RSS
Archive: General
July 14, 2009
Top Tutorial Winners on luvinthemommyhood
Luvinthemommyhood posted up her top tutorials week winners and we are so excited that one of them is a featured CRAFT project, the Tarina Necklace by Vickie Howell! Made by Rae's spring top tutorial is also one of our favorites.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jul 14, 2009 11:00 AM
General |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
June 27, 2009
Michael Jackson Appreciation in Crafts
Leah at Craftster.org shares her childhood Michael Jackson story and also showcases some of the great Michael Jackson appreciation in crafts from the Craftster community. For me, my fondest Michael Jackson memory was when I was in junior high. I remember going to my best friend's house after school each day and we'd play the Thriller album over and over while also trying to recreate the dance in the video. That's why I love this Thriller album cover tote by KarenLouiseM (which coincidentally is the first and middle name of my best friend).
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jun 27, 2009 06:00 PM
General |
Permalink
| Comments (3)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
June 25, 2009
RIP Michael Jackson
The King of Pop passes away at age 50 from a heart attack. We'll miss you.
"Breakfast in Neverland," a mosaic cereal portrait by Jason Huntley
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jun 25, 2009 04:39 PM
General |
Permalink
| Comments (5)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
June 20, 2009
CraftyPod at Maker Faire: Why Do You Make Things?
Diane of CraftyPod launches her first of several podcasts she recorded at Maker Faire. This CraftyPod episode asks "Why Do You Make Things?" to a bunch of crafters such as Crafty Chica, Nicole Vasbinder, and Kristin Roach.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jun 20, 2009 06:00 PM
General, Maker Faire |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
June 19, 2009
How--To: Customize Beer Bottles For Father's Day
Jennifer Perkins of Naughty Secretary Club shows how to take a regular six pack of beer bottles and completely customize them for Father's Day. My husband recently bottled up the latest batch of his home brew, and I'm thinking this could work for him, too!
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Jun 19, 2009 07:00 AM
General |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
June 16, 2009
How-To: Turn a Book Into a Top-Secret Camera Case
Photojojo shows how to hollow out a book and insert a camera for some super sneaky picture snapping.
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Jun 16, 2009 07:00 AM
General |
Permalink
| Comments (1)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
June 8, 2009
Handy Paracord Handle
Instructables user keng made this nifty handle for a messenger bag from a piece of paracord and a few simple tools. The technique is called the Portuguese Sinnet (among other names) and makes for a nice chunky handle. The long length of paracord is good to have with you in case of zombiepocalypse (or, say, a hiking accident), too.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jun 8, 2009 04:00 PM
General |
Permalink
| Comments (1)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
Giant Button Mosaic Counter Display
I am in awe of this amazing giant button mosaic created by Jo of Button Candy and Angie of Lucky Pony.
Angie and i were given the task to do WHATEVER we wanted to the front bar counter at work. Lucky us, we decided to stick down 4261 buttons (i made that number up - and wouldn't be surprised if it was more) spelling out the word hello.
You can see pictures of the mosaic in process on Jo's Flickr stream. I love it! I have a wall space similar to this counter in my kitchen, and I'm eyeing it in a whole new way now ....
[ via maximum RABBIT designs ]
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Jun 8, 2009 07:00 AM
General |
Permalink
| Comments (1)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
June 6, 2009
Batman Soap Tutorial
Lesley at The Pink Toque has a tutorial on how to make Batman soap that goes along with her knitted washcloth.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jun 6, 2009 08:00 AM
General |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
May 21, 2009
Deep Craft
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.
Posted by Shawn Connally |
May 21, 2009 12:00 PM
Arts & Design, Crafting with Nature, General |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
May 14, 2009
MAKE Editor on The Martha Stewart Show this Monday
At the beginning of April I was lucky enough to get to go to New York City to help Mark Frauenfelder, editor-in-chief of MAKE prepare for his appearance on The Martha Stewart Show!
The show was taped on April 1st, and will finally air this coming Monday, May 18. You can see a quick preview by clicking here, and then clicking on Monday's show at the top.
On an insider's note, being at the studio and taping the show was amazingly fun and exciting! All the staff was friendly and helpful and very, very competent at what they do. Even when some of our projects were lost for several hours in transit, everyone was calm, cool, and collected. I, on the other hand, started to run down 20+ blocks, from Midtown to Chelsea, desperately trying to figure out where we were going to find a cigar box, an old VCR, an electric screwdriver, and some lumber at 6 p.m. on a Monday in Manhattan.
Studio from the outside; dress rehearsal with the producer and Mark Frauenfelder.
But no need for alarm; the projects looked great on camera, Mark did a fantastic job describing the projects, and then for the finale, he and Martha made little vibrating, jumping robots out of a candy tin, a paperclip, and a little motor from a Dollar Store fan. The audience seemed to like it, the staff liked it, and Martha kept one afterward, so I'm guessing she liked it!
Mark's family was on hand to watch the taping; the teleprompter.
Don't forget to watch or DVR Monday's Martha show! Yay, Mark!
Posted by Shawn Connally |
May 14, 2009 12:00 PM
General, Technology |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
How-To: Make Punched Tin Butterflies
Recently, Pam of Gingerbread Snowflakes changed out her winter themed blog banner with a spring one. She asked readers for input on what banner image she should use, and when I saw her option with these fantastic punched tin butterflies, I immediately cast my vote. Now she has a tutorial up for making those very punched tin butterflies. They are beautiful, and would make a great addition to any garden!
