Fun DIY Project: How to make a Monster Business card holder

Originally uploaded by alittlestranger.com

Looking for an informal way to introduce yourself to someone, see if you'll click, and make them a smile? Whip out a Monster Business Card and dice out your business card to potential mates, friends, etc.


Holly of alittlestranger.com created a fun side project on Instructables if you're looking for a spiffy, cute way to store your non-work greeting cards.

Recession Greeting Cards

Doesn't that just sum up everyone's mood at this time? Keep up the stiff upper lip, America. If you're going to freak out, do it in style with these recession friendly cards. The best part? These crafty cards via Creature Comforts are free for you to print and dole out. 

Urban Craft Uprising this weekend!

Guess where I'll be this weekend? Mmm, hmm. Crafters unite! 

This weekend, Urban Craft Uprising will take place Dec. 5-6 2008 from 11am - 5pm at the Seattle Center. Thrifty alert: First 100 people in line will get swag bags!  Over 120 indie crafters, you betcha that you'll find some interesting holiday gifts there.  

Let it snow, let it snow

Liquid Paper/Flickr 

No doubt, you want to make your place look festive but you don't relish dishing out the bucks to buy the holiday wreaths, bows, and razzmatazz? Flashback to grade school! Who doesn't love the beautiful simplicity of white paper snowflakes? The paper snowflake posted here would do Martha Steweart proud.  Easy, affordable, and abundant, the snowflakes would look gorgeous spread around one's apartment. In fact, the New York Times got into the frugal spirit in their style section: the story, We're Going to Party Like It's 1929, deals with budget decorating for holiday parties...and guess what gets a gorgeous treatment?

Rob Bennett for The New York Times

Want to learn how to make one yourself? Check out this craft friendly video here,  3D Origami Snowflake Tutorial 

Update: Wow, Design*Sponge and I are on the same wavelength. Check out her paper Christmas ornaments here!

Food as Art: Bento Box creations

What is dearly devoted currently reading? 

I got a big kick out of reading  Face Food: the Visual Creativity of Japanese Bento Boxes. Christopher Salyers documents "charaben," the Japanese art of creating character-themed bento boxes. Visually lavish and more often, nutritious, these lunches were a way for Japanese parents to show their love to their kids (and make them eat their veggies). All I can squeal is, "How kawaii!" It's food porn meets Japanese culture. Seriously! They are almost too beautiful to eat. The book isn't so much as a DIY guide but a photo book dedicated to showing off the charabens parents have made.  This is a great, little coffee book to share with friends for creative food inspiration. I just wish the book had a step-by-step look at how these parents crafted their creations ~ videos anyone? 
A small Q+A interview is included with each charaben maker. I've included my favorite excerpts below: 

Benry and Asko from Tokyo Gas

Made by Risa

ingredients: broccoli, cheese, cherry tomato, egg, fried chicken,green beans, ham, imitation crab, macaroni, rice sausage, seaweed, spinach, yam potato

Describe a typical charaben-making day's schedule:

"I look inside my fridge and think of a character I can make with whatever is in there. I start making charaben at 6:00 and finish by 7:30 at the latest."

Shimajiro

Made by Risa

ingredients: cheese, cherry tomato, cucumber, edamame, fish cake, fried pasta, mayo, okra, beef patty, pumpkin seasoning, qual egg, rice, seaweed, teriyaki chicken, tomato skin

Three Lil Pigs

Made by Makiko Ogawa

ingredients: black beans, broccoli, carrot, cherry tomato, fish sausage, fried chicken, ketchup, lemon, quail egg, rice, sausage, seaweed, sour plum rice seasoning

What is charaben to you?

"A communication tool between my child and I and between my child and his classmates. Charaben opens up many unique opportunities for communication and happiness to share with others. Charaben is also a challenge as to how much I can express within the boundaries of an obento."

Recession Chic for the kids

 When I saw Graham and Green's Cardboard House for sale on its website at $80 (USD) -- the first thought that came to my mind was: "Necessity is the mother of invention."  
Times are hard economically. Why spend $80 -- that could go to gas, utilities, mortgage -- when you can make it yourself? While dearlydevoted is a shopping/design/lifestyle blog, I also encourage a DIY spirit. This folks, is a clear example of where creative, budget-friendly parents can rule: It's a frickin' cardboard house! Check out the incredible cardboard projects 
for kid furniture here: foldschool .

