MonkeyDogStudio

Machine Felting

2012-01-01T19:11:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!

As the weather turns colder, many of us will be digging those warm wool sweaters out of our closets. But wool sweaters don't always make it from one year to the next. Sometimes they end up with moth holes or stains, or sometimes they accidentally get tossed into the washing machine and end up a wee bit too snug. But that doesn't mean you have to throw them out! You can felt those sweaters into something fantastic!

The first thing you want to do, before you start cutting up your wool sweater, is to make sure it's feltable. Check the tags first. You want to make sure your sweater is 80-100% wool content. If the instructions say "Dry Clean Only," you can felt them in your washing machine. But if they say "Superwash," then that wool has been processed in a way that will keep it from felting, so those sweaters won't work.

Use the hottest water setting in your washing machine, and use only about 1/2 as much detergent as you normally would.

DON'T use fabric softener, because that can interfere with the felting process.

It can also be helpful to put each sweater in a pillow case when you wash it, since that will help keep loose fibers from getting all over the inside of your machine. Either zip the pillow case closed, or tie a knot in the end.

Put the sweaters in the hottest dryer cycle after you've finished washing them. It may take more than one cycle for them to shrink up well, so keep an eye on the consistency of the fabric. It will get shorter in length and thicker in density when it's felted.

After the fabric has been felted, you can cut it without fear of unraveling. There are any number of different projects that you can use this felted fabric for, so here are some links to other websites that have more detailed instructions.

Happy Felting!

Mitten tutorial can be found at http://www.ehow.com/how_7718331_make-gloves-wool-sweater.html.

Make an Infinity Scarf via http://make-handmade.com/2011/11/16/how-to-infinity-scarf-from-a-shrunken-sweater/.

Learn how to make a recycled wool blanket at http://resweater.blogspot.com/2010/01/tutorial-tuesday-recycled-wool-sweater.html.

Instructions for these cozy slippers are available at http://www.homemade-holiday-gifts.com/felted-slippers.html.

These instructions from DesignSponge use pre-cut felt sheets, but you can do this with machine felted sweaters as well: http://www.designsponge.com/2009/02/diy-wednesdays-door-organizer.html

Learn how to make a wool soaker for your baby at http://www.clothdiaperblog.com/how-to-make-an-upcycled-wool-soaker/.

You can find MORE project links at Threadbanger: http://www.threadbanger.com/post/9532/weekly-diy-roundup-felted-sweater-wool-projects.

And EVEN MORE ideas at Squidoo: http://www.squidoo.com/refashion-recycle-wool-sweaters-jumpers-craft-how-to-tutorials.

Information on sweater felting via http://www.tryourdesigns.com/Tips%20and%20Tricks/FeltingSweaters.htm
http://laughingpurplegoldfish.blogspot.com/2008/07/lets-get-felting.html
http://glittersoup.wordpress.com/tag/felting-wool/

Merry Mart

2011-12-03T19:00:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow I head off to my SECOND-ever regional craft show. This time, I'm heading north! To Baltimore, to be precise. Charm City! If you're in the area, please stop by my MonkeyDogStudio table and say hi! I'll try to put some pics on Tumblr while I'm there.

Merry Mart is a unique craft show featuring a diverse mix of art and craft from Baltimore and beyond. As always, it will be held at the Creative Alliance at the Patterson on December 4th, 2011, from 11am-5pm. Click here for a map.

What to do Dec 2-4

2011-11-29T15:14:00.001-05:00

If you're going to be in Richmond this coming weekend, there are TONS of things for you to do.

At the Library of Virginia:

Exhibition Preview for American Letterpress: The Art of Hatch Show Print

Friday, December 2, 2011

Time: 5:30 PM–9:00 PM

Place: Exhibition Hall and Lobby, Free

At Gallery 5:

First Friday December 2nd

6PM-10PM
Free to public.
Featuring live musical and dance performances, visual art exhibitions and select Virginia micro-brews and wine. This opening night is held in conjunction with Richmond’s First Friday’s Art Walk.

Saturday, December 3rd 10AM-3PM
Free to public
This daytime event will feature food, drinks (Saturday morning Mimosas and Holiday goodies), and a series of craft-focused workshops.

Also featuring on both days:

*A snow-globe workshop!!! Come and make your own snow-globe for that special someone at the craft station. Only $3 for cost of materials to participate.

*A wrapping paper and ribbon station will be available for free to audience members to package up their special holidays gifts.

aRtVA show at the Bankuet Place:

Sunday, Dec 4 from 12-5pm

A pre-holiday shopping extravaganza featuring seventeen local artists

and craftspeople in a bazaar style atmosphere!

Refreshment vendors including Pizza Tonight, Atomic Bakery and

Grayhaven Winery will be there as well DJ's from our music sponsor

WRIR 97.3 FM Richmond Independent Radio. Free admission!

Bizarre Market Holiday at Chop Suey

2011-11-29T15:07:00.001-05:00

So many exciting things going one in the Richmond craft world!

The Bizarre Market Holiday show is up at Chop Suey Tuey in Carytown. Bird and her crew always do a phenomenal job putting together a shop full of sparkly, cozy goodness. The shop will be open until Dec 24, but don't waste time stocking up on the things you like, because supplies are often limited!

Exhibition Preview for American Letterpress: The Art of Hatch Show Print

2011-11-18T14:42:00.001-05:00

Exhibition Preview for American Letterpress: The Art of Hatch Show Print

Friday, December 02, 2011
Time: 5:30 PM–9:00 PM
Place: Exhibition Hall and Lobby, Free

An exhibition preview will include a talk by exhibition curator Jim Sherraden, tours of the exhibition, music, a silent art auction, a wine tasting, and much more.

It's the most wonderful time of the year. . .

2011-11-13T22:16:00.000-05:00

Ah yes, the holidays are upon us again, and that means CRAFT SHOW EXTRAVAGANZAS!!!

I've already done my first show of the season, and my very first REGIONAL CRAFT SHOW to boot! Handmade Market in Raleigh was yesterday at the beautiful Cobblestone Hall in Downtown Raleigh, NC. It took about 3.5 hours to get there, but thankfully my friend Dawn of Pop Culture Rehab was able to carpool with me.

I had a great time there, met some great people, saw loads of great handmade goodies, and hope to attend more shows in Raleigh in the future. I sold out of so much stuff that it's going to be tight to get supplies in time for my next shows, but I'll do what I can. Here's where you can find me between now and the end of the year:

Bizarre Market Holiday (RVA)
Time Friday, November 25 at 10:00am - December 24 at 4:00pm
Location Chop Suey Books, 2913 W. Cary St., Richmond, Virginia

Black Friday Show (RVA)
Time Friday, November 25 from 12:00pm - 10:00pm
Location Art Works, 20 Hull St, Richmond, VA 23224

Merry Mart (B'more)
Time Sunday, December 4th, 2011, from 11am-5pm
Location Creative Alliance at The Patterson, 3134 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224

Treasury: Red brown black and gritty

2011-08-23T18:40:00.001-04:00

Thanks to sincerelyabi.etsy.com, I found out that I can get widgets of my treasuries through Craft Cult. I had no idea! And this looks a lot sleeker than a screen capture. Here's the treasury I made today. Items with a bit of an urban industrial feel with lots of reds, browns, and blacks.

Treasury treasures

2011-08-22T22:51:00.000-04:00

I've been making a lot of Etsy treasuries the past 2 days. I'll take screen shots and post them here so they are saved for posterity. Each image is linked to the actual treasury, so you can click to see the actual shops and images.

Me & rain & the 4th annual Jonny Z fest

2011-08-17T16:47:00.000-04:00

The Jonny Z fest was last Saturday, and I was very excited to participate in this celebration of Jonny Z, who was one of the early organizers of the Bizarre Market here in Richmond. Back in the early days of Bizarre Market, vendors just brought tables to setup. No tents. So it was in that spirit that I loaded my table and books and a market umbrella to shade me from the sun.

I know what you're probably thinking. "I don't remember seeing MonkeyDogStudio at the Jonny Z fest!" And it's quite possible you didn't. You see, within the first 2 hours of the show, it started to rain 3 times. The first few times were just teases. A quick sprinking of water that gave you just enough time to cover everything up before it would stop raining again. I played along at first, throwing my empty totes over my books and notebooks to keep things from getting wet.

But by the 3rd rain things were getting serious: a sustained drizzle that lasted about 20 minutes. I clustered everything I could under my little market umbrella, thinking the rain would let up at any second like it had before. But the water kept coming. I threw containers over everything again and propped my compact umbrella on the table while I tried to huddle under the market umbrella. But it was futile. 10 minutes in and my chair and the exposed areas of the tablecloth were soaked. Now you know that paper products and rain are not exactly the best of friends. I didn't want to risk setting my book displays out on the wet table, so at only halfway through the show I felt compelled to pack up and head home.

I want to extend a sincere THANK YOU to everyone who came out to the show, and if you missed me there, I'd like to make it up to you by offering 20% off anything in my etsy shop between now & midnight Saturday night (Aug 20) if you enter the coupon code "JONNYZ" when you checkout.

Textile Recycling

2011-08-08T13:07:00.000-04:00

One of the pitfalls of being a crafty person is the tendency to hold on to things that "I'm sure I can turn into SOMETHING" or that "I don't want to just throw them away!" That inclination to hold on to bits and pieces of things, coupled with the frequenting of thrift stores to find needed materials, can lead to a very ... um ... crowded studio workspace.

I recognized that I had a lot of "stuff" that I should go through, but I never quite seemed to have the time to do it. So this past week I've taken a break from my regular crafting in order to Sort Through My Studio. And I have to say, I had no idea just how much relatively useless stuff I had accumulated.

About me. ..

1) I tend to hold onto fabrics that still have some life in them so that I can cut them down for kitchen rags and dust cloths.

2) I wear the life out of clothes! I mean, I generally don't donate clothing to thrift stores because if it was still wearable, I'd probably be wearing it.

The combination of these 2 things lead me to hold onto a lot of those worn out clothes because I figured I could cut them down for the usable fabric so that I could then DO SOMETHING with it.

The problem is, I never seemed to get around to cutting things down. And I didn't realize just how much I had shoved into bags and boxes to use later. I decided to get some banker boxes so that I could sort out what I had. Once I got started, I ended up with way more kitchen rags than I could ever need. And in the process I found a lot of fabric that I really couldn't use. Too worn out. Too small.

But I didn't want to just throw those things away. So after a few moments of project paralyzation, I started looking online.

Fortunately, I learned that Goodwill sells their unusable clothing to textile recyclers. I called my regional Goodwill office just to double check, and they assured me that I could bag up my unusable fabrics, label them as scrap fabric, and drop them off at Goodwill. They even gave me the address of the retail store that's closest to my house! This video gives a little insight into how it works:
http://videos.howstuffworks.com/planet-green/27662-g-word-goodwill-clothes-recycling-video.htm

Eco Packaging: Ecologic + Seventh Generation

2011-08-04T19:15:00.002-04:00

Ecologic brands and Seventh Generation have teamed up to revolutionize the way laundry detergent is packaged.

This molded-pulp outer shell is made from 70% recycled cardboard and 30% old newspapers and can be recycled up to seven times!

you: Wait, what? How does a paper container hold the liquid detergent?

me: The paper container is lined with a polyethylene pouch to hold the liquids.

you: So how am I supposed to recycle that?

me: It's easier than you'd think. Just pop open the paper outer shell by pressing on the side seams with your thumbs. Remove the liner and the cap and set them aside. You can put the pulpy outer shell in with your paper recycling, or even compost it if you're ambitious. Then rinse out the pouch liner and recycle it with plastic bags (like at the grocery store). The lid, which is polypropylene, is recyclable through Preserve's Gimme 5 recycling program. You can find a bin for that at Whole Foods stores.

Plus, one truckload of the packaging materials is equal to NINE truckloads of rigid plastic containers, so you're helping to save transportation costs as well!

you: Cool! Hooray for eco-friendlier packaging!!!

Eco Easy

2011-06-17T16:48:00.000-04:00

If you know me, you know that I make books and notebooks. But if you REALLY know me, you know that I can also be a bit disorganized. So it wasn't entirely surprising when I rushed out of the house this morning, on the way to an important meeting, only to realize halfway there that I had nothing for note-taking. I usually use this bag to tote my computer, but I wasn't going to need that today. I had grabbed this bag simply because it looked more business-like. I scoured my bag at a stoplight: not a single piece of scrap paper or a pen in it. But luckily I was going to be passing a Staples office supply store on the way to my meeting.

