until bling do us part

Artist Damien Hirst, who is best known for works like exhibiting an 18-foot long tiger shark in tank of formaldehyde, is out to create a really expensive piece of art. Make that the most expensive.

Hirst plans to make a life-size human skull cast in platinum and encased entirely in diamonds. It will take 8,500 diamonds in all, and will cost between £8m and £10m.

From the Guardian article:

Creating the world's most expensive work of art, he says, 'will be a lot less stressful than putting a bloody great shark in a tank of formaldehyde'. Nevertheless, even by his ambitious standards, the diamond-encrusted skull, entitled 'For the Love of God', is a risky undertaking. The cost of making it will inevitably be reflected in the selling price, which could be up to £50m.

Read the full story here.

Someone should just tell this guy about the Bedazzler. He could sure save a wad of cash.

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call for submissions: be in the next stitch 'n bitch book

Debbie Stoller wants your help. Here's her call for submissions for her next Stitch 'n Bitch book:

Dearest stitchers 'n bitchers:

I'm gearing up to get cracking on my next Stitch 'n Bitch book. It's going to be an advanced knitting manual, and I'm looking for patterns that incorporate a bit of fancy-pants knitting such as cables, lace, color work (either intarsia or fair isle or, hell, both!), beading, etc. The book will be covering these techniques in great detail, as well as much more. Patterns can range from clothing to accessories to household items to baby things and pet items. Even first-time designers are invited to contribute. I'm looking for lively, fun projects, and I'm especially interested in socks and sweaters.

So put on your thinking caps, cause submissions are due June 19, 2006!

To submit, please send the following:

1) If you have a completed project, please send a few good-quality photos of the item, along with a detailed description of it.

OR

2) If you can't get a large project done in time to meet the deadline,dont worry. Just send me a very clear, detailed sketch of your project idea (include basic measurements, fit information, etc), along with a photo of a rather large swatch (at least 10" x 10") made in the yarns and stitch patterns you plan to use.

Photos of projects and swatches can be emailed to me at stitchnbitch@bust.com, or mailed to me here: Debbie Stoller, BUST Magazine, 78 Fifth Ave, 5th floor, New York, NY 10011.

IMPORTANT: Please be sure to include your full name, email addresses, daytime and evening phone numbers, and mailing address, along with your submissions. Include a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) if you'd like me to mail your submission back to you after I've made my selections.

It will take me at least 2-3 weeks to make my selections. If your project is accepted, you will be provided with the yarn you need to produce a sample, which will be photographed for the book and kept by me (to take on tour, 'natch!). You will also be paid for your submission, your pattern will be credited to you in the book and will run alongside a brief bio, and of course, you will receive a free copy of the book once it is completed.

If you have any questions about the process, feel free to email me. Thanks in advance, everyone!

xxxooo deb

-----------
Debbie Stoller
www.knithappens.com

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i dream of craft rooms

Get ready to be jealous.

Posy Gets Cozy recently revamped her craft studio - and it's stunning. She's done an amazing job at making it a beautiful, peaceful space that's still crammed with supplies and different work stations. See more photos of the room here.

For more craft room makeovers, check out the pics in the Craft Rooms Flickr group.

One day I will actually have a room like this... It would be so great to just have all your supplies out and ready to go. I mean, my craft closet is awesome, but I think I'd get a lot more stuff done if I didn't have to take things out of boxes, move away whatever's on my desk, and put everything away afterwards each time I did a project. But my laziness aside, it would also be fantastic to have a room with such an inspirational atmosphere that just says "CREATE!" every time you walk in.

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pre-packed machinery

Styrofoam robots and motorcycles by Oregon artist Michael A. Salter. Need we say more?

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quilted rainbow pencil case

I adore this roll-up case for coloured pencils, with stripes of fabrics to match each pencil. It was made by Kathy at Pink Chalk Studios and was one of the Whip Up Whiplash contest winners this week. Definitely a project to add to the I Want To Try Make One Of Those list. Oh, that list just keeps growing.


