These Fill In the Blank Cards let you make a custom message by punching out the perforated dots in a pattern of your choice. [via Teagan Tall]

If only everyone's intestines could be so gingery... anatomical vegetarian ad [via BoingBoing]

You might have noticed that I have a thing for spoons. It's actually more of a broad serving utensil fetish, but spoons are at the top of the list right now. This set of unglazed and pure white porcelain spoons are made to look as if they were ornate silver. I can't get over how pretty they are.

One of my favorite blogs is Creature Comforts. Ez, the author, has a constant stream of beautiful things to make and see. Last week she moved to a new and way more wonderful site. Creaturecomfortsblog.com is the new url, and the switch brought with it quite a few improvements to the information presentations. All the content is the same amazing quality, but with a very cool new vibe. All the projects, printables, fonts, and inspirations are collected into categories that make browsing for ideas much easier. When you visit, check out one of my favorite tutorials, this butterfly wedding accent that could be incorporated into any lovely event.

My grandmother never threw anything away, and kept all of her possessions in pristine order. As a child, this was a little hard to deal with -- don't sit on the bedspread, no shoes on the couch, fold the towel after you dry your hands -- but as an adult I've come to appreciate her fastidious care of her items, some of which I now possess and thoroughly enjoy.

This WWII Army Housewife bag is one of my favorite hand-me-downs. Apparently, it included a sewing kit back when it was issued, and these kits were issued by the Brits and the Swiss as well. Nowadays, this little Army Housewife bag holds my jewelry on overnight trips. And it makes me smile every time I look at it.

When I started to think about making gifts for my family, I decided that I wanted to try and capture that same smile-inducing nostalgia for my relatives. Since we've got a few silkscreen-type machines in the office, I thought I'd beg one friend to make me a design and another friend to show me how to use the Yudu machine (I've used the Gocco printer before, but wanted to try a new device).

I'm loving the results! So much that I've now screen-printed about 12 bags and 8 dish towels, and am wondering if I can get away with giving nothing but self-branded textiles for all my gifts. (And thanks to Daniel and Brookelynn for helping me out, not to mention everyone else who helped with the manual labor in the name of learning!)

If you know me, you know I love lasers. And patterns. And lasercut patterns. Hirmes on Thingiverse made this lasercut Islamic pattern box. Stick an LED inside and it would make a great ornament or lantern.

I have seen many different takes on the recycled material pendant lamp. This very colorful and dynamic version is by far my favorite. Via Moco Loco.

The best email newsletter hands down for photography crafts is Photojojo. Thanks to Amit's review one year, I found my Nikon D40 and have been in love with taking photos ever since. Now Amit and Kelly wow us again with their new book, Photojojo! Insanely Great Photo Projects and DIY Ideas filled with 50 projects so you can do more with all the cool photos you take. It's not just about printing them out and making a photo album. This book shows you how to use your photos to make cool things such as a lampshade or messenger bag (pictured below).The second half of the book is like taking a photography class. You'll learn techniques for taking better photos as well as fun ways you can experiment with different photo techniques. I love the tips on how to do digital color correcting after you've taken your photos. If you love taking photos and want to learn how to do more with them, this book is for you!

Book Giveaway Time!
We are giving away 3 copies of the Photojojo! book.Just leave a comment in this post and tell us why you need this book. Please make sure you include your email address in the comment form field (won't be published). All comments will be closed by Noon PST on Wednesday, September 23rd. The lucky winners will be announced next week on the site. Good luck!

Project: Ginormous Photo Mosaics
Even if you are living in an apartment and can't put holes in your walls, you can still get some great art up. Download the project PDF to make this stunning photo mosaic where you'll be able to see the wonderful memories you have of your friend and family.

(Note: If you are having problems viewing the PDF, please right-click on the link to download the file to your desktop.)

The dreamlike and the practical merge with objects modern and objects vintage in the new blog of San Francisco designer Teagan Tall. Teagan, who counts among her clients MAKE magazine and our own Craftzine, and has recently begun chronicling her art, her work, and things she loves. She includes diverse posts, ranging from high-end furniture and her collection of books, to papercut art and photography.

These pieces of bird-inspired art represent her ability to render the reality of nature using the softness of the ethereal. The story of her creative journey to arrive at them is modest and sweet:

Two years ago I decided to start finding uses for the stacks of old calendars and scrap paper I pack around with me like a greedy hermit crab. I began to sketch birds drawn from field guides onto the more undesirable side of my paraphernalia — the tree is made from the ghost prints of an old woodblock I did ages ago — and cut out the forms with an X-Acto. This project became one of the few art exercises I've done recently that didn't consume my mind with concept or execution — it was just scrap paper! I wasn't worried how they turned out, and this ended up being very liberating.

