Big fabric sale

I'm just full of news lately, aren't I? The folks at JCaroline Creative have announced their biggest sale ever, now through July 10. Hundreds of fabrics, ribbons, and craft goodies are discounted. Including Kokka fabrics at nearly half off, and you can save a few dollars a yard on my prints, too.

Chicago fabric swap tomorrow

I just learned of this fabric swap taking place Tuesday night, 6/30/09, at the Rogers Park Public Library. Bring unwanted fabric, trade it in for fake money, and "shop" for something new to bring home. I'm hoping to trade in two yards of dalmatian-print fur I just received by mistake from a fabric company. If you want dalmatian fur, you'd better be there. Details here!

Win a Stash shopping tote

While browsing on Etsy, I came across Mari Forssell's shop full of simple, modern bags in delicious fabrics. Mari is originally from Finland, now living in Nebraska. She's been sewing since she was a tiny girl and adores Marimekko fabrics. (Me too!)

We've arranged a little giveaway: leave a comment on this post before midnight CDT on Thursday (7/2/09), and a random winner will receive this hip red-orange shopping tote. Include a link or way of contacting you. The winner will be announced on Friday in this post.

UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed. The lucky winner was comment number 269, Elizabeth K. Congrats!

Fun books

I've been flipping through review copies of some nifty craft books. Take a look.

You can learn to knit crazy animals and, um... people? in The Knitted Odd-bod Bunch by Donna Wilson. They're so wacky that I think I love them.

The Perfect Apron by Rob Merrett features 35 apron projects that vary from simple to frou-frou. With so many to choose from, one of them probably is your perfect apron. The book has tear-out patterns and templates, too. Nice.

And so that men-folk don't feel neglected, I present to you ManCrafts, reprinted from WWII-era Popular Mechanics articles. Learn about leather tooling, block printing, braiding and knotting, and most essential: fly tying. Full of great wisdom, such as, "The true woodsman has great respect but no fear for his axe," and "Fly tying is one of the most interesting and useful of all the handicrafts." Really? Mentally noted.

Recycled magazine baskets

Some buddies came over last night and we made magazine baskets. My paper weaving phase is getting out of control. In the spirit of spontaneous DIY experimentation, we decided to create a new drink, whereupon we mixed peach vodka, raspberry lemonade, and Venetian Carnival Pinot Grigio (purchased for its exciting label). Not good; don't do it. Since we didn't drink much of the stuff, our baskets turned out pretty well.

To make these, cut about 10 magazine pages into 2.5" strips vertically. Fold each strip in half lengthwise, then into thirds with the cut edges to the inside. (See folding pictures here, but don't do step D.) Then follow the guidelines here. Staples are too big to secure your strips in strategic places, so I used Zots glue dots. You could also use tiny pieces of double stick tape. I glued the strip around the rim with craft glue. These little baskets are about 4.5" square.

For type fans

Typography lovers, head to Typenuts to download cool iPhone and desktop wallpapers. (Via SwissMiss.)

Recycled magazine coasters

My latest after-dinner-while-watching-TV project: woven coasters made from magazine pages. To make a coaster like the green one above:

1. Tear out 6 magazine pages. Cut off the ragged edge on each, then cut each page in half lengthwise. I stacked them and cut them all at once with an X-acto knife and ruler. (To make a coaster with a finer weave, cut each of the half-page strips in half lengthwise again. And note that weaving will take you twice as long!)


2. Fold each strip in half lengthwise. Then fold the resulting piece in thirds, folding the cut edges inward first so they're hidden inside. Now you have a long, thick strip. Fold it in half at the center. See steps pictured above. Repeat with each magazine sheet.

3. To start weaving, interlock two strips. This is the bottom left corner of your coaster.

4. Add another strip that wraps around the outside of the horizontal bottom strip.

5. Continue weaving. Some strips will wrap around the outside of the coaster when you start them; some will begin sandwiched between two existing strips. See above. Keep adding to your coaster one strip at a time, making sure to push the papers tightly together. Flip your coaster over and check the back frequently to make sure nothing's going haywire back there!