I had to move fast because I didn't want to be late. But I didn't want to forsake eco-friendliness just because I was on a tight schedule. There are a lot of conventional products at Staples. Luckily, I was able to find some eco-friendly options pretty quickly.

Staples has their own line of Sustainable Earth notebooks. I grabbed a one-subject notebook for only $1.50 that had 100 sheets of paper made from 80% sugarcane plant fiber waste. Using this waste to create paper means that fewer trees are cut down. And the quality seems pretty much the same as how I remember notebooks from when I was in school.

When it comes to pens, I like to find ones that are refillable so that I can just buy ink instead of throwing out the whole pen. Luckily, I spotted these B2P pens made by Pilot. Not only are the pens refillable, but they are the world's first pen made from recycled bottles! They are made from 89% recycled content and can be refilled with any G2 refill. And from my experience so far, they write just fine. An easy eco option when you're in a hurry. Thank you Staples!

Eco Inspiration: Betty Jo Designs

2011-05-09T17:52:00.003-04:00

Rubbish Rainbows, originally uploaded by Betty Jo Designs.

I found this via Craftzine, who found it via Unconsumption, who seems to have found it via Junk-culture.com. The artist is Liz Jones, whose business and flickr name is Betty Jo Designs. In addition to creating funky upcycled jewelry and time pieces, she also collects plastic that washes up on the beaches and rivers in Melbourne and arranges them into beautiful rainbow collages. As much as I love the images, I hate that so much plastic is ending up in the waterways. I hope her work will remind me to set aside any plastic caps to take to the newly available recycling bin at Ellwood Thompsons, and to otherwise avoid buying plastic as much as I can. Hooray for recycle artists. Boo for plastic in waterways.

Recycling: Where and What? UPDATE

2011-04-25T00:41:00.002-04:00

I've got an update on recycling options in Richmond! I was VERY excited to see a recycling bin for plastic bottle caps when I went in to Ellwood Thompson's the other day! One less thing to go in the trash! Huzzah!

And if you're looking to set up recycling at your retail store or office (or even for local events), check out Richmond's Wrecycleit! They don't just stop at accepting paper, aluminum, e-waste and ink and toner cartidges. They also accept the following plastics:
#1 Plastic (PETE)
#2 Plastic (HDPE Clear)
#2 Plastic (HDPE Colored)
#3 Plastic
#4 Plastic (LDPE)
#5 Plastic (Polypropylene)

Hooray!

Road Trip!: The Handmade Market

2011-04-22T13:02:00.004-04:00

My friend Nicole of Nicole Lee Designs is vending at The Handmade Market in Raleigh, and has asked me to come along to help run her table. I'm so excited! I haven't been to the Handmade Market before, but it looks like a great show, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Here are some of the vendors I'll get to peruse:

Celebrate Earth Day a few days early!

2011-04-13T11:47:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite things about being in the Richmond Craft Mafia, is being able to connect with other artists who share my love of being eco-friendly. Especially during our craft shows, when I get to see their awesome works up close! From upcycled and recycled materials to organic ingredients, the following Spring Bada-Bing vendors have more than enough earth-friendly goodies to help you celebrate Earth Day a few days early.

ADKnits: natural fibers

April Scott: vintage and recycled fabrics

Clever Cat Bags: recycled from coffee bags

Fisticuffs Leather: 100% recycled leather

Found Studio: vintage papers and fabrics

Hammerbaby: vegetable-tanned leather and eco-friendly dyes

Richmond Craft Mafia member Jackson Sage: natural oils and organic ingredients

Papercuts: variety of repurposed and vintage materials

Richmond Craft Mafia alum Pop Culture Rehab: variety of repurposed and upcycled goods

See Katie Sew: reused, re-purposed, thrifted and vintage whenever possible

Volta Organics: organic and all-natural, eco-friendly ingredients

6th Annual Spring Bada-Bing!

2011-03-01T23:42:00.001-05:00

The deadline is fast approaching!
The Richmond Craft Mafia presents the Sixth Annual Spring Bada-Bing Craft Show on Sunday April 17, 2011 from 11am - 5pm at Plant Zero in Richmond, Virginia.

Applications are being accepted until March 6, 2011.
Apply online here:

http://events.richmondcraftmafia.com/events/spring-bada-bing-2011

Recycling: Where and What?

2011-02-16T18:09:00.001-05:00

(Photo by barnetcouncil)
Yesterday's post about UniquEco, along with my own de-cluttering of my house, has me thinking a lot about recycling. I live in Richmond, VA, so my recycling options are mostly determined by the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority. Once every 2 weeks, I can set out my bin filled with paper, cans, #1 & #2 plastics (as long as they are narrow-necked, and no caps please) and cardboard, and the big CVWMA truck comes and whisks it all away. If I want to recycle anything else, I have to take matters into my own hands. Both Ellwood Thompson's and Whole Foods (out in Short Pump) collect #5 plastics; I just have to remember to bring them with me when I leave the house.

(Photo by Ruairí)
But what about everything else? TerraCycle has a brigades program to collect those assorted things that usually can't be recycled (drink pouches, candy wrappers, Ziploc bags), but only schools can start brigades, and there's no obvious way to find out if local schools are participating unless you happen to have a child in said school.

(Photo by Christopher Thompson)
RecycleBank uses a rewards program to encourage folks to recycle, but unfortunately, my city doesn't participate in their home recycling program. I can still get rewards if I buy the right products though. For example, when I was eating a lot of Kashi's Autumn Wheat cereal, I could enter the RecycleBank code if those particular boxes were eligible. Unfortunately, I was only able to find eligible boxes for a few months, and only at one store.

(Photo by Tina M. Steele)
So now I'm right back to where I started. Cans, paper, cardboard, plastics #1 & 2, and plastic #5 (if I remember to take it out). I'm hoping that, with a little planning, I can recycle more and pitch less. Today, someone I follow on Twitter posted a link to this article about Real Simple's A-Z guide to recycling. It's got a TON of information on unusual recyclable that can be taken to different places, and it looks pretty useful. I fear that I may end up with a house full of sorting bins, but I guess it's better than a house full of recyclables, right?

Eco Inspiration: UniquEco

2011-02-15T11:31:00.000-05:00

Have you ever juggled a flip flop?

Well, now you can! Julie Church, a marine biologist in Kenya, saw that discarded flip-flops were washing ashore and disrupting the nesting areas of sea turtles. But she also saw how local women were cutting up flip flops and using them to make cushions. So she created UniquEco as a way to clean up the beaches, recycle old flip flops and improve the local economy.

Not only do they create juggling balls, but also jewelry, office goods, board games, and art. And they've expanded to reusing tires and other plastics as well.

You can watch a video about UniqEco at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLd16h6YmFY

And you can shop their goods at http://www.uniqueco-designs.com/content/products/shop.html.

(Thanks to ReUseConnection for making me aware of this company!)

4th Annual Crafters Anonymous Craft Swap!!!

2011-01-15T23:50:00.004-05:00

If you're like me, you've got shelves that overflow with craft supplies that you secretly know (but don't want to admit) that you'll never get around to using. "I know I can make something out of it," you tell yourself. You look at that tool you used once 3 years ago and think, "I'm sure I'll use it again for something." You use your craft store coupons to buy things just because they are on sale. You hold onto patterns that are sizes you can't fit into anymore. And the knowledge that you'll never be able to get through all those things and all those ideas WEIGHS...YOU...DOWN.

Let it GO! Toss those extra supplies in a paper bag, bring them on down to the 4th annual Crafters Anonymous Craft Swap, and bring $1 to donate to Art180! And if you NEED supplies, but don't have any to swap, you don't need to feel left out. Just bring a $6 donation to Art 180, and you can still pick up a bag of supplies.

Meet us at ARTWORKS at 320 Hull St on

Sunday, Jan 30 from 2-5pm.

(And, again, if you're like me, don't feel bad about any supplies that are leftover at the end. We invite other non-profit organizations to come in and collect whatever they can use, so very little goes to waste.)

More info can be found at http://www.rvacraftswap.com/

TasteTest.etsy.com

2011-01-02T19:22:00.001-05:00

Hi folks!

I've been laid up with a weird head/neck pain thingy going on. But I didn't want to leave you with nothing to look at for the next few weeks. So I wanted to share tastetest.etsy.com with you. You may have already seen it. If not, it's a great way to find out about products on etsy that you might not have seen before, and lets you narrow down you choices so it can focus on finding things it thinks you'll like. I've found loads of new favorites this way! Give it a try!

Wrap it Up!

2010-12-15T12:00:00.002-05:00

Alright! You've made your list. You've checked it twice. And now your shopping is done!

Now it's time to wrap those presents before the big day! But wrapping paper can be pretty environmentally unfriendly. According to Earth911, it can often be difficult to find a location to recycle your wrapping paper because the materials are typically non-recyclable. Wrapping paper is often dyed and laminated. It can also contain non-paper additives, such as gold and silver coloring, glitter and plastics. It can be very thin and contain few good quality fibers for recycling. And it usually has tape on it from the gift wrapping. Here are a few ways you can help minimize your impact on the environment during the holidays.

t-shirt bag by fashiongreentbags.etsy.com

REDUCE
1) Use a cloth bag as a gift bag. I'm a big fan of t-shirt bags. They're pretty easy to make from old t-shirts if you have a sewing machine. Here's a tutorial from Instructables. You can even use fabric markers to decorate the shirt if you want. The nice thing about the t-shirt bag is that you're using something you already have, or can find at a thrift store. No need to purchase a newly manufactured item. If you like the idea, but have ZERO sewing skills, you can always search for t-shirt bags on etsy.com.

2) No time to make a bag? Grab an oversized scarf or other fabric and try your hand at using furoshiki: traditional fabric wrapping done in Japan.

3) Use papers that can be recycled when you wrap a gift: kraft paper, butcher paper, newspaper (I've read that you can seal the ink on newspaper by ironing it with wax paper, but personally I'd think freezer paper, ironed with the wax side down on the newspaper, would work a little easier. Anyone have experience with this trick?)

4) Skip the tape and use a nice piece of ribbon to tie the package shut.

5) Decorate your packages with pine cones or pine needles (or even candy canes) instead of a bow.

REUSE
You can't control the way other people wrap gifts intended for you. So do what you can to reuse things.

6) Reuse gift bags. (Keep the gift tag on until you reuse it so you can avoid giving that back back to the person who gave it to you.)

7) Reuse wrapping paper. (If you can salvage a big piece, do it. Press used wrapping paper flat with an iron on low heat to get wrinkles out. Or shred leftover wrapping paper for package filler for another gift. Or wrap a long strip of the paper around a nice gift box.)

8) Turn THIS year's Christmas cards into NEXT year's gift tags. (Just make sure the back is blank, and cut out the areas you like)

9) Use a reusable gift tag! Laminated gift tags can be written on with white board markers and then wiped clean with a damp cloth. Or search etsy.com for reusable gift tags such as those made from chalk cloth.

CLOSING THE CIRCLE
10) If you simply MUST go the route of traditional paper-wrapped gifts, please look for wrapping paper that is recycled AND recyclable. You can find some great options at Pristine Planet and Earth Presents.

BONUS REUSE ROUND!
11) Turn this year's Christmas cards into next year's ORNAMENTS! (I know. I just blew your mind a little, didn't I? My grandmother used to stitch yarn around the edges of pretty cards to then hang them as ornaments, but if you want to go SUPERFANCY, check out this tutorial on the Scoutie Girl blog. AWESOME!)

A Pleasant Surprise!

2010-12-13T14:07:00.001-05:00

What a lovely way to finish off my Craft Crunch! Today, many of the wonderful vendors from the Handmade Holiday show (including me!) were featured in a treasury put together by DawnCorrespondence. And much to my delight, the treasury made the front page of Etsy.com!

Front pages don't last for long on Etsy, but luckily, CraftCult also takes screenshots of the front page, so you can go here to see the whole list, including the alternates.

The Holiday CRUNCH: Handmade Holiday!

2010-12-06T22:59:00.002-05:00

#6
And now, I bring you my final craft show of this year:
The Richmond Craft Mafia's
Handmade Holiday
at Plant Zero,
Sunday, Dec 12, 11am-5pm

Thanks to a new location, this year's show is going to be bigger than ever. The coolest crafters, and artists are going to be at Plant Zero in Richmond's Manchester District this Sunday, December 12th from 11am-5pm. From clothing to plush toys, home decor to accessories and jewelry, we have you covered for all your holiday gift shopping.

