Crafter by Night

Favorites last week: did you know?

Apparently, it’s been a week for noticing things or being informed of things. In no particular order, here is what I’ve learned since last Saturday.

1. It is difficult to eat one’s hot sauce and/or salsa without chips. When one is too lazy to get chips, one must then attempt to find other things for the hot sauce and salsa. Sometimes these are good ideas, like mixing hot sauce with ketchup. Sometimes these are bad ideas, which then are not spoken of aagain.

2. Shiny Shiny tells me that more women than men own gaming consoles these days. I understand. I bought a Wii. Urged by Husband, but still. There were high-jinks involved in the purchase, and I was an enthusiastic participant. ANYWHO, this probably explains why Crafty Crafty (Shiny Shiny’s sister site) was able to dig up so many hand-crafted covers for DS Lites. However, to further confuse our often-pointless gendered stereotypes, not all the covers were made by women. So there.

3. I had not previously taken a look at Indie Fixx’s Fall Jewelry Guide, but I should have. Nice stuff on there. Indie Fixx is great. And apparently I’ll soon have to add the Indie Fixx Shop to my Index of Indie, ’cause something tells me their shop selection will fit my requirements for the guide. (The woman who made this bracelet just got chosen as one of Baltimore’s best local jewelry artists. Nice!)

4. Adams Morgan is the best part of DC (sorry, Dupont). I know. In the 10 years or so since I left, it’s apparently gotten better, as it now has an annual shindig called the Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair, which took place yesterday.  I’m sooo jealous of people who get to go. Instead of Crafty Bastards, it should be Lucky Bastards.

5. Some people (not me) really DO have the patience 0f saints. Such as the woman who made Blythe Manor. The pictures here (right) are of a miniature craft room. All those tiny teeny little bolts of fabric! And what she put ‘em in! I don’t even have that much patience with my real-life craft room.

So far as I can tell, each detail is perfect in its miniature-ness.

Favorite Things This Week: metal kimonos to hairy legs

Lots to share with you this week! My daily trolling of blog posts is always interesting. People are unbelievably creative and artistic out there.

1. A quilt-looking item first, because wow! This is one of Catherine Foster’s Woven Kimono, made of gold, silver and copper. It looks quite quilt-like as well as woven, and is just stunning. There are others as well on her website.

Wherever I found this also reminded me of this wooden one “pieced kimono” by Jafabrit. Also really beautiful.

2. Wow. This is really creative. Bet you’ve never seen a necklace like this before. Sure, we all go for pretty and hope vaguely that it might match what we’re wearing, but I think I can safely say that this necklace is in another category of jewelry entirely.

Like this? Well, its creator is Regina Pruss, and she makes more things like this as well. Leaf and acorn. An owl in a tree. An octopus. Available through another shoppe I’m putting on my Indie Index, the Curiosity Shoppe in San Francisco.

3. This is really creative and just really … great. Start with the shoes and go up. By the time you finally come to the top of this creation, you’ll just be blown away. Or anyway, I was. The only thing these legs might be missing is a nice ankle tattoo. From Paper Crane.

4. What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America. This book is about historical costumes in a museum in Williamsburg, but much more as well – the stories behind the clothing, and the stories about life changes that the clothing itself tells.

I think sewing is amazing. Handsewn clothing is amazing. I am always deeply impressed and humbled by those who made clothing in the past – not only did people make all their own clothing in most cases, but it was hand-stitched, and in some cases the fabric too was hand-woven or knit. The artistry, work and thoughfulness of the production of all of one’s own clothing is mind-boggling.

5. I really have a soft spot for the cups that have been sold in New York by every vendor and a lot of the coffee shops for about half a century. It’s that nice Greek key pattern that says “we are happy to serve you.” Now you can have a cup sleeve knit in that pattern from Half Birthday.

Did you know there’s also a ceramic version of it at the Museum of Modern art? It’s not only a favorite of mine, it’s iconic.

6. Yon Craftzine pointed out this Gigantic Cable Rug from Flocks – you can see the scale from the pictures. Wow! Be impressed! I can’t even manage to handle the normal-size knitting needles. (Note: because of how Craft showed the pictures, I’m not certain picture #2 relates to picture #1, but … I just feel like it ought to.) Also seen at Crafty Crafty. Apparently it’s popular.

