magpie and cake

Craft Rock Friday with Avalanche City

2012-02-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Craft Rock Friday won over my heart. Avalanche City's song "You And I" is not only a lovely and catchy tune, the lyrics are right up my alley.

I liked this verse:

If you found your toothpaste empty
I would squeeze out just a little more
And if you had the sweetest victory
I'd high five you 'til our hands were sore

But I LOVED this verse:

And if you were scared and worried
Well, I would keep you safe and sound
And if you were addicted to fabric
Well, you could a fill whole room in our house

Now that's true love!

What's more, for added CRF points, the video includes handmade marionettes...

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Bonus video! Avalanche City's video for "Love Love Love" also qualifies for CRF-ness, what with all the papercut polar bears, penguins and pirates!

Sewing Capes for Social Change

2012-02-02T11:49:00.000-08:00

I love this initiative from Vancouver-based outdoor clothing company, Arc'teryx. Under the name of The Birds Nest Project, Arc'teryx employees volunteer their time to sew scrap material into weatherproof capes, which they then donate to homeless shelters and people living on the street. Now in the third year of the project, in 2011 they donated over 700 windproof, waterproof capes to those in need.

Good for the environment, good for people. Amazing. (Also, 'capes' and 'helping people' do tend to go hand in hand, don't they?) Read more about Arc'teryx's The Birds Nest Project here.

Craft Rock Friday with Softlightes

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

To counter the creepiness of last week's creepy Craft Rock Friday, today's music video is full of bright, cheery, poppy, rainbow colours -- and the sound to match. Plus, oodles of typography made from found objects, which always makes me happy.

This is Softlightes' "Heart Made of Sound".

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(Thanks for the link, Dan!)

Round Up of DIY Paper Flower Tutorials

2012-01-26T14:51:00.000-08:00

My friend Monique got hitched this past summer up on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, in a beautiful setting that was both rustic and elegant. Monique, Rachael and I made tissue paper flowers for the archway where the ceremony took place. They turned out beautifully, and suited the gorgeous day (and the gorgeous bride!) perfectly. The photos above and below are from the wedding.

We looked up paper flower tutorials for weddings, and tried a variety of techniques, in the end drawing inspiration from several of them, as well as making up variations of our own. I thought I'd share the links to paper flower tutorials that we found, in case you are looking for paper flower tutorials for weddings, parties, or just to pretty up your surroundings or brighten your day.

Flowers using paper or card stock...

Rolled paper flowers tutorial by Jones Design Company
Paper flower tutorial by A Little Hut
Paper poppies tutorial by It Happened Like This
Ranunculus flower tutorial by DIY or Don't
Vintage paper flower tutorial by Krista Sew Inspired
Coffee filter roses tutorial by Martha Stewart

Scalloped puffs, fringed flowers and spiral flowers tutorials from Scrapbooks Etc
Huge paper flower tutorial by Brittany on 100 Layer Cake (pictured above)
Paper peonies tutorial by Martha Stewart
Pop-up flowers tutorial by Pink Paper Peppermints
Folded flower tutorial by Whimsical World of Laura Bird
Brown paper bag flowers tutorial by Bliss

Flowers using crepe paper or tissue paper...

Paper flower wreath tutorial by Ruffled
Four kinds of crepe paper flowers tutorials by Bliss
Crepe paper flowers galore: tulip, peony, lily, rose, spidermum, carnation, dahlia and daisy tutorials by Martha Stewart

Origami flowers...

Carambola flowers tutorial by Go Origami
Kusudama flowers tutorial by Folding Trees

Handmade With Love!

2012-01-23T16:30:00.000-08:00

SUPER excited to say that my wedding is featured on Poppytalk today, as part of their Real Weddings series featuring couples who tied the knot in DIY style.

It really was the best day ever, being married to the love of my life while surrounded by friends and family. Not to mention the sunshine, lemonade, garden games, bunting galore, BBQ, pie and dancing! :)

Lots more pics over on Poppytalk!

Letterpress Love

2012-01-23T15:33:00.000-08:00

If you're in Vancouver and in love (and looking to get hitched this year...), stop by Indie I Do this Saturday. My friend Vincent Perez will be there, showing his fine, fine letterpress wares. Vince is the mastermind behind Everlovin' Press as well as the muscle: he prints each and every card by hand on his early 1960s model Vandercook proofing press.

You can see more work by Everlovin' Press Tumblr and Facebook.

Indie I Do | January 28, 2012 | Heritage Hall, Main St, Vancouver, BC | More Details

Small is Beautiful

2012-01-23T15:32:00.001-08:00

I simply adore Elsa Mora's work. She makes magical little things with beads, felt, embroidery, papercuts and more. Her brooches are colourful and lovely... This one in particular caught my eye. Inspired by a vintage brooch she saw on Etsy, Elsa set out to recreate it using seed beads in place of jewels -- with beautiful results.

See more photos and explanation for this project on Elsa's blog.

Also definitely worth a look is her tutorial on making a brooch using a papercut and polymer clay. Using this technique, she crafted this super cute fox brooch. I'm looking foward to trying this out soon!

One Fish, Two Fish...

2012-01-23T09:43:00.000-08:00

Every now and then you come across something that is truly unique. I've never before seen anyone paint in 3D... Japanese artist Riusuke Fukahori paints fish on layer upon layer of poured resin, building up each fish slice by slice. The results are incredibly lifelike, even after you know how it was done.

For more photos, check out This Is Colossal, in this Flickr set by Dominic Alves and on the artist's site.

All photos above from Dominic Alves (CC).

Craft Rock Friday with Seventeen Evergreen

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

When it's cold outside, I just feel like being completely surrounded by wool all the time.

Or, at least that's what I was thinking until I saw this video.

Today's Craft Rock Friday is wooly, wild and downright weird. There is a thing as too much knitting... That's when knitting goes bad.

Here is Seventeen Evergreen's "Polarity Song". Be careful in those thrift shops!

Ikea from Above

2012-01-19T10:17:00.000-08:00

Remember these lovely photos from Ikea's Homemade is Best cookbook? (Was this ever available in English? / Are there plans for that?)

The photographer for that project, Carl Kleiner, has done more beautiful aerial work for Ikea, this time focusing on tableware. I love how familiar objects can be transformed into elegant, almost abstract patterns . You can see more photos from both project on Carl Kleiner's portfolio.

Jenna Rose on Etsy

2012-01-16T15:04:00.000-08:00

Photo from Etsy.com

Today Etsy posted a nice profile of textile artist Jenna Rose, working in Hamilton, Ontario. She does lovely work. And I have to say, I'm envious of her!

I have a scarf that I love made by Jenna Rose - with a green bicycle print on it - that I picked up at Agnes Jean in Squamish, BC.

The Joy of Books

2012-01-12T10:36:00.000-08:00

This video is all over the internet... and well it should be. "The Joy of Books" is a lovely, magical work by Toronto's Type Books. (Bonus points if you spot Hoopla amongst the shelves!)

Lovin' My Legwarmers

2011-12-22T10:16:00.000-08:00

Remember a month or so ago, when I was dreaming about legwarmers? Well, I actually made some.

I'm really pleased with how they turned out. They are thick and oh-so-warm. And they're perfect to wear with my fave winter boots.

I used the Anushka Tay's Tree Tunk Legwarmers pattern on Ravelry, with Patons Shetland Chunky Tweeds yarn, in the "Charcoal Tweeds" colourway, on 6mm double-pointed needles. The cable was really quick and easy to knit. This was actually only my second time knitting in the round on double-pointed needles, and I've got to say it was not so bad. I'm inspired to knit more! Maybe even socks...?! But first, my next knitting project will be another pair of legwarmers -- this time, fun ones to wear at the climbing gym!

