Nichola and Justine have just celebrated their 4th issue - 1 Year anniversary of Mixtape zine. It has gone from success to success and to celebrate they are kindly donating four packs of their first four issues (if you have the first four already - then they will send you the next four as they come out). To win a mxtape zine pack just leave a comment here about how the craft blog world has helped or inspired you to live your dream. (comments open until Friday this week).

Mix tape zine is a collision of craft, eco-cool and pop culture kitsch it features recipes, eco tips, crafty people profiles, ethical business practices etc - you can purchase back issues here or find out more here. Find Justine here and Nichola’s blog here.

Kath: Nichola and Justine you are both based in Melbourne and met through your blogs - finding out that you just lived around the corner from each other. I love that sort of serendipity. Can you tell me a little more about how you met - what ‘attracted’ you to each other?

Nichola: We met when Justine had read my blog and realised that she lived nearby the cafe I owned with my husband and we met up for coffee. Justine moved and soon after we closed our cafe and moved to the same area only 3 streets away, talk about stalker!

I think what attracted me to Justine is that in some ways we are so similar but in many ways we are total opposites, she’s an organised ‘let’s get it done now’ kind of girl whereas I’m more of a chilled ‘Yeah sure, I’ll be done at some point, usually the last minute’ kind of girl. A little bit of chalk and cheese but we complement each other nicely, she kicks me up the butt when needed and I tell her to chill when she’s running round like a headless chicken and it all works out well. She’s pretty funny too!

Justine: We have pretty much been inseparable since we first met. Our kids get along well and I think the fact that we are completely different is the “attraction”. Nichola is an “earth mother” and I love that about her.

Kathreen: Can you tell me a little more about how you first thought up the idea of mixtape zine?

Nichola: I had been thinking for some time that I’d like to start a zine of some kind. To be honest I was thinking small scale, something handmade that I could maybe pass around to fellow crafty people like myself. I told Justine of my idea and she expressed an interest in doing it together. We discussed what we thought the zine should be like and we came up with craft, ‘green’ ideas, pop culture, music and parenting amongst others, so really the zine has quite a broad range of topics. Then it was only a matter of a few months before our first issue went up for sale.

Kathreen: What sort of research did you do - how did you decide on format etc?

Justine: We based our zine on the American indie zine “Croq”. Heather was very helpful helping us out in the early stages. My husband Simon is a graphic designer so we left the design up to him.

Kathreen: Details details: Does the zine pay for itself? How much time do you spend on getting each zine to press?

Justine: We photocopied our first issue but after that we purchased a laser jet printer. We get our supplies wholesale which is the only way we can afford to print this quality at home. We have financed every issue via pre-sales, so that we only print for the demand. We have not had to put any money in ourselves, the zine pays for itself. We are going to apply for a grant so that we can at least pay our regular contributors. We do the pagination and Simon designs it all. The minute we release an issue we start the process for the next issue, so three months to get an issue together, that’s working on it most days.

Kathreen: You have had gorgeous covers - do you take submissions or do you commission the covers?

Justine: All the artists that have done the covers have done it for love! We approach people.

Kath: You both have a really great eye for design as well as being entrepreneurs and astute business women - can you tell me a bit about your backgrounds - what did you do before?

Nichola: I’m originally from the UK and moved to Melbourne with my husband and daughter in 2004. I was a pastry chef up until my second daughter came along and now I’m a stay at home mum to three girls who keep me very busy. I took up sewing, crafting and blogging when I arrived in Melbourne and things took off from there!

Justine: I come from a sales/marketing background. I worked in the music industry for a good 10 years.

Kathreen: Can you tell me a bit about the craft movement in Australia?

Justine: You know to be honest I’m not sure about the “craft movement”. I just happen to be following my heart and this is the path it has lead me down. Once I discovered the craft blogworld in 2005 I was hooked. What a bunch of fabulous artist/crafter that merge together and inspire. I realised that there was a market for a zine and we took the plunge and have one up for offer!

Lenny’s nature boats are so gorgeous … He calls them pooh sticks - he beach combs for bits of wood, feather or anything else that appeals and has a loose set of rules for each construction eg. he might only build the boat out of stuff that is within reach when sitting down, or he might restrict the use of tools (usually a penknife).

