It's decorative gourd season, peeps! I just can't wait to get my hands on some gourds and arrange them just so. They look so very seasonal. Reputable gourd shop Welburn Gourd Farm is offering a free download of "The Beginner's Guide to Gourd Crafting." It contains some great tips and how-tos to get your started with the wide world of gourds. Keep an eye out for the next issue of our sister publication, MAKE, Volume 21, which will feature a great DIY by Diane Gilleland on how to make a gourd lamp.

I've always been a teacher's pet. When I was in school, I loved bringing small gifts to class for my teachers. An apple is the classic gift, but this twist is sure to be sweet and unexpected. I used flowers that were growing in my yard, with one large ivy leaf in each bouquet. Ivy represents wisdom, making it the perfect greenery for any teacher.

Here's more about the artist through his Etsy profile:

Tracy is inspired by objects found in nature,wet river rocks, the insides of trees,wildflowers,spots on salamanders, negative spaces,clear mountain creek water, fungis, patterns on rattlesnakes,mosses, lichens on rocks, smells on a summer night, rain that pours straight down in the evening at night in June, the lushness of the Smoky Mountains in July, looking at creek bottoms while under water, creatures under rocks, Tennessee in the cool green spring,the grand canyon in winter, and wide open spaces.

With summer sun comes summer weeds, and one of the most ubiquitous is the humble dandelion. When life gives you dandelions, make dandelion tincture! This week's flashback comes from the pages of CRAFT Volume 07. According to Wikipedia, "Dandelion leaves contain abundant amounts of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins A, C, and K, and are good sources of calcium, potassium, and fair amounts of iron and manganese, higher than similar leafy greens such as spinach." Who knew? And dandelion "flowers, roots, and leaves have been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine & medicinal teas, most notably for liver detoxification, as a natural diuretic, and inflammation reduction."

Author Brookelynn Morris teaches us how to make 3 different kinds of dandelion tinctures: alcohol, glycerin, and vinegar. She shares detailed instructions from digging up the whole dandelion plant to bottling and labeling. I love that she starts off the article by writing, "Herbalists are some of the original DIYers." True that!

Here's the full article for you in our Digital Edition so you can get started blending your own folk medicines.

You can still pick up a back issue of CRAFT Volume 07 over in the Maker Shed!

Pam of Gingerbread Snowflakes has a great tutorial for a simple modification to the classic God's Eyes craft project that transforms the finished project into a small frame, perfect for displaying small treasures. I love the idea of doing this with kids while on vacation as a way to remember the trip!

Some friends of ours, Scott Constable and Ene Osteraas-Constable, are amazing artists, crafters, and builders, whereas my husband and I are merely connoisseurs of handmade furniture and big art projects. Luckily, this works out just fine, because we get to appreciate Scott and Ene's work on a regular basis!

Their latest project, Oakland Fusion, is finished and available for all to see at Jack London Square in Oakland, Calif. It's an installation of lenticular murals consisting of more than 4,500 hand-painted tiles. Painting the tiles took about 8 months, and everyone they knew was invited to help. I like how this project mixes a "traditional" craft, tile work, with a simple animation process. Here are some more details about the project from their website:

Each mural functions like a two-cell animation; the image morphs as the viewer changes position. The eight images are based upon the textile patterns of Oakland's major ethnic demographics. Mounted to the exterior wall of a new parking garage immediately opposite Oakland's main train station, the murals are intended to viscerally orient new arrivals to Oakland's cultural geography.

Recently, their Oakland Fusion project has had lots of media interest, with NBC and the Oakland Tribune running stories about the project. Ene says she thinks this installation has struck a nerve because people really need this type of arts and crafts right now. "The timing's just really good for something like this," she adds.

As a team, they've also built treehouses, art studios, and set up miniature golf and audio tour installations in San Francisco. Besides these high impact projects, Scott also makes skateboards, chairs, tables, and writes thoughtful prose about the world we live in on their Deep Craft and WOWhaus websites. They have a large, thriving garden and orchard, write poetry, throw great parties, are raising a lovely daughter, and come up with clever inventions such as the bicycle composter and a mobile biodiesel processor.

As interesting to me is that they still find time for a walk around the forest, cataloging flowers on the web, volunteering at the school, and helping with local events. They move through the mundane spaces we all inhabit with an eye for the beautiful and have the ability to add to that beauty. Can anybody say inspirational?!