If you have access to a laser printer, transferring your own designs for embroidery is a snap. All you need is a little nail polish remover (acetone)!

More:

• How-To: Embroider Digital Images
  
• Embroidery Pattern Transfer Tutorial
  
• CRAFT Video: Create Your Own Embroidery Pattern from a Photo

I love these salt and pepper shakers in the shape of bones by Chris Stiles. They're unglazed refined white clay. Via Street Anatomy.

These remind me of something you might find in a house in a land like Oz, or Wonderland! Apartment Therapy Chicago shares the work of Jim Lambie. He has done this work as art installations, but it's still very accessible as a home makeover project.

Design Glut released this limited edition Chrissy Homeland Security Blanket, emblazoned with the terrorism preparedness alert levels. Via Core77.

Little Paper Planes is an online community of artists that was once dedicated mostly to the sale of art prints and letterpress. The shop has recently branched out into accessories and clothing. Each piece captures the same beautiful, modern, and well crafted Little Paper Planes aesthetic.

Grain Edit features a nice interview with Melissa and JW Buchanan of The Little Friends Printmaking. It's a great look into how the couple met, set up shop and work together every day. One of my favorite parts of the interview is an example of the process the pair goes through when designing a poster. They also discuss the importance of research when starting a project. Says Melissa:

Research is so important. You can't operate in a vacuum. And that extra time you put into researching something pays off tenfold in nuance and smart little details that people remember.

It's these nuances and smart details that help give such depth and great character to their work. Enjoy!

When we added a bathroom a couple of years ago, I had visions of a nicely painted white wooden cabinet with frosted glass doors. I'd seen them at Crate and Barrel and IKEA, and thought they'd be perfect. But I couldn't find the right size, I was worried the IKEA cabinet might not last (I have 2 boys!), and it didn't end up feeling like a good match with our fairly rustic bathroom design.

So I searched Craig's List for inexpensive options. I ended up with a cute metal cabinet salvaged from an old doctor's office. I love that the top drawers flip down instead of pull straight out, and the old Formica top brings up fond memories. But I was worried about how metal would look in the wood-heavy bathroom.

For starters, the bright blue and stark white paint didn't match the pale green and rich rust that we'd gone with in the bathroom. It was time for another painting project! In the end it worked well, and I decided to use one of the wall paint colors combined with some semi-gloss paint we'd used to faux finish some beams in our living room several years ago.

Since the metal was already painted, I didn't have to use any special metal primer, and since I wanted a rustic look, I didn't have to paint carefully (not my strong suit). After my mom and I painted the different colors on, we took sandpaper and rubbed off the paint in a few spots.

I'm really happy with the results, and it's so much more personal than a cabinet bought at a department store. It's a good reminder to me that devoting a couple of hours to a project is more fun, more meaningful, and more satisfying than pulling out the credit card to buy something that looked good in the glossy catalog. And now my little metal cabinet matches the room!

I have an extensive cassette tape collection (Chicago house music) so naturally I was stoked to see that Designboom featured the awesome typography of Turkish designer Ersinhan Ersin. Ersin made all the letters and designs from deconstructed cassette tapes, and aptly calls it Tapeography. More pics on Ersin's Behance Network page. Here's hoping no good mixes were harmed in the making of his creation.

I'm always on the lookout for new fonts and love these stitched typefaces in a roundup compiled by iDiY.

Last week I reviewed a new primer for design, Digital Textile Design, written by Melanie Bowles and Ceri Isaac (Laurence King Publishers). This week we have an excerpt to share: a tutorial on making custom plaid. Plaid is on everything in fashion right now. It's the print that unites grunge rock and school girls. And depending on the colors and line weights, it can be as unique as a thumbprint. Any crafter can learn to use Adobe Illustrator, and, with Bowles and Isaac's tutorial, create their own personal version of the classic and versatile printed plaid. The instructions for building the print are simple, and include images of the tools directly from the program.

Download the PDF to start working on a plaid. If you create one, share it in the CRAFT Flickr pool! And please visit Melanie Bowles' new blog, makeitdigital.

