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As we saw from last month's post about all the new designer reusable tote bags out there, the anti-plastic bag movement is in full force.
Now Method is joining the cause by giving away this nylon tote when you purchase $20 worth of the company's other eco-friendly cleaning supplies. To redeem, visit www.givegreener.com.
Halloween costumes are a must, but they can be a hassle -- from long lines at the store to purchasing a one-time-use costume. HGTV.com has an entire page devoted to inexpensive ideas for toddler and kids costumes that you can make yourself. Try your hand at making Halloween favorites -- wizards, fairies and ghouls, oh my!
The holiday wouldn't be complete without a pumpkin and HGTV has traditional and not-so-traditional projects, including 19 exclusive, creepy carving templates. You'll discover concept ideas, step-by-step instructions and more. One of the not-so-traditional pumpkins doesn't even require a knife, instead it's spray painted and made to look like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz.
This week's featured crafter is crazy about rubber stamps and takes pride in giving her friends and family a way to remember special moments. Let's meet Patti!
Name: Patti Hodder, 47
Hometown: New Hyde Park, NY
Occupation: Vice president of marketing for an apparel company
How did you get into making cards?
I started rubber stamping about 15 years ago and realized that I was running out of room to keep all my projects. I started making cards for birthdays and realized how much fun I was having and that my family and friends really enjoyed receiving something handmade.
Where do you find inspiration?
I am lucky in that I find so many things inspiring... an old building in Manhattan led to an architecture-based card; I read so many magazines and I find some ads use interesting mixes of color or a beautifully designed living room leads to something else. The ocean and any seashore locations have been a great source of inspiration since I was little. The majority of my photo cards are based on the sea.
What's your best craft tip?
I keep an idea journal. It's a large sketchbook and I pull pages from magazines, Web sites, photos, doodles, yarn swatches ... anything that I love the look of. I make it a habit to go through the book at least once a week and I come up with different ideas.
Forgive the fact that it's only September, but the 2008 IKEA catalog. is already out for consumption.
The 372-page issue is packed with plenty of new furniture designs, fabrics and storage solutions, yet retains many of the company's classic styles.
DIYers take note: There's a whole culture of folks who take IKEA gear bought on the cheap and repurpose it into something else. They've started a blog, IKEAhacker, where they naturally post project photos and instructions. You can search by category, my favorite being Craft, where you can learn how to paint plastic, outfit your craft room and such.
I know it's early, but I'm already thinking about Halloween. I love this holiday and all the treats that come along with it! Here's a few of my favorite frightening finds from handmade shopping sites, Lov.Li and Etsy:
Are you scared of things that go bump in the night? Ever go to bed with a flashflight to fight off the boogeyman? Well, your secret is safe in the Skeleton Secret Keeper adorned with smiling sculls carved right into the wodden box. It's the perfect addition to your home's Halloween decor.
Halloween wouldn't be the same without a handful of delicious candy corn and these delightfully sweet earrings won't ruin your diet. They're made of glass and can also be worn as a pendant. Get a pair of these earrings to wear at the next goofy office party.
Are you ready to party? Well, mark your calendars!
Michelle's of New York is having a launch party and fashion show at 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 29th at its retail store in Islip Terrace. Come celebrate the addition of their new lingerie line for plus size women. At this event, you'll enjoy music, light refreshments, VIP gift bags, and door prize giveaways. Free admission. It sounds too good to miss!
Note: No children under 18 will be permitted.
Contact Michelle via e-mail: michellesofny@aol.com or visit www.MichellesofNewYork.com for more information.
This week's featured crafter started out making friendship bracelets for her buddies and now she's got her own line of whimsical jewelry. In her spare time, you can find her rockin' out on her guitar and piano! Let's meet Renee!
Name: Renee Oliveri, 29
Hometown: Staten Island, NY
Occupation: Art and music teacher
Craft: Jewelry
Web site: www.reyney.etsy.com
How did you get into making jewelry?
I've been crafty my whole life, so jewelry making was one of the hobbies I had as a child. I remember making friendship bracelets out of embroidery floss. It was always a challenge to see how wide I could make the bracelets. All of my friends had to have one. Most recently, I've discovered vintage plastic flowers and findings. I wanted to do something with all of those findings, so I started making jewelry for myself.
