Austin Craft Mafia Newsletter

Happy New Year from the Austin Craft Mafia!! We know, we know. We never write, we never call. Holy majoly though, have we been busy! Here's the skinny on what we've been up to:

Group Stuff
Have you seen the current issue of Craft Magazine? In it there's an article featuring the Craft Mafia. Oh and speaking of Craft Mafia(s), take a look at our ever-expanding list of sister groups popping up internationally!

In other news, last November Stitch Fashion Show and Guerilla Craft Bazaar presented two very
deserving craftspeople, and Stitch participants, with the first annual Stitch grant. The decision was very difficult with all of the fantastic applications that we received. Winners were chosen based on their craftsmanship, business sense and future plans for their business.

The first place recipient of the Stitch grant went to Freshie and Zero. The second place grant went to Austin's own Vinca.

Interested in applying for next year's Stitch grant? Well, information about 2007 will be up in a few
months, but for now, you can study up and prepare for next year's grant application!
Sign up for the mailing list and get all of the latest info about Stitch 2007.

Individual Company News

Naughty Secretary Club
Wowsers there is a new season of Jen P's show CRAFT LAB
LAB airing over at HGTV. Check out episodes weekdays at 9am Central. Oh and you can still catch season 1 over at DIY Network at 11am.

There are new and exciting goodies being added to Naughty Secretary Club almost weekly! This week alone there is a new stash of Barkcloth Purses, Revamped Vintage Earrings and Nostalgic Notions Bracelets!

Wanna keep up to date with all the late breaking news in Jen P's life? Be sure and check out her blog and My Space page.

Sublime Stitching
Jenny has a new Sublime Stitching project in a just-released book called "Making Stuff: An Alternative Craft Book" from Black Dog Publishing (UK). Check out the unicorn-embroidered satin bomber jacket on page 41! And, if you happen to have the current issue of ReadyMade, be sure to look for Jenny's 'Sewing Card Saint' on page 72. It's an embroidered photo of her mother from 1952. Glamorous and lovely. Sublime Stitching has new stuff in the store! Just visit us to see what awaits you...

Sparkle Craft

Out with the old and in with the new!
Sparkle Craft is going to see some exciting new changes for 2007; the biggest
is that Tina'll be phasing out all accessories to focus solely on guitar
straps. If you've always wanted a Sparkle Craft belt, headband,
wristband or scarf, this will be one of your last chances and you might as
well get it on sale! She wants to end this era with a bang, so She's
having a big sale January 22nd-January 31st. To get 20% off your entire
Sparkle Craft order, simply type in 'love' in the voucher section during
checkout. http://www.sparklecraft.com/
In other news, we're really pumped to announce that Tina Sparkles
Spring 2007 party dresses are set to arrive just in time for your special
Valentine's Day date. The dreamy dresses will be available at Parts
& Labour in Austin, TX starting the second week of February. Sparkle Craft and Tina Sparkles have been buzzing
in the press over the last couple of months. Check out my press page to
see all the exciting mentions in Alternative Press, Venus, Nylon, Jewell,
Austin Music Magazine, The Onion and the Austin Chronicle.

Hot Pink Pistol has just added brand new goodies!
Check out my new series of new Dead Rappers, vintage hand painted suitcases, new girly girl paintings and new clothes!

Vickie Howell
Knitty Gritty: Knitty Gritty is now not only on daily on DIY but also on HGTV! Tune in weekdays at 11am/10amCT. This just in, new epsiodes from Season 6 will air daily for the first 3 weeks in February. See Vickie's Blog for a complete list of shows (and all kinds up up to the minute news).
Don't forget though, Knitty Gritty is only on HGTV for a limited time. If you don't have it already, make sure you call your cable provider and demand, "I want my DIY!", so you don't miss out on upcoming seasons!

New Book: Knitty Gritty Knits, a compilation of kick-ass projects from the first 3 seasons of Knitty Gritty, has hit shelves. Grab it on-line at at your local book store or get a signed copy at one of the spots on Vickie's book tour!

Book Tour: Vickie Howell's coming to town! Starting this weekend, Vickie will begin a 13 city tour! From Anaheim, CA to Boston, MA, she will be visiting yarn stores and Barnes & Nobles accross the country. Check out her Events Calendar for details. She'd love to meet you all so please stop by and say "hi" at any of the appearances!

New Yarn Line: Vickie has joined forces with the amazing SWTC to produce her very own yarn line! The Vickie Howell Collection consists of 3 yarns: CRAFT (35% Milk Fiber/65% Organic Cotton), ROCK (40% Soysilk/30% Wool/30% Hemp), and LOVE (70% Bamboo/30% Silk). Look for it in a yarn store near you! Psst...most of the yarn store book signing events on the tour will also include "yarn tastings". You won't wanna miss it! Knit In: On Superbowl Sunday, please join Vickie and the DIY Network for a Television Knit In to benefit Warm Up America. There will be a 6 hours of back-to-back Knitty Gritty episodes, accompanied by a simulateous live chat/blog session with Vickie during the entire marathon! Save up all of those hot burning Knitty Gritty questions and she'll answer them personally on the DIY Website, on February 4th 2007. Check your local listings for Knit In times.