There's a larger photo of the case here,plus some helpful tips about making the case on the Pink Chalk Studios blog. Also lots of other quilty goodness.

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origami = math = 2gether 4vr

UK design student Richard Sweeney creates impossible shapes. And he does so with paper.

Whereas most of us struggle to even pronounce words like icosahedron (a polyhedron with 20 faces), dodecahedron (a polyhedron with 12 faces) and tetrahedron (a polyhedron with four triangular faces, three of which meet at each vertex), Richard cuts, scores and fold paper to create gorgeous renditions of these, and many other, mind-twisting forms.


See the amazing results in his flickr photos. Also check out his site and his blog on art, design, science and origami - a beautiful combination of interests.

Also, perhaps another up-and-comer in the paper crafts world: Infinite Origami is a 13-year-old homeschooled boy who uses math and origami create amazingly complex tessellations. Check out photos of his work here.

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human topiary

More grin-enducing gardening!

Look at these amazing topiaries! How fantastic is this? Very. Oh so very.

It's just like vines to be climbing the walls...





These just made me so happy when I strolled by them yesterday. Vancouver gardeners sure are a funny bunch.

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guerilla gardening

Mystery solved!

So, remember how I was raving about the mini-garden that appeared out of nowhere, followed by a crop circle?

Well, a couple of weeks ago, I discovered another instance of unexpected gardening...



Move in closer...



It was a bright, happy row of tulips growing in a vacant lot between two buildings in downtown Vancouver!

Just yesterday, I came across the answer to these random acts of flower power. It turns out there's a group of so-called guerilla gardeners bent on planting in unexpected spots in Vancouver. Who are these people? Well, I'm still not quite sure, but the CBC was kind enough to capture them on video.

Watch the mini documentary on the Vancouver guerilla gardeners here. (Scroll down to the film marked "05/18 Guerilla Growers".)

I really hope the crop circle near my bus stop turns out to be a flower donut.

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sheep x 10,000

Behold! 10,000 sheep!

The Sheep Market is home to 10,000 drawings of sheep. Pick one in miniature and witness it being redrawn, larger, before your very eyes!

The sheep were all drawn people using the intriguing Amazon Mechanical Turk , wherein people are paid to perform simple tasks instead of getting robots to do them. For example: draw a sheep facing left = earn 2 cents. Some things are just easier for people to do, plus this way, the robots can concentrate on their true passions, like taking over the world.

This project certainly rivals the bunny mandala. Bunnies vs sheep! Illustrators vs random online workers! Fight! Fight! Fight!

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everyday fabulous

Dear Ikea, I think I am in love with you. Signed, MP&C

And here's another reason why. From May 16-23 in NYC , Ikea hosted the EVERYDAY FABULOUS EXHIBIT. True to it's name, it sounds pretty fabulous.


Ikea made everyday environments a little cozier, adding pillows to benches, and hanging hammocks between street signs. These nice little surprises were tagged with a sign that read "Good design can make the everyday a little better."

Events included "Calling all the Suddenly Single", which invited "those who've recently dumped or been dumped by a significant other" to "celebrate your newfound freedom for making uninhibited decorating decisioons - no more authorization or prior consent required for that sofa selection of chair choice." Ha!

There are also cute little activities on the EVERYDAY FABULOUS site, like how to make a hot dog that looks like a dog (in the spirit of Octodog!) (click on May 20), downloadable magnet designs (May 19), and a video of how to fold a t-shirt (May 16). Uh oh, Martha's gonna be mad - that's her turf.

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icing or cake... wear your couch

This past weekend, an installation/event called Icing or Cake.. Wear Your Couch took place in two storefront windows in Manhattan, off-site but during the International Contemporary Furniture Fair. In the windows, people stripped and dissasembled couches, then used the parts to create new items (buttons) that viewers could take away with them. Here's the reasoning behind the installation:

The context of the furniture fair, the scenography of their performance, and the communication related to this piece all work together to provoke the participation of visitors to the ICFF by inviting them to wear a couch. Through the performance of stripping the couch we will create a series of parts, wearable pins made out of the “icing” of the couch. For most visitors, the items at a trade fair are looked at and appreciated, but are not fully experienced. [...] This installation creates a situation to explore the relationships between design, designer, producer, shopkeeper and customer.

