susanstars
Portland, OR, UScontributor
I'm the author of Bead Simple: Essential Techniques for Making Just the Jewelry You Want and the co-author of Super Crafty: Over 75 Amazing How-To Projects with Cathy Pitters, Torie Nguyen, and Rachel O’Rourke. I also write a daily craft blog, westcoastcrafty.com, and contribute to CRAFT, BUST, ReadyMade, Venus, whipup.net, supernaturale.com, and burdastyle.com. You can find my handmade work and kits to make jewelry and skirts at susanstars.com and more of my crafty projects and writing at susanbeal.com.
craft interests: embroidery, fashion, gifts, home decorating, jewelry making, paper crafts, quilting, restyle, sewing
my etsy page:
http://susanstars.etsy.com
Member Since: 03/24/2008
Reorganized Craft Room Resolution Redux!
Here's another look at how I've reorganized my beading stuff on a set of shelves—dividing things up into different areas has helped keep it all really easy to access and use.
New Year's Resolution: Organize Your Beads with Beaded Labels!
My New Year's resolution is to keep my beads and charms organized so my craft room doesn't turn into a sparkly, shiny mess and a half. Here's how I redid my bead boxes for an easy and pretty storage system!
Round Up Those Loose Beads Once and For All!
Use this simple 89¢ paint palette to wrangle the random loose beads that inevitably end up in every corner of your craft room -- making it easy to put them all away when you have a few minutes!
How to Make Swingy, Sparkly New Year's Eve Earrings
Whip up these easy, swingy earrings for your New Year's Eve or any other fun night out!
Beautiful Holiday Projects at Gingerbread Snowflakes
Pam Harris has put together an amazing collection of holiday crafts and posts at her lovely new blog, Gingerbread Snowflakes!
Resparkle Your Old Ornaments: Round Three
This is the simplest ornament makeover of all: Just add some graphic glitter stripes for a quick and easy embellishment!
Lovely Flower Brooch by Claudine Hellmuth
Check out this easy, gorgeous flower brooch project from designer Claudine Hellmuth—it coordinates with a pretty handmade card for two gifts in one!
Crafty Wonderland Round-Up!
We made it through a rare Portland snowstorm to visit the fabulous Crafty Wonderland on Sunday! Here are some of my favorite crafty treasures from the sale.
How to Make a Nephew-Approved Stenciled Sleepaway Pillowcase
I made this simple embellished pillowcase for my nephew, who's seven and just starting to head out to sleepovers with his buddies! Adapt this easy technique to personalize a gift for a guy of any age.
Amazing Ornament How-To Round-up at Threadbanger
CraftStylish's own Lee Meredith has posted a fantastic ornament round-up over at Threadbanger, with pictures and tutorial links galore!
Jewelry Encrusted Coifs by Jennifer Perkins
If you are looking for a glamorous project to use up shiny, sparkly jewelry and beading bits, try Jennifer's fantastical 3D collage! As a bonus, she gives instructions for making a costume-jewelry Christmas tree project, too.
Resparkle Your Old Ornaments: Round Two
Here's another idea for embellishing a plain glass ornament that's seen better days... make it a quick little beaded "necklace" featuring a favorite charm!
Holiday Sales in Seattle and Los Angeles This Weekend!
If you're lucky enough to live in Seattle or Southern California, don't miss Urban Craft Uprising or the first-ever LA Craftacular! Along with great handmade jewelry and craft shopping, there are lots of cool extras like DIY projects and craft book signings, too.
More Handmade Gift Ideas
This new livejournal community offers a great collection of handmade holiday crafts—browse for ideas, ask for advice, or add your own!
Resparkle Your Old Ornaments: Round One
Add some sparkle to a set of old glass ornaments with this quick, easy series of crafty makeovers! This week's version adds a geometric pattern of rhinestones for extra shine.
An Inspiring Array of Jewelry Displays
Jennifer Perkins of Naughty Secretary Club has curated a whole collection of inventive, gorgeous ways to display and organize your jewelry.
