plush
plush you sign ups
To join in the festivities contact curator, Kristen Rask, at kristen.rask@gmail.com with your name, website info (if any), location and a few images of the kinds of work you do. 150 artists will be selected and then contacted with further information about the show. Each artist will be allowed to submit three pieces for the show.
(info via Pomly)
All submissions will need to be in by Feb 15th 2006.
plush you blog

knitting and crochet
Australia’s fastest knitting and crochet competition - sign up and heat details here

knit knat knit zine - looking for submissions for patterns for women and children’s spring/summer garments and accessories. Deadline for submissions is feb 23

Monster crochet is running a competition to win one of her fab crochet aliens. Entries due 15 March.

misc
artsy craftsy ‘if I could be any animal” submissions due feb 28

Dolls
Art of the doll- pump house - exhibit application info (via Mimi) here

Quilts
The National Wool Museum (Australian) in conjunction with Ozquilt Network Inc. is proud to announce that entries are being sought for Expressions 2006: The Wool Quilt Prize.

For the man in your life - get him a tie I love this screen printed tie from iron on (link via swiss miss). It is a planted heart - they have a whole lot of other planted heart products for men, like wallets and pins and great shirts too.

make a heart tree from felt and and a bit of a stick (see how at ljcfyi) (link via poppy)

jewellery is always a winner - check out pixel girl shop for some really interesting handmade objects - you could organise some cute love heart earings or why not go something a little different - i personally am in love with these glass forest birds pendants, or for the food lover how about a sushi charm bracelet, or bakery necklace.

With the huge success of sign ups for the knitting olympics (over 3000 members - and nicely organised into teams) and starting today - I thought I would explore the world of knit-a-longs. So many to choose from, scarfes, slippers, shawls, socks. There are so many reasons why these knit-a-longs are a wonderful idea - sharing your projects, helping with a difficult pattern, beginners and advanced alike can get help if they run into difficulty - what else? Why do you join craft or knit-a-longs?

Here is a list - by no means have I been able to list all knit-a-longs, if you have one I haven’t listed then feel free to leave a comment to let others know about it. There is a fantastic list of knit-a-longs listed here

mary poppins bag pattern at interweave

sockapalooza - knitting and swapping
project spectrum
branching out knit-a-long - a knitty scarf pattern
ribbed cardi-along - pattern from chic knits
monthly dishcloth knit-a-long
cover your head hat-along
sweaters from camp knit-a-long from this book mentioned on knitty here
knitted babes knit-a-long from this book
sweet mary janes knit-a-long - pattern
hour glass knit-a-long from last minute knitted gifts
sexy knitters club

Peek insided MasonDixon’s new book, on sale march 28 - pre-order a copy this book looks lovely.

Our very own Amy from Angry chicken has started a mail order club - sign up for a subscription now - it included patterns recipes, project ideas and supplies - looks fun too.

knit 1 - blog brought to you by the knit 1 magazine people.

Readymade now have a blog - Our own Claire Robertson is a contributing author.

Vickie Howell host of knitty gritty is asking for crochet submissions for her new book - catwalk crochet, read this post for the scoop and how to submit a pattern or design. (thanks Posie for the link)
new blog craft sanity looks like being good - patterns and pod casts (link via 52 projects)

contests to sign up for:
25/25 - seeking the top Australian 25 visual artists aged <25 - for more info go to noise.net Noise is also seeking artists who collect things … mmm looks interesting
recycled and redefined contest - more info at redefine mag - make sure you read the rules of this competition before entering and understand what you are getting into. (thanks emily for reading the rules a bit closer than I did) - seems that if you enter this competition your artwork becomes their property.
seeking artists for ‘waste not’ competition, exhibition and auction - more info at waste not art

Thanks super crafty for a couple of those links - speaking of super crafty, I want their book. Read a podcast about them here Read more about them on their website. Our very own Betsy Greer teamed up with Torie to discuss ways to enact social change through craft. I have become addicted to Susan Beal’s get crafty blog, where you can find excerpts from the book and lots of tips and ideas.

Support and participate in an indie craft show near you - list of upcoming shows here. And bust has a list of indie craft fairs and festivals.

update:
added a bit later
swap o rama rama: second hand clothing swap and lots lots more in NYC sunday feb 12 (via popgadget)
tree hugger packaging design competition:designers send in a image of something that has been over packaged and tell tree hugger what you would do differently.

juliana pinta de costa’s love heart brooches and decorations are simply luscious.

