swap bot

I don't know why I didn't know such things existed, but I stumbled upon this very cool site... it took me back to the childhood years of penpals..... this site has a very straightforward premise.... swap crafts, ephemera, postcards, art, books, and the list goes on.... any number of things with another partner.

There are hundreds of swaps going at any one time, and its almost a guarantee to find a swap that strikes your fancy (strikes your fancy???? what year is this.... 1957???) Anyway, the swaps have a host and guidelines, a description of the swap, sign up date and send out date.... the host matches you with someone ( you send to your match, someone else sends to you, this way it is not dependent upon having even numbers of people participating ).  I have signed up for 3 already.... lol..... and the cool thing is, some are US only based but many are international...

If it sounds intriguing, check it out here:

What kind of things would you swap?
...scatter joy...
lindy

Cotton Candy Cable

I just finished the muffler with the cable stitch that I learned last Friday at our little craft get-together.... I LOVE IT!!!! Don't look too closely for the flaws.... they are too numerous to count... I chose to leave them in..... it adds a bit of character... ; )  If you know how to knit and purl you can learn how to do this, too... it's easy peasy!  And... bonus, I found the button in my stash......

Tomorrow... I'm going to tackle that big mess of a closet..... I don't know if I'll be brave enough to post a 'before' but I'll definitely show off my 'after'......

What is your 'before and after'?

...scatter joy...
lindy

Don't Read this Post, Mom...

I am reinventing the art of crocheting the granny square.... this due in large part to the fact that I, number one- cannot read a pattern to save my life and number two- couldn't figure it out.... (YET)  I am making this for a Christmas present for mom.... she has lovingly made countless blankets for people through the years... now it's her turn...

and of course, since she's a mom she will love it no matter how crazy it ends up looking......! ; )  The secret ingredient is love!!!

What is your secret ingredient?

...scatter joy...
lindy

Needle Felting... Finally!

I recently discovered a gorgeous shop in Chicago called Sister Arts Studio ... the owner, Donna could not have been nicer.  I have been longing to take a felting class and she offers up several different options (who knew there were so many different kinds of felting techniques??) She has a seriously grand list of offerings for the beginner as well as advanced knitter, crocheter, needleworker, .... well, crafter/artisan.  I encourage you to check it out... in addition to adult classes, she also offers classes for kids & tweens and her passion is bridging the adult/child gap by offering classes aimed at building those relationships through a craft/artistic experience.

In addition to the classes, her shop boasts some of the most beautiful yarns I've ever seen...

And... drum roll, please.... here is my first effort for felting... it is a bookmark!  I'm pleased and dare I say, proud?! lol....  now you all know what your holiday gifts will be.... ; P

What small shop speaks to your heart?

...scatter joy...

lindy

purse pause...

Well... it's been just over 4 months and the thing we've all been waiting for has finally arrived.... (well, the thing I'VE been waiting for anyway....)... 4 months ago I decided I was going to create some purses.... I had everything... fabric, thread, and desire... the only thing I needed to find were the frames... and so I did. 

I found them online and ordered them.

and then I waited....
and waited...
waited...
contacted the company who said they had sent them and they had been returned (!) and they would resend....
and so I waited.    and waited.     and waited.
and then today.... ta-da... they arrived!  so just in time for something fall or winter-ish.... hmmmmmm... maybe I'll figure out something with a recycled wool sweater.... !!! And maybe this will be my first foray into Etsy....

Socialize and Get your Craft On.....

The next Craft Social has been set... it's going to be held on Nov 13th... right in time for holiday gift giving season!

Serious fun to be had... grab a friend or come solo... the people you'll meet are unbelievable... talented, fun, and very giving of their time and energy....

the food that people bring ---deLISH and the fun.... Mmm, can't forget the fun... this fills up, so if you're wanting to come, visit the blog site and leave a comment to serve as your rsvp http://craftsocial.blogspot.com/ . I actually led a table last time and people made fabric coil bowls.... they turned out beautifully... and of course, are FUNctional... ; ) (I think I see a theme.....) You can see pics from the last craft social on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/groups/chicagocraftsocial/

what new craft would you like to try your hand at....?

...scatter joy...

lindy

Color My World...

I had a bit of a deja vu experience recently... when I was a little girl, my mom took me to the store and let me pick out crayons and paper... do you remember the first time you saw that box of 64.... ?! EVERY COLOR IMAGINEABLE... and none of the colors were duplicates (not like they do in some of their huge boxes today!)... AND it had a sharpener Built. Right. IN! I was giddy with excitement and hope that somehow that box would be mine... all those colors at my finger-tips...

well, the other day I had a 30% off one item coupon for an art supply store... and you know how it is with art supplies... you never really do NEED anything until you walk in and need EVERYTHING! As I walked up and down the aisle seeking out the ideal item to play with I came upon the most perfect thing for an artist beckoning to be born..... a beautiful box of 48 colors....

I already know exactly what my 1st 2 projects are going to be...

what are some of the ways in which you make your life more color*full?

...scatter joy...

lindy

A Place for Everything...

