Posted by Leah on Feb 5, 2010 in
How To Do It Valentines Day is just around the corner and that means time for cutesy crafts! I strolled upon a great craft site today that was featuring several Valentine crafts that are easy and cheap.
First is this quick and easy heart garland. All it takes is some pink or red construction paper, a needle, some tape, a pencil, and string. You’ve probably got those things lying around your house right now! Make some and hang it in your doorways. That’ll put you in the spirit. Or better yet, prank a friend and hang hearts all over their house! Believe me, it’s fun.
If those aren’t crafty enough for you, then try these flowery things. This page shows various flowers using felt, knitting, crochet, embroidery, and ribbon. So even if you can’t knit or crochet, you can still make a lovely flower pin to wear during this happy holiday. Or you can attach some of these floral beauties to stem and put them in a vase to brighten up your home during the cold winter months.
While you’re there, check out this site. It has lots of fun Do-It-Yourself crafts and other goodies. Enjoy your Valentines Day!
Tags: crafts, holidays, paper
Posted by Manda on Jan 26, 2010 in
Featured Artists It’s no secret that we at LMC love knits. Knit clothes, the art of knitting – knitted beards?!
When I saw WifeOfBrian’s Shop featured on the front of Etsy today, my curiosity was sparked – instead of the usual boring hats, socks, and scarves, she’s turned her love of knitting into something slightly more amusing – beards, mustaches, and other funny disguises!
She describes her work on her website as a “beardy wonderland,” and that it is! All of her designs are clever and very beautifully crafted, usually in the form of fuzzy yarn facial hair to keep you warm or silly gloves to make a statement and sometimes scare your friends. She keeps up a blog with all of her goings-on, including crafts shows and fairs, so you might just get to see her beautiful beards in person!
We highly recommend taking a look at her stuff – it’s a must see for anyone with a sense of humor – or a desire for fuzzy facial hair. :)
Tags: crafts, england, etsy finds, knit, yarn
Posted by mandarific on Nov 3, 2009 in
Featured Artists While it’s hard to believe that it’s already November, this time of year always brings reminders of pinecone turkeys and paper pilgrim hats. It’s the time of year when we start thinking about holiday gifts, decorations, and keeping kids busy in ways that won’t *completely* ruin the kitchen table.
I came across Paperglitter’s designs while looking more for Thanksgiving and Harvest craft ideas to decorate – and found her wonderful crafts that you download, print from your own computer, and assemble yourself. It’s more than just a cute idea – she’s designed toys for many huge companies, including mass market lines such as Hello Kitty, Disney, and My Little Pony. Her free projects include stationary such as envelopes, letter paper, and address labels that are too cute for words – smiling cakes and bunnies that remind us of Hello Kitty characters are sure to make any note stand out in the mail.
If you’re like me and looking to put together some projects for fall, her Etsy Shop has plenty to choose from – whether it’s for yourself or to keep the kids table busy while you’re doing the last-minute turkey prep, her Thanksgiving designs are to die for. Here are some of my favorites – check them out, you won’t be disappointed!
Tags: crafts, diy, paper, printable, scrapbooking, stationary
Posted by mandarific on Oct 29, 2009 in
Featured Artists The last few days have been fairly busy for me – getting ready for Halloween and working on getting several new design projects off the ground, this blog has been a blessing to be able to relax and enjoy some good art. One of my favorite hobbies that I don’t have nearly enough time for is needlework – I love cross-sitch and embroidery, and am often looking for new ideas beyond the pre-packaged patterns available at most craft stores. I was pleasantly surprised today to see that Apple and Eve had posted a wonderful tutorial for her satin stitch.
Eva’s designs are gorgeous – she creates personalized dolls, bunnies, and other such characters that are decorated with beautiful embroidery. All lovely keepsakes in their own right, the critters are decorated with swirls and flowers reminiscent of traditional embroidered patterns, but so that they stand out against the spikey edges of a hedgehog or the floppy ears of a bunny.
Eva’s Satin Stitch Tutorial gives us several large, clear images of how she completes her stitch, as well as reference for how much thread she uses for the stitching. She’s also welcomed anyone to ask questions of her work and how she completes it.
Though she refers to this style as being “challenging,” it seems like a nice basic style that can be added to anyone’s repertoire, and a must-know for those looking to do more detailed embroidery and “filled in” areas. Are you an embroidery guru, or just learning how to stitch? Share with us some of your favorite projects and needlework tutorials!