Kiwi Magazine: Vickie now has a regular column in the new healthy parenting magazine, KIWI, focussing on eco-friendly crafts. Check out the current issue for how-to on making super-cute felted pillows out of recycled sweaters! KIWI Magazine's on newsstands today!

As always, thanks for reading and for shopping indie!

Needles & Gluesticks,

Austin Craft Mafia

(Jenny, Karly, Vickie, Jennifer, Jen, Tina, Jesse, Hope & Susann)

P.S. Don't forget to check us out on MySpace!

It’s like I go on a shoe binge or bender.

It seems when I can not just get one pair of shoes at a time, I have to get several pairs. It’s like I go on a shoe binge or bender. These are my new favorite pair of shoes. I kept seeing this style shoes and they just felt a little granny to me. Yesterday when waiting to get my hair dyed back red at Pink I had some time to kill so I popped into Creatures next door and that is where I found my new favorite pair of shoes. They were on sale for 30% off too! They are by Terra Plana. I love the wooden heel, the white contrasting stitching, the crazy way they lace up and of course the bright pink neon fabric on the toe. Check out the boot version on Zappos. The only problem is they are really slick so I need to go scuff my feet on the sidewalk.

In my defense on the days I get a lot of shoes there is usually a trip to Payless involved. Hope had told me about a pair of red and white polka dotted platforms and how could I say no at $17. Then there was a pair of red patent sling back peep toe shoes for $7, I only have 12 pairs of red shoes. Next I bought a pair of brown suede boots for $14. They are similar to the black ones I have and I don’t have any brown boots. For another $14 I got these really odd leopard skin wedge heel boots that have a glam rock feel to them. I am going to get Hope to paint something on them for me in the vein of the Tijuana Donkey boots that I lament.

My Living Room Transformation: A Work in Progress

Shopping for living room furniture seems to be one of those things that if you pull on a string the end of the world is attached. The hubbs and I were in desperate need of a larger TV which meant a new entertainment center and new couches because the cat had torn our old ones up. What I didn’t know is how tricky shopping for “big girl” furniture can be.

It all started with the bigger TV which then meant a bigger entertainment center. We had the same entertainment center for 10 years that Chris made and later he and I painted and added doors to. It had to go and eventually we scored this entertainment center which is actually not here yet. The TV is propped up on one of my 50’s tiered coffee tables.

The same day we bought the entertainment center I made a life decision about a pair of black leather couches. Would I have rather had fabric? Yes. Would I have rather had this awesome couch in Elle Decoration that I saw in Seamsters? HELL YES. It is pretty much my dream couch. However, this is not what I got. Our cat Georgie claws everything and my best friend Erin, AKA her vet, refuses to declaw her because she is too old so the couches had to be leather. At least they have a bit of a 50’s shape to them. They are pretty comfy just all my throw pillows slide off.



We also flipped the orientation of our living room around and where the entertainment center once was we scored some very large Ikea shelves. I am really digging the shelves actually because now I am having a gay old time filling them up with bric-a-brac and such. I am even inspired to actually put my pictures into photo albums including my wedding photos (which are in a bag in my attic) so I can stick it in my pretty new shelf.

All the dark furniture really makes the room look different, but I kind of like it since connected to it is the game room which is like a bright green Tiki fest with light blonde wood rattan furniture and the dining room with a polka dotted floor.

5th Annual Clothes Swap

The 5th annual clothing swap was held at my house this weekend. I didn’t really have to do anything but clean and prepare since Cory did all the inviting and wrangling, made my life easy. Clothing Swaps are also commonly referred to as naked lady parties, because well there were a lot of half naked chicks running around my house trying on clothes.

In my game room we had 4 huge piles: small clothes, medium clothes, large clothes and Stuff. Stuff was the best pile because it contained: makeup samples (I got Lancôme eye cream), purses, shoes, Sparklecraft belts (I got several of those too) and more. Once all 17 of the ladies arrived (well really 16, but Katherine was in NYC so Courtney played for her) and sorted out their bags of clothing we all drew numbers. From there 3 girls at a time have 3 minutes to dig for clothes and they can only walk away with 5 things after each dig. They can keep all 5 or if something doesn’t fit throw it back in the pile. We did 2 or 3 rounds and then it was just a free for all where we started to dig wildly to make sure we had not missed any good stuff.

The nice thing about having clothes swap involving the Austin Craft Mafia is that there is some awesome hand made stuff in the piles. There were tops and dresses by Identity Crisis Clothing and hand painted things by Hot Pink Pistol. I walked away with some makeup, purses, two jackets, belts and a pair of pants. Some girls left with bags and bags of clothing. Even my dog Lucy got a new scarf.