Beadsbyel will be holding a high-end fashion jewelry show featuring the unique creations of New York jewelry designer, Ellen Richter. Her work includes eye-catching Swarovski crystal and her hottest trend, the silver block letter name bracelet. Come with friends and family. All are welcome. Cash and carry purchases at event. Custom orders available.
When: Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Time: 7 p.m.
Where: The office of Marc A. Zirogiannis, Esq., PC
1065 Old Country Road, Suite 204, Westbury, NY 11590
Door prize: Ellen will raffle off a pearl piece of jewelry from her Fall 2007 Collection
Questions: Call 631-987-7281
Web site: www.beadsbyel.com
We're always looking for news, events, and people who are part of the handmade community. Send me an e-mail and your news might appear on the Cheap Thrills blog.
Kim Myles, a hairdresser from Astoria, is the champion of HGTV's "Design Star." She clinched the competition when viewers voted for her colorful redecoration of a Hawaii hotel suite. Now she'll be getting her own decorating show.
Newsday's Carol Polsky caught up with Kim, who reveals her affection for Century 21, blue and yellow color schemes and Fire Island (among other things).
Click here for the full story.
For more on Kim, check out her blog at kimmyles.blogspot.com
Newsday photo by Bruce Gilbert
DYOD (Do your own design) Canvas Lunch Tote
A small plain canvas tote is the perfect palette for any budding artist and reusing your lunch bag every day is a great lesson in conservation and recycling.
To decorate a canvas tote, use fabric paints or fabric paint markers available at most craft stores. Prior to painting, launder the tote and encourage your student to plan out the designs before painting the bag. It’s also helpful to iron the surface flat prior to painting. To prevent the paint from bleeding through from one side to another, insert a sheet of paper inside the bag before you paint. Fabric paint can stain, so where art clothes and work on a protected surface.
Want to add a even more customization to your lunchtime? Give your plastic containers a little more pizzazz with colorful and permanent Sharpie markers.
More back to school projects:
-- by Steven James
Need more help or have a question about these projects? E-mail Steven James at create@macaroniandglitter.com or visit his Web site at www.macaroniandglitter.com and his etsy store at macaroniandglitter.esty.com.
Photo: Painted totebag by Altered Diva
Fall is the perfect time to take up a new project or get an early start on making holiday gifts. Long Island knitting shops are offering a host of classes in October for beginners to expert knitters.
Cables: Infinite Yarns in Farmingdale. The class meets twice- Thursday, Oct. 18 and Oct. 25--from 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. $50.
Potato Chip Scarf: A scarf that looks like billowing clusters of potato chips. At Village Knitter, Babylon on Tuesday, Oct. 9 from 7:30-9 p.m. $25 plus materials.
Mittens: At Wild and Wooly Wools in Commack on Tues. Oct. 16 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. $45 includes yarn.
Sweaters: Learn how to knit and assemble a sweater in a six-part class at Rumpelstiltskin Yarns in Sayville. Tuesdays at 5:30 from Oct. 2- Nov. 6. $150 plus supplies.
Know of a great Long Island yarn shop that's offering a class not listed here? Send me an email or use the comment feature below to let everyone know.
A roundup of the best how-to projects and crafts found in this month's magazines.
Better Homes and Gardens: Easy (and stylish) knit sweaters
Lowe's Creative Ideas: DIY Diaper changing station
Blueprint: Choose your own cocktail party
Country Home: DIY Laundry room decor
And just for fun...
DIY Network: Quiz: Will your remodeling project pay off?
This week's featured artist is a very busy mom. When she's not caring for her children, she's taking care of patients as a registered nurse. And she still finds the time to make whimsical jar fairies and other types of mixed media art. Let's meet Danielle!
Name: Danielle Muller, 36
Hometown: Lake Grove, NY
Occupation: Wife, mother, registered nurse and mixed media artist
Web site: www.thevintagedragonfly.com
How did you get into mixed media?
I have always been surrounded by creative people my entire life, such as my great-grandmother, my grandmother, my mother, my aunt. My mother is a wonderful artist and growing up I was encouraged to explore my own creativity. I was first introduced to the world of mixed media art a few years ago by a friend. I was instantly hooked! I love to do collage work as well as experiment with vintage materials creating jar fairies or assemblages.