A Handy Guide to Pendant Bails
Curious about which type or size of bail might work well for your next pendant project? Here's a helpful guide to different styles to check out.
Holiday Button Napkin Rings
Make these simple, festive napkin rings with a few twists of wire and a favorite button and leaf embellishment, perfect for your holiday table!
Lovely Decoupaged Bangles from One Pearl Button
Allison of One Pearl Button posted this fun project recently, and shared some photos to inspire your own take on these gorgeously embellished bangle bracelets!
More Jewelry, Craft, and Holiday Projects to Check Out
The Fiskars website offers up some fun daily craft projects to try, including a nice set of jewelry how-tos!
How to Make a Striking Centerpiece Necklace
Turn a big, eye-catching charm into the centerpiece of your new favorite necklace. I chose a magnificent octopus to adorn mine, but the sky is the limit with this design!
Beading and Craft Supplies Sales This Week
Here are a few sales on beads, tools, findings, and other bits and pieces you might want to take a look at!
Make It: Beaded Stitch Markers!
These fun little bead stitch markers are the perfect holiday gift for your favorite knitters. Make up a set and slip them onto a ribbon or chain for wearing as a necklace, too!
Finding Crafty Treasures at Flea Markets, Estate Sales, and Thrift Stores
I love finding secondhand and vintage bits and pieces for crafting, and thought I'd share a few of my favorite ways to hunt for treasures.
Make One-of-a-Kind Earrings from Paper and Paint!
The endlessly inventive Jennifer Perkins offers this great tutorial for turning an original painted collage into an eye-catching pair of earrings.
Make It: Quick-and-Easy Flower Ornament!
Whip up some fun, sparkly ornaments for holiday decorating or to adorn a handmade gift for a friend. This is a perfect little instant-gratification project: Cut it, glue it, let it dry overnight, and there you go.
Clothespin Bats for Halloween!
This fun and quick little project from Martha Stewart is a perfect way to celebrate Halloween with fellow crafters or your kids!
Make a 3-D Fabric Butterfly Ring!
I love this pretty, inventive idea from Bridget Benton—create a three-dimensional jewelry embellishment with your favorite patterned fabric.
Make an Embellished Day of the Dead Collage
Create a colorful embellished art piece for your altar to celebrate Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) on November 1 and 2. Here's a simple how-to for making your own version!
Make Your Own Skull Beads
Regina of Creative Kismet shares this fantastic tutorial for making your own skull beads out of polymer clay without a mold—perfect for earrings, necklaces or a spooky, pretty bracelet like hers!
Cute as a Pumpkin Earrings
Michelle at Scribbit made these charming little pumpkin earrings out of polymer clay -- check out her fantastic tutorial and whip up a pair yourself!
How to Make a Vintagesque Necklace with Wire and Beads
Make yourself a sleek little choker with 24-gauge wire and your favorite beads! This video shows you how to loop right through beads to spotlight them in a row around your neck.
Spooky Cameos and Charms for Halloween Jewelry
If you're planning to adorn yourself with spooky jewelry this Halloween, here are some fun pieces to design with!
Organize Your Ribbons!
Jessica Wilson, aka Jekbot, has a lovely idea for keeping her ribbon organized in a flurry of beautiful colors. Fill a suitcase or another box with your spools of ribbons and trims facing upwards, and you'll never have to hunt around for just the right one again!
Make It Pink: Cocktail Ring!
Whip up a pink sparkly cocktail ring to wear out and about—this is a fun instant-gratification project and a perfect little gift for a friend.
Inspiration for the Make It Pink Challenge
If you're planning to make jewelry or accessories for the Make It Pink Challenge this month, here are some pretty pink beads and supplies—plus some free project ideas—to consider using!
Make a Graduated Bead Strand for Design Inspiration
A simple smallest-to-biggest collection of beads on a strand of flexible wire is an indispensable tool for planning your next jewelry project!
Make It Pink: Charm Bracelet!
