Crafts n' Things Magazine

One of my most prized crafty possessions are my collection of vintage craft books and magazines. Among that stash I have a hearty supply of old issues of Crafts n’ Things Magazine. How excited was I to be included in the modern day version of the magazine so that one day in 30 years another crafter can have me in their collection! There is a fun section in the magazine called My Craft Space busting with pictures of various crafters studios and storage solutions. Naughty Secretary Club headquarters are among the pictures! Later in the same issue I have a Quick Creation called The Birds of Spring Necklace that might tickle your fancy. The whole magazine has everything from card making and jewelry to crochet and embroidery. Perfect for an ADD crafter like myself.

Crafty Carnival

CraftyPod
Learn how to turn an old paperback book into a cool picture frame.

About Family Crafts
Discover how you can create an entire fairy village using items from nature.

Aileen's Musings
Check out which names won for Aileen's Color Mist Sorbet Collection and help BREAK THE TIE by voting once more! An additional winner will be chosen once the tie is broken.

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Swelldesigner gives new life to a plain paper lantern with tissue paper!

Blisstree
Mixing two of Cyndi's favorite things: fibers and books!

Cathie Filian
Blythe and Barbie can now have their cake and eat it too! Cathie whips up some mini cakes and pies perfectly sized for fashion dolls with sponges and seed beads.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week there is an Andy Warhol inspired scrapbook page and ATC's, an interview with Lisa Kettell author of Altered Art Circus!, a super cute clay pot hedge hog how-to, and a link to two free bottle cap graphics.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Expose yourself....in a good way that is...Tammy tells her thoughts on the process of creative exposure.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Would You Stitch With Scented Floss? Vote in the poll and be sure to read the comments and add your own.

Naughty Secretary Club
Get felt up with Jen and her customized felt baby booties how-to.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
With inspiration from Cathi Milligan's new book Mod Knots a soda bottle goes under the knife and becomes a mod cuff.

The Impatient Crafter
Madge shares one final project from her new book Beyond the Bead! Plus she's giving away a free copy of the book and a crystal stash!

The Bad Tiger Lieutenant - New Art by Hot Pink Pistol

Wednesday Chris and I took Tallulah to her first art viewing. Actually it was her first outing in public other than the pediatrician’s office. It was not just any art show it was to see her Aunt Hope’s art at The Hideout in Austin. That sister of mine has once again blown me away with her artistic awesomeness. This collection of tigers and taxidermy may be my favorite yet. If you hurry you can still see the art until the end of March. Don’t forget she still has pieces hanging at The Longbranch too!













Feeling arty? Take a stroll through some of our past blog posts that remind me of these paintings: Upcycling Taxidermy, Telephone Cording Trends and Two Heads are Better Than One.

I Love to Create: Felt Baby Booties

What kind of new mother would I be if I didn’t make a pair of baby booties for my new bundle of joy? Some people take the more traditional route and knit up a pair, I on the other hand having no knitting skills needed to look for another option. I’m more of a glue kind of gal. This week on I Love to Create we are putting our own spin on baby booties.

First up let me start by saying that when you are pregnant you have a pet name for your baby. Some people call it peanut, we called it Little Whip. We didn’t know until February 22nd when baby was born if we were having a boy or a girl so everything I made was gender neutral and if it was personalized Lil’ Whip was the name. Same goes for my customized felt baby booties.

I love easy and quick crafts and I only had to be a felt cobbler for a single afternoon to get these shoes all glued and stitched up!



SUPPLIES
Embroidery Thread
Embroidery Needle
Craft Felt
Aleene's® Fabric Fusion™ Permanent Dry Cleanable Fabric Adhesive
Simplicity Vintage Baby Booties Pattern
Sewing Pins
Scissors
Fabric Marker
Making Memories Grommet Kit

HOW TO
Choose your felt. I opted for a teal shoe, zebra print sole and green monogram. What colors and patterns you choose is totally a matter of preference. Using the Simplicity pattern, pins, marker and scissors cut out your pattern in the felt. I free handed the letters L and W for Lil’ Whip to put on each shoe and cut out.



Using Aleene's Fabric Fusion Permanent Dry Cleanable Fabric Adhesive I adhered my L and W to the toe of each of the booties.