What's your best tip?
My best tip is to try and don't be discouraged. We can be our own worst enemies at times. Believe in yourself, don't let fear stand in your way, and explore your creativity!
Word comes in that Paiva, a women's exercise apparel store, is going out of business and the clearance sales are starting immediately. Goods, including sneakers, are already marked 50% off in stores. And the merchandise is selling fast.
At the Walt Whitman Mall (Huntington) store this afternoon, the racks and shelves were almost half empty, but there was plenty of Nike, FILA and comparable gear (sports bras, warm-up jackets and well-designed workout clothing).
A second Long Island location is at the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove.
It's that time of year again, a time of dread for kids and perhaps a moment of delight for their parents, a time when kids everywhere head back to school.
Here's one way to make basic supplies cool for school:
DIY Locker Magnets
Adding a permanent touch to your locker may very well end with a quick trip to the principal’s office. A personalized set of locker magnets is an easier way to add a little cool to your cubby. Most anything can be quickly converted to a locker magnet when circular magnets are permanently affixed to the backside with epoxy glue.
Supplies needed:
* Items to be converted into magnets – dice, laminated photos, etc.
* Craft magnets, slightly smaller than the item being used
* Two-part epoxy, with stirring stick and mixing surface
* Fine grade sandpaper
Instructions:
Roughen the surface on the backside of the item with sandpaper. Remove dust and mix epoxy according to manufacturer’s instructions (usually a 1 to 1 ratio). Apply epoxy to the rough surface and place magnet in middle of epoxy, making sure it surrounds the base of the magnet. Allow epoxy to cure overnight and possibly several days before using magnets.
Read Back to School, Cool - Part One
-- by Steven James
Need more help or have a question about these projects? E-mail Steven James at create@macaroniandglitter.com or visit his Web site at www.macaroniandglitter.com and his etsy store at macaroniandglitter.esty.com.
Visit this crafting mecca online: www.etsy.com
On most days, I get the usual mix of household bills, catalogs and junk in the mail. But today was different, a Sampler box arrived! I skipped all the way to my desk with glee and couldn't wait to see the goodies inside.
What is the Sampler? It's a cool way for indie designers, artisans, record labels, and makers of crafty things to get samples of their goods into the hands of the public. If you love handmade goods, like I do, then you'll want to a Sampler pronto! Don't be jealous, you can get one too.
Let's take a peek inside this month's Sampler ...
Continue reading "Home of the Sampler - Handmade designs by mail" »
Consider it scrapbook therapy. Ronkonkoma scrapbooker Kristina Contes, who appeared in a recent Newsday story about crafting, just published her first book. "We Dare You" (Memory Makers, $22.99) is 127 all-color pages of inspiration for hip young scrapbookers like Contes.
Beyond ideas for eye-catching layouts, Contes and her three co-authors challenge the reader to try something unexpected with their albums - like scrapbooking beyond the typical ultra-happy affairs (weddings, parties) to include life moments that have been poignant, scary or even sad.
Name: Katharina Litchman
Hometown: New York, NY
Occupation: Fiber artist
Craft: Quilting
Web sites: www.ArtQuiltsbyMietzi.com,
Katharina's online store via Buy Outside the Box
How did you get into making quilts?
While I was a commercial banker, a long, long time ago, a friend brought me a queen-size quilt she made at a class. Instantly, I fell in love with what effects one could create of the colors and patterns of fabric. I knew how to sew since I was a little girl (also a long time ago), I just went off and made one of my own. I started with traditional styles and patterns, and made so many large quilts that everyone in my family had one, and all the beds were covered. But there were still the walls, and I began to create small, decorative pieces.
Where do you find inspiration?
My quilts of tall buildings are inspired by the towering structures in Manhattan. Traditional Amish patterns are beautiful and lend themselves well to abstraction and reinventing. I've drawn inspiration from the modern and abstract art of Mondrian, Picasso, Klee, Kandinksky, and many more. And our cats are always assuming inspirational postures.
