cosies for personal use:

tumbling blocks with a tissue box cosy

cosy for your pills from karma kitties

gadget cosies:

wardi.dk has a cosy for an mp3 player

phone sock cosy from trilliums

camera cosy from fortytwo roads

Bottle cosies

felted bottle cosy from felting in fiberspace

and knitted bottle cosy from girl on the rocks

Thank you to everyone who entered - lots of great interesting and inventive entries. I will be featuring a few of them over the next week or so - does anyone have a particular favourite they would like to see here?

Pink chalk studio - free-form log cabin style blocks utilizing wavy seams piecing.

bitter betty has done it again with a cute tutorial on a decoupaged Embroidery Hoop

sew mad has written up a tutorial on how to draft a pattern for a simple skirt.

crafting chaos has a tutorial on making a needle case using that plastic canvas.

This months whiplash theme is ‘cozies’, any sort of cozies you can think of - and you have until the end of the month to make and upload your project.

I have gathered some inspiration and help from around the web to get you started and get you motivated.

Image: cake tea pot cosy by Donna Wilson

have some fun and try your own character cosies

Image: Key cosy by moonstitches and glass cosy by twelve22.

small and quick cosies such as this pot holder cosy and coffee pot cosy :: adorable ipod cosy and keys cosy :: teacup cosy and coffee cup cosy (both previous whiplash entries) :: lovely chai cup cosy :: sunglasses :: adorable eggcup cosies :: beautiful hot water bottle cosy :: beer bottle cosy :: mug cosy by linda bloomfield :: water bottle cosy with handle ::

Image: eggcup cosy by Lorraine Linton and knitting needle cosy at lizards in the leaves.

bigger but still practical cosies such as this felted ottoman cosy ::

cosies for your bodies bits like the penis cosy (uhmm yeah…) :: very cute nose cosy :: neck cosy ::

image :: tampon cosy by Sherri Wood 1999

conceptual cosies :: bathroom cozy :: grenade cosies :: knitted house :: tampon cosy :: car cozy and motorbike cozy :: vibrator cozy! :: computer cosy ::

pineapple teapot cosy by Yarnstorm

You might also like to check back at whipup to some of the wonderful things we have posted about in the past :: felted bottle cosy from whiplash gifts and decorations :: get the book ‘by hand’ and find out about Robyn Love, who makes knitted memorial cozies, for statues for grave stones and sign posts. :: knitted graffiti cozies for public spaces by knitta please :: sewing machine cozies :: cozy for your head (thats right a beanie) :: bella dia’s bottle cozy :: who could forget the ipod squid cosy :: and the knitted tank cozy :: baby bottle cozy from the very first whiplash :: the knitted house - a cozy for everything ::

I am talking about tea cozies, ipod cozies, water bottle and coffee cup cozies. A cozy for anything or everything in any medium you can think of. You can choose to show your finished project or make tutorial and show us how you did it. Either way good clear photos are a must. To find out how to enter check out the whiplash competition page - link in the sidebar.

If whiplash isn’t enough and you need to find more…sometimes a challenge can be just the creative inspiration you need to try something new, or just try something. There are lots of them all over the internet - here are a few. They also offer the opportunity to see how others have responded to the same challenge, as most have galleries. You’re not tied as with a swap, but can participate or not according to your own whim and schedule. You may well know some of these - so please add others in the comments:

Photo Friday (weekly)

Illustration Friday(weekly)

Tie one on (aprons) (bimonthly)

Weekly challenges at Craftster

Use what you have month (monthly)

Ali Edwards’ AEzine contains a weekly challenge

Two Peas in a Bucket weekly scrapbooking challenge

Please do suggest other current worthwhile craft challenges you know and recommend in the comments. Maybe you’ve set up a great challenge with crafting friends, and could tell us about it?

u-handbag has done it again with a ‘rather cheeky’ purse tutorial.

miss gioia has made a tutorial for a cute stuffed patchwork cube

great tutorial from keyka lou on making a journal cover.

March is nearly over - sorry for the delay in announcing the March whiplash …

Post up a tutorial. Show off your skills in explaining your designs and ideas.
Photography is important as is explanation. And of course the finished product should be desirable.

The tutorial can be for a new design, or a fresh perspective an established technique.

No prizes, but we will feature a few of the entrants on whip up.

Go to the whiplash page - link in the sidebar - for how to enter.

The February contest was to make something that utilises pre-used/pre-loved/trash/junk/waste items in two categories.

