A blog about

A BLOG ABOUT CRAFTING ADVENTURES IN THE FAR NORTH

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Community Garden Fair

last weekend my ma, aunt and i geared up (literally- it was pouring cats and dogs) to check out the community garden's yearly competition. it was so lovely!
it is quite different to get vegetables and flowers to grow in such a rainy, cool climate so it is always fun to see what people can get to grow here! a few things that even i can plant, or that grow wild- rhubarb, blueberries, salmonberries and lupine. this year we had strange bouts of SUN! so, it was fun to see all the things the gardeners coaxed up.
there were gorgeous flowers at this year's fair. but i was spoiled on flowers from ma's garden.

ma lives right on the bay and has a garden on the beach and one up near the house. it is really impressive. this year she planted swiss chard, lettuce, carrots, peas, zuchinni (they were enormous!), garlic, brocolli and tons and tons of flowers. her favorites are forget-me-nots, the state flower. they are a tiny little blue flower and they are delicate and beautiful. i'll have to get a pic of one for you to see.

coming up this weekend is the second annual farmer's market downtown at the JACC. If you are here you should go! i will be whiling my time away in Seattle! yay! where i will be attending a wedding, doing some bridesmaid shopping, and having a generally fantastic time in the SUN! see you when i'm back!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Crafting-on-the-go-go


Who is this lovely lady? She is a crafter on the go. Yes, that's right - vacations are coming on and I have to get ready. So, first things first, I did a little research and whipped up an article about crafting while travelling. Check it out next Wed on the CCW site.

PS - sorry for the delay in posts! busy buzy bee! actually, I've been getting some design work done for the upcoming Autumn Fest. Stayed tuned for more info on our yearly indy craft fest!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Fishing Tackle into Jewelry Tutorial

up here in alaska fishing is not just for fun, it is a way of life. that's why i, as a crafter, have found a way to incorporate the fishing into my crafting world! yesssssss.

so, for this week's article in the Capital City Weekly i've written about taking fishing tackle (literally, the tackle off my dad's boat) and making a couple of really fabu necklaces out of it! I am not kidding- these are some really fun bedazzled pieces. So, check out the article here - and look below for pics of the process. Thanks all!
here's my dad on the boat with his tackle box full of beads and "gumpucky" (don't ask me!)
quick break to take in the view.
oooh, look at all the beads! and those are for fishing . . .
here's what dad actually does with those beads- the squid is called a hoochie- fish love 'em
oops, a quick stop for a humpback whale watch- cap'n is soooo jealous!
show some flukes whaley!
ok, to make the necklace I took the tools home, here is my actual jewelry accessories case (left) next to dad's tackle case (right)
here's what you need- fishing line, beads, and some stuff that looks like jump rings and swivels.
chain all the metal pieces together- the swivels and hawaiian snaps and weave in a hoochie- cinching it down with a zip tie for security.
works as a long bohemian necklace or a shorter choker.
here are the beads (used in fishing) laying in my actual jewelry beading tray. teehee.
i made a simple pearl-like necklace out of these. you could easily layer this necklace several times for a chunkier look.
i used hawaiian snaps, hoochie head fillers and a swivel to finish the necklace. it gives it a touch of pizzazz!

i'd love to see other versions of these tackle necklaces! leave your links here- thanks!

Monday, August 3, 2009

Lovely Summer Headband Tutorial

we had the best time making some fun quick headbands the other night - i thought i might whip up a tutorial for all to share. this is just a guideline- so have fun trying it a million different ways!
start with your supplies, an elastic hairband (or use a ribbon, or plastic headband covered in fabric), scissors, felt sheets, and later you will need a needle and thread.
fold over your felt about 1" and cut. no need to be too precise here.
snip off 1" squares of the folded over piece you cut. if you were to unfold them they would be about 2"x1"
keep snipping down your felt strip
with the folded edge in your fingers cut the top edges in a simple leaf shape. Keep the folded bottom wide for now.
soon you will have a little stack of felt soldiers. admire your work. ah lovely.
get out your needle that is in your pincushion (mine is a shameless plug of my rowdy ravens up now on etsy)
back to it! take one leaf and squeeze it between your fingers so that the folded edge gets ruffled.
stitch through the leaf to maintain the ruffles
continue with the same process adding each ruffled leaf to the last to create a row of ruffles
like this lovely row- do you have enough? make some more quick if you feel like it!
now start stitching your row of petals to your hairband. if you are using a plastic headband covered in fabric make sure you don't sew the leaves on right in the center- believe me, it looks silly.
stitch stitch stitch, you are almost done!
and there it is!
here are some tries with other styles - little layered flowers and such!
i made five the first time i tried! i'd love to see yours- send me pics or links to show them off!

beautiful cuckoo

so i am going to post tonight or tomorrow am the tutorial that went along with the Craft Addicts fabulous Craftrama night of headbands.
but briefly i just found this via APT and i soooo want to make a version! i LOVE trees and birds. and we have no clocks in our house. not that this would really help me keep track of the time. but whateves- come back, i may just make my own this week!