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
May 14, 2009 07:00 AM
Gardening, General |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
May 13, 2009
100 Ideas to Spark You Into Creative Action
I love this list of 100 Ideas to Spark You Into Creative Action from iHanna. When I'm feeling in a rut, it's things like this that help me bust right out of it. Some of my favorite ideas on the list are making a cool inspiration board and embroidering something without a plan. This is a great list to bookmark or print out for days when your creative juices need a little kick.
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
May 13, 2009 03:00 PM
General |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
May 7, 2009
My Own Crafty Mama
My mom is an amazing crafter, and as I raise my own kids I find myself taking more and more of her projects to use as my own, albeit at a more junior level of expertise.
My mom, aka Nana, and my youngest son, Arlo, visiting Tombstone, Ariz.
When I was about 10 years old, my mom painted and numbered 24 whole walnut shells to use as present boxes for my sister and me for the 12 Days of Christmas. I loved this as a child, but whenever I think about doing it for my own kids I give up before even starting.
How did she get 48 perfect walnut halves in the first place? Did she crack 4 or 5 dozen walnuts just to get the perfect halves? And then how long must it have taken her to paint all of the shells, in many colors, and then paint on numbers in contrasting shades? And furthermore, where and how did she find the perfect little figures that fit in the shells? One year, we ended up with an entire miniature nativity scene, which remained one of my favorite Christmas decorations for years after.
Today, my version of this tradition is a store-bought Advent Calendar that the kids get to take turns counting down on, plus a couple of 99-cent chocolate calendars from Trader Joe's if I happen to think of it. But I'm still trying. I've gathered up a dozen or so Altoid tins and several cool Advent calendar projects I've seen on the web, and every October I get a little closer to making them. At least I hope I'm getting closer!
As a child, I refused to learn how to sew, but was happy enough to take the homemade Barbie clothes and doll blankets. As an adult, I've finally learned how to sew curtains and pillowcases, so my kids have at least a couple of Made By Mom items. And I'm always quick to point out the hemming and mending that I, their mom, did on their pajamas and torn jeans. "See what I did for you? I did that myself! Isn't that nice of me, and clever, too?"
Luckily, they have lots of Made by Nana items -- Robot and SpaceBoy (above) are two that spring to mind, and my boys are quick to point out the Loteria Box (below) we've all enjoyed so much.
Read full story
Posted by Shawn Connally |
May 7, 2009 12:00 PM
Arts & Design, General, Home Decor, Sewing |
Permalink
| Comments (2)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
May 5, 2009
Craft Corps Web Site
Vickie Howell's new Craft Corps web site is up now. Each week a new crafter will be featured on the site to celebrate our community and the craft movement. Craft Corps is also an upcoming book by Vickie due out May 2010. The book will feature 30 of your favorite influential crafters plus 60_ crafter profiles not see on the site. (Thanks to Vickie for including me as a part of this book!)
Vickie writes:
Inspired by NPR’s Story Corps (an audio project collecting people’s stories and archiving them for posterity), Craft Corps the book will be community, our community, celebrated on the written page.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 5, 2009 10:00 AM
General |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
How-To: Make a Recycled Hanging Basket
Red Bird Crafts shares how to make this sweet, simple hanging basket from items scavenged from her recycle bin.
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
May 5, 2009 07:00 AM
General, Green |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
May 4, 2009
1 Year of DIY Roundups by Lee Meredith
I love the DIY roundups that Lee Meredith does each week at Threadbanger. She's now consolidated and categorized her DIY roundups from the past year into one handy page for easy reference. A must have for your crafty bookmarks. Congrats Lee on your 1 year!
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 4, 2009 05:00 PM
General, Roundups |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
May 1, 2009
Home Ec.'s New Web Site and Upcoming Classes
"What happened to Andrae?" That's my best Tim Gunn impression a la Santino I can do in type. But if you really want to find out, take a trip out to Jenny Ryan's Home Ec. in Silverlake, Los Angeles and take Survival Stitches with Andrae Gonzalo next Wednesday May 6th. Also next week is a Decoupage class with Lisa Congdon on Friday May 9th. We are loving the spanking new web site complete with the calendar of classes and blog you must bookmark!
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 1, 2009 11:00 AM
Classes, General |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
April 29, 2009
Pimp My Swine Flu Mask
Things are kinda nuts watching all the Swine Flu headlines in the news. So in times of crisis, it's nice to see some crafty ingenuity on self-expression. Crafty Chica sent me this link from a Latino pop culture blog called Guanabee with their pimp my swine flu mask feature. Check out the photo gallery.
From the site:
One thing Mexicans know how to do is roll with the punches and no swine flu epidemic is going to squelch their sense of fun.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 29, 2009 05:00 PM
General |
Permalink
| Comments (12)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
April 28, 2009
How-To: No-Sew Duct Tape Apron
Sarah James at Instructables made this apron using sheet vinyl and duct tape, no sewing required! This is a great project to do with your kids; aprons for the whole family!
More:
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 28, 2009 04:00 PM
General, Kids |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| Email Entry |
Suggest a Site
