RSSArchives: April 2007
April 27, 2007
Knitted Homes of Crime on exhibit in Philadelphia April 20 - August 5
"Knitted Homes of Crime" by artist Freddie Robbins will be on exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia as part of the "Crimes of Omission" exhibit from April 20 - August 5. [ via ] Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 27, 2007 10:15 AM
Arts & Design |
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Ice Cooler Lightbox
Warren Richsson pointed us to this easy idea of using an ice cooler as a light box for a quick, no-fuss, white background setup by Strobist. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 27, 2007 09:35 AM
Design |
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Amy Butler Sewing Patterns Monthly Contests at U-Handblog
Lisa at U-Handblog has got a great monthly contest that is just starting up! Every month the makers of the 3 best Amy Butler bags, tops, or skirts, etc. will win an Amy Butler Pattern of their choice. The closing date for this month's contest is 25th May. Check out U-Handblog for all the details. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 27, 2007 08:56 AM
Contests, Sewing |
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April 26, 2007
A Crafter's New Best Friend - The Octopus
Looks like the new crafty trend for 2007 is the cute and cuddly octopus! Cute and cuddly? Sure why not! Who knew these tentacle-clad sea creatures would get so much crafty love lately? Whether in yarn, felt, or fabric, these eight legged creatures are a crafter's new best friend. Snatch up Futuregirl's pattern to make one just like Sigmund the Octopus above for only $5. Then visit the Futuregirl Octopus Stuffie group on Flickr! Link.
Here's a recent octopus project we've featured on CRAFT:
HOW TO - Draw an Octopus Mural on Your Wall - Link.
Octopus finds on Etsy:
Octopus Pendant, Handknit Octopus Toy, Octopus Small Stud Earrings.
Mr. Octopod iPod Cozy, Octopus Finger Puppet, Octopus and baby crochet pattern.
See all the octopus goods on Etsy here. - Link.
This fun spot the octopus trend, all started when Julie Jackson of Subversive Cross Stitch sent me her octopus hot dog that was the winner of the WNYC and Amy Sedaris Craft Challenge back in Feb. Subsequently, Julie's started seeing octopus everywhere including an octopus cookie from a pack of sea creature cookies from Whole Foods, and these weird octopus flavored Tako Chips from Japan. Looks like octopuses are everywhere!
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 26, 2007 05:31 PM
Amigurumi, Bazaar |
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Quick Links - April 26
- Still loving the images of Alicia Paulson's studio. Check out The Posie Studio Flickr set. - Link.
- New Design Sponge sneak peek inside quilter's Denyse Schmidt's home - Link.
- Call for knit or design design submissions for handpainted Sanguine Gryphon yarn. [ via ] Link.
- Art Flock: Fine art and craft community site launched this week. - Link.
- 10,000 Great Ideas: new website seeking to collect and share free patterns and ideas for all things woolly! - Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 26, 2007 04:10 PM
General |
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HOW TO - Turn Old Clothes into a Reversible Purse (Video)
Here's a direct link to ThreadBanger's tutorial on Curbly that shows you how to take your old clothes, in this case 2 colorful tops, and make a cute reversible purse. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 26, 2007 02:40 PM
Recycle, Refashion, Sewing |
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More Stitched Stories: Embroidered Pillow
Karen aka Saltygirl has uploaded her embroidered pillow to our CRAFT Flickr pool after reading this post on "Inspiration:Tell a Story with Stitched Pillows" that was on the blog last week. It's just so sweet and I hope it inspires you too. Please keep these pillows and stories coming!
Karen writes:
When I met my husband Don, I started a pillow which tells the story of our courtship. I was in Hawaii, he was on the East Coast. It's not finished, I haven't added anything in years but of all the things I've made it's still one of my favorites.