At the end of the night as every party with my girlfriend’s things turned into a dance party. Just like last year the girls all danced around in my sunglasses collection and some took a few of my hats as well. I don’t think the sunglasses had been worn since last years party. I had made a new and exciting mix just for the occasion. I have decided to matter how hard I try to subject these girls to different dance music they always want to hear the same 20 rap songs no matter what. Needless to say if I have to hear Kelis “Milkshake” or Jay-Z “Big Pimpin” one more time I may hurt myself. Here is a wee little sampling of some of the new music in my world I put on the mix…
The Whitest Boy Alive (dude it’s the singer from King’s of Convenience and the Röyksoppsong “Remind Me” that is on the Gieco insurance commercial with the cave dude in the airport)
Van She
Paul Oakenfold featuring Brittney Murphy (Ya the actress, I’m on a dance music kick)
Shiny Toy Guns
Plastic Little (“Get Close” The King Honey Mix samples “Close to Me” by The Cure and is about as potty mouth as a Two Live Crew record but rocks)
New Young Pony Club (they reminded me how mad I am I can’t find the Chicks on Speed cover of Tomtom Club)

So anyway after the clothes swap there was still a mountain and a half of clothes. We all stuffed everything into trash bags, a lot of trash bags. Interestingly on Sunday Chris and I had to pick up some furniture in a Uhaul so after we unloaded our couches we filled that baby up with the bags and dropped everything off at The Salvation Army on the way back to drop off the truck.

So everyone gets a new wardrobe, a charity gets a huge donation and everyone has a good time. Clothes swaps are fun I highly recommend them.

Airbrushed Guitars, Rollergirls & Monster Head Potatoes

Here is a super quickie rundown of what you can catch on crafty TV this week!

CRAFT LAB Season 2 on HGTV at 9am Central
Monday: Bamboo Paper with Susann Keohane (Fellow Austin Craft Mafia Member and Stylelicious host!)
Tuesday: Airbrush Guitar with Chris Derubeis
Wednesday: Paper Embossing with Julia Andrus and Faux Jade with Suze Weinberg
Thursday: Mondo Foam-O with Yvonne Palermo
Friday: Epoxy Layered Dolls Art Doll with Jessica Acosta and an Art Doll with curler by Melissa Gable

STYLELICIOUS twice a week on DIY Network 2pm Central
Tuesday: Active Wear with Susann, Vickie, Tina and The Texas Rollergirls
Thursday: Purse Snatchers with Hope, Jen A and Karly

CRAFT LAB Season 1 on DIY Network at 11am Central
Monday: Food Art with Clare Crespo
Tuesday: Altered Art Journal with Kelly Kilmer
Wednesday: Crayon Batik Mirror with Hilari Ford
Thursday: Polymer Clay Mosaic Table Top with Laurie Mika
Friday: Embossing Powders with Elizabeth Dunn
Friday at 3:30 Central Polymer Clay Ocean Floor with Connie Okdie

Hope you can tune in and watch a show or two!

xo,
Jen

I got my teeth cleaned in an art gallery.

Man the weather is barfy yet again today. Lucky for me the clothes swap party is at my house tonight so I don’t have to go anywhere.

Yesterday was a full day. Hope, Kurt and I all went and saw Pan’s Labyrinth in the afternoon. It was super sad and pretty. Hope and I had seen something on HBO about the making of and once we saw the pale man, we knew we had to go. At dinner since Chris and I had been trapped in the house for days due to weather we ventured to Casa Garcia down the street for Mexican Food. The place was packed, but the enchiladas were yummy and the mariachi band was good! I also had a dentist appointment yesterday, I have 5 cavities. 5!!!! I brush every morning, every night and even a third time if I am going out. I have always had cavities since I was a kid. Sucks to be me. No I don’t drink soda either.

Anyway I have never been a big fan of the dentist; I mean who is, until I met Dr. Jones. He really is a great dentist and his staff is so insanely sweet. I never knew that it did not have to hurt to go to the dentist. The other cool thing is when you are getting a cavity filled he lets you wear these goggles where you can watch and listen to a movie to block out everything else. The first time I went I watched Hope Floats with Sandra Bullock. This is meaningless except that it was on TV night before last and I sat through it only because the small Texas town she moves back to is Smithville, a town about an hour east of Austin. My mother in law is the Methodist minister there so now when I watch the movie I recognize the town.

So anyway back to the doctor. Dr. Richard Jones office also doubles as an art gallery for the paintings he paints. Who else has a dentist that is also an artist and has paintings all over their typically sterile office? Here is the link to his online gallery the pictues are from his office. Didn’t really mean for this to be a dentist review, although I would totally recommend him, it was more to point out that I got my teeth cleaned in an art gallery.

Oh and I updated my blog a bit this morning out of sheer boredom. New star background and some new links to other blogs I like. I also clicked on the link about google ad sense and now I am afraid there is going to be ads all over my blog. Ok I better go start sorting my 3 boxes of clothing into piles oh and floss.

A Memo From Naughty Secretary Club

Less than 1 month until Valentines Day have you gotten your sweetie something special from Naughty Secretary Club yet?

Lovey Dovey Goodies seen in the picture: Red Hot Charm Bracelet, Kiss is on my List Ring, Unicorn Belt Buckle Bingo Necklace, The Hotts Earrings, Lip Rouge Brooch and Sweet Heart Necklace!