I love mixing up different sizes and colors of vintage and new beads in the same design. This pink beaded charm bracelet was a lot of fun to make!
Shopping for Beads and Jewelry Supplies at Metalliferous
I love visiting Metalliferous to find beads and jewelry findings and supplies when I'm in New York, but they have an online shop and catalogs if you're not in the city.
The Perfect 89-cent Beading Design Tool
When you're planning which beads to use for a new piece, how about using an inexpensive paint palette to help isolate colors, compare shapes and sizes, and choose your elements?
Make a One-Inch Button Pendant
If you have some extra-special favorites in your one-inch button collection, how about turning them into pendants to wear on a ribbon?
Simple Embellished Tea-Towel Curtains
I made this set of kitchen curtains with some cheerful tea towels and a few fun embellishments. Update your windows in less than an hour with this easy project!
Barbe St. John and Craft Gossip
Barbe St. John writes up all kinds of jewelry coolness at the Craft Gossip site. Check out her regular column and her other crafty endeavors, too!
Make a Beaded Daisy Chain
This simple little beading project is very customizable—make your flowers in any colors you like!
Super-Handy Seed Bead Size Chart
If you're wondering which size of seed beads to use for a project, check out this helpful online conversion table.
Ornamentea!
This outstanding Raleigh, North Carolina, bead shop has an amazing website to browse and order from—and here are some of my favorite picks from my visit last week!
How to Turn Fabric into a Sparkly Embellishment
You can easily turn ordinary cotton fabric into a durable piece of jewelry or an appliqué for your crafting. Just finish the surface with decoupage medium and add some rhinestones for sparkle!
Book Review: Complete Embellishing
I love Kayte Terry's crafts and designs, and her new embellishment book is amazing, too!
Radical Jewelry Makeover
Donate the old jewelry you never wear anymore to become part of a new art exhibition by the Ethical Metalsmiths—a "responsible jewelry movement."
How to Make a Simple Bead-on-a-Wire Necklace
I made this simple, streamlined necklace to spotlight a single pink pearl and finished it with coordinating chain on both sides. You can make your own version to show off any favorite bead!
Beadaholics on Flickr
Get inspired or just marvel at the more than 26,000 photos of beaded jewelry in the Beadaholics flickr pool.
Lee Meredith's DIY Jewelry Frame and Knitting Needle Accessories
Crafter extraordinaire Lee Meredith of Leethal.net recently posted this quick project idea: a jewelry rack made with fishnet stockings stretched over an old frame! Don't miss her recycled knitting-needle jewelry, too.
How to Embellish a Picture Frame with Buttons
I found an old picture frame at a thrift store and covered it with an assortment of buttons, plus a flower charm, for a quick, easy project.
Urban Fauna Grand Opening in San Francisco
Jamie Marie Chan of Mary Jane's Attic has a new crafty endeavor: the Urban Fauna Studio. She's throwing a party to celebrate with all kinds of cool giveaways!
Tips for Applying to a Craft Fair
I asked Jenny Ryan of Felt Club and Torie Nguyen of Crafty Wonderland for their advice on applying for a craft fair—especially a big event like a holiday show! Here are their tips for helping your work shine through an endless sea of applications.
Beautiful Handmade Findings for Sale on Etsy!
Finishing your jewelry with a unique, gorgeous clasp or set of earring wires is such a nice touch. I spotted these beautifully detailed handmade findings on Etsy—so inspiring!
How to Embellish Kneesocks
I love wearing kneesocks, so I thought I'd embellish a couple of my favorite pairs for fall. Here are a few ideas for fancying them up with button rosettes.
How to Organize Your Necklaces, Earrings, and Hair Clips
Keeping your beads and crafty supplies organized and accessible is challenging enough, but once you've made yourself a handful of necklaces, earrings, and hair clips, how do you keep those neat and tangle-free? I've finally found the perfect jewelry organizer to display my collection, and here's a great idea on how to make your own, too.
