(tetris) ice ice baby

from make magazine

for cv rick the biggest tetris freak i know of

look at this lovely

dish garden

how to

make a creative spirit doll (scroll almost to the bottom of the page)

from violette's creations

could this BE any more ingenious?

nope, i don't think so

from crafting jen

a yarnwinder make out of TINKER TOYS!!! how cool is that?

(shout out to craftzine blog - archives)

imagine the possiblities

with skull lace

chart AND written pattern at the link

how to make yarn out of

plastic bags over at gooseflesh

(be sure to check out all of the things she's made out of the yarn, ESPECIALLY the rubbish vortex)

i know what i'm going to be doing

with my stash of misti bulky alpaca (she used blue sky). from ah-yi's blog (via craftzine blog) a how-to make a braided scarf

look what i just got!

from ford4him - heavenly handspinning. that's their etsy shop. i got it on ebay. i didn't find their etsy shop (which i would have PREFERRED to get it from) until after the ebay transaction. it's a mother marion (little meggie) kick spindle.

ok i'm obsessed. i admit it. i mentioned (a while ago) i am taking drop spindle spinning classes (the last one is today). i'm still crappy, but i sure am getting better each time i spin. eventually, i want a wheel. they're VERY big investments. although, i did find plans online to build a little great wheel

here's how to use the little meggie

oh

cv rick i'm NOWHERE near done with tetris craft postings

build a tetris book or dvd shelf
from instructables

now THIS is extreme crochet

and wicked cool too
the work of joana vasconcelos
from craftstylish via craftzine blog

a kick ass quinoa and israeli couscous salad (vegan and rather low fat)

1 c Israeli couscous (that’s the big stuff)
1 c red quinoa (you can use the regular as well)
1 c frozen broccoli
1 (sweet) red pepper
½ c nuts (peanuts, pine nuts, almonds with the skins on)
½ c peas
½ onion (you can’t go wrong with a Vidalia)
1/3 c low or no fat raspberry vinaigrette or sun dried tomato salad dressing or just some olive oil and vinegar
1 bouillon cube (vegan)
1/3 c raisins
15 cherry or grape tomatoes
1 block of tofu (use extra firm OR a pre-cooked flavored pressed variety)
Salt and pepper to taste.

Wash quinoa (if you buy it in bulk it MUST be rinsed. Use cheesecloth or something similar.) Put quinoa and couscous in a pot with 3 1/2 cups of water and the bouillon cube. Bring to a boil and turn heat down to low. Simmer for 5 minutes with a cover on. Turn heat off and let sit WITH THE COVER ON for 20 minutes. DO NOT remove the cover. After 20 minutes, the grains should have cooked and absorbed the water. Fluff grains with a fork.

While you’re waiting on the grains, put broccoli (you can use fresh OR frozen) and cleaned and seeded and chopped red pepper in a baking dish. You can either spray with non-stick spray OR use a teaspoon or so of olive oil. Salt and pepper it too. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring often. Add the peas after 30 minutes and cook an additional 5 minutes. Let cool

Roughly chop almonds. Put them, the pine nuts and the peanuts in an UNGREASED skillet on medium heat. Stir constantly until you can smell them and see them turn a BIT darker. Pull off heat immediately so they don’t burn. Let cool.

Chop onion finely, cube the tofu and halve the cherry or grape tomatoes.

When everything is cool, place it all in a large bowl; the grains, the vegetables, the onion, the nuts, the tomatoes, the tofu. Add the dressing and stir. Eat immediately at room temperature or refrigerate to serve later.

cool

felted scarf. if it's unusual (and crafty) chances are i'm gonna LOVE it

Felt Gridlock Scarf tutorial

from kneek

oh my

another 'how cool is this' moment

(another find via craftzine blog archives )

felted flower wreath tutorial

from betz white, felted wool artfully stitched

pretty

AND it seems rather easy (time consuming, but easy) - i might even be able to do one or two of these!

(shout out to craftzine blog)

How to Make a Patchwork Ball

from lil birdie stitches

my NEW shoes!

they're from planet shoes and they're earth intrigue VEGAN shoes.

the blue and pink parts are elastic. i swear the part that is green looks and feels JUST LIKE suede (it's NOT)

some place you REALLY want to support:

BeadForLife

BeadforLife eradicates extreme poverty by creating bridges of understanding between impoverished Africans and concerned world citizens. Ugandan women turn colorful recycled paper into beautiful beads, and people who care open their hearts, homes and communities to buy and sell the beads.
The beads thus become income, food, medicine, school fees -- and hope. It is a small miracle that enriches us all.
All profits from BeadforLife are invested in community development projects that generate income and help people work their way out of poverty.

......Bead for Life Mission Statement:
"BeadforLife creates sustainable opportunities for women to lift their families out of extreme poverty by connecting people worldwide in a circle of exchange that enriches everyone."
BeadforLife is guided by the following principles:
1. Creating jobs through local partnerships is a more sustainable approach to poverty eradication than providing aid. Rather than become dependent on handouts from abroad, the beaders build their skills and long-term capacities through meaningful creative work.
2. Concerned citizens in resource abundant countries care about the issues of extreme poverty and are willing to get involved.
3. Paying our beaders fair trade prices allows them to meet their daily economic needs. Investing 100% of our net profits in community development projects for impoverished Ugandans allows for a long-term sustainable future.
4. Partnerships formed between North Americans and Ugandan beaders enrich all of us. .........

........Meet the Beaders and the Tailors We are happy to introduce the beaders and tailors to you. Their stories, while full of loss and difficulty, show determination, beauty, and indomitable spirit. They are resilient and hardworking without self-pity. They enthusiastically roll beads and make jewelry bags with the hope of sending their children to school, feeding their families three meals a day or buying medicines.
The three sorrows of Uganda are poverty, illness, and war. All three impact our beaders. Beaders are invited to join BeadforLife if they are living on less than two dollars a day. Most of the beaders are mothers, taking care of their own children as well as AIDS orphans. Many have been widowed by the war and HIV/AIDS.................

you asked for it

you wanted it. yes, that's right MORE TETRIS CRAFTING. this time a crocheted baby blanket!

made by kayster found via craftster

just a foot or two

that i've spun with my new fiber and new spindle (see previous post)

i got from butterfly girl designs (link to her etsy shop is at this link)

look what i got today

from butterfly girl designs (or her etsy shop)

i joined her three month fiber club. a new fiber and a new spindle. once every month for three months. today was my first month

it's a purple (you can't really tell from the photos) flourite whorl on the spindle and the INCREDIBLY SOFT SOFT SOFT (unbelievably so) fiber is; 50% merino, 20 (non-cruise) suri alpaca, 20% bamboo, 10% silk (and less than 1% of angelina). the color is called rocky road and that hits it right on the mark.

if you stop by

the purl bee you can find THE most wonderful tutorial (a TON of other tutorials on the right hand sidebar as well) on how to make a wool felt patchwork blanket BY HAND

i don't know why the link to the acutal tutorial (above) isn't working. here's the url: http://www.purlbee.com/