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.

Back to making stuff

Thought I'd show off my pole-mounted Roman shade. I like Roman shades, but the traditional mounting method — akin to blinds — is more work than I prefer to engage in. Also not conducive to frequent change.

But this pole mount version is a nice alternative. My only complaint: The shade tends to bunch along the pole when you raise it. I'm sure there's a way to firm the width of the shade; I simply haven't had time to contemplate it. Got an idea? Shoot it my way; I'll try it and give you credit if it works.

Night markets and day tripping

VANCOUVER, B.C. — As much as I loved Granville Island, I did venture into other areas of Vancouver. We went to Chinatown one warm Friday evening to check out the Night Market. There's one in Richmond as well. The long days and summer's slower pace make this a delightful diversion. It runs 6 to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Live entertainment punctuates the later hours, and dim sum and noodle vendors will keep you fully fueled for shopping or browsing.

Now, this is not designer fare by any means. Much of what was for sale might also be found at your local flea market. But there's a time and a place for that too. Finding a few hand-crafted items was a nice surprise. Fabric covers for tissue boxes made a nice souvenir — and provided inspiration to try making my own, perhaps in vintage fabric with more mid-century styling. Also found tiny beaded zipper pulls — quite the rage among tweeners, I gather — in Chinese astrological symbols and other icons. Cherries, a horse, a jacket and the ubiquitous Hello Kitty have found a home with the girls. How thoroughly have I brainwashed my daughters? The elder wanted to know if I could make them too. Possibly; they appear to be basic bead weaving. I might go blind trying, though.

Yaletown is a style maven's haven, but it's not terribly well suited for visitors. Furniture shops — ranging from antiques to modern — predominate, with a few trendy apparel shops, salons and eateries tossed in for variety. The location is intriguing from an urban planning perspective — it's clearly the old dock-and-warehouse district. Nice reuse of structures that have outlived their original purpose.

Made the obligatory stroll along Robson Street. It's been compared with Rodeo Drive, but what I saw was far more comparable to San Francisco's Union Street. Or, even more accurately, Georgetown's Wisconsin Avenue in the late '70s-early '80s. Chic, relatively upscale but not ridiculously so. What was refreshing was to see Canadian (or at least not American) brands, and independent stores. Well, there was an obligatory Gap and Banana Republic, but not much else.

Never made it to the other Eastside shopping clusters on Main Street, or even to the Commercial Drive shop I wanted to visit. I guess I now have a reason to return someday!

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!

Fabric, fabric, fabric

Some fabric sites and sources I like...


Melinamade --- Tres cool vintage-inspired fabrics and wallpapers. My favorites are the fun '50s patterns like Celestial Lemon, which comes in barkcloth and wallpaper. Who knows, if I ever tire of the colorblocks, this might show up in my bathroom.

Another retro fave: Reprodepot. Also has current designs from such names as Kaffe Fassett (love those knits!) and Amy Butler.


Speaking of Amy Butler ... her new Nigella collection has to be the hit of the blogosphere! It's everywhere ... and now it's here. I found out about this in an e-mail from an online fabric distributer ... I plan to order something for moi! (I think I want something for the dining room too.)

Another site I turn to for inspiration: Javis Davis. They primarily do custom bedding, but they have great combos of fabric patterns. My daughters' new quilt and duvet cover trace their roots here. Not just girl — or girly — stuff here either.

Getting fancy with paint

Once I was old enough to be more help than hindrance, my mother and I did quite a bit of painting around our home. We couldn't afford to hire painters, plus we enjoyed each other's company. And we were complementary workers: She wielded the roller and got up on the ladder; I mostly stayed on the floor and painted the trim. She hated that "fancy" stuff, whereas I never much minded.

I have not lost my affinity for the "fancy" stuff. Even my current home, which has nowhere near the amount of trim and woodwork of the Edwardian I grew up in, evidences my fondness for color and pattern.

My favorite techniques

I'm not much of a faux-finish gal, although I love the look of one done well. Right now my favorite looks are contrasting shapes/colors/finishes. You can get high-impact looks for a minimal amount of effort, compared with techniques that actually require some skill.

Color blocks, stripes and other geometric shapes predominate now at my home. They range from a simple accent wall, in a contrasting color, to the Mondrian-inspired color blocks of my bathroom (see previous post).

Here's an example of contrasting finishes, rather than colors:


This is my older daughter's bedroom, done in contrasting flat and glossy stripes inspired by striped damask fabric (which, by the way, is used for her curtains). It was a simple process: Paint the walls in flat paint (here, Sherwin-Williams' Aloof Gray); measure the stripe intervals; tape off with painter's tape; paint alternating stripes with a clear medium-gloss polyacrylic.

Tools of the trade

I can't speak highly enough of the virtues of a laser level with a suction cup holder. Those stripes are straight, folks, and that is why. Follow the laser line with the painter's tape for consistently straight lines. I used this method in the color-block bathroom as well, and plan to use it in the master bedroom (one of these days).

Let me also address the question of tape. There are painter's tapes (the blue ones, folks) made by recognized manufacturers, and there are tapes put out by lesser or unknown companies. I used some of each in my bedroom and bathroom projects and, without naming names, found that not all tapes are created equal. On my next project, I'll probably spend the few extra cents to avoid tapes that tear unpredictably and allow seepage.

Of course, even more expensive tapes will allow seepage if you don't firmly press down the edges. Some people recommend going over the raw tape edges with a clear poly (I'd think the flattest finish would be best for this) before painting colors. I've not tried it, but it sounds like a good measure for large areas. However, I think I'd have driven myself nuts if I did this with the bathroom.

I found the most useful (and kind of cute) kit for painting my bathroom: a mini-roller kit with three 1/2" roller covers and the small roller, packaged in a mini paint tray. Here's a similar one. A construction buddy recommends these for cutting in at the ceiling: Wipe the excess paint off the end, and roll away.

Hey, I'd like to see more examples of blocks, stripes and such. Send me some links to post!

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?