Not too early to think of Christmas

I've started the new job and in short order discovered that there's an annual holiday crafts fair. Woohoo!

On a related note, I ordered (and just received) blank potholders, placemats and bandannas. Maybe I'll embroider the potholders in pairs — you never need just one, you know. Bandannas ... I'll figure something out. Oh, I have some muslin and iron-on interfacing — bookmarks! Maybe add a bit of beading, too.

What I'm doing between jobs

Said goodbye to one job yesterday and will start a new one tomorrow. What to do today? Embroidery! Got Sublime Stitching's Monkey Love transfer and am doing a totebag for the older daughter, who loves monkeys.

I guess I really ought to see if I have brown floss, though.

Inspiration

I need a new idea.

I've gotten the coolest embroidery transfers from Sublime Stitches (@sublimestitchin on Twitter) and even Aunt Martha's, and have been working the dish towels. But I've grown weary of dish towels. I want to stitch something that someone will see besides me.

Napkins and placemats are one thought. Totebags are another. (Yes, I do have a felted bag to make — maybe I'll work on it tomorrow! — that will be embroidered.)

What I miss are the projects I did in my early teens, back in the dark ages — jean jackets, chambray shirts, worn-out jeans and cords. Big, elaborate things that rivaled Elton John's "Madman Across the Water" LP cover. Things that flirted with the notion of "wearable art" before working-class kids ever heard the term.

Kindred spirits

My daughters are not particularly crafty. Oh, they dabble in something or other, now and then; but mostly because they want to try what Mommy's doing. They are easily bored and move on to the next thing.

Which all made today that much more of a treat. Was at the girls' school track meet today and ran into an old friend from high school. One of her daughters spied my project du jour and practically whispered in awe, "Do you do embroidery?" So we spent a good part of the midday over dish and tea towels, me demonstrating and then letting her try her hand at it. She was such a sweetheart and was having such a good time, she wanted me to tag along with them after the track meet. :)

Book purses and more

Was in D.C. recently and saw the coolest thing at Eastern Market: purses made from hardcover books. Now, I know bibliophiles may be appalled, and I love books for reading too, but these were quite cool.

I have a couple of boxes of books that have sat around for YEARS waiting to be carted to the used book store ... well, one of them will be a test case. And in this case, the pages will not all go to waste: I cut out some illustrations and plan to decoupage them on the otherwise plain cover.

The toughest part appears to be designing the side gusset, so that the purse will open a bit. Otherwise I'd be limited to a slim billfold and a lipstick.

Also on my agenda: embroidery. I learned how to do this when I was maybe 7 years old, and every so often I pick it up again. It seems to be having a resurgence, what with books like Sublime Stitches or the Chronicle Books kit. I ordered some plain dish towels — talk about retro! And I plan to embroider the felted wool too — I have something in mind for the apple-green purse I plan to make.

Felting

I've discovered felting. It all started with some Manos del Uruguay knitted slippers that were designed to be felted. (Unfortunately they're still too big; must thread in some elastic.) Moved on to wool sweaters from Goodwill, which — if I ever find the time — will be deconstructed into purses and embellished with embroidery. Anyone know of a source for transfer paper other than the chalk tracing stuff from the fabric store?

One pillow

One pillow. Some scraps left over from other projects; a few bags of polyester stuffing; some piping and thread.

A fast-and-dirty project for a harried mom. Inspired by a magazine piece that featured the very same raspberry-and-lime color scheme in a young girl's bedroom. A floor cushion, a full yard across; Twister dots adorning a giant dot of a pillow.

Oh, but so much more.

A spot to share with a big sister, as she reads "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." A perch for a rogue's gallery of stuffed animals. And, at the end of a long day, a cozy place for a tired 5-year-old to curl up and drift to sleep.

Get your craft on

It's not just me. People across the United States are rediscovering the joy and satisfaction of craft.

Don't take my word for it. Faythe Levine's documentary-in-progress, "Handmade Nation," recently was featured in GetTrio.com's e-newsletter. What they said: "Having done the grand tour of craft fairs, galleries, boutiques, and visited with the crafters themselves, Ms. Levine is creating a movie about the process of those indie crafts people, the artists, artisans, and designers."

You can watch an eight-minute clip here.

So many projects, so little time

For a long time, the urge to create deserted me. It has returned, for which I am glad ... but as always, there is the issue of time. There simply are not enough hours in the day.