But don't take my word for it. Check out their blog; it's not just a nice way to see what Scott and Ene are up to, but a neat window into their projects, local blossoms, and philosophical outlooks.

Compact Design for Cozy Quarters: Seating Trays by Tanya Aguiñiga
By Angelica Amesquita-Carter

Tanya Aguiñiga, furniture designer/maker and resident of Los Angeles, Calif., gets functional in cozy spaces with these beautifully handcrafted, low, stackable seating trays with a container that doubles as a table. The idea behind the piece is to create a unique seating surface that stores easily and has minimal upholstery, perfect for compact apartment living. Materials consist of Italian bending poplar, cast silicone, molded industrial felt, and walnut veneer.

Some of her other woodsy wonderments not to be missed include a whimsical Birch Bench, an intricately designed wooden Plaid Table, and my personal favorite, the elegantly simple Mono Table, made of minimal materials consisting only of bending poplar and a round glass tabletop. Aguiñiga loves to work with wood because, in her own words, "It's amazing to work with something that was once alive and that contains memory and depth. Natural elements that then become functional and useful are incredible."

Find out more at www.aguinigadesign.com

—Angelica Amesquita-Carter

About the Author:

Angelica Amesquita-Carter describes herself as an introverted extrovert, a lazy crafter, an eclectic music junkie, and an ever-changing work in progress.

Masterful Maloof
Renowned woodworker Sam Maloof reflects on a lifetime of inspiration.
By Heidi Kellenberger

"Craft is a dirty word to most people. It isn't painting. It isn't sculpture. But my pieces are sculptural pieces. I don't know why people think crafts is a bad word," says woodworker Sam Maloof. A self-taught founder of the modern studio craft movement, master woodworker, and teacher, Maloof has produced over 5000 pieces and has a waiting list of more than six years. His work is included in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian and other museums across the country.

He began woodworking over 60 years ago. "I had some hand tools that my father-in-law had left back. I didn't have any power tools at all. The first job I did was for my own home. I didn't have any money to buy wood, so I used plywood that they had been using for cement farms. I had a sander and sandblasted it." In his early work, he also used scrap wood, or dunnage, found along the railroad tracks. Over time, he learned to work with a variety of found woods this way.

"I use mostly walnut. I use other exotic woods, but I'd say 60% of what I do is walnut." He prefers black walnut because of the color and the way it handles. "I use very exotic woods also. I use fiddleback. I use a lot of Ziricote, which is a very, very hard wood and very beautiful. I use Macassar ebony. Well, I use all kinds of different ebonies. It depends on what I'm doing and what the client wants." Even with the most exotic woods, the materials aren't what cause his pieces to sell from $10,000 to $200,000. It is the design and labor involved in each piece. Every curve and every edge is done by hand.

In contrast to most commercial furniture, Maloof emphasizes joinery, visually celebrating the places where the joints are crafted. He combines hard and soft lines, which are most evident in the classic swoop of the arms on his chairs. Above all, he values function and sensuality, and each piece he creates is made to conform to the human body. "I hope it sits the way I want it to sit. You don't know until you make it. If I make eight chairs, I make one and sit in it and see how it feels. Then we go ahead and do the [other] seven," Maloof says. "But my rocking chairs, we make a lot of those. I don't have to test those. I know exactly what it's going to sit like."

At 92, Maloof says, "I just have hundreds of things I want to make. I try to do two, three new pieces a year that I've never done before. One idea begets another idea. I may be working on something and I'll say that the next time I do this [I'll try something different]. But I do a lot of repeat and each one of them has its own character. Everything is trial and error. You make a new chair. If it doesn't sit well, it's a lousy chair." He defines comfort as success, but also takes proportion and form into strong consideration. If a client requests an extra thick table, Maloof makes sure that the chairs are beefed up as well so they won't appear too delicate next to the table.

Walking through his workshop, Maloof shows off a large menorah he's working on and his first chaise lounge rocker, which lay in large pieces on a table. He explains that on any rocking chair, the rocker is the last piece to be added. He positions the unfinished chair on top of the loose rockers, and without attaching a thing, he finds the center of gravity, pushes the chair lightly, and sets it rocking. When he picks up the limb of a table and shows where it will attach to the base, he is confident of how the finished piece will turn out, even if it is still in burl form. Watching him, he places the wood pieces with such conviction, that the lines of gravity almost become visible. As he shows off his work in progress he says, "This may sound sort of cocky, but my clients have no say about how I make the chairs. I show them different things. I show them sketches. If they want it, fine then. If they don't, well it's fine. Sometimes a client tries to tell me how he wants it done. I say yes and then I go ahead and do it the way I want. This is a very, very individual-type business. I could put curlicues on something, but I just don't work that way."

