Craftzine.com blog: May 2008 Archive

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Archives: May 2008

May 31, 2008

Blinged Out Laptop

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AK shows the detailed process she went through blinging out her laptop. I love the gradient color effect. Thanks Emma!

Skull Wrist Warmers Pattern

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Kara of Karabouts launched her new blog and is giving away her knitting pattern for these skull wrist warmers that have been seen on such sites such as Skull-a-Day.

ThreadHeads - Sewing 101 at Make Workshop in NY

Take a visit to Diana Rupp's Make Workshop in NY where she gives a sewing 101 lesson.

May 30, 2008

Guildford Art Center in CT Now Accepting Applications for Craft Holiday Sale

Shop-Topphoto
The Guilford Art Center in Guilford, CT is seeking artists in all fine craft media to apply to be included in Artistry, the Center's 30th Annual Holiday Sale of Fine Craft and Art. The event will take place October 20 through December 31, 2008. Artists from the United States and Canada working in a wide variety of media are invited to apply, including those creating pottery, glass, wood, jewelry, metal, clothing, weaving, fine art, paper and book arts, and toys.

Applications are available by contacting the Guilford Art Center at 203-453-5947, or by downloading the PDF application on this page. All work must be handmade in the USA and be of high quality. Jury fee is $15. Submit slides or photos, a minimum of five, with SASE for return of slides, or actual sample work, with funds for return shipping. Application deadline is August 1, 2008.

Plush Gecko in Terrarium

I think I have a new favorite plush maker...Weird Bug Lady! She makes a ton of clever insect-themed creatures, including this cool terrarium, complete with gecko and plush food bottle.

Hand Wrench

Paul Julius Martus designed this "hand" wrench and cast it out of bronze. It reminds me of a monkey's paw. Via Core77.

Posted by Becky Stern | May 30, 2008 05:00 PM
Arts, Metalwork | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email Entry

CRAFT: 07 Release Party Reminder!

Don't forget about this Sunday's CRAFT: 07 Release Parties in Austin and Portland! Both events are shaping up to be a total blast, and soon we'll be sharing more info on the month's remaining parties in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and Detroit. For now, some sneak peeks at what you can expect this weekend!

We all know Chronicle Books has an amazing selection of crafty reads available...but did you know they've donated a ton of books to give away at our release parties? Just stop by one of our events happening this month and enter to win one of the fabulous titles above. Visit Chronicle for the full scoop on these and other titles they have available.

If that ain't enough, we've also got door prizes fron Sublime Stitching (with Jenny Hart herself making a guest appearance at the Austin event!), Naughty Secretary Club, Stitch Lab, Anne Marie Beard and Bead Simple. Naturally CRAFT has also kicked in some killer door prizes as well, including some of our super-cute teeshirts and box sets. All this, plus special subscription rates and tasty treats!

Both cities will be hosting a free project table this weekend, where you can learn to make one of these pretty button bracelets to take home with you! This lovely project was created by Portland party co-host Susan Beal and appears in her new book, Bead Simple--and is excerpted in CRAFT: 07.

Aaaand this just in: Portland partygoers will also get to meet Kathleen Conahan, who will demonstrate how she created the super-cool safety pin art featured in CRAFT: 07! All in all, this is shaping up to be a super crafty weekend--hope to see you there!

HOW TO - Make Papaya Shikai Maki

For the Love of Food has posted a great step-by-step photo tutorial explaining how to make these pretty, tasty-looking Papaya Maki rolls. [via The Kitchn]

Giant LEGO Heart

PT @ MAKE points us to Nathan Sawaya's sculpture called "Heartfelt." Nathan writes:

I created an anatomically correct human heart for the Rady Children's Hospital of San Diego. A piece like this is a great tool to help doctors talk to young patients about their own hearts. Hopefully kids will relate to a heart built from a medium that they are familar with.

It took me nearly 100 hours to create this heavy heart, weighing in at 35 pounds. The typical human heart weighs about 10 ounces, so this heart is a bit heavier. It also causes more heartache when dropped on one's foot.