Lauren Venell of Sweet Meats fame has just published an epic tutorial on 3D plush. She takes you from idea to finished toy, and this isn't your childhood pudgy fabric sandwich, we're talking true 3D with features and draping, seaming and everything. Fantastic work!

I'm really digging this ink calendar by Oscar Diaz:

Spanish designer Oscar Diaz has designed a calendar that uses the capillary action of ink spreading across paper to display the date. Each month, a bottle of coloured ink spreads across a sheet of paper embossed with numbers, colouring them in as it goes.

(Thanks, Lauren Venell!)

I can imagine lots of software "sweets" recreated in cupcake form, which would be your favorite? I think I'd go for all Mozilla apps cupcakes. Yum! (Thanks Katie W.!)

Making yourself an emblem for your wedding is a great and simple way to weave a personalized theme through your wedding elements and get a very "pulled together" look for very little money. You can use your mark on your invitations, place cards, programs, favors, and thank you cards to add a personal and memorable touch.



Artist Von Glitschka has a new book out called Drip.Dot.Swirl. 94 incredible patterns for design and illustration. The illustrative pattern book features a large collection of patterns to inspire you in your design work. In fact, the book comes with a companion DVD of all the vector patterns so you can modify them and use them in your own projects, from web site to promotional material, or even your digital craft projects. You can read more about Von's new book on his blog, Art Backwash and follow him on Twitter at @Vonster.

See more interiors from the book in the sample spreads PDF.

I was really inspired by Von's book and got a chance to ask him a few questions about design and illustration.

Natalie: Please tell us about your background in design and your new book.
Von: I've been doing what I call illustrative design for over 23 years now. My work reflects a good mix of both design and illustration so my new book which is all about illustrative pattern designs leverages both of these disciplines in a wide variety of styles.

Natalie: Where do you find your inspiration?
Von: So many things over the course of the year I worked on this played a part in inspiring me. Some specific sources were things I saw in nature, conceptual words I tried to visually create, doodles I did, old tapestries by William Morris influenced my design as well. Once you start creating patterns though, it's hard to turn it off. I just did this one the other day just for fun.

Natalie: Do you have any tips to our readers on how to create their own patterns?
Von: I put together this simple step-by-step tutorial that walks you through creating a tile pattern. The download includes 12 step-by-step images and a notes file.

Natalie: What are your must have "tools" you use to create (digital and/or real items)?
Von: Brain, pencil, paper, computer. Everything is birthed in analog and created in digital.

Natalie: What are you working on this summer?
Von: Starting a new book project due in about a year.

Book Giveaway Time!
One lucky CRAFT winner is going to win an autographed copy of Drip.Dot.Swirl. as well as a bonus set of 12 patterns not in the book! Just leave a comment to this post and tell us why you want this book. Make sure you enter in your email address in the form field (won't be published). All comments will be closed on Thursday at 5pm PST. The winner will be announced later this week on the site. Good luck!

Download this free "Memory Lock" pattern

Nice story about the Open Source Embroidery exhibition and movement over on Wired.com:

The movement brings together knitters, embroiderers and quilters who see parallels between the way they create their crafts and how open source software creators share their ideas. At the BildMuseet (art museum) at Umeå University in Sweden, an exhibition — also called Open Source Embroidery — showcases artworks that use embroidery and code as a tool for participatory production and distribution.

“The idea of collaboration has been made cool by open source software,” says Carpenter, the curator of the exhibition. “But artists have been working like this for a long time.”

Even the differences between needlework crafts and open source software are alike, she says. Embroidery is largely dominated by women, while software is created mostly by men, she says. In embroidery, tiny stitches come together to create a pattern visible on the front of the fabric, while its system is revealed on the back. It’s similar to how software is created.

The arguments about open source vs. free software can also be applied to embroidery, says Carpenter, where artists struggle with questions around borrowing and modifying patterns. “The Open Source Embroidery project simply attempts to provide a social and practical way of discussing these issues and trying out the practice,” says Carpenter.

There's also a nice shoutout to MAKE and CRAFT in the article, too!

I love new takes on old classics, and this one definitely caught my eye at the Bazaar Bizarre at Maker Faire Bay Area a couple of weeks ago. Pictured above is Binary Winter's Wise Robots design, a futuristic twist on the old Japanese proverb sanzaru. Binary Winter definitely has a style all their own. From their site: "Our designs are an amalgam of the things we love best, from Art Nouveau to robots, satellites and the ballet of flight. We are smitten with willowy lines and charmed by the grace of machinery." Check out their Etsy page for more.