Indoctrinating the Masses

Cassandra and I have an evil plan. Well, it might not actually be evil but we kind of like the idea of being slightly dark and mysterious.

We want to teach everyone to craft something. 

Frankly, it doesn't matter what a person's interest is, we just want them to join the club and become a maker of things. Making stuff is great for the soul and the mind. It gets you out of your routine and gives you something to focus on that will provide a finished project at the end. For those of you who are readers, you know that sad feeling you get at the end of a good book? Well, making something is the exact opposite of that. Even if your finished project doesn't come out exactly as planned, you've CREATED something - which is an awesome feeling.

To this end, we've been doing our part to bring crafting to the masses. And, while the term "masses" may be overstating it a bit, we believe that every little bit counts. In recent months, we've taught a Beginning Knitting class and, yesterday, I taught a Beginning Embroidery class.

Me, teaching. Note my new hairdo!

We're lucky to have this cool community space in Madison called DreamBank where they'll pay for all the materials and advertise the class. All you have to do is teach it. The students get to go home with a new skill AND all the materials. So, yesterday, seven people tried their hand at our Bear embroidery pattern*. They received the pattern printed on linen/cotton fabric, a 6" hoop, a #5 embroidery needle, a skein of floss, and handouts on how to do the stitches needed for this pattern. Plus, of course, they got two hours of instruction from yours truly.  ;)

Interestingly, teaching embroidery was MUCH easier than teaching beginning knitting. All my students were women (two of them teenagers) and they seemed to intrinsically understand the stitch work. My star pupil was one of the teenagers who just plowed through her pattern with abandon and did a great job. Her mom struggled a bit but I was able to find the right words (and process) to help her understand what she was doing and she eventually caught on and was successful.

The best part was watching people "branch out" and try things that were not strictly on the curriculum. I encourage this behavior because I think it makes more fearless crafters.

Anyway, a good time was had by all and I'm pretty sure that a few of these folks will actually finish their project. Hopefully they'll continue on and make more wonderful stuff.

- Alex

*Click that link for free downloads of Bear, Hare, Fox, and Owl embroidery patterns!

Jewels of Denial

Today Alex is a bit under the weather. But lucky you...I found this great post of hers from a couple years ago that deserved another look. Enjoy!

I was an artistic kid. Right on through college, my focus was on art, in some form. Sometimes it was drawing (I'm pretty mediocre), sometimes pottery (also mediocre), some art history, and eventually interior design.

Then I got married, had a baby and, suddenly, didn't have time to sit around a contemplate the mysteries of  cerulean blue or Basquiat. In 18 months, all my dreams of being a boho artist in NYC were dashed.

Interestingly though, creativity can't be killed. It will bubble to the surface somehow, someway. For me, it came out in cooking. I had to cook every day and I discovered that I could get pretty creative with recipes. As a result of years of playing around in the kitchen, I'm a confident and decent cook who will, often, take risks with good results.

Once my son was in high school and fed himself most of the time (Easy Mac and potato chips, mostly), I found myself in need of a new creative outlet. In my neighborhood, there was a bead shop that had the most enticing front window filled with a gorgeous array of semi-precious stones and stunning finished jewelry. After a number of weeks of window gazing, I finally screwed up the courage to go inside. I wandered around, entranced by the colors and shapes, and was pleased to find that a strand of semi-precious stones isn't all that expensive. I also discovered that (like most craft shops) the staff was completely willing to help me learn whatever I wanted to learn. I had found my new muse.

Cassandra and I have spoken before about the siren song of craft supplies. When one starts a new craft, it's very easy to become enthralled by it and want to buy all the gorgeous bits that go with the new hobby. With beaded jewelry-making, very few tools are actually needed but it's not unusual to fall into the abyss of beads. As I mentioned, even semi-precious stones (including pearls) are pretty inexpensive when viewed individually. It isn't until you have a rubbermaid container full of them and realize that it's a few hundred dollars worth that the depth of the obsession comes to light. Like with yarn, there comes a point where I had to put a moratorium on bead buying. The rule (for all my crafts) is, "Supplies can only be bought with a specific project planned."

