Craftside

Eye Spy photography fun from the new book Unstuck: 52 Ways to Get (and Keep) Your Creativity Flowing at Home, at Work & in Your Studio by Noah Scalin

Did I make you smile like the truck kinda looks like it is with its row of spikes between the tires? I took my inspiration from a project in the new book Unstuck: 52 Ways to Get (and Keep) Your Creativity Flowing at Home, at Work & in Your Studio—which is today's GIVEAWAY book!

To get yourself in the running, simply leave a comment in today's post about how you "unstick" your creativity by midnight Wednesday September 21st, 2011 and you could have yourself a whole book of "unsticking" ideas!!!

The little eyeballs (in cowboy hats) are little crocheted amigurumi that I designed. The crocheted eyeball pattern is over at Sweater Surgery.

These pages from Unstuck: 52 Ways to Get (and Keep) Your Creativity Flowing at Home, at Work & in Your Studio are the prompts that inspired me to photograph my little eyeballs on this truck!

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More about this idea packed book:

Unstuck:

52 Ways to Get (and Keep) Your Creativity Flowing at Home, at Work & in Your Studio

by

Noah Scalin

Can’t get the creative juices flowing? Unstuck features 52 simple, creativity-generating projects that can fit into any lifestyle. Arranged in order of time commitment—from 30 seconds to several hours—the 52 projects can be done randomly or one per week for an entire year of creativity building. Also included are 12 artist profiles that illuminate what other successful creative people do to stay inspired and productive, along with blank journaling pages to sketch, scribble, and jot down your experiences and ideas. Roll the dice (made from the “custom inspiration dice” template in the book) and see where your creative energy takes you!

www.noahscalin.com

www.skulladay.blogspot.com
www.makesomething365.blogspot.com

In 2007, artist Noah Scalin came up with an ingenious idea: he cut a skull out of orange paper and posted it on his blog with the note, “I’m making a skull image every day for a year.” His year-long art project became an award-winning Internet sensation that resulted in the book Skulls, as well as landing him in the New York Times and on the Martha Stewart Show.

How to make a Mod Podge bird house wind chime with a recycled sweater flower embellishment

It's back to work Tuesday, but that doesn't mean you can't take a break for a little craft video watching with....me! I was lucky enough to be asked to be a guest on Plaid Craft TV with Cathie Fillian and Steve Piacenza. See how Steve and I made a birdhouse wind chime using some great outdoor Mod Podge with a Sweater Surgery style recycled wool felted sweater flower embellishment:

 If you need more sweatery goodness then check out the Quarry book:

Sweater Surgery:

How to Make New Things with Old Sweaters

by

Stefanie Girard

Contemporary crafters are thriving on personalizing, modifying, and altering fashion, and as a way to take a greener approach to their creative lifestyle. This book shows you how to upcycle all your slightly worn, slightly damaged, or out-of-style sweaters into fabulous new items for your wardrobe and your home. Readers learn how to choose, cut, restitch, felt, and embellish old sweater fabric, transforming it into beautiful handbags, mittens, scarves, hats, hoodies, skirts, jewelry, soft toys, pillows, and more! You'll find complete instructions for 27 projects, plus a huge gallery of exciting ideas for further inspiration.

Stefanie Girard (Los Angeles, CA) has a degree in industrial design from Pratt Institute and worked as a set decorator and prop master for 10 years in the entertainment industry. She has produced, written scripts, and edited Web content for television shows and has been covering these creative topics for HGTV, DIY Network, and Lifetime TV. Check out more recycled sweater projects at  www.sweatersurgery.blogspot.com.

 

Crafty news, Swap-o-Rama highlights, and Chicago Craft Supershow details!

Happy Monday all ya'll crafty peeps! Well, Swap-o-Rama at the Renegade Craft Fair was a huge success (even if it was Carmageddon here in Los Angeles).

Here are a couple of young designers that made hats inspired by the one on the cover of my book Sweater Surgery and tried their hand at applique using the Sizzix Cupcake die. Pretty awesome huh?

This seasoned crafter kicked it up a notch and added the wings to her cupcake. I would have to say the cupcake die was the favorite of the day with the skull and cross bones coming in a close second.

Are you in the Chicago area??????

Will you be attending the Chicago Craft and Hobby Super Show July 21-24??????

Come see us in the Craftside booth #2216

We will have free journals to give away that you can embellish with Dritz buttons and Simplicity ribbons, along with a tape measure and button bracelet Make and Take!

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Next in the news, I have a link sent in by Craftside reader Lyn aka Liniecat about a giveaway she has going on at her blog by the same name! Thanks for sending in the link and good luck to all who enter!

And finally I bring you a fun list of some crafts from my fellow crafty bloggers:

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi paints two tiny canvases which she glazes with resin.

