i got my last spindle and fiber

from the etsy shop of butterfly girl designs (three month fiber and spindle club)

i posted the first one here and i forgot to post the second. well i'm posting THAT as well as my third and last mailing.

i can't tell you how satisfied i am. all the spindles were BEAUTIFUL and well balanced. the fiber was lovely and easy to work with (except for yesterday when it was 102 out. yes in connecticut on june 9th. well it was 98, BUT the heat index was 102. SAME THING)

anyway, the second spindle was italian resin. unfortuantely i forgot the makeup of the fiber. it was mostly merino. i believe the rest was bamboo but i could be mistaken.

the third spindle is murano foil and the fiber (blackbird) is 60% merino, 30% bamboo and 10% nylon fire star.

amazing sand sculptures from dark roasted blend

electronic embroidery!!!

oh this is lovely

AND innovative AND FUN
using legos to fill holes in walls

by jan vormann
wonderful. simply wonderful
(shout out to wooster collective)

sign the petition

save knitty gritty

a blog you should make a point of visiting

posie gets cozy by alicia paulson

food

crafts

photography

(and that dog is wicked cute)

crafts and recycling

a template and a 'how to' make a ceral box into a gift box

from eco-artware

yarn tattoo

i just happened across this while looking for something else. it's simple yet detailed and lovely. my next ink is going to involve something to do with knitting. of course it will feature stars. there are stars on all of my inked pieces.

picture from rainy day goods

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh

rickkkkkkkkkk
TRESLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

make your own

bird mobile with other inspirations here

(shout out to whip up)

cupcakes!

well cupcakes of a sort. CROCHETED cupcakes!
from bitter sweet

(top picture)

and flint knits does HER own version (bottom picture)

on the street in berlin

(via wooster collective)

we were promised robots!!!

from monkey brains
revoluzzza
tutorial and pattern for making robot softies!
(shout out to whip up)

sculpture from maurizio savini at pastificio cerere foundation

(shout out to dark roasted blend)

part ii of

(i KNOW everything i use isn't eco-friendly or i guess, safe. i'd like to change that!)

How Safe and Green Are Your Crafting Supplies? (Part 2)

Written by Skye Kilaen
In Part 1 of How Safe and Green Are Your Crafting Supplies?, I went on a quest to find out about the safety of my test case crafting product, fusible web. (As you’ll recall, it’s a synthetic product that’s like a cross between fabric and glue, and it works as an adhesive when you iron it.)

Though I was not 100% reassured by what I found, there are at least some safety regulations in place for arts and craft supplies, and fusible web does meet those standards. So let’s move on to my next challenge: assess the environmental impact.

The environmental impact of many products is pretty evident. Oil is a non-renewable resource and it creates toxins when you burn it, so I think it’s a no-brainer to bubble in “No” on the sustainability question in the answer booklet. Bottled water exchanges an efficient public delivery system for an inefficient private one and creates a massive pile of barely recyclable containers.

Fusible web, though, isn’t as immediately apparent to me. Obviously, any product that is manufactured (unless it’s Cradle to Cradle certified, Autumn reminded me) uses up resources and thus isn’t as environmentally benign as going without or re-using something that was already made. But beyond the issues posed by using any manufactured product, is there anything else going on with fusible web that is praiseworthy or less so?..........

i saw this the other day

the little crochet acorn ( to keep your knitting materials for making socks in ). however, there was no pattern so i didn't link to it. there is now a FREE pattern. i think that little acorn is the bomb. it's cute AND functional.

here's the link to the little acorn pattern

there is also an extra special plea from roman sock at the link above (the pattern link). please help out if you can

besides hats and neckwarmers/scarves

i be lovin' me some wristwarmers!

pattern from lion brand

(with a shout out as always to craftzine)

didn't even know there WAS an art center in guilford

Guildford Art Center in CT Now Accepting Applications for Craft Holiday Sale

............... The Guilford Art Center in Guilford, CT is seeking artists in all fine craft media to apply to be included in Artistry, the Center’s 30th Annual Holiday Sale of Fine Craft and Art. The event will take place October 20 through December 31, 2008. Artists from the United States and Canada working in a wide variety of media are invited to apply, including those creating pottery, glass, wood, jewelry, metal, clothing, weaving, fine art, paper and book arts, and toys. Applications are available by contacting the Guilford Art Center at 203-453-5947, or by downloading the PDF application.............

(shout out to craftzine)

i've started my father's rock garden

i planted one for him last year as well. it WOULD have kept but my sister destroyed most of it (i think it was an accident). it is made with mostly succulents and i have a bunch of little animals in the midst of things. i want to add some solar lighting. non invasive. i think these will do JUST fine

home made sun jars from instructables

a receipe to make your own

watercolors!

cool AND GREEN idea!