I also wanted to share with you a little gift I sewed up for my friends in Montreal (don't worry, they've already opened the prezzie, so I'm not spoiling the surprise!). They have the cutest puppy, Teddy, so I wanted to make a fuzzy felt version of Teddy to put on the tree.

Here's Teddy and his felty counterpart... not quite as cute, but come on, I can't really compete with a real live puppy.

I hope you all have warm, wooly and wonderful holidays!

Hot One Inch Action Vancouver 2011

2011-11-30T20:34:00.001-08:00

It's been so busy recently (helloooo, Christmas!) that I haven't had a chance to share a few pics from the Hot One Inch Action button show. Until now!

I was happy to see another dessert button in the show! And even more pleased that they placed our buttons side by side! :)

You can check out all the Vancouver 2011 buttons on the H1"A site.

The show was a lot of fun. Lotsa people, lotsa buttons - even some brought in from previous years! After we left the busy gallery, we were happy to see that the delicious Nicli Antica Pizzeria - where they make real Neapolitan pizza - was just a couple of doors down. So it was a good excuse to celebrate with a magherita pizza and wine! Mmm...

Dust off your lapels...

2011-11-25T22:01:00.001-08:00

A reminder that the Vancouver edition of the Hot One Inch Action button show is tomorrow night!

Did I tell you that the button design I submitted is going to be in the show? Well, it is! Pretty cool. Mine is the one with the slice of pie, called "I Heart Pie." I originally designed it as a part of the button collection for guests at my wedding this summer. Lotsa pie, losta love.

You can already see a gallery of the buttons from Seattle's H1"A show in November, but you'll have to go to the show tomorrow night to see -- and trade! -- the Vancouver buttons in person.

Hot One Inch Action - Vancouver 2011Saturday November 26, 2011 from 8-11pm
Gallery Gachet, 88 East Cordova St, Vancouver, BC
with DJ Darwin Meyers
Invite your friends on Facebook

The Vancouver show features button art by: Ada Fu, Adelle Bueno, Amanda McCuaig, Andrea Hooge, Anne Emberline, Becky McEachern, Ben Worth, Brian Bredonia, Carelle B. Dunn, Carita Ho, Charles Ferguson, Colin Moore, Dacosta!, David Camisa, Dusan Postolovic, Eileen Soo, Eleanor Rosenberg, Ensoe, Erica Lapadat-Janzen, Evin Gibson, Far Sebastian, Gayle Koyanagi, Jacqueline Klobucar, Janette Ussher, Jen Sheppard, Jenn Brisson, Joshua Johnson, Kalynn Kallweit, Kathryn Mussallem, kdot, Kel/Kel, Kris G. Brownlee (k.g.b.), Laura Eveleigh, M.el. Jensen, Maisie Lam, Matt Bowen, Mauve Pagé, Meagan Mah, Megan Majewski, Mélanie Kimmett, Monika Koch, Nicole Pinkerton, Rhys Edwards, Robin Konstabaris, Robin Thompson, Russell Alton, Shauna Eve, Siobhan Rich, Skyler Luke Punnett, and Skytox.

Cake and a Cup of Urban Planning

2011-11-22T15:34:00.001-08:00

Photo via CBC.ca

Cake: sweet, delicious, and a great tool for Urban Planning. Wait... what?

A group of McGill University urban planning students think that cake is a great tool for dialogue. They baked a huge cake that mimics the surrounding neighbourhood and set up outside a metro station, trying to get people to talk about their community.

"Chocolate cake is an opportunity to kind of radically re-think how people talk about an issue...you just can't get upset about chocolate cake," said Gilliam.

So true. And really, who doesn't love a chat over a piece of cake?

Read the whole story on CBC.ca.

Craft Rock Friday with Hudson

2011-11-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

There's always something really lovely about pencil crayons. Simple cylinders of distinct colours. You can hold every colour in your hand, spread them out on the table, arrange them in infinite colour combinations... and, of course, draw with them to create whatever you like, in whatever colours you want.

Today's Craft Rock Friday features Melbourne musician Hudson's song "Against The Grain". And a whole rainbow's worth of pencil crayons.

11/11/11: The Date That Most Resembles Corduroy

2011-11-11T12:26:00.001-08:00

Today is 11/11/11. The Date That Most Resembles Corduroy.

Yes. This is for real. And it is brilliant.

Read up on this fabulous fabric Friday on the Guardian, then check out Corduroy Club for more details and maybe even an event near you. I would also highly recommend celebrating by donning your cords and curling up to read the Corduroy the bear picture book.

Small Pleasures: A Book Review of Microcrafts

2011-11-07T11:00:00.000-08:00

I like tiny things. When I was small myself, I had a dollhouse (inhabited by bears and bunnies) and also a few shelves and a type case filled with little items like a glass hedgehog, tiny teapots, little shells, and other miniature treasures. And while I've since tried to reduce the amount of clutter and knick knacks in my life, I am still partial to a few cute, tiny touches here and there, like the penny-sized plastic antelope that grazes atop a picture frame in my kitchen and the micro hippo that lurks on my desk. (But seriously, who doesn't want a house hippo?! Seriously.)

So I think I was already pre-conditioned to enjoy Microcrafts: Tiny Treasures to Make and Share, a new book by published by Quirk Books. Compiled by Quirk editior Margaret McGuire and crafters Alicia Kachmar and Katie Hatz, the book presents 25 projects for crafts dreamed up by a dozen or so crafters. Like the book title implies, the projects are not only smaller than bread box, they're smaller than a slice of bread. Usually much smaller.

Projects include bottle-cap frames (or necklaces), paper bunting to decorate a cake, "microtaxidermy" (not to worry, the animals are made out of polymer clay), tiny stuffies and more.

Most of the projects are quick and easy to make -- like peanut-shell boats and paper-and-toothpick speech bubbles -- but some are more involved, like the polymer clay candy charms and miniature macrame hangers for plants. One great things about making microcrafts is for most you can use up little scraps of materials left over from regular-sized projects.

I tried out the pattern to make mini book. The instructions were clear and easy to follow, though I must say trying to hold those tiny pages while sewing them together was a little challenging! Which, of course, is half the fun... I definitely fluctuated between thinking "This is crazy, why am I making something so small?" and "This is awesome, I'm making something so small!" In the end, the latter won out: the cuteness is worth it.

I'm looking forward to making some cute lil' owls to decorate my miniature xmas tree for the holidays, and the felt flower pockets are really lovely, too.

Microcrafts is proof that good things come in small packages. Especially if you stitched up that small package yourself.

Microcrafts is available at your local bookstore and online.

More Hoopla!

2011-11-07T10:04:00.000-08:00

If you're in Vancouver tonight, Leanne Prain will be speaking at the central branch of the library 7pm about her book, Hoopla: The Art of Unexpected Embroidery.

There will also be a little craft-in at the event, as Leanne will be demonstrating how to do the project from the book that I designed, Photo Feelism.

There are more details about tonight's event on Leanne's site, where she's also posted some great examples of Photo Feelism in action at her San Francisco event! So fun.

If you can't make tonight, there are a couple more Hoopla vents coming up later, too.

Hot One Inch Action 2011

2011-11-05T08:47:00.000-07:00

Hot One Inch Action is back on again this year, this time hitting up three cities: Seattle (Nov 5), Vancouver (Nov 26) and Portland (Dec 1). If you haven't heard of it before, Hot One Inch Action is an event that that celebrates the 1" button: 50 tiny round artworks are selected, made into buttons and displayed on the walls. You can also buy a bag of buttons at the show and trade them, which is fun and hilarious. Really interesting to see which buttons become hot commodities on the trading room floor!