Beadalicious Review and Interview
I had a chance to catch up with Sonya Nimri, the author of Beadalicious, and ask about her favorite tips for beading and how she got started.
Beaducation Online Classes
Beaducation has a whole array of cool online classes for making all kinds of jewelry projects... from (free!) basic tutorials to intricate, gorgeous chainmail, crochet, and wirework pieces, there's something for every skill level.
How to Organize Your Brooches and Pins
Once you've collected or made yourself a handful of brooches and buttons, how do you keep them organized and off your dresser or nightstand? I've come up with a simple solution to display my favorites.
Jeaneology Accessories and Jewelry
Crafter extraordinaire Nancy Flynn has put together some really fun ideas for making jewelry and accessories in her book, Jeaneology... but the twist is that they're created with recycled denim! Here are a couple of my favorite projects from her collection.
Craft In America: Jewelry Extraordinaire
Craft In America is a documentary, traveling museum exhibition, and gorgeous, vividly photographed book all in one. The collection features craft designers and artists in every medium, but of course some of my favorites are the jewelers and beaders...
Craft Blog Week: Bloglines and Beyond
If you are reading craft blogs regularly, it's super handy to keep your collection of favorites in one convenient place. I use Bloglines myself, but Google Reader has plenty of fans too. Here's a little how-to along with a list of 25 of my favorites you might like to browse through
Craft Blog Week: CRAFTzine
CRAFT: magazine has a simply amazing daily blog, featuring an incredible array of projects to make, cool sites to check out, or handmade pieces to browse and buy. And best of all, they even have an entire category of posts on jewelry!
How to Start a Craft or Beading Group
Starting up your own beading or crafty circle and sharing ideas, techniques, and supplies with friends can be a lot of fun! Craft maven Diane Gilleland was kind enough to share plenty of tips for getting a jewelry-making group off the ground.
Amy Karol's fantastic 5-minute skirt
This simple, gorgeous a-line skirt is a five-minute project... just whip up a pattern from your measurements and go!
Ponoko: Make Your Designs on Demand
New craft-design site Ponoko offers a very innovative service: submit your original ideas and the company will turn them into fabricated pieces for customers to snap up -- perfect for jewelry and beyond.
How To: Organize Your Buttons
I love vintage and new buttons, but as I've accumulated more and more of them, my collection has been getting a bit out of control. So I came up with a few ideas for keeping them streamlined instead of letting them take over my whole craft room.
Gorgeous finds at the Vintage Bead Boutique
Annie Chau's Vintage Bead Boutique on Etsy showcases an array of charms, beads, and cabs from her enviable collection. Browse her shop to find just the thing for your next jewelry project!
Notecard Necklaces by Jill Bliss
I love these hand-illustrated underwater-scene necklace notecard sets from artist Jill Bliss -- the perfect intersection of jewelry and paper crafts!
Fantastic craft books and a summer sale
I love craft books by Chronicle, and they're all on sale this week - 30% off plus free shipping!
How To: Make an S-Clasp
If you're interested in making a simple handmade clasp for your jewelry, the S-clasp is a great one to get started with. Here's how to do it!
Enameled Pendants How-To
Indie Fixx offers a new craft tutorial every Tuesday, and the enameled imagery how-to contributed by Dreams and Jewelry is particularly outstanding. Don't miss it!
Lovely bits and pieces at Lulu's Vintage Bonanza!
If you're looking for glass or Lucite vintage cabochons, or other fun jewelry bits to design with, don't miss Lulu's Etsy shop.
How To: Organizing Tools
Here are a few ideas for keeping your beading and other crafty tools organized and easy to access while you're working.
Tips for Selling at a Craft Fair
If you're interested in selling your handmade work at craft fairs and events, check out these helpful resources from Sarah Neuberger of The Small Object.
Hip to Bead Interview and Giveaway!
Beading designer and writer Katie Hacker is offering a copy of her book, Hip to Bead, to one lucky CraftStylish reader! I interviewed her about jewelry-making, her tips for beginners, and lots more.