Another Valentine idea for you scrappers or paper craft people is to make a card or frame a collage or do a valentines layout for your scrap book. This image is from Katie the scrapbook lady, more scrapbooking ideas at two peas and scrap book bites.

Instead of making lovehearts or buying flowers - why not try making a flower corsage or brooch: molly chicken has 3 different styles to choose from complete with tutorials - 1 - 2 - 3.

I often read upset posts on newer craftblogs. Not many comments, low stats, nobody linking you, why bother writing at all? It can be a little discouraging and can even feel like the community is closed to new people. I would like to offer some encouragement and advice on enjoying your site and making the most of it.

First of all, try not to get too caught up in blogging for others. Lisa has started a great meme on why we blog, where you can read what motivates different people. My craftlog grew out of a journal I was using to keep track of my projects for myself, so it helps me to still imagine it that way sometimes. Ultimately, you have to have some other reasons for doing this than the praise and attention of readers, or else you just won’t 1. keep it up and 2. enjoy it.

That said, of course we all want readers and comments and links and the rest. The wonderful community that has built up in the craftblog world is one of the reasons we all love it, and of course you want to be a part of it. So, here are some practical tips for the beginning craftblogger:

Make your weblog attractive and readable.

• Post good content, obviously, where good is very broadly defined. There are lots of subgenres of craftblogs out there, so odds are you will find readers if you do and post what you like (see “why we blog” above).
• You don’t have to be a whiz at web design to make a pretty site. Most of the software and hosts people use these days come with pretty nice defaults that are easy to tweak. Make sure the text is readable and looks OK in different browsers.
• Take the best pictures you can as often as you can. Read your camera’s manual for advice on taking closeups and working in different lighting. thimble just posted a roundup of good tutorials on taking better pictures.
• Make sure your site has an RSS feed (not a problem for most readymade sites since they usually have one already). Sign up for a feedreader like Bloglines and look at your feed to make sure it’s how you want it.
• Post frequency: with feedreaders so common now, it’s not as important anymore that you post a lot, but if you don’t post for 2 weeks, readers might wonder if you’ve abandoned the blog.

Increase your exposure.

• On your site, make a list of your favorite links. Instead of using bookmarks or a feed reader or whatever you normally do to visit these sites, click the links from your page (with any privacy software turned off). If the site linked to has a hit tracker, they’ll be able to see the hits are coming from your site. If you’re lucky, they’ll go investigate who this new site is linking them. I find out about all sorts of blogs through my stats.
• Comment on your favorite sites. Now, I don’t want to encourage spamming people for attention. That’s not nice. But do get over any shyness you might have about commenting on posts you particularly like. The person running the site will probably go to yours to see who you are, and other commenters might visit as well.
• Crosspost your best projects to other craft communities. Livejournal has a bazillion different ones, there’s always Craftster, and you can probably find a forum somewhere for any craft you happen to specialize in. Put your URL as your signature in your user information.
• Participate in a few memes, like Month of Softies, tie one on, or any of the gigantic number of craftalongs going on. Again, don’t do this just to get exposure; do it because you want to participate but maybe haven’t due to shyness or hesitation. A lot of these are through Flickr or a central site where all the participants are linked.

What about those swaps?

• Keep a look out for posts suggesting or hinting that something is up for swap. If you love it, comment or email to see if they’re interested in swapping.
• Craftster has a whole section devoted to themed swaps.
• There are several centrally organized ones like Backtack and Gifty. Some have the bonus of a master list of links too. If you know a swap just ran but you missed it, keep it bookmarked so you can check when it might run again.

Finally, just be patient. I only had hits from my family for craftlog’s entire first year. But I still had fun keeping it!

Feel free to post any other advice in the comments section since I’m sure there are varied opinions on this topic.

Don’t you wish we could all be in LA right now to see Plush Week at Gallery1988? Hundreds of one-of-a-kind handmade plush creatures made by some very creative people, like…

Heidi Kenney

Jenny Harada

Tsai-Fi

Jason Sho Green

From the curators:

“Hand-made plush have been a mainstay at flea markets and craft fairs for years, but it wasn’t until recently that this new generation of artists ushered in a revolution of sorts,” says Katie Cromwell, co-owner/co-curator of Gallery Nineteen Eighty Eight. “This stuffed art is definitely not your mom’s dirty sock monkey. It’s cool and edgy - but most of all, it has character.”

