Craftzine.com blog: December 2006 Archive

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Archives: December 2006

December 29, 2006

HOW TO - Make a Dog Ribbon Collar/Necklace

Judi says, "This is a very cute tutorial on how to make a fancy ribbon collar (necklace)for your dog to wear on 'special occasions'. Always under supervision, of course." Link.

December 28, 2006

HOW TO - Make Your Own Journal

Kath at Whip Up has linked to a great tutorial at daydreamingonpaper.com on how to make your own journals. The close up photos are great, especially for the techniques on sewing up the binding. [ via ] Link.

Origami Diagrams

I love this site Origami Diagrams that shows you how to fold cool things like this C3PO and frog on a lillypad. Link.

Freezer Paper Stencil Onesies

Joy of Crafty Daisies says, "As I was frantically finishing up all of my Christmas projects I got the brilliant idea to make a onesie for Lucy, for my husband Brian. He is a big Mac fan so I wanted to make it special. I've been addicted recently to freezer paper stenciling. It is so easy and fast that you can make a special gift in a pinch." Link.

December 27, 2006

Cath Kidston Mobile Phones

If you're in the UK, you can get yourself one of Cath Kidston's new Nokia 6111 or Nokia 6230i mobile phones that are emblazoned with her famous prints. [ via ] Link.19ff;text-

Related:
Cath Kidston's In Print, published by Chronicle Books - Link.

HOW TO - Make Orange Marmalade

If you are still off on vacation this week for the holidays, why not make an extra special treat for your breakfasts with homemade orange marmalade. Sarah of Pink of Perfection has shared with us her wonderful (and easy to make) recipe. Link.

Post-Holiday Sales of Indie Goods

Modish has a list of some great post-holiday sales by indie crafters! Lots of deals up to 50% off. Link.

Ginagirl Dolls

Gina Garan of This is Blythe has collaborated with artist orriettacat to create the new line of cute pllush dolls, Ginadolls. Check out the debut pictures from Junie Moon in Shibuya, Japan. You can order the dolls for $42 each. [ via ] Link.

Crafty Geometry

A recent article from the Science News talks about "Crafty Geometry: Mathematicians are knitting and crocheting to visualize complex surfaces" talking in more detail how these knit and crochet pieces are bringing math alive. [ via ] Link.

Related:

Crafting Geometry - Vol 1 of CRAFT (Digital Edition) - Link.
Hyperbolic Crochet Reef - Link.

December 26, 2006

DIY Customized Action Figures and Dolls

Kathy Sierra says, "Give that special boss, client, co-worker, employee, friend, etc. their own action figure doll. You can do it the cheap way -- about $6.00, or the ultra-expensive way -- $300 and up. It's a great way to call out someone's special attributes and let them know you've been paying attention. This "tradition" started when I was at Sun, and several of my former Sun coworkers have kept it up. So for this Christmas, I made a My First Scoble doll for Robert Scoble." Link.

Holiday Card Gift Tags

Candace of Craft Daisies says to save your holiiday cards from this year to make cool gift tags for the holidays next year! Link.

HOW TO - Make Memory Coasters

Judi Wellnitz of Art Dolls shows you how to turn cheap cork coasters into memory coasters - mini scrapbooks for your table. Link.

HOW TO - Make customizable fleece hats

From Phil @ MAKE Blog:

Ryzellon writes, "You want to keep your noggin toasty in the nasty winter weather. You don't want to wear a hat that looks like everyone else's hat. You like lions (or dragons). Now you can combine all of these desires into a simple, yet useful, item of clothing that's infintely customizable and tailorable to your (or a recipient's) tastes." [ via ] Link.

December 23, 2006

Ornamentia: The Art of David White

Arwen sent along this artist who makes ornaments from discarded electronics - "Using recycled vacuum tubes and other found objects, David crafts each Ornamentia into a unique piece of art. Ornamentia is an industrial revolution, fusing old tech with modern style..." - Link & Etsy store.

Season's Greetings from CRAFT

Happy holidays everyone! Thank you for all the crafty love and support. See you after the 25th!