The walls of his workshop are lined with layers of large wooden templates hanging from hooks, ready to be used the next time a similar design is needed. Maloof often works freehand as well, using the band saw as a pencil. He designs every piece himself and is involved in the construction of every component of the furniture. When asked what advice he would give to a younger woodworker, he says, "Just work really hard. It's awful damn hard trying to make a living. I have a lot of friends who are very good and don't know where their next job is coming from."

In Rancho Cucamonga, California, at the Maloof Foundation, visitors can tour the house that Maloof designed and built by hand in 1953. The house features Maloof furniture and a wide variety of handmade arts and crafts. Today he lives just below the museum and walks back and forth between the properties, still tinkering with the way the artwork is arranged, bringing in new pieces that please him, and making the house still feel like a home that is very much alive. Speaking of his long hours, many creations, and the houses that he has built, Maloof says, "If it weren't fun, I wouldn't do it. It's been a lot of fun. I don't think very many people get to live their whole lives on their own grounds, have their shop on their own grounds. I've never had to go to work for someone. I don't think I could do it."

At the end of the hour-long tour of the museum, visitors are invited to sit in one of Maloof's chairs. It is a blond chair with a beautiful glow and a deep, low seat that curves in the middle. The joints are a few shades darker, highlighting their precise connection, and the slope of the arms and headrest are classic Maloof. The surprise comes when each visitor sinks into the chair and smiles at how deliciously comfortable it feels. Woodworker or not, every visitor leaves educated by Maloof's designs and inspired to continue crafting their own projects with an eye to function and sensuality.

Visit malooffoundation.org to learn more about supporting the artistic mission of the Maloof foundation and tours the property.
Check out woodfinder.com for a library of woods.

About the Author:
A renaissance soul, Heidi Kellenberger loves crafting, playing Boggle, and exploring new places. By day, she manages the custom packaging division at Walter Foster Publishing. By night, she is a freelance writer and editor satisfying her curiosity with a variety of projects. You can check out her latest project at heidisloveletters.etsy.com where she is sharing the art of the love letter and writing poems for beloveds around the world.

We live on a rock so large that often we fail to notice it. It is easy to take for granted that each day the Earth meets the soles of our feet with a just-right gentle tug of gravity that assures our stability. "Grandparents" is how the native cultures refer to the rocks, mountains, and the still, stationary aspects of the Earth that have seen the passing of time.

Geologist, maker, and matron of stone Maggie Hanna is in the practice of finding, naming, and discerning the story that rocks contain. When she picks out a bunch to transform into knobs, she is gathering a whole lot more than a backpack of heavy objects. She seeks their embodied clues. According to Maggie, "Stones have a life cycle that has taken them from an angular piece of a rock formation that has perhaps fallen off a mountainside into a river or onto a shoreline where the sharp corners are knocked off. The shape is worn and rounded and smoothed." She relates this process to the human trajectory: "This is much like what happens to human beings as we mature from the beautiful raw material of a child to the gracious and refined manner of a kind, mature personality." In rock knobs she sees "unstressed nature and a constant radiator of beauty which acts as a reminder of our connection to, and dependence on, a healthy Earth." Here is Maggie's earthy how-to, an invitation to bring the story of stone into your home by way of the rock knob.

A couple of years ago, I saw a piece of wall art in a catalog that was made out of driftwood. I decided it was too expensive to buy and would be a fun project to try with the kids. In a couple of afternoons we successfully built a passable driftwood fish skeleton that made a nice Father's Day gift. It's hung in our living room ever since.

This year, we decided to make a couple more as gifts for the grandfathers. It really couldn't be a simpler project.

Inspired by so many beautiful (but expensive) feather barrettes we've seen at our favorite shops, my friend and I (and our giddy daughters) decided to make our own. A trip to Michael's covered everything we needed: standard metal hair barrettes, pieces of felt, a bag of vintage buttons, feathers, a hot glue gun, and thus the merrymaking began.

