Jul 2009 | 6:00 pmJust a reminder about our Twitter Giveaway that's going on this week. Three lucky CRAFT Twitter followers will win a CRAFT T-Shirt. Start following us here @craft. We'll announce the winner next Monday, July 6th. Good luck! [Read this article] [Comment on this article] -
Circuit Board Candy
2 Jul 2009 | 5:00 pmHere's some circuit board candy Collin @ MAKE found in the MAKE Flickr pool. It's based off of the iPhone circuit board and has some innovations I haven't seen before including a sour straw ribbon cable. Nice! [Read this article] [Comment on this article] -
Spaghetti and Meatballs Cake
2 Jul 2009 | 4:40 pmFor me, this almost falls into the kitty litter and/or thorax cake category; it's amazing to look at, but could I actually eat it? But then, discovering that the meatballs are some sort of chocolate truffle goodness, and seeing a piece of the cake sliced to expose a moist, banana cake center, and my inhibitions melt away! Read all about it and lots of other yummy dishes on the tasty Ciao Chow Linda blog. (Thanks, Diane!) [Read this article] [Comment on this article] -
How-To: Make 4th of July Ric Rac Flowers
2 Jul 2009 | 4:00 pmVickie Howell shows how to bring a little crafty nostalgia to your 4th of July table with these dandy little ric rac flowers. [Read this article] [Comment on this article] -
Wind-Powered Knitting Machine
2 Jul 2009 | 3:00 pmThis rad wind-powered knitting machine knits a long tube while the wind blows. It uses a vintage sock knitting machine. I love it as a visualization of how windy it's been in the last few hours/days. Via knitgrrl. More: CRAFT Video: Antique Sock Knitting Machines at Maker Faire Austin CRAFT Video: Machine-Knitted QR Code Scarf Knitting your voice [Read this article] [Comment on this article]
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not martha
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links: food
2 Jul 2009 | 8:17 amExpert settles debate about mixing water or milk with eggs If you're making an omelet add a little water, for scrambled eggs add milk or cream. At Seattle PI. Cool kitchen contraptions - Seattle PI Looks like Chicago metallic (half way down) has a three channel lasagna pan. Convenient if you only really want to make lasagna for one or two people. Orangette: Brown bag it The chickpea salad that is simple and delicious and seems is consistently one of the more popular on Orangette's site. I've made it so now I understand. Lard: After decades of trying, its moment is finally here. - By Regina… -
links: beauty
1 Jul 2009 | 6:31 amBodies in Motivation » Blog Archive » Shake (and Shimmy!) Up Your Exercise. My hair is very slightly wavy. I'd like it to be more wavy - almost curly. | Ask Metafilter. Advice on how to get curlier hair without adding much time to a morning routine. Laura Lee's All In One Guide to Going CG. Please help me Identify a Perfume/Fragrance | Ask Metafilter. Good suggestions for light, citrusy perfumes. Peter Thomas Roth Oily Problem Skin SPF 30. at Outblush. -
links: misc
30 Jun 2009 | 10:58 am6 extraordinarily stubborn 'nail houses', like the house in Up. Edith's house here in Seattle is the first example! (via Kottke) Pick Punch Make guitar picks from anything. Interesting. I wonder if it would actually punch through a credit card? Or should Scott just keep using his keychain nail clippers to make a pick? (From Alyssa, thanks!) The cultural signifiers and genre sexism of urban fantasy :: Rebecca Blood. Rebecca points us to a very good article. The Park Bench: How to Meet and Woo a Nerdy Girl. Very funny, I like Tip #11. Make hay while the sun shines : Martha’s Vineyard Fiber… -
links: food
29 Jun 2009 | 9:17 amThe Syrah Boom That Wasn't : Why do people think this wine sucks? - CHOW. A brief explanation of good and bad Syrah and why everybody seems to have stopped buying it. cheese straws | smitten kitchen. Perfect party trick indeed. The Chocolate Chip Cookie Bowl Sundae - Ruhlman.com. My goodness I love this. DIY Maraschino Cherries at Edible Crafts pork, knife & spoon A blog all about pork! BaconCamp / Bacone totally brilliant, bacon cooked into the shape of a cone. Puts my bacon cup to shame, really. New Finds: Garlic-Destroying Bowl I once watched Chef Reinvented make a paste of garlic by… -
Sponsor Thank You - A Shepherd’s Tale
26 Jun 2009 | 5:22 amA big thanks to A Sheherd's Tale, the blog of the Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm, for being a sponsor on this site. I've talked previously about the farm and how amazing it is that Susan can keep an amazing blog considering how very, very much she does. I'm truly in awe of her, the business, and how much goodness she brings into the world. If you don't already follow her adventures I highly encourage you to do so, she gives such a generous window into her world. And if you are looking for an incredible gift for a knitter or spinner, I suggest again a share in the fiber CSA would be perfect. Say…
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whip up
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how-to: embroidered end-papers
2 Jul 2009 | 12:36 pmI dunno how she does it, but she does, she’s clever like that! Jenny Hart comes up with another cracking idea for using her embroidery patterns. Link. Similar Posts: big business pretending to be indie | Fiber Arctic at Schmancy | embroidered alphabet mini quilt | embroidered yeti | best post ever: merwing | Share and Enjoy: -
how-to: papercutting
2 Jul 2009 | 8:00 amElsita shows us how-to papercut. Link. Similar Posts: how-to: wire a button letter | tutorial: sashiko stenciling | how-to: make a quilted pendant | diy displays – for crafty types | how-to: mitered pillows | Share and Enjoy: -
handmade swimsuit
2 Jul 2009 | 7:03 amthinking of making your own swimsuit this summer (for those in the north hemisphere) Burda Style has a free pattern for the Alison Swimsuit : Pattern school has lots of advice and patterns for making a range of swimsuit styles. If you love these but have no time to make them – there are few very cute swimsuits available from etsy sellers: 1. Ladramaqueen : 2. Swimsuitlady : 3. MissBrache Similar Posts: handmade knickers | whiptips: childrens handmade gift packs | book: free-style handmade bags & skirts | handmade love #3 | book: handmade hellos | Share and Enjoy: -
hand eye magazine
2 Jul 2009 | 4:19 amA new online textile magazine, hand eye magazine, with a wide variety of topics such as sustainability, traditions and history, and well as featuring artists and exhibitions and looking at materials and processes. Promises to be a fantastic read and resource. With articles such as ‘The old language of indigo‘ and inside indigo – looking at the processes and traditions of Indigo dyeing [If you want to indigo dying at home there is an indepth article here.] Happy Chaos – the story of Cape Town’s Mielie Studio – turning scraps from South Africa’s fashion and… -
new editor of knitting daily
2 Jul 2009 | 3:57 amInterweave Names Kathleen Cubley Editor of KnittingDaily.com Kathleen says: I’m addicted to all things knitting, including magazines, books, and online magazines, patterns, and blogs. I’m so excited to become part of the online knitting world, taking over the reins so deftly handled by Sandi. I look forward to becoming a big part of your community, bringing you new techniques, projects, author introductions, tips and tricks, videos, knit-a-longs, insider’s info about new products—basically, a host of information to increase your confidence and enhance the joy of knitting. Similar…
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SallyJean
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Devouring Candy (eye candy, that is!)
30 Jun 2009 | 11:36 pmA mild heat-wave approaching...a cushy lounge chair...soft blanket and pillow...maybe a hammock instead...a tall glass of an icy somethin'-somethin'...and a bit of a soft breeze just enough to cool you off so the book cover doesn't stick to your thighs. Oh...and the book. A picture book. Just for big girls. Filled with calorie-free eye candy! The first bite: VINTAGE FRENCH INTERIORS by Sebastien Siraudeau Not really about vintage French interiors. Just fabulous photos of antique flea market finds...distressed...and from many… -
What would it be like to live here?
29 Jun 2009 | 4:29 pmImagine the possibilities? 10,000 square feet plus of hardwood floors...chalkboards...urinals! LOL! A gymnasium could be converted into your studio? Lockers for storage? And the principals office could be where the litter box is kept. 3,846 SF Circa 1790 $50,00011 Prospect Street, Alstead, NH 03602I was amazed when I stumbled upon a Circa 1790 schoolhouse in New Hampshire for a mere $50,000. How cute is this? (My daughter believes it must be haunted). So for fun I looked around...and found... 7,700… -
Viva Las Vegas
7 Jun 2009 | 12:33 pmI am so excited to participate in Art & Soul Las Vegas in 2010! The excited spirit of the amazing Art & Soul attendees coupled with the electric spirit of Las Vegas can only mean one thing...FUN!I will be teaching the following workshops:SOLDERING FOR VIRGINSTHE LOVE BIRD NECKLACEVIVA LA TIARAI hope you can join me! Registration begins today for Art & Soul Las Vegas 2010 (February 21-24, 2010). -
From Grey to Blue...
3 Jun 2009 | 7:54 pmAt last...the grey skies of Oregon are fading into a dusty blue. At last. I haven't turned on the space heater for days. The blankets slide off during the night. Oh, joy...for grey turning blue! (images courtesy FLICKR and the wonderful photos shared on that site - the links are shown below)1. Fixer - upper??? Hmmm....., 2. Afternoon, 3. domino twin beds, 4. N° cinq, 5. Turned to stone., 6. Florida Ephemera Postcards, 7. Ephemera, 8. marie claire bedroom, 9. Gray Catbird, 10. Patons Decor- Grey,… -
Paris Flea Market...
3 Jun 2009 | 7:02 pmJust some inspiration from the flea market in Paris! Muslin-covered sofa's, tattered chairs, and a zebra - WOW - a zebra! Did I mention the Giraffe?
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OHScrap!
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i love scrapbooking
1 Jul 2009 | 2:12 pmI have been meeting a lot of new people lately (and through facebook reconnecting with long lost school mates) and I’m never quite sure what to say when they say what do you do? I usually say this: I am a stay at home mom with two boys. I do a little photography and I scrapbook. (insert their puzzled face). Then I add: some people watch tv, some people read or play video games or sports, I scrapbook. I take pictures of our life, I scrapbook them and share them through my blog, through online forums, and this past year I’ve actually been published a few times! Sometimes they… -
busy weekend
29 Jun 2009 | 9:32 pmThis weekend we reveled in local activities. We packed the kids in the van and ran errands and had adventures around the island. On Saturday we went to McKinley High School, my Dad’s Alma Mater, for the 62nd annual Friends of the Library Book Sale. Books, books as far as the eye could see. and Saturday was 50%off day. that translated in our case to 2 bags full of books/maps for $13. well it was 11.something, but I threw the change in the donation bottle. total coolness in my book(s!) We also went to Kahala Mall to visit a new scrapbook store on the Island. It’s called… -
so lucky we live in hawaii
26 Jun 2009 | 2:01 pmLast weekend we ran into Jordan’s best friend from preschool while out shopping at the outlets. We set up a play date for this week and were so excited. We met out at Ko Olina Resorts to go to the beach in the morning. It’s a resort that has 4 man made, groomed lagoons for your lounging pleasure. the parking is limited, but free. and there are no life guards. but we keep a close eye on our kids and so far so good. These two had so much fun! and Jalen had a good time too! took a quick snack break… Ever since we went to see the movie Up last week I’ve been… -
some fun :)
22 Jun 2009 | 12:53 pmI absolutely had to scrap the typewriter and the paper bag… sketch from a million little things: here Stampin’ Up! textured cardstock, star punch. Making Memories: mini letter stickers, red flocked paper. Jenni Bowlin: Chipboard buttons, ticket. Maya Roads: Pearled pin. Cosmo Cricket: Red/white polka dot paper. Ink: Red stazon, Black versafine. Studio Calico: Typewriter stamp, alpha stamp. Other: date stamp, sewing machine, grey thread, paper bag, copic pigment pen, red bakers twine. I love that stazon ink on the edges on the grey paper. and that typewriter stamp, so cute! and… -
don’t forget to hit enter…
17 Jun 2009 | 5:41 pmwe picked up this cute no so little typewriter today. such fun! I had forgotten how often I use the backspace key to fix mistakes! and also, remembering to hit enter to go to the next line instead of continuing on down on the roller. funny funny times. I’m working on a few different things, but I just wanted to check in for a quickie! Hope you’re all having a great day! and ps, if you enjoyed this post… you can click on the share this button and use whatever method(s) you want to share this post with all your friends. if you don’t know what that means, just ask and…
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Wee Wonderfuls
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the next batch
2 Jul 2009 | 1:10 pmthe next batch, originally uploaded by Hillary Lang.red + pink! -
sitting and spinning
29 Jun 2009 | 1:49 pmFinally made it out to some garage sales this weekend. First time all summer! Crazy. Just think of all the treasures we've missed out on. -
new book
26 Jun 2009 | 10:28 amDear ISBN978-4-529-04700-5, I love you and hate you. Why did you come now? I ordered you like 2 months ago and you decide to show up on my doorstep right when I haven't a free minute to sew. Don't you know how vulnerable I am right now to gorgeous book design? Are you trying to make me cry? And why don't you have at least one sucky pattern. There's not one single 'pass' in your whole book. And man, you look difficult! Why are you in Japanese? And why oh why didn't my jr. high offer Japanese? -
this hot thursday
25 Jun 2009 | 11:52 amoh free time, where did you go? I'm so anxious for things to get back to normal around here. I can't wait to actually have time to read blogs, and write my blog, and sew stuff. I received my fq's in the mail yesterday and was just innocently looking around for inspiration and have been sucked into two sites that have me wanting to chuck all my work and just sew, red pepper quilts and a stitch in dye. I can't even remember how to blog properly. if I want to put up pics of their amazing work on my blog I have to email them right? crap, no time. here's a bunch of… -
fq's and a boy!
20 Jun 2009 | 12:43 pmWhen Kristin at Sew Mama Sew asked me to do a fat quarter pack for them I was so so excited. I've realized that this just might be my favorite thing to do - putting together piles of fabric! Of course this is a virtual pile but it was just as fun. I so love making project piles... picking colors, matching up prints, imagining how it'll all go together. I think I may need to revise my career goals with this in mind. Thanks so much Kristin for the opportunity! They posted my picks yesterday and you can see them here. I fell in love with those tiny elephants and went from there. You…
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Vintage Indie
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On the Road with Contributing Editor Elizabeth Young: Aunt Artie's Antique Mall New Albany, IN
2 Jul 2009 | 10:03 am{Click Images to Enlarge} Located in a historic building in downtown New Albany, Indiana, Aunt Artie's Antique Mall provides 14,000 square feet and three floors of antiques and collectibles for locals and tourists alike. The property was originally built in 1952 as a public hall for amusements and entertainment. It later was used as a hospital during the Civil War. It is also rumored to have a ghostly inhabitant or two. Owner, Judy Gwinn purchased... -
Dining Alfresco Series: Vintage Green Dishware
1 Jul 2009 | 1:00 pmYou remember Melamie don't you? It's coming back to the department stores, I've seen a ton of new patterns but what about vintage Melamie? It's stood the test of time and available in many retro colors and styles. It's great for dining alfresco, saves on paper waste and easy to clean. I found a great collection of Melamie at this fabulous vintage store on-line called Laurel Leaf Farm. Visit Laurel Leaf Farm to see more.... -
Dining Alfresco Series: Vintage Green on the Lawn
1 Jul 2009 | 11:00 amKentucky Symphony Orchestra Summer Series Photo Credit Kentucky Symphony Orchestra My family and I plan to dine alfresco this summer during the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra Summer Series. They provide the music and the beautiful lawn, and we've decided to pack a delightful dinner. Dining alfresco can be made easy with charming handmade accessories, like those from Country Life Naturals. Start with this Antique Grain Sack Linen Cozy Bowl. Handmade with Antique Hand Woven Grain Sack... -
Dining Alfresco Series: Place Cards by Timeless Paper
1 Jul 2009 | 8:33 amSummertime is great for dining "alfresco" I thought we would do a mini series with items handmade, and brought back to life by you. Spark your imagination for beautiful dinner parties outdoors with friends and family. Up first, why not include details from the great outdoors with place cards from Timeless Paper. I fell in love with the whimsical designs offered at Timeless Paper. They also offer table numbers. -
Product Review: The Complete Package is Nostalgia Organics
30 Jun 2009 | 8:10 amNostalgia Organics aims to grab you a little closer with their beautiful product packaging and dreamy marketing materials. After viewing the products, I wanted to see if the product stood up with the same standards as their marketing and product appeal. Pictured above is their "garden party" a launch including their newest spring and summer lines. What's that you smell, Ruffles? Why yes, it is Aromatherapy Balm included in Nostalgia Organics newest line. I have...
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A Little Hut - Patricia Zapata
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simple and neutral
1 Jul 2009 | 2:06 pmI don't know if many of you have noticed but my shop updates had come to a screeching halt. While I can blame a lot of things (summer?), the truth is that I took some time away to reconsider the direction I wanted to take.As you know, I don't shy away from color, but I've been craving neutrals. I've also become more interested in stretching my simple tastes to the limit. How much is too far or too simple? What happens when there is no color or it's very minimal? Shapes become the main focus and that's where the challenge lies. That's what I think I'm trying to get at. The few things I've come… -
inspired
30 Jun 2009 | 1:09 amYesterday, during a little break from everything, I visited Gennine's blog and was particularly engrossed in this video of her stamp making process. She is so very talented and always inspires me. She does everything I can not. I really admire her painting abilities.I remember taking a watercolor class in college and quickly finding that I didn't have much patience for it. The irony is that papercutting illicits a "how do you have the patience to do that!" comment from many. Go figure.As I watched Gennine, I completed a very simple thank you card for a friend. Would you believe that I had to… -
do you know the name of this flower?
29 Jun 2009 | 8:43 amI'm dying to know. My apologies for the bad photo. I couldn't keep my hand steady enough for my cell phone. Apparently, it also has a hard time with close ups.We were at the Houston Children's Museum on Saturday and had a wonderful time even though it was packed (everyone escaping the heat?). When we went to the outer area of the museum, these flowers just jumped out at me. They look amazing in person and it seems that they grow in vine fashion.EDIT - Gosh you're all so fast! So, it's a passion flower. Thanks everyone! -
recycling project no. 18 - packaging turned toys
29 Jun 2009 | 3:22 amSome big boxes and packaging materials, that I received in the mail last week, unexpectedly turned an afternoon into a very creative one. Once they knew it was ok, the kids snatched everything up in a heartbeat and got to work.We certainly aren't the first to think of this type of recycling project, but if I don't post it there will be some hurt feelings around here. We worked on these on Friday and all I heard was, "Mom, show our projects on your blog!"Little C and I worked on making a building. She used crayons to color the top of the garage and the back of the building. I cut the white… -
why I make
26 Jun 2009 | 2:00 amAs I was driving home yesterday, the kids fell asleep and I listened to a fair amount of music and a few podcasts. Diane's latest podcast (awesome as always), titled "Why do you make stuff?", left me thinking about how I'd answer the question. I decided that writing a list about it was in order.I make stuff because:I have to. The digital world is awesome but I need more. I need the tangible.It keeps my creativity, mind and deameanor balanced. It gets ideas out of my head. I think I'd explode otherwise.I like to see if my ideas will really work.I love the process (almost more than the…
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Make and Takes
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Tie Dye for the 4th of July
2 Jul 2009 | 7:16 amI’m contributing over at Alpha Mom’s – Once Upon a Holiday again today. Come see how we Tie Dyed patriotic shirts for the whole family, right in time for the fireworks this Saturday! Share and Bookmark: Related Posts:Happy 4th of JulyValentine Tic Tac Toe GameStained Glass Christmas Trees -
Red, White & Blueberry Skewers
1 Jul 2009 | 3:28 amThese festive 4th of July skewers are the perfect treat for your upcoming holiday party. They’re a great snack for little hands to help with, and they make a colorful treat for the table. Supplies for 4th of July Kabobs: skewers, these are 10 inch strawberries, cut up in 4ths mini marshmallows blueberries Wash and dry your fruit, cut your strawberries in fourths, now you’re ready to go. You can make them in fun patterns or just random. A helpful tip: add your fruit first, as it will help the sticky marshmallows slide right on down. If you try to add a marshmallow to a dry stick,… -
Americana Crafty Round Up
30 Jun 2009 | 5:13 amThere’s been lots of red, white, and blue floating around the web. I’ve collected a few fun links to some super star-bangled crafts for the 4th of July. Below is one of my hand-stitched cards, The American Flag. Cupcake Liner Fireworks by No Time for Flash Cards Red, White, and Blue Pinwheel by Skip to my Lou American Flag Recycled Windsock by Better Homes and Garden All American Flag Dessert by No Biggie Confetti Poppers by Alphamom Bubble Wrap Fire Crackers by Make and Takes Share and Bookmark: Related Posts:Mother’s Day Crafty Link LoveMeet Your Local FirefightersCrafty… -
Rosetta Stone Giveaway Winner
30 Jun 2009 | 2:44 amThanks to all of you who entered! So many of you enthusiastically wanting to learn another language, I love it. Probably the majority was Spanish, but there was Greek, Chinese, German. But Congrats to #193 Amy who said she’d love to learn French to help honor the memory of her Grandma! Have fun learning a new language! Share and Bookmark: Related Posts:Benefits of Learning a Second LanguageJacobella Print Kit Giveaway WinnerLocally Grown in Utah Giveaway Winners -
Crafty 4th of July Firework Pom Poms
29 Jun 2009 | 11:19 amGet ready to cheer on the fabulous floats at this weekend’s parade with these fun Firework Pom Poms. They’re the perfect sparkle for your child to hold as the clowns and marching bands go by. Supplies for Firework Pom Poms: yarn, preferablly red, white, and blue 2 pipe cleaner (aka chenille stems) scissors First, measure out 4 yards of each color of yarn, red, white, and blue. Then group them together and fold them over in half, again and again and again. Now depending on how long you want your pom poms, you can stop folding when ever you’d like. I folded mine in half, until…
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angry chicken
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quite patriotic
2 Jul 2009 | 1:36 pmI made up the Collette Pattern that I had on the boards for a few weeks. I really sweated on the fabric choice here. I wanted a ton of pattern, which I knew would mean sacrificing the insanely cute pockets—just too much going on. But I also knew if I made made this in a solid color, it would show so many potential flubs, especially with the gathering. I found this outstanding silk at Mill Ends and had to buy it immediately. Check out Melissa's version. It looks so awesome.I realize now I probably needed to make it in a smaller size. This style of dress is not one I would normally… -
favorite canning/preserving resources?
30 Jun 2009 | 8:53 amHey you all,I just got an e-mail asking about my favorite canning how-to books, with recipes for all that canning and preserving goodness. I don't have a ton of experience doing this really. I freeze a ton of food (I have Grammie's huge freezer in our garage packed full) but love the idea of canning and preserving more, with equipment and all that, especially pickling. I really love brine-y salty foods. I have checked quite a few out of the library and they all seem good. I got this book from the library and loved it. Any more suggestions? Thank you!**Update~!Oh, thank you!! -
the pitting of the cherries using the new gadget
28 Jun 2009 | 5:21 pmSo, this was made, a cherry crumb cake, after the following gadget was used in the amusing and mildly boring video below—with much enthusiasm, I might add. If you can't film the use of random kitchen gadgets and upload it on your blog—what good is it for, anyway? Baby was at it the longest. She's got a real strong work ethic, that one. The gadget was a hit. It works great and made the girls very happy. And this recipe was so very tasty. I divided it between two 6" round pans, one to eat right now and one to freeze for later. I added 7 minutes to the cooking time and used… -
tea in a jar
24 Jun 2009 | 11:43 amI was fretting about fridge space while making 3 different types of iced tea and thought of a simple solution that has given me much pleasure. Instead of making large amounts in big jugs that are unruly, cumbersome, and seem to strain my wrists, I make 3 small batches in mason jars, highly concentrated. Very highly concentrated. Then I just pour a tiny amount in a glass with a ton of ice and water. Done! The jars of this concentrated tea last about a week in our house because really, you only need a tablespoon or so. And the beauty here is 3 mason jars take up no room in the fridge at all. I… -
slippy (adventures in sewing with silk part I)
21 Jun 2009 | 11:54 amThis silk slip was made with some swearing. In theory it was very easy. 2 side seams and some straps. I used a silk slip I already had as a pattern to copy. I laid it out on the bias, cut, and sewed. Done. But, it was too big and taking it in didn't go as planned and then it was shorter than I intended, so a wide bias strip was added to the hem—which worked great but ended up using more yardage than I wanted. I had bought extra to use in other projects. Aside from all that, the slip is lovely, feels incredible, and was a nice project. I did confirm my theory of bias…
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thimble
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happy canada day!
1 Jul 2009 | 3:02 pmIt’s Canada’s birthday today. I thought it would be fitting to share these lovely plates with you. My aunt gave them to me on our recent trip to BC (ironically, she’s American, so these are well-traveled plates!) We’re going to the Canada Day concert at the Harbourfront this evening to see some music and hopefully fireworks. There’s a new soundtrack on the right too, so you can enjoy some new songs as well! -
First summer barbeque
26 Jun 2009 | 3:51 pmWe had our first barbeque of the summer recently. I predict a lot more grilled vegetables and burgers in our future, because you really just can’t go wrong with that for dinner. I’ve been working on perfecting my vegetable marinade recipe and this one seems to work pretty well. The key is a lot of olive oil and a little sugar, which gives it a nice carmelized flavour. Vegetable Marinade 1/2 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup water 2 Tbsp lemon juice 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 Tbsp brown sugar I was also inspired by my recent Martha Stewart magazine to make some berry iced tea. -
one week left!
