Happy Independence Day weekend, people of the United States. I leave you with this idea for petite watermelons made from jello and limes, by Chocolate on My Cranium. You can make some for your picnic tomorrow. Have a good weekend!
(Image from Chocolate on My Cranium)
I made little origami lotus flowers the other day. They're quick and cute! Here's a good video with instructions.
This is all you need to make them. Have fun.
I'm just full of news lately, aren't I? The folks at JCaroline Creative have announced their biggest sale ever, now through July 10. Hundreds of fabrics, ribbons, and craft goodies are discounted. Including Kokka fabrics at nearly half off, and you can save a few dollars a yard on my prints, too.
I just learned of this fabric swap taking place Tuesday night, 6/30/09, at the Rogers Park Public Library. Bring unwanted fabric, trade it in for fake money, and "shop" for something new to bring home. I'm hoping to trade in two yards of dalmatian-print fur I just received by mistake from a fabric company. If you want dalmatian fur, you'd better be there. Details here!
While browsing on Etsy, I came across Mari Forssell's shop full of simple, modern bags in delicious fabrics. Mari is originally from Finland, now living in Nebraska. She's been sewing since she was a tiny girl and adores Marimekko fabrics. (Me too!)
We've arranged a little giveaway: leave a comment on this post before midnight CDT on Thursday (7/2/09), and a random winner will receive this hip red-orange shopping tote. Include a link or way of contacting you. The winner will be announced on Friday in this post.
UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed. The lucky winner was comment number 269, Elizabeth K. Congrats!
I've been flipping through review copies of some nifty craft books. Take a look.
You can learn to knit crazy animals and, um... people? in The Knitted Odd-bod Bunch by Donna Wilson. They're so wacky that I think I love them.
The Perfect Apron by Rob Merrett features 35 apron projects that vary from simple to frou-frou. With so many to choose from, one of them probably is your perfect apron. The book has tear-out patterns and templates, too. Nice.
And so that men-folk don't feel neglected, I present to you ManCrafts, reprinted from WWII-era Popular Mechanics articles. Learn about leather tooling, block printing, braiding and knotting, and most essential: fly tying. Full of great wisdom, such as, "The true woodsman has great respect but no fear for his axe," and "Fly tying is one of the most interesting and useful of all the handicrafts." Really? Mentally noted.
Some buddies came over last night and we made magazine baskets. My paper weaving phase is getting out of control. In the spirit of spontaneous DIY experimentation, we decided to create a new drink, whereupon we mixed peach vodka, raspberry lemonade, and Venetian Carnival Pinot Grigio (purchased for its exciting label). Not good; don't do it. Since we didn't drink much of the stuff, our baskets turned out pretty well.
To make these, cut about 10 magazine pages into 2.5" strips vertically. Fold each strip in half lengthwise, then into thirds with the cut edges to the inside. (See folding pictures here, but don't do step D.) Then follow the guidelines here. Staples are too big to secure your strips in strategic places, so I used Zots glue dots. You could also use tiny pieces of double stick tape. I glued the strip around the rim with craft glue. These little baskets are about 4.5" square.
My latest after-dinner-while-watching-TV project: woven coasters made from magazine pages. To make a coaster like the green one above:
1. Tear out 6 magazine pages. Cut off the ragged edge on each, then cut each page in half lengthwise. I stacked them and cut them all at once with an X-acto knife and ruler. (To make a coaster with a finer weave, cut each of the half-page strips in half lengthwise again. And note that weaving will take you twice as long!) 
2. Fold each strip in half lengthwise. Then fold the resulting piece in thirds, folding the cut edges inward first so they're hidden inside. Now you have a long, thick strip. Fold it in half at the center. See steps pictured above. Repeat with each magazine sheet.
3. To start weaving, interlock two strips. This is the bottom left corner of your coaster.
4. Add another strip that wraps around the outside of the horizontal bottom strip.
5. Continue weaving. Some strips will wrap around the outside of the coaster when you start them; some will begin sandwiched between two existing strips. See above. Keep adding to your coaster one strip at a time, making sure to push the papers tightly together. Flip your coaster over and check the back frequently to make sure nothing's going haywire back there!
6. When the coaster has 6 horizontal and 6 vertical strips, it's time to finish the edges. Strips that emerge on the outsides of the "coaster sandwich" need to be secured. Trim off one end of the strip so it's even with the edge of the coaster. Bring the other end around the edge of the coaster and tuck it under the closest weave to hide the raw ends. You should have just enough length to reach.
7. Strips that emerge from the inside of the sandwich can simply be cut off. If you want to seal your coaster with something, you could try some spray acrylic sealer and see what happens. Personally, I don't care if mine gets a little wrinkly from being wet. Happy weaving.
I discovered Pingg, an online invitation, e-card and event management company, months ago. I see they're growing rapidly and have added several new artists to their Designer Series, above. So in case Evite's clunky invitations aren't stylish enough for you, try out Pingg's free service. You can post your announcements directly to Facebook and Twitter, too. 
Or if you like the look of formal cardstock invitations and the virtual experience of opening an envelope, check out Paperless Post, currently in Beta. You can create an account, design your invitation, and then purchase "stamps" to send them out. Stamps start at $5.00 for 60 invitations, a fraction of the cost of real postage. Invite your friends and get free stamps! In fact, I'm inviting you all. If you're interested, try out Paperless Post.
Are you a graphic designer? Or maybe you play one on TV. You might enjoy browsing through these design galleries.
For logo design, check out Logo Faves, Wolda, Logo Lounge, or Logo Pond. See fancy business cards on Flickr or cool packaging at The Dieline. And at FPO: For Print Only, you can view the specs and production costs for a new print project every day.
(Logos above from Logo Faves.)
Want to play a typography game that will make you crazy? Try kerning in space at Veer. "On earth you kern with the best of them. But how well do your skills hold up in a fraction of earth's gravity? Check the gauges, fire the boosters, and do your best to give 80-point type a 3-point landing." Good luck, earthlings. It's super hard.