Visit the Icing or Cake site for more details and pics of the project.

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fruit attack

Ha! The Sony Bravia ad - which was our first blog post ever - has been parodied by Tango juice.

Now, instead of rubber balls, masses of fruit are tumbling down the hillside.

See the original Sony Bravia ad here, and the fruitier Tango version here.

The Tango version comes complete with a mock Residents Association website that urges visitors to "JOIN OUR PROTEST AGAINST THE FRUIT FLINGERS" and includes video interviews with residents about the fruity freefall. Those fruits sure are dangerous.

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o bento!

Whereas I can barely get it together to keep enough bread on hand to make a sorry little sandwich to bring to work, it seems that plenty of lucky people are enjoying elaborate lunches that are delicious and fun to eat, through the phenom of bento.

Here's a quick intro to bento (aka obento). (Thanks for the link, Alice!)


Food in Japan is famously prepared as much for the eyes as for the palate. This is true even for Japanese preschoolers, most of whom take an elaborate, adorable mom-made meal, called obento, to school every day. The tradition becomes part of the social education of both parent and child and creates a connection between home and school for a youngster’s earliest forays away from family.

A typical mother spends almost an hour crafting every lunch into a healthful, beguiling blend of cartoon characters, flora and fauna — anything that will make the food appeal to her child.

This is not just for kids. Check out the Cooking Cute bento blog for daily inspiration. She started bento-ing in January this year, and now spends up to and hour and a half each morning creating bentos for her and her husband. Here are just a couple of her recent creations:



That extra hour and a half of wake-time before work seems much too daunting for me. But you definitely get some cute (and yummy) results. I think I'll start with a few little touches, like Cooking Cute's tutorial on how to make a chick in an egg.


There are also tons of bento blogs in Japanese, like e-obento.


Also a great place for inspiration, as always, is Flickr: just search for photos tagged bento and obento, and for flickr groups. Now if they could only figure out how to make waking up early to make bentos look that cute.

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a glimpse into my bookmarks

I've got a few things set aside, just in case, in addition to my mental list of "once I have tools and some semblance of woodworking skills" projects. They include: how to tie knots, using animation, a free pattern for a straightforward tote bag, smoothie recipies, and a recipe for triple citrus coffee cake, among others. I like having more projects than time - it certainly beats the opposite.

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fake model photography

Got Photoshop? Got some pictures from your vacation and a desire to spice them up a little? Well, "with a very little effort, you can take existing photographs of everyday scenes and make it look like they're actually of miniature models."



[Link.]

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popgadget

Popgadget is "a lifestyle magazine that embraces technology as a regular and essential part of women's lives," and attempts to fill the void between women and technology in publishing, claiming the two are normally mutually exclusive. They cover a range of item categories from wearables to eco/green, and come up with some neat things. For instance, I found:

Self-watering flower pots from Sprout Home


Bubble Chairs from Plush Pod
(I've always wanted one of these... I imagine they're so comfortable, especially hanging like these are.)


Avocado Slicer & Pitter at Williams-Sonoma
(Avocados are #1 on my "20 Healthiest Foods" list, but seem a little tough to cut & pit. No more!)


Cable Organizers, via VisualGram in Hong Kong.
(Sorry, no picture - but they're super cute little animal guys win bright colours. Check the website! And while you're there, there's also a selection of cute lamps for kids' rooms.)

A lot of the stuff they point to or recommend is neat, but there's some bizarre & pointless stuff, too. Since people are freaks about their pets, for the most part, the Pet Gear section is predictably weird. (Case in point: the pet dryer. It looks like a freakin' microwave!) Most of all, it seems to be a site for people with plenty of disposable income - but still fun to look through.

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too soft to sit

Felt-covered folding chairs by Aguiniga Design ...