How To: Organizing Findings and Supplies
If you do much jewelry-making and beading, you probably have a million things to keep track of—jump rings, wire, clasps... Here's how I keep mine organized and easy to grab when I'm working on a project.
Live Crafty How-Tos at Etsy All Month!
Check out these great how-tos at Etsy: screenprinting, glass etching, sewing, and of course some amazing jewelry-making and beading projects.
The Amazing Rose Bowl Flea Market
Flea markets are fantastic sources for crafty and jewelry-making supplies, and my favorite one of all is the magnificent Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California—don't miss it!
Jewelry and Decor Projects with Cathie and Steve
I love Cathie Filian and Steve Piacenza's craft show, Creative Juice. They have a ton of great jewelry, beading, and embellishment projects online to check out, too!
How To: Simple Drop Earrings!
Choose two of your favorite beads and turn them into a quick, simple pair of earrings or embellishments...all you'll need are pliers, wire or eyepins, and a few minutes!
Video: Make a Basic Bead Dangle
I made this video to show my favorite technique for creating embellishments, earrings, or pendants using wire and beads.
Bead Expo Recap!
I had the chance to check out the Bead Expo when it came to Portland—I highly recommend going when it visits your city! Here are a few of my favorite vendors and teachers from the event.
Spotlight on SoftFlex
I have been using SoftFlex beading wire for years, but I spotted a few other cool products—not to mention some great free resources for beaders—while I was at the Bead Expo.
Interweave Craft Books to Check Out
I saw these titles at the Beadwork Bead Expo recently and thought they looked amazing. These new jewelry-making books are fantastic, whether you're into glass beads, metalwork, or bead-stringing.
Make It: Ridiculously Easy Wineglass Charms
Seattle crafter and blogger Megan Reardon shares this gorgeous, simple project to make: a set of wineglass charms to give as a hostess gift or keep for yourself.
Gorgeous Beads and Unusual Pieces to Check Out
Whether you're looking for vintage Lucite, trade beads, or semiprecious beads, Dava Bead and Trade has a very cool selection of unusual pieces to browse online or in person at their shop in Portland, Oregon.
Try a Vintage Beading Project: Tri-Bead Fun
I love vintage beading pamphlets and magazines. Here is one of my favorites from 1972.
Find Amazing Handmade Jewelry and Accessories at Renegade Brooklyn!
The Renegade Craft Fair is coming to Brooklyn on June 14th and 15th. If you're in New York, don't miss it -- there are great handmade treasures to shop for!
How to Make a Basic Bead Dangle
Here is an easy to follow video tutorial based on a wrapped loop technique from my book Bead Simple. I used this simple step for the Wedding Ring Pendant.
Make a Pendant out of Your Wedding Ring
Here's how to turn a wedding ring (or any ring) into a pretty pendant. I've made an easy-to-follow video tutorial in the companion post so that you can learn how to make the center-bead dangle, using a wrapped-loop technique.
Organize Your Beads and Charms
Once you've been collecting jewelry-making treasures for a while, storing and organizing them can become an overwhelming endeavor! I have a pretty huge collection at this point, so I've done my share of endlessly arranging and rearranging ... but here are a few things have worked well for me.
Beaders Adore Toho Shoji
Toho Shoji is one of my favorite bead stores, and every time I’m in New York, I go there to browse everything and pick up new bits and pieces to work with. If you should ever find yourself in the Big Apple, be sure to stop in. Give yourself plenty of time because there is a lot to see.
Untangle that Mess and Organize Your Handmade Jewelry
If you're a jewelry maker, sooner or later, you're likely to end up with a dilemma: how to keep your work organized, i.e., untangled and nicely arranged, and how to store all of your finished pieces. Once I realized that I had a problem on my hands, I came up with some solutions that have worked out well.
Beadage.net is a Fantastic Resource for Jewelry Making
Yes, my great passion is beading, and every time I visit Emma McCreary’s incredible Beadage.net, my passion is fueled, inspired, and ready to take on new things. The site also has a very fun blog.