After gluing my letters in place I went back with yellow embroidery thread and added a simple stitch for a pop of contrasting color.



For extra strength in case Lil’ Whip wants to do any marathon running in her new booties I reinforced the seams with Fabric Fusion before embroidering with yellow floss.



Following the pattern instructions the next step was to attach the sole to the bootie with embroidery thread.



Using a kit intended for scrap booking I added 2 grommets to each bootie to thread the shoe laces. Laces are made by braiding 3 strands of embroidery floss.



It will be awhile before Lil’ Whip will actually be able to fit these booties so in the meantime they sit proudly on a shelf in the nursery waiting patiently to be grown into.

Out of the Closet Home Decorating

Some clothing is just too pretty to hide in your closet. The same sentiment is often true of shoes, purses and jewelry. Just take a look at our blog post on Jewelry Displays if you don’t believe me. Recently I was inspired by this gorgeous yellow dress hung on a wall from the pages of Bazaar Style. It makes me want to rush out and buy a vintage prom dress to hang somewhere in my house. The home owners could have opted for your standard art prints in a clutter of random frames that seems to be all the rage, but instead they chose a perky yellow dress. A bold statement, but one I like and one I felt like I wanted to see more of. The picture made me want to have a coming out party for some of my own clothing. Curiosity got the best of me and before I knew it I was furiously thumbing through my collection of home decorating books and Flickr to find more examples.


What are the chances of me finding not one, but 2 examples of frilly yellow formal wear disguised as home décor. This picture is from a book called Stockholm’s Apartments and I love it for 2 reasons. First just because it is a yellow dress and looks so perky and happy hanging out on the dress form. Second because the dress is on display by a breakfast nook. Not tucked away in a girly bedroom – right out in the open where you have OJ and scrambled eggs. I think I might enjoy greeting the day just a little bit more with a hot cup of coffee and a yellow prom dress to look at.


Another example with a plain blue shift dress from Appartements d'amoureux a' Paris. Not exactly the focal point dress I would hang above my bed, but hey not everyone is as eccentric as I am either.


Not near as perky as yellow prom dresses, but every bit as interesting are these two examples of gray shirts on the wall. The first picture is from Apartment Therapy Presents: Real Homes, Real People, Hundreds of Design Solutions and is a City College shirt. The second is from Appartements d'amoureux a' Paris and is a blood thirsty wolf turtleneck looking menacing out into the room. Although both are examples of using clothing as home décor, I love how differently they are displayed. City College is clearly professionally framed, ironed and very slick looking. The wolf top looks like something anyone could do with the help of a little electrical tape. Not sure I own a shirt that I love enough to frame, but if I wanted to knock off example B I could always hit up Home Depot for tape Loyalty and Blood for a Big Wolf T-Shirt.


The shabby chic look is not my style or taste, but it seems to lend it’s self well to the whole clothing as home décor concept. Lingerie hangs on the wall in this picture from Appartements d'amoureux a' Paris. I myself have a vintage nighty that hangs from a closet door in my bedroom. You could also go the utilitarian route with the lingerie and place an order from Tramp Lamps. The other two examples are from a book called Collectors Style and feature a vintage blouse displayed with a pottery collection and little boy’s suit on a wall. There is something slightly creepy about the little suit and the way it puffs out like it has been starched to look like there is a body still inside. Remember on 3 Men and a Little Lady when you could see the ghost in the curtains for that one brief second? It reminds me of that scene for some reason.


Clothing as home décor does not always have to be clothing, as mentioned earlier accessories also work nicely. In our blog post Hipster Sleek and Flea Market Chic – Modern Day Baby & Kid Rooms you can see another example of clothing hung on a line across a wall. This example from Budget Living: Home Cheap Home is especially cute because they use random gloves. If you go to flea markets as often as I do gloves are something you come across often and think to yourself these are awesome, but I’ll never wear them. Now that you know can make a window valance with them rather than cover your paws nothing is stopping you from loading up!


The most popular motif of all the clothing as home décor by far was that of a kimono. This picture from Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion shows a vintage kimono hanging from the frame of a canopy bed used as a headboard. I love all the mix matched Barkcloth pillows too!


The kimono look is something I have incorporated into my own house. My spare bedroom before it was the nursery had a kimono hanging from a curtain rod as a window treatment.


