Girl on the Rocks

Things I liked at Maker Faire 2012 May 28, 2012

Hands down Favorite item:
Zevrino Arduino powered automatic cat feeder

In the Expo Hall:
Joona Re-upholstery classes
The Algae Lab Grow-your-own tank of spirulina
Bare conductive conductive paint

Bazaar Bizarre:
.retool. Seat belts made into wallets, card holders, and (my fave) passport covers
Bossa Nova Baby tiny hand stitched brooches
small adventure Artwork and illustrations
Novel Poster poster prints made from the complete text of novels.

Coaster shopping November 3, 2008

Bottle cap coasters
Rettocamme
$24.

Super Mario Perle beads
lostmitten
$22.

Screenprinted
summersville
$24.95

Recycled skateboards
2revert
$40

Felt floppy disks
thegeekery
$28

Block printed bingo
1girl1boy
$22.

Rare Earth Magnet source February 15, 2008

I found a great online source for cheap Rare Earth Magnets. Check out the Surplus Category at K & J magnets

Gifts for the Crafty – Part I December 4, 2007

Ahh the holidays…. Egg nog, cold weather and… SHOPPING! Seems like as good a time as ever to tell you about the things that I like to buy. I thought for the next few days I would highlight some of the things that I really like, and maybe you can discover some resources you didn’t know about. Most of the products I will mention are things that I have purchased myself, so I am fully comfortable recommending them to you. If nothing else, you can send your relatives/loved ones here for gift ideas. It is slightly less obvious than just flat out posting on your blog the things that you want them to buy (though I fully support that idea).

So what should we talk about today? Let’s start with Magazines

Getting a magazine subscription for your crafty friend or loved one is a way to keep them inspired all year long. They are also a good solution for last-minute shoppers since you can give gift subscriptions online.

• Craft: Magazine ($34.95 – 4 issues/year) Innovative craft ideas with complete instructions. Everything from knitting patterns, to sewing electronics into your wardrobe. At first glance this publication looks a little pricey, the final object is very nice. Like its sister (brother?) publication, Make: Magazine, the format it more like a softcover book and you can imagine referring back to these for years to come.
• Adorn More similar to a fashion mag (in a good way) than any other crafty publication that I can think of, Adorn epitomizes classy yet accessible craftiness. i like it!
• Martha Stewart Living ($24 – 12 issues) I am not a self-proclaimed Martha Fan. I mean, I like her stuff enough, and I like that she seems like she has overly high standards and is kinda mean… And she is like the craftiest ex-con ever… But I wouldn’t call myself a fan. I don’t get this magazine, but every time I read one, I found something in it I really like. I guess that makes me a closeted Martha fan.
• ReadyMade($18 – 6 issues)
  I am always impressed in the number of crafty projects in Readymade that I feel I could actually put to use in my apartment. And they always have an article on some craftsperson that I am completely intrigued by. Plus, they are practically my neighbors so it is like supporting the locals when i pick up a copy.

Zines
Independently published pamphlet-like magazines are also a great read!

• Craphound ($10) People. just go buy one of these now – I’ll wait. This Zine is a big fat pack ‘o fun. I think it would be an understatement to call it clip-art so instead I will say that it is a collection of illustrations and images on various themes. Issue #6 is the most recent and is titled “Deaths, Telephones and Scissors”. These are a pure joy to look at and use as a crafting reference. If you are the least bit intrigued just go buy one NOW – The back issues sell on ebay for a mint.
  
• Croq Zine ($15 – 4 issues) Still crafting strong and headed for their 11th issue, this zine has never let me down. There are always a couple of article or projects that I enjoy reading about. These guys and gals have their act together and you can purchase a pack of back issues, as well as a 1 year subscription.
• Church of Craft Zine ($3- 5 back issues)- Sister Diane of the Portland Church of Craft has made available back issues of zine she produced. Take a look around her etsy shop, because she has several other crafty zine offerings.
• MixTape($6/issue +hella$$ for international shipping) Wassup Melbourne?? has anyone else noticed that Melbourne is like the Portland of Australia – totally busting with craftiness. I visited there last year at about this time, but somehow managed to not investigate the craft scene. This zine shows me that I missed a lot…

That’s all the magazine ideas I have. But i have many more crafty guide ideas so stay tuned for a few more posts!
See all of my 2007 Craft gift guide posts

Raven series November 5, 2007

The new Raven series colors are up at Blue Moon.

No time for chit-chat October 29, 2007

A quickie post to finally purge all of the things I have been meaning to tell you…

Secret Knitting Project
I have a secret knitting project that I just finished. Technically the cat is out of the bag with this one, but I haven’t told you about it here so it is still kinda secret. Details will follow shortly

Undies
yes, I am telling you about my underwear. This weekend I found some underwear at the gap that has a fair isle print on it. Not-knitted knit underwear. Hooray!

Gocco Mania
I finally had a chance to break in my Gocco, and do some printing for a new product tthat will hit my shop soon. i have a lot to learn and I think starting with the fabric paint was a little ambitious. I am happy with the results.

Anyone knitting any exciting Halloween Costumes?

Make a junky wish October 12, 2007

Tomorrow is the annual El Cerrito city wide garage sale. The city publishes maps with marked locations of the homes having sales, and you can download it ahead of time to plan a shoping strategy. I have been several times, and I usually go hoping to find something in particular. One year it was a hot air popper, one year french onion soup bowls, a crock pot (I wrote about my loot from last year here)…. The thing is, the sale never disappoints. My friends found the ceramic pirate ship, matching tennis rackets, and giant ridiculous painting that were on their list last year. All of my junky wishes have come true, and everything is at a price I like.

I can’t figure out what to wish for…. A nice pair of Danskos. A Crock pot for dyeing roving… I think I will wish for a jar of buttons. Sounds do-able. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

If you are in the east bay tomorrow and want to check out the sale, I recommend heading up to the recycling center on Schmidt or the community center on Moeser to pick up a map to get you started. What is your junky wish?

Edit: As I am getting ready this morning, I remembered that I really want a guillotine-style paper cutter. I think that might be pushing it….

Faux Bois September 12, 2007

Though I’m not particularly a fan of Martha, I want everything in her Faux Bois collection – Sheets and towels decorated woth faux wood grain.

Threadless sale August 29, 2007

Threadless is having a $10 sale until Sept. 3rd.

Saturday Shopping August 11, 2007

I had a plan to get a lot of work done today, but I couldn’t start until after a visit to my favorite thrift store. Carmen and I walked the few blocks that separates our apartment building from an adorable little thrift store. I had two great finds today – a set of 4 woven placemats, and a pyrex bowl. edit: How could I forget to mention… the bowl was only $1

And they happen to match! How cute!

Speaking of cute, I noticed that Superbuzzy is having a sale on some of their items. If you haven’t shopped there before, Superbuzzy carries a TON of cute Japanese import fabric. Be warned – it is too adorable to resist. Here is a selection from one of my previous purchases.

I noticed that there are some cute cross-stitch tape kits on sale too. Tempting…..

Hopefully next time I post I will have finished a pair of handknit socks for myself.