Craftside

Craftastic links to kick off the crafty week

Monday, Monday, Monday! Well, I just have to say Winter CHA 2011 is going craftastically well! So well in fact that I can barely type with my fingers (and feet) as I'm just plum tuckered out. So I bring you links to my fellow bloggers today.

Carmi's Art/Life World
Free card making samples in a UK publication inspire this new 3D card featuring Popcorn the Bear.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy is making lots and lots of yarn hearts and learning how it isn't easy to glue metal to yarn.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Here is a free romantic design to stitch for Valentine's Day or a wedding or anniversary.

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Eileen has some tips learned from painful personal experience about how to take care of your muse.

Mixed Media Artist
Have you tried reverse applique? It's a lot easier than you might think!

About Family Crafts
If you are looking for an almost instant Valentine's Day craft or activity, check out these free Valentine's Day printable pages.

Aileen's Musings
Looking for some freebie vintage images, Aileen has some ready for you to download and use in your art projects.

  

Print and Stamp Lab author Traci Bunkers' 30 days of carving

Setting craft goals can really be good sometimes for your creativity. Traci Bunkers, author of Print & Stamp Lab: 52 Ideas for Handmade, Upcycled Print Tools, is doing 30 days of carving. This is just one of her designs she has printed from one of her carvings. Over at her blog Traci Bunkers, there are posts filled with each day's carvings and the designs she has stamped using the carvings.

What I liked most about this particular stamped design was the opportunity to fill in the dots differently.

I love making the tools we then use to craft with. It is such a complete experience!

Like the idea of making your own implements of stamping too? Then grab yourself a copy of:

Print & Stamp Lab:

52 Ideas for Handmade, Upcycled Print Tools

by

Traci Bunkers

Artist and popular workshop instructor Traci Bunkers can turn just about anything into an interesting stamp, printing block, or tool. In this book, she shows readers how to see overlooked, everyday objects in a new way, and how to "MacGyver" them into easy to use printing blocks and tools. Readers learn to create 52 print blocks and stamp tools, all from inexpensive, ordinary, and unexpected materials--string, spools, bandages, flip flops, ear plugs, rubber bands, school erasers, and a slew of other repurposed and upcycled items. The book also shows how to use those simple tools to make gorgeous, multi-layered prints and patterns that can be used to enhance journal covers, stationery, fabrics, accessories, and more.

Traci Bunkers is a passionate and quirky self-employed mixed-media and fiber artist living in Lawrence, Kansas. Through her one-woman business Bonkers Handmade Originals, she sells her nifty creations such as hand-dyed spinning fibers and yarns, original rubber stamps, handmade books, kits and original artwork. She also creates an artzine called Tub Legs, designs knitwear, and is a knitting, spinning, and crochet technical editor. She has been teaching workshops across the US since the early 90s and her visual journal pages, artwork, and knit designs have been published in numerous books and magazines. To learn more about her work, visit her web site at www.TraciBunkers.com.

Free CD envelope with windows pattern from the book The Packaging and Design Templates Sourcebook 2 by Luke Herriott

The idea of making an envelope so that you can spin the disk inside and little bits of info will appear is so cute and kinda retro. This free CD envelope pattern is from the book (and CD) The Packaging and Design Templates Sourcebook 2. I think it would be cute to make this envelope for a mixed CD. Maybe for your "Valentine"? And write little Q & A's on the disk? Just a thought.

This pattern is designed by Brad Kayal.

Click on the CD envelope template to download and then print out.

If you like this one, there is a first book in the series (as implied by the "2" hehe):

The Packaging and Design Templates Sourcebook

More about:

The Packaging and Design Templates Sourcebook 2

See inside peeks and some of the free templates here.

More about the fabulous follow up:

 

The Packaging and Design Templates Sourcebook 2

By

Luke Herriott

This is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to the bestselling The Packaging and Design Templates Sourcebook. With 100% new content, The Packaging and Design Templates Sourcebook 2 is guaranteed to repeat the runaway success of the original volume. This indispensable sourcebook features 100 new, innovative, and classic packaging and paper engineering ideas across a variety of end uses, with detailed templates showing how to copy, fold, construct, and complete them from widely available materials. The accompanying CD features all of the templates as copyright-free, editable EPS files making The Packaging and Design Templates Sourcebook 2 an invaluable resource for designer, design students, and crafters.

Luke Herriott has been art directing, designing, and managing book projects for over 15 years, and is the director of book design and packaging company, Studio Ink. He is the author and designer of a number of books, including Instant Graphics, Art Directing Projects for Print, and The Packaging and Design Templates Sourcebook, published by RotoVision, as well as 1000 Restaurant, Bar, and Cafe Graphics published by Rockport Publishers. He lives in Hastings, UK.

There are 99 more!!!!!!!! (They are all included on the accompanying CD.)

A heart made from two skulls from Bones and Skulls Book and DVD: Make Thousands of Customized Graphics from 100 Image Templates

If you "heart" off-beat types of Valentines, then I bet you will love today's free graphic downloads from the book Bones and Skulls Book and DVD: Make Thousands of Customized Graphics from 100 Image Templates. These books are not just your average royalty free clip art books; they include designs using several of the elements combined as well as the individual files.

