Mama Bird

I went to a friend's house the other day to meet her new baby. I had to whip up a quick tag for the gift, and I found these Mama Bird images from Doodle Factory in my craft room. Perfect! I made the tag for her, and this card and tag set. I think it would be great for a baby shower. It's non-gender specific. :o)

The paper is American Crafts. I had a slip of leftover paper, so I made this more sophisticated tag. I love the stamp set. I use it all the time. I wish I could remember the manufacturer.

In case it isn't obvious, I added an eyelet and brads to the tag as well. I used the crop-o-dile for the eyelet setting. Easy & quick!

The Mary-Kate

OK, OK, I did order Vickie Howell's Pop Goes Crochet from Amazon before it was available in stores. And yes, I did open it hastily and devour the contents like a giddy child. What did I find inside...? A lot of diverse projects. At first glance, I can't say that I wanted to make every pattern in the book, but it actually grew on me. I'm loving the accessories. There are some great felted purses in the beginning of the book. I totally ADORE the Heidi scarf. It's amazing and I can't wait to make it. I'm searching for the perfect yarn for that one. It's clear that Vickie paid attention to the entire family, because there's definitely stuff for everyone in this book. And Vickie has posted a free pattern from the book in her pattern shop. Look for the "Doris Scarf". You will love it!

I was looking to use up some stash yarn, so I flipped through the book and came upon the "Mary-Kate". My acrylic is not nearly as glamorous as the yarn in the book, but I think it came out alright. See what you think.


When I finished the hat, I tweeted “I made the "Mary Kate" from _Pop Goes Crochet_ by @vickiehowell today. It's cute but if you style it wrong, you look like a huge mushroom.”

See what I mean? I feel like I'm in Mario Brothers!

Then Vickie Howell tweeted “VickieHowell@artlikebread Mushrooms are the new black. ;). I'd love to see a pic of your finished Mary-Kate beret!”

Um, what? Vickie Howell tweeted at me? Well, alright!! So I tweeted back, “@VickieHowell OK! I'll post one on my blog!! :o) It really is cute, and it was fun to make, too. Thanks!”

The best way to wear it is with a Mary-Kate attitude.

WWKIP Day!

Crochet is a form of knitting (or so I've been told), so I won't be left out of the fun on World-Wide Knit in Public Day!!! Mis chilangas are pretty ravelrous, so I'm sure that I'll be KIP-ing over these weekends!!

Knit in Public on June 13, 14, 20, & 21.

El Expo Recap - Crafty Icon Revealed!

To be honest, I was intending to do an individual post on each of the stands I visited at the Expo two weeks ago. I decided that might be overkill. I'd like to show you some of the highlights- pictures to show the work and supplies I appreciated.

Yarns of Color at the Omega Booth

Circular looms like this one were all the rage at the Expo.

The tube shape is definitely a trend in Mexican fiber craft.

Hairpin lace at the La Rueca booth. Hairpin lace is an upcoming challenge for me. I wish I had a book to help me learn, but I'll have to settle for internet tutorials for now.

This open-weave crochet at La Rueca reminded me of Double-Stitch!

Need any paper to scrap your 1980s photos? Decor Crafts has got you covered.

And there was plenty of stuff like this... (It's safe to say this was not my favorite booth.)

But this was!

The Rebecca Pick booth was full of fresh, stylish designs in beautiful colors. This is just a quick example of her gorgeous designs. Check out all of the crochet motifs on the left!

And my crafty partner in crime, Jenn, and I were able to meet Ms. Pick herself. We were starstruck. (Yes, she is as nice as she looks!) Great necklace, too.

Crafter Statement

I have no delusions about what it is that I do. I am a crafter. I craft. I love it. What troubles me is when art is defined as that which belongs in a frame on a wall in a museum. I eschew that elitist attitude. That is not to say that I don't adore gazing at framed works in museums. On the contrary, I spend hours contemplating such masterful work. But my mind is open. I see art in the every day. I am inspired by the sidewalk, a puddle, or the way that vendor is singing in the metro.

Most of my work is internal. I have hundreds of creative ideas, projects, and compositions in my mind. By comparison, I produce little. Most of what I do produce is mere replication. Yet I joy in the process of creating. It is a meditative process that honors those who invented the methods I use. It is liberating and invigorating. Do I want to design? Maybe sometimes. Have I ever been an artist? Definitely. But today I define myself as a crafter.