For more information visit: http://www.richmondhandmadeholiday.com
To get directions to Plant Zero for the event, click the link below:
Plant Zero directions (via google maps)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What's that? You can't make it to Handmade Holiday?
You're afraid you've missed out on the chance to get any MonkeyDogStudio items in time for Christmas?
Never fear! Check out my shop link to find out where you can buy MonkeyDogStudio products in the Richmond, VA area and online.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Holiday Crunch: RVyAy at Gallery 5!

2010-12-03T07:41:00.006-05:00

#5
RVyAy at Gallery 5,
Friday, Dec 3, 7-11pm

Cherry Bomb Presents RVyAy! Winter 2010 to benefit ART 180, a Richmond non-profit that provides free after-school art programs to children.

This RVyAy! coincides with First Friday and will feature an art show with works based on music by Richmond artists. The pieces are for sale on a sliding scale between $20 - $50 and all the proceeds go to benefit ART 180.

Amazing vendors will also be set up at this event to sell their wares including:
Monkey Dog Studio (that's me!), Adornments by Estelle, Imp Possible Creations, Gee Wiz Jewelry, Sprout Head, Historically Inspired Designs, House of Lukaya, Itty Bitty Press, Flux Rad, Dawn Thiselton, Ultra Violet Vintage, Dawn Correspondence, Dollop Baked Goods

Come on out, say hi, and listen to great tunes spun by AWESOME DJs.
Gallery 5 is at 200 W. Marshall St., in Richmond, VA.

The Holiday CRUNCH: ArtWorks and Chop Suey

2010-11-27T08:45:00.003-05:00

The Day After Thanksgiving
Art Affair at Art Works, Friday, Nov 26, 10am-10pm

I've been a bad MonkeyDog. This past week was SUCH a crunch, that I didn't even have a chance to post before one of this week's big shows: the Day After Thanksgiving Art Affair at Art Works!

Yep. I totally lost track of my supplies (big no-no for a crafter), realized I was running low, and had to order a bunch last weekend. I spent Monday preparing EVERYTHING that I had on hand. Tuesday my paper order arrived as I was buying what supplies I could locally (just in case the stuff I ordered didn't arrive in time) and finishing up the work I started on Monday. Wednesday my notebooks and bookbinding tape arrived, so I spent the day PRINTING everything that I could and taping up every book cover I had. Thursday I made Thanksgiving lunch/dinner while simultaneously heat-setting screenprinted fabric, printing signs, labeling products, cutting paper, loading my car, and trying not to totally FREAK OUT!

Then I fell asleep.

Luckily I woke up in time for yesterday's show, as I accidentally set my alarm for SATURDAY morning instead of FRIDAY morning. D'oh!

I got to the show at Art Works, which was a 12-hour extravaganza, and spent most of the show putting gift sets together and binding books while sending out the occasional promotional tweet. I literally finished binding my last book about 15 minutes before the show ended. *whew*

So a big THANK YOU to everyone who came out to the Black Friday show at Art Works! And if you didn't make it out to yesterday's show, you can STILL find some of my Dangerous Animal notebooks sets at the Art Works Gift Shop!

Bizarre Market Holiday
at Chop Suey Books,
Friday, November 26 - Dec 24

Ok, technically I didn't post before EITHER of this week's big shows, but since show #4 runs for almost a full month, you still have plenty of time to shop! Swing by Chop Suey Books in Carytown to get a glimpse of the fabulousness that is Bizarre Market Holiday! The gallery upstairs is packed to the gills with crafty goods from 63 vendors, so space is tight, but it's TOTALLY WORTH A TRIP! Just avoid bulky coats, don't make any sudden turns, and be patient. It's like a tiny, magical wonderland up there!

The Holiday CRUNCH: Crossroads & Quirk

2010-11-17T10:17:00.001-05:00

This week starts the big holiday CRUNCH. I'm not talking about prepping for Thanksgiving. I'm talking about Craft Shows! I'm doing 6 holiday shows this season. Not as many as some folks, but a lot for me! Let's break it down:

#1 -
Crossroads Art Center Opening Night: Friday, Nov 19, 6-9pm

Do you LOVE buying gifts at indie craft shows, but HATE having to wait until December to get your holiday shopping done? Never fear! Swing by the Richmond Craft Mafia shop at Crossroads Art Center on Friday November 19th from 6-9pm. Find something for everyone in your family: jewelry, bath and body goods, plush toys, jewelry, housewares, men’s and women’s accessories, paper goods, art for your walls, and bonus holiday items. One-stop shopping for handmade!

Also, at this Friday's opening night, Slash Coleman will be announcing the winner of the Art vs Craft Handmade Throwdown exhibit that featured the Richmond Craft Mafia and Real Small Art League.

#2 -
Bizarre Market at Quirk:
Saturday, Nov 20, 11am-4pm

Join members of the Richmond Craft Mafia, the Richmond Etsy Street Team, and other local artists for the November Bizarre Market on Saturday November 20 from 11am to 4pm. Peruse Richmond's most crafty artists' handmade goods. It's the perfect time to get a jump start on your Holiday shopping list.

Trying to make a difference

2010-11-06T19:38:00.004-04:00

You may have seen the commercials already.

That's right folks. Sharing a hand towel with your family members is DISGUSTING! You'd better add a public-restroom-style paper towel dispenser to your bathroom instead!

Just dry your hands and throw it away! Yeah, that's a GREAT option! More crap for the landfills!

Or maybe . . . you could just hang one hand towel for each member of your family. According to the US Census Bureau, the average American household has 3.2 members. So, if picking up icky germs from your family members is really a concern for you, I propose you hang 4 hand towels in your bathroom. You can hang them from those little 3M hooks that are easy to remove if you don't want to add permanent hooks or screws. And if you want some fancy towels to spice up your space, you can check out some of these hand towels available on Etsy:

Dishtowel- Blue with Red Bir... CurryKayDesign... $21.00	hanabi tea towel (hand print... mizudesigns $25.00
Squid Linens - bright red te... SquidInkKollec... $30.00	FRONT PAGE ITEM - Handmade -... theprimitiveho... $28.50
Monster hand towels, Artist ... kathysteig $29.99	pinball machine video game g... girlscantell $12.00
hand woven towel ThistleHillFar... $24.50	Vintage schwinn bicycle flou... SweetBohemianL... $8.00
CONTEMPORARY KITCHEN TOWELS ... poshhouseorigi... $11.00	My Mustached Friends- Bear o... CyanideStitche... $10.00
Fig Leaf Linen Tea Towel giardino $22.00	Screen Printed Organic Cotto... ohlittlerabbit $8.00
Friendly Reminder Towels -Wa... CyanideStitche... $10.00	Dish Cloths and Dish Towel S... SewingBea $12.00
Kokeshi Tea Towel - Blue PerisandCorr $14.00	Hand screen printed Sheeps T... LittleMissQuar... $20.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Eco Inspiration

2010-10-28T20:00:00.049-04:00

Check out this post about Electrolux's Vacs from the Sea: prototype vacuum cleaners made from plastic harvested from the ocean. Due to the difficulty in cleaning and sorting ocean plastic, these aren't being mass produced. But Electrolux plans on auctioning off one of the vacs and using the revenue to continue researching this initiative.

Photo from Electrolux website. From left to right: North Sea Edition, Indian Ocean Edition, Mediterranean Sea Edition, Pacific Ocean Edition & Baltic Sea Edition.

Photo from http://www.core77.com/

Bathroom Reveal!

2010-10-27T19:05:00.002-04:00

The counter is in. The sink is attached. The water runs.

The bathroom is finally finished!

I know, it probably looks like a regular old bathroom to most folks, but it's a DREAM to me, and it's a million times better than how it used to look and function.

I've written all the bathroom details in the individual picture descriptions on Flickr. Feel free to take a look! (Actually, PLEASE take a look, because I really don't feel like retyping all the details).

Big BIG credit goes to Betsy at Ecologic, Matt of The Living Wood Workshop, Shawn Alexander (who saved the day as a last minute replacement!), and Stan and Noelle of Concrete Ideas for all their excellent workmanship!

in between days

2010-10-27T11:08:00.001-04:00

Now that you've seen where the bathroom STARTED, let's take a look at how it looked DURING the actual renovation.

And now, as an homage to my blog title, here's the Cure performing "In Between Days".

it's almost over

2010-10-27T00:15:00.002-04:00

THE END IS NEAR!!!

That may seem a little bit melodramatic, but I'm really REALLY excited because my bathroom is almost finished!

Let me give you some background. I live in a house that's 110 years old. It's a 2-story house with 1 heat source: a 3'x3' grate in the hallway floor downstairs. When winter kicks in, we roll space heaters into each of the rooms we're using. The downstairs bathroom had the mild advantage of being very close to that grate in the floor. The upstairs bathroom was an entirely different story. . .

Not only was it cold in the winter, it was U-G-L-Y! And really only partially functional anyway, as the clawfoot tub was in miserable condition: peeling, rusting, and sitting on a partially rotted floor.

I actually started the project WAY BACK when we moved in 3 years ago. The inside of our house was covered with wallpaper. Lots and lots of wallpaper. For the most part, we were able to paint over the wallpaper. (I know, I know, that's supposed to be a big faux pas, but in an old house it's sometimes necessary.) But in this bathroom, there was a big section of wallpaper that hung so loosely from the wall that I really HAD to take it down. And peeling that loose layer was like opening Pandora's box!

The original horsehair plaster was cracked horribly and had unfortunate patching attempts over sections of wallpaper. A new floor needed to be laid over the old floor, and sections of subfloor had to be replaced due to rot. A baseboard heater was installed in place of the non-functioning radiator. (Literally, it ran to nowhere. The pipes went through the wall and had been cut off and filled with cement.) It was an ugly, messy, expensive process, and it took up a lot of my time (and more of my brain space) over the last several months. But it's ALMOST finished. The countertop arrives in less than 12 hours. The sink will be in by the end of the work day. And by the evening I will be showering in a smooth-walled bathroom with a working bathtub, a vanity that's not half-rotten, a floor that won't spew asbestos dust, and a baseboard heater that will be keeping me toasty and warm.

Next Events: Ecologic's Pre-Season Shopping Event (10/8) and Bizarre Market Oktober (10/9)

2010-10-05T15:41:00.003-04:00

This weekend is going to be another busy one for MonkeyDogStudio!

This Friday night, starting at 5:30, Ecologic is offering you an opportunity for first dibs on all the new stock of original work created be Ecologic's amazing team of local crafters, including MonkeyDogStudio (that's me), Jackson Sage, Keen Designs, Pop Culture Rehab, Sew Ono and many more. There will also be yummies and libations, so stop by the Pre-Season Shopping Event and check it out! 1606 W. Main St in Richmond,VA. And don't forget to RSVP on Facebook!

Then on Saturday, swing by Lamplighter Roasting Company at 116 S. Addison St for Bizarre Market Oktober from noon to 5pm! Pick up some locally roasted coffee inside, then check out the awesome crafts outside from Bizarre Market vendors. I still have a few monster lanterns left to sell, and Halcyon Vintage will be there with items to meet your Halloween needs. As an extra bonus, Lamplighter is going to roast some corn on the cob!!! (I *looooove* roasted corn on the cob, so I'm doubly excited.)

Hope to see you there!

Next Events: Have A Heart Bazaar (Oct 2) AND Harvest on the Hill (Oct 3)

2010-09-24T21:48:00.011-04:00

Double the MonkeyDog! Double the fun!

That's right! Two Craft Events in ONE weekend!

Costen Floors will be hosting another crafty yard sale on Saturday October 2, 2010 to benefit the American Heart Association. I'll be there with dangerous animals, extra supplies, and some limited edition items you won't find in my Etsy shop.

View Larger Map
Then on Sunday, grab your pets and come on down to the Harvest on the Hill at Grace Arents Community Garden in Church Hill. (You know, it's right where the Byrd House Market happens.) I'll be there with PopCultureRehab to show off our awesome array of eco-friendly goods. There will be a blessing of the animals for St. Francis Day. And Books on Wheels will be there, too! WhooHoo!

View Larger Map

Next Event: Crossroads Art Center Opening AND Bizarre Market

2010-09-14T13:43:00.001-04:00

Do you love to purchase from Richmond Craft Mafia members, but just don't want to wait for Handmade Holiday or Spring Bada-Bing? Well then you're in luck!