Nothing says the kimono has to live in a bedroom, bring it out into your living space. Vintage kimonos are relatively easy to find at vintage stores and flea markets and are always made with amazing intricate fabrics. Much too pretty to be stuck in a closet, never to be worn. Thanks to le papillon vert for the photo.


I love the layered look with this kimono picture from Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion. The Asian themed picture hung right on top of the kimono and fan gives the arrangement depth and interest. At the same time there is nothing wrong with just tacking your kimono to the wall above your dresser like Nest Decorating did.

So whether it is your wedding dress, your collection of vintage beaded sweaters or your favorite concert T-shirt don’t feel like these items are intended to only live either on you or in the closet. Have a coming out party for your favorite duds and incorporate them into your home décor. Rotate your favorite pieces, buy a dress form to place in your kitchen or a long dowel to use as a display across a window. The home decorating world is you and your favorite piece of clothing’s oyster.

Do you use clothing as a home decorating option anywhere in your house? I'm dying to hear more stories and see more pictures.

Craft Talk

Book Bonanza Giveaway: Canvas Remix

I hate picking favorites from the guests I have had through the years on Craft Lab, but I must say that Alisa Burke was one of those guests that blew me away. Some guests I have more in common with stylistically than others and Alisa was one of those people who’s style I was immediately drawn to. What’s not to love about upholstering a chair with canvas using graffiti techniques? Before I met Alisa I thought canvas was something you painted a picture of a fruit bowl on, stretched over some boards and hung on a wall to be admired. I walked away from the episode inspired and excited about her technique and full of ideas about how I could incorporate canvas into my own designs.

Fast forward a bit and a package arrives at my door from Alisa. The package was a handmade purse with a ton of colors, graffiti stylings, stenciled geisha girls – everything I could ever want in a purse and I had to fight my friends off to keep them from stealing it from me. The purse got me even more excited thinking that these techniques could be incorporated into jewelry which is always the way to my heart. Then a copy of Alisa Burke’s book Canvas Remix came across my desk and I about squealed with excitement. Not just one copy, two copies, one to give away to a lucky winner right here on the blog so you should be squealing with excitement too.



Canvas Remix: Techniques for Creating Mixed Media Accessories is available from North Light Books. The eye catching book has over 20 projects using Alisa’s signature graffiti style on everything from jewelry and purses to art dolls and ornaments. I’m of course partial to the projects like the Scrapped and Wrapped Bracelet and the Graffiti Drops Earrings, but after seeing Alisa reupholster a chair up close and personal the projects in the Home Remix chapter also caught my attention.

After my 3 day crafting spree with Traci Bautista last year where we made collage style paper, jewelry and art I feel like I have a good foundation under my belt for several of the collage techniques Alisa discusses in Canvas Remix. With this experience and a copy of Canvas Remix all that was holding me back was getting my hot little hands on some canvas that could run through my computer printer and Claudine Hellmuth and her Sticky- Back Canvas solved that problem quick enough! Art dolls here I come. Now I just have to decide if I want to try Anna's Heart-Art Doll or the Messy Monsters.



Canvas Remix tells you everything you need to know to get the hipster urban chic look of graffiti without touching a can of spray paint or leaving your craft studio. Almost 40 pages of techniques covering everything from making your own stencils to transferring images will have you remixing canvas into your own designs in a jiffy. So add this book to your wish list fer sure, but be sure to leave us a comment right here for your chance to win a copy of Canvas Remix: Techniques for Creating Mixed Media Accessories by Alisa Burke. Tell me something about graffiti to win the book. Have you tried your hand at these techniques before? What did you make? Is there a graffiti artist in your town who paints smiling candy corn everywhere like we have in Austin? Did you once read something hilarious on the wall of a truck stop bathroom? I'm looking for graffiti stories of any kind and next Monday we will announce the lucky winner.

What's On Crafty TV This Week With Jen?

If you are awake at the butt crack of dawn this week and feeling kinda crafty might I suggest tuning into to DIY Network for Stylelicious and HGTV for Craft Lab. You can see me whip up some custom panties and trying my hand at mosaics.