Another issue was that, while I enjoyed the action of making jewelry, I'm not an active wear-er of jewelry. I created hundreds of necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and more - sometimes even specifically FOR myself - but rarely, if ever, wore them. I'm not a big jewelry fan. I like it on other people and I like to wear things that belonged to my grandmother or mother but, in general, I wear the same silver hoop earrings and single silver ring every day. So, for the most part, I just gave it all away as gifts. Eventually, I stopped doing this craft because I figured people were sick of getting my jewelry for every gift-giving opportunity.

A rosary made by me

So, I'm left with a big box of beads, good tools, and an occasional desire to break it all out and start again. I won't get rid of my supplies because the day will come when someone wants a necklace for a wedding or a specific pair of earrings and I'll be able to make these items without having to re-invest in the hobby. Plus, every once in a while, I love just looking at the beautiful beads and imagining what they could become.

- Alex

Friday Finds: Get Away From It All.

Have you ever considered what it would be like to disappear for a few days with like-minded, crafty friends and just do your thing?

Our dear friend, Stitchlilly (quilter extraordinaire), is a big fan of crafting retreats and organizes a number of them throughout the year. Sometimes they're themed - quilting, knitting, etc. Sometimes they're just a bunch of crafters getting together to sit and make unimpeded progress on a project. As a matter of fact, due to a work committment, I'm missing one of those weekend-at-the-lake craft retreats right now. Sigh.

Not the actual cabin but I'd love to be sitting here and knitting...

You can plan these yourself - you just need a destination and a few friends to share the cost - or you can attend one of the larger, super-organized retreats that have become popular. Here are a couple of the bigger ones that Cassandra and I always lust after:

Squam

Retreats, workshops, and lots of inspiration. The next in their series is in September and is in conjunction with Taproot Magazine. More than crafting, Squam is about discovering the artist inside us all and connecting with like-minded friends and mentors.

Makearoo

"What lights you up? Who are you meant to be? Let's find out together." This is the challenge that greats you at Makearoo's website. Offering retreats, workshops, and mentoring, Makearoo has a real hands-on attitude (and a great sense of humor) about personal enrichment. Check out the blog!

Don't stop here though. If your thing is scrapbooking, you can spend an entire weekend with nothing but scrapbookers. Same for knitters, embroiderers, quilters, etc. etc. etc. Google search your favorite and start taking vacations that feed your soul. :)

- Alex

Save the Cherries

About a month or so ago, my friend SSAF had an epiphany regarding my backyard cherry tree and how to keep the birds away. This is how craft projects happen, isn't it? One day, you look at some thing - like the lid from a frozen orange juice container - and you realize that it shouldn't go in the trash but that it needs to have a new life as a bird deterrent on a fruit tree.

I use wind chimes in my tree but I love this idea. The lids are not super-shiny but they're "metal" enough to reflect some light and they're so easy to make that you can have tons of them decorating anything you want to keep the birds away from.

So, SSAF started saving juice can lids and she also started obsessively cutting out little paper things to decorate them with. She claims this is theraputic... All I can see is shoulder pain and strained eyes. :)  Thank goodness she enjoyed this part because we had SO much fun stuff to work with when we sat down to craft last weekend. Take a look at the itty-bitty bits we got to play with!!

Kitschy and cute.

SSAF knows I love ephemera.

So, how to make Bird (and, hopefully, Squirrel) Deterrent Tree Hangers:

Step one is to make a hole in the lid to run your hanger through. We used a hammer, screwdriver, and a block of wood. This did leave a bit of a sharp piece on the back that I mashed down with some pliers. If you have a metal punch, that would work well too. You may also punch some holes in the bottom so you can hang things (bells, beads, whatever) from the bottom of the piece.

Step two is to pick your decorations and do a "dry" layout. Once you're happy with how it's going to look, you move to...

Step three - Mod Podge! 

If you've never used this wonder stuff, get thee to a craft store. Made by Plaid, Mod Podge is an adhesive and a sealant and dries wonderfully clear and a little bit shiny. I hadn't worked with it in years and had forgotten how glorious it is.



Awesome stuff.

 

Paint some on the lid as glue



Place your pictures & cover with a good coat of Mod Podge

Step four - Tie & Dry. I used hemp twine, thinking that it might hold up well in the weather. We considered a number of different options but the twine was handy, easy to work with, and (we assume) sturdy.  :)

Then just hang them up or lay them flat to dry. C'est tout! The Mod Podge dries very clear as you can see from the pictures below. I can't wait for spring to sprung so I can hang these beauties on my tree!