The Richmond Craft Mafia now has a retail space at Crossroads Art Center on Staples Mill Road in Richmond. Just stop by, pick out the items you like, and then bring them to the front counter to checkout! The grand opening is this Friday, September 17 from 6-9pm during Crossroads' Indoor Art Walk and Open House.

Then, on Saturday, come on out to the Visual Arts Center of Richmond and check out the Bizarre Market! It's been a while since Bizarre Market happened on a regular schedule, but with the help of some crafty friends, it will be back with a vengeance this September. Bizarre Market kicks off the fall season across the street from VisArts on Saturday, September 18 from 10am-4pm.

But THAT'S NOT ALL! We've got Bizarre Markets planned in October and November in addition to the juried Holiday Bizarre Market. Stay tuned for more details! And join the Bizarre Market page on Facebook.

Next Event: Have A Heart Bazaar, July 31

2010-07-30T15:18:00.001-04:00

The Have A Heart Bazaar is the third annual sale benefitting the American Heart Association, to be held in the Costen Floors parking lot. There will be over 30 craft, yard sale, snacks and direct sales vendors, including me (MonkeyDogStudio) and my good friend Dawn of Pop Culture Rehab among many others.

I've been going through my stash of extra supplies & gathered up quite a few things I purchased while in an overly ambitious mindset: tile nippers, resin, stamps, extra pottery tools, shrinky dink paper. You can see some of the supplies here: http://www.bixbe.com/users/4892/products

And I just went through my pottery totes and pulled out over 3 boxes of prototypes, discontinued items, and ones-of-a-kind including the last of my Monster Lanterns! I may have some regular yard-sale type stuff as well. I've already found some tiny dishes I bought because I really loved them but ended up squirreling them away somewhere. I just don't have enough space for all this stuff, so if you're looking for some art supplies or home decor items, please stop by!

Have a Heart Bazaar
Saturday July 31, 2010*
8:00 am - 1:00 pm

Costen Floors (Parking lot)
9840 Mayland Drive
Henrico, VA 23233
(Between Gaskins and Pemberton)

*Rain date Saturday August 7, 2010 8:00 am - 1:00 pm

Fooooooooood. . .

2010-07-18T21:42:00.001-04:00

A little over a week ago I had my wisdom teeth removed. ALL of them. This was a fairly painful procedure, and seems to have been a bit complicated in my case. I've been drinking most of my meals for the last 9 days. Occasionally I've been able to pulverize solids to the point that they are manageable, but otherwise it's been all liquids and mushiness.

Here are a few things I found online that I'm looking forward to chewing at some point (hopefully) soon:

The mozzacado sandwich.

Dill and Cheddar Beer Bread. I need to eat this.

These IKEA-esque cinnamon rolls look yummy, but I'd rather just go to IKEA and eat some there.

And speaking of going places to eat. . . I'm desperate to get some of the delicious fries and basil vayo dip from Strange Matter. Along with a vegetarian Monte Cristo. Mmmm.....french toasty, jackfruity, fake meaty goodness!

Crafty tutorial!

2010-07-12T11:54:00.002-04:00

This Friday, the Richmond Craft Mafia presents Handmade Throwdown: Art vs Craft, a gallery exhibit and sale at the Crossroads Art Center, 2016 Staples Mill Road. Since a portion of our proceeds goes to benefit the Richmond SPCA, I thought this would be a great time to show off a pet-related craft that can be done with the whole family: shrink plastic pet tags!

This is what you'll need:

Shrink plastic
Sharpies or other alcohol-based pens for drawing
Scissors or a punch
Standard hole puncher
Toaster oven (or conventional oven)
Aluminum foil
Something heavy and flat
Spray sealant or clear nail polish
Split ring

There are a many types of shrink plastic available, so you'll have to make sure you follow the instructions when creating your design. Some types of shrink plastic can be run through your inkjet printer, while others can only be decorated with alcohol-based inks and markers.

Whatever kind of shrink paper you decide to use, you need to keep a few things in mind. First: when you create your design on the plastic, you need to make it a little more than DOUBLE the size of what you want your image to be (shrinking varies by paper, so check you packaging instructions for shrink rates).

The SECOND thing to keep in mind is that the image will darken when it shrinks, so if you’re printing out your design, you’ll want to print your image at about 50% transparency.

For the dog tag design, you can be practical: make a tag with your pet’s name & your contact information – cellphone number, city and state if not your street address. You can also include important info like if your pet needs daily medicine.

Another option for these tags is to just be totally fun: make some seasonal tags – like a heart for Valentine’s Day, and some with cute sayings that show off your pet’s personality. You can draw freehand or if you want something fancier, you can find some templates online.

After you've created your design, cut it out. You can use scissors, but I like to use a jumbo hole punch that’s 2.5”. Then you’ll need to punch a hole to put your split ring through. I use a standard hole punch for this, but I’ll punch about 3 holes next to each other to make more of a tablet shape for the ring to go through. Make sure you don’t put the hole too close to the edge of the plastic because you don’t want it to break off the split ring when it’s finished.

Ok, now that you’ve made your design, and your tag cut out, this is where the adults step in. The next step is to shrink the tag in the toaster oven (or conventional oven, though it will take longer to heat up). Preheat your toaster oven according to the instructions on the packaging. (The printable plastic bakes at 275-300°F for 3-5 minutes, while the writable kind bakes at 325°F for 1-3 minutes.)

Most instructions recommend putting your tag on a piece of brown paper bag inside the toaster oven, but I find that the shrink plastic sometimes sticks to the paper, so I use a piece of aluminum foil instead. Put the aluminum foil on the broiler tray, and fold a corner of the foil up to help with removing it from the toaster oven.

Shrinking times and temperatures will vary depending on the size of the tag you're making, and the kind of shrink paper you’re using, so you'll need to follow the instructions and keep an eye on it in the oven. It will bend and curl as it shrinks, but generally flattens up by the time it's reached its final size.

The tag will be hot when you take it out. Put something sturdy and flat - like a book on top of another piece of foil - on the tag until it cools. After it's cool, you can sand the edges of the tag with an emery board if there are any rough spots.

You’ll also want to make sure your image is protected, so I spray it with a clear coat of acrylic spray. Some folks use clear nail polish.

After the sealant has dried, you can put a split ring through the hole that you punched. Then you're ready to hook it to your pet's collar!

Big thanks to the lovely folks at Virginia This Morning on WTVR 6 who invited me on to share this craft with the Richmond community!

Eco Fashion: Worn Again 2010

2010-07-03T11:54:00.003-04:00

Last night I went to my first ever fashion show: Worn Again 2010. Worn Again 2010 was Team Worn Again's 7th Recycled fashion extravaganza and the latest opportunity for Richmond designers to take the Worn Again challenge. This year, designers and artists each worked with a bag of cast-off clothing and materials (provided by Team Worn Again), turning them into recycled runway masterpieces! After making it past the jury, the top designs walked the runway during July's First Friday Art Walk at Art 6.

Since its 2005 debut in Richmond, Team Worn Again's goal has been to promote a recycled lifestyle that is innovative, creative, accessible and always fashionable! Part of this mission includes raising money for other local grass roots non-profits and strengthening positive efforts in the Richmond community and beyond. All proceeds from Worn Again 2010 will benefit Books on Wheels, who has taken their mission of bringing free books and free bicycle repair to low income communities in Richmond and around the country.

Before I post my pics of the event, let me say that all were shot with my camera phone. (I know, I know. . . I'm not always prepared. I'd make a bad scout.) And one thing I learned about my camera phone is that there's a nasty little 1-second delay between when I click and when the picture actually gets taken. So trust me when I say each of these models had an absolutely FABULOUS pose about 1 second BEFORE the slightly blurry images I captured. (Also, I ended up omitting 1 design completely because EVERY pic was a blur or a turn.)

I have to start with my absolute favorite designs of the night. From left to right: Julia Dent, Ono Mangano, and Sarah Monk. Julia's fabric feather details and headpiece made from book pages were masterfully executed. Ono's 2-piece with a flowy overskirt was retro with a perfect summer feel. And Sarah's design made me think of Brunnhilde and Lady Gaga at the same time (which may sound weird, but is good in my book).

L to R: Morgan Jacobs, 2 by Jessica Harrison, Ingrid Bernhardt

L to R: Ingrid Bernhardt, Stephanie Albert, Marty Mitchell, Jake Urbanski

L to R: Haden Bricker, 2 by Michael-Birch Pierce, Meghan Hill

L to R: Melodie Fais, Marshe Wyche, Christian Addis-Gutierrez, Casey Bianco

Details from both on and off the runway.

Eco-Cute: buttercupbloom

2010-06-09T17:46:00.006-04:00

photo by buttercupbloom

I love it when people *really* understand the concept of upcycling!

This is Buttercupbloom. Based in San Francisco, Buttercupbloom crafts a lot of her work from remnants of former projects, handfelted sweaters, thrifted and recycled fabric and buttons. She also reuses boxes and envelopes for shipping purposes to do what she can to limit what is sent to the landfill. And if you don't need the packaging after you get your order, instead of just tossing it in the trash, she'll supply you with a return address label and postage so that you can return the empty mailer to her.

Her creatures are ridiculously adorable and earth friendly to boot! You can check out her work at buttercupbloom.etsy.com.

RVA Etsy Craft Party!! June 18

2010-06-05T22:52:00.004-04:00

Photo by blissinateacup

Join the Richmond Etsy Street Team (REST) and Quirk Gallery as we get crafty and celebrate Etsy's 5th Birthday on June 18 at 325 W. Broad St!!

Etsy.com is a marketplace and community for artists & crafters & the people who love them, but you don't have to be an Etsy member to participate in the party! Just go to http://www.meetup.com/Etsy-Craft-Party/4036/ and RSVP! We're still working on the party plans with Quirk, so I'll post more later.

If you're not in Richmond, you don't have to miss out on the fun! Just check http://www.meetup.com/Etsy-Craft-Party/ to see if there's a party near you!

Eco Home: Cleaning Products

2010-06-03T22:30:00.005-04:00

Since 2 friends in 2 different states were talking about natural cleaning products today, I thought I'd take this occasion to share a few earth friendly cleaning recipes on the blog. My friend Jen is the Green Queen of Shreveport. She was making some natural cleaning products for her local farmer's market, and offered to share some of her recipes with me.

Here's what Jen had to say:
**********************************************************
You can use a few simple things to clean your home and not buy stuff like comet and febreze. Everything I make is some combination of baking soda, washing soda, white vinegar, borax, bar soap and vodka. I use essential oils to make them smell nice and voila!
**********************************************************
Laundry Powder
1 part washing soda (not baking soda)
1 part borax
2 parts grated bar soap

Measure parts by volume, not weight...obviously, washing soda is much heavier than grated soap.

Mix thoroughly. Use one tablespoon per load ( I PROMISE that's all it takes).

Free of phosphates, surfectants, conditioners, and optical whiteners. Safe for septic systems, compatible with chlorine bleach, oxygen cleaner, and enzyme stain removers.

(When I'm being frugal I save my family's soap butts to grate for laundry soap. When I'm making it for the farmer's market, I use new bars of soap.)

**********************************************************
Hippie Febreze

Get the biggest cheapest bottle of vodka you can find. Add essential oils of your choice. Spray on the stinky stuff.

It will smell alcohol-ish at first, but it quickly dissipates and leaves the oil fragrance behind.

You can dilute it with water up to a third, but any more than that and it doesn't work as well.

Can also be used to disinfect countertops and sinks/toilets. Avoid using on wood furniture as it can break down fine finishes.
**********************************************************
Natural Fabric Softener

Fill a downy ball with white vinegar. Toss in the wash. Or just put a little white vinegar in at the rinse cycle. You can use any essential oils you want with the vinegar. The smell of the vinegar dissipates as soon as the clothes are dry.
**********************************************************

So, there you go! Three recipes from the Green Queen of Shreveport to get you started on the road to natural house cleaning. Do *you* have any natural cleaning recipes to share?

Eco Baby: Sweet Pepita

2010-06-01T22:43:00.008-04:00

I love Sweet Pepita! They use recycled t-shirts and organic cotton to create clothing for the special toddler in your life. Long sleeve tees, short sleeve tees, tunics, and dresses. And they even offer kits and patterns so you can do it yourself. That's right! You now have a use for that awesome band t-shirt you bought 10 years ago but can no longer fit into! You can turn it into something hip for your little one. Shoot, if you have the shirt, but you don't have the sewing skills, you can even get them to transform the shirt for you. Sweet Pepita clothing is handmade in Baltimore, so they're practically neighbors to us here in Richmond. You can find their products at SweetPepita.etsy.com.

