old craft magazines

I was watching at some old magazines, and found some interesting things :-)
A very pretty cloth in filet squares, would be nice for summer gatherings in my parents' home - we are 19 when everyone is there, so it's a long table :-D I suppose I would be crocheting squares till kingdom come... :-D

And then this funny black cat table mat :-) he's really cute! This one is from Crochet World Autumn special from 1992 (Volume 14 #3 to be specific ;-))

I love peacocks

I was thinking of starting a peacock blog, like skull a day, but the thing is that I can't produce peacocks in that speed, and even though it would be ok to post other's creations as "education and critique", I'm not all too comfortable with that...

Nevertheless, there's several blog candy and give away thingies going on in the internet, and one of them is a peacock clutch! It's Give-away Diva, who is offering a chance to use her blog to Rosemary, who makes pretty clutches and sells them at Etsy (Clutch That!), to give away one of the clutches... and she loves peacocks too! There's plenty of peacock clutches in her shop, made of beautiful peacock brocades, prints and embroideries... :-) Very pretty :-)
One of the good things with this is, that even though most of the blog candy/give aways on-line are for USonians or North Americans only, this isn't :-)

I have been thinking about the 100 techniques...

I would really like to make cabinets of cardboard and embroidered fabric... You know, like Jean Fletcher's stumpwork cabinet.
I would like to make all kinds of boxes, storages, caddies and what-nots of cardboard and fabric...
I have been having ideas of stumpwork Tree of Life with a man and a woman sitting under the tree, in baroque outfits, like Adam and Eve actually not too unhappy for needing to be adults :-D There's a lot of benefits and joys in being an adult. It's not all bad, you know :-D
And the stumpwork and the drawers would melt together into an intricate artwork, picture...

Or like this "unfolding treasures" Indian jewelry box they are selling at The Rainforest Site, to help people help themselves.
Think a box like that, but with an artwork on one side... so it's a picture frame, with a secret ;-)
The boxes don't need to be square. One can make this also thinner, so the "surprise" is bigger :-D

And look at this vintage sewing caddy! I have always drooled over these things, and it wasn't until recently I realized that I don't need to just drool, I can make this of cardboard!
I can make a new one, just for spools, if I ever get that many :-)

Here's a bit more "messy organizing" :-) I love things like that! Both images from Paper Pastries

Some tatting

http://teritatbitdusenbury.blogspot.com/

http://25motifchallenge.blogspot.com/

My hands hurt so --- bad. I just want to cry.
I managed to take the dog out yesterday and was punished by being in pain the rest of the day.
The pain medication isn't helping at all.
I just feel miserable, I hate it when I can't write properly, I hate it when the pain muddles my thinking, I hate it when I can't work on what I want to work on.
On top of that I found out that my doctor should have sent a remiss (don't know what that's in english) to the University hospital already in October. He probably sent it some time in November, in December they sent it back, because he had sent it to wrong departement, in January I call and find out that they have sent the thing, but she was talking about the first round. It's been almost 4 months and my doctor isn't communicating with me.
I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!

- something more positive: very interesting and inspiring projects :-)
- "just something I made" - very interesting blog
- another interesting blog

I am very tired at the moment...

I'm trying to visit the 157 blogs that are up on the OWOH page at this moment, but it's hard.
I am so very tired. My wrists ache, I have fever, my head ache, I feel slightly nauseous...

I just wanted to share part of a dream I had last night: I made a bet with my brother-in-law, on which one manages first to make 100 craft projects all in different techniques!
I don't even know if there are 100 different craft techniques!

There's knitting and crochet, and weaving, and tatting, bobbin lace, macramé, other laces, there's sewing and quilting and patchwork - I suppose one can count those as different techniques. There's applique and cross-stitch, and embroidery... and felting... and paper crafts... and... er... basketry and beading... and... er... well... one can also work with clay and wood and metal and... er...
I really don't know!

But it's a great challenge, don't you think :-D

Learning from unwanted crafting skills

I have been surfing again. Most of what I see is inspiring, wonderful, amazing, makes me want to do that too etc, but every now and then I come across something that is not inspiring, wonderful and other such things but the very opposite.

"Precious Moments" - I assume these started as some sort of thought of how the childhood is short and we should be enjoying the time when our kids are small. Then it somehow developed into this:
Children marrying? I don't understand this. I really don't.
Then some people think these are SO CUTE and put them everywhere. Images like this are used as painting motif, decoupage, cake decoration...

To me these are akin to the "crying children" paintings... you know, the magical, mysterious paintings of a little street child, dirty, with tears running down their round cheeks; that start fires but never themselves burn. (Read through all 4 parts :-D)

Also, it doesn't need to be babies made to act like adults, it's also animals made to act like humans. Every one of them is butt-ugly, with big eyes, round cheeks and more or less miserable look on their face. Or then it's the wild, fake ear-to-ear smile.
Hundreds of people use their time, material, energy and skills to produce these things. Luckily, most of the time, the materials used are rubbish, like acrylic yarn, polyester satin, rubber foam and other fake fibers that are not much use for anything else, but sometimes, these things are made of good materials, like polymer or porcelain clay, sugar paste, quilting cotton or wood.

Something similar is the thousands and millions of cross stitch pictures. Egyptian queens, fairies, unicorns, bad copies of famous paintings and - yes - crying children. Good materials, hours of skillful craft, time, energy, money, spent on... I'm sorry to say this, pure crap.