Check out Karen's pillow in our CRAFT Flickr pool here. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 26, 2007 02:12 PM
Needlearts |
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HOW TO - Sew a Simple Makeup Bag
Jen at Crafty Daisies has a tutorial on how to sew a simple makeup bag. I love the fabric and trim along with the great shape. You could also sew up these bags to hold your crafting notions. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 26, 2007 01:08 PM
Sewing |
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Naughty Secretary Club 25% off Sale - Crafty Curios
In celebration of Administrative Professional's Week, Jen of Naughty Secretary Club has got a big sale going on. Everything in her store and etsy store are 25%! Over at her etsy shop, Jen's stocked up a bevy of crafty curios from vintage papercrafts like the birdie collection on the left, as well as a jeweled collection of baubles by color or theme like the nautical collection on the right. There's also jewelry kits and supplies available. Susan of West Coast Crafty picked up a Crafty Curio set and shows you what she's made from them in her recent post. You can also check out my post on the Naughty Secretary jewelry sale where's she's added over 100 new items! Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 26, 2007 12:02 PM
Bazaar, Jewelry |
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Plush You Interview with Blythe Church
Kristen of Plush You has a great interview with crafter Blythe Church who makes fun looking plush objects. Read the fun interview and find out more about Blythe Church. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 26, 2007 10:40 AM
Amigurumi, Interviews |
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Lotta Jansdottter's Simple Sewing: Call for Project Photos & Maker Faire Appearance
Lotta Jansdotter is looking for your project photos from her latest book, Simple Sewing: patterns and how-to for 24 fresh and easy projects from Chronicle Books. She loves seeing all the different fabrics used, and how each project has a new interpretation. Lotta plans on collecting your project photos to use for her presentation at the Maker Faire on Saturday, May 19th (more details here on the blog soon). Three randomly picked people who send in their photos will also receive a signed copy of Lotta's book. Pictured above are the magazine holder and chopstick placemat by Anh-Minh. Email your finished project photos from Simple Sewing to questions@jansdotter.com. For more information check out Lotta's blog (scroll to April 2nd's entry). Link.
From the pages of CRAFT: 03:
"Print and Pattern: Textile designer Lotta Jansdotter brings a Scandinavian touch to her modern designs" by Natalie Zee Drieu, pgs 28-29. Read my Crafter profile on Lotta to find out how she got her start! You can also read a review of Simple Sewing in our Bazaar section. CRAFT subscribers can access this article via our Digital Edition. - Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 26, 2007 09:30 AM
Announcements, Maker Faire |
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Instructables - Win a BrightStar Laser Cutter Contest
Hey Crafters! From now through Sunday, June 17th just post up your project (doen't need to be laser related) on Instructables as well as to the Laser Cutter Contest group and you'll be entered into the contest to win a BrightStar Laser Cutter! Five finalists will be selected and announced around Friday June 22nd. Each of the five finalists will need to submit a proposal telling us what they would do with the laser cutter. And ladies and gents, get inspired here on what you can do with a laser cutter by Leah and LadyAda. Pictured above is the etched laptop of my peep Phil Torrone over at MAKE which features a popular O'Reilly logo. I was there when this laptop got etched and it's an amazing sight to see. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 26, 2007 09:04 AM
Contests |
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HOW TO - Make Kettle Corn
Alicia Kachmar of Create has a quick and cheap recipie on how to make your own kettle corn. Yum! Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 26, 2007 08:01 AM
Food |
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April 25, 2007
Fuzzy Yarn Tips: Crocheting with Eyelash Yarn
Craftybits @ PlanetJune.com has a section on fuzzy yarn tips. We all love eyelash yarn for certain embellishments but did you know that you can make some cute fuzzy amigurumi animals like the ones pictured above? Get some great general tips and a tutorial on how to start amigurumi with eyelash yarn (there are right and left handed versions). Also, check out her fun amigurumi patterns she has for sale. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 25, 2007 05:56 PM
Amigurumi, Crochet, Yarn |
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The Two Minutes Paper Wallet (Video)
Sam Noyoun writes:
One sheet of A4 paper or card; 8 folds; 3 cuts; 2 minutes= 1 paper wallet!