Images copyright SweetPepita.

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted!

2010-05-31T21:52:00.003-04:00

The weather is hot, the college kids are moving out for the summer, and it's that time of year when folks are heading off on vacations. Whether you're staying close to home or traveling far away, here are some items I found on Etsy that can help you get in the mood to hit the road!

Inhabitat's Spring Greening contest!

2010-05-30T10:37:00.004-04:00

Wow! I can't believe I hadn't seen the Inhabitat website before! Thanks to the Apartment Therapy Re-Nest website (which I check fairly religiously), I found out about Inhabitat's Spring Greening Contest!

There's only a little bit of time left to vote, but it's certainly worth checking out the Inhabitat site for the amazing, inspired, recycled objects that the finalists have come up with! Items like Mauricio Affonso's pendant light made from aluminum pull tabs, Reclaim2Fame's adorable snack robot, Bao Khang Luu’s lamp made from 6-pack rings, and Joseph Palmer's chop-flops!

Full frontal?

2010-05-27T15:40:00.004-04:00

I've been toying with the pictures in some of my Etsy listings lately.

I've always been a fan of the angled shot. I feel like angled shots create an interest that is lacking in pictures shot from straight-on. They give a sense of how thick the books are, and they show off the coptic stitching. So, of course, I decided to shoot my books at an angle.

Then. . . I created a book treasury in Etsy's Treasury East. And suddenly I wasn't so sure about my angled shots anymore. Because of the size of my light box, and the angle I used, the corners of my books always get cut off. The angled shot seemed to take away from the image on the cover.

But when I tried shooting them in more of a straight-on angle, that didn't satisfy me either. The lightbox is too small to shoot straight down on a book, so the books appear skewed. The frontal shot doesn't show how thick the book is. But it does a better job of showing what the cover looks like. Maybe I need to forego the light box. Maybe I need to just find an entirely different way of photographing the books. But at this point I'm at a loss.

So. . . what do YOU think? Angled shots, or full frontal? Which photo would make you more likely to investigate a listing? What suggestions do you have to improve the shot?

Auction Huzzah!

2010-05-11T17:37:00.002-04:00

Thanks to everyone who participated in the EcoEtsy Earth Week Auction!

Thanks to you, we were able to raise $455.53 for the World Wildlife Fund!

Pop Yeh Yeh

2010-04-24T20:11:00.003-04:00

Those of you who know me probably know I love music. In addition to my craft work, I DJ at our local community radio station WRIR. Last year I started to get more interested in the way other countries absorbed and interpreted rock-&-roll, especially in the 1950s and 60s. And in the process of searching the globe for good tunes, I naturally stumbled into pop yeh yeh from Malaysia. Little did I know that my friend Carl also had a deep appreciation of this music, and was working on a project to make it more available to the general public. If you love music as well, and have even $5 to spare, maybe you can help Carl with his project.

Team EcoEtsy presents: “Handmade for Earth Day Auction 2010″

2010-04-19T07:54:00.003-04:00

The auction is now OPEN for bidding!

You can go to http://blog.ecoetsy.com/2010/04/handmade-earth-day-auction-2010/ between now and May 2 to start bidding on any of these great groups of products donated by members of Team EcoEtsy (including yours truly).

Let’s hear for this awesome team!! Yay!!

Bidding Guidelines:

* If you have any questions about the item, please e-mail Rikkianne (Promo@ecoetsy.com) BEFORE you enter your bid. She will try to answer within 24 hours.

* Bidding for any item in this auction is binding. If you are the highest bidder, you are the winner for the item and you must contact Rikkianne (Promo@ecoetsy.com) within 48 hours to make arrangement for payment and shipment. If we don’t hear from you, the item will go the next highest bidder.

* You can bid as many times as you want and in as many categories as you want.

* You must be over 18 years old to bid.

* Auction is OPEN worldwide.

* The item will be shipped via USPS, the cheapest possible way to reduce shipping costs.

* All proceeds, after shipping costs, will be donated to World Wildlife Fund (Voted by Team EcoEtsy.)

GOOD LUCK!

and

THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT!!

Earth Day Sale Event sponsored by the Etsy Trashion Team!

2010-04-15T11:46:00.001-04:00

EARTH DAY SALE EVENT!!
Sponsored by the Etsy Trashion Team, April 16^th through the 22^nd

To promote environmental awareness and celebrate the 40^th anniversary of Earth Day, the Etsy Trashion Team is having a sale on Etsy for just one week: April 16 - 22.

The Trashion Team is a group of artists that creates art, jewelry, fashion and objects for the home from materials that were leftover, discarded, or found, and sell them on Etsy.

Trashion Team members will run promotions in their Etsy shops ranging from free shipping, to free gift with purchase, to up to 20% off. Visit these shops on Etsy for specific details about each participating artist’s sale:
www.MonkeyDogStudio.etsy.com

www.SewTrendy.etsy.com

www.ClaireBabyDesigns.etsy.com

www.Ink4YourSole.etsy.com

www.AnyonesGuess.etsy.com

www.oddartist.etsy.com

www.slyraccoon.etsy.com

www.greenworks.etsy.com

www.lilgreenshop.etsy.com

www.junck.etsy.com

www.candycalamity.etsy.com

www.bellavioletta.etsy.com

www.leslietsy.etsy.com

www.siragwatkins.etsy.com

www.alexkeller.etsy.com

www.vintagebyalexkeller.etsy.com

www.funkybutchic.etsy.com

www.auclairdelalune.etsy.com

www.remaker.etsy.com

www.zJayne.etsy.com

www.petitedancer25.etsy.com

www.creativecastaways.etsy.com

www.eyepopart.etsy.com

www.ecokaren.etsy.com

www.metamorphosi.etsy.com

www.jakboutique.etsy.com

www.maram.etsy.com

www.chinadoodle.etsy.com

www.bprdesigns.etsy.com

Help promote environmental awareness. Visit the Etsy Trashion team blog http://etsytrashion.blogspot.com and team facebook page http://www.facebook.com/EtsyTrashionTeam during the Earth Day Sale Event April 16-22.

Trashion is all about bringing out the beauty in unconventional objects and materials. For team members, recycling is an art and an ideal. The Etsy Trashion Team is a group on Etsy for those interested in trashion. Etsy is a website which provides the general public with a way to buy and sell handmade items as well as vintage items and craft supplies.

Contact: Emily O’Chiu candycalamity@gmail.com and put Etsy Trashion sale in the subject line

Shop for a good cause: 65 Roses

2010-04-12T15:31:00.001-04:00

Last fall, Nikole Sarvay's niece was born with cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening genetic disease that primarily impacts the lungs and pancreas - leading to severe lung infections and reduced ability to absorb fats (and more importantly fat soluble vitamins) that, taken together, substantially reduce life expectancy.

On April 24, 2010, Nikole's brother and his friend Matt will be participating in the Extreme Hike for the Cure to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The hike is a 30.1 mile trek through the mountains of North Carolina. Their goal is to raise $10,000.

In order to assist with their fundraising efforts, Nikole has started the 65 Roses Project. ("Sixty-five roses" is what some children with CF call their disease, because those words are easier for them to pronounce.) Nikole has made 65 fabric roses in the form of hair clips, headbands, and pins, and listed them for sale in a new Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/project65roses.

100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Shop for a good cause.

Splitting Ben and Jerry

2010-03-27T21:20:00.001-04:00

I knew those Forever Sharp knives would come in handy for something. Perfect for sharing a pint of Ben and Jerry's.

Wanna get in good with The Boss?

2010-03-23T12:45:00.008-04:00

The Richmond Craft Mafia needs a few good volunteers for Spring Bada-Bing on Sunday, April 18th at Plant Zero! Volunteers will do things like help vendors unload/load their cars, help shoppers find their way around, pass out programs, and generally help us keep things running smoothly. You can stay for part of the day or all day long.

Volunteers get a free swag bag full of the best goodies and promos as well as our never-ending love and affection.

Morning Volunteers are needed to help folks unload and setup in the morning, between 8am and 10am. We will have a large number of vendors trying to get into a somewhat car-challenged space, and need some active, early-risers to keep things moving.

Show Volunteers are needed from 10am - 4pm to assist customers, pass out programs, deliver vendor lunches, etc.

Take-Down Volunteers are needed from 3:30pm - 5pm to help vendors pack up and to clean up the facility.

Interested in volunteering? Send an email to kateporo@yahoo.com

I did it!

2010-03-22T23:02:00.001-04:00

It took me several hours, and some brain strain and confusion, but I finally got my blog to link to my domain. (Yay me!) It may seem easy to some, but as someone with no knowledge of CNAMES and DNS, I was thrown for a loop! If only I had first found the webpage that said, "Psst... disable sites on Google," I would have been able to fix the problem without mucking with the advanced stuff.

So. . . yeah, if you bought a domain on Google, and you want to link your blogger blog to it, but you get an error that says "there's already a blog at this domain", go into your google menu and disable sites. That should fix it for you.

Aside from the snazzy domain/blog linkage, I've also added some pages to my blog in the hopes of making it a little easier on the eyes. If you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know. In the meantime, I'll work on uploading all those pictures that have been sitting in my camera for the last several months so that you aren't stuck with updates from a month ago. :)

Zazzle-icious!

2010-02-27T19:47:00.001-05:00

A few customers have asked me about making my Dangerous Animal designs available on t-shirts. It was something I had thought of before, but since I can't really invest in a huge blank t-shirt inventory, I wasn't quite sure what to do.

Then I remembered that a friend had some items available on CafePress, and I considered setting up a store there. But then I looked around a little more and found Zazzle. Don't get me wrong. I don't have anything against CafePress. But I was very excited to see a wider range of t-shirt sizes available on Zazzle. And since I'm not a skinnyminnie, I wanted to make sure I represented for the big girl.

Because I try to focus on local and eco-friendly products, I've limited the kinds of shirts that can be purchased to those that are either made-in-the-USA (such as American Apparel) or sustainably-made (such as EDUN LIVE). But if you're looking around the site and find that you just HAVE to have a shirt in a color or size that isn't available in those brands, let me know, and I can always set up another product just for you, ok?

Go here to see my store at Zazzle

Swapping up the Swap Date!

2010-02-22T23:18:00.002-05:00

Hey folks,

As you're aware, we had a LOT of snow and craptastic weather in January and early February. Therefore we postponed the date of the Crafters Anonymous craft swap to this Sunday, February 28. So gather up those unwanted, unneeded, and leftover craft supplies for the swap and bring them on down to ArtWorks!

More info available at http://www.rvacraftswap.com/

(Awesome craft swap image by Erica Vess.)

I'm so nervous!

2010-02-09T20:12:00.007-05:00

Past and Present members of the Richmond Craft Mafia (including me) will hold a panel discussion to examine creative reuse in the independent craft community. The panel will highlight the green evolution of the indie craft movement and will share about using recycled materials in their own work.

This event is sponsored by STUFF and the student chapter of the National Art Education Association at VCU.

(images from left to right are by MonkeyDogStudio, Sew Ono, and Lark Studio)

Craft Swap postponed. . .

2010-01-30T17:38:00.003-05:00

Due to the freakish snowstorm that has rolled through our fair city, the Crafters Anonymous Craft Swap has been postponed. We'll post the new date within the next week or so. In the meantime, use your indoors time to gather up more unused suppies for the swap!

Are you a craft addict?

2010-01-06T14:15:00.013-05:00

Do you have a collection of craft store coupons? Do the folks at the art supply store know you by name? If so it may be time to admit your addiction, and we can help...

Join us for the 3rd annual Crafters Anonymous Craft Swap!

The Crafters Anonymous Craft Swap is an opportunity for artists and crafters of all types to get together in a fun, social environment and trade craft supplies.

This event is also a benefit to support Art 180 - a Richmond based non-profit organization that creates and provides art-related programs to young people living in challenging circumstances, encouraging personal and community change through self-expression. In addition, we will be supporting other local non-profits that utilize art/craft in their programs.

For details check out http://www.rvacraftswap.com

What can you find at Handmade Holiday?

2009-12-10T17:06:00.002-05:00

Upcycled 78 Books, originally uploaded by MonkeyDog-Studio.