6. When the coaster has 6 horizontal and 6 vertical strips, it's time to finish the edges. Strips that emerge on the outsides of the "coaster sandwich" need to be secured. Trim off one end of the strip so it's even with the edge of the coaster. Bring the other end around the edge of the coaster and tuck it under the closest weave to hide the raw ends. You should have just enough length to reach.

7. Strips that emerge from the inside of the sandwich can simply be cut off. If you want to seal your coaster with something, you could try some spray acrylic sealer and see what happens. Personally, I don't care if mine gets a little wrinkly from being wet. Happy weaving.

Online invitation services

I discovered Pingg, an online invitation, e-card and event management company, months ago. I see they're growing rapidly and have added several new artists to their Designer Series, above. So in case Evite's clunky invitations aren't stylish enough for you, try out Pingg's free service. You can post your announcements directly to Facebook and Twitter, too.

Or if you like the look of formal cardstock invitations and the virtual experience of opening an envelope, check out Paperless Post, currently in Beta. You can create an account, design your invitation, and then purchase "stamps" to send them out. Stamps start at $5.00 for 60 invitations, a fraction of the cost of real postage. Invite your friends and get free stamps! In fact, I'm inviting you all. If you're interested, try out Paperless Post.

On The Road Again!

Yes, it's that time of the year again. You can expect some fresh stories and photos from our mystery destination when we get back. But the downside is ... I won't be answering emails and comments for quite a while!

Ciao!

On The Road Again!

Yes, it's that time of the year again. You can expect some fresh stories and photos from our mystery destination when we get back. But the downside is ... I won't be answering emails and comments for quite a while!

Ciao!

Graphic design inspiration

Are you a graphic designer? Or maybe you play one on TV. You might enjoy browsing through these design galleries.

For logo design, check out Logo Faves, Wolda, Logo Lounge, or Logo Pond. See fancy business cards on Flickr or cool packaging at The Dieline. And at FPO: For Print Only, you can view the specs and production costs for a new print project every day.

(Logos above from Logo Faves.)

Kern in space

Want to play a typography game that will make you crazy? Try kerning in space at Veer. "On earth you kern with the best of them. But how well do your skills hold up in a fraction of earth's gravity? Check the gauges, fire the boosters, and do your best to give 80-point type a 3-point landing." Good luck, earthlings. It's super hard.

Stuff you can make

More tutorials for when you're itching to create something handmade:
Picture frame silkscreening (with free templates!) at Martha Stewart, pictured left
Papier-mâché floral brooches at Craftzine, pictured right
Yardstick coatrack from DIYideas
African violet pincushions by verybigjen on Flickr
Recycled fabric napkin rings at Merriment Design
Stuffed mice (fabric, not taxidermy) by Sewing Stars
Handcarved stamps made with these supplies on Geninne's Art Blog

Artist-designed desktop wallpapers

The girls at Kindred have released another batch of free wallpapers with a summertime theme. Enjoy!

Shop update

We've started making Buttercup bags in a new, larger size for those who need more room for carrying your earthly belongings. A couple are listed in the shop, with more to come.

Printable bookplates

Helen Dardik, illustrator extraordinaire, is offering three different printable bookplates, free. Thanks, Helen!

$5 coupon from Fabric.com

G'morning, everybody. If you feel like a little shopping, Fabric.com is offering a $5 gift certificate to How About Orange readers. It's a one time use coupon valid from June 12th to June 19th. Enter the code blogorange when you check out to cash in your five bucks.

And I hear they just received my fabric line and it should be available in the store in a couple days.

6/19 Update for those who inquired: My fabric still isn't listed in the store, and I didn't receive a reply when I wrote them to check on it a couple days ago. Today is the last day of the coupon, so feel free to choose something else.

7/15 Update: I've found my fabric on their site right here. Good prices, too.

Newspaper flowers

I'm still on the newspaper kick. I picked out the parts with colored ads and made these flowers with instructions from the book Paper Flowers by Michael LaFosse. Found it at the library. These are made with two pages of newspaper glued together to make a thicker sheet.

