Is there something in the water? Or perhaps the coffee?

Lately I’ve heard a whisper of malaise and confusion amongst my art friends, friends who were once strong and proud, who are starting to lose their bearings, become uncomfortable and have lost the path. This is something different than being uninspired…it’s more like being adrift.

But the truth is, there is no path. It’s up to you to make it. This path is not something you can premeditate. It’s what unfolds before you once you realize your strength. I’m posting this here because to me this truly resonates with the spirit of art and craft.

We are more than artists and makers and crafters. We are adventurers.

Whenever I feel unsure, I go back to one of my favorite books and the quote at the beginning. Here’s the introduction that never fails to inspire me from Off the Map:

This is what it means to be an adventurer in our day: to give up creature comforts of the mind, to realize possibilities of imagination. Because everything around us says no you cannot do this, you cannot live without that, nothing is useful unless it’s in service to money, to gain, to stability.

The adventurer gives in to tides of chaos, trusts the world to support her- and in doing so turns her back on the fear and obedience she has been taught. she rejects the indoctrination of impossibility.

My adventure is a struggle for freedom.

Check out the new arts and crafts community hub

Check out - CRAFT: Valentine’s Day Card Contest

Gorgeous distinguished elegant egg, at while she naps.

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall :
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall :
All the kings horses and all the kings men :
couldn’t put Humpty together again.

[Humpty Dumpty was the name of a canon in the 1640's in England, that fell when the brick wall it was on collapsed and it could not be resurrected by the army. Read all about it at wikipedia.]

I was really interested to read that Florence, an Australian artist, has been commissioned to make toys for the Queensland Government education department. The toys, called travel buddies, will travel visiting schools and libraries, working with students to explore their local community. Each Travel Buddy comes with a diary and a digital camera and the kids will keep a blog of the Travel Buddies activities.

Each toy is approx 50cm tall, fully lined and reinforced, and takes Florence 2 weeks to construct three, and that’s working all the time, altogether she is making 30 of the toys.

Block for MS - make a red black and white quilt block for a quilt to be auctioned on Ebay - (proceeds going to MS research I presume?) - more information can be found on Amitie textiles. Thank you Justine for the link.

enqi sent in a link to her blog and website where she refashions old stuff into new (image is one of her creations.)

Candace sent in a link to her new crafting blog crafty daisies where she posts tutorials - check out this last minute gift felt penguin tutorial.

Carly from peeling a pomegranite sent in a link to the wool pedler - recycled silk yarn store.

Maize projects has a pattern for a Matryoshka Doll

and this letter from Cindy:

I’m trying to find a contact/website for doll artist who makes the most enchanting dolls. If there’s a way to find her through her flickr photos, I haven’t been able to figure it out. Her name is Elina Aulikki of Holland, and she has Steiner style dolls to die for. Can you help me? Thanks, Cindy

Oh isn’t this adorable - tutorial at craftster

Lov.li - a new crafty social network: a community of people who make art, crafts and handmade products, combining a social network, gallery and store.

Esther sent in a link to her shop mokka where she makes unique bags from vintage textiles. (image is from her website)

Katie sends in an invitation to readers to design a hooky mat read all about it here

and this lovely letter from Eileen & Volker from Atworth, North Wiltshire who want to tell us about their Farm Yarn.

We have kept a few alpacas for 2 years now… but we not only keep them, directly after our first fleece harvesting, we send them to specialist mill, to produce a yarn that has been made entirely in Britain - and in 100% natural colours. - this is how the name developed.

Up till now we have only offered our yarn to local knitters, now we have put together a little website and we would like to introduce ourselves to other knitters. We ask knitters only politely, if they would like to visit our website. And if they like our work and products, we would be very happy if we would be recommended to their friends, or just enjoy visiting our website. The website tries to educate a little bit about alpacas and their fibre.

Judi from Ask the Crafter sent in a link to making appliques.

Wendy from Sunshine creations sent in this Valentines day yo-yo making challenge

And an introduction to a new blogSkip to my lou. Some great tutorials and crafty ideas such as this paper box/bag trinket container.

Caro at Splityarn has been at it again, this time for the DIY Network. I remember years ago seeing her finished bucket and wondering if she’d make a tutorial and she finally has! ;)

Check it out here. Great idea for recycling old jeans into a very nifty crafty bucket.

Lots more projects to check out at DIY here

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One of my favourite design blogs is Oh Joy! always something gorgeous and often some fabulous handmade finds can be found there. Recently on Oh Joy! the new project 3191 a year of mornings from favourite artist bloggers Mav and Steph was highlighted. The syncronicity in the imagery is just incredible, both talented women who have a great eye for simple everyday beauty.