I'm such a stealth crafter. I'm really bad about listing items in my etsy shop, so when people ask me what I make, I never have a place to direct them to to see my products. And since many of the things I make are one-of-a-kind, I don't want to list them in my shop right before a show because...well...they're one of a kind!

So I finally got organized and took pictures of some of my blank books. These were made from salvaged 78 album covers and 100 pages of 100% recycled and acid-free paper. They were handbound by me using the coptic stitch method, and are just a few of the items you'll find at the MonkeyDogStudio table at the Handmade Holiday show this weekend at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond.

Stop by and say hi!

BIRDS!

2009-12-03T19:32:00.005-05:00

Ok, ok, I know that I have been ALL ABOUT shopping local lately. And I STILL encourage people to shop local (such as shopping at Gallery 5's Rock & Shop on Sunday, 12/6 and the Richmond Craft Mafia's Handmade Holiday, 12/12).

But I have have HAVE to show off these cute little birds that I just stumbled into on Etsy:
www.etsy.com/shop/chocolatebeans

Super cute!

Bizarre Market Holiday!

2009-11-27T20:45:00.005-05:00

Wondering where you can find your favorite goods from MonkeyDogStudio this holiday season?

Your first stop should be Bizarre Market Holiday upstairs at Chop Suey Tuey in the heart of Carytown. Bizarre Market Holiday runs from Nov 27 all the way to Dec 24 and features loads of handmade goods from Richmond and regional artists. Big thanks go out to Bird for organizing the market, and to Ward for providing the space to hold it! So shop Bizarre Market Holiday upstairs, and then buy some new and used books from the kind folks at Chop Suey!

2009-11-13T09:59:00.009-05:00

Richmond.com has named the Divine Design & Craft Boutique as one of their Top 5 Weekend Events!

Come on out, celebrate that the rain has stopped for a few hours, and start working on your holiday shopping list!

Opening reception: Friday, November 13th , 7:00-9:00pm

Gallery open daily: November 14-December 6

Location: Gay Community Center of Richmond

1407 Sherwood Avenue, Richmond, VA 23220

804-622-4646

You can learn about Richmond.com's other top events at http://social.richmond.com/blog/ccurran/2009/11/top-five-weekend-events/

Richmond Craft Mafia & GayRVA.com present the Divine Design and Craft Boutique

2009-10-16T08:34:00.000-04:00

The Richmond Craft Mafia is pleased to announce it is collaborating with GayRVA.com to bring you a fabulous holiday event. The Divine Design and Craft Boutique, is a holiday gallery to benefit the Gay Community Center of Richmond. You've probably seen or even visited the GCCR and not even realized it: Diversity Thrift, Thursday night Diversity Bingo, and the GCCR Gallery all share space in the rainbow-bedecked building on Sherwood Avenue, right by The Diamond. Please visit us during the opening reception Friday, November 13, 7-9pm for some great shopping for a great cause.

Opening reception: Friday, November 13, 7-9pm
Gallery open daily: November 14-December 6
Location: Gay Community Center of Richmond
1407 Sherwood Avenue, Richmond, VA 23220
804-622-4646

Handmade Nation Screening in Norfolk

2009-10-05T15:05:00.005-04:00

... This is Tasha McKelvey's article reposted from
http://rcm-offtherecord.blogspot.com/ ...

Handmade Nation, the new documentary about the indie crafts/DIY movement is going to be showing at the Naro in Norfolk, VA. The screening is at 5:15pm on Saturday, October 24th.

Please see the movie’s website for a full description, the director’s blog, and more. Also see the Naro’s website for location and ticket info.

I was lucky enough to get to see Handmade Nation in August in Philly while I was at the Buyer's Market of American Craft. I also got to meet the director Faythe Levine and get a copy of Handmade Nation the book autographed by her. The Richmond Craft Mafia's founding date and our indie craft show Spring Bada-Bing are mentioned in the indie craft timeline in the book.

Thanks to the 7 Cities Crafters for posting the screening info!

ps - The 7 Cities Crafters will also be having a trunk show/sale outside the Naro from 3-5 pm so come out early and check out their handmade goods!

Crafty Bastards 2009

2009-10-03T22:47:00.002-04:00

RVA crafters representing at the Crafty Bastards show in DC! This was my first time attending the show. There were SO many great artists and crafters there. It was hard to take it all in. My camera batteries were dying (even though I had just changed them!), so I didn't get to snap pics of much more than the Richmond artists who were vending.

Ceramics by fellow Richmond Craft Mafia member Tasha McKelvey.

Phil Barbato name checks our fair city on his sign. Sweet!

And here are some of Phil's Whiskerbears!

There were so many people around, I couldn't even get a good shot from the front of the Pretty Silly Things booth, so Jackie hammed it up for the camera.

And the folks from Pop Idiot rock their tees next to Rob Ullman of Atom-Bomb Bikini.

On a non-Richmond note. . .
I loved these suitcases by Final Approach.

First Fridays Artwalk is HOT!

2009-10-03T01:27:00.004-04:00

The First Fridays Artwalk in Richmond is HOT! And I mean that literally. Gallery 5 had fire artists performing in front of of the building. I know nothing about what they do, but it was awesome to watch. Here are some pics.

Hoopers performed in between the fire burners. Unfortunately, at this point in the evening, the local police came through and told everybody watching that they had to move onto the sidewalks. This left very little room for any more performing.

On the way back to the car, Mark and I noticed one of those "Your Speed" devices which tells you how fast you're going when you drive by. So, because we're goofs, Mark and I ran at it really fast. . . Twice. . . Each time it read that we were going 7 miles per hour. So I tried to catch a pic of the 7 on the sign, but since I was running and taking a pic with my phone, I didn't have the best aim. But I really like the pic anyway:

After my failed attempt at catching a pic of the 7 on the sign, Mark offered to take a pic for me. Unfortunately it seems to need at least 2 people running at the sign to get it to register a speed. But look how blurry I am at the left! I look speedy!

Mile High Mafia

2009-09-14T08:01:00.002-04:00

I got a pleasant surprise when I was on the plane to Denver. Usually when I fly (which isn't very often), I remember to get some magazines ahead of time. This time I wasn't quite so organized, so I figured I'd just have to pass the time by laughing at the SkyMall catalog and flipping through the airline magazine.

I reached into the seat pocket in front of me and grabbed AirTran's magazine "Go". When I started flipping through it, I saw that they had done a whole page featuring products from Baltimore's Charm City Craft Mafia! Hooray for the Charm City Craft Mafia and for AirTran for supporting independent artists and the DIY spirit!

In case you aren't traveling on AirTran this month, here's a link to the article.

Photograph copyright Claire Benoist, who I hope won't mind that I've included it on my little blog. But I'll remove it if she prefers. I just think it's a great pic.

Neat stuff around Boulder CO

2009-09-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

I recently had the opportunity to visit Boulder, CO. I'm not much of a traveler or photographer, but I like to take pics of things that strike my fancy.

Yummy cupcakes; a cute tote bag at Boulder Arts and Crafts Gallery; the sign in the cupcake shop; assorted grafittied curb barriers (one had a Daniel Johnston quote on it); a rocking pig on the Pearl Street Mall; gorgeous flowers in somebody's yard; the table top in the cupcake shop that made me think of Modern June; and awesome sets of magnets with art by Ashley G and Drew, BoyGirlParty, Matte Stephens, and several other folks I recognized from Etsy.com.

I only wish I had taken more pics.

Get ready for the 2009 Handmade Holiday!

2009-09-12T08:00:00.003-04:00

Handmade Holiday Application

Handmade Holiday Craft Show

What: A Juried Indie Craft Show in Richmond, Virginia.

Why: Buy Handmade, Buy Local!

Who: The Richmond Craft Mafia, The Visual Arts Center of Richmond and some of Richmond's most talented indie crafters.

Where: The Visual Arts Center of Richmond (formerly the Hand Workshop) on Main Street.

When: Preview Party, Friday Evening, December 11th - 7-10pm
Open to the Public - Saturday - December 12th 10 am - 5 pm

How: Applications for Handmade Holiday Craft Show will be available online from September 5 - October 10th. Applications are only available online. Only crafters living in the Richmond, Virginia area will be eligible (applicants must be within a 30-mile radius of the City of Richmond). Please read and fill out the application carefully - only complete applications will be considered.

Click Here to Apply

Application - Deadline October 10, 2009

Upcycled 78 Books

2009-09-11T00:11:00.008-04:00

Before there were MP3s, CDs, and even 33 1/3 LPS, there were 78s. 78s were primarily made of shellac, and as a result, were prone to breaking. Because this format was only long enough to hold a song (about 3 minutes) on each side, an artist’s songs were compiled in a Record Album that was very much like a photo album—a hard cover with sleeves in between.

As 78s broke and became obsolete, people were frequently left with just the record album—too big to hold 45s, too small to hold LPs. A few weeks ago, a local record store was undergoing a big transition. They had lots and lots of records and album covers. It had gotten to the point that the 78rpm records needed to be given away or else they would be thrown away. And you all know I hate to throw things away.

In an effort to keep these record albums from going into the landfill, I have started turning them into blank books. Here are a few of my finished products:

Me on Storque! Sort of. . .

2009-09-07T17:28:00.003-04:00

I was killing time looking around on the interwebs, and I saw an article on The Storque called "Craft Show Applications Unravelled." And as I scrolled down the article, I saw my show banner in the bottom section of the page. . .

Wait, what?

Yup, in their article about craft shows, they posted links to "related items" and there in the center left is the custom banner I bought from Millwood.etsy.com! I love my banner, and think she did a great job on it, so I'm thrilled that she used it as the main image for her custom banner listings! And I'm also thrilled that The Storque chose to feature her in their related items.

Check out the article, and then keep an eye out for my banner at a craft show near you!

SoopSee

2009-08-31T22:38:00.006-04:00

For a while I was feeling like my internet presence was all over the place. I mean, I had my Etsy shop and a blogger account and social networking accounts. I had purchased a domain, but with my very-limited-web-page-making knowledge, I couldn't do much more than post pictures that never quite seemed to be the right size or in the right place.

What's a girl to do?

Well, luckily I stumbled into an article on The Storque about SoopSee .com. SoopSee aims to unite all of your listings, shops, photos and scribblings under one roof (or rather, one website - your website). Although it's still in Beta testing, SoopSee offers a lot of features that are really helpful. With a free basic account, I was able to choose from 6 webpage themes, pull in listings of my choice from my Etsy shop, and then pull in my blog posts. I can even get stats about my Etsy shop! It was easy, and put all my information on a SoopSee.com domain.

However. . . I had already been giving people the domain I had purchased earlier, and I didn't want to have yet another web address to ask folks to remember. This is where the beta testing came in handy.

While SoopSee is in beta testing, you can sign up for a Sooper account at a 66% discount for the life of your subscription. That means that for $4.99 per month (as opposed to the regular $14.99 per month) you can use your existing domain name with your SoopSee account. You can also choose from additional themes, link multiple etsy shops, link multiple blogs, and split your listings into different sections.

I went ahead and signed up for the Sooper account since the discount is only available while SoopSee is in beta testing, which could end at any time. Because I'm not very technologically savvy, I had a few problems when trying to link to my existing domain, but I emailed the folks at SoopSee and they responded REALLY quickly and helped me fix my problem. I mean, they were REALLY quick.

And there are a lot of great ideas that they are working on for the future, such as being able to import images from your Flickr photostream or link to shops you have on non-etsy websites. You can find more information at SoopSee.com or follow them on Facebook and Twitter. And you can check out some live examples of SoopSee user pages here.

**In light of the article about SoopSee on The Storque they've opened up registration to anyone with an Etsy shop - even though they're technically still in a closed beta phase - but will be limiting signups in the near future again to ensure a good service for those registered.

R.I.P. Dog Mural

2009-08-21T20:14:00.004-04:00

It is with much sadness that I report that my favorite mural, the one I posted about in June, has been painted over.

What was once a delightful mix of misshapen dogs, brightly colored flowers, and friendly clouds is now just a plain old gray wall. I'm glad I took a few pictures of it when I had the chance. Trips to Shields Market will never be the same.

Mew Paper Arts on CBS!

2009-08-19T22:43:00.005-04:00

A few months ago my friend Alissa of Mew Paper Arts was interviewed for a segment on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. Although the piece didn't make it to the airwaves, it can finally be seen on the CBS website.

You can learn more about Alissa on her blog.

Congrats Crystal J Silk!

2009-08-17T16:38:00.004-04:00

Hey, I just noticed that local craftinista Crystal J Silk was Shop of the Day over at Paper n Stitch this weekend. Congrats Crystal!