Submissions for the Vancouver and Portland shows are due by November 16, 2011. Get more info on how to submit here.

For a little inspiration, check out the H1"A Presents video series. They are really lovely glimpses into some artists' studios and processes. This one's about Vancouver artist Arleigh Wood, who mixes photography, painting and printmaking, and there are more online on the H1"A site .

Etsy Treasury: Mountain Love

2011-11-04T19:27:00.000-07:00

I just made my first Etsy Treasury. It's a pretty fun process, getting to curate a little collection of Etsy items. My Treasury's called "Mountain Love: Art prints for rock climbers and mountain lovers..."

Click here to see it on Etsy!

Craft Rock Friday with Kina Grannis

2011-11-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

Craft Rock Friday is still on a sugar high from Halloween. This video for Kina Grannis' song, "In Your Arms" should take care of all our candy cravings... considering it's covered in jellybeans. 288,000 jellybeans, to be exact.

The style of stop motion animation reminds me a little of the popular Oren Lavie video. But with more candy, of course.

Also check out the "behind the scenes" video. Seriously, that is a crazy number of jellybeans, a ton of jellybean mosaics and an INSANE amount of work.

P.S. Speaking of Halloween candy, also check out Jimmy Kimmel's challenge to parents: tell your kids you ate all their Halloween candy.

(Thanks for the link, Linds!)

Legwarmers Warm My Heart

2011-11-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

image via Anushka Tay / Ravelry

Recently I've had legwarmers on the brain. It doesn't take many cool, dark autumn mornings to get me thinking about knitting again, wishing I had some warm woolies to keep me warm. And this year I've been thinking a lot about legwarmers.

I bought new boots this year, and totally love them: Puffin boots from Merrell. I have a crush on my own boots, they're so damn cute. Plus, cozy and comfy. And they do remind me of puffins. Which is awesome.

I think they would go great with some cute cable knit legwarmers. I am leaning towards trying out the Tree Trunk Legwarmers by Anushka Tay, but may go with the non-cabled Legwarmers by Jane Richmond, both free patterns on Ravelry.

What's more, last week's Purl Soho eNewsletter featured a pattern for rad and hilarious legwarmers that look like tube socks. Not enough legs, I tell you.... nor enough time to knit!

7 Deadliest Halloween Recipes... Creepy and Cute

2011-10-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

I was hard pressed to come up with a category for my last set of "7 Deadliest Halloween Recipes"... There were too many random wonderful ghoulish recipes to choose from. So here are a motely crew of creepy and cute Halloween recipes.

Brains in a Jar Cupcakes by Living Locurto -- Such an awesome idea!

Witches' Fingers Cookies by Magda's Cauldron -- This one is a family tradition for us!

Jello Worms by Mel's Kitchen Cafe -- Made with Jello and a straw.

Brain Cupcakes by Martha Stewart -- I love the icing on these.

Skull Madeleines by Martha Stewart

-- I can't get enough of the expressions on the marshmallow skull faces.

Green Meanies by TLC Cooking -- Simple, yet full of personality (and mystery...)

Mummy Dogs (with Spiderweb dip!) by Pilsbury

Enjoy your spooky snacking!

Craft Rock Friday with Dead Man's Bones

2011-10-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

Today's Craft Rock Friday is perfect to get you in the Halloween spirit. The video for “Dead Hearts” by Dead Man’s Bones (actor Ryan Gosling's band) follows the journey of a little wishbone -- yes, a wishbone -- as he methodically plods along (as best a wishbone can), pulling a large wheeled metal contraption through a series unsettling lansdscapes, all populated by miniature model people. It's like a bad dream that's disturbing mostly because it's so weird...

7 Deadliest Halloween Recipes... Owls!

2011-10-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

Today's Halloween recipes are some of my faves. Any excuse to incorporate owls into the mix, really.

Here are the seven deadliest owl-themed Halloween recipes...

Owl Smores by Living Locurto

Night Owl Cookies on BrightIdeas.com

Owl Cheese Spread by Recipe.com

Owl Bento Box by Mothering Corner

Owl Brownies by Sweet Mama

Owl Cake Pops on Bakerella

And last but not least...

Not one, but two, owl wedding cakes! Via Bella Wedding Events.
Amazing. If only I'd thought of that before I got hitched! :)

What a hoot!

Machines and Dogs: Two Calls for Submissions

2011-10-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

Two interesting calls for submissions that I've seen recently...

Creative Canadian footwear company John Fluevog has put out a call to fill their Vog Vending machine in their Calgary store.

We want to sell things in this magical machine that even the Japanese have never thought of – and we want Fluevogers to help us. Do you have a little company that makes cool things that could fit into the rings of such a machine?

Click here for more details and info on how to submit your convenient creations.

The other fun call for submissions I saw was on a blog I like, Studio Morran, run by the ever-lovely Swedish artist Camilla Engman. If you follow Camilla online, chances are you'll know that Morran is her adorable and highly-photogenic dog. Camilla is compiling a book full of images of Morran. So get sketching, painting, etc, submissions are due by October 31, 2011. Click here for more info on how to submit your images. And check out some of the pics already sent in: here, here and here!

7 Deadliest Halloween Recipes... Skeletons!

2011-10-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

After yesterday's eyeball eats, let's keep the anatomical anarchy alive (or should that be undead?) Here are the seven deadliest skeleton-themed Halloween recipes.

Skull and Bones Breakfast from Better Homes and Gardens

Cheesy Bones from Kraft

Skeleton Bread by Eve's Little Earthlings

Skeleton Cupcakes from Women's Day -- The ribs are made from pretzels!

Skeleton (with a hat!) Cupcakes from MyRecipes.com

Skull Pops from Martha Stewart

And of course...

Sugar Skulls from MexicanSugarSkull.com

7 Deadliest Halloween Recipes... Eyeballs!

2011-10-25T15:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's ghost recipes were all on the cute side. Not so, today, my fearful friends. Not so. Things are gonna get gross and googly-eyed, case here are the seven deadliest eyeball-themed Halloween recipes.

Eyeball Pasta from BBC Good Food

Oozing Potatoes by Sandra Lee on Delish.com

Jelly Shot Eyeballs from Jelly Shot Test Kitchen

Eyes of Newt from Parenting.com ... made from mini donuts!

Eyeball Cookies from Taste of Home

Eerie Eyeballs from Britta Blvd

Eyeball Highball Ice Cubes from Martha Stewart

7 Deadliest Halloween Recipes... Ghosts!

2011-10-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

Boo!

Every year, it seems like there are more and more fun and awesome recipes out there for Halloween. So many that picking my faves was pretty tough... so I've broken it down into creepy categories.

Here are my picks for the seven deadliest ghost-themed Halloween recipes. Stay tuned for more revolting recipes to come later in the week!

Ghost Pumpkin Pudding Cups

Marshmallow Ghost Cake

Craft Rock Friday with Jonny

2011-10-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

Today's Craft Rock Friday is in a party mood. It is adorned with colourful handmade bunting, and there's even a cotton candy eating contest. Good times.

"Candyfloss" by Jonny

It’s Decorative Gourd Season!

2011-10-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving, everyone!

To celebrate the Fall season, every year at this time, I like to dust off a webpage on McSweeney's Internet Tendency and read a now-classic piece of literature: It’s Decorative Gourd Season, Motherf***ers.

Be warned, the writing is full of cussing and cursing. But it's also full of shellacked decorative vegetables. And the combination is brilliant.

Craft Rock Friday with Krista Muir

2011-10-07T08:16:00.000-07:00

Today's Craft Rock Friday comes to us via the Hoopla book blog.

