Holiday wreath making at Julie re
pretty pink scrap fabric wreath at nest decorating
betz white - felted sweater wreath [via craft] with tutorial
recycled wool scrap wreath [also via craft] at swallow field.
Check out Toronto’s sew by the hour space [via Tim blogto] called the workroom it costs $7 for an hour of sewing - really great idea - a space to connect with like minded folk and to try out new crafts without outlaying a lot of money upfront.
Check out Grace’s blogger gift guide - some fab ideas by some fab bloggers (yep me included!)
Expose yourself in Dunlaoghaire! On Thursday, December 13th at 7pm, Karen Harper, founder of the Irish Craft Association is going to expose many local artists and open Expose yourself Gallery. Over 20 artists and photographers will be displaying their work on the 3rd Floor of the newly refurbished Dunlaoghaiore Shopping Centre. To keep in the Christmas spirit they will be running a children’s colouring competition of Santa in his pajamas. There are five age groups and great prizes for each level. To open the experience to others, the competition will be coloured in a variety of different mediums, and the prizes are hampers of art materials for the budding artists. A gallery of all entries will be on display. Irish craft update | Irish craft association
New York newspaper Newsday has a crafts blog - check it out - cheap thrills
PoppyTalkHandmade - a sneak peek at the next three market’s themes and submissions deadlines! Each month will have a different theme to highlight seasonal appropriate handmade goods. January 7 - February 8, 2008 - Love Transforms, A Valentine’s and Wedding Market, (Submissions Deadline - Dec. 21/07) | February 11 - March 8, 2008 - Peeps & Hoppity-Pop! An Easter and Spring Market, (Submissions Deadline - Jan. 21/08) | March 10 - April 11, 2008 - Green Pop! An Eco-Minded and Green Market, (Submissions Deadline - Feb. 21/08)
check out new craft/indie design blog Indie Parade - a photo blog featuring handmade items from all over the web.
check out the ReadyMade Gift Guide, which is very sweetly designed to replicate a Holiday advent calendar.
Nancy Crow workshops - Sally Melville: A Knitting Experience workshop May 19-23, 2008 - This 5-day workshop will explore the choices, decisions, and techniques of a typical knitting experience. | Crow Timber Frame Barn: Treat yourself to a creative workshop in a rural, peaceful setting. Stimulating classes are being offered in a beautifully restored timber frame barn on Nancy Crow’s 90-acre farm in Central Ohio.
amandajean is hosting a 12 week quilt a long - each week for 12 weeks she will post instructions on how to make a different quilt block and at the end of the 12 weeks you will have enough quilt blocks to make a quilt top
check out inventors spot - a website focused on writing about the newest inventions and innovations - post on Newspapers Make for Good Yarn
Shelly Hattan has started a new blog called “Children’s Lit ‘n Knit“. The idea behind it is to handknit (or crochet) a toy and pair it with a book - lovely idea check it out.
Hey all, we at whipup have put together a list of our favourite handmade holiday crafts.
Make some Moonstitches’ zakka owls for hanging around the house
[Zakka Style Owl Pennant]
And Hillary Lang’s Patterns for everyone!
[Peppermint Fairy Stitchette + Mr. and Mrs. Gnome]
make the stacking christmas tree - pattern from the small object [also love the santa sled and fabric garland]
sewing up some handmade blank books courtesy of angry chicken
for knitters a quick last minute garter stitch mitten pattern from Ysolda
we love the santa luccia dolls tutorial over at posie gets cozy [also check out this apple doll head tutorial]
crafty pod is into making gingerbread houses listen and learn
we love the button tree from mama and jack
and craft has some links to cool star wars crafts
Party dress cards from flymissy [if you want to make snowflakes there is a great online tutorial]
embroidered felt and stamped calico - they are clove and frankincense scented ornaments from goldtop
salt dough ornaments tutorial at montessori by hand - crafting with children [check out this tutorial on salt dough ornament making and cinnamon clay ornaments and we love this natural heart shaped wreath]
snowflake sewing cards by goldtop
for those not celebrating - I love the bah-humbug cross stitch doily from Janed on flickr
Hey all, we at whipup have put together a list of our favourite handmade goodies and gifts for the coming holiday gift giving season [for your crafty gal friends we love the starlets of craft calendar 2008 to keep you inspired]
Kup Kup Land, am always too slow to pick up a piece for myself!
