button wreaths

The only xmassy thing I've done so far is indulged in a gingerbread latte, but some people (far more coordinated than I) are getting in the holiday spirit early this year. Button wreaths seem like a great way to get started - have a look at these little beauties to get inspired: a mutlicoloured wreath by Pixiegenne, and red and cream wreaths by Little Birds. Just cut out a cardboard donut and glue the buttons in place with superglue or with a glue gun. Cover the back with paper if you like. Easy craft - gorgeous results.

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street bling

The city is beautiful! Check out these cute giant necklaces that adorned Geneva - part of an outdoor ad campaign for the Accessorize stores. Ha!

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mmm toasty

The temperature's dropping on this side of the country. Stay warm. Drink tea. Eat toast.

Speaking of which...



Toast is the new weather forecast. This toaster will burn the day's forecast onto your bread. Stormy with nutella.

Toast is the new teddy bear. Toast can be cuddly, too. Just don't get crumbs in the bed. Funfun's toast plush looks angry, while My Paper Crane's toast is happy (and brown) or sad (and burnt) (also raw and moldy).

Toast is the new Hallmark. There's a toaster greeting card for every occasion.

Toast is the new chamelion. Toast your bread to match your plate, using this. It's chic.

Toast is the new kitchen. Well, at least this kitchen is as flat as toast. Pops up when you need it.

Toast is the new doodle. This toaster can draw little images on your morning slice.

Toast is the new pixel. Rodrigo Bruna makes large-scale images by piecing together pieces of strategically burnt toast.

Toast is the new fundraiser. Get your name put on toast. Your toast will get added to a gallery, which then acts a link to your site. The toast profits all go to charity. Warm feelings all round. And your name on toast.

Way to go, toast! We always knew you could do it.

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i have a crush on you

[All photos in this entry are by Camilla Engeman, whose work I greatly enjoy. She lives in Sweden, which is no surprise to those who know my crush on the country.]

There's something so amazing about looking into other people's homes. I fall in love with the designs people surround themselves with so easily; I can't imagine ever picking just one style to go with for my home.

Renting makes me feel so temporary about it all... I have to admit, part of me is longing for the time when I can set things up with someone - start from scratch, design and set up every room the way we want it. Starting from the ground up would be best, with an architect to build us just want we want... but more realistically, just painting and organizing will have to do. Find the pieces that are just right.

(Like that lamp? It's David Trubridge's Coral Lamp (see Lighting).)

Also on my crush list: port2port's finds and their letterpress beauties and the colours and details in little birds's home.

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a cluster o' love for cluster jewellery

One of the things I love about sharing this blog with Lindsay is how often we're thinking about the same things, or drooling over the same colour schemes, or wanting to try the same kind of projects - even though we now live thousands of kilometers away from each other. (Boo to that last part).

Recently I've been noticing a few jewellery designers who are creating work similar to the kilt pins that Lindsay mentioned in her last post. I love the look of clustered jewellery (or jewelry?). The unexpected combinations of colours and shapes can be quite striking, and I love how these works often seem to have random compositions, like items all piled up and jumbled on top of one another. If you've ever played with a box of buttons, moving them around and stacking them into heaps, I think you know what I mean.

This beautiful pendant by Crafty Ass Chick is one of those pieces that's in one way very simple, but uses interesting arrangements of shapes and stunning colour combinations. (Crafty Ass Chick has other jewellery availble for sale online in her store.)

I especially enjoy it when cluster jewellery involves random bits and pieces, like old buttons, small plastic toys and other knick knacks. Enter Grainne Morton. This Scottish artist takes those random bits and pieces and incorporates them into works using metal and enamel. Some of my faves from her collection: playful flower pins, these fun dangling earrings with ribbons and charms, and especially this gorgeous blue cluster brooch (pictured here), or this one, which looks like the plastic parts kit you get with model airplane kits. I also love the simple elegance of this white button cluster brooch.

For more afforable cluster jewellery, check out Squidlicks, an talented artist based in Washington, DC. I recently bought a necklace from Squidlicks (pictured here) made from green and pink plastic beads, flowers, and even a giraffe. SO much fun. How could you wear a bright green giraffe around your neck and not have fun? Impossible!

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a nice vintage touch

Similarly, here are a few inspirational photos courtesy of One Hour Craft for brooches - I especially like the ones made with a kilt pin from Marie Claire Idées. They have a very nice vintage feel. (Speaking of vintage, I saw Victorian granny boots for sale the other day. I used to hanker after those things like crazy - where were they ten years ago?)

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button bling

Get your holiday glam style - and still afford presents for your peeps. Here are two ways to transform a button into a bling ring, thanks to Martha's Blueprint magazine.

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vancouver craft fairs 2006

How many days is it till xmas? Yikes.