Krista Muir's embroidery work is in Hoopla, and she's also a talented musician. This video is lovely and magical. It makes me want to decorate small enchanted houses....

Inside an Embroidery Floss Factory

2011-10-05T16:11:00.000-07:00

And speaking of embroidery... CRAFT just linked to an interesting post about what it's like inside a DMC embroidery floss factory. It's always interesting to see how things are made. And pretty amazing to see so much thread in one place! Read more here.

Hoopla Happiness

2011-10-04T23:06:00.000-07:00

The Vancouver book launch for Hoopla was really fun. It was great to see such a good turn out, and great to chat to everyone there, including the lovely Leanne Prain (author extraordinaire) and Kirsten Chursinoff (embroidery artist extraordinaire), and one artist who's project is featured in the book who had travelled all the way from New Zealand to be there!

I didn't know which photos were going to be included in the book, so it was a fun surprise to open the book and see. The photo of me and my husband got into the book, looking all super cute (even if I do say so myself, heh) with embroidered hearts all around us, as well as my favourite photo of all: my little nephew 'reading' the newspaper, looking very serious and dapper with his embroidered moustache!

I'm really excited to see my work in print. In my day job in the publishing industry, I work with books every day, but seeing your own work in a book is pretty thrilling. More of this to come in the future, I hope. There are so many awesome artists featured in the interviews and projects; it's interesting to see the different directions that makers are taking the medium of embroidery.

As it turns out, Leanne is going to be doing my project at the Museum of Craft and Folk Artin San Francisco, as one of their Craft Bar events this Thursday, October 6th. So if you're in San Fran, bring a photo and some embroidery floss and go to the event!

Leanne will also be in San Mateo, Portland, Seattle, and Bowen Island. All the details are on the Hoopla Book Tour webpage.

You can read more about Hoopla: The Art of Unexpected Embroidery on Arsenal Pulp Press website or on UnexpectedEmbroidery.com

Hoopla! Vancouver Book Launch ... Tonight!

2011-09-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

A little last minute.... but tonight is the Vancouver launch for HOOPLA!

Hoopla: The Art of Unexpected Embroidery is a new book from Leanne Prain, who wrote Yarm Bombing.

At 400 full-colour pages Hoopla: The Art of Unexpected Embroidery is a spectacular subversive embroidery opus. The book contains interviews, profiles, history, technique and over 28 innovative patterns for readers to create.

I am excited about this book because (A) it's a great topic, (B) is bound to be awesome and (C) one of the projects in the book is by me!

I can't wait to see a printed copy of the book this evening. Four hundred pages -- it's a beast!

Craft Rock Friday with Gold Panda

2011-07-15T10:09:00.000-07:00

I have been quite absent from the blog recently... life has just got in the way! Some of the culprits that have kept me busy of late: rock climbing, all-round summertime fun, and wedding planning (not to mention wedding crafting!).

In the spirit of that the latter, here's a fun video for Craft Rock Friday. It's for the song appropriately entitled "Marriage" by Gold Panda, and features a busy little paper lantern who really knows how to get around.

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(Via Indie Rock Cafe's "Royal Wedding Songs" mix.)

A Woolly Royal Wedding

2011-03-12T08:31:00.000-08:00

With only 49 days to go until the Royal wedding on April 29th, you better start knitting soon...

A new craft book, Knit Your own Royal Wedding, by Fiona Goble, shows you how to reproduce all the key players of the upcoming the royal nuptials in wool and yarn. You can even knit the corgis (naturally).

My favourite is the Queen...

Big UPs to National Geographic

2011-03-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

File under: Awesome.

The scientists and engineers from National Geographic apparently watch a lot of cartoons. Inspired b ythe Pixar movie UP, they decided to see if they could really make a house fly by attaching a bunch of balloons to it.

300 eight-foot-tall weather balloons later, a 16x16 foot house is floating more than 10,000 feet up in the sky.

The whole project new series that'll be on the National Geographic Channel this fall called "How Hard Can it Be?" Check out some more photos and a behind-the-scenes video on the NGC blog.

A team of scientists and engineers from National Geographic, created a real-life floating house based on the Pixar movie UP. The house reached an alititude of more than 10,000 feet, pulled by more than 300 weather balloons.

(Tenuously related, but cute: An UP-inspired wedding cake!)

Craft Rock Friday with Lullatone

2011-03-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Craft Rock Friday video is best experienced first thing in the morning, to wake you up slowly and softly... a cup of coffee and a plate of eggs sunny side up, with a side of ukulele, mouth organ, xylophone, and soft bossa nova voices. Also an adorable little dance where the band wears shirts with raindrops on them and bob up and down. Say good morning to Lullatone.

(via Ladies and Gentlemen)

Happy Pancake Tuesday!

2011-03-08T10:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Pancake Tuesday! A fabulous day for flat foods all over the world.

Read up on your Pancake Tuesday facts and trivia over at The Guardian, and also pick up a few recipes. The sweet potato pancakes sound lovely.

The pancake is prehistoric. Grinding boring but nutritious grains into flour, blending them with protein-rich liquids such as milk or eggs and cooking the mixture made for an extremely palatable food, and it seems likely that pancakes were among the first things humans learned to cook. Once you've got fire in your caveman arsenal it's easy to heat a piece of flint or slate to make a basic griddle. The Roman food writer Apicius describes a batter of eggs, milk, water and flour which was fried and served with honey and pepper. It sounds rather good. --The Guardian

Though this is likely to change on a daily basis (and is closely linked to what pancakes are within my range of smell..) my top three forms of pancakes right now would probably be:

Dosas (If you're in Vancouver, go to the amazing House of Dosas)
Dutch Pannekoek (I recently went to The Dutch Wooden Shoe Cafe in Vancouver and loved it.)
Puffy Oven Pancakes (like in this recipe; our version is pictured below... yum!)

Living with Wool

2011-03-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

These knitting prints by Laura McCabe are fantastic. Perfect for those who have stashes of yarn that are big enough to live in. You know who you are.

You can buy Laura's prints from her Etsy shop, and keep up with her on her site and blog.

Paris Love!

2011-03-04T19:05:00.000-08:00

Following up on my Paris post earlier, here are two videos that'll make you want to fall in love, go to Paris, or both.

(via CoolHunting)

You can watch other videos in the EF "Live the Language" series here.

(via NotCot)

La Droguerie

2011-03-04T11:28:00.000-08:00

Ooh la la, I need to go here. Luckily, it turns out I'll be staying about 3 blocks away when we visit Paris this summer. SO excited, all round.

La Droguerie in Paris.

See more pics on Oh Happy Day and read all about their adventures in Paris. This place - Le 104 - also looks fabulous.

Swipe and Type

2011-03-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

The LetterMpress project is really interesting... As different as they are, letterpress printing and iPad do have some key elements in common, especially the fundamentally tactile nature of both.

Read more about it on Craft.

Craft Rock Friday with Bruno Mars

2011-03-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

Top 40 meets old skool in this video for "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars. Gotta love cassette art.

Pretty up your world: Desktop wallpapers and calendars for March

2011-03-01T14:16:00.000-08:00

Good things come in threes... and sometimes more. Reading my RSS feed in last day or two, I've seen a ton of super cute desktop wallpapers or desktop calendars for March. So I thought I'd share a few of the best here.

It's time to pretty up the screens in your life!

Alexander Girard

Hello Friend

Shanna Murray

Christiane Engel

There are also a few (branded but cute) wallpapers from Fossil clothing

Craft Rock Friday with Winter Gloves

2011-02-18T16:01:00.000-08:00

Today it's a lovely Spring-like day in Vancouver. We even sat out on the patio for lunch. So it's somewhat out of place that today's Craft Rock Friday video is from a band called Winter Gloves.

