Craftside

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.

Author of 365: A Daily Creativity Journal, Noah Scalin is a doll - literally!

Total giggle! Noah Scalin is a doll! Read all about this mini him and its creator over at this post at his blog Skull-a-day.

And if this wasn't enough to get your creativity cookin', try this page from his book 365: A Daily Creativity Journal: Make Something Every Day and Change Your Life! to point you in a direction today!

 

I took my creative direction from #170, which talks about making something unintended out of existing instructions. My favorite instructions are clothing patterns and I have a stash just for crafting with. I haven't made an ATC in a while so that is what it was going to be.

I simply cut a piece of cardstock the size of an ATC and then glued a fun bit of pattern onto it.

Then I added my current favorite Jay-Z quote. I attached it to a greeting card with some gold photo corners so I could store it in my Card Album and most likely trade or gift it in the future.

Want to get in on the "make something daily" band wagon too? Then grab yourself a copy of:

365: A Daily Creativity Journal: Make Something Every Day and Change Your Life!

By

Noah Scalin

The concept of Noah Scalin’s "365 method" is simple but inspired: Choose a theme or medium, then make something every day for a year. Noah made 365 skull-themed projects... now he invites you to choose your obsession and get creative! The book offers 365 project prompts to kick start your creativity, plus plenty of room for journaling, sketching, and jotting down ideas. Learn how to choose your subject and document your work, and see examples from other artists and crafters who took the 365 challenge. In addition, master new techniques to incorporate into your projects, including quilling, clay-making, paper pop-up engineering, and more. Share your progress with other 365-ers at www.MakeSomething365.com. With 365: A Daily Creativity Journal you’ll get charged up, get messy, and get inspired, and you’ll see how making something every day can change your creative process—and change your life forever!

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. He lives in Richmond, Virginia.

www.noahscalin.com

www.skulladay.blogspot.com

 

Type Pantry: A fun way to use your groceries to make a font from the book Type Form & Function

I love this kind of thing: using objects to spell out words or decorate! This page from Type Form & Function: A Handbook on the Fundamentals of Typography features groceries used to make the letters of the alphabet. It makes me want to rearrange my pantry to spell out words with its contents.

I posted about this concept before back at Christmas where the shape of a Christmas tree was made with the contents of shelves.

My food cabinet isn't quite worthy of sharing at the moment, but it did get my mind going into a completely fun, crazy direction. So follow along! It will be a weird, fun and crazy craft tangent.

Let me start by sharing this funny photo I took when I was done crafting. There are so many puns going on it may be hard to follow how I got to this silly photo of me holding a can in the "we can do it" poster pose.

OK so the inspiration page from Type Form & Function: A Handbook on the Fundamentals of Typography shows groceries (cans of food) being displayed to form letters. That made me think of the meaning of the word "can" as a verb. Then I thought about "I" and "I can" as an affirmation. Then I went to "EYE" can. I love the affirmation being created with images and an actual object as opposed to just the words. So I made it.

I had this fun can that I think a watch came in that had a fun clear blue strip of plastic in the center. I found an eyeball image I liked when I did a Google image search and printed it out on a piece of paper.

My food cabinet happens to have an old brass plaque on it that I think is from a ship that says "slop chest" which I think is funny.

In another bit of useful craftiness, I had mentioned in a previous post that I want to keep a handful of fun implements to write with in my journal/sketch book close at hand rather than the standard pen that's usually only there. This can is going to be the new home of my diverse writing implements that I now will be keeping where I sketch ideas as I read in the evenings.

If you are like me and love reading about type and making it in fun ways, then I bet you will love:

Type Form & Function:
A Handbook on the Fundamentals of Typography

by

Jason Tselentis

Type Form & Function is a useful, comprehensive typography resource that both students and professional designers should have in their library. It looks at the influences of modern typography and symbols going back through time and examines certain type treatments and movements in design and logo types. It also focuses on how type works and emphasizes typographic fundamentals, while touching on logo/logotype design and page layout (print and interactive). Designers will be guided through the visual typographic clutter to make their designed messages more meaningful.

Jason Tselentis  is a designer, writer, and educator living in North Carolina. He has completed print and interactive design for: Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum; Henry Art Museum; Intel Labs; the National Park Service; Sony BMG Music; Continental Tires; and 20th Century Fox. As Assistant Professor at Winthrop University’s Department of Design, Jason teaches graphic design and typography. His work has been recognized by the AIGA and How magazine. To see more of his work, visit www.morsa.com.

Want to see more inside Type Form & Function? Then pop on over to Qbookshop.com and hit the Google preview button!

 

A weekend full of crafting at Unique LA and links to fun crafts

OMG! Too much awesome creativity happened this weekend in the Craftside Craft Zone at Unique LA!

Lisa Engelbrecht author of Modern Calligraphy and Hand Lettering: A Mark-Making Workbook for Crafters, Cardmakers, and Journal Artists shared her hand lettering magic with so many visitors to the Craftside Craft Zone that she ran out of paper! A few people loved her work so much she was using the back side of scraps of paper so they wouldn't leave empty handed!