I Heart Rummage + Seattle Steam Punk

This weekend, I checked out I Heart Rummage, a monthly independent craft marketplace that was held at Chop Suey nightclub in Seattle. Pretty swank in a nice dive-clubish type of way, eh?  Sift past the super-faddish craftwork and you'll find some interesting work.
I met Grace Acosta of Rivkasmom who specialized in steam punk jewelry. Since this visually-driven sub-culture is dedicated to marrying Victorian aesthetics (and all its glorious romanticism) with technology, it satisfies the gothic geek within me. Think HG Wells meets Edgar Allen Poe meets The Aviator. Grace works with reclaimed antique watch parts and jewelry bits and bobs to create her custom look. Pure eye candy to me. I lost myself trying on her different brooches, pins, rings, etc. Despite my no-purchase rule, I STILL bought myself a gift from Grace's booth. Look what I brought back with me (cue shameless modeling sequence):

How could I not? It was only $20 also. It's feminine tech-driven jewelry. I heart it. The fact that it was affordable and she was a friendly, informative vendor made it a sweet transaction.See more of Grace's work below.
She also has an Etsy page and a blog.

...

I also dig her higher-priced rings on her website featured below 

(products photos from Rivkasmom)

Art Deco Petite ~ Steampunk Watch Mechanism Ring, $35 at Rivkasmom

Brass Filigree Petite ~ Steampunk Watch Mechanism Ring, $35, at Rivkasmom

For dearlydevoted shoppers, if you like what you see, check out Rivkasmom's website, Grace is having a Grand Opening sale with a storewide 20% discount when you use the code _____2008 
IHR2008. 

Halloween Inspiration

Nobody does Halloween like Martha Stewart. The Queen of Crafts delivers a huge Halloween sendup in her October issue: party decor, holiday crafting, and treats all presented in spooky glee. To me, its the biggest issue of the year that always tops out its previous year's coverage. The photography, set design, ideas...I always look forward to it. If you can't wait -- get a fix at her website's Halloween workshop. They've archived previous craft/decor projects so it's a blast to see how creative they all are.
Here's my pick from her site:

The Haunted House Party - Severed Finger Party Invitation

Wicked Witch cupcakes

Flying Place Cards

ZOMG! Zombie Bear Plush wants to eat your braaaainsss

The mind behind this sick, twisted, and utterly delightful plush is Mariska Vos-Bolman, creator of Fluffels. Fifteen inches tall, this morbid plush is bound to get double-takes wherever it sits. Designer note: Removable intestines included! There's definitely a  WTF factor involved here. I love it! Zombie Bear was the 2006 winner behind Craftster's "Zombies & Robots & Bears...Oh My!" 
Schmancy also interviewed her AND is having a Fluffels giveaway, so go sign up!

Zombie Bear, $110 (€80) at Mariska's Etsy Shop

Craft Magazine Party in Seattle

For aspiring DIYers: Craft Magazine is throwing a release party -- free workshop demonstrations included -- in downtown Seattle this SUNDAY. Nuff said. Local crafters involved include Urban Craft Uprising and plushie lover, Kristen Rask of Schmancy. 


CRAFT: 08 Release Party
hosted by Urban Craft Uprising
@ STITCHES
711 East Pike Street
Seattle, WA 98122
ph: (206)709-0707
www.stitchesseattle.com

NYT: The Uglydolls Phenomenon

Guess what I found in the New York Times Style section today?

Had to share the love. I remember Uglydolls when they were first stocked at Giant Robot and how much Erick Nakamura, its co-founder, talked about them in his magazine. Glad to see its a global phenomenon that is friendly to boys and girls. I figure that would be obvious but here's NYT take on it: Guys and Dolls: An Ugly Remake. And for kicks, here's Uglydoll co-creator David Horvath's children's book, Bossy Bear that I posted earlier.

Excerpt below:

Guys and Dolls: An Ugly Remake

By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.

WHAT is it about Uglydolls? They’re soft, they’re plush, they’re cute, they’re openly called by a name that is usually anathema to boys: dolls.

And yet, in many cases, when you see a bed covered with them or a backpack open just far enough to let one breathe, that bed or backpack belongs to a testosterone-burning little sneaker-scuffer.