In TV News Craft Lab Season 2 has started and is now airing daily on HGTV! Catch episodes about beer holsters, jewelry making, stained glass, casting resin and more 9am Central on HGTV. You can still see Season 1 on DIY Network at 11am Central. Check the websites for show listings or add the show as your friend on My Space to keep up to date! Oh and Season 2 of Stylelicious has started, whoo-hoo! 2pm Central every Tuesday and Thursday.

In the press: Thanks to everyone who voted for Naughty Secretary Club in the Venus Hott List. We were named one of the first place winners for BEST DIY BUSINESS. Like whoa! If you wanna hear a podcast about Craft Lab and Naughty Secretary Club tune into the Crafty Chica Podcast. Look for oodles of heart shaped jewelry in the latest issue of Knit 1 Magazine and an article on the Austin Craft Mafia in the latest issue of Craft.

Like your jewelry one of a kind and handmade? Then Naughty Secretary Club is the place for you. Check out new additions in Revamped Vintage Necklaces, Bracelets and Earrings!

Looking for something fun and retro? Like maybe a bracelet with a picture of Abraham Lincoln or a necklace with wee little Dutch girls? Nostalgic Notions Necklaces and Bracelets have your name written all over it.

If you are a trendy kind of gal then you might wanna check out the cute strawberry and owl baubles in Nouveau Necklaces. Not to mention the latest additions to Nouveau Rings and Nouveau Bracelets.

Did we mention the purses? Especially the brand new hand made vintage Barkcloth purses and messenger bags!

Not to mention hand painted purses by Hope Perkins (check out her website hotpinkpistol.com) and Pop Purses!

Don’t forget that new jewelry is added to Naughty Secretary Club almost weekly! To get the updates in-between newsletters be sure to check out the Naughty Secretary Club Blog and add Naughty Secretary Club as you’re My Space friend.

Xo,
Jen
http://www.naughtysecretaryclub.com/index.shtml

Icicles

I have officially not left the house since Saturday due to bad weather and it is starting to catch up with me. This is a picture of the icicles on my house. I know if you live in Alaska this is not a big deal, in Austin it is practically the end of the world. We could not get our mailbox to open to return our netflix, Chris has not been able to get out of the driveway to go to work and I am seriously worried about all my plants. Oh well, should be over today. Being trapped inside has forced me to clean my house, even my studio which is pretty much a miracle.

Oh it’s 11:11 as I am typing that means I get to make a wish, I wish that the ice would melt and it would warm up.

Want a mini tour of my house?

Several months ago my friend Courtney put out a call to several of her friends to ask if we would help her out and be filmed for a thing for her work. She and the camera crew came to my house and they asked me questions about my house, the way I dressed and creativity and now there is a video of it on Yahoo Health.

Watch the video to get a little mini tour of my casa. You even get to see the naked picture of Burt Reynolds that hangs above my fireplace.

Craft Lab & Stylelicious - What's on this week!

So here is the rundown of what you can expect next week on Craft Lab. From soldering and shadow puppets to metal clay and mosaics. Don’t forget the new episodes are airing on HGTV at 9am Central.

MONDAY: TORCHED METAL CLAY First up this week hang out with Cathi Milligan and me and learn about precious metal clay. Yup it starts out as clay and then turns into Sterling silver. Another interesting fact about this episode is that remember a long time ago when I told you I met Erin Murphy who played Tabitha on Bewitched. When we were doing the casting call for crafters the sweetie recognized my name and show and came down to Burbank to craft on this episode! If you got accosted by Cat Greenleaf at the Renegade Craft Fair Chicago last summer be sure and watch the field piece!

TUESDAY: SASSY GIRL MOSAICS I totally scored on this episode. Guest Tiffany Miller makes mosaics for stars like The Osbournes and Leeza Gibbons and I managed to get an amazing mosaic of myself out of this! If you love mosaics this is a fun episode and you can see the mosaic of me that is now hanging in my game room!

WEDNESDAY: SOLDERED GLASS BOX Kate Richbourg came all the way from San Francisco to film this episode with me and it got me all riled up to go home and dust off my soldering iron. We make a cute little glass memento box, but really soldering has so many possibilities it is insane. For the field piece in this episode I hang out at CHA with the adorable Suze Weinberg and her Melting Pot. Do you have one? I do and it is awesome!

THURSDAY: SHADOW PUPPETS I know what you are thinking, but seriously this was a fun episode. Bre Pettis who writes for Make Magazine came down and showed us a thing or two about making puppets. The dude used to work for Jim Henson’s studio for Pete’s sake. Please excuse my sad little torn paper puppet at the beginning. It could either be a letter W or a pair of lungs. The field piece in this episode was shot here in my hometown of Austin, TX at First Samples with a doll named Mel Sotos. Watch she and I make a sconce out of a vintage sprinkler!

FRIDAY: BALLOON ART You know secretly in your heart you see those balloon wiener dogs and hats at carnivals and wish that you knew how to make them yourself, well now you can. If memory serves guest Addi Somekh and his band also play a little ditty at the end of the show. Take a balloon quiz with Cat Greenleaf at the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago for the field piece.