23 Jun 2009 | 10:52 pm -
tutorial links
20 Jun 2009 | 8:09 amI am out on the west coast for a wedding this week, and will have lots of lovely photos to share soon. There’s real summer weather here, and I’m enjoying the sunshine while I can! In the meantime, here are some tutorials and project ideas for you that might come in handy some time. 1. Pocket sized notebooks at esprit cabane 2. Paper embellished clothespins at pin and paper 3. Recessed Zipper Tutorial at my spare time 4. Bedtime Duvet at etsy’s the storque 5. Business Card Keeper at amy butler 6. Feathered Headband at craftster -
june books
14 Jun 2009 | 4:43 pmSome summer reading….. Knitting In the Sun: 32 Projects for Warm Weather Vintage Baby Knits: More Than 40 Heirloom Patterns from the 1920s to the 1950s Spin Control: Techniques for Spinning the Yarns You Want Printmaking + Mixed Media: Simple Techniques and Projects for Paper and Fabric Design It, Knit It: Secrets from the Designer’s Studio Sew Cute Couture Stitched Toys: 20 Stunning but Simple Designs Feltique Reprodepot Pattern Book: Folk: 225 Vintage Inspired Textile Designs Reprodepot Pattern Book: Flora: 225 Vintage Inspired Textile Designs Self-made Stationery: Handmade…
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jane's apron
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art journal aversion
2 Jul 2009 | 8:37 amThe final week of June at A Year of Color was about inspiration and journaling. This made me slightly panicky. Picture me sitting in a classroom and the teacher calling for someone to create an art journal. It's not that I'd run from the room but more that I would sit there with my eyes down, maybe pretending to be busy on something else, hoping that I wouldn't be call on. That kind of panic. But I was called on anyway...So, with very little time and an aversion to journaling, I created a digital collage. I don't love this collage at all. But I did it anyway and it… -
salad dressing for busy girls
29 Jun 2009 | 8:42 amI picked up this vintage salad book recently. My vintage cookbooks are generally for fun only but sometimes they have a recipe worth trying. I know that homemade salad dressing is so much better than those you find in stores...but I'm usually in too much of a hurry to whip up a salad dressing. This recipe from the book, however, seems like something I can remember (no need to search for a recipe). The exact words are:Sometimes, awe guests by mixing dressing right in the bowl before adding greens - twice as much oil as vinegar (guess), smidgen of mustard, dash of salt, freshly… -
summer reading
25 Jun 2009 | 5:50 amI'm a sucker for regular stuff packaged for holidays...like these 4th of July Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops. I put them in the bowl and left them out for my kids. The candy was completely gone in a couple of hours. Summer is clipping along here and we are a little front-loaded on the activities for the season. Lots of work around getting my oldest ready for high school (and taking the step to let him create a facebook page), lots of sports camps, a math program for my other son (that has turned into a part-time math teaching job for me this fall), and a baseball season that never… -
picnic + rosemarie
21 Jun 2009 | 5:36 amI mentioned my vintage embroidered tablecloth in a post about my favorite cake. As I look back at the post now, I can't believe how bad the picture is (this is the worst part of the LinkWithin widget...sending readers to a post with a terrible photo...I'm trying to get over it).The tablecloth is a big one that fits a big picnic table. It's not like we go on that many picnics but, when we do, I love to use it. I seriously find something different on it every time. Some of the embroidery is complicated... And some embroidery is simple but so sweet...I love the cat… -
summer sewing
18 Jun 2009 | 2:55 pmI set a few sewing patterns aside to make some summer clipboards and finally had a chance to put them together this week. Sometimes when I make a bunch of things (like clipboards), I can get a little tired of the process. It's been so long since I've made them though that I had fun with these. Rather than focus on the finished clipboard, I took these pictures to focus on the patterns. Summer sewing seems to be the best kind...cute blouses, skirts, swim suits....and sunglasses. This one is a little out of my usual era but I loved the hat along with all of the notes…
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Simply Stated
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Celebrating the Fourth: Festive (and Easy) Food and Drink
2 Jul 2009 | 11:59 amThe Fourth of July is quite possibly my favorite Holiday. There's nothing like a summer day spent celebrating our freedom as Americans with friends and family. I love getting everyone together for a festive meal and some celebratory cocktails before heading out to watch the fireworks. Aside from the incredible guide to easy summer drinks, dips, and desserts put together by Real Simple's food team, here are the "go-tos" I'll be turning out this year:Watermelon and Feta Salad - my guests rave every time I serve this dish, and it couldn't be easier to make. It's very refreshing - the perfect… -
4th of July Cocktail Recipes
2 Jul 2009 | 7:52 amLooking for a festive cocktail to serve this weekend? Here are 5 fun, patriotic signature drink ideas from 'round the web: 1. Fourth of July Cocktail from Guy FieriA thin slice of jalapeno or serrano pepper adds a fiery kick to this tequila-based cocktail, which gets it's pretty colors from cranberry juice, watermelon schnapps, and blue curacao.{via Food Network} 2. Strawberry SuckerStrawberry schnapps, vodka, and club soda make up this sweet & fizzy afternoon drink. Add a skewer of blueberries for a splash of blue!{via Rachael Ray} 3. Watermelon Mint Cooler Ingredients• 4 cups… -
Fresh Summer Garden Party Finds
29 Jun 2009 | 5:00 amHave a special occasion to celebrate with the girls this summer like a wedding shower, bridal luncheon, or milestone birthday? Take advantage of the warmer weather and take the party outdoors with a colorful, backyard garden soirée! Keep the planning process easy and start by seeking out stylish floral partyware to inspire your theme, then find favors, drinks & decor that compliment the look. There are lots of great partyware patterns and color palettes available right now that are perfect for summer! Here are a few of my personal favorites: Pictured above: 1. Floral Fashion dinner… -
Paper Love: Whimsy Press
23 Jun 2009 | 6:51 amFor all my fellow "modern paper" lovers - here's something that should make you swoon! Whimsy Press – the fabulous online shop that started out with amazing designer gift wrap and expanded into much, much more - from notecards and wine tags to eco-chic totes and baby onesies – is having an amazing summer sale: 60% off EVERYTHING! (Coupon Code: 2009) I'm a huge fan of using stylish gift wrap to create affordable DIY table runners, napkin rings, favor embellishments, and "vase wraps" for parties, so a great sale like this makes the party even that much more affordable! Pictured above: just… -
Last-Minute Father's Day Ideas
19 Jun 2009 | 4:34 pmIt's Friday night, Father's Day is on Sunday, and you haven't gotten him a gift yet. You're not alone. I'm no stranger to the last-minute gift scramble; there's still plenty of time to go out and snag something special for the Dad in your life. It's too late to order online, but most will find one of these stores nearby (and all sites have a Store Locator tool so you can). Best of all, since we're nearing the end of June, many stores have already started to mark-down their summer items, so it's easier to get a bargain.Here are a few…
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Misty Mawn
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carried away, again
1 Jul 2009 | 7:11 amloving this version of this song! it's wonderful! happy first day of July, already?! headed back to Pennsylvania for a few days, someone will be turning 8, time to celebrate! heavy sigh, how can that be? -
life is like a bouquet of flowers?
30 Jun 2009 | 6:25 pmand if so, which would you pick? roses perhaps, the color; faded peach, a whole bouquet of them? cut perfectly & placed in a small glass vase centered on the dinning room table, to be noticed each time one walks into the room, each flower as it slowly blooms. together they fill the room with a lovely & gentle… -
carried away
24 Jun 2009 | 11:43 ama sonnet all i wantgravity because, sometimes it just feels so good to get carried away!*filling the day...dropped my children off at their ballet & bible campstook a walk in the sun with my beloved camera.had a pot of genmaicha, ummmfound two new books waiting for me at my doorsteppainted with oils (mixing my own paint using brilliant pigments...this is so exciting... i can't even tell you... hopefully i can share what comes of this soon). picked up my darling two, had crackers, grapes, & cheese for lunch... (i know you care… -
22 Jun 2009 | 11:37 am
22 Jun 2009 | 11:37 amhappy summer solstice! photos from our weekend... for over a week i was without my camera, it had to be sent out to be worked on. now that it is back i have fallen in love all over again! Liz has posted all about the light & shadows retreat, i can't wait and would LOVE for you to join us! *have you heard.....this song, love it! Lynn Fisher has sent out an open invitation for a 10 day collage challenge, i am hoping i can get a few pieces created and posted… -
for my dad...
21 Jun 2009 | 4:48 pmyou, with the best sense of humor of anyone i know, who taught me to not take myself so seriously, who taught me the value of hard work, the same person that made me call you every night when i would get to work just to say i made it okay, or woke up earlier than the dawn to take me to work if it was snowing outside, to the person that introduced me to great music, and ate my cooking when i was just learning how to cook (i can still picture the pizza i "cooked" flaming out in the snow... how was i to know you were supposed to remove the cardboard before cooking?)…
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Craftastrophe
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The power of Christ compels you…
2 Jul 2009 | 11:03 amWe’ve featured this crafter here before with the outstanding and ever so popular squirrel foot earrings as well as a few other items, and yet they never cease to amaze us with their ingenuity. Yes. I really mean ingenuity. Because honestly, if I ever came across a dead bird, a rat’s skull or even a dismembered tail, the likelihood of me thinking, “Wow, this would be a fantastic broach! Just add a little dead mouse fur, a decapitated rabbit and voila!” is probably the FURTHEST thing from my mind. Or it was before Karen and I started this site. You have to be a creative… -
Gaia Birdhouse
2 Jul 2009 | 5:43 amAnd by Gaia, I mean blow-up doll. *gasp* Thanks Diamond! {source} Some more like this one: Know How Every Parent Thinks Their Baby is The Cutest? Vanilla, Cherries and Oh! Oh! Oh! Face! I Can Haz Toot-Brush? If you enjoyed this post, please take a moment to share it! -
Ignore This Post
1 Jul 2009 | 9:40 amTechnorati code: 2fs9mpzjtg Technorati Profile (It’s for Technorati and I hope I’m allowed to delete it after this blog finally gets claimed.) By the way, Happy Canada Day. Saturday is my birthday too. Did you know that? Yeah I share my birthday with Americus. Not the same, but still fun: TIMES UP! Giveaway! Hangman Necklace GIVEAWAY: Fail Whale: Part Deux! TIMES UP! TIMES UP! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!: Cozies, Done Craftastrophe Style (NSFW) Dis Is Not Yogical* If you enjoyed this post, please take a moment to share it! -
Freud Would Have a Field Day With This
1 Jul 2009 | 6:36 amSomething about men, their mother’s teat and ESPN. $514. Thanks Holly! {source} Not the same, but still fun: TIMES UP! Giveaway! Hangman Necklace GIVEAWAY: Fail Whale: Part Deux! TIMES UP! TIMES UP! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!: Cozies, Done Craftastrophe Style (NSFW) Dis Is Not Yogical* If you enjoyed this post, please take a moment to share it! -
Colossal Condoms For The College Set
30 Jun 2009 | 8:09 amThere’s nothing wrong with being a Safety Sue or a Safety Steve! A twist on the Quillow*, this condom wrapper look-a-like pillow opens up for storage of your very own body condom! These would be a perfect gift for kids for their college dorms (filled to the brim with real condoms and PSA pamphlets, of course. *wink*) *Bonus points if you know what a Quillow is. Thanks Sabra! {source} Some more like this one: Growing Up Cullen: Twilight’s Edward Cullen is a 40 Year Old Miserable Housewife This Message Has Been Approved by Beyonce Knowles (Slightly NSFW/kids) Knot a Thong…
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Sonji Says...
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My Studio Assistant
26 Jun 2009 | 2:53 pmI'm not someone who likes to involve others in my work, but Julie seems to know exactly when she is needed. When I left the room to get some books to weigh down those bulbous branches of the orange leaf, Miss Julie had already taken care of it.This is the work, after my assistant deemed it ready to sew, of course. It is aptly named "RAMSHACKLE (Revised)" because it is "Ramshackle", revised. It measures about 58"W x 75" H, so it got narrower than the original and longer. I amputated the left side following the "Quilts: Another Dimension" exhibit and have been repositioning the bits and pieces… -
Making the "Corseted Landscape"
19 Jun 2009 | 4:40 amPosting two days in a row? You must all wonder what's up? Luckily, the stars and planets have aligned and I had a week off (back to work tomorrow), I'm in a good mood and I actually have something to write about. Hence...two posts, two days. This is a stretched canvas that measures 4ft W x 6ft H. The painting was made to cut up into the circular elements that went into my latest work called "CORSETED LANDSCAPE". As I always seem to note, I have a tendency to fall in love with the paintings as they are developing, unless I stop myself midway and reinforce "it's for the fabric construction,… -
Marion Coleman documents BREAK at PI
18 Jun 2009 | 7:21 amMarion Coleman, textile and mixed media artist in Castro Valley, CA, is the curator for the exhibition "BREAK: Rhythmized Textiles from the African Diaspora" on view at Pi Gallery in Kansas City, MO (until June 29) was kind enough to send me some images from her visit there at the start of the exhibit. The esteemed Marion Coleman (center) is flanked by Anita Knox (who is also a curator and assistant director of The Kansas African American Museum, in Wichita, KS) and Anita Carse. Sheer Delight, by Montgomery. African Burial Ground by Valerie Goodwin. Alice Beasley's work. A sculpture by Anita… -
Broken Landscape
8 Jun 2009 | 7:28 amThere was "Blue Landscape" , so one would think this would be called "Red Landscape"...but no. Its proper name is "Broken Landscape". It measures about 88" H x 64"W. I had to recover my design wall in order to get a picture of it because it just kept getting bigger than all my designated areas. It has the surface area of me with my arms outstretched top to bottom and side to side. Maybe it is me. I am a broken landscape. Hmmm.My goal is to emphasize the importance of the painted surface in this newer work. Also, the theme of landscape and natural and manipulated circumstances are of… -
Work for "BREAK" at the PI GALLERY in Kansas City, MO
30 Apr 2009 | 3:25 pmOh, how I wish I could attend this year's Surface Design Conference. The exhibits taking place all over Kansas City, associated with the conference, seem especially intriguing this time around. Alas, only my work will be there. Thanks to all the people who sent me emails and rang me up regarding my work being on the cover of the Spring SDA Newsletter, along with the uber talented Alice Beasley and El Anatsui (his website is being redesigned so there isn't any work on it which is why I gave you this marvy link). The image on the front page of my website is the one on the newsletter cover, full…
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pamgarrison
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2 Jul 2009 | 2:45 pm
2 Jul 2009 | 2:45 pmI had so much fun stitching away in Mary Stanley's "charm school" class. Mary had a number of samples and uses for the charms we made. I made a mobile out of the charms because her mobile sample was so cute. Above is a little flower made using one of the buttons I bought on Sunday. Here are a couple other "charms" :How cute is that acorn charm she taught us to make? she gave us each a pre-drilled acorn top she had collected along the way. Here's a photo of the whole mobile so you get the idea: a… -
Sunday's fun
30 Jun 2009 | 2:18 pmSunday morning Charlotte and I met sweet Alicia for breakfast. Neither of us had previously had the pleasure of meeting her in person, and she certainly didn't disappoint. She is every bit as fun, real, and engaging as she is on her blog. I'm just sorry that the time flew by so quickly! But of course, it did. I asked her for directions to Monticello Antique Market and off we went our separate ways. I love to find treasures in a new town. Above are some stereoscopic cards I bought. the green one reads: "Fun in the Studio-(painting)". Had to get that one. And here are some… -
home again
29 Jun 2009 | 2:19 pmReturned home last night from artFIBERfest, another fun week of stitching and sewing and playing with fibers. But the most fun is being with friends, both old and new. I have some projects to share, but want to finish them a bit more first. Until then, here's a couple photos from yesterday, when Charlotte and I went exploring before our flights home. It was right in front of this church where I discovered that my suitcase zipper was broken and irreparable! To the lovely lady walking by who guided us to a Fred Meyers store; THANK YOU!! Thanks to the directions from the… -
pages in progress in the old (water color paper) journal
17 Jun 2009 | 12:23 pmFeeling like a neglectful blogger, so I thought I'd cheat and do a quick post with more journal pages. These are in the water color paper type journals, different than the last post. In the page on the left above, many of the images are from Anahata's clip art for artists book that she used to sell. Don't think she sells them anymore, I found them here. And, hey, look, here's more wrapping paper from my doodles, you could always cut that up as collage fodder! I love those peeps at Papaya (and I'm not just saying that because Ana gave me a sweet shout out this week!). Ok,… -
another new journal
9 Jun 2009 | 2:15 pmI was mentioning that I was starting a new journal, a different style than my journals of late. I wanted to go back to my pre- water color paper days, when I would use any old paper and glue stuff all over it and journal in a more daily-diary form. Not so much painting and pens as slapping down any old thing and grabbing any pen I could find. Very Sabrina Ward Harrison inspired. Her books opened up my world when I discovered them so long ago. I loved them even more because I first saw them at Anthropologie, and they have such cool taste in books. Anyway, I'm feeling the need for both…
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Ma petite theiere
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Turning 29
30 Jun 2009 | 6:00 pm“In Blue” digital illustration Je me prends 1 an de plus aujourd’hui, et ça me fait 29 ans! Youpi Happy Birthday to me! I’m turning 29 today, YAY! -
Print sale!!!
23 Jun 2009 | 7:09 amPour fêter mon anniversaire qui approche, j’ai décidé d ‘organiser un “print sale” dans ma boutique Etsy! Et oui, les rôles sont inversés, c’est moi qui vous fait un cadeau! A partir de demain Mercredi 23 et jusqu’à Mercredi 1er Juillet (jour de mon anniv!) , achetez 2 prints, et recevez un 3ème print gratuit! (print de votre choix, me mentionner le titre de l’illustration dans la partie “note to seller” lorsque vous passez commande. Attention, il est très important de ne pas placer le 3ème print dans votre panier! placez-y… -
Glass tile pendants
11 Jun 2009 | 12:47 pmCoucou, me revoilà pour parler des bijoux. Alors pour les interressé(e)s, les colliers seront dans le shop demain Vendredi 11 juin vers 15h! Si vous voulez voir les photos en plus grand, vous pouvez retrouver tous les modèles sur Flickr. A demain pour ceux qui seront là! **English** Hello there! I’m back to talk about the necklaces! They will be available tomorrow Friday June 11, in my Etsy shop around 3pm (Paris time -check the clock in my left column to convert your time zone) If you want to see the pics in bigger size, you can visit my Flickr. See you tomorrow then! -
The Tree of Love & Baby Butterfly
10 Jun 2009 | 3:42 pm“Bébé Papillon” (Baby Butterfly) - prints available at Etsy “The Tree of Love” (L’Arbre des Amoureux) - prints available at Etsy Deux nouvelles illustrations dispos dès maintenant sur Etsy et des petits colliers qui seront dispos Vendredi dans le shop (photos plus bas). Je vous en reparle demain! **English** Two new illustrations available in my Etsy shop, and stay tuned for what’s coming next: Glass tile necklaces! They shall be available in the shop this Friday. I’ll post more about them tomorrow! -
Sad Sally
10 Jun 2009 | 5:42 am“Sad Sally” - digital illustration (prints available at Etsy) Une petite nouvelle, “Sad Sally” ou la triste petite Sally. Je l’aime beaucoup, et comme je trouve que ce petit portrait parle assez pour lui même, je n’ajouterai rien de plus. Bises à tous! **English** A new little cutie, “Sad Sally”. I love her so much.. and since I think this illustration speaks enough for itself, I don’t need to add anything. Hope you will like it. Hugs!
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A Stitch in Time...
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Boring You With #GSD
27 Jun 2009 | 10:31 amI've been a bad, bad blogger I know. My life seems centered in repetative daily tasks that I can't believe would be interesting, and while I search my day and life for things to share, they do not come.I've had this blog so long that I think you've heard it all.Today I declared a Get Shit Done (or Just Do It) day with the goal of cleaning of my first floor. Some level more than a quick run through, but less than a knock-down, drag out Spring/Fall cleaning. So I'll bore you with details of this day. Think of this as live-blogging a life.#1. List of tasks: Clean first floor: vacuum, dust, mop,… -
Things To Do Before BlogHer
20 Jun 2009 | 9:55 amBlogHer 09 in Chicago is fast approaching. I need a good to-do list to keep myself organized. Feel free to add anything I may have missed to this list:1. order Moo cards.2. Lose 10#. Hasn't happened all year, but it is do-able. Just have to pay attention to my food more closely. I don't think I can work out harder.3. Gather all my electronic toys and their necessary cords. Decide which ones I'm really going to take and use and which I can leave at home.4. Make a packing check list.5. Chart out the parties I've responded to and the ones I've heard about. Search out parties that have FOOD.6. -
Choosing a Travel Craft
19 Jun 2009 | 3:15 am(crossposted at BlogHer)BlogHer 09 is just over 5 weeks away which means I have to start considering what to take with me on the road. Travel time is great for catching up on reading and podcasts, but it's also the very best time to work on simple portable projects. What should I pack for 5 days in Chicago? NOTE: My flights both ways have 2 - count them two!- changes of flights each direction.Travel crafts have several unique requirements:little reference material- an easily copied page or two from a book, or a pattern. No way you want too many extra books or reference materials with the… -
A first
17 Jun 2009 | 10:44 pmYesterday I had a first as an individual who feeds birds: a hummingbird flew up to me while I was standing outside eating my breakfast banana. It hovered directly in front of me as if to say:Please, ma'am, could you see to my feeder?Now I've had chickadees that have begged for food, I've had finches lingering over feeders that needed filled. I've heard of hummers pestering the humans who fill their feeders.But this was the first time I've actually experienced it.Yes. I took the feeder right inside, made some simply syrup, and filled it.I also blog at: Weight for Deb and BlogHer on Wednesdays… -
Maker Faire. Are You A Maker?
4 Jun 2009 | 3:30 amRT @SisterDiane: Okay, here's the plan: Maker Faire becomes some kind of permanent geek village, and we all go live there together. You in? #mf09*I am one of the many folk who -like Sister Diane - would SO be in to moving to Maker Faire village! Yet, early this week friends asked about the one thing that left the biggest impression: that experience that was the the pen-ultimate explanation of Maker Faire. I was left speechless. How do I condense fire sculptures, craft bizarre, wardrobe refashioning in real time, technology demonstrations, R2D2, the Lost in Space robot, uniquely designed…
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This Handmade Life
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There's No Place Like Here: Forestbound & The Snail and The Cyclops
Friend Etsy on Youtube or Blip.tv | Subscribe to Etsy's iTunes Podcast | MP4 (music by Luc, animation by JuliaPott) Three years ago, Alice Saunders, a.k.a. Forestbound, and Francesca Zmetra, a.k.a. Thirteen Eighty-Five, (who's also responsible for the delightful blog, The Snail and The Cyclops) became roommates in an old house in Jamaica Plain, MA. They didn't know each other at the time but because of their similar styles, they bonded instantly and became close as friends and creative colleagues. Alice's aesthetic tends toward old military Americana with a collection of canvas bags,… -
High School Fashion Designer Wins Gold Key
High school graduation never looked this good. As his senior project, Nathan Hoeffel put together his own fashion show with his original designs. His work earned him the prestigious Gold Key Award, and he recently traveled to New York City for the award ceremony at Carnegie Hall. On Etsy, this teen from Indiana is starting a new shop under his moniker nathangerard. You can see more of his clothing in his first shop thishotmess. I have always been interested in design — it's just a part of who I am. When I realized that I could get this sense of creative power and fulfillment from… -
Old School Etsians: zencreations04
In celebrating Etsy's origins and its future, we continue the Old School Etsians series with this interview of Heather Nowell, a.k.a. zencreations04, who joined Etsy June 19, 2005. Please introduce yourself and talk a bit about what you make:My name is Heather Nowell and I live in Mercersburg, PA with my husband Lance and our daughter Zoe. I started Zen Creations Jewelry shortly after my daughter was born and got the idea for the name from her initials. I mostly work with wire and gemstones to create handcrafted jewelry, but I like to… -
A Cook in Residence: Kitty Greenwald at Montalvo
Here at Montalvo (a sweet little place tucked into the Santa Cruz mountains), I cook dinners five nights a week. But this cooking job is different than most. It's a fellowship, and the culinary fellow (that’s me) is an artist in residence. Montalvo, an arts center in Silicon Valley, gives its residents space and quiet, away from the daily grind, to paint, sculpt, edit, compose and... to cook. Having creative freedom in a setting where food is regarded as a medium and cooking a personal expression is a unique opportunity and a pleasure. On any given day, I might experiment with… -
Old School Etsians: MadebyMilla
Camilla Stacey, a.k.a. MadebyMilla, is an Old School Etsian — one of the first shops on Etsy that is still active. She joined on June 18, 2005.Please introduce yourself and talk a bit about what you make.I'm Camilla Stacey, otherwise known as MadebyMilla. I am an artist and curator based by the seaside in the United Kingdom, making work with a strong basis in crafts. When I first came to Etsy I was making clothing, badges and my infamous "spooky doll face brooches." These days I am concentrating on making giant drawings, learning hand embroidery, and screenprinting rude pictures…
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How About Orange
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Origami lotus
2 Jul 2009 | 9:59 amI made little origami lotus flowers the other day. They're quick and cute! Here's a good video with instructions.This is all you need to make them. Have fun. -
Big fabric sale
30 Jun 2009 | 8:22 amI'm just full of news lately, aren't I? The folks at JCaroline Creative have announced their biggest sale ever, now through July 10. Hundreds of fabrics, ribbons, and craft goodies are discounted. Including Kokka fabrics at nearly half off, and you can save a few dollars a yard on my prints, too. -
Chicago fabric swap tomorrow
29 Jun 2009 | 3:25 pmI just learned of this fabric swap taking place Tuesday night, 6/30/09, at the Rogers Park Public Library. Bring unwanted fabric, trade it in for fake money, and "shop" for something new to bring home. I'm hoping to trade in two yards of dalmatian-print fur I just received by mistake from a fabric company. If you want dalmatian fur, you'd better be there. Details here! -
Win a Stash shopping tote
29 Jun 2009 | 8:27 amWhile browsing on Etsy, I came across Mari Forssell's shop full of simple, modern bags in delicious fabrics. Mari is originally from Finland, now living in Nebraska. She's been sewing since she was a tiny girl and adores Marimekko fabrics. (Me too!)We've arranged a little giveaway: leave a comment on this post before midnight CDT on Thursday (7/2/09), and a random winner will receive this hip red-orange shopping tote. Include a link or way of contacting you. The winner will be announced on Friday in this post. -
Fun books
26 Jun 2009 | 12:28 pmI've been flipping through review copies of some nifty craft books. Take a look.You can learn to knit crazy animals and, um... people? in The Knitted Odd-bod Bunch by Donna Wilson. They're so wacky that I think I love them.The Perfect Apron by Rob Merrett features 35 apron projects that vary from simple to frou-frou. With so many to choose from, one of them probably is your perfect apron. The book has tear-out patterns and templates, too. Nice.And so that men-folk don't feel neglected, I present to you ManCrafts, reprinted from WWII-era Popular Mechanics articles. Learn about leather tooling,…
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The Soap Bar
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A Piece Of Advice
2 Jul 2009 | 2:22 pmWhen you are working in a lab, try to refrain from tasting things that have not been labeled. I suppose it could have been poison, but I was lucky. That full body shiver I had almost threw my back out. Ew..It has been confirmed. It was citric acid. Know how I know? Because I had to confirm that the labeled citric acid tasted the same. Don't try it at home because I can tell you it really does not taste good and you are better off licking the bottom of your shoe. What was I thinking? That is was sugar? -
Cameo - My Brain Is Just Playing Games With Me!