The cutting of the fun paper bits was probably the most time-consuming part of this project. Of course, I was the delighted recipient of SSAF's efforts. You certainly don't have to have to make collages - you could cover them with nice wrapping paper or individual images cut from magazines. The beauty is, these can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make them.

I'll let you know how well they work after I put them on the tree this year!

- Alex

Crafty Resolutions 2013

Another new year and another opportunity to take stock, judge our past 12 months, and resolve to create a new and better life in the coming year.

2012 brought an unexpected job change for me and, along with it, a massive distraction that has kept me from any meaningful crafting for months. My life was upended and the ship hasn't righted itself yet. Things are very out of balance.

I miss being driven to "make". My brain has been so filled with all the new stuff I have to learn (a new industry, new people, new tasks), I've had trouble lighting the creative spark. I need to find a way to bring that back to the forefront - to look forward to what's on my needles or what new craft I can learn.

A very wise friend and mentor told me once that resolutions "set us up for failure and feeling sh**ty about ourselves. The resolutions people make are usually about fixing themselves and their lives, based on “there is something wrong here” or even worse, “there is something wrong with me.”

[Editorial tangent: if you're interested in doing something more productive than just making resolutions, I invite you to visit his blog post entitled "Looking Back, Looking Forward" which is a three-part exercise developed to help you create closure for this year and plan for the next.]

So, I figured it might be a good idea to apply this thinking to my crafting. There are a lot of things I'd like to to with my knitting/sewing/upholstery/etc but I need to be realistic about what I can accomplish, especially considering my current "creative block". With this in mind, here are a few crafty goals for 2013:

There's an app for that.

1. More sewing. Cassandra far surpassed me in the sewing category - from her gorgeous Bernina machines to her amazing foray into quilting. I bought the materials to make an apron and have had my eyes on cool aprons that I've seen in stores. My resolution is to make at least one apron from an original design this year. And maybe start a quilt (although that might be stretching it a bit!)

This can't be too hard, right?

2. Knitting cables. For those of you who have read our blog for a while, you may recognize this resolution from a couple of years ago. Sadly, I STILL (two years later) have not actually knitted cables yet. *facepalm* I cannot begin to express how embarrased I am by this admisssion. So... this year for sure! Maybe something easy, like a cabled hat.

Something like this...

3. Needlepoint. Years ago, a dear friend of mine's grandmother needlepointed new seats for her dining room chairs. I was enamored of the finished product. They were sturdy and beautiful and had the advantage of being exactly what she wanted in her dining room. I'm fascinated with the designs of William Morris and want to do something in that style for my chairs. It's a huge undertaking so my resolution is not to do them all but to find some designs I like and to start one. I'll be learning a new skill so I expect my first to be a bit wonky anyway. :)




The chair that started it all.



4. Finish upholstering stuff. I originally took the upholstery class because I didn't want to pay someone to recover a particular chair. I'm now working on chair number six. Sadly, I thought I was going to have all my upholstery completed by December 2011. Ha!! I took one semester off and I had one project that was a total bear and took an entire semester to finish. However, I have no space for new furniture so my goal is to finish what I've got left by the end of fall semester 2013.



I want a Kenyan Top Bar hive.



5. BEES! I've talked about getting bees for the last three years. I came close last year but waited to long and then it was too late to order the actual insects. I've decided on the type of hive I want so I just need to buy one and get the bees at the right time this spring. Fingers crossed that it actually happens in 2013.

I hope that 2013 brings all of you health, happiness, and success in whatever goal(s) you set for yourself. Just remember, don't make resolutions that make you feel sh**ty about yourself. Set goals that, when you reach them, allow you to celebrate how awesome you are.



Happy New Year, friends.

- Alex

Friday Finds: Homesteading & Survivalism

I'm pretty sure I've talked to you all about my love of Doomsday Preppers, the reality show on the National Geographic Channel. The program follows folks who are preparring for some version of Armageddon - world financial collapse, electromagnetic pulses, a new ice age, etc. The reason I love the show is not because these people are, by most standards, a little nutty but because they are the most amazing, maniacal crafters.