Other posts I enjoyed and wonderful handmade finds include Variegated: embroidered butterflies on Etsy, rose and radish storefront display, and cool artist alert Justine Smith who makes collages and cut paper sculptures.

Our charity Exhibition “Lovely Hearts” is filling up with a lovely diverse grouping of entries! Rug hooking, photography,felting, wire sculpture, quilting, paintings, encaustic, mixed media, jewelry, pottery, raku and soft sculptures are just some of the media which we have already received. Entires have poured in from all across the USA, France, Australia, UK, Germany, and Canada! There is still a week to enter - so jump on in if you have a “love” (and all it’s aspects”) related artwork in the house. Forms and rules are here at artstream. The work is available to view in the gallery, our online shop and previews at our flickrand artesprit. We are looking forward to this opening, meeting so many new artists and sending a big check to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

This Irish blog about a families relocation to the country and their journey to rediscover nature and get back to basics has me hooked. I love the felting tutorial here, and the living willow house sculpture (see image above) has me so very jealous (can I do that in Australia?), and the hares - love the shabby dear hares.

Yep you heard it. One year of whipup, hasn’t it been a blast?

To celebrate I want to give something back to you guys. (A forum - but more on that later), and a new look banner. Prizes are sponsored by Princeton Architectural Press, who is donating a couple of packs of quality design books for the winner and runner up. The winning design will be used as the whipup banner for at least 6 months and possibly 1 year. Elements of the banner may also be used in badges and buttons etc for the whipup site. The runner up banner may also be used in some capacity as well, either for part of the year or for a different segment of the site.

Check out all the details including deadlines, design parameters and the great prizes.

apartment therapy has a cool tutorial for industrial felt sliding doors. Best of all, they list several suppliers of that hard-to-find thick felt: Sutherland Felt, Southeastern Felt, Central Shippee, and Aetna Felt.

Another sourcing tip I got from Doll is to search art stores/sites for “press cushions” (for example from Dick Blick). I’ve also found it at craft stores in Europe and Japan.

Whiptips craft advice column for readers to ask questions or offer advice by leaving comments. Whiptips archive here. Questions to whiptips@gmail.com.

Jennifer writes in asking:

How do you sew felted wools (say from an old sweater) on a sewing machine? Is a special needle needed? Do I need to do something with the tension? All I ever end up with are broken needles.

I love the blog bloody crafts - always something original and fun going on over there. This bunny garland made out of lolly/candy wrappers is so cute. (also love these placemats made recently too).

Inspireco eyecandy box

There’s something both clever and delicious about this Valentine box of treats for the creative soul, with buttons and bobbles, ricrac and ribbons.

Swaps: you’re too late for this Valentine ATC (artist trading card) swap , but the Flickr group pool is sure to give you ideas. A different Valentine ATC swap closes soon, and also has a Flickr group pool. Check back on the pools closer to Valentine’s Day to see more images as people complete and upload their work. The Red Velvet Girls are running a Valentine card scrap swap, closing soon.

Some beeswax primitive angel busts with script paper wings can be seen here.

A colourful heart art quilt by Chrissy Sheed, blogged by Erica at Creative Dabbling.

If you’ve got favourite Valentine craft inspiration links or ideas, please feel free to post them in the comments.

Necklace, ribbon, silver…

Necklace Zeebauw, 2002, silver, ribbon, zinc and shells…

I first saw Lucy Sarneels beautiful jewellery work a few years ago when I was attending a seminar on narrative jewellery. It was the Zeebauw necklace that was shown in the slide-display…and I still, to this day, have the quick sketch I did of it to remind me to look it up.

Lucy Sarneel was born in Maastricht, Netherlands and studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam and in Maastrichts Stadsakademie itself…you can read more about her career and education here. What instantly grabbed me about Sarneels work was the varied {and successful} use of materials…how she combines a variety of them in such an apparently effortless and beautiful way. Mixed media jewellery is amongst some of the hardest type of work to do well - there are so many challenges inherent within each of the processes and materials themselves, how to marry them successfully and make them work as a whole etc…something that Sarneel does expertly. I felt there was a strong link {in her fabric neckpieces} to national dress, folk art and textile histories….I love seeing these combined with personal touches like the found shells, and beautifully constructed metal elements like the foliage…

See more of Lucy’s work at Galerie Marzee and at Klimt 02 art gallery….there you will find many more beautiful pieces of her work to browse.

excellent book tutorial at instructables

Instructables has a great tutorial on making your own screen and then printing from it at home