Craftside

How to cut and lay a reclaimed end grain wood floor from the book Building with Secondhand Stuff

Today's book that you can get yourself in the running for is a bit different than the ones we normally have up for grabs in our Wednesday Book Giveaway. It's a copy of:

Building with Secondhand Stuff:

How to Re-Claim, Re-Vamp, Re-Purpose & Re-Use Salvaged & Leftover Building Materials

...and the inside peek is a tutorial on how to cut and lay a recycled end grain floor. How cool is that?!

The question to get yourself in the running  for Building with Secondhand Stuff is:

What is your favorite wood thing you own or make?

Leave your answer in today's comments section by Midnight ET on Wednesday, November 16, 2011.

Now onto the tutorial on how to cut and lay a recycled end grain floor:

Click on these pages from

Building with Secondhand Stuff:

How to Re-Claim, Re-Vamp, Re-Purpose & Re-Use Salvaged & Leftover Building Materials

to enlarge and read how to make a recycled end grain floor.

More about the book:

Building with Secondhand Stuff:

How to Re-Claim, Re-Vamp, Re-Purpose & Re-Use Salvaged & Leftover Building Materials

by

Chris Peterson

This book takes green remodeling and construction practices to new extremes. From deconstruction methods and salvaging tips to plotting efficient cutting plans and devising creative new uses for everyday items, it is packed with clever ways to obtain low-cost materials (and reduce landfilling in the process).

Building with Secondhand Stuff contains the answer to a question most of us have wondered about at some point: Is that pile of used maple flooring I saw on Craigslist worth taking? From plywood to hardwood flooring, to windows, doors, carpeting and more, salvaging building materials can save you thousands of dollars (and is about as green as you can get). This book is a hands-on, do-it-yourselfer's guide that shows you how to identify materials that can be salvaged efficiently and then gives you step-by-step instructions on how to go about doing it. Plus, it provides over one dozen complete plans featuring clever ideas for putting salvaged materials to good use as useful home furnishings.

Chris Peterson is a professional writer and editor based in Brooklyn, New York. An expert in home design, repair and renovation and an avid cook, he’s the author of Manskills,  When Duct Tape Just Isn’t Enough: Quick Fixes for Everyday Disasters, A Man’s Whirled: Every Guy’s Guide to Cooking with the Blender, and several other books.

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.

 

Jeannine Stein is an open book in her Los Angeles Times article

I have to giggle a bit when such a talented writer is equally as talented in making books. It seems like a match made in heaven. If you are like me and would like to know a bit about the artist that makes such amazing book creations, pop on over to this Los Angeles Times article by Jeannine Stein to get an inside peek into the author of the Quarry book Adventures In Bookbinding: Handcrafting Mixed-Media Books.

To celebrate all the book and word goodness, you can score yourself a copy of Jeannine Stein's book Adventures In Bookbinding: Handcrafting Mixed-Media Books simply by answering today's question in the comments section of this post by Midnight ET August 24, 2011.

The Question:

What is your favorite "gift" book? Was it one you got or one you gave?

I have to share my answer. It is Dr Seuss's Oh, the Places You'll Go! that a family friend gave me for my college graduation. Not only am I a fan of Dr. Seuss's art, but the sentiment of the title was just such a fun inspiration to carry me forward into my new life.

 

Adventures In Bookbinding:

Handcrafting Mixed-Media Books

by

Jeannine Stein

Each project in this book combines bookbinding with a specific craft such as quilting, jewelry making, or polymer clay, and offer levels of expertise: basic, novice, and expert.  Illustrated step-by-step instructions and photographs demonstrate how to construct the cover pages, and a unique binding technique, easy enough for a beginner to master.

Each project also features two other versions with the same binding geared to those with more or less experience.  The novice version is for those who have no knowledge of the craft and want shortcuts, but love the look.  For the quilter's book, for example, vintage quilt pieces become the covers so all that's needing in the binding.  Or if you're interested in wool felting use an old sweater.  This offers great opportunities for upcycling. The expert version is for those who have a great deal of knowledge and proficiency of a certain craft - the master art quilter, for example.  For this version, an expert guest artist has created the cover and the author has created the binding.  This offers yet another creative opportunity - the collaborative project.  Since crafters often get involved with round-robins and other shared endeavors, this shows them yet another way to combine their skills.

No other craft book offers the possibilities and challenges that Adventures In Bookbinding does.  Readers will return to it again and again to find inspiration and ideas.