From canning to building bomb-proof shelters, these people do it all. They are fully prepared to live off the land (or their stores of stuff) should civilation-as-we-know-it collapse. I'm impressed and jealous all at the same time. Frankly, I want a giant storage shed full of canned food. And a bomb-shelter made out of an old shipping container. And a cool way to filter brown water to irrigate my plants.

Maybe I need to start believing that the end of the world is coming. That might be the motivation I need.

In the meantime, I found this awesome resource for all things "survival" - Homesteading and Survivalism.

Sadly, their regular website is just a store - although they have some great pamphlets and books on how to do various crafty things. The store is here: http://homesteadingsurvivalism.myshopify.com/

I love this idea!!

Their best content is what they put on their Facebook page. They cull the internet for all manner of awesome craftiness like "50 ways to use baking soda" and "how to build a pallett cooler". I'm not even scratching the surface of the cool ideas you'll get if you "like" their page. (Sorry to feature another FB resource... but it really is great.) Find their FB page here:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/homesteading

And, of course, you can follow them on my preferred social media, Twitter: www.twitter.com/homestdsurvival

I hope you get lots of amazing, crafty ideas!

- Alex

That's Life

Sometimes I'm guilty of not being honest with you here. I like to hide behind this cyber reality that was born from Alex and my imaginations. It's a "safer" place for me. I usually just tell you about the work in my hands or maybe share something beautiful or yummy I found. But today I feel bleh, and it's my turn to write something for you all. Lucky people, you get the real me.

Today the anxiety over all my "to-do's" has reached it's tipping point. At the risk of reenacting that scene in Coal Miner's Daughter where Loretta breaks down on stage and Doo has to carry her off...I will share with you some of what is cluttering my head:

School has started and my Kindergartener is having some issues (exhaustion, and a weird personality shift) dealing with a full day in the classroom. Workdays at Company X have been leaving me feeling creatively drained. The pile of have-to knitting (loose ends from upcoming book submissions Alex and I are fortunate enough to be involved in) is lingering. Every weekend has been activity-filled. For some reason cooking is not the escape that jars me out of my funk this time, I actually have been avoiding it. Stomach aches. Tired. And don't actually get me started on my current thoughts about cleaning.

I am guessing that I am suffering from toomuchtodoitis. I need to slow my life down a notch. It's time to prioritize what is the most important stuff and jettison the rest. I am one who prides herself on handling whatever comes her way with a stiff upper lip, so this isn't easy for me. This is my battle-plan for reclaiming my balance...

1. Strip the calendar clean of 1/2 of my obligations. I think this needs no further explanation :)

2. Make lists. This is something that I've done for years and years. I think it stems from having to "prioritize" my work at my jobby job. Nothing calms me down more than writing all the tasks ahead of me down and then ticking them off one by one.

3. Get outdoors. Stewing in my own juices happens indoors. Getting outside in the crisp fall air is the best way to raise my spirits. Get out of the house, take the chirren over to the ice age trail and hike until we find our centers.  (Woo...that sounds REALLY "Madison", doesn't it?)

4. Meditate. One of my buddies is really getting into meditation. I'm going to hit him up for some guidance here. This subject is new to me which probably means I will eventually be writing about it here!

5. Vision board revamp. What is it that I want out of life? A vision board always helps me get in touch with the key things that are important to me right now. It is actually a big helper when it comes to prioritizing in Step 2.

And it wouldn't be me without talking about my craftiness...

The monster quilt is actually coming along. The pieced-blocks are all pretty much finished and now I am on to the embroidered/appliqued blocks. I have no experience with applique so at the moment I am reading books and watching YouTube videos...gearing up for the task at hand sort-to-speak.

Take it easy folks, treat yourself well and get outdoors.

–Cassandra

I'm just like Ma Ingalls

Well, not really. But I am going to a cabin next week. And I am a mom.

I love you Caroline Ingalls.

Last year I wrote about our family camping vacation. It was real camping...tents, dirt, open fire cooking, and all. This year we are going to a cabin. From what I understand, this cabin on a lake business is "civilized" camping. I will have a kitchen, bathroom, shower, and all the outlets a girl could need. Total game-changer.