Kup Kup Land
Simple, pure ceramics, the nicest being wrapped in knitting by Ruth Cross
[Linda Bloomfield]
Gina B for handmade silk buttons based on historical examples, perfect presents for a crafter!
[Gina B Silkwork]
Skinny Laminx hand-printed tea-towels. Wonderfully decorative, as well as practical, these will work well for anyone from Domestic-Goddess girlfriends to Grannies….they also make a wonderful bit of art work when framed! I will be stocking up on these for many of my nearest and dearest!
[Skinny Laminx] {below left}
Jennifer makes the most exquisite paper shoes and dresses. [email Jennifer with your inquiries]
[Jennifer Collier] {below right}
Beautiful prints and original art by Mhari McMullen. A brilliant way to give a totally unique and affordable gift that is sure to go down well….these would look amazing clustered together in mis-matched ornate thrifted frames, in keeping with their vintagey aesthetic.
[Mhari McMullen] [we also love these pretty prints for your wall from etui-etui.com, make your walls happy! {below left}
Fabulous printed textiles and totes from Showpony - I love that these are printed on Organic cotton and are a brilliant 'green' gift for the environmentally conscious people in your life. In this season of shopping [and shopping bags!] everyone should be encouraged to invest in one carry-all bag they can use again and again….
[Showpony] [we also love the adorable owl printed bags from modern radar] {below right}
Wonderfully creative gifts for Children [or grownups] from Skullknocker.
[Skullknocker]
a great one stop shop for all sorts of wonderful and quirky gifts - from jewellery to tees, to your Christmas cards and tags - you will find it here, courtesy of talented artist and designer Lisa Solomon.
[Underdog Ink] [Everytime we see the work of happy owl glassworks at a craft fair it
makes us happy, but then again, we do have a love affair with all things owl and pendant related.Happy Owl glassworks
Felt dolls and brooches from Eloole:
[Eloole]
This brooch - a collaboration between Ana ventura+ Abigail Percy:
["flowers on my mind" brooch]
Sandra Robledo + Lyndie Dorthe: spanish designers
[collar negro @ jugando con hilos]
chartreuse nugget from smallstump:
[small stump]
This Wooden Puzzle of a Charming Country Boy with his Bold Black & White Chickens
[Mari Maki Rae]
These are hand-crocheted wrist gloves to keep your hands and arms warm when you don’t want to wear finger mittens. Great for guys or girls. They are crocheted with a single strand of grey yarn to create a fine, small stitch that isn’t too thick.
[NataJane]
The Market Bag is made from corduroy and lined in cordura of a lighter shade of burnt red.
[Moop] {below left}
Temporary bouquet - Circles of mulberry paper with watercolor, tea, silkscreen, beeswax. Circles are stitched around their edges and attached with silver and gold safety pins. Would look striking in a shadow box frame.
[Michelle Moode] {below right}
For myself, I’d love to get one of Blissen’s wallet (and stuff some money in it!)
[Blissen] [we also love the pinwheel flower necklace from blissen] [and keep your thoughts in one place with a lovely handmade journal from if'n books]
mohair and ribbon bag from memake on etsy
We love these fuzzy pear ornaments from myfinn [speaking of pears forget having a tomato to hold your sewing needles...grab a pear from
thisisloveforever.com!]
anything from gooseflesh is gorgeous but these flotsam bracelets are particularly lovely
We love everything at flying star toys but theIshmael whales are too adorable. [we also love soto softies for their cute bunnies]
Neck Warmin Helmet Set -Daddy Monkey Baby Monkey from glitz concepts
rosar pomar baby slings - are these not absolutely gorgeous!