A Closer Look: Etsy Holiday - I Want Candy Ring

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I Want Candy

This candy striped ring is the perfect way to approach the holidays: take something old and tired and look at it from a different angle. All of a sudden that cliched mint looks fresh and modern! Lane's other jewelry also borrows from a more colorful past, which is a nice thing to keep in mind during gloomy winter days. Be sure to check out her shop on Etsy, Guava Lava: there's a great sensibility in action here. I love the colors and shapes she plays around with, and lucite should never have gone out of style...I asked her a few questions about what cheers her up all winter long.

Arwen: How did you first get involved with crafting?
Lane: Like many crafters, I did crafts as a child, including a lot of embroidery with my mother. Later, in junior high and high school, I picked up some jewelry-making, mostly beaded earrings and necklaces. My style was more bohemian back then, lots of turquoise, crystals and porcupine quills. That was kinda short-lived, then I got back into it after quitting a very busy job and moving to a small town. I guess it was out of boredom and looking for something to fill up my newly-discovered free time.

Arwen: What inspires you?
Lane: Other crafters. Styles of the past. So many things are inspirational, from bright colors and mod shapes to organic forms. I try to stick to one "style" for Guava Lava so the individual pieces have a common theme, but I actually still love bohemian-inspired crafts a lot.

Arwen: What are some of your most important influences?
Lane: Again, other crafters. My mom; she was a basket weaver when I was growing up. She always had her own style and encouraged me to be my own person. And my friend, Alison (of appleseeds on Etsy), is a definitely an influence for me. She actually encouraged me to start crafting and develop an Etsy site.

Arwen: How do you decide what to make each day?
Lane: I never know. Sometimes my husband gives me great ideas.

Arwen: What are your favorite crafting books/magazines/websites?
Lane: I don't read alot of them. Mostly I cruise Etsy and the internet to see what crafters are up to. I love this old book of embroidery from the early 1970s called Native Funk + Flash. And, of course, Martha.

December 22, 2006

HOW TO - Make Your Own Komaneko Doll

We love those Komaneko short movies (see CRAFT post here) and now you can download the PDF to make your own Komaneko doll. [ via ] Link. [PDF]

HOW TO - Make a Mouse Pad Cover

Anna Torborg of Twelve 22 has a great tutorial (PDF) on how to make your own mousepad cover with cool fabric prints. Link.

CRAFT Podcast Pattern - Stitch Diva Studios Hairpin Chandelier Earrings

Crochet yourself some beautiful chandelier earrings created by Jennifer Hansen, the amazing designer behind Stitch Diva Studios. Her work in crochet and knitting has an edgier fashion feel and these earrings are a great way for you to get started with knitting with wire. Check out the knit and crochet with wire tutorials to learn the steps to make great jewelry. As Jennifer says, "A girl can never have too many earrings!"

Download this week's CRAFT pattern PDF - Link.
Subscribe to the CRAFT podcast and get this pattern and other CRAFT content delivered automatically via iTunes - Link
Stitch Diva Studios Hairpin Chandelier Earrings Page - Link.

Related:
Stitch Diva Studios Wire Earring Collection for Knit and Crochet - Link.

Ten Good Reasons to Choose Vintage Gifts

Ulla of Hobby Princess and CRAFT columnist has a great write up of 10 good reasons to choose vintage gifts. My favorite is #9 Craftsmanship. I have an orange vintage coat from the 60's and not only is it the warmest coat ever, the material and stitching are all still in tact, almost like new. Link.

Holiday Project: Star Wars Action Figure Wreath

If you've got bits of broken Star Wars action figures lying around, put them together and make this cool action figure wreath. Thanks Bonnie! Link.

HOW TO - Make Your Own Labels

Cat of Cut Out + Keep has a tutorial on how to make your own customized labels for all the craft products you sell. Link.

December 21, 2006

A Closer Look: Etsy Holiday - Penguin Ornaments

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Penguin Ornaments by Michal Wright

Michal Wright (aka Paper Armadillo) has a cheeky sense of humor and isn't afraid to use it. Check out her blog for her regular musings, and her website for her serious side. Her Flickr page has great in-process photos. (You know I love it when crafters share the inner workings of their projects; it's that generous spirit that is as inspiring as the work itself!) Be sure to check out her Etsy shop because I also love her cute plushie cats and her snowboy and snowgirl coin purses!

