Japanese Monster Kit by Hine

Feltresss and video maker Hine Mizushima made this charming Japanese Monster Kit and accompanying video. Love it! [via Make: Japan]

Posted by Becky Stern | Sep 2, 2010 07:05 AM
Felting, Fiber Art, Japanese Crafts, Toys | Permalink | Comments (0) | Suggest a Site | Email This | Bookmark and Share

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How-To: Homemade Pop Tarts on a Stick

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Inspired by Bakerella's new book and her famous cake pops, Brooke of The Family Kitchen created these yummy-looking homemade Pop Tarts on a stick. You really can't go wrong with pie crust, cherries and icing, especially if you put them all on a stick! Brooke's tribute recipe post includes a Q & A with Bakerella as well. [via GoodLifeEats]

Posted by Rachel Hobson | Sep 2, 2010 06:00 AM
Food | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site | Email This | Bookmark and Share

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Neon Elastic Girl's Skirt

I get obsessed over fabric (who doesn't right?) and Liberty of London is just right up there with the most beautiful prints. Molly at The Purl Bee shows off the gorgeous Liberty of London Tana Lawn print in her neon elastic girl's skirt project. The neon elastic and knit trim give a modern edge to the skirt. It's perfect for a new back to school outfit!

Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu | Sep 1, 2010 05:00 PM
Fabric, Fashion, Kids, Sewing | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site | Email This | Bookmark and Share

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Rachel Hobson Wins Big in Hubble Contest

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Our own Rachel Hobson just won first prize in the European Space Agency's Hubble Pop Culture contest, in the "funniest" category. Her piece took inspiration from one of John Grunsfeld's spacewalks:

Hubble is amazing and inspirational in its own right, but I really love hearing stories from the people who work on the space telescope. John Grunsfeld is one of my favorite astronauts. He's a brilliant astronomer, and from interviews I've read or seen... he just seems like an all-around fascinating person.

At one point in the Hubble IMAX film, he talks about a particular portion of one of his spacewalks that involved unscrewing more than 100 tiny screws on a part of Hubble.

Now, just take a moment to imagine with me, if you will: Put giant oven mitts on your hands. Now slip a tiny tool between your fingertips. Know that you have more than 100 screws to unscrew on a piece of equipment that is worth millions of dollars and holds great scientific significance. Oh, and don't forget that you are more than 300 miles above earth on a spaceship that's traveling at roughly 17, 500 miles per hour.

Here's where Grunsfeld impresses once again. He talks in the film about how, at this point in his spacewalk, he switches to zen mode. He focuses only on the one screw that he is unscrewing at that very moment. Never how many he's already undone, never how many he has left.

Just one screw at a time.

Congrats Rachel!

More:

Posted by Becky Stern | Sep 1, 2010 04:00 PM
Cross-Stitch, Technology | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site | Email This | Bookmark and Share

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How-To: DIY Skinny Ties

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Gabrielle of Design Mom shares how she transformed thrift store ties into fun skinny ties for her teenage son. [via DollarCraft]

Posted by Rachel Hobson | Sep 1, 2010 03:00 PM
Fashion, Refashion | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site | Email This | Bookmark and Share

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This Week in Craft Fairs

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Here it is - you've waited all week! The craft fair blog post. As always, if you know of an event that you want to add to our online calendar, then please, take the initiative! And if you have a call for vendors you'd like listed, I want you to (please send only the details I include in this post: name of event, location, date, fee for vendors, and application deadline). Thank you, my crafty friends!

Coming Up This Weekend:
Divisadero Art Walk
San Francisco, CA
Thursday, Sep. 2, 5pm - 9pm

Cowtown Indie Bazaar
Fort Worth, TX
Saturday, Sep. 4, 9am - 6pm

First Friday Craft Market
Kennett Square, PA
Friday, Sep. 3, 2pm - 8pm

First Sunday Arts
Annapolis, MD
Sunday, Sep. 5, 12pm - 5pm

brisStyle Indie Designers Market
Brisbane, Australia
Saturday, Sep. 4, 9am - 2pm

Contests:
Worldwide Embroidery Design Competition
Entry submission deadline: Oct. 1

Call For Vendors:
4th Annual Holiday Hit List!
San Diego, CA
Sunday, Dec. 5
Fee: $100
Deadline to apply: Nov. 14

Indie Emporium
Tulsa, OK
Friday, Oct. 29 - Saturday, Oct. 30
Fee: $85 - $130
Deadline to apply: Sep. 10

St. Martin's UCC Craft Fair
Dittmer, MO
Saturday, Sep. 11
Fee: $20
Deadline to apply: Sep. 10

Cornucopia Fall Festival & Craft Fair
Chicago, IL
Saturday, Oct. 9
Fee: $30
Deadline to apply: Sep. 30

4th Annual Flint Handmade Holiday Craft Market
Flint, MI
Saturday, Nov. 27
Fee: $10 - $20
Deadline to apply: Sep. 30