30 Jun 2009 | 4:03 pmDo you remember that awful song in the 80's (if you weren't BORN in the 80's), called "Word Up" sung by Cameo (fun fact: originally the New York City Players)? Oh, yeah, that song has been stuck in my head for some weird reason. I never ever liked that song AND I don't think I've even heard it in the supermarket or from a passing car, or anything. So where did it come from? My big, old, bad brain. Yeah, the MRI is scheduled for Thursday, so we'll see if Cameo shows up in the imaging.So naturally cameo soaps came to mind (aren't I so smart?), and I found some really pretty ones. I never think… -
It's Not Campbell's
29 Jun 2009 | 6:24 amI don't know why I had Andy Warhol on the brain or why the Campbell soup painting came to mind, but I thought it would be the perfect time to feature tomato SOAP today because of the weather. Last night Brad and I went driving out where there is nothing but orange groves. We were listening to music and the cicadas were singing SO LOUDLY, they almost drowned out the blasting music. More descriptions of the drive: large bugs slapped the windshield, the smell of moist dirt was in the air, the cool air was thick with humidity, and the sky seems larger than usual.....so it was the smell of the… -
Mar Bar
27 Jun 2009 | 11:46 amI present a new recipe. I liiikey, folks. I may have to work with it time after time, but I jammed a whole lot of yummies in there and I feel darn good about that. No filler oils. Goodens. Sadly, I spaced and left out the scent. Not such a bad thing. It looks virgin like anyway in the natural light of my shop window.I introduce the Mar Bar, except I haven't cut them into bars yet. Still, I am coining it. My Mar. See the chair they rest on while I photograph it? You could be sitting there and chatting with me in my shop. It can be THAT peaceful in here when I am not running around formulating. -
Your Opinion, Business and Tact...
26 Jun 2009 | 11:07 amAs most of you know, I own a bath and body company, Product Body. I feel that The Soap Bar is a place for people to come for tutorials, soap photos, innovative soap happenings, information and just soap stuff that must get. Soooo, it's hard to bring this up because I am not one to push myself on others. However, this is an offering more than a pushing.I ask you: Would you want me to pass along a sale here on this blog that we put out in the Product Body newsletter? It occurred to us that we have a double sale going on for our customers and others aren't getting those benefits. You can see…
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Making Mini Scrapbooks Blog
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Crown Book
24 Jun 2009 | 7:05 amCrown book mini scrapbook, perfect for scrapbooking your little princess -
Art Trader Magazine has a new issue up
8 Apr 2009 | 6:45 amI love this free online magazine. It's so colorful and the contributors are absolutely talented! -
File Folder Scrapbook
12 Mar 2009 | 2:37 pmThe File Folder Scrapbook includes so many places for photos and journaling -
Jeans Pocket Book
4 Mar 2009 | 1:51 pmA jeans pocket book made from, you guessed it, a set of pockets from an old pair of jeans. -
Scrapbooking Techniques
30 Jan 2009 | 3:06 pmMini Scrapbooking Techniques
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allsorts
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Wee peeps
28 Jun 2009 | 3:48 pmWhenever I need some inspiration, I pay a visit to the Vintage Children's Books group on flickr. I pop in there from time to time and do my group owner thing, and marvel at the fantastic images that have been... -
Woof woof
25 Jun 2009 | 10:13 amWhat happened to June? Apparently I spent most of it either sick or in stitches. This "pupkin" is for a fun secret project. So don't tell, okay? Oops! There she goes! Cheers, Jenny -
You are cordially invited...
8 Jun 2009 | 9:23 amHome again from our travels, and I brought back a lovely souvenir in the form of a nasty cold. So, no photos of charming New England villages or anything like that until I feel a bit better. I don't even... -
Off we go
27 May 2009 | 5:47 pmWe're heading up to New England for a bit! (but not by boat) I'm so excited! We're attending Katy's graduation, then tootling around New Hampshire and spending some time in Boston. I've temporarily closed Loopsies, but it will reopen on... -
Happy face
24 May 2009 | 4:06 pmThanks for the suggestions (and encouragement) about how to do my doll's face. I ended up painting a very simple smiling face, and it was so much easier than I expected. Easier than embroidery for me, because I have lots...
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oh my so cute
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Sweet handmade dessert necklaces & earrings
24 Jun 2009 | 8:25 amCopyright © www.ohmysocute.com If you’re one who loves desserts, you’ll love these. But even if you don’t have a sweet tooth, that’s fine as well because these are not mean... © www.ohmysocute.com. If you're not reading this as a news feed, this site you're reading is a splog guilty of copyright infringement. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. -
Whimsical handmade felt floral bouquets for special events
21 Jun 2009 | 11:00 pmCopyright © www.ohmysocute.com Fresh flowers are very pretty, but they don’t last! So how about a handmade felt floral bouquet that will last you a lifetime instead? These Riotous Pink... © www.ohmysocute.com. If you're not reading this as a news feed, this site you're reading is a splog guilty of copyright infringement. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. -
Kawaii hand embroidered pocket cashier notebooks
18 Jun 2009 | 2:50 amCopyright © www.ohmysocute.com I’m crazy about notebooks. And I love cute embroidery work. Put them together and you have an irresistible combintation; something I’ll definitely go... © www.ohmysocute.com. If you're not reading this as a news feed, this site you're reading is a splog guilty of copyright infringement. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. -
Cute necklaces made from toy ornaments
13 Jun 2009 | 6:42 amCopyright © www.ohmysocute.com Wear a cute little house on your neck. Or a goodluck ladybug beetles. How about a camera to make you a paparazzi! These a’re not just toy ornaments but cute... © www.ohmysocute.com. If you're not reading this as a news feed, this site you're reading is a splog guilty of copyright infringement. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. -
Too cute leather keychains and keyrings
8 Jun 2009 | 8:50 pmCopyright © www.ohmysocute.com I found these cute leather keychain while surfing Flickr and found them available for sale at Leatherprince. There is a local connection as the husband of the husband... © www.ohmysocute.com. If you're not reading this as a news feed, this site you're reading is a splog guilty of copyright infringement. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only.
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zakka life
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How To Make Firework Balloon Decorations
2 Jul 2009 | 12:35 pmHere's an quick a easy decoration you can make for your "Forth of July" party. What's great about this project is it's cheap, covers a large space, makes a big statement and adds a lot of color to any event. Simple directions below.Supplies:long twisting balloons in red, white and blueballoon pump - these are easy to find at party supply stores and even craft storespaperclipsBlow up at three balloons in each color with the balloon pump. Leave about two inches of a tail at the end of the balloon. This will help prevent the balloon from popping. Thread the tied knot of the balloon onto a… -
How to: Tiny Delicate Tissue Flowers
29 Jun 2009 | 7:14 pmThis is what I've been up to lately, making these delicate tissue flowers. The flowers will be glued onto contorted willow branches as part of a table centerpiece (providing all goes well). I'm really happy with the results, light, delicate & airy. Perfect for summer decorations. Supplies:tissue paperscissorsstring - waxed dental floss works wellLayer four pieces of tissue paper together measuring at 2 1/4" by 3 1/2". Fold together using an accordion fold (refer to picture).When you're finished with the accordion fold, it should look like the picture on the left. Pinch together and place… -
Kid Craft: Design Your own Stickers
27 Jun 2009 | 3:57 pmStickers and kids go hand in hand. So why not have kids design their own stickers, right? My daughter made the one above (it's a smiley face). This is an easy project that's good for all ages. Simple directions below.Supplies:White Self Adhesive Liner - normally used to line drawers. I purchased in the closet organizing section of Target for about $5. You might be able to find it a the dollar store as well.Permanent MarkersScissorsCut a piece of the adhesive paper out. Draw on the paper with permanent markers (we found the color shows better with permanent markers).*other ideas - use rubber… -
Craft Project: Easy Button Stickers
24 Jun 2009 | 6:51 pmHere's another simple sticker to make, button stickers. And the best part is they only take about 20 seconds to make, try to beat that! Simple directions below.Using double stick foam tape, peel off one end of the tape. Add a little glue to it (I like to use E6000 glue). Place it to the back of the button. Let Dry. Done. You'll notice I also applied this technique to some lace flower trim. Experiment and try other items like, googly eyes, little toys, checker pieces, etc.To package for a gift, use old button cards and place your stickers on them. If you don't have access to any of these… -
How to Make Mini Chopstick Stickers
22 Jun 2009 | 6:38 pmAs promised, here are the directions for the mini chopstick stickers. Enjoy.Supplies:Origami paper - roughly 1" by 3/4"Light brown card stock or paperScissorsGlueDouble sided foam tapeCut two thin strips out of the brown card stock. Round the top edges slightly.Place the print side of the paper face down.From the bottom fold the paper up just a little more than one third.Fold the top of the paper down just like you were folding a tiny letter.Unfold. Flip over. Cut a triangle out in the middle section (refer to picture).Fold back up. Flip over.Fold the left side in. Glue all back seams…
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Geek Crafts
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Knit Star Trek Meerkats
9 Jun 2009 | 8:48 pmGeek Craft reader Alison Oddy submitted these adorable (albeit a bit random - I love random), knit Star Trek meerkats that she sells at www.folksy.com. She’ll knit up your very own meerkats (choose from Captain Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Scotty and Bones) complete with uniforms, gold emblems and accessories. She says, “Beam me up an order, and I will boldly knit!” Like The Next Generation better? Alison also makes a Captain Picard meerkat. Knit Star Trek Meerkats -
Guitar Hero Scarf
8 May 2009 | 10:01 pmSo if you live anywhere near me, it isn’t scarf weather anymore. Not even close. But I’m sure somewhere in the midwest it’s still snowing, and I hear that Siberia is quite cold this time of year. Anyway, this blog isn’t always about functionality, is it? No. No it’s not, so when I saw this six foot long Guitar Hero Scarf featuring the actual riff from “Killer Queen“, I threw caution (and the weather) to the wind and decided to post it. Domestic Scientist posted this in two parts, a progress entry and the finished product. This is a rockin’… -
I Heart Math Bag
7 May 2009 | 8:53 pmCan you get any geekier than carrying a bag that says “I Heart Math”? Craftster user Casstasstrophie created her own rubber stamp and applied it to these cross body hipster bags that she sewed for a swap. I Heart Math Bag -
5 Amigurumi Sackboys by causticmuse
6 May 2009 | 8:53 pmI just came across this amazing crocheter (is that a word?) - Maggie Wang aka causticmuse - on Craftster. She has made a whole bunch of cool, very geeky amigurumi dolls based on Sackboy from LittleBigPlanet. I couldn’t pick a favorite as they’re all great, so here are five: Coraline Level 80 Blood Elf from World of Warcraft Lobo from DC Comics The Nameless One from Planescape: Torment Gir from Invader Zim More from Maggie Wang on Caustic Musings -
The Shadow Hare
1 May 2009 | 1:13 pmI find it my geekly duty to inform any Geek Crafts readers that haven’t already heard, about The Shadow Hare. The Shadow Hare is a real-life Watchman in Cincinatti, OH. Not much is known of the Shadow Hare, other than that the Cincinatti PD is a little confused as to how to deal with this masked avenger who is patrolling their streets. After reading the initial article on TMZ, I did a little research and found a couple other news stories featuring The Shadow Hare and, of course, his myspace page. If you’re not in Cincinatti, don’t fret. A little more research, and I…
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creative little daisy
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Lost in the junk drawer
29 Jun 2009 | 5:21 amA few days ago, Rachel emailed out of concern that I had fallen victim to my out of control junk drawer and was unable to find my way out. So sweet! I assured her that I was fine, that the junk drawer had not sucked me in and tossed me to the back with the twist ties and random batteries. Nope, I'm here and I'm well. I'm busy and happy and have a life full of blessings I should be documenting. I'm such a slow blog poster. I type and delete, type and delete. Stare at the flashing cursor and type and delete some more. I find it so difficult to jot down a few lines,… -
More random bits
5 Jun 2009 | 10:31 amI'm not sure what has come over me, but I'm riding the wave while it lasts. I'm on a cleaning/organizing binge. I've cleaned parts of my kitchen that haven't been cleaned since, well, possibly never. I've rearranged cabinets, thrown out clutter- do sprinkles have a shelf life by the way? Cause I can't tell you when I've sprinkled anything, but I had four bottles of sprinkles. Had being the key word. I actually have two cabinets with nothing in them now. Imagine that! I threw out canned goods with '05 expiration dates. See what I mean about riding… -
Random bits, part one
5 Jun 2009 | 8:44 amHere I find myself, once again, like I have many times before, thanking you guys for being so good to me. Your words of sympathy and support on the loss of our sweet little Gracie have meant so much. Truly, if you wonder if your comments matter, if they make a difference, let me say, yes! Yes they do! Your words are uplifting and encouraging and I treasure each and every one! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I've been getting used to life with one less four-legged family member. I'm still so saddened by her somewhat sudden and unexpected loss, but I am smiling more at… -
I have a sad, sad heart...
18 May 2009 | 6:11 amMy sweet little Gracie girl died yesterday. She had been a part of our family for ten years. This morning as I looked through photos to include in this post, it became even more apparent how present she was in every minute of our lives. Sets of photos of birthday parties, Christmas, photos of Bayleigh... you name it. Gracie may not have been the subject of the picture, but if we were gathered, she was there. Part of our family. Watching Casey open presents on his birthday with the rest of the family. In the middle of the mess on Christmas Eve. Making unexpected appearances in shots on her… -
A public service announcement
13 May 2009 | 8:44 amTurtles pee in large volumes when frightened. Just in case you find yourself driving along and see a turtle upside down in the road and decide to stop and flip him over. Even if you get an umbrella cause you're scared to touch him cause he's kinda big and may bite your finger off. Just be mindful where your feet are, especially if you are wearing flip-flops. If they happen to be just behind the upside down turtle's back end, there is a good chance when you nervously touch the turtle with your umbrella, you are going to get the unexpected little surprise of being sprayed on…
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house on hill road
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Another study
30 Jun 2009 | 6:11 ammy photographJane's drawing -
Friendship bracelets
26 Jun 2009 | 2:47 pmI'm a total blogging slacker these days. Summer is just moving along and we are busy just being. It's pretty great.I said I'd be back with something crafty, but I bet you didn't think it'd be friendship bracelets. Truth is, neither did I. My girls came home from camp and raided my embroidery supplies. They started braiding bracelets for their ankles and doing hair wraps on their dolls. Jane asked me if I knew how to make different kinds of bracelets. Well, yes I do! I made the above bracelet for Jane earlier this week and am now working on a pink and… -
Drive-by posting
23 Jun 2009 | 4:46 amHow can it be Tuesday already?Things of note: - Sorry if you came to the blog in the last couple of days and tried to comment, or read comments, but couldn't. I tried to switch over to threaded comments, but something went awry. I have switched it back now that TypePad has seen the problem. Hopefully, they can figure out what is going wrong because I really want threaded comments. Anyhow, sorry if it was frustrating for you. - The girls are home from camp. They had a great time. The room re-do went over so-so at first, but has now been fully embraced by Jane. … -
Kale chips
19 Jun 2009 | 8:00 amIt's hard to admit, but I am never happy when I see kale in the CSA bag. I have tried cooking it a few different ways, but no one around here really liked it. My neighbor mentioned that she makes chips with kale that her kids love and then Jennifer gave me the link to this recipe so I gave it a go.I mixed 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar and 2 tsp olive oil and tossed it with 1/2 bunch of kale, torn into pieces, on a parchment lined baking sheet. I seasoned them with salt and put them in to bake. I had the oven at 350 degrees and kept them in there for about 18 minutes. Next time I… -
Market bags
17 Jun 2009 | 8:08 amI made my friend Marcia a set of five market bags. Sorry for the bad photos in low light - it's been gray and rainy here and I couldn't do much better. Anyhow, I used the Jane's Market Bag pattern that Alicia is selling over at Posie gets Cozy. Totally worth the $6, in my opinion. It's well written, easy to follow and the fact that I didn't have to figure out the dimensions, add seam allowances, etc. was a plus. And they are really cute and don't advertise a particular store. Am I the only one who feels weird shopping at one place with a reusable bag…
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Storque articles: HOW-TO
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If You Know It, Teach It!
School might be out for the summer, but crafting teachers and continuing education instructors are keeping active. Marlo Miyashiro, a.k.a. imakecutestuff and marlom is a jeweler, crafter, teacher, mentor and an arts business consultant living in Seattle, WA. She’s been in the crafts industry for over 20 years and thrives on helping others avoid the mistakes she’s made. She uses a site called TeachStreet.com to promote and organize classes she teaches. And since Etsy is partnering with TeachStreet, we asked Marlo to tell the story of how she got involved in teaching. "When… -
How-Tuesday: Nightlife Necklace with Diana Eng
Welcome to another How-Tuesday. This week's project, "NightLife Necklace," is a fun LED jewelry project from our friend Diana Eng's new book, Fashion GeekEtsy members receive 10% off their purchase from North Light Books. (Use promotional code: ETSY10 at checkout.) Diana has been on the cover of ID magazine (check out the inflatable dress!), a contestant on Project Runway, a winner of Yahoo! Hackday, and is a founding member of NYC Resistor. How did you get your start as a designer?My grandmother taught me to sew when I was eight. I started sewing little skirts and stuffed animals for… -
Getting Creative with Moo
Every time I'm at a craft show, there are always a few sellers giving away Moo MiniCards (which are mini business cards that display photos of your work). There's something about the compact size and design that draws a lot of attention. What's more, you can use up to 100 full color photos on your mini calling-cards, and these photos can be pulled right from your Etsy shop. Moo is offering a special deal just for Etsians for the next two weeks: Spend $30 (£15/€22.50) on Moo.com and get free shipping on your order. Use the code: "etsyjune." This promotion ends on July 13,… -
July Fourth Weekend Promotions: Get Involved with the Free Shipping Guide!
The Fourth of July is quickly approaching and we want to celebrate! To help commemorate the extended holiday weekend, we'd like to feature shops running special promotions such as free shipping. Etsy will create a limited time promotional Gift Guide highlighting these shops that will run from Thursday, July 2nd through Monday, July 6th. This guide will be linked from a banner rotating on our home page during these dates. Please read the FAQs below to find out how you can participate! Let's work together to help steer shoppers away from the malls and into your shops this special holiday… -
Craft Show Applications Unravelled
Summer craft shows are in full swing, and mentions of fall and holiday shows are starting to pop up. The dreaded cycle — filling out vendor applications and then waiting and anticipating to see if you've made it — never seems to end. As one of the Directors of the Crafty Bastards Arts and Crafts Fair in Washington, D.C., and the Handmade Mart in Silver Spring, MD, my fellow organizers and I are often asked the frequent question: “Why didn’t I get accepted into the fair?” This question is hard to answer, as it’s different for everyone. For seasoned crafters…
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The Apronista - domestic dish for the modern homemaker...
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All things Lime (recipe and giveaway!)
30 Jun 2009 | 10:31 pmSo which one do you want? For FREE including shipping?I am so excited Deanna is gracious (or rather brave enough) to let me post on the refined and internationally famous Apronista blog. I feel like I should have put on something classier then my clearance section Target sundress and dollar flip flops... (FYI we're slummin' it ladies) - the real purpose for this post is to announce the fun limey giveaway over at the Secret Stitch Club blog.It's so easy and you can have 4 chances to enter to win one of these two aprons (the top apron is adult sized made by Christie, the bottom one is called… -
If Donna Downey makes an apron...
15 Jun 2009 | 1:14 pm...it may be the most beautiful thing she's ever made.From Donna:"the idea for the apron came from a sketch i had drawn in my idea journal while waiting for my connecting flight in the aiport. the idea eveolved a couple times in the sketches i drew and finally i came to the idea for the apron "exactly" as you see it. this usually never happens that the project i make turns out exactly as i had envisioned it in my head.""because canvas is my happy place, i stated with that as my base and just built up from there, gathering, stitching and applying layers ( i love layers!) until it was finished. -
NEW Flirty Apron Swap - I Love Lucy!!
11 Jun 2009 | 7:53 pmGuest blogger Shawnee here. I'm excited to invite you all join my next flirty apron swap, designed for fans of the classic beauty and comedian, Lucille Ball!I hope you all enjoy Lucille Ball as much as I do. Just seeing her beautiful face always makes me smile, and I laugh when I think of my favorite scenes from her shows. Here are a few pictures that I think of when I think "Lucy":Don't you think you could create a WONDERFUL Lucille-esque apron?? I DO! I can see a dress style made from navy with white polka dots and collar; a pink factory smock with matching pink chef's hat; a grape-treader… -
News for Friday
5 Jun 2009 | 10:50 amI decided to take a summer break for the Apronista giveaways, but I am really excited to do "ApronFest 09" next month!!Wait - didn't I tell you about "ApronFest 09?"(smacks head) Oops!Ok, ApronFest is going to be a month of Apron Fun - and best of all it stars YOU! The heart of ApronFest is going to be the Apron-giveaway-palooza...a list of giveaways and promotions from all the BEST apron makers and lovers big and small - July will be one huge...Apron Party!You don't have to make an apron to participate - you can put together a little package with a purchased apron and some of your favorite… -
Spring Zing Apron
26 May 2009 | 2:08 pmFresh Spring colors and adorable pattern from The Yellow House on Etsy
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Design Mom
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Mayflower Giveaway
2 Jul 2009 | 11:18 amDoesn't it feel like a good day for a Giveaway? I think so too. So how does this sound: win a $150 Gift Card to Home Depot by leaving a comment below. I'm not even kidding. $150 to spend as you please. On new paint. Or a new drill. Or maybe the materials to build a giant table.Remember how awesome Mayflower was during the big move from New York to Colorado? Well. To thank them, I offered up a Giveaway spot. And they said: Sure thing! How about a gift card to Home Depot because we know how often home improvement projects are part of a move — both before and after. And I said: Right on.I can… -
Stephanie Levy
2 Jul 2009 | 11:17 amLoving the sunny collage work of Stephanie Levy. See her portfolio here. And her etsy shop here.I want this one. It's little (about 6" x 6") and the price is a bargain ($35) for original artwork. It would be lovely in a square, white frame. -
8 to 5 Sandwich
2 Jul 2009 | 9:47 amYou ask. I answer. Here are directions to the famous 8 to 5 Sandwich. And a little background.Ben Blair and I moved to Greece just weeks after I discovered I was pregnant with my oldest child. I was working as an art director at Ogilvy & Mather and everyday we'd order out for lunch. One of the nearby restaurants was called 8 to 5 — because they were only open during business hours and catered to the working peeps in the area.I ordered their signature sandwich, also called the 8 to 5, on my first day of work. It was delicious. Maybe even heavenly. And it was one of the first meals that… -
Welcome July!
1 Jul 2009 | 11:24 amJuly is looking hot. Also hawt. Here's a peek at my calendar. 4thIndependence Day. This weekend, we'll celebrate our independence with our cousins at a lake in Fort Collins, Colorado. Sailing. Fireworks. Hotdog roast. Perfect.7th & 8th Home Design Summit in Chicago. Anytime I see a good ol' American company focusing more on design, I want to give high-fives all around. I'm really looking forward to this. Hosted by the Sears Corporation.9th & 10thRevenue Bootcamp in Silicon Valley.Kirtsy is sending me straight from Chicago to San Francisco for this one-day conference. I know a decent… -
30 Stangers Exhibit
1 Jul 2009 | 10:45 amThis is what I wish I could attend tomorrow (Thursday) night:The 30 Strangers Exhibit by Justin Hackworth Thursday, July 2nd from 6-9pm1 East Center Street - Suite 215, Provo, UTThis is why I wish I could attend:1) The event is going to be lovely. 2) I know several of the Mother and Daughter pairs in the photos (like Liz & Betsy and Courtney & Cindy) and would enjoy seeing them celebrated.3) Anyone attending the event who makes a $25 donation to the Center for Women and Children in Crisis, can schedule a free mother/daughter session of their own with Mr. Hackworth. Which is a…
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sweet jessie
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Sounds like a math problem, but it's not
29 Jun 2009 | 9:09 pmSo we checked in to our hotel in Midtown Manhattan around 2:00 pm on Thursday. We threw our luggage in our room and headed out on the subway. What was my first stop?The first person to guess my first destination (and if you know me at all, it's not a very tricky answer) wins a prize!xoxo***That was Quick! Sherri's answer (Purl Soho) was my very first stop in NYC**** -
hi honeys, I'm home!
29 Jun 2009 | 4:51 amI just got home last night from an amazing trip to Manhattan. We jammed so much into each minute that I thought I'd break it down for you by day... so let me sort through all these photos and walk you through my trip. Back Later to tell you all about it.xoxo -
No. Sleep. Till.....
22 Jun 2009 | 4:28 amBrooklyn! And Soho. And anywhere else I want to wander for four whole days!My momma and I are headed to New York this weekend for a bit of a girls trip. My mom gets to New York quite often, so for this trip she's content to let me choose the itinerary, and will happily accompany me to fabric shops, Japanese Bookstores, and Flea Markets while we're there. I've mapped out all of my must-visit sites on a Google Map....View New York! in a larger mapHave you been to New York recently? Are there any spots I shouldn't miss? xoxo -
Show and Tell
18 Jun 2009 | 6:55 amI think I have too many photos on my computer. Ten thousand super-high-res images makes for some slow loading time. Which is the reason I haven't been sharing many pictures lately - it just takes forever to get them off of my camera. But I have lots of little pretties to show you, so I'm just going to suck it up and upload them. Today's Show and Tell: 3 little skirts (with matching headbands) for 3 little girls. These turned out so, so cute. I used a modified version of this free pattern from Oliver + S.xoxo -
do re mi fa so la ti do
16 Jun 2009 | 6:32 am
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every little thing
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Questions + Answers, Part 3
1 Jul 2009 | 9:18 pmHow did you decide on what type of shop? (i.e. things to sell?)There's a short and long answer to the question, but I'm gonna try to keep this brief. When I started blogging in 2006 I sometimes posted photos here and on flickr of cute cupcake decorations I purchased at a local cake and candy hobby shop in Virginia. Slowly but steadily I began to get emails from people asking where I found the decorations. I assumed that there was an awesome cake hobby shop like that in every town. I was wrong. When several people started to ask if I would buy the items and sell them… -
Shiny and New
23 Jun 2009 | 10:07 pmWe're headed back to Virginia for a mini-summer-trip this Thursday, so I will be taking a break from the Q&A posts until we get back. There are still lots of questions left and I'm anxious to get back to them. In the meantime, I'll try to post some on-the-road photos and video with my fancy, new iPhone. It's a pretty nifty, little contraption I must say. They are made by a small company named "Apple", you've probably never heard of them before...not too popular. They make nice products though, and you know, I like to support the little people. … -
Questions + Answers, Part 2
22 Jun 2009 | 10:33 pmHow do you get the word "out", how do you drive more people to your shop?So far, I have not done any paid advertising. I blog, upload pics to flickr, and I've just recently been trying to keep up with twitter, facebook, tumblr, etc. Social networking is exhausting! But It's always so nice when other bloggers mention the shop on their sites, and I've found this sort of word-of-mouth advertising to be invaluable. I haven't really done much in the way of "search engine optimization" and things like that, but I know I should. I still… -
Questions + Answers, Part 1
22 Jun 2009 | 3:04 am{I am going to go straight through and answer the questions you all were so kind to ask in the comments from this post. I'm pretty long winded, so it may take a while. Thanks for reading! I hope these Q&A posts are informative, or interesting, or funny, or..something...}I am assuming "Bake it Pretty" is a full-time job for you. I am most interested in hearing about how that came about. Did you have to save up and live off of that money for a period before the shop took off? Yes, right now Bake It Pretty is a full-time job for both Mike (my husband) and I. Mike is… -
Pretty Please!