Such an awesome idea. Link.

..is a boutique social enterprise.

…connects socially isolated nannas and mature-aged ladies through craft, economic participation and social networking.

…designs and manufactures unique handcrafted products for women.

…appreciates and values the skills of mature-aged women and challenges the idea that the older you get the less you have to contribute to society.

…is inter-generational, combining contemporary fresh ideas of young women and the skills and crafting abilities of older women - to create the Biddy Bags designs.

via bloesem - these birdhouses by Tamar Mogendorf - hand-crafted from collaged vintage fabrics, linens, tweeds, and antique embroideries.

from laughing purple goldfish: For months I have been collecting plastic bags and cutting them into strips. Supermarket bags, bread bags, fruit and vegetable bags. Collecting and cutting. Collecting and cutting. Then I spun two strands together, and plied those with another two strands I had spun together. I ended up with two balls of plastic yarn. Much less than I would have anticipated. A little disappointing, but an interesting experiment all the same.

Awesome idea. Link.

The new CRAFTzine is out, and it contains a ‘how-to’ make a bow and arrow by my husband and son. Thats my cutie pie boy featured holding his new bow. Its a great father son weekend project. CRAFTzine the latest issue - has heaps of other great stuff - so check it out online or pick up a copy.

Vintage Vavoom: Romantic Decorating with One-of-a-Kind Finds by The Editors Of Romantic Homes, published by Clarkson Potter (December 31, 2007).

This is a book all about how to create a vintage/romantic style for your home. It includes tips for collecting, displaying and caring for your pieces.

But what really is ‘vintage vavoom’ (apart from a crazy name), its an eclectic style - decorative vintage, romantic, with collections of heirloom objects, vintage linens and crockery, with personal meaning as well. It is an instinctive decorative style - a mix of various eras, that comes together because of the personal meaning underpinning it.

This style is not supposed to be precious, yet obviously there will be treasured items that need looking after. Its a comfortable style - with layers of stories, memories as well as objects and styles. Objects such as vintage linens, faded quilts, an assortment of coloured glassware combined with your collection of animal salt and pepper shakers. It is nostalgic and worn and slightly rumpled.

There is a rather large section of the book taken up with shopping and collecting and getting inspired by shop styling. As well as showcasing shops there are also homes - some of which are more real and practical than others. This style might not be for those with small children running around - with its emphasis on nic-nacks. It is a lovely book, lots of yummy images as well as some practical tips on how to get this look.

Andy Goldsworthy is a British sculptor who makes site-specific installations using natural and found objects to create temporary (and sometimes permanent) sculptures.

Through the careful selection and arrangement of items readily found in nature, Goldsworthy creates installations in the natural environment that last from only a few moments to several years. The tools of his trade are his own two hands; his media are stones, sticks, leaves, sand, feathers, snow, ice, or whatever the natural environment offers him. Fixing his fragile compositions in place are thorns, water, ice, and gravity itself. His results are amazing. from University of Michegan Museum of Art

There is a flickr group dedicated to his work and to others work who have been inspired by him.

Andy Goldsworthy, Woven bamboo, windy…, Before the Mirror 1987

Andy Goldsworthy, Sheepfold MI87, Tilberthwaite Glen, Cumbria, Photographer: Dave Mulligan Picture by nvmdigital.com

was at Yorkshire Sculpture park 31 March 2007 - 6 January 2008 - Cow dung on window

An entry to the Sew Mama Sew tutorial competition, a crochet hook case. Link, via TipNut.

List of winners from the Sew Mama competition.

The natural art and environmental art pools on flickr are a treasure trove of inspiration.

flower squiggle from piperkinsvater flickr user

leaf circle from JRT Pickle flickr user

grass skirt from crows_in_trees flickr user.

to contribute an article, link or story on ephemeral art email whipup (at) gmail.com

by trixie delicious

Eeek cute toadstool tutorial. Link.

Pretty Little Pincushions published by Lark Books (November 1, 2007) is a delightful book. Whimsical and sweet - yet practical too. pincushions are not for nothing after all. But these pincushions do double duty as practical holder of pins and decorative object or plaything (as long as there is no pins in it at the time).