Connie Gee's Designs
A thought-provoking project to stitch and share in the floss colors of your choice.

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Take a few moments to peek into the world of another artist: Scrap Girl and SG Product Designer, Brandy Murry. You may find some inspiration to help you grow in your art.

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi gets inspired by Teresa Stanton to make a really fun steampunk cuff bracelet!

About Family Crafts
This week's craft challenge is all about making bookmarks. Do you have one to submit?

Aileen's Musings
Aileen's been creating in the kitchen again and offers you a printable White Lemon Tea Cake recipe card.

A couple of Southern California events and links to cool crafty news

Happy Monday! Are you all recovered from the big wedding last week? I almost am, but boy was my Easter awesome and there is a lot of recovering to do there too. If you are in SoCal, I have 2 events to tell you about happening this coming Mother's Day weekend. The first is the Burbank Book Festival held at the Buena Vista Branch this Saturday May 7 from 1-4. Burbank is celebrating its Centennial with all sorts of events and this one looks to be a good one. Please stop by and make a recycled wool felted sweater flower with me. (Perfect to give mom on her special day!!!)

The full list of my fellow Burbank authors:

Also on the agenda this weekend is the always fabulous Unique LA!!!

All the details about the super fun vendors and special extras can be found on the Unique LA website.

Along with our always popular Craftside mega free craft zone filled with all sorts of wonderful authors and designers hosting free Make and Takes, we will have a

Free Gift Wrapping Table

fully stocked with our

Recycled Book Page Wrapping Paper

Perfect to wrap up that newly purchased treasure that you scored for Mom!

 If you aren't in SoCal, all is not lost!

This is a super prize package Traci Bunkers, author of The Art Journal Workshop: Break Through, Explore, and Make it Your Own and Print & Stamp Lab: 52 Ideas for Handmade, Upcycled Print Tools

has put together, and you have a chance to win over at her blog so scoot on over and enter. There is only 1 day left to get in the running!

Looking to get some crafty inspiration right now? Here are some links to cool crafts:

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Check out the Mother's Day Parade of Crafts on The Artful Crafter. You're sure to find something to make that will put a smile on Mom's face. Kid-friendly projects are indicated by our little Miss SmArty icon.

Crafty Princess Diaries
How the heck do you make holes so you can add some fashionable crochet trim?

Mixed Media Artist
Have you seen Lark Publications' beautiful new book, 500 Raku?

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Book Review: Knits That Fit from Potter Craft

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi's big Fairyopolis card making post is over on the Crafter's Companion site this week.

About Family Crafts
Do you want to learn how to make mosaics? Sherri can help!

 

How to make a recycled wool felted sweater shamrock for St. Patrick's Day

Are you feeling the green comin' on? The St. Patrick's Day green is what I'm talkin' about. I am in full Irish-a-go-go-crafting. So are Jane and Roy Amineko - they just had to jump in the Pot o' gold, well no gold in there yet but my little Amineko buddies are "golden" in my book. Jane made a recycled wool felted Sweater shamrock for Roy to sport.

(By the way I am also recycling my Halloween decoration here. That witch's cauldron works great doubling as a Pot o' gold!)

Here's how to make a recycled wool felted sweater shamrock pin:

Cut 3 hearts out of your felted sweater. I used my Sizzix die cutter but you could free form it.

Then I cut a little scrap to make the stem.

Then all that was left to do was stitch them all together with the points of the heart together in the center and add a little button to the center front and a pin on the back.

If you are wondering how I made the big shamrock wall decorations, pop on over to recycled t-shirt shamrock tutorial featured on Sweater Surgery. And speaking of Sweater Surgery, need more recycled sweater projects? Then grab yourself a copy of:

Sweater Surgery:

How to Make New Things with Old Sweaters

by

Stefanie Girard

Contemporary crafters are thriving on personalizing, modifying, and altering fashion, and as a way to take a greener approach to their creative lifestyle. This book shows you how to upcycle all your slightly worn, slightly damaged, or out-of-style sweaters into fabulous new items for your wardrobe and your home. Readers learn how to choose, cut, restitch, felt, and embellish old sweater fabric, transforming it into beautiful handbags, mittens, scarves, hats, hoodies, skirts, jewelry, soft toys, pillows, and more! You'll find complete instructions for 27 projects, plus a huge gallery of exciting ideas for further inspiration.

Stefanie Girard (Los Angeles, CA) has a degree in industrial design from Pratt Institute and worked as a set decorator and prop master for 10 years in the entertainment industry. She has produced, written scripts, and edited Web content for television shows and has been covering these creative topics for HGTV, DIY Network, and Lifetime TV. Check out more recycled sweater projects at  www.sweatersurgery.blogspot.com.