... and floppy quilted folding chairs by Lauren Anderson, an MFA grad from the California College of the Arts.


(Also worth checking out in those grad projects is Susan O'Malley's video, A Few Yards in San Jose. Hilarious.)

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polly put the kettle on

No competition: these are the best citrus juicers. Ever.

Mr. & Mrs. Jones Citrus Juicers, designed by Polly George


Yet somehow the design gets creepier when transferred to mugs...


Why do I find it OK (adorable, even) to crush a lemon over Mr. & Mrs. Jones' heads, but I don't want to see them in my teacup, drowning? Surely both are just as morbid. Hmm.

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teddy tv

Never watch tv alone again: here's how to make a teddy bear remote control. The snaps on the bear's hands serve as the "on" switch.

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dogs + laser beams = awesome

You like dogs?
How about dancing?
And laser beams?

Don't be silly, of course you do.

I bet you like jumping in slow motion, too.

Now go watch this Vitalic video.

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comfort food

Pillows that look like sushi!

These just make me laugh. A great idea - simple to make, but hilarious. Imagine having a whole room full of sushi pillows to lounge around on... Ok, I'm now imagining my living room as a bento box.

Check out the full line of sushi pillows here.

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stats! stats! stats!

Google just launched yet another gadget: Google Trends. It lets you know how much people have been searching for key words over the past few years and - more intriguing - where they're searching from.

I looked up a few crafty words, and was very surprised to see how high Vancouver scored on the ratings.

Vancouver ranked #10 in searches for "craft" - the only Canadian city to place. #1 was Tampa, followed by Seattle and Brisbane, Australia.

Vancouver ranked #7 in searches for "knitting" - again, the only Canadian city to place. #1 was NYC. (On the other hand, Vancouver didn't place on searches for "crochet" - and #1 this time was Salt Lake City. I feel that this is somehow related.)

As for other Canadian cities, on a search for "sock monkey", Toronto scored #10! Go Tdot! (Sock monkeys apparently reached their peak of Google popularity in late 2005.) Halifax ranked #1 (!) on a search for "knitted".

With all these stats, Google just knows way too much about everything.

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call for submissions: hot 1" action button show + swap

As we were leaving the ECI show, we ran into Jim from Hot 1" Action. I wanted to go to this event last year, but somehow missed it. Here are the deets:


HOT ONE INCH ACTION
Saturday May 27, 2006 (8-11pm)
Gallery Gachet, 88 E Cordova, Vancouver

Hot One Inch Action is the unique one night only show of original art, music and social interaction. We take 50 of Vancouver's hottest artists, Vancouver's hottest live music and DJs and Vancouver's hottest most discerning art audience and gather them under one roof. We present the original work of fifty different artists on one inch buttons. These one inch buttons are displayed on the gallery wall and the audience is offered the opportunity to buy randomly selected buttons in bags of five. If the bag purchased does not have the desired button, you are invited to trade with the people around you. How bad do you want that button? To help encourage the trading, there's live music from Trike and reasonably priced beverages.

We are now accepting submissions! The deadline is noon (12pm) on Friday May 12, 2006. It's free to submit and if your artwork is one of the 50 chosen, you will receive 5 FREE copies of your button — and be envied by all at Hot One Inch Action. Chosen artists will also have the option of ordering additional buttons.

Go here to submit a button design and for galleries from past years.

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emily carr grad show 2006

Last night I went to the Emily Carr Grad Show opening. It was fun and packed with people - all elbows and walking sticks. At the beginning of the show, there was a huge pile of walking sticks, all uniquely decorated, that guests were encouraged to take. The show was massive and sprawling, and after a while, the walking stick really started to make sense. We had to rush through the last part of the show, and I didn't get a chance to examine many of the works in detail - I'll have to go back when it's less crowded. There were some good craft/art works in the show. A few of my faves: a full-size hammock made out of miniature ceramic rabbits and mice all chained together; brocade wallpaper with parts of the pattern traced over in gold paint to reveal all the hidden images within the pattern, like a fox's face; and an installation with two walls, two chairs and two people, all covered/upholstered/dressed in the same black and white patterned fabric.