Crochet or Knit Swatch Planter Propagator
By Kristin Roach

The downside of using random containers for planters is that they often look a bit, well, reused. I love my yogurt and all, but not so much that I want to look at 5 containers all around the apartment with plants sticking out of them. Enter swatches: another essential great thing. We all knit and crochet them so our projects turn out just so, but what to do with them afterwards. I have tried and failed to keep a swatch journal — it just gets so thick. Instead I've been using swatches for coasters, but how many coasters does one really need? Eight, tops. Recycled planter cozies! Perfect! You can use up 5 swatches in one go and the end result is a cutely snuggled plant in a great fiber-fantastic planter!

Calgary-based Doha Chebib's Log Bowls combine nature's rough surfaces with smooth, glossy depressions, lending them an almost storybook quality. The 28-year-old University of Alberta design graduate turned to co-members at Edmonton-based Loyal Loot Collective, where she's collaborated since 2004, to help execute her idea. After hand-selecting fallen and discarded logs that include wood from local birch, mountain ash, and willow trees, the groups dries them naturally for six-months — leaving the bark intact — before handing them over to their dedicated woodworker, Ken, for turning. The bowls, which vary in height and range 2–10 inches in diameter, are then hand-painted inside using colorful high-gloss acrylics and finished with a water-based sealant.

—Laura Kiniry

About the Author:
Laura Kiniry is a San Francisco-based freelance writer who's busy snapping photos and learning design when she's not writing articles and guidebooks.

The tiny blue flowers of the romantically named forget-me-not are the perfect bridal accessory. Cluster them together with a strand of pearls for a modern-fashioned take on a classic floral headband.

Making flowers for a wedding is all about time management. The bride's flowers should be done as close to the time she needs them as possible. If you are doing this crown for yourself for your wedding, I am here to tell you, it can be done, but you have to really want to do it yourself. Perhaps having your crafty best friend make it for you is better than you staying up all night and putting it together pre-dawn.

Anna writes:

I like how the artwork is an inch or so out from the wall and thus functions as a kind of mobile. I used two willow branches and some recycled ribbons to hang up artwork that is mostly from Etsy. The collage all the way on the left is made by me, however. Yay! This little corner makes me happy.

There's a great moment in the documentary on Andy Goldsworthy, Rivers and Tides, when describing his process, Goldsworthy says, "When I make a work I often take it to the very edge of its collapse and that's a very beautiful balance."

Looking at Heather Jansch's driftwood horse sculptures reminds me of that delicate balance, as each of her pieces appear to be precariously challenging gravity, while at the same time deeply rooted in its base.

Jansch, 60, who lives and works in Devon, England, has been a sculptor for close to 40 years, and creates beautiful life-sized sculptures of horses and other animals out of driftwood found on beaches. With each branch and trunk of wood visibly twisting and flowing to become the bones, tendons, and muscles of the animal, her works can seem fragile as one wonders how they are held together (she uses different techniques for each statue). Yet, even without seeing the screws, wire, or metal structures that hold each piece together, the statues are incredibly lifelike and just as sturdy and solid as the real animals they so marvelously represent.

Check out more of Jansch's amazing sculptures on her site: www.jansch.freeserve.co.uk

—Chris Tackett

About the Author:
Chris Tackett is a fan of the internet and self-described news junkie. Chris brain dumps on Twitter (http://twitter.com/christackett), enjoys biking and making art, and currently works as a social-media marketer and writer for TreeHugger.com and PlanetGreen.com, all while living in San Francisco.

Wasn't it about 10 years ago when the ends of curtain rods suddenly got very, very fancy and important? No longer was it OK to have small, plain black balls on the ends — they needed to be big and bold and dramatic, or classy and elegant (but still big!). Suddenly you could buy them everywhere and you could get big metal holdbacks to match. People everywhere threw out the tiebacks that came with their curtains, and then happily spent way too much money buying just the perfect new accessories to embellish their curtain rods.

And god knows I tried! I remember looking through the curtain rod and accessories aisles at Linens and Things, Macy's, Dillard's, Target, Sear's, JC Penney, Bed Bath & Beyond, and most likely K-Mart. But no luck. I was too picky, I was too cheap, I was too subtle in my desires, but at the same time I wanted the finials to be unique and cool. Some of the swirly ends didn't swirl quite right. The balls were too big or too shiny; the colors didn't match or they were just too bright (or too pastel). I searched for months, maybe even years, and the ends of our curtain rods seemed destined to remain unadorned forever.