Arwen: How did you get into crafting?
Michal: i honestly can't remember myself not doing something creative. when we were little, every summer my mom would go to this wholesale crafts supplies seller and get loads of everything and just let me and my sister play. no kits, no directions - just fooling around. that was the best. ... and probably why, to this day, i can't follow a pattern without making some sort of change that will make it my own. and i love it!

Arwen: Why ornaments? :-)
Michal: that's actually funny because i'm jewish and originally from israel. i only celebrated christmas twice! i just got so inspired this year by people's trees and decorations they've been showing on their crafty blogs. i love how every tree, was made so personal by the ornaments people made or bought for them. i don't know what the fact that my tree is going to have pink penguins on it says about me... ; )

Arwen: What process do you use?
Michal: i used my dear gocco. it was a bit of a hit and miss, but i'm pleased with the end result. the process still feels a bit magical to me. i love it!

Arwen: And what inspires you most?
Michal: wow... a lot of things. nature, my cat, other people's interpretation of the world, fellow craftsters' work. i can get intimidated by other people's work sometimes, but i still think my biggest source of inspiration this year is seeing people's work on their blog or etsy. oh, and swapping with said craftsters is the best.

Arwen: What's one tip you'd give to other crafters?
Michal: don't be afraid to throw things away. learning from mistakes is the only textbook you'll ever really need.

Arwen: What are your favorite crafting books/websites/magazines?
Michal: i love craftster.org, whipup.net and the recently discovered softies central.

Arwen: What are your most important influences?
Michal: animals. that's going to sound really silly, but - have you ever seen a capibara?! nature created those zany creatures that just don't make any sense - and yet, they're out there and thriving. looking at animals and nature keeps reminding me to think outside the box and keep looking around, even when i think i already got my creative answer. it reminds me that still - i don't have a clue. and that it's great.

HOW TO - Sew a Clutch Purse

I've always seen these cool clasp frames at the craft store but figured it was too complicated to figure out how to sew. Lisa of U Handbag has a great how-to on exactly how to sew these kinds of cute bags, good for coins, crafty notions, etc. I love her fabric here too! Link.

Holiday Projects: More from West Coast Crafty

Susan of West Coast Crafty has posted up more cool project links (yay!) to her ever growing holiday project and gift list. Yes, there's still time to make some of these before Christmas! Link.

Electrolytic etching of brass for Moleskin notebooks

Phil @ MAKE has featured a great project:

Jake says, "I used a 19th Century technique called electrolytic etching to create brass cover plates for a set of Moleskin notebooks that I plan to give as gifts these season." [ via ] Link.

Holiday Project: Collage Wrapping Paper

Kathy of Crafty Chica has a tutorial on how to do something different this year and do collage style wrapping paper for all your gifts. Link.

Frosty the Chumby

Angela says, "This is a picture of Frosty the Chumby. I think he has been teleported back to 1964 for a felt craft makeover complete with fake snow! I was lucky enough to receive one of the Foo Camp release Chumby alpha prototypes thanks to Bunnie. " Link.

HOW TO - Make Stuffed Felt Animals

Crafty Dasies has a tutorial on how to make your own felted stuffed animals, in this case a felt penguin. Thanks Tim! Link.

December 20, 2006

Stylehive's Top 5 Indie Gifts

We absolutely love the stylehive site and all their cool picks. This week their "Top 5 Gifts" looks for the best in indie and handmade delights, including some of our CRAFT friends, Etsy.com, Susie Ghahremani and Elsewares.com. Link.

CRAFT Subscriber #1 - Jessica Love

Did you ever wonder who was the first subscriber to CRAFT magazine? Sure, "whatever", you say, someone just sent in a postcard, nothing special right? Well this one is special. It involves British accents, a love story, a parcel to be delivered...no, we're not talking about James Bond. But something much sweeter. This is the real story of our first CRAFT subscriber, Jessica Love.

The story begins here:
We had just announced CRAFT magazine and were working on the first issue when we got this email from a reader in the UK.

--------------------------------
From: Nick Smith
Date: May 15, 2006 3:21:28 PM PDT
Subject: Craft Magazine

Hi ;)

I read with great interest about your craft magazine coming out this fall.

