Suzanne J.E. Tourtillott: Craft Challenge: Dozens of Ways to Repurpose a Pillowcase
Therese Laskey: Softies Kit: Instructions and Tools for Creating 15 Plush Pals
Therese Laskey: Softies: Simple Instructions for 25 Plush Pals
Various: The Crafter's Companion: Tips, tales, and patterns from a community of creative minds
Happy hearts and happy faces,
Happy play in grassy places -
That was how, in ancient ages,
Children grew to kings and sages.
~Robert Louis Stevenson
This beautiful illustration is by the wonderful Brian Wildsmith
If you want to hide certain areas of your room or just want to create a more haunted atmosphere then go to the fabric store and get yards and yards of scrim! It's very inexpensive and found in the decorator fabrics on those really large rolled up bolts of fabric. Don't worry about hemming or any of that stuff (the texture is very similar to cheese cloth) just cut and hang! Have fun :)
I've always wanted to be able to draw. I mostly wanted to be able to put down on paper the ideas I can see in my mind but I also wanted to be able to draw a tree. I always thought that if someone could draw a tree then they were a pretty good artist because I think trees seem hard to draw. Inspired by Lori's drawing lessons that I have featured on The Crafty Crow, I've been practicing a lot lately. I finished this tree drawing this evening and I have to say I am pretty darn pleased with it. I see places for improvement but for my first real effort I'm satisfied.
The kids and I have begun keeping nature journals so consequently we're spending more time looking at the shapes and lines of trees and rocks and water movement at the river. I pulled out Keeping A Nature Journal
Sometimes it's easy to overlook a craft or art project because it's labeled for kids but going though all these new projects for The Crafty Crow has really gotten me itching to try a bunch of them. I think it's good to remember to experiment with new mediums and give those creative muscles a stretch every now and then, so when I saw the watercolor tutorial by Arounna I decided to jump right in along with my kids.
You begin with a very abstract watercolor and after it has dried you go back with India ink and a bamboo skewer and create flowers out of the watercolor splots (sorry, couldn't think of a better word.)
The freedom and unpredictability of the medium was really fun and different from the controlled detail work that I usually do. I'll definitely be doing this again.
Decal papers for a variety of uses that
you can print at home - oh my, the possibilities are making me swoon!
Found via Swiss Miss.
Sir Ken Robinson, "an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation and human resources," speaks about the importance of creativity: why we need to be encouraging it and how modern schools "are educating people out of their creative capacities." The video (taken at the 2006 TED conferences) is about 20 minutes long but so inspirational and very funny too - try to take the time to watch it. Every time you put a blank piece of paper or a lump of clay in front of your child or just go on a nature walk to see the change of the seasons you'll know that you're doing the right thing, the right thing for your child and the right thing for our future.
What TED celebrates is the gift of the human imagination. We have to be careful now that we use this gift wisely, and that we avert some of the scenarios that we've talked about. And the only way we'll do it is by seeing our creative capacities for the richness they are, and seeing our children for the hope that they are. And our task is to educate their whole being, so they can face this future -- by the way, we may not see this future, but they will. And our job is to help them make something of it.
~ Sir Ken Robinson
As I said in my previous post, the next project in my crochet queue is a blanket for my daughter. Decision making is not one of my daughter's strong points so her color choices have changed dramatically over the last few weeks. To make it a little easier, I went to the Lion Brand website and dragged off a variety of colors from the Vanna's Choice yarns and played with different arrangements on my desktop. We finally came up with the above combination: chocolate, taupe, linen, pink, and antique rose. If you have trouble deciding on colors this is a great way to try out different combinations and to live with them a bit before making your purchase.
If I had figured this out sooner though I wouldn't have the yarn stash I do now. Not sure if that's good or bad but there it is.
I put off buying this book, The Art of Embroidery
The first part of the book focuses on the basics of embroidery while the second half explores design composition and interpretation. Images from nature lay next to their embroidered translation. Mimosa blossoms inspire seeding, bullion stitches and beading while grass lends itself to whipped running stitch in shadowy grays.
Ruffled cabbage becomes a scarf. Brilliant.
The author, Francoise Tellier-Loumagne, has a wonderful straightforward writing style (even though that may be due to its translation from French) which I really appeciate. If you enjoy Japanese craft books and Marie Claire Idees for their new take on traditional styles then you would probably like this book too.
I love these quotes from the author:
"To embroider is to look, analyse [sic], choose, explore and translate."
"To embroider is to express yourself."
All of these images are from Marie Claire Idees March 2007 issue. The only place I have found it is in Borders but you may have better luck finding it if you're in a more metropolitan area. This issue seems especially full of stitchery projects. I don't speak French but I enjoy looking at the pictures anyway.
I am really tempted to make an afghan like the one above. That open kind of stitch works up really fast and I think it would be so much fun making the flowers and decorating the blanket afterwards.
I love these delicate handmade dishes. For fun I'm going to try something similar with Sculpey. I can use little dishes to put stuff in - I've always got lots of "stuff" sitting around!
Look at this great idea! The directions on how to make it are in the back of the magazine (in French) but it wouldn't be too difficult to figure this out. This organizer would be especially nice to create a small craft area where space is limited.
The kids and I went on a walk down by the river this weekend. We are having an unusually early spring and the temperature was just perfect for being outdoors. The kids had told me about this "heart rock tree" so I was eager to get a look. Last year people started leaving heart-shaped rocks all around, and wedged into, this tree - apparently with thoughts of a loved one. I'm very sentimental so I love stuff like this.
There's not much green to be seen.
Seed pod fluff stuck in the tree branches.
The river.
We stacked rocks into towers and the boys made a boat out of some driftwood that they launched into the current before we left.
A very enjoyable afternoon. Something I need to do more often.
*There are more pictures at Flickr .