We love Mimi’s adorable fat cats {below left}
owls from planeta hilda - email her for information on how to purchase {below right}
stunning shibori pleated pieces from Tinctory
[via Etsy Tinctory]
rosie music beautifully illustrated printed on heavy weight cotton textured paper, light pistaccio green colored.
illustrated calendar by cindy jaswal Printed on 100% recycled heavy card stock.
doomsday love calendar - put some fun into 2008 - This printed wall calendar is 8 1/2″ X 6 3/4″ (folds out to 13 1/2″). It’s lavishly illustrated and includes more holidays than contemporary convention allows. Includes all twelve months, including December, at no extra charge! The 2008 Doomsday Love Calendar takes a sober look at love and relationships.
subtle letterpress design from moon tree press
What you need:
First find a design - you could interpret/trace a children’s drawing or draw a simple cartoon character.
Freezer paper Freezer Paper is a plastic-coated Kraft paper used for wrapping foods for freezing and for general household purposes. The paper gives the product strength and durability as well as an easy-to-write-on surface, while the plastic coating provides a barrier to air and moisture [more about freezer paper stencils on the craftster blog, freezer paper is often used in quilting - find out more here and here, check out the freezer paper stencil group at flickr, and where do you get freezer paper - sources include wholesale butchers if you want to purchase huge rolls of the stuff or try the supermarket]
Iron | Fabric paint | Cardboard | Sponges | plain T-shirt | Scalpel or other cutter | Cutting mat | Sticky tape | Scissors | Ice cream lid or plastic plate
Click on image to enlarge
About the designer: Kate doesn’t have a website, she wishes she had the time, she has a very
active 16 month old daughter who is constantly into everything and has only just started sleeping for more than 45 minutes in the day! However you can check out her flickr site with photos of her crafty endeavours.
With the holiday season around the corner - I have put together a list of some books that I would love to get in my stocking and I know will not disappoint. Books here for boys and dads, for the little kids and bigger kids, for friends and parents and for you too.
I recently received a book which I have decided is going to be invaluable in helping me on this new journey to upgrade both my skills and my equipment. Encyclopedia of Sewing Machine Techniques
Could You? Would You?
The Boy Mechanic Makes Toys: 159 Games, Toys, Tricks, and Other Amusements (So Many Projects, Not Enough Time) (Paperback) by The Editors of Popular Mechanics, published by Hearst (June 1, 2007). This is an adventurous child’s dream book. Originally published in the early 1900’s it is part of a larger series of Boy Mechanic books. [read the review here]
Taking Things Seriously: 75 Objects with Unexpected Significance
The Daring Book for Girls
How to Make Books: Fold, Cut & Stitch Your Way to a One-of-a-Kind Book
D.I.Y. Kids, Ellen Lupton & Julia Lupton, published by Princeton Architectural Press (website for the book and old blog). The sequel to D.I.Y.: Design It Yourself (Design Handbooks)
by Keri Smith called The Guerrilla Art Kit, published by Princeton Architectural Press. Keri in her book looks as moss art and guerrilla gardening as well as stencil art and poster art. And in her introduction, discusses why she wrote such a book and how essential guerrilla art is to our society. (read more here)
Domiknitrix: whip your knitting into shape, by Jennifer stafford, published by North Light Books. I have to start off by saying - that I LOVE THIS BOOK. On the surface it looks like it might be just another gimmicky book. But it is not. It is a fantastic resource of knitting techniques, styles and designs. (read the whole review here)
Animal, vegetable, miracle: A year of food life, by Barbara Kingsolver, with Steven L.Hopp and Camille Kingsolver. Published by Harper Collins. A year of food life by Barbara Kingsolver and with contributions by her husband and older daughter, with her younger daughter also playing a big part in the story. This as you can see is a family adventure into living courageously. Together they pledge to eat only food that they either grow themselves or know who did (with exceptions, such as coffee, purchasing only fair trade). (read the whole review here)
Simple sewing: Patterns and how-to for 24 fresh and easy projects, by Lotta Jansdotter, published by Chronicle books. I like this book a lot. It is fresh and simple, just as the title suggests, with projects suitable for the absolute beginner sewer and as a quick in-between project for the more advanced sewer. (read the whole review here)
Beginning spinners make it their goal to produce fine, even, predictable yarns which make for lovely knitting, crocheting or weaving. Many spinners talk about the calming, meditative effects of their craft, and while there is lots of opportunity for creativity with color and texture, certain spinners take it to another level completely by incorporating found objects, hand felted elements, beads, charms and anything else they dream up. Witness the work of Yarn Punk: Spring Eternal and Gnome Yarn below
Vitreous Humor by Insubordiknit:
Stoneleafmoon offers a tutorial on making your own creative batts for this type of spinning (drum carder required):
And Pluckyfluff offers her yarns for sale, has written a book on creative spinning, and teaches workshops on extreme spinning (spinning wheel and basic spinning abilities required): Lost in Adorable below:
On her very inspirational blog, she has come up with themed challenges (the latest one was “sniff and spin”) to involve other spinners; quite fascinating to compare the various interpretations.