CRAFT LAB
Garden Sphere Mosaic - Episode DCLB-154
HGTV
Monday March 23rd 5:30 AM Central

Mosaic artist Laurel True demonstrates how to create a one-of-a-kind garden sphere sculpture (a colorful mosaic sphere-shaped form about 18" high and round). Laurel covers a ball with a concrete-like papier-mâché, draws a design on the base and begins cutting glass and breaking tile. Next, Laurel sets the mosaic by mixing and applying mortar to the base and setting the tile and glass. Finally, Laurel demonstrates how to grout, seal and buff the sculpture completing this amazing piece of garden art.

STYLELICIOUS
Spice it Up - Episode DSTY-113
DIY Network
Tuesday March 24th 3:30 AM Central

Stylelicious has the remedy for plain wardrobe pieces. Host Vickie Howell jazzes up a skirt and tank with a touch of tulle. Host Jesse Kelly-Landes adds some sass to some simple slippers. Host Jennifer Perkins has an idea to put some personality into your underwear.

Episode Trivia: on the pair of panties with a pirate theme that say Arrrrgh they originally said booty, but the network decided that was too racy. "Professor, what's another word for pirate treasure?" "Well I think it's booty" "booty" "booty that's what it is". Quick what are those lyrics from? No cheating and looking on Google either!

STYLELICIOUS
Time for Change - Episode DSTY-313
DIY Network
Saturday March 28th 3:30 AM Central

When wardrobe pieces get old and tiresome, give them a new lease on life! Vickie Howell revamps an old sweater with a cool needle-felting design. Jennifer Perkins makes a hilarious handbag with girl's training pants. A tired skirt gets a makeover with fishing line and a serger.

Crafty Carnival

About Family Crafts
Discover some ways you can save money on your crafting without stifling your creativity!

Blisstree
Don't miss out on the second annual Collage Mania event !

Crafty Princess Diaries
The Crafty Princess catches you up on her various crafting projects and asks, "What's on your crafing plate?"

Cathie Filian
Cathie has a dollar store do over! With a scrap of paper and a little flirty flower you can make this easy headband in under 1-hour.

The Impatient Crafter
Madge is hooked on Drew Emborsky's new book The Crochet Dude's Designs for Guys! Check out her book review!

Aileen's Musings
Looking for a new spin on store bought plastic easter eggs....Aileen offer's you a Glitzy Easter Egg Project!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside there is a how-to for making a Chinese Knot from Kenneth King's new book Cool Couture, a Scribble Lace scarf pattern, a woven lampshade made from scrap yarn, and 4 upcycled necklace designs.

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Swelldesigner upcycles some old tins with Collage Pauge and scrapbook paper!

Naughty Secretary Club
Jen asks the question: Would you wear an apron out on the town as a fashion accessory? According to some trendsters it’s all the rage. Join in the discussion about Apron-ology.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Sweater Surgery meets Sublime Stitching with a fun gun embroidered altered sweater.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Use the free Street and Traffic Sign Motifs to decorate a cake, a child's jacket, or whatever your imagination can come up with.

Rock-n-Roll Home Decor

Jewelry from vinyl records is so 2004, we already covered jewelry displays made from records on the blog and purses made from them on the Naughty Secretary Club website. So where do we go from here? What about delving into the world of home decor? I wanted to do a quick round up of some of the most rockin' home decor I have seen to celebrate the final weekend of SXSW here in Austin.


This blue beauty by The Grateful Thread takes the record wall clock to a whole new level. The attention to detail with the clock hands is what sets this clock apart from the others for me. The plastic clock hands are custom cut in the shape of a record needle adding to the authenticity of the whole thing and making me love it that much more.


Sure we have all seen room dividers made with vinyl records, but when you paint those records you can hardly tell what they are. Take this retro inspired wall adornment from Quick and Easy Decorating Magazine. With a couple of coats of paint it would take an outsider a couple of double takes to realize that these circles were in fact records. Remember at the Half Price Book Store you can get a big box of random records for $10, perfect for a project like this.


IKC original (re)design has come up with something clever. Just when I thought I had seen everything a vinyl record could ever be transformed into they come out with Bookends! Makes me want to warm up my oven and sharpen my paper cutter to try my hand at a pair of my own.


Haven’t you heard me gush enough about the book Pad at this point that you have already rushed out and scored yourself a copy. At the height of melted record bowl popularity I saw this project about making boxes out of record covers and all was right in the world. Finally I knew what to do with not only the records, but their jackets. I even re-created both projects on my old blog if you wanna check it out!