I have patterns of clothes I want to make for the girls. There are slippers I want to knit and felt. The box covers I saw on vacation, as well as the jewelry that reinspired me. There is more home decor to finish.

Fueling the creative fires

VANCOUVER, B.C. — There's nothing like seeing the work of other creative people (or seeing them at work) to stoke one's own creativity. Mine certainly got a jolt by visiting artisans at Vancouver's Granville Island.

There are 54 artists, craftspeople or cooperatives located on this tiny spit of land (that isn't a true island at all, but hangs by a sliver of land) who purvey handcrafted items ranging from paintings to furniture, coffee to boats. Potters, jewelers and glassblowers are particularly well-represented here.

New-Small & Sterling Studio Glass (right) has a delightful mix of work by studio artists and other Canadian glass artists. Pieces range from elegant ikebana vases to platters in Sixtiesesque patterns to glass "slippers" that would take Cinderella's breath away. The "hot shop" is right next to the gallery, and visitors can watch the artisans at work.

I hope to indulge my inner Imelda at the Ken Rice Shoe Studio. "Handmade fashion footwear," as the Granville Island Artists site says, is quite an inadequate term. Art for your feet, I say. What caught my eye were the wooden-soled sandals that reminded me of Bare Traps from my teen years, but with artistry. Workshop and sales shop again are on the same premises. Since I actually hope to have my own pair of these, I had a chance to chat a bit with Mr. Rice. He comes across as a gentle, quiet man who loves his work. Hopefully he'll have his Web site up and running soon so you can love his work, too.

I found the most personal inspiration at Object Design Gallery, home to more than 100 Canadian jewelry artists. In particular, I found works by two that were close cousins to work of my own: knitted (or perhaps knotted) wire (right) and patterned/printed paper. If I weren't a thousand or so miles from home, I'd get busy.

Speaking of getting busy, Maiwa Supply would inspire anyone remotely fond of textile arts. Dyes of all sorts, stencils and patterns, books, fabric, you name it. Maiwa's main store, also on the island (in the Netloft building) features a variety of ethnic crafts.

Check out these and other craftspeople at the Granville Island Artists & Artisans site. Better yet, check out artists and crafters in your own community. Visit your local open studios and art fairs. Let their work and their passion inspire you to create something of your own.

Visiting Vancouver!

Greetings from Vancouver!

We've gotten away for a few days and will be checking out all that Vancouver has to offer. We are staying near Commercial Drive, a street with a fabulously eclectic array of shops and eateries. It's similar in feel to San Francisco's Valencia Street or, to some extent, Berkeley's Telegraph Avenue (minus the Cal students). More on that later.

Also planning a visit to Granville Island, which is home to many of Vancouver's craftspeople. Also home to a year-round public market (guess it's comparable to Pike Place or Ferry Plaza).

Off to see stuff!

Welcome!

As I begin to write this, one thought shoves its way to the front of my brain:

What took you so long?

I could say it's the kids' fault, and I wouldn't be far off. Then there's the minor issue of the day job, and sometimes the nighttime responsibilities. Why, I barely have time to do the stuff I want to write about, let alone write about them.

But here I am. And who am I, Craftymama? I'm indeed a crafty mama. I have two daughters (9 and 5) and I love crafts. I sew, knit, embroider, make jewelry (wire, beads, polymer clay). I occasionally dabble in paper crafts, art journaling, crochet and glass painting. I know my way around power tools, too.

I also love home and garden decor. I was raised by my mother and my grandmother; the latter was one of those women who could make you get lost in your own home. I'd leave for school in the morning and by 3:30 the house would be entirely different. Sometimes she'd still be in progress when I came home, and I would have to help her finish the job. I am one of those women now. (Working on the daughters, too.)

A couple other things have shaped my philosophy about making a home. One, I am of the generation that actually saw women stay at home, but who were raised and instructed to have a career. So I have both.

Second, I hated homemaking in junior high. Flunked the sewing part. My mother didn't laugh about that, but my grandmother — who taught me how to sew long before junior high — did. Draw your own conclusions.

Enough about me for now. You have to see my bathroom!
This is the before shot:

It's a run-of-the-mill late '50s job, roughly 6' x 9', with the original butter yellow and blue-green tile. It's been green, and for the last 16 years, had been yellow. I needed something different. Found some inspiration at HGTV.com, from the "Decorating Cents" site. Colors I got from Sherwin Williams' "Suburban Modern" '50s color palette. Here's the after:



Finished it in February. Nearly six months later, I still love it. What do you think?