As Seen On TV: Ron Swanson Quote

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Ron Swanson Quote Art The dearth of Ron Swanson related crafts on Craftster is basically unacceptable. I mean, who doesn’t want to express their love for this mustachioed, meat-eating, wood-working Libertarian? Although there aren’t many, I did thankfully find this great mixed media art by amberlybites! You can see the full thread here: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=412694.0

You can see tons more great crafts by viewing the “TV show” tag.

April 11, 2013 Featured Projects

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Every two weeks we pick our favorite 15 projects that Craftster readers have voted for with the “This Rocks!” button. Here are our latest picks which were lovingly and painstakingly chosen (so many amazing projects to choose from!), this time by rackycoo. We hope you enjoy them!


Bathroom Redo – Wall WIN! by imtheasian1

Choose Wisely ~ A Harry Potter Game by patty_o_furniture

Yellow rose and more by Lettersalad

Pixar Lamp by amapoet

Hogwarts crest Teesha Moore style by chughes225

HUGE Ship Scherenschnitte Papercut by VibrantShadows

Davey Jones mask (Pirates of the Caribbean, not the Monkee) by mplsdeanna

The Gashlycrumb Reaper by thisbirdsabsurd

Forgotten Familiar by RKEM

IT’S SO FLUFFY I’M GONNA DIE!!!! by RobbinZombie

MechOwlie No.48 – Atticus (Picture Heavy) by monsterkookies

Harry Potter Photo Kit – TONS of Pics by tapestrymlp

TARDIS Yarn Cabinet (pic Heavy) by Joesuplicki

Painted sheets by yoopidou

My Thread-y & Button-y wedding bouquet! :D by Chocolate_Jo

Mr X Stitch Presents: The Cutting (& Stitching) Edge – Zoe Williams

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Contemporary embroidery art via Mr X Stitch

Zoe Williams is a needle-felting artist currently working in New York. Her art is astonishing.

Zoe Williams - Crane-Egret-Ibis needle felted art

“I started needle felting in 2008; my first pieces were rabbits, inspired by an important dream I’d had. Later I began working on a series of pieces inspired by dream animals which culminated with my solo exhibition, Somnium Bestia, in 2010. I’ve always been a great animal lover, so I guess it’s natural that animal imagery would dominate my work. I’m also fascinated by dream symbolism and mythology, so I strive to incorporate all of these elements into my growing menagerie.

Zoe Williams - Antlers needle felted art

“I’m currently working on several new projects, including a series based on critically endangered or extinct creatures. Gold Rhino is one of these, inspired by the Western Black Rhino which was recently declared extinct. I’ve nicknamed them “unicorns” because to me the unicorn epitomizes the magical, precious, and rare.

Zoe Williams - Swan needle felted art

“I have a couple of group shows coming up, one in Brooklyn, NY and one in Port Townsend, WA:

Hey, Beautiful!  Amos Eno Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, Feb. 1st – 25th, opening reception Thursday, Feb. 2nd -Â

Zoe Williams - Parallax V needle felted art

“The second show will be in March, and I believe the opening reception will be Saturday, March 3rd. This one will be a two person show at Artisans on Taylor Gallery in Port Townsend, WA.

Zoe Williams - Color Spew Stars needle felted art

 

Zoe’s work simply floors me. Thanks to fantastic artists like our very own Moxie, my eyes have been opened to the potential of needle felted art, and Zoe’s pieces exemplify how great this art can be. The construction of the pieces is amazing and the way the animals grow from the walls, expanding past their natural boundaries is inspirational. It reminds me of the first time I saw Melissa Sue Stanley’s creations busting out of their frames.

Zoe Williams - Golden Rhino needle felted art

It is great to see how Zoe’s work has developed over the years and I wonder what will come next. How big can she take these works?! I’m excited to find out. Visit Zoe’s website to enjoy more of this amazing needle felted art.

—–

The Cutting & Stitching Edge is brought to you in association with PUSH: Stitchery!

Going to the Chapel: DIY Wedding Ideas

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This past weekend, my nephew got married on Captiva Island in Florida. He and his wife had the most wonderful diy wedding! They did many things themselves and with help from family and friends. His grandmother did all the flowers, and we decorated the chapel and the reception hall with candles, flowers and seaglass. It was beautiful! It got me to thinking about some of the beautiful weddings Craftsters have shared, so I pulled some ideas together for today’s blog.

kitschbitch wanted bouquets that would last forever, so she created these whimsical beauties using silk flowers, button mushrooms, and birds and butterflies.