I'd love to be able to give a subscription to my girlfriend for her birthday in June (especially as she'd go nuts for it and probably propose on the spot to me), is there any chance I can place a subscription for it then? If you have any suggestions on how I could manage something like this I'd be greatly indebted to you.

All the best,
Nick (UK all-round-maker-style-chap)
--------------------------------

We were so touched by the email that even though we weren't ready yet to take subscriptions, we contacted him and decided that we'd do something special for this lucky lady's upcoming birthday. There was no magazine to speak of yet in May, so I decided to make a little card and pin cushion for Jess so that she'd at least have something tangible to have on her birthday. I mailed the card and pincushion off to London and a few weeks later we got the fun pictures of Jess with the pincushion from Nick. It's been quite a few months now so I decided to catch up with Jess to see how she felt about the whole experience and how she's liking her issue of CRAFT.

Craft Jess2

Nat: Your boyfriend is quite clever to write us and ask for a subscription when we announced the magazine. We were so touched by his love for you. What was your reaction on being the first subscriber to the new CRAFT magazine and receiving a handmade CRAFT pincushion?

Jess: Nick and I are always trying to out do eachother when it comes to presents. We've surprised each other with trips to amazing places and nice meals and this year we decided to set a financial limit so we could be a bit more creative (as well as save some money - it was getting silly).

I first heard about CRAFT when I saw the picture of the crochet robots on http://www.loobylu.com and whenever I see something like that I always forward it to him. So it was quite a surprise that he remembered and that he'd had the idea of organising it so that I was subscriber no1, it's the most unique and thoughtful present I've ever had.

Nat: Where's your CRAFT pincushion today?

My craft pincushion is currently on our bookshelf being used as a cushion by our plush pig - - as I didn't want to put it away in the tin with my sewing things.
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Nat: How do you like the first issue of CRAFT?

Jess: I'm still reading through my copy of CRAFT but I love the article about the skateboards and hopefully over christmas whilst I'm at my parents, drinking too much and watching rubbish television, I hope to attempt the crochet robots! I also love the silk screening tutorial. I just wish we had the space for me to do it!

Nat: What kind of crafts do you like to do?

Jess: I'm a big fan of home made cards, in fact unless I'm really desperate I can't bring myself to buy greetings cards. I've started working on a series of cute monster illustrations that I hope to make into cards next year for christmas. As well as this, my nan used to crochet and knit and she'd make clothes for my stuffed toys and costumes for school plays. I always wished I'd had the time for her to teach me so I'm determined to learn how to knit in order to carry that tradition on.

Nat: What are you working on for the holidays?

Jess: I'm currently working on a felt advent calendar as I'm always disappointed with the shop bought ones and I wanted to create something different that could be brought out as a tradition each year.. it's a long piece of felt with eyelets placed at intervals. Hanging by ribbon from each eyelet is a little felt pouch with a number and each pouch holds a different surprise (including little whiskey miniatures for nearer to christmas). Unfortunately I'm a little bit behind and it's not ready yet but hopefully nick won't mind playing catch up when it is finished!

Related:

Send a gift subscription to CRAFT - Link.
CRAFT gift card as downloadable PDF - Link.

Holiday Project: Pom Pom Garland

Heidi of My Paper Crane did a special project for the kids craft blog, Kiddley. This pom pom garland is a fun and easy project for kids to make during the holidays! Link.

Holiday Project: Fun Fur Christmas Tree

Tamie at Roxycraft has a tutorial on how to make cute furry trees using eyelash yarn. Link.

Related:
Roxycraft's beaded tree - Link.

Holiday Project: Paper Stars

Curbly's DIY Maven says, "I found instructions for these beautiful folded paper stars in an old magazine called The Workbasket. Not only were the directions indecipherable, the picture illustrations were misidentified. Although your first attempt might be a challenge, it'll be worth it as the final product will impress your friends and family.Use them to decorate your trees and presents for your holiday party, or hang them from your light fixtures for your New Years Eve bash." Link.