The Yarn Museum is a great place for inspiration as well…now, what does one make to do justice to these unique yarns?
I am over the moon giddy in love with my new Herringbone Mittens. The pattern is from the delightful Elliphantom and these puppies are pure genius! I’ve never encountered this thumb construction before, but I have to tell you that these are the comfiest and most natural fitting mittens I’ve ever made. Anny purls
splityarn a quick Alpaca Neckwarmer. I think this one took longer to block than it did to knit. Speedy! Pattern: Yarn Abuse’s Cashmere Neckwarmer
Yarn: One skein of Elsebeth Lavold Chunky AL. 50% Alpaca, 50% Wool
dogged knits these slippers are a repeat of my Log Cabin Socks, knit slightly larger and lightly fulled (via a wash cycle–a dangerous little game to play, but it worked out) into slipper density. Pattern: Log Cabin Socks from Handknit Holidays. Mods: Knit the larger size, but using the length directions for the smaller size; added Fibertrends slipper soles using orange pearl cotton and blanket stitch.
knitting iris “Button Up Socks: Just for the fun of it!”,designed by a “local” woman was given to me by a friend for my birthday and turned out to be as the name indicated, a fun knit.
tres chic veronique Pattern: Ruffled Jacket (#44), by James Coviello, from the Fall 2007 Vogue Knitting magazine - with lots of mods - corrections for chart for back has been posted on ravelry.
rachel liufer - original pattern - robin’s egg blue hat
“Transport Pillow” by Feed Dog
Glittergoods has been on a quilted pillow kick lately.
Lovely wool tied quilt started in Grandma’s stash and finished by Redheaded Snip It
Lady Harvatine calls this “Audio 1,” inspired by the random zig zags of audio waves
Luckybeans made this red, white, and blue quilt for a lucky cousin’s baby girl
Mr. Monkeysuit found a place for all those Japanese fairy tale prints and other juvenile/novelty fabrics she’s been collecting.
Ruched made a black/white/green/blue quilt inspired by this quilt by Yarnstorm
A month or so ago Pink Chalk Studio released patterns for Anna Banana, a collection of four designs for the table. Lovely!
By Small Means has finished some fabulous white-backgrounded scrappy quilts lately - this is just one of them
You know how you tend to gift the things you make, and you realize you and your family are the last to benefit from your crafty talents? Tree Fall was happy to finally complete a superpink quilt — and her daughter adores it.
And Wise Craft made a “boy version” quilt for her son after her daughter got a girl version of the easy lap quilt from Amy Karol’s Bend-the-Rules Sewing book.
