Me and "Superfly" (My new/old Airstream)

I am now part of a new group, Airstream owners!

It is a total fixer-upper but I loooooooove it! It is a Flying Cloud so I have named it Superfly.
Will keep you posted on it's rehab. One big craft project, eh? I will need to get the pink flamingos out and fix their legs, sooo much cleaning fixing and decorating to do!!!!!

But on a slightly smaller scale, I bring you Crafty Blogger Links:

About Family Crafts
Browse through photos of home-made greeting cards and submit your own.

About.com Cross Stitch
Stitchers - Start Your Stockings! It is never to early to start on holiday projects, but don't wait too late.

Aileen's Musings
This week Aileen offers 2 fun tutorials: Phenomenal Paper Flowers & Wee Flower Fairies. Both are sure to inspire you and make you smile!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Kick off summer with a chance to win a copy of Making Designer Mixed-Media and Memory Jewelry, check out some beautiful handcrafted dolls, a free crochet hacky sack pattern and a how-to on making a recycled denim pillow with a bird appliqué.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Get a free metal clay project over at the BeadStyle blog. This downloadable project shows how to make some super easy metal clay beads!

Layers Upon Layers
Have you ever wanted to try creating an abstract work but found it too intimidating? Come and try it anyway!

Polymer Clay @ Craft Gossip
Learn the anatomy of a polymer clay bead this week.

The Impatient Blogger
Madge reviews a fabulous new metal clay book by jewelry making expert Tammy Powley. If you've ever been metal clay curious, this is the book for you!

Hot, hot. hot Craft Links

I have officially melted! It's been over 110 degrees here in Los Angels! Good thing there are nice cafes that have good AC. There was a super fun Church of Craft Meeting yesterday that there was a whole bunch of cross-stitching, knitting, scrapbooking and gereral yacking. I was working on my latest cross-stitch. I will be sure to share it with you soon. But for now I have some crafty links for you to get some inspiration:

Aileen's Musings
View Aileen's Textured Deli Wrap Journal Tutorial

Crafty Princess Diaries
Thinking of submitting your craft designs to magazines? Do your homework first! Here is lesson 2 on getting your crafts published.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Stitch a Hopeful Quote from Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time.

Polymer Clay @ Craftgossip.com
Bangles, cuffs and dangles - it's a plethora of polymer clay bracelets!

The Impatient Blogger
Join The Impatient Crafter™ Margot Potter in this fun filled video lesson where she shows you how to make inked and collaged pendants. Oo la la!

Craftside- A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Coming down the isle at Craftside are announcements, party favors and containers, jewelry and ribbon work all with a wedding theme but easily transformed for any occasion or special event!

Kewpie Dolls and recycled trim label/push pin gifts

My Kewpie doll has been purchased for The Impatient Blogger-Madge's Kewpie Doll Challenge!

"You can decorate your Kewpie as you choose then take a good quality photo of your Kewpie (1MB or smaller file please) and email it to me at margot@margotpotter.com. I will post the entries in a FlickR account online. There your Kewpie creation will be showered with fame and fortune and possible prizes. The entries must be in to my by Monday September 8th. The winners will be announced on Monday September 15th."

And I bring you another Retro Crafting with A Re-purpose:

These are vintage Bias Tape and Rick Rack labels that were wrapped around a small piece of about 1/2 inch thick Styrofoam and then used to hold Thumb tacks that have been embellished with a simple button glued on. They are then pushed into the label wrapped foam and slipped into a little bag and tied with a small scrap of ribbon.

I think these make a charming little gift for a crafter or anyone really who uses a bulletin board!

Crafty Bloggers Spread the Crafty Love!

Photo Titled: Girl Without a Craft Project.

Well not really, but this is that face I make when I'm not crafting. This is Sylvie, daughter of Dwight of the band The Bamboo Kids and Rony owner of the wonderful store Cat Bird, long time friends of the family.

So to prevent this face on you-I bring you lots of great crafting ideas to keep the pout-face away:

About.com Cross Stitch
Don't toss old or unwanted CDs! Transform them with Cross Stitch instead.

Aileen's Musings
Aileen's listed a few of her favorite products and why she loves them.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Get a crafting blast from the past and flip through the pages with the Crafty Princess and this 1974 Women's Circle magazine.

Diary of a Crafty Chica
Find out why you need to make a bliss book!

Polymer Clay @ CraftGossip
Polymer clay hits the beach with a fun shell inspired tutorial.

The Impatient Blogger
Madge shares a new painting by her mother, the coveted Frankfurter Loaf Recipe and details on her Kewpie Doll Challenge!

Craftside- A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Over at Craftside there is an inside peek, patterns and projects from The New Knits For Men and a chance to win a free copy of Making Jewelry with Hardware Gems, and Beads. Sign up for the Craftside Newsletter and get a free postcard desktop frame. Also check out posts that include free Father's Day graphic quote downloads, and patterns and "how-to's" for retro placemats, napkins and a needle felted bag.

Depresion era Grandfather and how he upcycle crafted

I get my crafty side from this grandfather, Abel Girard. He passed it down to my Dad and then my Dad passed it on to me. So in honor of Father's Day I thought I'd share a bit of my grandfather's craftiness.
Now this may look like an ordinary emery board or nail file, but no!
Pepe (the French word for grandfather) made these out of sandpaper and old popsicle sticks!
I have a few of them and I use them and think fondly of him as I do.
I don't have any but he also would cut old bicycle inner tubes and cut them into rubber bands!