There they are, adorning the newspaper basket.

Newspaper basket

Last night's project, a basket made from old newspaper. After seeing this post at CraftStylish, I was inspired to try one. Maybe I'll keep books and remote controls in it.

1. I cut the folded edge off a couple sections of newspaper and then cut those pages in half lengthwise. I used about 20 pages for this basket (about 40 strips). My rotary cutter and cutting mat made short work of the cutting. Recommended if you have one.

2. Fold the newspaper pieces in half lengthwise, then again lengthwise into quarters, then into eighths, so you have some sturdy strips. Mine were 3/4" wide. If you want to use fewer, wider strips, use the whole newspaper sheet. Obviously you can adjust the size of your strips.

3. Start weaving from the center outward. Use staples (or glue dots, double-sided tape, etc.) where needed to secure your pieces, especially on the first few strips you put together. You can remove the staples after the basket is finished if you think they're too hideous to bear.

4. When you decide your bottom is big enough (your basket's bottom, that is; I'm sure most of us think our own bottom is plenty large), fold your exposed strips upward at a 90º angle to form the sides. Start weaving in horizontal strips to fill in the sides, securing the ends with staples as you go.

5. When you reach the top, fold the vertical strips over to the inside and secure them with staples, or cut them off. I stapled another strip around the circumference of the top, folded over the rim, to hide the ugly ends. You could use glue or double-sided tape for this if you don't want to see staples.

My new life

Okay, guys, I've got it all figured out. My new life plan. I will buy this apartment in Stockholm and move to Sweden. (Photo from Apartment Therapy.)

Then I'll get a job in Madrid at the Selgas Cano architecture office. Look! It's in the woods! The commute might be killer, but everyone says European countries are small and close together, so it shouldn't be a problem. And never mind that I'm not an architect; maybe they'll let me make the cafe con leche and clean the windows or something. (Photos from ArchDaily.)

And then, when I'm exhausted from all that work, I'll vacation here at the Hollmann Beletage in Vienna. Be sure to mouse over all the "Tour" pictures on their site; it's fun! (Photos from Hollmann Beletage.)

Fabric bowls

I have a bit of a bowl fixation lately (at least making paper ones like this and this), so when I came across this reversible fabric model at Imagine Fabric, I was delighted. ('Course it doesn't hurt that it's orange, either.) Make your own with their instructions.

(Images from Imagine Fabric.)

Aviary online image editor

Has anyone tried out Aviary, the online image editor yet? I haven't tested it, but it looks like a pared-down version of Adobe Photoshop (they call theirs Phoenix) and Adobe Illustrator (they call it Raven). Yep, you can edit vector images too. And it's free. Go take it for a spin.

Invitation freebie

Download this cute little printable PDF from Heirloom Paperie. Every Tuesday they post a free template; thanks, guys. Via iDiY, which is chock full of good stuff.

Craft Social was a hit

I'm back in town after a week away. We visited my family, then spent a couple days in Des Moines on our way back to Chicago. (If you're ever there, you have to eat here and here. Amazing. And visit this lovely little shop while you're at it.)

Craft Social, the big event I helped organize the night before we left, went great as far as I can tell. I'm dying to do it again. About 100 people showed up, and I'm not kidding when I say that every person I talked to was so completely friendly and wonderful that I concluded crafters are the nicest people on the planet. And I started hearing rumors from different corners of the room that we need to do a craft lock-in. You know, like in high school, except we make stuff all night long. Just put some cots in the corner in case we get tired. Um, we'll save that brilliant idea for later, but in the meantime, we're already talking about when the next Craft Social might be.

And so that we can stay connected and share our work with each other, here are two new Flickr pools:
Chicago Craft Social, for pix of your projects from the event.
Chicago Craft Community, for pix of other projects you've worked on.

Our hope is to better connect Chicago area creatives and build community. And for those of you who contacted us about holding a Craft Social in your town, we're working on a little package of graphics and guidelines to make things easy for you. Stay tuned!