A Closer Look: Holiday Etsy - Mistletoe Ornament

Mistletoe Ornament by Denise Colombe-Frye
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5052953

By Arwen O'Reilly

Denise Colombe-Frye's ceramics are lovely earthenware homages to the leaves and flowers she sees around her in southern Wisconsin. Her leaves and plants (and even slugs!) are remarkably true to life; I must admit to being particularly fond of her mistletoe ornament. It has the perfect contrast between the misty green of the leaves and the waxy white berries (which are hard to find these days unless you harvest your mistletoe yourself!). If you've ever wished that autumn leaf or bit of holiday greenery would last just a little bit longer, make sure to check out the ornaments and jewelry in her Etsy shop, and read her profile to learn how she does it. Like the best crafters, she's equally eager to learn and share knowledge, which I find really inspiring.

Arwen: How did you first get involved with crafting?

Denise: If you consider that to be making things with my hands, I don't remember a time when I wasn't making something artsy-crafty. Even as a small child, creating things was a source of pleasure. My home life was less than ideal, but that was one activity that brought some family unity, so the act of creation has a fairly deep meaning for me. From cutting out paper snowflakes as a toddler, to creating digital images on the computer as an adult, to the creation of ceramics, I am always fiddling with the creative process.

Arwen: Why ceramics?

Denise: I had been doing animal portraits on bisqued plates through a friend's website for a while. When that business decided to close, I purchased my own kiln to fire the finished plates. Since I am always taking classes on one thing or another, I took a wheel-throwing class through the local technical college. I wasn't too keen on the throwing process, but there was a slab roller in the workshop that I started playing with. I became enamored of the slab building process, and the other types of things that can be made by hand building. I started playing around with how to reproduce natural items. I think this stems from one of my other creative endeavors, being a taxidermist. My favorite thing to do in that job was the diorama reproductions, which included a lot of leaves and natural elements.

Arwen: What processes do you use?

Denise: I use a combination of processes. The most fun for me is figuring out how to come with an original way of doing something. I am self-taught, so everything is original with me :) I do a lot of slab rolling, right now using a big rolling pin. Depending on what I am making, I start with a set height, then cut and roll down to lower heights. When I make windchimes, I have different heights for the different pieces. When I make leaves, I use a fairly thick slab for jewelry, and a very thin one for leaves that will be combined with something else. I also have organic sculptural pieces that I hand form, and are varying thicknesses. I found out that it was too time-consuming to make leaves independently for things like the jewelry and ornaments, so I started making latex molds from some of the best bisqued pieces. I use these to press clay into, and then I can do a better job of making the holes and hangers. Also, they dry a little more slowly, so the edges can be formed. It took a lot of hours in the workshop experimenting to see what worked.

Since I use earthenware, there are a lot of commercial glazes available. I started doing test after test, using the glazes alone and in combination to come up with a look that I thought would mimic nature.

Arwen: So what is slab rolling?

Denise: Slab rolling is just what it sounds like. You start with a big ol chunk of clay. Then, just like you would use pie dough for making a pie crust, you roll it into a slab. There are some great machines that can take the hard work out of it, but they can be pretty expensive, and take up a lot of room. Here is a link to some information. Clay is a lot harder to roll out than pie crust, but it paints an easy to understand picture. Since I didn't want to spend the money right away, I just kept using a rolling pin. The way to reach different thicknesses is by using thickness strips.

Since I am not very strong, I start with a tall (1/2") strip, roll out the clay to that thickness, then go to a smaller height strip, and so on. It can get interesting; each clay mixture has its own personality, each thickness of clay has its own feel, and so on. My favorite thing to do is make a fairly small slab, then just start forming it up by stretching and rolling and texturizing until it takes shape. I can end up with some really interesting organic forms that way. I often add leaves or snails or caterpillars then experiment with glazes. I don't have any of them on Etsy right now, because I have found that I have a bit to learn with taking pictures.

For making leaves, once I have a slab about 1/8" thick, I lay out the leaves, roll them into the slab, then start cutting them out with an exacto knife. As they start to dry, I can start moving the edges so they don't just look flat and boring. For the mistletoe, I take clay and roll it into a tube, attach the little leaves with slip (thinned down clay), then make little balls of clay and attach at various places for the berries. And so on. I find this to be more interesting than wheel throwing. I admire the people who do that well. I just tend to like things that are more asymmetric.

Arwen: What inspires you?

Denise: First, my natural surroundings. I can become overwhelmed with ideas just by taking a walk. I am also inspired by the work of others. When I see something that looks just incredible, I know that I can continue to work and upgrade my own products.

