Ticky Tacky @ CRAFT HAPPY

Doesn't that roll right off the tongue? We love how it alliterative it sounds!

Ticky Tacky uses found objects (buttons, sea glass, beads) to turn paper mache boxes into gorgeous little works of art. Each box is then coated with epoxy resin to make it strong enough to store your most precious treasures.

Here are a few samples:




Wouldn't these make fabulous graduation or mother's day gifts? You could pair a box with a cute jewelry surprise inside too!

Satin Corset @ CRAFT HAPPY

We saw Satin Corset's jewelry in Envy.Me Boutique in Niles (one of our sponsors) back before the holidays, and picked out an adorable pair of earrings as a Christmas present. There's just no way to beat buying local! We felt great about buying from a nearby artist, and knowing that we were supporting our local economy too (although the gift ended up making its way to North Carolina later, haha).

Described as sweet vintage chic, Satin Corset's jewelry designs exude that "je ne sais quoi" quality that makes them an elegant edition to any outfit. A few we're particularly fond of:




Check them out for yourself at CRAFT HAPPY on March 20th!

P.s. The gift was a great success!

Recover Your Thoughts @ CRAFT HAPPY

What happens to books that are no longer needed for the pages they keep? Are they banished from the book world, forever collecting dust? = (
Thankfully, not anymore! The concept behind Recover Your Thought's journals is simple, yet totally inspired. Take a book, breath new life into it by making it's cover (and sometimes a few pages, too) into a journal. For sentimentalists like us, it's the perfect way to remember a favorite, inspired, or just plain silly book. Here are some examples:

Melinda Mae @ CRAFT HAPPY

Melinda Mae's designs definitely live up to their description - "handbags for playful days and soulful nights". With fabrics that absolutely pop with their wonderfully graphic charm, it's way too difficult to pick just one! If you're anything like us (well, Shelby at least :), it's the handbag that ties an outfit together. Why be drab when you sport one of these?






Melinda Mae will have wristlets, clutches, small, medium and large bags at our show on March 20th!

Cimmerii @ CRAFT HAPPY

Cimmerii has mastered the art of the hand-crafted doll. One can easily tell that each of her creations is made with a loving attention to detail, beautiful color choices, and delightful materials. Her pieces are one-of-a-kind jewels! Not to mention eco-friendly. Here's a few we love:

Cute for a kid's room!

This pink kitty rocks her adorable heart tattoos!

Aren't these a hoot?

Swanky Swell @ CRAFT HAPPY

Sometimes fabric is just fabric, and other times (if you're lucky), fabric is art. Swanky Swell's collection of hand-screened fabric is absolutely gorgeous! Oh, and it's certified organic, 100% cotton. We could easily see these making a beautiful pillow cover or upholstered chair:

Etch Your Heart Out @ CRAFT HAPPY

Raise a glass to Etch Your Heart Out! Emily's unique etched designs range from the friendly to the fierce. She uses both her own glass and recycled/reclaimed materials as a palette for some amazing creations! Check out a few of our faves:

Of course we adore Audrey!

I may have shot the sheriff, but I invited the deputy over for a nice salad. . .

There's plenty more on her site, check it out!

Sugar Clay Cafe @ CRAFT HAPPY

We first met Jenny Smetana of Sugar Clay Cafe back at another craft show in Niles last November. I got an adorable doughnut necklace charm and was hooked! Her designs are whimsical and playful, and of course quite yummy looking - perfect for both the sweet loving girl or girl-at-heart.

Here's a few more mouth-watering choices (of course they're 100% fat free!):

Beyond Wonderland @ CRAFT HAPPY

Craft Happy is pleased to welcome Beyond Wonderland to our show on March 20th! Designer Carolina Harris has done an outstanding job of hand-picking adorable, quirky fabrics for her hair accessories, earrings, pouches, and wallets (there's even more, please check it out!). A few items we love, courtesy Beyond Wonderland's website:













These cute deer button earrings would go wonderfully with a spring outfit!
















What's not to love about the print on this wallet? It instantly makes us want to smile!

See you at CRAFT HAPPY!

Viva Craft Happy!