Then one day I was cleaning out a bag we'd brought back from the beach. In it were empty food wrappers, lots of sand, a few shells, and some pieces of driftwood. One piece had a pleasing knot on one end and the whole thing was worn smooth from the waves. The other end was a slender taper, about 3 inches long. As I looked at it, turning it over in my hand and caressing it, I suddenly felt the caress of inspiration — I could use it in the curtain rods!!!

I climbed up onto the couch and tested my idea; it fit perfectly and looked great. Not too big, not too flashy, plus it was cheap (as in free!) and definitely one of a kind. A few squirts of glue to hold it in place and I was done! It took a few months to find another "perfect" piece of driftwood for the other end of the rod (did I mention I'm picky?), but we finally found one and now our driftwood finials have served us well for 6 or 7 years.

And a few months ago, they even served as a safe haven for a little mouse the cat had dragged in. My husband, Bruce, saved the poor thing by sweeping it into a paper bag with a rolled up magazine and then taking it out into the forest, as far from our house as possible. But I was able to snap a few photos before he completed his brave rescue mission. Enjoy, and please share your most ingenious decorating hacks!

I get a thrill out of foraging for free stuff, especially food, and I'm hoping to instill the same in my kids. I'm willing to do a bit of work for the "free" stuff, like fighting through the thorns to get to the plump, juicy blackberries, and in fact, that probably makes the treat taste that much better. I equate it to a treasure hunt; finding hazelnuts or huckleberries in the forest is definitely like finding a prize.

So last week the kids and I set out to forage for a free salad. We started in the fridge and then moved to the pantry. We had some leftover feta cheese that a friend had made, another friend had given us some lemons from her yard, and yet another couple had given us some olive oil as a hostess gift a few months back. So far, so good — all free!

Next, we headed out to the yard; dandelion greens really are edible. And we have lots of dandelions because my younger son loves to stomp on the seed heads or blow them all over the lawn.

But dandelion greens can be a tad bitter, especially if used raw, so we headed out into the woods and along our driveway, looking for some miner's lettuce, which is sweet and tender and yummy. We gathered enough for a salad, ate a few leaves as we picked, and headed back into the house with a bowl full of our efforts.

Back in the kitchen, I rinsed the greens and my youngest used the salad spinner to dry them (he loves it!). I threw on the feta, and then made a simple dressing with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, plus a clove of garlic, because we all love it.

I ended up cheating a bit and adding a few toasted nuts to complete the dish. I chose hazelnuts because we actually have hazelnut bushes growing on our property, but we've only ever gotten 2 or 3 nuts off them in 10 years. But the hazelnuts in the salad could have come from our foraging attempts, so it's only the slightest bit of cheating, right?

I'd love to hear about other people's foraging, scavenging, or dumpster-diving, if that's what you like to do. Please post your tales in the Comments.

And if anyone's wondering whether my kids are getting anything out of the exercise, here's a couple of shots that should convince even the staunchest of naysayers.

Home Decor:

• Brini Maxwell for CRAFT: Metallic Leafed Shells
• Crocheted Wooden Bowl

• Wood-Grain Baby Gifts
• How-To: Make a Nature Can

• How-To: Super Fly Feather Earrings
• How-To: Wood-Inlay Jewelry
• Roadkill Jewelry: The Art of April Hale

• How-To: Tin Can Vase
• Making Art from Trees
• It's (K)not Wood and Faux Bois
• How-To: Make Tulle Blossoms

We also have some adorable Crafting with Nature buttons. Feel free to place them on your site or blog! You can grab the images or copy and paste the HTML code.

<img src="http://blog.craftzine.com/button_CWN_TreeB.gif" width="150" height="200" alt="CRAFT: Crafting with Nature">

<img src="http://blog.craftzine.com/button_CWN_BeeB.gif" width="150" height="200" alt="CRAFT: Crafting with Nature">

<img src="http://blog.craftzine.com/button_CWN_BirdB.gif" width="150" height="200" alt="CRAFT: Crafting with Nature">

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Super Fly Feather Earrings: Adorn yourself with one of nature's finest adornments.
By Sara K. Woll
Photography by Portia Sanborn

I invite you to play with feathers. Hollow and air-filled, they want to take flight, and bring their own levity and movement, which I refer to as wonk, to each project. Accept the wonk and your process will be much more pleasant. The technique described here to create feather earrings can be adapted to adorn anything: hats, barrettes, skates, even the ends of your arrows. The best tip I'll share with you is this: collect your feathers at fly shops. Fly fishermen and women create their own lure to attract specific fish using lots of natural materials including feathers and fur. My dad's feathers were aflutter when he learned that he could shop for gifts for his vegetarian daughter at his favorite fly shop, and my workspace would remind him of his father's, downy drift of feathery fluff coating pliers and wire. Who knows what you may attract when your ears dangle your very own super fly feather earrings!