They are the dolls that many boys are willing to nap with, be seen on the street with and take to sleep-away camp. As Marcelo Jaimes-Lukes, who got his first Ugly as a third-grader at the Little Red School House in Manhattan, put it: “No, you didn’t get teased for having one. In my class, you’d be teased not to have one.”

I noticed this because my 6-year-old stepson totes three to school, and his doll games are all about adventure. He and his mates pile their Uglies into a plastic crate named the Voyager and soar off. “We go to Persia,” he said, “or a pet shop. One time we went into the sewers to go surfing.”

PacMan Cupcakes: Baker's tribute to video games

Hello Naomi is the brazilliant baker behind these video-game themed cupcakes. Don't you just wanna snarf these down? Her work, seen at Ohdeedoh, caught my eye and I had to catch her Flickr photostream. Seen, above, are her PacMan cupcakes. 

Not just any tribute, her eye for the color and design put into these sweet edibles made the execution spot on. Props to her. Now, can someone give me her number so I can order these for my birthday?

Tell me, you're not drooling already.

Let me whet your appetite some more. Check out more of her work below:

Super Mario Cupcakes 2 

And not game-related, per se, but still geek-chic: ROBOTS!

Robot Cupcakes
Dibs on the goofy orange one. I like him.

Kanzashi Hair Pins

Red Chirimen Cherry Blossom Kanzashi, $15, by gochemoche

Kanzashi is the traditional Japanese art form of ornamental hairpins that were often worn by apprentice geisha and by young girls for celebrations, according to PuchiMaiko. Beautiful, intricate, and delicate, these fashionable pieces have been gaining attention from craftsers interested in picking up this Asian art form.

Here's some interesting kanzashi ornamental pins I've found :

Everday Kanzashi, PeachyPan, $8.99 AU

Pink and white Cherry Blossom with green leaves hair pin

Turquoise and red chrysanthemum hair pin

Now, if you're wondering how it would look pinned on hair, here's some photos from hanatsukuri's Etsy shop:

DIY ideas: Owl Plushies

I was checking out Ohdeedoh, Apartment Therapy's nursery section, and found an inspiring burst of inspiration--check out these owls! Yes, I know, owls were definitely overused in 2007 but in proper context, look at how cute they are here. Above, the Zakka Style Owls were created by Moonstitches, a crafty seamstress who resides in Japan, whose creations inspired the Scottish crafster who created her own baby owl mobile that the Ohdeedoh's post covers, below. I hear minimal sewing is involved in their creation, if so, I am tempted to work on this as a weekend project.

Kraftworks III this Saturday

Know it's late notice but this Saturday, local craftsters should check out Kraftworks 3 which will be held at Rag Trade Clothing Company from 11am-5pm. Get some creative, locally made products and presents that will be uniquely your's -- last time I was here, I met a few Etsy artists that I talked about in this post. I didnt make it to Kraftworks 2 but I hope its grown since the last time I was there. DJs who'll be spinning tunes there are DJs Lolo (Sweat Records/Circa Saturdays), Kentsoundz, Some Jerk, Madame Turk, Rachel Goodrich and Rabbit in the Hat. Sounds interesting.

Getting Jacked for Halloween

Halloween is my favorite holiday handsdown. I get as happy as a little girl when I see people decorating for it.
Its the only time of the year that the strange, mad, and eccentric are celebrated for the sheer FUN of it (THAT and the free candy helps too). Halloween was my All-American holiday where I felt truly comfortable going all out for.
Yep, I love how it's totally fine to install fake tombstones in your front yard, sew up ghosts to your house, and massacre pumpkins for artistic skullduggery. Let's say I was an enthusiastic participant growing up, my mom was just the obliging spectactor.

So back to Halloween DIY decor--specifically jack-o-lanterns.
You can't celebrate without one and I've been trolling the web for some ideas to start.
Here at dearly devoted, I'm showing off some of the sweet pumpkins I've seen online to date.



Cylon Jack-O-Lantern
I am a huge Battlestar Galactica fan and this fufills that fangirl thrill and my geek quotient. Looks like a trip to Radioshack and the pumpkin patch for this one. Nerd skills required. Find out how to make this by the folks at Make blog


Flickr stream: Pumpkins and Jackolanterns


Cute and morbid I can't resist that deadly combo.


Ode to the 80s Gotta love John Cusack in Say Anything. Something a lil' different from a pumpkin expression.