As you may know, I am co-organizing CRAFT HAPPY indie craft showcase on March 20th in Niles. I am thrilled with the vendors we've lined up! Starting today, I plan on showcasing a few of our fine artists each day (in random order). Stay tuned and spread the word!
www.getcrafthappy.com

Happy Chinese New Year!

I spent the weekend in L.A - more on that later. While I was home sick Thursday, I made this little new year cutie! Check out the free pattern. You'll need a user name and password to access the pattern. Happy crocheting!

Rainy Day Projects - Part Two

[Prologue: We are trapped inside for a weekend by the weather gods and I decide to go all crafty]

Ok, so this project stinks!

I made this little guy from a needle-felting kit I got from superbuzzy.com. I have been ogling the site for months now and finally made a purchase (offline - haha) when I saw her at the Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco.

His name is Scherzo and he now lives atop my piano where he actively listens to all my students and judges them more harshly than I ever would.

As with other needle felt projects, the quest for perfection can lead to hours of work. Thankfully I have a good movie to watch in the background, so I didn't mind the three tries it took to get the legs to work. The eyes are blue seed beads.

Kiri, oh Kiri... This bunny seemed a good idea at the time - two years ago when I bought "The Cute Book" and began the cute work, cutting out the pieces, only to let them sit around unfinished until now!

She's made out of simple craft felt and embroidery floss. Kiri sits among my tea cup collection, away from the cats (a recent knit project - a mouse no less - got dragged to the edge of the litter box for safe keeping, grrr.)

Rainy Day Projects - Part One

It's raining, it's pouring (and yes, Andrew snores).

The weatherman told me to stay inside this weekend, so I took it upon myself to get through a few craft projects.

Because of my teaching schedule, I rarely get the whole day to devote to crafty goodness.

So with the un-welcomed help of the cats, I tried to get through as many as I could.

Here are the results. I am pleased:

I used some scrap yarn for this Poppy project on the right - I can never find a good project to get ride of small bits of yarn and was pleased to find this one by Lesley Stanfield.

I like the richness of the Paton’s Classic Wool red. I think the green was Vanna’s Choice, and then the black I’m not sure. I fastened it onto a hair clip for a pre-Spring pick me up!

The purple Anemone was also a great use of some leftover yarn. I didn’t have any DK yarn, as the pattern suggested, but went ahead with worsted weight yarn and size 6 needles.

This made it pretty tight a few times, but everything turned out the way I wanted it. I plan on using it for a brooch/pin for a belt made out of a piece of velvet I found.

Both of these took almost no time. I made them while watching the animated film Spirited Away that I had never seen before. I'm planning my trip to Japan and I am super excited!


I wasn't the only one stuck inside all day and so Andrew tried his hand at needle felting again. He had done it before and told me he enjoyed it -- but darn it if he isn't rather good at it too!

He made these two hearts above and got them to stick together (just by needle felting them) and then I attached a pin backing to the whole thing. Super cute!

My Twinkle Knits Experience

Well, now that I'm on Ravelry I have found a lot more knitting patterns to inspire me. I fell in love with the "Incredible Skirt" pattern from "Twinkle's Big City Knits". I then checked the book out of the library, perused, and decided to start with something a little easier - the "Evening Shell". I was disappointed to find so much errata (and vague instructions - not fun when you're not an experienced knitter). However, thanks to the advice of some other Ravelry members, this went smoothly overall. This was my first cabled project - not hard, just some getting used to. I used two skeins of Lion Brand Thick and Quick, making this quite affordable. I LOVED being able to finish something so quickly (I have way too many incomplete projects lying around), and I think the end result is pretty cute!

Here's to getting more projects done in 2010!

Holiday Card Shopping at Olive Hyde!

Please stop by the Olive Hyde Art Guild's 27th Annual "Holiday for the Arts" show and sale this weekend - Saturday, December 5th and Sunday December 6th. The sale benefits the Olive Hyde Art Gallery and visual arts projects in the Fremont community and schools. Shop local and support a great cause!
I will be selling an assortment of my iris folded cards (including the robin featured here) and photography.

More information can be found at: http://www.olivehydeartguild.org/gala.html