So that is this week on HGTV, but don’t forget Craft Lab is still blowing and going over at DIY Network!

MONDAY: CREATIVE PRODUCE DISPLAYS with Leonila Arboleda. This girl could carve a mean veggie and at warp speed. If you have any dinner parties planned for the near future watch this episode for a few tips on how to make a centerpiece or garnishes that will blow your guests away.

TUESDAY: CANVAS WALL BOOK one of my favorite guests from Season 1&2 Claudine Hellmuth stops by the Craft Lab. If you like polka dots and old black and white photographs then you are going to need to set your TIVO.

WEDNESDAY: WIRE AND BEAD CREATIONS In this episode Marty Stevens-Heebner and I whip up some cool stuff like a wind chime and a hanging beaded votive holder.

THURSDAY: FLAME CANE BOTTLE Am I crazy or was this episode on DIY Network last week? Doesn’t matter to me I heart Anne Igou and the way she takes Polymer clay to an all new level of hipness.

FRIDAY: ORAGAMI Once as a child in summer camp I took an origami class so hanging out with Jeremy Shafer was a nice refresher course for me. Pay attention to the Window Heart Card since Valentines Day is right around the corner. Don’t forget Craft Lab airs twice on Fridays so tune in again at 3:30 Central to see Laurie Mika and I make a POLYMER CLAY MOSAIC TABLETOP.

Also on DIY Network catch Stylelicious on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2pm Central.

TUESDAY: TRICKS TO TRY On this episode hang out with Karly, Jen A and I and learn how to add spikes to your belt (who needs Hot Topic) and how to make almost anything into a charm.

THURSDAY: CUT IT UP Watch Jesse make the adorable dog sweater seen in the picture, Tina revamps a men’s shirt into a girly blouse and Susann whips up a tube top. Also the field piece in this episode is with Melinda Lawless, vinyl sewing goddess. I have a couple of her purses that I adore and her runway collections for Stitch every year are in my top 3.

Book Reviews: Beauty Secrets, Craft Ideas, Fashion & More.

You know a book has to be juicy when you get home from the Beauty Bar at 1:30 in the morning and want to read it in bed. Is it a mystery or a suspense? No actually it is The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets. I feel so dirty typing that out, but seriously the book is kind of good and written in short informative bursts so it’s not exactly a hard read.

I heard about the book when watching E News, another fact I am a touch ashamed of, but I am addicted to celebrity gossip. At least I watch the “real news” first. Anyway they were talking about the book written by Kym Douglas and Cindy Pearlman on the show and that is how I found out about it. There are lot’s of product recommendations that I found super helpful. When you turn 30 and make that executive decision to invest in expensive eye cream it can be a very daunting task trying to choose the best one. (For the record my Lancome Prmordiale Optimum Eye just came in the mail, I’ll keep you posted on how it works.) There are also lots of fun recipes for face masks made out of stuff like olive oil, oatmeal, honey and various fruits. I feel a facial night with the girls coming on. There also lot’s of miscellaneous tips like to shave your legs with KY Jelly and putting panty liners in the armpits of your clothing if you are an excessive sweater. It’s not exactly Dostoevsky, but it is a fun read.

In other book news if you wanna read about Tina Sparkles, Jenny Hart and I you might pick up a copy of Grindhopping by Laura Vanderkam. The book is about “building a rewarding career without paying your dues”. Really it is more about how to make a living doing what you really want to do and not having to wear a suit and go into an office everyday. We 3 ladies of the Austin Craft Mafia were interviewed by Laura last year about the book and are mentioned in the very first chapter “Always Be Your Own Boss: No Compromises, No Excuses”.

I admit I have not made it past the chapter we are in, but I will because the book seems applicable and interesting. Might be a relevant read for other crafters out there still teetering on the fence of keeping their day job versus crafting full time.

While we are on the subject of book reviews I suppose I could mention the books I got for Christmas. I love getting books. Not necessarily the kind you read, but the kind you glance at and look at the pretty pictures like Street: The Nylon Guide to Global Style. Kind of Nylon’s take on the whole Japanese Fruits magazines and books. I like Fruits better. The book is all full page pictures of street kids in their exotic outfits. The problem was I did not think any of the outfits were that awesome. As to where I might see something in Fruits I want to emulate, the feeling of “Holy crap that is an awesome outfit” did not sweep over me. Still worth a looksie.

My mom surprised me with a book not on my Amazon wish list I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris. I LOVE the way this book is laid out and all the pictures are awesome. If I ever get my jewelry book proposal written I would be the happiest girl in the world if my book would come out looking as kitschy and as atheistically entertaining as this book. The anecdotes are as amusing as the pictures and there are tons of recipes. My only concern is that since the book is kind of jokey I am afraid to invest the time into actually trying to make any of these recipes. What if they are jokes too and taste like poop? I have heard through the grapevine that Amy makes a mean cupcake so I do have some faith in the recipes. I am having the ladies over next weekend so maybe I will try something.

