A Wise, Organized Woman Once Said

"If you want to be organized, you have to limit yourself to one hobby."
What? One hobby? Are you serious?

I get it. Crafting takes space. It takes time. Neither of those are infinite. And, certain crafts are not all that portable. That's why I've been so into crochet lately. It can be taken almost anywhere. In fact, I think I need to ease off a bit. I've missed some beautiful scenery.

But I've been thinking about what this wise woman said. One hobby. What would I chose? My top two are crochet and card-making. Then I've got the jewelry-making, sewing, and scrapbooking. I can leave scrapbooking behind. It's fun, but it's a cumbersome craft for me. Maybe if I had a kid I'd feel differently. Scrapbooks make great gifts, but I can't see it as a daily hobby for me right now. There's too much to deal with. It also encourages hoarding.

My jewelry supply stash doesn't take up much space- really. The rubber stamps for card-making are abundant, but I feel like I can't bare to give any of them up. I have to come to terms with the fact that I keep returning to the same stamp sets over and over and I am happy with them. I might demount my wooden stamps to make them more portable. We'll see. Then we have to deal with ink and paper, too. It does get bigger and bigger!

Paper is heavy, expensive, and abundant. It does take up a lot of space, too. It's also not easy to find once it is in your stash. I am sure that there is a bunch of gorgeous paper hiding within a stack or folder that I am not using. Then we've also got the crazy paper embellishments. They're so cute, don't get me wrong, but haven't you ever noticed that sometimes you can be more creative with fewer supplies?

Anyway, I'm going to be dealing with this issue over the next week. Organization or bust. And I'll likely be selling off a bunch of my supplies. Paper-lovers, stay tuned. I'll keep you posted.

Do You Love DoubleStitch?

Who are DoubleStitch?

Are you serious?

They are only the coolest, sweetest, and most talented crocheting twins out there! Erika and Monika Simmons have an amazing book, titled Doublestitch: Designs for the Crochet Fashionista, which I picked up at a craft fair in Chicago. Oh, did I mention that THEY SIGNED IT? :o)

This is me and them! They're so nice!

If you are sick of frumpy crochet designs, or spending $18.00 a skein on yarn for a pattern that requires 9 skeins, then check their book out! They use the mesh design quite a lot, making the designs versatile, easy, and quick. They also use normal, affordable yarns. How refreshing! This is a case where the finished product really looks like a garment that would have cost much more if you'd bought it in a store. And you don't feel like these take forever to complete. You can be wearing your amazing new garment in a week or less.

There is so much to tell about DoubleStitch. I am sure I can not fit it all into one post. Therefore, I'll leave you now with my version of their "Versatile Spring Wrap," which I learned to crochet from one of their free videos on the Virtue Radio Network. I did one up for myself and one for Mom. Of course, you can make these up in any color to go with any season. There are many ways to wear it!!

Wrap skirt front^ and back.

Cover-up front^ and side.

Capelet front^ and back.

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!