It'd be tough to flip through a flipbook with your mitts on though....

WINTER GLOVES 'Let Me Drive' from the album 'about a girl'

Winter Gloves | Myspace Music Videos

Fabric Decals and All-Round Awesomeness

2011-02-17T20:34:00.000-08:00

How cool is this kids room? I love those fabric cloud decals - based on a tutorial from How About Orange.

You can see more pics and read more about the project on Ohdeedoh.

Marimekko + Converse = Double Love

2011-02-17T09:12:00.000-08:00

A great pairing in my opinion! Converse is teaming up with Marimekko to produce a line of shoes with designs from the Finnish fabric superstars.

The Marimekko patterns featured in the sneakers include Tarha from 1963 and Pikkusuomu from 1965 by Annika Rimala and Kirppu from 1980 by Maija and Kristina Isola. Annika Rimala’s modern and original Marimekko designs adorned the covers of international fashion magazines as early as in the 1960’s. In 1967, she was chosen as one of the most influential fashion designers in the world. Maija Isola, important reformer and forerunner in the design of printed fabrics, designed over 500 fascinating fabric prints for Marimekko through her career – one of them being Kirppu, co-designed with her daughter Kristina Isola. ~Marimekko.com

I only wish they included the iconic red floral fabric in the line...

Check out Marimekko.com for more fabric fun (and cute dresses!) Plus, you just gotta love a website that lets you search by colour. (Seriously: awesome. All sites should have this feature.)

Tape of Love

2011-02-15T08:34:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's day! I was just reminded of the 'tape of love' and had to post... :)

Finders Keepers

2011-02-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

I just read over on Poppytalk about a great project happening on Granville Island, here in Vancouver, so wanted to spread the word. Keep an eye out on the island starting February 11th for a few scattered hearts, as artist Jasna Sokolovic will be playing cupid...

Up to 200 ceramic hearts will be dispersed across Granville Island, on the upcoming weekend and will be waiting for you to pick one up. If you find it, take it, keep it for yourself or give it to someone who will cherish the love.

Each heart has my the artist's website on it, so you can send an email, comment or a photo. Read more about this project and see more of Jasna's work on her website.

Arranging Your World by Colour

2011-02-03T09:18:00.000-08:00

I am a big fan of organizing your bookshelf by colour... but I hadn't thought of using that system in other rooms of the house....

This photo was posted on the tumblr blog, Things Organized Neatly, which is eye candy for collectors and designers, as well as hyper-organized types.

Rekindling the Kiln...

2010-12-31T10:21:00.000-08:00

I took my second pottery course this Fall. I think I enjoyed it even more than my first course in the Spring, even though I was technically taking the same course again. I learned a ton of stuff and got to practice the techniques I'd learned in the Spring. Some things definitely felt easier the second time round and some techniques finally made sense to my hands. All in all, it was awesome.

I got to glaze and fire the teapot I made in the Spring. Despite my attempts to repair it, the handle is still/again unattached at the base, so I won't be putting my teapot to work in the kitchen.

Handles are something I need to work on. This little teacup is cute, but as you can see from the discolouration, also had to be repaired where the handle meets the cup.

I made a lot of pieces. Here are most of the blue ones...

I love how this mug turned out. The colours are perfectly wintery -- great for warm drinks! -- and the size is just right for warming your hands on.

This is my super-shiny bowl. I glazed it in clear over top of the colours, which worked nicely.

One technique I was really excited to learn was chattering. By holding a metal rib juuust on the surface of the piece while the wheel is spinning, you get repeated lines around the piece. The metal vibrating against the clay makes a cool sound when you're chattering.

The little cup above is my attempt at making an argyle pattern with the glaze.

This flat brown dish also has a light chattering round the rim.

In this class, I tried out lots of different kinds and combos of glazing, as this is most mysterious and unpredictable part for me. This bowl has a "lichen" glaze on it that adds a crackled surface. I only added a little bit on this bowl.

Nougat and olive was a glaze combo I found that I really liked, so I made a few pieces in these colours.

I haven't signed up for another course yet, but might have to join a local pottery club. First I have to figure out where I'm going to put all this pottery. Maybe I'll have to take a woodworking class to build a new shelf...

HO HO HO and LOL

2010-12-21T16:04:00.000-08:00

Christoph Niemann -- the mastermind behind I Lego NY -- has been baking. His Let it Dough series will get you into the holiday spirit... and make you want to make/eat cookies.

Check out the full Let it Dough series on the NYTimes site.

tiny gingerbread houses

2010-12-21T15:02:00.000-08:00

The ultimate in holiday cuteness has got to be Not Martha's tiny gingerbread houses. Seriously. It does not get more festive than this.

Check out the full story on Not Martha here and here.

...and a happy new year

2010-12-18T05:52:00.000-08:00

"Happy Holidays," says Chronicle Books! "We made you a lovely little stop-motion movie."

(I love that woman's yellow blouse.)

Craft Rock Friday with The Avett Brothers

2010-12-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

The video for The Avett Brothers' song, "Head Full of Doubt / Road Fill of Promise" is fascinating.

Painted by hand by Jason Ryan Mitcham, the video is a single painting... which Mitcham altered 2600 times. To create 1 second of film, he had to alter the painting 10 times.

There's a "making of" video, but it won't play here in Canada. Gah. The link should be in the "related links" at the end of this video though, for those of you Stateside.

Craft Rock Friday with Coldplay

2010-12-03T09:43:00.000-08:00

Baby, it's cold outside... Time to warm up on this Craft Rock Friday with Coldplay, and their video for their new song, "Christmas Lights".

Craft Rock Friday with Feist

2010-11-19T06:55:00.000-08:00

This magical video for Feist's "Honey Honey" features puppets created by Calgary's Old Trout Puppet Workshop. It's quite strange and haunting, much like the song. I really like that they included the puppeteer's hands in parts of the video - it adds another layer to the story and draws attention to the medium.

The video won the 2009 Juno Award for Best Video. There's a good article about the 'making of' on Canada.com.

I can't embed the video (gah!), so head on over to YouTube to watch it.

Craft Rock Friday with Ok Go

2010-11-12T11:02:00.000-08:00

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Ok Go knows this. They also know how to make great music videos.

Their new video for "Last Leaf" is comprised of 2,430 laser-etched pieces of bread. That's a whole lotta toast.

'Tis the Season (... Already!)

2010-11-08T16:53:00.000-08:00

I'm super excited to see my wreath made from recycled cardboard coffee sleeves included as one of the "8 Great DIY Wreaths" roundup on Apartment Therapy today!

The whole tutorial is here on Magpie and Cake and also over on Cut Out & Keep.

Three Awesome Pumpkins

2010-10-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

Just in time for Halloween this weekend, here are three awesome pumpkins.... but only one is a real pumpkin.

Modernist Pumpkin by Happy Mundane

Cross-Stitched Skull Pumpkin by Elsie Marley

Pumpkin Cake with a Surprise Inside by I Am Baker

Craft Rock Friday with Willow Smith

2010-10-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

Will Smith's daughter, Willow Smith, gets into the Craft Rock Friday spirit by dipping her hair in paint... then whips her hair back and forth. Um, yeah.

Willow turns 10 years old this Halloween.

And for those of you who, like me, grew up with Willow's dad, here he is circa 1988.

Something Left, Something Taken

2010-10-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

"Something Left, Something Taken" is a creepy cute animation short by Tiny Inventions. Great little story -- and I love all the fabric, wool and cardboard textures!

P.S. How About Orange has posted a nice little roundup of tutorials for the weekend: for an apron, fabric tape and two handbags. Lots of cuteness there.