The cover just doesn’t do the book justice - sort of a too cute design (although the project is lovely - just the photography I am complaining about it). The projects inside the book however are pretty much all lovely in their own way. From sweet simply embroidered linen squares by Cassi Griffin (she admits they could do double duty in the nursery), some not so scary zombie pin cushions by Joan K Morris to the very cute little simply shaped ‘pin pals’ plump little cacti stuffies by Toni Weber.

There is a hilarious funky chicken made from a repurposed knitted glove, by Nathalie Mornu, and some googly eyeballs as well as other bottlecap design minis by Jen Seacrest. Amy Karol has contributed a no-sew kitsch pin cushion using vintage teacups as the base. Meg Rooks design, inspired by the cup cake is made from vintage scraps.

I love the fried eggs and bacon by Jen Seacrest, and Cassi Griffins beehive is adorable. There are heaps more adorable projects in here to make use of scraps and to hone some of your skills or find new ones - and lots of room for experimentation.

by using a cookie cutter! Link via Craft:

There’s a blog for the flickr embroidery group.Lots of stuff to check out. Including this post on Sashiko, and here at the Purl Bee for some in depth info.

Indie Fix has a home decor challenge going on - (great prizes - see pic) - all details here.

For some home decor inspiration check out design*sponge before and afters and the sneak peaks

Image 1. Sarah Kramer. Image 2. Robin Lester

Sunday 18 May “A Celebration of Wool” The Old Bus Depot Markets specialist Wool Day: There will be over 40 specialist wool stalls offering products such as hand felted items, designer knitwear, millinery, hand dyed yarns, beanies & socks, exquisite scarves made from silk and wool, weaving, and specialist yarns. Regional Guilds will demonstrate on the day.

Sunday July 13 “Creative Fibre” Textile artists from around the region gather to exhibit and sell their superbly crafted textile and fibre related art pieces. See in action artists and craftspeople who weave, embroider, design and execute knitted garments, block print fabric, create basketry, make lace, hand dye fabrics and yarns, felt homewares and accessories.

Link

Lark Books seeks designers to make unique projects to feature in upcoming how-to publications:

‘The Envelope, Please’ scheduled for release in fall 2009. They are looking for all types of one-of-a-kind envelopes in a wide range of shapes and sizes. Their wish list includes: embellished envelopes; fold-your-own envelopes; envelopes for gift cards, money, CDs, etc.; and non-paper envelopes (Fabric? Plastic? Foil? Think outside the envelope!) They would like some projects to have accompanying cards, but it is not required. Have fun and invent the best dang envelope your mailbox has ever seen. Deadline for Project Proposals: June 2, 2008

Pretty Little Presents, scheduled for release in fall 2009. This book, part of a series of sewing publications, will feature stitched, fabric gifts items no larger than 12” x 12” designed for any age or gender and in the following categories: Bridal, Housewarming, Baby, Hostess and Birthday. They are looking for projects geared to beginner and intermediate sewers that can be made with a sewing machine and readily available fabrics. Beyond that, let your imagination go wild! They would like to see proposals for gift items that are original, pretty, charming, adorable, whimsical, humorous, funky, edgy, or precious. They love embellishments! Proposal Deadline: May 15, 2008

More info on both of these and other projects here (other upcoming book titles include: BEADING WITH METAL BEADS, 500 PLASTIC JEWELRY, FANTASTIC PLASTIC.

SUBMIT a crochet or knitted design for - Yarn Bombing: The Art of Knit Graffiti, to be published by Arsenal Pulp Press in fall 2009. The book will be a DIY guide to the art of yarn graffiti and a history of hand-crafted textile street art, Yarn Bombing will feature patterns such as street-smart disguises, useful wearable tools like gloves and tool belts, street art such as knit car cozies, bike covers and headlight toques, and outdoor installations such as crochet shawls for leafy trees. The sky’s the limit as long as it’s knit or crocheted! Projects should be fun, colorful and a little bit wacky. Designers are asked to submit a sketch and detailed description of their project, along with a brief bio, by the submission deadline of May 30, 2008.

love this image and her work: kimberly scola of her embroideries hanging on her wall.