Craftzine.com blog: Announcements Archives

Archive: Announcements

July 2, 2009

San Francisco Zine Fest: August 22 + 23

If you're in the Bay Area in August and are interested in homemade zines, be sure to put this event on your radar. The annual SF Zine Fest is a "free two-day conference for independent and underground publishing. Exhibitors come from all over the West Coast, and while the focus is on zines, all walks of DIY life are represented — comics, arts and crafts, literary presses, and more." Their special guest this year is Xeric Award-winning cartoonist Andy Hartzell. If you've got something you want to share as an exhibitor, now's the time to get your application in. Everything you need to know is on their site.

June 12, 2009

Welcome Brookelynn Morris!

Welecome Brookelynn Morris
You've seen Brookelynn Morris' projects grace the pages of CRAFT magazine and Craftzine.com and she has become a regular fixture at Maker Faire with her and Moxie's Needle Felting Playground. I'm so happy to announce that you'll start to see her more around here as she's joining the team as one of our contributing writers, focused on providing you with more craft projects such as this afternoon's how-to on making wedding flowers for the bridal party.
Here's Brookelynn in her own words. Let's welcome her a big Hello!

I've been writing tutorials for CRAFT since Vol. 2, and I am very happy to be a new part of this online iteration. I'll be contributing tutorials and in-depth technique based posts. My favorite craft is the one I haven't tried before! I love the challenge of teaching myself something new. Current obsessions include: hydroponic gardening, recycled sweater accessories, and collecting tiny bits of nature. I also think I craft with words. I take writing just as seriously as I take crafting, because it's important to me that I always give readers clear, concise instructions. My tutorials should be inspiring, never daunting. Cheers!

Brookelynn setting up Needle Felting Playground at this year's Maker Faire in San Mateo, CA.

Craft V02 Cover Brookelynn
Here's Brookelynn's needle felted fruit on the cover of CRAFT: 02. You can pick up a back issue in the Maker Shed!
Feltique Cover Small
Also, check out her beautiful new book, Feltique!

June 11, 2009

Moxie and Dana Robson Opening at Bluebottle Tonight

Tonight the Bluebottle Art Gallery in Seattle is hosting an art opening reception for Tiny Repetitive Motions, a show featuring the amazing woolly art of our beloved miss Moxie and the sweet embroidery of Dana Robson. This collaborative display showcases work that "explores the intersection of craft and art, focusing on humanity and its collective nature." The reception tonight is from 6 to 8 p.m., and the exhibit runs through June 30th. Moxie's work will also be featured in the Fiber Arctic exhibit, which opens at Schmancy in Seattle tomorrow, June 12th.

June 4, 2009

Indie Fixx Summer Intern Search

Indiefixx Intern
Our friend Jen at Indie Fixx is looking for a summer intern! She will be collecting resumes for the next couple of weeks or until she find a suitable candidate, whichever comes first. Good luck!

June 1, 2009

DIY Wedding Month

CRAFT DIY Wedding

June is DIY Wedding month on CRAFT! If you are looking to keep the wedding budget in check and are looking for design ideas, projects, and inspiration -- this is the month we'll be bringing it all to you. (For those of you that are single, don't worry we'll still have lots of regular craft projects going on!)

The always talented and crafty Brookelynn Morris made this forget-me-not bridal headpiece pictured above back in April during our Crafting with Nature month. She'll be back again this month to show you how to make a flowers for the whole wedding party with a tutorial on making a bridal bouquet, bridemaids' bouquets, and groomsmen's boutonnieres. Next, Cathy Callahan will show you how to craft up the reception decor with paper flower centerpieces and Andrea deHart of CraftyBitch creates a bird's nest ring-bearer pillow and flower girl basket. That's just a taste of what we have cooking so keep checking back here. We've also collected lots of DIY wedding projects over the last couple years, so in the meantime, feel free to take a peek at our wedding archives for past projects and inspiration.

Tell us about your DIY Wedding! If you'd like to share your story, a quick project or tip from your wedding, crafty photos, and anything else, please send an email to nat@craftzine.com. Also, feel free to leave a comment to this post if there's a particular wedding craft you are interested in seeing.

May 25, 2009

Happy Memorial Day!

04Edf04 E L
Happy Memorial Day! We hope our readers in the U.S. are enjoying the day off and are looking forward to your picnics in the park or barbecues in the backyard. Here's a quick recipe from Martha Stewart for a fruit pie with crumb topping that's a cinch to make as a last minute dessert for today!

May 19, 2009

Book Giveaway: Feltique

Today is the release of Feltique! The book is beautiful, if I do say so myself, and I am happy to announce that Potter Craft has graciously decided to let me give 5 copies away to CRAFT readers. There are many ways to make felt, and make projects with felt, and Feltique covers them all, including wet felting, needle felting, fulled felt, and commercial felt crafts. Feltique has 46 projects for every skill level, from jewelry and accessories to toys for babies and repurposed clothing. More than 15 of the projects were created by contributors from around the globe, representing an amazing number of creative craft styles.