When you grow up under the earthy shadow of a Hippie mother who likes to eat raw tofu and give you sage tea instead of taking you to the doctor when you’re sick as a child it can seem like the benefits of such an upbringing are few. When I left home at the tender age of seventeen I didn’t remember the sage tea fondly, it always made me want to gag. I tended to focus on the pot growing in my parents window that the neighbors recognized and reported to the police. I remembered the plethora of unshaved armpits coming in and out of my house. I vowed to myself that I was an urban chick in boots and I would be damned if anyone would ever call me “earthy”
However, when I was nineteen I got my first apartment without room mates. I was working as the shipping manager at a clothing company in the mission district of San Francisco and my hours were long and hard. Not having room mates was great. I wasn’t interested in going to night clubs anymore or hanging out in hip bars. I preferred staying home and recovering from my long work days in the peace and quiet of my very first solo apartment, never mind the cockroaches and the sleazy lobby in which bums would congregate.
It was in this apartment of mine that I found out how impossible it is to sever ourselves from our parents, our past, and our roots. I found myself drawn to the bulk herb sections in the health food stores I sometimes shopped at. Those sections smelled good and seemed to overflow with possibilities. Without meaning to, I bought myself an herbal book with recipes for things like shampoos and lotions. Without meaning to I bought myself a little enameled pan in which to make decoctions. I told myself I wasn’t anything like my mother because I was wearing Doc Martens and 1940’s slips as dresses. I convinced myself that I wasn’t an “earth-mamma” because I listened to Kate Bush while making my potions.
The truth is, I secretly wanted to become my own apothecary. I wanted to have shelves filled with herbs and powders. I’ve never stopped believing that modern medicine has it’s place in my life. I haven’t ever felt that natural herbs can cure everything that ails us, as my mom did when I was growing up. I believe that we need both. Now that I am much older, my mom and I like to do a lot of things together that I never imagined would be so much fun.
My mom, some years ago, got a certificate in herbology and shares her knowledge with me. She can make salves, tinctures, decoctions, and knows which plants to include in a medicinal herb garden. So when I starting talking to her about being able to make my own bath products and using essential oils to scent them she was very excited. We made several trips to the bookstore and got ourselves some good books on aromatherapy and on making homemade cosmetics.
Mixing your own scent using pure essential oils is really satisfying. You can make scents that improve your mood, calm you down, help you relax, or just make you smell really damn good. Playing with little bottles of scent is like being your own perfumier. One of my favorite bath products is bath salts. I like them strongly scented and in pretty containers. Although I would like to be able to make my own lotions eventually, bath salts are a great place to get your apothecary feet wet; to explore essential oils and scent combinations. They are easy to scent and to present in pretty packaging. They aren’t very expensive either, which means that they make fantastic gifts for all the people you know who love some luxury bath items.
I would like to share my favorite bath salt recipe (it’s my own) and to give you a couple of ideas on how to present them. You need to start with salts which you can find in herbal shops (sometimes health food stores will stock bulk beauty items near their herb section) or you can find many sources for them online. I like to make a mixture of 50% Epsom salts to 50% Dead Sea salts. The Epsom salts are especially good for relaxing muscles and the sea salts are most noted for the trace minerals that help soften and nourish your skin. I have found coarse Epsom salts are great, though often it is offered in a super fine form. Either kind will work. You can use just one or the other if you prefer.
My favorite scent mixture (right now) is pink grapefruit and fresh ginger. The grapefruit is uplifting, cleansing, and stimulating. The ginger (you want the kind made from fresh ginger, not from already dried root which smells musty) is warming, comforting, and fortifying. Who doesn’t need all that? Together they make me feel like singing really loud (but I won’t because the only song I know by heart is “freight train” and most people don’t want to hear songs about being buried). I like to use more grapefruit in proportion to the ginger because as a sufferer of depression I particularly like the uplifting quality of the grapefruit, but the main point is: you can do whatever the hell you want.
If you want to try scenting salts but aren’t sure about the scent recipe I’m offering here, I suggest you find a store that stocks pure essential oils and spend some time sniffing them all. The salts are pretty cheap, but buying oils by the bottle can be costly so you want to make sure you buy scents that really do it for you.
