Talk Crafty To Me Just another WordPress weblog

First of all… sorry for the extended absence. Things have been a little busy around here. First my computer broke… then I got slammed with work, and since last posting we’ve moved from Honduras, through Belize and are now in Mexico. It’s been a crazy couple of months, and although I wish I would have posted more I just haven’t had the time, or motivation.

Things are still a bit wonky with my computer, but there is an Apple store here in Mexico so hopefully they can fix it fully before the warranty expires and I can resume regular posting. Thanks for bearing with me!

Posted by: kelly

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Just wanted to let you all know I haven’t forgotten about you. My laptop is broken and being that we’re currently in Honduras, it’s taking a little longer than I’d hoped to figure out what’s wrong with it, and get it fixed. Please bare with me, I’ll be back as soon as I can.

Posted by: kelly

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A cute spring idea for your little ones. Holly from Chez Beeper Bebe, has an adorable tutorial for this felt egg book, that lets your kids decorate eggs over and over. Cut out all sorts of shapes and let their imaginations run wild, and when you’re not decorating you can store all the little pieces in the handy pocket at the back. Such a great idea, and beautifully crafted.

– Download the tutorial
– Purchase one of Holly’s from her Etsy Shop

Posted by: kelly

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone. Hope you’re all wearing some green so you don’t get pinched! In honor of the day, I’ve got some St. Patrick’s Day printables for you. Perfect for last minute crafting, they’re all printable from your own computer, and the perfect way to bring a little festivity to your day!

1. Lucky Pillow Box – stuff with your favorite St. Paddy’s day Treats. Think lucky coins, green m&m’s, or irish cream truffles. {Free!}

2. Lucky You Cupcake Toppers – 4 styles for you to print. {Free!}

3. Favor Box and Candy wrapper kit – Wrap your fav candy bars with a little irish flare. {$5.00}

4. Modern Sham-rock Stationary Set – Why not write all your notes today on these fun note cards. {$6.00}

5. More Cupcake Toppers – cause I love cupcakes, but you can also use em as napkin rings, wine charms or pins. {Free!}

6. Leprechaun Treasure Hunt – follow clues from a leprechaun to his hidden treasure. {$3.99}

7. So Lucky Stickers – Print them out on sticker paper and have fun sticking them to your friends and family all day. {$5.00}

Posted by: kelly

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Awhile ago I posted about carving your own rubber stamps. Today I came across a really cute idea from Just Something I made. Cathe took a wallpaper seam roller and a rubber band, and made this fantastic rolling pendant stamp. What a great way to decorate cards, envelopes, packages, or any number of things.

Head on over and check out her tutorial so you can start rolling pendants on everything!

Posted by: kelly

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Two of my favorite things together at last… food and illustration! Run by Tom and Amelie, Recipe Look is full of interesting food ideas all drawn by hand. The recipes are all user submitted so each one is unique in style. It’s great to see not only what people’s favorite recipes are, but how they interpret them from boring text recipes into works of art.

- Visit the site to submit your own illustrated recipes

Posted by: kelly

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In my quest for crafty adventures while we travel I came across the Guatil Pottery Studio in Playa Tamarindo. It’s a small shop run by Arbin Espinosa Guevara, who learned the traditional art of Chorotega Pottery from his mother in the village of Guatil (about 1/2 an hour from Tamarindo). In addition to selling his beautiful pieces, Arbin teaches classes to anyone wanting to learn. I spent a few days with Arbin at his studio, learning the traditional ways of Chorotega Pottery, a pre-columbian form of pottery, that has been handed down from generation to generation for over 800 years.

The whole process starts with a dense clay-like soil called barro, which is found in the hills that surround the village of Guatil. The Chorotega indians believe that the barro must be collected at the end of the lunar cycle, otherwise the density and strength of the clay is compromised. The barro is combined with a fine sand, called Iguana Sand, and then mixed with water by foot, similar to stomping grapes! Read More…

Posted by: kelly

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Today kicks off the start of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, and what better way to celebrate than with these adorable cupcakes from Coco Cake in Vancouver. The Opening Ceremonies start tonight at 6pm pacific time. Go Canada!

Posted by: kelly

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Check out this super cute Valentine’s Day Flip book from Color Me Katie. This simple project is a great way to make a big statement… and it’s pretty easy to pull off. All you need is a camera, a printer, and some markers, and you can make your own “kiss in your pocket” flip book.

- Flip Book from katie sokoler on Vimeo.

Posted by: kelly

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