This book is relevant not only because the projects are fashionable and interesting, but because of the low cost of the materials needed. They will fit into your craft budget, and help you build your affordable gift stash. My personal favorites include a necklace made from commercial wool felt using a scrapbooking punch, the needle felted cuff bracelet, and the stunning wet felted scarves, including one that's nuno felted.

Besides just projects, the book gets into some heady felt territory, including tackling the question: what IS felt? The answer, in a nutshell? One basic tenet covers each type of felt: generally speaking, any non-woven fabric can be considered felt. But in the craft world, and in Feltique, we consider fabric that has been knitted and washed until the stitches shrink together to be felt. Strictly speaking they are "fulled," but we include them in the category of felt because if fulled fabric can be cut without unraveling, it has the properties of felt. Feltique also hits on the origins of felt and the science of felt, all while presenting beautiful art that's accessible for every crafter.

To win a copy of Feltique, leave a comment on this post telling us why you need this book. Please make sure you include your email address in the comment form field (won't be published). We'll close the contest at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 21st, and announce the winners on Friday. Cheers, and good luck!

P.S. If you are in Sebastopol, Calif., I'm hosting a book launch party at 7 p.m. at Copperfield's! There will be cupcakes, champagne, and felting. Come visit!

May 11, 2009

Twitter Giveaway: Winner of Fashioning Technology Smart Materials Kit

Photo 75 Bigger
Congrats to Twitter user sstardustt for winning our Fashioning Technology Smart Materials Kit in last week's Twitter giveaway.

Thanks to everyone for following us on Twitter! Not following us yet? You can get the latest updates in the craft world as well as ask us questions.

See Me on CRAFT! Badges

See Me On Craft Green See Me On Craft Yellow

Hi Crafters! If we've featured you on a post here on Craftzine.com, feel free to grab our See Me on CRAFT! badges. We've got two lovely colors for you to choose from.

May 10, 2009

Happy Mother's Day!

Mothersdaycard2009
[Photo via HubPages]

Hope all you crafty mamas out there are having a wonderful Mother's Day today. This is my first one as a mom and I'm looking forward to the years ahead where I'll be teaching my daughter Chloe the world of crafts and looking forward to the day she makes me her first handmade gift.

We shared lots of stories about crafty moms this week so I'm including a short roundup. (You can also read the story about my mom from a couple years ago here.)

May 1, 2009

CRAFT Themes in May

CRAFT Wardrobe Refresh

Wardrobe Refresh Projects

Happy May Day Crafters! We are kicking off a new theme today for May, Wardrobe Refresh. Yes we're talking fashion! Our new projects feature ways you can look stylish this season without breaking the bank. Learn how to refashion your clothing, embellish it, and make your own jewelry. Pictured clockwise is Dolin O'Shea's crochet-embellished refashioned tank, Vickie Howell's Crochet Tarina O-Ring Necklace (this afternoon's project), and Nancy Minsky's plastic container jewelry. There's lots more to come all this month!

Coming up on May 15th and running through mid-August is our CRAFT Summer Camp theme. Wondering what to do with the kiddos when they are out of school this June? Our CRAFT Summer Camp projects will feature lots of fun kids craft projects to keep your little ones busy and happy. Look for special projects each week from Austin's Future Craft Collective where Bernadette and Kathie will include projects centered on building sustainable family connection through sustainable crafting.

April 24, 2009

TV's Garbage Moguls Features Tiffany Threadgould

Longtime recycling maven and CRAFT contributor Tiffany Threadgould is a busy, busy girl these days.

Besides running her fabulously clever recycling and reuse company, RePlayGround, she's working on articles for us here at Craftzine.com, writing a book, and is one of the stars (yes, I said it, she's a star!) of the new show Garbage Moguls, in which she works as a product designer for the company Terracycle. The company is taking garbage and making useful things out of this trash, thereby robbing the landfill of more content. The company's home to a lot of different personalities, who keep you highly entertained for the hour-long show.

Here's a shot from the show where she's not licking a cookie wrapper but a coworker named Albe doesn't have any qualms about doing just that:

And here's a preview of the show, which premiered this past Wednesday on Earth Day. You should definitely record this on your DVR-of-choice or tune in this Saturday, April 25th, at 10 p.m. Congrats, Tiffany, and we hope it's a flyaway hit (just like the kite)!

April 20, 2009

In the Maker Shed: Spring cleaning sale 50-75% off select items

Marc @ the Maker Shed writes:

Okay, here's the deal. We've a huge amount of new inventory arriving at the backdoor to our warehouse in anticipation of Maker Faire. The problem is, we share a warehouse with the rest of O'Reilly and we need to clear out space to make room for the new stuff.

So...we've sharpened our pencils and for the next two weeks, we are rolling back the prices on over a hundred of our existing products. Most around 50% off, but some of them discounted as much as 75% off! Once they're gone they're gone. This is a limited time spring-cleaning sale from now through midnight April 30th (midnight on our San Francisco clocks).