DIY Bride Interview and Giveaway!
I recently had a chance to catch up with DIY Bride author Khris Cochran to ask about the inspiration for her book and her current crafty idea favorites.
Etsy Selling: How to Raise Your Profile Profitably
Selling your jewelry on Etsy is easy. What requires a bit of skill is learning how to draw attention to your shop on a site that has more than 400,000 listings. Here are some great tips on how to get your work the attention it deserves.
Vintage Bead Book Spotlight: The Family Creative Workshop Series
I love all things vintage, and some of my favorite sources for vintage jewelry-making inspiration come from the craft books and magazines of the past. You can find these treasures online and in thrift stores. Here are some great places to hunt for true vintage crafting magic.
California Designer Creates a Paradise of Jewelry
Meet the inspired jewelry-making world of Laura Stokes. From her own line of unique jewelry creations to her amazing hand-crafted supplies available via her Web site, this California-based designer does it all. Here is a jewelry resource that you won’t want to miss.
Shopping for Jewelry Supplies on Etsy
If you’ve never been to Etsy, I highly recommend that you go to their site. It is an incredible resource for all things crafty: great supplies, handmade items, and of course brilliant inspiration. The site is super-easy to navigate and is one of my favorite places to go looking for awesome jewelry-making finds. Here are some tips to help you find what you’re looking for.
Tips for Buying Beads and Jewelry Supplies Secondhand
Finding a vintage trinket, charm, or bauble at a yard sale or a favorite thrift store can feel like you've struck jewelry-making gold! Here are some of my best tips for spotting treasures among castaways.
Craftypod Jewelry Projects
Craftypod is the blogging home of Portland crafter, Diane Gilleland, aka, Sister Diane, leader of the Portland Church of Craft. This extremely talented lady has a new project that I'd like to share with you.
Bead Bloggers
Meet this talented group of jewelry designers. These ladies have banded together to share their favorite resources and links, and promote all kinds of exciting work, too! Super inspiring.
Hot Deals on Beautiful Baubles!
Here is one of my all-time favorite sources for beading basics and beyond, especially since they're so affordable.
Katie Hacker and Beads, Baubles and Jewels
If you've got just three minutes then Katie Hacker can change your whole approach to jewelry-making. Her beading tutorials are great!
Wire 101
Whether you’re a beginning beader or you’ve been making jewelry for quite awhile, you probably have plenty of favorites in terms of wire—both materials and gauges. But if you’re wondering what the best choice for a project might be, or whether craft wire or sterling is the better bet, here are my recommendations for what to use in your jewelry-making projects.
The Art of Jewelry
If you're in the Pacific Northwest, you have to check out this spectacular exhibition at Portland's Museum of Contemporary Craft, Framing: The Art of Jewelry.
My Favorite Los Angeles Bead Store
If you're ever in L.A. and on the lookout for jewelry-making supplies, you must plan a trip to Berger Beads. And now that they have a Web site and expanded mail-order services, you can check them out no matter where you are!
Susan Beal, Author of Bead Simple
I'm so excited to see the CraftStylish site come together and to share my favorite crafty resources and projects with everyone. Thanks so much for checking out my jewelry-making and beading posts, and I'd love to hear what you think of it all!
Sewing Lessons Help Us Preserve the Environment and Get through Hard Times
MaryRay | January 9th, 2009
Handmade Nation: West Coast Book Signing Dates!
handmadenation | January 8th, 2009
Upcycled beanie
IggyJingles | January 8th, 2009
Re: How to "Doilify" Your Hoodie for $5 or Less
awesome, Linda!!
posted: 6:50 pm on January 7thRe: New Year's Resolution: Organize Your Beads with Beaded Labels!