Posted by Becky Stern | May 30, 2008 02:00 PM
Arts | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry

YarnCraft Podcast from Maker Faire

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Take a listen to Lion Brand yarn's latest YarnCraft Podcast with interviews from the Maker Faire. Liz and Zontee talk to such crafters as Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, Crafty Chica's Kathy Cano Murillo, Corey Fogel - the knitting drummer, Kelley Dean Crowley, as well as Becky and myself!

HOW TO - Make Monogrammed Cufflinks

The Purl Bee has a great tutorial on making these simple, stylish monogrammed cufflinks. Perfect for Father's Day--or, as the author points out, a wedding.

Related:
• HOW TO - Make Cufflinks from Coins
• @ MAKE: Transit Token Cufflinks
• HOW TO - Make Your Own Cufflinks

Summer Button Treat Crochet Headband - CRAFT Pattern Podcast

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Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunes

This week's CRAFT Pattern Podcast is the Summer Button Treat by Kristin Roach of Craft Leftovers. This crochet headband's cute lacy feel is a perfect compliment for your Summer wardrobe. It's the perfect quick craft for the weekend!

Vietnamese-style Coffee on a Stick

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Here's a way to get your coffee fix when the Summer heat hits. YumSugar shows you how to make your own Vietnamese-style coffee on a stick. [ via Crafty Crafty ]

Punk Rock Knit Corset Gloves Pattern

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The Running Yarn has a free pattern to knit up these punk rock corset gloves. [ via Lime & Violet ]

Brown Paper Seed Packet Business Cards Tutorial

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Autumn at Crafting a Green World shows you how to use a paper grocery bag and recycle it into an eco-friendly brown paper seed packet business card.

Boombox Softie

Looking around the Craft Flickr pool, I came across this boombox softie by .tankeXsomethingtosa y. Sometimes it is nice to kick it old school with your softies.

Related:
• Fabric Boombox
• Boombox Quilt

HOW TO - Staple Gun-Powered Reupholstery

Jen at PieKnits posted some instructions for reupholstery using her handy heavy duty staple gun. She bought a new settee with so so fabric and made it look completely different.

From the pages of CRAFT: 07:
Craft07 Upholstery101
"101: Upholstery," by Ashley Jameson Eriksmoen, pgs 132-137. Preview the article now in the Digital Edition.

Subscribe to CRAFT Magazine
For just $34.95, get a 1 year subscription (4 quarterly issues) filled with lots of great craft projects and features.

Related

Thrift Store Chair Makeover
Sam Murphy's Chair Upholstery

May 29, 2008

Revamped Baby Clothes

Amy from Angry Chicken shows you how to revamp your baby's dull and drooled-on onesies with dye and fabric.

Raggedy Ann Sundress

Craftster user Charmingflaws created this adorable sundress from a vintage Raggedy Ann bedsheet. This would be perfect to wear to a summer BBQ!

Papercraft Steak Dinner

Check out this pattern for making your own papercraft steak dinner. Now that's my kind of beef! Via BoingBoing.

Plushie LED glowing irradiated steaks on MAKE
Meat Earrings

Posted by Becky Stern | May 29, 2008 04:00 PM
Arts, Food, Paper Crafts, Patterns | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry

Spoon Chandelier

Apartment Therapy posts about this schmancy-looking chandelier by Studio Veríssimo that is made from...wait for it...plastic coffee spoons! From the designer's site:

This is a lamp made from plastic spoons used in the coffee which are going to the garbage daily by the thousands because they are only used once.The objective was with this waste to create a luxurious lamp.

Chair Upholstery

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Our own CRAFT and MAKE photo editor, Sam Murphy, just finished up her Saturday sessions of upholstery class where she took an old chair (photo below) and turned it into a beautifully re-upholstered chair with a modern flower print fabric.

Sam writes what she's learned:

The thing I found most interesting is the process. There is a lot of doing and then undoing, then redoing again and again. It is not exact like wood-working, where if you measured properly, it will fit together. You must to be very patient and not under any time constraints.

From the pages of CRAFT: 07:
Craft07 Upholstery101
"101: Upholstery," by Ashley Jameson Eriksmoen, pgs 132-137. Preview the article now in the Digital Edition.

Subscribe to CRAFT Magazine
For just $34.95, get a 1 year subscription (4 quarterly issues) filled with lots of great craft projects and features.