18 Jun 2009 | 11:27 amJenna of Jenna Lou Designs is hosting a giveaway on her blog for one of Bake It Pretty's Best-Ever Cupcake Icing Kits! Please click here (or on the photo below) for instructions on how to enter! Drawing will be open until Wednesday the 24th, noon Central Time. Thank you so much, Jenna, for graciously offering to sponsor and host this giveaway. And also for helping to spread the Bake It Pretty love! I'm so thrilled that you all are loving the Icing Kits, because I really enjoy putting them together! {I also want to thank everyone for the great questions on yesterday's post…
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Mayfly
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july 1
1 Jul 2009 | 11:50 amGoodbye, June. You treated us very well. Thank you kindly. Hello, July. Let's play nice, shall we? They're blooming again. I'm completely honored to be a guest over at habit this month. Please don't forget to get out your art supplies and submit something to the echoes summer is... flickr pool. You only have a few days left to download the Fanfarlo album for $1. I did. And I love it. Have a terrific Wednesday! I'm headed back out to the back patio with my sketch book now. -
well hello there
28 Jun 2009 | 2:15 pmHappy Sunday! I thought I'd pop in for a minute and share little bits of a couple of recent murals. I've been painting more murals lately, which is so very good for our financial well being, and in turn our mental well being. : ) I usually only paint on weekends when Brian is home to watch the kids, which makes me miss him a little. But we've been squeezing lots of fun stuff in and around my working time- friends and barbecues and baseball games and out-of-town visitors. I hope you all are well! (And I also hope to have a few sewing projects to show you soon.) -
the biggest reason...
20 Jun 2009 | 2:20 pmI wish we had a pool: night swimming. There are so many reasons not to want a pool, but after a relaxing float in the glowing water, chatting, sipping margaritas, watching the bats dip down for a drink, it's hard to remember them. -
happy (summer) friday!
12 Jun 2009 | 8:40 amHello, friends! We have been... Picking berries and making gobs of jam, Hanging around outside waiting for fireflies, Sewing up a few little girlie summer night gowns, Enjoying the first few raspberries from our own bushes, And generally easing into summer. Happy weekend! -
looking on the bright side
5 Jun 2009 | 5:32 pmof the house. Right now we're choosing to ignore the front side of the house, where there scene resembles this: and we're hanging out on the back patio- where there are no hidden structural problems, nails to step on, and ginormous holes in the new roof. On the back side of the house there are grilled chicken legs, pasta salad, a sputnik fire and marshmallows, and plenty of cheap, cold beer. And if you squint and hang over the fence, you can catch a glimpse of this wondrous rose bush. Have a great weekend! (Three posts in one week doesn't exactly seem like an blogging break. Hmmmm.)
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Happy Zombie
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HOLY COW - I got some crafting done this month!
29 Jun 2009 | 11:14 amBunny Hill Designs/Anne Sutton’s uber darling “A Tisket, A Tasket” blocks of the month for May and June. MAY and JUNE! I’m late AGAIN to the party. I’m somewhat prepared for the delights Anne gift’s us each month, but I don’t really know what Swell/Sweet fabrics I’m going to use until I see the [...] -
Getting my blog-groove back on
23 Jun 2009 | 10:42 amWe’ve been having a jam packed summer so far - so jammed that my desktop holds over half a dozen folders of “blog food” ready to be blogged. Waiting to be uploaded and chatted up. So many words. So many photos. So many friend adventures. So much to say. So much to document before my fleeting memory *fleets up*. The [...] -
And the winner is…
8 Jun 2009 | 2:54 pmTAMMY! Tammy suggested my give-away dolly’s name be Polly T. Dolly. I also loved the many suggestions for Malitda - they ran a super close second (and will be the name of my next dolly)! Having my oldest son visiting from Australia and he brought me lollies (candy), and Sarah being Aussie, and my youngest [...] -
All “SEWN” up launch party & giveaway!
4 Jun 2009 | 3:53 pmA better title more suited for me… “It’s a party and I’m late again!” Getting in just under the wire, and only 4 days left until SEWN goes live… I add my giveaway to the party. Better late then never, right? Graduation, family visiting from Australia and the Bay Area, family projects, mag project… [...] -
I can twitter in jail, right?
20 May 2009 | 9:05 amDoug Benson was one thing, but Julie Andrews? Oh yeah, I’ll be making big rocks into small rocks in no time at all. Pam and I were all giggly-goo goofy over the new Moda Bakeshop ad that WE ARE IN. We were dying over it. Pam said she wanted to be singing like Julie Andrews on [...]
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One more Moore
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Sentimental
1 Jul 2009 | 9:46 pmYears ago Chris bought me this bracelet for my birthday. It was long before we had children. When Henry arrived, we added his name to the bracelet. This past Mothers Day, Chris gifted me a charm for Kate. Both are inscribed with their birthdays on the back. This bracelet is as sentimental to me as my own wedding ring. Later this Fall, we'll be adding another charm to our bracelet. That's right folks, One More Moore is having One More Moore. (and hopefully many more Moores)We are thrilled. This time around, we are expecting aBoy!Happy, happy, joy, joy!Henry says, "It's… -
Beach Camping
30 Jun 2009 | 11:59 pmWe spent the last few days camping at the beach down in Carlsbad. We are happy & sandy. Refreshed & rejuvenated. We ate smores and enjoyed late evening campfires.We had a wonderful time with family. I haven't showered in 3 days. It's good to be home. I am stinky. The End. -
Quilt Blocks
28 Jun 2009 | 1:28 amAre available and up in the shop. I have just enough for 10 sets. And come on, you've gotta have one for the Summer, right? We are going away but will be back in a few days. If you have any questions on how we made our quilt, send me an e-mail and I'll do my best to help out.xo -
Extra! Extra!
27 Jun 2009 | 6:39 pmIt's coming along, except for the row that runs across the top, I sewed that one on going the wrong way. The green block was supposed to be on the other side. So I'll fix that -but it's coming, slowly but surely. But, I was realizing I cut entirely too many squares and have so many vintage sheets, that I am going to offer some of the pre-cut squares in the shop. I've got about 13 different styles, enough for roughly 8-10 quilts. So check back on those, I'm hoping to get them up in the next day or so. Happy Saturday! -
Sturtevant Falls
26 Jun 2009 | 10:52 amI remember hiking to Sturtevant Falls when I was a child. It's been probably 25 years since I've been back, and now I take my children. We were all ready for the hike, Kate strapped in the backpack, comfy shoes tightly laced, snacks and water in tow. We were off. About 10 feet into the hike, Henry wanted to be carried. It's about 2 miles in to the falls, and 2 miles back. I had spoken to a forest ranger earlier and he said some people take strollers in. There were 2 small rivers that needed to be crossed, but if we could carry the stroller over, we would be fine. So the…
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happythings
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Log cabin-ish scrap squares, rainbow set
15 Jun 2009 | 5:29 pmI made more squares of the same style as the ones from Bea's big quilt - enough for a few more baby quilts. For this one I tried a rainbow set and I like it except the white line just "falls off the page." If you haven't done an easy, no fuss type log cabin block, Krommama posted this tutorial. Her explanation and photos are good. I don't do everything just the same way as her and you won't probably either and that is just perfect. Anyway, this will get you started if you need help. I tried a new-to-me wavy line quilting pattern, inspired by Pocket… -
Bunnies for babies
2 Jun 2009 | 1:27 pmI made a cozy chenille/flannel blanket for some friends' new baby girl and had some extra fabric so decided to make a smaller blanket in the same style for a charity project. I also made the new a baby a little onesie to match using the tried/true freezer paper stencil method. It is cute but the subtle color difference has given me a photographic challenge and this is the best I can do. -
Another baby, another quilt
19 May 2009 | 4:25 pmAnother eye-spy quilt. Same size and layout as this one, but a little more girly this time. I think it took me longer to get it in the mail than to actually make it. -
Now, to get it quilted.
15 May 2009 | 2:11 pmI made this quilt top for Bea out of every fabric that she likes. She gets attached to fabrics that I sew with and makes sure I save a little piece "for her." Well, I have, and this is what I decided to do with them. I've been working on the scrap log cabin style blocks since last fall. The quilt will generously cover a full size bed - here it is laid out on our king size bed for better viewing - the largest quilt I've made. I've decided that it is beyond my capacity for quilting so, though it pains me to do so, I believe I will hire someone with a long-arm… -
Old standbys
5 Apr 2009 | 5:12 pmI have been on a quest to find archetypical recipes (or better yet, in-my-head recipes) for my favorite foods so I can feel free to ignore the all other options. I am making the same no-pattern quilts over and over, the same winging-it skirts again and again, and the same gifts for each baby shower. Is this a wise satisfacation with my life or a lack of energy to try new things? I can't decide. I made matching chenille burps and bibs and potato soup this weekend. No recipes. No patterns. Nothing new, but no regrets.
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Uncommon Grace
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Speeding
29 Jun 2009 | 1:00 pmLast week I got a speeding ticket for driving 10 miles an hour over the posted speed limit. Beyond being vexed about the fine and disappointed in myself both for speeding and being caught, it has made me consider some things. Mostly, the concept of speeding itself. Speeding while driving -- and speeding through life. Like so many people, I have a tendency to rush, and to feel rushed. At the pool after swimming lessons, I feel a vague pressure to get everyone dry and dressed and out to the car in a hurry. While sewing or knitting, I find myself fixating on the finished object rather than… -
So Many Reasons to Love Pink
25 Jun 2009 | 9:16 amPink is my favorite color. I really love a lot of colors, and I love the way colors play with one another. But I am devoted to pink. And there have been such a lot of good reasons to love pink around here over the last few weeks. Peonies in our yard! (Now faded, but I'm still reveling in their memory.) This amazing sweater gifted to us by Kyrie. If you're one of the more than 400 people who have viewed it (or the more than 80 who have faved it!) over on her Ravelry page, or if you've been following along at near:far almost from the beginning, you'll certainly recognize… -
Seasons Round
24 Jun 2009 | 11:23 amOur family has had a nature table (or "seasonal table", as we call it) in our home -- in some form or other -- since Elisabeth was a baby. Although I've never quite accomplished the seasonal tableaux that are seen in many Waldorf schools and Waldorf-inspired homes, its presence, however great or small, has become quite prominent. I like to inspire a feeling of reverence in our home, and to keep a physical reminder of the rhythm of the year: the seasons, the festivals we celebrate. However, these days, I'd have to say that its presence has begun to inspire more of a… -
Funny but true, and what's been going on
11 Jun 2009 | 9:23 pmFirst the "funny but true", and then the "what's been going on": Last night I dreamt that I was taking some sort of class with a priest. I got the feeling that it was a cello lesson of some kind. But I was paying for the class with a little bit of cash and a lot of very nice yarn! I remember thinking that there was no way I'd be able to keep it up with the yarn because it was too expensive. Then when I woke up, I realized that the priest was actually Jared Flood. The priest of knitting. I finally cast on my February Lady this week after a lot of hemming and… -
Fast and not-too-dirty
1 Jun 2009 | 8:35 amMy time for sewing lately is both infrequent and short, so when I do have a few minutes that I can spend at the machine, I want quick, satisfying projects so that I can feel like I've accomplished something tangible with that time. Elisabeth has lately stopped liking snug pajama pants, and though she has several pairs of loose flannel pajama pants that I've made her, she and I both thought she needed something lighter and more summery. I'd had this lightweight double knit from Superbuzzy sitting around for almost two years (eek! I can't believe that, but it's true!).
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SouleMama
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coming soon :: going now
2 Jul 2009 | 5:41 amcoming:: Look, look - Handmade Home! My early copies have just arrived, which means your copies are right around the corner! The official publication date remains August 11th , but I'm guessing (not promising!) they might be headed your way... -
reporting live, from the bathroom sink
1 Jul 2009 | 5:20 amWell, apparently you all have me figured out. Of course that little yellow desk from the flea market came home with me! I couldn't resist. (Not that the rest wasn't tempting too...the teacups would have come home too, except that... -
scenes
30 Jun 2009 | 4:38 amSome sights from a weekend flea market adventure with friends in Arundel, Maine. The aisles and booths of which are so full of oh so many... :: old :: funny :: random :: strange :: beautiful :: and lovely things.... -
24 hours of sunshine
29 Jun 2009 | 4:21 amI've lived in this New England climate for my entire life - long enough to know to take full advantage when the sun does shine. I think that's one reason I love the summer so much - it is so... -
weekending
27 Jun 2009 | 11:07 am
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Yarn Harlot
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Kelowna, Ogopogo, and not the blanket
2 Jul 2009 | 10:22 amEarly yesterday morning Joe and I left the girls and came far across the country west, to Kelowna. Our friends Albert and Robina live here, in a beautiful house that overlooks the Okanagan lake, and we've had the loveliest time. A very grown-up good time, with cocktails and restaurants and all manner of tidy things. Yesterday we went down to the Canada Day Celebrations in the city and over in nearby Peachland, and Joe and Albert played camera. (See the different colours of the two hills behind Albert? One is green (trees) and the other side is brown after being cleared of trees by the… -
Happy Canada Day
1 Jul 2009 | 6:20 amIt has become traditional for me to write a little something about the country that I love so much on it's birthday each year, and that birthday is today. Sadly (or happily depending on who you are) I'm busy today as Joe and I fly across our great big country, headed for BC, so I'm copping out a little. You can still go back and read previous years, there's "Things to do on Canada Day" and "You know you're a Canadian Knitter when...." then "Stuff you maybe didn't know about us" (Clearly I didn't work hard on that title.) Then "Canada A to Z" (and that's "Zed" not "Zee") and then last year, it… -
Making a break for it
30 Jun 2009 | 1:10 pmTomorrow morning, the mister and I are getting on a plane and flying westward across Canada into the Rocky Mountains for the wedding of one of Joe's best friends. I'm pretty unreasonably excited for a couple of reasons. 1. Joe and I haven't been properly away together - alone, in years and years. Even a few years ago when we were married, we went to a hotel for one evening and reported for brunch the next day. 2. I love British Columbia. It's a beautiful province, but we are going to the Slocan Valley, which is particularly stunning. 3. The company will be wicked good. 4. I AM GOING TO KNIT… -
A is for Attitude
29 Jun 2009 | 8:54 amWe've been trudging along, this blanket and I, for just a little while now, and I can honestly tell you that I'm bored to death. I didn't want to say it, because really... I have so far to go and if I turn on it now it's just going to get ridiculous. I've said it before, I'll say it again. You get more of what you pay attention to, and so I've been trying not to pay attention to the part where every time I pick this blanket up to do another 79 miles of the knit stitch I am overcome with the urge to haul off and purl the snot out of a row, just to mix it up a little. I am instead trying to get… -
Sock Museum
26 Jun 2009 | 12:21 pmSurprise! It's a Sock Museum! (ST-1 is just getting so much done that we shock ourselves.) Another chunk of the Sock Summit fun and games are up and running, and this one is for everybody, whether you're involved with the Summit or not. The Sock Museum is live (in no small part, thanks to the generous sponsorship of WEBS and Blue Moon Fiber Arts. We love them.) In this section, you (or your local knitting group, and we think this would be a blast to do as a group) can sign up to knit a sock from history (recent or long past) to submit to the Museum. Once submitted, the socks become part of…
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My Paper Crane
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paper to fabric
1 Jul 2009 | 9:04 amI really had a lot of fun yesterday playing with a pile of paper. After I had made the little tree card I decided to turn him into the embroidery above. In the Spring I went to this second hand sale that had a bunch of old metal embroidery hoops (probably close to 30) I only bought 4 of them and now I am regretting not buying all, they are so pretty…what was I thinking? It is like the opposite of buyers remorse…”leaving behind remorse?”. I am getting pretty excited for a vacation we have coming up very soon! We are taking a roas trip to South Carolina to visit my… -
July Shop Update
1 Jul 2009 | 8:50 amThe July shop update is up! -
woodland
30 Jun 2009 | 1:23 pmToday I have spun a skein of yarn, made some little woodland cards, and finished a giant mushroom that has been sitting around without a face for a couple of months. My husband came home from Dallas last night and it has lifted my spirits tremendously. He compared our relationship last night to the giants in MirrorMask. Where the women looks as though she would fly off and the man like he would be pulled down to the ground, but as long as they are together they float along….aww I love that. Sorry for the romantic nonsense, but that’s how we roll. I am aiming for a shop update… -
homes
28 Jun 2009 | 7:17 pmA truly less than exciting day around the Kenney house. The kids are thoroughly entertained with their cousins here, I however spent much of my day cleaning, sorting supplies in the studio, and then sewing up some small hanging houses (like this). I had some other photos (like the awesome package Miss Emily sent me just because she is sweet like that) But it has been a dark rainy day, so the photos are kind of bad. It is much cooler though, and that has been a pleasant change. Ho Hum..now I am debating whether to start reading a new book, or sew a little longer…Hurry home Thomas I am… -
Summertime
27 Jun 2009 | 7:00 pmToday I filled up water balloons for all the boys. There have been elaborate blanket forts, video game playing, pizza and iced tea-so much iced tea! So getting them outside to run around for awhile is always a good thing. I will leave you with a list of movies I am excited to see ;) (sort of a list for my self, but you might like some too!) Ponyo-What a perfect, absolutely perfect way to finish off the last month in Summer!! Paperheart- Oh Michael Cera, you can do no wrong! Year One-again Michael Cera Sunshine Cleaning-I loved Amy Adams in Junebug, this looks great and by the same folks who…
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Apron Thrift Girl
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mid century thrifting
21 Jun 2009 | 8:41 amWith Dave in England and our house on the market, it makes for a challenging thrift day. We had a house showing planned in the middle of Saturday morning which meant I had to take Cerys, Keiran and the dog thrifting with me on one of the busiest thrift days of the year. No where on any "rules of thrifting" have I ever including dogs & kids on the list. I'm usually a solo thrifter which means I can thrift in peace and quiet and on my own. I nearly had a playdate for Keiran planned on Saturday but that was canceled last minute. Luckily a new bookselling friend of mine, Katie,… -
a chapter closes
15 Jun 2009 | 7:33 amAfter five years of walking through the little gate & arch to Kindergarten, we walked through for the last time. Not only did Keiran have his last day yesterday but it marks the end of our time at our Waldorf School where we have spent the last 6 years. The reason we are leaving is to have an even deeper relationship with Waldorf education. It's made such an impact on our lives that we have made the choice to leave our small school in order to attend a much larger school that goes through to 12th grade. We didn't want to get to 8th grade and have to make the choice of either… -
ice tea with a twist
8 Jun 2009 | 7:31 amLast week the Pacific Northwest was touched by a brief taste of summer. Or maybe a tease of summer. The sun was out, the temperature was hot, and I was very content. I love the heat. We spent every evening out on our tiny little deck in our thrifted vintage lawn chairs watching the eagles get chased by birds and the evening ferry loaded with commuters, come into dock. It was so relaxing to soak up the sun and a perfect addition to this was a cold glass of homemade ice tea.In those few rare weeks a year that it is actually hot here, I take my jar of herbal tea mix and instead of brewing it for… -
weaving in third grade
3 Jun 2009 | 6:01 pmI'm sorry I am late in writing this post. I fell sick on Friday with a cold and it knocked me flat. I hadn't been sick in a year which is a rare thing for me. I usually catch anything that am within 10 feet of. I feel a bit back to normal today. Thank you to everyone who guessed a price for my dining room table. It was amusing to see the variety of guesses. I think only one person guessed correctly and that is actually Renee, the first person who commented. I did in fact buy the table for $100.00. Renee please send me your address and I'll send you a gift for guessing… -
dining & design
28 May 2009 | 10:45 amFour years ago we moved in our our 1927 home and I dove head first into the world of shabby chic. I bought anything I could find that was worn, dingy, scrappy, rusty and of course shabby. I remember looking at our fancy mahogany 1940's dining set and realizing that it would look awful in our new home. I sold it on Craigslist for $1200 and turned around and bought this table at a yard sale.The children could spill to their hearts delight with this stained and blemished table without worry. If guest were coming I could throw a tablecloth on it and hid away the ugliness of it. The chairs…
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betz white
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Sewing Green Flickr Group
1 Jul 2009 | 7:13 am1. lounge pants, 2. Bottle Holder for Claire, 3. skirt , 4. Produce bags from Betz White's book Sewing Green, 5. A quickie birthday gift, 6. water bottle sling from Sewing Green, 7. sewing green baby quilt, 8. leaves, 9. sewing green luxe baby toyHave you seen what you crafty folks are making from Sewing Green? If not, please visit the Sewing Green Flickr Group and have a look-see. You guys rock!Keep it comin', I love seeing what you're making. :) -
the hot seat
28 Jun 2009 | 6:48 pmAfter a rainy start to summer, things are heating up around here. All it takes is a searing hot car seat to remind me to break out the Auto Sunshade I made from my book Sewing Green. It's made from discarded mylar juice pouches. They are reflective, lightweight, kinda fun to sew, and free! (First photo below by John Gruen.)I started by collecting empty juice pouches after cub scout events, soccer games, even from a neighbor that saved them for me. (The darn things are non-recyclable, so I do my best not to buy them myself!) Trim the tops, rinse them out, and hoard them until you have about… -
Mugsy speaks
25 Jun 2009 | 5:45 pmGood day, my name is Mugsy. Welcome to the home and gardens of my human, Mr. Conway. You know, the one on TV? Apparently he has a show and people are invited here to be filmed making stuff. This week, someone named Betz arrived. She asked if I would like to guest post on her blog to tell you about her visit. I don't really know what a blog is, but I do know that it rhymes with dog, and that's good enough for me. Besides, since I'm really the one in charge here, I should be the one to show you around.These are the beautiful gardens that are well maintained by my staff. This is often the… -
packing bags
22 Jun 2009 | 5:07 pmThis morning I headed out to the post office to ship some orders. I used my roomie Beach Bag from Sewing Green to corral all of my packages. It's made from a set of 4 placemats I found at the thrift store. This version also uses one of my favorite things for bag handles: Karate belts!Why do I love karate belts so much? They are cheap, come in lots of colors, they are nicely made and evenly stitched, and they are padded! I find a lot of them at the thrift store for 50 cents to a buck a piece. This one was long enough make both handles and go all the way around the bottom of the bag, about 104"… -
Sneaky McPeeky
19 Jun 2009 | 8:21 amPsst...the beginnings of my new organic print line, a work in progress! I've only gotten sample yardage of one of my designs so far, but I'm so excited about it, I had to share. 100% organic cotton and hemp canvas. Yummy.Snip snip, saving every scrap. I'm working on a special project with it right now that involves television. Eep. (No, it's not Martha) I'm flying out next week to shoot some craft segments for a show that won't air until next summer!Luckily my fabric will be available way sooner than that. I'm hoping for a mini-launch late July (fingers crossed) and a big Ta-Da! launch in…
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Drawn! The Illustration and Cartooning Blog
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Abner Graboff
2 Jul 2009 | 3:31 pmWho was Abner Graboff? I had no idea. So, I decided to find out on my own. Artist, illustrator & designer with a career that spanned several decades, from the 1940’s to the 80’s, Abner was best known for creating some of the most ingenious and vibrant children’s books during the mid-century era. But you’d never know it. There was practically nothing on the guy if you did a search online. It was frustrating for me, because I felt that his sense of construction and concepts when it came to designing children’s books was so fresh and bold. Surely there had to… -
La Linea
1 Jul 2009 | 6:32 pmSeveral years ago I linked to a site featuring over 50 episodes of Osvaldo Cavandoli’s wonderful series of short animations, La Linea. That link has come and gone, but I did just find an extensive YouTube playlist of 78 La Linea episodes. I loved watching these as a kid. You may recognize La Linea’s voice as Carlo Bonomi, the voice of Pingu. -
Mountain Dew History
1 Jul 2009 | 2:24 pmClick on image to download. Nice mix of rotoscoping, 2D, and 3D animation for this Mountain Dew spot, titled History. Produced by Buck, with illustrator Josh Cochran creating the look and style frames. -
Museum of Forgotten Art Supplies
1 Jul 2009 | 12:39 pmDrawger has set up the Museum of Forgotten Art Supplies where “tools of the trade that have died or have just about died a slow slow death are cheerfully exhibited.” I still have plenty of these kicking around from my school days — rubber cement pick-up, proportion wheel, dry cleaning pad, t-squares, triangles. I even use some of them still, despite having a heavily digital workflow. Heck, I’ve even used a plastic circle template on my Cintiq itself. But please don’t make me set type by hand ever again. (via BoingBoing) -
Vintage sewn clothing tags
1 Jul 2009 | 8:44 amEnjoy this small collection of vintage sewn clothing tags over at World Famous Design Junkies. There’s something really special about these delicate little designs hiding behind people’s necks: Design in Thread.
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art for housewives
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departure for Paros
30 Jun 2009 | 12:05 amFriday I will be departing for Paros and will be there until the beginning of September. So my posting habits will be...Leggi ancora | Pubblicato da cynthiak | Commenti Tag: baskets, purses, plastic bags, weaving/sakiori -
get your needles out!