CRAFT Magazine Release Party at Reform School

So I got this cool invite through My "Church of Craft" group:
"Hey Angelenos-- don't forget to come by ReForm School in Silverlake
this Sunday for an afternoon of crafting and fun in celebration of our
newest issue, CRAFT: 07. My co-hostess Jek (of Scrumdillydilly) and I
will teach you to make these fun, retro shoe clips designed by our Old
School columnist, Cathy of California, while enjoying lemonade and
cupcakes from Lark Cakeshop. We'll be offering special subscription
deals and will also be giving away some great CRAFT merch like box set
of the first four issues, teeshirts, plus a pile of amazing books from
Chronicle!"

CRAFT: 07 Release Party
Sunday, June 8, 1-4pm
@ ReForm School
4014 Santa Monica Blvd.
LA, CA 90029

And here is the wonderful project:
And the cool swag:
And the yummies even got in on the crafty-action:
Crafting detritus:
And the peeps who made the detritus:
And check this "show and tell" this crafter (who I regret I didn't write down her name so I deeply apologize in not giving you props here) but I still wanted to share your great quilt squares that were made by randomly pulling fabric from a brown bag. Jean Arp would be proud!

More Tina on Fire, Tasty Tilted Cake and Giant pizza with a side of Crafty Blooger Links

Thrown in today with the crafty blogger links for your viewing pleasure is Tina and her boyfriend playing with fire.

A fabulous cake made by one of Leela's bellydancer goddesses, Celest for her daughter Mattie's Birthday and in celebration of Leela's latest show- Alice in Leelaland

And since we are in Leelaland and size is relative, a giant pizza.

The Cornstar herself is truly amazed as we all were!

Aileen's Musings

Check out Aileen's serendipitous assemblage that started with a book cover and find out why cleaning is like a box of chocolates...

Crafty Princess Diaries
Marketing your craft work and yourself does pay off! Here are a few examples of why this is true and why marketing is worth your time.

Craftside- A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside there are pills as gifts, moments with Slash (from Guns N' Roses), a sneak peek at L.K. Ludwig's new book-True Vision, and a great how-to on making an accordion triangle book with a bead closure.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Brighten up your day with a happy little sun or select one of the other fun summer-themed patterns.

(Please note the wonderful PLAID pants this boy is sportin'!)

Layers Upon Layers
Digital manipulations using a torn paper landscape background

Polymer Clay @ CraftGossip
Pearls of Wisdom, a creative challenge.

The Impatient Blogger
Join Madge as she shares some sage advice about getting your work published.

Knitted purses with bangle bracelet handles

This was a Fire Mountain Gem's ad that ran on the back of a knitting magazine (I think) a while back and I got a bunch of email's asking for the pattern. So now a million years later....here is a rough outline of generally how to make these babies!
Supplies:
2 bangle bracelets
yarn
knitting needles in a size to make a pretty tight stitch (in other words if you are a loose knitter go down a size)

I used Iris Schreier's method of casting directly onto rings and binding off with rings. She covers these methods on her Belt episode of Knitty Gritty and in her book-Exquisite Little Knits.

Now please remember these are estimates based on me looking at my finished purses and I can't guarantee perfect accuracy, either now or when I made them since I was simply figuring it out as I went and I was makin' them fur me and I'm not so picky!

For the Green Purse:

Cast on about 13 stitches
Working in garter stitch inc 1 at the beginning of most rows . As best I can count there seems to be about 10 rows on each side of the purse and about 22 stitches along the bottom fold.
Then working back up the other side dec 1 (k2tog) at the beginning of most rows.

Simply fold the two sides together and seem them up leaving about an inch open from the edge of the bracelet.

In the second picture there is a matching cuff. That is about 19 stitches wide and 14 rows tall knit in stockinette, I have a pretty small wrist.

For this fun pink and green version a double stranded with a furry yarn, they are from Iris's yarn company-Art Yarns.

This black and white one was done the same way.

For these:
CO about 18 st.
Knit in stockinette, inc at the beginning of most rows.
After about 8 rows double strand with both the main variegated yarn and the furry/eyelash yarn for about 6 rows.
Knit with just the main variegated for about 9 rows still inc at the beginning of most rows.
Then double strand again for 6 rows and increasing.
This will make one side.
Reverse for the other side:
Still double stranding with the main and eyelash yarn for about 6 rows this time decreasing on most rows.
then about 9 rows of just the variegated, 6 double stranding and then the final 8 rows with the variegated.
No I even gave this a shot with suede cord:
CO 11 stitches
Knit in garter stitch inc for the first few rows and then it looks like I stayed at about 18-19 stitches. Then worked back the same way as before. A note on this one, You can see how the cord changed from having a white edge to it not having the white edge. I made this a design element and added a Chinese coin at the end join in the center.

Well I hope you give this a shot. I know my directions are vague but I really am a "wing it" knitter.

Great Review over at Crafzine and Knitters Invade BEA

Whoo-hoo!
Sweater Surgery got a fab review over at Craftzine!
Pop over and check it out. And while your there check out all the crafty goodness.
I "heart" Craft.
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And Knitters invaded BEA (Book Expo America) and I can prove it!
This is not one, but two Stefanie's in the F&W booth! This is Stefanie Japel, author of Fitted Knits, and soon to be released Glamknits-oooh so pretty. Stefanie is one of the most talented designers I know!
And here I am with the fabulous Crazy Aunt Purl, author of Crazy Aunt Purl's Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair
I love reading her blog- she covers the snarky, traffic, knitting, and price of gas with photos of the cutest cats thrown in! What more can you ask for!

And signing not one , but two books-The Yarn Harlot herself-all the way from across the border!
I am so in the mood for knitting after being around all of them!