No tape or glue needed. This is a quintessentially minimalist wallet, yet fully functional.Of course the wallet could be reinforced with duct tape, cardboard or plastic joints..., but a paper wallet should be just that: a cheap and cheerful money and credit card holder that can be improvised on the go.
You can see the step-by-step photos of this project at Instructables. This project is also an entry in Instructable's DIY Wallet Challenge. - Link.
Check out the quick 2 minute video on how to fold the paper wallet here. - Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 25, 2007 03:21 PM
Paper Crafts |
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Book Review: The Crafter Culture Handbook by Amy Spencer
The Crafter Culture Handbook by Amy Spencer
Book Site - Link.
Amazon - Link.
For all you multiple crafts lovers, you'll go ga-ga over this new book The Crafter Culture Handbook by Amy Spencer. The book is chock full of projects from a wide range of craft topics such as needlearts, electronic crafts, homemade beauty, recycling projects, paper crafts, and more. Finally a book that covers it all! Peppered also throughout the book are guides to important events and resources for us crafters such as a listing of top craft fairs, craftivism, special events related to crafting like Stitch N' Pitch, and more. The projects featured in the book are like a who's who of the crafting world, including some of our CRAFT contributers! The electronic crafts section particularly appeals to me as this new mergence of tech crafts is just gaining some important exposure. In this section, Alison Lewis of Switch shows you how to sew up some Lovie Circuits and Syuzi Pakhchayan of SparkLab has a tutorial on how to make her LED Bracelet. Both of which were featured at our Maker Faire last year. Other projects also include Julie Jackson of Subversive Cross Stitch stitching "Is That All There Is?", Susan Beal of West Coast Crafty sews up a Vintage Slip Camisole and Travel Bag set, and Shannon Okey of Knitgrrl knits up a Red Light District Peekaboo Scarf. I mean there's just too many projects for me to list and name them all! You can check out the full project list and go to the sneak preview for sample pages/free patterns from the site such as the cute Sofia Loren Cross-Stitch and recycled plastic crochet bag pictured above. The end of the book has handy craft resources from conversion charts, book lists, and all the websites you'll ever need related to crafting. With all the great color photos and juicy content, you will not want to put this book down. It's definitely a must have handbook for the new wave of crafters!
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 25, 2007 01:51 PM
Bazaar, Reviews |
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Participate in the Hokie Healing Project in Memory of Virginia Tech Victims
Miki writes:
Mosiac Yarn Shop is Blacksburg, VA's local yarn shop where college kids hang out to knit is hosting a "Hokie Healing" charity knit. The goal is to collect 8x8 crochet or knit squares in Hokie Colors (maroon, orange) to give to the victim's families. Blankets will be made out of the squares for a cherished keepsake and memory of Virginia Tech.We ask for all participation elsewhere and stress that nice fibers be sent.
For more information check out the Mosaic Yarn Shop site here. - Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 25, 2007 12:45 PM
Announcements, Crochet, Knitting |
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A Beginner's Guide to Natural Dyeing
Alicia points us to the blog, Echoes of a Dream by Simmy and her great beginner's guide to natural dyeing. Check out also her blog for other tutorials such as felt dandelions and the padded pinboard. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 25, 2007 12:03 PM
Yarn |
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Sewing Machine Accessories to Make
DIYnamite shows us how she organizes her sewing by making a pincushion and handy fabric trash bag so she can keep sewing without stopping. The trash is an extra smart idea for when you need to snip excess threads. I always hate the cleanup on my sewing table afterwards. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 25, 2007 11:07 AM
Organizing, Sewing |
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Crochet Keyboard Choker Necklace
Sarah points us to lizstaley's cool crochet keyboard chocker necklaces on Craftster. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 25, 2007 10:00 AM
Crochet, Jewelry, Recycle |
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