27 Jun 2009 | 10:56 pmSusie Cowie...Leggi ancora | Pubblicato da cynthiak | Commenti (1) Tag: patchwork, embroidery, jeans, stitching, thread drawings -
Can you recognize talent?
26 Jun 2009 | 11:20 pmPattie from This Is My Summer sent me this story: At a Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007, he played six...Leggi ancora | Pubblicato da cynthiak | Commenti Tag: music -
paper purses
18 Jun 2009 | 10:21 pm'If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people He gave it to. ' - Dorothy Parker. Leggi ancora | Pubblicato da cynthiak | Commenti (1) Tag: paper, tutorial, purses, paper beads, jewelry, carton coin purse, paper yarn… -
BOOMbASTIC pLASTIC
11 Jun 2009 | 11:24 pmLeggi ancora | Pubblicato da cynthiak | Commenti Tag: wallpaper, collage, green roof, plastic bottles
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Illustration Friday
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Topic: worn
Enter your link! -
Burton Durand
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pedro fernandes
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Michael Greaney
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Stilos
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Doll
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garden baby
28 Jun 2009 | 12:15 pmThis baby is the same color palette as this garden lady. I love, love, LOVE these colors together! Okay, sorry about that. Back to the topic at hand. Did you know that Firefox can make all the colors in your photos look terrible? I could not figure out what was wrong- my photos looked fine on Iphoto and totally washed out when I put them on my blog or flickr. When I whined loudly enough about it, my sweetie figured out the the problem- check it out. -
night garden lady
26 Jun 2009 | 9:33 amThis doll is of the night garden- Use your imagination though- no photographing with dark backgrounds… The dark colors are hard enough to show! I think her upper torso tree, leaf applique looks like a shawl or stole. Back view- because I am always curious about the back of everything- 2 ladies- On the steps where the colors are often better- Now I have finished the lady dolls that had been in limbo since last November- so forlorn. Onto the next thing! -
another garden lady
24 Jun 2009 | 2:27 pmThe sketch- The doll- Do you know what a penny rug is? That is what I was thinking about- piles of cut-out wool pieces, stitched together and onto a backing. I know this is nothing like a penny rug- it is just what was on my mind! Looks like the rain is going to end tomorrow. Yes! -
show report
17 Jun 2009 | 7:18 amfinally! My show report- I am sure you were all holding your breath, right? This past Sunday I was at the South End Open Market with my Etsy street team, Boston Handmade. I feel as though I passed some test because I survived my first rainy set-up. Real life doing an outdoor market. Here is a photo of the booth- mostly ready. I used a tent and thank goodness I had the sides, but the water pooled on the roof and dripped through in places. My banner got wet but survived just fine. The rain poured down all through the set up time, but mostly stopped by 10:30 or so and crowds started showing up… -
2 times
16 Jun 2009 | 11:20 amUsually when I finish a doll, I am finished. I don’t go back. But now I’ve done it twice in a week. hmm. This doll is now this doll- It was a problem with the glasses and eyes. I was never satisfied with them. And several people didn’t get that she was wearing glasses- clearly not working. I’d been looking at her and thinking change for a while. Finally, last Friday, she got new glasses and new eyes too. I brought her down from the studio to photograph. As I was looking at her through the camera, I saw a tiny hole in the dress- I couldn’t believe it! How could I…
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Dioramarama
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Thoughts on Two
12 Jun 2009 | 7:43 amOK, it's sad that Otto's first birthday celebration post is right there if you just scroll down a few posts -- but what can I say, he (and this) has kept me plenty busy. Otto is two today! Happy day! Everyone says oh doesn't it goes by so fast, but geez people, this has been the longest two years of my life! But that is good. Anything that slows time down is good. But I also agree with the parental refrain, "the days go slow but the years go fast." Otto has always been a night owl -- these days he wakes around 9:30-10am, naps around 3, and goes to bed at 11. It's that last hour of the day… -
Estate Sale Quilt Top
27 Mar 2009 | 3:57 pmA quilt top I got at an estate sale a while back. It is all hand-stitched, and amazingly square and flat (though I'm worried about the quality of some of the fabrics -- I'll just have to wash carefully). I'm thinking about how to quilt it. Straight lines in a plaid pattern, maybe? -
Tutorial: Easy Pieced Curves a la Fleming
7 Feb 2009 | 2:22 pmI created this tutorial ages ago but never posted it for some reason! I had to revisit it to see if I could use it for my Single Girl piecing. I don't think I can for the inner circles, but I can for the outer part of each block. ..... Before taking on the Pie In the Sky Quilt in the Denyse Schmidt Quilts book, I had never pieced curves nor done hand appliqué, so I was a little nervous about the pattern, which required both techniques. By some stroke of luck I caught a tutorial by Dale Fleming on the TV show Simply Quilts. She has a book called Pieced Curves So Simple that centers on this… -
Best Parent Hack Ever
23 Oct 2008 | 3:38 pmUsing Bryan's height-adjustable drawing table to cut out quilt pieces, out of the baby's reach. Also, teaching the child to clean up after me. -
I Am a Longarmer, Feel My Power
16 Oct 2008 | 3:08 pmLast week I took an introductory longarm quilting class from Duck Soup Quilts here in Austin, run by the lovely Deana Everett Tollerton. After taking the class you can rent her machine to quilt your own quilts. I was so giddy I forgot to take note of the make and model of the machine, but it was very easy to set up and use. You get to say goodbye to basting, more or less, and that is a very good thing. Basting is one of those hurdles that keep my UFOs UFOs. And thank god for stitch regulators, is all I can say. There are certain line types that will take practice to get right if you're…
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PaMdora's Box
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A Wedding to Remember
1 Jul 2009 | 11:21 amTwenty years ago we were married on a cliff called Battleship Rock, the place where Russ proposed to me. It was a hot late June afternoon, and climbing the backside of the cliff in a tux and wedding gown was a challenging affair. It’s also difficult to find a minister who wants to do this sort of thing, but Russ had a friend who also happened to be a gymnastics teacher. On the cliff we awaited the arrival of assorted family and guest on their poontoon boats, having been given a map and time on the cartoon wedding invitation that we had sent out a few weeks earlier. Meanwhile, our… -
Beam me up, Fluffy!
23 Jun 2009 | 8:28 pmNot much art going on this week, other than emails and boxing up stuff for shows. Also thinking about what I’m going to say for a full hour at the Modern Materials opening weekend artist’s talk. I was going to transport this quilt to the Untitled [Artspace] gallery via space-age technology, but the space-time portal didn’t reveal itself in time. So I had to fall back on FedEx. FedEx is not a bad second option though. I usually use the second-day delivery, and have always been happy with the ease of computer-generated labels and email confirmation of delivery. The routine is… -
Vintage Friday
12 Jun 2009 | 10:22 amLong ago I told Paper Dolls for Boys that I would post vintage photos on Fridays, but I really haven’t got that many great vintage photos. I do however have a nice collection of mid-century cookbooks — many I found when I bought two big boxes of old papers at an auction. They appear to be the entire 1950-60’s Home Economics classroom files of a woman named Frances, and are full of leaflets and brochures about choosing silverware, how to use a deep freeze, bug sprays, dieting, and more. I love looking at these old cookbooks, finding a lot of humor and inspiration for my work… -
Did I say that? (less is more)
11 Jun 2009 | 4:49 amWhen I first got into some art shows and was asked for an artist statement, I often spent a lot of time at the word processor — refining and tweaking and trying to cram as many power-packed poetic words into the space allowed. Type…..check the word count…..retype……check the word count. Now after a year of using Twitter (only 140 characters, not words allowed!), or maybe because I’ve decided I’d like to leave some mystery for the viewer, my statements are getting much shorter than the space allowed. In fact, my statement for Quilt National 2009 was… -
A little morning exercise
29 May 2009 | 4:48 amEncouraged by the flurry of comments about favorite cheese curl poses (thanks you guys, I don’t even have to ask — you all just jump right in and tell me what you think!) I started refining some of them. Between sketching and a real plan to work in fabric from, there are lots of little steps. Rayna said she liked this one. But Russ said snacks should go closer to the mouth, and rightly so! Then I got a little toe-happy. I don’t usually draw finger or toe nails, preferring to keep things low maintenance. That’s why some animators’ characters only have four or…
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Penny Sanford Designs
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Where to begin?
2 Jul 2009 | 3:31 pmI'm so behind in sharing stuff with you that I hardly know where to begin. If I wanted to blog about something lately, I did not have accompanying pictures to share. Or if I have the pictures to share, I've been too tired to edit them to upload and write anything. That is something for which to be thankful because it means I have been more active lately than I have been in many months of that stupid bronchitis. Today Gordon carried the oxygen-making machine back upstairs to the closet where it has been stored. I no longer need supplemental oxygen. YEAH! We're planning a "freshening"… -
Charles Hamer carving a fork.
23 Jun 2009 | 6:18 pmCharles Hamer, age 83 of Kilmichael, Mississippi, carving a wooden, primitive fork made from trees blown down by Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005. -
Does Social Networking make me more sociable?
13 Jun 2009 | 3:09 pmRemember when it was a big deal just to have a pager number or a cell phone number in addition to one's home or work number? Now this:Website: www.pennysanford.comBlog: www.pennysanford.typepad.comFlickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pennysanford/Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PennySanfordDesignsTwitter: http://twitter.com/pennysfikesYouTube: PennySanfordDesigns We dumped our land lines earlier this year after Mama died. She was the only one who used them any more. Gordon and I conduct more business on our cell phones than on the land lines, and Unc could not hear well enough to talk on… -
Happy Flowers and Green Thumb Ladies
6 Jun 2009 | 4:42 pmHere are some of the pretty flowers that have beautified the farm this spring. It has been so rainy for so long, and I have had this ongoing bronchitis-like stuff, so Gordon or Unc brought flowers inside to cheer me up. Some of the rain-drenched flower shots that Gordon snatched between rains are my favorite flower pictures from the first five months of 2009. Now, looking back at these pictures from the past five months, as I share them with you, I realize how just a photo of flowers can brighten one's day. For a good while we thought this bronchitis-like stuff might be triggered by allergy,… -
What is Jenny B up to these days?
5 Jun 2009 | 8:22 pmJenny B came to live with us here on the farm March 21, 2009. She has long since captured our hearts, all three humans. (Heck, she captured my heart in the first five seconds.)Jenny B is busy being Jenny B these days. She and Mackie have formed a very close bond. Anywhere Mackie goes, Jenny B is right behind him. Anything Mackie does, Jenny B is his shadow.Sometimes they look like a tiny team of furry white horses the way they run together, as if they were in invisible traces. Every morning, Jenny B wakes me up by licking my face, especially my nose. I've GOT to find a resource that tells why…
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Seamless Skin
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American Icon and Artist
27 Jun 2009 | 6:23 amSometime in the early-mid 90s we vacationed on Edisto Island and toured Charleston. On one of the tours we went to the home and iron mill of Mr. Philip Simmons. A family member, maybe a great-nephew, was carrying on the art of forging iron he had learned from Mr. Simmons... -
Its A Miracle!!!!
24 Jun 2009 | 7:15 pmWell, lookahere, lookahere, I can upload pictures! This is another 6x12 completed (for the most part). Do you think the fringe should stay...I was planning to trim it but looking at it here, I kinda like it. I went through at least 7 bobbins as I experimented with thread painting.... -
Breath in, Breath out, Breath...
23 Jun 2009 | 5:52 pmOhhhhhhhmmmmmm, I once again ooohhhhhmmmmm, can't ooooohhhhhhmmmmmmm upload oooohhhmmmmmmmmm pictures ooooohhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm -
Good vibrations are contagious!
19 Jun 2009 | 9:30 amYesterday I attended the summer social for Louisville Area Fiber and Textile Artists (LAFTA). This is my 3rd year having a membership. Joining 3 years ago was a part of my plan to re-socialize and get out more after coming to grips with how my life had changed due to... -
Hurricanes, Swamps, and Magnolias.
16 Jun 2009 | 3:24 pmYesterday I started with what I thought would be a few circles around the moon but I was really caught up in the building up of colour with the stitches that I did not stop and loved the ending result. Peter saw a hurricane...I see a swamp at dusk. The...
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Spirit Cloth
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a little bit wild
2 Jul 2009 | 9:14 ami am about to unplug for a few days. another line up. a holiday weekend and a full moon coming and i am wrapping up a few projects. whew. i thought i would switch gears and do a bit of needle chanting. a little slow repetition. you know... rocking yourself to calm the beast. this time in the round. to celebrate the dot. and the moon. of course that moon is singing in the background. so maybe just a little bit of wildness. ...just a little wild. thing.( thank you phyllis for that silk velvet...) -
more wild things
1 Jul 2009 | 4:38 pmthis afternoon we had a storm with thunder and lighting that almost knocked me out of my chair. and rain to match. but the hot sun returned quickly and when i walked through the woods it seemed like it had become a jungle in 15 minutes. inspired by the lushness of it all i started adding some garden elements for wild thing. because it is a jungle out there. right? i used a fairly fragile vintage silk jacquard floral for the bottom border, stitching it down carefully to blend it into the indigo ground and give it stability. and then some exotic dotty blooms cut from a balinese print to… -
doodle wednesday nine patch
1 Jul 2009 | 4:32 amwhat if repeating the same thing over and over is a sign of a trapped ego?a while back i caught jacki using pens on fabric and i got turned me on to faber castell's pitt pens for artists. they are pigment, permanenent and a bit pricey in a big set but wow, lots of colors and completely washable. i found the best price here. and you should be visiting jackie at blissfully imperfect....she is always trying new things.and speaking of new things....cathie cullis has changed her blog address so be sure to update your link and if you donlt have one yet, it's here... her new format is wonderful… -
hand and eye and coma
30 Jun 2009 | 6:36 amthanks to elaine lipson...and her quiet yet constant dedication to bring us crumbs on the textile trail of slow cloth, i recently subscribed to the new handeye magazine. a wonderful new publication focused on textiles and connecting cultures in the spirit of sustaining craft. my copy has arrived and the format is large and the concept clean and simple and the photos are enough to whisk you away. you can read more on their website (click the image), the mission statement is here. a great new read, i love it. i have added it to the publications in my sidebar.and so i have been whirled… -
quilting with shibori
29 Jun 2009 | 6:05 am...i remain focused on expanding the use of shibori in quilting, both for traditional and contemporary style. like all hand dyes, the one of a kind aspect makes it really special. there is an element of light that is so inspiring and the glow of the soft edges brings a new dimensional element to fabric. there is a warmth contained in this technique that i compare to a good red wine. the spirit of an ancient craft. my experiments are expanding with many collected scraps and generous gifts from friends. i did a post a while back about supporting this craft. and i am focused on doing just…
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Craftster Community
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Re: Mini Art Quilt Swap (SIGN-UPS Closed, Sendouts July 10)
2 Jul 2009 | 5:50 pmQuote from: pjherbert on Today at 01:55:25 PMI have decided to do all the applique by hand....oh my gosh...my fingers and thumb are soooo sore! To late to change my mind, much more to do, I must say I think it looks ... -
Re: Invite Your Partner (IYP 13): The Summer Slamdance!! sign up 7-02 to 7-16
2 Jul 2009 | 5:50 pmPartner list:people looking for partners: -
Re: Friendship Granny Square Swap R14 (June) Gallery
2 Jul 2009 | 5:49 pmyou got very pretty summer colors! -
Re: June 2009 Birthday Swap Gallery (& chat)
2 Jul 2009 | 5:49 pmOh, good, I'm so glad you like it I sewed the entire thing by hand, something I've never really done before -
Re: Swap a Yard of fabric- July '09
2 Jul 2009 | 5:49 pmAnother question about sizes, is a half yard exactly a yard in half lengthwise and widthwise? That seems like a really dumb question, but I want to make sure.
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blankanvas
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personal library kit
2 Jul 2009 | 11:25 amBookworms with heaps of books that go missing after they’re loaned out will appreciate this personal library kit. Contains 20 self-adhesive pockets, 20 checkout cards, a date stamp, ink pad and genuine pencil. Available here at USD19.95. -
judging law
2 Jul 2009 | 10:22 amWhy do you think you’re here? The picture-perfect host asked of the contestant. Because size matters? I muttered under my breath. There the contestant stood, resembling an over-stuffed pita wrap with loose bits spilling out from all possible corners, on stage during the semi-finals of So You Think You’re Andro III. I did not manage to catch hold of her response for I was promptly interrupted with a squeak of disapproval from over my shoulder. You so bad! The little munchskin pouted. Ok, so I wasn’t that subtle. But hey, by my standards, being bad is when I make that announcement over… -
your meat is mine
30 Jun 2009 | 7:14 amI knew from the time I met Leon that the remaining spaces on my canvas will be his to ink. Save for perhaps, Paul Booth, whom I trust to deliver The Intervention of the Sabine Women by French Neoclassical painter, Jacques Louis David, in its most intrinsic form, it is unlikely I will get inked by another. I adore Leon’s style and I have been particularly interested in illustrations of his style of late. Another tattoo artist of similar style and technique to know would be Québécois tattoist Yann Travaille as Thang Dynasty highlighted. I’ll stop here and let his works do the… -
what is your label
28 Jun 2009 | 10:04 amEducation brands in Singapore, save for LASALLE who’ve been consistent always, are ironic in the sense that while they brag of their apparent creativity, the very execution in which holds their chest-beating messages looks like utter crap. Oh, enough of the bloody testimonials already. You’re starting to look like a slimming centre advertisement. Frankly, your alumni aren’t quite as aspirational as Steve Jobs, plus they look like shit. This flyer I’ve spotted in one of the stores at Haji Lane yesterday came as a nice surprise. Serving the same objectives as the other… -
blankanvas and the full family
28 Jun 2009 | 6:34 amLeon, of Shitoujii, who previously inked blankanvas on my skin, is in town from now til 8 July 2009. The little girl with a tie on my back was feeling a little lonely and I had Leon complete the family earlier this morning, with both my wife and my son Rebel. His style is one of a kind, and his technique few can claim to possess. His nonchalance for popularity (yes yes yes, we all know who Chris Garver is) is an absolute charm. I’m not sure if there is still any available slots at this point, but if you’re interested, email over to book your appointment. Charges are at SGD300.00…
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Wooster Collective
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Where's Wooster?... In The South Of France
1 Jul 2009 | 9:48 amIn a few hours we're heading to Nice for a few days of vacation over the 4th of July holiday. We won't be posting much over the next few days, but be sure to follow us on Twitter here. We'll be back to full swing on the 12th of July. Hoping everyone is having a terrific Summer! Marc and Sara -
The Making Of.... "Love"
1 Jul 2009 | 6:04 amLove from two twelve on Vimeo. -
Today's Wooster Masthead
1 Jul 2009 | 5:54 amWooster Collective is a fierce supporter of those in Iran who are currently standing up and fighting for change and democracy. Today's masthead was created by a graffiti artist currently living and working in Iran. Wooster Collective is indeed a Celebration of Street Art and FREEDOM. -
Masthead by Anonymous
1 Jul 2009 | 5:51 am -
Shit We're Diggin': Eine's "The A to Z of Change"
30 Jun 2009 | 6:08 amIt's always exciting when you see an artist push his or her work into new places. We've been fans of Eine's lettering for quite a while. And for us, his new series, created for next weeks opening at the Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, takes his work to a whole new "place". The trademark typography is still in place, but in "The A – Z of Change" Eine's incorporated into the work images from archival photographs that champion the actions of those who stand up against the status quo and create cultural and political movements that make change possible. If you are in LA,…
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mnartists.org: Articles
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Tony Nelson Captures the Mad Ripple's Milieu
1 Jul 2009 | 10:00 pmMaggie Sandford offers an engaging look into photographer Tony Nelson's new exhibition of work documenting the local artist community behind Jim Walsh's (aka The Mad Ripple) weekly Hootenanny nights.image: Dan Wilson playing at a Friday night Hootenannyimage: Chastity Brown, on site at a 'Hoot'image: Portrait of Chastity Brown (2007)image: Portrait of Billy Bragg, another 'Hoot' veteranimage: Ben Kyle, another regular, in studioimage: Candid photo at a Hootenannyimage: Musician Meg Ashling, captured where she finds inspirationimage: An artist, in the moment, on stage at a 'Hoot' image: Venus… -
access+ENGAGE Issue 42.2: For Art's Sake
24 Jun 2009 | 10:00 pmAn engaging analysis of a new poetry collection by Duluth's unofficial poet laureate, Ellie Schoenfeld, an inviting profile of a St. Cloud musician's quirky, DIY pop creations & a roundtable chat with the Rockstar Storytellersimage: Banner artist, Cheryle Melanderimage: SUBSCRIBE to access+ENGAGE -
Tilting at Windmills in St. Cloud
24 Jun 2009 | 10:00 pmWriter Jennifer Kohnhorst profiles an intriguing, talented musician in St. Cloud--a one-man creative dynamo whose audience size has yet to catch up to his talent. Read on for Ganderson's story and to lend your ears to his appealingly quirky take on pop.image: HEROINE by PS3K (a.k.a. Ganderson)image: Fruits of a hard day's work by the artistimage: Ganderson's Port-o-Studio in the living roomimage: Ganderson image: Ganderson's band-mateimage: WOODPECKER PARABLE, recorded by Ganderson in 2008audio: "Bitten by the Bug" from THE HEROINE, recorded by Ganderson in June 2009audio: "Queen Mariposa's… -
'Just Like Everyone'--Duluth poet Ellie Schoenfeld
22 Jun 2009 | 10:00 pmPoet Connie Wanek gives an eloquent analysis of Ellie Schoenfeld's new collection, 'The Dark Honey,' and a glimpse into the poet's engaging live readings. You, too, can hear Ellie perform her work at Northern Lights Books in Duluth this Thursday, June 25.image: The Dark Honey: New and Used Poems -
Episode 145, Some Assembly Required
20 Jun 2009 | 10:00 pmSome Assembly Required is a weekly focus on sample based music and audio art. Host Jon Nelson explores the world of sound collage via this weekly podcast of his nationally syndicated radio program.
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teesha's circus
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artfiberfest
30 Jun 2009 | 8:11 pmCreated with flickr slideshow.These are pics of some of the workshops at artfiberfest and then shots of the projects that were created in the 3 days of classes. If you want to come next year, it will be at reed college again around June 23rd. -
another weekend project
18 Jun 2009 | 10:29 pmsaw this outside of Ravenna gardens in Kirkland. They wanted $1200 for it, so Tracy said to take a picture of it so he could make it. YAH! They used old windows in the construction....in fact the whole thing looks like it was made from recycled building materials. -
patio idea
18 Jun 2009 | 10:21 pmLove this idea for a patio. saw it at Nepenthe...a restaurant owned by Kaffe Fasset up on Big Sur. Oh to live in a place that see's alot of sunshine... -
inspiration for the outdoors type
18 Jun 2009 | 10:15 pmI want to make one of these this weekend! Found this at the Big Sur bakery (a commune of sorts of all these creative kids). way cool. ...can you tell that I am going through some old photos tonight?! -
more inspiration
18 Jun 2009 | 10:09 pmI want to draw these and paint them and make them from fabric. they were at our hotel in monterey bay, CA.
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Anahata Katkin
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Go and see
11 Jun 2009 | 5:07 pmIf you haven't checked out Pam Garrison's Flickr page for a while you have to see her new journal spreads. She is such a talented woman and I want to eat her pages they are so chock full of goodness.... -
YEs!
10 Jun 2009 | 8:50 amLuckily I got an email from Gypsy Girl, Alex. She sent me this link to these beautiful photo's she shared with us. There's nothing better to me than fantasy fashion. Lucky stylists! (Not to mention original photo coloring) Gypsy Girl... -
Papaya Notes:
8 Jun 2009 | 5:16 pmHey cute! Thanks to Kathleen this shout out was spotted in skirt Mag this month! She also caught a glimpse of Terra Firma Home's sidewalk window display too. I love that there's bits of Jonothan Adler in there too. -
Steps
3 Jun 2009 | 9:32 pmI went ahead and combed over some recent photo's and found enough crappy shots to put together a little step-by-step album. (It's over to the left- see it?) I'll add more of them as I go along and when I... -
Step One
3 Jun 2009 | 3:37 pmToday I took a little time to cool off in the shade under the house. My little friend Jake and I decided some painting was overdue. He is responsible for the shredded bits in the hair and helped me mix...
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MICHELLE CAPLAN: Mixed Media Collage Artist
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7 Jun 2009 | 9:26 pm
7 Jun 2009 | 9:26 pmMy baby brother Nick, who is 18(!!!) is amazing! Here is his Senior Solo. None of us had ever heard him sing. I admire his bravery, and his talent. He is going to make a fabulous addition to the adult world! xoxo Nico! -
Patchwork in Santa Ana!!
16 May 2009 | 8:36 pmCome see me and HannahMade at the Patchwork Show this weekend!! Booth #46 -
Introducing Lucy!
5 May 2009 | 12:13 pmAbout a month ago, the Hub and I decided to finally get to it and adopted a dog. We have been talking about it for about 5 years, and finally found a face too cute to ignore! ;) So, I give you Lucy Robinson! Lucy came from the Hub, and Robinson because at the ripe old age of 8, all the young pups are all over her! (You know who you are, e'hem ZIP!)LOL Part Poodle & part Cocker Spaniel, she is all love!I have to be sure to RAVE about the shelter that we found Lucy through, Pet Orpahns of Southern California. There are no words to fully explain the dedication and love that the folks at PO… -
Ever heard of Mina Loy?? Well, you should!
29 Apr 2009 | 2:03 pmLate last year I was contacted by a lovely young lady who is writing her thesis on an artist and poet named Mina Loy. She wanted to commission a piece of Ms. Loy to hang on her wall and keep her inspired through the daunting task! At first I was a little perplexed, and then once I started to learn a bit about Mina Loy, I was intrigued! She was a talented, baudy woman who was surrounded by some of the greatest poets, writers and artists in history. She dreamed of accomplishing things no woman of her time dared! In the end I think this was one of my favorite projects to date! I absolutely loved… -
Unique LA!
29 Apr 2009 | 12:44 pmThis weekend, May 2-3, I will be participating in the Spring 2009 Unique LA! My booths# is 5006-5003. I will be accompanied by HannahMade and Henry Road! Also vending at the event are the insane talents of the Frantic Meerkat, and the Mincing Mockingbird!! There will be over 250 vendors, so RUN, dont walk!! Hope to see u there!