.... as I continue to help my space evolve, I come up with 'crafty' ways to organize... I looked longingly at the pottery barn 'techie gadget caddy' (my description, not theirs) but was unwilling to part with the $$$... so, looked into the depths of a closet (which is in desperate need of some reorganizing as well.... it is ripe for a before/after makeover!) and found a small pressed paper box. With my trusty x-acto knive, pretty papers & glue, I created my own 'caddy'.... and I like it all the more.

what was one of your surprise discoveries recently...?

...scatter joy...

lindy

Art of the Ordinary

One of the things that brings me great joy is finding art in the everyday... I am striving to surround myself with art*full vignettes... whether in my workspace, my lounging space, or even the notebook I take with me to my meetings, there are objects that make me smile and are constant reminders that there is beauty all around me...

A recent piece of functional fun I created is my message board.... there are many different ways to create this or something similar from covering pressed paper board (available at your local lumber yard) to covering ready made bulletin boards... and loads of things in between... most cover or make these pieces of functional art with variations of fabric and ribbon... for mine, I chose to use this gorgeous paper from Paper Source this time...

What are some of the ways you put the 'fun' into functional art?

This piece is super low-tech... I didn't even bother to use a measuring tape... seriously, I went against all basic tenets of creating something... but I was really impatient and wanted it done NOW...

Want to recreate the look?

Total Time: <10>

Supplies: Whatever message board already on hand, begging for a makeover, favorite patterned decorative paper (I think I used 3 different prints although common sense would dictate to use 2 or 4....I've never been good at following directions, so I'm not sure why I insist on writing them ), 2 way tape, scissors

1- Take the board your bored with &

2- Figure out what configuration you want to go with this time (because if you're like me, you'll do this again when something even MORE gorgeous turns your eye...)

3- Hold up the paper(s) against the board and cut to the size you want to cover, maybe a teeny, tiny, bit bigger

4- Do this for as many sections as you are going to make

5- Use the double sided tape to secure into place (hint: start at a corner and then smooth across so you don't end up with wrinkles)

6- Cut one of the patterns into longer strips... aprx 1 inch wide (just eyeball it...enough so you can fold each side in for a clean line) and fold into thirds

7- Use double-sided tape to place in between the sections

8- Enjoy!

Taking the Leap

Tonight is the night...the night I dive head first into the next 'new' thing I am trying on. Thanks to my friend for forwarding the invite to the craft social... where I met some really fabulous, smart, artistic and creative women. It was an amazing experience and the energy was incredible.... and it gave me the impetus to, as Nike would say, 'JUST DO IT'. I've been wanting to start a blog for some time... but have been waiting until I knew more, had 'something relevant' to say, knew HOW TO actually do a blog... lol... well, life's short. I'm taking the leap.... I will learn and grow as I go along... & hopefully you all will help me because I really do love to collaborate!



oh... and the craft project I did tonight was to make a decoupage bowl... although for my mind it was more a creating a papier mache bowl... either way it was fun. Guess who's coming to dinner and guess what they're getting for Christmas... Watch for pics and instructions to come... it's late, wayyyyyyyy past bedtime so off to bed I go.



Updated Saturday May 23rd... okay, so here's something I learned... Baxter (my sidekick pupster) will keep me company while I create or write til all hours (3am when I finally crawled between the sheets...) but still wants to get up @5:30am for our walk... lol (see the pic of him waiting patiently in the sidebar)


The bowl I created last night is still in the 'drying' stage which will take a few days.... the instructions follow below and are compliments of the lovely women who organized & hosted the craft social last night:

Supplies Needed: A bowl to use as a form, any size, smooth sides; mod-podge or paper glue; container to hold glue to coat paper strips; aluminum foil; thin papers, magazines, old books, etc; something to use as a stand for your bowl when turned upside down (I used a cup that was slightly taller than the bowl); wet rag for drips or spills.

This is a great project to do with friends... lots of laughs, giggles, and sharing.

1- Wrap the outside of the bowl with foil. Smooth is down as much as you can and fold the edges into the center of your bowl.

2- Tear the paper into pieces. (I actually used a bit heavier weight paper... needed to make it very wet with the mod-podge so that it was pliable and would stick)

3-Flip the foil-wrapped bowl upside down and set it on your 'stand'. Coat the paper pieces/strips with the glue mixture (mod-podge). Fingers work best. Smooth each piece to the outside of the bowl, overlapping the edges. More layers of paper will make for a sturdier bowl. (The bowl in the picture has 3 layers).

4- Allow your bowl to dry a minimum of 2 days

5- Once the glue completely dries, remove the 'real' bowl from the foil. Peel the foil off the paper bowl. (I have NOT done this yet... I'll let you know how it goes).

You can use sharp scissors to trim off the rough rim of the bowl if desired; Bowl can be painted if you like (I am thinking about layering the inside of the bowl after it dries... I'll let you know about that, too.)

Bowls cannot be used for food, but of course you knew that... loose change, keys, all those buttons that come attached to new clothes... *grin* And please, share your ideas and photos with me!

. . . scatter joy . . .

lindy