1. Creative use of normal/household waste
2. Use of weirdest/strangest waste item for crafting purposes

Lots of prizes this month winners are:

the winner of the subscription to CRAFT Magazine for 1 lucky entry

5 projects form miss america blog :: 5 projects from one second hand bedsheet

These three people have each won a CRAFT T-shirt and a copy of the latest CRAFT Magazine Vol.2.

stick a cork in it by wannabeindie :: cork earings

Egg Carton and Magazine Flowers with Rolled Magazine Vase from warm fuzzies

sock hat by chickeny

the following 5 people have each won a craft book

sunshine creations with her jeans rug

dem dry bones by completely cactus

ihanne recycled book covers

felting dog by mamaquilla

woven hat from tape from twisted textiles

the following 2 people have each won a fabulous bundle of fabric from Patchwork On Central Park

nice twice with a side of rice :: recycled rice bag by bitter betty

sustainable bowling by nauglevision :: papier mache bowls

the following lucky person has been given the opportunity to sell their product through Reform School store in LA.

Recycled Stationery by thinkingamericn

the first entries are in…

Here are couple of the first entries to get your creative juices going. How marvelous and unique and gorgeous are these? Hurry only a week left to enter…

mama qilla and her felting dog

completely cactus and dem dry bones

bitter betty and her basmati bag

One entrant will be given the opportunity to sell their products through Reform School store in LA. and their products will be featured on the stores website.

The requirements are:

1. you would have to be willing to either have your products in the store on consignment or sell them at a wholesale rate (to be negotiated with the store.)

2. You would need to be able to produce your product in sufficient numbers (approx 10) each one not necessarily being exactly the same - individuality and uniqueness when using recycled products is part of the charm.

3. You will need to say in the post of your entry if you would like to be considered for this prize.

About the store - ReForm School located at 4014 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, Ca 90029, USA, sell products that fuse sustainable design with contemporary crafts.

Owners Billie & Tootie share a passion for all things green & handmade and feel the two design disciplines work perfectly together. They support independent artists, especially those who are re-using creatively.

February is officially RECYCLED CRAFTS month.

Make something that utilises pre-used/pre-loved/trash/junk/waste items an interesting creative challenge to get your crafting juices flowing.

Wikipedia defines Recycled as: the reuse of materials that would otherwise be considered waste. Recycled materials can be derived from pre-consumer waste (materials used in manufacturing) or post-consumer waste (materials discarded by the consumer).

# Rules about this challenge - your handcrafted item must utilise at least 90% recycled materials, this can include pretty much anything.

Contest open 1 FEB - 18 FEB

Don’t forget to check out the book ideas page to help you get started. Some great book recommendations on recycled crafting.

Categories:

1. Creative use of normal/household waste
2. Use of weirdest/strangest waste item for crafting purposes

(more…)

Thank you everyone for your feedback and for entering the competition. Hope all the gifts and your handmade efforts were appreciated by family and friends.

I only have a few prizes this month to give away. So here goes:

The following three people will each receive a copy of ‘The Crafters Companion’ Edited by Anna Torborg Published by Snowbooks.

Alisa made sock monkey sets, pjyamas and sock monkey slippers and sock monkey dolls. Really fantastic handmade gifts - I am sure those kids just loved them.

I love the knitted/felted wine cozies at dropped a stitch - with pattern for those of you wishing to make some for gifts.

Runaway penguin made a set of three beautiful knitted linen facecloths.

The following three people will each receive a set of handmade/letterpress/gocco greeting cards designed by various artists and donated by Artstream studios

grasswire made a beautiful beaded handing mobili - and has a tutorial if you want to try this yourself.

Some wonderful cozy slippers for Alaskan winters made a wonderful gift by notorious.knitting.ninja at craft addicts

Mama urchin made this giant knitted/felted pea to accompany the book.

The following people’s entries were also excellent, great ideas and tutorials and definitely need to be mentioned. - I am sorry I don’t have enough prizes for all of these.

Fourty-two roads had a great idea for gift wrap and the presentation of gifts.

Merete has some wonderful small beaded tree table top decorations, and a good tutorial for those wanting to try this out.

k8tykat made vanilla essence and presented it beautifully in sweet little bottles. Great idea - her recipe is available too.

livebird gave all her nieces and nephews an alien stuffie.

kat-knits made a simple doll with a wonderful array of outfits for a very lucky little girls.

Paranee did a wonderful job making cool aid dyed and felted camera cases as gifts. Her tutorial is pretty good too if anyone is interested in making these.

What a fantastic advent calendar by pink chalk studio - longest to complete but really gorgeous.

I love this idea for making a christmas tree using a road works cone by Not scarlett, good directions too.

I love the wee jumper/decoration from under construction

the cards made from pressed leaves and flowers at completely cactus are just beautiful.

Ihanne made the most beautiful wreath from flowers and candles.

Future girl has the most adorable octophrost - ornament.

ruby crowned kinglet with her suede reindeer