This heart made from two skulls is the design.I have to say it makes me smile!

Here is the skull it's made with.

And here is the word "skull" in a blood drip style. So if these types of images are what you like to work with in your art and design, you will definitely love this book and DVD:

Bones and Skulls Book and DVD

Make Thousands of Customized Graphics from 100 Image Templates

By

ricorico

A collection of usable artwork for designers and artists featuring 100 thematic illustrations in popular categories to use freely and to manipulate or enhance and supplement their own work. The original artwork and the popular themes are perfect for non-designers and amateur artists who want professional looking artwork but cannot create the artwork themselves. This book offers modern and unique illustrations in themes that are current for today’s artists. It is the perfect book for artists, crafters, designers, and laypeople wanting imagery for cards, t-shirts, journals arts, posters, advertisements, party decorations, and more.

ricorico is a Tokyo-based book packaging company established in 2009. They have been actively producing books in the area of graphic design, photography, craft, pop culture, and manga, including two titles that they also authored.

 

Super sneak peek into the new book Drawn In and Craftside Holiday Goodness Giveaway winners

Over at the blog Book By Its Cover there is a super sneak peek at a few of the pages of an upcoming book by Julia Rothman titled Drawn In.

Drawn In:

A Peek into the Inspiring Sketchbooks of 44 Fine Artists, Illustrators, Graphic Designers, and Cartoonists

By

Julia Rothman

This book shares large full-color images and profiles each of the high-profile, amazingly talented artists that discuss their sketchbooks and how they use them.

People are fascinated by artist's sketchbooks. They offer a glimpse into private pages where artists brainstorm, doodle, develop and work on ideas, and keep track of their musings. Artists use these journals to document their daily lives, produce their initial ideas for bigger projects, and practice their skills. Using a variety of media from paint to pencil to collage, these pages can become works of art themselves. They often feel fresh and alive because they are first thoughts and often not reworked. These pages capture the artist's personalities along with glimpses of their process of working and inspirations.

Julia Rothman is a pattern designer and illustrator located in Brooklyn New York. Her pattern designs can be seen on products for companies such as Urban Outfitters, The Land of Nod, and Garnet Hill. She has her own line of letterpress stationery with Hello Lucky, office products through Galison, and a wallpaper line through Hygge & West. Recently Julia finished up a new pattern for Victoria Secret which they used on their new Tease for Two beauty products. Her illustrations can be found in The New York Times, Cosmopolitan magazine and on a poster displayed throughout the New York City's subway system as part of the MTA Arts for Transit program. Articles about her work have been published in Paper, City, Blanket and Tokion magazines. Her blog, Book By Its Cover (www.book-by-its-cover.com), has a very devoted readership. The site gets on average about 4,500 daily unique readers who visit at least twice a week.

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I just want to thank all of you who took a moment to share a thought or idea with all of us during the holidays and entered to win a prize graciously offered by the wonderful companies that make great tools and supplies we all love to work with in addition to our publisher and authors for making great books that guide and inspire our creativity.

....and the winners are:

The two Windham Fabrics ,Westcott Scissors and the books The Quilting Bible, 3rd Edition and Quilts Around The World: The Story of Quilting from Alabama to Zimbabwe winners:

Becky C.

and

Roberta P.

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Winner of Thread and Bobbin: 21 Simple Sewing Projects                        

Ann N.

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Winner of 365: A Daily Creativity Journal: Make Something Every Day and Change Your Life! and an amazing assortment of Westcott cutting implements:

Pat K.

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Winner of Print & Stamp Lab: 52 Ideas for Handmade, Upcycled Print Tools

Candice W.

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Winner of 1,000 More Greetings: Creative Correspondence for All Occasions                       

Tricia L.

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Winner of Deluxe Rotary Cutter and Embosser along with 3 embossing wheels, and Atlas of Fashion Designers                      

Deb W.

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Winner of The Crochet Dude hooks and Hello My Name is Amineko               

Cheryl M.

Drew's winner of The Crochet Dude hooks and The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet: Basics, Stitch Patterns, Projects for All Methods of Crochet

Gary P.

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Winner of The Complete Photo Guide to Ribbon Crafts: Over 700 Photos - Bows - Flowers - Embroidery - Weaving - Jewelry - Fashion - Décor - More

Colleen C.

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Winner of 1,000 Artisan Textiles: Contemporary Fiber Art, Quilts, and Wearables and Simplicity Deluxe SideWinder Portable Bobbin Winder

Marlene E.

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Winner of Christmas Remembered

Retha M.

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Winner of the Boye Electric Yarn Ball Winder and  Mittens and Hats for Yarn Lovers: Detailed Techniques for Knitting in the Round 

Tiffany

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Winner of Polymer Clay 101: Master Basic Skills and Techniques Easily through Step-by-Step Instruction                   

Rikki M.

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Winner of 26 spool pack of Gütermann Thread and PatternReview.com 1,000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts and Tips

Elizabeth H.