Another book I gush about often here on the blog is The Craftster Guide to Nifty, Thrifty, and Kitschy Crafts: Fifty Fabulous Projects from the Fifties and Sixties by Leah Kramer. This fun book is chocked full of odd crafty goodness and this vinyl record napkin holder is no exception. I think it would be awesome to make one out of Weird Al Yankovick’s “I’m Fat” to keep it in theme.

Do you have any vinyl records hanging around your house living a second life as a home décor item? We would love to hear all about it.

I Love to Create: Apron-ology

Today for I Love to Create it is all about Apron-ology. I subscribe to several different trend spotting newsletters and one recently popped into my inbox chatting about the resurgence of aprons as a fashion accessory rather than the utilitarian smock we typically think of. Trend Central says: From cook-offs and farmers markets to The Food Network and foodie blogs, all things culinary are cool at the moment, with the latest entry being kitchen fashion: One of our trend reporters recently picked up on a new hipster movement of aprons being worn over dresses. American Apparel strikes again, now selling solid-colored ones, while those of the more retro variety can be picked up at stores like Anthropologie or vintage boutiques. Or you could just make your own like I did.



Summer 2008 I was crafting up a storm in the Duncan booth at CHA. The Liquid Fusion was flowing at my work station where we made pins out of vintage Crafty Curios. That being the case I decided to whip myself up an apron for the event. There I am deciding where to place my pocket at local Austin crafting store Craft-o-Rama where I crafted my Naughty Secretary apron using the Casual Friday Necklace from my book The Naughty Secretary Club: The Working Girls Guide to Handmade Jewelry. When my apron was all done I packed er’ up in my suitcase and headed for Chicago.



Here I am posing with some crafty friends like Sonya Nimiri, Margot Potter, Traci Bautista, my sister Hope Perkins and the Crafty Chica herself Kathy Cano Murillo. All of us in the Duncan booth had custom aprons. Some were sewn, others embellished and a few were hand painted – all were adorable. So adorable in fact they made the pages of Apron-ology Magazine! Sommerset Studios has a whole new magazine out devoted to aprons!



My Naughty Secretary Apron made the cut and can be seen on pages 118-119 complete with how-to instructions. The entire magazine is crammed with cuteness. There are several how-to projects, tons of pictures and oodles of inspiring ideas. Some of my favorite ideas and projects include the free form crochet apron which reminds me of our post: Not Your Grandmothers Doilies. There are several aprons made from vintage hankies that are especially sweet. I have a soft spot for Barkcloth so the Barkcloth Beauties caught my eye. Here Comes the Bride is a hilarious way to reuse an old wedding or prom dress. My collection of vintage men’s neckties could go to good use whipping up the Tie One on Apron. A few of my partners in crime at the Duncan booth were also featured in Apron-ology. Look for Kathy Cano-Murillo's Crafty Chica Stress Buster Apron and Traci Bautista’s Apron Unleashed.



As an added bonus there is also a review of my book in Apron-ology – check it out!



So it looks like those trend spotters hit the nail on the head again. Several of these aprons I would wear out on the town and not just around my kitchen. What do you think about the apron trend? Do you have any favorites that you might venture out of the house and into club wearing?

I f'd SXSW 2009

I’ll be the first to admit that some of my friends were more excited than others that I was having a baby. Some expected it and others seemed downright resentful that their playmate was taken away. Remember when I had the onesie making baby shower? One of my best friends made me this onesie which I thought was downright hilarious.

The onsie is like a scarlet letter for the poor baby. Sure I’m sad I can’t be at SXSW with my friends, but I’d much rather be home with my new baby wearing this onesie. Poor little thing didn’t F’ up South by South West for anyone. I’m sure this will be the most interesting March in my life and after attending SXSW for the last 10+ years I have had some pretty interesting months of March in my time.

Hope my ladies are out there hitting all the day parties, getting their fill of free drinks (don't forget the Twang) and enjoying some awesome music. I like to think it won’t be the same without me there, but I’m sure they will all pull through. In the meantime baby and I are at home keeping it real, reading the Tweets about SXSW and having our own grand ole' time.