Monthly Archives: April 2014

Apr 30 2014

Chain & Fancy

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I have seen a lot of different types of chain mail at conventions, online, and at Renn Fests, but Chain & Fancy really caught my attention at Awesome Con Easter weekend.  The flowers were what really stood out.

After the convention I went to their website at http://www.chainandfancy.com/ to take a look at their gallery.  I then stumbled across the beautiful Proto dragon.

Not only are they talented and have unique, fascinating chain mail, but they have agreed to make some chain mail tutorials for Craft Hackers!  I am so curious excited to see first-hand how chain mail is created and can’t wait for the first one.

-Toni

Apr 29 2014

Not the Last Avatar

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I think everyone that enjoyed the brilliant Nickelodeon cartoon ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ has agreed to just forget the disaster that was the live action movie, yes/yes? Good. In case you need something to help chase those hallucinations away though, I present to you the adorable Sokka Plush by SkullBurst.

Warrior Sokka Plush by SkullBurst

Yet another person that can use the witch craft other wise known as a “sewing machine” to create adorable pieces. ^_^ This doll just looks so hug-able and I can only imagine the time, love, and energy that went into creating such a beautiful plush. I hope to see more from this lady in the future. A great piece worthy of this great warrior. 😀

Apr 28 2014

Crafty Thinking Panel

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For those that attended Awesome Con you may have stopped by on Sunday and participated in the Crafty Thinking Panel.  For those that didn’t (or those that did and you didn’t take notes) we video taped it and I have finally uploaded it to You Tube.  The first half we introduced ourselves, our business, and what our biggest hurdle we find is as a small business owner.  I then talked a few minutes about Craft Hackers before we took questions from the audience.  The second half we continued the questions from the audience.

We covered a LOT of topics including pricing, web presence, conventions, getting started, and yes the dreaded copyright issues.  So take a look and if you have any questions at all please feel free to come by the forums and ask away!

-Toni

Crafty Thinking Panel Part 1

Crafty Thinking Panel Part 2

Apr 28 2014

The Lost Art of Card Making

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As someone who used to work for Hallmark, I think I can say with some sort of weight that cards have become just a required bit of filler lately in society. We all know that when we give a gift, you must give a card as well. Something funny/sweet/sentimental that sort of reflects your feelings/thoughts on the event happening. Maybe it’s just because of my aforementioned retail employment, but I enjoy handmade cards so much more now than I used to and PossumPip-Creations just takes it to a whole other level. This UK based lady has cards that range from simple fandom related gems, to full out decoupage artworks that I know I would personally treasure/frame should I ever receive one.

Sonic Birthday Card by PossumPip-Creations

Be sure to check out her gallery for more cards and also images of the fan inspired food she has started to make as well. Mmmmmm cake…..

Plants vs. Zombies Cake by PossumPip-Creations

Apr 27 2014

Fantastical Sculpture Garden

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As just about anyone whose taken a basic Art class or pursued anything in the traditional arts knows, the day your teacher first asked you to make something out of clay (heck even play dough) was often a day of woe. Class time often spent justifying that yes, those were logs/trees/balls and it was clearly an abstract piece of course and you were in no ways goofing around. Or perhaps that was just me? While I’d like to think I’ve gained some skill in sculpture making over the years, I’m certainly no where near the level for the very talented Ideationox, whose work for caught my eye thanks to her outstanding ‘Labyrinth’ movie pieces.

Just a Worm by Ideationox

She also appears to occasionally dabble with jewelry as well, but the bulk of her gallery is just incredibly beautiful and detailed sculpture pieces that, like the little worm above, will also incorporate mixed media sometimes. She’s only been on DA for the last 2 years, but her creations really deserve so much praise. ^_^

Apr 26 2014

Keep Your Head Covered!

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Hats man. Like’em or hate’em, a good hat can not only look stylish, but keep your noggin warm. ^_^ I have a personal favorite that I will likely cry when it falls apart. Poor thing is 10 years old now. Thankfully, there are other skilled crafters online like PurgatorianHeir that can decode the mystery of sewing patterns!

Lucario Hat by PurgatorianHeir

They caught my eye with their top notch pokemon hat adaptations, but they have an entire gallery of lovely creations that I highly recommend giving a look through. *eyes old Genki Gang Hat* They take custom commissions too, so if you have something that’s hard or impossible to find as a hat I would definitely send them a message.