Where before I was worried about what to cook and how I was going to manage sleeping on an air mattress, now I am wondering what crafts to bring along. I realize that my "me time" will be limited and I will still be cooking, chasing little boys around, and trying to keep things clean. Still, I have visions of myself on a lawn chair in the shade, with some handwork on my lap.

Only my fellow crafters will understand when I say that I had a small bit of panic on this subject last night before I went to sleep. What I bring with me is REALLY important. Really, really.

Normally I would just lug along my knitting bag with whatever is currently on the needles. But it's going to be hot out. And I'm not sure I feel like working under a sweater that is 3/4 finished. And I'm probably going to be interrupted every 10 minutes so that could make the knitting design projects I have going difficult to keep track of with notations and all. Sewing machine? Yeah right. Maybe if it was a cabin full of my awesome girlfriends!

Embroidery....now that's a thought!

A tumble of floss that resides in my knitting bag.

Embroidery is so summer to me. Easy to pick up and put down. Lightweight and minimal on supplies. Love it. I have some plain flour sack dish towels in my cedar chest that have been waiting for embellishment for quite a while. See, my hoarding has paid off! :)

Also, there is one little guy left in our Woodland Series embroidery templates waiting to be stitched. We have Owl, Hare, and Bear for you as free downloads. But Fox, poor Fox...he was designed and then set aside for some bigger fish to fry. Maybe it's time to give him some color and share him with you. Yeah, he might just have to come up north with me.

Fox needs to be taken from sketch to reality.

Speaking of embroidery...this past weekend, I went antiquing at my favorite antique fair in Elkhorn, Wis. Wandering around the fair grounds pieces of embroidered fabric kept catching me eye. Still starched, never used, lovingly stitched items. Made me pause. I said to my mother, "see they made them and saved them for "special"....and they should have just used them everyday because here they sit." And I really believe that. Live with your handmade items. Every day is special.

I was wishing I had the initial S when I saw this beauty.

–Cassandra

Friday Find: Making Father's Day

I stumbled on this post on Pinterest a while back. I'm not sure why it came up - Father's Day was still a ways off, but maybe people don't procrastinate like I do and they were actually thinking about this months ago.

Anyway... I loved the idea of handmade gifts that are appropriate for men and, once I got into the content a bit, I found that the real gem was in the all the links to all the different craft blogs. WOW! There are some amazing resources on the interwebz.

So, thank you everythingetsy.com for creating this great list of fun, easy things to make your dad (or your kid's dad) and for introducing us to so many great, creative sites.

Enjoy!

- Alex

Friday Finds: Craft Gossip

Back in August, we mentioned that we'd had an influx of new readers from a website called Craft Gossip. Since then, we've spent a lot of time on that site and are real fans of its dedication to all crafts (not just the ones we're interested in!)

Craft Gossip is driven by user-generated content in every craft category known to man - well, nearly. Each category has an editor who's in charge of filtering through and publishing the content. This makes for a very dynamic site with constantly churning information on a huge variety of subjects.



Example of a free jewelry tutorial

 So...what do you get? Tutorials, free patterns, links to other great sites, give-aways, contests, and just about anything else you could ask for. Mighty Distractible has been blessed with having patterns featured at Craft Gossip twice - once for our embroidery patterns and once for the recently posted Pom Pon Hat pattern.

Check them out. Whether you're interested in jewelry making, scrapbooking, needlework, candle-making, quilting, edible crafts, and blah, blah, blah you'll find something to inspire you at Craft Gossip. Maybe you'll even discover a NEW craft to try. (like we need more, amirite?)

- Alex

Friday Finds: Evil-Cute Crochet

I can't remember where I saw the first piece of Shove Mink's art - it was probably on Twitter - but I can tell you that, as soon as I visited her Etsy store, I wanted EVERYTHING she's ever made.

She calls her work "anti-gurumi". It's evil, a little twisted, and only "cute" because it's mainly made with yarn. Her store is called "Croshame", which is funny in and of itself, and her work is nothing short of brilliant. Please note that, while these may look like dolls, they are not for children and are priced accordingly.

I often complain that people don't view "craft" as "art" and, as a result, don't value it more. However, this stuff can't be categorized as craft in any way, shape, or form. The attention to detail and the skill is just too fantastic.

So, for your enjoyment, I give you my two favorite pieces of Croshame art - The Krampus* and The Exorcist Playset:

 

* The Krampus will be mine at some point in the near future. I'm just sayin'.

