Happy Halloween!

If you haven't carved a pumpkin yet, you should. It's a cheap, fun craft. You don't need any artistic ability...just do what I did and use a stencil. Lots of patterns on the web.

Have a sweet, safe, and spooky Halloween!

World of Wearable Art

You guys know how much I love art involving textiles. These awesome pieces are just some of the winners of the World of Wearable Art competition. Please go look at the rest. So happy. (via Craftzine)

Where I Stop Pretending to be Nonpartisan

We are too close to election day for me to pretend not to be completely and totally on edge about the results. Everyone who knows me knows that I'm supporting Obama and hoping for a big change for our country.


So, thanks to How About Orange, who has a notably more politically balanced post, you can download amazing Obama posters and distribute them to all your friends. Get out and vote, people!

Borrowed Art

I am soooooo jealous.  Cal (aka UC Berkeley), my very own alma mater, has started a program that allows students to check out framed original art from the library for up to a year.  Students can now decorate their dorm rooms for free with art from a collection that includes

"more than 700 paintings, etchings, lithographs and engravings by artists including 20th century French Cubist Georges Braque, Surrealist Max Ernst, English satirist William Hogarth and contemporary local artists."

Why, oh why, didn't they have this when I was there?????

Housekeeping

Just a quick note that I did a little fall cleaning with the links on the blog.  They are now grouped into blogs I read all the time, ones I check in on every once in a while, and "old school" sites that are either infrequently or no longer updated but are still good resources. 

If you have other sites you'd like to suggest, let me know!   Comments of all stripes are always warmly received (hint, hint)....

Presidential Puppets

Election Day is coming.... It's always been one of my favorite days of the year (yes, yes, complete dork). And if you wanna celebrate it with crafting fun, one way is to print out some of these downloadable presidential/vice-presidential finger puppets. No comment about which finger I'd suggest for certain candidates.

Yum! Gingerbread Skeletons

 

From MyPaperCrane:   Make gingerbread men and owls with icing piped on to look like bones for a yummy Halloween treat.  She even includes a recipe.

What I Did Last Night...

...Was make my Halloween costume using materials from Goodwill and my sewing machine.  It took far too long, and I'm still not quite done.  I'll post results, though I'm undecided whether to wait until after Halloween to show off my little creation.   Either way, here's a hint about what I'll be:

Well, it's either a hint or just a photo I really wanted to look at longer.

Carpet Sample Reuse

ReadyMade offers a few suggestions for creative reuse of carpet samples, including this great geometric rug.

Ooh, pretty.

Bitter Betty Blogs provides a tutorial on how to make a gilded lace crown.  Perfect for costumes or just your everyday tiara needs.  (Via Craftzine)

Halloween Candle Decorating

My friend alerted me to this cute project from Booga J after she saw yesterday's post.  Using stamps and  tissue paper, you can decorate candles!  I love, love this idea!  I want some candles, stamps, a heat gun...

Halloween Votives

For a cute, simple Halloween craft, head over to Skip To My Lou for a tutorial on how to make these Halloween votives.

So Cute! Album Pillows

Etsy seller Toggle makes these absolutely adorable crocheted pillows. 

Maybe I'm feeling some kind of childhood nostalgia for LPs right now (see previous post), or maybe these are just the cutest things ever. Judge for yourself.  You can get one yourself, for $50-68, with albums by the Rolling Stones, the Ramones, Bob Dylan, and others.   (via Craftzine)

DIY Album Cover Wall Organizers

 

Paper and Stitch has come up with this brilliant reuse idea for old vinyl covers.  Make your own wall organizers using their ingeniously simple tutorial.   (via Ready Made blog)

Falling in Love with Autumn

Fall is my favorite time of year...sure, spring has the flowers and the rBlogger in draft: Design Phoenix - Create Postelief that winter is over.  But fall has changing leaves, a crispness to the air, and football season.