HOW TO - Make a Recycled Dog Collar

Keyka shows how to use the hardware from your dog or cat's old, worn-out collar to create a cute, new fabric collar. [via WhipUp]

Related:
• HOW TO - Make a Dog Ribbon Collar
• HOW TO - Make Shrinky-Dink Keychains (or dogtags)

Space Invader Cookies

Flickr user SeattleJonman made these fun Space Invader cookies using cookie dough and a Play-Doh Fun Factory toy. Find out how he did it in his Flickr set.

Related:
• HOW TO - Make Pixel Art Cookies
• @ MAKE: Space Invaders Cookies

Game Boy Plushie

Lauren makes these felt game boy softies. I can't wait to see this as a wireless NES controller! (Thanks, Collin!)

Related:

Nintendo Gameboy Car Mirror Ornaments

Posted by Becky Stern | May 29, 2008 11:00 AM
Amigurumi and Toys, Technology | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry

Shoe Reupholstery

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As seen in our CRAFT Flickr Pool, Doc Pop shares with us his saga on how he set out to reupholster his worn out shoes.

From the pages of CRAFT: 07:
Craft07 Conversemod
"Converse A La Mod," by Tom Wyatt, pgs 49-51. Preview the article in our Digital Edition.

Subscribe to CRAFT Magazine
For just $34.95, get a 1 year subscription (4 quarterly issues) filled with lots of great craft projects and features.

DIY Cork Lamp

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Kate at design*sponge shows you how to create your own cork lamp. I love the idea of an instant inspiration board next to bed!

Plush Bird Pattern

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Spool has free pattern to make this sewn bird plush. You can download the PDF pattern by clicking on their left side bar. [ via Bleu Arts ]

Felted Handlebar Bag

Ann, an avid bike rider, created this felted handlebar bag for her bicycle. She posted basic instructions how to create one for your own bike.

Veggie Softies

Teresa from Sewing Stars created these vegetable softies on a whim as a break from some other sewing. I like the broccoli.

May 28, 2008

Forties Flared Dress

Craftser user TheLoveCats stitched up this gorgeous Forties-inspired dress with some pattern drafting help from VintageSewing.info. She did a beautiful job!

Rubber-Stamped Tea Containers

Flickr user Lilac Moon created these pretty reusable tea containers by gluing on some decorative paper and attaching rubber-stamped address labels. Simple yet so effective! [via Decor8]

HOW TO - Hem Wooden Shades

JoAnn at Curbly has a nice how-to up on hemming your wooden shades to the right length for your windows with great photos to make sure you don't miss a step.

Posted by Becky Stern | May 28, 2008 04:00 PM
Home and Garden | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email Entry

Telephone Cable Tiara

Laughing Purple Goldfish used stripped telephone wires to crochet this coloful tiara for a Ravelry challenge. So clever, and the rest of her blog is jam-packed with similiar crafty recycling ideas.

Gathered Scarf Pattern

Maryse Roudier has a pattern up on her blog for this super warm-looking gathered scarf. The texture looks very inviting, and seems a good way to get more warming yarn in per square inch. If you're in the southern hemisphere, this could come in handy pretty shortly, and for those of us where it's warm, we can get a head start on our holiday gifts. (Thanks, Patti!)

Posted by Becky Stern | May 28, 2008 02:00 PM
Knitting, Patterns | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry

HOW TO - Sew a Pleated Collar

Kayleen from FlourClothing shows us how to create a pretty pleated collar, via her tutorial on the always-informative Sew, Mama, Sew! blog.

Thimble Bouquets

OK, so they may not be entirely practical, but I love the thimble-sized bouquets Resurrection Fern recently created and photographed. She was inspired by an old issue of Martha Stewart Living.

HOW TO - Care for Vintage Fabric

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True Up has 36 tips on how to care for vintage fabric from storing the fabrics correctly to cleaning tips and more. [ via Whip Up ]

Girl's Gathered Vintage Valance Top

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Stitch Lounge has a new pattern up on how to refashion a girl's gathered vintage valance (curtain) top.

Mel R writes:

We love the fabric in vintage valance curtains and they can be found aplenty at your neighborhood thrift store -- or in your grandma's kitchen! Valances (as opposed to longer curtains) are already hemmed on top and bottom, and have a pre-sewn casing in place, making it a super easy, super fast project for a crafty mom on the go!