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Judy Wise
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Summer Dreams
2 Jul 2009 | 3:13 pmI can't remember a lazier summer. All I want to do is be with friends, to putter on the computer or to push paint in my journal. Sure I'm getting ready to fly to Las Gatos and teach the Plaster Painting class on July 10th, am gathering my wits for that juicy bit of fun, but I'm also taking time to eat lots of watermelon and blow soap bubbles with my friends.Remember the purple house that I wrote about before, belonging to John's cousin Jonna? Well, I shot these photos at her Birthday Party last Saturday afternoon and the house is as purple as ever.There were lots of people, conversation,… -
things and ships and sealing wax...
27 Jun 2009 | 2:31 pmToday I finished making a paper boat for a project that fired my imagination. It's for a fundraiser for Mary-Ann's cottage, a living history museum in Soctland run by volunteers from the Caithness Heritage Trust. There is a blog showing the boats already submitted from all over the world here and so far surprisingly few are from the U. S. If nothing else go and admire the boats already collected; they are fabulous. You have until August 10th if you care to participate. Artists make good things happen! (More photos at the end of this post.)I've been busy. Walking in the park with John.Admiring… -
Disequilibrium
24 Jun 2009 | 3:49 pmI'm going through a period of change right now; the blog has been quieter than usual because I'm doing my best to ride the currents silently. I can't talk about what I don't understand yet; I just feel internal shiftings and groanings as I continue my search for authenticity in my work and life. It occurs to me often that we are tainted by our capitalistic culture and by going to art school and absorbing the prevailing dictates to be a certain kind of creative person. I think it's good to question our mission statements from time to time and to ask ourselves if we're really doing what we want… -
Summer Solstice and IEA
20 Jun 2009 | 2:47 pmJune is the best month and summer solstice is the favorite season; my Fairy Roses bloom, Lake Oswego has a big art festival and our Garden Group gathers to celebrate together. Look how Tao has grown; he can flip through the pictures on my iPhone, say many words, identify all the barnyard animals and charm the socks off a monkey. He gives me the love shivers.This is the kitchen of our friends' house. It is a berm house (built into the hillside with a southern exposure) and the location of powerful, progressive energy. My friends run a CSA farm and supply food, eggs and honey to their… -
Four Days by the Sea
16 Jun 2009 | 9:26 amI still haven't returned to earth following my time taking classes at Sitka. If you don't know of it, it has been in Otis, Oregon since the 70's offering summer classes and artists' residencies. It is a magnificent place right next to the town of Lincoln City on the Pacific Ocean and the classes offered are excellent. When I heard that a class in plaster painting was on offer I decided to jump - there aren't that many out there and as a teacher of plaster painting myself I wanted to see what another artist was doing with the medium.This shot looks down at the Centrum Building there. It is…
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sweetpeas & snapshots
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Coronado Retreat...Treat!
9 Jun 2009 | 11:45 amWow, what an amazing weekend....Miss Jane , Deb Hodge, April and Melanie pulled off the most beautiful Retreat and Market. I am so proud that I was a part of it. Deb's bags she made for the retreat...I love it! I first arrived Friday night to help all the ladies set up. Julie Haymaker-Thomas was teaching two workshops over the weekend. Miss Julie is a heavenly soul...SOOOO talented and calm all at the same time. Here are the candy bars I made for "The Sand Castle Sirens"... First I wrapped the bar with sandpaper and then used my favorite rubberstamp… -
My Dear, Talented, Friend , Brooke...
4 Jun 2009 | 4:30 pmAnd her beautiful family and home featured in this month's "C" Magazine... Only THE magazine to be published in in So Cal....I am so proud of you, Brooke & Steve. Thanks for letting me be a part of it! Written by Brooke on her blog today, "Velvet & Linen" today......I borrowed..... XOXO Mary a dream come true I just got my copy of the Summer 2009 issue of C Magazine, and there it was! Having our home in Channel Islands Harbor in C truly is a dream come true. I have been a huge fan of C since the beginning. No other magazine covers all that… -
A Wonderful Event for A Meaningful Cause...
3 Jun 2009 | 6:59 pmPlease join us for the "Market In The Garden" On romantic Coronado Island, Ca. Sunday June 7th '2009 This Big, Beautiful Event to benefit Jane Pollock's Charity "Art Takes A Village". Shop for beautiful antiques and handmade artisan pieces. This beautiful beach front home will be the setting for a day filled with shopping, friendship and delicious food. 1:30 pm to 6:00 pm #1110 Coronado Ave. Sweetpeas will be attending this soiree...I have stocked up on some one of a kind Vintage shawls and haint painted earrings...I can't wait to see you there... -
Ballerina Blue...
3 Jun 2009 | 6:49 pmOne of my beautiful treasures from Flea Market Sunday last week. Ballerina Blue's eyes are so mesmerizing...It fits perfect in my Master Bathroom. -
Just a Reminder...
3 Jun 2009 | 6:43 pmPlease send your address to me for The Memorial Day Give-a-way... sweetpeasandsnapshots@gmail.com.... Thanks and enjoy!
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Cut Out + Keep
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Projects ≫ How-To's ≫ Felt Fortune Cookie
2 Jul 2009 | 4:29 pmGive somebody a cute fortune -
Projects ≫ How-To's ≫ Scratch & Sniff Xmas Tree Card
2 Jul 2009 | 4:24 pmScratch & Sniff Xmas Tree Card - Pics and pdf inside! You provide the smell. -
Projects ≫ How-To's ≫ Cheaters Pineapple Orange Upside Down Cake
2 Jul 2009 | 4:21 pmTastes like it is from scratch, but you really "cheat" and use a mix instead. -
Projects ≫ Creations ≫ Johnston & Murphy
2 Jul 2009 | 4:16 pmwhait shoos now moar! -
Projects ≫ How-To's ≫ Sand Beads
2 Jul 2009 | 4:16 pmBeads from sand and glue!
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Skip To My Lou
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DIY Fourth of July Snack Cups
1 Jul 2009 | 10:15 pmI am thinking a stack of these sitting next to a bowl of snacks is great—–makes nice portable containers for backyard guests. Print out the template and fold into a cone. It overlaps at the top about about two inches to no overlap at the point. You could easily use tape to fasten, but I used [...] -
Holding the Fourth of July together…
1 Jul 2009 | 5:25 amI am thinking about having a buffet for our brunch instead of setting all of the tables. Just a few supplies, wooden clothes pins, wooden stars, acrylic paint, hot glue ….. and you have a star clip to hold your stuff together. I didn’t have a fork but I think I could squeeze it in. If I [...] -
Star Garland
30 Jun 2009 | 4:10 amI plan to hang these festive stars over our tables on Saturday. If you have a Cricut use the Stand Up and Salute Cartridge for the open star cut to 7 1/2 inches. For the smaller blue star hanging at the bottom I used the Plantin Cartridge for the star cut at 4inches. The larger red [...] -
Free Fourth of July Rocket Party Favor Download
29 Jun 2009 | 6:25 amThis week I am going to post things that I am doing in preparation for our Fourth of July Celebration. Stay tuned for more ideas! A These rockets will be filled with treats for the kids table. I originally cut out the letters for the name with the Cricut, but if you don’t have one I have made [...] -
Thank YOU!
28 Jun 2009 | 9:44 pmThank you all so much for your patience while I have been getting back into the swing of things! Thank you most of all for all of your encouraging comments! You will never know how much support and comfort your sweet words brought me. We are all now home and doing well. We still have [...]
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WREN handmade
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Shop update!
26 Jun 2009 | 12:52 pmJust a note to let you know I've updated my Etsy shop with necklaces and some fabric flower hairclips. Check it out! -
Necklaces coming soon.
25 Jun 2009 | 8:50 amI have been crocheting many necklaces trying to get them updated in the shop this week. I'm hoping for tomorrow. I've made all different lengths and colorways. It's fun making up the tiny doily patterns. -
Weddings issue out!
25 Jun 2009 | 8:42 amQuick update: the MS Weddings issue with our wedding is officially out (at least in NYC). Ben was able to pick up a copy at the news stand near his work yesterday. He had visited MANY times waiting for it. See below post for more info and pictures from the wedding.Also a nice mention of it yesterday on Apartment Therapy. -
Lines and Shapes
23 Jun 2009 | 11:16 amWell the new Lines and Shapes is out and I'm happy to announce I am contributor this time. The theme is Thread, which is right up my alley as you can imagine. If you aren't familiar with the book series, you can read about it here. It's quite inspiring to see how different artists approach the same theme. Thanks to Lena and Mav for asking me to participate! -
A few things Japanese
22 Jun 2009 | 9:51 amOne day last week I wasn't feeling well so I sat on the sofa and worked on Shashiko embroidery. I've always wanted to try it and I found it very quick and satisfying as far as embroidery goes. I bought a kit at City Quilter but they sell similar ones at Purl. Purl also did a nice tutorial. I ended up making two pillows, one out of the Shashiko and another with some woven fabric I bought at Habu Textiles (the thin stripes). I love the subtle shades of blue in the stripes.My friend Leigh just back from a trip to Japan. She brought me back these sweet items from Loft and Uniqlo, totally…
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Chica and Jo
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Magnetic poetry birth announcements
2 Jul 2009 | 4:21 amLast week, I did a book review on the the book The Complete Book of Wedding Crafts and I mentioned that the ideas within the book could easily be adapted to other occasions besides weddings. One project in particular caught my eye as a great inspiration for a baby announcement. The author used the popular idea of magnetic poetry to create a wedding announcement. What a great idea for a baby announcement, too! With my little girl on the way, I though I would go ahead and design a template ahead of time for me to use, based on the instructions included in the book. Now that my baby is… -
Fourth of July cupcakes
30 Jun 2009 | 4:15 amJuly 4th is just a few days away, and I’m anxious to celebrate our nation’s birthday with a fun, long weekend. My party planning is wrapping up, and I think I’ve got all the bases covered. Cute decorations? Check! A fun game for the kids? Check! The last thing left to figure out was some fun stars-and-stripes dessert. I knew I wanted to serve cupcakes, and I had a new idea for how to decorate them… I’ve invented what I like to call “cupcake collars”! I did a practice run over the weekend and I was amazed at how a couple of simple decorating techniques… -
Congratulations Jo!
29 Jun 2009 | 4:25 amHello friends! Your regularly-scheduled post from Jo today has been interrupted because Jo went into labor last night and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl! Everyone is doing great, and happy to have the newest member of the family in their arms. You’ll be hearing from her again soon, but meanwhile… Congratulations Jo! P.S. If you’ve got a baby on the way or know someone who does, you might want to check out our baby projects and ideas! -
Feature Friday - Wedding crafts book
26 Jun 2009 | 6:55 amChica and I have both been married for quite some time but we continually get requests for DIY wedding ideas from friends, family and our readers. We try to keep up with the latest wedding trends and come up with our own unique wedding ideas. To this end, I am constantly on the lookout for new inspiration, so I was quite pleased to when I picked up a copy of The Complete Book of Wedding Crafts (Quarry Books). It’s filled with DIY ideas ranging from invitations to favors. It even has a section showing you how to do calligraphy. What really made me like this book is that the ideas… -
Make a bean bag toss game
25 Jun 2009 | 4:43 amI’ve got my new Fourth of July felt pennants to decorate with next weekend, so the next thing to focus on is entertainment. I wanted a new game for the kids at my party to play, and since their parents are all fans of the popular game cornhole, I wanted to make something similar with bean bags for the kids. Jo and I brainstormed last week and came up with easiest way to make bean bags ever… using the pockets of old jeans! Then I made some scored targets to toss them at, and now I have a game I can’t wait to show all my young friends (and maybe the older ones too!) Gather the…
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Twisted Knitter
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Ripples resumed recently
23 Jun 2009 | 4:15 pm[Flickr] [Ravelry] I finally had a chance to work on my Ripple blanket last week. It had been so long that I was sure I'd forgotten how to do it. However, I picked up my hook and was able to continue where I left off. I love that about crochet -- it seems to be more forgiving of being put aside for a while. The only downside to the project is having several pounds of wool in my lap while I work on each new row. Our heat index has been in the low- to mid-100's and while I know I'll appreciate the Ripple's warmth during the chill of the fall and winter, it's not so comfortable right now. I also… -
A return to what feels familiar
10 Jun 2009 | 11:35 amA knitted dishcloth Cotton yarn in a bright color An inspirational book of art [Ravelry] [Flickr] -
Simply
8 Jun 2009 | 1:14 pmPlease visit my new blog: www.simplyjanet.com -
Knitting bags
31 May 2009 | 8:40 amFrom RoseKnits Etsy shop: :: One to keep :: :: One to share :: I love Anna Maria Horner fabrics so I'm enjoying my knitting tote very much. It slips on the wrist like a market bag and allows me to carry my purse on my shoulder. I'm picky about knitting bags and this one has all the features I love - it's roomy and deep and everything I put in it is easily accessible. Annie of Rose Knits is from Tulsa, Oklahoma and in addition to Etsy, you can find her bags at Loops (online or at the shop in Utica Square). The fortune cookie bags are adorable and handy for your notions and accessories. What's… -
Cultivation
29 May 2009 | 7:08 amKristen's Pink™ Abutilon hybrid Thank you all for the kind comments on my previous entry . I appreciate (so much) the emails from all of you and the incredibly helpful advice and encouragement. Thank you! I needed some quiet time on Wednesday, so I went to Lowe's to visit their garden center. I intended to just look and write down some ideas for a large bed in our front yard, but there were a few plants that had to come home with me after all. Although I'm not planning a lot of vibrant color in the beds, this pink and yellow flowering plant (above) was irresistible. Details are linked in…
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Etsy Shop for momomatic
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Darling Dice Vintage Lucite And Copper Charm Necklace
2 Jul 2009 | 8:28 am$12.00 This adorable vintage lucite bead is a shiny red with recessed white polka dots. The colors are crisp and bright. The bead reminded me of dice, or even a toadstool cap.I've strung the bead onto a type of chain called "mother son" in antiqued copper. It's aprox 17 inches but has an extender chain that brings it up to 19 inches in total. I've dangled a vintage glass bead from the bottom of the extender chain.The overall look is simple but sweet. Thanks for looking! -
SALE Vintage Sunshine Glass Bead and Brass Earrings
2 Jul 2009 | 8:28 am$4.00 Vintage glass beads with a pretty white and yellow textured design dangle from antiqued brass earwires. The earrings are leverback so you won't lose your sunny earrings. And the antiqued metal sets off the bright hues of the vintage bead perfectly.All of my jewelry comes packaged in a natural kraft gift box decorated with vintage papers, ribbon and a gumball charm or button. A treat for yourself or a ready to go gift for someone else.Thanks for looking! -
Frozen Strawberry Ice Earrings
2 Jul 2009 | 8:28 am$12.00 Pink, Czech, fire polished, teardrops dangle from antiqued brass leverback earrings. The beads have a "Picasso" finish. They remind me of a strawberry ice treat. The beads are 10x13mm. Very lovely and easy to wear. Thanks for looking! -
Call Me Vintage Princess Telephone Keychain
2 Jul 2009 | 8:28 am$8.00 This tiny princess phone is in mint condition. Just charming, in a cream original ball key chain. The bottom has the cute message: "The Princess Phone. It's little. It's lovely. It lights!"(I had a hard time getting a clear shot of the message because of the light cream color. So I've shown it in a blue phone as an example.)The keychain doesn't actually light up by the way - though I imagine the actual Princess phones did. This was an ad premium from the 1960s. Again, in amazing condition!Thanks so much! -
SALE Magic Pumpkin Vintage Bakelite Button Ring
2 Jul 2009 | 8:28 am$11.00 The beautiful, deep pumpkin orange of this ring is actually a Bakelite button that was in mint condition. I've rarely come across Bakelite so shiny and perfect! It was tested and is genuine. I paired the orange button with a new, shiny black one. Great depth to this ring. Very vintage modern. The buttons are on an adjustable silver plated band that should fit most any finger.All of my jewelry comes packaged in a natural kraft gift box decorated with vintage papers, ribbon and a gumball charm or button. A treat for yourself or a ready to go gift for someone else.Thanks for looking!
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Grace Violet
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Oreo Bonbons
2 Jul 2009 | 7:51 amLast month, we trekked all the way up to Minnesota to celebrate my youngest sister's High School graduation. Though the drive was long, the trip was worth it, because while there I discovered heaven on earth: Oreo Bonbons (formerly "Oreo Balls;" name changed for prettiness' sake)Not to say that my sister wasn't the highlight of my trip (really you were the highlight, Silla, but you have to admit, -
Ruffle Skirt
1 Jul 2009 | 1:08 pmI remember the first 4th of July after my oldest was born...I remember it, not because of some grand memory, but because I made a ghastly mistake: I didn't dress her in patriotic garb. It was during our town's annual parade that I began noticing all of the other children. All around me little ones were proudly displaying our nation's colors; whether it be with a simple t-shirt or a pretty summer -
You're going to be so jealous...
29 Jun 2009 | 12:38 pmLook what came in the mail today...A coffee cozy from Sara of Red Owl Designs!Sara recently had a giveaway and I was one of the lucky bonus winners - she even let me choose my favorite fabric! Almost as exciting as the cozy itself is the red owl design on her tag and business card - SERIOUSLY ADORABLE. I didn't get it in the photo, but there is a tiny red owl tag on the cozy itself. Weather in -
Thanks!
23 Jun 2009 | 6:37 amWell, I asked for a reality check - and you delivered! Most of you agreed that the Pottery Barn shell mirror was a little over the top, but that in the right location, it might just look okay (I think the key is toning down the mirror with neutrals so that it blends into its surroundings)...I love the half bathroom that Sherry of "This Young House" decorated: Simple - Beachy - Spa-likeI'm sure -
Help!
22 Jun 2009 | 5:50 amI found a mirror...And I think I like it - a lot.But, based on the look my husband gave me when I showed it to him, I am wondering if I need a reality check.Tell me you think:Dreadful? Or delightful?Gaudy? Or gorgeous?Frightful? Or fantastically schmaztastic?The reason that I need your help is not because I am considering purchasing it (I love you, Pottery Barn, but I can think of quite a few
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CraftyPod
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Review: Beautiful Hand-Stitched Jewelry
2 Jul 2009 | 8:40 amHere’s another great book find - one that delights my craft-hybridizing heart. Beautiful Hand-Stitched Jewelry combines a little hand sewing, a little embroidery, a little beading, and a little crochet to make really cool adornments. There’s a metric ton of great ideas in this book, so I’ll just show you a few highlights. Like these recycled-sweater beads. (There’s also a version of this project where they’re rendered in silk.) Emi Iwakiri is an accessories designer in Japan. You can see more of her work at her company’s website, car*g*mom. I love… -
Craft-Linky Goodness
2 Jul 2009 | 8:02 amHere’s what The Crafty Bloggers have been up to this week. . . _________________________________________________________ About Family Crafts What are your cleaning tips for crafting with kids? Please take a moment to share your tips and then browse through tips shared by others. Aileen’s Musings Hard as it was, Aileen has narrowed down the playing field and needs your help again to choose from her favorite sayings that have been posted for her blog giveway! Stop by and pick your favorite. Cathie Filian If you are wondering what to eat, craft and play on the 4th of July then… -
Digging the new Mixtape
30 Jun 2009 | 8:40 amYaaaaaay, the new Mixtape is here! With each new issue, I’m more impressed with the beautiful design and print quality of this zine. And this is their second full-color issue! Take a look at some of the goodies inside… An article on selvedges by Jodie, creator of the famous Selvedge Frock. There’s always lots of great eco advice in Mixtape. This piece by Jorth talks about ways to precycle - or, avoid creating any waste in the first place. OOh! Pull-out calendar for the rest of 2009, by the very-talented Valentina Sedda! Mixtape is also a great resource for parents. One of… -
Interview with, um, me!
29 Jun 2009 | 9:16 amHappy Monday, everyone! Ronnie Citron-Fink, who writes the EcoNesting blog at Care2, was kind enough to invite me to do an interview over there. (Do check out the rest of the blog, too - it’s about DIY, green living, and home crafts. Great stuff!) I think the tag list in the photo above just about covers everything we talked about! It was a fun conversation. Want to take a look? ©2009 CraftyPod. All Rights Reserved.. -
Market Scoooooooores!
27 Jun 2009 | 12:43 pmMy friends, Summer has officially arrived in Portland. We hit the Hillsboro Market this morning, and had a splendid time. There are raspberries everywhere! We got gluttonous and scored both reds and goldens. I love it when all the really colorful veggies begin showing up. And I can’t wait to roast some of this purple cauliflower, (Thanks to Michelle, who showed me how. If you haven’t tried this, it’s so easy and delicious.) …Now who has a recipe for this? I’m all hopped up to make these zucchini cakes soon. Gotta go now, and start making the season’s first…
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whip up
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how-to: embroidered end-papers
2 Jul 2009 | 12:36 pmI dunno how she does it, but she does, she’s clever like that! Jenny Hart comes up with another cracking idea for using her embroidery patterns. Link. Similar Posts: big business pretending to be indie | Fiber Arctic at Schmancy | embroidered alphabet mini quilt | embroidered yeti | best post ever: merwing | Share and Enjoy: -
how-to: papercutting
2 Jul 2009 | 8:00 amElsita shows us how-to papercut. Link. Similar Posts: how-to: wire a button letter | tutorial: sashiko stenciling | how-to: make a quilted pendant | diy displays – for crafty types | how-to: mitered pillows | Share and Enjoy: -
handmade swimsuit
2 Jul 2009 | 7:03 amthinking of making your own swimsuit this summer (for those in the north hemisphere) Burda Style has a free pattern for the Alison Swimsuit : Pattern school has lots of advice and patterns for making a range of swimsuit styles. If you love these but have no time to make them – there are few very cute swimsuits available from etsy sellers: 1. Ladramaqueen : 2. Swimsuitlady : 3. MissBrache Similar Posts: handmade knickers | whiptips: childrens handmade gift packs | book: free-style handmade bags & skirts | handmade love #3 | book: handmade hellos | Share and Enjoy: -
hand eye magazine
2 Jul 2009 | 4:19 amA new online textile magazine, hand eye magazine, with a wide variety of topics such as sustainability, traditions and history, and well as featuring artists and exhibitions and looking at materials and processes. Promises to be a fantastic read and resource. With articles such as ‘The old language of indigo‘ and inside indigo – looking at the processes and traditions of Indigo dyeing [If you want to indigo dying at home there is an indepth article here.] Happy Chaos – the story of Cape Town’s Mielie Studio – turning scraps from South Africa’s fashion and… -
new editor of knitting daily
2 Jul 2009 | 3:57 amInterweave Names Kathleen Cubley Editor of KnittingDaily.com Kathleen says: I’m addicted to all things knitting, including magazines, books, and online magazines, patterns, and blogs. I’m so excited to become part of the online knitting world, taking over the reins so deftly handled by Sandi. I look forward to becoming a big part of your community, bringing you new techniques, projects, author introductions, tips and tricks, videos, knit-a-longs, insider’s info about new products—basically, a host of information to increase your confidence and enhance the joy of knitting. Similar…
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Craftster.org Blog
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Independence Day Sale at Addicted to Rubber Stamps
2 Jul 2009 | 11:55 amOne of our sponsors, Addicted to Rubber Stamps, is having an Independence Day Sale from June 30 to July 6 where you can choose from one of four great coupons including 40% off one item and more! -
Wear it this weekend! Men’s button down to cute cap sleeve
2 Jul 2009 | 8:28 amI have one more awesome new weekly feature to debut! “Wear it this weekend” will show you a great article of clothing or fashion accessory with a tutorial that you can use to make your own to wear by the weekend! I’ll try to pick a broad range of items in a broad range of skill levels and tastes and I’ll definitely try to make you look great for you days off! For the first installment I’ve got a super cute, super easy to follow recon that turns a men’s button down shirt into a fitted cap sleeve! Paperdaisies made an adorable and easy to follow tutorial that… -
The Art of Sabrina Ward Harrison
2 Jul 2009 | 7:45 amRandomly Spotted on the Galactic Interweb I am a huge fan of Sabrina Ward Harrison. She is an artist, author, and teacher who published her first visual journal at age 23, and it completely knocked me out. She has published three more books since, and they are all wonderful. Her work is a great inspiration for times when I feel like my crafty mojo could use a little boost. This video is a gorgeous example of her work. Enjoy. -
Green Thumb Thursday: Hanging Bundt Pan Herb Pot
2 Jul 2009 | 6:21 amWelcome to Green Thumb Thursday, where we present gardening and house plant tips and ideas for your inspiration. To kick off this new feature, we have an ingenious idea from mlheran - the hanging bundt pan herb pot! These are thrifty, easy, and gorgeous! Most thrift stores have old bundt pans, and they are often beautiful. If you are not a frequent bundt baker, you can still enjoy their lovely shapes, and grow your own fragrant herbs for cooking or just to enjoy. Mlheran includes instructions for making your own. Check it out! Be sure to post if you make one, we’d love to see it. -
Featured Swap Gallery: Chunky Houses
1 Jul 2009 | 9:56 amOne of my favorite swap themes here on Craftster is Chunky Houses. We have some seriously amazing paper artists among our members and I just love the little villages they create with their fantastic little houses. This featured gallery is Chunky Houses round 3. .Take a look at all the amazing little houses, each with it’s own theme and look. I guarantee you will come away inspired! Keep an eye on round 4, the gallery is just getting started, but it promises to be amazing!