thank you both so much! I would love to see photos if you label your bead boxes too :)
posted: 4:11 pm on January 7thRe: Video: Make a Basic Bead Dangle
thanks to both of you for your comments! Ancee, I know what you mean about the contrast, it was a rainy day in Portland when we filmed it, which didn't help. I'm definitely a crafter more than a filmmaker! I'll try to re-shoot this one with a lighter background, but hopefully it's helpful for now.
posted: 3:15 pm on December 22ndRe: How to Make Easy Two-Bead Earrings
Those are gorgeous, Lee! I love them all!
posted: 4:39 pm on December 20thRe: How to Make Appliquéd Undies for Your Sweetie
how sweet!
posted: 8:00 pm on December 11thRe: How to Make a Basic Sweater Something Special
That is awesome, Erika! I want to make one too... :)
posted: 8:15 pm on December 6thRe: Extreme Paper: The Long, Dark Road to a Bright Idea
That is absolutely magnificent! I'm just amazed.
posted: 12:35 pm on November 24thRe: Make It: Crafty Mini-Wreaths
those are gorgeous! such a great way to use everyday things.
posted: 2:46 pm on November 20thRe: How to Make a Button Advent Calendar
oh, Diane, I love it!!
posted: 2:14 pm on November 16thRe: How to Make a Modern Centerpiece Using Natural Materials
gorgeous, Kayte!
posted: 2:19 pm on November 13thRe: Make One-of-a-Kind Earrings from Paper and Paint!
Bonnie, you can check out Jennifer's tutorial here:
posted: 3:04 pm on November 10thhttp://naughtysecretaryclub.blogspot.com/2008/11/from-paper-with-purple-paint-to-one-of.html
She includes lots of tips and photos for making your own version!
Re: How to Make Button Cards . . . with Removable Buttons!
that is just gorgeous. love it!!!
posted: 7:45 pm on November 7thRe: How to Craft with Gourds
so cool, Diane and Pam! I love gourd crafts... I have to send you some photos I took at the North Carolina Gourd Festival last month. Awesome ideas!
posted: 12:33 am on October 27thRe: Shopping for Fuzzy Bear Hats with My New Friend Bill Murray
how cool! and very VERY Lost in Translation.
posted: 8:05 pm on October 21stRe: How to Make a Yo-Yo Handbag
completely awesome, Diane!
posted: 5:02 pm on October 17thRe: Crafte's Inferno: Scary Crafty Excesses or How to Terrify the Opposite Sex
wow! Michaela! just wow. What a story!
posted: 5:49 pm on October 11thRe: Make a Prize-Ribbon Pin
oh, cute!
posted: 7:36 pm on October 9thRe: Crafting in the Current Economy
I agree - I find crafting very soothing and it's been really nice during these uneasy weeks. I gocco-printed some get-out-the-vote postcards and I'm knitting a scarf for my baby's Halloween costume and both have felt very meditative. As you and Linda have said, I feel less impulse to buy new stuff when I feel fulfilled and creative. and I value the handmade so much more, whether it's mine or someone else's!
posted: 7:06 pm on October 9thMichaela, what you said about watching the debate and beyond was very powerful. thank you!
Re: Make a Graduated Bead Strand for Design Inspiration
thank you! I love bringing it along to the bead store for instant comparisons when I'm shopping. I can never exactly remember what the 12mm vs. 14mm looks like, and it's so much easier when they're right next to each other :)
posted: 6:14 pm on October 9thRe: Quilt the Vote!
I love that quilt - it's amazing!!
posted: 3:30 pm on October 9thOne of my favorite sites is the Obama Craft Project blog and flickr pool - http://www.flickr.com/groups/obamacraftproject/
I Gocco-printed some map postcards to get out the vote last month, which was a lot of fun. Here are some pictures if anyone is interested: http://www.flickr.com/photos/susanstars/sets/72157607616027010/
Re: Flower Power Challenge Winners!!!
beautiful! congratulations to all the super-talented winners!
posted: 2:05 pm on October 9thRe: How to Recycle Yarn from a Thrift-Store Sweater
oh, cool, Lee!