Printer-Friendly Grocery Shopping: Brown Paper Seed Packet Business Cards Tutorial

look at THIS

(found via craftzine)

nothing could be MORE perfect for me

than a makeup brush carrier (yes, i'm addicted to makeup. NOPE i'm not the all natural grrrl next door type. i'm the linered doe eyed gaudy colored eye shawdowed lines everywhere type - yeah, i put amy winehouse to shame)

here's the tutorial
(by still dottie and a shout out to craftzine blog)

i'm obsessed with neck warmers

i make dozens of them. they're fast and easy and a GREAT gift. no bulk yet all the warmth of a scarf. i just came across this one by tarjanne mimosa neck warmer (there's also a pattern for a hat and fingerless mittens). this is one lovely neck warmer!

lunch!

(shout out to dark roasted blend)

download

patterns to make a pinhole camera from corbis (there are more patterns besides these two. cool, huh?)

(shout out to craftzine)

what's for dinner tonight?

why roasted tomatoes and cippoline from smitten kitchen

PERFECT for an early spring night. days are warm evenings are still a bit cool

instead of a pin

i think i'd like to make a scarf or wrap out of these. sure, it would take a TON of time, but it WOULD be lovely

from cathie filian (i love cathie and steve on creative juice)

singed silk flowers

i happened across this

and found it quite interesting. while i've had grappa (and am italian), i've never heard of a

grolla

..........Then she asked if I was familiar with grappa. When I said yes, she replied, “Then you might find this interesting,” and produced a very oddly shaped, covered wooden bowl with several spouts around the outside. “It’s called a grolla,” she said. “They’re made in the part of Italy where I grew up. You pour in a mixture of coffee and grappa, pass it around, and everyone drinks from a different spout. It’s a sort of friendship ritual.” It conjured up an image of communion, but with coffee—an odd juxtaposition that somehow really worked for me.

Holy Grolla

As I began reading about the grolla, I discovered that communion was a very apt association. The word “grolla” is related etymologically to “grail,” and is believed to have been inspired by the Holy Grail itself (at least, by people who still believe the Grail was really a grail). Indeed, sometimes wine is used in a grolla, and its early origins were religious in nature. It was only more recently that the grolla ritual became secularized (and caffeinated)...........

pictures: fiery grolla, www.cavallofabio.it/particolari.htm

multiple grollas, www.weirdomatic.com/grolla.html

how can you go wrong

with a baby octopus?

here's the crochet pattern

By: Wunderkammer


from supernaturale

a how to for

for shrink plastic rolled beads well, a bracelet. as with most everything else i post here, i'm gonna make me one (or SOME)
from lucky squirrel

here's a great article (with tons o' links)

from crafting in a green world

How Safe and Green Are Your Crafting Supplies? (Part 1)

Written by Skye Kilaen
In Autumn’s post The Eco-Crafters List of Demands, she asked crafters for their thoughts on how to make commerically sold craft supplies more friendly to the planet and the people who live on it. One question she asked particularly stood out to me:

What items have such scary warning labels that you are asking yourself, “Is this project worth giving myself brain damage over?”

One of the products that immediately came to my mind was fusible web. Fusible web is a synthetic fiber that melts when you heat it. Brand names for these products include Steam-A-Seam, Stitch Witchery, and others. If you’re not familiar with it, think of it as thin sheets of fabric infused with glue. If you need two pieces of fabric to stick together, or you’re working with a fabric that needs a little extra support to either stand up or hold still, then you may end up using your iron to attach some fusible web to your project. You’ll often find fusible web in applique, t-shirt quilts, and used as interfacing in clothing...........

while we're doing lamps

this IS my speed (the more colorful something is the more i like it. i'm not a little white light kind o' grrrl. i'm a guerrilla all different colors and all different shapes and all different sizes of lights kinda grrrl)

a diy circus lamp from sonya style

ANOTHER PROJECT FOR ME?

hmmmmmmmmmmm. where am i going to find the time?
sculptural pendant lamp tutorial from design sponge

i like 'em a lot!

(as usual a big shout out to craftzine)

i've always loved sea glass

from betty ninja

how to make a sea glass necklace

(shout out to craftzine once again!)

oh my goddess!

look what we have from fatfree vegan kitchen

pistachio crusted tofu

no ifs ands or buts. THIS is my dinner tonight!

look what i found!

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

just what i do NOT need. ANOTHER CRAFTING HOBBY

here's part ONE (of three parts) of how to make resin jewelry by john golden. the link to the other two parts can be found at the link above.

corey, the purl drummer

i've posted a video of him before, but this one is new from the recent maker faire