Summer in October

2010-10-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

I realize that we're now deep into October, but this past Sunday morning has felt so summery. The sun was out in full force. I slept in, made a pumpkin pie, then did a few household chores, all while listening to Michael Franti's Sounds of Sunshine album and dancing around a little.

I didn't blog too much this summer, but it was not for lack of crafting. I was outside a lot of the time, spending time with friends, travelling, and getting up to Squamish to do some rock climbing. My sewing machine did see a little action, too, and I made a couple of handbags. I was really happy with how each of them turned out, especially as I made up both patterns myself.

Little Sunshine Clutch
I made this bag to use at a couple of weddings I attended this summer. I planned to wear a charcoal grey dress from Smoking Lily, sassed up with bright yellow Miz Mooz flats. (I looove their shoes - super fun and super comfy.) So I needed a yellow bag, big enough to carry a camera and a few items, but small enough not get in the way. The wrist loop handle worked perfectly to keep the bag nearby, but out of the way.

Russian Doll Carry-All Handbag
I also wanted to make a giant summer bag, using this awesome Matryoshka doll fabric I'd been saving for something special.

My favourite part about this bag, beside the fabulous fabric, is the "tulip" top. I made the body of the bag, then left it on my workdesk for a few days, not quite sure how the top band should be... letting it percolate and sketching out ideas every now and then, till the right one struck. I'm glad I didn't just rush ahead with my first idea (which had buttons), as I'm much happier with the tulip.

A Sea of Sunflower Seeds

2010-10-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

On now at the Tate Modern, artist Ai Weiwei has created a room full of sunflower seeds... over 100 million of them. Wow.

Actually, double wow because the sunflower seeds are actually individually handmade porcelain replicas of seeds.

Since that video was made, the Tate has roped off the exhibit, as they've had so many visitors that the seeds are getting damaged and the ceramic dust could be a health risk.

Ai Weiwei's video about the artwork is really interesting. It highlights the amazingly extensive amount of work that went into creating it.

Read more about the exhibit on the Tate's website.

Craft Rock Friday with Matt Griffo, Keston Cobblers Club ... and a Whole Bunch of Ukulele Videos!

2010-10-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Craft Rock Friday, everyone. We're fully into Fall now, when it's dark and cold in the mornings and it's pretty hard to get out of bed and get yourself to work. So today, we're going to warm up with a little Craft Rock featuring plasticine narwhal and unicorn who fall in love...

Matt Griffo - "One Love"

Are you smiling yet? Maybe just a little? Now really get your day going with the rest of Uke Hunt 's round ups of ukulele videos of the year so far: do yourself a ukulele-flavoured favour and click through to see both Part One and Part Two.

This video for Keston Cobblers Club's "You Go" is particularly lo-fi fabulous.

Call for Submissions: Knitting Baby Hats in British Columbia

2010-10-08T14:45:00.000-07:00

The Period of Purple Crying is inviting knitters to get knitting for a good cause!

The Period of Purple Crying is a program which educates parents and caregivers about normal infant crying and the dangers of shaking a child. Here's the info I received about the project and how you can get involved:

We invite you to join our mission: make a PURPLE newborn baby cap so we can give select babies born in British Columbia the week of November 15th a gift to coincide with Canada’s National Child Day. Please share your knitting or crocheting skills to help Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC.

Unite and lend your hands now to knit or crochet PURPLE newborn baby caps for this great cause.
Create as many as you like - from five to 50, or a...ny number in between, using any newborn baby cap pattern, and any colour of soft baby-friendly PURPLE yarn.

PURPLE caps must be received no later than by November 5, 2010.

If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Pelto: melissa@limelitepr.com or call 778.786.1495

Please knit and mail your PURPLE caps to
BC Children’s Hospital:
c/o Claire Yambao
Provincial Program Coordinator, Prevent SBS BC
BC Children's Hospital
4480 Oak Street, K1-209
Vancouver, BC V6H 3V4

By knitting and sending PURPLE newborn baby caps to be given to babies across the province, you will make a difference by:
Raising awareness for this life-saving project - Period of PURPLE Crying - Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC - that promotes crucial parenting skills, infant/parent bonding, and understanding of a typical early infancy stage that every baby goes through which is frequently misunderstood.
Participating in a growing, province-wide grassroots effort to educate new parents about the normalcy of early infant crying and how to cope with the frustration that can accompany it.

Assist in promoting the Period of PURPLE Crying - Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC so that parents (and all others) learn to understand normal increased early infant crying and that crying is a key trigger to shaking.

The Period of PURPLE Crying - Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC is a part of the most comprehensive shaken baby syndrome prevention initiative in North America. To learn more, visit www.PURPLEcrying.info and follow us on Twitter @PurpleCrying

More details are available on the Facebook group page.

Craft Rock Friday with Bright Eyes

2010-10-08T06:01:00.000-07:00

Today's Craft Rock Friday video is an oldie but a goodie (in as much as 2005 qualifies as "old").

I love this song, but the lyrics and premise are so sad... though I suppose it's all about making the best out of a bad situation, creating joy in unlikely moments, carpe diem and all that good stuff.

Bright Eyes - "At the Bottom of Everything"

A Self-Congratulatory Guide to Personal Global Domination

2010-10-03T22:03:00.000-07:00

This world map, which helpfully lets you plan your world domination, is ridiculously cute.

When I finally stopped clicking through the photos over and over again, I read the description and said, "Oh, it's by Oliver Jeffers. Of course it's cute."

Craft Rock Friday with Up and Over It

2010-10-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

Today's Craft Rock Friday may be a little light on the 'craft', but it is definitely handmade....

Craft Rock Friday with Let's Buy Happiness

2010-09-24T06:01:00.000-07:00

UK band Let's Buy Happiness brings back Craft Rock Friday from it's haitus with an overdose creepy crafty exuberance, paper-cut shadow puppets and several mouthfuls of paint.

LED embroidery

2010-09-13T06:04:00.000-07:00

Ursa Minor by Shannon Henry. The stars are 3mm white LEDs and illuminate via a coin cell battery on the back of the embroidery. The design is a prototype for a new series of sewable circuit kits by Polymath Design Lab. [via]

simply charming

2010-08-19T06:09:00.000-07:00

Browsing Poppytalk always brings good things... if by "good" I mean a long list of things I suddenly adore and wish I could surround myself with!

Did you know that there is a place called Omiyage, a Canadian source for Japanese craft and fabric?! The self-described love child of Marisa Edghill and Elias de Souza, "omiyage" means Japanese souvenir, but it's so much more than a souvenir... it's "a way of life," say these two.

And (drumroll)... they offer a $5 flat rate shipping, anywhere in Canada! For those of us who live outside of the larger urban centres in this country, this is quite a boon - the fabric! The tape! The adorable rubber stamps! The $5 shipping!

Now if only they had sewing patterns, too...!

Five-Star Bee Hotels

2010-08-04T10:47:00.000-07:00

I am a pretty big fan of bee houses. And these ones made by Wudwerx in Scotland are just lovely.

The Tallest Bee Hotel - by Wudwerx

Large Bee Hotel - by Wudwerx

Wudwerx's toast bird feeder is also pretty great (and hilarious).

Nice Ax

2010-07-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

The New York Times's Design Notebook blog has an interesting article about Canadian (now NYC) designer, Peter Buchanan-Smith... aka "the ax guy". His company is called Best Made Company, and yup, they make axes. Good looking axes.