The Emily Carr Institute Grad Show is on until May 22nd. Go get your art on.

UPDATE: Here are photos of the bunny hammock, some of the walking sticks and the black and white installation.

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the state of art after the robot overlords take over

We Make Money Not Art has an interesting round-up of robots that draw. Also: a sharpie-wielding programmable robot that draws on eggs, over at the Make blog.

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kindergarten craft goes to the gallery

I know very little about Steven Carson, except that he's the Studio Head for Sculpture and Installation at South Australian School of Art, and that he creates some pretty great craft-influenced art. Here's are two happy pieces:

Button Paintings (2003) - made out of buttons, thread and velcro on wood.



Peel (2005) at the Dianne Tanzer Gallery - made out of stickers.

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knitted sneaks

Faster than laces, stinkier than sneakers: presenting the knitted sneaker sock! This hybrid should really have it's own name - snocks?

Related: crocheted converse booties.

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soop

Soop! What a great name - it's fabulous and makes me smile to say it. So it's fitting that the products that Soop designs are also fabulous and make me smile.

Explore their site to see all their creations - my favourites are the Duncan mugs with cookies hidden at the bottom of your tea cup, and the the Ready Meals plates, with suggestions on what you serve drawn right on the plate. I love designs with a sense of humour. Bring on the whimsy!

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fifty, but still smells like teen spirit

This year, Play-Doh celebrates it's 50th birthday.

From it's humble beginnings in Cincinnati in 1956, Play-Doh has grown up to become a superstar, at least in the minds of kindergarteners. You can read the full story on Play-Doh's coming-of-age here (though stripped of all the usual Hollywood smut and scandal, I'm sure).

Hasbro is celebrating in an odd way, releasing a Play-Doh perfume. Here's their marketing spiel:

For the first time that fresh-out-of the can, eau-de-PLAY-DOH scent is available for fun, highly-creative people who seek a whimsical scent reminiscent of their childhood.

As part of our year-long celebration of the beloved modeling compound's 50th birthday, PLAY-DOH compound's distinctive aroma will be available in a limited-edition 1-ounce spray bottle.

Retailers such as Ultra Cosmetics and Urban Outfitters will carry the PLAY-DOH fragrance for an approximate retail price of $19.

Childhood memories last forever, but the PLAY-DOH perfume is only available through the end of the year.

It seems more like a mid-life crisis than a celebration to me. I mean, I love the scent of Play-Doh as much as anyone... but who is going to buy this perfume? Really? I get that it's kitsch, and they are selling it to irony-laced hipsters at Urban Outfitters, but aside from that, does anyone really want to smell like Play-Doh? If the scent was really so alluring, wouldn't kindergarten teachers be replacing Angelina Jolie and Maxim girls in the category of "Most Seductive"? (No diss to kindergarten teachers here, I'm sure most of you could out-sass Angelina any day.) Besides, isn't smelling like Play-Doh mostly fun because you've just had fun playing with it?

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suit up

OK kids, there's only six months till Hallowe'en. What's your costume going to look like? What's it going to sound like?

Never thought about the sound of your costume? Yeah, me neither. But Nick Cave has. About 50 of his "soundsuits" are now on display at the Chicago Cultural Center.



Inspired by tribal ceremonial costumes from around the world, Chicago artist Nick Cave’s sculptural soundsuits are full body garments that are layered and textured with metal, plastic, fabric, hair and other found objects. They are designed to rattle and resonate with the movement of the wearer.

The soundsuits are made of all kinds of reclaimed materials - from tinker toys to beads to Victorian ceramic birds.



Next year, Cave will also be collaborating with three Chicago dance companies to create a show using 90 soundsuits.

Read an article on Nick Cave's show here and see more of his work here. And if you're in Chicago, there are all kinds of soundsuit-related events happening until between now and July. Sounds pretty good to me.

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