If you live in Vancouver, BC, fear not - there are tons of craft fairs and artistic events coming up that will solve all gift-giving dilemmas. This is turning into quite the crafty city.

• Friday, November 24 to Sunday, November 26: Go on the East Side Culture Crawl to explore the working studios of 45 Vancouver artists.
  
  
• Friday, November 24 to December 6: The Wall Candy show is on at the Jem Gallery (225 East Broadway). Paintings, prints and dolls by the Jupiter Project Illustration Collective.
  
  
• Friday, November 24 to Sunday, November 26, 11am to 6pm: Women’s Arts & Crafts Faire, Part 1 at Heritage Hall (3102 Main Street).
  
  
• Saturday, November 25, 11am to 5pm: I Heart Crafts Bazaar, hosted by the Seamrippers at the Legion Auditorium (2205 Commercial Drive). I'm sure they'll be some great indie work at this show.
  
  
• Sunday, November 26 & Sunday, December 10: Portobello West fashion and art market. Dozens of local designers. NEW location: Rocky Mountaineer Station (1755 Cottrell Street, near Home Depot).
  
  
• Saturday, December 2 & Sunday, December 3, 11am to 5pm: Heritage Hall One-of-a-Kind Christmas Craft Fair (3102 Main Street). 50 local vendors.
  
  
• Saturday December 9, 11am to 6pm: Green Christmas Market at Blim (197 East 17th Avenue @ Main Street). Hand-crafted items made from sustainable materials. Recycled, reconstructed and eco-friendly creations - sounds fantastic.
  
  
• Saturday, December 16 and Sunday, December 17, 11am to 6pm: Women’s Arts & Crafts Faire, Part 2 at Heritage Hall (3102 Main Street).

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never too late for thanks (or gobbling)

Ok, so this is a day late for Americans, and way too late for Canadians, but I wanted to post a few random items that are turkey-related ... without involving real turkeys.

• Turkey cake.
  
• Survey of turkeys drawn on a psych exam.
  
• A video podcast on how to make a 3-D paper turkey.
  
• How to make a Jell-O turkey.
  
• How to mold other foods into turkey-shapes (with your co-workers, no less).

Gobble! Gobble!

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more (literal) bookshelves

Following up on the last post, I came across another company making bookshelves from books. The Curiosity Shoppe is offering some really cute bookshelves made by Little Fish Furniture. They have a great selection of titles, including The Great American Chewing Gum Book, Superachievers, Mind Drugs, Let's Start Praying Again and Love, Remember Me. I think the book you chose would affect what you'd consider storing on the shelf.

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by the book

I have WAY too many books to read right now. I recently had to take all the books out of my massive bookshelf in order to move it over to make room for the new couch, so I took the opportunity to reorganize my books. I tried to put all the "to read" books in the smaller shelf in my room, but there are too many, so I had to leave the "to read in the more-distant future" books in the livingroom. Plus, I have a few books out of the library which need my immediate attention. And I have some books I have to read for work. Oh, and magazines - lots of those to catch up on, too. I'm not complaining; I love having lots of good reading to look foward to. I'm just glad I'm not moving anytime soon - my books weigh a ton.

In honour of all this reading, here are some crafty amusements for you that have to do with books...

• British artist Su Blackwell uses the pages themselves to tell a story. Her paper cut sculptures have the beautiful and magical feel of fairy tales.
  
• Moonstitches has posted a nice tutorial on how to cover books.
  
• A book that's really a shelf! This one's for sale, but I bet you could make your own by making a floating shelf and placing a book cover over it.
  
• Literature in Transit from Montreal and Rebound Designs from Washington, DC are a couple of designers who are transforming old books into beautiful handbags.

Also - not necessarily crafty (though it could be if you so chose!) - the Guardian is asking readers how they arrange their bookshelves. Do you arrange by author? By subject matter? By genre? Or - and here's where you could get crafty - by size or by colour?

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woolly window display

If you live in Vancouver, go check out the crafty window display at the tna store on South Granville. Aritizia and it's spin-off store, tna, always have the best window displays, but this one is particularly great. Artist Daria Tavoularis has created a woolly landscape, covering a tree, a bench, a bike and a street sign in knitting. There are even little knitted birds perched here and there. Cute!

I wonder if she tailored old sweaters or custom-knitted the shapes for each piece?

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I admit it, I'm in love with modular carpet squares.

I know it's all gushes and drools from me today, but have I mentioned how much I adore these floor tile patterns? Seriously. They're gorgeous.



They also come in solids and naturals if patterns aren't your thing.

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just love it

And also, this looks so cozy and nice... reminds me of a little cottage loft I once stayed in. I just love that bear print, too. Wonder who made it?

And!

Koi wallpaper!