7. I wanted to share with you this beautiful and evocative picture (right) from Alicia Paulson’s blog, Posy Gets Cosy. I love reading this blog. She is a sweet person, and I have lately cried with her because she & her husband Andy lost her Corgi to illness – her dog was named Audrey, and my dog is named Audrey, and so every time I think about losing my puppy. Send happy and warm thoughts to her if you’re so inspired.
Still, though, she manages to post unbelievably beautiful pictures like this one to the right. That’s her kitchen and her niece making cupcakes ther. No, really, it is. It looks like it was designed by stylists. Or that it’s from TV in another decade. Which is why, when her new book comes out, I will be purchasing it immediately in the hopes that she styled the scenes and projects herself and took all the pictures herself.

8. I really love this hat/beret/floppy head piece thing from Treats & Treasures (left). It looks very fuzzy, warm and cozy. All of my hair would tuck up into that and my ears would be toasty.

I really like the heathered charcoal yarn, although I’m sure that it would look quite smashing in other colors as well. That right there is a Warm Fuzzy all by itself. Things like this make me wish I could knit, but I can’t, alas. Anybody want to convert it to crochet for me? I lack that talent as well.

The designer says about her hat, “Lately I am very much into cozy warm things like children’s books, hot chocolate, warm baths… and chunky knitwear. I always wanted a big rasta like funky hat and now I made one. If you’re interested, this is the (easy!) pattern.”

Top 10: Recycled Projects I Like

Changed my Top 10 icon. If you know me, you probably think that this icon and my current theme are funny. I’m not a huge fan of pink, but I guess if the spirit moves you … then pink it is.

So – Today’s Top 10. One BIG part of the young DIY/craft movement that’s been bearing down upon this country is the prominence of reused and recycled materials. Everyday I am amazed by the things that people have found to remake and reuse and refashion. Some of it is awesome, some of it is not – I saw a re-imagined muumuu on Etsy the other day that I’m not all that sure was a good idea. But this post is about things I thought were good ideas.

I think that the reuse/recycle goes really well with DIY/craft because both of these ideas tend to push away from consumerism. Although I’m in favor of reusing, recycling, DIY and crafting (obviously), I don’t take it to an extreme. Being a consumer is fine with me and indeed necessary, as I am not a stay-at-home anything, and I don’t really have the time or energy to make as much stuff as I might like. In addition, I learned from my grandmother, who used to make practically everything for her family, that a total lack of consumerism is really wearing on a person, and irritating, when you have no choice about it.

However – I know that I value my stuff more if I have gone to the trouble of making it myself. I also know that having certain kinds of things that I insist on making myself – like home decor – leads me to have less stuff because I have to find the time and make the effort to get it. I also find that when I shop at garage sales, thrift stores, antique stores and the like I happen upon more interesting and unique items, things that have stories and histories. When I make stuff, I always end up with more unique items, of course. And in all cases, I typically spend less money. Plus, I don’t like to be wasteful of money and goods or be ecologically unfriendly – more lessons I learned from my grandmother.

Here we go with the best recycling projects I’ve seen lately:

10. Have an old pot? Make a sculpture. I think these examples are new kitchenware, but I’m pretty sure the beat-up ones that are now lacking their non-stick surface will work just fine.

9. Need some inspiration? Try Ben Hawkins’ gallery of art features creations made from junk! Trash no longer! (the fish, left, is his creation)

8. My husband and I are coaster-users and nerds, which is why we like these coasters made of recycled bits of motherboards.

7. Try a glass-top side table made from dollar store items, including GI Joe figures.

6. It’s been featured elsewhere, such as on Craft and Curbly, but I think this Vintage Belt Floor Mat from Sustainable Design for Living is one of the best re-use projects I’ve seen. I’m not sure about paying 648 clams for it, but if you could figure a way to DIY, how awesome!

5. Starry Starry Night – This won my attention because it was not only made from paper scraps saved from the school year, but the materials will be recycled again later. See more recycled student art at their website.

4. Make travel accessories from scrap material. I love am obsessed with bags, travel items, etc., so I’m going to make myself a set before I go on my next vacation Also, I want to mention a favorite blog of mine that’s all about projects created entirely out of scrap material: the lovely Craft Leftovers.

3. Next up is glass jewelry made from recycled bottles. I echo Treehugger when I say that I like the contrast of ecologically friendly artist with a product of some very big businesses. And I’m happy to see she was approached by those businesses in the first place!

2. More jewelry next – this time made from old typewriter keys. I love the vintage look of these.

1. My quilt. Sorry, it in fact IS my favorite, after the time and effort I put into it! It was my first completely finished quilt. It counts as recycled because (1) much of the fabric was throwaways, odd ends and sale stuff because it was damaged. I salvaged it! and (2) About 2/3 of it was curtains for a while in my house. Those were taken apart and became panels for el quilto.

I should really color correct that picture, shouldn’t I? I promise it ‘s quite pretty.

Hope you have enjoyed – Cheers, Miriam