I finally got a copy of Handmade Modern: Mid-Century Inspired Projects for Your Home by Todd Oldham. Can I just say that I can not wait for his new show Design Star to start on Bravo. I miss Project Runway and Top Chef just did not do it for me so I am waiting with baited breath for Design Star. I love Jonathan Adler (check out his beyond awesome book My Prescription for Anti-Depressive Living) who from what I can tell is one of the judges. Anyway the Todd book is pretty intense and there is a lot of carpentry involved which intimidates me a bit. I keep trying to pressure my friend Erin into making the bookcase bench for her house.

I am really digging my copy of ReadyMade: How to Make [Almost] Everything: A Do-It-Yourself Primer by Shoshana Berger, Grace Hawthorne. I knew I would since I am a fan of the magazine. Even my mom looked through he book exclaiming “Isn’t that clever”. I would like to try out the water feature made out of hubcaps this summer for starters. There is also a cool chandelier made out of plastic eating utensils. Some projects take the whole recycling thing a bit far, but most projects are really neato and the layout of the book is really nice.

The last book I have recently acquired is Get Crafty: Hip Home Ec by Jean Railla. This is another book that I can’t believe it has taken me this long to score. When I was still a secretary I would spend HOURS posting on the Get Crafty posting about crafts, making girl band lists and home decorating issues. I have to say this book although I’m sure it has good information has not gotten much more than a thumb through from me because well it does not have many pictures, and the ones it does have are not in color. What is a craft & home decorating book without lots and lots of pictures? Given a lot of the information in this book does not call for a picture like with the recipes and tips on such things as starting your own Stitch and Bitch. With or without pictures the book looks like it has a lot of fun info and I am looking forward to flipping through it more.

OK so these are the books that I have acquired as of late. Man this has turned into a rather long blog. It’s a rainy Saturday morning and Chris and I are on the couch watching a bad Roman Polanski movie called “The Fearless Vampire Killers” so what else did I have to do than write book reviews. If you have books to recommend or send me to review I am always open. Here is a link to my Amazon Wish List to give you an idea about what I am currently eyeballing.

Indie Craft Documentary

Unless you have been living under a rock you have heard of the Indie Craft Documentary. Being shot by Michaela O'Herlihy & Faythe Levine (Flying Fish Designs & Art vs. Craft). These ladies have been going all over the country shooting different crafters for their documentary I for one have been interviewed for the film at Stitch here in Austin and The Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn. Here is a little excerpt written by the ladies to explain their cause…

“The new wave of craft is an emerging movement of artists, crafters and designers working in traditional and non-traditional mediums and methodologies to forge a new economy, lifestyle and community.”

“This new movement is influenced by the history and techniques of traditional handiwork, modern aesthetics, politics, feminism and art. The new wave of craft is a marriage of your grannies handi-work, punk and d.i.y.. We will be spending the next 7 months touring craft fairs, studios, galleries and boutiques We will speak with organizers, curators, cultural theorists, historians and the crafters themselves, documenting the new wave of craft so that we can give our watchers a thorough overview of this new art movement sweeping the nation.”

Needless to say we need to help support these ladies and their tremendous cause. They are able to shoot the documentary based on donations made at their website and through their Etsy store. Crafty peeps are invited to donate and buy from their store to help support the cause. I wanted to give you a heads up that some one of a kind Naughty Secretary Club jewelry was just added to their store. So buy a Strawberry Ring or a Buddha necklace and all the profits go to help this awesome cause.

Thrift Store Score: Enid Collins purse!

Wow has it been a long time since I have made the rounds at my local thrift stores. I used to go all the time, but if you ever see my house you will know I have pretty much met my stuff quota and anything that comes in means something else has to go. Yesterday Hope and I made the rounds around Austin and I found some serious scores.


First up an Enid Collins purse called 4 Seasons. It is not in the best shape ever, but it also cost me $2. Wednesday is half off day at the Salvation Army. Since I collect Enid Collins purses I had to pick it up in any condition. Enid Collins is a fellow Texan and from the looks of her purses a fellow crafter. All her purses are adorned with paintings and gem stones. The 4 seasons for instance has a sun, a branch with spring buds, a snowflake and a fall leaf. I have some with Owls, kitties and one of my favorites and exploding oil rig. My first one I acquired years ago. It was covered in gem stone lady bugs and I had no idea who Enid was, I just thought the purse was tackalicious and since my family nick name has always been Jenny-Bug I could not leave it at the store. I later became somewhat of a connoisseur. One of my few flea market regrets was that once I stumbled upon one of her kits which she later had produced called Sophistikits and I passed it up. What was I thinking?

My other favorite score was my new Cardinal Purse. Actually Hope found it first, but I talked her into letting me have it. She would have never carried it, she likes BIG purses with lots of gold accoutrements. I on the other hand have a borderline fetish for wacky purses and shoes. This one is so cute it is just the right size with a fold over flap and a shoulder strap. The Cardinal appliqué is adorable and the best part they have moving googly eyes! So when I walk and shake their little eye balls move!

Other scores of the day included Hope’s plaster nocturnal bird of prey. She found an Owl statue that must stand over 3 feet tall that she could barely carry out of the thrift store.