Tags: crafts, diy, embroidery, tutorials
Posted by mandarific on Oct 27, 2009 in
Featured Artists I’ve been considering getting into jewelry making as of late, so my “research” has led me through all variety of Etsy shops as well as a stroll through Michael’s. One of my favorite artists I’ve stumbled upon uses a unique “metal clay” to create interesting beads with powerful images inspired by cultural influences such as the American West and Japanese art. “Hint” even makes a visual reference of inspiration in her blog, showing the creative process behind why she chooses the imagery that she does.
Beth’s “Home Harvest” necklace is one of her latest pieces and you can almost feel the autumn breeze in the air- the citrine colors give off the warm glow of fallen leaves to accent the hand-crafted silver beadwork.
Though her assembled jewelry can be a bit pricey, the handcrafted beads range in affordable prices to accent your own handicrafts and bring together any project. From clever fall designs to adorable “anytime” styles, she has over a hundred beads to choose from – all created with the same metal clay firing technique.
As noted in her Etsy Shop, Hint also gives back with each purchase by giving to non-profit organizations that help make a difference in today’s world. For more information on the causes that benefit from Hint’s work, check out her Love Dogs blog. We’re glad to see someone who does such beautiful craft giving to help those who need it!
Tags: beads, causes, crafts, jewelry, metals, sculpture, wearables
Posted by mandarific on Oct 26, 2009 in
Featured Artists With just days ’til Halloween, I’m enjoying the remaining days of all the creepy decorations hanging about! For those who like to get crafty around the holidays or are looking for something a little more unique, these sculptures are certainly eye catching…
From a post at UltimatePaperMache, these pumpkins were made with, yep – you guessed it, good old fashioned Paper Maché. The technique has improved slightly over the years – these pumpkins are sturdy enough to display outside with Christmas lights instead of candles!
http://www.amalgamateworks.com
Richard’s designs over at Amalgamate Works never cease to intrigue me – often leaning towards the grotesque and macabre, this is a fine example of the sort of work we can always count on from him. This creepy Jack in the Box seems to have crawled right out of a horror flick with it’s almost lifelike welded steel composition.
http://loopyboopy.blogspot.com/
Loopy Boopy’s handcrafted dolls are truly one of a kind pieces – though her Etsy Shop holds a variety of these spooky creations, “Penelope the Ghost of St. Phillip” truly stood out. Hand sculpted from polymer clay, it’s one of a series of French Quarter Ghosts that appear to be more for decoration than for play, but she would certainly serve as an eye-catching piece in anyone’s Halloween decor.
Have you been up to anything crafty for Halloween?
Tags: crafts, dolls, paper mache, sculpture, welding
Posted by mandarific on Oct 25, 2009 in
Featured Artists I had the opportunity a few weekends ago to check out the Fall Grassroots Festival at Shakori Hills, a largely eco-friendly music festival that attracts all manner of earth-loving, crafty, inventive folks. I blew entirely too much money at nearly all of the arts stalls, but the Holston Mountain Hat Project was easily one of my favorite vendors.
Hailing from Holston Mountain, Tennessee, these folks knit up handmade wool hats for projects such as UNICEF, orphanages, and battered womens shelters. Their teeny newborn hats have gone all the way to Hungary and Albania, and back home they’ve been sent to cancer victims and those suffering from hair loss. Way cool!
The hats aren’t just for a good cause – they fund the project by selling hats to us average folks who just can’t get enough of the cuddly knit wear this season. They predominantly sell their work through festivals, but the hats are very affordable – my fiancé picked out a red and black “aviator” style hat for under $20. The hats are guaranteed too – if it’s ever damaged, just send it back and they fix it for you.
The knitters are regulars to Shakori Hills, so if you’re looking to check out their stall in person and will be in the North Carolina area in April of 2010, you may want to check them out. You can also send them an email at holstonhats@yahoo.com – they can do even the most detailed custom requests.
As for my big purchase, I gave in to a set of scrap-yarn hair ties: totally adorable and a great DIY or gift idea, I was proud to add them to my wardrobe! They’re a little long for practical use, but I think they’re going to serve well for special occasions, hooping, and the usual festival festivities.
Know where we can find some more neat knits for the cool weather? Share some info in the comments!
Tags: causes, crafts, hats, knit, wearables