“Stuffed animals are something that everyone remembers from childhood, but there’s a whole other genre of plush out there for those of us who outgrew Care Bears but still love the idea of having artful decorations relaxing on your couch or hanging on the wall,” said Jon M. Gibson, co-curator of PLUSH WEEK!…

“The plush artists we’ve assembled are just as gifted as today’s most popular painters, only their medium involves needles, thread, and a hell of a lot of fabric.”

Before my fabulous current career as a spreadsheet jockey in a cube farm (my version of an actor waiting tables) in a well-respected investment bank, I taught fine art, theory and history from pre-school to grad school. Each day I ran around from educational venue to educational venue blanketing my students and my world with a passionate coverlet of artistic practice and exploration. And I loved it. Age, background, experience had no bearing on how I taught the process of exploration, envisaging, evolution and execution of endeavors creative. In fact, I had a special fondness for teaching those that viewed themselves as non-artists above and beyond those with a penchant for creativity. Often I was told by many of these self-avowed “creative vacuums” that they were unable to draw or create anything and no one would be able to prove them otherwise. Well, this is just the sort of challenge I love and it is my strenuous belief that everyone has the ability to be creative whether gifted with innate talent or not, for as children we are prone to create.

Don’t believe me? Take a young child, oh say age three or four, and put an open pot of paint and a sheet of paper in front of her. Watch the child as she sticks a curious finger into the gooey substance and mushes it about between her fingers. Eventually, paint infused fingers become the brush with which to create images on paper (or any surface for that matter). These images are more impulse than anything else, but nonetheless a powerful predecessor of what is to come for this wee being, the artful child. That is if these impulses are allowed to seed, take root and grow…

What could prevent this artful child from blossoming and in turn transforming into the adult who states vehemently that they are not able to create anything and are unable to learn this practice? In most cases, the hampering of childhood creative discovery is perpetrated upon children of a young age by the unknowing, yet well-intentioned adult companion. It doesn’t take much more than a phrase or gesture to shut down the formerly open senses of a young child in discovery mode.

How can you as a parent or guardian of a young child foster her creative impulse as opposed to stifling it? Do not interrogate the artful child about her creation. Questions such as the examples below usually result at best, in a child defending her creation and at worst feeling inadequate about her personal expression:

“What is that?”

“What is this supposed to be?”

Instead attempt to be inquisitive while simultaneously engaging your child in a dialog that promotes learning and discovery. Try some the invitations to dialog below:

“Tell me about this.”

“Tell me a story about this [painting, sculpture, etc.]?”

You will be amazed by the responses you’ll receive from your child regarding her creative expressions when employing a more open method of dialog. And here’s the best part, you will be preventing a future adult from having to utter this statement, “I cannot draw or create anything and you cannot prove me otherwise.”

Oh yeah? Just watch me!

Finnish design company Marimekko is inspired by beautiful everyday life. They encourage new and bold designers, as well as being committed to social justice and the environment. The first Marimekko collection was launched in 1951, followed by international success in the 60s when Jacqueline Kennedy bought seven Marimekko cotton frocks on a single occasion. The 80’s were an uncertain time for Marimekko with the death of their founder, it picked up again in the 90’s and is again a design force to be reckoned with.

Their fabrics and clothing have been designed over the years by extraordinary artists. While they are committed to Finnish design, they have also had world acclaimed designers from Japan, Europe and America. Their fabrics are known for their timeless stylised designs, abstract and graphic patterns, floral and plant motifs, and fun and bold children’s designs.

Bo Boo, by the Japanese designer Katsuji Wakisaka, has brought joy to children all over the world since 1975.

Anna Danielsson says of her designs “This work actually involves a continuous search for inspiration. The essential thing is to remain open to one’s surroundings. “

Fujiwo Ishimoto finds his main source of inspiration in nature and its aspects in different seasons. He describes himself “I am quite quiet. I don’t want to make a fuss about myself. But that doesn’t mean I’m an ascetic looking for some blissful void. On the contrary, I want to see life and joy around me. I’m sociable in the sense that in the company of others I discover myself and things about me in the best way.”