How the set of Craft Lab was born.

Today I am going to ask you to read another blog. Why? Because my friend Dave Lowe wrote a whole big blog post about the set of Craft Lab. Dave builds and designs the sets for Craft Lab, Knitty Gritty, Stylelicious, Uncommon Threads and oodles more. If you listened to the podcast I did with the Crafty Chica you might have heard me name drop Dave and his amazingness. I loved the set on Season 1 of Craft Lab, but if you have been catching Season 2 on HGTV I love the new set even more. It is so much more me from the bowling trophies to the lime green stove. Look closely for details like Austin Craft Mafia and Sappy Moose Tree Stickers. Tiki bobble heads and splatter painted sinks. The whole set felt more homey to me and all my repeat guests commented on much they loved it as well. Dave posted an entire blog about how he designed the set of and put it into action, so if you are interested, check it out here.

Also before you go I want to mention that sometimes on Craft Lab our crafters are as amazing as the guests. Well the crafters are always amazing, just sometimes they are full time crafty peeps themselves. Take tomorrow's episode for example. Little do you know the blonde is Monica of Monica Burnett Hats and the brunette is Laura of Charcoal Designs! This is a picture of Laura and I when I stopped by her booth at Felt Club last fall at The Echo. Ooodles of other Indie Craft Superstars grace that booth under the guise of "crafter", I'll try and keep you posted.

Oh and in jewelry news, everyone can breathe easy now the Abraham Lincoln Bracelet and Pea Pod Necklaces are back in stock at Naughty Secretary Club.

Ladies Night at the Rock Gym

A couple of years ago I had a friend named Carrie who took Erin, Chris and I all rock climbing at Zilker Park. Chris made it up about 4 feet and realized he was afraid of heights and did not trust Carrie with the ropes. Erin made it to the top of the wall, but the whole experience didn’t have that big of an effect on her. I made it to the top of the wall and for some weird reason have always thought about rock climbing and wanted to do it again. Looking for the next rock and figuring out how to adjust your body into the right position can be as addictive as Tetris. So in the spirit of the New Year I have decided to revisit rock climbing.

I did a little research and discovered that the Austin Rock Gym has a ladies night which means you get instruction, yoga, your harness, special shoes and 2 hours at the gym for half off. I had a sick sense that my friend Cory would love this so I drug her along forcing her to miss her beloved $1 bowling night at Dart Bowl. First there was a brief tutorial where you learned how to belay which involves two people and all the gizmos. Both people get in there little harnesses which goes around your legs and waist and is not particularly flattering, though safety gear rarely is. There is also a series of pulleys attached to the tippy top of a very tall wall with cables. Both people hook in around their waste and one person climbs while the other person has a pulley and lever thing on their harness to make sure that person does not fall. There is also a thing called traversing where you basically just free climb. I came to the very sad conclusion that I have absolutely no upper body strength and rock climbing was quite the challenge for me. An awesome challenge though. Cory on the other hand who started the night a little skeptical with comments like “it’s fun, but I’m not sure I would get a membership or anything” discovered she had the coveted climbers 6th finger. This is kind of a muscular bulge between your thumb and pointer finger that apparently potters and climbers get. Cory does neither, but is naturally blessed with the ability to climb like Spiderman. Seriously she was super good. Needless to say she left saying “well I could go to bowling every other Monday, and if we buy our own shoes it will cut back on costs”, I knew she would love it – I just didn’t know she would be great at it. I told her she might have found her calling in life. Read Cory's blog about it here.

After we master rock climbing Cory and I have decided to take roller skating lessons. All that shame and envy I felt in my heart about not being able to skate backwards in the 4th grade, I’m taking it back.

Shower Doors, New Jewelry and Dead Birds.

How was your Sunday? Mine was fine and dandy hard candy Christmas. Chris and I tooted around town and had a few adventures. First stop was Home Depot where we perused the shower doors and shower heads. It was really exciting. The poor guy does not have a door or curtain on his shower anymore and well I want him out of my pink bathroom so we need to fix that. From there we went to lunch at Chuy’s which was quite delicious. We sat right next to a chair that had a star on the back that said “Kevin Spacey”, I’m assuming that means he sat in that chair at some point. Chris touched it, so that pretty much makes him famous too. I saw in the paper that to celebrate the birth of Elvis that if you go to Chuy’s today dressed as The King you get a free meal. Too bad I didn’t know that yesterday, dang. So after lunch Chris and I went over to Zilker Park to enjoy the sunshine and do some hiking. When we returned home I made a ton of jewelry for orders and we watched Munich, which I was not that impressed by. We are still learning how to work our new DVR and this was our first recording. I have Nanny McPhee set to record this afternoon. The other big excitement of Sunday was that I added a ton of new jewelry to Naughty Secretary Club!



New Revamped Vintage Necklaces & Earrings, Nostalgic Notions Necklaces and Thing-a-Ling Earrings. I am really smitten on these new earrings I am making with vintage paper. I did an interview around Christmas where I talked about using scrap wrapping paper to make jewelry, you can read it here.