Bloggy blogging: Happy Birthday Craftzine.com!

2009-08-17T10:18:00.005-04:00

Happy 3rd Birthday to Craftzine.com!

Although I'm still sad about the demise of Craft magazine, I'm glad Craftzine.com is around to provide me with crafty inspiration and how-to knowledge. Here's to many more years!

My favorite day for mail. . .

2009-08-12T18:58:00.002-04:00

It's that time of year again. . .

Yes folks, the brand new IKEA catalog has arrived in my mailbox, and my heart is aflutter. I've linked the catalog image to the online catalog, so feel free to click and browse online if you don't have a physical copy on hand.

Upcycled Fused Plastic Mirror

2009-08-11T22:26:00.003-04:00

My fellow craft mafiosa Crystal J. Silk made these fantastic 3" upcycled fused plastic mirrors that come with their own fused plastic pouch! What a great way to rescue plastic shopping bags from the waste-stream while helping a girl look stylish.

From August 10-23, she's giving away one of these mirrors with each purchase from her Paper-N-Stitch exhibit, so stop by and check out her handpainted silk goodies!

Images from the 2nd Annual Jonny Z Festival

2009-08-10T16:12:00.008-04:00

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate the memory of Jonny Z this past Saturday.

My booth looks so empty without me behind it! One of the highlights of my day was meeting a woman with a rat terrier named Monkeydog who is also a screamer and a climber like my dog Brent. Another highlight was meeting online friend Tiffany Ferriera, art teacher and founder of the Real Small Art League.

Some of my Bizarre Market neighbors at the Grove end of Shields Ave: Erica Vess of Bees Knees Studio, Vilkas D'angelo-horvath of HEXY, and PJ Sykes, live music photographer extraordinaire.

Robin Lee of Lookability chats with a customer.

The awesome mobile mural painted by artists from St. Andrew's School.

Announcements and music from the WRIR tent.

The Really Really Free Market represents. And yeah, it's all free!

The Photosynthesizers rock the festival.

A view of the Spiderman bounce from the Hanover end of Shields Ave.

The No BS Brass Band closes out the festival.

Change purses

2009-08-05T17:46:00.003-04:00

IMG_0154, originally uploaded by MonkeyDog-Studio.

Here's an example of some of the change purses I'll have for Bizarre Market at the Jonny Z Fest this Saturday from 12-5p in front of Joe's Inn. These are made using remnants and reclaimed fabrics. A few in this pic have already sold, but there will be plenty of others to choose from.

Stop by and say hi!

Meet Pistol Squirrel

2009-08-04T22:12:00.003-04:00

Pistol Squirrel, originally uploaded by MonkeyDog-Studio.

Meet Pistol Squirrel. Pistol Squirrel is one of the many dangerous animals you'll find at my table during this Saturday's 2nd Annual Jonny Z Fest. With him will be some of his friends: Ninja Squid, Rifle Rabbit, and Kangaroo Hatchet Rat.

Along with the dangerous animals, you'll also find change purses made from reclaimed and remnant fabrics, ceramic rings, and maybe a few assorted housewares.

Stop by and say hi if you get the chance!

2nd Annual Jonny Z Festival

2009-08-03T21:54:00.003-04:00

Come on out to the Second Annual Jonny Z Festival for a
free celebration of art, music and community.

WHEN:
This Saturday, August 8, 2009
12pm-5pm

WHERE:
200 Block of Shields Ave.
(Between Grove & Hanover)

This block party will feature the Bizarre Market, live music & WRIR DJ's, children's activities, raffle drawings, and a mobile mural unveiling by young artists from St. Andrew's School.

Families can also enjoy a variety of children’s activities, including hula-hooping, temporary tattoos, and a Spiderman moonbounce. The Bizarre Market vendors will showcase local arts and crafts, with 10% of all sales benefiting ART 180. Food will be available through Joe’s Inn, Shields Market, Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream, and Nate’s Taco Truck.

Jonathan Zanin, known to a countless list of adoring friends as Jonny Z, died in 2007 at the age of 26. Zanin is remembered as a creative and compassionate soul, a lover and maker of art and music, a friend to all and enemy to none, a champion for the underdog. The festival honors his legacy, celebrates his spirit, and promotes art, music, community and friendship.

Cute Etsy find: Lambert's chickens

2009-08-01T15:00:00.002-04:00

Photo copyright lambert.etsy.com.

These adorable chickens are made by Etsy seller Lambert. They're made of plaster, painted with tempera, and are inspired by 19th century "chalkware" figurines. They'd make a sweet addition to any home.

My Creative Crisis

2009-07-31T10:55:00.011-04:00

Every so often I go through a creative crisis. My crises usually revolve around my ceramic work and whether I should focus on it or move toward more "recycled" goods, which I also have a passion for.

It's in these times that I turn to folk crafts of Japan. Just looking at Japanese pottery tends to renew my spirit. Here are some pieces that bring me happiness and inspiration:

5 plates by Ogata Kenzan ........................................................bottle by Shoji Hamada

Vase by Otani Shiro..............................................Japanese style tea bowl by Ashley Howard

Dinner FAIL

2009-07-25T20:22:00.009-04:00

It's nice to get a dinner out at a restaurant you haven't been to before, but sometimes it just doesn't work out. Tonight's dinner was a big old FAIL that seemed specially customized for me.

To be fair to the restaurant, which will remain nameless, my spouse thought their food was delicious. But I have to share just how WRONG this dinner went for me.

1) I hadn't had much protein all day, so I thought it would be
good to get a cup of black beans as an appetizer. This should have been my first clue to how the night would turn out. The beans were garnished with cilantro.

Now, many people (my spouse included) absolutely LOVE cilantro. They tell me it tastes clean and fresh. To me it tastes much like the way Dial soap smells. It's very unpleasant.

So we scooped out the cilantro and tried to focus on the taste of the beans instead.

2) We also shared an appetizer of cheese and olive empanadas. I love empanadas. I especially love cheese empanadas. Olive and cheese empanadas are a bit less exciting for me, as the olives used were green olives.

I am not a fan of green olives. Apparently I used to eat them all the time when I was little, as my older sister used to eat them, and I wanted to be grown up like her. But over the last 20-some odd years have grown less fond of them. Black olives are ok to me, and kalamata olives are the bomb, but green olives. . . meh.

3) Time for the main course. Mofongo with veggies. Mofongo
is sort of a mashed plantain with garlicky sauce. This mofongo was a little drier than what I've had in the past (more like stuffing than like mashed potatoes). And the vegetables were a personal mightmare. I don't really know what I was expecting, but I ended up with asparagus, green pepper, onion, and. . . yup. . .more green olives. I seriously dislike asparagus. I hate the taste of green pepper. And onions, unless they are cooked really really thoroughly, tend to dislike me.
My wonderful spouse tried to help out by swapping me part of his sandwich, which I gratefully accepted even though it contained
another vegetable that doesn't like me: cucumber. He was trying to figure out if there were any other vegetable that would have made the meal worse for me. The only things I can think of are okra and eggplant. (Not a fan of the texture of either.)

We thought about getting dessert, but at this rate, I was afraid to try anything else.

Dinner FAIL.

Recipe Remedy: Cheddar-Beer Fondue

2009-07-21T23:11:00.017-04:00

Sometimes I get a little overzealous when I go to the Farmer's Market. I get so excited over the fresh veggies that I tend to buy more than I can actually eat in a reasonable amount of time.

Enter this week's recipe remedy: Cheddar-Beer Fondue.

I found this recipe online for Cheddar-Beer Fondue, and decided it was the answer to my prayers. After all, fondue was created as a way to use up those foods that were a bit past their prime.

So. . .what's in my fridge?

The baguette that I bought last week. (I don't seem to have much luck with baguettes. I leave them out and they get hard. I wrap them in plastic and they get moldy. I thought sticking it in the fridge would work, but no. A fresh baguette is meant to be eaten fresh.)
That expensive cheese I bought at Ellwood Thompson's a few months ago. (It worked its way to the back of the cheese drawer, and by the time I found it, it was hard enough to probably be considered a lethal weapon. There was no way it could be sliced, but with a lot of elbow grease I managed to shred it.)
The leftover Liberty Ale I bought for a friend's 4th of July party. (We took a mix of brews to the party and ended up with 3 Liberty Ales leftover. And, like I said the other day, I don't drink much, so I figured I should try to use them somehow.)
Carrots and beans from last week's Farmer's Market. (Yeah. . .again, I get a little overzealous. And it's kind of hard when you're only shopping for 2 people. I really don't need a full bag of beans, and I would have been happier if the bunch of carrots was smaller by half. But the bunches and the prices were set, so I did the best I could.)
I purchased additional cheese specifically for this meal since I knew I'd need a full pound. I love Cabot's cheddar, so I was super psyched to see that they actually make the Private Selection cheddar carried by Kroger! Cabot sharp cheddar for store brand prices! SCORE!

Alright, the first task was to try to slice the bread. Luckily I found this tip online:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Dampen the bag the baguette is in. Put the bag in the oven for 5 minutes only. Then use the bread within 10 minutes or it will be solid as a rock again. (That last part is VERY true.)

I used this trick and then immediately sliced the baguette and put it in a plastic bag and wrapped it up real tight to hopefully keep in whatever moisture the bread had absorbed.

Next, I briefly (although not briefly enough) steamed my vegetables. (I probably would have been better off if I had just blanched them instead of steaming. And in hindsight, I should have refrigerated the veggies after cooking them. They really taste better when the cool of the veggies contrast the warm of the fondue.)

Then, I just followed the recipe for the fondue. It was really pretty easy and tasty. And as someone who doesn't enjoy cooking, it's definitely something I'd try again. Seemed pretty hard to mess up.

Oh, and if you don't have a fondue pot, don't sweat it. You can cook the whole thing up in a saucepan. You can transfer it to a fondue pot after that, but it's really just to keep the cheese over the gentlest heat to keep it runny.

Hubby and I were hungry and tired and so ate directly from the saucepan, thus skipping the need for a fondue pot at all. (Don't you judge us.)

I hope this helps you use up those leftovers and gives you the courage to give fondue a try!

A tall cold one. . .

2009-07-19T19:23:00.004-04:00

*whew*

All this time working on my studio has me thinking about a nice cold beer. Not that I drink much, but hard sweaty work can't help but bring a frosty brew to mind.

And since I'm working on my studio, thoughts of beer lead to thoughts of beer crafts.

Around town, people joke that PBR actually stands for "People's Beer of Richmond," so this flask seems particularly appropriate.

Image copyright jduct.etsy.com

Want to drink from a glass instead of a flask? How about glasses recycled from beer bottles?

Image copyright NickPaul.etsy.com

Ready to wash off that grime from your hard work? How about some beer soap?

Image copyright SudsNSuch.etsy.com

Need something to put that beer soap in? How about a recycled beer bottle soap dish?

Image copyright BigSky.etsy.com

And if you've drunk as hard as you've worked, you might need these tips for curing a beer hangover. Salud!

Yes!

2009-07-17T19:47:00.007-04:00

It took many hours, and many workers, but I finally have a new wall in my studio.

To recap: After a gutter repair, rainwater was flowing down the outside of the downspout, soaking into the exterior bricks, and wicking through the plaster wall. This left me with bubbly paint/wallpaper, efflorescence and mold. I peeled away some of the bubbly paint/wallpaper layers. It was not pretty.

Luckily, my contractor offered to repair the wall since the damage was caused by his gutter repair. It took a little while to fit me into the schedule, but this morning he was on his way.

I had moved most of my shelving away from the wall, but since the space was still kind of crowded, this morning I asked him how much room he would need. He said about 4 feet (!!!).

So I went into scramble mode. Piles of stuff went on top of other piles of stuff. My big metal shelves went into the living room, which gave me room to break down the dog crate, which gave me room to move my other shelves and my pottery wheel a little further back from the wall.

Luckily my scramble did the trick, and the workers had enough space to drape the room with plastic, put down tarps, and start ripping out the plaster. A few hours later, the drywall guys came by to put up my new drywall and skim coat (?) over the interior part of the exterior wall (the part that looked just like mud on the backside of the bricks).

And now, I give you. . .*insert trumpet flourish* . . .my new wall.

I know, it's not exactly pretty yet. This weekend I'll get some paint, then hopefully get my studio back in order by Monday.