But he has clearly struck a nerve. At a time when entire neighborhoods (like Williamsburg, Brooklyn, or the Outer Mission in San Francisco) are being remodeled by young entrepreneurs selling limited-edition handcrafted products like handmade cheeses, or exhuming old ones, like Edison light bulbs, or teaching their peers how to butcher the deer they bagged over the weekend — that is, selling products and skills that hark back to a pre-megabrand, pre-globalism world — someone like Mr. Buchanan-Smith can become a mini-star, the designer-turned-merchant, a Martha Stewart for this millennium.

Read the full article on the New York Times site.

Little Drifters!

2010-07-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

Booooooom.com is partnering with the Vancouver Sun to inspire a lil' bit of cuteness and summertime goodness.

Be a part of the Little Drifters project by creating a tiny boat using natural materials like twigs, leaves, grass, feathers or whatever you like.

Then head down to Trout Lake Park on Saturday July 24th at 1pm to launch your creations!

Send your photos of your boat launch in to Booooooom.

You don't need to be in Vancouver to participate: they'd love to get photos of mini-boats from elsewhere, too!

Read more about Little Drifters on Booooooom.com.

Fabulous French Knots

2010-07-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

I've never seen this technique before and I think it looks pretty cool.... Fourteen Countess embroidered French knots on cloth of the same colour to create a subtle but savvy monogram.

Very patient work! But pretty great results.

Read more about the project on Fourteen Countess' blog.

Mini Vancouver

2010-07-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

Severe cuteness alert.

Much like the fake model photography (blogged about before), this video of Vancouver makes the city look oh-so-tiny and oh-soooooo-adorable.

The video was created by dangerous68 (his YouTube name), who's also made a Mini LA. He created the film using time-lapse photography shot with a tilt shift lens, inspired by the work of Keith Loutit. Check out Keith Loutit's website or Facebook page to see a whole bunch more cute-ified locations he's filmed for his Small Worlds Project.

Josef Frank

2010-07-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

"The home does not have to be planned out in detail, just put together by pieces its inhabitants love."
- Josef Frank (via ScandinavianDesign.com)

Google's all dressed up today, to celebrate the125th birthday of Josef Frank, an Austrian/Swedish architect and designer of furniture and textiles.

Google homepage on July 15, 2010

I don't know much about Josef Frank (and his Wikipedia entry is pretty limited), but I like what I see. Reconfirming that I have a weakness for eccentric Scandinavian fabric design...


"Brazil" pattern on the walls (1943-45)

"Terrazzo" Fabric (1944)

"Green Birds" fabric (1944)

I also like what I read about Frank -- this is from ScandinavianDesign.com:

Josef Frank's, life could be wonderfully characterized as on always in motion. Moving with ease from architecture and furniture design to glassware, lighting and metalwork--his was an eclecticism fueled by curiosity. and nothing captures this roaming imagination better than his textiles...celebratory and vibrant, they redefined Swedish modernism.

Read more about Joseph Frank on Huffington Post and Hoo-Hoo House - and see some more images on Apartment Therapy, Bonluxat and Swedish site Svenskttenn, as well as Google Images.

Are Popsicles the New Cupcakes?

2010-07-12T19:10:00.000-07:00

Are popsicles the new cupcakes? It sure seems that way.

A few years back, Magnolia bakery in NYC started a cupcake trend that spread across North America: today you can find cupcake shops in most major cities.

Now popsicles seem to be the new hot (or cool) thing in the Big Apple.

A post on iVillage Food gives the lowdown on where to get the best popsicles in town.

People's Pops sells at markets and focuses on fresh and local ingredients. Sounds like my kinda dessert. Even Martha's a fan.

Where do the flavor ideas come from? D: We go to the GreenMarket each week and try to build flavors around the best produce that the farmers brought to market that week.
~Interview with on People's Pops on Gothamist

La Newyorkina's mission is to "Bring modern Mexican ice pops to the streets of New York". I'd love to try their Aguacate (Avocado), Jamaica (Hibiscus) or Mango con Chile (Spicy Mango) flavours.

PopBar (pictured above) is packed with a whole lotta style. You can choose from a dazzling array of taste combos: gelato, sorbetto or frozen yogurt, topped with all kinds of things like pistachios, coconut or biscotti crumbles, and sometimes also dipped in chocolate You can even make up your own combo. Yum!

So... how exactly how long is it until this trend hits Vancouver?? :)

Craft Rock Friday with Avi Buffalo

2010-07-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

Today's Craft Rock Friday is possibly more of a Gardening Rock Friday ... or maybe a Magical Rock Friday?

In any case, it's full of the summertime lovlies.

Enjoy Avi Buffalo's video for "What’s In It For".

All Fired Up

2010-07-08T18:03:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to taking some more photos of my pottery from my first course. I took a ten-week class at my local community centre, and totally loved every minute of it.

(It was the first time I'd done pottery since grade 8, when I made a, um, bowl? pot? pencil holder? Heh.)

Every Wednesday night I'd some home exclaiming things like "Tonight I made a bowl! a BOWL! Eee!" and "I learned how to make a HANDLE!" And when I actually got to bring my first piece home... ahh! Amazing.

It's infinitely satisfying to eat and drink out of dishes that I made myself. I'm used to working with fabric or paper... having made something so, for lack of a better word, solid is a whole new feeling for me.

This lil' guy is the smallest piece I made - just from a tiny bit of clay left over from something else that fell over on the wheel! - but he's one of my faves.

This one was fun to make: a planter pot. You can't see it in this photo, but it has a drain hole in it. Now I just need a cute little succulent to plant in it.

I was super excited to make a teapot! I didn't get a chance to glaze it before the course ended, so it's only been bisque fired so far. Hopefully it's not too spilly when it pours!

I can't wait to take another class in the Fall and get back to the wheel.

The (Pink) West Coast

2010-07-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

Movie poster designs typically follow certain formulas... but when your film is all about design, things get a little more interesting...

I love these posters for the upcoming documentary Coast Modern, a film about West Coast Modernist Architecture, from LA to Vancouver.

This is the kind of poster I'd want up in my home as artwork, not just as a movie promo. (Actually, they're selling a limited run of 100 right now... but are a bit too pricey for me!)

The other poster is also lovely (and less pink).

Learn more about the Coast Modern film, watch a trailer, or buy a poster in the shop.

When a Door Closes, a Table Opens...

2010-07-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

I'm totally loving the table that the awesome Kim Werker and her hubby Greg made for the front entrance of their home. And from an old door, no less!

I especially love the mix of rustic and modern, plus the splash of yellow, which I have a serious colour-crush on right now.

Read more about the project, with more pics (and an owl plate!), on Kim's blog.

Craft Rock Friday with Sophie Madeleine

2010-07-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

Hello, July!

It's finally full-on SUMMER (please don't let me down now, Vancouver weather!) and it's an extra-long long-weekend for many (Happy Canada Day and Fourth of July!)... so today, Craft Rock Friday comes with an extra helping of sunshine.

And I know just the girl for that.

Sophie Madeleine is completely and utterly charming. Her voice is lovely, her lyrics are brilliant... and did I mention that she plays the ukulele?!

Sophie has the perfect song for Craft Rock Friday: "The Knitting Song"

Lovely, right?

Have a listen to this one -- "Take Your Love With Me" (aka "The Ukulele Song")

Sophie also plays with a partner as Rocky and Balls. Here's their song, "Love Cake"

OK, a couple more! Just to carry you through the long weekend. :)

Rocky and Balls perform "I Heart You Online"

Sophie Madeleine and The Sailor Jerrys' cover of "Goody Goody" (with kazoos!)

Summer Colour Week

2010-06-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

Poppytalk is hosting Summer Colours Week on her blog.