This beautiful floral display is actually in a recycled tin can! I'm loving this inspirational tutorial on making a tin can vase wrapped in wonderful birch bark.

Roadkill Jewelry: The Art of April Hale
By Linda Permann

When April Hale accidentally hit a squirrel with her car a few years ago, her reaction wasn't typical. Instead of driving away, she wanted to take responsibility for the death, so Hale, a 12-year vegetarian at the time, called a friend to help her cook and eat the animal.

Hale had been interested in using found animal fur in her work before the accident, but previously she was afraid to touch roadkill. Having overcome her fear, she now collects dead animals, which she cleans, skins, and presents in her finely crafted jewelry. She aims to take the animals out of the context of "roadkill" and bring them back to their surprisingly beautiful state.

Before using the animals, Hale sketches and skins each one. "The science dork in me comes out," says Hale. "I learn about how they died, and see details that you can't get close enough to see in live wild animals." She feels a deep reverence for each of her subjects, and wants to turn their deaths into a positive interaction.

In Bozeman Mont., where Hale is pursuing her MFA degree, she's known as the one to call when you come across an interesting dead animal. There are times when she is looking for something specific to use in her work, but she has mixed feelings when she finds it. "I don't want to find dead things, but I do get excited to find them," says Hale.
She has rules about what she'll pick up, though: nothing too messy, nothing illegal, and nothing personal (no domesticated animals or pets).

Through her beautiful packaging of carcasses once relegated to the side of the road, Hale challenges the nature of our relationships with the animals we consume. She intends for her pieces to be purchased and worn, but many potential buyers are too disgusted to even try them on. Although most people wear and eat animal products, few can stomach the idea of adorning themselves with intimate jewelry handmade from roadkill.

The gross-out factor that hits many people when they see Hale's jewelry is unintentional, and she hopes to break down the mental wall that comes with the word roadkill. Says Hale, "It makes me happy when someone tells me that they never really noticed it before, but now they see it and think about it. That's all I can hope for."

About the Author:
Linda Permann is a freelance writer and craft designer who loves to crochet, sew, and cook. See what she's up to at lindamade.com.

I spend many summer weekends with friends on the beaches of Fire Island, N.Y., and one of the things I like to do is walk along the beach and look for seashells. I have several boxes full of lovely specimens in my crafting closet. Seashells are fun to collect, but what do you do with them once you've collected them? Leafing them is a simple way to make them stand out. Gold or silver-leafed shells can be used to great effect in place settings, as accents in a bowl, even as soap dishes or jewelry. The process of leafing is very easy to do and very satisfying because the results are immediate. Giving the calcified remains of sea creatures the Midas touch may seem like gilding the lily, but if you let the imperfections of the shell — the flutes and ridges — shine through, the final result can be quite beautiful and not at all ostentatious.

Since I've been thinking about ways to craft with nature for this month's theme here at Craftzine.com, I've been keeping an eye out for neat techniques. And I've been telling all my friends and family to keep an eye out as well. My husband, Bruce, sent me to this fabulous site that features the work of Bryan Nash Gill, who uses relief printing and a time-consuming scratching technique on sections of logs to create wonderful pieces of art.

Ashes & Milk, the online gallery that sells Bryan's work, also offers an amazing range of art pieces that rely on natural elements -- stone, clay, textiles, wood, metal, and paper -- to be specific. Their aesthetic is very appealing, to both the modern woman and the hippie chick living inside me, which is very difficult to do.

Crocheted Wooden Bowl
By Vickie Howell

How-To Photos By: Tanner Howell

I'm always looking for new ways that knitting and crochet can be applied to other forms of craft. I'd seen fellow designers drill holes into wood pieces to embroider through, lace over, or otherwise assemble into some new kind of arty goodness -- this got me thinking, "Hey, I bet I can do something similar with crochet!" I love the idea of juxtaposing something as non-pliable as wood with something traditionally softer like yarn. There's sort of a male/female yin and yang quality to the combo, don't you think?This basic, wooden salad bowl given a modern makeover using pineapple yarn is a realization of just that. Happy hooking!

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