In honor of the best season of the year, here's a collection of fall-themed crafts that I put together:

First Stop:

• Threadbanger's own Fall Project Roundup, featuring their collection of fall-themed crafts

Fall Treats:

• Ramshackle Solid--Making Acorn Flour
• Kaboose-- Nature Luminary Candle Holders (pictured above) 
• Folding Trees-- Free Paper Chicken (or is it a Turkey?) Download that would make a nice Thanksgiving centerpiece
• ReadyMade:  Build a Brick BBQ and enjoy fall while it lasts (for the truly ambitious)
• Truly wishing that I could find a decent knitted beer cozy tutorial online to share with you.  I knitted some of these up in my guy friends' favorite football team colors.  Come to think of it, though, I never heard of them actually using them....hmm....
  

Halloween:

• Bakerella--Spooky Sweets (pictured above).  You have to see these adorable treats.
  
• Julie K in Taiwan-- Halloween Paper ornaments
•  For some [Warning: I Mean This] gross Halloween decoration ideas, Mental Floss--DIY Halloween Decorations 2007 provides some disgusting ideas
  
• See my previous post How About Orange's pumpkin decorating roundup 

Cool Weather Fun (maybe not Fall-specific, but I like them):

• Resurrection Fern:  Scarfette tutorial (above).  I couldn't wear this cuz I'd feel like I was choking, but it looks like just the answer for a nippy fall morning 
• Knitty Magazine:  Maple leaf purse (It's cute!  Check it out!)
  

Another Painting

As promised, here is the other painting I've completed (of a wave). One person who say it asked if I finger painted it.  I take that to mean it has good use of texture and not that it looks done by a 4-year old.  Although, finger painting always was fun....

Sorry about the terrible snapshot photo...all of the advice articles on having a nice blog say that you should only post beautiful pictures.  And I constantly ignore that advice.  Well, I'm doing it again:

Jeesh.  I was even too lazy to crop the photo.  But you get the idea. 

Pumpkin Carving Crafts

There's nothing I love more than a good holiday craft.  Growing up, crafting was how we celebrated holidays:  ornament making for Christmas, elaborate Easter egg dying,  crafting our own lace Valentines....the list really went on and on.  And of course, Halloween pumpkin carving.  Usually, my mom and I spurned the messiness of actually carving pumpkins and instead created charming faces using good old permanent markers.

For those of you who want to transform a pumpkin this Halloween, How About Orange provides a great list of links to carve, decorate, and generally maim your holiday gourd.  Hope all those pumpkin guts all over the place aren't too....horrifying!

Profiles in Craftiness: Rock Paper Scissors Collective

My friend Tam told me about this awhile ago, but since I've been neglecting this blog, I haven't shared it with you all yet. 

I'm very, very jealous of all the people in the Bay Area (that's the San Francisco Bay Area, for all you folks from elsewhere who think there might be more than one Bay Area) for many reasons, but partly because they have access to the Rock Paper Scissors Collective, a

"volunteer-run organization that fosters creativity and collaboration in order to strengthen local communities and encourage sustainable practices and alternative models 

RPS currently realizes this through an accessible space that offers free and low-cost classes, curated and open submission art shows, the retail of independently made clothing/craft/zines/music, a drop in arts lab, community events space, and youth involvement."

In other words, it's a place with some of the awesomest crafting classes around.  From classics like Knitting, Crocheting, or Silk Screening to wilder options like "Making Shoes out of Sweatshirts" "Girl-Friendly Skateboarding" or "Messing with Bikes" the options at Rock Paper Scissors are a crafty girl or guy's dream come true.  Did I mention I'm jealous?

So if you are lucky enough to live in the East Bay (or you're willing to commute), check out the Rock Paper Scissors Collective.

My Next Project: Foam Board Decor

Courtesy of Jessica Jones (of How About Orange? fame): Decor8 offers this simple wall art project tutorial.


Just grab some foam board from your local art store, glue on some paper, and start cutting. It's practically that easy. And it's lightweight, so you won't have any problem hanging it pretty much anywhere.