Gross out humor

Back from Seattle

Spent a long weekend in Seattle and was so exhausted from my mini-vacay that it took me a good week to recover from it (What's up with needing a vacay from a vacay?). Snapped lotsa photos, saw the interesting sights...I can say that Seattle is a verrrry clean city with interesting design. Came back with some goodies to dole out for coworkers and a lil' nifty souvenier for myself.



Meet Wee Ninja.
I found him at the Seattle Art Museum's gift shop and with my lil' fetish for ninjas I couldn't help but snatch him up--I couldn't tear myself away--it got to the point where my BF bought it for me but I think he's secretly taken by the ninja's huggability himself.
See more of him at Shawnimals
And to further snowball this plush toy tangent into another, I present you my fav Youtube clip: "Ask a Ninja"

Pretty in (Knitted) Punk

Interesting read from the LA Times, excerpt below:
Rocker chic goes warm and fuzzy

Pretty in Punk: 25 Punk, Rock and Goth Knitting Projects' offers rocker style with all the expertise of Grandma.
By Amy Scattergood, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 23, 2007

THE next time you're in search of a knitting project, ask not what Grandma would have done, but what Sid would have knit. Sid Vicious, that is. "Pretty in Punk: 25 Punk, Rock and Goth Knitting Projects" is the first book from Alyce Benevides and Jaqueline Milles, New York designers and founders of Knit-Head, a "punk rock knitwear company."
Inspired by their love of '80s music, especially British Invasion punk and new wave, Benevides and Milles found success after they presented their signature knitted Mohawk hat to Depeche Mode singer Martin Gore, who wore it throughout the band's 2006 tour -- and doesn't seem to have taken it off since.

And if yarn Mohawks aren't your thing, the book features two dozen other inventive patterns with inspiration drawn from designers such as Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano and styles including Goth, Japanese "Lolita," and even some fetching retro preppy looks. Throw some military chic and S&M fetishism and you have a knitting book even Courtney Love could embrace.

But "Pretty in Punk" isn't just about style: It's a book with substance too. Clearly written, and filled with concise instructions, a good glossary and handy references, the book blends knowledge of fashion trends with old-school knitting know-how. The photography may be arty and the style allusions avant-garde, but the mechanics are as sturdy as any Elvis Presley-era knitting manual.



Personally, I think the arm warmers are excellent, Marc Jacobs features his own on his website.

******
The LA Times continues to give excellent west-coast fashion coverage with the DIY scenesters.
Last week, they interviewed the designers behind Mike & Chris, who I mentioned about previously and even posted a link on how to make a DIY hoodie jacket.

Here's a link where they show you how to knit your own arm warmers here and if you're even more wickedly ambitious, a knitted corset here. The designers behind the book have their own website, Knit-Head.

Also, check out the LA Times coverage of stylish indie girls on the scene here

Kraftworks followup: Indie Designers & Etsy

This Saturday, I went to Kraftworks, the indie craftster fair, held at the Rag Trade Clothing Co.'s parking lot. Small and slightly disarrayed, Kraftworks would be a promising start to fostering a crafts community in Miami if it becomes an annual affair. I think that's a win-win if Kraftworks can manage to smooth out its rough edges, curate their selected vendors, and add in more artists. I also checked out Rag Trade Clothing Co. and met owner, Stephanie Spiegel.

I met some promising local designers at their booths and featured some photos below.
Beanblossom: Playful, vintagey, whimsical craft goods that showcase an eye for color and patterns. Who would have thought but she's on Etsy? Social networking exposure at its best. Check out her booth items at top and below, beanblossom and eclectica had one of the more interesting booth setups at the fair.





cheepcheep: Unapologetically feminine designs are featured on her Etsy page. See some of her wares down below from her Etsy page. I didn't get a snapshot of her booth so I had to find screengrabs of her goods. Perfect for accessorizing my playful librarian chic work-play clothes.




At Rag Trade Clothing Co., I and my friend scanned its selections. The boutique's selections were a bit of grab bag but definitely skewed toward a vintage/hipster vibe. The small room in the back housed original works by designers. My friend nabbed two graphic button-up shirts for a good deal. I definitely approve of trading clothes for cash concept, it's similar to Plato's Closet (in Fort Lauderdale) and Buffalo Exchange (in San Francisco). 'Bout time Miami gott something similar! We'll see how in the longrun the local natives will take to the concept.