Speaking of press I got sent this clip from the people at iVilliage today. They have a little news broadcast called Stuff We Love and Naughty Secretary Club was featured in a recent segment called Do Good Design. They show several pieces of jewelry and the host is wearing the Key to My Heart Necklace throughout the entire piece!

In other exciting news here in Austin there is some bird drama. I woke up this morning to find Chris working from home when he was supposed to go into the office today. “Why are you here?” I asked, and then he turns it on News 8 and fills me in on the gossip. I swear if he and I get the bird cooties because we went hiking instead of sitting on our porch like we usually do on Sundays I am never trying to get healthy again.

This Week on Craft Lab and Stylelicious

So here is rundown on crafty TV and me for the week.

CRAFT LAB on HGTV 9am Central All new episodes…

MONDAY: BEADED JEWELRY with MAYA BRENNER – I had so much filming this segment of Craft Lab because well my full time job when I am not hosting Craft Lab and Stylelicious is being a jewelry designer for Naughty Secretary Club. Maya makes the most gorgeous things and at the end of the episode she gave us all pieces of her jewelry, and lemme say her stuff is not cheap so we were all like whoa. For all you jewelry making fanatics I know I learned a thing or two from Maya filming this episode.

TUESDAY: CERAMIC BISQUE with ALEXIS SADLER – Alexis & Allyson came down from Duncan Paints in Fresno to play in the Craft Lab with me. I come from a long line of people who dabble in ceramics, but I myself have little experience beyond a make your own mug type place. Oh and we get to blow soap bubbles on this episode so what is not to love! The field piece for this episodes was fun too because I got to hang out with the amazing Tim Holtz at CHA. Tim and I are in the Ranger Inks booth getting the low down on crackle accents.

WEDNESDAY: TORCHED RESIN TABLE with MARY O’BRIEN – Mary was a total sweetheart who came from Arizona with a super intense project. There were a ton of steps and a lot of work, but when it was done the table did look great. My favorite part was that the top of the table involved melting crayons. I have always had a thing for melted crayons for some reason.

THURSDAY: NEW SCHOOL PUPPETS with CLAUDINE HELLMUTH – Hooray I love it when my friends get to stop by the Lab. Claudine and I met last year on the set of the show and have been friends ever since. Her work is amazing and she is a ton of fun so it is always awesome when she gets to stop by and craft. On this episode we make the most darling little cone puppets out of oil funnels of all things. Don’t be alarmed by the words puppet, these are seriously cute.

FRIDAY: WOOD BURNING PURSE with VANI SODHI GUNDARA – I get very happy when episodes of Craft Lab are about accessories. Jewelry, purse and shoe episodes this season! Vani makes the cutest purses out of wooden boxes that she wood burns and then adorns. Also in this episode I hang out with a local Austin dude named Mark Stowe who makes super rad leather accessories and get a lesson on using a wood burner to adorn leather.

STYLELICIOUS on DIY NETWORK 2pm Central Tuesday & Thursday

TUESDAY: TRICKS TO TRY – Tina, Vickie and I hang out and make lots of fun stuff. I had so many broken necklaces lying around that usually I make into other necklaces, but decided to try something new. I sewed them to old shirts and cardigans instead!

THURSDAY: TIES – Raid your dad’s closet for all his bad ties and then watch Susann, Hope and Tina whip a ton of cute projects with them. Halter tops, purses and hand painted mod girls that will make any chick want to wear a tie.

CRAFT LAB on DIY NETWORK 11am Central Season 1 episodes

MONDAY: 3-D CAKES with ELISA STRAUSS – Look for Elisa on Season 1 and 2 of Craft Lab. Elisa not only makes the most amazing looking cakes, holy moly do they taste good too. On this episode we make a cake that looks like it is in a hat box on season 2 we made one that looked like a bag of popcorn! Check out Confetti Cakes.

TUESDAY: ALTERED BOOK TECHNIQUE with BARBARA MATTHIESSEN – When I got a copy of Frida Kahlo’s diary (not the real thing silly the book published with excerpts) this was my very taste of an altered book. The pages in diary were all crazy and colorful and filled with words and art and I can’t imagine it was a plain rectangular bound book. When ever I make altered books like this one I always think of the diary and how I wish my diary looked like that.

WEDNESDAY: AFRICAN DESIGNS with LISA SHEPARD STEWART – Lisa is a wealth of information not only about crafting, but also about Africa. Crafts where you also learn something about another culture are like a double whammy.

THURSDAY: CAST RESIN BOBBLE HEAD with GRETCHEN MARTIN – I was so sad Gretchen was not able to come out and be a guest on season 2 of Craft Lab since I had so much fun making bobble heads with her on this episode. Think of the Christmas gift possibilities if you could master this skill.

FRIDAY: RECYCLED PAPER MAKING with HEIDI REIMER EPP - I love it when the projects on Craft Lab are eco-friendly. Also on Friday at 3:30 Central catch FLAME CANE BOTTLE with ANNE IGOU – Anne makes me love polymer clay even more. What I also love about Anne is that she bought me my first wave iron for my hair because I coveted hers so much!