Jeannine Stein has been making books for more than 15 years, exploring bindings, mediums, and techniques. In addition to teaching book-binding, she is an award-winning journalist, and she has written extensively about paper crafts-artists' books, scrapbooking, rubber stamping, and letterpress. She is the author of Re-Bound: Creating Handmade Books with Recycled and Repurposed Materials (Quarry Books 2009). She lives in Los Angeles.

How to make a Steampunk style decoration inspired by the book 1,000 Steampunk Creations by Dr. Grymm

I was in a Steampunk kind of mood today so what's a crafty gal to do? Pop open a copy of one of her favorite Steampunk books 1,000 Steampunk Creations: Neo-Victorian Fashion, Gear, and Art and get her creative juices flowing....or steaming as it were. Let's just say it worked. Here is what I came up with:

And let's just say while I like this very much it is going to turn into something much bigger!

All I did to make my Steampunk decoration was grab a gear, I think this one is from a Harley, an old glass tube, some chandelier crystals, wire and a clip/ring style curtain hanging part.

I just wire wrapped the parts into the center of the gear and hung it from my cafe rod in my window.

Let's just say I am all "geared" up for more Steampunk style decorating!

1,000 Steampunk Creations:

Neo-Victorian Fashion, Gear, and Art

By

Dr. Grymm

Steampunk is a burgeoning counter-cultural movement; a genre, community, and art form. The Steampunk movement seeks to recapture the spirit of invention, adventure, and craftsmanship reminiscent of early-nineteenth century industrialization, in part, to restore a sense of wonder to a technology-jaded world.

Packed with 1,000 color photographs, 1,000 Steampunk Creations features a showcase of stunning jewelry, fashion, accessories, headgear, artwork, home decorations, and curious contraptions.

Dr. Grymm's alter ego, Joey Marsocci, proprietor of Dr. Grymm Laboratories, has been a freelance designer of theme park attractions, toys, puppets, graphic marketing, film props, and private consignments for more than 18 years. His custom contraptions and sculptures have been seen in Steampunk exhibits and publications around the world, including the Steampunk Exhibit held at the Oxford University History of Science Museum in 2010 and The Cosmopolitan Hotel of Las Vegas, NV. He also hosts an annual Steampunk art show, Steampunk Bizarre, which takes place in Hartford, CT and is the feature artist of the 2010 documentary entitled "I Am Steampunk." Visit his website at http://www.drgrymmlaboratories.net.

Want to see more inside? Then pop on over to Qbookshop and hit the Google Preview button.

Read, Craft, Repeat!

Steampunk ring by Daniel Proulx featured in the book 1,000 Steampunk Creations by Dr. Grymm

Have you embraced and designed in the Steampunk style? I have! It really appeals to my Industrial Design roots. Today's inside peek that will hopefully inspire you to make something fabulous today is from the book 1,000 Steampunk Creations:Neo-Victorian Fashion, Gear, and Art. It is a ring designed by Daniel Proulx.

It just makes me smile and want to make something wild and crazy. If this look is one you are rockin' and you want 999 more Steampunk inspirations, grab yourself a copy of:

1,000 Steampunk Creations:

Neo-Victorian Fashion, Gear, and Art

By

Dr. Grymm

Steampunk is a burgeoning counter-cultural movement; a genre, community, and art form. The Steampunk movement seeks to recapture the spirit of invention, adventure, and craftsmanship reminiscent of early-nineteenth century industrialization, in part, to restore a sense of wonder to a technology-jaded world.

Packed with 1,000 color photographs, 1,000 Steampunk Creations features a showcase of stunning jewelry, fashion, accessories, headgear, artwork, home decorations, and curious contraptions.

Dr. Grymm's alter ego, Joey Marsocci, proprietor of Dr. Grymm Laboratories, has been a freelance designer of theme park attractions, toys, puppets, graphic marketing, film props, and private consignments for more than 18 years. His custom contraptions and sculptures have been seen in Steampunk exhibits and publications around the world, including the Steampunk Exhibit held at the Oxford University History of Science Museum in 2010 and The Cosmopolitan Hotel of Las Vegas, NV. He also hosts an annual Steampunk art show, Steampunk Bizarre, which takes place in Hartford, CT and is the feature artist of the 2010 documentary entitled "I Am Steampunk." Visit his website at http://www.drgrymmlaboratories.net.

Want to see more inside? Then pop on over to Qbookshop and hit the Google Preview button.