Friday Finds

It's the time of the year for clementines - also known "cuties" or Mandarin oranges. Don't know why they're not called Mandarin oranges anymore. Maybe it's not PC enough. And, while I agree that they're pretty cute, I kind of hate how twee the name "cutie" sounds.

Someone told me that more clementine oranges are consumed on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year. This is a completely unsubstantiated claim but it wouldn't surprise me.


Anyway.

I found this really cool craft project that employes clementines and I thought I'd share it with you for today's Friday Finds. It's super-easy to do and the end result is really impressive. Clementines aren't just for eating! Woot!

How to Make a Clementine Candle

 

Coming Soon to a Blogpost Near You...

Recently, we've enjoyed an influx of new readers thanks to being mentioned on two really fun sites - Craft Gossip and Friend-Stitch. We're thrilled to have you all with us and hope to continue to offer relevant and fun content that keeps you coming back.

We love hearing your comments and encouragement. As a matter of fact, based on some feedback we received from one reader, we added more instruction and a color/stitch chart to our embroidery patterns. The only way we can improve is when you all tell us what works!

So, today, we'd like to let you know about some of the things we plan to cover in upcoming posts. This is not a comprehensive list by any means and, of course, we're sure to get distracted and write about whatever floats our boat in that moment (as usual.) Without further ado, here's some of what you can expect from Mighty Distractible....

Upcoming Distractions
As you all know, we can't seem to stay focused on a single thing. We have noticed, however, that most of our crafts include some manner of needle work or fiber - including the new skills that we want to try.

Cross-Stitch - Alex is fascinated with samplers, mostly when they're really edgy. The dichotomy of a sweet handicraft turned on its head is really appealing.




Quilting - Cassandra caught the bug when we made quilts for the earthquake victims in Japan. She's working on some ideas for kid-sized quilts for Thing 1 and Thing 2.



 Needlepoint - Years ago, Alex saw needlepoint squares used to upholster the seats of dining room chairs. Every since, she's been obsessed with the idea of covering her chairs similarly.  Specifically, she wants to use some ridiculously intricate William Morris-style patterns. This is why the project hasn't left the ground yet.

Only slightly complicated Wm Morris design

More crochet - Alex has already started down this path. Now it's Cassandra's turn. She's taken one of the library books home so expect to hear about her foray into hooking pretty soon.

Serging - Both Alex and Cassandra love the idea of using a serger and are dying to get their hands on one and see what can be done with it.

Upcoming Free Stuff
As promised, we will continue to offer free downloads and tutorials as often as possible. On our list of things to give you are a variety of patterns in different disciplines. We're in various stages of creation on these - writing them up, testing the patterns, etc. - but know that we'll have plenty for you to enjoy soon.

Love this wavy stitch

Knitting patterns - Alex is working on a set of three patterns - a scarf, a hat, and fingerless gloves (aka: wrist warmers). All of them use a unique stitch that she learned from a stranger at a protest knit-in at Madison's Capitol back in February. 

Sewing patterns - Cassandra recently spent some time learning to lay in zippers and, for practice, developed a pattern for a simple, but very pretty, zippered pouch. They make great notion bags and are so easy you can make a few in an afternoon. Additionally, Alex keeps threatening to make a pattern for a knock-off apron that she saw at a trendy store.

Embroidery and cross-stitch patterns - We like to thank everyone for the warm reception to the first two patterns in the Woodland Series. There will be two more to come - Bear and Fox. Also, Alex is excited to design some cross-stitch patterns so, yeah....we'll see how that goes.


Upcoming Giveaways
We've done one giveaway so far and would like to do more. Basically, we're interested in reviewing things - books, supplies, etc - and then giving the reviewed item away to you! We think the easiest way to do this is to have people comment within a certain time frame and then we'll do a random drawing from qualified names.

We'd love your feedback on this idea. What items would you like us to review? Does the "random drawing" process seem fair or can you suggest a better way to pick a winner? Any advice would be appreciated!

So...that's a little bit of what we have in store for you. We hope this sounds intriguing and that you'll stick with us on this journey. We're having a BLAST and hope you are too. Don't forget, we love hearing from you and can only improve from your input.

Happy crafting!

- Alex & Cassandra