Since we are in Los Angeles, a very diverse city, when you host a Craft Zone you get visitors that range from Playboy Bunny and Dancing with the Stars beauty Kelly Monaco and her cute as a button daughter to hunky hip hop dudes! Jeannine Stein had so much fun she spent the entire day making fun 3-D explosion books with guests with no breaks! She had a tiny handful of the kits left after the show which she graciously gave to me to include in upcoming giveaways! So stay tuned Craftside readers and lovers of book making!

In between Lisa Engelbrecht and Jeannine Stein, there was Tamara Berg instructing our crafty visitors on how to make champagne cage chairs that are just beyond cute!

Thanks to all who came by and crafted with us! See you at the next show.

More about Lisa Engelbrecht's book:

Modern Calligraphy and Hand Lettering:

A Mark-Making Workbook for Crafters, Cardmakers, and Journal Artists

By

Lisa Engelbrecht

From brides who want to address their wedding invitations to do-it-yourselfers who want to prepare certificates or make a family tree, and for art journalers and scrapbookers who like creative text in their works, there are so many fun places for calligraphy. This new-in-paperback book introduces a new approach to lettering, one that combines a lively combination of traditional lettering styles, fun and scripty modern styles, and artsy street-style lettering, along with project ideas that incorporate creative lettering.

 Modern Calligraphy and Hand Lettering demonstrates the uses of traditional and cutting edge lettering tools, from classic calligraphy pens to bling-producing metallic foils and glue pens. It introduces a wide array of lettering styles with complete alphabets sample artworks that show an application. Fully stepped-out illustrations break down each letterform, taking the reader through each stroke and a large collection of gallery images provides further inspiration for how to use creative lettering in artwork.

Lisa Engelbrecht (Long Beach, CA) is a lettering artist and was an instructor of calligraphy at Cerritos College in Norwalk, California, where she instituted a Certificate in Calligraphy. She teaches workshops and classes around the country specializing in lettering on fabric and alternative surfaces, experimental lettering and the creative process.

And Jeannine Stein's

Adventures In Bookbinding:

Handcrafting Mixed-Media Books

and

Re-Bound
Creating Handmade Books from Recycled and Repurposed Materials

And to crafty links!

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Who doesn't recycle cards and gift bags these days? This was a real simple recycling project. Look at the card Jackie gave Eileen for her birthday; and then see how Jackie received it back on hers!

About Family Crafts
Watch these videos and learn how easy it is to decoupage!

Aileen's Musings
Aileen offers you a slide show demonstrating how to create your own vibrant deli paper backgrounds.

Beading Arts
Don't miss our next giveaway package from the fabulous Cherry Tree Beads!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi shows off three years of hand cut silhouettes!

Crafty Princess Diaries
Find out how you can show your patriotism while you have fun crocheting.

The Crochet Dude
Drew announces tour dates for his Summer Boot Camp Series!

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Learn how to make a sock gift card.

 

How to make a recycled book page Easter egg ornament

I have a fun spin on this recycled book page ornament from Playing with Books: Upcycling, Deconstructing, and Reimagining the Book to share with you before Easter. I pulled out my McGill egg punch and an old book and started cutting egg shapes.

Instead of sewing the pages together as the project from Playing with Books: Upcycling, Deconstructing, and Reimagining the Book instructs, I simply used a glue stick to make my three-dimensional paper egg ornament. I put a loop of gold cord inside the new center spine before I glued the last two egg sides together. I think it will make a fun new addition to my egg ornament collection. I think an old kids' Easter picture book might be cool to try this project with!

If you like cutting up books to make new things, check out Playing with Books: Upcycling, Deconstructing, and Reimagining the Book which is packed full of great tutorials and ideas.

Playing with Books:

Upcycling, Deconstructing, and Reimagining the Book

By

Jason Thompson

In these pages, Jason Thompson has curated an extensive and artistic range of both achievable upcycled crafts made from books and book pages and an amazing gallery that contains thought-provoking and beautiful works that transform books into art.

The content encompasses a wide range of techniques and step-by-step projects that deconstruct and rebuild books and their parts into unique, upcycled objects. The book combines in equal measure bookbinding, woodworking, paper crafting, origami, and textile and decorative arts techniques, along with a healthy dose of experimentation and fun. The beautiful high-end presentation and stunning photography make this book a delightful, must-have volume for any book-loving artist or art-loving book collector.

Jason Thompson is the founder and president of Rag & Bone Bindery, and author of Making Journals By Hand (Rockport Publishing 2001). He is highly regarded as a book designer with integrity who creates unique handbound books and other fine bindings, as well as a popular blogger who writes about bookbinding, book arts, artist books, and paper craft.

To see more inside peeks into Playing with Books, pop on over to this post at Jason's blog.