Marimekko available here and here don’t forget to do a search on Ebay for vintage Marimekko.
website here

more valentines day ideas - ways to make something special for your loved ones.

“nothing says love like cleaning supplies” I totally agree, why not whip up a dishcloth with a love heart motif just like this one. and just like Natalie wrap it up with a little bottle of special dishsoap, and maybe some little scrubbing brushes.

love heart dishcloth
tunisian dishcloth
circular dishcloth

Update: Amy just sent me a link to the valentines dishclothes she has been knitting - and the actual pattern of the one pictured - thanks Amy.

Don’t forget to cook up something special too. Nothing says love like pink pasta (from delicious days), and how about a little treat of shortbread lovehearts in lemon curd (from brownie points)

Of course we will forgive you if you choose instead to purchase something, as long as it is truly indulgent, and eco friendly, I suggest cocoa vino organic chocolate and wine, (link via treehugger). You could also try buying handmade - check out etsy for some great ideas.

Don’t forget you can incorporate “a month of softies” february theme into your gift “a heart shaped box”

Words isn’t my “medium” so I’ll let the pictures speak :)

Hello, I’m Amanda, quite thrilled and honored to be a part of Whip Up. I’ll be writing about creating with and for children, and sharing thoughts on maintaining a creative life while parenting.

I recently started a daily “drawing time” at our house. Much of our day is spent crafting or making art, but it’s usually of the fun, wild and crazy, messy variety. Drawing time is a bit different. It’s given me some time to sketch out crafting ideas and do some handwriting, and for the kids to see and be a part of the whole process in action. A few tips to get you started on your own family drawing time:
Be prepared. I set everything up on the table before we start, and make sure everyone is well fed and otherwise ready to sit for a while. Eliminate as many distractions as you can (turn off the phone, etc).
Use a special drawing book for each person. This is different from the regular notebooks or paper we use at other times. Who doesn’t love a cool drawing book?
Gather inspiration. In the center of the table, I put nature field guides–trees, flowers, insects–anything, and direct them (and myself) there when needing ideas.
Limit conversation. Obviously, this varies depending on age and the mood of the moment.
Work together–but alone. This isn’t the time for me to draw a lion for someone else at the table (that’s what we do the other 23 hours a day), it’s about each person doing their own thing. For themselves.
Use cool stuff. Seriously, don’t you love drawing with the ‘good’ supplies? So do kids. Spurlge on the quality art supplies–it’s so worth it.
Be flexible. Perhaps the most important tip. If it isn’t working in the moment, let it go. Try again later. The creativity will flow much more when everyone is happy.

Have fun!

At a friends house for dinner recently they had the lava lamp going….you know where I’m going with this don’t you. Yep, I was telling them that I was off to search lava lamp how-to’s! “Can’t be that hard….” I believe were my parting words.

I’ve categorised this post under techniques - extreme, because I think I’ve finally found something that I’d like to make, but could be just beyond my craftiness and potential death is not something I usually have to consider when making something! The reason a lot of us craft is the desire to give a handmade gift to our loved ones and there’s the added obvious thrifty factor that also drives us. We know that handmade gifts are so much more heartfelt than store bought…well, I’d never say no to one of Tom Dixon’s Jack lights.

My point? Yes I could make a lava lamp, however I think this is one project I’ll skip. I was never that great at science and when I started the research for this post, I came across terms like “hydrophobic solvent” and “immiscible fluids”. Then I read that it would probably be cheaper to buy one than to make one and that success isn’t always guaranteed. So, I finally caved and decided that this is one craft I don’t need to try.

Interestingly the “lava” is mineral oil, the liquid around the lava is rubbing alcohol (this is my very simple explanation, see links below for more detail).

Deadly lava lamp
What the Wikipedia has to say
Flickr tag, Flickr group
Excellent resource, Oozing Goo, including formulas, the myth of creation
Another recipe here
The modern day lava, not as nice in my opinion
Ebay vintage

If anyone reading this does make or has made one please do comment! Would love to hear about your experience.

Crafts council UK ‘knit 2 together‘ exhibition is a celebration of the art of knitting and how it is used in contemporary art practice. “It celebrates knitting as an end in itself, without the usual need or expectation to produce something with a practical function. When we think of knitting our mental picture generally is of a garment, a jumper, scarf or sock, but this exhibition subverts that expectation and broadens horizons.”