Public Art at the Anti-Mall

On my recent trip to L.A., baby, my dear friend was nice enough to bring me to all of the awesome malls that help make Southern California famous.

These photos were taken at the "Anti-Mall". I guess it's just a cool gimmick for people who don't want to admit they like the mall? I don't know, but I definitely enjoyed the public art there. These are from a mosaic wall. It looked like lots of different people contributed. I bet they had fun smashing the dishes.

Then they got all peaceful.

A serene fountain and seating area. I don't know.
There was something beautiful about it.

How beautiful are these bottles?

These were inside of the Gypsy Den Cafe. I love the U.S. for its good coffee and this place has great service, too. Awesome menu. It was very enjoyable. It reminded me of the Helsinki Cafe in Great Barrington, MA. *sigh*

Mexico Is Crafty

There was a horrible rumor that was imparted to me when I first moved to Mexico over a year ago. Someone (who shall remain nameless) told me that Mexico didn't do crafts the way we do them in the United States. She said that people usually made things here because they needed them, not as a hobby or pastime.

Well, in a way, I thought, 'What's the difference?' But also, I was sad, because I thought I'd never again encounter my beloved scrapbooking supplies. And what about my beloved craft stores? The closest I could find to Blick Art Supply was Office Max. My JoAnn Fabrics became Telas Parisina. I still have yet to find my Archiver's counterpart, but my crafty friend, Jenn, assures me that there ARE scrapbooking stores here in Mexico.

As a matter of fact, I have kind of moved on from scrapbooking (in case you didn't notice) and I've been exploring the wonderful world of yarn (or "estambres" if you're Mexican!) I can see there's no dirth of yarn here. There may be a shortage of natural fibers, but crafting with acrylic is okay by me.

I've since frequented Fantasias Miguel (my Michael's sub), thanks to the wonderful ladies in the Mexico group on Ravelry. Mexico is so so so crafty. At Fantasias Miguel, you can buy a bag full of gorgeous, fine glitter the size of a bag of sugar! Often, said glitter is applied to styrofoam shapes for holidays, however, as a scrapbooker, you'd be able to will most of this glitter to your children and grandchildren!

And, mi crafty amiga, Jenn, also told me about the crafting event of the year, the Expo Merceria y Manualidades, at the World Trade Center in Mexico City. (This is the advantage of living in the city!!!!) This is like my CHA. It's a huge crafting fair for consumers and retailers.

I went today! It was a lot of fun, and I'll reveal what went on little by little over the next week, ending in my special surprise... WE MET A CRAFTY ICON! :o) Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, excitement!!

Purple Hat

Obviously I am unable to stop crocheting hats. I made this open-weave creation from a beautiful purple cotton yarn. It's cute and perfect for summer. It's a modified version of "Kinky Reggage" from Get Your Crochet On. Love that book. Definitely worth the money!

Tulips at Old Orchard

On my recent trip to Chicago, my sister and I were on a mission. A shopping mission. So where did we decide to go? The mall!!!

mall plants

My mother tells me that Old Orchard in Skokie, IL was the first mall in the country. It's a gorgeous, open-air mall. This is where you can tell that it was one of the first malls: Who in their right mind would plan an open-air mall in Chicago? Lovely in the spring, as you can see here, but the winter...?

I've been lucky lately. I love traveling to the U.S. I don't usually get to travel very often.

photos by Cami

LOOK!

Wow! Check out that mouse!

I'm just so stylish that I happen to have the latest designer wireless mouse from HP and Vivienne Tam, courtesy of Morningside Mom! This talented and accomplished blogger held a contest a while ago, and I won! Well, because I tend to have stuff sent to the US and just pick them up when I get there, I didn't meet this mouse until I visited LA last month. So- this post is late, but it's not the latest I've ever been with a post. :o)

If you haven't visited Morningside Mom yet, you really should. She's an insightful, intelligent, engaged citizen of the world. Oh! And she's up for an award as the Best Local Blog in Tampa. You should visit this site daily until July 15, 2009 and click on Morningside Mom. Why not?

Thanks for the opportunity, Caro, and thanks for the mouse, too.

"you like me. you really like me."