One of my favorite magazines, Domino, is hosting its first decorating contest for a chance to win a $10,000 shopping spree!! Every entry will get a free makeup sample. So, hurry up and start snapping photos of your fabulous decor!
Here's more details about Domino's contest:
Domino is asking the public (only amateurs -- no professionals, please!) to show us how good their decorating is and they could win a $10,000 shopping spree.
All people have to do is simple enter now on www.dominomag.com and upload one photo of their best decorated room in their home.
BONUS: Everyone is automatically entered in a drawing to win a free $3,000 spa trip—and every person who enters receives a free makeup sample.
Domino will choose five finalists by October 23rd and then the public votes for the winner on www.dominomag.com (from 10/23/07—11/30/07). The winner will be announced in January 2008 and will be featured in the February 2008 domino issue. See the Web site for the complete rules.
Good luck!
This great project shows how to make high quality wedding favors at a bargain price. Aside from being rather unique, they taste great and are easily customized to match wedding colors or skin tones by varying the colors of the chocolate.
The heart of this project are cookie embed molds -- one of the most popular chocolate mold types in recent years. These are designed to encapsulate an Oreo® cookie in chocolate. Since the bride and groom are on separate mold sheets, the favor is easily changed for alternate lifestyles as well.
Add in a bit of simple mold painting and a clear acetate box and you have a professional quality favor that is easy to make at home.
-- Bob ShermanIllustrated step by step project instructions are available free. See Cookie Embed Wedding Favors or visit my Chocolate project / Instruction index for a huge selection of other free projects and basic chocolate making instructions.
Bob Sherman is the author of several books on candle making, hundreds of articles on candle making, soap making, chocolate making, leather working, and was also The Miningco.com Guide to Candle And Soap Making for seven years.
Here's Martha Stewart showing off the windows of Macy's Herald Square--all 36 windows have been artfully decorated with merchandise from Stewart's just-launched collection of dinnerware, bedding, bath accessories and kitchen items. The oh-so-Martha offerings are the classic goodies (think well-made bakeware, ceramic cake stands) that have been appearing on the set of her TV show and the pages of her magazine for years. Browse the full line at Macy's or here.
Sidenote: The Martha-obsessed can keep tabs on the domestic diva through her MySpace page (yes, MySpace)Martha Stewart's MySpace page and official blog.
It's that time of year again, a time of dread for kids and perhaps a moment of delight for their parents, a time when kids everywhere head back to school.
Here's a couple ways to make basic supplies cool for school.
DIY Book Marks
Sealing photos, quotes, drawings and cartoons is a great way to personalize schoolbooks. To create a bookmark you’ll need to use heat set laminate, which is available at most copy centers. Arrange the design directly on the laminate and seal. With a pair of sharp scissors, cut around the design, leaving about quarter-inch space between the design/paper and the edge. Remember to make “rounded” edges at each of the corners. If desired, punch a hole in into the top and bottom center of the bookmark and attach color-coordinated ribbons.
DIY Erasers
We all make mistakes, so why not take care of them creatively? Kick the plain pink erasers to the curb and use Sculpey Eraser Clay to make your own eraser. The clay is easily formed into shapes and multiple colors can be combined into cool creations.
To get clay ready, squeeze it in your hands and knead to warm and soften the clay. Once soft, you’re ready to create! Mix colors to create a new one. Roll out your clay with a
rolling pin, use a cookie cutter to make shapes or create your design using a free form technique. 
Have an adult or teenager pre-heat the oven to 275 degrees (do not microwave your Sculpey creation) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place your Sculpey creation on the cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes per 1/4-inch of thickness. Ask an adult or teenager to remove your creation from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes.
Sculpey is non-toxic, however, do not bake longer than the recommended time for it’s thickness. Unbaked Sculpey clay can stain clothes and furniture, so work in art clothes and on a covered table. Keep unbaked Sculpey in a cool space and out of direct sunlight.
For fun eraser clay ideas visit:
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/eraserclay/index.htm
-- by Steven James
Need more help or have a question about these projects? E-mail crafter extraordinaire Steven James at create@macaroniandglitter.com. Visit his Web site at www.macaroniandglitter.com and his Etsy store at macaroniandglitter.etsy.com
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