posted: 8:08 pm on October 6thRe: How to Make a Patchwork Cozy for Your French Press
oh, so cute and perfect for a fall coffee date!
posted: 1:22 pm on October 3rdRe: How to Make a Stuffed Buche de Noel (Part 1)
beautiful, Erika! I loved yours too, Kayte!
posted: 2:05 pm on October 1stRe: How to Make Fringe Flower Greeting Cards
Diane, such an awesome idea, and beautiful details as always! I love them.
posted: 12:40 pm on September 26thRe: Decorate Your Walls with Doily Decals
those are super cute!
posted: 8:01 pm on September 23rdRe: Make a Beaded Daisy Chain
cool, Elaine! I'd love to see your third round of daisy chains if you'd like to post some pics :)
posted: 1:40 pm on September 22ndbtw, I love your avatar - hooray for Rimsky's and long live Church of Craft!
Re: How to Cozy Up Your Curtains with a Crocheted Curtain Tieback
aw! adorable!!
posted: 8:16 pm on September 18thRe: How to Make a Felted Bird Mobile
oh, that's adorable, Kayte!
posted: 7:20 pm on September 18thRe: How to Make Flowers Using a Vintage Flower Loom
I love your loomed flowers, Cathy - I'm wearing one of the brooches you made right now! :)
posted: 4:05 pm on September 18thRe: How to Make Woven Ribbon Jewelry
back again to mention that I want to try this with monochromatic ribbon - weaving the same color through for a subtler woven look - and maybe a small embellishment over the finished surface. Thanks again for the super great idea and tutorial!
posted: 12:27 pm on September 16thRe: Organize Your Embroidery Floss
that's a great idea! I like having mine wrapped on the cardboard thingys, but if I hadn't already done a ton of them I would be all about this easy, lovely method!
posted: 9:10 pm on September 12thRe: How to Make Woven Ribbon Jewelry
wow! that's such an awesome take on covering buttons! I love it :)
posted: 7:41 pm on September 12thRe: Make It: Lacy Headband
oh, I love it! I have some fun little millinery supplies looking for a good home... I think I better make one myself!
posted: 8:17 pm on September 11thRe: My Completed "Bead on a Wire" Necklace!
That looks fantastic!! I love the three beads together.
posted: 2:21 pm on September 10thRe: How to Make a Super-Simple Roll-Up for Organizing Your Crochet Hooks
Such a great idea, Linda! So simple and gorgeous.
posted: 12:38 pm on August 28thRe: How to Crochet a Bead and Wire Bracelet
Great tutorial and such a pretty project!
posted: 4:40 pm on August 1stRe: Crafte's Inferno
Yay, Michaela! Your pillows look amazing (and nice pajamas, Jen!)
posted: 3:50 pm on July 31stI just made something for fun for the first time in six months yesterday. So exciting. I must be on your Crafte Inferno parallel... :)
Here's my sewing project, at last:
http://westcoastcrafty.wordpress.com/2008/07/31/sewing-for-fun/
Re: Depth Charge: How to Make a Splash and Get Paid for it.
those projects are incredible! thank you for posting them!
posted: 12:20 pm on July 28thRe: You're a Fabric Designer!
I am so excited for Spoonflower! Can't wait to get my invite...
posted: 12:46 pm on July 25thGreat interview :)
Re: My Summer of Hand-Sewn Dresses
lovely!
posted: 8:35 pm on July 15thRe: How to Make Cold Porcelain
what a cool idea - looks amazing!
posted: 8:10 pm on July 12thRe: Crafters Catch Bangle Bracelet Fever at the Indie Craft Experience
that looks so fun, Jessica!
posted: 1:21 pm on June 10thRe: Twisted Gives a Shout out to Craft Magazine
It was so great to see you, Michaela! Thanks so much for coming down to visit with us :)
posted: 1:27 pm on June 4thRe: How to Reverse-Applique a Tote Bag
beautiful as always, Diane!!
posted: 1:24 pm on June 4th