Custom Hat Design by PurgatorianHeir

Apr 25 2014

It’s Allison… I’m finally making my debut post!

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I finally figured out how to work this blog-traption, and am making my introductory post now.  It’s a bit later than expected (many humble apologies!), but now that I know how to do this, it’ll be a breeze from now on.  🙂

So who am I and what do I do? I’m Allison, and I do lots of things! I’m a graphic designer, web designer and illustrator by trade, so I spend a large amount of time coming up with cool logos, slick websites and pretty tshirt designs for my clients. I’m also an artist, and I’ve been painting and drawing since before I could talk. Oh, and I craft. Before recently, I didn’t even know that being a crafter was a ‘thing’; I’ve never described myself as such, even though I’ve been actively crafting for most of my life. When I was in high school and had access to my mom’s sewing machine, I would design and make my own clothes. In college, I bought vintage items and altered them. I broadened my reach once I had my own place, and started making blankets, pillows, and decor items to fit my ever changing interior design taste. These days, I do smaller things: jewelry making, refurbishing vintage furniture, handmade stuffed toys, handmade greeting cards and calendars, and repurposed Christmas tree ornaments (or home decor items) out of vintage toys. Oh, and obviously wall art! I think I just like doing creative things with my hands now that I work at a computer… the feeling of actually physically making something as opposed to doing something digitally is beyond satisfying.

And coincidentally, it was through an ad I posted for my design services that I met the lovely Toni. We worked together on the design elements of the business for about a month, and alongside work, we connected on a personal level. A friendship started to grow, along with my desire to not only help out with the cool idea that was Craft Hackers, but also to immerse myself in a crafting community filled with vibrant, creative ideas, thoughts and people.

I can’t wait to meet all of you, and I’m looking forward to all the great times ahead!

 

 

Apr 25 2014

The Bronze Victorian Era that never was

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I’ve always been pulled to the allure of the Steampunk genre. Maybe it’s my love of intricate details, or cosplay, or alternate takes on technological advancement, but I will no doubt continue to be drawn to everything I see that comes out of that genre. My current love comes in the form jewelry by a fellow DeviantArt artist called Henri-1. He’s a UK artist that makes some gorgeous clockwork/steampunk jewelry, and I highly recommend going to give his gallery a look over.

Created by Henri-1

Oh, and he doesn’t just do jewelry. He creates other stempunk inspired creations as well.

Steampunk LED Lanterns by Henri-1

All his work is handmade and, ugh, I just want to throw a steampunk costume ball so badly now!

Apr 24 2014

Cupcakes

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While at Awesome Con this past weekend I was walking around networking when all of a sudden I spied some cupcakes.  I immediately steered myself in the direction of the deliciousness.  I was really curious so I took a look at what they had and this is what I saw:

cosmic Cupcakes

Yes, those are cupcakes decorated with your favorite comic book theme.  I was super excited.  I had to have one and when I ate it my mouth enjoyed every bite.  They were moist and good and had all of the deliciousness that I had hoped for.  If you want to see more pictures, head over to their website at http://comiccupcakes2014.wix.com/comiccupcakes.

– Toni

Apr 23 2014

Hi *wave* its me, Dana!

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Hey all! I’m Dana and my little business is Creatively Tinkering, where I dabble in making hats, pillows, costumes, and accessories (such as: purses, hairsticks, and jewelry). Crafting has been part of my life since an early age, my mother and grandmother both taught me how to sew by the time I was 10. Over the years I’ve dabbled in scrapbooking, quilting, jewelry making, photography, painting, and (my personal favorite) costuming. Right now with Creatively Tinkering most of what I do is small stuff, but it is my hope to expand into making costumes. Donna from Continuously Dreaming is my friend and partner in this business adventure, we’ve done four conventions so far and have enjoyed all of them. My favorite though is MAGFest where we met Toni, she was incredibly encouraging and helpful to us at that first convention. She gave us helpful hints and tips which we applied to our future conventions. I look forward to helping others start their adventures in turning their hobbies into a business. Its a fun ride that can be daunting at times but typically ends up being quite rewarding (and possibly addicting :-p)