Arwen: Where does the name Blackhorse Hill come from?

Denise: Yes, I have 3 black horses. I photoshopped them together to make my logo. We live on a hill, so really, the name is a literal no-brainer. Right now we live in southern Wisconsin, but will be moving to Northern Washington state in 2007, or possibly 2008. Our property there is also on a hill, so I plan on keeping the name. In fact, the banner on the shop home page is the property in Washington.

Arwen: What's one tip you'd give to other crafters?

Denise: Just do what inspires you. Everyone has their own way of creating, and learning. Go with the flow of what feels right.

Arwen: What are your favorite crafting books/magazines/websites?

Denise: Depending on what "phase" of my crafting life, I like/have liked American Artist, Crafts Report, any books or magazines on pottery or ceramics, websites that have hints and tips, and of course, ETSY.

Arwen: What are some of your most important influences?

Denise: Boy, that is a tough one. My mind is so busy noticing things. Thinking about the question, I would have to say that some of my instructors in college were a pretty big influence. They encouraged thinking outside of the box while trying to use good design principles. I always got my best grades when I tried something different. Also, when I go to art/craft fairs, I look very thoroughly at the best quality work, and see what I can do to improve my own pieces. Very often, the artists are willing to share a lot. These people are very big influences. Not only do they produce nice pieces, but they give of themselves.

December 19, 2006

An Afternoon at RISD's Apparel Department

While Diana Eng and I were in Rhode Island a couple weeks ago for Craftland (See recap here), she gave myself and O'Reilly editors Brian Sawyer and Brian Jepson a tour of her alma mater RISD (Rhode Island School of Design). Creativity and innovation seemed to flow through the school and we were lucky to get a chance to visit some of the classes were students were finishing up their final projects. Pictured above is the seniors in their coat making class.

Dressfromsprings
Mopsandfeathers
Second year students all have to take the "Innovations" class where you make a wearable item out of everyday things such as this dress made from wire springs and another from mops and feathers. Reminds me of Project Runway but they did it here first!

Knittingmachine

Here's a student working on the large knitting machine in the class.

Watchingmachine
Diana Eng, myself, and Brian Jepson drooling over this knitting machine!

Knitdress
Here a student in the knit class is adjusting her final piece for the critique. All of the pieces in the class were made on a knitting machine.

See the rest of the photos from my trip to RISD and Rhode Island - Link.
Brian Sawyer's write up on RISD experience - Link.

HOW TO - Make Solid Perfume

From our MAKE TNT Newsletter, Arwen says, "I'm not a fan of most commercial perfumes (they don't really smell like anything in particular), and neither, apparently, is Instructables user Rapiertwit. Check out this nice instructable on making solid perfume. It couldn't be easier--the hard part is deciding which scent to use and who to give it to." [ via ] Link.

Bazaar Bizarre Recap - LA and Boston

Bazaar Bizarre was in full swing in LA this past Saturday. Mark Fraunfelder (MAKE) and I were there to man the CRAFT table. We had lots of fun that day so be sure to check out all the photos!

Bazbiz 2
Swap-O-Rama-Rama was in full swing near us and it was fun to see everyone into making their own refashioned outfits. As you can see, everyone was very into it.

Bazbizla 4
Cakes were given away every hour for the Cakewalk contest, a game much like musical chairs.
See the rest of my photos from Bazaar Bizarre LA - Link.

Bazbiz Brian 1
Bazbiz Brian 2

Meanwhile at Bazaar Bizarre Boston, Brian Sawyer was busy at the CRAFT table while people were lining up outside throughout the day, just to get into the event. Read the full write up on his blog. Link.

Decades of Style - Vintage Patterns

Decades of Style sells beautiful vintage patterns from all eras like this Parisienne Coat from the 1930's. There are of beautiful patterns to choose from that still look stylish for today. Link.

Bingo's Craft Emporium in LA

Before Pull My Daisy and Silverlake Shoes combine in February for one giant store, owners Sarah and Rick have opened a one month only craft store named after the Sunset Junction coolest wiener dog, Bingo. Bingo's Craft Emporium (3909 Sunset Blvd, Silver Lake) has from many local LA crafters (and some not so local). The store is open this week, every day till Christmas.