Cute print of the day: A Trip to the City

2009-07-15T21:17:00.004-04:00

Image copyright MonkeyPowered.etsy.com

I love living in the city. I love having sidewalks and actually being walking distance from places I want to go. I grew up in what was then a fairly rural part of a nearby county. It was a 30 minute drive to the nearest grocery store, so me and my Mom would joke in our best Virginia twangs that we were "goin' ta town" whenever we needed to go shopping. Then I lived for several years in a town that, although it had a grocery store, was lacking in many other things like a bookstore and a craft supply store. So every few weekends my spouse and I would drive an hour each way to get stuff we needed, sometimes even bringing the dog along for a special trip to PetSmart.

It's in that spirit that I spotlight MonkeyPowered.etsy.com's lovely print "A Trip to the City". I hope it brightens your day as much as it does mine. (Bonus points for having a monkey in her shop name like I do.)

Cancer is a bitch

2009-07-13T22:56:00.005-04:00

The founder of the San Antonio Craft Mafia, Katherine Brown, is fighting glioblastoma otherwise known as stage 4 brain cancer. The San Antonio group has been touched deeply by her illness and are holding a benefit for Kat and her children. Please help in any way you can. Have friends or family in San Antonio? Please tell them about the the event and encourage them to go. Have a blog? Feel free to repost. For more information about Kat and her illness you can read articles in the San Antonio Express News and The Handmade News.

--reposted from Lark Studio--

Stuff under the carpet.

2009-07-10T22:43:00.004-04:00

Today I've been taking on the dusty, icky task of ripping up the gross carpet in my upstairs hallway.

I say gross not because of the design of the carpet, which, although a bit extravagant for me, had been tolerable and functional. I say gross because this carpet is, I'm guessing, at least 30 years old and probably has several years of cigarette smoke trapped in it. I could smell the smoke on particularly warm days after I vacuum up the dog fur, which had apparently been holding the smell down.

Our house was built in 1901, but the carpet was installed later. There are decent hardwood floors underneath (so far), so I'm tearing the carpet up so I can rid my home of a few more lung irritants.

Today as I was ripping up the carpet and underlying "padding", I found a few things UNDER all of it which struck me as odd. I mean, if you're laying carpet, I'd think you'd sweep ahead of time.

Anyway, these are the things I have found under the carpet so far:

1 big random old slotted screw. Looks like it came from a piece of machinery. It's got a flat head and a pointy tip, but it's fatter than most wood screws I've seen. It kinda looks like it's on steroids. It could be the bone in my pinky finger.
part of a Blow Pop wrapper. Blow Pops were first put out by the Charms company in the 1970s and then acquired by Tootsie Roll in 1988. Unfortunately, I threw the wrapper into my big bag of carpet trash before I got a good look at it.
1 white feather. Not small enough to look like it came from a pillow or anything. It was about and inch and a half long. Can't decide whether it was from a pet bird, or maybe from a crafting project.
a small screw screwed into a plastic wall anchor
a spring, maybe from a clicky-top pen, but big enough that I feel like it must have come from a giant novelty clicky-top pen. (Hey, now that I think about it. . . I once had a big promotional pen from the Philip Morris plant in Richmond. That could tie the cigarette smell and the spring together! . . .I'm starting to feel like Robert Goran on Law & Order Criminal Intent.)

If I find anything else, I'll let you know. And I'll post some pics as the carpet removal unfolds.

New favorite time waster: http://www.jacksonpollock.org/

2009-07-07T21:03:00.007-04:00

I've spent a lot of time at my computer today.

Reorganizing digital music files can be a monotonous pain in the butt. Especially when you're a DJ who has a lot of disorganized music files.

After a few rounds of Tetris and a few Sporcle quizzes to break the monotony, I stumbled upon what is now my favorite time-waster: http://www.jacksonpollock.org/

This site lets you make your own Pollock-esque "painting". That's it.

You can keep it simple.

You can paint with color:

You can switch colors mid-painting by clicking your mouse button:

The hardest part is knowing when to stop:

But it makes for a nice break from numbers and letters and folders and files.

And, you can always take a screen shot of your masterpiece, print it out, and hang it on your wall if you need something to brighten your workspace. Have fun! Then get back to work.

Peach Pie

2009-07-06T20:51:00.005-04:00

Today I made a pie.

As you learned from my bento post the other day, I am not one for food preparation or cooking.

However, when you have lemons you make lemonade. Or, in my case, when you have peaches you make peach pie.

I had bought some peaches from my friend Christy at the Farmer's Market last week. Me being me, I overestimated the number of peaches I would eat in a week. But luckily my friend Maureen had given me the recipe for her state-fair-worthy "peaches and cream" pie. Since both peaches and recipe were from friends, I figured I should give piemaking a shot.

(I don't want to completely give away Maureen's recipe without asking her first, so I'll be vague.) I cut up about 7 peaches, and mixed up the sugar-flour-egg-and-sour cream ingredients. Poured all that into a readymade whole wheat pie crust from the local natural food market Ellwood Thompson's. Then made a topping of more flour, sugar and butter. Baked it for an hour at 350.

I made a hell of a mess in my kitchen, but the resulting pie was worth it.
Photo courtesy of Janet. Peach pie recipe courtesy of Maureen Meyers.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Tasty peach pie.

Pounce!: McCartneyAnn.etsy.com

2009-07-05T21:23:00.011-04:00

On a whim this evening, I decided to use Etsy's Pounce function to check out some artists I hadn't seen before. It's neat because it gives you the option of pouncing on things that just sold or pouncing on shops that haven't yet had a sale. I decided to opt for the latter, and stumbled upon the lovely shop McCartneyAnn.

This shop is right up my alley. Not only does she make folksy paintings of foods and drinks, she also uses BOTTLECAPS in her work! (...I'm sensing a recurring theme in my life...)

Check out her work below!

Images copyright McCartneyAnn.etsy.com

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
McCartneyAnn.etsy.com

I heart bentos.

2009-07-03T20:46:00.007-04:00

Every once in a while I try to convince myself that I'd eat much healthier if I started making bentos. See, I'm not a person who really enjoys cooking or food preparation in general, but I feel like the cutesy-artsy factor would inspire me to want to cut bananas into flower shapes, put seaweed facial features on my sandwiches, and buy tiny individually wrapped cheeses.

Then I think about how many dishes I'd have to clean from all my food prep, and I change my mind.

My friend Jen makes really awesome bentos for her family. Here's an Under the Sea bento that she made for her son and shared with the flickr bento boxes photo pool:

Copyright Jen Courtney. All rights reserved.

And here's her phenomenal Super Mario bento, also on flickr:

Copyright Jen Courtney. All rights reserved.

And here's a creepy and cute Halloween bento that she made:

Copyright Jen Courtney. All rights reserved.

If you want to see more examples of bento meals, you can check out some of the group pools on flickr such as:

Bento Boxes,
Bento Porn (don't worry, it's safe for work),
Happy and Fresh Bento,
Vegan Bento,
Vegetarian Bento
and many more bento related groups.

And if I ever decide to try my hand at a bento box, I'll be sure to post a photo here.

Finished Bottlecap Shelf

2009-07-01T20:18:00.005-04:00

As promised. . .here's my completed bottlecap shelf.

I had to go ahead and put a few things on it, including
4 of my own ceramic bird tumblers.

I only whacked my fingertips a FEW more times while
hammering on the rest of the bottlecaps.

But I'm so glad I found the rest of my stash, because
that's where I'd put most of the colorful bottlecaps:
Cricket Cola; Sprecher Root Beer, Cream Soda, Orange
Dream, Ravin' Red; Stewart's Key Lime, Strawberries
& Creme; Orange Crush; IBC Cherry Limeade.

The photo doesn't do it justice.

Bottlecap artists

2009-07-01T00:02:00.006-04:00

After yesterday's post, my friend Alissa gave me a link to the work of Jon Bok. Although I had seen other bottlecap artists before like Mr. Imagination, I had never seen Bok's work. It's absolutely stunning!

On a completely different note, in case you were wondering, I found my other stash of bottlecaps today and covered the last 3 shelf fronts and the uprights of my recycled storage shelf. I'll post new pics of it tomorrow.

In the meantime, here are some Google-image results for "bottlecap art". Enjoy.

Hammer + Thumb = Pain (and some cool shelves, too)

2009-06-29T22:49:00.022-04:00

Ok, anyone who has seen the inside of my house knows that I am a packrat. Sometimes my packrattiness can be overwhelming and frustrating. But sometimes I make something that makes all my packrat efforts worth it.

Today I made a set of shelves for my kitchen. I had a section of wall
to the right of the window that could only accommodate something
about as deep as a 2x4 due to the island counter.

Luckily, I had some leftover 2x4s from a storage unit I had made at our
last house. Today I painted those 2x4s (with some years-old latex paint
that was going to be thrown away at my old job), screwed together my
shelf, and then decorated the front with my "collection" of bottlecaps.

So far I only have enough caps to cover the front of 4 of the 7 shelves,
although I'm pretty sure I have another container of bottlecaps floating
around somewhere. I just have to find them.

Art around town. . .

2009-06-28T21:15:00.023-04:00

I've been meaning to take a picture of this for months now. It's my very very favorite mural in Richmond.

It may not be the most complex, or the most expertly painted, but it brings me joy every time I see it.

And I especially love the slightly misshapen dog at the far left of the wall.

Check it out next time you go to Joe's Inn or Shield's Market in the Fan.

MonkeyDogStudio

Machine Felting

Merry Mart

What to do Dec 2-4

Bizarre Market Holiday at Chop Suey

Exhibition Preview for American Letterpress: The Art of Hatch Show Print

It's the most wonderful time of the year. . .

Treasury: Red brown black and gritty

Treasury treasures

Me & rain & the 4th annual Jonny Z fest

Textile Recycling

Eco Packaging: Ecologic + Seventh Generation

Eco Easy

Eco Inspiration: Betty Jo Designs

Recycling: Where and What? *UPDATE*

Road Trip!: The Handmade Market

Celebrate Earth Day a few days early!

6th Annual Spring Bada-Bing!

Recycling: Where and What?

Eco Inspiration: UniquEco

4th Annual Crafters Anonymous Craft Swap!!!

TasteTest.etsy.com

Wrap it Up!

A Pleasant Surprise!

The Holiday CRUNCH: Handmade Holiday!

The Holiday Crunch: RVyAy at Gallery 5!

The Holiday CRUNCH: ArtWorks and Chop Suey

The Holiday CRUNCH: Crossroads & Quirk

*Trying* to make a difference

Eco Inspiration

Bathroom Reveal!

in between days

it's almost over

Next Events: Ecologic's Pre-Season Shopping Event (10/8) and Bizarre Market Oktober (10/9)

Next Events: Have A Heart Bazaar (Oct 2) AND Harvest on the Hill (Oct 3)

Next Event: Crossroads Art Center Opening AND Bizarre Market

Next Event: Have A Heart Bazaar, July 31

Fooooooooood. . .

Crafty tutorial!

Eco Fashion: Worn Again 2010

Eco-Cute: buttercupbloom

RVA Etsy Craft Party!! June 18

Eco Home: Cleaning Products

Eco Baby: Sweet Pepita

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted!

Inhabitat's Spring Greening contest!

Full frontal?

Auction Huzzah!

Pop Yeh Yeh

Team EcoEtsy presents: “Handmade for Earth Day Auction 2010″

Earth Day Sale Event sponsored by the Etsy Trashion Team!

Shop for a good cause: 65 Roses

Splitting Ben and Jerry

Wanna get in good with The Boss?

I did it!

Zazzle-icious!

Swapping up the Swap Date!

I'm so nervous!

Craft Swap postponed. . .

Are you a craft addict?

What can you find at Handmade Holiday?

BIRDS!

Bizarre Market Holiday!

Richmond Craft Mafia & GayRVA.com present the Divine Design and Craft Boutique

Handmade Nation Screening in Norfolk

Crafty Bastards 2009

First Fridays Artwalk is HOT!

Mile High Mafia

Neat stuff around Boulder CO

Get ready for the 2009 Handmade Holiday!

Handmade Holiday Application

Upcycled 78 Books

Me on Storque! Sort of. . .

SoopSee

R.I.P. Dog Mural

Mew Paper Arts on CBS!

Congrats Crystal J Silk!

Bloggy blogging: Happy Birthday Craftzine.com!

My favorite day for mail. . .

Upcycled Fused Plastic Mirror

Recycling: Where and What? UPDATE

Trying to make a difference

I heart bentos.