Here's the plan: Everyday we have a new colour (theme) where everyone will upload to their photo's to their blogs/flickr, etc. Join in and then upload to the Summer Colour Week flickr group. Each evening we'll post favourites from the uploads of the day here on the blog. Below find the colour schedule. You'll find more instructions at the flickr group discussions section. We hope you'll join us, it'll be fun!

June 28 - Monday: Pink
June 29 - Tuesday: Yellow
June 30 - Wednesday: Green
July 01 - Thursday: Red & White (Canada Day)!
July 02 - Friday: Blue

There are already TONS of lovely, colourful photos up on the Flickr pool, and also check out Poppytalk's picks for Monday/Pink here and here plus some Tuesday/Yellow pics.

Learn more about the project on Poppytalk's blog, then submit some photos to the Flickr pool!

Here's how I see the world today, through yellow-coloured glasses....

Sweet Feet!

2010-06-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

It doesn't beat the real thing, but if you're impatient (like me) to get your paper copy, you can flip through sample pages from Issue 6 of Uppercase magazine online. It looks choco-block FULL of interesting and inspiring articles!

I'm ALSO excited (again! ...or rather, still!) cause not only are my feet in the magazine, so are my sweetie's! We're the couple with our feet in the water, standing on pebbles. He took that pic on the way back from a fabulous road trip to the Okanagan last summer.

Donna Wilson

2010-06-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

I have just two words for these pillows by Donna Wilson: FUN and FABULOUS.

Donna Wilson makes a ton of cute things including blankets, ceramics, and softies (Charlie the tall monkey and Cyril the squirrel fox are great!) and more.

She also recently created a maze using thousands of strands of yarn! Now that's a place I'd happily get lost in.

(via Shayo)

My Feet... in Uppercase Magazine!

2010-06-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

SO EXCITED!

Uppercase magazine just posted some sneak peek photos of Issue #6... which includes my photo! And my feet! And my shoes!

That's me (and my shoes) on the first page of the article.

Photo by Uppercase

Uppercase put out a call for submissions for "shoegazing" photos... and mine made it into print! I cannot wait to get my hands (and feet?) on a copy!

It should arrive just around the same time as the new yellow shoes that I ordered! Sweet!

Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is

2010-06-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

Scoutie Girl recently posted a concise but thoughtful piece that definitely strikes a chord with me.

She writes about our society's disposable culture, and how the choices you make, even (or especially?) as a consumer, not only reflect your values, but contribute to community, culture and self.

Deciding we’re going to commit to spending money on an art class or music lesson, a vine-ripened tomato picked from the farm in the next town over, a professional to service our business, or a piece of handmade clothing is not so much a commitment of money, it’s a commitment to yourself and to the rebuilding of our culture. It’s choice to consume something of real value that nurtures others as much as it nurtures you.

Imagine if everyone operated this way... Imagine the positive effect that would have on artists, crafters, local businesses, farmer's markets.. Also imagine the impact on the environment from buying fewer disposable goods that use up energy and resources, just to end up landfill... Of course there's always the balance (or juggling) of income versus spending, but I think if this kind of thought-process became commonplace in our society at large could make a huge impact in many areas.

Read the whole post on ScoutieGirl.com.

Also worth a read -- and some thought! -- is her piece on "mindful spending":

Mindful spending is a way of treating yourself, your community, and your money with respect.

Mindful spending begs you to consider each dollar you spend an extension of your personal values, creating an individual economy that centers on what you love and not what society tells you you have to have. It means choosing not to spend money at all sometimes, choosing to spend more on high-quality, well-crafted items that support your community, and choosing to spend less on items that commercialism has put an unnecessary price tag on.

Read the more here -- also with links to other related posts.

Craft Rock Friday with Lenka

2010-06-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

This week's Craft Rock Friday is a 2-for-1, as Lenka has a bunch of crafty stuff goin' on in her music... Here are a couple of her videos that use collage, paper cutting, drawing and painting...

"The Show"

"Trouble is a Friend"

Lenka's album artwork also has a nice crafty style to it - as do her site and MySpace.

(Thanks for the link, Alexandra!)

A Dash of Cuteness

2010-06-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

This felt flower brooch looks oh so happy and summery. The petal structure of dahlias really is goregeous.

Check out the tutorial on Holidash to make your own. Looks like a little patience is required. And some decent glue (to aid with the patience thing).

StudioShop: Open Studio Sale at the Mergatroid

2010-06-23T09:22:00.000-07:00

I'm looking forward to the the open studio sale at the Mergatroid this weekend!

StudioShop
Saturday June 26th and Sunday June 27th
11 to ~~6pm~~ 5pm

Mergatroid Building, 975 Vernon Drive, Vancouver

Featuring work by a collective of artists in the Mergatroid Building who include, Su Foster, Eikam, Laura McKibbon (Cul de Sac Design), HeyDay Design, Dahlhaus, Braden Hammond, Bronsino, and on Sunday only, Karin Jones.

UPDATE: A couple of revisions to the above info, thanks to Dahlhaus: "Our time for the studio shop will be from 11-5 (instead of 6). And unfortunately Braden Hammond won't be able to open his studio doors this weekend as he was planning on. The rest of us will be there so if you are in Vancouver, please do come by for a glass of wine and some nibblies while you shop in our studios."

Loving the Wheel

2010-06-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

I just finished a ten-week pottery course at my local community centre. I'll write more about it later, but for now I just wanted to say that I love it.

LOVE it.

I'm picking up a whole pile of glazed stuff, fresh from the kiln, on Saturday, but in the meantime, here are a couple of my bowls... Filled with a delicious snack of mangoes, yogurt, granola and honey. Mmm...

Quilting on my Mind...

2010-06-18T17:55:00.000-07:00

The inaugural meeting of the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild was last night. It was a good event, with a lot of energy in the room. Not to mention a lot of people - I think the headcount was 43!

The show-and-tell portion of the meeting was really interesting - there were so many different quilts on display - all with different approaches, patterns and colour-stories - made by a range of quilters from veterans to total newbies. The crowd was super supportive and excited - I loved the communal 'oooohs' and 'aaaahs' when the quilts were held up!

It's definitely nudging me to start on one of the quilt ideas I've been thinking about in the past little while... I have 2 that are on the must-sew list - and after last night, I now have an idea for yet another quilting project...

Which reminds me: I never posted photos of the last quilt I made. I made this quilt just before my nephew was born... and he's about 15 months old now. Better late than never! :)

I wanted to use a palette of modified primary colours - something bright and fun - rather than whites or pastels often found in baby quilts. They have a chihuahua (Hello, Nacho!) so I knew I wanted to use this awesome puppy fabric. Love the teacup chihuahua detail!

UPDATE: Great photos from the meeting here and here!

Craft Rock Friday with Breakbot

2010-06-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

Get your funk on, it's Craft Rock Friday!

This fun, trippy, watercoloury video was created for the song, "Baby I'm Yours" by the French band Breakbot.

Directed and handmade by Irina Daveka at Wizz Studio, the video is composed of approximately 2,000 watercolors painting placed one after another.

A perfect way to kick off summer.

(via Black Eiffel)

Making a Quilt from Photos

2010-06-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun project from the fabulous Victoria & Albert Museum in London.... V&A's Patchwork Pattern Maker.

Just upload a photo and the Patchwork Pattern Maker will create a custom quilt pattern for you! You can even use images from the V&A's collections, which is pretty awesome.

The results can end up quite abstract or detailed, depending on the image you choose, plus how many squares and colours you want to use. Check out the gallery to see what patterns people have already created - at least virtually. It would be interesting to see some of the finished, fabric results!

If you're looking for a comparable program to make knitting patterns from photos, have a look at MicroRevolt's KnitPro application for creating custom intarsia patterns for knitting.

(via the ReadyMade blog)