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Art Bead Scene Blog
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Monthly Challenge
2 Jul 2009 | 9:49 amThe inspiration for this month's challenge is from Lascaux Cave paintingsLascaux is the setting of a complex of caves in southwestern France famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings. They contain some of the most well-known Upper Paleolithic art. These paintings are estimated to be 16,000 years old. They primarily consist of realistic images of large animals. Rooms in the cave include The Great Hall of the Bulls, the Lateral Passage, the Shaft of the Dead Man, the Chamber of Engravings, the Painted Gallery, and the Chamber of Felines.Have fun with the earthy color palette of reds, yellows,… -
June Challenge Winner
1 Jul 2009 | 11:59 amHolly's Folly Kandinsky Project 1Originally uploaded by HollysFollyGlassCongratulations to HollysFollyGlass! You are the winner for this month's challenge. This entry was randomly chosen from all the qualifying entries this month. Holly has won beads from Artisan Clay, Creative Impressions in Clay, and Round RabbitJoin us tomorrow for our next monthly challenge with new sponsors and prizes! -
Face Time
30 Jun 2009 | 9:00 amWant some Face time? Get on FaceBook! Everyone's doing it! I know, I know, "if everyone jumped off a cliff..." Thanks mom.FaceBook is great tool for marketing, socializing, finding old friends, new friends, and just sharing ideas.Here's some of our favorite Faces:Art Bead Scene :: ArtBeads.com :: Art by Jen GBead Cruise :: Rings&Things :: Beads-of-Clay :: Bead FreaksBeading Buddies :: People Who Enjoy Beading :: Get Beaded!!!CraftyChica :: Andrew Thornton :: Bead Art Originals :: Bello Modo Creative Impressions In Clay :: Ornamentea :: Enchanted AdornmentsLisa Shifflet :: MAKU Studio ::… -
Featured Designer(s) of the week- Organic Odysseys & gardengrl
29 Jun 2009 | 7:39 amEach Monday we feature the Designer of the Week. One of our editors pick their favorite from the Monthly Challenge entries.There are so many wonderful pieces to choose from this month. I was really torn on this one, so why not go with 2 it's the last designer feature for June!This week Tari Sasser pickedColor Study of Squares by Organic OdysseysTwo picks this week are better than one :)Tari noted, "WOW! Perfect depiction of the painting translated into art-to-wear. All I keep saying is "WOW." To see more of Kate's work please visit her blogTari also picked a Polymer Clay Necklace by… -
Sunday with Cindy
27 Jun 2009 | 10:06 amGood morning, Beady Readers! There are new links in our list of highlights - be sure to check out the newest additions!A Bead A DayLisa shares her selection of summery pink beads and crystals. The "Watermelon Crawl" bead mix is sure to conjure up visions of a family picnic on a warm summer day! About.com Jewelry MakingTake these quick polls about wearing and making jewelry. Which are your favorite pieces? Art Bead Scene The Trendy Bead shows off wood filigree pendants. Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten ArtifactsRead Barbe's interview on the Objects and Elements blog. Beading Arts…
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Naughty Secretary Club
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I Love to Create: Plain Earring Revamp
2 Jul 2009 | 6:25 amIf you are like me you have some jewelry in your stash that at one time made your heart go pitter patter and now just makes you go ho-hum. No reason those earrings can't get a facelift and make your heart skip a beat all over again. All you need is a few basic craft supplies and a little painting talent (thank God my sister Hope Perkins helped me with this project). Today on I Love to Create -
Things to Consider Before You Start Your Craft Biz & New Biz Classes!
1 Jul 2009 | 6:57 amToday is a double whammy post. I am sharing an article I wrote called "Before You Start Your Craft Business". Hopefully you will find some nuggets of wisdom. Also in the near future I am teaching some new business classes and I will also be part of the Indie Biz Chicks Summer Business Series later this month. Read on for all the details.....After Craft-o-Rama closed not only was I saddened, I -
The Pictorial Perks of the Job
30 Jun 2009 | 7:54 amI lalalalove it when people send me pictures of the projects they have made after being inspired by my blog, book or even an episode of Craft Lab or Stylelicious. These pictorial perks occasionally gracing my email inbox make all the crafty tutorials worthwhile. Amaretto Girl was not only kind enough to write a review of my book The Naughty Secretary Club: The Working Girls Guide to Handmade -
Baby Clothes Couture
29 Jun 2009 | 6:32 amTallulah and I love it when grandma comes to visit. Not only are all the meals free, but Tallulah ends up with a new wardrobe and I have tons of new craft ideas and projects started. Just this weekend we have 3 new items of awesomeness. Now only if it was not too hot to take Tallulah outside where other people could actually see these outfits in action. This little ruffle bottom sunsuit has a -
Crafty Carnival
28 Jun 2009 | 5:54 amAbout Family Crafts What are your cleaning tips for crafting with kids? Please take a moment to share your tips and then browse through tips shared by others. Aileen's Musings Hard as it was, Aileen has narrowed down the playing field and needs your help again to choose from her favorite sayings that have been posted for her blog giveway! Stop by and pick your favorite. Cathie Filian
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Dabbled
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I need your help! (so I’m offering a prize..) (and last week’s illo friday)
2 Jul 2009 | 5:31 pmApparently i’ve lost a ton of feed followers with the move to Wordpress (I looked at the stats and I lost half my readers!), and I need your help–I don’t want to leave anyone behind! I know that a lot of you who read Dabbled also have blogs, and we have readers in common. So I ask a big favor, and to encourage you, I’m also offering a prize! So, here’s the skinny. Hopefully there are enough of you left to make this work!! If you would be so kind as to include an announcement on your next blog post telling people who follow Dabbled that they may need to… -
Flickr Round-up: Geeky Cakes
2 Jul 2009 | 8:50 amTime yet again for another flickr Roundup.. I was thinking that it’s always fun to see interesting cake ideas for the geek in your life..and there are so many different kinds of geeks, too! Computer/iPhone geeks, gaming geeks, star wars/star trek geeks, so there is much to choose from! (Hey, we are all a LITTLE bit geeky I bet!) So without further ado, here are some of the interesting geek/nerd cakes & cupcakes that I’ve found in my flickr travels. Hope you enjoy! Links to the original items can be found below the big pic. Tomorrow we will be spotlighting more geeky fun! -
More updates to Dabbled.org
1 Jul 2009 | 10:56 amStill a tad discombobulated here at Dabbled, but I’m making progress on getting the basic stuff set up. You can now go peruse the Craft tab, the Art tab, and the Food tab. I created a new Archive page… too, and made my 404 page more lovely, since I have a feeling people will run across it! I still have some work to do cleaning up the sidebars, and I’m going to be adding more stuff too. Like a Shop, and Free Downloads, and other Goodies!! Let me know if there is anything you’d like to see… And yes, things are still a little broken. I’m trying to work through… -
Fun ideas with Shrink Plastic (shrinky-dinks)
30 Jun 2009 | 9:58 amIf you’ve been reading Dabbled a while, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of shrink plastic. With 4th of July around the corner, I was reminiscing over our brunch which turned into a shrinky-dink making party last year! Now you know I prefer to make shrinkies using #6 plastic recyclables, rather than buying the storebought materials, but this idea from Photojojo is pretty nifty: Make Photo Necklaces, Earrings, Magnets and More Using Shrinkable Plastic Other clever uses: Rachel at Craftzine shows how she used Shrink Plastic to make cake decorations! Make a Pet-tag with… -
Cool Comments feature – Check out the custom Dabbled gravatar!
30 Jun 2009 | 6:11 amPart of the fun of moving to wordpress is playing with all the new features. I promise I’ll be back to posting my regular crafty-arty-foody stuff, but I’ll also be posting about some of the cool features I’m implementing on the new Dabbled site (as part of the move from Blogger to Wordpress). One of nifty features is Gravatars (Globally recognized avatars) — basically little pictures that show up next to your comments. You can sign up for one at gravatar.com, but if you don’t have one, then a standard little graphic will show up next to your name. Well, a…
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CraftStylish - All featured posts
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New Community Features: Share Your Projects and Videos!
2 Jul 2009 | 2:00 pmPosted by Victoria North We are giving you the power to post blog entries, videos, and project tutorials with ease. The first 50 members to post into our new community section will receive two free CraftStylish magazines. -
Enter the Summer Sewing Challenge on ThreadsMagazine.com
1 Jul 2009 | 11:07 amPosted by CraftStylish Editors Enter the "Threads Summer Sewing Challenge: Express Yourself in Linen" and you could win the new 1100D serger from Janome. -
Easy Papercut Tutorial
29 Jun 2009 | 10:26 amPosted by Victoria North We all love Jeffery Rudell's masterpieces, but not all of us are quite at that level yet. Here is a quick beginners lesson on papercutting. -
How to Make a Sewn Necklace
26 Jun 2009 | 9:05 amPosted by Nicole Smith Take a cue from the runway and make a necklace using fabric and ribbon. -
How to Make a Nylon Flower Accessory
25 Jun 2009 | 2:00 pmPosted by Victoria North Repurpose your torn nylon pantyhose to create a simple flower to accessorize any celebration.
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Tip Junkie
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Super Saturday Craft Day Ideas
2 Jul 2009 | 4:06 amSuper Saturday is an annual craft day that is traditionally held in October at my church. It’s a creative woman’s mecca of handmade home decor, gift, and crafty ideas. This year I’m in charge of coming up with fresh and fabulous items for all the women at church to make. Since I’m in the brainstorm phase, I thought I’d share with you my recent finds. Consider it Christmas in July. 1. “Christ” wood nativity 2. Pizza pan advent calendar 3. Bakerella reindeer cupcake pops 4. Christmas & birthday gift tags 5. Family Home Evening board… -
Craft Room Storage
1 Jul 2009 | 4:39 am1. There are so many craft room organizational ideas from It’s Me, Sarah. 2. Check out Sky Angel’s sewing room with pegboard organizers. 3. Kristen used a shelf partion to make 2 separate work stations and create extra storage. 4. Dog Named Bango has a 5 Part post on her hanging craft room storage. 5. Crafty Nest used an old spice rack for her bead storage. 6. Mom’s Toolbox used rods and cups to hang her supplies. 7. Carly created magazine holders out of cereal boxes. 8. Coordinate your storage boxes with paint & modge podge like Cathie Filian. 9. … -
Madison Reece Designs Giveaway
30 Jun 2009 | 4:34 amI’m pleased to introduce you to Madison Reece Designs. I have purchased several of her beautiful necklaces for birthday gifts and they’ve loved them so much I just had to tell you about them as well. Madison Reece Designs is all about quality pendants with beautiful style. Here are a couple of her favorite designs: In The Park Pendants Pods On A Stick In Bloom Pendant Because I want everyone to have a chance to own one – it’s giveaway time! The winner will receive: Your choice of 2 pendants with an “add on” necklace from Madison Reece Designs! Leave a… -
Interior Design – Craft Room
30 Jun 2009 | 4:05 amIt’s been a while since I’ve featured craft rooms and I just love to take a sneak peek into other peoples homes. Don’t you? Here are several amazing crafters who have tips on how to organize their craft rooms but decorate them as well. Enjoy. 1. JannyPie made her own craft desk and hooked us up with a tutorial. 2. Craft Addict made over her desk with spray paint and mod podge. 3. This craft room on Unplggd is amazing with so many storage ideas. 4. Kitschen Pink created a great space to store her fabric in an awkward space. 5. I’m loving the hanging… -
How to Search Tip Junkie
28 Jun 2009 | 7:32 pmBy now you’ve probably had a chance to take a look around the new Tip Junkie design. There are so many new features, I thought I’d take a moment to show you how to most successfully find the quality tips you are looking for on Tip Junkie. How to Search Tip Junkie: 1. I just adore my new Welcome tabber bar! It has all the main information that you’ll need right up at the top. Including the Categories & Archive sections. Categories list the number of posts related to a specific topic. Archives list the post in the month it was published. 2. The best place to search…
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greetingarts
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the art party
30 Jun 2009 | 9:18 amRebecca had her birthday party over the weekend. She'd requested an art party long ago, and I was only too happy to oblige. The invitations were easy enough, just blobs of colored construction paper glued to a quarter sheet of... -
baby granny scarf
24 Jun 2009 | 8:56 pmStill playing catch-up with the projects I completed before my internet connection went kaput last month. Here's the Groovy Granny Scarf I test knitted for Gardiner Yarn Works in early May. I made mine with a G hook and Paton's... -
box of love
21 Jun 2009 | 10:53 amBox full of love, for Father's Day. Top shelf, folded hearts by Rebecca, and pictures of love from Jessica. My absolute favorite drawing is Steak (with a bite taken out). Daddy likes his steaks on the raw, bloody side... And...
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Tiny Talk
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Inspiration Board: Ni Hao, Kai-Lan!
2 Jul 2009 | 7:58 amWe’ve saved the cutest Nickelodeon inspiration board for last! This cheery birthday party inspired by Kai-Lan is sure to brighten up your little one’s big day. We simply adore the cascade of flowers on this sweet Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: Flower Fun birthday party invitation! From top left: Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: Flower Fun birthday party invitation, red velvet cupcakes, red paper lantern, custom fortune cookie favors, Red Chinese Takeout Box, Kai-Lan cake by Whimsy Cakes, Chinatown plates, red star centerpiece, floral sphere centerpiece, mini-noisemakers, dessert sushi and Ni Hao, Kai-Lan thank… -
Inspiration Board: A Blue’s Clues Bonanza
1 Jul 2009 | 7:22 amThis is one of my favorite Nickelodeon inspiration boards yet. From the adorable Blue’s Clues cupcakes to the strings of blue party lights, this Blue’s Clues birthday party inspiration board proves that Blue is one hot dog! From top left: Blue’s Clues: Sneak Peek birthday invitation, balloon arrangement, shades of blue string of lights, cookies, blue treat bags, blue cupcakes, pearlized baby blue small bowl, Paw Prints Blue’s Clues favors, Blue’s Clues cups, pastel blue polka dot beverage napkins, centerpiece, blue raspberry gummy rings. a Inspiration Board: A… -
Inspiration Board: A Backyardigans Birthday
30 Jun 2009 | 8:02 amNickelodeon week continues with another adorable inspiration board dedicated to the cute little characters on our Nickelodeon birthday party invitations. One thing we love about designs like this The Backyardigans: Family Fun birthday invitation is that the designers have taken the charming characters and updated them with a sweet Tiny Prints twist. It’s the perfect blend of your child’s favorite cartoons and your own fresh, modern style! From Top Left: The Backyardigans Family Fun birthday invitation, rainbow cheesecake brownie, The Backyardigans whistle party favors, candyland…
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Diary of a Crafty Chica
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Soda Can Star Lights
2 Jul 2009 | 12:00 pmHosting a "Let's grill at my house for the Fourth of July!" kind of party? If so, you have one more day to put together some delicious crafty entrees. These easy party lights can be made faster than your average fireworks explosion, not to mention that you probably already have the bulk of the supplies in your pantry. It also proves that from an artistic standpoint, soda pop cans are just as awesome on the outside as they are inside.Supplies:Paper and pencil4 red or blue (or two of each) soda cansTin snips or heavy-duty scissorsHole punch, standard size1 strand of 10 minilightsProtective… -
Glittered heart
2 Jul 2009 | 11:25 amSubscribe in a reader -
Flashy Fireworks Headdress
2 Jul 2009 | 12:00 amIt's the 4th of July weekend, what are your kids up to? If they are little, glam them up with one of these easy crowns. It's perfect for watching the fireworks. And if you are a kid at heart, make one for you too! I also made a really cool red, white and blue, but I can't find it! As soon as I do, I'll post a picture of it here. By the way, this crown is made from a visor, straws and lots of glitter!The Fourth of July is all about flash and sparkle, especially when it comes to kids and big fireworks shows. Dress your little ones in style with this quick-to-make accessory that is sure to fire… -
Independence Day Paper Swag
1 Jul 2009 | 12:00 pmIs there anything that hasn’t been made for the Fourth of July? Statue of Liberty tiaras? Been there. Star spangled pool float? Done that. Patriotic party horns, visors, water bottle holders - the list goes on. All month I worried about what to make for this week’s column.Recently I checked out a party store and noticed scores of plastic banner swags for the front porch. I let out a huge sigh of relief. I knew with all the cool scrapbook papers on the market, it would be a cinch to make my own Fourth of July version.There are two ways to approach this idea: fast or artful. To make a… -
Fireworks Serving Tray
1 Jul 2009 | 12:00 amThis is a scrapbook project, believe it or not. You create a scrapbook design and seal it between two clear plastic serving trays. You can make one original, and then make color copies. Seal the edges with red or silver tape.You can also do this with clear plastic plates for your 4th of July BBQ.Add a little visual sizzle to your meal!Peace, love, and glitter!Kathy :-)P.S. Check out my new book and product line!Subscribe in a reader
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Today's Creative Blog
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Winner is……..
26 Jun 2009 | 5:14 pmThe Winner is Number 51………. Mind Boggld with Sibling Craftery……. Congrats! Enjoy! She say’s her maiden name was Posey………. How cool is that? Thank you all for entering. Lindsey with Pleated Poppy has 20 limited edition TCB Posey Pins. They make a great accessory or gift……….gotta love that original artistic personality it carries. (don’t bother counting…..I omitted my comment and The Nester’s comment…….you didn’t think I’d let her win did you? :) So if you’re a control freak and… -
Just in case……..
25 Jun 2009 | 4:19 pmJust in case you missed it. I have my very own Posey Pin that was designed just for TCB! Lindsey from the Pleated Poppy is amazing! I will be giving away one set……drawing ends tomorrow sometime. I can’t be restricted by rules or time……..I can’t be tamed……. so I will choose a winner SOMETIME tomorrow, Friday. Don’t leave your comment on this post. Scroll down and leave it on the original post. She only made 20 sets……..yes you can buy a set. If you just have to have some…..and really who can live without them?……..you can head… -
Garnish
25 Jun 2009 | 12:17 pmFirst of all………..I want to thank one my newest sponsors…… GARNISH . They have the gift of making everything look so nice. I swear it’s all in the packaging……..if you package something up with creative flair, …….people feel like they’ve won the lottery! It’s all in the presentation…….. They have all the right tools to make it happen. Perfect for showers, weddings, parties, holidays…….you name it, they’ve got it. I cannot tell you how long I looked for the perfect box to place my wonderfully delicious dipped pretzels in for my neighbor gifts…….I ended up… -
My Very Own Posey Pin…..and GIVEAWAY!!!!!
24 Jun 2009 | 8:41 am***This Giveaway contest is OVER! Thank you for entering!***Well, well, well………… Guess who has her very own POSEY PINS ME! See whining actually works sometimes. I was whining that Lindsey from The Pleated Poppy, a past feature of mine…….. had made a special line of posey pins for The Nester. Nester Nester Nester………… She gets everything. And now Lindsey offered to design special TCB Posey Pins! I feel so special!Aren’t they amazing? She really captured the TCB style didn’t she. This is what Lindsey from the Pleated Poppy says……….. This is a limited edition set of… -
Oh The Nester will be jealous!
23 Jun 2009 | 3:22 pmI have a surprise……….I’ll let you know tomorrow………but The Nester is going to be SO jealous. J.E.A.L.O.U.S. there’s a sneak peek…………. TOMORROW! TOMORROW IS THE DAY! SPREAD THE WORD.
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elemental
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Quilted Grocery Bag Dispenser
30 Jun 2009 | 5:13 amI've seen grocery bag dispensers done a million times before... but I'm a sucker for anything quilted!Check out the tutorial from moda bakeshop -
Warm Fuzzy Mammel Finger Puppets
29 Jun 2009 | 11:58 amI know I've posted some soto softies here before, but this time... there's a tutorial -
Little iccle Creatures
29 Jun 2009 | 7:58 amThe button eyes get me every time... Check out these Little iccle Creatures from Abigail Brown She's got some more adorable stuff available on her etsy -
Super-Cute Alphabet Embroidery!
29 Jun 2009 | 5:11 amPatterns on sale at penguin & fish -
Is there anything on earth cuter then baby shoes?!
29 Jun 2009 | 5:03 amAnd these are quite possibily the cutest baby shoes I've ever seen...A video tutorial for making your own here, or pick them up premade, at Pretty Little Etsy Shop
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Vanilla Joy
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4th of July Treats
2 Jul 2009 | 6:00 amI love summer desserts, and berries are the perfect colors for patriotic treats! I found lots of fantastic 4th of July treat recipes and ideas from Better Homes & Gardens that are simple and refreshing - perfect for this 4th of July! Red, White, and Blueberry Ice Cream Dessert Out-and-About Cheesecake Berry-Lemon Napoleon Red, White, and Blueberry Shortcake Red, White, and Blue Parfaits Chocolate Berry Meringue I’ll take one of each, please…HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! Similar Posts:Halloween Muffins Pie Making Series Part III: Cream Cheese Pie Day 5: Goody Plates Selecting Fruits… -
Free Shade Cami
1 Jul 2009 | 10:19 pmWant to get a free Shade cami? Sign up for the Shade weekly email through July 9 and you can get one for free! (You do have to pay shipping, but $5.95 for a cami isn’t bad.) You can also get $10 off your next purchase if you get 5 friends to sign up. Good deal, huh? Similar Posts:Spotlight: Shade Holiday Graphic Tees Craft Organization WINNER! - See Kai Run Giveaway Super Saturday Bright Side T-Shirt Giveaway from Shade Clothing -
Festive Magnets
1 Jul 2009 | 6:00 amWe get into the fridge a lot. If you do too, you might enjoy some patriotic/ festive magnets this 4th of July! SUPPLIES clear glass rocks (round on top, flat on bottom) 3/4″ disc magnets pretty paper glue gun craft glue 1. Put a large dollop of craft glue on the flat side of the glass rock. Place the rock glue side down on some pretty paper and rub in a circle to spread the glue out so there’s only a thin layer between the rock and the paper. You don’t want the glue to be too thick. 2. Let dry for several hours. 3. Cut the excess paper off so you can’t see any paper… -
Pipe Cleaner Stars
30 Jun 2009 | 6:00 amTo get ready for the 4th of July this year, we made pipe cleaner stars! This was a fun and very simple kids craft that my toddler and I did together. You’ll need pipe cleaners (we didn’t have red or white ones, so they’re not exactly patriotic colors, but that’s okay!) and string/twine. When you’re finished, make a banner to hang from your window, or hang them separately from the bedroom ceiling or on the front door. Happy 4th! {photo taken with a Canon Rebel XSi} Similar Posts:Day 3 - Make Paper Snowflakes Day 4: Make Paper Snowflakes Birthday Bunting/Banner… -
Baby Giveaway #10 — Packin’ Smart
29 Jun 2009 | 6:04 amTHE PRIZE Giveaway #10 is for a set of 3 Packin’ Smart storage containers: 4 Tier Stack-N-Seal 5 Tier White Essentials 5 Tier Green Butterfly Essentials MY REVIEW If you were to look in my diaper bag before Packin’ Smart, you would have found several different types of containers (bowls, little tupperware and other plastic containers) spread all throughout the bag, some with stale and maybe even moldy snacks. Gross. I know. We had snacks buried and hidden like you wouldn’t believe. It was truly a pain, but when you have kids, you have to have snacks and I had no better…
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house wren studio
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needlebook kits
1 Jul 2009 | 6:50 pmSomeone gave me the business for having an empty Etsy shop. She reminded me that I already made these needlebook kits and need to get them posted. Let's see. Emails to answer, 2 deadlines to meet, Portland class photos to... -
portland love
30 Jun 2009 | 8:10 amHome from the big adventure to Portland. I see why so many visit, fall in love and stay forever. Nourishment for the artistic heart pops up at every turn. Artfiberfest was equally so and I have photos to share from... -
off to portland
23 Jun 2009 | 5:21 amAlmost all ready to take off for Portland and Artfiberfest. Last Minute Lucy that I am, there are still a few things to do, some that will have to wait until I get back. Looking forward to meeting new and... -
brownies
19 Jun 2009 | 6:49 amMy brownies are The Best Brownies. My friend Cathy's are really good, but I have made enough brownies to know what I like best. Dark unsweetened chocolate (not cocoa) with walnuts and butter and real vanilla, baked to a rich,... -
on a twirl
18 Jun 2009 | 5:30 amThe calendar is closing in on me with Artfiberfest next week. I'm excited to head west to Portland and looking forward to the event. In the meantime, I still have some work to do here to be ready to teach...
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Southern California Potters
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"All Cups" At McGroarty Arts Center
11 Jun 2009 | 5:14 pmThe All Cups show opens this saturday at the McGroarty Arts Center in Tujunga. Guess who is one of the invited artists...? -
This is NOT your Grandmother’s Tea Party
7 Jun 2009 | 7:38 pmA group of friends and I have joined together to promote our work. We are calling our group the "Covert Potters Association" and our first event is a tea party. The following is our press release...The event:Guests are invited to join a small group of ceramic artists at an exclusive event, a late afternoon tea party, held at a charming restaurant. What makes this tea party different is the guest get to pick out a tea cup (made by the artists for the event) and are then served from tea pots also made by the artists. The artists visit with the guests as they enjoy their delicious tea and… -
Subtle Hues, Sugary Surfaces ~ Birdie Boone
16 Apr 2009 | 8:21 pmBirdie Boone is one of those rare people that you come accross; Intelligent, witty and talented! Birdie received her BA in studio fine art from the College of William and Mary in Virginia in 1994 and her MFA in ceramics from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth in 2005. I was happy that she agreed to take part in SoCalPotters! Be sure to check out her website as well as the Archie Bray Foundation site, where Ms. Boone was the 2008 Lincoln Fellow.Why clay?Clay is a medium I was introduced to at an early age. I immediately understoodhow it worked and I guess it stuck. Conceptually, I… -
Natural Connections & Ceramica de la Tierra
12 Apr 2009 | 10:57 amWent out to Pomona last night for the opening of Natural Connections at the Armstrong Gallery. Around the corner in the American Museum of Ceramic Art is "Ceramica de la Tierra" with pre-columbian pottery as well as contemporary work by Luis Bermudez and Francisco “Pancho” Jiménez. I finally got to meet Shane as well as another artist I admire who was interviewed here, Ricky Maldonado. Francisco “Pancho” Jiménez Luis BermudezShane KeenaShane Keena Susan Clusener Susan ClusenerBoth locations offer incredible exposure to varied forms of ceramics, both functional and sculptural. If you… -
Natural Connections ~ Shane Keena
4 Apr 2009 | 7:29 pmLast year one of the featured artists here on SoCalPotters was Shane Keena. Shane is part of a group show that opens next saturday April 11 at the Armstrong Gallery in Pomona CA. The show is called Natural Connections, if you are in the area, check it out! The American Museum of Ceramic Art is right around the corner, so make an evening of it!