Crafty Supermarket
Cincinnati, OH
Saturday, Nov. 20
Fee: $65
Deadline to apply: Sep. 15

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Posted by Laura Cochrane | Sep 1, 2010 02:00 PM
Events | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site | Email This | Bookmark and Share

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How-To: Geek Bike Helmet

CRAFT: Geek Crafts

By Jessica Wilson

I was a big fan of Pee-Wee's Playhouse back in the 80s. I was pretty sad he rode a scooter at the end of the show instead of his bike but I did adore his helmet. It was a wacky display of all things Pee-Wee and I itched to have one of my own. Flash forward some twenty odd years or so and I found myself with a new pair of roller skates. The mister insisted I wear a helmet and I told him I would if he fancied it up a bit. My bike helmet has wings but anyone can geek out their helmet with a little paint, glue and an odd assortment of Pee-Wee inspired toys.

This is a fun project for all bike helmets, new and old though if your old helmet is truly a mess with cracks from beyond, you best invest in a new dealio to keep your noggin safe. One of the helmets used in this tutorial is cracked beyond repair but we wanted to show you two different ways of geeking out your helmet. So, if you choose to get wacky with it all, make sure your helmet is new and free of cracks!

Read full story »

Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu | Sep 1, 2010 12:00 PM
Geek Crafts | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site | Email This | Bookmark and Share

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La Droguerie in Paris

La Droguerie
9 et 11 rue du Jour
75001 PARIS
Phone: 01 45 08 93 27

Hours:
Monday: 2pm-6:45pm
Tuesday-Saturday: 10:30am-6:45pm
Sunday: Closed

If any place could be called crafting heaven, the craft shop La Droguerie is just that and more. Nestled in a small little area of the Les Halles area of Paris, I could feel the excitement inside me as I stepped inside and was immediately greeted "hello" by the hanks of candy colored yarn that spanned all along the wall. The store feels like an old apothecary with large wooden cabinets lining the back area which contained tiny drawers filled with buttons. Colorful beads lived in large jars that were lined up and down a large bookcase and seemed almost to call out for someone to "take a scoop home". Pretty and ornate fake flowers in little glasses decorated the window area. A wall of ribbons and bias tape spanned the back wall. (I now regret not buying some of the cute Liberty of London bias tape. Ah!) Under a glass table, patterned fabric lay neatly organized and color coordinated.


(Photo above from our Travel Crafty Paris article by Tina Barseghian)

Read full story »

Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu | Sep 1, 2010 11:00 AM
Books and Magazines, Reviews | Permalink | Comments (3) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site | Email This | Bookmark and Share

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"Invaders" Letterpress Notecards

CRAFT: Geek Crafts

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A regular reader of Angela Shetler's blog, I just about fell out of my chair when she posted these "Invader" letterpress cards from Anemone Letterpress. Letterpress paper products and '80s video games? Where do I sign up?

Via Angela Shetler

Posted by Lish Dorset | Sep 1, 2010 10:01 AM
Geek Crafts | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site | Email This | Bookmark and Share

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How-To: Self-Watering Planter from Plastic Bottle

Instructables user whamodyne made a self-watering planter from a rag and a 2-liter plastic bottle:

I have a black thumb due to my forgetfulness on the watering of plants. By the time I remember and rush over with the wattle bottle, the plants have croaked and moved onto the next plane of existence.

I was reading some furniture blogs (doesn't everyone?) and noticed this post. It's a great idea and something like the earthboxes my mom grows tomatoes in, but the cost?!!? $55? That seems a bit much.

I decided to make something like that using a 2 liter bottle and a rag from an old t-shirt. Much lower cost and a nice weekend project.

Posted by Becky Stern | Sep 1, 2010 09:00 AM
Gardening, Recycle | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site | Email This | Bookmark and Share

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Jewelry Made From The Pages of Books

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My post about the book loom on Monday sparked a lot of commentary on destroying books in the name of craft. I'm curious how that conversation might change when folks see these amazing pieces of jewelry made from the pages of books from Jeremy May of Littlefly.

Littlefly jewellery is made by laminating hundreds sheets of paper together, then carefully finishing to a high gloss. The paper is selected and carefully removed from a book, and the jewellery re-inserted in the excavated space.

I can only imagine how special it would be to receive a ring like this, made from the pages of a meaningful book. I've never been a girl with eyes for diamonds, but give me something like this and I'd be swooning. [via Swiss Miss]

Posted by Rachel Hobson | Sep 1, 2010 08:00 AM
Arts & Design, Jewelry | Permalink | Comments (3) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site | Email This | Bookmark and Share

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30 Rock Nerds Portrait

This portrait of Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, made entirely of Nerds candy, was commissioned by an enterprising fan of artist Andrew Salomone.

More:

Liz Lemon Nerds Portrait

Posted by Becky Stern | Sep 1, 2010 07:04 AM
Arts & Design | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site | Email This | Bookmark and Share

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