Looking at these things, I fully understand something I didn't understood the first time I read it: In Finnish "Girls' Craft Book" there's an appendix on "good taste", that urges people to produce good things when they "potter" with crafts. *sigh*

Pink bunny (I assume) by "Miriam" and Nerina Roberts' Lindsay
You see what I mean? Which one would you take? Or make?
Miriam's bunny is well made, but...

I know, I know, who died and made me the Goddess of Good Taste?
No-one, but I'm talking about my preferences and opinions. If you are of another opinion, you are free to express that in your own blog or in the comments of my blog ;-)

But - the "foam" (fun foam, craft foam) is a craft I don't much appreciate, and if one is using pipe cleaners, crepe paper, plastic canvas, Styrofoam, pompoms, compressed paper balls and plastic (acrylic yarn, polyester, nylon...), one probably is producing something I would see as waste of time, money, materials, energy, effort and skills. Unless one is 15 or younger.

So - can anything be made with these materials I would consider worthwhile?

Yes
Here's recycled styrofoam robots. Amazing!
Carie combines polymer clay with pipe cleaners :-D
Pompom rug
Very easy and fun halloween ghost :-D
Old fashioned 4th of July crafts

There was a really cute plastic canvas box with fox and hens :-D

But "fun foam"... I spent almost a week trying to think what could be made of fun foam that was worth it. I came to the conclusion that anything that can be made with it, can be made better with something else... but then I stumbled over this tutorial, and I'm not so sure anymore :-D
There's also some potential if one glues several layers fun foam together and makes pet toys of it...

Just a cute picture I found when looking for things :-D

I found a couple of interesting blogs:
The adventures of bluegirlxo
Kitschy kitschy coo

I have been a good girl :-D

Today's action for the healthier planet - and you:
read this article about the surprising things you can find oil - petroleum
There's oil in chewing gum, candles, tape, sheer pantyhose...

While you are at it, click for free to donate for several different causes, I think it's easiest either in Care2 or breast cancer site. You could put either site as the starting window when you open the computer, and click before you read your post. It doesn't take more than a minute to click for all the causes in Care2 and breast cancer site.

How to make "non-petroleum jelly"
"You can use it to heal scrapes and rashes, protect and add a little gloss to your lips, and even dab some on finger and toenails to impart luster and moisturizing magic."

Some updating

Boo ghosts for Samhain

Sisters's thigh high socks - I started knitting them somewhere in the middle of the night, and I looked that the yarns were the same color... The next day my husband looked at the socks and asked if I'm knitting two sock pairs at the same time... then and only then did I realize that the yarns were not only different but very different :-D

Lace tablemat from an old crochet magazine

Goddess Knits' Victorian Romance

Lucy Neatby's Fiesta Feet

Binah Bukharan Kippah, Kufi or Pillbox

Russian feather shawl - from some Russian crochet magazine

Proud Dragon wall hanging - filet crochet

Morehouse Farm's alligator scarf

Solveig Hisdal's Brocade Leaves Sweater from Poetry in Stitches

So much pretty things around...

Here's a nice granny star tutorial

love this flower garland - could work as a scarf/necklace too :-)

I love these organisators :-D

Another blog

I think this blog is wonderful: http://knitting-club.blogspot.com/

Two weeks to OWOH! :-)

Are you ready?

This year I will learn how to do
- ribbon embroidery
- cloth dolls
- polymer clay
- origami quilting
- machine embroidery

I will update my stitch blog with stitches I find interesting, and not start from beginning with the boring stuff :-D

3/50 and buy handmade pledge

In USA there's 3/50 project going on. It's a bit like "buy Finnish - keep Finland working".

3 - what 3 independently owned businesses would you miss if they disappeared? Stop in, say hello, buy something. Your purchases keep those businesses around.

50 - If half the employed population spent $50 each month in locally owned independent businesses, it would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue. Imagine the positive impact if 3/4 of the employed population did that.

For every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures.
If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays here.
Spend it online and NOTHING COMES HOME!

The number of people it takes to start the trend? One.
You.

Buy Handmade

Things to do

All the socks I've been knitting has been eaten up by small wool eating bugs. Hate those things, but my husband has ADHD and cannot remember to be kind to the socks. :-(
I've still to do the sock madness week. And all the 1001 sock patterns I have.

I have been doing ATCs. Some of them are good, some of them are bad. The main thing is that they exist. I have made them. :-D

I am still very fond of swaps, but they always create such a stress for me. I don't like that part. I could choose some swaps and decide to make them with my husband, so we don't need to care about postal fees and deadlines. It's like a little Yule every month :-D One gets the surprise and the package, without the stress and extra cost. Like "tea, teacup, book and bookmark".

Now I don't think the "happy bunny" pillow idea is that good afterall... I really don't like to think of mean things. I think it might be a good idea to make a really happy bunny, who says nice things.

I still love not-martha's ideas

Kiddley has some very nice ideas.

Cut-out-and-keep has indeed tons of tutorials... some are actually interesting >:->

But I SHOULD knit meself Bella Paquita, Origami Kimono (especially as the baby kimono is offered for free at knitting daily) and a couple of other things...

Then there are a couple of things I want to do at Ravelry