Here’s a beautiful way to remember and honor family members who have passed: *MAR* used favorite photos and made charms of them to hang from her bouquet. She also made a set for her groom, to be tucked in with his handkerchief. What a sweet way to remember that those that you loved are still with you.
HSG made these sweet fabric placecard hearts that were woven in the tines of the forks at each setting.
megstar shared many ideas from her diy wedding, including these favors: heart-shaped birdseed hangers, complete with nametags printed on plantable seeded paper.

 

najaorama also shared many photos from her wedding, including this unique way for guests to share their wedding wishes: she found this 1949 Remington Rand typewriter, which allowed guests to type up their sentiments for the guest book.

There are so many great wedding ideas out there. Doing it yourself is not only cost effective, it makes your special day so much more personal. If you know someone who’s planning a wedding, or if you’re getting married yourself, be sure to check out the Weddings and Bridal Showers board on Craftster for more great ideas.

Earth Day Round-Up

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April 22 is Earth Day, so let’s get our craft on with some recycling, reusing and repurposing projects! Check out the upcycled tag for more recycling inspiration.
From Plates to Cake Stand
karin_ created this gorgeous cake stand from vintage plates.
Reusable Plant Markers
CraftyDiem posted this great tutorial for creating reusable plant markers from plastic containers.
Upcycled Wardrobe
GinMartini shared her version of an upcycled men’s polo to a flattering women’s spring top!

Craft Challenge #86 Announced – Swap and Share

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Craft Challenge #86 Swap and Share, has been announced!

Your challenge this month is to share a project that you’ve crafted and sent in a Craftster Craft swap!

Entries are due May 1 – 8, 2013. Read all of the challenge details here. :D

Winner of Craft Challenge #84 – Book Worms

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This month’s Craft Challenge was Book Worms! The challenge was to repurpose a book in some way or create your own book from scratch.

Our winning entry was created by kcli! Her entry titled, “My world…where a book comes alive,” is an amazing creation where her book seemingly does come alive! Check out the winning entry here. :)

Congrats, kcli!

For winning, kcli has won an item from one of Craftster’s online shops!


Shop Craftster
http://shop.craftster.org/
Spreadshirt
http://www.spreadshirt.com/shop.php?sid=70592


CafePress
http://www.cafepress.com/craftster

Hope everyone had fun creating for the challenge this month! Happy crafting! :)

How to Make Plastic Spoon Mirrors

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In this episode of Craftster Quickies, kittykill teaches you to turn a plain round mirror into a fun spring flower using plastic spoons! Add a little color and spring to your home with this simple project!

Craftster Crush: jillybeans

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Craftster Crush jillybeans This month, our Craftster Crush is jillybeans! She’s a former Master Craftster, a Tutorial Contributor and an all around fantastic crafter! Her crafts run the gamut from ATCs to stencils to quilts to ceramics, but they all have one thing in common. They’re great!


Tree Matchbox Teesha Moore Style Harry Potty Bag Super Hero Peg People
I Like Big Books Tote Yarn Beard Zentangle High Heels

Here are some random crafty facts about jillybeans!

  • Her current craft project is a baby! Congratulations!
  • She’s run almost every Ongoing ATC Swap since November 2011!
  • She’s made her own ceramic buttons. Whoa!
  • This stuffie she made is Fawful. ;)
  • Narrowing this down to 9 was REALLY TOUGH. Check out all of her threads here.
  • She’s really great about creating threads for the items she makes for swaps, which means you’ll have a lot to look at!

  • Game of Thrones Felt Badges Bacon Stencil Tauntaun ATC

    Thanks for being a part of Craftster, jillybeans! We you.

    Do you have a Craftster Crush? Let us know with your comments here! Or, if you’re a Friend of Craftster, join in the discussion here: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=287907.0

    As Seen On TV: Arrested Development Stair Car

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    Cross-stitched Stair Car The world is abuzz with news of Arrested Development’s return!! This is so exciting I may even be able to stop taking my Teamocil! I thought we could celebrate with a cross-stitched stair car by beki710. Just watch out for hop ons! You can see the full thread here: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=410651.0

    You can see tons more great crafts by viewing the “Arrested Development” tag.