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speaking of colour... wow!

[Link]

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more than gore-tex

Following up on our earlier post about street fashion blogs, Vancouver has finally has one of its own. I'm looking forward to seeing The Commodified grow. It's nice to be reassured that there's more than gore-tex and lululemon yoga pants in this city.

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happy world usability day

Happy World Usability Day!

What the heck does that mean? Well, I'll make it real easy for you, and paste the answer right here, direct from the World Usability Day site:

"Why doesn't this work right? What am I supposed to do with this now?"

World Usability Day, November 14, 2006, is for everyone who's ever asked these questions. This Earth Day style event, focused on raising awareness and visibility of usability engineering and user centered design, is currently being organized by volunteers and local event coordinators from around the world. Whether a usability professional or just an enthusiastic (or frustrated) user, each participant is making a contribution to "making life easy".

World Usability Day 2006 promotes the value of usability engineering and user-centered design and the belief that every user has the responsibility to ask for things that work better.

This actually affects more than just having a DVD player that's easier to program or a can opener with an ergonomic handle. According to the charter, usability affects (or has the power to affect) education, health, government, communication, privacy and security, and entertainment. I really like this charter/manifesto, so I'm going to paste a big chunk of it here (what can I say, I love industrial design):

Technology today is too hard to use. A cell phone should be as easy-to-use as a doorknob. In order to humanize a world that uses technology as an infrastructure for education, healthcare, government, communication, entertainment, work, and other areas, we must agree to develop technologies in a way that serves people first.

Technology should enhance our lives, not add to our stress or cause danger through poor design or poor quality. It is our duty to ensure that this technology is effective, efficient, satisfying and reliable, and that it is usable by all people. This is particularly important for people with disabilities, because technology can enhance their lives, letting them fully participate in work, social and civic experiences.

Human error is a misnomer. Technology should be developed knowing that human beings have certain limitations. Human error will occur if technology is not both easy-to-use and easy-to-understand. We need to reduce human error that results from bad design.

I hope your day went smoothly and was easy to use.

(Coincidentally - or maybe not - ECI just redesigned their website. A small hallelujah is in order.)

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I wish this was my cupboard.

It makes me sad when I'm shopping for friends who are getting married and on their registries, they have all-white dishes. Part of me is suitably impressed at how sensible they are being, but most of me is thinking, "Really? ALL white? That's just not for me."

And! I have a longstanding crush on this jewlery (especially cotton candy, joy, and tropical... the more colour the better).

And! Did you know that people sometimes put a little scoop of vanilla ice cream in espresso? What a delicious idea.

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new ways to see them

It's a challenge to look up at the stars and pick out the constellations. If you don't know what you're looking for, or where to start, it can seem impossible. But never fear, NASA is here. Using 35mm film canisters (which, I have a feeling, might be going out of style, so grab them while you can), you can make your own mini versions of popular constellations to practice with. If you want a little guided tour of the night sky, check out The Stars: A New Way To See Them by H.A. Rey of Curious George fame. It's a delightful book with clear explanations and delightful illustrations.

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dust bunnies can be cute

I've been neglecting my apt for far too long now, so long that the word "housework" has stopped being a guilty, long-term resident on my to-do list, and has almost become a foreign word. But no more! Today's the day I clean. This always involves a great deal of procrastination, so it's taking forever. While I'm waiting for the dryer to finish, I figure I'll procastinate a little more, and share a few craft projects that actually celebrate dirt - and use it.

Maria Adelaida Lopez's job cleaning houses got her through art school - in more ways than one. Not only could she pay tutition, she also got inspiration - and material (lots of it) - for her artwork. She covers dollhouses with the dust and lint recovered from vacuum cleaner bags. Eerie results. Not recommended for the allergic.

Jewellery designer Sarah Lindsay laminates acrylic dust to create pendants, earings and bracelets with a beautiful, mottled look.

Scott Wade draws on dirty car windows. Instead of the usual "WASH ME", he creates some pretty elaborate drawings. Also check out the Dirty Car Art flickr group.

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fun and games with quilting and buttons

Today someone at work asked me how my Christmas shopping was going. Christmas? Already? I'm really not ready for thinking about gifts yet ... But then again, there are only 46 days till Christmas (or only 3988873 seconds, according to this overly eager site), and if I want to make gifts this year, I should at least start planning, I guess...

I came across one cute gift idea today that's great for crafters in several respects:

• It uses up small scraps of leftover fabric.
  
• It puts those buttons you've been hoarding to good use. (Yes, we all know about your stash.)
  
• It's cute.
  
• It's fun to play with.

Take a look at the quilted checkers set that Little Birds created. She makes it sound really easy to make:

It's a 16 inch square of canvas with two inch wool hounds-tooth squares [...] appliqued with fusible web and then machine-stitched. The pieces are black and red vintage buttons [...]