Use code BLOWOUT at checkout for the FREE shipping on orders over $100. (Contiguous US)

Check out all the products that are on sale now!

Here's just some of the crafty goodness available on sale:

CRAFT t-shirts only $5!

LilyPad Pro Kit is half off!

KnitKnit: Profiles + Projects From Knitting's New Wave only $10!

April 16, 2009

Daily tips from CRAFT on Twitter: Tweet Tips

CRAFT and MAKE are now offering up daily tips via Twitter using @craft_tips and @make_tips respectively. Every day get a new tip about something under the CRAFT umbrella. You can even suggest tips by sending craft_tips an @ reply! We'll be sending out the best little nuggets of information that help you make your crafty lifestyle flow a little more smoothly. Follow craft_tips on your Twitter!

April 15, 2009

Bead Star 2009 Challenge and Call for Entries

Hey all you jewelry designers out there! Enter the second annual Bead Star challenge -- an exciting competition with more than ten thousand dollars in prizes and a Grand Prize all-expense paid trip for two to beautiful Santa Fe for Bead Expo 2010, $1,000 in beading supplies, and the cover of the new magazine, Bead Star. The deadline to enter is May 1, 2009 and no entry fee is required. For more information, visit the Bead Star web site.

April 12, 2009

Happy Easter!

Welldressbunny
Hope your day is filled with Easter eggs, bunnies, chicks, and lots of chocolate! Featured above is fuzzymitten on Etsy's PDF pattern for the well-dressed bunny.

April 8, 2009

CRAFT Wins Treehugger Award!

The CRAFT blog has won an award in Treehugger's 1st annual Best of Green Awards. We won in the Fashion & Beauty category as Best Crafting Blog:

We can’t get enough of the CRAFT magazine blog, so it’s no surprise we deem the best. It’s an absolutely perfect go-to for those who love to get creative but feel craft-challenged on their own. While the site itself isn't wholly dedicated to green, it has a healthy selection of embroidery, knitting, jewelry making, and other DIY diddies that integrate the three Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle. Learn how to craft a purse with VHS tapes—or how to transform old cereal boxes into cool hexagonal stacking boxes. -Jessica Root

Congrats to everyone who makes the site possible, and thanks to you, our readers, for making such awesome projects!

April 2, 2009

Fourth Handmade Nation Screening Added in Portland

A fourth screening of the documentary film, Handmade Nation, has been added to the premiere weekend at the Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland, Oregon. The extra screening will be on Sunday, April 5 at 3PM. Unlike the other three screenings this weekend, though, it will not have the Q&A portion after the screening. Demand for the screenings has been so popular that a fourth screening was needed to give as many people as possible a chance to view the film. Don't forget to check back here over the weekend, as I report from the various special events going on in conjunction with the screenings.

March 31, 2009

Introducing Make:PDX

My love affair with Portland, Oregon grows and grows. Not only are they hosting a fantastic weekend of craft events celebrating the screenings of Handmade Nation, but they are also one of the newest cities to start a Make: group. Make:PDX will hold its first big event this weekend with guests from the Open Tech Space and the Portland Tech Shop.

The goal of MakePDX is to connect, inspire and grow a local community of people who make things.

Builders. Crafters. Artists. Cooks. Geeks. Hackers. Anyone who makes or wants to make anything!

Crafters, be sure to show up to represent the crafty side of Making, and to connect with other Makers in the PDX area.

Make:PDX April Meeting
Sunday, April 5 at 3:00 PM
Portland Tech Shop
10100 SW Allen Blvd.
Beaverton, OR 97005

MAKE Classified Ads and Maker Shed Giveaways

Gareth @Make: Online writes:

We're excited about our Make: MINImarketplace section, which premiered in MAKE, Volume 17. Got something cool you want to sell, have a service to offer fellow readers, looking for some precious widget that only another maker might have stashed away in the garage? The Make: MINImarketplace offers a place for you to reach the maker community for a very reasonable price.

The deadline has now been extended to Friday, April 3rd!

MINImarketplace Classified Ad Specs:

Ads are $40 per line

40 characters per line

Minimum 4 lines, Maximum 16 lines

If you're interested in placing a MINImarketplace ad in MAKE, Volume 18, send email to classifieds@makezine.com. You will be returned instructions on how to sign up for an account at the Maker Shed, and from there, you'll have access to our Classified Ad Order Page.

And we have a drawing to encourage folks to sign up for more information. If you email classifieds@makezine.com and ask for more info on classifieds, you'll automatically be entered to win one of three Maker Shed gift certificates. We will be giving away two $25 Maker Shed Gift Certificates and one $50 Certificate to three people drawn from the list. Our ad deadline is fast approaching -- April 3rd -- for placing the ad and for the Gift Certificate giveaway. Act now! Robot operators are standing by!

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