The exhibition includes “knitted interiors, intricately structured textiles, narrative hangings, knitting by chance and French-knitted flowers, Knit 2 Together illustrates the many faces of the art of looping fibres together.”

The exhibition can be caught until the 18 of Feb at the Oriel Davies Gallery, which is in Newtown, Powys in the beautiful Severn Valley area of the Welsh Borders. Entry is free.
If anyone has seen the exhibition I would love your thoughts.

If, like me, you missed the show, you can visit many of the partipating artists online.
Janet Morton, Canada - Domestic Interiors - Found, collected and altered furniture and appliances, recycled sweaters, wool, thread.
Takehiko Sanada, Japan - Sheep No 8 - Fleece, hand knitted
Stephanie Speight, USA - In the Beginning was the Word - Book pages, knitting needles and chair, hand knitted - article at Knitty by textile artist Larissa Brown
Donna Wilson, UK - Picknit - Lambswool, polyester stuffing, machine knitted
Susie MacMurray, UK - Maidenhair - Human hair, French knitted

Some great ideas out there in the crafty online world - so with only a week or so till Valentines day - I say make something, ditch the commercial teddies with lovehearts, and don’t spend stupid amounts on flowers and chocolates, that you grabbed on your way home from work.

Instead I suggest (and I hope some men are reading this too) you make something from your heart, do something sweet and meaningful. Bake cakes (mmm these look good), organise the best breakfast ever (heres a fun idea), and sew, knit and glue up a storm.

And don’t forget the kids, encourage the little ones and not so little ones to make something special for someone special.
Martha stewart has some great ideas for paper flowers and cupcake cards.

images: sweetheart pops at martha stewart, love brooches by planeta hilda

more good valentines ideas to come….

With a new Sockapalooza starting, and various other sock related posts going up around the place, I thought I’d share a recent find with you. The link comes via a lovely new blog Suzanne’s blog that I only came across because I wanted to see who was reading my blog from Lichtenstein, but am so glad I did go looking! Suzanne linked to Claudia’s site - Rohrspatz and Wollmeise which is full of hand dyed yarns, with some particularly nice choices in sock yarns. Claudia’s site doesn’t have pictures yet, but if the wonderful vibrancy and colourways shown in Suzanne’s photo above are anything to go by, her colourways must all be fabulous. I’m in the process of placing my order….needless to say.

merwing always posts cool stuff, including fantastic embroideries, felt stuffies (I particularly love her owls), and her recent bright idea of using a ruler as a trinket shelf. If forced to choose my favorite thing she’s made, though, I have to go with this frogboy embroidery. It reminds me of those old comic book ads for Sea Monkeys.

These sweet multi-media works are by Toronto artist Heidi Jahnke, and are on exhibit at the c1 gallery this month. From the gallery site:

Small Delights is Heidi Jahnke’s newest body of mixed media work that consists of a quirky collection of constructed boxes portraying playful imagery of animals involved in their own miniature, fantastical worlds. Many of the pieces contain unexpected bits of text that give clues to the humourous narratives Jahnke has chosen to express, while her distinct colours support her devotion to childhood nostalgia.

I found this exhibit at Toronto Craft Alert, a cool, brand new website and newsletter all about Toronto crafty events and resources. If you live in the area you must check it out, and even if you don’t live anywhere near Toronto, you could still take a peek to learn about the thriving arts and crafts scene here!

Otsu is a vegan boutique in the San Francisco’s Mission District. Otsu (meaning strange; quaint; stylish; chic; spicy; witty; tasty; romantic) is dedicated to providing hard-to-find, high-quality, fairly-made vegan items including shoes, belts, wallets and bags. Otsu has a line called little Otsu, where they collaborate with artists and designers to create print products, with an emphasis on unique works that are valued for their artistry, functionality, and use of recycled and alternative materials. Submissions are now open if you are an artist and interested in submitting your work for consideration.
The image is panda card designed by Lart Cognac Berliner more info here (link via treehugger)

Next months theme for the tie-one-on is the mapron. Very excited about this challenge. What is a mapron you ask? Mens apron - tool belt/gardening belt style apron - so get cracking!

Amy has done such a great job getting the gallery up for last months challenge “apron from clothes”. Some fantastic recycled creations (image is Hilary’s from wee wonderfuls). Others from the stylish to the sassy to the just plain cool.