Makeup Brush Carrier Tutorial

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Still Dottie shows you how to sew up your own portable makeup brush carrier with her detailed tutorial.

Art Star Craft Bazaar in Philadelphia, PA this Weekend

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If you're in the Philadelphia, PA are this weekend don't miss the Art Star Craft Bazaar happening at Penn's Landing Great Plaza (on Columbus Boulevard between Walnut Street and Market Street). The fair features 150 artists (check out the vendor list) as well as live music by Falkonr and other live bands! Hours for the fair are Saturday, May 31st from 11-7pm and Sunday, June 1st from 11-5pm.

The Mystery of the Lobster Sweater

Eva discovered this sweater knit for a lobster on DoctorKnit's Flickr photostream. What does it mean? Are a lot of people knitting sweaters for the lobsters in their lives? Nice cable though.

Year Long Embroidery Exchange

Futuregirl and Ruby Crowned Kinglette are embarking on a year long embroidery exchange/collaboration. Every two weeks they will interpret a word in embroidery on of these small linen squares. I can't wait to start seeing the results.

May 27, 2008

Susan Beal on AM Northwest Wednesday Morning in Portland, OR

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Susan Beal, CRAFT contributor and author of Bead Simple will show you how to make her Pink Floral Ribbon Choker on the Portland, OR TV show, AM Northwest. Her segment airs at 9:40am on Wednesday morning. Hopefully the rest of us will be able to catch Susan in action in the video segment online.

KitchenAid Mixer Cozy

I love the colorful cozy Craft Apple recently stitched up to cover her KitchenAid stand mixer, using this pattern by Revel Designs. What a great way to perk up a kitchen!

HOW TO - Make Ribbon Rosette Earrings

Zakka Life shows us how to make these delicate ribbon rosette earrings, in part one of a series on how to create fun projects using ribbon rosettes.

Postcard Shelf from a Yard Stick

Claudia at SuperZiper has a neat tutorial up for making a skinny shelf for cards and photos using a yard (or meter) stick and a piece of aluminum tubing. The tutorial's in Portuguese, but you can pretty much make it out from the photos.

Posted by Becky Stern | May 27, 2008 04:00 PM
Home and Garden, Recycle | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry

Chenille Dress

Blog Full of Jelly took a badly damaged chenille blanket and turned it into this cute, retro-looking dress. Visit her blog for more fun chenille creations.

Book Review: Sweater Surgery by Stefanie Girard

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Sweater Surgery: How to Make New Things with Old Sweaters by Stefanie Girard

Buy on Amazon

Sweater Surgery blog

I recently got my hands on a copy of Sweater Surgery, the new book by Stefanie Girard; it's literally "how to make new things with old sweaters." I never knew there were so may creative things one can make from well-loved-but-damaged sweaters, thrift store finds, or even that charming number your great aunt gave you last holiday season. If it weren't for the "before" pictures of each sweater she used in this book, I'd hardly believe her charming creations are made from former (sometimes even downright unflattering) garments.

Stefanie provides clear instructions and techniques for deconstructing the sweaters you use. She even goes over the basic tools and supplies you'll need. For each project, she includes a clear, concise materials list which includes brand and part numbers for accessories like handles and buttons. Cutting patterns for every project in the back of the book make it easy to get started, but my favorite part about this book are the generalizable techniques that allow you to get creative on your own. For example. use the ribbed bottom edge of a sweater to create the cuff for a new pair of mittens, or use felted sweater scraps to make adorable swirly bobbles for necklaces and other accessories.

The most dramatic transformation in this book has got to be the Snow White Scarf, where a downright ugly white bobble texture sweater is transformed into a lacy delicate scarf. The last section of the book is a gallery of projects created by Stefanie and other designers to give you plenty of inspiration and put those new skills to use.

Before reading this book, I thought I would have to know a lot about kitting to understand the projects inside, but I was completely wrong. Your sewing skills will come in most handy, as most of the projects treat the sweaters as fabric. Stefanie has a great eye for spacial transformation, and it shows in the creative ways she reworks any kind of sweater into something new and unexpected.

Posted by Becky Stern | May 27, 2008 02:00 PM
Bazaar, Refashion, Reviews | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry