At the Fair

Hi! We're at the West End Community Centre Holiday Craft Fair all weekend!

Felt Flower Acessory Tutorial

Supplies you should gather before starting:

1. Scraps of felt in two different colours (3x3 inches is plenty)
2. Cool button, about 1/2 inch diameter
3. Glue Gun
4. Scissors
5. Object to glue flower onto

How to Make:

1. Cut 5 petal shapes on the small side of 1 inch long out of each colour of felt. You should have 10 total.

2. Cut three circles slightly smaller than your button out of the felt. There should be 1 of one colour and two of the other, it doesn't matter which though.

3. Decide which colour you want on the top of your flower. I usually pick the lighter of the two.

4. Take one circle and put hot glue on it. Arrange 5 of the same colour petals on it and let the glue set.

5. Take a second circle and glue it onto the top of the petals.

6. Take your second colour of petals and glue them onto the circle so that they fall between the first set of petals.

7. Flip the flower over. Take a second to admire it then glue your button onto the middle.

8. Glue your flower on to item you have chosen.

9. Take the last circle of felt and place it on the other side of them item you glued your flower to. This just makes it more secure and finished-looking. Sizes can be adjusted as much as you'd like.

10. Admire again and prepare to make more.

Suggestions for uses:

1. headbands, alone or clustered
2. large bobby pins
3. alligator hair clips
4. ring bases
5. pin backs
6. magnets
7. push pins
8. Anywhere else you see fit!

** NOTE: Click here for instructions with photos in PDF form!

Gifts for guys

I have two guys to buy for this year. One is my 7 year-old nephew, the other is my 20-something boyfriend. I am trying to buy all handmade which means most of my shopping is being done on etsy. However, I find that guys are the hardest to buy handmade for. Here's a few things I've found that you might want to consider for the guys in your life.

Mountain Mama Chichas beautiful but simple old-school shaving sets.


Mariclaro makes cool laptop bags with recycled materials.


The Steam Punk Trunk is where I found interesting but durable keychains made from watch insides.


For the little ones Things 'n Stuff makes toy catapults.


Sticking with a green theme Bottle Bottoms reclaims empty bottle and makes new glasses.


If I had a baby they would totally wear this onesie by We R Onesieful.


Memphis Weaver makes beautiful hand woven guitar and camera straps, plus other cool stuff for you.


These clocks by Pixel This use reclaimed hard drives and bike gears and are perfect for nearly anyone.


I almost forgot one of my favorite shops! Purpose Design makes awesome spice kits for the man-cook.


So go off and buy, or at least search for, the perfect handmade gifts for men in your life. They are out there.

Wishlist

It's getting to be that time of year - people are asking me what I want for Christmas!

While trying not to be totally consumerist (I have asked for donations to the local SPCA in my name because I'm a sucker for poor, orphaned pets), there are a whole pile of pretties sitting in my favorites list on etsy and I have shared some of them with people in case they are inclined to support indie artists. ;)

Here are a few, selected at random from a very long list of awesomeness!



Beautiful leather wallet with an antique key by UrbanHeirlooms

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17260378





Simple but beautiful silver headband by mylavaliere
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16888864






Simple but stunning aluminium pendant by SarahLynneDesigns

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16997749







The coolest, most stylish cat bed ever by likekittysville

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17330761

Another Hobby? Sure, why not!

I need another hobby like I need a hole in my head.

I've already got craft supplies tucked into every drawer and cupboard of my tiny Vancouver apartment (and my boyfriend keeps insisting that he needs space for his stuff too - wants to use the dresser drawers for his clothes instead of my yarn... what?).

So when my mom emailed me these pictures... of the spinning wheel she got from a friend for me, I was simultaneously very excited and kind of alarmed. Whoo hoo free spinning wheel!! But, yikes, another craft!

Fortunately, the spinning wheel is at the family cottage in Nova Scotia, so I'm safe for a while. We really, literally, don't have space for it here. (We're already struggling with the floor loom in the apartment, small though it may be for a floor loom.) So, the wheel is mine and it will be waiting for me, when I'm ready to take up a new craft, and when I've got space for it in my life (both physically and time-wise).

It's funny how this need to create can be so consuming. I sometimes have to force myself to put down the craft supplies, stop the ideas running through my head, and just go outside for a walk with my boyfriend. I have to tell myself to just... stop. There will never be enough time to do all the creating I want to do, I need to kind of embrace that fact and remember the importance of balancing the creating with spending time on other things.

Who knew the gift of a spinning wheel could cause so many philosophical musings?

Hot Water Bottle Fashion

I'm so excited  - I finally have pictures of our latest product!   We tried these out last year and they were popular so we've improved them and made more for this year.   

Hot water bottle cozies.   To make your hot water bottle both fashionable and snuggly!   We rescued neglected wool sweaters, felted them, and made them into adorable outfits for hot water bottles.  They're soft and fabulous to snuggle with.   We had a good crop of sweaters this year, so stay tuned to the etsy shop as we list some - or visit us at one of the craft fairs listed in the sidebar later this month.

(The first one is listed in our shop.)

fiber excitement

1. Tomorrow I am starting to volunteer at a new exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery. I volunteered in the past but this is by far the most exciting position yet. Kai Althoff is taking up the whole fourth floor this winter and one of the rooms is a collaboration between him and Travis Meinholf called "The Weaving Space". Here visitors are welcome to weave using a laser cut rigid heddle back-strap loom. All the woven strips will then be stitched into blankets and given away. The concepts behind Travis' work are so interesting and I am so excited to be a part of the exhibit.

2. I am officially the newest employee of Urban Yarns! I start training tomorrow morning and will be mostly working at the Point Grey store. I am very excited to be around that much yarn and people who are excited about it, even if only a few times a week. I just have to make sure to pay my bills before buying any yarn. Or any fabric for that matter, considering how close The Cloth Shop is.

oh, here's a picture from Travis' flickr showing a bit of what he does, and yes, his loom is on wheels:

Winning streak!

I think I'm making up for not winning anything for the first half of my life (seriously, I never won anything as a kid/young adult)!  

My latest loot is a super cute little pouch from Klo Designs, check it out:

Whoo hoo!