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Crafters Craft
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Wallpaper Makes a Sudden Comeback
23 Jun 2009 | 8:00 pmExpress Night Out has a story that says wallpaper has come back into fashion. Indeed, wallpaper - which first became popular in the 15th century among decor-mad Europeans who couldn't afford tapestries - has experienced a hipster revolution in the last decade. Target and Anthropologie started trafficking in the stuff. Trad companies such as Graham & Brown partnered with cutting-edge designers including Marcel Wanders to roll out wild patterns such as dusty red Celtic knots; newer houses such as Denmark's Ferm Living produce witty, pretty papers including the black-and-white "Fashion," with… -
Art So Tiny You Need a Microscope to See It
31 May 2009 | 4:00 pmRussian microminiaturist Vladimir Aniskinn makes art so tiny you need a microscope to see it. You can see some of his tiny pieces here on his website. Vladimir Aniskinn says you have to learn how to make movements between heartbeats in order to work effectively under a microscope. Take a look: Permalink | Our News Feeds -
The Shark Attack Hat
15 May 2009 | 4:00 pmThis amazing hat was posted on craftster.org. It looks like the shark leaped out of the water and attacked the boy. The teeth are made of fleece. I made this hat for my son - he wanted a mean shark. I saw the dead fish hat pattern and loved the idea - I just varied the pattern quite a lot to make different looking species. And felted it so it looks like it jumped out of the water and landed on his head... I basically cast 90 stitches onto a size 9 circular needle and winged it from there. I used Patons wool and it felted great. (via Buzzfeed) Permalink | Our News Feeds -
Filipino artist Paints With Garlic
17 Apr 2009 | 7:00 pmFilipino artist Mark Libunao uses garlic bulbs to create paintings. He says he saw potential in garlic paste's brown color. Take a look: Permalink | Our News Feeds -
Franc Grom's Intricate Egg Art
11 Apr 2009 | 4:00 pmFranc Grom hand-drills thousands of holes into the shells of eggs to create his unique and fragile designs. The intricate work can take Franc Grom months for an egg that has tens of thousands of eggs. Reuters says his work is getting international recognition. Permalink | Our News Feeds
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Occasional Genius
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The Girl Who Cried Wolf
21 Jun 2009 | 10:26 pmI wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t believe me when I say I’m back….again. Better than me being back, Quiddler is back! The tenth and final hand is here for your Quiddling pleasure. I look forward to receiving your submissions. Assuming, of course, you remember how to play….or that you ever were playing. Also, I intended to [...] -
So It’s Come to This
29 Apr 2009 | 10:02 pmI’ve spent an enormously excessive amount of time in front of my computer monitor working on a new venture, MyPartyBug.com. I’ve also spent a ridiculous amount of time during creative funks building playlists. During one such funk I came across a site with lists of songs in a variety of categories. Dance songs. Happy songs. [...] -
Don’t Be Fooled
9 Apr 2009 | 11:48 amA quick public service announcement this morning. Beware of cold-hearted companies who prey on feelings of despair and lonliness. Who knowingly introduce inferior substitutes for cherished loved ones who have recently departed. I find it hard to believe in an era where you can use your cell phone to run a bath on your way home from [...] -
8 Quid
7 Apr 2009 | 6:51 amToday’s cards are ugly. Not a great photo either. You’ve got 8 cards today…play 7 and discard 1. Remember, you can still get in on the game! If you’re just starting or missed a hand or two, you can still email your answers to me. holly at occasionalgenius dot com. Take luck! -
Theory of the Safe Place
3 Apr 2009 | 7:00 amI’m well known for putting something in a safe place…where I’ll be sure to find it later. By safe I mean, it will still be there when I go to find it. Most often, in theory, the safe place works. When I need to find it, the safely put thing is still in the safe [...]
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Sommer Designs
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The new FooseyCat
30 Jun 2009 | 3:02 pmBecause we like to complicate things. She (we think) is already ignoring us. Go away. I've already been traumatized enough today. We think she's 8-1/2 weeks old - given to us by a friend of Dylan's, who was given 3 from the litter to find homes for. We're having the trouble agreeing on a name (go figure, right?). Some contenders: Princess Lucy of Andalusia. Officer Juno. Sargent Peggy. Ralph Wiggum. And my personal pick, Judge Judy. Candy & Gracie are quite smitten with their new stepsister. But they wish she'd stop hissing at them... -
As a visitor, not a vendor
29 Jun 2009 | 6:23 amWe seem to have finally broken out of our June Gloom and had some wonderfully sunny skies this past weekend (although, it's socked in foggy right now)! I spent so much time outside, just sitting on the patio reading, knitting (deep breath sweater lives!) and just plain day-dreaming. Saturday afternoon, we headed down to Redondo Beach and walked the Riviera Village Summer Festival, which I've participated in the last 3 years, but decided to pass on this year. It's never been hugely successful for me, and walking around Saturday I noticed that the crowd was more medium-sized, but… -
Growing the backyard
25 Jun 2009 | 9:06 amWe've been in this house for 9 years this month. While it was a fixer-upper, it wasn't a tear down fixer. Just a needs-updating fixer, which is the best kind of fixer in my opinion. To me, it means the bones are there, and just a little cosmetic help is necessary. All we did to move in was pull the shag, re-carpet, paint, scrap the ceilings and install plantation shutters & wood blinds. Easy. Cost effective too. A year later we remodeled the kitchen and downstairs bath. Inside was initially more important than outside, and since we are huge DIY'ers, we move slow. In… -
Boxes & bins, oh my!
24 Jun 2009 | 8:57 amMy studio is a pigsty. A month ago, my desk was one as well. I've worked on that, and have been trying to get into the habit of putting away and filing immediately. It helps. One of the things I dislike about my occupation is the size of the materials used to make what I make. It's not dainty and small. Unless you have a huge, dedicated, space with lots of storage, it's usually out all the time. Bolts and rolls come in, and until something can be done with them, they sit. Sometimes I just put things in bins to get it out of my sight. Sometimes after a show, I do the same thing… -
Another college tour...
22 Jun 2009 | 9:15 am[This is what is consuming our household this summer - it might be interesting to some, boring to others, but as the parent of 2 high school seniors - this is where we are in life right now :)] On Friday, Colin & I visited Chapman University & Dodge College of Film & Media Arts in Orange. This was our third college visit (we've already hit Loyola Marymount University [nice] & San Francisco State [eh]). I had already fallen in love with LMU and didn't want to like Chapman. LMU is much closer to home and 5 minutes from where Scott works. I'm thinking about…
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Frequently Wrong but Never In Doubt
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Surfing - can you tell?
29 Jun 2009 | 4:34 pmI NEED one of these! -
Herb & Dorothy
29 Jun 2009 | 1:45 pmA must see on my list: Herb & Dorothy Selected Clip #1 from Herb & Dorothy on Vimeo. -
Sigh - Pop culture has a bad day.
26 Jun 2009 | 10:21 amOk, I wasn't going to do it - I hate blogging on "pop" topics and in fact except for a few deaths - almost never have. However, Farah Fawcett passing away (yes, I tried DESPERATELY to have her hair do) - which was sad because of her valiant fight against cancer and a pretty interesting career.Michael Jackson - sigh. Sad. I think I agree with several commentaries that say he's almost like Elvis in his "early" career verses his later craziness, plastic surgery, and personal issues. I like his music - always have. I liked him as a child star and watched as the music got better and better. -
Mail love and my rearranged office
25 Jun 2009 | 3:15 pmYay! I love the mail and especially when it has checks, Piecework magazine and FACES from Leslie (if you aren't already familiar with her from Crazy Quilt International then pop over and say hi - she sells these faces!)! Yay! Aren't these faces fabulous!! I'm sort of afraid I'll mess them up with dye, so I'll sit and fondle them in their current state for a while.Speaking of Piecework - I'd love it if you all go buy it. I wrote kind of a nasty (perhaps I was a bit PMS'y) letter to the editor and told her I HATE that so much is knitting - MORE EMBROIDERY and lacemaking, ooo, beading and other… -
Piggy progress and a bit of interlacing
22 Jun 2009 | 5:15 amSo, I played with some interlacing: It isn't quite like the stitch I was trying to replicate, but I found that was a bit chunky for this delicate stitch (you can click on the picture and zoom in if you're curious). I like it - and my daugher is proud that she picked the colors (she said the giraffe needed green around the edge). Then! Progress on my crazy quilt pig - which is my "big" project for the Rocky Mountain Crazy Quilters this year. the colors didn't turn out in the picture at all - it's a lime green with yellow and some other pinks and blues. It's not exactly what I wanted originally…
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Gerdiary
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New arrivals/Reminder
1 Jul 2009 | 2:16 amSome pieces of furniture fabric I bought(notice the handwritten little labels)... And that´s Alice, just climbing out of theenvelope in which she´d traveled from California.Susan at ArtSpark Theatre sent her and some of hersisters/clons out into the world for adventures,I´m going to give her a sightseeing tour of Berlinsoon. Stay tuned for the report...Many thanks for your anniversary-comments!I´d like to remind everyone that my Calmer/pendant-give-away is still open till friday... -
A Give-away...
29 Jun 2009 | 3:59 amPost No. 200...1 year Gerdiary...This, I guess, calls for a give-away.Here it is: a new Calmer......and a pendant to go with itSo, if you`d like to have them, let me know herebetween now and friday...(for commenting, click post-title)Cheers and thank you to everyone. This year of blogginghas been a thoroughly enriching thing... -
Silent saturday...
27 Jun 2009 | 1:36 pm(Out of Wedding, Uferhallen Berlin) -
Blue Skies smilin´at me
26 Jun 2009 | 8:23 am... not in Berlin, though -or, with some brighteyed effort(to balance yesterday´s nightshift...) -they are, from somewhere above the rainclouds...PS. used a tiny bit of the new indigo here..."Blue skies smilin' at meNothin' but blue skies do I seeBluebirds singin' a songNothin' but bluebirds all day longNever saw the sun shinin' so brightNever saw things goin' so rightNoticing the days hurrying byWhen you're in love, my how they flyBlue days, all of them goneNothin' but blue skies from now on(Blue skies smilin' at meNothin' but blue skies do I see)Never saw the sun shinin' so brightNever saw… -
Heavy Eye Makeup
25 Jun 2009 | 4:31 amEyes everywhere ... These were (very fragile) remnantsof a label inside the collar of an old shirt I altered..."In manchen Stunden werden meine Augendunkel, dann rase ich zurück in meineDunkelheit, bevor die ersten Wortekamen: Am Gasthaustisch um drei Uhrfrüh, dann rasselt etwas anderes imHals, dann liegt, im Gitterbett, jemand, und seine dunklen Augenstarren an die Decke, weit zurück.Und weiter noch, gegen halb Vier, die Augennachgedunkelt: Senf, der Grind in Fliegengittern, Wiener, und stickig, über Land.In manchen Stunden, Augenblick, Relikt: DasAnstarren von Telefonen, nachts im…
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Try Handmade
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Interview with Connie Norsworthy, CircleLineStudio
2 Jul 2009 | 6:39 amConnie Norsworthy of Circlelinestudio lives in Las Vegas with her husband, Lee, and their kids, Sam, Tommy and Mack as well as two miniature Schnauzers, Lexi and Cava. Connie describes herself as easygoing, spontaneous, hardworking and loyal. When she’s not working, she loves hanging out with her family. They all love to travel and explore. She also loves simple things, ‘like a good cup of coffee or the fragrance of a great candle. I also have a bit of a paper addiction, calendars, planners, pretty papers.‘ Be sure to check out her shop, Circlelinestudio. How long have you… -
Candied Beauty
1 Jul 2009 | 8:55 amMmmm, Grape Crush soda… A tub and this cupcake bath bomb would take me back to when I was about 10 years old. Candied Beauty: 100% Vegetarian, 100% Cruelty-Free, 90-100% Natural! (Vegan products include everything, but those with whipped topping- they contain a small amount of meringue powder/powdered egg whites.) Made with ONLY the finest, top-quality ingredients! Erika Jurney is the founder of Try Handmade. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook, or learn more about her love of the handmade. -
Shop Local: Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA
1 Jul 2009 | 6:34 amWhen you think Idaho, you probably don’t think about the indie craft scene. But I found some pretty cool crafters in this little corner of the US of A. If you like what you see below and what to find some more Idaho crafters, check out the Southeast Idaho Etsy Team and Idaho Indie Works. Undone Clothing features remade vintage clothing, accessories, and odds & ends. These earrings caught my eye because they’d make a perfect gift for my mother who always has her scissor “necklace” on and a tape measure around her shoulders. There are also wallets, purses,… -
Audrey Cantwell
30 Jun 2009 | 8:27 amAudrey Cantwell: I cut and I sew and I save the more fortunate results. Erika Jurney is the founder of Try Handmade. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook, or learn more about her love of the handmade. -
Handmade Kitchen
30 Jun 2009 | 6:31 amIt’s summer, time for lots of parties that will put your kitchen into overdrive! It’s easy to keep your kitchen pretty and well-stocked with a supply of handmade goodies. First up are these yellow damask tea towels from Fancy Boutique. The yellow color screams summer while the damask pattern adds a hint of sophistication. Also, check out the Fancy Boutique etsy shop for aprons to pretty yourself up while you’re working in the kitchen. Another fun way to incorporate fabric into your kitchen is through your potholders. These colorful and whimsical potholders are from LMK…
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Hammermarks
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July Artist of the Month – Daniel Sroka
30 Jun 2009 | 10:41 pmSpark (Photo #29) ©Daniel Sroka You know, I haven’t featured a photographer in this series yet, which is a little strange since photography was almost a major of mine. Daniel Sroka is an abstract nature photographer who I became aware of through Alyson Stanfield and Clint Watson and have been following for awhile on Twitter. His photographs are ethereal and remind me of some of the Hubble images from outer space. They are delicate and flowing and you’d be hard pressed to know exactly what they are actually of. Here is his biography from his website: how my career got… -
Wine Pairings with My Jewelry
28 Jun 2009 | 9:01 amYou’ve heard of pairing wine with food, but have you heard of pairing it with jewelry? It’s the new way to completely accessorize. Match what you’re wearing with what’s in your glass! Clipped Definitely needs something bubbly like a nice brut champagne. Blood, Elements #9 I’d go with something dark and velvety. Maybe a ruby red vintage port? Bean Pod Necklace How about something light and crisp, like a dry riesling smacking of granny smiths with citrus notes? Chinle A hearty shiraz would be the best accompaniment for this brooch. Wood, Elements #8 What else… -
Some Thanks to Haiti, the Smithsonian, and DudeCraft
26 Jun 2009 | 3:48 pmFirst, I want to thank DudeCraft for posting about Hammermarks on his blog. Check it out and see how men can participate in all crafts, not just “manly” ones. (His words, not mine!) Now, the meat of the post. When I graduated college, I found it difficult to practice my art. I was living in rooms in other people’s houses and eventually an apartment, none of which were conducive to pounding on metal or storing flammable materials (i.e. my torch tank). I was in a bad place and I couldn’t figure out what to do. This ended up lasting about five years. During… -
More Crazy Hammer Links
24 Jun 2009 | 10:23 amMy Favorite Hammers Here are some more funny hammer related links for your summertime boredom. Wikipedia definition of “hammer” Hammersmith Apollo (this is extra funny since my dog’s name is Apollo) “Help, I’m Alive” by Metric (if you listen, you’ll hear the hammer part – we heard this song a bunch while out in San Diego) Hammer Toe from ePodiatry (this is gross if you have a problem with feet) The Shark Doctor’s Hammer Shark Jaw Shop The Hammer Source (though, not my hammer source! this is more for construction and auto shop hammers) -
Open Studio Event Announced
22 Jun 2009 | 10:15 amMy Workbench You’ve seen and read about my work online. You may have even seen some of it in person. But now I’m giving you the chance to see it somewhere you’ve only dreamt about… In My Studio. On Sunday, July 26th, I am opening the door of my studio to members of my mailing list and to my online connections. From Noon until 5pm you can see the crazy tools I use to make my work, take in the feel of my creative workspace, and even buy some pieces of metalwork! This is your chance to learn a little more about the real Wendy Edsall-Kerwin. This is also my chance…
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Fidgety Fingers
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CLEANING WITH EGG SHELLS
27 Jun 2009 | 9:48 pmCleaning the hard-to-reach places in bottles and vases. Drop some crushed shells in the bottle, add warm water and a drop of dishwashing liquid, and give it a good swirl. Shells that scrape off the gunk you can’t get to, so you can save your elbow grease for the dinner dishes. From Realsimple -
PANCAKE SHAPES AND ALPHABETS
27 Jun 2009 | 9:00 pmIt is always difficult for us to get that perfect shape for pancakes. Our pancakes always turn out to look like such mess, it seems almost impossible to serve them to anyone. Here is a nice idea from realsimple.com. We think it is a lot of fun writing our names and drawing with the pancake batter. -
FRUWIKI : THE FRUGAL PAGES FROM WIKI
27 Jun 2009 | 8:07 pmFruwiki is a frugality wiki, created as place to collect and sharing tips on saving money and using resources wisely. It appears to be the first wiki on the subject of frugality, or at least the first of substantial size. Since its launch on April 7th, 2008, it has grown exponentially thanks to volunteer contributors. While many topics are covered, some examples include: Saving money on bills -
WHAT IS REPURPOSING?
27 Jun 2009 | 8:03 pmRepurposing is using things in ways that items weren't intended for. By looking for ways to repurpose items, you may find new uses for items that would otherwise end up in the trash and even find alternatives to things you would otherwise have to purchase. -
DASPARKHOTEL MADE FROM RECYCLED PIPES
27 Jun 2009 | 7:49 pmWhile the idea of sleeping in a pipe might not immediately connote luxury in your mind, this hotel design turns concrete pipes into quite the comfortable space for your next overnight stay. Almost like glorified camping, the DasParkHotel is a series of individual hotel room pipes, set on a beautiful flora-filled backdrop just steps from the Danube River. “The external simplicity surrounds an
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Bunny Tales
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Creativity
1 Jul 2009 | 7:45 pmCreativity never ceases to amaze me. It’s what makes the world so much fun! If you haven’t been over to my Flickr group lately, stop by! You will not believe your eyes! These quilters are so CREATIVE! I’ve linked a few photos from the group. There are pages and pages of amazing blocks! Just click on the photos below, or the Flickr link above and you're in for a treat! From France Bienvenue The French have such a creative style…and their language is naturally so romantic. A welcome sign for guests and friends… -
20,017 Comments For One Giveaway!
29 Jun 2009 | 7:41 pmCan you imagine? It’s true! When The Pioneer Woman does a giveaway, she gets between 10,000 and 20.000 comments. Check out her June 23rd cooking post. Me,not having a clue, actually entered one of her giveaways. She divided it into 3 groups, my comment was something like number 401. Great I thought! First one in the third group. Here I am I shouted and waved my arms right in front of my computer. I was sure one of the three pink Kitchenaid mixers she was giving away was mine! Ha! Did my jaw drop! Over 10,000 comments in that… -
Windows Live Writer
27 Jun 2009 | 9:06 pmI’ve been blogging for over two years and just found this program about 6 months ago! If you haven’t tired it I highly recommend it. It’s called Windows Live Writer and it opens up all sorts of creative things for bloggers. Like what? Like an album of photos arranged in any order you like! If you click on the picture it opens up a different screen showing all the photos. Click the back arrow to return to my post. Mooch is my poster girl for the purpose of this demo… View Full AlbumOr, let’s say you want to show a map of a city or location you’re blogging about….you can do it! -
In love with toweling!
26 Jun 2009 | 3:30 amIs it possible? Can you actually fall in love with toweling? You know, it’s that fabric that comes with two finished edges. All you have to do is cut and hem two ends and you have a towel! A towel! So how exciting can that be? Enter The French General! Kaari Meng thank you! I opened up this piece of LINEN toweling today and fell in love. I can think of so many things to do with this! I may have to order bolts and bolts just to have…then line them up on top of the shelves in the kitchen to look at every day. If I tie a bow around the bolts they become decor don’t you think? 25 bolts? Is… -
Pure, Natural, Timeless and I love it!
23 Jun 2009 | 7:21 pmI love this fabric! AU.THEN.TIC by Sweetwater and Moda Fabrics. It’s delightful, new and so creative! And I’ll be using it this week in a new design. I can’t wait to get started! If I can just stop reading the fabric long enough I might get something done LOL! Just look at the fabric in the above photo. Can’t you just see this in so many things? I can! I can appliqué and read at the same time. Who could ask for more? Or how about this print? It’s exactly how I feel when I look at it! These words say it…
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Urban Debris Artlog
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Little worlds - terrariums
25 Jun 2009 | 5:54 amCheck out this light bulb terrariums by SteamedGlass on etxy Go to SteamedGlass to see more.More small worldsSlideshow over at Cookie MagazineVideo from GardenGuy From flick pool -
Teeth and dental chart art
23 Jun 2009 | 5:22 pmI need to go to the denist and get a filling that came out fixed. I hate the dentist. But, somehow I became obsessed with old dental charts. Do these even get used by dentists anymore? This first one is kind of creepy. -
Marmalade Pecan Spiral Coffee Cake
21 Jun 2009 | 7:33 pmIngredients: 1/4 cup Butter, softened 1/2 cup packed Light Brown Sugar 1 cup pecan pieces 1 cup marmalade1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 (11-oz.) Pillsbury Refrigerated Crusty French Loaf Heat oven to 350˚F. Grease 8-inch round cake pan. In small bowl, combine butter, sugar, pecan pieces, and cinnamon; mix well. Unroll bread dough onto floured surface, forming a 13×12-inch rectangle. Spread marmalade evenly over dough. Sprinkle with nut mixture and press lightly into dough. Cut dough into 8 even 12-inch long strips. Roll up 1 strip into a spiral. Place spiral on next… -
Pilot creativity group and free e-book
21 Jun 2009 | 6:46 pmA brand new Pilot Group for a newe e-course,From Here to ARTernity, Volume 1: A Mixed Media Metamorphosis for the Time of Your Life Through July 3, enrollees in the Pilot Group save $30 off the regular price and also get to participate in 3 Live teleclasses presented by me, exclusively for the Pilot Group. This unique program is all about creatively re-shaping the way that we see and use time in our lives, and it combines daily lessons, teleclasses, an online community, and an Authentic Art Supply Kit sent Priority US Mail. Download a FREE copy of the Artella eBook, Artella Mae's NEW… -
Cute Fruit and Vintage Fruit Friend Pattern Download
14 Jun 2009 | 12:42 pmfrom Dark Roasted Blend Funny AnimalsUnited Fruit CompanyMake a vintage Fruit FriendPattern - c;ick for larger image
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The Best of DIY
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Cozy Crochet Curtain Tieback
29 Jun 2009 | 3:44 pmCraftstylish has a great tutorial on how to make this Cozy Crochet Curtain Tieback. I recently moved into an apartment from the 70’s and some of the decorations are still from that timeperiod. This curtain tieback would make for a nice addition to the decorations as well as holding back my curtains to let the sun shine in. I’m in need of a new crochet project. -
Recycle Tin Cans into Vases
9 Jun 2009 | 5:30 pmLooking for a way to recycle your tin cans? Or looking for a diy vase? Well, Design Sponge has a tutorial on how to create this beautiful birch bark tin can vase. I love how birch looks. If you don’t have a birch tree around you can do a search for birch bark sheets and you will find places that sell it. Design Sponge has some other great ideas for recycling tin cans into vases. -
Wedding Flower Garland
8 Jun 2009 | 7:51 pmAre you trying to plan a diy wedding? This baby’s breath Wedding Garland is so pretty. This would look lovely around the entry way of the bride or at the reception. Check out Once Wed for a tutorial on how to make this beautiful garland and to get more DIY wedding tips. You could also use this at a baby shower and cut out baby animals, there could be so many different events you could use this at. -
Mini Toolbox for Father’s Day
7 Jun 2009 | 8:00 amFather’s Day is just around the corner, time to start thinking of what to get dad. This mini toolbox crafted from an altoids tin is such a cute idea for the fix it dad. You could use the mini toolbox to hold a gift card to his favorite home improvement shop or it could be used to hold odds and ends. I’m sure dad would appreciate the time and effort put into crafting his very own mini toolbox. Check out the tutorial over at Alpha Mom. -
Tea Shelf
4 Jun 2009 | 5:42 pmI’ve just started to really like tea and have been creating quite the collection. Design Sponge has a very creative space saving tea shelf for your kitchen where you can store all your tea accessories and tea cups. I like how they attached lids from loose leaf tea jars. Check out the tutorial to create your own. My new kitchen is tiny and this would be the most perfect thing to store my tea’s and tea cups. I’ll just have to get into loose leaf tea.
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Trans-craft-inental
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London crafty
2 Jul 2009 | 4:20 amDear Shayne,On top of planning our wedding (only 16 days!) and caring for our sick kitty, I have also been traveling quite a bit this year (hence the light posting in these parts).One place I went was to London. I didn't have much time there, but I just had to go to Liberty because their fabrics are drool-worthy. The designs are lovely and the cotton just feels like a dream.Plus, they were having a big sale when I went. What luck! So, I bought some fabric...I couldn't resist this one, since our wedding colors are red and white:I was so happy to find this one, because it can be difficult to… -
Shayne, you rock.
1 Jul 2009 | 6:49 pmDear Shayne,You ROCK.While we were on our crafty tour of San Francisco, I fell in love with a beautiful leather coin purse at Rare Device. I couldn't stop touching it and oohing and ahing. The craftsmanship is amazing and it feels fantastic to hold. I didn't buy it because I could not justify the purchase right now.But you bought it for me! Getting this present in the mail was such a huge ray of sunshine, which is something I really needed. Thank you, thank you, thank you!My photos do not do this item justice. It fits perfectly in the palm of my hand and the leather feels amazing.The cut-out… -
Shayne and Kelly go to Maker Faire
30 Jun 2009 | 3:56 pmDear Readers,As part of Shayne and Kelly's big adventure on the west coast last month, we went to Maker Faire. Oh, what a wonder it is -- if there is one anywhere close to you, you should make the effort to get to it. It's totally worth it.Here are some highlights of our Maker Faire adventure:We made button pins at the Craftster booth:We used a Yudu (we've chattered about this here before) to make bags at the Provo Craft booth:We enjoyed the Yudu, but we answered the question: Does it replace the Gocco? Not really. It's easier than traditional screen-printing, but nowhere as easy to use as… -
Shayne and Kelly's Big SF Adventure
29 Jun 2009 | 7:11 pmDear Readers,Although we have been remiss in posting about it, the whole Transcraftinental team (that would be both Shayne and Kelly) were together on one coast (the west one) just a few short weeks ago. Crafty good times were had -- want to know what we did? Of course you do!One day, we took a Crafty Tour of San Francisco. Read on to see where we went...While not technically craft-related, we just have to put in a good word for our breakfast location: Kate's Kitchen in Lower Haight. Delicious! Mmm-mmmm!After Kate's, we headed up Haight to Mendel's for crafty supply goodness. For such a small… -
Address labels
29 Jun 2009 | 7:08 amDear Kelly,I guess there hasn't been much crafting on either coast, but today I did do something a little bit creative.My sister just moved and needs new address labels, so I modified this piece of clip art:And changed it to this:My three nephews - and yes, they all do have different colored hair and eyes.Love,Shayne
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Gabriela Delworth's Blog
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Happy Canada Day! Get down on it!
1 Jul 2009 | 1:00 amHappy Birthday Canada! Look at these Pe