    Gamer Wednesday: Duck Hunt Lamp

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    Duck Hunt lamp Were you an expert hunter of the Greater North American Pixelated Duck in your day? Have you put your plastic gun controller away for bigger and better controllers? Why not use it to make yourself a hunting trophy, I mean lamp like fluffypants did? A cheap lampshade, some foam sheets, some cardboard, and a Duck Hunt gun is all it takes! You can see the full thread here: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=243620.0

    You can see more great crafts by viewing the Nintendo tag.

    Mr X Stitch Presents: Beefranck’s Emporium – Penny Nickel’s PUSH Contest!

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    Hi everybody! You may have heard of Jamie’s book, PUSH – well, did you know that our own Penny Nickels was featured in PUSH? And that she held a contest at her site recently to celebrate? It’s true!

    Penny asked for stitchers to send in a picture of their most original work and include an essay explaining it and what makes it awesome. Today I want to show you the winners and runners up.

    The winner is Dave Hill, who submitted this piece called Priest. David says that this is only his second finished piece – I’m amazed by this.

    The second winner is Lord Libidan with his fully articulated robot figurine based upon the transformers series. WOAH.

    This piece by runner up Stefanie M, Hair, is actually stitched with human hair.

    The second runner up is Di Ellis with this stitched tattoo sleeve. Very cool!

    You can read the essays that the winners included with their pieces here, and be sure to follow Penny’s blog – there’s all kinds of awesome stuff happening over there all the time!

    Doctor Who!

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    Doctor Who? He’s the star of a long-running British science fiction television program: a  humanoid alien who travels through space and time in his Tardis, which looks remarkably like  a blue British police box. It’s a cult favorite, so you know that Craftsters have bound to create many clever Doctor Who crafts!

    pottermouth made an incredible likeness of the good doctor holding his sonic screwdriver in this embroidery hoopla.

    This travel wallet by luckdragon depicts the tardis, and is, like the original tardis, bigger on the inside.
    lanikins made this awesome cloth statue of the weeping angel found in one of the most popular Doctor Who episodes. Don’t blink!
    This beautiful queen sized quilt by graverobbergirl shows the tardis in space, surrounded by menacing daleks.
    silentblair knit these amazing tardis socks. According to her, these socks “may not have taken me everywhere I wanted to go, but they took me where I needed to be.”

    To view these and more Doctor Who crafts, search the Craftster tag cloud under “Dr Who”, “Doctor Who”, and even “Don’t blink”.  And take a tip from the Doctor: “Intellect and Romance over Brute force and Cynicism!”

    Yarn Egg Tutorial

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    The crew at our parent company, Internet Brands, decided to get crafty for Spring and make yarn-mache eggs! This is a fun and simple craft that is great for groups!

    What you’ll need:

    • Yarn
    • Water balloons
    • Mod Podge (or white glue in a pinch)
    • Water
    • Bowl
    • Scissors
    • Small cups for drying

    yarn colors

    yarn colors

    Cover your work area with plastic or newspaper. This can get messy!

    Start by blowing up your water balloon. Wrap dry yarn around it to get a sense of how much you’ll need. Feel free to mix and match colors!

    yarn colors

    Combine 1 part Mod Podge to 2 parts water in the bowl. The mixture should be milky but not too thick.

    Soak your yarn in the Mod Podge mixture.

    yarn colors

    Wrap the soaked yarn around your water balloon in all directions. Continue until the balloon is well covered on all sides. Tuck the end of your yarn under one of your layers so that it doesn’t come loose.

    yarn colors

    yarn colors

    Even the less-crafty among us got involved!

    yarn colors

    Place the yarn-wrapped balloon on a small cup to dry for at least 24 hours. Flip after 12 hours so that all sides dry evenly.

    yarn colors

    yarn colors

    When the yarn is dry and stiff pop the balloon, leaving a hollow yarn egg behind!

    yarn colors

    yarn colors

    As Seen on TV: The Walking Dead board game

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    The Walking Dead board game Are you ready for the season finale of The Walking Dead?! If you can’t bear to be away from the show while it’s off the air, why not make your own Walking Dead board game like SpeakGeekAndEnter did? Tiny little polymer clay cuties running around the board trying to gather supplies sounds like a great way to pass the time until your favorite post-apocalyptic show is back. You can see the full thread here: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=421443.0

    You can see tons more great crafts by viewing the “Walking Dead” tag.