January 2010
15 posts
3 tags
bottle service
One of the major difficulties of prank crafting is answering the question, “Is it worth spending hours of my time creating something that will most likely be mistaken for an item purchased at Goodwill for one dollar?” For me, that answer will always be yes. But it’s a good question to ask yourself when evaluating a potential craft. Prime example, this ship in a bottle:
In...
3 tags
whatever you do, don't try to hug this girl
This isn’t something I recommend making for anyone in your life (even I have my limits) — I’m just happy to see that prank crafting has its place even in high fashion. Well done, designer Ben Cho!
3 tags
a use for all of those spare shells you have...
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macraME? no, macraYOU!
1. Find this book.
2. Make everything in it.
3. ???
4. Profit.
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you CAN put a face/price on excellence
It’s $130, and it’s this fairy mosaic. I suppose it’s what you would buy if you were very wealthy, but didn’t want to make your manservant do all your dirty craft work for you.
7 tags
let's take it to the next level with beads
Another genre of crafting that I didn’t even know existed! Beaded banners. This one in particular is kind of the best thing ever just because of the display hanger.
You had me at “brass eagle carrying an enormous torch in front of a setting sun,” craft! I really can’t imagine where you could display this and have it look like intentional decorating, which is what...
5 tags
sketchy
Very little needs to be said about this sketch by number. You’re tracing over a pre-printed design and the result is that you look like a drawing savant because everyone knows you have always been a stick figure person your entire life. “I guess all I was missing was the inspiration,” you can say. “Well, that and forty hours’ worth of drawing lessons!” Then...
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i've got a fever and the cure is more sequins
Have you heard of something called ‘sequin art’? Me neither. But this is apparently a thing that people do as there are a lot of kits you can buy to make yourself a Sequin Masterpiece. (I capitalize it out of reverence)
If you’re a beginning Sequin Artist, I would recommend starting out nice and easy. Not too many colors, fairly simple pattern, etc. You want to keep things...
6 tags
this blog is already obsolete because i found the...
You know what’s a surprisingly expensive “hobby”? Latch hook. This fancy wolf pillow is going to set you back like $50! And that doesn’t include the cost of your own labor. But forget about the fact that you could buy someone a set of nice silk covered down pillows that actually match their living room for the same price. Imagine them staring into this face when they...
5 tags
fly like an eagle
OK, there’s nothing better than a good paint-by-number for prank crafting. We’re just going to abbreviate them to ‘PBN’s’ to save time because I know for a fact there are about 1.2 million completely breathtaking scenes you can paint and gift to friends/family and I plan to post many of them here. If you’re careful about covering the numbers and lines, you...
5 tags
the hotpant shortalls
I found the pattern for these in an issue of Vogue Knits, which I do not subscribe to but appears to be chock full of super crazy knitwear modeled without an ounce of irony. I believe the same issue contained a sleeveless fur trimmed duster made out of a camel-colored chenille yarn (OR DID I DREAM THAT UP?). In any case, the second I saw this little number it was love at first sight. It matches...
3 tags
i made you a decorative bowl to hold your hair...
I’m coveting this kit pretty hardcore. It’s a little on the expensive side, around $14, but you get five bowls! Tell your family you’re taking an art class and then give them each a gorgeous decorative bowl for Christmas. Bonus points for snapping a photo of someone holding up their bowl with same frozen, half-terrified smile the girl on the box has on her face. Super bonus...
4 tags
dolphin stained glass magic
I’m not entirely clear on where the red is supposed to go on this little beauty. Is the water supposed to be red so we remember the needless slaughter of dolphins? Beautiful AND topical, plus super cheap and no time to make. Endless possibilities — I recommend secretly suction cupping it to the bathroom window at the next dinner party you’re invited to.
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who says blowing your nose has to be boring?
All I have to say about this is, if you stumble on this for sale in a store, buy it immediately. No price is too high. My favorite is the moon and stars one with the side cubby for cotton balls, or possibly a pack of cigarettes. Although the beaded vaguely-Native-American version is fairly stunning in its own right. Nevermind, I love them all, I can’t choose a favorite.
the siege begins
It started with a pair of shorts my sister Jessie knit for our brother for his birthday. Or was it the too-small baby pink dog sweater she made for my dog? The early days of the war are fuzzy now, but Jessie had thrown down the gauntlet. Knitting ridiculous things for each other purely for the reactions they inspired became an ongoing challenge. The battle has been raging for six years now,...