I think the result is pretty stunning - and fun, to boot.

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how to make flowers from a url

How do you make flowers from a URL? It's easy. This nifty application lets you view your website graphically. I like watching the data-flowers blossom.

Here's how magpieandcake.com looks as a digital bouquet:



Here's what it all means:

blue: for links (the A tag)
red: for tables (TABLE, TR and TD tags)
green: for the DIV tag
violet: for images (the IMG tag)
yellow: for forms (FORM, INPUT, TEXTAREA, SELECT and OPTION tags)
orange: for linebreaks and blockquotes (BR, P, and BLOCKQUOTE tags)
black: the HTML tag, the root node
grey: all other tags

Go here to try it out for yourself, and check out the flickr gallery of websites as graphs.

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iPod iBreak

iPods are digital hamsters. They're small, they're cute, you want to hold them in your hand. But after a couple of years, they die. For a little while, you're sad, you're confused, you wonder why it had to die so soon. But then you go out and get a new one.

With iPods, like most products these days, it's usually cheaper to buy a new one than get your broken model fixed. So out it goes. And in comes a shiny, new model, with the new ultracool feature that you've been drooling over. But what happens to the iPod you threw out?

Stay Free magazine is calling out to artists - and owners of broken iPods - in a new project called iFrod. Here's how it works...

We hereby announce that Stay Free! is seeking artists and (broken) ipods for an upcoming project about planned obsolescence. Why does the portable player widely considered the hallmark of savvy design typically die in little over a year? Are ipods "made to break"? Or simply, as some critics have suggested, run-of-the-mill e-waste?

If you know someone who owns an iPod, chances are good that you know someone with a broken ipod. Environment groups have taken Apple to task for its dirty practices, and we'd like to join them -- by making lemonade out of lemons.

Here's what we're looking for:

I. TURN (BROKEN) IPODS INTO ART

Transform your broken ipod into something deliciously useless: finger puppet? toy car? coaster? Use your creatively to come with something beautiful, funny, or otherwise engaging. Take a photo and email it us with your contact information at temporary181 at stayfreemagazine.org. Favorite projects will be featured in Stay Free! and ultimately exhibited in New York (venue TBA).

Artists unable to find a broken ipod should contact us for assistance (though, due to our limited resources, we recommend asking your peers first).

Deadline: *** Friday, December 8 ***

II. SEND IN YOUR BROKEN IPODS

Don't have time to create something but want to help? Please donate your broken ipods to Stay Free!, a nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible. We'll distribute broken ipods to working local artists for this project.

Address:

Stay Free!
23 Hawthorne Street
Brooklyn, NY 11225

Get the full details here and stay tuned updates on iPod waste/art over at the iFrod site.

This whole project reminds me of a book that's on my list to read - Made to Break by Giles Slade, all about how industries create shorter and shorter life cycles for products so we buy more and more - and throw out more and more and more. You can read more about this book on So Misguided, with links to several reviews.

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make dinner like a chef

Yesterday I was listening to a program on CBCradio where a chef was being interviewed. Among the topics touched on was her impressive ability to make a great meal from whatever bits and pieces she had available. The host praised this ability as the mark of a true chef. Well, thanks to Cookin' With Google, now you can be a true chef. Just type in the ingredients you have sitting around, and it'll use the Google search engine to find recipies that correspond. There's even a pulldown menu of dietary restrictions, including vegan, gluten-free, and diabetic.

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top 33 of the year

I (heart) music brings us The Hottest Bands in Canada 2006, resulting from rankings done by music writers, bloggers and radio hosts from across the country (including some folks from my favourite music/MP3 blogs, Said The Gramophone, Popsheep, and Chromewaves). The majority of the list is right on, and many include a downloadable MP3. No surprise that Final Fantasy tops the list, considering the year he's having.

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have your cake, and knit it, too

The November issue of MagKnits is now online, dessert included. Here's the pattern for how to knit a slice of blueberry pie.

Also, here's a pattern for a knitted cupcake hat from Chile Con Yarne.

Delish.

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knit one, haiku two

Speaking of haiku, here are some knitting haiku, inspired by photos of knitting patterns, and some funny Japanese knitting haiku.

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the world is a heartbreaker

"Sam Waiting For His Daughter To Call," from Naomi Harris's series, Haddon Hall.

P.S. This post's title is also that of a book of pseudo haikus by Sherwin Tjia.

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more recipies

I've had my eye on this recipe for Ginger Pumpkin Bread for awhile, and Pumpkin Squash Soup sounds like a wonderful idea.

And there's no pumpkin in this one, but I am making it right now... Pan de Muertos! Yum yum.

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